Skateboarding has been a popular trend ever since the late 70's, and now with all the death-defying tricks some skaters perform, the genre seems more appealing than ever. No other game has defined the sport better than the Tony Hawk series, but many have tried. Which brings us full circle to Konami's latest attempt in ESPN's X Games: Skateboarding. While not quite the caliber of the mighty legend, the game can still be rather fun.

Graphically, X Games Skateboarding is a mixed bag. While some stages look absolutely jaw dropping, even sharper than the DC version of Tony Hawk, others are marred with major draw in and slow down. The skater models are done quite properly, with large polygon models complete with flapping shirts in the wind and chain wallets rattling behind. The game's X Games presentation has been replicated very well, making it feel like a telecast. If you actually play the first half pipe over and over like Skate or Die, you might be very pleased with this game, but once you step into the open levels, the game hits a few skids. While most stages like San Francisco and the museum have detailed levels with nice textures, the game's fog and terrible draw distance really affect the beauty of this title. Which is a shame, especially with the power of the PS2. If the developers could have somehow eliminated this problem, the game may have given old Tony a run for his money. As is though, the game falls straight into the pits of mediocrity.

The audio side tends to suffer the same fate as the graphical features. The sound effects are sparse and not really as authentic sounding as other titles. We also have the announcer for the X Games doing some voiceovers, although he is as quiet as a church mouse. You barely hear him in the introductions, and a bit of chatter describing each trick enthusiastically would have benefited here. Finally we come to the music. It's been a few years since I skated, but I didn't know that most new punk groups became bastardized boy bands. Who the heck are these guys, and why are they plaguing this title? Where's NOFX, Bad Religion, Pennywise, or any of the great Epitaph recording artists? It just goes to show if it isn't mainstream, it isn't always suitable for gaming. All in all the audio is pretty standard fare.