Yes, I'm aware of the fact that THUG 2 is ages old and catching dust in numerous households and still I'm offering you a review of the Xbox version. "Have they lost their minds completely at Fragland?" Well, no is the answer. We're concerned about you guys because, like it or not, we're in the middle of a crisis here. We occasionally get some good titles thrown at our heads but we spend most of our time playing bad games, or no games at all. It's just that boring time of year again and to help you guys get through those harsh days we decided to take on Tony's "newest" challenge on the Xbox.

THUG tried to be refreshing by adding a storyline to the game. And Activision did get away with it but the storyline itself reached it's expiration date rather soon, in fact THPS4 which didn't have a storyline at all had a richer lasting appeal. THUG2 continues where THUG ended and again offers gamers a story to stick to. Fans of Bam Margera can already to their little dance of joy because La Bam is the leading character in this years installment. How much I like to watch Viva La Bam especially because of family fatty Don Vito, his humor doesn't really catch on in a game. Activision tends to stress the destruction part of the game more than the skating part this time around. This might indicate the choice of the name World Destruction Tour.

The World Destruction Tour takes you around the world visiting big cities such as Barcelona, Berlin and New Orleans all equiped with their typical landmarks. Take for instance the Mardi Grass in New Orleans or the Ghandi Hotel in Barcelona. I did get the impression that the levels aren't as big as last years installment but due to the higher level of interactivity this doesn't really bother. The missions are all built up in typical Margera fashion where the main purpose is mostly making stupid pranks or destroying some stuff. Your board is still your main weapon of choice of course but because of the new approach (the Bam approach) my appreciation for Tony Hawk decreases drastically. It's starting to feel more and more like a game version of Viva La Bam while I was hoping for a more realistic approach however without losing the fun factor.

The missions are divided per character, you'll have your own missions but also Pro missions, Secret missions and Guest missions. Pro missions involve playing with a pro skater, secret missions demand you to search a secret character and then take on his/her quests while guest missions involve playing with a guest character. Guest characters are mostly equiped with ridiculous means of transportation such as the Aboriginal with his kart. I do see the funny part in all this but gameplay wise it doesn't feel as refreshing as you might think. Aside from these guest missions you can finish all the quests with your own skater making the other characters rather unimportant.

Aside from the addition of "funny" vehicles there's however another little catch in the missions which didn't make me beg for more. Well, it's not a major disaster, more like a little mistake from the developers. Some missions have a time limit but the problem is that the clock isn't shown on screen so you have no clue how much time you've got left. Another minus is the lack of managing your own stats. When performing certain tricks you receive a couple of stat points but this time you don't get the opportunity to distribute those stats on to several abilities. It's all done automatically which makes it feel more arcade again. Luckily for the fans of the series Activision has thrown in the Classic Mode which offers you those typical objectives such as collecting the letters s-k-a-t-e and c-o-m-b-o all within a time limit of two minutes.

THUG2 also offers some new moves. First off is the new focus mode. When your special meter is filled, you can perform a matrix-like move by pressing the white button. Time will slow down, making it even more easier to balance your manuals, grinds and liptricks. Newcomers to the series might need this move to exceed the high scores but true die-hards will only use it to get even higher, ridiculous scores. It looks rather satisfying but as I said before, the arcade gameplay gets pushed up a notch again, and I'm not a big fan of that. One word of advice for those who find THUG2 too easy: try playing with your toes, I promise you: that high score is pretty high after all. Another "new move" is the sticker-slap. Last years wall jump has been tweaked just a tiny bit. When you wall jump this time around your skater will slap a sticker on the wall marking his territory.
In the graphics department THUG 2 is doing just fine. The graphics look a bit sharper than the PS2 version but the Xbox version on the other hand lacks the ability of face-mapping which makes it possible to put your own cute face on your skater. The characters have also a higher cartoon feel to them; which again makes for less realism. They don't resemble their real-life counterparts like they used to but it does however make for some better facial animations. The focus mode gives the game a certain graphical flair and the change from day into night is also very convincing. To cut things short: THUG2 is a hotty.

The soundtrack has always amazed me in Tony's titles and it's no different this time. Bands such as Jimmy Eat World, Faith No More and even Metallica feast your ears. And since the old grandpa's started playing video games they even managed to mix in a little Frank "old blue eyes" Sinatra. A complete soundtrack that puts you in the right mood.

The big disappointment for Xbox players is probably the lack of an online option. Since the first Tony Hawk title on the PS2, players have been able to go online and compete with the whole world. But sadly for Xbox players, that they has never come. Therefor you'll have to be happy with the longer story mode, the classic mode and ofcourse the Create-a-mode which again is very extended.

Nanaki was pretty happy with the Bam Margera approach, but I however have to disappoint the fans of the series. THUG2 tends to be more arcade than it ever was and the choice of Activision to put the spotlight on Bam Margera isn't really making me jump for joy. If I can give one word of advice to Activision, it would be this: get rid of this concept and start over again! Give the fans a more realistic Tony Hawk game where the stress is on skating and developing your character other than on destruction and silly humor. Activision, don't even dare to ignore my demands!