8 Video Game Remakes That Were TOTALLY Justified

8. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 & 2

While remaking the classic PS1 Tony Hawk titles may not have seemed entirely necessary, it makes much more sense given the wider context of the franchise as a whole.

After years of critical acclaim, the THPS series was beginning to lose momentum, with the popular Underground titles giving way to the overly easy and somewhat stale American Wasteland. Project 8 and Proving Ground were admirable attempts at a back-to-basics approach, but these were then followed by Ride and Shred: a pair of barely functional, gimmicky, peripheral-centric disasters.

There wasn't another mainline Tony Hawk entry until 2015's Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5. With the Tony Hawk licence about to expire, the game was rushed out unfinished in just a few months, and was plagued with bugs and glitches to the point of being unplayable. It was a sad end to what had been a classic series.

With the franchise all but dead, it took another five years until Vicarious Visions released remakes of the first 2 THPS games in all their next-gen glory. Returning to beloved locations such as School II, Downtown and Venice Beach is an absolute nostalgic joy, and the inclusion of various mechanics from later games like reverts and spine transfers allows for the kind of absurd lines once only possible in those titles.

Cashing in on nostalgia has rarely been so satisfying.