Tony Hawk's American Wasteland for Xbox 360

GF Rating

8

Very Good

One of the best in the series...

posted by STRAT0CAST (LIVERMORE, CA) May 31, 2006

Member since May 2006

7 out of 7 gamers (100%) found this review helpful

Tony Hawk's American Wasteland is a great addition to the series, adding new gameplay elements and levels, while keeping the best levels from other games in Classic Mode. The storyline is pretty horrible, but good gameplay and with Online ability, it makes the game that much better.

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GF Rating

8

Very Good

Welcome to more of the same.

posted by dfcski (LINCOLN, RI) May 18, 2006

Member since May 2006

15 out of 16 gamers (94%) found this review helpful

This game, despite some cool new features like having all the levels strung together so you can skate all over, levels that change substantially as the story progresses, and having a fully customizable character similarly to GTA, is just more of the same game.

If you are a tony hawk game fan like I am, get this, its fun, and its more skating madness that you can dig into... however don't expect anything radically different from Tony hawks underground 2 or any of the others.

This also means that if you didn't like the other games, pass on this one, because it follows suit.

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GF Rating

9

Excellent

Sk8ing to the max

posted by Blueman99 (GARDEN CITY, KS) Feb 28, 2007

Member since Feb 2007

3 out of 3 gamers (100%) found this review helpful

This game is the best skating game ever

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GF Rating

8

Very Good

This game is actully fun...

posted by DEAFIL (FRESNO, CA) Aug 19, 2006

Member since Aug 2006

2 out of 2 gamers (100%) found this review helpful

For the first time ever, Tony Hawk's American Wasteland gives players the freedom to experience continuous skating and BMX biking action without leaving the game or waiting for load times as they explore and choose missions in a massive, living Los Angeles skate world.

Let's go ahead and get the Xbox 360 specifics out of the way. The first thing you should know is that, as its name would suggest, this is the exact same game that you'll find on the Xbox, PS2 and GameCube. Unlike what happened when Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 was designed for the PS2, and the PSOne release was a massively stripped-down version of the PS2 game, the game's content is identical across both console generations.
The level layouts are exactly the same, which is fine because they're pretty good. The geometric detail that makes up said levels is identical as well, so even though the game is on a much more powerful system on the Xbox 360, you're still working with the same amount of raw polygon data.

The only real upgrades you'll see in the game at all, content or graphics-wise, are better textures, a subtle bit of normal mapping and a tad bit better lighting effects. The most obvious difference is the resolution of the textures. We're not saying they're as detailed as some other games we'll see on the system, but there's a pretty reasonable difference between, say, the original Xbox and Xbox 360 versions. The street texture for one looks quite a bit better, and you'll notice that ramps and sidewalks have more defined cracks and joints. The subtle bit of normal mapping is best seen on the skaters, where you can make out pants pockets, shirt wrinkles and those sorts of details. Again, it's subtle, but it's nice. You'll also see what looks like a bit of normal mapping happening on some of the ramps and such in the game, like bricks for instance, but the effect is so minor that it's hard to make out whether it's an advanced lighting technique or just nice texture work.

The ratings= 8.3

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GF Rating

8

Very Good

Tried and True

posted by Lawnmower (LEHI, UT) Sep 9, 2009

Member since Mar 2009

1 out of 1 gamers (100%) found this review helpful

This game has fantastic gameplay, solid music, and just about every feature you could want in a Tony Hawk game.

The only problem is the God-awful voice acting, groan-inducing characters and dialog, and ridiculously horrendous story that has more holes than swiss cheese. But I see no need to care about that. While there are a few hilarious objectives (creepy "bag of tricks guy"), you'll be pretty safe skipping most cutscenes.

And you'll have a blast with the always-fantastic Tony Hawk's control scheme, riding BMX is fun too, and if you hate the story as much as I do, you'll be glad to know there is a classic mode, free mode, and all of the Create-a-blank modes you could hope for.

And last but not least, there aren't any lame achievements that require you to beat the game on Sick, etc. My take on sick mode is this: I could beat it, but it takes forever and isn't even fun. So I am glad for this.

If you have never played a Tony Hawk game before, don't make this one your first! But it is a good addition to the series.

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GF Rating

10

Perfect

This game was awesome!

posted by DethEngine (LONGVIEW, WA) Jul 3, 2007

Member since Jul 2007

1 out of 1 gamers (100%) found this review helpful

I loved this game! this was the best Tony Hawk game ever!

