That subtitle is meant to be ironic.
However I AM Hype. Enemy Slime has had a pretty sordid love affair with skateboarding games, and while I agree with Jared that OlliOlli is a powerful addition to the genre, nothing has quite recaptured the magic of the Tony Hawk franchise. Yes, while I was a fan of Skate, there are just certain quirks THPS and THUG brought with them that appealed to young me in a way no other title did.
So what better to recall the glory of Tony Hawk than Tony Hawk?
We talked about this on the podcast weeks ago but now we have our first official gameplay trailer. Let’s take a look:
The Good
Create-a-Park is back! It also looks as if at least Create a Skater will still be intact, while that seems like a series staple there have been games where you were forced to play with a general template/specific set of skaters and weren’t able to rock your own avatar as you crushed levels beneath your board. Fingers crossed we’ll also see a return to a few other Create-A-Modes, designing my own deck had to be one of the highlights of my Tony Hawk career.
Classic levels are in! The warehouse is making a return, and from what Activision and Robomodo have demoed so far the other levels they’re offering will present a solid mix of vert and street skating. Classic controls are back with slight tweaks, such as the ability to “slam” your board down on a landing similar to OlliOlli. I would expect long time Tony Hawk fasn should feel right at home, and if it ain’t broke…
A possible return to secret characters? I miss those, there was something very “videogame-y” yet fun about unlocking characters such as Bubsverine or Ollie the Bum in prior games, so if we DO see them return it will make me one giddy man.
The Bad
Tony Hawk was always a half decade behind in the graphics department and this one is no exception. Skate 3 looked more impressive, and that title was released in 2010. In fact THPS5 might look older compared to current console titles than American Wasteland and Underground did to other game titles released around their times. The game is out in just under two months so you’d better believe this is final footage. Though top of the line graphics were never the reason I played Tony Hawk, I’ll just have to long for something more polished for future titles.
Good thing trailers don’t reflect the game because I suspect this one isn’t doing the game justice. Those angles are just kind of dizzying, while I understand trying to grab that skater video ‘feel’ and appreciate it’s all in game footage, their stylistic choice isn’t doing them any favors. I’m hungry for a real gameplay video that maybe demos a full 2 minute level, there are a few floating around from E3 but it’s been table scraps so far.
The Ugly
Online multiplayer with up to 24 players at a time sounds very promising. These days you’re hard pressed to find a smooth online launch, and you have to wonder how much of an adverse affect things such as connection lag and graphical strain might have on the experience.
Further Robomodo are the ones behind this title. They say they have been ‘consulting with former Neversoft staff’ but if it’s anything like Hideo Kojima consulting with military analysts or Adam Sandler consulting with Native American cultural experts then it really doesn’t mean squat. Robomodo are also the ones responsible for Tony Hawk Ride (shudder) and Tony Hawk Shred (which you’ve probably never heard of). Calling this title Tony Hawk Pro Skater 5, basically disavowing everything that happened from Underground on, is a positive nod in the right direction and a great peace offering, but how much will it really mean in the long run?
I suppose we’ll all find out come September 29th when it hits shelves.
