Tony Hawk Proving Ground demo now Live
by Justin McElroy 
{ Sep 12th 2007 at 9:30AM }
You've seen the comparison videos, now you can get some hands-on time with both. Here's the big question: Which one will you be getting? Will you welcome a new succinctly-titled overlord, or will you keep Tony in his throne?
Gallery: Tony Hawk's Proving Ground
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Offbeat BareAss @ Sep 12th 2007 9:57AM
Something tells me .skate is going to feel fresher....
Norm @ Sep 12th 2007 9:56AM
I really couldn't play the demo for longer than a few minutes. While the gameplay is familiar and solid, the character interactions were weird, the story seems forced and the skating seems unrealistic. While in my earlier years I had thought there would be nothing better than a Tony Hawk game, unfortunately it took EA's skate to show me all of the things that were wrong about the TH series.
I love them for what they have done for skateboarding, but for me, I'm probably not going to buy or even rent THPG, and that is something I thought I would never say about a Tony Hawk game. It just seems like that wild and addictive gameplay has been replaced by something that is addictive in a totally different way- I don't know anyone who can skate like they do in TH games, but even I can do things I do in real life with skate and it seems familiar. Maybe thats why I like skate so much more.
Norm @ Sep 12th 2007 10:00AM
Let me clarify a little- no, I can't do a coffin backflip in real life like you can in skate, I meant to comment on the realism and the minor details like hanging up on a curb. And I know that THPG tricks are based on real tricks. Maybe I'm being a little harsh on this demo, but the outlandish caricatures of skateboarders kind of rubbed me the wrong way.
Christopher7xii @ Sep 12th 2007 10:02AM
Not true. It's worth renting for the demo of Guitar Hero 3 they're including =)
Christopher7xii @ Sep 12th 2007 9:59AM
HA! On the very date that Skate is to be released. Convenient. I smell FEAR...
=)
Sean @ Sep 12th 2007 10:31AM
*Project Origin
Christopher7xii @ Sep 12th 2007 10:50AM
I don't mean F.E.A.R., dork. =)
The PC @ Sep 12th 2007 12:29PM
Something tells me he knows that....
idiot. jk haha
jynxycat @ Sep 12th 2007 10:00AM
.skate is getting loads more customer hype where I work, which makes sense, as it's a much more refreshing game than anything the Tony Hawk series will ever produce.
That being said, it's Activision vs EA this holiday.
Rock band vs Guitar hero
Skate vs Tony Hawk
Call of Duty vs Medal of Honor (lul)
Simpsons game vs whatever movie game Activision has
FoxHoundADAM @ Sep 12th 2007 10:09AM
I played the Skate demo and while I kinda liked the new controls and the more realiztic feal I think frustration and imprecise controls will out weight the fun.
Tony Hawk for me....again.
Christopher7xii @ Sep 12th 2007 10:52AM
Imprecise controls.... What game are you playing again? Because the skate demo I've been spending hours with has incredibly responsive controls.
reaver @ Sep 12th 2007 10:10AM
I don't even need to play the demo. I saw some new gameplay footage yesterday and that threw me off completely. There's something much more satisfying about setting a session point and WORKING to get over that set of stairs or nailing that laserflip-to-boardslide.
C'mon, it beats doing a 1080 spin on a simple half-pipe.
Lewis @ Sep 12th 2007 10:15AM
TH is Tony Hawk, always enjoyed the game and always will.
Skate is just a whole new game that I'll play too.
Nicholas @ Sep 12th 2007 10:22AM
TH failed to capture my interest after the second iteration, while Skate is only second to Bioshock in terms of the most exciting demo ever, so the choice will be easy for me.
Shasam @ Sep 12th 2007 10:29AM
I have always been a Tony Hawks fan, but by this point it's old. skate is what I've been looking for for as long as I can remember, and believe me I've tried to recreate realism in Tony Hawks before.
To quote the majestic Will Smith from the fabulous Men in Black 2, believe, Tony Hawks is “Old and Busted” whilst skate is “The new Hotness”…
Sean @ Sep 12th 2007 10:33AM
I personally didn't really like skate too much, but I'm also sick of Tony Hawk games. I'll stick with Wakeboarding Unleashed feat. Shaun Murray for my extreme sports needs.
JayDiggler @ Sep 12th 2007 10:34AM
Definitely getting both, enjoying the new controls for Skate but Tony Hawk Project 8 was by far my favorite in the series so I need the new one.
