Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure

Last updated
Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure
Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure.jpg
Promotional artwork
Developer(s)
Publisher(s) Activision
Director(s)
Producer(s)
  • Alex Ness
  • Nicole Willick
Designer(s) Toby Schadt
Programmer(s)
  • Eric Hammond
  • Robert Leyland
  • Peter Lipson
Artist(s) Terry Falls
Platform(s)
Release
  • NA: September 3, 2003
  • EU: September 5, 2003
Genre(s) Sports
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure is a 2003 skateboarding game published by Activision and developed by Toys for Bob for the PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Xbox, and Vicarious Visions for the Game Boy Advance, and published by Activision. The game features characters and stages licensed from Disney's The Lion King and Tarzan , and Pixar's Toy Story .

Contents

Developed using the same engine and gameplay as the 2002 title Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 , Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure was created as a licensed title to appeal to a younger audience, with the game featuring a simplified control scheme. Upon release, the game received generally positive reviews, with praise directed to the presentation and level design, and mixed reception to the simplified mechanics in contrast to the Tony Hawk series. The Game Boy Advance version received mixed reviews.

Gameplay

A screenshot of gameplay in the console release of Extreme Skate Adventure. Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure Screenshot.jpg
A screenshot of gameplay in the console release of Extreme Skate Adventure.

Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure allows players to skate in stages inspired by Pixar's Toy Story and Disney's Tarzan and The Lion King , as well as two customizable featuring licensed characters and two child skaters, Ryan and Mallie Ann. The game features the same engine and gameplay mechanics as Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 , [1] with minor changes to simplify the control scheme, in which tricks and manuals are performed with the press of a single button and the performance of different tricks is differentiated by the type of obstacle. Players are able to revert to a more complex, combination-based control scheme by enabling 'Pro Controls' featured in the game's settings. [2]

The game features several gameplay modes. In 'Adventure', players complete a series of levels by completing various challenges across levels, the completion of which unlocks new goals, levels, and clothing for customized skaters. [1] In 'Free Skate', players are able to play all unlocked with available characters, with challenges disabled. The game supports multiplayer play in 'Versus', allowing players to complete various challenges including a one-on-one best trick contest, a best score challenge, and a 'king of the hill' mode in local split screen play. [3]

The Game Boy Advance version of Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure features a reduced lineup of seven characters across six levels, with players similarly able to complete a 'Story Mode' to complete challenges across a series of levels, and three additional minigames, including a 'Time Challenge', 'Trick Challenge', and 'Turbo Challenge', where players must perform the specified tricks in the time allotted. [4]

Development and release

Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure was developed by Toys for Bob, a California based development studio contracted by parent company Activision to create a Disney-licensed extreme sports game. Development of Extreme Skate Adventure was based upon the RenderWare engine used by Activision subidiary Neversoft to create Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 , [1] with minor additions added to the game to include "multi-stage tasks and more conversational interactions". [5] CEO and Director Paul Reiche stated that production of Extreme Skate Adventure faced several challenges. Whilst described as a "perfect" relationship, development involved close input and approval from Disney and Pixar, with the developers cautious on where the studio could take "creative latitude" or "stick to the movies" in the game's visual design and animation. The developers also faced the challenge of making design decisions about where the studio should imitate its predecessors and "do what Tony did" or where it was appropriate to "step outside that framework", finding the simplification of the control scheme to a younger audience to be the "most difficult" part of the development process. [6]

To market Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure, Activision launched a casting call for an 'Extreme Skate Crew' to seek ten child skaters to appear as playable characters in the game, [7] with two of the winners, Ryan Fullerton Holleran and Mallie Ann Torres, voted by users to have their name featured in the game and appear in the opening cinematics. [8] The soundtrack features licensed songs from artists including Reel Big Fish, Simple Plan, Smash Mouth, and Lil' Romeo, [1] [2] and the Xbox version allows players to load custom soundtracks. [1] The game was released in North America on September 3, 2003, and in Europe on September 5. [9] [10]

Reception

The console release for Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure received "generally positive" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic. [12] [13] [14] Reviewers were mixed on the merits of the game's simplified mechanics for a younger audience. Describing the title as " Tony Hawk for a younger audience", Kaiser Hwang of IGN noted "the number of moves has decreased, as has the difficulty", finding it to be a "watered-down experience". [2] Michael Lafferty of GameZone similarly noted that the game "may be a bit too simplistic" for older players, citing the "scaled-down trickset and limited controls". [19] In contrast, Frank Provo of GameSpot found the game to be challenging and enjoyable by "kids and adults alike", citing the increased difficulty of the game's challenges across levels. [1] Ian Deane of Cube critiqued the game's "watered down" and "soul-destroying" modifications to the controls, finding them to be "nowhere near as responsive as in a Tony Hawk's game". [25]

