Tony Hawk: Ride

Template:GameTony Hawk: Ride, or THR, is a spin-off of the Tony Hawk video game series. Systems that the game appear on are the Wii, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. The Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game was developed by Robomodo. The Wii version was handled by Buzz Monkey. The game was published by Activision and distributed by Activision Blizzard.

The game was rated "T" for teen and was released on November 17, 2009. Online multiplayer and online leaderboards were available in the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions.

Development and pre-release

In February of 2008, publisher Activision said that the game was currently undergoing research and testing. The publisher also said at the time that the game will be a "re-engineering [for] the franchise" and said that there will be "a new direction for the brand."

The pre-order boxart for the game.

In May 2008, Activision spoke more about the new game. During a quarterly earnings conference, the company again confirmed that the new game would "deliver the kind of breakthrough this franchise needs." At the same time, Activision confirmed that the new game would not be released in 2008, but is scheduled to be out before their 2010 fiscal year ends. This would put the window of release between April 1, 2009 and March 31, 2010.

The packaging for Tony Hawk: Ride on the Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3.

On December 3, 2008, Activision announced a new motion sensing balance board peripheral that players will "put down the controller, step on the board, and feel the sensation of going big... Shift your weight to turn and balance grinds, kick back on the tail of the board to ollie, and lean into airs to pull off huge spins."

On GameTrailers TV on Friday 15 of May, 2009, it was announced that the game will not be called "Tony Hawk's Adrenaline" (the game's working title), but instead, "Tony Hawk: Ride", as it's official name.

On May 25th, 2009, GameStop listed the product at USD$119.99 with the unofficial release date of October 13th, 2009.

On June 2, 2009 through June 4, 2009, playable demo of Tony Hawk: Ride was open to the public at the 2009 Electronic Entertainment Expo.

A playable demo was available again on July 30, 2009 through August 2, 2009 at X Games XV.

The offcial release date for the game was let out to the public in August 2009, with it being November 17, 2009.

On October 8, 2009, it was announced that players could visit their local GameStop retailer and see the skateboard controller, which was mounted on a rack with a Tony Hawk: Ride advertisement. The board was not removable, but was allowed to be touched.

Gameplay

A screenshot of Stevie Williams in the Loop Plaza level of Tony Hawk: Ride.

In Tony Hawk: Ride, players use the all new skateboard-based peripheral to simulate the riding of an actual skateboard in the gameplay. Players cannot play the game with a hand controller. This is considered the most dramatic change in the Tony Hawk video game series due to the fact that in the gameplay of past games, alot of "button mashing" was used. There are three levels of difficulty while using the skateboard controller, which are "Casual", "Confident", and "Hardcore".

Various of past installments of Tony Hawk games, from Tony Hawk's Underground to Tony Hawk's Proving Ground, made it available to players to get off their skateboard during gameplay and start walking. Walking is no longer available in Tony Hawk: Ride.

The "Nail-the-Trick" feature that was in Tony Hawk's Project 8 and Tony Hawk's Proving Ground, is gone in Tony Hawk: Ride.

The story mode of the game is called "Road Trip", were the player's Custom Skater starts in Southern California and travels through the world eventually going pro. The story mode can be both short or long, depending on which difficulty it is played in.

Online play is available in the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions. The Wii version doesn't have online play but instead substitutes that for the use of Miis, so players have the option to play the game with their Mii avatars, pre-determined Miis in the game based on the pro skater cast, or the regular pro skater cast. All three versions of the game match up the same, except for the lack of online play on the Wii version.

Game levels

A screenshot of Christian Hosoi in the Quiksilver "All '80s All Day" level in Tony Hawk: Ride.

Before the release of Tony Hawk: Ride, the developers of Tony Hawk: Ride, as well as Tony Hawk himself, were asked by video game critics and video game journalists if the game would feature a open world without any loading times in between, they said the game would not be featuring an open world to skate in because if players were on the skateboard controller for hours, just looking for something to do, players would get bored and eventually stop playing the game entirely. Therefore, the game features more enclosed levels.

Locations

Southern California

• L.A. River
• Venice Beach
• Venice Beach Halfpipe
• Vans "Downtown Showdown"

Chicago, Illinois

• Loop Plaza
• Lower Wacker Drive
• Boom Boom Huck Jam
• "Manual Challenge"

New York City

• Central Park
• Central Park Halfpipe
• Brooklyn Banks
• "Back to the Banks"

Spain

• Barcelona Plaza
• Toledo Streets
• Barcelona Halfpipe
• éS "Game of Skate"

Frankfurt, Germany

• Frankfurt Terminal
• Quiksilver "'80s Vert Challenge"

Tokyo, Japan

• BOOMX2 TH Vertical U-Ramp!
• BOOMX2 TH Go Show!

Characters

Pro Skaters

A screenshot of Alex Olson in the L.A. River level of Tony Hawk: Ride.

• Tony Hawk
• Dustin Dollin
• Rodney Mullen
• Paul Rodriguez
• Ryan Sheckler
• Daewon Song
• Mike Vallely
• Stevie Williams
• Christian Hosoi
• Steve Nesser
• Lyn-Z Adams Hawkins
• Cara Beth Burnside
• Nyjah Huston
• Mike Mo Capaldi
• Alex Olson

Besides the pro skaters, there is also the option of creating your own skater.

See also

• Tony Hawk: Ride Soundtrack

Gallery

External links

• Tony Hawk: Ride on IGN
• Tony Hawk: Ride review on IGN
• Tony Hawk: Ride on GameSpot
• Tony Hawk: Ride review for the PS3 on GameSpot
• Tony Hawk: Ride review for the Xbox 360 on GameSpot
• Tony Hawk: Ride review for the Wii on GameSpot
• Tony Hawk: Ride on USA Today, before the game's release