Joe Smith @ Sep 12th 2007 10:43AM
I haven't seen the Tony Hawk demo yet, but it will have to be amazing to get me to go with th over Skate. I hate EA, but they nailed it with Skate.
waves @ Sep 12th 2007 11:22AM
I just played the demo. I couldn't play it for the full 10 minutes the demo allows. It's pretty much the same as when I stopped playing the series (on the forth game, I think).
Also, I really like how sometimes it will just reset your skater when you enter certain areas. No warning or anything. You just reset to your original spot, and it says "SKATE YOUR WAY." I was skating my way!
The opening intro is classic video game cheese, too. "The choice is yours how to skate, and how you skate is who you are." Truly cringe-worthy.
vinny @ Sep 12th 2007 11:24AM
skate seems cool and all but its not my thing, ill go with mr. hawk again this year
Nicholas @ Sep 12th 2007 12:14PM
I just tried TH demo, and after having played the sweet little demo of Skate, this trash of a demo with clunky, unintuitive and frustrating controls, unrewarding gameplay, boring objectives, nonsensical classes and bland environments, just convinced me that TH is dead, long live Skate!
Seriously, when you pull off a backflip 180 on a rail where you go so fast that the camera can't follow you when the rail does a sharp 90 degrees turn, how do you find anything fun or rewarding. Pulling an ollie in Skate is more fun than clearing a 20 feet gap on a triple kickflip in TH.
Kevin @ Sep 12th 2007 12:53PM
I've played both demos and with THPG it felt like the same old Tony game. I was able to do everything I did in the previous games and it just didn't catch me at all. With skate it was new and exciting and felt like I had something to learn again. My vote is for skate over THPG.
WiNG @ Sep 12th 2007 1:05PM
After talking to real skaters who have played skate, I feel safe to say that SKATE is going to be the THPS killer, without a doubt.
mikeshea @ Sep 12th 2007 1:41PM
At first I saw the 10 minute limit and was bummed out on how sort of a demo it was going to be.
Two minutes in, i was completely sick of it.
It was the same old Tony hawk but with more lame shit.
Choosing my way seemed intcining on paper but when it came to it was lamer than anything else.
I started comparing it to skate, and in TH you gain speed without the dude even pushing the board.
so lame. so over done.
Skate has my vote.
divi @ Sep 12th 2007 2:11PM
the tony hawk demo is terrible. ive always hated how unrealistic tony hawk is and i really enjoyed thrasher for ps1. skate is the best skating game. the controls are perfect, ive played the demo about 20 times and it still hasnt gotten old. Tony hawk lovers are kids who have never picked up a board or just suck too bad to do real tricks.
Christopher7xii @ Sep 12th 2007 2:17PM
Ya know, I loved Tony Hawk up until about two weeks ago when the skate. demo was released. Then just today when I played the new Hawk demo, I realized how badly it needed competition. Hawk is just... Too fast, to fake, and too retarded now. Like mentioned above, it was almost frustrating to hold A to gain speed and my character doesn't even push the board. He just magically goes faster, and then I do a 900 Mute off a curb - follow by jumping on to a rail from a dead stop and skating UP a set of 20 or so stairs by jumping off and on repeatedly.
Skate has just opened my eyes to the fact that I played it for the lack of a better skate game to go to. I'm on board the 'Thrasher was awesome' back during the PS1 days, always wished they made a sequel. Skate seems to be taking it's place quite nicely. And since it's EA, we're guaranteed to get a yearly release out of it =D
Lewis @ Sep 12th 2007 3:19PM
opinion after playing.
I hate THPG or any tony hawk game. it seems to crowded and...too much shit to do...the game looks like nonsense while Skate. is simple
chairmundmao @ Sep 12th 2007 3:47PM
When did EA drop the "Or Die" from the "Skate" series?
Odog4ever @ Sep 12th 2007 4:52PM
I had have never played any skateboarding games before the SKATE demo came out. (Skitchin' on the Genesis doesn't count does it?) Since I give most demos a whirl I thought I'd try it out. Long story short, I've played the demo every other day since it came out.
Love it. I can't believe I might drop $60 on a skatebording game! And I'm a cheap motherfucker who relies on Gamefly and ebay for games. I will scrounge up the dough just to get my fix though.
I played the TH demo for five minutes before work and I have to say I wasn't that impressed. (Is it really only 10 min long?) But I promised my self I would give the demo a good play through so I could make an objective decision. But I have a feeling SKATE going to end up getting mine and a lot of other people's money.
taylor @ Oct 2nd 2007 8:51PM
this sucks i hve an xbox and no xbox 360 and i love Tony Hawk series and this sucks so if you know a designer or even tony hawk tell them to make a xbox version.