Tony Hawk's Underground 2: Remix [PSP]

Gamers are bombarded with digitized skate titles on an annual basis, so it's sometimes tough to get excited about them. While Neversoft perfected the formula long ago, familiarity breeds contempt. However, this series has managed to stay fresh in recent years after the Pro-Skater-to-Underground shift, combined with the return of classic elements. Amazingly, Underground 2 makes a perfect landing on the PSP, and picks up a few new tricks along the way.

You're likely familiar with what Tony Hawk's Underground 2 is all about, lest you've been in a full-body cast for the last year. Your character is chosen to accompany the gallant Tony Hawk and the goofing Bam Margera to exotic locales, which they then thrash. This is retained in THUG 2 Remix, and now there are even more places to tear up.

For example, Las Vegas is a level that you'd think would've been a Tony Hawk stage long ago. The casino vibe translates amazingly well in a skating context -- much like Pro Skater 1's mall level. The other new stages (Kyoto, Santa Cruz, and Atlanta) are no slouches, either, and their size is especially surprising.

Classic mode is also squeezed onto this UMD format, allowing us to skate in the old-school way. All told, there is a lot of game to be played here. Tony Hawk translates flawlessly into a portable game, which is more than can be said about some ported franchises. The reason is that you can kill either a few hours or a few minutes, and both are equally satisfying.

Having the two sets of shoulder buttons is what made PS2 the preferred Tony Hawk console, but they're gone now. Thus, there is a slight adjustment that needs to be made to get used to their absence. Fanatics should overcome this quickly, though. The rest of the control is faithful to other iterations, though it's worth mentioning that there is a lot to digest for first-time players -- if any actually still exist. Mastering grinds, manuals, vert tricks, and linking them all together can be intimidating. The training level -- which harkens back to the first game -- is a good introduction.

Wireless multiplayer is ideal for this series. It's not mushed together like the split-screen, and it doesn't have the anonymity of the Internet. You get your own screen, and can go at it with a handful of friends. Find the right homies, and you can easily log as many hours in multiplayer as you do in single-player. The new scavenger hunt mode is clever, and counters the only problem with multiplayer -- that is, the levels are almost too large for the more combative modes like slap.

Put this game head-to-head with the console version, and you'll still have to squint to spot graphical differences. The resolution, animation, and draw distance are all high quality. Musically, THUG 2 Remix features the same eclectic soundtrack you've come to expect from this series, and tunes are crystal clear despite the doubtless compression it took to get them on the disc.

Tony Hawk's Underground 2 Remix gives PSP owners a massive, compelling experience, while at the same time making the hardware look golden. After all, it's not only a port of a best-selling console game -- it's better! Even if you've already toured the world with Bam and Tony on another platform, THUG 2 Remix should be high on your PSP shopping list.