Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3+4 Review - You Can't Keep The Birdman Down
At this point, it feels almost redundant to introduce Tony Hawk. I mean, if you are looking at the world’s most famous sports stars, he is right up there with Jordan, Woods, Williams and Ali. An innovator, a legend, an incredible businessman, and someone who seems like a really cool guy. But that’s not why we are here. No, we are here because he is also a video game visionary. He put his name to a sports franchise many moons ago, and that franchise just won’t die (though Activision did give it their best shot at one point). Well, Tony is back to once again to invade our living rooms with kickflips, nollies and 360 melons, to help us cheer with joy and swear with frustration. Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3+4 (THPS 3+4) is here and it proves that gameplay, charisma and style never go out of fashion… even if skater jorts should.
THPS 3+4 is much like the previously released collection of Hawk games that included the first and second titles. It takes the levels of the original games, gives them a serious facelift, adds a bunch of new skaters (along with some returning faves) and bundles it all together with a heap of unlockables and secrets. This time around, though, there has been a major change to the original game. In the case of Tony Hawk 4, the game did away with the 2-minute timed run format of the original 3 games, taking the series open-world for the first time. With THPS 3+4, for the sake of consistency, I suspect more than anything, the 4 portion of the game has been changed to the traditional 2-minute format.
It is a small change for some, but it does create a few little problems. The levels were originally designed to wander around and explore, but now you only have two minutes to find specific goals, which can lead to frustration. There are so many things to collect, find and pick up that the two-minute limit in these levels can feel a little restrictive. It made me slightly less inclined towards the levels originally designed for Tony Hawk 4 over those that appeared in 3. It doesn’t make them bad in any way, just less built-for-purpose than I would have liked.
The other thing that seems to have been an issue with fans both before and since the game came out is the soundtrack. Quite a few bangers from the original soundtracks haven’t made it into this release, and in their place are some new tracks from more recent artists. I can understand those looking for a nostalgia hit would be upset, but at the same time, I think it’s great that so many new artists are going to get some fantastic exposure to a whole new audience. So much of the magic of the original soundtracks was the fact that they introduced new acts to people. I look forward to getting some new earworms and expanding my playlists thanks to this new selection of music, which Tony himself helped curate.
As for the gameplay, it is classic Hawk all the way. The muscle memory kicks in for old heads like myself, and before long, I was stringing together 100000 point combos like it was nothing. There is a reason these games are so revered, and it is the unbelievably tight gameplay. I know many people have a deep love for the Skate franchise, but for me, extreme sports titles were never better than Tony Hawk, and this re-release only reinforces that opinion. It is such a simple idea, executed flawlessly, so it becomes timeless. The fact that I can share it now with my kids, especially my eldest, who is a real-life skater, is just the absolute icing on the cake.
So what’s new with this release? Well, the graphics have obviously had a massive overhaul, and while it isn’t the best-looking game out there, it certainly looks the part. There are a couple of new parks to shred around, which are some of the best in the game, I have to say. The unlockables are fun, with some crazy characters like Mikey from the Ninja Turtles and Bam Margera from the original games and Jackass (look, he needs this win, let him have it) as some of the better items available to unlock. There are some nice nods to other franchises, like some of the famous Doom songs, including a remix of the original Doom theme, playing in the soundtrack, and the park creator is deeper than ever. This is a complete release that has everything any skate fan, old or new, could ever want.
The simple fact is, there is nothing out there that scratches the same itch as Tony Hawk Pro Skater. There have been attempts to copy it over the years, but none have ever reached the pure gameplay bliss that the Birdman’s games represent. This has never been more evident than with this release, because despite a slight issue with the level design of the 4th game levels not quite suiting the 2-minute format, the game shines as an example of pure, gamepad-induced bliss. The type of experience that has been imitated but never replicated. For that reason, you should absolutely give Tony your time once again. He deserves it, and in return, I guarantee that you will smile like it is the year 2000 once again.
Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3+4 was reviewed on PC with code kindly supplied by the publisher.
