Welcome Home Tony Hawk, All Is Forgiven

There were a lot big trailers shown during the Spike TV Video Game Awards -- Naughty Dog's The Last of Us, Mass Effect 3, and BioShock Infinite, to name a few -- but the one that captured my imagination was a teaser trailer for a modest, download-only game in a franchise that I haven't paid attention to in years.

It was a brief trailer, showing Tony Hawk's video game likeness skating in the legendary Warehouse level from the original Tony Hawk's Pro Skater -- recreated in state-of-the-art HD graphics. While Activision hasn't given out many details on the game, the release said it will combine ""best elements of the classic THPS games and gives them a fresh update."

Watching the trailer got me thinking. I started losing interest around the time of Tony Hawk's Underground 2 -- and recent experiments like Tony Hawk: Ride haven't done much to bring me back into the fold. However, when I look back, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 is legitimately one of my top ten favorite games of all time. I can still remember the apartment I lived in when it came out. I was single, living alone, and had hours to pour into learning all the tricks. It was, at the time, one of the most addictive experiences in gaming. There was so much to learn about each level, so much skill in perfecting your combos.

Thinking back further, I remember the day I saw the first Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. At the time, skateboarding games were far off our radar. Frankly, I don't think any of us were anticipating the game at all. Andy McNamara was out of the office, and so it was up to Reiner and the rest of us to finish the issue without him. We were supposed to put the latest Pokémon game on the cover.

Reiner put Tony Hawk into the PlayStation on his desk, and quickly called for people to come over and check it out. We were blown away. This was a long way from 720°, California Games, or Skate or Die. Finally, video game skating felt like the real thing – or, more accurately, an exaggerated superhuman version of the real thing. By combining the complex button combos of the fighting game genre with expansive levels, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater was a revelation.

We were already having our doubts about putting Pokémon on the cover. Soon, after we received some terrible cover art from Nintendo, and our growing obsession with Tony Hawk, the decision was made. Reiner pulled Pokémon and we decided to put Tony Hawk on the cover – all without telling Andy. Thankfully, after seeing the game for himself, he understood. This was going to be huge.

Now, after all the lackluster sequels and goofy ideas, it appears that Activision is bringing back Tony Hawk to its roots. I couldn’t be happier. While I don’t know what the finished product will be, my gut says it’s likely a level either brought over from the early games (like the Warehouse) or new levels in the same vein. I’m hoping the gameplay essentially imagines that Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 was the last in the series, allowing you to take advantage of the indispensible manuals and reverts that made long combo strings an art form.

I doubt I’m alone. I think there are a lot of gamers out there with fond memories of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, and perhaps now is the perfect time for the aging legend to make a comeback.