Dewy's Adventure

Developer: Konami
Publisher: Konami
Release Date: Sept. 18, 2007
Systems: Wii
ESRB Rating: E
Official Web Site

In a nutshell: Super Monkey Ball + Loco Roco

0:01 A breathy hum in a bleak, hazy, hand-drawn world with a large dead tree. A little boy with a stick in hand. "Why does mom always have to bug me about studying." This is kind of unsettling, somehow. There's a girl sitting by the tree, reading. She likes his song. She likes the tree, he doesn't because it's all dried out and dead. "Well it looks like a strong and beautiful tree to me," she says. People used to hold festivals here, supposedly. She starts reading to him from the book about "an enchanted land, like your world, but it really exists." It's full of "crystal waters and green forests." Suddenly, the title screen, with Katamari-style graphics and a cooing Dewy. OK!

0:04 I start the story mode and... more story. The "eau" lived in the land, and the tree of seven colors gave life to all living things. But black water started raining from the sky. Is this gonna be an environmental parable? Ugh.

0:05 The tree gave birth to Dewy to defend the land from Don Hedron, the evil guy sending the black water. Don Hedron? Really? That's the best bad guy name they could think of? He sounds like the kid who beat me up in elementary school.

0:06 So Dewy won, but then Don Hedron (still an awful name) came back. The tree called back the "living drop of enchanted water once more." More cute, hand-drawn art style here.

0:07 And we're playing. Hold the remote like an NES controller, and tilt to move the world and Dewy by proxy.

0:08 Some mushroom-capped guys are very happy to see Dewy. They basically repeat the story I just heard. The game doesn't tell me, but I figure out the 2 button does a nice, floaty jump.

0:10 Up and down shakes create a gust of wind. It moves pinwheels. Cute!

0:11 Dewy kind of splats when he lands from up high. ALSO CUTE!

0:12 I accidentally jump off the edge of the world. Dewy gives a plaintive cry all the way down. Awwww...

0:13 I got some camera film. I can use it to take pictures from the pause menu. The game is cute, but I don't really see why I'd want to do this.

0:14 Being water, Dewy can switch forms. A tap of down goes to ice with a spinning attack. Up goes to mist, which can attack with lightning. Mist dewy is somewhat limited by not being able to move. And by somewhat, I mean totally.

0:15 I hit a switch to make a balloon thing inflate bigger and then go in and shake the remote to shoot Dewy to the next island. This game is triiiiipy.

0:16 The controls are a little touchy so far. Water Dewy stops kind of abruptly when he changes direction. Ice dewy has a much more satisfying momentum to him. I do like the super-floaty jump though.

0:19 Stage one clear. All the mushroom guys I collected fall onto the screen. I get a B for my time and number collected.

0:20 There is product placement on the tips screen in between levels. I can't believe it -- the enemies are being turned into Aquapod water, with a small copyright notice: "(c) Nestle Waters North America." I think I'm going to be sick.

0:23 Wheee! This invincibility soap bubble is tons of fun. Like bowling for bad guys here. I got a health shard for some reason. No idea what it does. I'm serious, I assume health, but my health looks the same.

0:25 I'm finding bunches of secret areas without really trying. Nice that there's extra stuff for those who aren't satisfied just going through the straight-as-an-arrow levels.

0:27 I think I've figured out the main problem with these controls. It near impossible to get Dewy to stop. The controller doesn't auto center, so you have to hold the remote very still and level if you want no movement. Very annoying.

0:30 I know it's still early, but this game seems more targeted towards the kiddy set. I'm just sliding around and collecting things on an extremely linear path. It reminds me a lot of Loco Roco, this is kind of relaxing, but kind of dull too.

0:34 Sigh. I'm finally fighting a semi-interesting group of enemies, but I keep falling down to a lower level and having to climb back. NOT FUN. The controls definitely get in the way.

