In a departure from former games in the series, Underground gives players the chance to take an ambitious non-pro skater from an unknown, to superstar status. For the first time in the series, players will be able to get off their board and explore the expansive levels on foot, or in a vehicle. Customize the look of your skater, your skater's tricks, and even create custom skateparks. Tony Hawk's Underground features nine sprawling courses, as well as a level of freedom and customization that is unprecedented in the popular series.
Get ready for a totally new breed of the Tony Hawk experience in-Tony Hawk's Underground. Play as yourself, not a pro skater, and make your way through a plot-twisting, true-to-life story that takes you from unknown local skate punk to fame and fortune as Skater of the Year. Get off your board and explore 9 expansive levels on foot or jump on a motorcycle, BMX bike or go-kart and go for a joy ride. Enjoy unprecedented customization by designing and naming your own original tricks through the all-new Create-a-Trick. Or create bigger parks and include your own goals in the expanded Skate Park Editor.
After you're done, share your tricks and parks online with your friends. You can even download your own face into the game! And, with all-new online play - new games, support for clans - you'll have infinite expansion through downloadable content.
You're the star...you own the Underground!

This has been out forever, but we were unable to previously review the GameCube version of THUG. In the interest of giving Nintendo fans their due, let me say that this version has all of the things I both loved and hated about Underground – the awesome levels, the annoying story, the untouchable gameplay, and the inconsistently structured level goals. It's also probably my least preferred way to play Tony Hawk, if only because it makes me curse the GC's tiny d-pad and weird, oversized buttons. Also, unlike most popular GameCube titles, it does not feature any online play. That's a joke, people.

Rated: 8.75 out of 10
Editor: Matt Helgeson
Issue: February 2004

-- Game Informer Review