Ready to skate with the pros? Here are five reasons why you want Tony Hawk's Proving Ground.
by Mike Smith
WATCH TONY HAWK'S PROVING GROUND VIDEOS
1. Make yourself the star
Fire up Proving Ground's video editing mode and cut your own skate movie. You can store up to two minutes of your gnarliest footage, and edit together your own sequences using as many as 20 clips. You can even earn extra cash by showing them to sponsors or - if you're looking for real recognition - upload them to Xbox Live and share your skills with the whole world.
2. Seamless online multiplayer
While you're cruising around Proving Ground's three cities in single-player mode, you can drop to the map and see other players online in your area. Creating a multiplayer game is as simple as seeking one out, after which you can go right back to your solo career without bothering with tons of loads screens and menus.
3. Create-a-Park mode returns
Last seen in American Wasteland, this popular mode returns in Proving Ground, letting you indulge your creative side by arranging ramps, rails and half-pipes into your own personal skate nirvana. But Proving Ground takes this a step further by letting aspiring Riggers edit the game's levels during play. Can't reach that window ledge? Now you can.
4. Kick-ass soundtrack
The Rolling Stones. Jurassic 5. Foo Fighters. Nirvana. The Clash. Awesome soundtracks are a Tony Hawk tradition, and Proving Ground delivers the best one so far. Over 50 tracks from world-famous groups and up-and-coming bands accompany the game's action, and you can use any of them to spice up your custom videos.
5. Nail your grabs
If you loved the "Nail the Trick" option in Project 8, you'll be delighted that Proving Ground extends this slow-mo trick mode to grabs and manuals. All three schemes give you close control over your character's hands and feet during a trick, so rather than churning out pre-defined grabs and flips you can improvise to create your own unique moves.
Posted: 15 Oct 2007
