Written by
Neversoft, THPS3 is a
video game to be released
November 2001 (as of 10/8/01, and we all know how firm game release dates are) for the
Playstation and
Playstation 2. All three consist of the player in a
dynamic third-person perspective skates about. All information herein concerns the PS 1 version. Hey, that's all I have access to at the moment.
It shares remarkably little of its codebase with THPS2&1, but the visual feel is very similar. The most shining exception is that this bad boy runs at 60 fps, and that, aside from making animations far prettier, improves playability. "Hey," you think to yourself as you absorb twice the visual information, "I can see what's going on." What goes on will frequently be some brutal new wipeout animations. A few of the onscreen niceties (fonts, score placement, et.) are ugly, but they will likely going to be fixed ere release.
THPS3 offers some significant gameplay advantages over the first two in the series. There is a sliding scale to indicate, when grinding, how off-balance you are, making it easier to correct. New tricks abound, some can be done on flat surfaces, making pavement actually useful. The cast from the others is almost identical, save that Bob Burnquist has been bumped off, in favor of Bam Margera, of Jackass fame. Reportadly some contactual SNAFU is responsible (Game Informer, issue 101). As an added bonus, you can create your own skater. Nifty.