Tony Hawk himself has weighed in on which of his games needs a remake afterTony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4. Hawk has always been vocal about his involvement in the world of skating video games: having assigned his name to theTony Hawk’s Pro Skaterseries, the most iconic franchise in simulated skateboarding, he’s inevitably always going to be associated with it. The recent remakes ofPro Skatergames - first1 + 2, andnow3 + 4, due out later this month, has catapulted the series back into the public eye. But now that all the existingTHPSgames have been tapped for remaking, what’s next?
Ina recent interview, Hawk toldScreen RantthatTony Hawk’s Underground- colloquially known asTHUG- would naturally be the next candidatefor a remake, saying, “By chronology, if we get to keep doing [these remakes], then after this one that would be next. We’re on the precipice of the release of [Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4], so we’ll see what happens.“Undergroundis a little different from theTHPSformula, with a greater emphasis on exploration and customization - but that doesn’t mean it’s any less deserving of a remake.
Tony Hawk’s Underground Would Be The Next In Line After THPS 3+4
How THUG Shook Up The Series
Hawk is approaching the remakes from a logical standpoint here,going in chronological order.Tony Hawk’s Undergroundwas released in 2003, immediately following the last of theTHPSgames -THPS 4in 2002.
But perhaps more important than that isjust how differentTHUGwas from everything that had come before it. TheUndergroundarm of the series diverged significantly from thePro Skaterformula. WhereTHPSrequired you to choose froma variety of real-life skaters and celebrity cameos,Undergroundallowed you to design your own character. And whereTHPSfocused more on arcade-style gameplay, with time-limited, single- and multiplayer modes that challenged you to pull off as many tricks and rack up as many points as possible,Undergroundincluded a beefier campaign.
Underground’s campaign has a real story, following your custom skater as they make it big on the pro skating circuit and drive a wedge into a childhood friendship. It incorporates a variety of different game modes: the classic score attack, but also races, collect-a-thons, and special tricks. Crucially,THUGalso lets you get off your skateboard and walk around- there’s a lot more exploration and discovery involved.
Of course, this is anything but confirmation, and isn’t even a rumor of a remake - Tony Hawk is just stating that he’d like to seeTHUGup next. Ultimately, it’ll likely be some time before we find out whether aTHUGremake is really viable.
Our Take: THUG Deserves A Remaster After All This Time
Skating Games Need To Make A Comeback
The skateboarding video game market is in dire straits today. It’s been a decade since the last newTony Hawk’srelease, and, by all accounts, theSkatereboot isn’t looking great, laden with microtransactions that suck the fun out of earning new gear.
We need a shakeup, and I thinkUndergroundis the perfect candidate. Its rebellious nature and its customizability would help it stand out from the pack, making it the first must-have skating game in at least two console generations.Tony Hawk’s Undergroundisn’t just the next remake candidate chronologically - it’s the skating game we need most afterTony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4.
