You perhaps had to be there, but Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater was the Call of Duty of the early PlayStation era. The franchise was unfathomably huge, and its impact reached beyond just video games: it had genuine cultural influence.
All of that meant that the series started to get milked, and perhaps identifying that it couldn’t keep releasing the same game over and over again, original developer Neversoft changed up the formula with Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4.
While the first three games in the series dropped you into a level and tasked you with completing as many objectives as possible in a couple of minutes, the fourth game removed the time limits and allowed you to freely explore the maps. You’d then talk to characters around the stage to trigger challenges.
It was a structure that Activision expanded on for subsequent entries, perhaps most memorably in Tony Hawk’s Underground.
But that format will not feature in upcoming remake Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 on the PS5 and PS4.
The official blurb on the PS Store states: “Drop in to new parks or tear it up across the timeless parks from both THPS3 and THPS4, authentically remade in jaw dropping 4K resolution with streamlined goals and the epic two-minute format.”
This clearly reveals that the original Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4 campaign has been redesigned to be consistent with the previous games in the franchise. While that’s interesting, some fans feel that the original structure was part of the fourth game’s charm.
A plea from mods of the franchise’s official Reddit pleaded with users to keep things “civil” in the aftermath of this announcement.
“I know we're all trying to make sense of the recent ‘streamlined’ THPS4 announcement,” the statement reads. “But I just want to remind everyone to stay cool and civil as we try to figure it out. Let’s remember that we’re all in the same boat here. We are all fans, we are all excited.”
It’s perhaps now down to new developer Iron Galaxy to explain exactly how it’s adjusted the campaign so fans can at least get a better feel for the changes. It’s got until launch on 11th July to communicate exactly why it thinks this alteration is for the best.
[source store.playstation.com, via reddit.com]
Comments 28
Skate boarding has never recovered it's 2000 level popularity imo. Men like Tony Hawk and Bam Margera were household names. Even normies have heard of them.
I think that also goes for the X games in general. You probably had to be there, but man were those films and games everywhere. That was the era those games were born into and why they took off.
@LifeGirl I would argue that Bam Margera was known more for being a professional idiot (in the sense that he did stupid things for a tv show) than a skateboarder.
As for Tony Hawk, clearly the 900 put him into the public recognition but I do wonder how temporary that would have been if not for the extremely successful game series that bears his name.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater is the reason so many people mistook the British comedian Tony Hawks for the skateboarder. Who eventually owned it by making Tony Hawk his specialist subject on celebrity Mastermind (and did very well). Oh and trolling skateboarders with a book.
If it’s genuinely true that they’ve turned the Pro Skater 4 levels into exclusively 2 minute timed runs then they’ve managed to f*ck up immediately. It does a massive disservice to the map design of 4 to have you explore it 2 minutes at a time. Many levels are just too big to accommodate it, Alcatraz is probably my favourite level in the series but if you start at the bottom then I see almost no way to reasonably get to the roof within two minutes consistently. There’s literally a goal to get collectibles on a path from the roof back to the very bottom and it’s one of the hardest in the game because that’s a fairly difficult line to hit. Even in College hitting the colosseum, the logs and the parking lot within two minutes is a stretch. Kona, San Fran and Zoo I can see working within that format as they’re more linear maps even if Zoo’s charm comes from the goals opening up more of the map. London’s another one I see as just too vast if you want to cover under the bridge and all the way over at Marble Arch in one run. It’s a genuine shame but I do think that VV would have preserved the format if they’d still been on this project. Iron Galaxy were clearly hired to do half a job based on existing code and it shows how Activision undervalue the series despite 1+2 being a return to form.
If they’ve made 4 play the same way as 3 then they’ve missed the point. It was meant to be a sort of “hang out and skate with your friends at your own pace” sort of deal, so I don’t understand this at all. I’ll still buy it of course, but I’m not sure how they’re going to make it work.
@Lowdefal Bam was a skateboarder first but Jackass definitely made him more of a name than his skating did (although CKY was fairly big in its own right a year before). He’s hopefully doing better now but there’s no way he’ll be in these games any time soon.
I’d argue Tony Hawk would still have been the biggest skater in the world without the 900 or even his games, skating was at its peak when he was at his peak and the X Games were a commercially friendly output for an often alternative and underground lifestyle. He’d probably be the one skater brought to mind but wouldn’t be as much of a name that even your nan knows as he is thanks to the games. Bear in mind though that Pro Skater 1 came out in ‘99, you could argue that skating was past its cultural peak when Pro Skater revived it. I mean by that point, Spike Jonze had directed Being John Malkovich and Jason Lee was pivoting away from the skating too, a lot of the skater kids had ‘grown up’ by then.
Then it isn't Pro Skater 4. It's Pro Skater 4 levels included in a Pro Skater 3 remake.
I actually wouldn't mind it. I prefer the more arcadey structure of THPS 1-3, but I think THPS 4 has some of my favourite levels. Although they probably should increase the time limit to 3 or 4 minutes instead of 2, some of those maps are pretty big.
I really hope this sells enough for them to make the underground remakes 😮💨 I would be beyond excited for an Underground 1 + 2 remake. Split them up and sell us two game for all I care 🙏🏻
@nessisonett the last game was praised for its accuracy and attention to detail while vastly overhauling the looks. It was all exactly as it should have been. Okay the expanded move set changed what was possible but I think most people would agree that wasn’t an issue. I don’t remember if you could turn off those changes.
