Tony Hawk's American Sk8land (2005). Play online

Summary

Tony Hawk's American Sk8land brings the gritty vibe of American Wasteland to the Nintendo DS in a slick, cel‑shaded package. Developed by Vicarious Visions, the same studio behind the handheld Tony Hawk titles, it reuses the console’s soundtrack, locations and roster while reshaping everything for the portable format. The top DS screen shows the skate action, while the lower touch screen acts as an overhead map and houses shortcut icons for pulling off tricks. You can also tap the pen to design skateboard graphics and even record short voice clips with the built‑in microphone to paste into your sessions. It was the first third‑party DS game to tap the Nintendo Wi‑Fi Connection, unlocking multiplayer modes such as Trick Attack, Score Challenge, Combo Mambo, and The Price Is Wrong. The service lets you upload and download graffiti, custom board art, high scores, and replays, and it periodically dishes out fresh goals. Unlike the console version, the DS edition removes free‑roaming on foot, but you can bring your skater to a full stop and spin the camera for perfect line‑up. Those little tweaks keep the core skateboarding feel intact.

Storyline

Tony Hawk's American Sk8land follows a young skateboarder from the Midwest who wins a local contest. Impressed, Tony Hawk invites the rider to Los Angeles to experience West Coast skate culture. In L.A., they meet Mindy, a skate‑enthusiast and aspiring comic artist who wants to revive the legendary skatepark called American Sk8teland. The park has fallen into disrepair, so the group decides to renovate it.

As the crew repairs the park, pro skaters lend their help and Mindy learns a publishing office in East L.A. will distribute her comic if she can provide a video showing the park’s comeback. Tony reveals the park’s owner plans to sell the property and the team has two weeks to match the offer or see it demolished. After assisting Rodney Mullen with a flat‑land demo, the group realizes they can capture the pros on film.

When the renovations are complete, the team films the visiting pros performing tricks around the revived park, ending with Tony urging the new rider to land a Japan 900. The video becomes a hit, supplying Tony with enough money to buy American Sk8teland and giving Mindy the material she needs to launch her comic.