5/5 ★ – thegreatyuke's review of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2.

When Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1+2 was announced, it faced a mountain of expectations both from gamers who played the originals as well as those who only experienced the series’ sub-par later offerings. Thankfully, THPS 1+2 expertly recreates and updates the first two games’ levels and style while leaving behind all the trappings that make the originals hard to go back to today. Let me get this out of the way first since it’s arguably the most important feature: THPS 1+2 is an absolute joy to play. Everything from the speed of your character to how quickly you can restart a run feels exactly how it did in 1999 and 2000, just with a much smoother frame rate. Vicarious Visions also graciously included several mechanics from the later games that greatly expand the combo potential in THPS 1+2. Reverts, wall plants and double taps help veteran players get the most out of the ridiculous physics, but you can limit yourself to the standard movesets of either THPS 1 or THPS 2 if you’re feeling particularly nostalgic. New players shouldn’t feel left out though, as a very robust tutorial is included to get them up to speed with the iconic gameplay. THPS 1+2 is all killer and no filler when it comes to presentation and style. It’s generally agreed upon that the soundtracks for the first two games are legendary, and I’m happy to report that all your favorites are back (give or take a couple) supplemented by equally great new options. Listening to “Superman” by Goldfinger on the title screen immediately put me back in my childhood bedroom as I tried to figure out how to pull off my first special move. The glorious punk aesthetic is also faithfully recreated and given a shiny new coat of paint, bringing THPS 1+2 up to the standards of 2020. Each of the 21 real-life skaters has also been digitally captured and preserved with a stunning amount of detail. The characters all feel distinct with their individual clothing choices, including a few variations, and their personal scars and tattoos are perfectly placed and contorted exactly as they are in the real world. It’s truly awe-inspiring how good the characters look given that the source material shows them as smashed together polygons. Equally impressive is how Vicarious Visions was able to update the 19 included levels without drastically changing any of the original flow. Grinding through a fully functional mall wouldn’t make much sense in 2020 (even pre Covid), so THPS 1+2 features a dilapidated shopping center complete with emerging foliage and creepy mannequins. The one thing they weren’t able to fix, however, is the Downhill Jam level. It’s bad and has always been bad, but at least it’s been recreated well. Another slight downside is that it won’t take you long to get through the campaigns if you’re familiar with the originals, but the addition of skater specific challenges and a speedrun mode allow for dozens of hours of gameplay. Oh, and let’s not forget that local split-screen multiplayer is back. Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1+2 surmounted an unbelievable amount of expectations to become one of the best games of 2020. If you played the originals or have simply heard how great they are, you owe it to yourself to pick this game up and get lost in the pure bliss that is the return of the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater franchise.