Abnormal Mapping 31: Tony Hawk's Project 8

The Mappers celebrate the heat of summer with hot jams, hotter skating, and the blazing addition of a third host! The three of them get down to business with a long talk about the sun-drenched streets of sizzling pavement and blasting AC, cars in traffic and the endless parade of city construction. It’s open season on open worlds, a question of what open worlds mean for the formal structure of video games and level design. Then, we skitch behind a stunt car and grind our way through through the … well, the grind of the eighth endeavor of Mr. Anthony “Tony Hawk” Hawke, Esq., also known as Project 8. Friendships are tested, hands are contorted, and we come through the other side with a rousing defensive of youth and play by one of our number, who can never not ollie. He said see you later boy. He wasn’t good enough for us. But he deigns to take us on this Junetime adventure, as we grumble our way through this expansive romp.You can get our podcast on iTunes, on Stitcher, or you can download it directly by clicking here.NOTE: Jackson and Matthew clarified some of the points in this podcast in addendum article, which you can read here.This Month’s Game Club: Tony Hawk’s Project 8Next Month: Final Fantasy VIII: Part 2Games Discussed: A New Host Appears, VaniaMania Returns with Castlevania 2, Jackson’s PS4 Adventure, Grand Theft Auto 4, Skyrim, Assassin’s Creed 2, World of Warcraft, Sleeping Dogs, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Red Dead Redemption, Yakuza 3, Saints Row the Third, Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas, Burnout Paradise, Spider-Man 2, Batman: Arkhams Asylum and City, Tony Hawk’s Project 8, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, this Errant Signal video, skate 2, Crazy Taxi, Goldeneye.Music This EpisodeBlown Away by Kevin MacLeodPunk Rock Girl by The Dead MilkmenIf You Must by Del The Funky HomosapienAll My Best Friends Are Metalheads by Less Than JakeSuperman by Goldfinger