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Tony Hawk: RIDE

EMAIL PRINT xbox360

2.8 User Score:

Generally unfavorable reviews

Based on 42 critic reviews
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Based on 58 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Activision

Developer: Robomondo

Genre(s): Extreme Sports, Skateboarding

Players: 1

ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older)

Release Date: November 17, 2009

Summary

Players can experience skateboarding like never before in Tony Hawk: RIDE. For the first time, players have the ability to physically play the game using an innovative motion sensing skateboard controller, allowing for unprecedented freedom and movement. Tony Hawk: RIDE focuses on innovation and fun, bringing the #1 best-selling action-sports franchise to the forefront with cutting-edge technology for the hardcore fans and accessibility for the mass audience. Tony Hawk: RIDE features a wireless skateboard controller designed in conjunction with the game to offer a dynamic gaming experience built from the ground up. Using a combination of accelerometers and motion sensors, the intuitive controller allows players to physically control the action by performing various movements and gestures on the board that directly translate into amazing tricks in the game. Without complex button combinations or analog sticks, gamers of all skill levels can literally step on the board and play! [Activision]

Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central

Also On The Web: Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

GameZone

The board brings the franchise to life in remarkable ways. There is a decent variety of game modes and the ‘80s look is a nice touch.

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GamingTrend

Much like the other more music-centric peripheral based games, RIDE offers up both a fun casual experience as well as a strong technically challenge at the higher difficulty levels. The game shines in a social environment and might even provide some a nice little workout.

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Planet Xbox 360

This review is not about nitpicking specific mechanics, it’s about the creation of something new and enjoyable; Tony Hawk: Ride brings a whole lot of fun to the rehashed video game market.

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XboxAddict

Ride is the type of game that you have to warm up to, but then is suddenly sucks you into the excitement and you catch yourself trying to beat your last run of tricks, or speed run.

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Worth Playing

If you're interesting in skating, you have at least a moderate athletic streak, you're willing to put in the training time, and you're looking for a game different than the Wii Sports variety to get you up off the sofa, you'll likely find Tony Hawk: Ride a treat.

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Game Chronicles

Scanning the web, there is no question that a number of Pro Skater veterans are miffed by Ride’s complete overhaul of their series – but then again, those same folks would be similarly unhappy with another rehash of the nine previous releases. It’s nice to see the series take a new direction – but it definitely could stand a bit more tweaking.

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Kombo

RIDE is a blend of two worlds: one that tests your patience versus one that feels surprisingly interactive. With some bugs and controller issues RIDE does come across as a bit unfinished, but Robomodo has fearlessly taken on the role of changing the genre and with that comes a learning curve.

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Da Gameboyz

Not all is lost with Tony Hawk: Ride though as the foundation is there for a decent game; you just might be better served to wait until the next instalment arrives with hopefully a little more polish.

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Official Xbox Magazine UK

If you want to spend that much time perfecting your balance and looking silly, you can buy a real skateboard for much less.

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Cynamite

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

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Game Informer

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.

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GameFocus

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.

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Gamervision

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.

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ZTGameDomain

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.

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WonderwallWeb

While the idea of a skateboard peripheral seems a good one in theory, in practice it just doesn't work. Perhaps if Tony Hawk Ride wasn't so flawed it may have been a different story.

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GameSpy

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.

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IGN

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."

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Totally360

The idea for Tony Hawk RIDE has merit, it just wasn’t executed very well in this instance.

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Cheat Code Central

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.

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Official Xbox Magazine

A game stuck between hardcore and casual, without appealing to either one. [Feb 2010, p.84]

Games Master UK

A disappointingly basic skateboarding game with a controller that doesn't work well. [Christmas 2009, p.75]

GameTrailers

From the cumbersome load times to the malfunctioning board it's just clunky. If you set it to casual and bring it out at a party it will draw some interest, but it won't take long before everyone realizes it's work to play, and ultimately, not very fun. At a steep $120, it's a bit of a wipeout.

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Games Radar (in-house)

In the end, it’s a cool experiment, but it quickly goes horribly wrong.

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Eurogamer

It's fun for half an hour, but that's an awfully expensive 30 minutes. Don't buy RIDE unless you want to be taken for one.

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Wired

Fuzzy skateboard controls are more frustrating than fun.

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TeamXbox

When it comes down to it, as the old saying goes, the name of the game is the game—and the game in Tony Hawk: Ride is far from what most people would call cutting-edge entertainment, especially when you look at the scope of what this console generation is releasing.

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VideoGamer

The sad thing is that every once in a while you get a brief sense of what this game could have been. The trick-based gameplay shows occasional flashes of potential, and the board peripheral could have worked. Maybe somewhere in a parallel universe there's a reality where Robomodo pulled it off; unfortunately, we're stuck here - and in this world Tony Hawk: Ride falls on its arse, big time.

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MS Xbox World

RIDE could've been a great game with a broken controller and it still would've been tough to justify. Instead, its a lacklustre game, full of sloppy cuts and rehashed elements. Then on top of all that bad design, it fails to deliver on its only virtue.