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GF Rating

10

Perfect

The Game

posted by montoyafan (LOS ANGELES, CA) Mar 14, 2007

Member since Mar 2007

1 out of 1 gamers (100%) found this review helpful

The game is cool because i mean they keep it simple, easy, and organized.

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GF Rating

8

Very Good

Decent game

posted by brandonc (HARTFORD, AL) Oct 9, 2006

Member since Jun 2006

1 out of 1 gamers (100%) found this review helpful

I found that this game is pretty decent. Before i got this game (by reading the reviews) i was pretty skeptical about it. I didn't actually thing it would be this good but it is. The only downside of it is that the graphics are barely above the other platforms. The story mode is excellent because it is fun the way you have to build the character up. Like all Tony Hawk games the classic mode is still awesome.

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GF Rating

7

Good

American wasteland

posted by SFCFTC (SAN FRANCISCO, CA) Jul 12, 2006

Member since Jul 2006

1 out of 1 gamers (100%) found this review helpful

American wasteland is the best out of all of tonys newest games. it brings back some realism to skateboarding and the tricks look great. if your only a gamer and you don't care about skating you might not like this one
its still not tony hawks pro skater 2 though

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GF Rating

7

Good

More of the same, which isn't a bad thing

posted by roadrage (LEBANON, CT) Apr 19, 2006

Member since Dec 2005

1 out of 1 gamers (100%) found this review helpful

Seriously, if you've played 1 Tony Hawk game, you've played them all. But that's the fun part - each sequel adds something more to the gameplay in the way of storyline and introducing new moves - in this case BMX.

Check it out if you are a fan of THPS or THUG, but don't expect to be blown away. Just expect to have a ton of Tony Hawk fun.

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GF Rating

8

Very Good

Great game, easy 900 Achevements

posted by jtom617 (MARYSVILLE, MI) Apr 19, 2006

Member since Apr 2006

5 out of 6 gamers (83%) found this review helpful

took 3 hours to beat, but even if i didnt do it for the gamerscore, it still would of been a good game, it looks like it was put together pretty quick in time, but it still is really a good rental. RECOMMENED.

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GF Rating

8

Very Good

tony hawk saga

posted by masacremat (WEST VALLEY, UT) May 18, 2006

Member since Mar 2006

2 out of 3 gamers (67%) found this review helpful

Ive been playing tony hawk since the days of 32 bit days. This is not that bad of a game, even though the tony hawk games have been sucking since thps 3.

graphics: 9
gameplay: 8 { it gets repetitive }
You spend most the game doing tricks on objects for the ranch.

Its a great game to rent!!
{since alot of titles on gamefly "short wait")

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GF Rating

7

Good

Don't let the new system fool you

posted by champion (SAINT CLAIR SHORES, MI) Apr 27, 2006

Member since Aug 2004

1 out of 2 gamers (50%) found this review helpful

This is the same Tony Hawk you played on the xbox and playstation 2 the only difference is that the graphics are a little better but not that much the game is not the same as T.H.U.G they don't step to standards the story is the same like always and it get boring after awhile even the online play can't even help you because their is basically no one on so i can't get this game anything but a 7 out of 10.

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GF Rating

4

Weak

Didnt Like This Game

posted by KrazyKris (PASADENA, TX) May 30, 2006

Member since Feb 2006

2 out of 5 gamers (40%) found this review helpful

The Franchise Is Going Down Hill Its Just Plain Dumb Nailing The Same Tricks Over And Over And Over Again. I Achieved All The Game Points For This One....If U Want To Achieve A 1000 Points Just Play This Game.
Games I Would Recommend If U Are A Extreme Sports Fan Is One Decent Game Which Is Amped 3.

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GF Rating

6

Above Average

Tony Hawk AW 360 Review

posted by gamerater (KATY, TX) May 24, 2006

Member since Dec 2005

2 out of 5 gamers (40%) found this review helpful

Story- Design Your Own Charecter To Be King Of Hollywood.

Graphics- Dissapointing (Rating 6.0)

Gameplay- It Is Hard Especially If You Are Not Use To Skateboarding Games. (Rating 6.0)

Overall- 6.0
"The King Of The 900 Pulls A 360!"