It was popular because it was so true to the original game which was a criticism of the previous attempt where it didn’t quite work.
If they have changed the levels in 4 then it’s no longer a love letter to the game and more of a cash in. If they’ve made a separate mode for traditional and classic 4 gameplay then fair enough. If they’ve “deleted” the original experience to make a Frankenstein experience then I’ll pass thanks and wait for it to be “free” on service x. Or just fire up the originals on my ps2.
@nessisonett You've got to assume the levels will be redesigned to accommodate the changes. I think that's why there's so much concern.
But we'll see. We need to wait for more info.
@get2sammyb New developers thinking they knew better than the original ones is how we ended up with Pro Skater HD. And Pro Skater 5. More info would definitely be nice but as it stands, the community really are not enthused by the messaging coming from the blurb, the trailer went over really well but then there was half a glimpse of College and no other footage from 4 actually in that trailer, it was all stuff from 3. This whole thing just sort of reiterates why VV releasing 3 as an expansion to 1+2 for half the price of the base game would have been the ideal scenario.
@LifeGirl i had no idea Bam was a skater. He's famous for Jackass. Maybe he did some skateboard stunts but I can't remember.
Adding the timer to 4 is a horrible idea. Time limits just suck in general.
I hope this is just a case of a poorly worded announcement. Removing the time limit was the defining feature of THPS 4. The level design opened up as a result of it, and challenges were designed around it.
Reintroducing the time limit would fundamentally work against its levels. The possibility that they would be redesigned to accomodate it is ever worse. At that point, is it still THPS 4 or something completely different?
My view is this: I love the open goal Tony games like 4, THUG 1 & 2, THAW. This is a joke. I'm sure people will say, "well, I prefer the 2 minute goal format, so I'm happy with this", alright, but that was in those games anyway under the Classic Mode, meaning we could have had the best of both worlds.
So they just took that and left the rest of the game out. That isn't a remake it's more of a map pack than anything. They are using the THPS 1 + 2 engine, so it should play well but it's not just about how the game plays; it's about the design of the levels. Is this surface wall rideable? Does the environmental piece break my manual? Do the grindable pieces flow together? I have no idea about this stuff until the game releases and them cutting corners with 4 means my confidence in them to get it right has dropped significantly.
It might come out great, but if they aren't releasing a full version of 4 then I ain't paying full price for it either and shall wait for a massive deal before picking it up. Simple.
As someone who's favourite was THPS3 and only played 1&2 for the first time in the remakes then I'm not that bothered by THPS4 being remade to the same format. I'm just glad I can play 3 again and the rest will be a bonus to me.
My main hope/concern is that they've been remade to the same quality as 1+2. If they have been, then it's alright alright alright.
But...4 was the one that really got me into these games...
I mean I played the ones before and enjoyed them well enough but 4 was the first one that really clicked for me. The more open structure of it was a big reason why too. 4 and the Underground games are all my personal favorites of the series.
That would honestly be really disappointing for myself personally if they just morphed it into the 1-3 format and called it a day. I figured they wouldn't keep it exactly the same but at least keep the time limit out of it. Those maps are just too big to get around in 2 minutes.
Ah, yes. The classic "some users from Reddit" article.
@Lowdefal confusing Tony Hawk with Tony Hawks was surely "better than life" to the latter, with the recognition he got accidentally 🤣
Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 was the seminal title of skateboarding games.
The line up of known music tracks that channeled the frenetic energy of the sport, the multitude of tricks and chaining then together in addictive combos, clever labyrinthine map design and professional skaters like Tony Hawk and Rune Glifberg created something very special back then.
It is safe in my memory and I don't want to experience a remake personally.
This just seems like a completely unnecessary change. As someone who loved the original games, the 2 minute timer was the singular sore spot for me personally. The open nature of THPS 4 was such a welcome change. Honestly, the 2 minute timer should have been and should be optional.
Funny that I played THPS3 and 4 on the PS1. This version of THPS4 had the 2 minutes format as well.
Wait for reviews and find out^^
I’m guessing this will frustrate some folks who hold THPS4 in high regard or with deep nostalgia. I get it—I’d probably feel similar if they messed with THPS3 in such a drastic way.
I guess I’ll consider myself fortunate then that I have never played 4, and therefore have zero basis for how it “should” be.
As someone who's hated the 2 minute timer since the first game, and specially hated it in the 1+2 remakes, this feels so disappointing. I just want to vibe in the parks and get to ***** on my own time. It's a little rough in 4 compared to Underground's bigger spaces, but it was a big breath of fresh air.
Would have been a day one purchase but I'll wait now and see what it's like if it is a 2-minute time limit for Pro Skater 4 hopefully they'll patch it out later down the line after the complaints
This is actually ridiculous. It's the sole reason number 4 was my favourite. I much preferred not having the two minute limit. Suddenly zero interest in this now. Oh well. What a bizarre decision. Why change it so fundamentally?
"authentically remade in jaw dropping 4K resolution with streamlined goals and the epic two-minute format"
THPS3 does have a two-minute format while THPS4 doesn't. It says nothing about both games having a two-minute format. It also says authentically remade, it wouldn't be automatically remade if they changed the structure of THPS4. People are just reading too much into it.
Hummm...didn't want to pay the voice actors?
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