Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD Review

[PAGETITLE=Introduction, What Returns & Game Modes][Top Ad] For reasons that could warrant an article on its own, I'm not much of a console gamer anymore. But if there's one series that can make me dust off my Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3, it's Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. Like many fans, I got into the series with the original game, released in 1999, and have been hooked ever since. I've religiously picked up each game on its day-of-release, and for the earlier titles, own multiple copies for different consoles. For die-hard fans, the yearly release cycle that the Tony Hawk series adhered to was fantastic, but things admittedly became a bit stale as time went on, made worse thanks to the release of skate. which many found to be a refreshing change for the genre. But for me, it wasn't realism I was after. I loved pulling off ridiculous combos, grinding the entire way across the level, finding all of the hidden secrets - and I'm not alone. Even so, Neversoft had to do something, and do something fast to retain everyone's interest in the series. After the release of the ninth game, Proving Ground, I wrote Neversoft an open letter to recommend spending more time on the next title. What I didn't expect to happen was the series leaving Neversoft's grasp, falling into the hands of other developers. The result? Some of the worst Tony Hawk titles ever released; Ride and Shred. It seemed clear to everyone except the new THPS developer, Robomodo, that what fans wanted was classic THPS. What better way to give fans exactly that than to remake the original games? Enter Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD, currently available for the Xbox 360 and soon to be available for the PlayStation 3 and PC. THPS HD contains elements of the original two games, with nothing taken from the later games. That means that the manual is your most advanced skill, with the revert to be added later with DLC. It also means that some quirks still exist, such as being unable to completely stop your character. Robomodo touts the control of the original titles to be a highlight of the game, but even as a dedicated fan I would have welcomed some fine-tuning. Just because it's classic doesn't mean it's best. It'd be like Ferrari releasing a 2013 F12 Berlinetta with the internals from a 1985 GTB. Alright, that's exaggerated, but the point remains. Of the 20 or so levels that were spread across the original two games, only seven made the cut here, which is unfortunate to say the least. Though the game sells for only $15, we're missing out on some seriously fun levels. Painful omissions for me include Downtown from the original, and Philly in the sequel. Instead, we get Mall and Downhill Jam, neither of which would top many fan lists. Plus, both of those have been redone time and time again in previous releases, as bonus levels. Marseille is also a questionable addition. Though it's an excellent level, its original purpose was for competition, so the result here seems a bit sloppy and uninspired. Fortunately, fan-favorites School II, Warehouse and Venice Beach have made it in - the latter of which is particularly special as it's where we were first introduced to that loveable Ollie the Magic Bum. The career mode in THPS HD consists of classic goals, ten in total per level. About half of the goals are carried over from the original games, while the others are brand-new. Goals carried over from the originals remain unchanged, with items or gaps remaining in their same location. None of these goals are particularly challenging, although attaining high scores can be (especially in a level like Mall or Downhill Jam where perfect half-pipes don't exist). Once you complete the career mode 100% on any character, a Projectives (professional objectives) mode will be unlocked. This adds new goals to each level which are considerably more difficult than those in the regular career mode, and can properly exercise any THPS veteren's skill. Along with those modes comes Big Head and Hawkman. Big Head mode sees your skater's head constantly expanding, with the only way to return it to normalcy is to score big points. Hawkman laces different-colored orbs around the room, each of which can only be acquired if you perform the correct type of trick while passing through it. Green orbs require you to manual through, for example, while red orbs require a grab trick. Both of these modes include three tiers of difficulty, High, Pro and Sick. A couple of the skaters from the old games return in THPS HD, with additions including Chris Cole, Lyn-Z Pastrana, Nyjah Huston and Riley Hawk. A mainstay of the series has also made a return: unlockable characters. HD includes four; Officer Dick, Roberta the robot, 1999 Tony Hawk and Ollie the Magic Bum. As simple as it may seem, one of the best features of THPS has always been the soundtrack. There really hasn't ever been a title in the series where I found