Tony Hawk's American Wasteland review

Ever seen a fat skateboarder? If you're going to pull off flip tricks and delicate balance moves, being light on your feet helps. That's what makes Tony Hawk's American Wasteland such a paradox - it's gained a lot of heft as a franchise over the years, but now it's starting to be weighed down by its own legacy.

Granted, if it ain't broke, don't fix it - the Hawk mantra has always been to extend the skateboarding experience rather than fundamentally change it. And THAW definitely offers extension: a huge, sprawling Los Angeles, yours to explore without loading times getting in the way. (Well, they're there, but you get to skate through them as you travel from, say, Hollywood to Beverly Hills, or Downtown to East L.A.)