Tony Hawk Takes Air

Activision has signed skateboard champion Tony Hawk for the company's upcoming skating title - Tony Hawk Pro Skater for the PlayStation. Hawk not only stars in the game, he'll be on hand to help consult with the development team until the title's release this fall.

"I have always wanted to help create a video game that represented the reality and excitement of professional skateboarding,'' said Hawk. "Activision has given me the opportunity to make this dream a reality. With their track record I know this will be a groundbreaking venture.''

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater features a trick and combo system that gives gamers hundreds of combinations of moves and stunts. The game is littered with secret areas and shortcuts, and the levels include malls, freeways, elementary schools, and congested downtown areas. Two-player mode runs through a split screen where competitors play in attack or race modes. The title is being developed at Santa Monica, Calif.-based Neversoft Entertainment. "We want Tony Hawk's Pro Skater to reflect Tony's signature style - an intense mix of acrobatics and hard-core technical skating,'' states Mitch Lasky, senior vice president, Activision Studios. "From kick-flips to crooked grinds, the game will entice anyone who has ever dreamed of soaring through the air on a 32x9-inch piece of wood.''