It has been a long time since we've seen a Tony Hawk game and even longer since we've seen a numbered entry in the franchise. For years Tony Hawk's Pro Skater served as the template for a whole assortment of "extreme" sport titles, from BMX to wakeboarding.
Skate around. Wrack up some insane combos. Spell S-K-A-T-E. Grab the VHS tapes. It was simple fun, and each game had a killer soundtrack to boot. Numerous other spin-offs have come and gone since then (as has original Tony Hawk's Pro Skater developer Neversoft), but Acitivision looks to be trying to return to the roots of the series with the upcoming Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5.
Judging from the trailer below, they've definitely succeeded in that department. There is no running around off your board to be seen. No crazy storylines. No pranks. No "revolutionary" features. Just solid skating and what appears to be an in-depth skate park creator.
Here is the description for the game that goes alongside the official trailer:
"Tony Hawk's® Pro SkaterTM 5 combines classic combo-driven skateboarding with objective-based single player action and seamless online multiplayer allowing you to take on challengers from around the world. Compete head-to-head with your friends on new and signature Pro Skater levels, or build and share your own skateparks for endless shredding. Ride, build, repeat!"
Seems like Activision is trying to return to the core of what made the series great while also expanding the "creation" portion of the experience with the park building aspects of the game.
But is going back to basics enough in this day and age? It's been 13 years since Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4. The industry has changed exponentially. Gamers expect more features. Better graphics. More characters.
From what we've seen of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 so far, it's still unclear whether or not gamers will welcome back the series with open arms. We will know soon enough when the game releases on Sept. 29 for Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
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