Critics were mostly positive about the design of the stages. Provo described the levels as "impressively large" and appropriately designed around the limitations of the reduced simpler trick set. [1] Adam Pavlacka of PlayStation Magazine noted the level design was what "really makes (the game) shine", writing that the worlds were "true to the original film". [24] Greg Orlando of Xbox Nation praised the "themed environments" as "colourful" and highlighted the inclusion of secret areas. [26] Critics were also largely positive on the game's visual presentation. Although commending the game for "running smoothly (and) animating just as well", Hwang noted the game's "lack of defining or memorable effects". [2] Describing the game as having a "good look to it", Provo praised the game's "bright and colorful" presentation and "solid" animation. [1] Zach Meston of GMR found the game to be "bright and cheery to the point of excess". [27]

The Game Boy Advance version received "mixed or average" reviews according to Metacritic. [11] Cam Shea of Hyper praised the game as "quite solid", noting that whilst the gameplay was "greatly simplified" and "a little dull". [20] Jeff Gerstmann of GameSpot observed that the game's presentation was not "as realistic or technically ambitious" as its counterparts, noting that the environments were not "colorful or detailed enough". [15] GBA World condemned the game as an "extremely cynical attempt to cash in on the popularity of Disney characters by sticking them into a Tony Hawk style skating game." [28]

Related Research Articles

<i>Tony Hawks Pro Skater</i> 1999 video game

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, released as Tony Hawk's Skateboarding in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and parts of Europe, is a skateboarding video game developed by Neversoft and published by Activision. It was released for the PlayStation on September 29, 1999 and was later ported to the Nintendo 64, Game Boy Color, Dreamcast, and N-Gage.

<i>Tony Hawks Underground</i> 2003 video game

Tony Hawk's Underground is a 2003 skateboarding video game and the fifth entry in the Tony Hawk's series after Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4. It was developed by Neversoft and published by Activision in 2003 for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Game Boy Advance. In 2004, it was published for Microsoft Windows in Australia and New Zealand as a budget release.

<i>Tony Hawks Pro Skater 2</i> 2000 video game

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 is a skateboarding video game developed by Neversoft and published by Activision. It is the second installment in the Tony Hawk's series of sports games and was released for the PlayStation in 2000, with subsequent ports to Microsoft Windows, Game Boy Color, and Dreamcast the same year. In 2001, the game was ported to the Mac OS, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo 64, and Xbox. The game was later ported to Windows Mobile and Windows Phone devices in 2006 and to iOS devices in 2010.

<i>Tony Hawks Pro Skater 4</i> 2002 video game

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 is a 2002 skateboarding game developed by Neversoft and published by Activision under their Activision O2 label. The game was ported by different developers to various systems. It is the fourth installment in the Tony Hawk's series. The game was released in 2002 for the GameCube, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Game Boy Advance. In 2003, it was published for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. In 2004, a Tapwave Zodiac version was released.

<i>Tony Hawks Pro Skater 3</i> 2001 video game

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 is a 2001 skateboarding video game and the third installment in the Tony Hawk's series. It was developed by Neversoft and published by Activision under the Activision O2 label in 2001 for the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Game Boy Color and GameCube. In 2002, it was published for the Xbox, Game Boy Advance, Microsoft Windows, Mac OS, and the Nintendo 64. It was the final official release for the Nintendo 64, the first game released for the PlayStation 2 supporting online play and was a launch title for the GameCube in North America.

<i>Tony Hawks Underground 2</i> 2004 video game

Tony Hawk's Underground 2 is a 2004 skateboarding video game, the sixth entry in the Tony Hawk's series after Tony Hawk's Underground. It was developed by Neversoft and published by Activision on October 4, 2004 in the U.S. for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, Microsoft Windows, and Game Boy Advance platforms. The PlayStation Portable version was released in March 15 the following year, renamed Tony Hawk's Underground 2: Remix, which includes extra levels and characters.

<i>Tony Hawks American Wasteland</i> 2005 video game

Tony Hawk's American Wasteland is a 2005 skateboarding video game developed by Neversoft and published by Activision. It is the seventh entry in the Tony Hawk's series and was released initially for the GameCube, PlayStation 2 and Xbox in 2005 in North America on October 18 and October 28 in Europe, with several ports for other systems released later.

