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Semi Logic ports Tony Hawk to the Zodiac. When the GameBoy Advance launched in mid-2001, one of its most impressive titles was Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2. Tony Hawk 2 on GBA showed off the power of the system and proved that it was much more capable than the NES-like games we were previously playing on the GameBoy Color. Tony Hawk 4 on Zodiac is a port of the GBA game of the same name with a few minor changes.
Tony Hawk 4's core gameplay is its single-player career mode. Much like the latter console versions, in the career mode you are free to skate around the level (there are seven in this version) and accept tasks from the pedestrians. These tasks may be pulling off a heavy combo or simply racking up a few thousand points any way you like. Or perhaps, you’ll need to gather some tapes or other icons. Of course, given the free roaming nature, you are free to skate around until you wish to take up a challenge.
Thanks to Bluetooth support, Tony Hawk 4 on Zodiac supports four-player wireless multiplayer. You can play with up to thirty feet apart in ideal conditions, but even in less than perfect settings it is better than being tied by a link. These multiplayer modes include Tony Hawk favorites like HORSE, Trick Attack, King of the Hill and Tag.
Adding a bit of competition to the game is the ability to post scores from the timed-runs on Tapwave’s website. These scores, along with your username, can be witnessed by all other Zodiac users.
The game’s controls survived the transformation from GBA to Zodiac intact. Only two main face buttons are used, alongside the shoulder triggers, like the GBA version. The only problem is the Zodiac’s analog stick… since it doesn’t provide quite the same precision as the GBA’s D-Pad. The Zodiac’s built-in vibration is put to good use with the game, adding an extra “oomph” to the gameplay.
The game’s visuals are pretty good but after all these years, they simply aren’t as spectacular as they once were. The character models, animations and environments are all rather detailed and fill the screen well. Other than the screen resolution increase which in itself makes the game look cleaner, there are very little changes to the GBA counterpart. The increase in resolution is noticeable, but hardly pushes the Zodiac’s graphical capabilities. I guess I was spoiled by the full 3D Tony Hawk found on the N-Gage.
The audio portion of the game is decent, although nothing extravagant. The sound effects do an appropriate job at keeping up with the gameplay. The music, on the other hand, doesn’t sound too well mostly because it was originally designed for the audio-handicapped GBA. Thankfully, you can use the Zodiac’s custom soundtrack feature to play your own MP3s (if you have MP3s in the unit or in a card).
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4 is a good start for the series on the Zodiac and it certainly provides much hope for future installments that make better use the Zodiac’s power. -- Jose Liz, PGNx Media
---- Aug 27, 2004
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