On Friday, September 4th, the reissue of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 was released. MeinMMO author Max Handwerk looked at the multiplayer mode – and didn’t want to get off the virtual skateboard.
A successful remake: Let’s take the most important point first: Yes, anyone who felt at home in the old (read: good) Tony Hawk games will also feel at home in the Pro Skater remakes. Even the demo left this impression, contrary to the skepticism shaped by the past years – and the final game confirms it.
The atmosphere is right, the level design is stylish across the board, and the controls allow you to execute combos as if you had traveled back in time by years. This conclusion was also reached by the testers from GamePro.
But not only the graphics of Pro Skater 1 and 2 have arrived in 2020: As is customary for a competitive sports title today, there is also an online multiplayer. And I took a closer look at that.
What does the multiplayer mode in Tony Hawk have to offer?
A nearly relaxed online atmosphere: For me personally, the online component in a Tony Hawk game is a new experience. My PlayStation 2, on which I used to play the skateboarding games, was not connected to the internet during my younger years. That’s why the pressure was initially high – after all, you don’t want to completely fail online when you’ve accumulated years of experience in single-player mode.
The nice thing is: As soon as you launch Pro Skater 1 + 2, any stress is immediately gone. This is ensured by the music, but also by the nostalgic sounds – like the scratching of the board or the loud effect when executing special tricks. Additionally, the player’s skater tends to cheer a bit when a trick is successfully performed. This all contributes to a good mood.
This is how Tony Hawk runs online: Despite all the good vibes, of course: winning is still the goal. You get the opportunity in various match types that run in sequence. None of them lasts particularly long, typically the time limit is 2 minutes or less.
Depending on the mode, there are different objectives:
- In the trick tournament, the winner is the one who collects the most points.
- In graffiti, you have to tag more objects with tricks than your opponents.
- Combo Mambo: Here, the player who achieves the highest combo within the time limit wins.
- Combo Challenge: The first to reach the specified combo score (for example, 150,000 points) wins.
- Score Challenge: The first to reach the stated total score wins.
In the tests, up to eight players participated simultaneously. They then skate around the map together and try to earn points. However, you cannot interfere with each other because there are no collisions. Pushing opponents off their board while they’re executing their best combo doesn’t work.
You will still notice your fellow players: The current score is always displayed at the top left. And as soon as three names suddenly appear in front of you, you start to sweat a little. You then try to execute an epic trick combo – because the time limit only stops for you once your last combo is finished.
This means that even if the time is up and you’ve already put down the controller, an opponent can still take your victory away. Then you get particularly annoyed – but only for a moment. Because almost as soon as a round ends, the next game begins.
This is how the online mode sucked me in: I intended to only test the multiplayer – but once you start, it’s quite difficult to stop. Because the matches are so short and entertaining, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater activated the classic “Just one more” syndrome in me.
- When I lost, I thought: “Come on, just one 2-minute match and I’ll end with a victory.”
- And when I won, it was: “Wow, that went well. I’ll play another short match.”
This is also because you almost completely control the outcome yourself. If you didn’t collect enough points, it wasn’t because the opponent tricked you, but simply because they had better combos. You can’t just let that stand. And when you finally say “That’s enough now,” the map suddenly changes – and you have to take a quick look at it again!
Furthermore, the good mood and the gameplay in the game are simply fun. You don’t feel like you have to beat your opponent at all costs to have a good time. Whether that remains the case in the coming weeks is open. After all, Tony Hawk has just been freshly released and it’s the many new impressions that are initially fun.
However: If you are looking for a fun multiplayer game for a quick session, you are in the right place. As long as you manage to stop in the end and not get stuck in a “Just one more game” cycle all evening.
What about local multiplayer? You can also play Tony Hawk together on the couch without the online component. There are also modes like “free skating” or “tagging”. Otherwise, the modes only differ in the number of players from the online feature.
Accordingly, the remake is also a lot of fun in split-screen – with one downside: the frame rate noticeably decreases in split-screen. It’s not a complete dealbreaker, but you do notice the difference compared to single-player mode.
Nevertheless, it holds true: If you are looking for a fun game for two, the Tony Hawk remake is the right choice. And if you have no interest in skateboarding, you will surely find something in our list of the best couch co-op games.
