Tony Hawk's Proving Ground for DS

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Tony Hawk's Proving Ground for DS is another quality game in the Tony Hawk series, in which players perform realistic skateboarding tricks and learn how to link them together into impressive trick combinations (Provo, 2007, ¶ 2). The game has both a story mode and a standard timed classic mode, which offers players a lot of flexibility. In the story mode, players look for pro skateboarders and attempt to complete the tasks they ask of them (Provo, 2007, ¶ 5). There are cash rewards for completing the tasks, which are rewarded based on how well the player is able to complete them (Provo, 2007, ¶ 5). One of the perks of this mode is the ability to create custom skaters and skate parks. Provo states that "you can also try to outscore other players in the wireless or online [story] modes all while exploring the surrounding environment and performing tricks at your own whim or pace" (2007, ¶ 5). In addition, players can play in the classic mode, in which they visit parks, are given lists of goals - such as scoring milestones or gap and transfer challenges - and attempt to complete as many goals as possible in two minutes (Provo, 2007, ¶ 6). The game can be played at one of three difficulty levels - Amateur, Pro, and Sick - and, according to Harris, "it'll take literally hours to complete some of the insane challenges designed for the Sick rankings" (2007, ¶ 3).

For reviews of this game, please refer to: Game Rankings.com http://www.gamerankings.com/ds/939515-tony-hawks-proving-ground/articles.html

Tony Hawk's Proving Ground for DS made the play list, because skateboarding is very popular sport for children aged 10 to 12. Since boys are typically more interested in skateboarding than girls, this game is - unfortunately - not as gender neutral as Mario Kart DS. However, skate fans of either gender will like this game, especially since it includes brief video clips of the game's pro skaters in action (Provo, 2007, ¶ 9). In addition, this game makes good use of the functionality of the DS by utilizing both the buttons and the touch screen on the DS, which was one of our criterion. Specifically, players use the buttons to perform tricks, but they can also tap on spots of the touch screen when their style meter is full to execute special tricks, to activate a slow-motion effect, or to bail out into a temper tantrum (Provo, 2007, ¶ 3). Provo does state that "getting hang of the controls does take a while mainly because there are dozens upon dozens of skater moves and tricks to learn. However, the controls are laid out logically and never feel unwieldy" (Provo, 2007, ¶ 4). The steep learning curve makes this game more challenging to pick up than Mario Kart DS, but players interested in skateboarding will persevere until they master the game, referring to the game's useful tutorials in the story mode as necessary (Provo, 2007, ¶ 4). One of the other reasons why this game made the play list is the ability for players to express their creativity by customizing the appearance and moves of their characters and by customizing their own skate parks. This customization is a rewarding process for players, because the game is very detailed - for instance, there are "plenty of edges, rails, ramps, quarter pipes, or other interesting surfaces with which to interact" (Provo, 2007, ¶ 2) - and characters "look crisp and realistic--or as realistic as the limited polygon output of the DS allows" (Provo, 2007, ¶ 8). Finally, this DS game is a good additional to a library's video game collection, because it facilitates single and multi-player game play. Players can complete the story and classic modes individually or they compete with other players using the wireless or online modes. In conclusion, players aged 10 to 12 will learn fine motor skills, as they are "scaffolded" through the process of learning how to play this fun, well-designed game.

SOURCES:

Harris, C. (2007). Tony Hawk's Proving Ground review. Retrieved from http://ds.ign.com/articles/828/828223p1.html

Provo, F. (2007). Tony Hawk's Proving Ground review. Retrieved from http://www.gamespot.com/ds/sports/tonyhawksprovingground/review.html