Editorial: Tony Hawk HD might be a little broken; what it could have done to make history
The following is an editorial. It represents the views of the author, and as such does not represent the views of the XBLA Fans staff as a whole.
I’m often in the minority around here. I’m not really a fan of the more “indie”-styled games, I like the more “franchise”-y ones. I’ve been railed multiple times on our podcast for my opinions (all in good fun, of course), and often find my views completely polar to other staff members. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD was a perfect example of that. I absolutely loved the game. Other staff, however, had varying opinions, some feeling it was downright awful.
Fair enough. To each their own, right? I’ve seen other staff gush about Bastion, LIMBO, Super Meat Boy, and pretty much every other big indie game. And in a way I can see why those games merit their love. They’re all solid games with tight gameplay. That being said, I often find that I’m not a fan of those kinds of games. But there’s a difference–I can concede that the more indie-esque games have solid gameplay, whereas the rest of the staff often finds gameplay issues in games I love–things I often am able to overlook. Such is the case with Tony Hawk, so let’s address what could have truly made it great, totally memorable, and what would have given it a better Metacritic score of 66/100. (which, if I’m honest, is probably an accurate blend of all the different opinions I’ve seen/heard)
Tony Hawk HD achievements detailed
Dig out your old Goldfinger CDs – Tony Hawk’s high-def XBLA reboot is just a few weeks away, and with all that HD goodness comes one thing – achievements. Xbox360Achievements.org reported the achievement list for Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD this week. The game has 16 achievements for 400 gamerscore.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD Revert Pack review (XBLA DLC)
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD is a bit of a mixed bag. For the casual player it provides nostalgia with enhanced visuals. The bugs seem minor. For the hardcore it leaves feelings of imprecision in control, and the in-game glitches become like a giant white headed pimple–no matter how much you try to look away it steals your focus. The community and media at large are torn on whether the game is amazing or abysmal. The Revert Pack DLC is more of the same. In the end it comes down to whether you enjoy the core game or hate it. That being said, let’s keep this short and not beat around the bush.
Here’s what we liked:
More to love – For fans of the game the Revert Pack is a must buy. The three greatest levels from Pro Skater 3 (Canada, L.A., and Airport) along with one new music track, Metallica’s “All Nightmare Long”. Also included are four new skaters: pros Steve Caballero and Geoff Rawley and Metallica members James Hetfield and Robert Trujillo. The four new skaters provide decent balance in the game’s starting selection, and the levels are faithfully recreated. The Metallica track is, well, Metallica. You’ll either love it or hate it.
Tony Hawk Pro Skater HD gets revert for all levels, plays better with transforming d-pad
With the new Revert Pack (aka Pro Skater 3 pack) looming only days away, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD developer Robomodo has released a title update which reportedly adds …
Read More
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD Revert Pack DLC hits December 5
After multiple setbacks, Tony Hawk fans will be able to finally get their mitts on the Revert Pack downloadable content. Launching December 4 for 400 MSP, the pack includes three levels from Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3: Airport, LA and Canada. When playing each of these levels players will be able to perform a revert to keep their combos going a bit longer. Also included are professional skaters Steve Caballero and Geoff Rawley, plus newly announced Metallica band members James Hetfield (seen above) and Robert Trujillo (after the jump).
Now that the Revert Pack has an official date, we can’t help but look back to our recent poll about what levels should be included in future DLC. College and Kona were clear winners from Pro Skater 4, so as long as we’re on that note we’re hoping Jango Fett will be included, too. What levels and skaters (be the professional or guest) are you still waiting for?
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD DLC arriving next month
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD, which hit XBLA just over a month ago for 1200 MSP, will get its first piece of DLC at some point next month. …
Read More
XBLA Fans Roundtable: Summer of Arcade 2012 – Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD
This year’s Summer of Arcade promotion has been a contentious one, most would agree it was one of (if not the) weakest offerings we’ve seen since the promotion began in 2008.
Now that all the games have been released, we here at XBLA Fans thought it’d be a good time to look back at the five games that were part of the promotion. Starting today and continuing every weekday we will be posting a roundtable discussion between our writers, focusing on a game a day. We’ll be going by order of release so let’s kick things off with Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD. Read More
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD DLC gameplay videos
Two new gameplay videos have surfaced during Gamescom 2012, showcasing the some of new DLC levels for Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD. The DLC is set to include Airport, L.A. and Canada levels from Tony Hawk 3 and was said to be getting a release approximately a month after the game, which should be any day now. Also included in the pack, priced at 400 MSP, will be veteran Steve Caballero and the revert trick. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD was released July 18 for 1200 MSP, check out our review here and kickflip the jump for the new videos.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD likely to kick flip franchise revival
Tony Hawk made his return to video games earlier this month in the form of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD after the previously annualized series of the famous skater’s namesake took a one-year hiatus. According to statements made by Josh Tsui, CEO of Robomodo, the studio behind the XBLA release that remixed elements of the first two titles in the series, publisher Activision is ready to call it a comeback. Speaking with Gamasutra, Tsui said that “the prospect of a fuller game is definitely on the table — it’s just a matter of when and how.”
On the subject of why digital platforms were the right choice for a stab at a series comeback (PSN and PC versions will eventually follow the XBLA release), the CEO cited simple distribution and low price. “I think for now Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD is a very good way to reacquaint people to the franchise,” he said. “People are more apt to try games that are smaller and downloadable. Moving forward we’d have to see what our options are for a completely new experience, especially for any new platforms. But for now, downloadable games for a low price allow us great flexibility to try new things.”
It’s an approach that essentially amounted to the polar opposite of the studio’s previous attempt to bring Tony back. Original series developer Neversoft took over development of the Guitar Hero games after Activision acquired the brand but not its dev team (Harmonix), and 2007’s Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground fell off the rails. As Neversoft tried its hand at the then-in-vogue plastic peripheral market, Robomodo got its first crack at Tony Hawk and went in a similar direction.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD ollies into 120k sales in its first week
It looks like everyone was wanting to kickflip into a Darkside grind in the first week of Summer of Arcade. We certainly liked Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD a …
Read More