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RealGamer

But sadly, Ride simply lacks the same quality providing and unimaginative playing experience that never seems to get out of the blocks and you may feel you’ve being taken for a ride with this game, especially considering its price!

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games(TM)

What would make it better? If it had wheels. [Issue#91, p.118]

X360 Magazine UK

Controls that are either to broken or too difficult to use. [Issue#54, p.84]

Xbox World 360 Magazine UK

A big mistake made all the more unbearable for its few glimpses of promise. [Feb 2010, p.88]

GameSpot

Busted controls and stripped-down gameplay make Tony Hawk Ride an overpriced fiasco.

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1UP

It would be easy to pinpoint the games faults solely on the new, unresponsive control scheme, but Ride's gameplay lacks several established principles of the skateboarding genre. Concepts as simple as session markers and on-foot travel are nonexistent, and the ability to restart a challenge mid-run (a longtime staple of the Pro Skater series) is simply not there.

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GameShark

Tony Hawk: Ride is a failed experiment that likely sounded great in a staff meeting. The idea isn’t a bad one. It’s the game that’s the problem.

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Game Revolution

Alright, so it's not entirely broken, and you can get better at using the board with enough practice. But that's the problem: You can only get better, you can't actually get good. You know, where you can reliably go where you want to and pull off the trick you want to, like you can in every other Tony Hawk game.

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Gaming Nexus

While the skateboard controller seems to feel well built, the execution leaves a lot to be desired. You'll be spending more time fighting with the controller than trying to have fun with the game. Even then, the game's just not that enjoyable. Maybe next time Tony.

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Gaming Age

One of the bigger pieces of gaming junk that's come down the line in recent years.

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Boomtown

Tony Hawk RIDE is rubbish.

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Teletext GameCentral

The Guinness Book of Records has but one contender for the least value-for-money video game ever made.

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Destructoid

In theory, Tony Hawk: Ride could have been an interesting and fresh gaming experience, and Activision and Robomodo should at least be commended for taking a chance. But in execution, Tony Hawk: Ride falls flat in nearly every aspect.

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Giant Bomb

The execution is such a miserable failure that it manages to splash even more mud on Tony Hawk's legacy. I'm left with a firm belief that whichever side of the Tony Hawk/Activision partnership has the out clause in the contract should just exercise it and part ways for good. Enough is enough.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 2.8 (out of 10) based on 58 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Murn gave it a0:
A fantastic idea on paper, executed horribly wrong. It's hard to find good moments in this game, mainly because there is none. An understandable move by ActiVision to compete with EA's Skate series, which turned out horribly wrong. It's a shame too, it had such potential.

Tom F gave it a2:
Good idea but unfortunately poorly implemented. Its just too hard to control, i felt like I had more control in skate 2 and it uses a controller! This could have been a really good game but is it a complete downgrade from the other tony hawk titles, which I actually had fun playing. I ended up having more fun just doing flip tricks with the board on my carpet

nico C gave it a0:
when I got tony hawk ride it broke in 5 minutes. so i got a another and it sucks i tiring to pop shove-it and i did a heel flip. what I'm tiring to say is it sucks

Warren B gave it a6:
I'v got to say, the board worked quite well for me, but as I played it more it seemed to get more and more unresponsive. I have it on the wii, and the graphics are balls, loading screens take the piss and the game is generally quite hard to get used to (This is coming from a skateboarder). The menu's are also inconsistent, which really ticks me off, mid game you can use the board to scroll menus, but no, as soon as you go the main screen, you have to pick up the remote again, which is okay if you know that. I stood there for 5 minutes trying to get the menu scrolling with the board, this may just be a side effect of my own stupidity however. I think if I had the game on Xbox, I would have gave it a better rating, the graphics look simply amazing, but as this was a christmas present I didn't get to choose the console. Wazza

Lonnie S gave it a7:
This game has been a blast for my six year old. My three year old can play a bit as well. Maybe not good enough for hard core gamers, but for family entertainment it has hit the mark.

Button FOX gave it a1:
Im giving at elast a 1, the game does at elast turn on after all, graphics suck on the Wii...of course, sad part is, same graphics on the PS3, casual mode is boring, hardcore is out of control and frustrating...no idea how long the game is, I would ahve to have liked playing enough to get that far.

Rob M gave it a2:
I feel robbed! Seriously, I am £90 shorter and a very upset and annoyed gamer. Tony Hawk was once one of the finest gaming franchises around, with games such as Pro Skater 3 and the original Underground being two of the finest video games I have ever played. Now look at what the Tony Hawk series has become. A mockery of what was once a top franchise! Skate 2 not only beats this in terms of a skating experience, but murders it, rips it's head off and throws it in a skip! Mr Hawk, maybe it's time you went back to the Underground series and forget this gimmicky tripe. The graphics are low-par PS2 standard at best. The gameplay is broken, theres no other word for it. And whilst the board is an... well, I guess "interesting" addition to Skateboarding games, it just dosen't work well enough to warrent nearly 100 of your hard earned pounds! Buy the original Underground for a fiver and it'll still be 10x the experience this is. Jeez!

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Tony Hawk: RIDE

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