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    Tony Hawk

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    Professional skater Tony Hawk has teamed up with Activision for many years to deliver some of the greatest skateboarding games ever made, along with some incredibly average annualized installments.

    Short summary describing this franchise.

    Tony Hawk last edited by reverendhunt on 05/12/20 09:42AM View full history

    Neversoft Era

    The game that started it all
    The game that started it all

    Neversoft started the series with Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater in 1999. This game laid the groundwork for the first three games in the series; Complete as many of the goals as you can before time runs out. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 was released the following year and added new tricks such as the manual, skater and skatepark creation, and new multiplayer modes. In 2001, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 was released. The biggest gameplay addition this game made was the addition of the Revert, which allows you to continue your line after going up a vertical ramp. The Playstation 2 and PC versions of this game feature online play, a first for the series. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2X, a port of the first two Tony Hawk games with additional content, was also released in 2001 for the Xbox.

    Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4 was released in 2002 and changed how the goal progression in the career mode worked. Instead of having the player try to do as many goals as they could within the time limit, players now entered a level without a time limit and could accomplish goals one at a time. This game also added more online and offline multiplayer features and new tricks, such as the spine-transfer and various manual tricks.

    Tony Hawk’s Underground was released in 2003. This game features the same method of goal progression as Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4, but added a story to it. In the story, you play as an amateur skater looking to become a professional. The biggest gameplay addition this game made was the ability to walk. Walking can be used to get to areas easier, or used in combos. Goal, deck, and trick creation modes were also added. On platforms with camera peripherals such as the Eyetoy, players could take a picture of their face and map it to their created character.

    Tony Hawk's Underground 2
    Tony Hawk's Underground 2

    Tony Hawk’s Underground 2 was released in 2004. The game's story is a continuation of that from the previous installment.The player character is recruited for the World Destruction Tour; A competition between Tony Hawk and Bam Margera’s teams in which they try to cause as much chaos as possible. In each level, you can switch between different characters, including one character with a unique vehicle, such as a go-kart. In addition to new tricks such as flips, this game added Classic Mode. In Classic Mode, players go through new and remade levels from past Tony Hawk games with the goal progression method from the first three games in the series. The PSP version, Tony Hawk’s Underground 2: Remix, featured additional content was released alongside the PSP in 2005.

    Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland was released in 2005 and features story-driven goal progression like the previous two games in the series. In this game’s story, you play as a skater that moves to Los Angeles and helps rebuild a skate park. This was the first game in the Tony Hawk series to feature an open world and the first and only in the series to feature online play in the Xbox release. This game added many new gameplay elements such as the bert slide, parkour moves, and the ability to ride BMX bikes. The Nintendo DS and Gameboy Advance releases of the game were released under the title Tony Hawk's American Sk8land. The Nintendo DS release of American Sk8land has additional features such as customization modes, touch-screen controls, and downloadable missions, but lacks several other features such as the ability to get off the board and the ability to ride BMX bikes. The story is slightly different as well. The GBA release features isometric gameplay like previous Gameboy, Gameboy Color, and GBA games in the franchise. However, it doesn't have any online features. The GBA release's story is completely different from the console and Nintendo DS release's as well.

    Tony Hawk's Project 8
    Tony Hawk's Project 8

    Tony Hawk’s Project 8 was released in 2006 and was the first game in the series to be built from the ground up for the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3. In this game’s story, the player's created character tries to become the number one skater on Tony Hawk’s new team, Project 8. The biggest change to the gameplay was the Nail-the-Trick mode, which allows players to control the skateboard’s rotation with the analog sticks. However, this game removes the skatepark creation, goal creation, trick creation, and Classic mode.

    Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam was developed by Toys for Bob and released on the Wii, Nintendo DS, and Game Boy Advance in 2006. This game focuses more on racing than previous games in the franchise. This game was later ported to the PlayStation 2.

    Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground, released in 2007, was the final Neversoft developed game in the Tony Hawk franchise. This game tried to reinvigorate the franchise by giving players different ways to play by dividing the game’s goals into three categories, rigger, pro, and hardcore. Rigger goals have the player modifying the game’s world to complete goals, such as building a ramp so you can jump over a car. Professional goals have players doing things such as competing in completions and taking photos. Hardcore goals focus mostly on skating. Nail-the-Trick has been expanded upon in this game with Nail-the-Grab and Nail-the Manual. Other new tricks include the agro kick, bowl skating moves, and the ability to skate check NPCs.

    Robomodo Era

    The skateboard peripheral used for Tony Hawk: Ride and Tony Hawk: Shred.
    The skateboard peripheral used for Tony Hawk: Ride and Tony Hawk: Shred.

    In 2008, Tony Hawk’s Motion and Hue Pixel Painter was released for the Nintendo DS. This game uses motion controls and features snowboarding in addition to skateboarding. The second part of the game, Hue Pixel Painter, is a motion controlled puzzle game.

    After Neversoft stopped developing games in the Tony Hawk franchise, the main series took a year off. When it returned, it did so with a new developer. In 2009, the Robomodo developed Tony Hawk: Ride was released. Whereas previous games in the franchise used standard control methods, Tony Hawk: Ride is controlled with a skateboard peripheral. The board is motion sensing and has four sensors on the sides. The game also returns to individual levels, whereas more recent entries in the franchise featured open worlds.

    No Caption Provided

    The next game in the series, Tony Hawk: SHRED, was released in 2010. In this game, players can use the skateboard peripheral for snowboarding in addition to skateboarding. Robomodo developed the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 versions while Buzz Monkey developed the Wii version. The game is targeted at players from six to twelve years old.

    At the Spike Video Game Awards 2011, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD was announced. This downloadable HD collection features select levels from the first two games in the series. It was released for Xbox Live Marketplace, Playstation Network, and PC in 2012. Levels from the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 were released later in the year as DLC.

    Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 was released in 2015. The game sought to return the franchise to its roots by featuring multiple levels, each with its own set of objectives. It introduced the "Slam" mechanic that allows players descend at will. However, it does not feature several tricks and features from the previous games, including flatland tricks, branching grinds, and offline multiplayer.

    Future

    Activision's licensing deal with Hawk expired in 2015, leaving him free to pursue other opportunities. In early 2017, Hawk told Jenkem Magazine that he has discussed potential games with other parties. He also expressed an interest in using virtual reality in a future game.

    Games list

    Main Series

    • Tony Hawk's Pro Skater - 1999
    • Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 - 2000
    • Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 - 2001
    • Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 - 2002
    • Tony Hawk's Underground - 2003
    • Tony Hawk's Underground 2 - 2004
    • Tony Hawk's American Wasteland - 2005
    • Tony Hawk's Project 8 - 2006
    • Tony Hawk's Proving Ground - 2007
    • Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 - 2015

    Spin-Offs

    • Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam - 2006
    • Tony Hawk's Motion - 2008
    • Tony Hawk: Ride - 2009
    • Tony Hawk: Shred - 2010
    • Tony Hawk's Shred Session - 2014

    Remakes / Repackages / Ports

    • Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2X - 2001
    • Tony Hawk's Underground 2 Remix - 2005
    • Tony Hawk's American Sk8land - 2005
    • Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD - 2012
    • Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 - 2020

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