Vicarious Visions proposed the creation of a Game Boy Advance version, getting approval from Activision and Tony Hawk. To be able to include the tricks from the PlayStation, they created a 3D engine for the game, featuring polygonal characters. The music was composed by Manfred Linzer as a pastiche of the music featured in the series, as well as songs from "skate punk-type artists". Quality assurance testers criticized the game for lacking "purposeful level design". These testers were brought on to help address these issues. It released as a launch title for the Game Boy Advance in North America and Europe in June 2001 after being developed for one year.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 has been generally well received, identified by multiple critics as one of the best Game Boy Advance games. Vicarious Visions received particular praise, identified as having pushed the Game Boy Advance beyond what people expected it to be capable of. While some critics had difficulty with its perspective and controls, it has been identified as an exemplar of how to port a console game to a handheld system. The 3D engine created for the game was used in future games by Vicarious Visions on the Game Boy Advance, including its sequel, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3.
Gameplay
The player makes the character (center) perform skateboarding tricks to score points—a signature element of the series—in isometric levels.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 is a single-playerextreme sportsskateboarding video game.[1] While controlling the character, the player can perform multiple skateboarding tricks, including ollies, grinds, aerials, and kickflips.[2][3] Other actions include jumping, braking, crouching, and switching stances.[3][4] The player scores more points through combining multiple tricks.[5]Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 features seven levels, which comprises five from the console versions of the game, one from the first game, and a secret stage.[6] The levels are viewed from an isometric perspective, largely resembling the maps found in the console versions, which are viewed from a behind-the-back camera perspective.[6][7] Multiple levels are based on real-world locations, such as New York and Marseille.[8] The game features 13 playable characters, including Tony Hawk, each of whom has their own special technique.[2] It also features built-in cheats that allow the player to unlock multiple features, including selecting any level to play and playing as Spider-Man.[9]
The game has three different modes of play: career mode, where the player completes tasks to unlock more levels and increase stats with a time limit; single session mode, where the player can skate in any level with the same time limit; and free skate mode, where the time limit is removed.[10] Each level has certain tasks to complete in career mode, including finding money and breaking objects.[5] There are also objects to collect in each stage, including the letters S-K-A-T-E and video tapes.[11]
After completing development of the Game Boy Color version of the video game Spider-Man, developer Vicarious Visions wanted to move on to the Game Boy Advance, avoiding common projects for the platform like Super Nintendo ports and Mode 7racing games. The idea of a Tony Hawk game came up during brainstorming, which was considered both a fun and high risk idea, due in part to it being an important brand to publisher Activision. Development of this version of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 began in August 2000,[12] Vicarious Visions having received an early development kit for the platform.[13] The staff received occasional input from Neversoft, which developed the game's console versions. The team experienced issues during early development, attributing their issues to a shortage of game development kits and hardware revisions.[12] The team intended to use the source code Neversoft used, but the code was programmed in C++, and the development kit's documentation said they must use C. Lead programmer Matt Conte created a proof of concept to show that C++ could be done on Game Boy Advance, allowing them to use a large majority of the code from the PlayStation. Conte stated that this is what allowed them to create physics and tricks accurate to the original game.[14]Mockups were created to demonstrate how it might look, which were presented to Tony Hawk, who gave his approval alongside Activision.[12]
This version of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 began as a sprite-based game but was changed after staff determined that this would require more than 100 megabytes of storage if they wanted to include every trick from the PlayStation version. Because the Game Boy Advance was a 2D console, they had to create a 3D engine for the game, utilizing an isometric perspective and a real-time-rendered polygonal character rendered using more than 300 polygons.[1][12] The isometric perspective was chosen due to the developers believing that the level geometry found in the console versions, if viewed from above, would largely be visible. Additionally, they felt the view would work well with the tile-based graphical system of the Game Boy Advance.[14] Vicarious Visions aimed to create a similar design to the PlayStation and Dreamcast versions, some maps modified to compensate for the isometric angle.[12] Due to not having a level editor for the Game Boy Advance, they programmed math functions to design the grid-based levels. The developers set point values for tiles in a heightmap to give the levels depth. Tiles for flat planes rely on the point values whereas the curved ramps are generated with parametric equations. A Gouraud shader was used for the game's real-time renderer, which Alex Rybakov programmed in a month and a half.[14] After trying to use the console's graphical hardware to obscure the character behind objects, the developers switched to a software masking method, with the character becoming semi-transparent when behind objects. The team was unable to add a multiplayer mode, a feature of the console versions, due to time restrictions.[12]
Unlike other versions of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2, this version features an original soundtrack due to the licensed music being too much for a Game Boy Advance cartridge. The soundtrack was composed by Manfred Linzer, who was asked to create a pastiche of songs featured in the Tony Hawk games. Linzer was given a selection of songs from the games, as well as other songs selected from "skate punk-type artists" as reference.[14] The final soundtrack consisted of 10 songs.[14]Shin'en Multimedia implemented the music using its GAX sound engine.[12][15] The cartridge uses a more advanced sound chip than the Game Boy Color's, as the team wanted to have audio more advanced than chiptune audio.[12]
When the game was sent to Activision's quality assurance department, the team devoted exclusively to the Tony Hawk series provided harsh feedback. While the testers felt it looked appropriate and was "technically impressive",[14] they were critical of it for lacking the "purposeful level design" of the console version. Conte stated that in retrospect, the levels failed to replicate the PlayStation version's attention to detail and rewarding skillful play. The quality assurance team was brought on as consultants, going through each level to add elements that encouraged chaining moves and high-level skills.[14] Development was concluded in less than a year in April 2001. The approved release version took a large majority of the cartridge memory space.[12][14]
