Vladimir Rakhmanin
Deputy Online Editor
Tony Hawk fans usually split themselves into two groups – pre-Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4 and post-Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4. The former love classic gameplay without any added gimmicks – it’s just you, an arena, and several objectives to complete against the clock. The latter prefer more open-ended gameplay, with a larger focus on exploration and an expanded move-set. Despite their differences, I think it’s safe to say that both fanbases will agree that the franchise took a massive dive in quality after the already divisive Tony Hawk’s Underground 2. The games got increasingly worse, and the once influential extreme sport classic reached rock bottom with Tony Hawk: Shred, which was severely overpriced and featured a gimmicky peripheral that didn’t work at all. Therefore, it was wise for Activision to make the next game in the franchise a return to roots. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD is a good looking compilation of some of the best levels in the first two games – and even though it feels a bit low-budget and lacks the brilliant physics of the originals, it does an adequate job of bringing the franchise back on track.
As I have said previously, THPSHD is all about recreating the feel of the original two games while updating the graphics. The level selection here is sublime – fan favourites such as Warehouse, School II, and Venice Beach all make the cut, and the levels from the first THPS have added objectives to make them fit within the template set out by THPS2. The level design remains classic to this day – the secret tape location in Hangar remains one of my favourite video game moments ever, with the developers relying on your intuition to find the hidden object (as opposed to just spelling everything out).
In an attempt to make the game relevant, Robomodo changed the ‘Secret Tape’ objectives to the ‘Secret DVD’ which feels a bit off, considering we’ve all spent so many years with trying to find those tapes. Other attempts to modernise the franchise also fall flat – all skaters are represented at their current age, as opposed to what they looked like in the 90s, which leads to some hilariously odd moments like a forty-something Tony Hawk trying to grind some lunch tables in a high school. The soundtrack is also poor – instead of having a compilation of songs from the old games, Robomodo decided on having half old songs and half new. The new songs aren’t great, although the oldies are still as catchy as they were back then – ‘Superman’ is, of course, included. Unfortunately, ‘Guerilla Radio’ by Rage Against the Machine didn’t make the cut, which is a disgrace.
The game looks great. Even though there’s some dreadful texture pop-in (which is expected, considering the game is based on Unreal Engine 3), the design is fantastic – I particularly enjoyed the new rendition of Venice Beach, which takes place during the sunset. The muted orange palette is really fantastic, and is a visual highlight.
The camera did not fare as well – I can’t put my finger on it, but there’s something slightly off about it, making you unable to see some of the level. This is only a problem occasionally, however, and you do get used to it. Same goes for the controls – at the beginning, I was crashing into everything, as the physics were just a little bit different from the original two games. After about an hour’s practice, though, something clicked, and I was able to pull off my usual lines with ease. There is also no revert available for you to do, but this is not a problem, as each of the maps were designed before the move was invented. I would also highly recommend buying the PS3 version – the game is clearly made to be played with the D-pad, and that is an area where the DualShock 3 controller really excels.
My main problem with Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD is the missed potential. While I understand that this is a budget download-only title, the fact still remains that these classics deserve a more fleshed-out tribute. There’s no offline multiplayer, there’s no H-O-R-S-E, there’s only one unlockable character (the identity of whom I won’t spoil) and the amount of maps is surprisingly sparse. I would have much preferred them to include levels from THPS3 (which is my personal favourite title) in the original download, instead of saving them for DLC. The new modes, such as Big Head, are fun, and the new ‘projectives’ add an extra layer of challenge, but you still can’t shake the feeling like there’s a lot missing.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD is not the greatest possible tribute the franchise could get – however, it is still very fun, which is a testament to the original designers. With time, Robomodo could eventually make a great skateboarding game. In the meantime, this is probably not the best way to jump into the series, but if you only own a current-gen console, give it a go. I just hope that the sales from this title go into funding Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5.
