Two months from now, the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 remaster will be released. As with most remastered projects, all sorts of questions are being thrown around. What's new? What's the same? Which pros are returning? Are the songs coming back? Will secret levels be included? Was Eric Sparrow ever adequately punished for stealing my helicopter jump in Hawaii?
While all sorts of misinformation has already been spread, most of the questions have been officially addressed, or are more-or-less concrete already. We've done our best to answer all of your questions and more in this to-the-point article. If you think we missed something, let us know over at Facebook or Instagram.
The game will be released on September 4, 2020, on Playstation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows.
A demo will be playable from August 14, 2020, for those who have pre-ordered the game. The demo will consist of the Warehouse level only.
Every pro skateboarder from the first two THPS games will feature in THPS 1+2. That list consists of Tony Hawk, Jamie Thomas, Andrew Reynolds, Kareem Campbell, Elissa Steamer, Bob Burnquist, Bucky Lasek, Rune Glifberg, Geoff Rowley, Chad Muska, Rodney Mullen, Steve Caballero & Eric Koston.
Along with the original 'legend' roster, the game will feature a roster of 'current' professional skateboarders. This list includes Nyjah Huston, Leticia Bufoni, Lizzie Armanto, Aori Nishimura, Shane O'Neill, Leo Baker, Riley Hawk & Tyshawn Jones.
It's unknown whether secret skaters from the first two games will make an appearance, however we'd be willing to bet at least some of them will. Officer Dick and Private Carrera, unlockable from the first game, seem likely to be involved in the remaster. Spider-Man, however, might be more difficult to include due to licensing issues. Skaters who appeared from THPS3 onwards – Bam Margera and Mike Vallely, most notably – are not confirmed to appear in the remake.
Every level from THPS1 and THPS2 will feature in the game. These levels include Warehouse, School, Mall, Skate Park (Chicago), Downtown (Minneapolis), Downhill Jam, Streets (San Francisco), Burnside, Roswell, The Hangar, School 2, Marseille, New York City, Venice Beach, Skatestreet, Philadelphia, and The Bullring.
The two secret levels from THPS2 – Skate Heaven and Chopper Drop – appear to have also been confirmed, as Simon Ebejer announced there will be 19 levels in an interview with Variety last month.
Most of the original soundtrack will feature, but not all of it. Vicarious Visions, the developer, has actually already officially announced the entire soundtrack, and an official Spotify playlist containing all 18 tracks exists.
So, which songs aren't included? According to our calculations; “Screamer / Nothing to Me” by Speedealer; “Cyco Vision” by Suicidal Tendencies; and “Committed” by Unsane are missing from the OG THPS1 soundtrack.
As far as THPS2 goes, we're missing “Bring the Noise” by Anthrax & Public Enemy; “B-Boy Document ’99” by The High & Mighty, Mos Def, and Mad Skillz; and “Out With the Old” by Alley Life.
Some bangers are absent, for sure, but the bulk of the original sound will be present. Phew.
Vicarious Visions are remastering the games. While they did develop several of the handheld Tony Hawk's Pro Skater games in the mid-2000s – every Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS version of the mainline games, in fact – they're most recently known for remastering the first three Crash Bandicoot games in what was a very similar project to this THPS reboot.
The Crash remaster was received pretty positively, although complaints were made about the 'feel' of the game and how the physics differed from the original. As most THPS fans know, the physics and 'feel' of the Tony Hawk games is probably more important than any graphical overhaul, so this may be cause for some slight concern.
On a positively reassuring note, however, Ebejer confirmed that Vicarious obtained the original handling code from Neversoft, the late studio that developed “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater,” brought it into its engine and re-arted it all in 4k. With that original handling code present, we could expect something very similar to that original THPS feel.
In Australia, the game is retailing for $69.95, with a deluxe edition available for $84.95. In the US, the base game is retailing for $39.95, while the deluxe edition will set you back $49.95.
The Digital Deluxe Edition includes the complete Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 Game, 'The Ripper' skater from Powell-Peralta, unique retro outfits for Tony Hawk, Steve Caballero and Rodney Mullen, and unique retro content for the Create-A-Skater mode.
On that note, both Create-A-Skater and Create-A-Park are confirmed to return in an 'upgraded' fashion, along with online modes and the ability to share created content online.
Tricks which didn't feature in the first two games but were later added to the series – reverts, in particular – are also confirmed to be part of the remaster. That almost goes without saying, but it's still worth noting.
We'll keep you updated with any more news leading up to the September 4 release, and we'll be playing and reviewing the demo as soon as we get our hands on it next month. Stay tuned!
Written by The Rat from Mike V and the Rats
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