Has it really been nearly 5 years since the first THPS game came out? I mean, so much has happened since then and it still remains as fresh in my mind as it did back then. What keeps the franchise moving forward? Few games can still provide as much fun, five sequels down the line, so what makes THUG still feel fresh and different whilst still retaining the trademark gameplay that we love so much?

Gameplay:

On the face of it, not much has changed. The graphics look a bit better and animations are smoother but you're still riding around on a skateboard, tricking off anything and everything, right? Damn right, but the main bulk of the game (the career mode) has had a complete workover. Now you're just some punk nobody kid from New Jersey who's looking to make a name for himself on the skate circuit. You'll start off skating with your buddy, completing simple tasks like getting a certain score or performing tricks that people call out to you. Very basic stuff indeed. But then, after a little time away, it's good to get your fingers into the lean, trick machines they need to be. The first thing that you get to do, however, is to create your very own skater. This will be the character you use in the main career mode of the game. While not being as in depth as say, WWE Raw 2, there are enough tweaks and options to make a pretty fair representation of yourself or a total freak of nature.

Once the main game is underway, you'll have to complete challenges that are assigned to you by various people around the levels, take part in vert and street competitions and generally have a good time looking for all the secrets on each of the levels. Aah, the nostalgia of collecting secret tapes, bought back in all its frustrating but rewarding glory. Perhaps the most interesting of the new additions is the ability to jump off the board and walk around the levels. When you step off the board, you'll have a timer that lets you know how long you have to get back on the board and continue your combo. Fail to get on the board before the timer runs out and your combo ends there. Running around the level also opens up a lot of new trick runs and it is essential to completing some of the goals in the game so it's something you have to get used to doing. The control of your character off the board feels a little bit unresponsive and chunky and i'm in two minds as to whether i like this addition or whether it's not as well implemented as it could be.

The other main addition to this version is the awesome Create-A-Trick mode. The potential for outstanding and improbable tricks here is endless. I mean, you can create realistic tricks, but surely you want to tweak it so you can do as many flips and McTwists in one second as possible? Yeah, thought so. I did too. Again, the Create-A-Park is with us again, refined and tweaked almost to perfection. The parks are larger and have tons more objects and tools, namely the Rail tool which allows you to create links between objects, setting up runs and combos have never been easier or more devious. You can also now place letters around the park for additional goals to complete as in the main game where you have to collect the S-K-A-T-E letters. Tons more to do and create, this is the best version of the Create-A-Park mode yet. The final new customisable addition to THUG is the Create-A-Deck mode. This allows you to add your own unique stamp on the game, editing and creating your own deck graphics to your own liking. While not the strongest new addition, it's something that can while away 10 minutes or so, and anything that makes your game unique can only be a good thing.

The levels on the whole are much larger than previous games and include much more than the odd car driving around in a loop. There is a vibrant community to each level, cars, buses and people mill around and generally try to get in your way just like in real life, while searching for tasks to complete is pretty easy with the big shiny spinning icon above the head of anyone you need to talk to. Again, the levels are beautifully laid out and designed to near perfection and there are so many goals to complete, you'll get to see most parts of the levels.

Graphics:

As said before, the graphics have had a timely update. While not being completely 'xbox' in look, it is visibly more attractive than the PS2 version and marginally better than the GameCube build. It's never been about the graphics though; they've always seemed slightly ropey and a bit blocky. I'd still play it if it looked like the first game because the gameplay is just sublime, but for many people this will be an issue. You've got more bail animations to amuse yourself with and the motion capture makes the movements incredibly realistic. If you are one of those people that complain that it looks like a PS2 game, get over it. There's too much fun here to be worrying about what it looks like.

Sound:

Again, the soundtrack to THUG is as kick-ass as any of the previous games, this time however they've really gone all out on the number of tracks available. There are around 80 songs for your listening pleasure made of a mix of old skool punk, new US punk, 80's metal, hip hop and many more, we have the brilliant option of adding our own to the game. Ha! Now you can't make any excuses if you don't like the music included with the game. Sound effects are cleaner and sound more effective than before and while the voice acting isn't to an award winning standard, it does the job well enough. Oh, by the way, we Xboxers get our sonic delights in 5.1 surround. Mmm...

Longevity:

The main game won't take you more than a day or so of solid gameplay to complete but that's not the point. The replay value is immense. Complete it more times to unlock new videos, play multiplayer against your friends in a variety of games, design parks and decks, there's so much to see and do it'll take you a long time to get tired of THUG. Unfortunately there's no Xbox Live option, i know, it's frightening that they've opted for the PS2 network over Xbox Live but that's the way it is. If it's that much of a problem, you can always use some tunneling software to play multiplayer games.

Roundup:

So, here we are. Four or Five years on from the first game and there's not a whole lot that has been changed. Sure, extra touches and tweaks have appeared through the different versions but the core gameplay remains as fresh, vibrant and fun as it did back in '99. There are new locations and old ones hidden away and a fairly neat storyline to push the career mode ahead, but it's the personal challenge that keeps you coming back for more. That 'just one more go' feeling. Knowing you can beat your high score and trying over and over to get the line perfect. It's a genuine classic in its own right, let alone the whole series. If you have been remotely interested in the previous versions, you owe it to yourself to try THUG; it really is that damn good.