Everything You Need to Know About 'Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 & 2'

Image via Activision

Tony Hawk gameplay has incrementally evolved over the last two decades to allow for additional tricks and customization options. The most notable ones are score multipliers and transitional moves that lengthen trick combos. So, if you haven't touched the series in a few years, you have some catching up to do. Manuals, which debuted in THPS2, are now usable in THPS1 levels as well. You can do Reverts, which debuted in THPS3. And you can pull off Spine Transfers and Wall Plants, which debuted in THPS4.

Thankfully, the game comes with a tutorial mode—narrated by Tony Hawk himself—to catch you up on everything. There are also game mods available in the Options menu, which allow for "No Bails" as well as perfect balance on Lips and Manuals, if you need some training wheels while you get used to everything.

You'll be pleased to hear that the original level designs have been faithfully preserved from their original incarnations. In fact, they're nearly identical. The Warehouse still starts with a sharp downhill, which allows you to Ollie over the half-pipe and grind on the far rail. The Hangar still has a helicopter that takes off when you grind on the propeller blades. It feels great to use new controls in classic scenarios. It unlocks all sorts of potential in them that wasn't available two decades ago.

Everything in this game is polished to a sheen. The sun casts dramatic shadows across the crumbling concrete. The puddles reflect the nearby surroundings. And in several instances, the level's look has been drastically reimagined. Take the Mall, for example. In its original incarnation, the Mall was a bit run down, but now, it looks as though it's been completely abandoned and allowed to decay. There's additional graffiti on every surface. Vegetation is reclaiming the more dilapidated areas of the structure.

The draw distance is now on par with any current generation title; unlike in the classic games, you'll be able to plan out a trick better because of how far in the distance you can see.

All of the goals from the original games have carried over to remake. You still have to collect letters to spell out S-K-A-T-E. You still have to knock over boxes and grind on benches to unlock later levels. Vicarious Visions has laid some additional goals on top of those. On The School, you have to Wallride five bells. There are additional goals for "Sick" scores and specific Gap Jumps as well.

You'll be happy to know that everything is where you remember it; the letters for SKATE haven't moved from their original positioning, and the Warehouse Secret Tape is still in the Secret Room over the halfpipe.

The interface for the game is an interactive hub that breaks down into three distinct "Skate Tours." The first two Tours are the single-player campaign modes of the two classic games. The Free Skate and online ranked play have been clustered into a single category called Ranked & Free Skate, which has global leaderboards to compare yourself against the world.

All your favorite multiplayer modes are back, along with some new additions: Score Challenge, Combo Challenge, Combo Mambo, Graffiti, HORSE, Trick Attack, and Tag. You can either play these modes as a casual competitor, which allows for multiple winners or as a serious skater, depending on your level of expertise.

The Creation modes from THPS2 return with additional customization options; In the character mode, you now have the option to create women, and countless articles of clothing and accessories are available in the Skate Shop, purchasable with cash that you earn in-game.

You can upload your park online and download other people's parks, which are sortable by number of plays, rating, and upload date.