So... Mr Tony Hawk and his games developers are at it again with Tony Hawk Shred!

Shred sees the return of the skateboard controller but this time, the game has been designed for players of a younger age. The graphics and gameplay have been changed to a more arcade style experience and you will find that grinding the tops of buildings and pulling massive airs is pretty easy - and good fun!

Tony Hawk Ride, which first introduced the game controller that you stand on like a normal skateboard was pretty much panned by the critics and I expect a few parents are not to pleased with their broken ornaments from little Johnny trying to kick flip the deck in the front room. Shred sees a slight turn from the supposed "realistic gameplay" of Ride, which p, in my opinion is the right thing to do.

EA Skate has pretty much taken the crown for serious skating simulations and Tony Hawk Ride was supposed to be the answer to it - but failed. By evolving the Ride game into Shred and making it more of an arcade game, it will appeal to totally different players and will most likely be a real hit!

Shred also treads on a few toes by adding a snowboarding option in to the game too, so not only do you get to skate, a full snowboarding game is in there too! This is excellent news and will save owners of the Tony Hawk Ride board buying a whole other game.

I think that the team who produced this title knew that Skate had them beat and the only way to beat them at their own game was to make a different type of game and that is the hole that Shred fills quite nicely. Don't expect fine control and realism, but do expect big air, massive tricks and huge combo scores.

I know I have been a critic of the more recent THPS games since EA Skate came out but Shred is a step in the right direction for Tony. It is different and is unique enough to appeal to gamers and not just skaters.

Tony Hawk Shred website: http://www.shredgame.com/

So, hawk ride has been out for a few days now and TVs have been broken, ornaments have been smashed and some poor adult has had their shins cracked by a flying skateboard controller.

Well... probably.

Here is a great review of the game and probably shows the market that it is aimed at:

I was just watching this Tony Hawk Ride video over at Joystiq and initially thought "cool", which then turned to "oh" and moved rapidly on to "crap...".

It seems that Activision and the venerable Mr Hawk have re-invented the Tony Hawk games, by just adding a new controller. The mile long grinds and cartoon, arcade graphics are still there.

Crap...

I was really hoping to see the podgy Activision employee flip or spin the deck or something cool like that! Instead he just seems to be making small movements with his legs and feet to make flips and stuff. The only thing that looks real (or fun) is when he turns 90 and then 180 degrees whilst doing an insane grind, board slide combo.

What do you all think so far?
Is Tony Hawk Ride shaping up to be good?

News from Gamecom, the current games industry show, reveals that the Tony Hawk Ride board will come complete with sticky, spongy bits that will let you use the digital lolly-stick on a hardwood floor without it scratching it too much.

Think of the old "grab pads" and plastic rails from the 90's and you will be on the right track of what to expect.

The spokesperson from the Tony Hawk Ride team says that the recommended way to enjoy the game is to use it on a carpeted area, rather than your Mum's new laminate flooring or 16th century floorboards.

It's a bit of a no brainer really...

Microsoft Tony Hawk Ride XBox 360 Wireless Skateboard Controller 83785.790 As-Is US $24.95

Tony Hawk: Ride Skateboard Bundle for Xbox 360 US $25.00

Tony Hawk Ride--Skateboard and Game for XBOX 360 US $38.69

Wii Tony Hawk RIDE & SHRED Bundles 2 SKATEBOARDS + 2 Games set video nintendo US $28.33

Tony Hawk: Ride (Xbox 360, 2009) US $20.68

Tony Hawk Ride Skateboard Controller With Game Sony PS3 US $34.89

Tony Hawk Ride Skateboard Controller NEW Sealed GAME XBOX 360 US $49.99

Tony Hawk: Ride (Wii, 2009) GAME+SKATEBOARD CONTROLLER US $45.99

Very Nice! Tony Hawk Ride Bundle Model N15505 Nintendo Wii Game Board Wireless US $9.99

