yes. yes. yes. yes. yes.
The first thing you'll notice after firing up THP8 is the scant create-a-skater feature. It's true, the developers didn't devote the time and resources to this section that they have in the past. It's a disappointment, sure, but not a game-killer. I still managed to create an avatar to suit my tastes...and to be fair, with gameplay that provides this much freedom and entertainment, I could skate through the entire game as a 6-foot kielbasa without much complaint.
Before jumping right in, I recommend that even experienced players run through the tutorial feature at the out-set as there are a couple of new tricks and abilites to learn as well as an Achievment at the end for those who "gotta collect 'em all."
Once the refresher is complete, you'll begin the game in Suburbia or rather a single cul de sac with a few houses that inexplicably range from lower-class to uppercrust on the same block. But, it's all beautifully rendered with very realistic textures on everything including pools of water and gorgeous foliage. There's a lot to do here, but after completing a few beginner-level goals, it's on to the Skate Park where the entirety of the aforementioned Marketplace demo takes place. A few changes are noticable in the stage, but it's nearly identical and those who've played the demo will likely be moving on to Main Street, The School, and The Capitol in no time.
You'll find that new areas of the Tony Hawk world are opened with great frequency in the early stages of the game. It gives the player a great sense of accomplishment before things start getting difficult. You'll also notice that completing a few simple goals will get you moving up in the rankings more quickly than you might have expected. It all serves to keep the player engaged early on and I think the set-up works to great effect.
It doesn't take long to see that this game is packed with activities. Classic Mode goals, Pro Challenges, Graffiti goals and Stoken collecting provide so much to do that the game is almost intimidating when you're just getting started. You might find yourself hopping from one place to another in a schizophrenic fit, but as you succeed at each challenge, you'll get a better feel for the environment and it becomes one giant playground.
The only problem here is that, despite a compass that gives you direction to important landmarks, it's often difficult to figure out exactly where you need to go in order to get to a specific challenge. The design of the enviroment is strange, to say the least. It seems that in an attempt to create a world that avoids invisible walls and noticeable barriers, the level designers have instead created a world that is completely foreign in it's planning. Backyards lead to skateparks which lead to factories and so on. It's all very confusing to navigate and the compass really isn't much help. A more integrated map might have solved the problem, but as they say, "There's always next year."
No matter where you find yourself in the game world, everything looks and sounds great. Doing a wallplant off of a garage door sounds exactly like you'd expect it to. Rolling over cobblestones is a different sound entirely from cruising over smooth concrete and the slap of your board's tail against the pavement as you ollie over a character dressed as a giant Beaver...ahem...is equally realistic. I substitute the game's soundtrack for my own, but those who don't will likely find something to enjoy in the game's lengthy playlist.
Throughout the game you'll come in to contact with a few celebrity skaters and they're all animated and voiced well, though not flawlessly. Jason Lee, of My Name is Earl and the Kevin Smith films, makes appearances throughout the campaign and provides a good bit of entertainment as you progress. He'll contact you regularly via video phone through which he'll direct you from challenge to challenge. It's a neat feature with a good personality behind it though I would have liked a map integrated in to the phone for easier use.
I won't go in to the controls too much, but if you've got the coordination and dexterity, there is virtually no limit to what you can do with your thumbs. The "Nail-the-Trick" feature is cool, but doesn't really add or subtract anything from the game. I don't find myself using it for any real purpose other than to switch things up a bit. The new "Focus" feature, on the other hand, is more interesting in my opinion. Fill up your Special meter, click down the Left thumbstick and the camera zooms in on your character, giving you a close-up view of the action while you rack up points. Very cool.
There are three difficulty levels for nearly every task and you'll find yourself coming back over and over, hoping that your last stat upgrade will give you the extra boost you need to grab that Sick rating.
After all is said and done, this is a very complete skateboarding game and one that will keep you busy for quite some time. There are some problems with the level design and I'd have loved to see deeper customization with your skater, tricks, and equipment, but the gameplay is solid, the visuals and audio are top-notch and it's just a whole lot of fun.