Tech Olive

With the release of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater in 1999, the gaming world was introduced to a franchise that would explode in popularity and pave the way for future extreme sports titles. Although Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater wasn’t the first skating game to be released, it is without a doubt one of the best. In light of the game recently celebrating its 10th anniversary of release, I found it to be the perfect subject for this month’s retro review.

To be successful in the game, you must be able to land tricks, just as if you were skateboarding in real life, although the difference is tricks are worth points, which add to your score within the level you are playing in. In the game there are various types of tricks for players to perform, as well as the inclusion of a special trick which is unique to each of the ten available skaters in the game based on their signature moves they have been known to exhibit throughout their real-life careers. The ability to perform these signature tricks is gained by performing standard tricks, which in turn, fills the player’s “special meter” which, when full, allows the execution of the special trick.

The concept behind THPS‘s career mode is quite simple. You begin with a single level unlocked, unlocking further levels by collecting the “tapes” within each level. Tapes are acquired by completing set goals in each level. Everything from achieving a certain score or breaking items within the level will score you a tape. Each run through a level gives you two minutes to achieve your goals. The time adds a degree of difficulty at first, but it becomes fairly easy once you have a feel for the game.

No review of a Tony Hawk game cannot go without mentioning the brilliant soundtracks featured throughout the series. Skating along to artists such as Suicidal Tendencies, Primus, and the Dead Kennedys made the game all the more exciting. Add in these tracks along with the great sound effects in the game for an enjoyable gaming experience.

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater brought hope to many people like myself who were not the best skaters around, and despite being able to complete the game in a short amount of time, it was still a great introduction game to the sequels that followed. Although the series has changed drastically over the last 10 years, the core concept is still very much the same, and THPS can be thanked for that.