I’ve to confess, I used to be actually nervous about Tony Hawk’s Professional Skater 3 + 4. I performed the primary ‘1 + 2’ assortment again in 2021 and completely beloved it, however my early teenage years had been formed by the Birdman’s third and fourth console outings. So to say that quite a bit was driving on Iron Galaxy’s remake could be an understatement, and early issues relating to THPS4’s shift in construction positively rattled me.
Fortunately, I can wholeheartedly say that this newest nostalgic revisit to what I’d argue was the height of the Tony Hawk’s sequence is successful – albeit with just a few caveats.
So let’s begin with the pink elephant within the room. Professional Skater 4 has been drastically altered to suit extra according to Professional Skater 3 (and THPS1 + 2, for that matter). So as an alternative of roaming about every degree at your individual tempo and triggering missions by talking with the native residents, you’re as an alternative racing towards the two-minute clock, with missions accomplished organically as you make your means round.
It’s a bitter capsule to swallow for veterans hoping for a extra 1:1 remake of the unique, however I’ve to confess that it nonetheless works fairly nicely as is. Sure, the degrees in THPS4 are a lot bigger than those who got here earlier than, and so duties like accumulating the S-Okay-A-T-E letters would possibly show harder with the ticking clock. However having the entry align extra carefully with the third does make for a extra cohesive expertise; one I’m sure newcomers will respect.
Talking of cohesion, regardless of growth transferring from the now-defunct Vicarious Visions to Iron Galaxy, THPS3+4 feels immediately acquainted to those that performed the unique video games and the 2021 remake of 1 + 2. It performs precisely the way you’d need, with slick, responsive controls, outrageously over-the-top combos, and heaps of potential in terms of participant and board customisation.
You’ve acquired a very strong collection of skaters to select from, together with Hawk himself, Zion Wright, Chloe Covell, and extra. Unlockable characters embody Bam Margera and TMNT’s Michelangelo, whereas in case you go for the Digital Deluxe Version, you can even play as DOOM Slayer and the Revenant, with further bonus music tracks included.
Every skater has numerous benefits and drawbacks, however by accumulating stat factors hidden round every degree, you’ll be able to increase every little thing from velocity to lip stability. The excellent news is that in case you swap skaters, you’ll be able to instantly apply all stat factors beforehand collected, so there’s no must undergo the motions time and again.
As for the degrees themselves, they’ve been completely splendidly recreated. In contrast to the primary two entries, 3 + 4 actually leans into the entire MTV / Jackass affect and contains some really ridiculous missions that make use of the extra NPC characters positioned all through every stage. So, you’ll be able to ‘Bury the Bully’ in Canada, ‘Cease the Pickpockets’ in Airport, and ‘Photobomb the Vacationers’ in Alcatraz. Some missions have been altered considerably, so don’t anticipate to see Ollie the Bum hallucinating pink elephants. They’re nonetheless round, however the context has been switched up a bit.
Along with the acquainted favourites, Iron Galaxy has additionally seen match to create just a few new tracks of its personal, and I’ll be trustworthy, they’re superior. Waterpark particularly is a real spotlight, with the myriad waterslides and empty swimming pools making for a correct skateboarding playground begging to be combo’d into oblivion. It offers me hope that Activision may quickly green-light a model new Tony Hawk’s sport, however I’m not going to carry my breath.
One factor I do need to name out, nevertheless, is the music. And to be clear, the soundtrack right here is banging; actually good things. You’ve acquired Iron Maiden’s 2 Minutes to Midnight, Intercourse Pistols Holidays within the Solar, Mastodon’s Treasured Stones, and a lot extra. The issue, nevertheless, is that music is a strong supply of nostalgia, and nearly all of the originals’ tunes have been overlooked, with solely six tracks represented from THPS3, and 4 from THPS4.
I need to reiterate that the soundtrack is admittedly fairly good, and in the end many newcomers will uncover some life-long favourites right here, identical to I did again within the early 2000s. However why couldn’t Iron Galaxy enchantment to each crowds? I broke into an enormous silly grin when Bodyjar’s Not the Identical kicked in for the primary time, and I simply want that the gathering included just a few extra nostalgic hits.
Shifting onto multiplayer, you’ve acquired just a few choices to maintain you busy when you’re executed with the single-player portion. One of many highlights is the brand new ‘HAWK’ mode, which sees you disguise H-A-W-Okay letters round ranges earlier than driving round to find your opponent’s letters. It’s a cool little mode, and it’s good to see one thing that’s not simply ‘see who can rating probably the most factors’.
That stated, whereas multiplayer works nicely, truly discovering a match can take a short time. It’s early days, in a single sense, but when the sport’s struggling to search out matches at launch, then I dread to suppose what it could be like in a yr or two.
Along with the usual multiplayer, you’ve additionally acquired the Create-A-Park mode. Right here, you’ll be able to check out customized parks from a hefty choice, although it’s protected to say that among the early designs depart a bit to be desired. Heck, I can’t discuss, I wouldn’t have the ability to do significantly better, however I’m positively trying ahead to seeing just a few creations that don’t simply depend on foolish gimmicks.
The precise creation instrument is fairly enjoyable and intuitive, with property chosen with the D-pad and positioned on the bottom with the analogue sticks. You may rotate items, zoom in, pan the digicam round – all kinds. It’s a neat little instrument in case you’ve acquired a aptitude for park creation, however in the end I can’t see myself utilizing it that a lot.
Lastly, how the sport runs on Swap 2, I’m largely very impressed. In handheld mode, there generally is a little little bit of aliasing, however by and huge the sport is remarkably on par with the likes of the PS5 and Xbox Sequence X|S, hitting what appears like a strong 60fps with some beautiful reflection know-how on show with puddles.
The lighting appears to be like nice in ranges like Tokyo and Foundry, and pop-in is fortunately stored at a minimal. Among the NPC characters can look slightly goofy at occasions, positive, but when something, this felt like a callback to the unique video games. That’s my excuse no less than – take care of it.
Lastly, you’ll be able to view among the surroundings with the sport’s photograph mode, which works rather well and provides in quite a lot of cool little filters and results for good measure.
Conclusion
Tony Hawk’s Professional Skater 3 + 4 is one other welcome return to the franchise’s glory days, presenting the third and fourth entries with revamped visuals throughout the board whereas retaining the identical slick gameplay. Some of us could be unable to recover from the structural modifications to Professional Skater 4, and I’ve to confess to being slightly upset on the lack of basic music tracks, however general, the positives completely outweigh the negatives.
Should you’re trying to inject a healthy dose of nostalgia into your life, otherwise you merely need to see what the Tony Hawk sequence was like at its absolute peak, then this could show a nice addition to your Swap 2 library.
