First Impressions
Based on our time with the demo, Vicarious Visions has stayed true to nearly all the things that made the THPS sequence so pleasurable. While this remaster won’t function among the wackiness the sequence got here to undertake in later titles, it is nonetheless a ton of enjoyable to play.
Key Specifications
Review Price: £39.99
Genre: Skateboarding
Developer: Vicarious Visions
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Release Date: September 4, 2020
Whenever a gaggle of 20-something players collect round a hearth to reminisce concerning the good previous days, the identical three issues at all times pop up: sofa co-op, cartridges vs discs and naturally, skateboarding. A staple of gaming tradition throughout the early 2000s, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater was a sequence to be reckoned with.
Fast ahead to 2020 nonetheless, and the as soon as revered sequence has seen two failed makes an attempt at a comeback with the middling Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD and the abysmal Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5. Well, it’s been 5 years since THPS5 and Vicarious Visions is now again on the helm with Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2.
As you possibly can surmise, this newest entry is definitely a remaster of the primary two video games, bundled into one package deal. Ahead of the sport’s launch, TechSwitch was given entry to a demo, that includes a revamped model of the basic Warehouse degree from the unique Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater.
Booting up the demo seems like peering by means of a gateway to the previous. Clips of skaters I used to recognise play to the tune of Goldfinger’s seminal monitor ‘Superman’, however earlier than lengthy there’s an entire host of latest blood to indicate that, within the years for the reason that Tony Hawk’s sequence of video video games have been out of the zeitgeist, the real-world of skateboarding has very a lot carried on and located its subsequent era of stars.
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It’s an uplifting factor to see, because the introduction lets me know that I’m in for one thing particular that fastidiously walks the tremendous line of modernity and retro. If like me, you’re an present fan of the sequence, you then’ll discover that diving into THPS 1+ 2 seems like using an previous bike – the muscle reminiscence’s there, it simply take a second to recollect all of the previous tips.
Diving into the gameplay, it wasn’t lengthy earlier than I used to be busting out ollies, kickflips and rail grinds with the identical velocity as my youthful self, and it felt improbable. Stringing tips collectively and constructing your combo feels extremely slick, and there’s the additional benefit of with the ability to pull off a handbook – a trick that wasn’t current within the unique two titles – to traverse these ranges right into a method that simply wasn’t out there earlier than.
When you do string sufficient strikes collectively, you’ll max out your particular meter and that is the place the enjoyable actually begins. With the particular meter energetic, you’ll be capable of enact some ridiculously spectacular strikes that appear to defy the legal guidelines of physics – how anybody can pull off ‘the superman’ is past me.
There’s additionally a pleasant graphical bump after the disastrous try of THPS 5 to cowl up its blemishes with lacklustre cel-shading. Nope, this time round, Tony and the gang appear to be making good use of the know-how out there with present consoles.
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With regards to the soundtrack nonetheless, issues are very a lot grounded prior to now – and that’s no draw back. As a part of the Guitar Hero era, I grew up on a wholesome dose of epic guitar solos and slamming bass riffs, which makes me really feel proper at residence with the 90s rock/hip-hop vibes being dished out right here.
Still, with the air-tight gameplay and waves of nostalgia, the sport doesn’t supply up all of the means for exploration that THPS followers have come to anticipate, with the flexibility to step off your board and stroll round being absent right here. Of course, this can be a function that didn’t seem till Tony Hawk’s Underground, however it would possibly alienate later followers of the sequence.
In truth, my solely caveat to date is that for those who grew accustomed to the wackiness of later THPS video games, then this remaster might sound a tad tame by comparability. Staying true to its supply materials, this title places extra of an emphasis on turning into skilful with the gameplay, and whereas there is a component of degree exploration to be discovered, it’s unlikely to be as a lot of a spotlight right here because it was with the likes of Tony Hawk’s Underground 2 as an example.
Having dove into the sequence at Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 – the place the degrees turned bigger (as did the roster of absurd hidden characters), I partially embody myself inside this group, however it’s simply a lot enjoyable to be taking part in a THPS recreation once more that I’m not too fussed.
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Hearing acquainted sound results as I mash buttons collectively within the hope of pulling off one thing miraculous, THPS 1+2 is an simple rush of nostalgia. Even for newcomers to the sequence – the dearth of any substantial skating video games in the previous few years signifies that this remaster is mechanically your greatest guess, as long as the remainder of the sport lives as much as the excessive commonplace set by the demo.
First Impressions
Between THPS 1 + 2 and the lengthy awaited however lastly confirmed return of the Skate sequence on the horizon, the following few years could possibly be improbable for the skateboarding style. Anything that revitalises the style from its lengthy and pointless slumber is okay by me – right here’s hoping that we the same remedy for the Guitar Hero sequence down the road. Hey, a person can dream.
A ’fingers on evaluate’ is our first impression of a product solely – it’s not a full check and verdict. Our author will need to have spent a while with the product to explain an early sense of what it’s like to make use of. We name these ‘hands on reviews’ to make them seen in search. However these are at all times unscored and don’t give suggestions. Read extra about our evaluations coverage.
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