Visually,
THAW is coming along fairly impressively, although the PS2 version looks markedly jaggier than the GameCube and Xbox versions. Granted,
THAW's LA isn't going to be as exact (down to the streets and intersections) as say,
True Crime, but it captures most of the notable landmarks (in the case of the demo, Hollywood, and Beverly Hills) accurately in that conglomerated way that
Tony Hawk levels work. The areas of town run together smoothly, and any load times are minimal. Plus, there's enough going on to distract players from the fact that the next map is loading: the skater boards a bus, and by the time he walks around the bus and figures out that the map is loading, he's off the bus and skating. If he doesn't catch the bus, there are tunnels that seem to connect areas to one another. In theory, a skilled enough player could travel through all of LA in one combo through the use of the tunnels. Again, the loading is so seamless that it's virtually unnoticeable.
Admittedly, I was dabbing drool stains off my shirt from playing the visually arresting Xbox 360 version instead of hooking up with some fellow journalists for some System Link multiplayer, but from what we know,
THAW will be the first
Tony Hawk title to debut on Xbox Live. PS2, as has been the case since
THPS 3, will also be online, while GameCube fans will have to huddle together for multiplayer.
From the way things are looking,
Tony Hawk's American Wasteland is shaping up to fulfill the expectations of both old-school
Hawk fiends and recent devotees. It's got the storyline focus of the
Underground series, but it has the feel of the
Pro Skater titles, too. Neversoft seems to be on the path to satisfying everyone, and the verdict will be in come mid-October, unless gamers wish to hold out for the dazzling next-gen version that drops just shy of Thanksgiving.
