The Tony Hawk franchise is quickly growing into a juggernaut. Actually, it already is a juggernaut, but it could use a few more games in the series to really throw its weight around. Maybe someday we’ll see a Tony Hawk compilation game with levels from each game in the series. If that ever happens, the contributions from THPS4 will be among the best parts of the game. Despite being on its fourth installment, the folks at Neversoft have surprisingly managed to keep Tony Hawk fresh. This is a sequel that will especially appeal to fans of the previous games in the series.

As an accomplished THPS veteran, I didn’t immediately notice that the very first set of goals on the first level is significantly harder than in previous THPS games. I figured it out quickly when my brother, who has managed to avoid THPS games thus far, tried the first level. He’s normally quite good at video games (better than me in many multiplayer games), yet he couldn’t complete one goal. I can’t say he tried very hard, but looking back, it’s clear that the first levels in THPS 2 and 3 were quite a bit more friendly than the first in THPS4. And they only get harder from there. The good news is that with three installments behind us, most interested gamers will be THPS veterans, and I’m very glad that Neversoft capitalized on this.

The gameplay system has been tweaked quite a bit from previous THPS games. The most noticeable difference is that each level is now huge, and there is no time limit. This provides a great opportunity to get back into the series by busting out some tricks and doing some vert before you get down to business by attempting some goals. The most important affect this has on the gameplay is that it frees up the timer for individual goals. To activate goals, you have to locate a person with a large green arrow over their head. When you speak to them (X button) they will relay a goal to you (text and audio). At this point, a time limit will appear on the screen, which varies depending on the goal. For some goals, you’ll feel the squeeze of time forcing you to move with speed and skill. At other times, you’ll be presented with great technical challenges where time really isn’t an obstacle at all. The new goals coax you into learning skills and tricks that you may have overlooked in previous THPS games.

Levels are unlocked by simply completing a certain number of goals as in THPS3, but you also get cash for goals as in THPS2 so that you can buy numerous things (videos, new levels, cheats, new boards, new tricks and more). There are seven main levels and two poorly hidden “secret” levels with over a hundred and fifty goals in all. Another improvement over previous THPS games is that you don’t have to go through the entire (massive) career mode with each skater to unlock videos and other goodies. No matter which skater you use, the stat points, cash, and goals remain cleared and collected. All newly gained stat points can be reassigned at any time so that you can put them where you like if you switch skaters. You may wonder how each skater’s video is unlocked if you don’t have to beat the career with each of them. I’ll leave that for you to find out, but I think you’ll find that it’s a pleasant surprise.

The multiplayer games are apparently the same ones from THPS3. They are for two players only and include mostly games of tag, scoring and variations on the two. Nothing ground breaking here, but a welcome addition to yet another great package.

The graphics in THPS4 are not technically impressive by any means, but they are extremely clean and contain plenty of detail. THPS4 improves over the rushed port-job of THPS3 in every way, but not drastically. Trilinear filtering has been enabled this time (making textures look nicer), and anti-aliasing is on as before. The main difference is that the levels are significantly bigger, and yet the framerate has been improved. With the exception of the first and last levels, which run smoothly all of the time, every level tends to have a patch of stuttering within easy reach. It happens often enough to be noticeable, but it doesn’t significantly impact the gameplay. THPS3 had quite a bit of stuttering that kicked in just as you went up most ramps, which could throw off your tricks. In THPS4, the stuttering is mostly limited to flat areas where you can catch a lot of distant geometry in your view. Most of the action seems to take place away from these problem spots. Aside from this problem, the graphics are impressive. The game has quite a bit of detail in the way of shadows and structures, and the level design itself is very pleasing. Real architecture is blended with skating surfaces so that the pinnacle windows just happen to have a slight curve to them making perfect quarter pipes, and the fence separating two tennis courts happens to slope down on both sides so that you can ollie up to it and grind. Not that this is anything new to the series, but the environments in THPS4 are better than any game in the series to date.

As usual, the track list is built around rock, punk and hip-hop tunes, but this time there are thirty-five tracks to choose from. Admittedly, some of the tracks are a bit obscure, but if you don’t like any of them, you can just turn them off from the play list editor (accessible from the game or pause menu). A track listing can be found in the game’s profile. The sound effects are not noticeably different than usual. Everything has a nice crispness to it. Different surfaces produce different sounds and such. There are two differences worth mentioning though. Since the goals are introduced by characters in each level, you’ll find that they talk to you out loud. Some of the characters are actually other famous skaters such as Tony himself, and in that case he provides the voice over (or a talented voice-alike). Another change to the sound presentation that was affected by the new gameplay system is that you get to hear entire CD tracks now. In previous games, the two minute time limit would always cut the end off of the music tracks. Now that there is no time limit for the level itself, the music plays freely.

The replay value in THPS4 is through the roof, as always. As long as you’re still having fun with the core gameplay, it seems like there’s always something more to do. As you complete all of the challenging goals, you can start unlocking a ton of goodies. There are hidden levels, cheat codes, gear for the create-a-skater, new boards, and videos to unlock. You’ll have to complete goals or pick up free-floating bills to build your cash reserves to buy this stuff, but some videos are unlocked by other means. Speaking of the videos, the compression is notably better than the THPS3 videos. They are full screen with fewer significant artifacts though the decreased color depth is definitely noticeable.

Though THPS4 may not be the best introduction to the series due to its steep learning curve, it makes an excellent follow-up for the legions of THPS fans already out there. Unless you’ve had enough Tony Hawk, you should pick this one up immediately. If you’re new to the series, the game is highly recommended, but be prepared to spend significant time learning the ropes.