Something I love so much about the original THPS that I want to add to what you said in the video, is that it feels like a natural, realistic progression of how a skater might go about their career. First, you skate the streets and mess around a school, downtown districts, the local skatepark, etc. all in preperation of a big competition. And once you're done with that, you hit the streets again and do it all over again until you skate in competition again. It's a fun little narrative that the game doesn't even inform you of, but you FEEL it.
This video, a love-letter to the series, has made my month! When I was 16, I was a master at THPS 2, a title I claimed with extreme diligence and pride because I’m a girl. My main interests at the time; video games and aggressive inline, were both male dominated. I had to work 3 times as hard to be taken seriously (in both) than my competition. I have fond memories of playing on my tiny CRTtv in my room till all hours of the morning and eventually holding a 100% file and the max score on all levels when compared to everyone else I knew who played. The 3rd was the last one I really played and I knew how the series had gone down hill over the years. But finding out (from this video) that there is a remaster on the Switch….!!!!! YES!!!! I can’t wait to play again. My prefect file was wiped about 13 years ago from whatever glitchy stuff happened on those old memory cards (along with a few other games files and somehow, 65% of a single song made on MTV music generator 2). I look forward to going for perfect again.
I got to say that I’ve never liked how the standard in general myself when it comes to men, I know in general, there’s a degree of knowing that men to some scientific degree are by nature, built to a bigger, stronger condition, but I’ve always been one of those guys that, I’ve seen videos of women on Facebook, doing different careers, different things that totally blow a man away, and I believe in my mind, that if a woman puts in their effort, they can be just as good as a guy, but from the beginning, I’ve never been one of those men that ever thought a woman should HAVE to work harder towards being in a balance with a man, I just never liked that idea, but I know it’s part of our general society discourse. But I’m glad you pulled off what you did, but also, I remember having for either the PlayStation, or PlayStation, too, I can’t remember exactly which system, but I remember having the MTV music generator as well, one song that I worked on that I got maybe 30 or 40% through that I never finished because it was a mixup, forgetfulness and laziness, but I did have that game as well. 😄
it didnt go down hill. they stoped making the games. thps3 was the best. the 4 and 2 underground games... lol. the only bad game was the one with the boad, downhill jam. and it wasnt tony hawks pro skater..
I started skating because of this video! 3 months ago! at age 34! I freaking love it! back in the day I played the games, after watching this I thought of playing them again, until I thought I wanna skate in real life instead! Didnt break anything yet, but my ankles look like some kind of cheese mixed with peperoni and I ripped through 2 pairs of shoes already! In short: thanks man, you kinda changed my life :D I never thought I´d build up the confidence to actually do this, but I did - its awesome! If anyone of you people entertain the thought of starting to skate now as an adult: just do it, trust me its worth it!
That’s super awesome! I recently re-picked up skating too (I’m 37). I was into aggressive inline in my teens and haven’t strapped on skates for about 15 years. It’s been like starting from day one all over again. No more tricks for me, I’m not fearless anymore. Lol. I’m curious how far you’ve continued with your skating adventures since you posted this 8 months ago.
I'm 33 and I skate better now than I did when I was 18. As long as you're smart about it and learn how to fall correctly, as well as don't try things you know are out of your capabilities you'll be just fine! Never to old to learn new things and the feeling skating can give you is completely unlike anything else.
Yo lemme just say, BE SAFE! If you’re going to try anything, you’re never too old, or too cool, to be SAFE about doing something. If you’re going to try doing anything gnarly on your board, please think twice, and take the appropriate measures to make sure you can continue to skate another day. Protect yourself if you’re going to push the boundaries.
@@RavenFilms yoo I am not fearless at all :D well I got a decent ollie by now and I am working on ollying onto curbs and over stuff. I can also drop in from ramps up to 5 ft so far and I can shuvit and some other small things, getting very comfortable on my board by now. working on boardslides, noseslides, powerslides and more. overall I am having a blast and I am always wearing my pads, not falling often, but whenever I do, thank god I got them ^^
@@icewelder8117 No not really. It plays more like a 3D Mario with a skateboard than a Sonic game. I mean think about it, the tapes, (even the secret one), are pretty much the star collectibles, and it gives you objectives for each tape. Just like Super Mario 64 gives you an objective for each star. The only thing that’s missing is the fact that in Super Mario 64, you get teleported to a hub world, whereas in THPS1, you’re still in the same level even though you got the tape. otherwise yeah, like I said, it plays like a 3D Mario game with a skateboard.
or, I just thought of another great game to compare it to. It’s also pretty much like crash bandicoot. (Fitting since it’s on the PlayStation). You pretty much do the things that I mentioned in SM 64. Only this time, you’re collecting crystals.
@@BlindMelonLord I've noticed that Sonic Adventure 2 specifically has a very similar design philosophy to THPS downhill levels. Especially the mechanic where grinding on rails and pulling off difficult stunts rewards points that are your primary goal for rankings
This video was an amazing walk down memory lane. I lived on these games when they came out. And even though it’s been a solid 15+ years since I’ve touched one, those OG levels are so iconic I remember them like yesterday.
we are essentially in an era where games are no longer made for gamers by gamers, but for profit primarily, gaming is no longer niche, its mainstream and one of the largest industries used to be lazy for playing games now you're not
@@NonsensicalSpudz if you're talking about developer passion that hasn't gone anywhere. The problem is that Executives are not giving them enough time or resources anymore
I never made the connection with Hawk/Sparrow so I was sort of mind blown. :P For me when I think Tony Hawk, I think THPS4. It was my first TH game, I got it for my birthday probably in 2002/3, and it just has so much nostalgia for me. Even just seeing the first frame of the intro FMV at 44:48 makes the memories come flooding back, and all of the songs are crazy nostalgic. I know Superman's more popular, but because of THPS4, "Spokesman" is the default Goldfinger song for me.:P Speaking of Jango Fett, I remember my friends and I using cheat codes like low gravity/slow motion and then just spamming his jetpack to see how high we could get. I did eventually go back and play the others, and every few years I end up marathoning a bunch of the games, but THPS4 will always be special among them.
the thing about American Wasteland for me is that it felt like an adventure, almost like an rpg, my fav game genre. I don't remember if the story was actually good, but I loved it as a teenager, all the style and quirks, being able to chill around the city, the immersion that comes from playing in a single concise world with crazy characters, the grafiti and the whole counter culture cranked to the max, the comedy, etc. I know that this adventure feeling wasn't the premise during early games, and I understand wanting the series to focus on what made it great, but idk, I think it really spoke to a lot of people who loved tony hawks but didn't enjoy the arcade gameplay a much ( I personally loved both styles). American wasteland lets you chill more, hang out in a sandbox, embark on a crazy skating adventure, and that also has it's value. honestly I think American Wasteland can be valued as a work of art based on it's style alone, that game was nuts with it's artwork, blew my mind at the time, and it inspired me to start drawing, especially skater drawings. Today, as a grown man, I have become a visual artist, and I think THPS AW had a lot to do with that
Yesss thank you! I also loved Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland, playing through the Story Mode was awesome, and I felt it was the peak of the series. I really liked the immersion and customization.
Wasteland was easily the best game for skate play, I never cared about building the ranch or the story, I had to complete the game just to get all the levels and I remember that being a huge bummer, but ! ... just being able to skate through the levels with those controls was pure joy ! I just hope it gets a reissue, I miss playing it, I still can but it hurts my eyes ! REISSUE WASTELAND ! REISSUE WASTELAND ! REISSUE WASTELAND ! REISSUE WASTELAND ! REISSUE WASTELAND ! REISSUE WASTELAND ! REISSUE WASTELAND !
My favourite Tony Hawk's Pro Skater retrospective! the amount of dedication you've put in makes me question why the hell aren't you reaching 100K or scratch that.. 1M!
I remember the Tony Hawk games best for starting my love of ska music. It was kind of surreal when the remakes came out and to see bands like Reel Big Fish get some attention again.
I mean actually there's always been a ska movement and the best bands are those smaller bands. We Are The Union, Kill Lincoln, Best of the Worst, Call me Malcolm.
