Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 Remake (THPS) is what every remake should strive to be.
It’s fast, fun, controls are perfect and it has that nostalgia factor brought into 2020.
It feels like a game ripped from time and polished to a shine without breaking what made it so special all those years ago.
When I found out we were getting a proper THPS game rather than their last attempt.
I was overjoyed to put a deck below my feet and start grinding some rails.
The last THPS game I played was Tony Hawk’s Project 8 and I enjoyed that game.
Let’s see why this remake is so amazing.
Breaking Down the THPS Gameplay
Take a look at the statistics below for a quick breakdown of what I encountered in my let’s play.
- I bailed a lot, like an embarrassing amount
- Skated in 3 locals
- 5 Skill Points Acquired
THPS Video Time Stamps
- An Ode to Skateboarding in Fail Minor Featuring Thps (0:00)
- NY City is a Skaters Nightmare (7:47)
- Shredding at the School (14:38)
- Is THPS Amazing? (18:02)
Let’s do some kickflips and dive into some THPS gameplay.
An Ode to Skateboarding in Fail Minor Featuring THPS
Starting by trying to beat a heat challenge was probably not the best choice to start this let’s play.
I quickly learned that I do have the dexterity I had back in the Playstation 1 days when I played a lot of Tony Hawk.
I discover the following:
- I can’t do the challenges
- I can’t do the times
- I can’t do the high-scores
- I can’t unlock everything
- I can’t get that skill point up there
- I can’t get up there
Even with all that stuff bogging me down I still have a ton of fun playing THPS.
I fall all over myself, don’t get high scores, have to redo the heat way more than should be allowed.
But I have a smile plastered to my face the entire time I’m skating around and doing crazy tricks.
At the end of the day, the game is there to make sure you the player has a ton of fun.
From getting skill points to smashing your head right into the pavement.
You’ll keep coming back with many a restart to get that picture-perfect run and clear a few tasks.
It takes several tries but eventually I become one with my board and manage to get in third place.
With that perfect victory, we take a taxi over to NY City to skate around and dodge some taxis.
NY City is a Skaters Nightmare
Moving straight over to NY City we take a look at some of the tasks that await and get right to skating.
One of the best parts of THPS is going through a level for the first time and just getting a lay of the land.
Figuring out where everything else so you can plot out your course of action to maximize your runs with the 2-minute time limit.
Using the first run I go around NY and try to collect all the letters of S-K-A-T-E which I manage to do alongside getting the high score.
Right after I do manage to spell S-K-A-T-E and move onto the next run to go after the subway cards.
But first I manage to get run over by a taxi and collect a Skill Point, then it’s time to collect the 5 subway cards.
They allude to me for a bit but after some trial, error, and getting tons of speed I get them all and open the final area of the map.
After jumping over 3 fire hydrants I go up to the subway station and grind over to where the secret tape is hiding.
It takes a few attempts but I manage to get the secret tape and we move onto some learning by heading over to the School.
Shredding at the School
This is definitely where I need to use everything I’ve learned to get tasks completed.
From kickflipping over the roof gap to grinding some long rails.
It’s all about trial and error, dodging golf, and grinding call rails.
What is a call rail you ask? I still have no idea, I spent way too much time grinding rail after rail to only eventually give up because I couldn’t find it.
I discover that the school is open and you can go into it, after hitting the door numerous times.
I hit the school’s pool and quickly realize that I’m just not accomplishing anything.
Thus I decide to wrap things up.
Is THPS Amazing?
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 Remake (THPS) is a remake of two classic games that just showed how to make games fun.
The 2-minute time limit may be a little dated but it’s always fun to try and get as much as you can be accomplished in the time limit.
The games play amazingly with the controls as smooth as butter and as responsive as they need to be.
If you screw up that’s because you couldn’t hit the buttons properly the game is so polished it’s always on you.
Between a ton of content, money to spend in the shop on customization, and a nice graphical facelift, THPS shreds.
This is how you create a remake of a classic game and I hope other developers take note.
It’s fun, fast, and extremely well made. I have very high hopes for future Tony Hawk games now that the bar has been set so high.
