Tony Hawk Rebuilt for PS3, Xbox 360

Forget about that Xbox 360 game. This is where next-gen begins for the Tony Hawk series. New screens.

Few would argue that the Tony Hawk series hasn't passed its prime, which is perhaps why Activision and developer Neversoft are throwing out all the old stuff and starting from scratch for Tony Hawk's Project 8 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Or at least that's the idea.

The game's defining features are still the wealth of tricks you can do and its consistent world, in which you live out the life of a wanna-be pro. Reputation is more important this time around, and you'll need to impress the locals with your moves if you want to make it big.

The graphics engine is completely new and character animation is based on motion-capture sessions with and 3D modelling of pro skaters. Pulling tricks off is always the way to go, but you'll get a sadistic thrill out of falling too, thanks to more realistic physics and new ragdoll effects.

The developers are bringing in a bunch of new stuff for the gameplay too. For one, you'll have to work harder to land big tricks at photos shoots. That's not new.

What is new is that you'll also need to film video spots, where a filmer will lay out goals for you. You'll be able to see what it looks like on the fly, thanks to new picture-in-picture where the main screen is complemented by a smaller screen that shows what the camera operator is seeing.

All this fun isn't just for next-gen gamers, though. Activision is working with developer Shaba Games on PlayStation 2 and Xbox ports, though it's clear that the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 are the primary platforms for the project. You can expect all of these, and a PSP version too, to arrive this autumn.

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games