Dang, The whole time Liam was praising THPS3 I was waiting for the hook of "but somehow they did it again with Underground 2." The story didn't detract from the game for me since I was enveloped in the sheer extravagance of the absurd expectations from THUG2. Some of those lines and challenges made me feel like I had to go Super Saiyan 6 to beat since I thought I already had complete mastery of anything Tony Hawk could throw at me from playing the series my whole life. The sequences for full completion also made me feel like a gaming deity to figure out on my own
I think it balances out the take at your own pace collectathon aspects and the harder challenges pretty well, and while the story sucks its a tony hawk game and i dont know why many people say it makes the game "bad"
THPS 1 and 3 as well as THUG 1 were so influential for me as a teenager. These games also inspired me to start skateboarding myself, although that didn’t last too long because I ended up spending more time playing music, but this franchise helped with that as well. I’m glad you made a point to talk about how important the soundtrack is to this series. Fantastic video Liam. Thanks again for sharing your joy with us.
I started watching this thinking I'd have to finish it in multiple sittings but was enthralled the whole way through and watched it in one go. Excellent job putting this together.
Hey Liam. Just wanted to say, finding this video when it was released was something that gave me comfort in a really rough time. The passion and analysis featured here along with a series I’d always been curious about helped me get through a difficult period of my life. I’m now working through THPS3 and I’m having the time of my life. You made me a bona fide hardcore fan, and even consider picking up a board myself. Thank you for everything you create, and for this video especially. I cherish these games tremendously, even if I wasn’t able to play them when they were new. Maybe someday I’ll get my own thoughts and experiences with the series out but until then - know that this video genuinely set me down a path to change me for the better. Means a lot. So… yeah, thank you. Much love. ❤
Thps3 was one of my first ever games. It's also one of my favorite games of all time that I still actively go back to. It shaped my music taste as well. Half my spotify is entirely thps music
Unlike most games today, this game was made for a that crowd of people. It brought gamers and skaters together. They made gamers buy a skateboard and skaters to buy a PlayStation. I don’t skate either but I do rollerblade. They’re not a skateboard but I’m still at the skatepark. 👌🏼
This video made a 31 year old man cry with nostalgia. THPS definitely inspired me to start skating. Thank you for putting this video out. This was very therapeutic
Otherwise known as Activision syndrome, who never learn from their mistakes as it makes them a shit ton of money. See also - Guitar Hero, Call Of Duty, etc
My brother, this video is cinema. Thank you for dedicating who knows how many real life hours to creating this because it spoke to more than you know. As silly as tony hawk can be, I think it's the epitome of a video game. it's fun, it's wacky and crazy, yet immersive.
Never skated in my life however, THPS 1-3 were my childhood. Still some of the best games i've ever played and i'm currently playing through the full series again.
I'm part of that new generation of thps players, and I got 1+2 with a gift card my brothers got me for my 14th birthday. What he said about emulating real life skateboarding is true, because I got globally ranked in that game, and got insane combos because I practice on a daily basis. It is all trial and error, and it was super rewarding when I got my first 100 million. That feeling is probably just as gratifying as landing your first kickflip.
I got this game when I was a kid but I never really played it. Just this past month I picked it up and decided to play it for real, and I'm shocked to find someone is still making content about it.
THUG 2 had such a killer soundtrack. Probably my favorite in the series. Sonic Reducer, Add It Up, Rock n Roll High School, That’s Why They Call it a Union, High Anxiety, Break On Through, Midlife Crisis, fuckin Ring of Fire?!?! Plus every other song I didn’t mention. Such a dope compilation.
@@kbottrill1 Hung, Drawn, Quartered A Day at the Races Time To Go Armageddon Positive Contact The World Is Yours Low Class Conspiracy New Noise So many great tracks in Underground, it's my favorite game in the series for sure but not entirely sure about soundtrack.
Duuuuddee. I know it's a very small part of this, but I'm so glad you added a lil blurb about Operatic. I, like many others found out about this band through THUG2 and they became one of my favorite indie bands(to this day)... I still think they are a super impressive band for their short lived run. Fun fact tho, Jesse(the frontman/rhythm guitarist) did photography for Tony Hawk for a while, though I don't think he does it anymore.
I started playing it a few days ago. From an experience ranging through THPS4 on PSX emulator, and THUG 1 and 2, it's a very good game which manages to add innovation as all the sequels of THPS progressively did. I also don't mind the """"open world"""" effect caused by linking all the levels together, and still giving you the option to slip from one to another via bus. The very only thing that really didn't feel right is the forced progression system in story mode, where until you aren't taught to do something you just can not do it, and customization is locked to the various shops and spots around the map (while immersive, it's annoying not to have everything available to you from anywhere), but alas, you still get everything from the previous games right in the main menu from the start, in case story mode did not suit your taste, so I can not really blame them. I also feel like many missions and cutscenes are filler and that the game tries to shove the story down our throats through a couple of forced scenes or cinematic moments during some missions. Still a very cool game to play. If talking innovations, American Wasteland takes the cake, but in terms of campaign, it's a good fight between this and THUG2. THAW's story mode feels more like a tutorial for a newbie than an entry made for a seasoned player coming from the previous games.
@@feder28 I'm always looking for recommendations that give me the cozy urban feelings AW gave me (never tried Underground). I just like open world urban games where the objective isn't to kill stuff, just exaggerate some aspect of it and build something from that.
@@buntado6you should really play thug, it’s backwards compatible on the 360 if you have one. The story is miles better than thaws. They get you to absolutely hate your rival
Underground and THPS3 were some of my most played games as a kid. I'll always remember the insane line I did in Manhattan. Also, Foundry kicks major ass. THPS3's soundtrack was nuts too. 96 Quite Bitter Beings is, imo, the quintessential Tony Hawk song.
No lie I couldn't sleep the night before the remake of 1+2 Came out because I wanted to get it so bad and it came out on my birthday month. It was an amazing birthday gift because I loved this series so much. Underground is my favorite still so many memories
Your birth month is July as well? Awesome. Another summer baby. *Virtual high five* Yeah… I got 1+2 for the Switch as my 30th birthday present. Yes I know I got it for the Switch, I don’t care.
I remember that 900 moment... It was my birthday and Tony Hawk was the man. I remember the early days of skate... Steve Cab in his Freddy Kruger shirt... Rodney Mullen the Freestyle genius... Lance Mountain... Powell sponsorship... Man Those guys could fly.
Thug and thaw were my two favorite thps games I think I have the most memories on American wasteland I don’t know what it was but I loved that game so much I played it every single day for at least 3 years and go so good none of my friends liked playing with me 😭😭 but it was okay cause they were all better than me at skating in real life so I like to think that made up for it 😂 but when skate, skate 2 and skate 3 came out that changed everything for me! Those games came out at the peak of my skating career and oh man they really pumped me up!!! Now I can’t skate cause my body is too beat up! My friend got me into skating before I really ever played a thps game but the Tony Hawk games were what helped me stay in love with skating
I never skated, my younger brother did, but he got us into THPS, then THPS2 we loved it, played it to death on competition mode, would have entire weekends full house of friends just to see who would pull the best score or get the goals in a single run, I never played any other game after that until the THPS 1 +2 remake , just added to my Ps Mini and going again for a full run , this video brought back memories
Never had I seen or heard a one-and-a-half-hour-long poem in my life. Thanks for this amazing review, and in-depth analysis of one of the best and most influential videogames of all time. Superb writing, amazing editing and great way of chaining everything together. ❤️
I didn't really get into this series until the fourth game because I despised the constant time limit, but after that it became a favourite series for a while. THPS4 and THUG probably still belongs to my most played games ever. THUG2 didn't really do much for me but THAW were still great, although I started to feel burned out by then even though I weren't there from the start. Proving Ground sucked out all the fun of it and I didn't play Project 8 until last year actually. It was okay and felt nostalgic but it also felt too different at the same time. Honestly, I don't think they will ever nail it (no pun intended) again even if someone manages to make an actual good THPS again. It's sad, really. But I will always be thankful for this series for introducing me to Rise Against.
