For many gamers at the start of the century, Tony Hawks Pro Skater inspired everything from a passion for skateboarding to their taste in music and clothes. And now they'll be able to relive the third and fourth installments in the next-gen remake Tony Hawks Pro Skater 3 + 4.
We had doubts about the remakes after Vicarious Visions merged into Blizzard Entertainment, and Activision handed the task to Iron Galaxy. But the trailer promises impressive remakes rebuilt from the ground up with new skaters, parks, tricks, music and enhanced creation tools (see our pick of the best games consoles if you need a device to play on).
Neversoft's legendary skateboarding series launched on the original PlayStation in 1999 alongside the Nintendo 64, Game Boy Color and Dreamcast. The dual remake of the third and fourth games features Career mode, Single Sessions, Speedruns and Free Skate. There's cross-platform online multiplayer supports up to eight skaters at a time so players can go head-to-head in competitive game modes or skate every surface together in multiplayer Free Skate.
The original parks from THPS3 and THPS4 have been remade in 4K resolution and given streamlined goals in the two-minute format. But there are new parks too. An epic-looking Waterpark map will see skaters drop into the Mojave Desert in an abandoned theme park with rusting slides and a drained-out lazy river, providing new obstacles.
The drained river creates an extensive vert ramp touching all corners of the map, while railings and ramp ledges provide grind potential. You'll also be able to skate up the short, covered slides in the playground and on a wooden ship in Pirate’s Bay, and there are six rides along the park’s perimeter for some high-adrenaline tricks.
If you’re feeling rusty yourself, there's an in-game tutorial led by Tony Hawk. There's also new music, and players will be able to create their own skater with customisation options for hair, tattoos, makeup and skating style.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 will be released on July 11. You can pre-order now via PlayStation and Steam.
A Digital Deluxe Edition will be available in early access three days before the launch date with extra skaters, tracks, decks and apparel. The Collector’s Edition will have a limited-edition full-size Birdhouse skateboard deck with a reissued version of the Wings graphic and a printed Tony Hawk autograph.
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