Tony Hawk video games were once synonymous with quality, innovation and fun. Nowadays, that feels like a distant, fading memory.
It has been well over a decade since the last respectable entry was released; meanwhile, fandom towards the series has eroded to the point where anticipation levels for a new edition have never been lower. It’s almost as if all the fans of the once-wildly popular Tony Hawk series have long since moved on.
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In 2002, Activision extended their partnership with Tony Hawk by inking a stunning 13-year exclusive agreement. With that deal coming to an end in a matter of months, developer Robomodo — whose first game was 2009’s disastrous Tony Hawk: Ride that required purchase of an expensive skateboard peripheral — takes another crack at the series with the just released Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5. It’s immediately evident the game was rushed out with a hard deadline in mind.
Those who pick up the disc version of the game will find a required download that is larger than the data on the actual disc — something that should kind of be impossible. That’s because the game wasn’t finished when it was finalized. It's truly not finished even now.
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Graphically, the game is dull, ugly and very dated. To say THPS5 has Xbox 360 and PS3 quality visuals (despite being on Xbox One and PS4) would be generous. The graphics are more comparable to the original Xbox and PlayStation 2, last seen hosting new games close to a decade ago.
The physics are all over the place, but sadly not quite crazy enough to be endearing in an amusing way. Glitches happen often whether it’s falling through a level, warping into solid objects, or floating off seemingly into space. Poor framerate also disrupts play often.
The majority of the game is accomplished through completing “missions”. Earn enough stars and a new location will open up. There are eight levels total, most of which aren’t designed in any interesting way. The missions involve things like reaching a certain trick score within a time period, collecting items, or completing specific tasks. There is no central story mode, with the mission-based structure on its own feeling too similar to something that would be found in a mobile game.
One of the few other features is a level-creator that is complex and somewhat difficult to use but has potential. The creations can then be shared for others to skate. There are some pretty decently unique parks that have been made so they’re at least worth investigating but there aren’t many. Sadly again the framerate tends to suffer badly in them.
Each area of the game is essentially connected “online” as other people will be skating them at the same time. While in theory it’s worthwhile to have, it serves little purpose, as there’s no real way to track anything they’re doing. They jump around the screen, due to lag presumably, and will just appear or disappear out of thin air.
There’s also traditional multiplayer, and some of the ways to play looked like they’d be pretty fun. Unfortunately, not once did any other players join for the competitive online matches. It’s probably best not even considering online multiplayer to exist in the game.
Not everything about THPS5 is dismal. The controls are well-thought out and generally responsive. There are some exhilarating, satisfying moments when in a zone pulling off trick after trick or when completing a mission successfully. The soundtrack is also quite good.
The roster includes Hawk, nine other professional skaters, and Lil Wayne. They can be upgraded to improve their skills and customized in a number of other ways.
All told it’s just not enough for a game that is being sold retail for a full $60. There are too many severe problems and not enough content built-in. Two days after the game released, publisher Activision released the following statement:
"We are aware of the issues that players have experienced following the launch of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 and are working with the developer to address these so that we can continue to improve the gameplay experience for all of the Tony Hawk fans who have known and loved this franchise for more than 16 years".
No one has much confidence that they’ll follow through on that in any significant way.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 is not a complete disaster. The majority of its flaws and maybe even some of the problems could be overlooked if the game were simply more fun to play. However, even had that been the case, THPS5 comes nowhere near justifying a full $60 price tag. It’s disheartening to see a once proud series come to its likely end in such a fashion.
THPS5 was reviewed on Xbox One and is also available on PS4.
Bryan Wiedey posts sports gaming news and analysis daily at Pastapadre.com, has co-founded the new site HitThePass.com, is a regular participant on the Press Row Podcast and Hit The Pass Radio shows, and can be reached on Twitter @Pastapadre.