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For the first time, players will have the freedom to define their character, story and style based on the choices they make, the paths they choose and the style of skating they use on the proving grounds from Philadelphia and Baltimore to Washington, D.C. Tony Hawk's Proving Ground features deeper customization than ever before, including a Video Editor with full-featured editing tools and visual effects for creating "epic skate videos," and a fully customizable online Skate Lounge where players can skate with friends in the ultimate pad. In addition, players have the freedom to skate from single player to online seamlessly, as well as utilize new gameplay mechanics such as skateable terrain altering and building, and Bowl Carving. Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground also features even more Nail the Trick moves such as Nail the Grab and Nail the Manual intensifying the thrill of pulling off big tricks. [Activision]
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... 95
PGNx Media
Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground is easily the best Tony Hawk game to date. Everything from the varied career mode, new gameplay features and video editor come together in a great, cohesive package.
 94
Game Chronicles
The ultimate evolution of the Tony Hawk franchise. It contains the perfect mix of next-gen technology while holding true to the core skating elements and quality gameplay that has made this the definitive skateboarding title for more than a decade.
90
Official Xbox Magazine UK
The smoothest, best looking and prettiest Hawk game of the lot. It really has been tweaked to perfection. It's going to be impossible to improve on this one next year. [Dec 2007, p.84]
90
Operation Sports
Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground does it again. The team at Neversoft has taken a great game and improved it like we’ve seen time and time before.
90
Digital Entertainment News
Tony Hawk games have evolved over time, and this title shows that it has an eye on the future, and keeping the franchise fresh. There is a distinct focus to make this game have a certain atmosphere, and it succeeds. This is my new favorite in the series.
88
GameZone
There are a lot of things that will keep you occupied for months on end, without even going that in-depth with the “career” mode. If you are a fan of this series then picking up this game is a no-brainer.
87
GamingTrend
While I can’t say that all of the modes were a hit for me, there is a great deal to like in this new outing with Tony Hawk.
85
GamePro
There's no denying that the Tony Hawk franchise has some life left in it and Proving Ground is yet another satisfying entry in the dominant skateboarding franchise. But here's hoping they start to innovate again next year, because if they don't, their competition might just leave them in the dust.
85
Xbox World 360 Magazine UK
It's unbelievably refreshing, liberating even, to jump into a world free from the laws of gravity after being tied down by Skate's restrictive utopia.
85
Armchair Empire
While the Tony Hawk franchise soars once again, it certainly hasn’t flown into the same stratosphere of excellence reached by earlier Tony Hawk games.
83
Games Master UK
Not a revolution, but still addictive, and different enough from "Skate" to matter. [Christmas 2007, p.82]
83
Gamers' Temple
Proving Ground isn't the best Tony Hawk title, but it sure is nice to have him come back, hang out and remind us all just how cool he used to be.
83
GameTrailers
The big question on everyone’s mind is which is better: EA’s "Skate," or Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground? We’re going with Tony on this one, though by a slim margin. The core of the game is just much stronger with the full complement of tricks, more reliable controls, far more interesting objectives, a vastly superior video editing tool, and a lot more content in general.
82
Pelit (Finland)
Proves itself as yet another entertaining instalment of the ever continuing series. All the elements that first made the series great are still there, but the new simplistic visual style with its knee-high camera and the downright ugly surroundings do put a damper on the mood. [Dec 2007]
81
Da Gameboyz
Although Tony Hawk's Proving Ground is not incredibly ground breaking or innovative it is definitely a solid addition to the franchise.
80
ZTGameDomain
A great game; albeit a game in desperate need of a reboot. The series is still fun but it hasn't evolved in such a long time that it is starting to show it's age.
80
GameDaily
The Video Editor will keep you busy for hours and the mixture of old and new gameplay components are more than enough to keep it from losing speed.
