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I had my first glimpse into the world of skateboarding back in the early ‘80s with the rise of a wily young skateboarder by the name of Tony Hawk. He not only manhandled the professional skateboarding circuit, but through his success and boyish good looks, took Hollywood by storm, starring in such blockbusters as Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol, and the 1989 cult classic Gleaming the Cube, starring Christian Slater. I figured if Tony Hawk could make it, why not Big Perm? Skating would be my ticket out of Jersey and into the Hollywood spotlight, where I would party ‘til it was time to go to rehab.

But as quickly as my rise to power in the skateboarding world started, it came to a screeching halt with an impromptu Ollie, a bruised tailbone and a broken dream. But when Tony Hawk and Neversoft teamed up again to bring us the latest in the Tony Hawk Pro-Skater series, Tony Hawk’s Project 8 for the Xbox 360 and other next-gen systems, I saw the chance to redeem myself.

I am a true diehard THPS enthusiast, playing through each progression of the series, no matter how much I wanted to choke on my own vomit or slice my jugular every time Neversoft changed the game. Some changes were awesome, while others sucked @%#!, and fell flat. I started to become disillusioned with the series when Tony Hawk Underground 2 was released, but I trudged the road to happy destiny hoping things would get better. Not only did I keep my mouth shut when they took away the timed runs, but I also bit my lip when American Wastelands promised “NO MORE LOADING SCREENS,” only to be hoodwinked and bamboozled with long boring corridors that gave the illusion there were no loading screens.

So we can all thank the United States Post office for delivering my million or so death threats to Neversoft, because the old-school timed runs are back along with gaming areas that have grinds that last for miles. Tony Hawk’s Project 8 has fused the old with the new, and Big Perm couldn’t be happier. The one new innovation that stood out from its predecessors was the new “nail that trick mode” which gives you the ability to create a trick in slow motion while holding the two analog sticks in either direction.

The premise of the game is straight to the point, just like the other games in the series. Tony Hawk is looking to put a new team together, so he is scouting the country for the best 8 skateboarders, and in order to be the best you must complete a series of tests along with old-school goals. I figure in order to come up with an original storyline like this, Neversoft either had a case of deja vu, or contracted this job of creating a plot to a bunch of hippies who were smoking lots of pot.

After playing the game four a good 32 hours straight, I finally got used to the slow game play especially when you need to follow another character like a cameraman or photographer.

For the most part, the visual effects were very crisp and clean, but that didn’t make up for the slow pace and the lack of choice in creating a new skater. Based on innovation and not originality, I am going to rate this game 3 out of 5 hospital visits, due to the fact that Neversoft gave a good effort.