Reviewed: October 2, 2003
Reviewed by: Cliff O'Neill

Publisher
Activision

Developer
Toys for Bob

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

8
8
8
8
8.2

Supported Features

Case in point: Last fall saw the release of Acclaim’s highly publicized, M-rated BMX XXX, the lewdest action-sports game ever. Disney’s Extreme Skate Adventure is the polar opposite and looks to restore tranquility to action-sports gaming with its brand of ultra-cute skateboarding. Parents of young gamers can rest easy knowing little Billy and Susie won’t be exposed to mature themes or foul language here, just some of the smoothest gameplay this side of the Tony Hawk series.

Running on a modified Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4 engine (hey, if you can’t beat it, borrow it!), Extreme Skate Adventure blends kid-friendly skateboarding antics with Disney charm. The game is accessible to gamers of all ages and uses the Disney license delightfully. While Extreme Skate Adventure is not the first skateboarding game to feature Disney properties, it is the most solidly constructed, largely due to the “Hawk” factor. Konami’s Disney Sports Skateboarding for GameCube and Disney Interactive’s Extremely Goofy Skateboarding for PC simply pale in comparison.

Of course, the developers of those games did not have Neversoft’s brilliant Tony Hawk 4 engine to work with, unlike Extreme Skate Adventure developer, Toys for Bob. This does not mean Toys for Bob lacks programming experience, however, because it has several console titles under its belt. In fact, Extreme Skate Adventure is the developer’s second Disney-themed title (the first being 102 Dalmatians: Puppies to the Rescue for PlayStation), although it is the company’s first attempt at a skateboarding game and PS2 development.

Regardless, Extreme Skate Adventure packs in many of the things you would expect from a skateboarding game sporting a major license. You can skate as 12 popular characters from Toy Story 2, Tarzan, and The Lion King, including Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Tarzan, Terk, Simba, and Nala. Additionally, the 10 winners of Activision's "Extreme Skate Crew" contest, which gave kids across the country the chance to have their names and likenesses appear in Extreme Skate Adventure, are also playable. A create-a-skater option, nine Disney-esque levels (modeled after locations from the aforementioned films), licensed music, and simplified Tony Hawk-like controls, tricks, and challenges round out the package.

Two control configurations, Basic and Pro, open Extreme Skate Adventure’s gameplay to all audiences. Basic control consists of only a couple of buttons and greatly simplifies the action via context-sensitive commands. On the other hand, Pro control works like Tony Hawk 4’s controls, offering experienced players a greater amount of flexibility and challenge. In both cases, the controls are tight and responsive, and most of the combo-building maneuvers from the Tony Hawk series (manuals, reverts, spine transfers, etc.) are accounted for.

Yet, even with Pro control enabled, Extreme Skate Adventure’s gameplay, understandably, remains less complex than that of Tony Hawk 4. Combos work in the same way, but the game limits each skater to two flip tricks, three grabs, five grinds, five lip tricks, and three specials. These numbers come up short when compared with those of recent Tony Hawk games, whose skaters have at least eight tricks per category.

Luckily, tricks differ between the Disney characters and Extreme Skate Crew. While the Extreme Skate Crew members ride skateboards and share the same set of tricks, based on real skating moves, the Disney skaters have unique rides and trick sets. Most of the Disney skaters’ tricks are fictional, with maneuvers reflecting a character’s personality and style. For instance, Tarzan can do a “flying squirrel” on his jungle-mask board, while Woody can bust a “western tweak” with his round-up wagon. The only downside is it can be difficult to adjust to some of the Disney skaters, since they do not skate in a traditional manner.

Skaters are rated in the following areas: ollie, speed, spin, trick, and balance. Stat levels for the Disney characters vary, whereas those for the Extreme Skate Crew are perfectly balanced. Unfortunately, while you can improve skaters’ stats by collecting crystals in the Adventure mode, you cannot alter them, nor can you modify a skater’s appearance or tricks.

If you’re looking to flex your creativity, Extreme Skate Adventure lets you do so via its extensive create-a-skater feature. You can create male and female skaters using dozens of clothing and customization options, many of which you will not find in any other skateboarding game. Plus, you can adjust the scale of individual body parts, such as the head, waist, hands, and feet. Lastly, you pick the graphics, wheels, and griptape for your board. You’ll need to play through the Adventure mode to unlock new clothing and accessories, but there is a good amount to start.

Once you have chosen or created a skater that suites your tastes, you will be ready to embark on a skating adventure. When playing as a Disney character, you can only skate in levels from his or her respective movie (i.e., Woody and Buzz Lightyear are confined to Toy Story 2 levels). Initially, only two Disney characters and one level are available per movie world, but all 10 member of the Extreme Skate Crew are immediately playable. Although the Extreme Skate Crew skaters have their very own level to shred (known as Olliewood), they can use portals to transport to the movie levels.

