Disney?s Extreme Skate Adventure

Once again, the power of the license takes precedence over the quality of the game.

Disney?s Extreme Skate Adventure is a scaled down Tony Hawk clone filled with a gamut of Disney-licensed characters?think Toy Story 2, The Lion King, and Tarzan remade into skate parks. Players complete missions to unlock new costumes and locations in each of the three above-mentioned theme worlds. There?s also a robust skater builder that lets players create their own human characters. These created characters can be played in any of the worlds, and in their own cityscape called Olliewood.

It?s important to point out that gameplay has been simplified for a younger audience. Trick combos are easy to key in, and the old Tony Hawk strategy of milking hand plants for buku points is alive and well. The controller?s main flaw appears while turning your skater right or left. At times it feels like you?re cutting a swath through waist-deep gravy. The two-player mode has players competing in Horse, King of the Hill, and Score Challenge. These tend to be more fun than the single player challenges because they feel more spontaneous.

The graphics faithfully represent the Disney originals, but serious clipping issues are immediately apparent?at times, your board vanishes into whatever you?re skating or grinding on. Characters? appendages are also prone to disappearing into objects that are supposed to be solid. A little collision detection goes a long way. Sound effects and voice acting are standard fare, but the sound score suffers heavily because of the detestable accompanying music, including one horrific wanna-be ska track that invites the player to ?Give all your money to the record store,? and to ?Come sell out with me.?

Disney?s Extreme Skate Adventure is a novel experience that quickly loses its luster. At its core, it?s running Neversoft?s Tony Hawk 4 engine, so there is some goodness to be had. The easy tricks provide immediate gratification with a shallow learning curve, but there?s little depth. As such, this game is a good rental, but make sure you try it before you cough up the bucks to buy it.

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