The remake and remaster are very “in” at the moment, and while it’s no surprise that the two best entries in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series are heading towards modern platforms in the end, we definitely didn’t expect this package to be robust in the remake. From the instantly recognizable level of THPS 3, the controls that activated muscle memory that I didn’t notice have been preserved in the brain for over 20 years, with a refreshing pickup and a 2-minute time limit.
As the name suggests, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 is a remake of both the game, with modern facelifts, new parks and skaters and, most importantly, the soundtrack’s bangers. It plays as if it was back when it was released on PlayStation 2. It’s obviously clear that this is a remake like “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.” When revisiting classic maps like the Suburbia and 4’s College on THPS 3, there is a sense of nostalgia I felt, but these definitely look much better for obvious reasons, but they felt like the same game as my friends. The quirky and weirdness of the THPS game is still here, outside the scope of some latest updates to the roster and new tricks and promises of new game plus modes, this is definitely Tony Hawk you’ll remember from last year.
But that’s not to say it’s all hard flip and smooth pavement. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4 plays very smoothly and includes a traditional two-minute timer works surprisingly well, but the lack of campaign mode is a bit of a pain spot in an otherwise promising remake. The THPS purists may be disappointed from now on, but after playing for about two hours, I didn’t miss it much. There’s something refreshing about playing games that respect my time and limit me to shorter gameplay in an age when all games want to play it for hundreds of hours. Career mode was a cool inclusion, but there are still many things here that are worth sinking your teeth.
The gameplay feels natural – thankfully nothing has been ruined – and within a few minutes I was back in the grind to the manual, pulling towards it, chasing its constant higher score, flying through the map and trying to fill in my skate. After a few minutes of tripping myself on the topway, Control quickly came back to me, and I would fly around the suburbs, flip my heels over the car, and pop out that satisfying orchestral hit with every single time I landed a special move. The new map, Waterpark, has always been part of the original game and felt it was one of the most enjoyable levels to easily crush and discover its secrets. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater’s addictive gameplay loop kept me wanting more whenever the timer was ticked into the final seconds.
In an age when all the games of the early 2000s seem to be winning modern facelifts, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 has now become a welcome year filled with great remakes and remasters. From loyal recreational, which is a very memorable classic from the PS2 era to improved modern quality of life, excellent soundtracks, and the entire early love letters of the series, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 is something to appear on the radar if you want to play skateboarding fans, enjoy action sports games, or play simple fun things. It may be the easiest kickflip to land this year.
