Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
Encyclopedia
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2, often abbreviated as THPS2, is the second game in the Tony Hawk's series. It was developed by Neversoft
and published by Activision
in 2000. It was first released for the PlayStation, with subsequent ports
to the Nintendo 64
(by Edge of Reality
), Dreamcast, Game Boy Advance
(by Vicarious Visions
), Mac
, the PC
(By Gray Matter Interactive
), Xbox
(as THPS2X).
. It was also the first of the Pro Skater games to feature Create-a-Skater and Park Editor features, now staples in the series.
Some levels in Tony Hawks Pro Skater 2 are designed for the player to complete a set number of tasks in two minutes. Such tasks include finding the S-K-A-T-E letters, high scores and finding a hidden tape somewhere in the level. Each of the non-competition levels contain ten tasks for a player to do, each task rewarding a player with cash. Cash is also scattered around the levels in order for players to find, increasing the use for replaying a level. Once a player has enough cash, they can continue on to a new level. The maximum amount of money that can be obtained in a single skater career is $150,000.00. The other type of levels are competition levels. The rating by the judges that a player receives is based on how much they score, variation of tricks, bails, and how much of the level they have used. The judges give scores based on these criteria, the highest and lowest are taken away, and the three scores are given an average. There are three runs total and the best two count. Competition levels also contain cash hidden for a player to collect.
) was added. Also added were a few new cheats, such as the 10x Point Multiplier and Max Turbo Mode codes. The number of songs was reduced to six and portions of each one were cut.
's Xbox
. The game contained remade versions of all the levels from the first two games in the Tony Hawk series, five new levels, a 4-player split screen and LAN multi-player feature and the ability to create females in Create-a-skater mode. Other new features include a redesigned main page and grind balance meter. The redesigned Philadelphia level from this version would later be reused in Tony Hawk's Underground 2
.
Professional devices in 2006. The game offered hardware acceleration for some Dell Axim
devices.
account, Tony Hawk announced a port of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 for the iOS. It would be developed by Activision and would launch before the end of March 2010.
The iOS version of the game was released in the US App Store on April 1, 2010 and subsequently into other regions.
Unlike other ports, this game's only playable modes are Career mode, Single Session, and Free Skate Mode along with options. Create a Skater, and Create a Park were removed in this version of THPS2. The original soundtrack was also removed and replaced with new music. Slight changes were made to the appearances of some of the pro skaters to account for changes of their sponsors since the original game's release. The game is playable on the iPhone
, iPod Touch
and also the iPad
.
Activision released "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2" for iPhone in April 2010.
version (developed by Natsume) was better received than the first installment on the handheld. In spite of that, it still bore little resemblance to the other versions of the game. The Game Boy Advance
version (by Vicarious Visions
) received particular acclaim for being an accurate translation of the series, translating the 3D gameplay into isometric (2.5D) format.
The PlayStation version of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 has earned Platinum awards from gaming magazine Electronic Gaming Monthly
. Because of this, it is the only game in the magazine's history to ever have earned a Platinum award twice (but is only acknowledged as a single game in EGMs records due to the game receiving a 10 from only one reviewer as opposed to the PlayStation game receiving 10s from all 3 of its reviewers). The PlayStation version of the game received a 10 out of 10 from the magazine Game Informer
, while the versions for other consoles received lower scores. In the final issue of the Official UK PlayStation Magazine, the game was chosen as the 7th best game of all time.
Neversoft
Neversoft Entertainment is an American video game developer, founded in 1994 by Joel Jewett, Mick West and Chris Ward. Neversoft is best recognized for their line of Guitar Hero and Tony Hawk skateboarding games, known as the Tony Hawk's series...
and published by Activision
Activision
Activision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles...
in 2000. It was first released for the PlayStation, with subsequent ports
Porting
In computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created for a computing environment that is different from the one for which it was originally designed...
to the Nintendo 64
Nintendo 64
The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
(by Edge of Reality
Edge of Reality
Edge of Reality is a video game developer founded in 1998 and based in Austin, Texas that has developed video games for the Nintendo 64, Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2 and Xbox games consoles. It also has games in development for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 games consoles. Edge of Reality is an...
), Dreamcast, Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
(by Vicarious Visions
Vicarious Visions
Vicarious Visions is an American video game developer founded by the high school brothers Karthik and Guha Bala in 1990, which developed some PC and Game Boy Color games in late 90's and 2000. They later developed Terminus, which won two Independent Games Festival Awards in 1999...
), Mac
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
, the PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
(By Gray Matter Interactive
Gray Matter Interactive
Gray Matter Interactive Studios, Inc. was a computer game developer, which was acquired by Activision in January 2002. Gray Matter was previously known as Xatrix Entertainment, Inc....
), Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
(as THPS2X).
Gameplay
It features the series' trademark open-ended gameplay, in which the player (playing as a professional skateboarder) completes a number of missions which result in cash rewards. With money gained, the player can then purchase skill improvements and better skateboards. THPS2 was also the first game in the series to introduce the manual, a skateboarding trick where the performer balances on two wheels. This enables players to string together trick combos. The game also introduced the Noseslide, Tailslide, Bluntslide, Noseblunt, Feeble, and Overcrook grindsGrinds (skateboarding)
Grinds are a form of skateboarding trick where the skateboarder slides on the side or on the trucks. Grinds are performed on any object that may fit between the space between the wheels where the truck meets...
. It was also the first of the Pro Skater games to feature Create-a-Skater and Park Editor features, now staples in the series.
