Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 shines in a new light. MeinMMO author Max Handwerk was allowed to test it.
“Here!” – I have rarely responded so quickly to the question of who in our editorial team wants to try out the new “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4”.
Why? That’s quickly explained: I love this skateboarding series endlessly. My first Tony Hawk game was “Underground” for the PS2, which we rented countless times from the video store as a family. After that, I caught up on all the Pro Skater titles and played the subsequent games as well. Only when the real skateboard controllers arrived did my passion cool down a bit.
At any rate, until “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2” was released by Vicarious Visions and Activision in 2020. This remake did everything right and managed to recreate the magic of the past on screen.
The game was well received, and the desire for a sequel arose. But then another remake became increasingly unlikely, as Vicarious Visions was merged into Blizzard.
There was a need for someone to take over. But then Iron Galaxy came into play, took over the project “Pro Skater 3 + 4” – and now we have the result.
Honestly: I was worried whether the next game, without Vicarious Visions, could live up to the fantastic 1 + 2. But my hours so far with 3 + 4 allow only one judgment.
The new development team has done it.
Tony Hawk shaped my youth; now he can also shape my 30s
Do you know that movie clip from Ratatouille, where the restaurant critic Ego takes a bite of a dish and suddenly feels transported back to his childhood through the taste?
Exactly that feeling is evoked for me by Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 when Motörhead’s “Ace of Spades” blares from the speakers, Tony Hawk grinds a rail on a cruise ship with his board, jumps off, adds a flip trick, and races down the next ramp.
Then it’s back up, right arrow key, down arrow key, circle – and the 360 Varial McTwist is landed smoothly while the sound that every “special trick” makes in the game activates the next waves of nostalgia in the brain.
For a remake of a gaming classic, that’s probably a good sign – because surely one of the developers’ goals was to evoke that nostalgia for anyone who used to roll around on the digital skateboard back in the day. I felt it – and therefore my most important requirement for the game has already been met: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 plays like it used to and is just as much fun.
But let’s take off the nostalgia goggles for a moment, as probably not everyone here is in their early 30s and played Tony Hawk games extensively before. What content does this game actually offer?
What’s in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4? We have tested it
To summarize: The heart of the game is the tour mode. Here you gradually play through the 19 parks of the game and solve various objectives to unlock additional parks in the tour. Most of the parks are familiar from the past, from the foundry to Canada to Alcatraz. They have been lovingly redesigned and look really good. But there are also a few new ones!
The objectives in the parks range from simple “Break the high score through tricks” objectives to collectible tasks to objectives like “Mess up tourist groups’ photos”, “Rescue a painter from a shark”, or “Trigger an earthquake” – which is just what skaters do. These games have always been full of chaotic energy, and the latest installment is no different.
In each level, you have a two-minute limit to try to complete as many objectives as possible. Once the timer runs out, you can start a new run and tackle more objectives – until you’ve completed everything. This can take a while because while some objectives can be completed “on the side”, it’s not so easy to find the solution for others.
It should be noted: This has always been the case in THPS 3; in THPS 4, a freely explorable career mode was implemented without a timer. The fact that the timer is now also present in the THPS 4 levels, instead of implementing the career mode familiar from back then, upset some fans beforehand. However, I haven’t mind it during my test so far – the game works really well this way. There is also an option in the game to extend the timer to up to 60 minutes if you want to work through some objectives and just skate around a bit.
In addition to the objectives, you will also find various collectibles in the levels.
- Bundles of cash
- Secret skateboards
- Iron Galaxy badges
- Stat points
You can collect all of these. And with that, you can buy clothing for your skaters, unlock new skaters, upgrade old skaters, watch skate videos, use more special tricks, or activate other new content.
And that’s a point I really appreciate about this game: You collect things here and there, complete a few objectives, and suddenly there’s something new to try out – whether skater, clothing, or even a skatepark. You unlock things gradually – just like before!
By the way, there are plenty of skaters as well. Classic skaters from the past, modern skaters, and even a few crazier characters. Additionally, you can create your own skater, which is fully customizable.
There are even endgame challenges that you unlock once you have completed all objectives in the parks and won the competitions. But I’m not that far yet.
Otherwise, the game offers:
- A multiplayer mode – online, but also local in split-screen
- Within this mode, there are various competitions you can race against each other in. It starts with high score comparisons and ends with tag games.
- You can create your own park and play parks created by others. The create-a-park feature has apparently been greatly enhanced, though I haven’t been able to delve too deeply into it yet.
- You can also create your own objectives in the parks.
- Modes like free ride or the two-minute challenge return in each park with global high score comparisons
- And you can play a kind of speedrun mode, where it is compared who can complete the objectives of a park the fastest.
- A comprehensive soundtrack with suitable skate music – mostly from the past
- The game also has a photo mode
To summarize the summary: There is a lot to play here. However, it should be noted that the fundamental gameplay of skating, landing tricks, and exploring the levels to solve objectives generally remains the same. If you like that, this is the place for you. If you’re less into skateboard chaos, it’s not.
You will have noticed from my report: The game has really impressed me. Just by how it brings back the old Tony Hawk feeling, but also through the sheer amount of possibilities to explore skate games in a new way. I am also quite looking forward to discovering all the secrets, unlockables, and creations of other players. What do you think of the Tony Hawk games? Are they something for you, or not? Let us know in the comments!
- A multiplayer mode – online, but also local in split-screen
- Within this mode, there are various competitions you can race against each other in. It starts with high score comparisons and ends with tag games.
- You can create your own park and play parks created by others. The create-a-park feature has apparently been greatly enhanced, though I haven’t been able to delve too deeply into it yet.
- You can also create your own objectives in the parks.
- Modes like free ride or the two-minute challenge return in each park with global high score comparisons
- And you can play a kind of speedrun mode, where it is compared who can complete the objectives of a park the fastest.
- A comprehensive soundtrack with suitable skate music – mostly from the past
- The game also has a photo mode
To summarize the summary: There is a lot to play here. However, it should be noted that the fundamental gameplay of skating, landing tricks, and exploring the levels to solve objectives generally remains the same. If you like that, this is the place for you. If you’re less into skateboard chaos, it’s not.
You will have noticed from my report: The game has really impressed me. Just by how it brings back the old Tony Hawk feeling, but also through the sheer amount of possibilities to explore skate games in a new way. I am also quite looking forward to discovering all the secrets, unlockables, and creations of other players. What do you think of the Tony Hawk games? Are they something for you, or not? Let us know in the comments!
