November 1, 2011
Pap the Disney Gamer's
Highlights: Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure
Developed by: Toys for Bob
Systems: Nintendo GameCube,
PlayStation 2, Game Boy Advance

In the late 90s, a new genre of
gaming took the world by storm: the extreme
sport simulator. Spearheaded by Tony Hawk and
his own series of games, many fans took a deep
appreciation towards the world of extreme
sports. Everything from skateboarding to surfing
and rollerblading were great subjects for a
solid to fantastic video game effort. Disney
Interactive took notice of this and created
their own take on this new and exciting trend in
gaming. The end result was Disney's Extreme
Skate Adventure for the PlayStation 2, GameCube
and Game Boy Advance.

Disney teamed up with
Activision, the company behind the Tony Hawk
games, and developer Toys for Bob, and created
an interesting take on the skateboarding genre.
Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure was based on
the Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4 engine, assuring that
players familiar with that game series would get
into the intricacies of the gameplay right away
while those that never played a game before
would easily understand how the game played.
There were several control schemes featured in
this game. One of them is the Pro Controls,
which are borrowed from the Tony Hawk games. If
expert players want this game to be more of
their liking, choosing this option will grant
their wishes.

Of course, it wouldn't be a
Disney game without a solid cast of characters
behind it. Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure
features around 12 characters from three classic
Disney stories: The Lion King (Simba,
Rafiki, Nala and Timon and Pumbaa), Tarzan
(Young Tarzan, Terk, Young Jane and Tantor), and
Toy Story 2 (Woody, Buzz, Jessie and
Emperor Zurg). In addition to these classic
characters, two brand new skaters were added.
The main importance behind them is that they are
real kids that were selected to appear in this
game through an audition process held during the
development of this game. Alongside the Disney
characters and the new characters, players can
also create their own skater by selecting his or
her looks as well as the board they use and the
equipment they will sport.

Much like in the Tony Hawk
series, each character features a set of stats
that affect how he or she will perform on the
skating rinks, such as �Speed,� �Ollie,�
�Trick,� and �Balance.� Each character controls
differently from the other, giving players the
opportunity of selecting one character and
mastering him or her, or choosing the right
character for some of the missions featured in
the game.

Speaking of which, there are ten
tracks pulled from the different Disney
universe. Some of these include the Pride Lands,
the Elephant Graveyard, Andy's Room and more.
These worlds would come with missions, such as
collecting all of the meat pieces in the Lion
King world and more. The familiarity of these
characters and worlds would make the game very
appealing to even the most casual of Disney
gamers. This is further fueled by how the game
is presented.

Disney's Extreme Skate
Adventure's graphics are solid throughout. Even
if the game wasn't meant to be a graphical
showcase, the characters look great in their 3D
form and animate just like in their animated
films. There are even film clips playing
throughout the menus. In terms of music, this
being a skating game, the game's soundtrack
features an eclectic selection of pop rock
tunes. Some of the bands features include Smash
Mouth, Reel Big Fish and even Simple Plan. Fans
might be shocked by the absence of classic
Disney tunes, but considering the high octane
gameplay, the music does fit the �sporty�
atmosphere of the game very well.

Overall, Disney's Extreme Skate
Adventure may not be as deep or tricky as the
Tony Hawk games that inspired it, but for the
young and Disney audience, there is no better
way to enjoy this game. The bright, if slightly
limited, selection of Disney characters as well
the flexible control choices and ease of play
make this an unique gaming experience that also
serves as a memory of gaming's past. Don't be a
shoobie and give this game a chance, dude!