Tony Hawk Ride

Unnecessary clunky controls make this more of a hell ride than a fun ride.

The huge level of frustration is not worth the time it takes to master the awkward gameplay idiosyncrasies. Instead, it’s more tempting – even as someone with experience – to just spam the waggle movements for a passable high score.

Tony Hawk RIDE reminds me a lot of the Sega Activator; a great idea that will play a huge role in gaming hardware innovation but unfortunately way ahead of its time. In the know gamers, to you I say: spend your money on something else because you will end up regretting your purchase, and it’s too bad.

Activision panicked, all right, and they fired on all cylinders back at Skate, ready to prove that their series had what it takes to get back on top. Sadly, for fans of Tony Hawk, every shot missed its target. Tony Hawk: Ride was a knee-jerk reaction by a publisher who pushed gimmick over gameplay, and the result feels like the most manufactured, soulless gaming experience to ever be released.

The concept is a sound one but the technology simply falls short. I would love to see this idea fully realized and perfected, but I fear that hefty price tag and poor reception may hinder future iterations in this direction.

The execution leaves a lot to be desired. [Issue#188, p.81]

Tony Hawk Ride never came together. It straddles an uncomfortable line between casual and hardcore without being satisfying in either respect and it lacks the polish and presentation necessary to cover up the gameplay shortcomings...File this one under "gimmick."

As expected, Tony Hawk Ride is an experiment -- an interesting and ambitious experiment, but one that doesn't come together as a fully functional experience.

Tony Hawk: Ride is not the broken junk heap some critics would have you believe. However, it is far from the revolutionary title Tony Hawk and Activision were counting on. In fact, it is actually a less enjoyable outing than lackluster games in the series such as Project 8 and American Wasteland. Still, if you're a skater, have the patience of a saint, or are a glutton for punishment (and frustration), there is a novel, skate-sim experience that can be uncovered.