THUG2: Remix for the SonyPSP is the first portable attempt at this wonderful skateboarding franchise. I have been a fan of the Tony Hawk series from the first time I sat down with the jam-pack that had the demo for Pro Skater. What they have done with this is give to the player the same fun that can be had on four wheels (and sometimes two) on a portable system with far superior graphics to other portable systems out there. You get to partake in a no-holds-barred, break-everything-and-anything, around-the-world journey with Tony Hawk and his archrival, Bam Margera.
The object of the game is to perform more and more daring stunts, earning points for your skate team in order to beat the other skate team. There are guest shots ranging from Steve-O and Wee-Man from Jackass fame, to Jess James (of Monster Garage) and Benjamin Franklin. Each with different boards, or styles of skating (My favorite is the souped up Segway that Jesse rides).
Graphically this game is a delight, as it pushes the processing power of the handheld system. The only time I have seen any form of slowdown was in a four-player multi session, and even then not enough to really cause a problem with the skating. The songs are there as well. There are 53 tracks in all, a complete port from the console to the handheld, and a comfortable mix of the various genres of music. There are some quirks to the controls that make skating a little more of a chore than it is on controllers with two analog sticks, but they have altered the controls a bit to make the skating somewhat smoother for the system. Double taps can be hard, sometimes, in the split seconds needed between grinds to eek out those large tricks and land that huge score. I also miss the use of the shoulder buttons for spins.
Story mode is not the only option you have in this gem of a skating game. You have the return of the original mode, where you are given specific goals to achieve within a time limit.on each stage. These range from the simple - score this amount - all the way to linking large strings of elaborate skate tricks to gather letters spelling the word skate. There are also create-a-mode, where you can create your own goals, as well as the ability to create your own skate tricks when bored with the original skaters’ set of stunts and tricks. These range from simple, almost real-world possible tricks, to some of the most surreal images you will ever see of a person on a skateboard.
If you are a fan of the franchise, or just someone looking to pick up a fun game, I think you would get a lot of play out of this game. Great sound, excellent graphics, fun multiplayer modes, create-a-mode games and free skating combine to make a superior handheld game. Replay value is high with the wireless play, as well as just free skating to see what kind of crazy tricks or high scores you can accomplish.