Extreme Skate Adventure’s main gameplay mode, Adventure, uses Tony Hawk 4’s goal structure, letting you skate freely around the levels and attempt goals at your leisure. Goals are assigned by non-player characters scattered throughout the levels. Challenges essentially boil down to meeting high scores, collecting items, and performing special stunts/tasks. Some goals will be instantly familiar to Tony Hawk fans (yes, you still have to collect the “skate” letters), but none of them will challenge the elite.

That’s not to say the Adventure mode is a total cakewalk, because a few goals require patience. Young gamers, in fact, are likely to have a particularly tough time with certain challenges, and even adults will groan at having to hunt down items to unlock special tricks. While the score challenges stay at reasonable levels, earning 150,000 points within two minutes may be difficult for youngsters unaccustomed to playing skateboarding games (a tutorial is conspicuously missing). This is in spite of tricks and combos being worth more points than in Tony Hawk 4; balancing tricks and filling the Special meter are considerably easier, too.

Clearly, though, Extreme Skate Adventure is a game kids can grow with and one that serves as a great steppingstone to the Tony Hawk series. Gameplay is addictive, levels are highly interactive, and the Adventure mode is engaging. Simply put, kids will love shredding through Andy’s bedroom from Toy Story 2, Clayton’s ship from Tarzan, and Scar’s Canyon from The Lion King.

Sadly, the environments are marred by occasionally bland textures, colors, and backdrops. In addition, certain environments, such as the second Tarzan level, look downright murky in spots. Worse still, there are clipping and screen-tearing issues, as well as a small amount of jagged edges.

On the positive side, animated and destructible objects enliven each world, with appealing lighting and special effects sprinkled throughout. Moreover, the frame rate generally keeps things moving at a good pace, even during split-screen play. And while the game’s target audience is unlikely to care, a 16:9 mode is available to highlight each level’s clear view of the horizon.

The character models and animations are easily Extreme Skate Adventure’s best visual aspects. All the Disney characters have been lovingly crafted, and they look and animate just how you would expect, complete with wacky maneuvers. Since this is a Disney game, crashes cause characters to emit stars instead of drops of blood. Cel-shading is not used, ironically enough, but the characters do compare favorably with their silver-screen counterparts.

Conversely, the Extreme Skate Crew skaters, loosely modeled after real kids, do not look as sharp. While their animations are solid, they are composed of few polygons and basic textures. Admittedly, this level of simplicity is in line with the game’s visual presentation, which conforms to Tony Hawk 4 standards.

Although you won’t hear the likes of Tom Hanks or Tim Allen, the voice-overs for the Disney characters are decent enough. There are some comical lines of dialogue, and the voice acting never seems too strained. The strident voices of the kid skaters and young Disney characters, on the other hand, will surely annoy those outside the game’s target demographic. Unfortunately, you cannot adjust the volume of the voice-overs (only the music and sound effects), which are a bit loud.

In terms of music, Extreme Skate Adventure has 13 licensed tracks consisting of pop, rock, and rap. Some of the artists include Lil’ Romeo, Reel Big Fish, Smash Mouth, Simple Plan, and Basement Jaxx. Thankfully, you can randomize the song order and edit the playlist, disabling songs you dislike. In the end, however, the charming instrumentals that play during character selection suit the game better than the tacky licensed songs that blare during gameplay.

Finally, Pro Logic II support is included, despite the presumably limited number of home-theater enthusiasts comprising Extreme Skate Adventure’s core audience. That said, the surround-sound implementation is quite good. Sounds play from multiple angles, helping you to navigate the levels and pinpoint objects. The panning effects are similarly impressive. Skating around a noisy object, like a fountain or arcade machine, swirls sound around you, heightening the sense of immersion.

Advanced players, however, will find Extreme Skate Adventure loses much of its appeal as a single-player game once the Adventure mode is cleared. Since the game’s trick list and combo system are less deep than Tony Hawk 4’s, Free Skate mode will not hold the attention of Tony Hawk diehards. This is partly due to the game’s levels, which do not inspire many repeat visits outside the Adventure mode, though each has a handful of unique trick lines to conquer. A level editor would have helped to stave off boredom and keep the creative juices flowing.

Fortunately, Extreme Skate Adventure’s two-player modes will ignite the competitive spark inside all gamers. While only three such modes are available, they mimic popular multiplayer modes from the Tony Hawk series, including HORSE, Score Challenge, and King of the Hill. Split-screen action is no replacement for online play – predictably absent here – but it’s sure to be enough to drive the kids wild. If it doesn’t, then the create-a-skater feature surely will with its near endless possibilities. Even parents will enjoy creating skaters.

However, with the more mature and ambitious Tony Hawk’s Underground arriving on the scene, most gamers over age 12 will probably want to skip this one – especially those seeking a fresher experience and greater challenge. Still, for others, it will be difficult to resist gameplay that closely mirrors Tony Hawk 4’s, even if it has been dressed in cute Disney clothing.

Overall, Extreme Skate Adventure is a sound purchase for kids and worth a look from anyone interested in seeing Disney characters tear it up Tony Hawk style.