Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 Reviews
If Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 obviously doesn't look as good as its PlayStation or Xbox counterparts, it's still a fun skateboard experience to take with you anywhere you want.
Review in French | Read full review
If you want a portable Tony Hawk game, this is the best one yet. Despite the huge decrease in visual fidelity, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 is just as fun as it is on other consoles.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 on Nintendo Switch is a rock solid port of a pair of genuinely fantastic remakes. These really are two of the very best arcade sports titles of all time, revamped, reworked and re-imagined for modern audiences with all the graphical bells and whistles, collectibles and game modes we've come to expect in this day and age. With flawless performance in both docked and handheld modes and visuals that still look the part after a few necessary concessions here and there, this is one collection we highly recommend you kickflip right into as soon as possible.
"Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1+2" is a very successful remake of two cult classic games, bringing life into a long-lost genre of gaming. While there have been skating games since their original release, the "Tony Hawk Pro Skater" games have always been in a league of their own, and this remake further proves just how awesome they are. Players of all ages and skill levels will have hours of fun exploring the fully modernized skate parks, trying their best to complete the list of challenges in each level. I recommend this game to anyone who wants something different that is also challenging and might be limited to how much continuous game time they have available.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, known as Tony Hawk’s Skateboarding in Australia, first saw the light of day in 1999 on Sony’s first PlayStation console. It was also subsequently ported to a handful of platforms such as N64 and hell even the Nokia’s N-Gage (remember that phone/portable console hybrid?). The goal of the THPS series is pretty simple: throw players into a 3D environment and have them pull off crazy scores and complete objectives as real-life pro skateboarders. The game was met with critical acclaim which prompted Activision to start producing more games in the series by releasing a new game every year from 2000 to 2002.
Tony Hawk might have skated for the last time, but his legacy lives on through these incredible games.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 for the PS5 is a great PlayStation game, but not necessarily a great PS5 game. It's still a ton of fun to play, with no noticeable bugs or glitches. However, the only utilized PS5 feature is improved loading times. Adaptic triggers and haptic feedback felt largely unused, so much so it felt more like I was playing with a PS4 controller. Nonetheless, that doesn't stop this remake from being amazing --- it's still a ton of fun to play, and for new players there's plenty of content to chew through that you won't necessarily be missing those missed DualSense features.
Overall, the visual upgrade to 4K and the power of the PS5 take this already great game and add an extra level of immersion to it. Everything that is great in the PS4 version of the game is here, just better and faster. With the haptic feedback only possible with the DualSense, you’ll feel not only more in touch with it, but also more control in the game. Short of an entire remake to take full advantage of the new consoles this is the premium way to play Tony Hawk 1 + 2. While the overall differences between the PS4 and PS5 may be subtle, once you play the PS5 version you won’t want to go back to the other one. So yeah, the $10 is worth it. The original review gave the game a 95 rating. That rating holds for the PS5 version too. That said, I would have gone higher if more graphical enhancements like ray tracing had been added.
Overall, we'd say this is a decent upgrade that makes effective use of PS5's capabilities. However, if you're yet to grab Sony's new machine, the PS4 version will serve you just fine until you do. For a more in-depth look at the game itself, read our more comprehensive Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 PS4 review.
The next-gen version of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 isn’t revelatory, but it makes an outstanding game even better. What more could you ask for?
While the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 package is by no means a revolutionary new game, it still offers a complete skateboarding package that can provide many hours of gameplay depending on how much you get into it.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 is still a perfect game, and the small PS5 enhancements only serve to make it even better, but don't expect a drastically different game or experience when jumping to the new console. The PS5 version simply continues to polish something that already gleamed beautifully.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 was already an excellent package on last gen consoles; the next gen hardware allows it to shine even brighter.
Review in Italian | Read full review
The classics are here, all gleamed up for the current gen of consoles. If you’re dropping in now, you’re in for a treat. But if you bought last gen’s standard version of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2, be mindful of that crafty upgrade cost.
Going straight to the point Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1 + 2 is exactly what fans of the franchise have been waiting for many, perhaps too many, years. An anthology of all those elements that at the beginning of 2000 made this series a real icon, as well as the genesis of a genre that would spread in multiple directions in the years to come.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Around six months since Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 first graced our screens, Vicarious Visions' reimagining of the famed skateboard series is still as fun, giddy and accessible as it always was.
But we'll leave that choice up to you. The game itself is still absolutely great, and has added minor updates to multiplayer and the ability to replay the career since launch, which were welcome additions. It's one of the best examples of a Tony Hawk's game in over 15 years, and while the next-gen upgrade is nice, the backwards compatible Xbox One version is also still really good, so you don't need to hand over any extra cash to enjoy it.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 on PS5 and Xbox Series it's same enjoyable skate game, now a little bit better thanks to next gen innovations... but keep in mid that graphically isn't a big jump ahead (it was very good on PS4/One), and it has HDR problems in PS5 and, worst of all, you probably will have to pay again to enjoy it.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Ultimately, the decision as to whether or not you should snag the next-gen version of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 boils down to one thing: do you want to spend the additional $10? If you purchased the Deluxe Edition of the game for PS4, you’ve already paid that $10, so you’re already entitled to the PS5 version. Unfortunately, if you bought the physical disc version of the game, you’ll have to shell out the full price of the game if you decide to upgrade. Is it worth it? Sure. But it’s already a 5-star game. The technical enhancements aren’t going to immensely increase the overall fun factor and experience of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2. And, really, that should be all that matters.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 was a capable game on PS4 and Xbox One, running at variable resolutions while keeping that locked 60fps experience intact. It was hard for me to visualize what exactly developer Vicarious Visions could do aside from bumping up the resolution on the new generation of consoles, but after playing both the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions, it's clear the remake has some improvements that, while not drastic changes to the already incredible game, are undeniably impactful.