A few years ago, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 brought back the iconic skateboarding series in fine form, presenting the first two games remade and in one package.
It was so successful in what it set out to do that Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 uses practically the exact same template. While the end result is another fantastic arcade skating title, changes to the latter game in particular prevent this from being the slam dunk it should’ve been.
But before we get into all that, let’s talk about what’s here. THPS 3 + 4 is using the same tech and framework as the previous remake collection, bundling together the third and fourth titles in the franchise into one game.
The good news is that it feels identical to its predecessor, which means it feels super smooth and responsive to control. It might take a few runs to shake the rust off, as these are fast-paced games that ask you to properly engage with the tools at your disposal. However, once you’ve warmed up, this feels as good to play as the series ever has.
3 + 4 also looks great and runs wonderfully on PS5. An unshakeable 60 frames-per-second is prioritised over the highest fidelity visuals, but that’s not to say this is an ugly game; environments look especially good.
While still recognisable for nostalgic fans, every stage has been given a fantastic facelift that freshens up their look, and the results are mostly great. Some of our favourite stages visually are Tokyo, London, San Francisco, and Canada, but each level looks lovely with great image quality across the board.
Developer Iron Galaxy had a tough job to do in unifying the two games into something cohesive. While the first two games were structurally very similar, 3 + 4 doesn’t have the same luxury, and the result is that the games are more altered this time around to make them fit together.
Across both titles is a uniform approach to goals and competition stages, and while THPS3 is mainly unaffected by this, THPS4’s tour is quite different from what you may remember from the PS2 classic.
The most notable difference is that THPS4 conforms to the timed runs approach prevalent in the games that came before it. The original adopted a more freeform structure; you were able to trigger specific goals at your leisure, and levels were larger, designed to be explored without a timer.
In this remake, the levels have been retrofitted to THPS3’s timer. This does make for a more cohesive game overall, but it comes at the cost of uprooting the original’s intent. Fans with nostalgia for THPS4’s career mode will likely be disappointed by this change that feels a little heavy-handed.
Furthermore, Kona and Zoo have been converted into competition levels. Unlike regular stages, these eschew goals in favour of minute-long heats in which you need to score as highly as possible. This means they’re missing all their goals from the original game. Carnival and Chicago are absent altogether, though they were more like bonus stages and not exactly the best-liked levels, so this isn’t the greatest loss.
What might irk some people more than the missing stages is the soundtrack, which includes only a handful of songs from the original 3 and 4. The majority of music from those classic soundtracks isn’t here, replaced by new tracks. What’s included all hits the right tone at least, but again, fans of the old games won’t be too happy that this remake doesn’t quite reflect their experience.
While all this sounds like bad news, the fact is THPS4’s levels remain a joy to play through, even with the timer in place. Some of the original game’s goals are present and correct, while others are relegated to Pro goals, which unlock after completing both campaigns, so you’re still getting the majority of what you’d want. It is a shame that 4 couldn’t be remade without major changes, but what’s here is still great fun to blast through.
A trio of brand new levels fill out THPS4’s career — Movie Studio, Waterpark, and Pinball. The former is a competition level, while the other two are your typical stages with goals and so on.
They’re all really strong Tony Hawk levels, with really fun themes and layouts that slot right in, feeling like natural additions to all the classic stages you remember.
Layered on top are hundreds of additional challenges for the most dedicated skaters, as well as lots of customisation options and an enormous roster of pro skaters to choose from. It includes all your old favourites like Rodney Mullen, Bob Burnquist, and yes, Bam Margera, but makes room for a younger generation.
The likes of Chloe Covell, Rayssa Leal, and Yuto Horigome are great newcomers to the series, and along with the new levels, speak to a desire from Iron Galaxy to look forward as well as back.
There are smart additions to other aspects of the game too. Create-A-Park now features custom goals you can make, allowing you to add some objectives to your own levels. It’s probably the most robust level editor the series has ever seen, so if you’re into that side of Tony Hawk, you’re well served here.
Online multiplayer is more or less the same as 1 + 2, only there’s a new mode — HAWK. Again, it’s a great addition; you spend the first phase hiding the letters that make up HAWK, then you have to seek the letters your opponents have placed. It’s a fun new mode that rewards map knowledge and exploration.
Conclusion
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 is another fantastic skateboarding title that revives some all-time classics, albeit with some caveats. It’s a shame that 4 couldn’t be more faithfully restored, but what is included still makes for a fun arcade skating experience that fans of the series shouldn’t skip — especially considering the brand new levels and other neat secrets. It may not be the greatest remake, but it’s further proof that there’s life yet in this timeless series.