0:40 There's a group of caged mushroom heads that's just out of reach. I have to bounce on a trampoline plant multiple times to get up to them. The controls make this nearly impossible... I keep drifting. This might be my bad, but it seems like a major failing of the whole concept.

0:42 Boss time. A big green blobby thing with a golden head. He does a jumping attack that sends out a big shock wave. I like the character design a lot. The world design, too... very bright and fanciful.

0:45 The boss actually kills me. This is shocking for two reasons... 1) something in this game was actually threatening and 2) I have to restart the level. Unlike falling off the sides, this sends me all the way back. Who knew?

0:46 Oh crap, I have to collect all these freaking mushroom heads again. Good gravy, this is getting monotonous.

0:50 A quick test confirms that the little enemies can also kill you if you absolutely let them. They also send you back to the beginning of the level. Nuts to this.

Would I play this game for more than an hour 50 minutes? No.
Why? Cute concept, but the controls are just a bit too spotty and the play a bit too basic and repetitive. A good one for the kiddies, p'rhaps.

This review based on a retail copy rented from GameFly.

Moto GP 07

Developer: Climax Studios
Publisher: THQ
Release Date: August 2007
Systems: Xbox 360 (reviewed), PS2, Windows
ESRB Rating: E
Official Web Site

In a nutshell: Stop and go bike racing.

0:01 A very nice stylized intro. Looks kind of rotoscoped. The colors... the colors!

0:02 Going through the control options., I notice there's a separate button for front and rear brakes. I'm afraid this is gonna be a little too realistic.

0:03 I like the quick race option. Two button clicks and you're racing. The loading screen outlines a bunch of things to try for, like a "clean lap" and a target speed. Looks like a lot to do.

0:05 It only took three turns for me to spin out and go flying off the bike. The launch looks incredibly painful. I've gotta ease up on that accelerator.

0:06 The sense of speed is pretty impressive. No matter how many opponents are on the field everything flies by incredibly smoothly. The graphics and nice and shiny.

0:07 Correct me if I'm wrong, but shouldn't someone go flying when two bikes collide at 270 km/h? Apparently not... they just kind of bounce.

0:09 Those wipeouts are brutally beautiful carnage, which is good, because I've been watching them over and over again over the past few turns. Riding the momentum on the turns is taking some getting used to.

0:10 Yowch. This time when I bump into another bike at high speeds I go end over end.

0:13 Despite an awful start, I pick it up on the second half of the final lap and end up in third place. Slamming on both shoulder triggers to brake takes some getting used to, but once I get used to the slamming the turns get much easier.

0:14 Hmm, seems the difficulty was set to "rookie." No wonder I did so well despite being so awful.

0:15 On to championship mode. I can choose from a bunch of people I've never heard of with faces I can't see behind helmets. I guess I'll pick an American. U-S-A! U-S-A!

0:16 Wouldja look at all those bike tuning options. The game thankfully explains the differences between soft and hard tires, gear ratios, suspension hardness, etc. I could get lost in here for a while. But not right now.

0:20 Four minutes in to the ten minutes of qualifying race and I'm totally alone on the track. Thankfully I can skip out and just start in the back of the pack.

0:23 So the moral of this game so far, for me at least, seems to be that on a motorcycle, no amount of braking is enough. You might think you're safely through the turn, but as soon as you accelerate you straighten out and OH MY GOD THE GRASS! In other words, brake early, brake often.

0:26 Ouch. I'm about to complete my first clean lap, but I spin out on the last turn because I let go of the brakes too early.

0:29 I finish with a large first place lead. My focus on extreme extra braking seems to be working... now that I'm not spinning out on most of the turns I'm alone for most of the race. Odd: There's an on-screen penalty counter for going off road, but it doesn't seem to be taken into account in my final position.

0:30 The course look almost photo-realistic when from above during loading screen. Wait... maybe it is a photo. Hmmmmm...

