I'm a big fan of the series, having tons of nostalgia for Pro Skater 2, and American Wasteland in particular. I remember playing P8 on the PS2 back in the day and enjoying it, but never beating it. I can see why, as the PS2 version's level were clearly not retooled enough for the different engine, leading to some very very wonky physics.

As for the HD version, there's stuff to like: the every level is interconnected thing is really really cool. Going from one level to the other in one big combo (without the loading corridors of AW) is tons of fun. Sadly, there's a bunch of things here that drag the whole thing down, making it ultimately annoying:

The ragdoll physics missions are awful. Just bad.

The engine is clearly not quite there yet. They're going for more "realism" while still trying to keep the arcade-y feel, leading to this weird hybrid. Everything feels harder to do than previous entires

* And worst of all, the framerate. We're down to 30FPS here folks, and it makes a world of difference. You could get used to it, but there's also slowdown. Very frequent ones, I think this bitch gets to 15FPS sometimes.

I really wanna like this game, but it was very clearly rushed, and it's difficult to say I do like it.

This one is a little odd to review, consider the two versions (Xbox/PS2/PSP vs. X360/PS3) are of such different quality.

The short answer; if you want to play this game, get the 6th generation version. The levels aren't really built well for that version (as they are now instanced areas vs. a interconnected open world), but the skating engine is a million times better, and they don't have the awful ragdoll missions.

Ultimately, the game really isn't that good no matter what version you get. You can tell Neversoft (and the various satellite studios porting the titles) were really running out of steam at this point, having pumped out 8 titles in 7 years, not including the the handheld variants. The cracks in the formula really started to show with this entry, though I don't think it really fell apart until Proving Ground.

Project 8 can still be a fun time, but it's definitely not the first game in the series you should be reaching for, or the second, or the third, or the fourth...

Even though this does have "some" sentimental value in terms of my childhood. I could just tell something was off about the game, feeling both completed. And yet broken as all hell. This game had a boring asf story you forget half the time, with one of the worst "customization" of your character ever, where you can pick, ugly white guy, ugly black guy, or handsome black guy. Apart from that like, you couldn't even play as a girl. Doesn't help that it weirdly introduce other skater with mini trailers like it's cool or something. This is a very early 2000s game that honestly is not good to go back to. 100% recommend games like Skate 3 or Proskater 1 & 2 Remake

PSP Version: 3.5/5

The career mode of the PSP version is the same as the PS2 version of this game, which is cool because I remember I tried to play the PS2 version and idk if it was my copy but it was buggy as hell. This version played a lot better.

Anyways, it's good! Nothing will beat the open world of the main version, but I like the challenges here and most of the personality remains in tact. The only major problem is that the physics in this version are kind of sluggish in comparison to the main version.

Also worth noting, this version of the game has a classic mode! And, it's probably the best in the series behind THUG 2! If you're curious about the previous-gen version of Project 8, I'd say play this version just for that alone.

Not simulation-esque enough to be the Skate clone it wants to be, and not over-the-top arcadey enough to be a Tony Hawk game - so it rests in this awkward purgatory of "yeah, it exists I guess". Runs like molasses on the PS3 and is deeply, deeply ugly to look at (like most of these early seventh-generation games the color is just thoroughly sucked clean out of it and character models look like infected meat) but otherwise it's too inoffensive to be anything other than 'mediocre'. The mechanics are fine, the soundtrack is fine (MVPs "The Queen and I", "I Wanna Live", "Devotion ['92]", and "Club Foot"), it's fine. The open world never feels as entertaining, lush, or varied as Tony Hawk's American Wasteland and most of the different areas blend into the background due to their overall dullness. The random-ass difficulty spike is bizarre, and the way it implements Classic Mode in this is truly horrible. But... it plays. The spot challenges are the best new addition, providing hours of content on just a couple curbs. I don't hate it but I also see 100% why the series started to tank after this.

THPS was kinda wearing out its welcome at this point, but I do kinda dig the structure of the game. The game runs like crud and it can REALLY inhibit gameplay and completing challenges, and the world itself feels like an unimaginative "best-of" cover album of the previous THUG and THAW games (pretty sure each section has a better counterpart in those previous three games), but I really like how the game feels when it's going, it dropped the old engine and used one that emphasizes realism more, and while that can create a bit of dissonance between the cartoonishly Herculean things that are required of certain challenges, I do like it.

Playing Project 8 for the first the time in 2021, this game really really impressed me. In many ways, it feels like a blueprint for modern skateboarding games with its open world and goals.

On Xbox 360 and PS3, the game retains the classic Tony Hawk controls but uses an entirely new engine. The tricks and animations look more realistic but can still be endlessly chained together in arcade fashion. To me, it's the ideal middle ground between the arcade Tony Hawk games and EA's Skate series.

The game does have its flaws. The higher difficulty goals often feel unfair, but they are optional. The frame rate is notoriously inconsistent, but it didn't ruin the experience for me (I will include a note on the frame rate at the end).

Overall, I just really like the design of the open world and how the game feels. As a longtime fan of the series, I knew this game wasn't as celebrated, but it has quickly become one of my favorites.

(Frame rate note: If you are playing on 360, it is recommended to not update the game. If you have already updated, you can go back and clear your cache. Apparently the game originally ran at 40-60 FPS but was patched to run at 30 FPS for stability reasons. The frame rate still drags in areas regardless, but from what I have read, not updating is the preferred way to pla ).