Let me start by saying if you like skateboarding games or a Disney fan or maybe you are both, than this game is a must have. This is the first skateboarding game that allows you to skate through the universe of Disney & Pixar. Using Activision’s fantastic Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater game engine and combining that with the huge, imaginative worlds of Disney, you get the chance to test your skateboarding skills where no-one would have thought possible plus you even get the chance to use non-traditional boards in your quest to solve all the puzzles.

Enough of the hype, so what did the game have to offer ? From the start of the load up, you can tell it was aimed at a younger audience or the big kid that is hiding in all of us. You get to watch clips of the entrance day to a competition that allowed kids to skate and hopefully have their image used for this actual game. It’s certainly a different kind of intro, but it was cool to watch plus the soundtrack they used was very enjoyable, but this doesn’t sell games, I hear you say……so what else does the game give you ? Once you have chosen to play a new game, you are presented with a merry-go-round of characters you can choose to use and depending on what character you choose, will give you a list of locations to skate in. Sounds simple enough but wait…there’s more !! In fact, if you don’t like any of characters, you can ‘Create-A-Skater’. Cool !! Personally, I go with one that is already created as I’ll probably end up creating a skater that looks nothing like a human being. You get to choose several characters from 3 different films – The Lion King, Toy Story & Tarzan. Actually, you don’t get to use an adult Tarzan but Kid Tarzan along with all the creatures of the film when they were young. There is a fourth world to choose which is called the ‘Hub Area’. This area is where you can create your own skater or use one of the kids that won a place in the game as shown in the intro load up. The Hub Area is the most realistic out of the 4 zones as you get to skate around car parks, grocery stores and other fantastic locations plus from here you can transport into any of the other 3 movie worlds.

So far, so good. You’ve decided on your skater and now have a choice of 3 levels but wait, you can’t access level 2 or 3 yet. Why ? Well, you need to unlock them by completing at least a few of the missions or quests in Level 1. Easy !! In fact, that is just what it is….it’s simple enough for a beginner to just pick up the controller and play and unlock at least enough tasks to move on, but just hard enough for a pro to keep going until they have completed all the tasks. Once again, not all the tasks can be completed by the same character you have chosen, which is ok because you can swap skaters any time you like. You must also unlock other characters (2 to be precise from each world) to complete everything. In total, there are 12 Disney / Pixar characters and 10 Kids to use, not including any that you decide to create.

There are other options to this game which you can access at any time. There is ‘Free Skate Mode’ which lets you practice tricks and explore levels. You can also complete goals against the clock in ‘Adventure Mode’ and compete against friends in a split-screen two player mode.

Graphics:
Each character and world has been created to exactly look like something from the films. The animation is so smooth you would think you are watching a film. The many varied locations all have non-playable characters which you must interact with, which makes exploring the level a must. This allows you to take in the full extent to how must effort and design has gone into the game, from Toy Story 2’s Pizza Planet to The Lion King’s Elephant Graveyard. In total there are nine movie locations, each with their own personal stamp and special effects. The attention to detail is amazing and I doubt you would find anything as good as this unless you were actually at Disney !!

Sound:
Excellent soundtrack to accompany the game but if you don’t like it, than change it. You can select your own soundtrack from the music that is stored (if any) on your X-box hard drive. Sound effects are top notch, but what else would you expect from a company such as Activision and Disney. There are many character one liners that are not over used in the game, which stops them becoming annoying but a joy to hear.

Longevity:
As far as my opinion goes, this game can last until either you get totally bored playing computer games or they release a sequel that outstrips this game. With the many tasks and goals, not to mention the special ‘gaps’ you need to find in the one-player mode plus all the options attached with the multi-player mode, there is enough here to outlast any hard core gamer.

Round Up:
Don’t let me fool you, this game is aimed for the younger population of gamers but considering it uses the Tony Hawk’s engine, it will appeal to all ages who love skateboarding. I think the game is very smooth, polished and well presented to make this a must for any gamer’s collection.

Pros:

• Features Disney / Pixar Characters.
  
• Skateboarding
  
• Excellent Soundtrack
  

  Cons:
  

  • Can’t think of any at the moment !!