0:31 The awkward animation of the pit crews standing around look considerably less than photorealistic. Really, they should have just skipped this altogether.

0:32 Ugh... my back tire barely nicks the grass during a sharp turn and I come tumbling down. That's life in the big city.

0:33 Ouch, I get RUN OVER by another rider after another spill. Seconds later, I'm back up again, good as new. So much for realism.

0:36 The roads are a lot narrower on this second course. My previous levels of braking are insufficient, I need EVEN MORE BRAKING.

0:38 Apparently, crashing into the guy in first place is an excellent way to pass him. I get on my bike well before he does and take the lead, but I end up finishing in third. Still first in the overall championship standings, though.

0:41 I just took a turn without braking. I think this is a first. It was a shallow turn, but still. I started on the outside and worked in. I'm pretty sure this is what you're supposed to do, but extreme braking has been working just fine on rookie mode.

0:42 I don't know if there's a point to the easy-to-pull-off wheelies, but they're tons of fun. Especially when you pull back so much that your tail hits pavement and you go flying. Wheee!

0:44 I lose my focus for a lap and fall back to sixth, but refocus on a series of S curves and jump back to first. Time for a celebratory wheelie!

0:45 I try a lap in first-person view. The sense of speed here is sick. No... I mean it, I'm actually sick from all the leaning. Something about the ground getting practically vertical sets off my queasiness.

0:47 I actually get used to the first-person mode and finish in first.

0:48 I have 15 races left to complete a season. FIFTEEN! For that I will get 10 achievement points... IF I finish in first. Whoo?

0:50 I'm getting really tired of the repetitive, guitar-heavy rock background music. Thankfully I can't really hear it over the persistent engine whine.

0:51 I hit 314km/h on the straightaway. I'm so busy watching the speedometer that I don't notice the dirt coming up fast. Ooof.

0:52 Enough of this basic racing stuff... where's the other modes? Let's see, there's a career mode that lets me design my character's look and apply points to abilities like acceleration and braking. TEN POINTS TO BRAKING PLEASE! I can make bike logos and such too. Neat.

0:54 In quick race you can choose between Grand Prix and Extreme classes. EXTREME! What is this, the early '90s? I try out an Extreme race on the pro difficulty just for giggles.

0:55 Holy crap, I thought the other bikes were fast, but this extreme class bike goes from zero to face-melting in like two seconds. Oh, and my first spin out puts me back into 16th place (out of 16)

0:58 OK, I'm like five hours behind the pack now. Guess I'm not quite ready for the big time.

Would I play this game for more than an hour? Yes.
Why? While the actual racing is kind of repetitive and clinical, there's enough variety in the tracks and options to keep race fan like me busy.

This review based on a retail copy rented from GameFly.

Sonic Rush Adventure

Developer: Sonic Team, Dimps
Publisher: Sega
Release Date: Sept. 18, 2007
Systems: Nintendo DS
ESRB Rating: E
Official Web Site

In a nutshell: Sonic Rush + Sonic Adventure + actually good.

0:01 A seagull flies overhead. Sonic and Blaze the cat are on a jet ski, while Tails has to ride a dolphin. An unintelligible voice warbles in the background. SONIC RUSH ADVENTURE the title blares.

0:02 Tails and Sonic are flying in a storm. They're looking for an energy source or something. The plane's engines go out and they're sucked into a vortex. They wind up unconscious on a beach. Cliche much?

0:03 Some girl with an Australian accent named Marine finds them. Her extreme use of Australian slang like "crikey" is kind of endearing. Would be even better with voice acting instead of text, I bet. They've washed up on "Southern Island" in the middle of the ocean. Heh.

0:04 The next day Marine launches a ship but then crashes it. Tails wants to build her a new one to repay her for her kindness, but the materials are cut off. I smell a mission coming on...

0:05 So they hop over to Whale Point and... nope, still more talking. Ugh. The materials are metals and jewels.

