Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2: Remakes As More Than Nostalgia
I’ve never been much of a nostalgic person. I often revisit old games, but out of curiosity rather than reminiscence. It allows me to look upon what I’ve already seen but with more experienced eyes. It’s an exercise in relearning forgotten design language as a means of informing my own creative vocabulary. This is also why I enjoy remakes, because they’re what happen when that process of re-examination and reconsideration is given a budget.
Sometimes remakes are pretty straightforward: a graphical boost laid atop of a faithful recreation of the game’s original content. The Crash Bandicoot and Spyro trilogy remakes took this remastering approach. Other remakes see much more drastic alterations, such as Resident Evil 2, which largely retains the game’s original plot, reimagining it using modern game methodologies. These are often the more interesting remakes to experience, watching developers decide what remains and what must change. The movement and shooting is greatly modernised, while the intricacy of level layout and exploration is retained. In the modern context where “backtracking” has become a negative term rather than a neutral one in games criticism, it manages to be a compelling argument in its favour. A feature, not a bug. A lesson relearned.
It’s for this reason I consider the term “nostalgia” as a catch-all for this current surge of remakes to be entirely reductive. Each remake is an opportunity to re-evaluate the path we’ve collectively taken to this point so that we may move forward more informed. So it’s refreshing to see Vicarious Visions be so up front about their intentions with Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2. Opening with a retro VHS style intro montage that quickly transitions into HD, it cuts between old favourites (literally old now, it makes no effort to hide this) before enthusiastically introducing us to a new generation of skaters they’ve added to the roster. The old and the new, and they’re all just as happy to be here as we are.
This statement of intent is quickly fulfilled when we start playing, as we load up the very first skatepark, Warehouse from Pro Skater 1, remade in beautiful and expensive detail. While the layout and basic movement is entirely faithful (muscle memory largely agrees), the scope of the move-set available to us isn’t. Spine transfers, reverts and more are all present, despite being introduced later in the series than the games this package advertises itself as remaking. Fresh off remastering the Crash N-Sane Trilogy as a relatively straightforward graphical upgrade, Vicarious Visions have instead decided to carefully re-evaluate the series as a whole and apply meaningful elements of later games back into those first titles, while leaving out many of the more superfluous additions those new features were bundled with.
This is a different breed of remake than we’ve typically seen, neither remaster nor reimagining: it’s a revisit. Returning to these familiar locations older and wiser, with a few new tricks up our long sleeve tees, a few new friends, and a few new tracks on our playlists. Its framework allows it to acknowledge the existence of those original games as canon to this one, and it celebrates that very loudly. It’s a game that refuses to be limited by the scope of the original, instead looking to create something newly definitive from that foundation, framing legacy as present and future as well as just past.
Even the familiar locations you revisit have changed, even if not in level geometry. The Marseille Bowl sports its new paint job to reflect its redecorated real world counterpart, the Mall that was once plastered in clearance signs is now an abandoned scattering of smashed glass and rubble, and covid-19 announcements are displayed on a screen overlooking the empty School swimming pool.
This is not the only sign of our unique times featured in the game: planes fly banners over Venice Beach reading “MASKS SAVE LIVES”, and customising your own character allows you to follow that advice in-game, which I did despite virtual spaces being one of the few places I absolutely don’t need to wear a mask right now. Similarly, many friends this year have opted to wear masks when visiting each other in Animal Crossing, suggesting perhaps that escapism is neither what we want or need. We seek to find small ways to make today better rather than simply pretending it’s not today. The latter is not much of an option. So when faced with the opportunity to provide simple escapism, Vicarious Visions chose not to. Same as this game is more than nostalgia, it’s also more than escapism.
2020 really sucks, but Tony Hawk is right here with us. And somehow that’s more comforting than simply pretending it’s not 2020.
Hi, I’m Gary. I make games sometimes, write games sometimes, and make trailers for games sometimes. You can find those games I make right here. And if you enjoyed these game thoughts enough you can throw me a dollar or three via ko-fi. Thanks for reading. ❤
