Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4

Even better than its predecessor: this remake is on its way to the high score.

The Birdman is back with another example as to why he was, is and always will be the king of the extreme sports game.

So there are minor limitations, but there's hardly a better way to overhaul two games that are almost 15 years old. After all, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 plays as smoothly as a current title would and looks the part too.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 is a very good remake, which succeeds where it's important : gameplay, respect for the original and immediate pleasure of the ride. It may not be a revolution like 2001, but it's a beautiful love letter to an era when skateboarding was more than a sport, it was a culture. At this price, it's almost a free trick.

After having played the THPS 1 + 2 remasters, the new package is no longer surprising, but offers loads of great fun for all fans of the series. There are almost 20 excellent skateparks and challenges that can be tackled for hours.

Thankfully, this collection still shines with addictive gameplay and a wealth of content that will keep you hooked for hours. Visual upgrades breathe new life into these classics for a modern audience. However, it’s not without flaws: Pro Skater 4 strays a bit from its original design, some odd choices affect the overall experience, and the heavily altered soundtrack is a noticeable letdown.

There are cuts and alterations, but this remains a properly glorious collection of two classic games.

Overall, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 is an absolutely fun title if your main exposure to the series was Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2. You're essentially getting more of the same, but the formula was already solid enough that getting more of what you know in newer locations is a good thing. The conclusion is more complicated if you were an aficionado of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4. With the types of changes and omissions made, a portion of the game feels more like it was inspired by the fourth mainline entry in the series rather than a remake or remastering effort. Purists will be disappointed by these decisions. If you aren't bothered by the changes, you'll find this to be a very good title overall.

The missions aren’t the same and the soundtrack is vastly different, so I don’t know if I’d call Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4 specifically a remake as much as I would a reimagining, but it’s still a great game nonetheless. If you’re expecting a 1:1 remake of both games, you’re effectively there when it comes to levels, but it’s not perfect. If you’re not concerned with the faithfulness to Pro Skater 3 and 4, these games are bigger and better than 1+2 and well worth it.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 is an unbelievably satisfying game, one that looks to the players and their fun only. No walls to cross with money but just with skills. And if you don't want to build that skill you can just cheat, like many of us 2000s kids used to do, because it's fun and it's easy and it is permitted. Everything is permitted in this quirky game, like it was in their original matrix, but what use can it do other than make a memory of a child to burst into an adult's mind? It's a game that shows its age and that seeks a way of living in this world by grasping to a community that outgrew it. A bittersweet experience with that old relative that doesn't have a hold on to this world anymore.