0:06 All right, time for some old school 2D run and jump gameplay. I get to practice my moves. Left and right walk, holding them down run. I don't recall anyone having to explain this to me back in the Genesis games.

0:07 Hitting R in mid air does a new sky dash. New to me anyway... I haven't kept up with Sonic since the early Dreamcast days.

0:08 Sonic can now do flips and tricks mid-air to charge up an invinci-dash meter.

0:09 If we find some "blue material" and "iron material" we can build a waterbike. Blue material? That's the best name they could think of?

0:10 Now Sonic is in 3D and in Marine's house. A cheesy animation brings the materials IU got from the training level together and creates a waterbike.

0:12 I draw a route for the waterbike with the stylus, but there's only one place to go to so the route seems kind of pointless. Time for a mini-game. Touch the stylus to the screen to accelerate forward and slide left and right to collect rings and hit jumps. It's surprisingly fun. The zippy soundtrack helps a lot. One problem.. the L-button dash isn't quite responsive enough.

0:16 So now we've made it to the destination island. Marine suggests we name it Marine Island. Not like Gilligan's Island, I hope.

0:18 The first real level. Took 'em long enough. I love the crazy retro-techno soundtrack. It feels a lot like the classic Sonic games -- Sonic 3 especially -- but with some new twists, like sliding on vines, and jumping through hoops doing air tricks. Lots of opportunities to get up to full speed, but not so many that you feel it's out of control.

0:21 At high enough speeds, Sonic runs on top of the water. Sonic is Jesus!

0:22 An abrupt switch to 3D for a short section requiring jumping between three rails. Jarring.

0:23 First level over. I got some "green material." Thankfully there's no more talking here, it just transitions right into the next stage.

0:24 The graphics are nice and bright, but the background art makes it hard to tell which platforms are actually platforms and which are just painted on.

0:26 I feel like I'm missing half the game speeding through the multi-path, high-flying levels. This will require some more playthroughs.

0:27 Act 2 clear. Another C grade. I wish I knew what went into these ranks. I'm guessing I need to be faster.

0:28 A short cut scene introduces the first boss... giant tyranno-bot. I'm on a 2D platform, he's in the background. He reaches in to bite and I dodge and jump on his head multiple times. Then he charges along the line of my platform and I jump on his head some more.

0:29 We fall into another area. The scenery is different, but the enemy's attacks are pretty much the same.

0:31 He's finally down. He explodes in a pixelated fireball. A weak boss battle... I never really felt like I was in danger. I got a B this time! Whoo!

0:32 Ugh, more talking. We run into Tabby the Koala. He tells us to go southwest. Sonic is getting annoyed with Marine's chipperness. I'm getting annoyed with these story pieces altogether. They just slow things down, and that's not the Sonic way.

0:35 The next island is an island of machines. What will they think of next? Really, can't they think of something not horribly contrived?

0:36 Marine runs off amid Sonic and Tails talking about being careful. The writing is cute, but still slows down the action too much.

0:38 Sonic just bounced off a large drum, into the screen, and back again over and over. I'm weirded out.

0:39 Sonic has some hang glider thing that just appeared out of nowhere. Hitting up catches air. Kind of interesting.

0:40 The levels are tending a little towards the "hold right and rush forward as fast as possible" mode. It's barely interactive at some points.

0:43 Some more enemies are finally showing up in the levels. Dealing with them is a nice change of pace from just run run run.

0:45 Act 2 done. More talking... Marine was worried sick about us. About US?!?!

0:49 Just finished an... interesting boss. Basically a big floating robot with hanging globes. Hit the globes at high speed to send them sailing into the main portion. Pretty easy... but I got a C rank, so I guess I could do better.

0:50 Marine: "There's got to be some secret organization trying to stop me. They're jealous of my famous adventures and want to put a stop to them! But I won't give up! Never! You can't make me! You buncha no-good dingos." I'm imagining this in a charming Australian accent. She's a character, and a well-written one at that.

