Coffee and Code

I've got a new addiction: Tony Hawk's American Wasteland for the PS2.

Now, I'm not someone who would be classified as a hard-core gamer. (Most of the time, I'd rather write code!) The last skateboarding game I played was Skate or Die for the original Nintendo (a loooong time ago). I actually bought the game for my girlfriend, but I'm now hopelessly hooked and have the calluses on my thumbs to prove it! Here's what I love about the game:

The soundtrack:
Mostly punk rock, with some 'Hard Rock/Other' and Hip Hop mixed in. I've heard the Dead Kennedys, Bad Religion, an Iggy Pop cover, Public Enemy, The Doors, and Green Day. There are many other tunes in the game not mentioned here.

The gameplay:
A smooth, graphically impressive playing experience that gives you a lot of freedom to roam and experiment. There are a ton of different trick combos! It's really funny when your player biffs. OUCH! There's also a 'Focus Mode' that allows you to slow down time Matrix-style to land your tricks perfectly.

The modes:
Among the different types of games you can play are Story Mode, Classic Mode, and Free Skate / High score. So far, I've only played the Classic Mode but am looking forward to trying the others. The game also allows you to create your own skate parks, customize players, add custom graphics, and even add your own ugly mugshot somehow.

The one thing about the game that I find annoying is when you roam out-of-bounds and the game tells you that you suck. I'm like, 'You know what? YOU SUCK!'

So there you have it. We've got a long weekend ahead - you know what I'll be doing! ;-)