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Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 Review: Reclaiming The Throne
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 is a fantastic remake of Neversoft's original PlayStation titles that succeeds by integrating various improvements from the series' PS2 heyday. Developer Vicarious Visions kicked off publisher Activision's current run of high-quality remakes of beloved PlayStation games with the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy. In the years since that 2017 release, Spyro the Dragon and Crash Team Racing have seen successful remakes as well, and now VV is back for a redux of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, the legendary series from Neversoft, which helmed the franchise from the 1999 original all the way through 2007's Proving Ground.
After Neversoft's tenure with the franchise ended, the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater brand fell onto some difficult times with games based on ill-advised peripherals and a shoddy first attempt at an HD remake of the original games. These were then followed by the absolute nadir of the series, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5. Fortunately, those dark days are long gone, since THPS 1+2 faithfully recreates the signature arcade gameplay of Neversoft's best entries while celebrating the series' roots.
Ostensibly a remake of the original two titles in the series, THPS 1+2 features all of the real-life pro skaters and every level from those games, faithfully recreated to look visually stunning on modern consoles. The basic geometry of the stages has been maintained, but the visual style has evolved to match modern standards. Stages have a more photorealistic style, eschewing the cartoon-like sensibilities of Neversoft's titles. The Mall, in particular, stands out with its dilapidated interior having been overgrown with foliage, a haunting acknowledgement of the two decades that have passed since players first explored the location back in the original Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. On the other hand, some old-school fans may be put off by the lack of the Neversoft era's signature clandestine lowbrow humor; instead of punny toilet jokes, storefronts generally feature generic signage, and crass billboards now feature real ads for Red Bull and other brands. In addition to the older skaters, THPS 1+2 also includes many younger skaters from the new generation of the sport; likewise, in addition to nearly the complete soundtrack from both games, this remake also features nearly 40 new tunes that fit right in alongside the old classics.
While the game is billed as a remake of the PS1 originals, the gameplay is clearly based on the PS2 era of the series; THPS scholars may find the game most resembles 2002's Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 in terms of physics and the variety of moves available. In addition to the basic moveset from the original, the manual from THPS2, and the revert from THPS3, the game also uses spine transfers, flatland techs, wallieplants, and other techniques from that seminal entry in the series, as well as the wallplant from Tony Hawk's Underground. Other techniques, like the wallpush, focus mode, nail-the-trick, and walking around on foot are absent, but there's enough here to satisfy even the most hardened THPS experts. The speed at which we were able to master our favorite skate lines and successfully land million point combos stands as testament to the level of care Vicarious Visions put towards recreating Neversoft's core skating and tricking mechanics. Playing THPS 1+2 is like slipping into an old dress for the first time in a decade and breathing a sigh of relief that it still fits perfectly.
From the outset, THPS 1+2 allows players to jump into the campaign progression of either the first or the second game. The level order is unchanged from the originals, though score targets have been inflated to account for the myriad new moves that were introduced over the years. Likewise, the levels from the original game have had new goals added in an effort to be more consistent with the sequel. Some of the goals in THPS2 are as esoteric as they were in 2000, and some are even more challenging. It's still impossible to know what a "Roll Call Rail" or a "VB Transfer" is until they're stumbled across by accident, and the new visual style makes it even more difficult to complete the "Ollie the Magic Bum" goal than in the original.
Players can choose from either the entire roster of pros from the original games, a new generation of athletes, or create their own skater. Cash earned from completing challenges and playing online can be spent on customization options for created skaters, but too many of the clothing options boil down to various product placement logos, and there aren't enough wacky options for playing dress-up with a virtual avatar.
Hardcore THPS enthusiasts will blast through the main Career modes in just a couple of hours, but the real longevity rests with the in-game meta challenge system that rewards cash and XP for completing goals like collecting hidden objects or beating a stage's Sick high score in a single combo. Some of the challenges are incredibly difficult, like speedrunning all the goals in the various levels, and only top tier players will have a chance at completing all of the 700+ meta goals in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2.
The online suite has a strong backbone, but lacks variety. At launch, players can choose between "Jam" and "Competitive," both of which place eight skaters in a free roam session in a random map with rotating game modes like racking up a specific combo score, the classic graffiti mode, or straightforward trick attack high score competitions. After a handful of matches, the process begins anew on a different map. It works well enough, and there's no noticeable lag delay to speak of, but there's not much to it beyond the core gameplay. Then again, the core gameplay of THPS 1+2 is so strong that it's easy to accidentally lose many hours playing around online. Unfortunately, there's no way to play private matches, and the series staple Horse mode is locked to local play only.
Playing Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 feels pitch perfect, but the complete package is somewhat limited by the old-school game design of the original Career modes. THPS4 featured gigantic levels with varied goals that could be completed in any order, while Tony Hawk's Underground built upon that foundation with a cinematic story mode. By comparison, THPS 1+2 feels constrained by the structure of the PS1 originals, but perhaps that was the right decision for now. It's been such a long time since any developer nailed the fundamentals of how to make a great Tony Hawk game, but Vicarious Visions has successfully brought back the original Neversoft magic. With the groundwork so effectively laid down, it would be nice to see the series move forward with the unadulterated ambition of games like Tony Hawk's Project 8, which really pushed the idea of exploring a world through skating and progressing through an engaging narrative. Now that Vicarious Visions has proven itself as the heir apparent to Neversoft, there's no limit to what it can do next with the franchise.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 is out now for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
