Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1+2 - Review

I have a fond remembrance of the original two Tony Hawk games, when they were brand new, myself and some school mates played it for hours one night, in fact we played THPS2 so much, the disc came out the PlayStation looking like it was made of rubber. Over the years my interest in the series waned, mostly due to weird spin-offs being the main draw, but when gave the series the HD treatment back in 2012, I was back on board, pun intended. But while the HD release was ok, it wasn’t great, but can this remake of those iconic entries give me a reason to play it to death all over again, or is it time for the series to skate on by?

I had plans to get the game last year, when it hit Xbox One and PlayStation 4, but as I was moving at the time, I never got around to it, so when they revealed it was coming to next gen and Switch, I knew this would be my time to play it. The game is broken down into two parts, the first is the career mode, the second the multiplayer, which for returning players will be a welcome sight, there is also a skate park mode, but that we shall talk on later. What the team at Vicarious Visions have done is recreate the games, but kept the spirit of the originals, and while later games might be grander in scale, there is something iconic about the first two games and getting a chance to revisit them again, with modern touches, quite simply is incredible.

The bulk of the gameplay is you attempting to complete items off the checklist, in each stage, for the most part, these will be easily achieved, though it might take you a few runs. The bigger challenges, will require you to learn how to execute more intricate tricks, are not something you will be likely to achieve out of the gate, though folks who have played the games before, may find it easier to achieve. What I liked about revisiting this mechanic, is that even if you are someone who is not the best at playing mechanically inclined games, being able to complete goals of obtaining items, or jumping over things, can provide a level of satisfaction. But should you take the time to learn the mechanics properly, being able to launch from a rooftop to collect a hidden tape, or launch yourself off a roof, to drop into a halfpipe can be even more gratifying.

While the levels in the first game were originally quite empty, the second game did add more life to things, but in this release, both feel alive, which took a little bit to get used to. Warehouse is still an incredible level and School II from the second game, provides a lot of fun and challenge, though the security guy in the golf cart is still just as frustrating as ever. While revisiting iconic locations is fun, the skate park creator was not something I was expecting to enjoy as much as I did, even with my limited creation skills. The ability to create a park made up of only grind rails, or one massive halfpipe is possible and while it is easy enough to place pieces down, creating something fun will take some time. What is most impressive is the sheer size of the space you can create it and then because you can fill it with a range of jumps, risers, rails and random things like trees, signs and more, you can, with time and patience, create levels that rival those made by the developers. The ability to create your own levels is not new here, it was first an option in Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2, but it just feels more approachable now.

Something that you will notice early on, especially if playing on the Switch version like I did, is that the game at times, looks stunning, but then randomly, it will look weird. When the game is in motion, as in when you ollie up a riser and flip or grab, things look great, but when you slowdown or bail and take a look around, you will notice that things are a little blockier than you might expect. It is super important to understand that, whilst in motion, you will not notice this, nor is there any impact to the gameplay itself, that is always smooth, it is just when you stop and stare that you will see. This is not an issue exclusive to this game, or even the Switch, but it is something to be aware of, the other side of the looks weird equation is that when you are in the shop looking at deck decals, shirts, hats and even your skater of the day, there is a double load of the assets attached to each. The first is the quick, low resolution image, which is then replaced by a higher and less pixelated offering, again not an issue perse, but just something to be aware of. No matter how the developers achieved the visuals on screen, the game runs smooth and plays as smoothly as you would hope it does.

Even smoother than that, including my segue here, is the games soundtrack, which is made even more impressive by the fact that most of these songs are not ones I would listen to on their own, but in the context of the game feel just right. Some of the tracks are returning classics, 18 of the in fact, but in addition there are more than 30 new tracks added to the series for the first time, but even though songs like Reel Big Fish’s She’s Famous Now, fits the games aesthetic almost so well, it was like it was always included. While everyone will find songs, they love and songs they don’t, the mix of tracks here is just so well considered, that you should find more that do.

Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1+2 on Switch is one extremely impressive game, yes, the visuals are not to the same level as the other platforms, but the gameplay is smooth and offers the same hook, that will keep you coming back for one more run. With a wealth of local and online game modes, plus the ability to create your own skate park and play others, there is near limitless replay potential here, but unlike when I first lost hours to this blend of tight gameplay and incredible level design, you are not likely to end up with a partially melted game disc, though given how much I have played already, it isn’t from lack of trying.

The Score

9.0

Review code provided by Activision

The Pros

+Gameplay is smooth across the board and landing an impressive series of tricks is always so satisfying

+The number of levels, skaters and modes, will provide countless hours of fun

The Cons

-The double load of textures in the shop and customise menus are just weird

-Progression still requires you to get most goals done in a map, which could be a real challenge for some players