Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 - Review
There is something inherently wonderful about reconnecting with an old friend and picking up exactly where you left off all those years ago. Whether or not that is a best friend from high school, a work colleague from a previous job, or the digitalisation of Tony Hawk and friends busting tricks on their virtual skateboards.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (THPS) is back again, a few years after the release of 1 + 2. Vicarious Visions, having been rebranded as Blizzard Albany, were no longer working on the Tony Hawk Franchise. This time around, we have Iron Galaxy Studios manning the helm.
As a teenager, THPS 3 was my introduction to the graphical prowess of the PlayStation 2. Having booted it up for the first time, I was wowed by how improved the game was compared to the first two games. A year later, THPS 4 was released and built upon the formula by including missions that operated similar to the Grand Theft Auto series of the same generation.
A bugbear of mine straight out of the gate is that Iron Galaxy has stripped THPS 4 of this open world freedom and takes it back to the classic two-minute skate runs from the first three Tony Hawk games. Admittedly, Iron Galaxy admitted that this was the case from the start, so the expectation that this was happening was always there. I cannot help feeling that some of the levels in THPS 4 do not lend themselves as well to the two-minute format as the THPS 3 levels.
To alleviate this somewhat, the games come with a series of mods that are designed to help players of differing abilities. There are mods that give you unlimited balance when performing manuals, grinds, and skitching, as well as mods that keep you from falling. To bring the game feeling at least a little more like THPS 4 is the ability to give yourself longer than 2 minutes to complete the tasks in a single run. It is almost entirely up to players how they want to tackle the game and works well.
At its core, the THPS games play fantastically. Whether you are ollieing from a half pipe, spinning tricks between gaps, or grinding down the side of a cruise ship, it all feels super responsive. The old adage “just like riding a bike” is apt here, as it only took me a few attempts to get myself back into the core mechanics and traversing each level.
The game looks fantastic as well, with the increase in capabilities of the PlayStation 5, every level resembles their original iterations, while looking fresh enough to remain interesting to veterans. Each map is beautifully created from the ground up to retain their original layouts, but the amount of extra detail kept me feeling like I was playing a brand-new game instead of a remaster the whole time. thing runs in sixty frames per second and keeps everything looking and feeling great.
The music of Tony Hawk games were often the soundtracks to people’s teenagerhood. A lot of amazing tracks from both 3 and 4 make a return here, including songs from Agent Orange, The Adolescents, and Iron Maiden. However, music licensing prevents every track from coming back. We do not have Alien Ant Farm, Rollins Band or Red Hot Chili Peppers anymore. It is not a dealbreaker but always be prepared that your favourite song may not have made the cut. Most of the new tracks are fine, but do not mesh with my own personal tastes.
The ability to create your own skaters and parks make their return. The park editor itself is actually pretty intuitive. You can create detailed parks with halfpipes, rails, billboards and more and share them online. Whether you want to create something to farm trophies with, or something you would like the online community to master, the mode is robust enough to get what you want out of it.
Similarly, creating a skater is detailed enough to create just about anyone. It may not be as filled with options as a WWE 2K game, but there is enough here that should allow you to either create yourself or your favourite skater not in the game. Completing challenges unlocks a variety of clothing options you can use to your heart’s desire.
The roster is probably the most varied in any THPS game to date. There is a mix of returning legends like Tony Hawk, Bob Burnquist and Bucky Lasek. There are also modern skaters in the game like Nora Vasconcellos, Andy Anderson, and Australia’s own Chloe Covell. There are some surprises included such as Bam Margera, which is no doubt a boon for Jackass and CKY fans.
Ultimately, it is difficult to fault the game, as everything seems to run in a cohesive package. The major bugbear of course is how THPS 4’s open world style levels were neutered for a more traditional play style, and whether the soundtrack is for you or not is entirely up to you. I personally feel like it is weaker than the original games.
Fans of the original games will find this package to be a respectful, polished, and responsive rendition of THPS 3 and 4. Newcomers to the series are also catered for with the mods that can be activated in order to assist with gameplay.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 does not reinvent the wheel. What it does do is take two classic games from the early 2000s and transforms them into fantastically modern renditions. Some people will take umbrage from the drastic changes made to THPS 4, and some will from the missing songs in the soundtrack. Almost every remaster deals with something similar. However, the responsiveness and the attention to detail in each level more than makes up for it.
The Score
8.5
Review code provided by Activision
The Pros
Faithful recreation of the classic THPS format
Responsive controls
Useful mods to customise the experience
The Cons
Loss of the mission structure found in THPS 4
Soundtrack omissions will not please everyone
