Tony Hawk Project 8 Previews
polycounter lvl 19
Well it's that time again, yes I know most of you aren't fans of licenses, but Tony Hawk is about to release it's eighth iteration, aptly named Project 8. Super Ostrich and myself are the two polycounters involved on this title, and it's been cool to contribute to something that will have such a widespread release and fanbase.
1up preview http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3152411
gamespy preview http://xbox360.gamespy.com/xbox-360/tony-hawks-pro-skater-8/720745p2.html
One thing I had a heavy hand in, and I'm pretty chuffed about, is the skin shader on all the characters. I can't go into details, but it's one of the reason our characters have a lot of color range in the shading. No pure black shadows or pure white highlights.
If any of you are fans of the series, Project 8 should be a definite buy. (on the 360 of course)
1up preview http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3152411
gamespy preview http://xbox360.gamespy.com/xbox-360/tony-hawks-pro-skater-8/720745p2.html
One thing I had a heavy hand in, and I'm pretty chuffed about, is the skin shader on all the characters. I can't go into details, but it's one of the reason our characters have a lot of color range in the shading. No pure black shadows or pure white highlights.
If any of you are fans of the series, Project 8 should be a definite buy. (on the 360 of course)
Replies
I was addicted to the last one on the XBOX, but my favorite part was making my own skater (girls with horns rule!!).
Edit - Gamespy too - was it the shots supplied? Looks great, BTW.
I'm sure it will sell alot of copies to the die-hard fans
I agree on teh quality of the environments though... they went really downward since THPS4 and they arent't very impressive in this one too.
Will the game also feature a crazy outtakes video that has you in it (breaking your ankles skating the ramp or something like that)?
Like Arsh said though, the environment quality is really inconsistent, some of the textures are very nice, while some look almost like placeholders. Also the style on some of the environment textures is drastically different to the fairly realistic look of the characters. Some of the walls and things look really flat and cartoony.
http://media.xbox360.gamespy.com/media/803/803274/img_3702895.html
The guy in that screenshot looks awesome, but the brick wall in the right-hand side of the background is pretty cheap... there's not even a trim texture topping the wall, it's just bricks sliced diagonally, not to mention the apparent huge texture stretching on the bricks where they go past the water tower structure.
http://media.xbox360.gamespy.com/media/803/803274/img_3702897.html
Also, can you say BLOOOOOOOOM!?!?!? Again, the character looks nice, but that effect is really killing it. I dunno, maybe it works better in motion. I remember the excessive HDR/bloom effect the applied to PGR3 looked really crappy and annoying when playing the game, I hope it isn't the case with this!
Either way, shipped title, huzzah etc
PS Chars look great btw. GJ on those skintones
For the most part, the art looks pretty slick. There are some bad spots, for sure. I'm not particularly fond of the animation, though. A lot of it looks WAY too stiff.
Looks pretty cool for the most part.
Like Arsh said though, the environment quality is really inconsistent, some of the textures are very nice, while some look almost like placeholders. Also the style on some of the environment textures is drastically different to the fairly realistic look of the characters. Some of the walls and things look really flat and cartoony.
http://media.xbox360.gamespy.com/media/803/803274/img_3702895.html
The guy in that screenshot looks awesome, but the brick wall in the right-hand side of the background is pretty cheap... there's not even a trim texture topping the wall, it's just bricks sliced diagonally, not to mention the apparent huge texture stretching on the bricks where they go past the water tower structure.
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I'm looking that section right now, and that brick wall has definitely been updated.
The bloom effect is also not that powerful, for sure. I think someone had fun with the full screen tools when taking that shot.
looks next gen to me. normal maps, check perpixel lighting, check, highres textures, check, soft self shadowing models, check bloom, check. yep its offical looks like a next gen game. only thing that bothers me is how unconsistent the quality of the environments are. some are really awesome, some look like a bad mod project. seems like your environment lead could of pushed for an overall quaility level or got rid of some people. but the characters look great!
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True this but looks like someone forgot to turn on the AA and soft (not self) shadowing. Characters are looking pretty great nice work.
Commentary on the new gameplay changes in the link above. Blended animation not possible on current gen? Momentom, physics, analog control for monster tricks, I hope that guy with the big mustache that owns the place knows that his producer's are biting ssx hardcore in terms of game design. The idea of catching the trick at the right moment with the trick stick is pretty nifty though, a nice edition.
You can tell them 'yes, yes I did!!' No more lies or
I just hope the new realistic stuff doesnt conflict with the classic tony hawk 500x combos :P The Trick nailing seems kinda cool... i just hope the controlls arent completely different
you guys really, really, really, REALLY need facial expressions. Seeing a deadpan face as someone is doing a crazy gap or grind is kind of a let down
that aside, it looks cool, i cant wait!
I'm wondering what that "other" skateboarding game Joel Jewett was talking about will be then. Because i'm switching over if theres another game coming out switching to realism
I hope well see a spiritual successor to thrasher skate and destroy... now that was a skateboarding game. A simple trick like a frontside kickflip tailslide was way more satisfying that a 30 trick combo trick in the tony hawk series ever was
i too was conned by the video.
wheres the cruising around looking cool, and finding new bits to trick off mode. its all to in your face, and almost completely against most of the skateboard culture that i know.
the trailer looked cooler.
i agree with you peris, i got consistantly more pee'd off with THPS after number one, when it became a combo ridden freakfest, with 1 mill scores, i much preffered the direction of Amped, with its stylish reality, then that went the same way
i too was conned by the video.
wheres the cruising around looking cool, and finding new bits to trick off mode. its all to in your face, and almost completely against most of the skateboard culture that i know.
the trailer looked cooler.
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Yeah it's not a game anymore that feels like it was made by skaters like the first games did. It has become another marketing leviathan trying to appeal more to the extreme treehundredsixty degrees cround. THPS2 was probably most true to the skate culture... hell its even partially responsible to reviving it
The footage at E3 of the new game had me interested, but after this video I know I'll probably be waiting for another 5 to come up before I'm interested in the series again. Same things I didn't like about AW - which I believe is why I stopped playing - is it was more of the same. The new one looks to be the same thing as before but with a new sweet shield that gives +10 to graphics.
Seriously, I love this game. I quit my job at Activision last week, but talked my way into sitting down and playing project 8 for my last two weeks in the office.
The skating physics were being tweaked daily, so I don't know what Neversoft will settle on, but the game is really a blast to play. It nods back to THPS4 with the pro goals that are actually challenging.
NS has it set up really nice where I can have a blast just pulling off one nice clean trick in a spot (because it looks and feels so damn cool), or I can still go ahead and bang out a 15+ million point combo going across the map.
Either way, I loved checking it out over the past couple of months, and I am still looking forward to picking it up at release.
Btw Poop and SuperOstrich, the Stevie Williams model is a huge fan-favorite among the production and testing crowd at Activision.
Thanks for the kind words. The Stevie Williams model is a favorite around here too. I'll pass along the word to the guy who made him.
It nods back to THPS4 with the pro goals that are actually challenging.
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Excellent, thps4 was my favorite in the series.
Marcus Dublin
Artist Kaos Studios
PS: I cant imagine anyone at Neversoft actually working on all 8 T.H. games ( especially the art staff) but for anyone that did kudos to them for getting up for it!
Dont mind me just thinking out loud on the state of things, blurb!
As long as theres a classic mode so I can turn off the childish banter I'll be happy though as the strength of the game for me has always simply been to get to pull of more long combos in interesting locations and discover all the little secret doodahs in each place.
Moosey is right though, expressions would help a lot.
r.