Evolution Skateboarding [GC]

Konami's Evolution Skateboarding, the title, is the very antithesis of what the gameplay embodies. One would think that it takes the extreme sports skateboarding genre and develops it into something more original; Konami's own tagline for the project is "The evolution of action sports games." In a roundabout way it even suggests that it is a more evolved product than Activision's Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4. On the contrary, however, Evolution Skateboarding, while it is home to a solid graphics engine, some intuitive features, and an understandable game structure, is far too removed from the standards that the renowned Hawk franchise has set in place.

As far as we're concerned, the only place it has on GameCube is that it finally lets you play as Metal Gear Solid's Snake, as he's an unlockable character. Beyond that, Evolution Skateboarding is a behind-its-time product, something that simply pales in comparison to the greater likes of Aggressive Inline and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4.

The Facts

• Features pro skaters Arto Saari, Danny Way, Mark Appleyard, Rick McCrank, and others
• Control scheme adheres to the tried and true extreme sports button layout
• Signature combo customization lets you string together tricks at the touch of a button
• Over 70 different tricks ranging from pop shove-its to frontside 180s.
• Missions and levels vary according to skaters
• Boss battles
• Unlock hidden gear, character, and more
• Custmize your board with the sticker editor
• Two-player match mode lets you battle for high scores and collected rings
• Sountrack includes 15 songs from bands such as Ill Nino, CKY, and Unwritten Law
• Dolby Pro Logic II support

Gameplay
Evolution Skateboarding shamelessly picks apart what the Tony Hawk franchise set forth, and tries to recreate it with its own "uniqueness." What that boils down to is a diluted and improperly seasoned extreme sports title that can't help but remind you of how great its competition is. Konami's new skateboarding franchise takes the basic formula you've all seen before. You are dropped into large levels, lined with grind rails, quarter pipes, bowls, and all the trimmings to complete various challenges with the goal of unlocking new levels and bonuses. For example, you'll have to crack a high score, knock over four statues placed around the level, or impress photographers. Konami tries to inject its "uniqueness" with goals that have you grinding over switches to free imprisoned people or facing off against boss characters. That sad truth, though, is that none of this is unique at all. Aggressive Inline released this summer to include not only buckets of humorous "action"-based objectives, but also a handful of genuinely evolved gameplay mechanics such as the juice meter, which tossed away the idea of the timer.

In Evolution's case, it uses the standard face buttons for ollie, flip, grind, and grab tricks. Meanwhile, the R and L triggers spin the board or switch your stance. Another area that Evolution attempts to do something new is letting you assign two signature combos to Up+Z and Down+Z. You have to build up your special meter to use it, but the tricks you customize it with are mostly dependant on the air you catch. It's not a bad idea, but it somewhat dumbs down the challenge. Furthermore, the actual combo system is extremely shallow. It's roughly equivalent to what we might have seen in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1.5 if such a thing existed. With only basic tricks and a manual to work with, playing Evolution Skateboarding can become tiresome very quickly. The level design, which is all together mundane, really doesn't help the situation either.

However, there are a few honorable mentions. The game is home to a sticker edit tool that lets you slap the logos like Independent and ES on the underside of your board. It looks awesome in the menu setup. The only problem is you really don't see the underside of your board while you're skating, even during the replays which feature some pretty uninteresting camera angles. As well, for objectives, there is a map system. Important objects are color coded and clearly labeled on the map, which eased the scavenger hunt elements greatly.

In the end, the issue is not that Evolution Skateboarding demonstrates awful game design necessarily. It has its fare share of problems; the grinding mechanic, resistant and frustrating, is one element we think fatally scars the gameplay. However, were it released four or so years ago, it would have been far more palatable. In the year 2002, though -- at a time when Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 owns the market and Aggressive Inline paves the way for new ideas, there is simply no place for Evolution Skateboarding. Summed up: too little, too late.

Graphics
At a time when multiplatform titles usually suffer from framerate problems and general graphics engine trouble, Konami has actually done an excellent job of bringing solid visuals to GameCube. Running at 60 frames per second with some crispy textures here and there, Evolution Skateboarding is actually very easy on the eyes. Animation can be relatively unvaried -- again behind the times -- but the bare bones graphics features are strong.

No progressive scan support.

Sound
Basic sound effects suffice. From the clanks of metal-on-metal grinding to the inconsistent bumps from riding down stairs the sound effects are in place. It's all even offered up in Dolby Pro Logic II for those who can take advantage of it. Alongside this, there is an annoying announce that likes to scream out the name of the trick you just pulled every so often. He doesn't do anything else -- just yells. He's completely unneeded, except for the benefit of drooling troglodytes, who may get the urge to leap up and clap their hands over the joy of actually performing a trick successfully. Case in point, he yells, "Hey! You can't score points if you don't do tricks," if you let your character stand idle. Wow! We're going to beat ourselves senseless with a mallet now to ensure we're on the same level as this genius.

It also features an equally unhip soundtrick with about 15 or so tracks from bands like Ill Nino with "UnReal," Agent Orange with "Let It Burn," and Primus, perhaps the only truly respectable inclusions, with "Harold of the Rocks," "Pudding Time," and "Mr Knowitall."

©2002, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved