GP Q&A: Tony Hawk talks SKATE, Proving Ground
- May 15, 2007 11:56 AM PST
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GamePro editor Tenacious Moses just had the chance to chat with skateboarding legend Tony Hawk. The topic? His just-announced next-gen game, Tony Hawk's Proving Ground.
Tony talks turkey! (photo: Jody Morris)
*Check out our exclusive announcement on Tony Hawk's Proving Ground!
How has your involvement in the game series increased (or decreased) over the years?
My involvement with the game has stayed consistent. I play the game as it's being developed throughout the year and give suggestions in regards to skaters, tricks and locations. The first game was the hardest because I had to give Activision / Neversoft a crash course in skate culture, but we are way past that hurdle.
How have the Tony Hawk games impacted skateboarding as a whole?
I think that the games have inspired a new generation of skaters and helped to legitimize skating in the eyes of the mainstream sports fan.
What is your dream for the ultimate Tony Hawk game?
It would be great to see something even more interactive than what is currently available. We have tried to make controllers that respond like skateboards, but nothing feels intuitive yet. I am very pleased with how much we have utilized the latest technologies for PS3, X360 and Wii.
What are you particularly proud of in the next Tony Hawk game?
Indy 900s... I still can't do them, but I like to live vicariously through my character.
Where's your favorite place to skate in real life?
My favorite places to skate are on my Boom Boom HuckJam ramp, or my backyard skatepark. There is no pressure to perform at either and I can fall on easy stuff without the embarrassment of a bunch of people watching or posting it on YouTube.
Do you listen to music before or while skating? What artist has been getting you pumped for skating lately?
There is an 80 Gig iPod at the ramp that is full, so it is always on. I'm usually listening to NIN, Guns N' Roses, Jane's Addiction, The Clash and lots of old punk.
Recent Tony Hawk games have been about the player rising to pro status. What can a young buck do to become a pro skater like you, Tony?
You have to constantly challenge yourself, and be prepared to work for it. You can't make a skating career out of doing one big stunt. You have to keep upping the ante.
What's your take on EA's Skate game?
It was only a matter of time before someone tried to jump on the bandwagon.
Are you worried EA's Skate might steal the light from the Tony Hawk game series?
Not really. We have been doing this for nearly 10 years now and we are not slowing down. I am glad that we have created a category big enough to get other companies interested. It only proves that skating as a video game genre is here to stay.
Comparing Skate with THPS, the producer of EA's Skate Jay Balmer said, "Tony Hawk games look like skateboarding, but they don't feel like skateboarding." Do you agree?
Not at all because our game is as real as you want to make it. You find that pro skaters play it (Tony Hawk games) exactly how they skate; me included... you can always find me on the vert ramps. Part of the fun of video games is being able to perform things that you could never do in real life, so you also have options in our game to go as big as you've always dreamed. If our video game were as hard as real skating, I don't think we would have ever been able to make a sequel to the original or be working on our 9th game.
Skate is going for a very realistic approach, whereas THPS tends to be much more over-the-top. Would you ever consider a more realistic, back-to-basics THPS?
As I said before, our game is as real as you want to make it. But I enjoy doing Indy 9s, one of my dream tricks, without having to set up my feet in exactly the right place or worry about a broken neck if it goes bad.
*Check out our exclusive announcement on Tony Hawk's Proving Ground!
