For many,Tony Hawk Pro Skatergames are synonymous with early 2000s gaming sessions with friends, grinding and jumping around wild environments and landing completely ridiculous tricks.
Now, there’s a new Pro Skater on the horizon — and it looks like it just might set the series right side up, compared to thedisastrousTony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5.But this game, Tony Hawk 1+2, released this fall, looks forward while taking the series back in time.
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It’s a complete remastering of the OriginalTony Hawk Pro SkaterandTony Hawk Pro Skater 2,outfitted with completely new graphics and more.
10Grinding Into The New Generation
It’s been 20 years since these original games were released. And since then, games have evolved with three generations of consoles boosting the game worlds on offer to incredible heights.
Games like Skate 3 still feels fresh 10 years after their release — and theTony Hawk Pro Skater 1 + 2trailer looks, quite simply,breathtaking.
From the character models to the advanced ray-tracing and detail, This game looks all but sure to beat out current skateboarding games likeSkater XLin the graphics department.
9Reactivate Activision
Activision, the publishers behindCall Of Duty, held the reins of the Tony Hawk series from launch until now. The series was developed by Neversoft, a now defunct Activision branch, before switching to Robomondo in 2008.
And since then, well, Tony Hawk games haven’t been worth playing. Now, Activision’s studio Vicarious Visions is developingTony Hawk Pro Skater 1 + 2, a sign to many that the series is heading back in the right direction.
They were behind theredo ofCrash Bandicoot— maybe a sign they’re masters of a refresh.
8Pre-Order Presents
There’s a lot of low reward pre-order bonuses out there. Especially these days, pre-ordering a game means taking a risk on a unreleased (and most-likely buggy) game that just might flop. WithTony Hawk’s Proskater 1 + 2, the preorder bonus is an entire level available to skate months before the game is released.
The Warehouse is the first level inTony Hawk’s Pro Skater, and is beloved for it’s impeccable design and flow that allows for the trick combos that made the series great. The ability to hone your tricks before the game is released is reason enough to snatch this game up before it hits shelves.
7Old Skaters Rise Again
Tony Hawk Pro Skater,and its sequel, had some of skateboarding’s icons as playable characters. From the high flying tricks of Bob Burnquist, to the shenanigans of skateboarding’s bad boys like Andrew Reynolds, the game will have all 13 skaters that the originals did.
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But there’s a twist. They’ll all be remodeled to accurately represent a time that’s past. Get ready to drop into insane halfpipes with a middle-aged hawk, or twist around parkades with the flair of Rodney Mullen. Old dogs, Activision claims, can definitely learn new tricks.
6Washing Away Pro Skater 5
In 2015,Robomondoreleased Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5, and it flopped. While the game tried to get back to the basics, it ended up being a poorly constructed arcade skater with no innovative levels, rampant glitches and a soundtrack as bland as the game’s levels.
This upcoming release is a complete refresh, and there’s a chance that going back to the series’ roots will be a chance to redefine what a Tony Hawk game can be in 2020.
5No Pesky Microtransactions
Loading up a new game only to find a hefty chunk of content blocked off by microtransactions is annoying to say the least. According to to the publisher, the game’scontent will be fully available at launch, meaning that there’s no blocked off DLC dipping into your wallet.
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For now, anyway. If there’s a demand for more content, there might be DLC down the road.
4Nostalgia-Fueled Soundtrack
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater was always more than a skateboarding arcade — it was a way to view the flourishing skateboarding sub-culture of the 2000s. And there’s few better ways to experience what skateboarding was like in its hey day than listening to the songs that originally came out with the game.
Dead Kennedys, Goldfinger, Rage Against the Machine: those are only a few of the heavy riffing rock and pop anthems that will blast into the game world as you skate the day (or night) away.
3Skate With Friends
It’s hard to find local multiplayer games these days, with massive series likeBattlefrontandCall of Dutyshying away from the split screen experiencethat drew many gamers to them in the first place.Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1 + 2brings it back with both local and online multiplayer.
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Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2was the first game to go online on the PS2, and the series has a long tradition of duel-skater action. Great ready to out-trick your friends.
2But Where’s Skate 4?
As many gamers would expect, the news aboutTony Hawk Pro Skater 1 + 2set off the internet’s die hardSkatefans, who arestill clamouring for a follow-upto the massively popularSkate 3.
While the Skate series was angled more towards simulation — a joystick controlling each foot — it outshined Tony Hawk games in the latter half of the early 2000s. With Skate 3, EA effectively pushed Tony Hawk towards irrelevance ( Tony Hawk ports for the Xbox Kinect… did not work).
There’s hope that if this game succeeds — as well as the soon-to-be releasedSkater XL— EA might decide that it’s time for a follow-up. As of now, there’s been no official word onSkate 4, despite various rumours throughout the years.
1Return of the Arcade
Speaking ofSkate 3,extreme sports games have leaned away from arcade-type gameplay in favour of simulation experiences. Take, for example,Session, orSkater XL. While Skate has a host of fans,Tony Hawk’s Pro Skaterembraced the ridiculous side of stunts, and allowed gamers to experiment with trick combos too insane for words.
Almost nothing you can do in these games resembles real life skateboarding — and that’s the point. The fun ofTony Hawk Pro Skateris the incredible memories formed skating to the max, and with updated graphics and true to era music, it just might herald in a triumphant return to arcade skating.
NEXT:Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater Remaster: 10 Games To Play To Get Hyped