Finally someone sharing my point of view about THUG2. I honestly thought it was forbidden to say that I don't like that game, because it was packed with non-skating content. You were supposed to like THUG2, because it was the best. Period. But on the other hand, I really liked THAW, which often gets mixed reviews, and is marked as "the first disappointing Tony Hawk's game".
I love hearing the Sonic Adventure soundtracks in the background. Always appreciate hearing TH-cam content creators use them as background noise. Anyways: I remember coming home from school in grade five, sitting down with a bag of chips and a bottle of soda and slamming down some games in the online modes for THPS3. I'll never forget the frankly toxic and enticingly interesting community I met during that timeframe. Those people would continue with me into Underground 2, the game that I eventually learned how to FUCKING SOLDER just to put a mod chip into my PS2. Nothing will ever change how much this series changed my life. It shaped my tastes in music, and though I never learned how to skate, it made me realize WHY people watched sports. It helped me realize that, even though I spent much of my time playing games, I still had the ability to make friends. I wouldn't trade anything for the experience I got from playing these titles. I hate the cliche that "video games change me life" but they did and this is the one time I will openly put it forward.
I have a vivid memory of going to a ska show in the park ridge library (ridiculous I know) and this band had finished their set, but someone called for Superman. They got some people from the crowd up there and played it. I won't be able to recapture that, but it was amazing while it lasted.
THPS, just like GTA III, was something new, fun and revolutionary in videogames that isn't mentioned as much as it should be. Every game that came after them had a skateboard level and/or a sandbox gameplay.
THPS4 not only informed the music I listen to this day, it was one of the earliest memories in "extreme" sports that I had. Forever grateful to this series.
I grew up with these games. I credit these games and skateboarding for my expansive taste and love for music. After moving to a new country and being unable to be understood, these ganes enabled my to make friends and fit in to my new surroundings. I stopped skating a long time ago because someone stole my board, but its undeniable what these games, skating and sports in general have done for my life and i dont want to imagine how crappy my life would have been without them.
I’ll be 35 this year and started skating back in the day mainly because of Tony Hawk. Haven’t skated in forever due to getting old and injuries hurt a hell of a lot worse. Yet I’ve always loved skating. I still have my favorite issues of Transworld Skating with Josh Kalis on the cover *my all time favorite skater on my all time favorite company Alien Workshop* hell, my first job was at a skatepark! Thank you for this video! I love video games and I love skateboarding. And Tony Hawk pro skater games brought 2 of my loves together and this video is a love letter to both
"And the kids that wanted skateboards for their birthday have since grown up"...this line hit me right in the feels as I'm listening to this while getting ready for the weekly grind.
So much love and passion for these games in this love letter of a video, I love it! What else can I say that, yeah, I picked a skateboard because of Pro Skater for the N64. All though I barely ever managed to pull off a couple clean ollies, a pop shove it, and kickflip here and there on a good day, the feeling I'd get from carving in pools and dropping off a half pipe were unlike any other. Funny thing is is that if you put a bunch of people of our generation, we could address these games as Pro Skater 1, 2, 3, THUG1&2, and THAW, hell even reference the funny gap napes and we'll know what we're talking about. What a time to be alive.
Thanks for great vid! I'm recently into THPS, and it quickly became one of my favorite games of all time. I'm die-hard Devil May Cry player, and I felt strong DMC vibe with THPS in terms of gameplay. I love how these games constantly push you to get good, and reward creativity.
This was your best video yet! THPS was my childhood - I'm sure a lot of people can say the same - and this made me feel so nostalgic about one of my favorite series ever, while also helping me see it in a whole new light. Thank you for all the insane amounts of work you put into this.
I've tried skateboarding, but I could never get good at it. Pulling off tricks was just too difficult for me, and even if I tried to do an ollie, I'd just end up eating part of the pavement. Instead I tried longboarding and found it a lot more fun. I could go at high speeds without feeling like I'm on one of those vibrating things you'd use to see at the gym. And the nice thing is that whenever I see someone riding a regular skateboard, we still have that unspoken connection of a love for a sport we both enjoy.
This entire documentary blew me away, brought back countless vivid childhood memories, and serves as proof that you are one of the best you tubers out there! It takes me back to my first time ever playing these stunning games, the thrill of the first two games as a young gamer, the Crushing disappointment I remember as I didn't have a ps2 in the beginning to play thps3, the overwhelming joy I had years later when I booted up thps4 for the first time and discovered what at the time felt like unparalleled freedom. The jump from thps2 to thps4 was a revalation - the lack of a timer and massive levels made it my favourite game in the series to this day, and it was also the game which introduced me to acdc, powerman 5000, less than Jake, Primus and iron Maiden and helped me become the metalhead I am today. I remember the fantastic soundtracks, brutal unlockable bail videos, ollie the magic bum, and spending days and days creating my own goals and writing text and stories for the goals in thug 1 and 2. So many iconic and memorable levels which to this day I can still remember the layouts to I played them so much - The amazing Warehouse and Hangar, the school levels, Downhill Jam, the Skate Park from thps1 which I played for an entire day just in that level it was so good, to the newer levelsike New Jersey, The Carnival, all of it was amazing. And playing created parks with my friend and comparing levels, making obstacle courses filled with punji pits and henerally having the time of our lives. In my humble opinion, the best way to describe the impact of these games, other than in the stellar way you already have with this video, would be to put it like this: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 is to skateboarding games, and sports games as a whole, what Doom was for first person shooters. It was a groundbreaking, unassuming and unforgettable game which started from improbable, humble origins to become one of the largest and most recognisable franchises in gaming history. From 1999 to 2012 Tony Hawk was as much a video game icon as Lara Croft, Doomguy, Pac Man, Sonic or Mario, something which no other sports star before or since can ever claim to be. And I even remember having awesome amounts of fun with knock-off games that this series inspired such as the Matt Hoffmans Pro BMX and Dave Mirra BMX games too (which weren't quite as good or as polished as the THPS series but still scratched that familiar itch) This series excelled on all fronts - fantastic single player, exceptionally fun competitive multiplayer, as a party game, and with a best-in-class creation suite of modes. They remind me of the good Ol days of gaming where a game from 20 years ago was more memorable, replayable and had more pure fun and wealth of content than today's £70 games do now! Both this series and the Smackdowm vs Raw series of wrestling games fueled my passion for the ps2 in the 2000's and its easy to see why as there are several parallels to one another. Both games started from humble origins, experienced massive mainstream growth and had several amazing early sequels which refined the mechanics of each series and improved the tools and gameplay experiences given to the player, and both were fun in both single player and multiplayer areas. However, both series also unfortunately were victim of brutal yearly release schedules due to publisher and Upper management/shareholder pressures, and as each series went on each iteration provided a smaller number of positive additions and both succumbed to dimishing returns and franchise fatigue. They both also experienced a sharp decline and rock bottom period which resulted in a new, lesser developer taking over the reigns and driving the legacy of each franchise into the ground. (Robomodo with thps and wwe2k20 with those games) I think another part of the reason Ride and Shred existed is because at the time Guitar Hero was in the position that the THPS series was in a few years prior in that it was extremely mainstream and fun and was at the peak of its dominance. So Activision probably thought turning THPS into the guitar hero of skateboarding with unique peripherals was a worthwhile idea in order to become the counterpart to Skate, which was doing what THPS should have been doing at the time in the first place. Sorry for the disordered nature of this comment but watching your video gave me so many thoughts and flashbacks I had to write them as they came to mind but thank you for the video and hopefully we end up with a THPS6 with Vicarious Visions at the Helm in the near future!!!!! This video unlocked years of repressed gaming memories for me and made me appreciate just how pivotal these games were to my childhood and made me realise what a truly special place they have in my heart and my life.
Pro Skater 4 on original Xbox with component video out runs in 720p and looks crissppppp. My favourite way to play that game. It looks way better than you'd imagine that generation could do...the game is also great, of course
Nothing like in-depth analysis of the game most engrained my childhood memories. Excellent stuff. I was also a fan of the Jet Set Radio music you slipped in there.
Holy shit dude, this video was amazing. It was like a journey through my childhood. You are right about all of it, about why it became so big and why it fell so hard (don't wanna give away spoilers) I had goosebumps at your summarisation about how the games made us feel, it's the reason I picked up my first board. I worked for 2 months to save up the money to buy it with the money I made helping my parents and their friends do chores and yard work. Thank you so much for this video, it really touched me in the best way!