0:52 So before I can move on, it seems I have to replay the levels I've already done to get more "material." What a gyp. I know the levels have some replay value, but I'd at least like to play through the whole game once first.

0:53 Ah ha. Exploring the house I can now set boss difficulty to "normal" from "easy" I can also turn on time limits for added challenge. Nice to have these options, but why are they so hidden?

0:57 I finish the first level for the second time, this time focusing on going as fast as possible. I get a B and two green material. Nice.

0:59 Playing for speed again. When rushing through, the game feels kind of like a 2D version of SSX -- doing tricks in mid-air to gain speed-granting boost. Interesting twist.

Would I play this game for more than an hour? Yes
Why? Brings back the old school feelings of the original Sonic trilogy better than any recent title yet.

This review based on a retail copy provided by Sega.

Buzz! The Party Quiz

Developer: Relentless Software
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Release Date: Oct. 30, 2007
Systems: PS2
ESRB Rating: E10+
Official Web Site

In a nutshell: You Don't Know Jack without the crude humor. Or much humor at all, in fact.

This review features guest commentary from my wife, Michelle.

0:01 This minute is spent opening the ridiculous shrink wrap. and plugging the specially designed controllers in. I like that the little USB hub thing has a velcro strap to secure the loose wires when done.

0:02 A Mick Jagger lookalike listens to his Hi-Fi when a bright light takes him away. The same thing happens to an afro-sporting disco dude, an Elvis impersonator, a lipstick-applying girl in a Corvette and a ridiculous looking blonde guy counting his money by the pool. What this has to do with a trivia quiz? I have no idea. Turns out the light was from a limo, and it's taking them to a red carpet gala event... Buzz! That was pointless.

0:04 "Hello, welcome to Buzz! Whatever you want to do is OK by me," says the sultry Vanna White lookalike who introduces the menu. Hubba hubba. The big red buttons on the controllers blink to get your attention. Cute, and unexpected.

0:06 We choose a standard difficulty short game to start. Both of us hit a button to choose which player slot we'll fill. Easy-peasy, and no shuffling of controllers/cords.

0:08 You get to choose a face, a costume and a buzzing sound effect through a simple interface. Michelle is laughing like an idiot over the buzz effects. I end up with an elephant roar, she choose a stadium air horn. "This is gonna get old real fast, though," she says ominously.

0:10 The host is named Buzz. How original. "Let's say hello to our trivia athletes. *applause* Enough... Let's go!" Point Picker is the first round. "A nice easy round." Rose explains things nice and slowly for the non-gamers out there. Pick a category and answer the question. Simple. First category: "The power of television."

0:11 "Oh, you don't have to buzz in to answer?" Michelle is kind of surprised. Nope, just hit the colored button corresponding to the multiple choices. So far we're both two for two -- questions about South Park and Carmen Electra. E-Z.

0:13 After round one I'm down 250 points because I didn't know Maroon 5 was from L.A. "Winner Stays On" is next. There's no discernible loading despite every single bit of text being spoken. Well done.

0:16 "Please accept this offering of derision," Buzz says as I hit the wrong button accidentally. Come on... I know that the picture of Kirsten Dunst is younger than the picture of Jamie Lee Curtis. Next up is "Fastest Finger." The animation on the host and characters is simple but effective. Very exaggerated.

0:20 "Take your time everyone. It's not like the game's a test of, um, speed or anything," Buzz says when we take too long. The humor falls a little flat, I've got to say.

0:21 Pie Fight? There's a mode called Pie Fight?!?! I almost do a spit take. "Only the fastest correct player gets to throw pies in this round." I love it!

0:23 I finally win a round! 1000 points for answering more questions and throwing more pies. Might be more interesting if there was more than one opponent to throw pies at...

0:24 In the "Mystery Challenge," we get to pick which horse of four will be fastest around a track. That's it. No trivia, no skill, no nothing. That was... pointless.

