After a long hiatus (and an even longer hiatus from releasing quality titles) the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater franchise is back in full force with the recently released Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2. The new title brings back every level from the first two games and their respective career modes.
The gameplay includes gameplay advancements from titles past those two classics, however, and is as refined and tight as it has ever been. Despite its comprehensiveness, the remake is missing some key features from the series’ past. While most of these are minor, some would have been welcome with open arms by veteran fans.
10 Nail The Trick
Tony Hawk’s Project 8 introduced the Nail the Trick Feature, where time slows down and the player uses the analog sticks to manually kick the board and improvise their own flip tricks. Proving Ground introduced Nail the Grab and Nail the Manual, which were confusing and unwieldy, but Nail the Trick felt great to pull off during combos. Its exclusion is not the end of the world, however.
9 Create-A-Trick
Tony Hawk’s Underground added a ton of new features. Some of the extras were more beloved than others. Not everybody took advantage of the Create-a-Trick feature, but some veteran fans appreciated the ability to flex their creative muscles in the title. Considering they rebuilt the games and levels from the ground up, it makes sense that they did not include every customizable feature from the series’ past. Create-a-Park and Skater are more than enough for now.
8 Getting Off The Board
Tony Hawk’s Underground introduced the ability to hop off the board. Not only does it let the player more easily reach certain lines, but it also extends combos. Doing this mid-combo starts a timer that lets the player ride again while continuing their multiplier. Pulling off multi-million point combos is still a breeze in the game, but the Caveman trick would have made them even easier.
7 Focus Mode
First introduced in Tony Hawk’s Underground 2, Focus Mode lets the player slow down time in the middle of combos. It helps people be more precise with jumps, but the major advantage is how it makes balancing grinds and manuals more comfortable when near the end of a line. The longer one tricks, the harder it is to balance. With focus mode, one can continue their line for several seconds longer.
6 Natas Spin
The Natas Spin was achieved when the skater parked themselves on top of a stationary object like a fire hydrant and spun around on top of it.
Tony Hawk’s Underground 2 was the first time this was used in the series, though the maneuver is also featured in Matt Hoffman’s Pro BMX 2. The move never netted many points and does not do much to give the player momentum for a combo continuation, so its exclusion is not sorely missed.
5 Skitchin
Cars and skateboarders do not always mix. In the games, it is quite easy to get hit by the unruly drivers. From Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4 onward, players could hitch a ride on the back of a car and use it to gain speed and start off a combo with some serious momentum. Some of the goals in the game even required it. Only a few levels have vehicles and they are small, so it makes sense for this game to eschew this feature.
4 Story Mode
Tony Hawk’s Underground included an actual narrative detailing the rise to skateboarding greatness for the player’s created character. The cinematics were not exactly on par with Metal Gear, but it was sincere and fun. The new game only includes the classic career modes from the first two entries and eschews any sort of narrative. It is good enough for a start to just have the classic objectives, but future games should think about having a story.
3 Stickers
As the games went on, the new features were more concerned with letting players customize their skateboarding experience.
Stickers and graffiti became a fun way to leave one’s mark on a level. It would have been a particularly good bit of fun to mark up a level during online play, but unfortunately, this feature doesn’t seem to have made the cut.
2 Spider-Man
Once upon a time, Activision owned the rights to make Spider-Man video games (along with other Marvel properties). Because of this partnership, the friendly neighborhood webslinger was a secret character in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2, which came out the same year as Neversoft’s Spider-Man video game. While the rights have since left Activision, making his appearance in the remake impossible, Spider-Man’s standing in the video game space has increased dramatically with the PS4 exclusive game developed by Insomniac Games.
1 Ragdoll Physics
Tony Hawk’s Project 8 had ragdoll physics for the bails, making falling an absolute delight. Some of the goals even involved having the player flail around and break bones. While mostly an aesthetic feature, it elevated the experience. The new game does not have this, opting for predetermined animations for the bails instead.