Thank you for making this man. It was fun to re live my childhood. Also props for the final clips, going back and forth showing tony hawk in real life and in the game landing the 900, that was a sick ending!
THPS and my older cousin who was heavily into skateboarding got me into skating. I was 10 when I went to a skateshop and they actually let me layaway a board. I got the Tony Hawk Falcon Birdhouse board back then. I'll always remember that as my first "pro" board after the Walmart and Big 5 skateboards I had lol
I don't play many games these days I am nearly 50, but during the worst of the Covid lock down I got thie remake to pass the time, I did little else but played it for 2 months... Fantastic Game, kept me sane really.
Oh gosh…I didn’t realize how much time I’d spent playing THPS1 until you started talking about it - I used to practice at that game so much 😅 and having grown up in Southern California, I grew up “around” skaters and skate culture. Your video helped me realize how much of that shaped my adolescence! Love your channel.
Man, what an excellent video. I made a THPS series retrospective video myself a few months ago, so it's always great to see more people like yourself make such a long, brilliant video sharing their experience with a series so many hold near and dear to their hearts. I hope you hit 100K soon - you absolutely deserve it.
As a skateboarder who got his start from obsessively playing these games, I really enjoyed this video. About once a year I replay the first three games, in a row, over the course of a couple of days. THPS3 is the peak of series, except for the lack of Bob Burnquist.
Excellent video as always Liam! Despite growing up with a PS1 I missed out on the Tony Hawk games but I played Skate 3 around the time it came out and was absolutely blown away by just how intuitive and fun it was even though I'd never seriously gotten into skateboarding in my life. Playing Skate 3 made me realise that, damn, I probably would have really loved THPS growing up, I'm putting some serious consideration into getting the remake
I'm glad I came across this video, it was great to listen to someone talk about this series with so much love and talk about what made each game great. I never got to play the original THPS, but I started with 2 from a cousin and my first game was 3 and that got me hooked. It also got me interested in skating though I was never able to really pick it up though I did try, mostly due to some physical difficulties. I also really enjoyed 4 when it came out, but my absolute favorite was and still probably will be THUG, , though 3 comes in really close. I played the hell outta THUG, and it was the last THPS game I touched. With the success of 1 & 2's proper remaster, i'd really love to see 3 & 4, maybe even THUG get some love, and maybe get some of their flaws ironed out.
I remember my first time playing pro skater 2 at a friends house when i was 7. It changed so much in my life. Then we both upgraded to the ps2 and played the hell out of THPS4, THUG1 and 2, and American wasteland. Neversoft just made banger after banger. The THUG2 and THPS4 soundtracks are sooooo good.
I have so many good memories of this series. THPS3 was one of my first PS1 games in 2002 (yes... very late adopter, I was playing Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo up until then lol). There were so many rainy days after school that I'd sit and grind through each level, determined to complete the game and just jam out to the soundtrack. I later got the first two games on Dreamcast at a garage sale, as well as 3 and 4 for PS2. I loved them but my interest faded by the time Underground was coming out.
One of the defining games of my childhood... I remember my homeboy getting the THPS demo on his Pc and is just playing that first level over and over until we finally got it on PlayStation. This game was revolutionary for sure.
Anytime I see a gameplay clip of THPS3, I immediately want to fire it up on my PC and relive all the old memories. I don't think I can say that for any other game, even those I adore like San Andreas, GTA4, COD4, TF2 etc.. There's such irresistible simplicity, functionality and accessibility in the Pro Skater gameplay loop. It really does capture the essence of skating. That feeling of shutting out the world for a few hours, challenging yourself to learn/achieve something new, and above all having fun on your own terms. Absolute timeless masterpiece of a game.
Fantastic video man! my god the nostalgia hit hard watching gameplay from the earlier games. I've been skating for 18 years and skate just as hard today as I did back then. There's no question that playing THPS games influenced my love for skateboarding. Just bought the remaster of 1 and 2 for the Switch and I honestly can't wait to hop back into them.
The best part about these games is that you never even have to play the game part you could just stay in one level and do free roam the whole time and not have to worry about anything and just practice without missing out on anything
Absolutely loved this video, these games made up a good portion of my childhood growing up and I still go back and revisit them from time to time. I’m a bit surprised you didn’t talk about Tony hawk’s downhill jam though!! I haven’t played it in ages but I remember it being a pretty fun game
I can see and acknowledge all of THUG2's flaws, but I still have a nostalgic connection to it, because it was the first Tony Hawk game I ever owned. I was born in 1992, but I had only ever played THPS2 before, and I wasn't good at it, even though I loved it. And then I got into a kick of getting into the series, and THUG2 was the first one I found. What most drew me to it was actually the character creator, I was able to make the exact look I wanted, and THUG1 was the only other game that matched that element, I couldn't stand THAW because you were locked into a choice of 5 presets, and all of them were guys. Kinda shallow, yeah, but that was an important element for me at the time. (I was in my early 20s at this time, btw)
Something I love so much about the original THPS that I want to add to what you said in the video, is that it feels like a natural, realistic progression of how a skater might go about their career. First, you skate the streets and mess around a school, downtown districts, the local skatepark, etc. all in preperation of a big competition. And once you're done with that, you hit the streets again and do it all over again until you skate in competition again. It's a fun little narrative that the game doesn't even inform you of, but you FEEL it.
Truth.
The game was harder to excel at Ruth less medical bills.
✌🏽🤘🏼
I'm more of a Skate guy but THPS3 was my childhood, and THPS 1+2 remake is a masterpiece
Do you have it on PC? We need to play sometime, none of my friends have it 😔
@@LiamTriforce I own it on PS4 unfortunately
@@CoreyLaddo blame Sony for hostility towards cross platform play
@@LiamTriforce what is your favorite level in thps 1 and 2?
~Once in a Life Time~
This video, a love-letter to the series, has made my month! When I was 16, I was a master at THPS 2, a title I claimed with extreme diligence and pride because I’m a girl. My main interests at the time; video games and aggressive inline, were both male dominated. I had to work 3 times as hard to be taken seriously (in both) than my competition. I have fond memories of playing on my tiny CRTtv in my room till all hours of the morning and eventually holding a 100% file and the max score on all levels when compared to everyone else I knew who played. The 3rd was the last one I really played and I knew how the series had gone down hill over the years. But finding out (from this video) that there is a remaster on the Switch….!!!!! YES!!!! I can’t wait to play again. My prefect file was wiped about 13 years ago from whatever glitchy stuff happened on those old memory cards (along with a few other games files and somehow, 65% of a single song made on MTV music generator 2). I look forward to going for perfect again.
I got to say that I’ve never liked how the standard in general myself when it comes to men, I know in general, there’s a degree of knowing that men to some scientific degree are by nature, built to a bigger, stronger condition, but I’ve always been one of those guys that, I’ve seen videos of women on Facebook, doing different careers, different things that totally blow a man away, and I believe in my mind, that if a woman puts in their effort, they can be just as good as a guy, but from the beginning, I’ve never been one of those men that ever thought a woman should HAVE to work harder towards being in a balance with a man, I just never liked that idea, but I know it’s part of our general society discourse.
But I’m glad you pulled off what you did, but also, I remember having for either the PlayStation, or PlayStation, too, I can’t remember exactly which system, but I remember having the MTV music generator as well, one song that I worked on that I got maybe 30 or 40% through that I never finished because it was a mixup, forgetfulness and laziness, but I did have that game as well. 😄
it didnt go down hill. they stoped making the games. thps3 was the best. the 4 and 2 underground games... lol. the only bad game was the one with the boad, downhill jam. and it wasnt tony hawks pro skater..
"It's like Viva la Bam on coke"
So it was exactly like Viva la Bam.
"Viva la Bam on coke" lol as opposed to what else
@@Rhapbus1 Viva la Bam on weed: A bunch of guys sitting on a couch saying "what if we did those things? haha"
basically
I started skating because of this video! 3 months ago! at age 34! I freaking love it!
back in the day I played the games, after watching this I thought of playing them again, until I thought I wanna skate in real life instead!
