This title is available for both the PlayStation and Nintendo 64, and as I have both the PSX and N64 version of this game, it’s hard to say which format is better. Only the system owners can say for certain, right? I thought the N64 version looked a lot better and the only really big difference I found between the two was with the controller configurations for the tricks.

This remains a multiplayer game with 12 skaters to select from, including Pvt. Carrera and Officer Dick, Tony, Bob Burnquist, Kareem Campbell, Rune Glifberg, Bucky Lasek, Chad Muska, Andrew Reynolds, Geoff Rowley, Elissa Steamer, and lastly, and by no means a slacker, is Jamie Thomas. You’ve tons of boards and wheels to pick from doing your board setup. You should always select the loose trucks for tighter carves in the bowls and pools. The single–player mode has a Career Mode that allows you to collect all the best session tapes and also open other skatespots.

The Woodland Hills Park is only open to you when you obtain some tapes and score big points. Then you move on to Miami, NYC, Chicago, Minneapolis, Phoenix, the ever popular Burnside in Portland, Streets of SF, and lastly, the Alien Zone. If you wish to skate the other areas in Single Session, then must open them from the Career Mode. Once this is accomplished, you then go to Free Skate mode and rip up all the spots until your feet (or fingers) give out. Single Session is a two minute drill to try and set a new, high score. Two–player mode is great with Graffiti (tagging obstacles with big tricks), Trick Attack (a two–minute jam to see who scores the most points), and Horse (where you match trick for trick on obstacles and mustn’t fall or you’ll get a letter).

Soundtrack loops were a bit much, so I played my own CD’s to jam with as the game’s audio tracks were too repetitive. Additionally, some of the lyrics were missing or deleted.

The trick index was just as huge as this game’s other versions, with lots of combo moves to throw down anywhere, except I found that you can’t go over the fence in the N64 version as I was able to do with the PSX version. The programmers must have fixed the glitch on the N64, although it’s still possible to jump the fence at the Alien Zone and then return through the gate. Maybe we’ll see something like that in THPS 2. Wouldn’t that be cool, jumping over fences and into closed areas?

All the skaters can go huge and spin like crazy, and I managed to have them all do 1440’s or better after a lot of heavy sessioning. Keep that Special Meter lit as much as possible and you, too, can hit all those high rails and walls. Skating on your couch has never been this much fun, especially as all of the trick and skate physics are right on.

Great skater, awesome game, can’t wait for the sequel.

Overall Game Rating: A

Activision’s website