Now this is an awesome must-have extreme sports game! 24 years later, and it still is a popular N64 title, with amazing visuals and really detailed environments for its time. Unfortunately, due to hardware limitations of the Nintendo 64, its port didn't feature the cinematic movies unlike the PlayStation version, which came first. With really tight controls, it's hard to properly balance your board when grinding.
I really love the soundtrack. This is one of the best soundtracks in video games history, having lots of punk rock tunes from the likes of Primus, Suicidal Tendencies, and Dead Kennedys, and most notably "Superman" by Goldfinger; however, the N64 version has a badly downgraded soundtrack; some themes had no lyrics and a few of them were missing.
The roster of famous skaters is something to behold: not only Tony Hawk, but also Andrew Reynolds, Geoff Rowley, Bob Burnquist, Kareem Campbell, Elissa Steamer and many others are available. In addition each character has their own Career mode, which adds a LOT of replay value. And just from seeing who's in this game you know it'll be good.
Career mode combines the arcade style task levels and competitions in which you can complete tasks, which will give you tapes. When collecting a certain amount of tapes you can unlock new levels and new decks, which will improve the character's stats. These tasks include collecting letters that spell SKATE; two are acquired by reaching a set score (the second being two or three times more then the first); doing something with five objects depending on the level; and, finally, finding a hidden tape in a secluded location. Skate competitions, for their part, help mix up the campaign a little: it's 3 heats, score as best as you can, highest score from each skaters' best two heats wins! There are even three multiplayer modes: Graffiti, HORSE, and Trick Attack.
Overall, if you like skateboards and other extreme sports and expect to see, like, heaps of them in this...you'll be disappointed. But extreme sports are always an adventure! This game really makes you wonder who you can trust with your money when it comes to extreme sports! And, last of all, an awesome soundtrack makes this game very playable.