Didnt break anything yet, but my ankles look like some kind of cheese mixed with peperoni and I ripped through 2 pairs of shoes already!
In short: thanks man, you kinda changed my life :D I never thought I´d build up the confidence to actually do this, but I did - its awesome!
If anyone of you people entertain the thought of starting to skate now as an adult: just do it, trust me its worth it!
That’s super awesome! I recently re-picked up skating too (I’m 37). I was into aggressive inline in my teens and haven’t strapped on skates for about 15 years. It’s been like starting from day one all over again. No more tricks for me, I’m not fearless anymore. Lol.
I’m curious how far you’ve continued with your skating adventures since you posted this 8 months ago.
kinda late don't ya think?
I'm 33 and I skate better now than I did when I was 18. As long as you're smart about it and learn how to fall correctly, as well as don't try things you know are out of your capabilities you'll be just fine! Never to old to learn new things and the feeling skating can give you is completely unlike anything else.
Yo lemme just say, BE SAFE!
If you’re going to try anything, you’re never too old, or too cool, to be SAFE about doing something.
If you’re going to try doing anything gnarly on your board, please think twice, and take the appropriate measures to make sure you can continue to skate another day.
Protect yourself if you’re going to push the boundaries.
@@RavenFilms yoo I am not fearless at all :D
well I got a decent ollie by now and I am working on ollying onto curbs and over stuff.
I can also drop in from ramps up to 5 ft so far and I can shuvit and some other small things, getting very comfortable on my board by now.
working on boardslides, noseslides, powerslides and more.
overall I am having a blast and I am always wearing my pads, not falling often, but whenever I do, thank god I got them ^^
Tony Hawk was basically a 3D Mario with tricking and combos. And it still rocks to this day
that’s actually not a bad comparison.
I thought it was more like sonic
@@icewelder8117 No not really. It plays more like a 3D Mario with a skateboard than a Sonic game. I mean think about it, the tapes, (even the secret one), are pretty much the star collectibles, and it gives you objectives for each tape. Just like Super Mario 64 gives you an objective for each star. The only thing that’s missing is the fact that in Super Mario 64, you get teleported to a hub world, whereas in THPS1, you’re still in the same level even though you got the tape. otherwise yeah, like I said, it plays like a 3D Mario game with a skateboard.
or, I just thought of another great game to compare it to. It’s also pretty much like crash bandicoot. (Fitting since it’s on the PlayStation). You pretty much do the things that I mentioned in SM 64. Only this time, you’re collecting crystals.
@@BlindMelonLord I've noticed that Sonic Adventure 2 specifically has a very similar design philosophy to THPS downhill levels. Especially the mechanic where grinding on rails and pulling off difficult stunts rewards points that are your primary goal for rankings
I'm just 4 minutes into the video and I'm already overwhelmed by the great quality and high production value in this video.
I still vividly remember reading the article in Game Informer announcing THPS3. I was a little kid just staring in awe at those PS2 next gen graphics
The new thps 1 & 2 is the BEST deal for a video game in a looooong time. Flawless remake imo
'Stifle your intrigue' is my new favourite way of saying 'don't'.
Seriously though, excellent video
Ive skated almost everyday for about 18 years now and it never gets old
I'm on year 16 and I feel the same way.
im on like month 9 but ill get there eventually lmfao
I've been skating for like 4 years now. Still not great but I can kickflip sometimes.
no
This video was an amazing walk down memory lane. I lived on these games when they came out. And even though it’s been a solid 15+ years since I’ve touched one, those OG levels are so iconic I remember them like yesterday.
check out thugpro or the newest remake
THPS is proof that skateboarding cannot exist in the mainstream unless it gives back to skaters and skateboarding.
we are essentially in an era where games are no longer made for gamers by gamers, but for profit primarily, gaming is no longer niche, its mainstream and one of the largest industries
used to be lazy for playing games now you're not
@@NonsensicalSpudz if you're talking about developer passion that hasn't gone anywhere. The problem is that Executives are not giving them enough time or resources anymore
Just like filmmaking and music. The art itself has been corrupted by greed.
Movie-length. I know this was a passion project for you, and I’m thrilled to see it come out.
I never made the connection with Hawk/Sparrow so I was sort of mind blown. :P
For me when I think Tony Hawk, I think THPS4. It was my first TH game, I got it for my birthday probably in 2002/3, and it just has so much nostalgia for me. Even just seeing the first frame of the intro FMV at 44:48 makes the memories come flooding back, and all of the songs are crazy nostalgic. I know Superman's more popular, but because of THPS4, "Spokesman" is the default Goldfinger song for me.:P Speaking of Jango Fett, I remember my friends and I using cheat codes like low gravity/slow motion and then just spamming his jetpack to see how high we could get. I did eventually go back and play the others, and every few years I end up marathoning a bunch of the games, but THPS4 will always be special among them.
As a huge fan of the Tony Hawk games this was one of the greatest videos youtube has ever recommended. Going to binge all of your other videos now!
the thing about American Wasteland for me is that it felt like an adventure, almost like an rpg, my fav game genre. I don't remember if the story was actually good, but I loved it as a teenager, all the style and quirks, being able to chill around the city, the immersion that comes from playing in a single concise world with crazy characters, the grafiti and the whole counter culture cranked to the max, the comedy, etc. I know that this adventure feeling wasn't the premise during early games, and I understand wanting the series to focus on what made it great, but idk, I think it really spoke to a lot of people who loved tony hawks but didn't enjoy the arcade gameplay a much ( I personally loved both styles). American wasteland lets you chill more, hang out in a sandbox, embark on a crazy skating adventure, and that also has it's value.
honestly I think American Wasteland can be valued as a work of art based on it's style alone, that game was nuts with it's artwork, blew my mind at the time, and it inspired me to start drawing, especially skater drawings. Today, as a grown man, I have become a visual artist, and I think THPS AW had a lot to do with that
Yesss thank you! I also loved Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland, playing through the Story Mode was awesome, and I felt it was the peak of the series. I really liked the immersion and customization.
Wasteland was easily the best game for skate play, I never cared about building the ranch or the story, I had to complete the game just to get all the levels and I remember that being a huge bummer, but ! ... just being able to skate through the levels with those controls was pure joy ! I just hope it gets a reissue, I miss playing it, I still can but it hurts my eyes !
REISSUE WASTELAND ! REISSUE WASTELAND ! REISSUE WASTELAND ! REISSUE WASTELAND ! REISSUE WASTELAND ! REISSUE WASTELAND ! REISSUE WASTELAND !
A redo of that game would be amazing !
My favourite Tony Hawk's Pro Skater retrospective! the amount of dedication you've put in makes me question why the hell aren't you reaching 100K or scratch that.. 1M!
This guy is definitely one of the most underrated youtubers
I remember the Tony Hawk games best for starting my love of ska music. It was kind of surreal when the remakes came out and to see bands like Reel Big Fish get some attention again.
You sound exactly like my best friend who loves ska music.
I mean actually there's always been a ska movement and the best bands are those smaller bands. We Are The Union, Kill Lincoln, Best of the Worst, Call me Malcolm.
Dang, The whole time Liam was praising THPS3 I was waiting for the hook of "but somehow they did it again with Underground 2." The story didn't detract from the game for me since I was enveloped in the sheer extravagance of the absurd expectations from THUG2. Some of those lines and challenges made me feel like I had to go Super Saiyan 6 to beat since I thought I already had complete mastery of anything Tony Hawk could throw at me from playing the series my whole life. The sequences for full completion also made me feel like a gaming deity to figure out on my own
Agreed! Strip away its Jackass/CKY themes and I always felt THUG2 had the most balls to the wall, Tony-Hawk-On-Steroids gameplay of the whole series.
I think it balances out the take at your own pace collectathon aspects and the harder challenges pretty well, and while the story sucks its a tony hawk game and i dont know why many people say it makes the game "bad"
Liam Triforce and KingK uploading on the same day let’s freaking gooo
THPS 1 and 3 as well as THUG 1 were so influential for me as a teenager. These games also inspired me to start skateboarding myself, although that didn’t last too long because I ended up spending more time playing music, but this franchise helped with that as well. I’m glad you made a point to talk about how important the soundtrack is to this series. Fantastic video Liam. Thanks again for sharing your joy with us.