the selection lackluster, and I've discovered a lot of artists thanks to them. Bad Religion became my favorite band thanks to the song "You" in the second game, and I own all of Goldfinger's albums thanks to the inclusion of "Superman" in the original. Neversoft just had a knack for choosing a seriously awesome soundtrack, and fortunately, some of the most popular from the original titles have made a return here. In addition to both Bad Religion's and Goldfinger's tracks being found here, other returnees include Anthrax feat. Chuck D, Powerman 5000, Consumed, Lagwagon and Millencolin. To help fill up the soundtrack further, new tracks have been added, with a couple that are particularly addictive; Pigeon John's The Bomb and Lateef the Truthspeaker's We the People. Overall, a rather stellar collection of songs - but after hearing them dozens of times, you'll likely mute the music and put your own on. [PAGEBREAK][PAGETITLE=Final Thoughts][Top Ad] As a major THPS fan, I've been enjoying my time with THPS HD so far, and forsee many, many more hours of gametime in my future. However, there's no denying that this isn't a perfect release, and I do think on-purpose decisions should have been reconsidered - namely with the control. While I appreciate the game "feeling like" the older games, the improved control that came with the later games was important to the fluidity of the gameplay and would have been appreciated here. I can understand the removal of skills that were found in later games as these levels weren't built with them in mind, but the control is simply not as fluid as it is in later games, especially Tony Hawk's Underground and beyond. Some downsides are outside of Robomobo's control, such as not being able to bring back the entirety of the original soundtracks, but that's life. What I do wish was different is the level selection. Mall and Downhill Jam, while classic, are not the best choices for inclusion. The same could be said about Marseille. Outside of Warehouse, Venice Beach and Hangar, it feels like the remaining levels were chosen at random. There's always hope that Robomodo will release more of these classic levels as DLC, but not too much has been revealed at this point. One thing that has been revealed is that we'll be seeing the revert introduced in the first DLC, along with three levels from THPS 3; Airport, Canada and Los Angeles (another odd pick, to me). One of the biggest issues with THPS HD is that there's no split-screen. Yes, I just said that. As has become obvious in any comment section discussing the game, a lot of people were expecting this to exist, as it did in the older titles. Why on earth Robomodo excluded it is beyond me. Another issue is that there's a delay in your jumping. In the original games, pushing A, X or what have you would cause you to jump immediately. In HD, there's about a 0.75 second delay before your character actually jumps, which tends to complicate certain tricks or quick moves that need to be pulled off. Because of these issues, along with other minor adjustments, I found HD a lot more difficult than the original games. There were certain goals that took me dozens of attempts, when in the original I had no such issue. A perfect example is in School II, where you can boneless up to the roof with the hidden tape. Even with maxed-out stats, I can't do this in less than five attempts. If you've never played THPS before, I don't think you'll find much enjoyment in THPS HD. In today's gaming landscape, the control is going to feel poor, and the levels bland. In later games, the levels felt more alive, with people walking the streets and NPCs to interact with. By comparison, the levels in THPS HD are lifeless. Because of the nostalgic value, any fan of the series is going to enjoy this iteration. There'll be no denying the game's shortcomings, but being able to relive these classic levels with current-gen graphics can completely overshadow the game's downsides. Pros. Reliving classic THPS levels with current-gen graphics? Priceless. Control is kept faithful to the original, aside from an introduced jumping delay. Big Head and Hawkman modes are fun and very challenging. DLC en route for even more classic levels. On the Xbox 360, you can play as your avatar. Cons. For some unconceivable reason, there's no split-screen. A mere 7 levels featured in main game, and it's not the greatest selection. Jumping has a delay of close to a second. Most of the original music hasn't made a return, though some of the best of it has. An in-game map shows you were every single item and gap is... Discuss this article in our forums! Have a comment you wish to make on this article? Recommendations? Criticism? Feel free to head over to our related thread and put your words to our virtual paper! There is no requirement to register in order to respond to these threads, but it sure doesn't hurt! [PAGEBREAK][PAGETITLE=Extra Screenshots]

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD Review

Page 3 – Extra Screenshots

Rob Williams