<i>Aggressive Inline</i> (video game) 2002 video game

Aggressive Inline is a 2002 sports video game developed by Z-Axis and published by AKA Acclaim. The game simulates aggressive inline skating, with players completing tricks and objectives in open-ended levels. The game was released in North America for the PlayStation 2 on May 29, 2002, followed by GameCube and Xbox versions in August. A Game Boy Advance version was released by Full Fat in August 2002. The developers of Aggressive Inline aimed to innovate upon the formula of the Tony Hawk's series of extreme sports games, building on the engine and tools of the developer's previous title, Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2. The developers experimented with gameplay features, including the inclusion of open-ended level design and greater environmental interaction, an organic skill progression system, and the removal of fixed time limits, many of which had not been implemented in an extreme sports game before.

<i>Mat Hoffmans Pro BMX 2</i> 2002 video game

Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX 2 is a BMX video game endorsed by Mat Hoffman and published by Activision under the Activision O2 label. The game, which serves as a sequel to Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX, was released on August 13, 2002 for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. A Game Boy Advance port was developed by HotGen and released the same day as the PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions. A GameCube port was developed by Gratuitous Games and was released on October 8, 2002.

<i>Tony Hawks Downhill Jam</i> 2006 video game

Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam is a skateboarding video game in the Tony Hawk's series. The game, named after the level "Downhill Jam" from Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, was published by Activision in 2006 as a timed Nintendo exclusive for the Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance, and Wii. In 2007, it was published for the PlayStation 2. It is a spin-off in which accompanies the release of Tony Hawk's Project 8, which is conversely available on non-Nintendo systems.

<i>Tony Hawks Project 8</i> 2006 video game

Tony Hawk's Project 8 is a 2006 skateboarding video game and the eighth installment in the Tony Hawk's series. It was developed by Neversoft and published by Activision in November 2006 for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation Portable. The game complements the release of Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam, which is conversely available on Nintendo systems along with the PlayStation 2 respectively.

<i>Mat Hoffmans Pro BMX</i> 2001 video game

Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX is a BMX video game endorsed by Mat Hoffman and the first game to be published by Activision under the Activision O2 label. It is similar to the Tony Hawk's series and competed directly with Acclaim Entertainment's Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX. Despite a planned release in fall of 2000, the game was released in May 2001 for the PlayStation and Game Boy Color, followed by Dreamcast, Microsoft Windows and Game Boy Advance.

<i>Tony Hawks Pro Skater 2x</i> 2001 video game

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2x is a 2001 skateboarding video game in the Tony Hawk's series. Developed in a collaboration between Neversoft and Treyarch, and published by Activision under the Activision O2 label, Pro Skater 2x is a re-release featuring the 19 levels from Tony Hawk's Pro Skater and Pro Skater 2, as well as five original levels. Some elements from the then-recently released Pro Skater 3 were included, along with other new features. It was released in North America for Xbox on November 15, 2001 as a launch title for the system.

Tony Hawk's is a skateboarding video game series published by Activision and endorsed by the American professional skateboarder of the same name. The series was primarily developed for home consoles by Neversoft with an annual release schedule from launch to 2007, until Activision transferred the franchise to Robomodo in 2008, who developed the franchise on a non-annual release basis until 2015 when Activision and Hawk's license expired, leaving the future of the series uncertain. In 2020, the series returned under Activision with a remake of the original two games in the series, with development handled by Vicarious Visions. The series has spawned a total of 20 games.

<i>Rolling</i> (video game) 2003 video game

Rolling is a 2003 extreme sports video game developed by Rage Software and published by SCi for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. The game is a simulation of aggressive inline skating in which players skate as one of twenty professional skaters and complete various goals across fourteen levels. Described by the publisher as "the world's most realistic in-line skating game", the game was developed with a realistic design approach, using the input of professional skaters and basing several levels on international skate parks. Production of Rolling was troubled, with the game's release endangered following the financial troubles and collapse of developer Rage Software. SCi acquired and published the game in Europe, with plans for a Game Boy Advance and GameCube release abandoned. Upon release, Rolling received mixed reviews, with several reviewers critiquing the game's linear and dated design compared to the innovations in more recent extreme sports titles, including the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series.

<i>Tony Hawks Pro Skater 5</i> 2015 video game

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 is a 2015 skateboarding video game developed in a collaboration between Robomodo and Disruptive Games, and published by Activision. The tenth main installment in the Tony Hawk's series, the game is the first new title in the main series since 2007's Proving Ground and the first Pro Skater since 2002's Pro Skater 4, as the series had been put on hold following a lack of critical and commercial success with later games.

<i>Tony Hawks Proving Ground</i> 2007 video game

Tony Hawk's Proving Ground is a 2007 skateboarding video game developed by Neversoft for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Vicarious Visions for the Nintendo DS, and by Page 44 Studios for the PlayStation 2 and Wii. Proving Ground is the ninth installment in the Tony Hawk's series, and the last to be developed by Neversoft as the franchise was then transferred to Robomodo, and Neversoft was later shutdown after being merged into Infinity Ward in 2014.