I started watching this thinking I'd have to finish it in multiple sittings but was enthralled the whole way through and watched it in one go. Excellent job putting this together.
When worlds collide was my iconic THPS song. And since it was on the n64 it was basically just the chorus on loop 😂😂😂
ARE YOU GOING WITH ME ‘CAUSE I’M GOING WITH YOU WHAT YOU GONNA DO BABY BABY 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️
Hey Liam. Just wanted to say, finding this video when it was released was something that gave me comfort in a really rough time. The passion and analysis featured here along with a series I’d always been curious about helped me get through a difficult period of my life.
I’m now working through THPS3 and I’m having the time of my life. You made me a bona fide hardcore fan, and even consider picking up a board myself.
Thank you for everything you create, and for this video especially. I cherish these games tremendously, even if I wasn’t able to play them when they were new.
Maybe someday I’ll get my own thoughts and experiences with the series out but until then - know that this video genuinely set me down a path to change me for the better.
Means a lot. So… yeah, thank you. Much love. ❤
I had THPS 4 on PS1 and Spokesman is ingrained in my memory. A song that honestly encapsulates my opinion on video games as a whole.
Thps3 was one of my first ever games.
It's also one of my favorite games of all time that I still actively go back to.
It shaped my music taste as well. Half my spotify is entirely thps music
3 was the best,
I like how a video game made people that don’t even skate understand skaters
Unlike most games today, this game was made for a that crowd of people. It brought gamers and skaters together. They made gamers buy a skateboard and skaters to buy a PlayStation. I don’t skate either but I do rollerblade. They’re not a skateboard but I’m still at the skatepark. 👌🏼
this game made me start skating, defined my music taste, influenced my fashion style.... I'm 27 years old now and the nostalgia is wild
Some of the devs actually skate
And like skaters, they are extremely persistent. They won't stop until they perfected it
Except for the people that critique THUG2 for being unserious. They obviously don’t get skaters, or fun apparently.
This video made a 31 year old man cry with nostalgia. THPS definitely inspired me to start skating. Thank you for putting this video out. This was very therapeutic
_"Wait - cranking out endless sequels annually ad naueseam is a bad idea!?"_ - Tony Hawk's games and their history in a nutshell.
Otherwise known as Activision syndrome, who never learn from their mistakes as it makes them a shit ton of money. See also - Guitar Hero, Call Of Duty, etc
I also had a LOT of fun with the Underground series & even American Wasteland. The deck design feature made me wanna try to do board design
My brother, this video is cinema. Thank you for dedicating who knows how many real life hours to creating this because it spoke to more than you know. As silly as tony hawk can be, I think it's the epitome of a video game. it's fun, it's wacky and crazy, yet immersive.
You are so right dude.
Never skated in my life however, THPS 1-3 were my childhood. Still some of the best games i've ever played and i'm currently playing through the full series again.
You didn't need to emotionally stab me with that ending. I mean thank you but you didn't need to do that
I'm part of that new generation of thps players, and I got 1+2 with a gift card my brothers got me for my 14th birthday. What he said about emulating real life skateboarding is true, because I got globally ranked in that game, and got insane combos because I practice on a daily basis. It is all trial and error, and it was super rewarding when I got my first 100 million. That feeling is probably just as gratifying as landing your first kickflip.
lol hi Nico its ilk im in the video xD
@@therxskillz :O
@@therxskillz well….lets…ummm…COMMENCE ta JIGGALIN THEN
I got this game when I was a kid but I never really played it. Just this past month I picked it up and decided to play it for real, and I'm shocked to find someone is still making content about it.
"Fall Back Down" by Rancid from THUG 2 is my absolute favorite song from the series.
Police Truck by The Dead Kennedy's
@@gro_skunk solid solid track as well
THUG 2 had such a killer soundtrack. Probably my favorite in the series. Sonic Reducer, Add It Up, Rock n Roll High School, That’s Why They Call it a Union, High Anxiety, Break On Through, Midlife Crisis, fuckin Ring of Fire?!?! Plus every other song I didn’t mention. Such a dope compilation.
I started listening to rancid due to this song in THUG2 great memories
@@kbottrill1 Hung, Drawn, Quartered
A Day at the Races
Time To Go
Armageddon
Positive Contact
The World Is Yours
Low Class Conspiracy
New Noise
So many great tracks in Underground, it's my favorite game in the series for sure but not entirely sure about soundtrack.
Duuuuddee. I know it's a very small part of this, but I'm so glad you added a lil blurb about Operatic. I, like many others found out about this band through THUG2 and they became one of my favorite indie bands(to this day)... I still think they are a super impressive band for their short lived run. Fun fact tho, Jesse(the frontman/rhythm guitarist) did photography for Tony Hawk for a while, though I don't think he does it anymore.
i gotta say i have replayed american wasteland so many times and still love it
It was honestly refreshing after thug 2. I actually really enjoyed it.
I started playing it a few days ago. From an experience ranging through THPS4 on PSX emulator, and THUG 1 and 2, it's a very good game which manages to add innovation as all the sequels of THPS progressively did. I also don't mind the """"open world"""" effect caused by linking all the levels together, and still giving you the option to slip from one to another via bus. The very only thing that really didn't feel right is the forced progression system in story mode, where until you aren't taught to do something you just can not do it, and customization is locked to the various shops and spots around the map (while immersive, it's annoying not to have everything available to you from anywhere), but alas, you still get everything from the previous games right in the main menu from the start, in case story mode did not suit your taste, so I can not really blame them. I also feel like many missions and cutscenes are filler and that the game tries to shove the story down our throats through a couple of forced scenes or cinematic moments during some missions. Still a very cool game to play. If talking innovations, American Wasteland takes the cake, but in terms of campaign, it's a good fight between this and THUG2. THAW's story mode feels more like a tutorial for a newbie than an entry made for a seasoned player coming from the previous games.
@@feder28 I'm always looking for recommendations that give me the cozy urban feelings AW gave me (never tried Underground). I just like open world urban games where the objective isn't to kill stuff, just exaggerate some aspect of it and build something from that.
@@buntado6 you’ll fall in love with Underground 1 and 2. Try to get to those as soon as you can, you won’t regret those games
@@buntado6you should really play thug, it’s backwards compatible on the 360 if you have one. The story is miles better than thaws. They get you to absolutely hate your rival
Underground and THPS3 were some of my most played games as a kid. I'll always remember the insane line I did in Manhattan. Also, Foundry kicks major ass. THPS3's soundtrack was nuts too. 96 Quite Bitter Beings is, imo, the quintessential Tony Hawk song.
No lie I couldn't sleep the night before the remake of 1+2 Came out because I wanted to get it so bad and it came out on my birthday month. It was an amazing birthday gift because I loved this series so much. Underground is my favorite still so many memories
Your birth month is July as well? Awesome. Another summer baby. *Virtual high five* Yeah… I got 1+2 for the Switch as my 30th birthday present. Yes I know I got it for the Switch, I don’t care.
I remember that 900 moment... It was my birthday and Tony Hawk was the man. I remember the early days of skate... Steve Cab in his Freddy Kruger shirt... Rodney Mullen the Freestyle genius... Lance Mountain... Powell sponsorship... Man Those guys could fly.
.......Why did I never get that Sparrow and Hawk bird comparison....
Thug and thaw were my two favorite thps games I think I have the most memories on American wasteland I don’t know what it was but I loved that game so much I played it every single day for at least 3 years and go so good none of my friends liked playing with me 😭😭 but it was okay cause they were all better than me at skating in real life so I like to think that made up for it 😂 but when skate, skate 2 and skate 3 came out that changed everything for me! Those games came out at the peak of my skating career and oh man they really pumped me up!!! Now I can’t skate cause my body is too beat up! My friend got me into skating before I really ever played a thps game but the Tony Hawk games were what helped me stay in love with skating
I never skated, my younger brother did, but he got us into THPS, then THPS2 we loved it, played it to death on competition mode, would have entire weekends full house of friends just to see who would pull the best score or get the goals in a single run, I never played any other game after that until the THPS 1 +2 remake , just added to my Ps Mini and going again for a full run , this video brought back memories
Never had I seen or heard a one-and-a-half-hour-long poem in my life. Thanks for this amazing review, and in-depth analysis of one of the best and most influential videogames of all time. Superb writing, amazing editing and great way of chaining everything together. ❤️
I didn't really get into this series until the fourth game because I despised the constant time limit, but after that it became a favourite series for a while. THPS4 and THUG probably still belongs to my most played games ever.
