If you’re a longtime gamer and a nostalgic junkie, the biggest dose of icy heat and fuzzies you’ll get from a video game in 2020 will no doubt be from Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2, a remaster of the first two games in the franchise.
And it’s not even close.
You boot up, and “Guerrilla Radio” by Rage Against the Machine blows through your speakers when you see a collage of familiar faces, then crash through the wall to the familiar warehouse level as Tony Hawk while the fast ska-centric drums of “Superman “by Goldfinger you are literally asking for a 900 out of the gate. The game is nonstop good vibes.
If you’re like me and you have not played Tony Hawk in over ten years, your next dose of nostalgia will come from the fact that you probably also mashed buttons the first time you played the game instead of a second. no one around the right techniques. That was an unexpected memory when I approached my first half pipe and realized, “Oh wait, I forget how to do everything!”
But it does not matter. The demo is literally only two minutes in the warehouse as Tony Hawk. In truth, it really does not have to be any different. This early peek is a great forerunner of things to come and all you really need to get excited about the full release on sept. 4. It does not only have the tricks of the original two games. You get more features from the entire series introduced to enhance the experience. This is a brilliant move by Vicarious Visions, the creator of the remaster: Give the fans just enough to continue through the rest of August, until next month, when we can finally try our Kickflip McTwists on other levels.
The graphics look solid and are a great upgrade to the original version. Early 3D games, though an achievement for their time, do not quite live up to today’s standards. This remastered version seems to stay true to the originals while adding their own flair and subtleties, which is great to see. It could have been a direct remaster with nothing else, and it would still have been successful because of the popularity of the franchise, but it does not feel like that was enough for the developers, who should be applauded.
Read more: How the world has changed since the original Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater
The popularity of Skateboarding was at an all-time high when Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, the first game in the series, was released in 1999. It became a beloved game, even for those who did not care much. for real-life skate culture, similar to games like Mike Tyson’s Punch Out (boxing) and NHL 94 (hockey) before. The title was just very enjoyable and appreciated by people who love video games.
This version may rely most on old-school fans who rediscover the game, but anyone who catches it for the first time will also be able to enjoy this fresh experience of slipping while learning new tricks and trying to beat your high score and the joy that comes when you finally do.
If you pre-ordered the game, you have access to the demo and you can download it today. You also got the demo if you were one of the lucky few to order the “Tony Hawk Burrito” at Chipotle for a limited time. The game will be available on PS4, Xbox One and Windows PC.
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