0:26 Globetrotter mode uses the interesting conceit of flying around the world and asking questions about wherever you end up. They're doing their best to spice up the act of answering general knowledge trivia. They're not doing a bad job, actually.

0:30 Put these words in the correct order to form NATO? Really? There's only one word that starts with each letter. Top Rank mode gets a little silly with this question.

0:32 Point Stealer mode would probably mean more if there with more people to steal points from. As it stands, it's just like every other mode. That's OK... I steal a lot of points from Michelle here. Mwahahaha!

0:34 Time for the final round... the Final Countdown mode. Our scores are converted to time and the first one to run out while thinking of answers loses. Let's go.

0:40 Wow... Final Countdown mode is STILL going. We have both answered practically every question right, and we alternate on who's fastest. Since the fastest answerer gets some time back we're both practically full on our meters. This could take a while.

0:43 Argh. The ever speeding clock finally catches up with me when I don 't know what a fletcher is. Michelle is the victor... I'll never live it down... I do get the "Losers Medal" though. And the "Slow Poke award." Um, whoo?

0:44 For her victory, Michelle wins a 1950's style computer that's "guaranteed not to become self aware." Then it kills Buzz. Heh. The first genuinely funny bit.

0:45 Hmmm... the PS3 seems to have died trying to reset the game. Weird.

0:50 After a quick restart and some monkeying around in the menu, we try a ten question "Quickfire Quiz."

0:53 I am fast but get two answers wrong. Michelle is slower but always right. Slow and steady DOES win the race!

0:54 We decide to try Quizmaster mode next. "I am... the quizmaster," Michelle says in her best Scottish brogue.

0:56 I need to hit start on the PS2 controller to start? That seems... odd.

0:58 Hmm... so Quizmaster mode has one player ask questions that other players have to answer with their buzzers. That was unexpected. I ask Michelle how many elephants I'm thinking of. She says 17, but the answer is 12. I WIN! Seriously, this seems like a useful mode for throwing parties, but it doesn't really work with two people

1:00 Oh man... we try a custom game with just the pie fight. Michelle answers all three questions faster, but messes up in the timing when trying to throw the pies. I win by not answering a single question. "I can't believe I hit myself with a pie... TWICE!" Michelle mourns.

Would I play this game for more than an hour? Yeah.
Why? Seems a decent way to waste time with friends, but it lacks that spark of wackiness that makes a truly great party game.

This review based on a retail copy provided by Sony.

Tony Hawk's Proving Ground

Developer: Neversoft, Vicarious Visions
Publisher: Activision
Release Date: Oct. 15, 2007
Systems: PS3 (reviewed), Xbox 360, Wii, PS2
ESRB Rating: T
Official Web Site

In a nutshell: Because Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 9 sounds tired.

0:01 An intro. full of skater philosophy. "A skateboard is more than four wheels and a piece of wood." "Hardcore guys skate for only one guy... themselves. They skate until it hurts, and then they skate some more." They also knock over cops, apparently. Classy.

0:02 The narrator: "How you skate is who you are. It's that simple." Tony: "Remember, each choice you make defines a part of who you are." Wait, is it all of who you are or just a part?

0:03 Skating around now. I come upon an arcade machine just sitting on the side of the road. Through it you can play classic and high score modes. But this is just a demo, so they just show you a video. Lame.

0:04 "Mike V.'s Epic Episode" starts with a video of Mike V. doing some cool stuff. He tells my character that the huge gap I'm staring at doesn't look so bad. I disagree. I miss the gap in a cut scene. "Come on man, you telling me you can't make that?" I need more speed, and Mike tells me I can get it by kicking with R1 in a steady rhythm.

0:07 Tapping R1 in rhythm isn't very hard, but kind of annoying when you have to do it OVER AND OVER. Probably no more annoying than kicking in actual skating though.

