I recently had the chance to spend some time with Tony Hawk's American Sk8land (DS), Vicarious Visions' handheld spinoff of Neversoft's Tony Hawk's American Wasteland (PS2, Xbox, GCN, X360). I was also able to chat for a bit with Vicarious Visions CEO Karthik Bala, who explained some of the considerations and decisions that went into developing the game for DS.

Traditionally, the handheld counterparts to Neversoft's venerable skating franchise have been handled by Vicarious Visions--and, like, the full console Tony Hawk games, once they got the formula nailed down they didn't change it up too much. Since Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 on Game Boy Advance, each iteration of the series has seen another GBA version living up to the high standard of quality set by the original game (though Shaba Games also produced Tony Hawk's Underground 2 Remix for PSP). That's not necessarily changing this time around; Vicarious Visions is still developing another GBA Tony Hawk title, but for Nintendo's newer DS hardware, the studio went back to the drawing board. Among other reasons, the game is particularly notable for being the first third-party title to make use of the upcoming Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection online service, and the second overall after Mario Kart DS. Make sure to read onto the second page of this preview for the most comprehensive look at the online features of Tony Hawk's American Sk8land you'll find in any preview.

"This is something of a departure from our previous handheld [Tony Hawk titles]. We wanted a new experience for DS from the ground up," said Bala. Early on, the game divorced itself from the Tony Hawk's American Wasteland name. From a fundamental gameplay perspective, however, fans of the home console versions of Tony Hawk will feel a lot more at home with American Sk8land than they might with the GBA versions. The game is set in a full 3D world, and plays like you'd expect a full Tony Hawk experience to play. That said, the game does not quite continue in the tradition of the last few Tony Hawk games, with their increasingly involved story elements. Rather, the game very much harkens back to the days of Tony Hawk's Pro Skaters 1-4. This is in part because one design principle of Sk8land, reached after looking over the series and at what players most enjoy, was in Bala's words: "Never get off your skateboard."

To that end, the game is much more streamlined than its current-day cousins. You can ride around talking to everybody, picking up missions while working through the levels, or you can simply choose from your list of goals. It does exactly what a handheld title should do, which is what the DS is rapidly becoming known for as a solid portable gaming platform: the game is straightforward and accessible enough that it can be picked up and put down quickly if time is not permitting, but it is also deep enough to sustain play for hours at a time. And believe me, I should know. I was left alone with the game for a few hours, and I passed up the opportunity to play the next game at the preview event because I was still engrossed in Sk8land. Of course, the next game was Shrek SuperSlam, but you get the point.

American Sk8land is rendered in a flat-shaded style that allows a fully 3d world to run at a constant smooth 60 frames per second on DS hardware, while still looking very attractive. As with many games using that visual technique, the game looks much better in motion than it does in still screenshots, which tend to emphasize jagged edges. Controlling the game feels as natural as you'd expect, and since games such as Tony Hawk are most geared towards d-pad control instead of analog stick control (I really can't bring myself to play a console version of Tony with anything but a PS2 controller) the DS layout works just fine. I had a Tony 2 flashback when instinctively executing a Kickflip to Indy, which has got to be the absolute slowest trick of all time but which for some maddening reason is solidly ingrained into my fingers' muscle memory. I couldn't even tell you what the button combination is, I just know it's responsible for innumerable lost points and hundreds of wipeouts. All the skateboard tricks from the entire series are present in the game, as well as the additions from American Wasteland such as Natas Spins, Bert Slides, and some new types of transfers. The game also features the slow-motion Focus Mode found in Wasteland, used after filling up your Focus Meter by completing combos. When in focus mode, the game applies a well-executed motion blur effect.

The second screen has a variety of uses throughout the game. Most of the time, it contains your level map, as well as your current objectives. If you bail while in the midst of a particularly high scoring combo, you'll go into Freak Out! mode, during which the screen presents three cylinders which quickly rise and fall. Tapping them all at their peaks will allow you to save at least some of the points you would have otherwise lost. Once you mess it up once, you'll understand how it works. There's also an interesting touch screen feature that makes special moves (which are generally more difficult to remember than regular tricks) more accessible to Tony newcomers. When your character's special meter is full, icons will appear on the touch screen corresponding to the various special moves available to you at that moment, if any. Touching an icon will execute that special move. Tony enthusiasts will probably find little need for the feature, and of course special moves can still be performed manually. The touch screen is also used for the Create-A-Skater mode, long a staple of the franchise. After configuring your skater's clothing, haircut, and so on, you can draw your own pattern to adorn your deck, and you can create a custom graffiti tag.

The game's storyline itself is somewhat inspired by the 80s punk setting of American Wasteland, but Sk8land puts much more of a tongue-in-cheek spin on it. Bala explained the aesthetic by comparing the game's story to cheesy 80s cartoons--"You know how in the 80s, even Mr. T had his own cartoon show?" Stylistically, the semi-animated storyboard-like cutscenes are very similar to those of the recent Ultimate Spider-Man (DS), also by Vicarious Visions, though the artwork in this game is more evocative of cartoon animation than the superhero comic book style. Like the console game, Sk8land still has you building a skate park by completing various missions, but this game's cutscenes are filled with cameos from the huge roster of professional skaters Tony Hawk games are known for, each of whom recorded their own voiceovers for their in-game selves. Unlike American Wasteland's fictional gang of rag-tag counterculture skaters, the story in Sk8land is driven by Tony Hawk himself, who "discovers" the player and employs him to help rebuild an old indoor skate park that has fallen into disrepair. Longtime Tony veterans will recognize the arena as the classic Warehouse level from back in the day.

Though the only mission-based level I got to explore in much depth was the first one, Bala was quick to note that "the levels are just huge." The game makes use of streaming technology to allow for larger levels than one would expect on the DS. Unlike American Wasteland, which is set solely in Los Angeles, Sk8land features locations from around the state of California--again, more in line with the varied environments of older Tony games. There's a Classic Mode too, which is pure old-school Tony; you have a time limit during which you must complete various goals--achieve high scores, collect letters, and so on.

Continue to the next page for online multiplayer details.