DESCRIPTION

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater was first released as a PlayStation game before being translated for the Dreamcast. As a free skateboarding game, it allows you to skate in a variety of environments and interact with the objects as you try to pull off tricks and combos. You can choose from ten skaters, each rated in attributes like speed, air, balance, and the ability to ollie.

There are three basic trick types that you can perform: kicks tricks, grab tricks, and grinds. Each trick group is associated with one button on the controller. To pull off a trick, you must press the right button and a direction on the D-pad at the appropriate time. You must hold the button down to maintain a grab trick, and during grinds you must use the D-pad to shift your balance to remain grinding. Every time you perform a trick, your power meter will increase a little; when it's full, the bar turns yellow and you can perform skater-specific special tricks for high point values.

Each trick has a default point value associated with it, but tricks performed in combination are worth more than the sum of their individual parts. Other ways to increase a kick or grab trick's default value is by spinning in midair while performing the trick. For grind tricks, the longer you maintain the grind, the more you score.

The game offers a total of three modes. Free skate mode allows you to skate freely on unlocked levels, practicing anything without a time limit. Single session mode lets you skate a timed period on unlocked levels to try to get high scores. In career mode, you must meet certain requirements to get videotapes, which can then be used to unlock levels and boards or to increase skater attributes. Each level in career mode has five tape requirements, two of which involve getting a certain point score. One requires you to interact with objects on the level in some way, such as destroying five signposts or grinding on five tables. One requires you to grab five letters floating in the air to form the word "skate." The last tape requirement is actually to find a videotape hidden somewhere in the level. ~ Kyle Knight, All Game Guide