Being the handheld version of the latest entry in the series, the content of Tony Hawk's Proving Grounds for the Nintendo DS is somewhat slimmed down in comparison to its console brethren. While the Xbox 360, PS3, Wii and PS2 versions of THPG have Career, Hardcore and Rigger classes available, the DS version instead opts for a kind of balance meter that hovers between Career and Hardcore. The "Nail the" series of tricks seem to also be absent from the DS version, as there is no information on anything like it in the booklet, or anywhere I've scoured online.

Career mode in THPG is your standard fare. You are amateur skater trying to fix up a skate park, and obviously the only way to get the scratch you need to fix the place up nicely is to turn pro. Lucky for you, Tony Hawk just happens to be there to help you out! After a few tutorials you are taken to Philly where you must, in typical Hawk fashion, complete various tasks in order to move the story forward. All the while you are earning cash which will help you outfit your skate haven. As stated earlier, a meter tracks which skating path you are heading down. As you complete goals for either Career Pros or Hardcore Pros, this meter adjusts to reflect it and the story progresses as such. Moving forward with either side of the story grants you new skills, such as Focus for the career skaters and Aggro Pushing for the hardcore skaters.

Proving Ground plays almost exactly like Sk8land did a couple years ago, with some additional features thrown in. The thick bordered, cartoon look of Sk8land is gone and in its place are graphics that take us back to the PlayStation era of the series. Some of the models look ridiculous though, as it seems like everyone's legs are four foot long, while their upper bodies appear to be disproportionate, though this is largely an ignorable detail as you will be too busy linking tricks to notice it. 'Focus Mode' returns in THPG and is activated by tapping an icon on the lower left corner of the bottom screen when your special meter is full. When Focus came into play many moons ago in Underground 2, I was put off by it. The implementation of it seemed to take away some of the "skill" involved with keeping balance meters steady. The slow down mechanic seemed to cheapen the sense of accomplishment for achieving high scores that utilized it in the trick line. All in all, Focus mode seems to be a nice little addition to this title. Touch screen specials also make a return in this installment, allowing you to forgo the button mashing of entering special moves. Although most die-hards and purists will still button mash to their hearts content, those of you who don't want to memorize all the different commands for your specials, will more than likely welcome it with open arms. I personally believe the Touch Specials to be a good thing, since I've had problems with the DS not reading the commands I've pressed.

Final Thoughts

When I first picked up Tony Hawk's Proving Ground I must honestly say, I played it for a few minutes and then set it down shortly there after, disappointed. Perhaps it has to do with the years of love I've given the Hawk series, and the inner excitement to see what could be coming with each installment. Or wondering how they will tweak the series for, hopefully, the better. Although recently it seems, that is since American Wasteland, I've grown somewhat tired some of the off the wall antics which are seemly getting more and more out-of-this-world. Though, if there is one thing the Tony Hawk franchise knows about, it's how to deliver arcade style skateboarding in a nonsensical fashion. Having just spent the last few days delving into Tony Hawk's Proving Ground for the Nintendo DS, I've come to realize this once again. Sure the DS edition of Proving Ground isn't the flashiest entry into the Hawkster's franchise, but it does the job as well as a handheld entry can. THPG does what it's meant to do, and that is giving you entertaining Tony Hawk skateboarding action while you're on the go. While it lacks some of its big brother's features, the game proves it doesn't need all the bells and whistles in order to be a solid title.