(continued from previous page) ...to invite your friends to skate with you in this lounge for online multiplayer, and each item in the park will be a mark of an achievement that you have made in the single player storyline.

As for multiplayer, Proving Grounds will support up to 8 players at a time, allowing more players then ever before in a Tony Hawk game. This will be the first Tony Hawk on the PS3 to support online play. There was little speak on which game modes will be included, but expect to see the classics such as SKATE, free skate, and high score challenges.

Two more features were shown during our trip, the video editor, and Hawk-Man. The video editor is a great new way to show off your skills to friends. Throughout the game, you can record your tricks, or take snapshots during some epic moments. These will be saved to your hard drive, and can be later used to make a skate video. The editor features overlays, transitions, and filters, all which can be used to create a very nice skate video. In a demonstration, a photo of a custom skater doing a grab over a massive gap was shown with an overlay title, some punk music playing in the background starts to fade in as the screen transitions nicely to some gameplay of various grinds and flips, all fading in and out with different filters applied. It really was impressive, and, according to the developers took almost no time to create. All of the tools are at your fingertips, and, although custom soundtracks for the videos won't make it in the game, there will be about 60 tracks included for your use.

Hawk-Man, is, in essence, Pac-Man on a skateboard. To get to this mode, simply skate up to one of the several arcade machines around the world and interact with it. This will allow you to choose Hawk-Man or High Score Challenge. Both options will put you into a closed off section of the world with an objective. High Score Challenge doesn't need an explanation, but Hawk-Man does. There will be several floating orbs around the level, each being green, yellow, or red. To grab the orb, you must be doing a manual, grind, or in the air. Sounds simple? Not quite. The team has placed these orbs in a very strategic manner, creating some really cool lines, and presenting the challenge to get all of the orbs in one line. It is harder than it sounds, but is definitely one addicting mini-game.

The PS3 version of the game is going to be as close to the 360 version, according to developers. While lacking rumble in the controls, the game will utilize six-axis functionality, and while it is a bit hard to use for handling, is amazing at balancing while grinding or manualling.

The game is set to ship this October, and is looking to be a solid title for fans of the series. Be sure to check back for more on this title as well as a full review later on!

Some Pictures from the event:

Keep your browsers pointed to PSU for the latest Infomation on Tony Hawks Proving Ground for PS3.