Original Tony Hawks Rolls Back Onto Our Screens In HD

The second i saw Tony Hawks Pro Skater HD on steam it was instantly in my basket and the money was gone from my account. Seeing the original Tony Hawk cover, brought memories flooding back of playing the original games on the PS1. Not only was the gameplay brilliant, but the soundtracks we're incomparable to any other game to date, spending countless hours free skating to goldfinger and acdc!



First of all don't be fooled by the title this isn't actually a 1:1 remake of 'Tony Hawks Pro Skater 1', Its more like a best of collection of THPS 1&2. Taking 7 of the best levels and combining them for an utterly enjoyable experience. Its been 13 long years since Tony Hawks first hit the shelves and hearing that they were not going to alter the gameplay mechanics did worry me. But my skepticism proved unwarranted; 'Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater' still feels as buttery smooth as it did in 1999.

This is due in part to the inclusion Pro Skater 2’s manual move to all the Tony Hawk 1 levels, which allows you to link some seriously long combos. In the near future they will be introducing some of the later Pro Skater additions via DLC. This will include the revert along with a bunch of new lip tricks, grabs, grinds, and manuals.

This time around, 100%-ing the campaign unlocks 'Projectives', a series of ludicrously difficult objectives that have had myself, and i dare say most who try them, mashing the restart button and pulling out your hair until you finally pull off the sickest combo. This offers hours of extra game time, and real satisfaction when you complete them.

Multiplayer is present in the remake (Sadly only on console versions), but with a big missing element co-op play ,which was great for good old jam sessions with your mates. Don't worry though plenty of the old school modes come back for you and your buds to challenge each other over the online multiplayer; 'Graffiti' and 'Trick Attack' are back, and there’s a new addition called 'Big Head Elimination', in which you have to score points to deflate your ever-expanding head. It’s frantic and fast and seeing realistic skaters with heads 40 times too large is a potent mix of comical and creepy. Bail too much or score too little and your skater’s head explodes and you lose. It literally adds insult to your skater’s injury.

The game was released at and incredible £9.99 (Currently on steam promotion @£8.99 until 01/10/12) This comes at a cost though with no unlockable level's after a couple of play throughs the levels begin to wear thin. The loss of some of the original skaters is notable with the likes of - Chad Muska and Bucky Lasek missing from the character select. Unlike Tony Hawk 2, there’s also no character, or park creator ( however for Xbox 360 players, your avatars are playable characters). At times the game can be a bit glitchy too and it would have been nice to see a couple of fixes before re-release; your character might soar sky-high after a high speed bail, or wobble back and forth in midair.

At 44, the real Tony Hawk might not be the ubiquitous whirlwind of culture and athleticism he once was, but THPS:HD proves that the Birdman has aged very well indeed.

The Verdict

THPS:HD Shows that no matter how old a game with a nice face lift it can be a top game again, taking its players back to the roots of the game and reviving a dying series. While it still has a few matters that need ironing out and no multiplayer for PC users, don't let this affect your view of a truly great game for a low price. With the conformation of DLC with new features and modes it can only get better.