Five years after the successful launch of 1+2, Tony Hawk is back again with the return of Pro Skater 3+4. Is this remake a faithful retelling or should this legendary franchise have been left in the past?
Blast From The Past
If we cast our minds back to 2020, Vicarious Visions had just released Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 to enormous success, with a faithful and fun remake of the beloved games. To my dismay, after this success, Activision decided to merge Vicarious Visions into Blizzard and cancel development of THPS 3+4. I feared this would be the end of a gaming franchise I grew up playing on the PS1 but thankfully Activision reversed course and tasked Iron Galaxy with restarting development. What an inspired decision that turned out to be! THPS 3+4 absolutely rules!
Remarkably, despite the cancellation and the change in developers, THPS 3+4 maintains the look and feel of THPS 1+2 along with the same streamlined design and structure. Like the previous collection, both games included in this game act as two separate campaigns in terms of the levels and maps but the overall user xp experience and stats are shared over the two games. If you have played THPS 1+2, you will feel right at home. All the levels from these classic games have been rebuilt from the ground up and animations have been modernised, but at its core, they are still the games I grew up with, for the most part. You have a two minute timer on each level to complete specific goals to the maps whilst gaining all the skate letters and high scores, an absolute blast as always. Foundry remains the seminal map you remember and the best introduction to a Tony Hawk game ever. Airport and Canada remain some of my all time favourite levels in THPS3 to rip high scores and clear the gaps.
There are some changes to THPS 4 that I feel you’ll either love or hate. The original THPS4 had open-ended levels where you interact with NPC’s to gain missions and challenges. This has been replaced with the two minute timer from THPS 1,2 +3. For me, this is a welcome change as I love the challenge of the two minute timers to master each level but for purists of the original, this may frustrate and anger you. There are also three new maps added to THPS4: Movie Studio, Waterpark and Pinball. These new additions are solid maps but don’t feel as memorable as the originals. Perhaps I’m a victim of nostalgia here; they don’t capture the same feel but Waterpark is easily the best of the three. Overall, the content available at launch for THPS 3+4 is absolutely fantastic with online modes and create a park added, as in the previous game.
At Least In Heaven I Can Skate
Similar to the campaign modes, THPS 3+4 follows the same gameplay design and concept as THPS 1+2, because why change something if it works so well?! This is still the golden recipe of Tony Hawk games, attempting to piece together a scintillating combo of tricks and jumps across different environments. Perfecting a Hard Rail Grind, performing a sick 540 Christ Air or just a simple Ollie feels so satisfying that it’s magical at times. I could skate around these maps all day long just performing combos and having fun; it’s downright therapeutic. The C-O-M-B-0 challenges and goals have been added to more maps, which is great to make them even more challenging. As with all THPS games, it’s a case of a game that is very easy to play but hard to master.
The roster of skaters returns from the previous game with some additions. There are 31 professional skateboarders who form the bulk of this roster which is the largest in series history. There are also some fictional characters added in such as Officer Dick (Voiced by Jack Black), and even the Doom Slayer appears this time! And yes, Bam Margera returns as a special skater after intervention from Mr Hawk himself. As is common in the series, each skater has unique stats and combos, making replay ability options virtually limitless if you want to master every single skater. The challenges and tours for each character also act as further difficulty spikes for players who are seeking the ultimate skating experience.
There are some new quality of life changes from the previous games that are very welcome and much needed. The Create-a-Park editor has been updated, allowing players to create their own goals for their levels. This gives user levels more purpose, whether it’s adding letters to collect around the map, completing combo goals or doing some smashable challenges. The editor updates don’t stop there either as you can also add death pits which force you to spawn back at a specific point, some boost jumps and pads and even aggressive NPCs. Iron Galaxy have excelled in polishing and honing the work Vicarious Visions had made, whilst innovating and adding superb updates and QOL, making this a brilliantly polished package.
Left It Back In Naughties
In terms of its visual presentation and animation design, skating has never looked or felt this good. Ever. Each map across both THPS 3+4 look absolutely phenomenal as they have been remade from the ground up. Cruise Ship particularly with the vibrant colours of the hull, blended with the gorgeous visuals of the sea behind you, is mesmerizing. Every map you remember from the original games still has the same geometry as it did before but now, they shine with jaw-dropping visual fidelity and lighting. Everything just looks and feels so much more full of colour and life. Of course, they have removed some of the more problematic aspects of map design; the Neversoft girls on the Cruise Ship and the gun shots heard in LA are no more. Along with the visuals is great character model design for each of the pro skaters, making every pro look almost lifelike. Animations are top tier, which is needed for a fast paced game like this and Iron Galaxy have delivered, with lifelike animations showing each pro or character performing wonderful stunts and tricks. It’s a real visual treat.
In terms of its sound design, THPS 3+4 delivers with superb design as you hear the skateboard scrape, clip and land on different surfaces, to great satisfaction. All the classic sounds are present, such as picking up tapes or letters, which makes this a real trip down nostalgia lane. Now, let’s get to the most controversial part of this remake – the music. Whilst there are some returning tracks from the original games, the vast majority of songs have been left in the past. There are only six returning tracks for THPS3 and amazingly only four for THPS4. This is a travesty of the highest order for someone like myself who adored the original tracks. Not having Alien Ant Farm’s “Wish” or ACDC’s “TNT” just hurts my soul. Activision and Iron Galaxy have done a commendable job crafting a updated modernised version for this remake with over 59 songs making up the soundtrack across the two games. Sadly, it doesn’t have the same nostalgic effect as the rest of the game does. A damn shame, but have a look for your self: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DWU4xkATYcbh7?si=7rWgcnqtTfaR5vAMGEnLVw
Verdict
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 is another triumphant return to a franchise dear to my heart. Superb campaigns remade in glorious visuals and a streamlined user experience help make this collection the definitive pro skater package. Whilst the changes made to THPS4 may upset some purists, this is still, for the most part, the games I grew up with fantastic modernised controls and gorgeous visual and animation design. Of course, the glaring omissions in the soundtrack soured my experience to some extent, but thankfully, not terminally. In an era of remakes or remasters, you can place this one squarely in the remake category. A fully remade game from the ground up. Tony Hawk Pro Skater games give you a little slice of nostalgia and they’re just downright fun!