80
Maxi Consolas (Portugal)
Nobody can take away what this franchise did to the genre. But it’s hard to shake the feeling that we’ve played this before. Tony Hawk’s team seems to be running out of ideas and with “Skate” as a strong newcomer, they really need to change. But it’s still a fun game that old fans of the Birdman will appreciate. [Dec 2007
80
Official Xbox Magazine
The revolution, this year, belongs to EA's "Skate", but evolution remains Proving Ground's domain. [Holiday 2007, p.76]
80
Gamer's Hell
Other than a few little issues this game has a ton of things going for it. From the freedom, the tight control, the music, options, impressive cast of pro skaters with some exciting videos, ramps, pipes, and rails, at every turn.
78
Game Informer
The addition of the new Aggro Kick, which lets you build up speed with timed button presses, is pure genius. Having the ability to smoothly go online and enjoy multiplayer is absolutely fantastic, but the single-player experience is more chore than score, and brings down the whole experience because of its uninspired design.
76
Cheat Code Central
One thing I thought at first wouldn't be really entertaining, the skate video editing, turned out to be truly innovative.
75
Talk Xbox
It’s odd that a game with so much new content could feel so familiar, but such is the case with Proving Ground. I think it’s time for Neversoft to go back to the drawing board and seriously attempt to innovate if they ever expect this Hawk to fly as high as it once did.
75
MS Xbox World
Sure, some of the new features are nice; the editing films feature is the best thing about this game. If you’ve only just recently gotten into skating games, then Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground is worth checking out. However, for Tony Hawk’s veterans, it may be time to start looking elsewhere.
75
IC-Games
The Tony Hawk's series is still in a dire need of a complete overhaul no matter how good the small and subtle improvements to the series are. Since EA and Black Box brought us .skate the bar has been raised and if Neversoft are going to compete they need to start thinking out of the box rather than further improving features that already worked so well in Tony Hawk's Project 8.
74
Team Xbox
Although Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground definitely falls into the “good” game category, there’s no denying that the franchise is getting more than a little stale.
72
AtomicGamer
From the two-minute, almost completely useless tutorial that pretty much expects you to have played Tony Hawk games before to a wide range of difficulty on many of the goals and new features that just plain suck, Tony Hawk's Proving Ground simply fails to be much fun and will definitely frustrate new players.
71
IGN
A relatively solid game, but it really doesn't do anything new and significant. We've seen all of the good parts from the game multiple, multiple times now, and it really just feels like we're playing a large expansion pack.
70
games(TM)
Does Tony Hawk want to be score attack game – and a very good one at that – or does it want to take on Skate? If it’s the latter, then sadly, it’s going to lose. [Dec 2007, p.110]
70
EuroGamer
It falls short of its predecessor, which succeeded thanks to cheeriness, simplicity and fluidity. However, it still stands out ahead of its own worst Jackass era, and many of the new inclusions, especially the video editing and Nail The Grab, deserve your attention.
70
GamerNode
Solid gameplay, which you'd expect at this point in the series' life, but it just doesn't bring enough new or innovative features to keep you interested, especially with a competitor as good as skate.
70
DarkStation
This however is still a very good Tony Hawk game and if you enjoy a bit more arcade flair to your skateboarding adventure then this is a title you should check out.
70
360 Gamer Magazine UK
This is a definite improvement in the series, but not a particularly large one as it’s very much as case of sticking with a successful formula. Better visuals, a few new tricks, features and more career options are all great for the franchise but Skate has laid down a new challenge that Proving Ground hasn’t quite risen to.
70
VideoGamer
Predictably, Proving Ground falls into the 'more of the same category'. When that means more of the same of something brilliant and proven, there's reason for both contentment and disappointment, but if you know you like Tony Hawk, though you'll not be blown away you should certainly feel comfortable here.
70
My Gamer
Everyone who has bought every Tony Hawk game thus far knows what they’re getting; a game about skateboarding, and that’s all. And when it comes to that, it is pretty good.
70
Boomtown
The series has had a good run, but it just hasn’t really evolved much from it’s initial outing and unless they can do a complete reinvention on the next installment then Actvision should just call it a day.
70
GamingExcellence
Proving Ground feels like filler in the end. It has great ideas and a great start on all areas like visuals and audio, gameplay and replay value, but they’re rushing these ideas and the end product is suffering.
67
GameShark
Tony Hawk's Proving Ground is a game that is stuck in the rut of its predecessors.
