There are a lot of neighborhoods to explore, but they won't all be unlocked from the beginning. Most areas will require you to complete an objective to enter them, but once you make it there, you can come back anytime. Since you can navigate entire neighborhoods, you have the ability to skate directly from one into another, or take the bus if you don't feel like trekking across town. If you need to find objectives or figure out how to get to the next area, simply take a look at the compass at the top of the screen. When you turn, it turns with you, and icons will indicate what's located in that particular direction. You can also use the map on the pause menu if you're a little lost, but the addition of the compass allows you to go hours without pausing (if you're that type of gamer, that is).

Skating aficionados out there will be happy to here that there are several new moves to pull off, including the vert slides that were made popular in the '70s. These involve making a sharp turn with your hand on the ground, similar to the surfing moves (not surprising given that many of the early skaters were initially surfers). There are also some new moves available when you're on foot, including the ability to run up (and flip off) walls. If you're feeling aggro, you've also gained the ability to throw your board at unsuspecting passersby.

If you get sick of riding your board, Wasteland now offers you an alternative mode of transportation: a BMX bike. The previous games let you ride things like Segways and wheelchairs, but the controls really weren't very precise. These have all been eliminated in favor of the BMX, and the developers created a completely new control scheme. The left analog stick allows you to steer and shift your weight forward or back, and the right analog allows you to perform tricks. You can also bike on any skate lines, allowing you to rack up points by grinding on rails or tricking off jumps.


Although we didn't get to see very much of Tony Hawk's Wasteland, it appears to be shaping up to be one of the best games of the series. The developers have said that they're striving to create a much more interesting game this time out, and the design aesthetic we've seen appears to support that claim. Much of the game looks like it was ripped straight out of an early-1980's skatezine, and much of the in-game art was created by skate/punk art icon Jimbo Phillips. If the game plays as good as it looks, The Hawkman has reason to be proud.