Best Games of 2020: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2

A return to form.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater

Ordinarily, we try to avoid using ports and remakes that feature the same gameplay in our Game of the Year posts, just because they’re cheating a little bit. If they had their way, Bayonetta would be in contention for GOTY 2010 and 2020, which is just a little unfair. The Bayo & Vanquish Bundle, along with Destroy All Humans!, were both excellent fun to play this year, but Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 takes the cake.

A welcome dose of nostalgia, faith in the Tony Hawk’s series was lost after a series of games that weren’t exactly hits. An awful peripheral and a sequel that almost threatened to kill the entire franchise later, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 launched to prove to the whole world that there’s still life in the Birdman yet.

For many people, the levels of Warehouse, Hangar, School 2 and more were regular haunts, with lots of players knowing the levels and secrets like the back of their hand, and that familiarity is what makes Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 so initially alluring. However, replaying the hits of the past with no rhyme or reason will only get you so far.

You might be wondering why THPS 1 + 2 gets a pass when other releases from this past year aren’t, and it’s because, when you get into the minutiae of it, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 isn’t actually a straight remake at all. The levels and career mode outline is ripped straight from the first two games, certainly, but the actual meat of the gameplay borrows elements from other games in the series to create something new. A flat remake of the first two games wouldn’t feel as smooth as this game does, and THPS 1+2 is much better for it.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater

Part of the reason for the success of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 was the wise decision to incorporate the Revert mechanic, introduced in the third game, allowing players to extend their combos after vert tricks, allowing for more elaborate and high score combos. This feature wasn’t part of the original two games, so to remake them in their previous state would have led to a game that wouldn’t be as rewarding to play.

Also introduced is the wallplant mechanic, a trick that was only added to the series in much later iterations, that allows you to bounce off a wall to reach new heights, or to simply 180 back onto the rail you were grinding. Again, these are options that weren’t available in the original two games, but their place in this version of the game makes for a more well-rounded experience.

Being able to revisit these old levels with new tricks allows you to find new ways to explore your old favourite levels, find new potential combo spots and generally approach these classic levels like they’re something new. Despite being Frankensteined together using parts from the series as a whole, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 proves that Vicarious Visions understand the formula to make an excellent skateboarding game, creating a game that doesn’t emulate the successes of the past — it exceeds them.

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

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Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 - PlayStation 4
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