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Gaming with Gil - Ep. 8
Topics: Gamestor Gil, Video Games, September, 2008, Bakotopia, Bakersfield, News
Posted by Gilboa Wed Sep 3, 2008 21:40:42 PDT
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0 responses 1 comment Location: 3000 Mall View Rd # 1015, Bakersfield , CA 93306

Gaming with Gil - Ep. 8
Video gaming news from Bakotopialand's resident expert!


By Gamestor Gil, Bakotopia.com contributor

When I “Googled” in the name Tony Hawk, I got over 7.1 million hits. Wow — all this for a skateboarder?

His recognition among young consumers ranks No. 1 of all U.S. athletes, surpassing NBA basketball greats Shaquille O’Neal and LeBron James, according to Research International USA’s TRU.

Yes, Anthony Frank Hawk (born May 12, 1968) was credited with being the first recorded skater to land the 900, which consists of two-and-a-half rotations (900 degrees) in the air before landing back on the pipe during the televised June 27, 1999 X Games, for which he received an enormous amount of attention.

In 1999, at the age of 31, he retired from competitive skateboarding and signed a big contract with Activision Video Games. Together they created “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater” PlayStation video game. The game became an unexpected hit, and “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 (2000)” ranked as the No. 1 game for more than a month. The Tony Hawk video game series (Pro Skater 1, 2, 3, 4 and Tony Hawk’s Underground) have become some of the best-selling games ever.



In the $18 billion video game market, Tony Hawk games have sold 30 million units in the past decade and have consistently ranked in the Top 10 in U.S. sales the years of their releases, says industry analyst Anita Frazier at the NPD Group research firm.

• Side note for all you “old-skoolers” out there, you remember back in 1987 when they released the very first skate boarding video game for the NES, right? It was “Skate or Die,” man! Twenty-one years ago!



How about “Sk8ter” on PS1? Boy, has video game skate boarding come along way! Now, there’s new competition in this video game genre, with the introduction of EA’s (Electronic Arts) “Skate” one year ago. “Skate” has sold over 700,000 copies to date.

With its success, EA is coming out with its sequel “Skate It” sometime in December. If you haven’t played “Skate” — you are missing out on a very good game.

Let’s check out what’s coming out in video games:

Sept. 7: Spore (Computer version); Spore Creatures (Nintendo DS)
Sept. 8: Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir (Nintendo DS); Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise (Nintendo DS)
Sept. 9: Bratz Ponyz 2 (Nintendo DS); Midnight Club: Los Angeles (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360); Sam & Max: Season One (Wii); Yakuza 2 (PS2); Zoids Assault (Xbox 360) Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X. (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii))
Sept. 14: Rock Band 2 (Xbox 360)
Sept. 15: Mushroom Men: Rise of the Fungi (Nintendo DS); Destroy All Humans Big Willy Unleashed (PlayStation Portable)
Sept. 16: Star Wars The Force Unleashed (Nintendo DS, Playstation Portable, Wii, PS3, XBox 360); Monster Lab (Wii, Nintendo DS, PS2); Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility (Wii); Yggdra Union (PlayStation Portable)

• Gamestor Gil can also be heard live Tuesday mornings on KRAB 106.1 FM with Meathead, Rocky Nash and Francis at 9 a.m.

E-mail feedback, questions and comments to: gil@gamestor.com with“Bakotopia” in the subject line.

Gamestor (East Hills Mall) - 661-871-7900

Story also printed in Bakotopia magazine, issue 36, 9-4-08

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Comment From: matt

SKATE OR DIE, MAN!!!