Precious few games can hope to ever say what the Tony Hawk franchise can boast with absolute truthfulness: that they gave birth to a new genre of games. Without the Tony Hawk games, we simply would not have the extreme alternative-sports games as we know them today. We wouldn’t be experiencing the joys of Mat Hoffman’s Pro BMX, Aggressive Inline™, Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer, or any other number of alternative sports titles.Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater invented this combo-crazy world, and it has dominated it ever since.
The franchise still seems as fresh as a newborn, but would you believe we’re going on the sixth iteration of the series? That’s right: Tony Hawk’s Underground 2 (THUG™ 2) is the sixth in the series. So, I think it's about time we take a look back on the roots of this franchise and see where it's taken us.
The Revolution Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater launched in 1999 to a public that was blissfully ignorant of the free time they suddenly wouldn’t have, courtesy of one of the most addictive games ever produced. It was all about the combo—and good combos eat time … hours, weekends, sleep time, dinner time … It quickly consumed those precious moments and just didn't care. The features and options available in the first Tony Hawk game were all impressive, but it was the ability to link a ridiculous moves like a 720 aerial grab to a couple of kick-flips and then landing the rail and grinding it all the way home that provided the hook no one could escape.
Xbox-Bound Yes, there was a regular old Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2, but it was Neversoft’s revamp,Tony Haw’s Pro Skater 2X, that provided Xbox owners with their first glimpse of the already beloved franchise. It included Xbox-specific levels, an improved combo system from the first game, and for the first time, a skate-park editor, so you could get your creativity on.
Third Time’s a Charm Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 ventured into its third year with questions common to all titles that appear annually. People began to wonder what they could add to compliment and properly evolve the franchise. From vastly improving the Create-a-Skater feature (which now included women) to providing another Xbox-exclusive level to throwing in the ability to play to your own custom created soundtracks, Neversoft quietly answered the call before quickly moving on to the next version. Again though, it was an added feature to the combo system that really perked people up. Linking combos from grind to grind was a hallmark of the Tony Hawk franchise, but it left the ramp-loving folks a little dry. Enter the revert—a move that, when properly timed, allowed you to link aerial ramp moves.
Open-Ended Fourth While the fourth game certainly added to the series in almost every capacity, it was the change to the career mode that marked the biggest switch. Like the third game, the levels were huge, but unlike the third game, there was no timer to heed. Instead, you could travel the level at your ease and engage the characters hanging around to give you objectives. Only then would a timer pop up, if needed, for the objective. It took the tension of the constant two-minute timer away and let you relax, much like real skating. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4 also marked the end of an era, as it marked the final version bearing the Pro Skater name.
Tony Hawk’s Underground … THUG Yes, that’s right, THUG! You can think of Tony Hawk's Underground as the re-imagining or rebirth of the series. Neversoft wanted to take the franchise in a new direction, and they renamed it to help cement that intent. You could always create your own skater and participate in a career mode, but THUGoffered something else: a story mode. You took your own skater from an amateur punk through a story with plots and twists, sponsorships, and the eventual promise of going pro. THUGoffered players a more direct look at the skating culture and what it’s like to participate in it.
Now, we have a continuation of the THUG brand in THUG 2. This blockbuster franchise is responsible for so much innovation that I can’t help but wonder what they have in store for us next …
