Hands-On: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 – Nostalgia actualizada

Activision gave us a taste of what to expect with Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 with a short demo that only has playable the famous skater who gives the game its name and the classic ‘Warehouse’ level.

That is, in this demo it is only possible to play without a fixed objective and with no further progression than leveling up.

Sure, there are vestiges of the challenges, levels, skaters and unlockables that will be in the final version, but so far, we could only see with our own eyes what it looks like and how it feels to be this legendary skater again, two minutes per game.

Graphically it looks much better than any Tony Hawk title we’ve ever played, including of course the infamous fifth installment. Although it does not reach a photorealism that could take away its more arcade-like stamp to the franchise.

Overall, it plays and looks great regardless of how long it has been. It’s like going back to the 90s, but without leaving the adult responsibilities that our Millennials already suffer.

However the content included in the demo was very brief and there may be skepticism around the franchise.

Success and fall

The series of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater it has several titles that are considered among the games of the year; especially 2 and 3. This was thanks to its simplicity and humor: make combos to get a higher score and accomplish simple activities in an open world, but extremely limited. All this in two minutes.

But as technology advanced and gamers got used to its repetitive formula, Tony Hawk tried to modernize with strange spinoffs like they were. Underground, American Wasteland and Downhill Jam. And when the main franchise returned with the 5, this one obtained the worst marks of a series that already was going down.

Could it be that its first two games with some updates are enough to revive this franchise?

Will the Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1 + 2 update be enough?

Yes: the demo of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 it is quite brief, however it gives us an idea of ​​what to expect with the full release.

Even from its brief video introduction, we see the combination of the old with the new; It marks the return of several skaters who entertained us since the original release days of these classics, including Bucky Lasek, Steve Caballero, Andrew Reynolds and Chad Muska.

However, there are also new faces like Nyjah Huston, Leo Baker, Leticia Bufoni, Aori Nishimura, Lizzie Armanto, Shane O’Neill, Riley Hawk and Tyshawn Jones.

The combination of both worlds and the update of some elements attract a lot of attention to us, despite the last bad years that the franchise has had. And how can we forget our thirst for gender when there are so few offers that are really worth it.

In fact, we still have a lot to see, but there is potential here.