After many years of squandered potential and underwhelming games,
the beloved Tony Hawk series finally feels right again.
Developer Vicarious Visions has, to put it simply, recaptured the magic with a fiery force.
Many of the decisions that have gone into this project are carefully thought out,
making the package feel fully featured and lively
while staying true to the spirit of the original games.
The most important thing is that the game controls just as well as you would hope -
it’s impeccably precise.
If you grew up playing the series, it eventually feels like riding a bike,
and soon you'll perform all sorts of trick combinations.
Combos are so smooth that it conjures up nostalgic memories of playing the original games
just because they've nailed it so excellently here.
Yet, in a very wise decision, this collection isn't just a strict retread.
Although the levels are from the first two games,
your available tools are expanded outside of those limitations.
You can do manuals in Tony Hawk 1 levels,
a feature that wasn't introduced until the second game,
as well as the ever important revert that didn't show up until Tony Hawk 3.
It all combines to create a very large and addictive array of options that are exciting to use
as you push yourself to get better and better with each session.
And the push to get better comes so naturally
because of how brilliantly the trick system is designed.
Doing any single trick is usually not that difficult.
Whether it's a grind, flip, or grab, individually these can all be done with a couple of button presses.
Such simplicity creates a low entry point for fun, meaning that
as soon as you start, you can land at least some tricks
regardless of your skill or experience.
It allows you to get the satisfaction of success
without needing a ton of practice or knowledge.
The real challenge comes with mastering how to combine different tricks into a single combo,
creating a learning curve that's both natural and exciting.
As you fiendishly chase after high scores,
you instinctively try to bring your combos to the absolute limit,
raising questions like, "is it possible to sneak a flip trick in before landing?" or
"how hard will it be to manual over to the nearest rail?"
Attempting such feats leads to plenty of fist-pumping victories and soul-crushing wipeouts.
These emotional highs and lows make Tony Hawk continuously thrilling to play.
What's possible changes depending on the level, skater, or tricks chosen,
and there's a good deal of variety.
The game’s many challenges only enhance this sensation further.
By completing specific goals, you earn various rewards such as new boards
and cash to spend on things like clothes.
While not the most unique progression system ever,
it still provides an additional layer of growth and longevity.
The levels themselves are just as great as they've always been, but with a new coat of paint.
There's the classic and compact Warehouse
where there's something awesome to interact with in every direction.
The level never really gets old no matter how many times you run through it.
San Francisco, on the other hand, is equally rewarding in a much different way.
It's more spread out, with plenty to find tucked away in the corners or high above ground level.
The objectives within the levels are where the games start to show their age.
Some of them are consistently entertaining, like trying to find the secret tape.
Doing so can require careful planning and experimentation
as you suss out a way to actually get to many of the hard to reach locations.
Yet other collectibles quickly grow tiresome.
They are relatively easy to find and don't usually challenge your skating acumen in interesting ways.
It ends up feeling like busywork that's largely disconnected
from the best aspects the game has to offer.
For instance, since one of the game’s primary joys comes from achieving ridiculous combos,
chasing after high score objectives is fantastic at first,
but after you get your bearings, the scores become almost trivial.
Of course it's natural to get better as you play, but by the end of going through both games,
it's easy to want more interesting, varied, and demanding goals, even if slightly.
Since the basic format remains the same throughout,
the objectives don't necessarily feel in sync with your progression as a player.
Thankfully, if you’re looking to really put yourself to the test,
online multiplayer fills that role quite well.
The breezy, pick up and play structure works tremendously in the game's benefit.
With hardly any effort, you can quickly match into a session,
compete in a short mode, and then either roll right into the next mode
or take a break and hop out.
Much like how the multiplayer seamlessly switches from mode to mode,
maps also periodically change to keep things fresh.
Game modes can be similar, but they're enough to remain engaging, at least right now.
Sometimes the goal is something like reaching a combo score before anyone else,
and sometimes it's to control the most areas of a park.
The rush of frantically trying to do your best against other skilled players
adds so much excitement to the package overall.
Create-a-park is also happy to eat away your time.
Although the level editor does a poor job of explaining the nuances, with a little patience, it's easy to wield,
partially thanks to its smart objects system.
Certain objects can be easily manipulated,
changing their length, orientation, and shape.
It's simple to immediately and instantly test whatever you build,
leading to a hypnotizing loop of tweaking and testing.
Browsing levels created by other players needs work, though.
It isn't organized in an especially helpful way, showing a very limited number of levels on the main screen.
You can search for levels, which is appreciated, but the thumbnails for the results don't always load,
making it hard to tell what you're going to get into at a glance.
From a presentation standpoint, the game is hard to fault.
The music, which is essential for any game bearing the name Tony Hawk's Pro Skater,
is fantastically selected.
There are tunes that bring back an unbridled flood of nostalgia
as well as plenty of new songs that do a great job of fitting the tone.
There's also enough variety among the licensed songs that there's something for everyone.
Updating the visuals from the PS1 days is obviously a huge leap,
but it's the care and flourish that's really admirable.
There's just enough goofiness to feel welcoming,
and the brightly colored menus go a long way to sell the skater vibe.
The biggest point of praise for Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 and 2
is that you just end up wanting more of it.
For the first time in forever, the series not only feels back on track,
but is being executed with the proficiency that it absolutely deserves.
There are things to quibble about, but these are small when placed next to the overwhelming amount
that soars like Superman.
Vicarious Visions is no pretender.
They have raised the dead.
Itching to play something like Breath of the Wild on more powerful hardware?
Check out our recent hands-on preview of Immortals: Fenyx Rising,
which we’ve been impressed by so far.
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