Disney’s Extreme Skate Adventure

Skate Like A Pro!

NA release: 3rd September 2003
EU release: 5th September 2003
JP release: N/A
Developer: Toys for Bob
Publisher: Activision
NGC Magazine Score: 74%
Mods Used: None

With Disney Sports Skateboarding being a bit of a dud, Disney must have had a bright idea: why create their own skateboarding game themselves when you can just ask Activision to make one for you. This game is very much Tony Hawk’s for kids as it uses the exact same engine from Pro Skater 4 (including a lot of sound effects and menus), but with a Disney theme. It features simplified controls, with an option to change them to something closer to the main Tony Hawk’s games. If only Disney had allowed Activision to have some actual fun with the concept.

You see, this only features three franchises: The Lion King, Toy Story and Tarzan. Each of these have four characters and three levels. Annoyingly, you can’t mix and match franchises, which seems like a missed opportunity, as is the lack of Mickey Mouse. This really should have focused more across multiple franchises, with each one getting its own single level, as each franchises seems to peter out across its weak levels with some annoying design – such as Pride Rock where you have to go up the same hill many times to get the collectables.

The funky board designs also don’t look quite right, they don’t quite connect to the floor which makes everything feel disconnected, like the characters aren’t part of the world. Adding to the tonal dissonance is the soundtrack, which is an average Tony Hawk’s style soundtrack with no Disney tunes at all. It just doesn’t sound quite right and means that the great gameplay of Tony hawk’s just unravels when all its strings are tugged at in the wrong way.

You can also play as a child, either using the default characters (based on real kids that won some kind of event) or using the create-a-skater. These have their own world, Ollieworld, which is more like a traditional Tony Hawk’s level, featuring very little Disney stuff. Instead, the levels and missions focus on McDonald’s and Nokia, which just makes the entire package stranger. Although it is interesting that the McDonald’s mission is acting as a courier, which is normal now. They could have had Disneyworld be a focus of the game as a reason to mix and match for characters and include more franchises, and still have a way to fit in the advertising, but instead we have a rather soulless game….but still solidly good due to the base engine.

Fun

Tony Hawk rides again, wearing a Buzz Lightyear gimpsuit. It’s the skateboarding game for anyone who finds the trickier ones too frustrating.
Martin Kitts, NGC Magazine #85

Remake or remaster?

If it was done much better, I would be asking for a remake on the new Tony Hawk’s engine, but the only solid part of this is the skateboarding engine, everything else needs to be better.

Official Ways to get the game

There is no official way to get Disney’s Extreme Skate Adventure.