THUG2 didn't really do much for me but THAW were still great, although I started to feel burned out by then even though I weren't there from the start. Proving Ground sucked out all the fun of it and I didn't play Project 8 until last year actually. It was okay and felt nostalgic but it also felt too different at the same time.
Honestly, I don't think they will ever nail it (no pun intended) again even if someone manages to make an actual good THPS again. It's sad, really.
But I will always be thankful for this series for introducing me to Rise Against.
I had no idea my love of these games could be put into such poetic words. The introduction alone....
As a 31 who skates since puberty and played a lotta THPS1 in childhood, thank you SO VERY MUCH for this video! ❤️
I love that Skatopia is a downhill type map...cause if you ever seen the real place, its practically built onto the side of a mountain. Shits wild.
Finally someone sharing my point of view about THUG2. I honestly thought it was forbidden to say that I don't like that game, because it was packed with non-skating content. You were supposed to like THUG2, because it was the best. Period.
But on the other hand, I really liked THAW, which often gets mixed reviews, and is marked as "the first disappointing Tony Hawk's game".
I have 23 minutes left of work, and I was like, "damn, this video is long! I wonder how much is left?"
OVER AN HOUR. WOW. This is fantastic.
I love hearing the Sonic Adventure soundtracks in the background. Always appreciate hearing TH-cam content creators use them as background noise. Anyways:
I remember coming home from school in grade five, sitting down with a bag of chips and a bottle of soda and slamming down some games in the online modes for THPS3. I'll never forget the frankly toxic and enticingly interesting community I met during that timeframe. Those people would continue with me into Underground 2, the game that I eventually learned how to FUCKING SOLDER just to put a mod chip into my PS2. Nothing will ever change how much this series changed my life. It shaped my tastes in music, and though I never learned how to skate, it made me realize WHY people watched sports. It helped me realize that, even though I spent much of my time playing games, I still had the ability to make friends.
I wouldn't trade anything for the experience I got from playing these titles. I hate the cliche that "video games change me life" but they did and this is the one time I will openly put it forward.
I have a vivid memory of going to a ska show in the park ridge library (ridiculous I know) and this band had finished their set, but someone called for Superman. They got some people from the crowd up there and played it. I won't be able to recapture that, but it was amazing while it lasted.
Jesus this was well put together. Stellar stuff!
THPS, just like GTA III, was something new, fun and revolutionary in videogames that isn't mentioned as much as it should be. Every game that came after them had a skateboard level and/or a sandbox gameplay.
Just watched this entire thing. Thanks for the journey down nostalgia lane ... I love this series.
THPS4 not only informed the music I listen to this day, it was one of the earliest memories in "extreme" sports that I had. Forever grateful to this series.
Me and my friends used to sit in my grandmothers kitchen and play this all night - doing high score battles. Good memories.
I grew up with these games. I credit these games and skateboarding for my expansive taste and love for music. After moving to a new country and being unable to be understood, these ganes enabled my to make friends and fit in to my new surroundings. I stopped skating a long time ago because someone stole my board, but its undeniable what these games, skating and sports in general have done for my life and i dont want to imagine how crappy my life would have been without them.
I’ll be 35 this year and started skating back in the day mainly because of Tony Hawk. Haven’t skated in forever due to getting old and injuries hurt a hell of a lot worse. Yet I’ve always loved skating. I still have my favorite issues of Transworld Skating with Josh Kalis on the cover *my all time favorite skater on my all time favorite company Alien Workshop* hell, my first job was at a skatepark!
Thank you for this video! I love video games and I love skateboarding. And Tony Hawk pro skater games brought 2 of my loves together and this video is a love letter to both
"And the kids that wanted skateboards for their birthday have since grown up"...this line hit me right in the feels as I'm listening to this while getting ready for the weekly grind.
So much love and passion for these games in this love letter of a video, I love it!
What else can I say that, yeah, I picked a skateboard because of Pro Skater for the N64. All though I barely ever managed to pull off a couple clean ollies, a pop shove it, and kickflip here and there on a good day, the feeling I'd get from carving in pools and dropping off a half pipe were unlike any other.
Funny thing is is that if you put a bunch of people of our generation, we could address these games as Pro Skater 1, 2, 3, THUG1&2, and THAW, hell even reference the funny gap napes and we'll know what we're talking about. What a time to be alive.
Thanks for great vid!
I'm recently into THPS, and it quickly became one of my favorite games of all time.
I'm die-hard Devil May Cry player, and I felt strong DMC vibe with THPS in terms of gameplay. I love how these games constantly push you to get good, and reward creativity.
This was your best video yet! THPS was my childhood - I'm sure a lot of people can say the same - and this made me feel so nostalgic about one of my favorite series ever, while also helping me see it in a whole new light. Thank you for all the insane amounts of work you put into this.
I've tried skateboarding, but I could never get good at it. Pulling off tricks was just too difficult for me, and even if I tried to do an ollie, I'd just end up eating part of the pavement. Instead I tried longboarding and found it a lot more fun. I could go at high speeds without feeling like I'm on one of those vibrating things you'd use to see at the gym. And the nice thing is that whenever I see someone riding a regular skateboard, we still have that unspoken connection of a love for a sport we both enjoy.
After years without practicing Skateboarding, I came back to ride again the board, just cause I played once again Tony Hawk ProSkater 1+2 remake
This entire documentary blew me away, brought back countless vivid childhood memories, and serves as proof that you are one of the best you tubers out there!
It takes me back to my first time ever playing these stunning games, the thrill of the first two games as a young gamer, the Crushing disappointment I remember as I didn't have a ps2 in the beginning to play thps3, the overwhelming joy I had years later when I booted up thps4 for the first time and discovered what at the time felt like unparalleled freedom. The jump from thps2 to thps4 was a revalation - the lack of a timer and massive levels made it my favourite game in the series to this day, and it was also the game which introduced me to acdc, powerman 5000, less than Jake, Primus and iron Maiden and helped me become the metalhead I am today. I remember the fantastic soundtracks, brutal unlockable bail videos, ollie the magic bum, and spending days and days creating my own goals and writing text and stories for the goals in thug 1 and 2. So many iconic and memorable levels which to this day I can still remember the layouts to I played them so much - The amazing Warehouse and Hangar, the school levels, Downhill Jam, the Skate Park from thps1 which I played for an entire day just in that level it was so good, to the newer levelsike New Jersey, The Carnival, all of it was amazing. And playing created parks with my friend and comparing levels, making obstacle courses filled with punji pits and henerally having the time of our lives.
In my humble opinion, the best way to describe the impact of these games, other than in the stellar way you already have with this video, would be to put it like this: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 is to skateboarding games, and sports games as a whole, what Doom was for first person shooters. It was a groundbreaking, unassuming and unforgettable game which started from improbable, humble origins to become one of the largest and most recognisable franchises in gaming history. From 1999 to 2012 Tony Hawk was as much a video game icon as Lara Croft, Doomguy, Pac Man, Sonic or Mario, something which no other sports star before or since can ever claim to be. And I even remember having awesome amounts of fun with knock-off games that this series inspired such as the Matt Hoffmans Pro BMX and Dave Mirra BMX games too (which weren't quite as good or as polished as the THPS series but still scratched that familiar itch)
This series excelled on all fronts - fantastic single player, exceptionally fun competitive multiplayer, as a party game, and with a best-in-class creation suite of modes. They remind me of the good Ol days of gaming where a game from 20 years ago was more memorable, replayable and had more pure fun and wealth of content than today's £70 games do now!