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 was a Game Boy Advance launch title in North America and Europe.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 was demonstrated at multiple events, including E3 2001[16] and by the group Advance Team in Minnesota, alongside other Game Boy Advance games.[17] It was one of six games scheduled to be released for the Game Boy Advance by Activision at the time. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 was published as a launch title for the Game Boy Advance on June 11, 2001,[18] and in Europe on June 22.[19] The game later released in Japan on December 14, 2001, as SK8: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2.[Note 1][20]Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 was one of the top-selling Game Boy Advance launch games in North America, placing second behind Super Mario Advance and third across all platforms for the month of June.[21][22] It ranked seventh overall in the following month and fourteenth in August, losing its second place Game Boy Advance ranking to Mario Kart: Super Circuit.[9][23]
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 was positively received by critics and gamers, particularly for Vicarious Visions defying expectations of what the Game Boy Advance could do.[14]Review aggregator website Metacritic identified it as having received universal acclaim, labeling it a "must-play".[24] It was identified as a key launch title for the system by Eurogamer writer Oli Welsh,[30] and was considered one of the best Game Boy Advance games by Den of Geek, GameSpot, GamesRadar+, IGN, Pocket Tactics, and TechRadar.[31] When selecting which Game Boy Advance launch title to recommend, GameSpot writer Shane Satterfield stated that the game made him excited to see what the Game Boy Advance could output down the line. He ultimately recommended Fire Pro Wrestling instead, viewing the console Tony Hawk games as superior.[32] Craig Harris, writing for IGN, considered it among the best games at the handheld's launch, finding its gameplay loop entertaining and varied.[5] It was awarded the best mobile game of 2001 at the British Academy Film Awards,[29] and received a nomination for Hand-Held Game of the Year at the 5th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards.[33]
The game's levels received praise as good adaptations of the console versions', with Electronic Gaming Monthly writer Crispin Boyer stating that they were "surprisingly good".[6] He found the smaller stages to be more fun, while finding the more open levels' camera angle confusing. Boyer found the controls limiting, attributing it to the Game Boy Advance's limited number of buttons. Fellow Electronic Gaming Monthly writer Greg Sewart also found the controls awkward, stating that the perspective made it more difficult to control. He believed that players could get past it with patience but expected that a lot of people may become frustrated.[6] Martin Taylor of Eurogamer was more positive towards the camera perspective, feeling it forced players to explore the levels before they focused on the tasks in each, which he believed was a core aspect of the Tony Hawk series.[25]GameSpy writer Andrew S. Bub considered the isometric perspective a good compromise, believing that it allowed players to play more confidently. He also found the controls accurate, appreciating the existence of a tutorial and button mapping to make the controls easier to get used to.[28]
Reception for the lack of features compared to the console versions was mixed. Gamekult writer Usul was disappointed by the lack of a multiplayer mode, feeling that this—compounded with the lack of levels and limitations compared to the console versions—made it an inferior experience despite still enjoying it.[34] Jonathan Metts, writing for Nintendo World Report, commented that players who could do without the multiplayer and level editor found in the console game may find this an adequate alternative to the console versions. He believed that someone already familiar with the console game will not find a new gameplay experience.[20] It was described as an adequate alternative to the console version by Nintendojo writer Matt Thompson. He enjoyed that he could play it wherever he wants, which prevented it from getting old like the console versions did for him.[35]
The game's visuals and technical aspects were the subject of praise, with Jack Yarwood of Time Extension believing that it inspired the creation of future games with a similar approach and technology.[14] It was also called "the most amazing piece of technology we've ever seen on a handheld" by Next Generation staff.[7] Martin Taylor was initially skeptical of how good the game could perform when he heard about its reveal, being surprised by how similar it felt to its console counterparts.[25] Crispin Boyer was similarly positive, calling it visually stunning and noting that it had smooth movement and a superior frame rate to the PlayStation version.[6]GamePro writer Dan Elektro believed that a person would find it difficult to not be impressed by the level of technical quality in the game, particularly it running at 60 frames per second and its use of animations from the PlayStation version. He considered it a "major leap forward" in handheld gaming.[26]Game Informer editor-in-chief Andrew Reiner praised the visuals for managing to feel three-dimensional, as well as for its use of transparency to see the character when they move behind objects, stating that the visuals left him in awe over how impressive they were.[1]
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 was considered an exemplar of handheld conversions of console titles by multiple critics. Jonathan Metts felt that the issues of such conversions came from a combination of hardware limitations and developers not wanting to make console-type games on handhelds. He praised Vicarious Visions for both the execution of the game on a technical level, as well as its courage for having attempted to create something like it in the first place.[20]GameSpot writer Jeff Gerstmann was similarly critical of trends regarding handheld ports, claiming that developers tended to "[duplicate] one or two key aspects of the original game and freestyle the rest" with mixed results.[27] He considered it a benchmark for such games, as well as the best handheld skateboarding game ever made.[27] In his retrospective, Luke Plunkett of Kotaku felt that the game had aged better visually than the console versions, remarking that games like this had to be more inventive in how it scaled down a console game compared to newer games.[36]
Legacy
Vicarious Visions went on to work on other Tony Hawk games for the Game Boy Advance, excluding Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam, instead developing the Nintendo DS version. The 3D engine created for this game was used for future Vicarious Visions projects on the Game Boy Advance, including Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure, Jet Grind Radio, and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3, the latter which had an internal 3D level editor they used to make level design more intuitive.[14]
↑Lindemann, Jon (May 19, 2001). "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 GBA". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on September 6, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
↑Berghammer, Billy (June 2, 2001). "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 GBA". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on September 6, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
↑Metts, Jonathan (June 11, 2001). "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 GBA". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on September 6, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
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