Tony Hawk’s Underground 2 Remix
Developer: Shaba/Neversoft/Supervillian
Publisher: Activision

I haven’t played THUG 2, but I’ve played the rest of the THPS series. The series is great, but this one ruined it for me.

Graphics: THUG 2 Remix looks great. Everything is just like the console version, except with more glitches. There are some texture problems and black walls that fade when you move closer to them. Walls and floors seem to flicker black when you are near them. If there weren’t any glitches, the graphics would be above average.

Gameplay: The gameplay in THUG 2 Remix has gotten a little more challenging. Once again, it’s just like the console version. Neversoft managed to get the Create-A- modes on here. There is Create-A-Skater, Create-A-Graphic, Create-A-Trick, and Create-A-Goal. Unfortunately the Park Editor isn’t featured. I’ve also noticed something very annoying with multiplayer, when playing WiFi, you can’t use your special slow down mode. This means you actually have to balance! I’ve also found that when watching cut scenes…the character’s eyes seem to buldge out of their skull. I’m not sure if that actually happened in the original THUG 2, but it’s actually annoying me. Remix has some new levels and characters that you can play as, so it’s kind of new. The goals usably consist of finding a secret skater, getting a high score, or knocking something down so I wouldn’t expect much variety. I mean, there isn’t that many things you can do with a skateboard…

Sound: The absolute WORST problem with this game is the dialogue! When you bail, or fall, you don’t hear any “ARRRG!” or “Owwww!” It’s all gone! There is no in game dialogue throughout the levels. This ruined the experience very much for me. No character talks to you or yells at you when you knock into them in a level. Another thing that kind of made me mad was the soundtrack. THUG 1, THPS 3, and THPS 4 all had a great mixture of great music. THUG 2 Remix has a great mix of pure crap. There are only a few songs I have on my play list right now. The soundtrack includes Aesop Rock, Frank Sinatra, Johnny Cash, Rancid and some other musicians I don’t care about. There is even an anti-Bush song on here…a metal song…So you can rock AND skate against Bush! When you pause the screen and take a break, the audio seems to turn off by itself when you’re playing. I have no idea how to bring it back other than reset the game, which is a pain to do thanks to loading.

Story: THUG 1’s storyline was much better than this one. THUG 2 Remix’s story has to do with you going around destructing all the places you go to. The World Destruction Tour, hosted by Bam Margera and Tony Hawk. Hooray…

Control: The main problem I had with this, which also killed my experience, is the Triangle button. When I play this game on my PS2 I use my right index finger to grind. Now I must use my thumb because it’s too far away. Another issue is the analog stick. When you’re off your board and running, you can use it to move, but when you’re on the board, you can only use the analog stick to move the camera. For some reason the the analog controls tend to switch.

Replayability: Though this game has its negatives, I can’t stop playing it. I feel like I need to find every gap there is and unlock all of the bonuses. Other than unlocking and finding gaps, there isn’t much to do besides free skate and play online.

THUG 2 Remix has tons of glitches and errors that ruin the gameplay experience. You will have more fun with the console versions.

Hits:
Fun levels.
Special Guests and Characters are really cool.
WiFi play.

Misses:
Bad audio.
Major glitches.
Repetitive goals.

Graphics: 7
Gameplay: 7
Sound: 6
Story: 5
Control: 6
Replayability: 8
Overall: 6.5