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0 Before Activision had Call of Duty as their yearly release, Tony Hawk Pro Skater was their pride & joy.
Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1 + 2 is the latest remaster on the market, Activision & Vicarious Visions have come together to produce this masterpiece.
These games were originally released in 1999 & 2000, the series has gone on from there though with many more games added to their list.
The latest Tony Hawk game before this was a disaster so much improvement was needed.
The game is available now on PC, PlayStation & Xbox.
Gameplay
If any of you ever played the originals of these games you know it was a time sinker. Whether it be grinding all the levels or creating your own park.
The gameplay is a serious improvement on the last Tony Hawk Pro Skater, with the game feeling like it used to with enhanced graphics. Gameplay needed to be the same to fully capture just how much of a masterpiece these games were. Whether it be skating around the school’s or flying around in the hangar, it has captured everything terrifically. Tony Hawk Pro Skater is one of the most iconic skateboarding games to date, and this remastered version full does it justice.
Whether you want to hop into all the levels or just roam around in the free skate mode, there is plenty for you to do. The story mode is exactly as it was on the originals with a massive overhaul to the graphics. Levels still as good as I remember, except from downhill jam that still sucks. One new addition to Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1 + 2 is back on the originals you had to collect cash and gain cash from completing the goals to improve your skater, on the remaster you have skill points scattered around the levels.
Create your own skater was always a key thing in Tony Hawk Pro Skater and this time around they have massively improved it, with being able to buy stuff off of the in-game store. You can make your skater look as unique as you like, with clothing brands such as Birdhouse, Etnies, Adidas & Nike! With your skill points gained through the levels you can improve your skaters skills, with more air-time, speed etc.
The create your own park mode is so much more complex on the remaster with having so much more variety on what you can do with it, whether you want it inside a building or outside the choice is yours. Like I said in the create-a-skater section you can also buy stuff off of the in-game store to add more stuff to your park and have much more control with it. One thing that has made me happy is there is currently no way to buy in-game currency… Let’s hope they keep it that way!
The multiplayer addition this year is brilliant, adding a competitive edge against your friends or in game lobbies. You have two different options to play online, one for advanced and one for the casuals. In these game modes you have different skill games such as combo-mambo which is getting the highest combo, score challenge where the first person to reach the score wins and also you can just free-skate. There are more than just these three game modes with plenty more for you to sink your teeth into.
Pro skateboarders have always been a integral part of the Tony Hawk Pro Skater series and this year is just as impressive, with the originals like Tony Hawk, Chad Muska, Bob Burnquist & Eric Koston but also the addition of Leo Baker, Lizzie Armento and also Tony Hawk’s son Riley Hawk. There is also a few unlock-able characters but ill let you find them out!
Graphics
Well what a overhaul Tony Hawk Pro Skater has had, with the gameplay already being phenomenal, the graphics have made this a true great.
Not only does it look fantastic but also makes it play really well. On some levels you have cars or carts, on the original version they would do three turns to go around the corner, but with the modern day graphic overhaul you have a clean turn round the corner. A very minor thing to most but something I found aesthetically pleasing.
Audio
Soundtracks were always a statement on previous editions of the series, with every band wanting to have one of their songs on the game. They have many of the originals on there with some new music added on to the mix, from the original game you have the likes of Rage Against The Machine, Papa Roach & Naughty By Nature. Some new additions were added with some old school hip-hop from A Tribe Called Quest with some newer music from Machine Gun Kelly and Skepta.
The sound effects work really well around the soundtrack, when you fall of your board the music quietens down a little and goes back to normal volume once back on the board. Nice little addition if I do say so myself. Also, who can forget the noise your skater makes when falling off the board, it was iconic!
Longevity
With the levels in the story mode, you are able to replay them as many times as you like, if you missed a goal or just want to try and get a high score. Also, with the addition of online mode this year which is pretty awesome. You have two different types of online modes, one for casuals and one for advanced players. Leaving you plenty of stuff to do in all game modes.
Conclusion
Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1 + 2 is the perfect remaster to an already classic game, with the beautifully next-gen graphics, I am seriously impressed. I tried not to mention nostalgia the whole way through this review, but here we are. The nostalgia of this game is unreal, it makes me feel like a kid at Christmas, growing up Tony Hawk games were my childhood and now I am just so happy with this remaster.
I will definitely be delving more into the online modes, as well as probably completing the story mode again, trying to beat my already decent hi-scores!
I personally think this would be a great addition to anybody’s game library, therefore I am giving Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1 + 2 the Thumb Culture Platinum Award!
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
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