Some levels in Tony Hawks Pro Skater 2 are designed for the player to complete a set number of tasks in two minutes. Such tasks include finding the S-K-A-T-E letters, high scores and finding a hidden tape somewhere in the level. Each of the non-competition levels contain ten tasks for a player to do, each task rewarding a player with cash. Cash is also scattered around the levels in order for players to find, increasing the use for replaying a level. Once a player has enough cash, they can continue on to a new level. The maximum amount of money that can be obtained in a single skater career is $150,000.00. The other type of levels are competition levels. The rating by the judges that a player receives is based on how much they score, variation of tricks, bails, and how much of the level they have used. The judges give scores based on these criteria, the highest and lowest are taken away, and the three scores are given an average. There are three runs total and the best two count. Competition levels also contain cash hidden for a player to collect.
Nintendo 64
Originally to be released along with the PlayStation version, but delayed to allow further sales of the first THPS for the console. Almost a year later, the game was released by the same company that brought the first Tony Hawk game to Nintendo 64, Edge of Reality. This version includes all of the features from the PlayStation version, including the Create-a-Skater and Park Editor. In addition to visual improvements (less jagged, smooth) like the Nintendo 64 version of the first game, a new level called Bike Headquarters (from Mat Hoffman's Pro BMXMat Hoffman's Pro BMX
Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX is a BMX video game developed by Runecraft and published by Activision. It was released in 2001 for various systems, including the Game Boy Color, PlayStation, Dreamcast, and Game Boy Advance. It was also released for Windows. The game was followed by Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX 2...
) was added. Also added were a few new cheats, such as the 10x Point Multiplier and Max Turbo Mode codes. The number of songs was reduced to six and portions of each one were cut.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2X
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2X was released on November 14, 2001 (only in the U.S. and Canada) as a launch title for MicrosoftMicrosoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
's Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
. The game contained remade versions of all the levels from the first two games in the Tony Hawk series, five new levels, a 4-player split screen and LAN multi-player feature and the ability to create females in Create-a-skater mode. Other new features include a redesigned main page and grind balance meter. The redesigned Philadelphia level from this version would later be reused in Tony Hawk's Underground 2
Tony Hawk's Underground 2
Tony Hawk's Underground 2, also known as THUG 2, is the sixth installment in Neversoft's Tony Hawk's Series and sequel to Tony Hawk's Underground. Tony Hawk's Underground 2 was released on October 4, 2004 for the PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, PC, and Game Boy Advance platforms...
.
Windows Mobile
Austin-based Aspyr ported the game to Windows MobileWindows Mobile
Windows Mobile is a mobile operating system developed by Microsoft that was used in smartphones and Pocket PCs, but by 2011 was rarely supplied on new phones. The last version is "Windows Mobile 6.5.5"; it is superseded by Windows Phone, which does not run Windows Mobile software.Windows Mobile is...
Professional devices in 2006. The game offered hardware acceleration for some Dell Axim
Dell Axim
The Dell Axim family of personal digital assistants was Dell's line of Windows Mobile-powered Pocket PC Devices. The first model, the Axim X5, was introduced in 2002, while the final model, the Axim X51, was discontinued on April 9, 2007....
devices.
iOS
Through his TwitterTwitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
account, Tony Hawk announced a port of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 for the iOS. It would be developed by Activision and would launch before the end of March 2010.
The iOS version of the game was released in the US App Store on April 1, 2010 and subsequently into other regions.
Unlike other ports, this game's only playable modes are Career mode, Single Session, and Free Skate Mode along with options. Create a Skater, and Create a Park were removed in this version of THPS2. The original soundtrack was also removed and replaced with new music. Slight changes were made to the appearances of some of the pro skaters to account for changes of their sponsors since the original game's release. The game is playable on the iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
, iPod Touch
IPod Touch
The iPod Touch is a portable media player, personal digital assistant, handheld game console, and Wi-Fi mobile device designed and marketed by Apple Inc. The iPod Touch adds the multi-touch graphical user interface to the iPod line...
and also the iPad
IPad
The iPad is a line of tablet computers designed, developed and marketed by Apple Inc., primarily as a platform for audio-visual media including books, periodicals, movies, music, games, and web content. The iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010 by Apple's then-CEO Steve Jobs. Its size and...
.
Activision released "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2" for iPhone in April 2010.
Gameboy Color/Advance
The Game Boy ColorGame Boy Color
The is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...
version (developed by Natsume) was better received than the first installment on the handheld. In spite of that, it still bore little resemblance to the other versions of the game. The Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
version (by Vicarious Visions
Vicarious Visions
Vicarious Visions is an American video game developer founded by the high school brothers Karthik and Guha Bala in 1990, which developed some PC and Game Boy Color games in late 90's and 2000. They later developed Terminus, which won two Independent Games Festival Awards in 1999...
) received particular acclaim for being an accurate translation of the series, translating the 3D gameplay into isometric (2.5D) format.
Soundtrack
The following songs are from the original North American PlayStation release. Other versions may vary.Reception
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 met with a tremendous amount of critical and commercial success. According to GameRankings, it is the twentieth best scoring video game ever.The PlayStation version of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 has earned Platinum awards from gaming magazine Electronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly is a bimonthly American video game magazine. It has been published by EGM Media, LLC. since relaunching in April of 2010. Its previous run, which ended in January 2009, was published by Ziff Davis...
. Because of this, it is the only game in the magazine's history to ever have earned a Platinum award twice (but is only acknowledged as a single game in EGMs records due to the game receiving a 10 from only one reviewer as opposed to the PlayStation game receiving 10s from all 3 of its reviewers). The PlayStation version of the game received a 10 out of 10 from the magazine Game Informer
Game Informer
Game Informer is an American-based monthly magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of popular video games and associated consoles. It was formed in August 1991, when FuncoLand started publishing a six-page magazine, free in all its retail locations...
, while the versions for other consoles received lower scores. In the final issue of the Official UK PlayStation Magazine, the game was chosen as the 7th best game of all time.