Tony Hawk: Ride (Wii, 2009) US $20.00

Nintendo Wii Tony Hawk RIDE Skateboard Controller +Game US $29.99

Tony Hawk: Ride (Wii, 2009) US $20.00

Wii Tony Hawk Ride Board US $10.00

Tony Hawk: Ride Skateboard Bundle (Playstation 3) US $36.99

Tony Hawk: Ride (Wii, 2009) US $39.99

NEW XBOX 360 TONY HAWK RIDE SKATEBOARD BUNDLE SKATE BOARD + VIDEO GAME US $24.99

Tony Hawk Ride w/ Skateboard (Playstation 3, 2011) *New* US $39.99

Tony Hawk Ride - Wii - 2009 - no board - excellent condition US $10.00

PS3 Tony Hawk RIDE & SHRED Bundles 2 SKATEBOARDS + 2 Games set video game US $.99

Tony Hawk: Ride-Game and Board- PlayStation 3 US $34.17

TONY HAWK:RIDE SONY PLAYSTATION 3 2009 SET INCLU;SKATEBOARD W/BATT/GAME-NEW/SEA US $9.95

Tony Hawk Ride Play Station 3 US $16.00

Tony Hawk: Ride (Wii, 2009) +Skateboard BUNDLE Board LN US $.99

TONY HAWK RIDE SKATEBOARD for Wii US $19.99

Very Nice! Tony Hawk Ride Model N15505 Nintendo Wii Game Board Wireless US $9.99

Tony Hawk Ride Skateboard like new GAME XBOX 360 Like New US $35.00

TONY HAWK RIDE MICROSOFT XBOX 360 SKATEBOARD Great Shape Wireless US $2.99

tony hawk ride bord only US $10.00

Tony Hawk: Ride (Sony Playstation 3, 2009) US $49.00

Tony Hawk: Ride (Sony Playstation 3, 2009) US $60.99

Tony Hawk: Ride (Sony Playstation 3, 2009) US $60.99

WII TONY HAWK RIDE GAME AND SKATEBOARD US $19.99

Tony Hawk Ride for Wii Limited Edition Board + Game US $119.00

Tony Hawk Ride for Xbox 360 Limited Edition Game + Board US $89.99

Tony Hawk: RIDE (GAME AND SKATEBOARD) (Sony Playstation 3, 2009) - BRAND NEW! US $29.95

Tony Hawk: Ride (Xbox 360, 2009) US $15.00

Wii DJ HERO 1 + Tony Hawk RIDE 2-Game Bundle Gift Set turntable skateboard US $49.79

XBox 360 DJ HERO 1 + Tony Hawk RIDE 2-Game Bundle Gift Set turntable skateboard US $49.89

PS3 DJ HERO 1 + Tony Hawk RIDE 2-Game Bundle Gift Set turntable skateboard ps US $49.99

Tony Hawk - Ride with Skateboard controller PS3 New US $70.04

Skate 2 has been with us for quite a while now and I suspect that even though EA have been cranking out mediocre DLC (downloadable crap) you are already geting a stiffie for Skate 3!

I guestimate that it will be out in the Fall (autumn) of next year 2010.

That should give enough time for EA to bleed us dry of our hard earnt Microsoft Points and for them to think of more unnessesary game modes and online functions.

What will Skate 3 be like?
Will it use Project Natal?
Will is use some sort of balance board like the "Mr Hawk Lollystick"?

Only time will tell.

Let me know what you think Skate 3 will be like!

Microsoft Tony Hawk Ride XBox 360 Wireless Skateboard Controller 83785.790 As-Is US $24.95

Tony Hawk: Ride Skateboard Bundle for Xbox 360 US $25.00

Tony Hawk Ride--Skateboard and Game for XBOX 360 US $38.69

Wii Tony Hawk RIDE & SHRED Bundles 2 SKATEBOARDS + 2 Games set video nintendo US $28.33

Tony Hawk: Ride (Xbox 360, 2009) US $20.68

Tony Hawk Ride Skateboard Controller With Game Sony PS3 US $34.89

Tony Hawk Ride Skateboard Controller NEW Sealed GAME XBOX 360 US $49.99

Tony Hawk: Ride (Wii, 2009) GAME+SKATEBOARD CONTROLLER US $45.99

Very Nice! Tony Hawk Ride Bundle Model N15505 Nintendo Wii Game Board Wireless US $9.99

