We know what you’re thinking: okay, another Tony Hawk game? But no judgment here. We’ve had quite a few demos of Proving Ground and still weren’t convinced the series still had the magic…up until the demo at the Activision event last week. We gamers love to customize our characters, especially when there is online play involved. Activision has catered to our needs by providing a highly customizable character along with cool new features such as video and terrain editing. They have also added a customized skating lounge where players can paint, furnish, and invite other players to see the handiwork.

Another cool feature of Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground is the real life videos of the skaters featured in the game performing the very tricks that players can master. As tradition to all of the Tony Hawk games, you’re gonna eat the pavement a ton before you start nailing your tricks. However, those who have already mastered the previous Tony Hawk’s will find the controls very similar if not exactly the same. But that doesn’t mean the game is a complete replica, you can do so much more.

Character customization gets as detailed as the many different skating styles out there. Based on difficulty of the successful tricks and points, your character gets ranked worldwide. But simply telling someone that you’re better than them isn’t enough. What good is nailing a trick if there’s nobody there to see it? No problem. You can record all your sickest tricks and falls, edit them, and show them to your friends in your skating lounge.

Not too shabby Mr. Hawk. We’re looking forward to this one. Check out our other previews of Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground for the full scoop, and watch for a review in a few weeks!