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GF Rating

3

Bad

How not to make a video game

posted by NomarElBad (NORWALK, CA) Feb 8, 2008

Member since Dec 2007

1 out of 4 gamers (25%) found this review helpful

So, the biggest reason that I got this game is because of the fact that I’m an achievement head! That said, I still like to play all sorts of games (good an bad) to learn from them, as I am studying to one day become a game designer. The first thing I notice about the game is the whole old school, punker wanna-be theme going on, from the music to the art and clothes the characters wear. I’m thinking great, now I’m going to be playing as one of those kids I used to make fun of in high school for not catching up with the times. Progressing into the early challenges of the game, I can’t help but notice that while I did start the difficulty on sick, these challenges are still easy, even for the beginning. Being a Tony Hawk Vet, I was expecting a lot more, which only disappointed me more when later I find out they are ALL like that. The game is WAY too easy! Also, the game feels like one GIANT tutorial! Until the last few maps, you never actually have all the abilities in the game! And the abilities you learn as opposed to those you already have are ridiculous! Grind anything at the beginning of the game and you have no problem free styling the grinds, but you’ll have to wait until the “Skate Club” (almost half way into the game) teaches you to free style manual tricks? The story was cheesy to say the least, and the new Parkour and bike features are less than appealing. I have yet to find anything more useless than the Board Smack and Toss, save for tagging. There are also too many things that made too little sense, like why you go to bums earn cash or why some dude teaching to ride a bike drops some flow cause you learned a new trick! The achievements were also a big joke. Play all maps on live? What, is this like where everyone gets a trophy for trying? The game was riddled with bugs, from poor acid drop and spine transfer snapping to spots where you can float and get points with ease. Overall I’d give this one a 2 or a 3 out of 10, only for the ach heads :D

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GF Rating

2

Really Bad

ok......

posted by MCkiller (ROMEOVILLE, IL) Jul 2, 2006

Member since Jan 2006

1 out of 4 gamers (25%) found this review helpful

This game is fun, ON THE XBOX!!!!!!! THATS WHAT THIS IS THE XBOX (or PS2) VERSION!!! EVERYTHING IS THE SAME!!!! I mean c'mon the game costs 50 freaking dollars for the 360 and it costs 30 dollars on the Xbox and PS2, DO NOT BUY THIS, RENT IT!!!! OR YOULL NEVER FORGIVE YOURSELF!! If EA does this again I am dropping the series since this is what they're doing, pro skater 1-4 for the 64 id give a 10 to, underground would get a 9 THUG 2 id give a 1 since that was downright horrible, and THAW is of course a 2.

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GF Rating

3

Bad

Bad port no with improvements.

posted by OBSCENE (SPOKANE, WA) Apr 19, 2006

Member since Apr 2006

2 out of 23 gamers (9%) found this review helpful

Shame on EA for this!

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GF Rating

5

Fair

Might have been decent when it came out

posted by Yogurt109 (MILLERSBURG, OH) Mar 17, 2008

Member since Mar 2008

but right now it is just average. Well below that if compared to Skate which unfortunately I had the pleasure of playing before playing this game.

TH:AW wasn't bad, but I can't say it was good either. If this is your first experience into skateboarding games you could do alot worse.

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GF Rating

5

Fair

The Most Dissappointing Hawk Title Ever

posted by Lamrock (SEATTLE, WA) Jun 24, 2007

Member since Feb 2007

I had relatively high hopes for THAW on the 360. For both generations, it looked like the best TH game to date. Boy, was I wrong.

The gameplay is the same as ever, but with unnecessary additions such as bank drops and parkour. It is acceptable on the current systems, but it is exactly the same on the 360. The Online play adds some fun, but is no different than on Xbox. This is not a next-gen experience.

The Story Mode is very weak. The 3 difficulty settings have little to no difference between them. For experienced players, this game is easily finish able in under five hours the first time through.For beginners, the lack of a quality tutorial makes the game hard to get in to. The goals are uneven, and either have no challenge, or are extremely difficult for no reason. Also, the side-missions (tagging, BMX and money challenges) are repetitive and tacked-on. There is also a Classic Mode, which features mediocre levels from TH past, that can be finished in an hour. It is a fun side-quest, but still pretty lame.

The graphics are very disappointing. Yes, they look better than the Xbox and PS2 versions due to better textures, but this is still one of the worst looking 360 titles out. They were not really that impressive on current consoles, and insultingly bad here. Also, the big open world with no load screens is simple 9 small levels connected by long, choppy, loading tunnels. Lame.

The Soundtrack is... pretty bad. Lots of pop-punk and bad 80's covers. There are a few good songs, but the custom soundtrack is preferred. The sound effects are decent, but voice acting sucks.

