Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2
PC
| PlayStation 4
| PlayStation 5
| Xbox One
| Xbox Series X
| Genre: | Sport | ||
| Developer: | Vicarious Visions | ||
| Publisher: | Activision | Classification: | M15+ |
| Release Date: | 4th September 2020 |
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 and 2 Review
Review By Steve Farrelly @ 06:35pm 04/09/20
Introducing a review in four parts.
As Activision has built up its ‘renewal’ of the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater brand (because let's face it, it is a brand), messaging has been centred around playing the first two original games in a new dynamic. 4K visuals, HDR, 60FPS (120, too) revert, manuals, new music and skaters… a total retread of an old deck, ready to be ground into the pavement or smashed upon the coping. And that's largely been the tale of this new venture. One built out of a bad session(s)-long end to a tired series, if you catch my cess. And that’s not to paint an whole picture of disservice to all of the games. I've always love them in some way. I know it. And that's because it's more than just one title.
I went to my brother’s place this morning and he asked if "it" was out yet, then shot a sigh of annoyance when I said “nah it’s out tomorrow”. He just wanted to play it. And was equally annoyed I was, and he wasn’t.
The thing with this series is that it sparked *a thing*. It didn’t spark action sports games as a genre -- if it did, they’d still be relevant, and they’re not. It gamified progression. An odd exclamation, but try and think of a sandbox game before it with a specific time limit that tasked you with being better at it. Time again. And again. And, specifically, here, with such an underground feel. Nah, the Tony Hawks’ Pro Skater series in its early years was special. The question is, am I looking at it through rose-coloured glasses, or playing with rose-printed gloves? Or, is this still real?
What better launching point than the first game, remastered. And it’s awesome. The reason it’s awesome is that it’s immediately familiar, but now it’s shiny and new. It’s also smooth and fast. Inputs are largely the same and where the hidden goodies between nooks, crannies and ledges is about the same. There’s new stuff, of course, but Vicarious Visions knows what made the first game so special, and they’ve stuck to that. Reverts and manuals means getting a score of a million on Warehouse is more than achievable. Downhill is as fast as you’d think it is in the modern age but these are interspersed with competitions requiring you to get as high a score as you can against the game’s rostered AI skaters (you don’t see their runs), and then you’re judged against them which accumulates an overall score. And at the end you earn a medal if you’re in the top three. It’s not rocket science, but it is cool and breaks up the flow and helps the game feel more modern.
What’s equally awesome is remembering how hard some of the game’s gaps and more hidden components were for the period in which it was made. There’s a progression system tied to rewards where you can put earnt points into stats like Ollie, Speed, Grind etc. So, out of the gate you’re not as good as you’ll get meaning a lot of those hard elements require you to invest in yourself. It’s the most videogame version of the game yet, and that’s saying something.
Newcomers and maybe even some vets might not know this, but THPS 2 introduced kinked rails for the first time. And that simple-sounding addition changed the series forever. If you play the remaster the way I did -- completing One before going on to Two -- this addition will be glaring in contrast to your initial outing, which is why I consider the Two remaster the better part of the whole package. And if I had to acknowledge any part of the whole thing as my reason for that, it’s in School vs School II. The latter simply is the best level ever made in the whole series and in playing that then-to-now, you can see what a systems-stacked game Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater was and realise that, maybe, this series became a benchmark for the moving parts of sandbox games and open-world games. I honestly believe it’s that important.
Two is simply faster and more complicated, in a good way. One is Tutorial, Two is yours for the skating. It’s as simple as that. Across both packages lies a game that knows how to keep you both busy and interested. Benign tasks like being rewarded for choosing a new sticker from the Skate Shop are just that, but they teach you to customise, which attaches you to the experience. No one wants to play Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater as Tony Hawk, probably even the Birdman himself, so making the ‘perfect’ skater YOU is a thing, and in this, Vicarious Visions has made it fun, interesting and goal-driven. The stark difference between both games is oddly on show because of how it’s all presented, but at the same time makes perfect sense given everything above -- in the 1 + 2 Remaster, you get disparate experiences, but across both you gain through a clever management of what each so desirable in the first place -- the gamification of skateboarding.
Multiplayer is here, but it’s not perfect yet, but neither of these games was really designed with that in mind. Skating with a crew is real and real-world, but what skateboarding as both an activity and sport offers is individual challenge. Nailing a trick, that line or seeking the impossible; Vicarious Visions knows that and has played up to that. MP will be a thing, but the single-player experience comes first in the Remaster, and we’re all the better for it. All of that said, there are issues. The game’s myriad parts are cumbersome to navigate. It’s not a fun game where camera and camera navigation is concerned (though it never was, but now with the added speed it can be an annoyance), and the time-limit is a reminder of your constant failure.
Free Skate and such exists, but that’s not what we’re here for. You can make your own Parks and share them in the community, attempt MP as mentioned or just hot-swap the controller from your couch, as I’ve been doing with my eight-year-old. The versatility of this series is actually its greatest triumph and not just upon reflection, but in literal replay. My kid now wants to know more about the world of skateboarding, but loves playing this because it’s a competitive experience; it’s from Mum and Dad’s past and he wants to know why games and skating gelled so well that something like this manifested and honestly, that’s just awesome.
If you’ve ever played either game or the series before, you know what you’re in for, it’s just more. If you haven’t and this is your first time dropping in -- don’t be scared, the opposite transition awaits and gravity will take hold in that this series will launch you to new, fun and endearing heights.