Tony Hawk: Ride (Wii, 2009) US $20.00

Nintendo Wii Tony Hawk RIDE Skateboard Controller +Game US $29.99

Tony Hawk: Ride (Wii, 2009) US $20.00

Wii Tony Hawk Ride Board US $10.00

Tony Hawk: Ride Skateboard Bundle (Playstation 3) US $36.99

Tony Hawk: Ride (Wii, 2009) US $39.99

NEW XBOX 360 TONY HAWK RIDE SKATEBOARD BUNDLE SKATE BOARD + VIDEO GAME US $24.99

Tony Hawk Ride w/ Skateboard (Playstation 3, 2011) *New* US $39.99

Tony Hawk Ride - Wii - 2009 - no board - excellent condition US $10.00

PS3 Tony Hawk RIDE & SHRED Bundles 2 SKATEBOARDS + 2 Games set video game US $.99

Tony Hawk: Ride-Game and Board- PlayStation 3 US $34.17

TONY HAWK:RIDE SONY PLAYSTATION 3 2009 SET INCLU;SKATEBOARD W/BATT/GAME-NEW/SEA US $9.95

Tony Hawk Ride Play Station 3 US $16.00

Tony Hawk: Ride (Wii, 2009) +Skateboard BUNDLE Board LN US $.99

TONY HAWK RIDE SKATEBOARD for Wii US $19.99

Very Nice! Tony Hawk Ride Model N15505 Nintendo Wii Game Board Wireless US $9.99

Tony Hawk Ride Skateboard like new GAME XBOX 360 Like New US $35.00

TONY HAWK RIDE MICROSOFT XBOX 360 SKATEBOARD Great Shape Wireless US $2.99

tony hawk ride bord only US $10.00

Tony Hawk: Ride (Sony Playstation 3, 2009) US $49.00

Tony Hawk: Ride (Sony Playstation 3, 2009) US $60.99

Tony Hawk: Ride (Sony Playstation 3, 2009) US $60.99

WII TONY HAWK RIDE GAME AND SKATEBOARD US $19.99

Tony Hawk Ride for Wii Limited Edition Board + Game US $119.00

Tony Hawk Ride for Xbox 360 Limited Edition Game + Board US $89.99

Tony Hawk: RIDE (GAME AND SKATEBOARD) (Sony Playstation 3, 2009) - BRAND NEW! US $29.95

Tony Hawk: Ride (Xbox 360, 2009) US $15.00

Wii DJ HERO 1 + Tony Hawk RIDE 2-Game Bundle Gift Set turntable skateboard US $49.79

XBox 360 DJ HERO 1 + Tony Hawk RIDE 2-Game Bundle Gift Set turntable skateboard US $49.89

PS3 DJ HERO 1 + Tony Hawk RIDE 2-Game Bundle Gift Set turntable skateboard ps US $49.99

Tony Hawk - Ride with Skateboard controller PS3 New US $70.04

After the recent E3 video demo of the new Microsoft Natal controller for the Xbox360, Tony Hawk was asked if his new Tony Hawk Ride game and board are now obsolete.

Tony responded with a quip and a "No" stating that being able to perform grabs, and flips when you are standing on nothing is pretty impossible.  It is also known that the makers of Tony Hawk Ride had also seen the details of the Natal controller well before E3 had even started - so they know what they are up against.

In my eyes, the Hawk Ride Board is a nice idea - but will cause many arguements as it flips and spins off around your living room or into your little sisters face.  I guess it will not be long before a bungie cord it released and tethered to your foot to make sure that your next 360 flip does not cost you the value of a new window!

Project Natal has all of the ideas and means of blasting the Ride Board out of the water.

Roll on EA Skate Natal!

So, there has been an announcement about the new Tony Hawk game and also the new peripheral that he threatened to launch or design too.

Tony Hawk Ride is the new game from the famous skater and it features a deck that is used as the control method! The deck (still in prototype) appears to be using motion sensitive controls to allow the person using it to make the on-screen skater do the tricks.

