Tony Hawk's American Sk8land
Tony Hawk's American Sk8land is a skateboarding video game in the Tony Hawk's series. The game, a port of its console counterpart, was published by Activision in 2005 as the first handheld release in the series for the Nintendo DS, and the fifth to appear on Game Boy Advance. It was the first third-party game released for the Nintendo DS supporting online play.
| Tony Hawk's American Sk8land | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Vicarious Visions |
| Publisher(s) | Activision |
| Designer(s) | Leo Zuniga |
| Series | Tony Hawk's |
| Platform(s) | Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Sports |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Description
American Sk8land uses cel-shaded visuals and it was developed by Vicarious Visions, the developer of the Game Boy Advance Tony Hawk games. The game is based on its console counterpart, American Wasteland, featuring the same soundtrack, and many of the same environments and characters.
The top screen is used to display the main gameplay, while the touch screen displays an overhead map of the area the player is currently skating, as well as icons for easily performing tricks. The touch screen is also used to create Skateboard art. Furthering the use of the DS's functions is the ability to record, with the DS microphone, sound clips for use in the game.
American Sk8land was the first Nintendo DS game released by a third party to support the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, the online service for the Nintendo DS. Players are able to play Trick Attack, Score Challenge, Combo Mambo and The Price is Wrong. Players are also able to upload or download graffiti, board art, high scores, and replays to one of the servers, and can periodically download new goals to complete.
In the DS version, the ability to get off the skateboard and walk around was removed; however, this was somewhat balanced by the ability to come to a complete stop and rotate the camera.
The name is shared by the Game Boy Advance version, also created by Vicarious Visions. The GBA version does not share the same graphics, however, having an isometric point of view, polygonal skaters and pre-rendered levels creating a 3D sensation.