Tony Hawk's American Wasteland is the Worst Tony Hawk game to date. It adds very little yet costs $60. I hear THUG 1 is playable on 360 now; Save 55 dollars and buy that superior game instead. THAW is good for nothing, aside of easy achievement points.

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GF Rating

5

Fair

This is a laughably bad game but is still fun

posted by RedBlinky (DE LEON SPRINGS, FL) Jun 4, 2007

Member since May 2007

This game has a lot of personality but its so farfetched and goofy that its almost unbelievable. The voice sincing with the actors is not even close making for some wierd chinese movie type voice overs. The gameplay for this game is just okay i got spoiled having already played through Project 8. The missions in this one are also way to easy and i beat the entire game in about 5 hours.... So stick with project 8.

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GF Rating

3

Bad

Wasteland a Waste of Time

posted by Squiggler (KNOXVILLE, TN) Jun 1, 2007

Member since Jan 2006

This game sucked. The graphics were not what they had been hyped up to be, the game play was cumbersome and difficult. I usually like skating games, but felt let down by this installment into the Tony Hawk franchise. I played for a couple of hours and then took it back. Skating and tricks did not seem very fluid or smooth to me.

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GF Rating

5

Fair

Tony's Growing Gray Hairs and Getting Old...

posted by Cuzit15 (OHATCHEE, AL) Mar 20, 2007

Member since Jan 2007

I've been a loyal TH devotee since the beginning. These games are getting worse and worse, however. I haven't got my hands on Project 8 yet, so I don't know if it's better, but that's besides the point.

What is the point is how mediocre this game is. Sure, if this is your first TH experience, it might be better. But if you've played even one other, it's the same thing. Wait, I can do handstand Natas spins now. OMG, useless wall flips. That's about it.

The game has "no loading times." I call BS on that one. The game makes you skate through a tunnel to get from one place to another. While in here, the game is loading the next area. No load screen, and it masks the loading. Some tunnels aren't very long and have things like slow-mo security cameras to cover up the extra needed loading time.

The graphics are terrible for a next-gen game, and some say the last-gen incarnations actually look better. I didn't see a noticeable difference.

The sounds is decent, but I personally don't like rock music, which is like the only kind of music in this game. Woot, one or two horrible rap songs. I'm overjoyed. I just rolled my eyes.

The controls are alright, but for the love of God, they better not ever do the right and left bumpers to get off the board thing again. So many combos were ruined because it's so unresponsive that it screws things up. Other than the get on/off board controls, it's alright, though.

Rent this game, anyway. Why? Easy 900 Achievement points. You can literally do it in... let's see... I got it in about ten hours, skipping story segments. The last Achievement is getting all gaps, which is easy but tedious and time consuming. I did it, if you don't want to, send it back. You spammed it for 900 points, 100 is much more (well, it is enough to make me waste a week getting all gaps).

This is my review on THAW. It's decent, but more of the boring same. Avoid this game unless looking for cheap Achievement points, and then only rent it

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GF Rating

4

Weak

Come on Tony, where's the love!?

posted by 65Impala (Grand Rapids, MN) Oct 5, 2006

Member since May 2006

I love the Tony Hawk franchise, I think Tony hawk is ranked up there with the godfather, or Jesus, but in this game I wanted to fly to his house and slap him for letting them give me false hope by putting his name on this game. I have played every Tony Hawk game, and have loved them, but the graphics in this game were so bad, that when I gave my skater a Mohawk it didn't even touch my head! I had this giant fan floating over me, and I could see people behind me, it was ridiculous... ok, ok, now I know your thinking, its just hair you jerk. Hair it may be, but come on, this is Tony freaking Hawk, I expected more, and the more I got into it, the more the story line was cheesy, it had lame cartoon cut scenes, and was just all in all, kinda boring. I am excited to see the next one, coming soon. Come on Tony, bring back the good old games!

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GF Rating

6

Above Average

God 'ole Tony

posted by Stabby (LONG BEACH, CA) Jul 20, 2006

Member since Nov 2005

This is not a terrible game. It's got nothing really new, plus craptacular graphics(shoddy launch port-style), but it's not terrible. Hawk vets and newbs alike should have fun with the as always spot on controls and imaginitive runs, but it's all pretty much been done before.
The cheesy story doesn't help much, unless you're trying to be annoyed. Still, the classic tony gameplay is there, so I'd say this is a decent rental.

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Tony Hawk's American Wasteland for Xbox 360 Reviews by Gamers

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