Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 more addictive than cigarettes

With the recent release of Sega Dreamcast and the upcoming release of Sony's Playstation II, fans of the original Sony Playstation will no doubt experience a lag in the manufacture of new and exciting games. But one recent Activision sequel has certainly lived up to, if not surpassed, the standard of quality expected from Playstation games.\nTony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 was recently released with a large following of loyal fans lining up at cash registers nationwide with sore and callused thumbs from the original Tony Hawk Pro Skater, and with good reason. \nFrom the opening credits, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 is an amazing piece of work. The start screen is a full-motion video introduction of each featured skater pulling off some amazing tricks, including Jamie Thomas' famous "leap of faith" gap. All of the skaters from the original game have returned for the sequel and three new skaters, Rodney Mullen, Eric Koston and Steve Caballero, have been added.\nUpon entering the game menu screen, players see a few more menu options than on the first Pro Skater game. This time around, it includes an option to customize each skater, controlling everything from hair color to tattoos. The skate park editor is also a new option, allowing the player to choose from a variety of stairs, ramps, and rails to create a customized skate park. And, of course, all of the original modes are still intact. \nFor instance, free skate is an extremely helpful mode, allowing players to skate freely around a level without time constraints. This is useful to learn the ins and outs of the huge levels.\nIn this sequel, the career mode has also been noticeably altered. Each noncompetition level now has 10 goals which, when completed, award cash. This cash can then be spent on new tricks, boards and better statistics like balance and hang time for skaters. The career mode competition levels are much more difficult now, with higher point goals and unflinching competition.\nThe multiplayer mode is another fun choice, especially if you have a roommate who is just as addicted to the game as you are. In each multiplayer game, with the exception of horse, there is split-screen competition. There are four multiplayer games: graffiti, trick attack, horse and tag, basically just variations of who can do the best tricks or have the best string of tricks without touching the ground.\nThe only mildly annoying part of the game is the soundtrack. The 15 songs include thrash-core hits like Anthrax's "Bring the Noise" and Rage Against the Machine's "Guerrilla Radio." The song choice is nothing to scoff at, but after about six or eight hours of play, you want to murder Chuck D, and that's just not cool. \nLuckily the sounds of the game aren't necessary for maximum thrashage, and players have the option of turning the music off (or turning the television down) and putting a Johnny Cash record on. Fair warning must also be given for the fact that this game is more addictive than crack. When players start to get a lot of tricks down and start to feel confident with their playing skills, it is not unusual to sit in front of the television for four or five hours playing this game.\nWith increased playability, larger levels, more skaters, fiercer competition and better trick combos, Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 will be sure to go down in video game history as one of the best designed and most well thought-out games. Anyone who does not have this game is missing out and should buy it, or at least rent it to see what all of the hubbub is about.