Tony Hawk: Ride

Tony Hawk: Ride
Developer(s)	Robomodo (PS3 & X360)[1] Buzz Monkey (Wii)[2]
Publisher(s)	Activision
Series	Tony Hawk's
Platform(s)	PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii
Release date(s)	NA: November 17, 2009[3] EU: December 4, 2009 AUS: March 10, 2010
Genre(s)	Sports
Mode(s)	Single-player, online multiplayer

Tony Hawk: Ride is a spin-off in the Tony Hawk's series of video games. The game was released on November 17, 2009 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360^[4] and Wii.^[5] It was released in Australia on March 10, 2010.^[6]

Having the lowest ratings and worst sales for a Tony Hawk game, Ride debuted to negative critical and commercial reception. It has been widely criticized by video game critics as the worst of the series. It also failed to meet financial predictions, and led to a severe financial drop that risked cancellation of future Tony Hawk games.

Gameplay

In Ride, the player uses the skateboard peripheral to simulate the riding of an actual skateboard in the game. The peripheral, shaped just like a real skateboard, is equipped with infrared sensors to detect motion and display it on-screen. Turning, leaning, hopping, and other actions all reflect in the game realistically.

Development

In February 2008, publisher Activision said that the game was currently undergoing research and testing. The publisher also said at the time that the game will be a "re-engineering [for] the franchise" and said that there will be "a new direction for the brand."^[7]

In May 2008, Activision spoke more about the new game. During a quarterly earnings conference, the company again confirmed that the new game would "deliver the kind of breakthrough this franchise needs." At the same time, Activision confirmed that the new game would not be released in 2008, but is scheduled to be out before their 2010 fiscal year ends. This would put the window of release between April 1, 2009 and March 31, 2010.

On December 3, 2008 Activision announced a new motion sensing balance board peripheral that players will "put down the controller, step on the board, and feel the sensation of going big... Shift your weight to turn and balance grinds, kick back on the tail of the board to ollie, and lean into airs to pull off huge spins."^[8] On May 15, 2009, it was announced that the game will not be called Tony Hawk's Adrenaline, but instead Tony Hawk: Ride. The soundtrack is also confirmed, including The Fold with their track "Neverender" and Green Day's "Murder City".

On May 25, 2009, GameStop listed the game for an October 13, 2009 release date, but was not confirmed by the developer.^[9] On August 6, 2009, Tony Hawk: Ride was dated for November 20 in the UK. It was also given a limited edition at UK retailer Game.^[10]

On August 10, 2009, Tony Hawk: Ride was dated for November 17 in the United States.^[3]

The Tony HawkRIDE game board was designed and engineered by Product council, the Chicago-based design and innovation firm.

Sales

In the first month of its U.S. release, Tony Hawk: Ride sold 114,000 copies.^[11]

Reception

Tony Hawk: Ride received negative reviews from critics. The Metacritic average score of 46,^[12] 44,^[13] and 47^[14] for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii versions respectively indicates "generally unfavorable reviews." GameTrailers gave Tony Hawk: Ride a score 4.6^[15] and named it Most Disappointing Game of 2009,^[16] while IGN gave the game a 5.0.^[17] Both G4TV^[18] and Giant Bomb^[19] rated it 1/5. GameSpot gave it a 3.5/10,^[20] with the only positive emblem the game received being that the peripheral was "sturdy".

GamesRadar gave the game 4/10.^[21] They also named it the worst game of the year, using its skateboard peripheral as the trophy for the "Anti-Awards" feature.^[22] Game Informer gave it a 5.75, remarking that "As a skateboarder and as a gamer, Tony Hawk: Ride is a curious idea but a letdown in practice. The huge level of frustration is not worth the time it takes to master the awkward gameplay idiosyncrasies."^[23]

On December 5, 2009, Tony Hawk spoke out about the critics on Twitter, saying "Most snarky critics had their minds set before ever seeing/playing the game. I'm proud of what we created; it's innovative, responsive & fun".^[24]

Sequel

Tony Hawk stated that a sequel to Tony Hawk: Ride was already planned prior to the first game's release in November. Snowboarding and surfing were mentioned as possible priorities.^[25] On January 22, 2010, he confirmed that he was working with Robomodo on the sequel.^[26]

Activision Publishing's CEO, Mike Griffith, has said that "It took longer to optimize the hardware, leaving less time to optimize the software", when asked about the development of the original game.^[27] A new title, Tony Hawk: Shred, was inadvertently revealed on Hawk's Twitter page, before being officially announced by Activision on April 22, 2010. It also used the Ride peripheral, but a new design was featured on top of the board.^[28]

References