The more that changes, the more that stays the same. With Vicarious Visions now being called Blizzard Albany (because there is no good to be done in this moral hellscape we call reality), a studio younger than both games featured in this remake takes over. Somehow doing a better job than everything else it did on its own. Iron Galaxy is probably best known for Kinect-based disaster Wreckateer, picking up the pieces for seasons 2 & 3 of Double Helix’s Killer Instinct, Shadow of the Colossus-like Extinction, and, of course, whatever you want to call Epic’s disaster of Rumbleverse.

That doesn’t mean that the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 remakes haven’t seen controversies from wannabe purists either. Originally set up as a career mode, which would be the foundation of Underground, American Wasteland, and beyond, THPS 4 wanted to make way for what was yet to come. Here in the remakes, that’s been binned off in favor of the series’ established norms: 2 minutes to get several objectives done, and if you can, maybe find the hidden collectibles and other things to get unlockable items. Though I adore THUG, I do prefer this focus in THPS titles.

Despite that, more has been changed, tweaked, and refined into something funny to talk about, especially in the shadow of that controversy. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 does the most important thing I think that can be done with a Tony Hawk’s game, which is to feel like one. From the physics to some of the design, it all comes together to flow and feel like you could skate to get massive combos and all of this. With the unlocks and progression feeling as it should, as many games felt like on the PS2, as well. THPS 3 + 4 feels like a Pro Skater game in almost every aspect.

I won’t say every change is something that I love and adore with all my being. The soundtrack, while good enough with the occasional good new addition, has little added to give you a new breadth of artists to find. I do enjoy a bit of Run the Jewels, but I have to say that the soundtrack from Logan Byers is fantastic at capturing the tone itself without all the licensed sounds you’ll find familiar. I’ll also bemoan the level removal of “Carnival” simply because I quite liked that one, the others that were binned off get a good riddance.

Despite minor complaints about the soundtrack and a missing level or two (I’d have liked Oil Rig!), the additions and changes feel really good and almost like a back door pilot of “let us make a new Tony Hawk’s game, please?” To which I say, if you’re going to do another one, put Ollie the Magic Bum back in you monsters. Speaking of adding, there are three new levels: “Movie Set,” “Waterpark,” and “Pinball.” The former is a competition, the middle is a normal level in an abandoned waterpark, and the latter is a normal level with a huge Tony himself playing pinball as you skate around the table.

Of the new levels, I have to say that “Waterpark” is probably my favorite; it has lots of bowls, half-pipes, and ledges to trick and grind off of. Being part of 4 in this double remake, it is worth mentioning that, no, you don’t talk to NPCs to get your goals; this is just a case of being given a list of things to do and doing them in the time of the persistent ticking clock. This is another addition that I quite like, especially when you’re secret hunting and get frustrated by the 2-minute timer.

If you think you’d feel better with 5 minutes, that’s available. However, you can also play everything in 10-minute rounds, or for the more relaxed/secret hunters among you, you can play a level for up to 60 minutes. Sadly, there isn’t a modifier on the competition levels, so you only have a minute for each heat for those still, which makes secret hunting in those levels in particular quite difficult/frustrating. When I say secret hunting, I’m not just talking about the secret tapes or slightly hidden areas, though I’ve found two that are quite interesting.

Each level has typical score goals, a trick or two goals, and something unique to the level like “London” is about knocking the boob-hats off of bobbies, and things like that. However, each level also has floating money, skill points, and an Iron Galaxy logo, all of which are easy enough to spot in the distance. There are some secret decks also hidden throughout the levels. They might be in difficult places to get to, and the Iron Galaxy logo for the “College” level is tricky. However, there is another hidden little fella on almost every level that is sometimes annoying.

Hidden in some easy-to-get-to areas and in “Tokyo,” the most evil of places, there are little Pandas. I won’t say what they give you, because that’s easy enough to work out, all things considered. Nonetheless, some of them are placed by lovely people who are on Santa Hawk’s nice list, and they get nice new skateboards for Christmas. Then there are the people who placed the ones like in “Tokyo,” who have a special place in “Foundry” waiting for them. I spent hours this time getting that unlock, and some of those competition levels are a nightmare.

Though you’re not here to hear me complain about finding plushies in a video game. You’re here to ask: Is it good, and should I play it? Yes, and yes. “Oh, but it doesn’t have the career mode!” I don’t give a flying plane with money on it in that one level, the THPS 3 + 4 remakes are exactly what they should be for that demarcation of how we categorize these things. They are remakes, not remasters. Things have changed, levels have gone, levels have come in, some music is gone, while some stayed, and some music has replaced the other stuff.

THPS 3 + 4 feels like a Tony Hawk’s game of this era through and through, though with maybe an addition or two that are worth mentioning. I don’t remember Skitting (grabbing a car and using it to pull you along) until THUG, but I’ll admit that I hardly got much time with 4 originally, and 3 I only remember bits of from the PS2. There is also a new addition of pressing down twice and tapping R1/RB, letting you do a quick 180° turn. I don’t remember that in any of the games, and I’ll admit I didn’t use it much here either.

With plenty of characters, including the Doom Slayer and Michelangelo (the green one), there are enough differences in play styles and feel for everyone. Though thankfully, you don’t need to get the skill points on every level for each character individually this time. If you collect them with one, you’ve got them for all. The replacement of challenge in that regard is a lot of actual challenges, some of which don’t unlock until you’ve completed the main game. However, doing so also unlocks more challenges for each level to platinum competitions and get higher scores.

Working as a New Game+ offering, you get those additional goals, and you get the return of my nightmares as a child playing Tony Hawk’s games. C-O-M-B-O. S-K-A-T-E I can do easily, but C-O-M-B-O is something I always struggled with because I was a stupid child (I still am). I like it, it gives me a reason to go back and play as someone else if I want to in order to complete those objectives. I like that as a way to pull my interest in.

Ultimately, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 is a great remake, that, if you think the soundtrack (which you can probably stream) or a handful of minor levels made the games, I don’t know what to tell you. If you are just looking for the feel and some good levels, then you are in for a treat. I say this rarely because it is true to the fact that reviewing is busy work, but THPS 3 + 4 is one of the few cases where I’ll play a lot more after the review. It might not be as big and special as the first set of remakes were, but Iron Galaxy has hit it out of the park this time.

A PC review copy of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+ 4 – Digital Deluxe Edition was provided by Activision for this review.

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Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4

$49.99 - $69.99
8.5

Score

8.5/10

Pros

  • Feels exactly like a Tony Hawk's game should.
  • "Waterpark" is a great addition to the select number of levels.
  • That New Game+ addition.
  • Logan Byers' great soundtrack.

Cons

  • A handful of bugs/clipping issues.
  • The licensed soundtrack is a bit "meh."

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Keiran McEwen

Keiran Mcewen is a proficient musician, writer, and games journalist. With almost twenty years of gaming behind him, he holds an encyclopedia-like knowledge of over games, tv, music, and movies.

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