Both this series and the Smackdowm vs Raw series of wrestling games fueled my passion for the ps2 in the 2000's and its easy to see why as there are several parallels to one another. Both games started from humble origins, experienced massive mainstream growth and had several amazing early sequels which refined the mechanics of each series and improved the tools and gameplay experiences given to the player, and both were fun in both single player and multiplayer areas.
However, both series also unfortunately were victim of brutal yearly release schedules due to publisher and Upper management/shareholder pressures, and as each series went on each iteration provided a smaller number of positive additions and both succumbed to dimishing returns and franchise fatigue.
They both also experienced a sharp decline and rock bottom period which resulted in a new, lesser developer taking over the reigns and driving the legacy of each franchise into the ground. (Robomodo with thps and wwe2k20 with those games)
I think another part of the reason Ride and Shred existed is because at the time Guitar Hero was in the position that the THPS series was in a few years prior in that it was extremely mainstream and fun and was at the peak of its dominance. So Activision probably thought turning THPS into the guitar hero of skateboarding with unique peripherals was a worthwhile idea in order to become the counterpart to Skate, which was doing what THPS should have been doing at the time in the first place.
Sorry for the disordered nature of this comment but watching your video gave me so many thoughts and flashbacks I had to write them as they came to mind but thank you for the video and hopefully we end up with a THPS6 with Vicarious Visions at the Helm in the near future!!!!! This video unlocked years of repressed gaming memories for me and made me appreciate just how pivotal these games were to my childhood and made me realise what a truly special place they have in my heart and my life.
Pro Skater 4 on original Xbox with component video out runs in 720p and looks crissppppp. My favourite way to play that game. It looks way better than you'd imagine that generation could do...the game is also great, of course
Massive respect for also representing the skateboarding scene and highlighting the mentalities and self-expression of the sport
Nothing like in-depth analysis of the game most engrained my childhood memories. Excellent stuff. I was also a fan of the Jet Set Radio music you slipped in there.
Holy shit dude, this video was amazing. It was like a journey through my childhood. You are right about all of it, about why it became so big and why it fell so hard (don't wanna give away spoilers)
I had goosebumps at your summarisation about how the games made us feel, it's the reason I picked up my first board. I worked for 2 months to save up the money to buy it with the money I made helping my parents and their friends do chores and yard work.
Thank you so much for this video, it really touched me in the best way!
Thank you for making this man. It was fun to re live my childhood. Also props for the final clips, going back and forth showing tony hawk in real life and in the game landing the 900, that was a sick ending!
8 seconds in, 1 trick and 1 sentence and this video is already 🔥
The soundtrack was fundamental 👌
THPS and my older cousin who was heavily into skateboarding got me into skating. I was 10 when I went to a skateshop and they actually let me layaway a board. I got the Tony Hawk Falcon Birdhouse board back then. I'll always remember that as my first "pro" board after the Walmart and Big 5 skateboards I had lol
Blitzkreig bop was just “the tony hawk” song to me for so many years. That and Superman. Those songs are nostalgic af
I don't play many games these days I am nearly 50, but during the worst of the Covid lock down I got thie remake to pass the time, I did little else but played it for 2 months... Fantastic Game, kept me sane really.
Oh gosh…I didn’t realize how much time I’d spent playing THPS1 until you started talking about it - I used to practice at that game so much 😅 and having grown up in Southern California, I grew up “around” skaters and skate culture. Your video helped me realize how much of that shaped my adolescence! Love your channel.
Man, what an excellent video. I made a THPS series retrospective video myself a few months ago, so it's always great to see more people like yourself make such a long, brilliant video sharing their experience with a series so many hold near and dear to their hearts. I hope you hit 100K soon - you absolutely deserve it.
Yeah shush.
As a skateboarder who got his start from obsessively playing these games, I really enjoyed this video. About once a year I replay the first three games, in a row, over the course of a couple of days. THPS3 is the peak of series, except for the lack of Bob Burnquist.
Excellent video as always Liam! Despite growing up with a PS1 I missed out on the Tony Hawk games but I played Skate 3 around the time it came out and was absolutely blown away by just how intuitive and fun it was even though I'd never seriously gotten into skateboarding in my life. Playing Skate 3 made me realise that, damn, I probably would have really loved THPS growing up, I'm putting some serious consideration into getting the remake
THPS 2 was the pinnacle of sports gaming. Everything was clicking, every design choice was on point. What a game.
I'm glad I came across this video, it was great to listen to someone talk about this series with so much love and talk about what made each game great. I never got to play the original THPS, but I started with 2 from a cousin and my first game was 3 and that got me hooked. It also got me interested in skating though I was never able to really pick it up though I did try, mostly due to some physical difficulties. I also really enjoyed 4 when it came out, but my absolute favorite was and still probably will be THUG, , though 3 comes in really close. I played the hell outta THUG, and it was the last THPS game I touched. With the success of 1 & 2's proper remaster, i'd really love to see 3 & 4, maybe even THUG get some love, and maybe get some of their flaws ironed out.
I remember my first time playing pro skater 2 at a friends house when i was 7.
It changed so much in my life.
Then we both upgraded to the ps2 and played the hell out of THPS4, THUG1 and 2, and American wasteland.
Neversoft just made banger after banger.
The THUG2 and THPS4 soundtracks are sooooo good.
1:22:30 I never played THUG2 but I instantly recognised this song from the mobile port of THPS2. Such a good song
I have so many good memories of this series. THPS3 was one of my first PS1 games in 2002 (yes... very late adopter, I was playing Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo up until then lol). There were so many rainy days after school that I'd sit and grind through each level, determined to complete the game and just jam out to the soundtrack. I later got the first two games on Dreamcast at a garage sale, as well as 3 and 4 for PS2. I loved them but my interest faded by the time Underground was coming out.
One of the defining games of my childhood...
I remember my homeboy getting the THPS demo on his Pc and is just playing that first level over and over until we finally got it on PlayStation. This game was revolutionary for sure.
Anytime I see a gameplay clip of THPS3, I immediately want to fire it up on my PC and relive all the old memories. I don't think I can say that for any other game, even those I adore like San Andreas, GTA4, COD4, TF2 etc.. There's such irresistible simplicity, functionality and accessibility in the Pro Skater gameplay loop. It really does capture the essence of skating. That feeling of shutting out the world for a few hours, challenging yourself to learn/achieve something new, and above all having fun on your own terms. Absolute timeless masterpiece of a game.
Fantastic video man! my god the nostalgia hit hard watching gameplay from the earlier games. I've been skating for 18 years and skate just as hard today as I did back then. There's no question that playing THPS games influenced my love for skateboarding. Just bought the remaster of 1 and 2 for the Switch and I honestly can't wait to hop back into them.
This and many more of your videos are insanely enjoyable. The quality and passion is clearly visible, thank you a lot!
The best part about these games is that you never even have to play the game part you could just stay in one level and do free roam the whole time and not have to worry about anything and just practice without missing out on anything
This viscerally unlocked a childhood memory of getting super motion sick while watching my brother play thps :')
You can't forget about Disney skate adventure! It's basically thps 4 reskinned for Disney, but adds a bunch of new levels and cool tricks to pull off
Pro skater 3 was my childhood, my favorite of the series by far
Excellent Retrospective Liam! this took me back down memory lane, thanks for talking about these games!
Absolutely loved this video, these games made up a good portion of my childhood growing up and I still go back and revisit them from time to time. I’m a bit surprised you didn’t talk about Tony hawk’s downhill jam though!! I haven’t played it in ages but I remember it being a pretty fun game
I can see and acknowledge all of THUG2's flaws, but I still have a nostalgic connection to it, because it was the first Tony Hawk game I ever owned. I was born in 1992, but I had only ever played THPS2 before, and I wasn't good at it, even though I loved it. And then I got into a kick of getting into the series, and THUG2 was the first one I found. What most drew me to it was actually the character creator, I was able to make the exact look I wanted, and THUG1 was the only other game that matched that element, I couldn't stand THAW because you were locked into a choice of 5 presets, and all of them were guys. Kinda shallow, yeah, but that was an important element for me at the time. (I was in my early 20s at this time, btw)
I actually do talk about that Demo disk because of CTR.
But I got THPS pretty early and only had demos of CTR for years.