I remember growing up and saving to buy a good skateboard so I could learn how to do flips and tricks like those guys on TV. The only thing I ended up learning was you are never too cool to wear knee and elbow pads. I divided my time between skateboarding and video games. Well, with my unexplained adult weight gain and my agility not what it used to be, I love the fact that the two have combined in the past few years. Tony Hawk's endorsed video game "Pro Skater" gained popularity for skateboard gaming a few years back, and companies are still trying to knock Tony off the top of the charts. There have been a few to come close, but no cigar. MTV Sports: Skateboarding is the closest to the chart topper then any other and in some aspects, goes beyond what "Pro Skater" has to offer.

Skateboarding has a cool intro video that is standard for sports games of skaters doing their tricks that used to make me drool as a kid and still does to this day. You have many modes of play when setting up your game for single or multiplayer games. Multiplayer for this game is a split screen game that allows you to use daisy-chained controllers like the "sidewinder" or you can use a game pad and a keyboard. Although multiplayer is always a fantastic option, unless you have a 17" monitor you will have a hard time trying to share views with a friend. My point is that there is no option for Internet multiplayer and is really the biggest downer to the entire game.

You have 30 skaters in the game, but you are only allowed a handful to choose from until you unlock the rest. There are also over 35 levels in the game, but again you only start with 2 and need to unlock the rest through various modes of play. The 10 different game modes like Stunt Mode, Deathmatch, Lifestyle, Freeskate and Timebomb add a lot of variation to the game and increase the replay value. Freeskate is great for beginners to learn the over 60 tricks this game has to offer. As you advance, you can compete in Lifestyle to take on the judges who tell you if you suck or rock. Stunt mode is a lot of fun also with the huge ramps and downhill street roads to allow maximum air and major crashes.

Graphics are outstanding with very detailed skaters, boards, and levels. The levels are unique and even include a spooky castle for a skateboarding playground. As you unlock options in the game, you are allowed to choose different skateboard designs and you can see every detail of the board when you do aerial tricks. The camera angles are right on the mark and do not hinder game play. The only small glitch is when you are too close to the ceiling on some ramps, the game seems to stutter to compensate for the support beam that is in the way. This is not at all annoying and only happens in some instances.

An MTV endorsed game is going to have the best music around for any game. This is exactly what has happened in "Skateboarding". You have several head-banging tunes to listen to from various artists like Deftones, Cypress Hill, Goldfinger, and Snapcase. When you play this game for any period of time, you have a tendency to start humming or singing the songs as you play. I even found myself doing it while I wasn't playing the game. Again the only small glitch was that when it changed songs, the game would stutter to load the next song. This was annoying, especially when I was in the middle of a crucial aerial maneuver. Otherwise the music and sound effects are probably the best of any game I can remember.

The controls are pretty easy and simple to learn. The game pad is almost always the best choice while playing sports games, and that is no exception to this game. One issue I had was that every time I started the game, I had to go to options and reselect my game pad instead of the keyboard. It would not keep the setting when I would quit a game. There may be a patch out for this fix, but we review games as they are released. Some of the more complex stunts were harder to pull off since they required the same combination to do the simple ones also. For example, press up and F would do a "nose wheelie", but do that same up and F twice would perform the "waddy flip". Most cases you would only do the "nose wheelie" while trying to do the more advanced trick.

Gameplay was extremely fun. Even though I couldn't name a trick by its name unless it was shown on the screen, there is nothing more gratifying than doing those dozen tricks in the air at full speed. The best way to perform such high score stunts is to build up speed by doing smaller tricks and work your way up until you're grazing the ceiling with your elbows. Unless you're in love with Tony Hawk, I would give MTV Sports: Skateboarding some serious consideration for your next skateboard game.

Install: Easy.  Most installations nowadays are user friendly. This install takes up about 470 Meg and the CD is not required to play.

Gameplay: 8.5  The game is fun and fast paced. The amount of options and levels increases the replay value.

Graphics: 8  The levels and skaters are detailed nicely. The board designs and background movie screens are a nice touch also.

Sound: 10  When you start singing the soundtracks when you're not playing, then you know that the music has to be good.

Difficulty: 7  The game is pretty difficult. The stunt modes and lifestyle modes are pretty hard to beat and take a lot of practice. Maybe a little too much practice.

Concept: 7 The concept is not original, but the game is unique and does not follow the other concepts.

Overall: 8.4  The game is very fun and is in direct competition to Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. Great Game!!