Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 & 2 Remaster Review
Rebuilding the original two games from the ground up in a new engine is never going to be easy, especially when these are two of the most cherished entries in the series, but here the team has done an outstanding job, tweaking some issues of the past like an inconsistent framerate, all the while delivering an experience that feels so natural that all of your muscle memory trick lines will work and work bloody well in this title, in fact, they may well work even better because the Revert from THPS3 and the Manual from 2 are added into your arsenal from the get-go making levels from the first game feel completely fresh, as now you look to combo off anything not nailed down!
It's worth stating that there have been some adjustments to the level layout but I've yet to find a line ruined or obstacle out of place that has hampered my enjoyment. This is a remaster after all so quality of life adjustments like this are expected.
And speaking of life, you'll be spending the rest of yours trying to complete the quite frankly ludicrous amount of content on offer. You might be able to blast through most of the levels in short order, especially if you've still got vivid memories of where all the secrets are, but you'll then have to work through skater specific challenges, persistent goals and then set high scores on the ranked sections of the title allowing you to take part in a persistent tug of war with other players.
It's quite overwhelming, as are the choices to customize each skater's movesets or simply build your own horror to dominate the park with.
This also extends into the create a park mode which already has provided a tonne of bizarre and brilliant creations. Leaps over massive gaps, a whole section only traversable by grinding, whatever your inner five-year-old architect wants to design, it's pretty much possible, and thanks to the fact you can upload your park and challenge your friends to set high scores, there's so much replayability in this one mode alone.
Beyond all of this though are the little touches, the flourishes that make this title so utterly special. Take for example the fact that when your avatar bails on a trick they won't dust themselves off and stand up, they'll glitch out and appear on their board tying this title to the concept of "remixing" things, or the sparks that fly off of the board when you're grinding at speed, plus the graphics on some of the board art are animated which a moment that isn't necessary in the slightest but all the more appreciated for the effort that's gone into it.
If this sounds like verse after verse of praise, then it's simply because it is that good - as is the stonking soundtrack which mixes new tracks with old, and much-requested fan favorites. You'll be nodding your head to bouncy ska, losing yourself to zen-like chill hop and then smashing contests with thumping punk rock beats, it's a diverse mixtape which reflects the melting pot of backgrounds that makes up skateboarding culture and it's a bloody beautiful thing.
Cont.