Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2

The PS5 does elevate the experience in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2, but you’re not missing out if you haven’t yet secured Sony’s next-gen console.

Vicarious Visions has proved that Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater was more than just a product of its time, and that – like skating itself – it has every chance of penetrating the mainstream once again. The studio should be lauded for twice proving that it is a steward of 90s nostalgia, and that it can reanimate games to be just as good – if not better! – for their second turn under the sun.

A stripped-down, glorious-looking remake that updates the original two games in just the right way to make them feel fresh and exciting again.

One thing to keep in mind if playing Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 on the Switch is that the Joy Con controllers aren't well suited to the precision that this game requires. Landing a trick from in the air requires that the skater is facing the right direction or they will wipe out and lose all the points that were racked up for that trick. The Joy Con's controls tend to stick and don't always respond very well to precise actions. This can be fixed by either learning to use the controller's D-pad or docking the system and investing in the Switch Pro controller to have more control over characte...

Even if the game would've been limited to the first Pro Skater, the remake would still well be worth it. It's a smooth experience packed with rich levels, energetic gameplay, and a ton of style. It doesn't dramatically reinvent the Tony Hawk formula, but it doesn't need to, nor should it. It's the definitive way to experience the core of the Tony Hawk franchise, elegantly surpassing what came before it, and setting a new bar for future entries in the process. For other contenders to the skating game throne, that bar will be incredibly difficult to exceed.