There are no microtransactions and everything in the game can be unlocked via gameplay. But if you want to devote yourself to chasing over 700 challenges across every skater and earn boards and other booty, THPS1+2 can most certainly supply that. If you just want to hop in and play through some incredible-looking maps from THPS1 and THPS2 – whether you’re looking to chill, chase scores, or chuck a controller around between some friends, THPS1+2 will satisfy. I predict that some players of a certain vintage may end up a bit anesthetized to all the pop-up notifications and flashy bonus-collection-button-mashing – I know I became a bit numb to it – but I wouldn’t say it compromises any of what’s great here. Chuck in multiplayer and the much-enhanced create-a-park tools and it may be endless, especially as parks can be shared online.
TONY HAWK'S PRO SKATER REMAKE PLUS
Returning veterans will probably have every map unlocked within a day or so, but with 21 challenges for each of the 21 pros plus several hundred extra challenges on top of those, I can’t really begin to estimate how many hours of play there are here. Especially on the first run through, THPS1+2 feels like one of those games where you’re always achieving something, whether you know it or not. Many I achieved by accident, though others I completed after spotting them while shuffling through the menus. Completing these ties into a new, overall leveling system that earns you unique decks, plus cash to drop on other gear for your skaters in the store. This freshens things up a little while they last, but the biggest boost comes from the absolutely exhaustive list of overarching challenges that can be completed across any of the maps at any time, from certain strings of tricks to specific enormous points totals. One place where the remake goes beyond the original road map is that new challenges have been added to the THPS1 levels to make them consistent with the longer lists in the THPS2 ones. If you recall where Ollie the Magic Bum disappears to each time you jump over him I guess you may find yourself going through the motions a bit, but it’s difficult to fault Vicarious Visions for sticking to the originals. Those of you with robust memories may remember where a lot of the collectibles and goals on the maps are because, as this is a faithful remake, they obviously haven’t moved. This is a good, elegant solution that beats having each game as an otherwise unrelated mode, like in Vicarious Visions’ last remake effort, the Crash Bandicoot N. Skills points for your skaters that you earn in THPS1 maps, for instance, make your skater perform better for the THPS2 maps – and vice versa. Hangar is also a highlight it’s never been the most interesting level but here it’s been turned into a virtual shrine to original Tony Hawk developer Neversoft, which is a nice touch.īoth individual games are represented as a separate string of levels in THPS1+2 – and you can progress through them independently – but beyond that everything is unified and accessible from a central hub. There aren’t really any duds amongst the maps but I was particularly impressed by the Mall’s mild reinvention as an abandoned and decaying ghost town that looks like a flood has swept through it, and Venice’s vibrant colour explosion, with almost every surface sporting generations of layered graffiti. The graphics don’t necessarily eclipse those of other triple-A sports sims but they’re quite handsome, and importantly they’re vastly superior to the peculiarly stylised and generally unattractive look of THPS5. They’re obviously infinitely richer with granular detail, filled with impressive lighting, and – unlike the PS1 oldies – feature a draw distance that stretches to the horizon instead of disappearing into fog when it hits double figures, but they’re also wonderfully familiar. It’s actually quite remarkable dropping into each of the nearly 20 levels and marvelling at just how authentically they mirror the geometry of the 19 versions of these same maps. Maybe you think you’ve already had this experience.You have not.
TONY HAWK'S PRO SKATER REMAKE PRO
Maybe you played Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD back in 2012. The levels, the moves, the pros, the songs – every element of the original games that earnt them their legions of fans is back with a 2020 makeover. It shouldn’t be understated how effectively this otherwise fairly simple sizzle reel instantly injects these new skaters into the fabric of Pro Skater, meaning they don’t just feel tacked on. THPS1+2 pushes off on the right foot immediately, with a fantastic intro fusing footage of the iconic stars of the original games with clips of the new skateboarding superstars joining the roster.