This Impressions piece could’ve opened with tales of a 32-year-old retelling his accounts of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 memories from his youth. Wishing for the glory days to return and to win one more can of Pepsi in a game of H-O-R-S-E. Well, It looks like my wish came true. Which means readers get an interesting article.
The Return Of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater
So Activision, alongside Vicarious Visions, decided to rock my world a couple of months back with the official announcement of a true remaster of the first two Tony Hawk Pro Skater games. Whilst this package comes with all the content players will remember, Vicarious Visions have ‘DarkSlided’ in features from later games in the series.
Manuals, Spine Transfers, Wall Plants and Reverts will only add to a common-sense approach to the remasters. Create-A-Park, Create-A-Skater and other customisable features will rock up to re-create a grind-fest of Tony Hawks Pro Skater glory.
Pre-Order To Enter the Warehouse…
For those who have the intuition to pre-order Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2, said players will also gain access to the Warehouse Demo. This two-minute blast from the past showcases the amazing work Vicarious has been doing on bringing the Birdman into 2020.
Firstly; Silky smooth frame rates are complemented by complete texture and lighting overhauls whilst keeping the map and objects mostly intact. Secondly; The OST is now panned around the levels soundscape to simulate an in-game background music effect, which is a welcome change. Thirdly; Whilst players have no sight of collecting S-K-A-T-E or secret tapes just yet, bails and recoveries turn a players avatar into a fast-forwarding tape effect.
The Best Kind of Grind
Quality of life improvements and stylistic decisions add to the already groundbreaking formula that shot the skating world into skate heaven more than 20 years ago. The control layout is suited for players old and new. For the veterans, the D-Pad has full support for those all-important vert combos alongside a muscle memory friendly control layout, with spine transfers and leveling out assigned to triggers.
In all honesty, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 handles like Tony Hawks Pro Skater 3. This is mostly due to the move additions, smooth frame-rates and beautiful presentation. In fact, the demo feels that perfect and complete, it leaves me wondering if the controls/mechanics were revamped or simply tweaked?
Grab the Board you Melon!
When looking into the demos Menus, players will see hints of what is to come in the full-fat release of Tony Hawks Pro Skater 1 + 2. Firstly; players will notice a score sheet at the end of their session displaying XP for various feats, including their biggest trick combo. Maybe the demo progress carries over to the main game?
Secondly, players can pause and see what tricks are available, which are a bit thin on the ground in the demo. However, what is interesting is the greyed out boxes containing new specials, flips, grabs, and more. It’s looking like XP is the in-game currency for unlocking tricks.
Finally, the pause menu filters into three tabs: Skater, Challenges and Profile. Challenges quite possibly going to be the old checklist loading screen with new bells and whistles added. The profile tab is anyone’s guess at this point; this may represent online leaderboards and multiplayer / split-screen support?
Keep Track of the Tracks
Tony Hawks Pro Skater 1 + 2 features five tracks, three of which are brand new tracks. Fresh material showcases Vicarious Visions addition of new artists into the legendary soundtrack of the early THPS games. Of course, It would only be fitting to have iconic tracks ‘Guerilla Radio’ and ‘Superman’ to compliment the iconic map that is the Warehouse.
Also, Hanger is so much better in every way… #JustSaying
Tony Hawks Pro Skater 1 + 2 release on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Windows PC on 4th September. Pre-order now to try the Warehouse Demo for yourself.
