Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD

I am a huge fan of this series so when Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD was first announced I was very excited. It was decided to try and take the series back to its roots and that was what Activision was aiming to do here with this HD release of the first couple of Tony Hawk games.

Heart, But Not Soul!

One thing that I will have to say is that Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD does actually do a lot of things right. They really have tried their best to tug at those nostalgia strings and for much of the game, I do feel that they have managed to do just that. The game takes its inspiration from Tony Hawk 1 and 2. This is great, but as Tony Hawk 4 is my favorite game I do kind of wish they added more things from 3 and 4 than they did. The game has much of what made those first two games great, but it just lacks a bit of the soul.

Tons To Skate And See

One thing that I can say about Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD is that it is going to keep you very busy. The game has the career mode which we all have spent a ton of time with. This mode is a throwback to the first three games in that you have two minutes per run in order to complete as many of the tasks as possible, these range from getting certain high scores, collecting the SKATE letters and doing stage-specific goals.

There is a single run mode, free skate and a couple of new modes. There is a big head survival mode where you have to survive getting a high score combo or your head will blow up. There is also a Hawkman mode where you need to collect these pellet things as you go around a stage. These are two fun game modes and a welcome addition to the game.

How Does It Play?

The best thing about the Tony Hawk series for me is the gameplay and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD gets a fair bit of it right. The game feels decent enough and as you play it you will be saying “this is Tony Hawk” but at the same time, there is just something a bit off by it. Things are not as smooth and fluid as they were in the original Tony Hawk games. You can get used to it, but it can take a while to do so and if you are like me it will actually make you want to just go back and play the first two games.

I really, really wanted Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD to be a game that I could give 10/10. It does tug at those nostalgia strings and I think they did put a fair bit of effort into this. However, I must be honest and say that it is just lacking something. What exactly that is I am not sure, but it is what makes the original Tony Hawk games so much fun, even after all these years.

Final Score: 7.5/10

Pros:

• The game has levels from the first two games
• The presentation is slick and cool
• I actually liked the licensed soundtrack
• The new two game modes are actually a lot of fun
• Career mode is very addictive

Cons:

• The controls just feel a bit off
• The licensed soundtrack is good, but only 14 songs!