One and Two
As Activision has built up its ‘renewal’ of the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater brand (because let's face it, it is a brand), messaging has been centred around playing the first two original games in a new dynamic. 4K visuals, HDR, 60FPS (120, too) revert, manuals, new music and skaters… a total retread of an old deck, ready to be ground into the pavement or smashed upon the coping. And that's largely been the tale of this new venture. One built out of a bad session(s)-long end to a tired series, if you catch my cess. And that’s not to paint an whole picture of disservice to all of the games. I've always love them in some way. I know it. And that's because it's more than just one title.
I went to my brother’s place this morning and he asked if "it" was out yet, then shot a sigh of annoyance when I said “nah it’s out tomorrow”. He just wanted to play it. And was equally annoyed I was, and he wasn’t.
"The thing with this series is that it sparked *a thing*. It didn’t spark action sports games as a genre -- if it did, they’d still be relevant, and they’re not. It gamified progression. An odd exclamation, but try and think of a sandbox game before it with a specific time limit that tasked you with being better at it...”
The thing with this series is that it sparked *a thing*. It didn’t spark action sports games as a genre -- if it did, they’d still be relevant, and they’re not. It gamified progression. An odd exclamation, but try and think of a sandbox game before it with a specific time limit that tasked you with being better at it. Time again. And again. And, specifically, here, with such an underground feel. Nah, the Tony Hawks’ Pro Skater series in its early years was special. The question is, am I looking at it through rose-coloured glasses, or playing with rose-printed gloves? Or, is this still real?
One
What better launching point than the first game, remastered. And it’s awesome. The reason it’s awesome is that it’s immediately familiar, but now it’s shiny and new. It’s also smooth and fast. Inputs are largely the same and where the hidden goodies between nooks, crannies and ledges is about the same. There’s new stuff, of course, but Vicarious Visions knows what made the first game so special, and they’ve stuck to that. Reverts and manuals means getting a score of a million on Warehouse is more than achievable. Downhill is as fast as you’d think it is in the modern age but these are interspersed with competitions requiring you to get as high a score as you can against the game’s rostered AI skaters (you don’t see their runs), and then you’re judged against them which accumulates an overall score. And at the end you earn a medal if you’re in the top three. It’s not rocket science, but it is cool and breaks up the flow and helps the game feel more modern.
"So, out of the gate you’re not as good as you’ll get meaning a lot of those hard elements require you to invest in yourself. It’s the most videogame version of the game yet...”
What’s equally awesome is remembering how hard some of the game’s gaps and more hidden components were for the period in which it was made. There’s a progression system tied to rewards where you can put earnt points into stats like Ollie, Speed, Grind etc. So, out of the gate you’re not as good as you’ll get meaning a lot of those hard elements require you to invest in yourself. It’s the most videogame version of the game yet, and that’s saying something.
Two
Newcomers and maybe even some vets might not know this, but THPS 2 introduced kinked rails for the first time. And that simple-sounding addition changed the series forever. If you play the remaster the way I did -- completing One before going on to Two -- this addition will be glaring in contrast to your initial outing, which is why I consider the Two remaster the better part of the whole package. And if I had to acknowledge any part of the whole thing as my reason for that, it’s in School vs School II. The latter simply is the best level ever made in the whole series and in playing that then-to-now, you can see what a systems-stacked game Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater was and realise that, maybe, this series became a benchmark for the moving parts of sandbox games and open-world games. I honestly believe it’s that important.
"One is Tutorial, Two is yours for the skating. It’s as simple as that. Across both packages lies a game that knows how to keep you both busy and interested...”
Two is simply faster and more complicated, in a good way. One is Tutorial, Two is yours for the skating. It’s as simple as that. Across both packages lies a game that knows how to keep you both busy and interested. Benign tasks like being rewarded for choosing a new sticker from the Skate Shop are just that, but they teach you to customise, which attaches you to the experience. No one wants to play Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater as Tony Hawk, probably even the Birdman himself, so making the ‘perfect’ skater YOU is a thing, and in this, Vicarious Visions has made it fun, interesting and goal-driven. The stark difference between both games is oddly on show because of how it’s all presented, but at the same time makes perfect sense given everything above -- in the 1 + 2 Remaster, you get disparate experiences, but across both you gain through a clever management of what each so desirable in the first place -- the gamification of skateboarding.
One Plus Two
Multiplayer is here, but it’s not perfect yet, but neither of these games was really designed with that in mind. Skating with a crew is real and real-world, but what skateboarding as both an activity and sport offers is individual challenge. Nailing a trick, that line or seeking the impossible; Vicarious Visions knows that and has played up to that. MP will be a thing, but the single-player experience comes first in the Remaster, and we’re all the better for it. All of that said, there are issues. The game’s myriad parts are cumbersome to navigate. It’s not a fun game where camera and camera navigation is concerned (though it never was, but now with the added speed it can be an annoyance), and the time-limit is a reminder of your constant failure.
"My kid now wants to know more about the world of skateboarding, but loves playing this because it’s a competitive experience; it’s from Mum and Dad’s past and he wants to know why games and skating gelled so well that something like this manifested...”
Free Skate and such exists, but that’s not what we’re here for. You can make your own Parks and share them in the community, attempt MP as mentioned or just hot-swap the controller from your couch, as I’ve been doing with my eight-year-old. The versatility of this series is actually its greatest triumph and not just upon reflection, but in literal replay. My kid now wants to know more about the world of skateboarding, but loves playing this because it’s a competitive experience; it’s from Mum and Dad’s past and he wants to know why games and skating gelled so well that something like this manifested and honestly, that’s just awesome.
If you’ve ever played either game or the series before, you know what you’re in for, it’s just more. If you haven’t and this is your first time dropping in -- don’t be scared, the opposite transition awaits and gravity will take hold in that this series will launch you to new, fun and endearing heights.
|
What we liked
|
What we didn't like
|
More
|
We gave it:
8.9
OUT OF 10
|
Latest Comments
Follow Us
Advertisement
Log In
