Key Takeaways
- The
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater
series of skating games shaped industry standards. - Skateboarding titles either emulate or evolve from
Pro Skater
‘s foundation. - Newer games like
Skate 3
and
Session
refine
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater
‘s mechanics.
As someone who grew up in the golden age of skateboarding video games, I can’t help but feel a sense of nostalgia when reflecting on the evolution of this genre over the years. From the pioneering days of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater to the more recent offerings like Skate 3, The Ramp, and OlliOlli 2: Welcome to Olliwood, each title has left an indelible mark in my gaming life.
Before Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater was launched in 1999, video games centered around skateboarding stunts and tricks had already been around. However, it’s widely agreed that the sport’s contemporary popularity can be largely attributed to the series’ influence on pop culture. Consequently, numerous sequels, offshoots, and competitors frequently borrowed the original game’s arcade-style gameplay and dual-stick controls.
As a gamer, I must admit that while there are countless fantastic games out there that don’t necessarily emulate the unique style of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater or push its boundaries to new heights, we’ve got some impressive adaptations and innovations in the skateboarding genre. From retro arcade and NES titles, which cleverly adapted to pre-analog stick controls, to more contemporary games that have reimagined and refined Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater’s control mechanics.
6 Skate Or Die!
EA’s 2D PC & Third-Generation Skating Title
- Released: October 1987
- Developer: Electronic Arts, Konami
- Platform(s): NES, PC
While Neversoft’s Tony Hawk Pro Skater series is known for its user-friendly design and adaptable gameplay, Konami’s 2D 8-bit skating game harks back to the challenging mechanics and high-score focus of many arcade games from the 1980s.
This game titled “Skate Or Die!” requires players to navigate through five challenging skate events that mirror the difficulty level of NES-era games. It’s considered an early isometric forerunner to the arcade roots of Tony Hawk’s fifth-generation titles. However, unlike the smooth analog boarding in “Pro Skater,” this retro title from the same publishers as “Metal Gear Solid” only allows for four basic movement inputs on the virtual skateboards, making it a stark contrast to contemporary skating gameplay experiences.
5 720 Degrees
A Pseudo-3D Skating Game From Atari
- Released: December 1986
- Developer: Atari Games
- Platform(s): Arcade, NES, PC
720 Degrees blends the fast-paced leisure of classic arcade games with the slow and potentially dangerous environment of its open world, as players must navigate while being pursued by deadly bees.
Managing an 8-bit skateboarder through numerous skating obstacles, Atari’s 1986 foray into extreme sports demands continuous movement and relentless attempts to boost players’ scores. Rather than offering a virtual skate park for skill development, 720 Degrees plunges players directly into the thick of the action.
4 Session: Skate Sim
A Skateboarding Simulator In Line With EA’s Skate Franchise
2019’s skating game from Crea-ture Studios, titled “Session: Skate Sim“, is highly praised as a fun option for enthusiasts of extreme sports. The “Sim” part in the game’s subtitle signifies the studio’s intense focus on refining the realistic gameplay found in games like Electronic Arts’ “Skate” series, which had already moved away from the arcade-style roots of “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater“, and continuing to build upon that foundation.
As they glide through the urban landscape of the game, players utilize a variety of controls such as joysticks, face buttons, and triggers to execute tricks and stunts. These moves, which could be executed with a simple stick flick in an Activision skating game, are now more accessible due to these additional inputs.
3 Skate 3
The Penultimate Title In EA’s ‘Pro Skater-Killer’ Series
In 2007, Electronic Arts introduced a new challenger to the throne in skateboarding video games with the release of “Skate”. To distinguish itself from Activision’s popular “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater” series, this game maintained the arcade style gameplay but made adjustments to the mechanics and board control for a more realistic experience.
Three years after its release, Skate 3 – the third installment in the original trilogy – carried on with a more realistic approach to twin-stick control. It refined an existing formula, making it even better. Even today, over 14 years later, Skate 3 is often praised as “the ultimate skateboarding game of the last decade, perhaps even one of the best ever made”.
2 The Ramp
A Minimalist Isometric Take On The Skating Genre
- Released: August 2021
- Developer: Paul Schnepf
- Platform(s): iOS, Android, PC, Nintendo Switch
Although other skating game franchises may boast more complexity and precision, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater’s basic arcade style seems incredibly expansive when contrasted with The Ramp’s streamlined control mechanics.
2021’s skating game by Paul Schnepf, playable not just on PC and Nintendo Switch but also mobile devices, takes pride in its simple philosophy: “No hidden content to unlock, No scoring system, NO predefined missions”. This game’s minimalist approach extends to its gameplay mechanics, allowing players complete freedom to perform impressive tricks on the game’s halfpipes and bowls without any restrictions.
1 OlliOlli 2: Welcome To Olliwood
A Fully-Fledged Sequel To Roll7’s 2D Skating Title
In September 1999, Activision introduced Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater to the world. At this time, the video game industry was experiencing a massive jump in graphical capabilities for console games, moving from two dimensions to three. Fast forward over 15 years, and the 3D polygonal graphics of Neversoft’s first game have become commonplace. Today, there are even games like OlliOlli 2: Welcome to Olliwood that are returning to 2D worlds in an attempt to redefine the skating genre.
The OlliOlli series skillfully adapts the dual-stick control from the Pro Skater series to fit seamlessly within the two-dimensional gameplay, offering an uninterrupted sequence of tricks and grinding sessions akin to a state of flow.
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2024-09-22 10:04