I haven't done a game review in a long time, nor have I managed to do a post so it felt like the timing was right on this one. I have a few posts in draft, but I need to finish up the content side of them before they'll truly be complete and ready to publish.
The last month or so has been pretty lack lustre for me from a gaming perspective. There hasn't been a lot out (in terms of new released) that I want to latch onto, and my MLB The Show hype has cooled off entirely. I could make a whole post getting into why that died off, but I had hundreds of packs and really didn't pull much. It killed any and all vibes that may have been keeping me going.
I had actually forgotten that I pre-ordered the remasters of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 & 4 in the middle of June. It wasn't until I loaded up my PlayStation 5 and saw it sitting there, already download, installed, and ready to play. Fun surprise!
Rating: 7/10
One thing I'll note is that I am not writing this as someone who has beaten the game 100%. I don't even think I'm at 40% as of this writing, to be honest. I haven't played all the levels, I haven't unlocked the pro goals… This means I still have a lot to do. And I'm excited about that.
In general, if you played Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 (2020) then you know what you're getting into. It's the classic 2:00 minute, list of goals, skate and explore format that the series found fame on. Unlike the originals, it does have all the extra bells and whistles that came in later releases such as reverts, manual/lip/grind modifiers, wall plants, etc.
I'm going to get into this in two sections, because this is ultimately two games under the same umbrella.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3:
Having recently played a bit of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 on PlayStation 2, I was most excited to get into this and see the game in its traditional format play out on a modern system with enhanced visuals and smoother gameplay. Like Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 release a few years back, it did not disappoint.
Between the standard goals (and the eventual pro goals I have yet to unlock) it feels like they kept the career in line. If you remembered the secret tape/S-K-A-T-E locations/etc from 2001, then you're all set. There were a few goals I thought were "missing" as I started playing through, but a friend who also purchased let me know they were probably in the "pro goals" that are unlocked as you keep progressing.
The parks I have played thus far really translated well to the remasters. They all look good, and they're really fun to skate with the new mechanics. "Canada" is still, hands down, the worst park ever put it a Tony Hawk's Pro Skater game. It looks a lot better now, but I hated it in 2001, and I hate it again in 2025.
If I had to sum up the Pro Skater 3 portion in one statement:
"A revival, not a recreation: They stay true to the magic of a 20+ year old classic in a modern, well polished package."
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4:
This, for a lot of people, seemed like the make-or-break from the time this title was announced + started it's pre-release news cycle. I'd be lying if I said as the news came out that I didn't have some hesitation. Hell, it's probably why I forgot I pre-ordered. What made Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 (2002) so special was that they evolved beyond the format from the first three games. There were still time based goals, but it was more of an open world where you skated around a level and found them to complete. Sounds like a small change on paper, but it changed everything. It could have been a great game with the old format, but instead the tried something new, and it became a game that people talk about decades late + the foundation of what many consider the greatest Tony Hawk game ever made.
They didn't really give us a remaster of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4. What I mentioned above where I said "It could have been a great game with the old format" - this is effectively what they gave us. The decision makes a lot of sense - although they're similar in structure, I'm sure the two different formats of game from 3 and 4 would be hard to fit into the same title. Once I realized this and fully adjusted my expectations, this portion of the game was a lot more enjoyable.
I think they did a good job in making a retro title have even more of a retro feel, all while looking nice. A lot of what I have to say about the visuals + gameplay of the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 applies here too, it is the same engine after all.
One thing I've seen some chatter on (which I agree with) was some soundtrack omissions. I know there is some licensing stuff at play here, as there were featured artists, but it was a pretty big disappointment that none of the Muskabeatz tracks made it in. They were a huge part of the original Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 for me. That said, the soundtrack was fine overall - a real nice blend of songs from the original games with some new stuff sprinkled in. All of it fit that classic Tony Hawk's Pro Skater soundtrack vibe.
Like the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 portion of the remaster, I'll close with a quick statement to summarize:
"A recreation, not a revival: The adventurous nature of the 20+ year old original, despite now looking amazing, somehow feels like it's taken a step back in time after being tightly confined in a small, formulaic box."
Overall Takeaways:
This isn't a bad game at all. There's a level of disappointment out there that's 100% justified, but for what it is, the game is a good time. Initially, I thought the poor attempts to remaster 4 was a bad sign for a remaster of Tony Hawk's Underground, but I think a full release carrying the open world format makes it a lot more viable. Also, the reality is that without support for the 1+2 and 3+4 remasters, we likely never see anything for Underground. With that in mind, I'm happy to pick this up and enjoy a beautiful remaster of 3 and a different (though lesser) take on 4. It's probably the 90s kid in me talking, but I think the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series is one of the best every - seeing it alive, relevant, and available to a new generation 2 decades later is incredible to see.
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