0:11 I have to remember that I jump when I let go of the ollie button not when I first hit it. The little crouch when you hold down the ollie button is gone, so it's harder to remember. Anyway, some homeless-looking guy filmed my jumps, but he has to develop the film before we can watch it. Old school. I got $100, an octoskull tatoo, and some skill points. The demo tries to sell the "HARDCORE LIFESTYLE!" I'll be living in the full version.

0:13 In the full version, you can painstakingly set up a camera to take pictures when you go by. Seems a little bit too realistic... PGR4's photo mode was easier.

0:14 When you grind, the on-screen balance display now spans the entire width of the screen with a subtle white swoosh. Much easier to see and maintain your balance. I'm a fan.

0:15 On to "Bob's Competition Episode." "Well well well, if it isn't demo boy." Eric is talking trash because I'm only good on video, not in contest. Bob (the pro) comes in and tries to defend me with some incredibly bad voice acting. Some live action video of what Bob can do here... he is good at skating, if not voice acting.

0:17 "Nail the Grab" involves jumping, clicking in the analog sticks, holding L2, moving the left stick, then letting go before you land. Simple! Seems like a pretty minor innovation from the "Nail the Trick" mode from Tony Hawk's American Wasteland.

0:21 To finger flip, you do a quarter circle while holding L2 in "nail the trick" mode. What is this, Street Fighter II?

0:23 It's actually pretty easy to do this nail the grab thing when everything's in slow-motion for Nail the Trick mode. Nice to watch, but misses the point a little, eh? The game used to be about quick reflexes, now it's about showing off in slow-mo. Meh.

0:24 A quick video shows the full game has a "Nail the Manual" mode too. Gee, I wonder what that will be like. Now the game is selling the "CAREER LIFESTYLE!" Word.

0:26 "Create-a-Skater" is back, but not in the demo. A video shows 500 different items! It's like a Skater Barbie doll.

0:28 Now the create-a-skater/create-a-skatepark modes are in a "skate lounge." Really exciting... if this was Tony Hawk 3.

0:30 On to "Jeff's Rigging Episode." Another video of him being cool. Blah blah blah.

0:32 "Rubes" tells me we should build something to impress Jeff for an online contest. "We should raid my dad's shop for tools." "As long as he's cool with it, I'm down," I reply. Remember, skater dudes, always ask permission before stealing tools.

0:34 So the new "rig a kit" mode lets you place stuff around the world to complete goals. Here they ask me to place two quarter pipes around a car and spine transfer between them. I do it and the resulting video is... the lamest thing I've ever seen. Just me jumping like I've done a million times before.

0:39 I hope the rig a kit thing in the real game are more interesting than the lame goals here. Kick and grind over a car? Yawn. I like the general idea of it, but they have to make some goals that really make it worth the effort. Otherwise it's just create-a-skatepark mode dressed up.

0:42 So that seems to be all the actual goals in the demo. I guess I'll just skate around a bit.

0:45 In slow-mo Nail the Trick mode, I look a bit like a ballerina floating in the air.

0:46 Time runs out on the demo. Why is there a time limit at all? Are they afraid I'd have too much fun just skating around this one environment and not want to buy the full game?

0:47 I do like how fast everything is. There's no loading when restarting a goal, and you can even get up from bails quickly with a tap of square.

0:49 I lied before... there are a few lines to find while skating around, but not many. Still, just wandering around and pulling off combos is as fun as ever. The level is well designed and the environments really benefit from the power of the 360.

1:00 I spend the last ten minutes just skating around doing tricks. For a THPS veteran like me , but perhaps too much there for a newbie to the series to get into it now.

Would I play this game for more than an hour? Yes
Why? I'm a sucker for Tony Hawk, so I'll probably play this even though the new stuff isn't that interesting. Actually, maybe I'll just break out my classic Hawk games.

This review based on a demo version downloaded from the PlayStation Network.