It’s time to relive our childhoods, as Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater is coming back! Activision has announced that a remake of the first two games in the series if being developed by Vicarious Visions, the developers behind the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane trilogy.
Both games will be released on Playstation 4, Xbox One, and PC via the Epic Games Store on September 4th, with preorders offering early access to a demo of the iconic Warehouse level. The remake will compile both games and include every level, including the secret ones.
Will the Gameplay Change?
Vicarious Visions is introducing some new moves that weren’t in the originals, like reverts, but are aiming to make the game play and feel just like it did when it first came out, in part because they used the original handling code of the original games.
“We started with Neversoft’s original handling code. We started with that as a foundation and then layered on what we needed to do to modernize it,” said studio head, Jen Oneal, “The other thing that we looked at was the geometry because we wanted to match inch by inch the geometry so that those lines feel exactly the same that they were before.”
Beyond just controls, the game will include all the missions and challenges, while introducing some new ones.
Will the Game Have Online or Local Multiplayer, and Create-a-Park?
The game will support competitive online play, as well as local, split-screen multiplayer for those who want to play with friends.
The online functionality will include the return of Create-a-Park and Create-a-Skater, allowing players to share their creations online.
“Create-a-Park is more robust than ever. It’s a deep set of tools for creating your ultimate skate park. And it’s not just a huge library of ramps, rails and boxes, you name it. On top of that, you’re able to do some deformation,” explained Oneal, “So you’re able to take some of the pieces and shape them in different ways and make your ultimate ultimate skate amusement park, if you will.”
Are the Soundtracks Returning?
For those of us who grew up on these games, the soundtracks were a huge part of the games, and Oneal has confirmed that most of the songs will be making a return. Not every song could come back, given the trickiness of music licensing.
“Most of the songs made it into the game. There’s only a small handful that we just couldn’t get the licensing rights for. It’s a pretty full soundtrack and you’ll get to hear your favorites, like “Guerrilla Radio” is in there, “Superman,” which is kind of like the anthem of THPS, is in there.”
The game looks outstanding, and many of us have been dreaming about returning to this beloved franchise. Vicarious Visions seems committed to bringing that classic feel from the originals into a more modern game. We could not be more excited to play it!
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