The skating is larger than life, the tricks are huge, the stages are layered horizontally and are expansive … in other words, the game is BIG. When Shaba Games took Tony Hawk’s Underground 2 Remix to the PSP, the company faced quite a challenge.

After all, THUG 2 has had a really successful run on other platforms, and comparisons to taking the World Destruction Tour onto the handheld would be inevitable. Pronounce the port a success on all levels. Ok, maybe the screen initially looks a little small to hold all that the levels and skills contain, but settle into the game and all that has made Tony Hawk’s Underground series a success is right here.

The game has the classic mode, and the aforementioned World Destruction Tour, but the game adds WiFi play with four-person multiplayer, and four new levels for gaming enjoyment. In other words, everything you loved about THUG is here, plus.

The game has several play modes: Story mode, Classic mode, WiFi play, High Score/Free Skate, Horse (new to this port), and Create-A-Modes (create a skater, graphic, goal or trick). 

For those unfamiliar with the game, the story mode is essentially a world destruction tour in which two teams of skateboarders compete for point totals while causing mayhem in several locations. The first of the four new levels comes into play after a quick trip through the training area. After that, you are let loose on the streets of Santa Cruz. There are objectives and once you score enough points, you can move along.

During each level, there are secret areas to discover, a teammate you can quickly use for added tricks and goals, and a special guest to unlock. Some of the special guests are part of pop culture and some are historical figures. During the Santa Cruz scenario, you may discover a special character that warns you of a pending storm. The graphics change from a terrific sunny day to a gray overcast setting.

Tony is the team leader and the overall goal is to score enough points, to keep the contest thriving. In many ways, this is a somewhat scripted and linear aspect of the game. You will wind up trailing, and after a level, the trailing team has to cut loose a teammate.

You can save your game at almost any juncture, and there are several game settings that will allow players to tailor the game experience. You can unlock cheat codes and game movies.

The create modes allow you to customize a skater, even design the sticker that is used in the sticker-slap move, or the graffito you will spray paint on walls. The four levels let players run the streets of Santa Cruz, Las Vegas, Kyoto and Atlanta. 

The controls are minus two shoulder keys from the PS2 version, but the controls really don’t seem to have suffered too much because of that. The game is very easy to control and the learning curve is really not that long, especially if you have played this game on other platforms.

The sounds are terrific with the entire THUG 2 soundtrack moved over here, and while it sounds decent on the tiny speaker system, the game’s robust soundtrack soars on headphones.

Graphically, this game does have a few problems with clipping in some areas, if you miss the landing zone and end up behind the ramp, and the camera can prohibit players from truly seeing a path to freedom, but jump around a bit and you will extricate yourself without losing too much time. Generally, the camera does a great job of following the skateboarder, and showing off the tricks.

THUG 2 Remix plays very well and the PSP is a great way to experience the depth and challenge of this game on the go. If you want a great soundtrack underscoring dynamic skateboarding action, Tony Hawk’s Underground 2 Remix is the game you want to own.

Gameplay: 8.9
The options package is rich and once into a level/scenario, the game moves well. You can waste time in doing freak outs, but there is a purpose to it and players will find the controls work well on the platform.

Graphics: 8.8
There are a few clipping problems where the skateboarder can miss a jump (like in Barcelona) and land behind some barriers, and the camera angle – swinging around to try to lock behind the boarder - makes it tough to see how to extricate from the situation. The animations, though, are well done.

Sound: 9.0
This game sounds great with headphones on. The soundtrack is terrific and while the voice-overs are merely Ok, they don’t detract from the real joy of the game, which is the skateboarding (wonderfully driven along by the soundtrack).

Difficulty: Med/Hard
This is a game that takes skill, quick controller reactions and the ability to move along a chosen path from one trick platform to the next with little hesitation. Fast paced it may be, but there are several difficulty levels to appease players of any skill level.

Concept: 9.0
The developers did a remarkable job of porting the game to the PSP platform, keeping the control scheme more or less intact and adding four new levels to boot. Hats off to Shaba Games.

Multiplayer: 8.9
Up to four players can compete through the WiFi and though there is not a wide variety of player modes, the games that are available, like HORSE, are rather entertaining.

Overall: 8.8
The game has a few minor stumbles, but manages to deliver the Tony Hawk Underground experience jam-packed onto the smaller screen. Four new levels, and wi-fi connectivity for multiplayer make for a terrific PSP title.