65
Extreme Gamer
Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground doesn’t have the impactful and feel it once had. Last years Project 8 seemed like the right path for the next-generation Tony Hawk franchise to follow instead of this year’s fragmented version.
65
PALGN
Tony Hawk's Proving Ground does many things right, but frustrating goals and unrefined gameplay mechanics seriously dampen the experience.
65
GameSpot
Tony Hawk's Proving Ground gets most of the Tony Hawk formula down, but the parts that stray from that formula are the parts that don't work out so well.
65
NZGamer
Skate will definitely appeal to the serious skaters out there. Tony Hawks’ Proving Ground is better suited for the casual gamers who enjoy the speed rush and gravity defying tricks.
65
Worth Playing
Feels like the same game that we've been playing for years. The developers have certainly taken some steps in the right direction with the class system and a couple of new moves, but the game is plagued by frustrating and boring challenges, weak presentation and a glitchy level editor.
65
Electronic Gaming Monthly
The nuts and bolts of Tony Hawk still provide some fun, but at this point it's just ancient left-overs of what used to be something special. [Holiday 2007, p.68]
63
Console Monster
Overall Proving Ground has enough content and challenges to keep any Tony Hawk enthusiast busy, with an impressive online mode, and plenty of ways to complete the game, but for others it may just come across as the same tired game in another guise.
63
Gamer 2.0
Overall, Proving Ground is a disappointment.
61
Planet Xbox 360
Tony Hawk's Proving Ground feels like the videogame equivalent of tail grab after getting a few feet of air - nothing special. You have played this game before, many times, and were probably much happier at the time. Games in a series are supposed to get better, not stagnate and die a slow death.
60
Video Game Talk
Despite the vast variety of gameplay features to explore in Tony Hawk: Proving Ground, I found myself wanting a less skill-specific, more rewarding experience. The controls were too unforgiving and the difficulty was set far too high in many cases.
60
G4 TV
Proving Ground is far from a bad game, but it's a disappointment nonetheless. That's what happens when creativity gives way to complacency.
60
Thunderbolt
Think of it this way: skate is to Tony Hawk as The Bourne Identity was to Die Another Day. The Bourne series didn't kill the Bond series, it just challenged it. And what happened? We got Casino Royale, an awesome Bond flick in a completely new style.
60
X360 Magazine UK
Standing just a little too still, which in the face of "Skate" ain't very good we're afraid. Though they cater for different markets, we know which one we'd rather be playing. [Issue 26, p.78]
60
Edge Magazine
Proving Ground is, at best, a functional sequel. It gives the fans what they want, throws in a handful of awkward or undeveloped ideas, and leaves it there. At worst, it’s a poor entry to the Tony Hawk’s lineage. [Christmas 2007, p.91]
60
GameSpy
In spite of its solid online multiplayer, good video editor, and fun arcade game, the overall experience can't rise to the level of the game's great predecessors.
60
Xbox World Australia
It seems the guys over at Neversoft never got the memo. You know, the one that said, "Hey all, there is this other game called Skate coming out around the same time as ours so we better do our best to make this Tony Hawk game as good as we can.”
60
GameTap
Tony Hawk brings a mixture of joy and frustration to this reviewer. On the one hand, I still find I always have room to improve. On the other hand, this really is the same game we've been playing for nine years.
59
Game Positive
Proving Ground is not a terrible game in most of its execution; it's just that what essentially amounts to a third of the game is irreparably broken, and what's left is recycled from previous years.
58
Game Revolution
I spend so much time criticizing this game only because the core mechanics are so good.
58
Game Almighty
The layout of the levels is classic Hawk as well. The cities do a good job of recreating the east coast habitat they’re meant to mimic, but the dingy and gritty style makes it all look kind of ugly. In an over-the-top whimsical game like this, I’d expect a little more lighthearted style because this doesn’t exactly work.
55
1UP
It's unpolished, unfocused, and proves nothing more than the now undeniable fact that the series needs a serious makeover and a lengthy vacation.
Blake B. gave it a1: Job A. gave it a9: Robert J. gave it a5: Kevin R. gave it a6: Nick D. gave it a10: Ian I. gave it a2: Marie S. gave it an8: |
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