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The game that started one of the biggest revolutions ever for a genre... THPS came in one of the weaker years of the video game industry. Nintendo was struggling and SONY Playstation wasn't having much better luck. The DC had been a good success, but then sales quickly dropped out of line, setting up the eventual failure. THPS came, and people flocked to this game like a religion. It was unlike anything they had ever seen for a sports game or any kind of game. It was original, edgy, and right on the money in terms of gameplay. Your toughest reviewer, me, found this game to be so good it was named the Best Game of 1999.
There is no story, so I'll go through the basic premise of this game. You play in an environment like the Warehouse, for instance, and you have five goals. Two are points goals. One is a secret tape, one is generally grinding, and the other is knocking over objects. Complete these to access new levels, new items, and new competitions. There are only three, and they are pretty damn tough, especially the last two. You have one minute to show off for the judges. You need only a medal to access the next level, but a gold to get hidden characters. Thats the basic idea behind this game.
The graphics are very good, although the pop-up is an issue. The framerate is generally smooth and you shouldn't have trouble pulling off moves, but don't do anything too complex early on. The controls are very good and they will be second nature to you within time. The music is astounding, using some of the best underground bands and having their songs plugged into this game. What we get is some excellent music that makes the gaming experience a lot moe fun than it already is. The overall premise is brilliant and Neversoft does this game with tremendous ease. This game has its bugs, but all originals do, and thats what the sequels are for, as the credits aptly states.
Neversoft made a game that came out at the right time. This was for the people that had passed on Half-Life and Starcraft, and even FFVIII. This was for the extreme sports junkie, but the premise was so addicting that even a casual gamer could enjoy this game. It got nominated for eighteen awards and it won three, including Best Sports Game and Best Music. -- Chris Vavra, PGNx Media
---- Aug 15, 2002
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