Developer Neversoft faced an interesting decision with the eighth edition of its popular Tony Hawk franchise, Tony Hawk's Project 8. It could continue creating cookie cutter skateboarding games, or advance the genre before Electronic Arts, releases its Skate video game in 2007. Built from the ground up for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, Project 8 succeeds at advancing the genre thanks to innovative features and good use of Sony's SIXAXIS controller.

Unfortunately, it appears Neversoft failed to harness the PS3's power to create Project 8's world. Those familiar with the Xbox 360 version may think they're staring at the same game and that's true. With the exception of PS3-only 1080p output, both versions are identical.

With that said, Project 8 is stunning, and there is no better example of this than Focus mode. Activated by clicking the left analog stick, Focus slows the game down to half speed and zooms in on the skater's shoes and board. Details, such as the texture of the grip tape or the way baggy jeans drop stylishly over the endorsed footwear are well appreciated in this mode. This, coupled with the addictive sound of wheels on pavement help bring gamers right to the action.

Environments also share this impressive level of detail, whether skating through a pond with fish frantically swimming out of the way or the glistening parquet floor of a high school gymnasium. Skaters also look great, with details such as tattoos and facial hair lending to a sense of realism.

In addition to the beautiful environments and character models, Project 8 has a unique style. During Career Mode, for example, the game introduces skaters with slick cut scenes and a cool graphical overlay of their name. This is usually preceded by a call on the game's videophone that treats players to real-world videos of the skaters in action.

Project 8's stellar presentation brings players into the world of skateboarding and is enhanced by a great soundtrack that spans three genres: punk, hip-hop and rock. The music has an eclectic feel, going from Songs like Kool and the Gang's "Summer Madness" (recently made famous again by Nike's Lebron James commercials) to newer hits like Gnarls Barkley's Violent Femmes cover of "Gone Daddy Gone" give the game an eclectic feel. The soundtrack is worth owning, and proves that the Tony Hawk games still deliver the stereoscopic goods.

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