THUG2 skates off to stores

Another of the year's most anticipated titles skated off to retail today, with the shipment of Tony Hawk's Underground 2--aka THUG2--to stores. Though it is technically the sixth skating game bearing the name of the skate legend (not counting GBA games or Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2x), it is more of a sequel to last year's Tony Hawk's Underground, which added an in-depth story mode to the game's award-winning skating action.

THUG2 expands the previous THUG's story element, giving in-game missions an even more open-ended structure. Featuring various skateparks from around the globe, the game will once again draft players onto Tony Hawk's skate team, which now includes Jackass star Bam Margera. Numerous other celebrities and pro skaters appear in the game, including Chad Muska, Natas Kaupas, and--of all people--Benjamin Franklin. GameSpot's latest preview explains how the game takes the Tony Hawk franchise in a new direction.

A "T" for Teen-rated version of Tony Hawk's Underground 2 is available for the PC for $39.99, while Xbox, PlayStation 2, and GameCube versions are available for $49.99 apiece. An "E" for Everyone-rated version is also available for the Game Boy Advance for $29.99, and a PSP version is planned for release next year.