You tilt the board left, your skater goes left. You kick the board 180, your skater does the same. Tony also says that the board is sensitive to grabs too so you can expect to be able to handle the board and your skater on the TV to do the same.

There is a video of Tony announcing and showing a demo of the device over at Gametrailers.com and you can also see footage of the new game too (which looks a lot like the old Hawk games).

I am not sure how well this will be received. Nothing is going to take the place of a real skateboard and I am not convinced that the board will not break under the stress of multiple flips and smashes into the nearest piece of furniture or hi-fi equipment!

Is it too little, too late for Mr Hawk? Go watch the video over at Gametrailers.com and then come back and let me know your thoughts.

Skate 2 has been here for a few days now and I think that the general consensus is that it is brilliant - but has a few issues too.

I am 100% sure that Tony Hawk will be playing Skate 2 and learning from it's plus points and trying to think of how, now that he and Neversoft have parted company, he will reclaim the title of Best Skateboarding Console Game.

Here is my thoughts on how he can get back his street cred and bring the skaters back on board (no pun intended!)

1.  Keep It Real!
We all admit it.  The Hawk series was getting a bit too stupid for my liking.  It was more like a cross between an episode of Jackass and Gleaming The Cube than a proper skating game.  Sure, it was fun to set yourself on fire when jumping into a flaming barrel and run away from a bull - but enough is enough.  The popularity of EA Skate has shown that skaters want skating.  REAL skating.  Throw in the odd 540 Christ Air backflip if you want - but keep the core game realistic.

2.  Crime Does Not Pay
Whilst I can see that young people, skateboarding and crime kind of go hand in hand (from a press/media perspective) - keep it out of the game!  We don't need a fight mini-game!  If I wanted to fight someone, I would go and play Tekken!  We want to skate, not spray graffitti and punch passers by.

3.  Real World Locations
Even Skate and Skate 2 suffer from this problem a bit.  Keep the locations realistic.  No griding down the cables of an overhead powerstation.  Street, park, pool and ramp skating please - not train tracks, boats, guns and rooftops.

4.  Kill The Killer Combos
If you check out YouTube, there are plenty of kids posting videos of their 50 quad-billion combo trick they pulled off in Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2.  Again - keep it real.

5.  Moon Physics Are For The Moon Not My Game!
Backflipping over the top of a huge building (to revert) is excellent fun for the button mashers out there - but make it more realistic!  Imagine how hard, challenging and rewarding a game would be where you had to actually time your tricks properly to achieve them.  Don't make it too hard though.

To sum up my thoughts, Tony needs to keep the new Hawk Series more realistic.  With the advent of consoles like the Xbox 360 and the PS3, graphics and gameplay could be really realistic and challenging.  Add to that a kick ass video editor and online presence and Tony Hawk could come back stronger than ever.

What else would you add to this list?

Xbox360Fanboy reports that Neversoft and our favorite "ollie the bum" skater, Tony Hawk have parted ways and Neversoft will no longer be developing the Tony Hawk Pro Skater franchise of games!

Wow!  This is pretty big news.

After EA released Skate, they have pretty much dominated the skateboarding game market and have shown what a farce the THPS games have turned into.  Each new release seemed to get more and more silly and extra mini-games were thrown in.  The jumps and airs got bigger and bigger and the storyline got stupider.

This may be just what the Tony Hawk series needs to progress now that Skate 2 has been demoed and is due to be released later this month.

Sometimes a new developer will be able to see the game with a new set of eyes and bring it back to the glory that it once was.

Do you think the Tony Hawk series will be able to come back against Skate?

The LA Times has a nice interview with Mr Hawk himself about life, kids and his games over at their website.

In the interview, Tony reveals that he is deeply involved in the testing of his games and regularly receives updates from the developers to run through.

It's nice to see that he takes such an active role in his games and doesn't just add his name and image to front of the box and reap the cash.

He also reveals that he is working with Activision on his next game, due out in Fall 2009 that will be "way more relistic" and "interactive".

I look forward to his answer to Skate 2 next year.

**UPDATE** Tony Hawk Ride is due for release in October 2009. Pre-order now!