Skaters, rip into a gnarly combo and rejoice! It’s time to shred again thanks to the release of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4. Nearly everyone is back to soak the foreman in the foundry or punish bullies with fresh fallen powder in Canada. Regardless of the objective you choose to complete first, the memories of a mongo past ring through the minds of skater gamers everywhere. But is the nostalgia enough to give this remake some staying power in your library of arcade games? Let’s pull a no comply into this review.
Collect S-K-A-T-E… Again
Career Mode is back again in full glory. Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 is better than the original was, period. The graphics and input response are incredibly accurate and comboing through lines has never felt better. There are numerous objectives to complete and redo. While a collectathon, the levels feel big, and it’s still not an easy task to complete everything immediately, even for seasoned veterans. Free Skate is excellent too, to help players explore and get a sense of what they can do in each level to complete the list.
There’s even a tutorial for new skaters to the genre that does an excellent job inviting players into the game. It’s clear the developers thought of everything to reintroduce veterans and invite newbies to ride.
Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4 however was disappointing. This was an open zone type game that featured NPCs to talk to and generally a more freeing feeling. It essentially plays the same as THPS3, which isn’t a complete bad thing as the gameplay is excellent. But it doesn’t feel like a faithful remake, it feels a bit watered down. If you don’t have fond memories of the game of the past though, players won’t even notice.
Create a Thing!
It’s hard to find anyone in the gaming community that hasn’t heard of Tony Hawk. True, skateboarding is a niche sport but it’s had some pretty enormous staying power over the years. It’s even earned a spot in the Olympics. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series was a trailblazer to the “create a” mechanic when it first came out; and many games have followed suit since. I’m stoked to say it’s still here and the customization is better than ever. Skating through player created parks and taking a turn of my own was a joy. Players have grown up with this series and some of the parks from the community are outstanding. In a way, this feature makes the game feel endless.
The create a skater however is less impressive and seems to feature less than I can recall from the early 2000’s. For a series that used to allow players to scan their faces in for customization, this was a let down.
The unlockables however are excellent! Tony Hawks Pro Skater 1+2 honestly left a bit to be desired on this front. Most of the secret characters can be unlocked without the deluxe edition of the game. The Doom characters though do in fact need to be purchased with the deluxe edition. While there is no Iron Man here, the list is pretty awesome.
The Sounds of the Clouds
This is a solid game overall. But a big part if the immersion of the previous Tony Hawk Games is the music. The identity of this version of Tony Hawk 3 and 4 is all over the place. When I booted it up, I was greeted with a pretty hard core rap song. Then a punk song. Tony Hawk games have had some unreal soundtracks in the past, but the sheer differences really took me out of the flow. The good news is it’s pretty easy to put on your headphones and vibe. However, this is a game where players shouldn’t have to do that. It’s disappointing to see the legendary soundtrack take a hit. If you have a lack of memory for this game, or an eclectic sense of music taste though, again, this may not be a bother.
One of the most exciting things about this game is the fact that it’s never been easier to hop on a virtual skateboard. Tony Hawks Pro Skater 3 + 4 is available on Xbox Gamepass Ultimate, via Cloud Gaming. For a game that leans heavily on tight combos and mechanics, I was wary to check this out via only my internet connection. I have a gigabyte up and down for my internet plan, and I occasionally experience delays and slight lag when I play. But the performance of THPS3+4 was outstanding. Load times are quick and I almost never noticed a hiccup when playing via cloud or on Nintendo Switch 2. So jump off a ramp and take to the skies.
Ollie Overall
The Tony Hawk series is in good hands. This game is of the same, if not better quality than its predecessor THPS1+2. The addicting gameplay, collectables, customization, and performance is outstanding. The game leaves a bit to be desired for nostalgic players though, but in the end this is the best way to experience this arcade skating masterpiece.
So kickflip in and hopefully if enough players show this game some love, we will finally get that remake of Tony Hawk’s Underground everyone wants next.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 Review
Summary
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 is a mostly masterfully created remake of timeless classic titles. The soundtrack and lack of open feel of THPS 4 levels leaves something to be desired. But these changes are understandable, and the gameplay is rock solid otherwise.
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