Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD (Game)

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD last edited by Nes on 11/21/19 07:28PM View full history

Overview

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD is a skateboarding game developed by Robomodo (in conjunction with Disruptive Games) and published digitally by Activision for the Xbox 360 on July 18, 2012, for the PlayStation 3 on August 28, 2012 and for the PC (via Steam) on September 18, 2012. It was later delisted from all platforms on July 17, 2017 (with no current way to purchase it).

Part of the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series, Pro Skater HD is a remake of the series' earliest games (including levels and characters from Tony Hawk's Pro Skater and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2). Instead of porting the original games, Robomodo built a new game engine (built on Unreal Engine 3) that recreates the physics and general gameplay of the original. Many gameplay elements added in later games (such as dismounting from the skateboard) were not included to keep with the aesthetic, although some game modes from later games were added.

The game later received a paid DLC pack on December 4, 2012, dubbed the "Revert Pack". It adds three levels from Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3, four additional skaters (including guest characters from the band Metallica), one new music track ("All Nightmare Long" by Metallica). The update accompanying this DLC pack also adds the "revert" trick mechanic from Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 (hence the pack's name).

Gameplay

Despite being built anew, the game is meant to emulate the physics and play style of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2. Additions of the series such as spine transfers, walking, or skitching have not made it into the game. The manual and landing judgement systems from THPS 2 are present, however, meaning combos can be continued on land and the game will reward/penalize your score for the quality of your landing. The landing judgement is seen in-game as "Perfect" or "Sloppy" next to the trick list. Also featured are nollies and stance switching, as they were present in the original THPS.

The game features a variety of different modes for both single player and multiplayer, as follows:

Single Player Modes

Career

The classic Tony Hawk experience. Players get two minutes to complete a run in which they attempt to knock out a list of predetermined objectives, ranging from high scores to collecting objects, or performing certain tricks over certain gaps. Runs can be repeated multiple times and an objective will clear from the level when completed. Cash icons are also scattered throughout the level as collectibles and they can be collected to both 100% a level and spend on stats, boards, or tricks in the Skate Shop. Beating a predetermined number of goals in one level will unlock the next one in the list.

Career Mode is also where players can unlock cheats and secret characters. Completing the "100% Goals and Cash" goal in each level will unlock a new cheat for the player, for example.

Single Session

Like career mode without the goals or unlocks. Players get two minutes to complete a run whilst attempting to reach as high a score as possible.

Free Skate

No time limits or goals. This mode is intended for players to practice combo lines, relax, and discover secret areas.

Big Head Survival

A new mode to the series, Big Head Survival is a mode where the player's head is constantly increasing in size and must complete tricks and combos to make it shrink down. A percentage meter will display how close the player's head is to exploding with the difficulty increasing as time progresses. The player's head explodes into confetti when the meter reaches 100%.

Hawkman

Returning from Proving Ground, Hawkman is a mode where players need to collect colored tokens scattered across the level. Each color is associated to a type of trick, and the tokens are laid out across the level to purposely teach the player some of the highest-scoring lines in the level. Green Tokens are for Manuals, Yellow for Grinds, Red for Air, and Blue for Wallrides. There is a High, Pro, and Sick Score associated to how fast the player can collect all tokens.

Projectives

Projectives is a similar mode to Career, although the objectives are noticeably more difficult. This is the last mode unlocked and is a made-up word for "Professional Objectives". Tony Hawk seemed rather pleased with the name when talking about it in a post-release trailer.

Multiplayer Modes

Time Attack

Essentially a multiplayer Single Session. Players have two minutes to put in the highest score possible. Combos can be continued past the timer expiration, though landing after the timer will immediately halt the player. The highest scoring player wins.

Graffiti

A classic mode from the original Tony Hawk games, Graffiti gets players to paint obstacles in the level to their assigned color by scoring on them within a two minute timer. Opposing players can then attempt to steal the obstacle from them by scoring a higher number of points on that obstacle, with any player being able to paint multiple obstacles at once by chaining them together with a combo. The total score of the player's combo is the score assigned to each individual object painted in their combo. When the timer runs out, the player with the highest number of obstacles their color wins.

Big Head Elimination

Similar to the single player Survival variant, Big Head Elimination makes all players' heads increase at the same time. They must land tricks and combos to prevent their head from increasing too much and exploding. When their heads explode, they are eliminated from the match. The last surviving player wins.

Free Skate

No objectives or time limits. This mode lets players explore levels, practice with each other, and mess about at their leisure.

Skaters

Unlike newer games in the series, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD does not rely on customizable characters and instead allows players to choose from a variety of professional skaters (with some only available as secret unlockables).

Out of the 17 total playable characters (including unlockables and DLC), only 8 were included in either THPS or THPS2: Tony Hawk, Rodney Mullen, Eric Koston, Andrew Reynolds, Steve Caballero, Geoff Rowley, Officer Dick, and Ollie the Magic Bum.

Exclusive to the Xbox 360 version is the ability to use Xbox Avatars as playable characters.

Tony Hawk (has an alternate low-poly "THPS" version as an unlockable)
Rodney Mullen
Eric Koston
Nyjah Huston
Lyn-Z Adams Hawkins-Pastrana
Andrew Reynolds
Chris Cole (new to the series)
Riley Hawk (new to the series)
Jake Harrison (new to the series, added in a post-release update)
Emily Westlund (new to the series, added in a post-release update)

Unlockables

Revert Pack DLC

Steve Caballero
Geoff Rowley
James Hetfield (guest character from the band Metallica)
Robert Trujillo (guest character from the band Metallica)

Levels