Reviewed: September 26, 2003
Reviewed by: Jason Porter

Publisher
Activision

Developer
Toys for Bob

Released: September 3, 2003
Genre: Sports
Players: 2
ESRB: Everyone

9
9
9
9
9.1

Supported Features

There are five modes in the game, including Adventure, King of the Hill, H-O-R-S-E, Free Skate and Score Challenge modes. Out of all the modes, the one that most players will spend most of their time in is the Adventure mode.

DESA features ten expansive, cleverly realized and carefully laid out courses on which to skate, though not all are available from the start. In Adventure mode, players will perform through a multitude of missions in each level to unlock additional characters, new courses and other goodies. The ideas for the missions tend to be quite inventive when compared to other skating games, and the dialog (especially when interacting with Disney NPCs) can be downright charming. It is important to note, however, that the physical reality of the missions are pretty standard fare; grind this, spine transfer that, beat the high score and so on. For gamers weaned on Tony Hawk, it may get a bit dull at times.

Overall, the trick system in Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure is a bit easier to handle than its big-brother counterpart, Tony Hawk 4. A meter appears when your skater performs a grab, grind or manual, which depletes as you hold the trick longer. If it reaches the bottom, the skater wipes out. Also, the tricks tend to be simpler to perform in DESA, at least in my estimation. I've never been very skilled with skating games, so I appreciated that. Overall, though, the trick system should appeal to newcomers and fans of "the original" alike.

I did, however, have a couple of complaints with this game. First of all, let's discuss characters. There's a large contingent of human characters modeled after some lucky real-life kids. While this is totally cool for them, the rest of us would rather have had more Disney character options. They are, after all, the main reason most kids will be interested in the game. There are only 12 Disney/Pixar-themed skaters in the game, and most of them didn't hold my interest. Adding Mickey and the "classic" gang would have been fun. Adding some villains (besides Toy Story 2's Zurg, who isn't really a villain anyhow) would have been even better. What fun is it to play a round of H-O-R-S-E with Simba if your opponent can't play a hyena?

The other problem I had with Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure was its corporate infiltration by Nokia and McDonald's. I would expect to see Vans and Hurley logos in a skate game, just as I'd expect auto brands in a racer. However, throwing in unrelated brands and CREATING MISSIONS AROUND THEM (one has skaters delivering McDonald's food to NPCs, for goodness' sake) smells a bit too much of a rat for my tastes. This is primarily a kid's game, aimed at the relatively impressionable 9-12 year old age group. I feel it is my duty, though, to warn parents that their kids will be exposed to some very subtle and powerful advertising techniques should they play this game. Whether or not this worries you is none of my business, I suppose, but parents: you've been given fair warning.

Animations in this game are gorgeous. NPCs look natural, at least most of the time, and the skaters themselves are fluid and acrobatic. The Disney/Pixar characters are of special note, as some of their animations in particular are jaw-dropping (try Timon and Pumba out to see what I mean).

Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure features a Create-a-Skater option (strictly human models, though), which is properly discussed here since, as far as I could figure out, created skaters' stats are unalterable (the instruction booklet had nothing to say about stat customization either). That being said, there are an impressive number of unlockable skins for most every aspect of your character. If skating with an obese, bald pinhead wearing purple bunny slippers and skull face paint sounds like fun to you, then you’ll find it here.

Voice acting in DESA is top-notch, just as one would expect from the involvement of Disney. Movie characters all sound at least reasonably like their big-screen counterparts; in some instances (Scar, for example, an NPC from the movie The Lion King) the resemblance is downright uncanny. The kids' voices are natural and relaxed. I only wish that this game had separate volume controls for voices and sound effects. Often the characters' voices were drowned out by a much louder grind.

Speaking of the sound effects, they're well done and effectively used, though there isn't much that's new here. Attention to detail is a plus: skate wheels, for instance, sound different when rolling across grass, pavement or tile. Grinding and manual effects work well, and there's a decent amount of ambient noise near waterfalls and so on.

On the other hand, the lack of Disney's wonderful legion of baddies as playable skaters may turn some people (like myself) off to the game a little bit. I'm sure there are many gamers out there who would have loved a chance to skate with Mickey, Donald and the gang as well. Also as I mentioned before, the soundtrack is perfect for younger kids, but may prove to be more of an annoyance to everyone else. I guess it just depends on your personal tastes.

Older gamers should rent first, as they'll probably have more fun with Tony Hawk 4 than this one. Overall, though, the solid gameplay and captivating graphics should have most kids happily hooked for months, if not years. Aside from the blatant plugs for Nokia and McDonald's, DESA is a great family title, too- something not often seen in such an A-list game.