Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD Aims to Re-School You

Do you remember the first time you rolled down the ramp in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater's Warehouse with Goldfinger blasting from the speakers and two minutes on the clock? Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD looks to recreate that feeling, even if the music hasn't been locked down yet.

Tony Hawks Pro Skater HD in action.

Described as a "best of" skate spot collection from the first two games in the series, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD still hasn't locked down its final list. But a temporary listing from an early build reveals the appearance of Warehouse, School 2, Mall, Phoenix, Hangar, Venice, and Marseilles.

Without the familiar soundtrack, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD still looks like it's on the right track. The graphical updates add detail to previously empty surfaces. Light pours into the Warehouse from cracks and windows in the ceiling, and weeds sprout around skate-able rails. Developer Robomodo took Neversoft's original code to start this project, so the foundation is solid.


While Robomodo hasn't implemented scoring and multipliers yet and the early build had perfect balance flipped on, the flow of gameplay stands firmly in place. Additionally, Manuals, the key combo multiplier from Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 show up in the original levels. They're the best way to add digits to the scoreboard -- no Revert combos from Tony Hawk 3, though. The Hidden VHS Tapes transform into DVDs this time around and the skater list now reflects a more modern line. Tony Hawk and Rodney Mullen return, but they're joined but some young guns. The officially announced skaters also include Nyjah Huston, Chris Cole, Eric Koston, Andrew Reynolds, Lyn-z Adams Hawkins, and Riley Hawk.

After briefly seeing one level, there are more questions than answers -- but the remake of the original games looks promising. If the downloadable update can deliver on the fluidity of the first two games, a whole new generation of gamers is in for a treat.


Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD comes to XBLA and PSN this summer. What's your all-time favorite level?

---

Peter writes for IGN's Xbox 360 team and spent most of 1999 playing the original Tony Hawk. You can follow him on Twitter and MyIGN.

• More Xbox Live Previews
• Latest Xbox Live News, Reviews, and Videos