<i>Tony Hawk: Ride</i> 2009 video game

Tony Hawk: Ride is a spin-off in the Tony Hawk's series of skateboarding video games. In Europe and North America, the game was released in 2009, for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii. In Australia, it was released in 2010.

<i>Tony Hawks Pro Skater HD</i> 2012 video game

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD is a skateboarding video game in the Tony Hawk's series. Developed by Robomodo and published by Activision, Pro Skater HD is a high-definition remake of classic levels from Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, Pro Skater 2, and, via download, Pro Skater 3. It was released in 2012 for Xbox 360 through Xbox Live Arcade on July 18, for PlayStation 3 through PlayStation Network on August 28 and Steam on September 18. The game was delisted from Steam and all other digital marketplaces on July 17, 2017.

<i>Tony Hawks Pro Skater 1 + 2</i> 2020 video game

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 is a 2020 skateboarding video game developed by Vicarious Visions and published by Activision. It was released for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One on September 4, 2020, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on March 26, 2021, and Nintendo Switch on June 25, 2021. It is a remake of the first two games in the Tony Hawk's series: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater (1999) and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 (2000), which were originally developed by Neversoft. It is the first major console game in the series since Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 (2015) and is Vicarious Visions' final work as a subsidiary of Activision before it was merged into Blizzard Entertainment on January 22, 2021.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Provo, Frank (September 9, 2003). "Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure". Gamespot. Archived from the original on September 6, 2003. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Hwang, Kaiser (September 3, 2003). "PlayStation 2: Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure". IGN. Archived from the original on February 5, 2004. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
  3. ↑ Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure - Game Manual. Activision. 2003. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  4. ↑ Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure. Activision. 2003. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  5. ↑ Hickey Jr., Patrick. "Robert Leyland: Tony Hawk Downhill Jam". The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 Games: Interviews with Creators and Developers. McFarland. p. 102. ISBN   978-1-4766-8854-1.
  6. ↑ "Paul Reiche III, Toys for Bob Q&A". The Armchair Empire. October 11, 2003. Archived from the original on June 20, 2015. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Activision Turns Real Kids Into Videogame Stars as Part of Nationwide Casting Call for Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure". Activision. April 9, 2003. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
  8. ↑ "There Can Be Only Two". IGN. April 9, 2003. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
  9. ↑ IGNPS2 (September 3, 2003). "Disney Skates to the Trucks". IGN. Archived from the original on March 25, 2023. Retrieved March 25, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. ↑ Bramwell, Tom (September 5, 2003). "What's New?". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on March 25, 2023. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  11. 1 2 "Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure for Game Boy Advance Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on February 25, 2018. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
  12. 1 2 "Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure for GameCube Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on February 24, 2018. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
  13. 1 2 "Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on February 24, 2018. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
  14. 1 2 "Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure for Xbox Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on February 24, 2018. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
  15. 1 2 Gerstmann, Jeff (September 10, 2003). "Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure". Gamespot. Archived from the original on September 19, 2003. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  16. ↑ Zacarias, Eduardo (September 3, 2003). "Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure". Gamezone. Archived from the original on September 6, 2008. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  17. ↑ Hollingshead, Anise (September 3, 2003). "Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure". GameZone. Archived from the original on February 18, 2008. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  18. ↑ Bedigian, Louis (September 20, 2003). "Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure". GameZone. Archived from the original on October 8, 2003. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  19. 1 2 Lafferty, Michael (September 22, 2003). "Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure". GameZone. Archived from the original on September 23, 2003. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  20. 1 2 Shea, Cam (December 2003). "Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure". Hyper. No. 122. p. 72. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
  21. ↑ Harris, Craig (September 9, 2003). "Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure". IGN. Archived from the original on August 10, 2004. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  22. ↑ "Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure". Nintendo Power. No. 173. November 2003. p. 151. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
  23. ↑ Kennedy, Sam (October 2003). "Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. No. 73. p. 116.
  24. 1 2 Pavlacka, Adam (November 2003). "Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure". PlayStation Magazine. Vol. 7, no. 77. p. 48. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
  25. ↑ Deane, Ian (November 2003). "Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure". Cube. No. 24. p. 86. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  26. ↑ Orlando, Greg. "Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure". Xbox Nation. No. 10. p. 87. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  27. ↑ Meston, Zach (October 2003). "Disney Extreme Skate Adventure". GMR. p. 70. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  28. ↑ "Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure". GBA World. No. 8. April 2004. p. 60. Retrieved August 22, 2003.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.