In a time where it seems like every game from the early 2000’s is getting a modern facelift, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 remake is shaping up to be a welcome addition to a year full of excellent remakes and remasters, thanks to its faithful recreation of what made the PS2-era classics so memorable, its modern quality of life improvements, and its excellent soundtrack. Previewed by Nick Maillet
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00:00Remakes and remasters are very much an in thing at the moment, and while it's no surprise that
00:06we would eventually see what are arguably two of the best entries in the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
00:10series make their way to modern platforms, I definitely didn't expect this package to be as
00:15robust of a remake as it's shaping up to be. From the instantly recognizable levels of THPS3,
00:20to the controls that activated a muscle memory I didn't realize was stored in my brain for over
00:2520 years and the refreshing pick up and play 2 minute time limits, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 and 4
00:32is definitely shaping up to not only be one of 2025's better remakes, but a game that'll keep
00:36you kicking and pushing for dozens of hours this summer. As the name suggests, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
00:483 and 4 is a remake of both games with a modern facelift, new parks and skaters, and most importantly,
00:54a banger of a soundtrack. It plays exactly like it did back when it was released on PlayStation 2,
00:59and it's clear that this is definitely an if-it-ain't-broke-don't-fix-it kind of remake.
01:03There's a sense of nostalgia I felt when we were visiting classic maps like THPS3's Suburbia and
01:08Forest College, and while those definitely look much better now for, you know, obvious reasons,
01:13it still felt like the same games my friends and I stayed up way too late playing on Friday nights
01:18all those years ago.
01:19The wackiness and the weirdness of the Tony Hawk games is still here and outside of a few modern
01:26updates to the roster and the promise of new tricks and a new game plus mode,
01:29this is definitely the Tony Hawk that you remember from yesteryear.
01:35That's not to say it's all hard flips and smooth pavement though.
01:38While Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 plays really smoothly and the inclusion of the traditional
01:43two-minute timer works surprisingly well, the lack of the campaign mode is a bit of a sore spot in
01:48an otherwise promising remake. The game's purists might be let down from this, but after playing
01:53for a few hours I didn't really miss it much. There's something refreshing about playing a game
01:58that respects my time and limits me to shorter bursts of gameplay in an age where every game wants
02:02me to play it for hundreds of hours on end. While career mode would have been a cool inclusion,
02:07there's still a lot here that's worth sinking your teeth into.
02:09Thankfully nothing's been messed with and the gameplay feels natural and within minutes I was
02:15pulling off long grinds into manuals, back into grinds and chasing that ever elusive higher score
02:20while flying around the map trying to fill out escape.
02:24After a few minutes of tripping over myself in a comically over the top way,
02:27the controls quickly came back to me and I was flying around suburbia,
02:31heel flipping over cars and popping off that satisfying orchestra hit whenever I landed a special move.
02:36Ah, music to my ears.
02:43The new map, Waterpark, felt like it was always part of the original games and was easily one of
02:48the most fun levels to grind around and discover its secrets. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater's addictive
02:53gameplay loop kept me wanting more whenever the timer ticked down to the last few seconds and I
02:57frequently found myself quickly hopping back in for just one more run. In a time where it seems like
03:01every game from the early 2000s is getting a modern facelift, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 and 4 is shaping
03:06up to be a welcome addition in a year full of excellent remakes and remasters. From its faithful
03:11recreation of what made the PS2 era classic so memorable to its modern quality of life improvements,
03:17excellent soundtrack and overall love letter to the series early days, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 and 4 is
03:22very much something that should be on your radar if you're a fan of skateboarding, enjoy action sport games,
03:27or just want to play something simple and fun. It might be the easiest kickflip you'll land all year.
03:37For more previews of the latest upcoming games, don't miss out on our recent looks at The Outer
03:41Worlds 2 and Ninja Gaiden Ragebound. And for everything else in the world of video games, grind your way to IGN.