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Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure Review
Derek dela Fuente
05/09/2003
Utilising the THPS4 engine, Disney finally have a decent sports title on their books...
Finally somebody at Disney Interactive must have been struck by a moment of pure inspiration; wisely realising that their internally developed titles are not particularly renowned for their brilliance but recognising the strength of their character properties, some genius has come up with the idea of using the engine behind one of the most popular gaming series of the decade and swapping baggy-pants skaters with Buzz Lightyear, Timon, Pumbaa and the rest of the Disney Crew.
âDisneyâs Extreme Skate Adventureâ is surprisingly enough a skateboard title that makes use of the âTony Hawks Pro Skater 4â engine to good effect. Featuring a wide range of Disney characters including Woody, Buzz, Jessie and Zurg from âToy Storyâ, Timon, Pumbaa, Simba, Rafiki and Nala from âThe Lion Kingâ and finally Tarzan, Jane, Terk and Tantor from âTarzanâ. In addition the game contains a number of kiddie characters based on real-life children who were discovered in a contest held by Activision. Being based on the THPS4 engine you can also create your own customisable character, with a wide range of items that are unlocked as you progress through the game.
Whilst everything may look and feel familiar to THPS fans, youâll notice a few changes when you actually pick up a pad and take the game for a spin. Having targeted the game at a younger audience, the default control system features a reduced set-up that allows you to perform all tricks, grinds and manuals with just one trick button. Whilst this may be good news for those who find million+ moves hard in the THPS series, thankfully the game also contains a âProâ mode that changes to the controls to exactly the same as those in the THPS series â“ ideal for Disney loving adults like me!
The games 10 different levels (all based on the three films) are structured in the same way as THPS4, with wide open environments that feature numerous characters each of which give you different objectives to complete on the stage. The challenges are mostly kept in key with the location, so youâll have to flush the toilet to rescue hammy and unlock a chest to let out all the toy soldiers; however traditional THPS challenges also make an appearance, challenging you to spell out âSKATEâ and collect different items.
The visuals in DESA are everything you could wish for, bright, colourful and full of charisma. The character models are well detailed and feature some brilliant animation, whilst the levels are huge affairs that are bought to life in true Disney tradition. Out of the three versions the Xbox version looks the sharpest, however both the PS2 and GameCube versions look favourably similar.
The music borrows a lot from THPS4; youâll notice the same sound effects for grinds and various tricks, whilst we were surprised to hear traditional skating music instead of the bubblegum pop that usually greets Disney titles â“ skating along to Basement Jaxx âWhereâs your head atâ with Buzz Lightyear is definitely a memorable experience!
