Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 – FANTASTIC FLIPS WITH MODERN TRICKS – Review
After the train wreck that was Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 in 2015, the demand for a new Pro Skater title skyrocketed. Many conversations involved players reminiscing of the good old days of playing the first two iterations of this esteemed franchise. So it was no surprise that there was an eruption of excitement when the remake was announced. So lets dive in and find out how Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 compares to the originals.
Gameplay
So, let’s take a quick trip down memory lane. It’s 1999 and you’re sitting in your room staring at your CRT TV playing your new copy of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. Remember how incredible it felt to chain flips, grabs and grinds all into one massive combo? What about taking those incredible risks to do special moves over massive gaps between quarter pipes? If you’re like me, then you would have thought “wow, this is the best skateboarding game ever!” Well, the Pro Skater Remakes give that exact same feeling! The controls are super tight and fluid, meaning the transitions between grinds and various board flips happen seamlessly. Each trick can be executed with such precision and timing, allowing us to rack up those massive combo scores. I’ve seen online players rack up combo scores of well over 200,000!! Unfortunately, I do not have that kind of skill.
The remake has come just in time, as the originals have definitely started to feel dated. I constantly found myself messing up combos and missing grinds, especially in the original Pro Skater! The remake has shown just how clunky the originals can be at times.
Create A Park
Create A Park is back and better than ever! Vicarious Visions have implemented a myriad of new customisation options for players to take and create their own unique skating arena. Not only does this add hours of enjoyment to an already stellar game, you can also share your custom creations online. A few favourite custom parks include Gnomey Hawk’s Pro Skater, Crazy Joes Waterpark and straight out of Matt Hoffman’s Pro BMX Hoff’s Bike Factory. There are endless creative possibilities in this mode, and with the added smart ramps, rails and objects, you can take creating your park to a whole new level!
New Features
The main new features in the remake is the ability to do a manual, wall-plant, lip tricks and reverts. Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 had manuals and lip tricks, but the other two were missing from both titles. Understandably, these features help to improve the overall experience. Most notably, manuals, reverts and wall-plants allow for combos to continue almost infinitely, if you don’t stack that is.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 Remake also features a new challenge system. By completing various challenges you can unlock new boards, clothing and new objects for Create A Park. These challenges often encompass getting certain high scores, getting a certain amount of tricks in a combo, grinding for a certain amount of time, as well experiencing unique features of certain parks
Multiplayer
One obvious new addition is the online feature, which casts players into casual or competitive playlists that run through various game modes. Unfortunately, there are no alternatives to playlists for online play, even when in a party with friends. Activision has stated however that there will be “more flexibility for Private Parties that will allow you to have a more personal multiplayer experience with your friends.”
Just like in the original titles, the local multiplayer is where this game really shines. The original game modes all make a return, as well as three new additions. These are; Score challenge, in which players compete to be the first to reach the predetermined score. Combo Challenge, in which players race to be the first to reach or surpass the predetermined combo score. And finally Combo Mambo, which is won by having the highest combo score at the end of the time limit.
Just like before, the competition can get tense in all of these game modes, and emerging victorious feels as fantastic as ever. Plus, you also get bragging rights, and that is always nice. This is very much the classic Mortal Kombat couch multiplayer experience which will see controllers flying and players arguing for just one more rematch!
Graphics
The visuals here are absolutely stunning! It is obvious from the get-go that the developers had put in a whole lot of blood, sweat and tears into making this game absolutely gorgeous! All the environments have been faithfully recreated, as well as additional details being added in where necessary. Not for a moment do any of the design choices feel like they are out of place. It definitely looks and feels like a remake made by fans, for fans!
Music
The music is just as blissful as we remember! Featuring pretty much all of the original soundtracks, even Bring The Noise by Anthrax & Public Enemy which was originally rumoured to not be in the game due to licensing issues. There are many more new songs to add to this already fantastic playlist, including the likes of Chick Norris, JunkBunny, Less Than Jake, Machine Gun Kelly and many more. Not only is the soundtrack chock full of amazing songs, but you can also customise the playlist to feature as many or as few of the song list as you like. On top of that, if the current track you’re skating to isn’t vibe-ing, a quick toggle of the right stick will change to the next song. This is great when you want to pick up the pace and play Guerilla Radio yet again!
Decision
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 has been an outstanding reimagining of the original titles and has managed to be faithful to the originals in every aspect. This is definitely a title that both new players and veterans of the Pro Skater series can enjoy. This is definitely a title to have on the shelf, whether you are interested in skateboarding or not.
Review by Samuel Incze
Excellent
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 is the ultimate example of a remake done right! It perfectly mixes those nostalgic aspects with updated controls and visuals to give players the time of their lives! This is definitely the best Tony Hawk title to play at this time, and one we highly recommend picking up!
The Beta Network uses affiliate partnerships, however this does not influence reviews or any other content published. The Beta Network may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links that are on the website.
Pingback: Skate City Review - A Chilled Out Ride | The Beta Network
Pingback: SkateBIRD Review - BIRDS CAN KICKFLIP?! - The Beta Network