Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 Review - Kick, Push, Kick, Push, Glide

I remember walking around a yard sale I got dragged to as a nine-year-old and spotting a copy of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 for the original PlayStation. Begging my parents to buy it for me, I spent countless hours skating around Foundry and Suburbia (not even sure I ever made it to Canada). With the release of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4, I was so excited to hop back into mostly familiar levels, listen to some incredible music, and rack up a high score.

Starting off with the Career Mode, this is everything you should expect returning to Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 and 4. Each game is its own separate career track so you can start at the beginning of THPS 3 in the Foundry, or in THPS 4's College.

Relive the Classics

You'll have two minutes to attempt to complete a variety of goals; the more goals you complete, the more levels you'll unlock. There isn't really some big "end goal" or celebration at the end, it's a Career Mode but not a Story Mode.

The most basic goals are to simply rack up a high score or a high combo. Past that there's objectives to pick up the letters S-K-A-T-E which are a fun challenge that also normally teaches you an interesting line in each level, and a number of very specific challenges to complete.

In London, you'll be performing wall rides on double-decker buses, College lets you hassle frat kids, and you'll be trying to collect stray rivets in the Shipyard. Each of these challenges will prompt players to explore different kinds of tricks, hunt interesting collectibles, or seek out secret spots based on context clues. It does a great job of teaching the player and prompting exploration.

While most of the collectibles to pick up are floating objects that glow and are extremely easy to spot, there's also a number of collectibles that are a bit more vague, like photobombing tourists in Alcatraz. These are definitely the 'harder to come by' objectives, but you'll likely stumble into a few of them while playing the level normally, then it's just up to you to remember where they are and get them all in a single run.

For those who played Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 and 4 on the original PlayStation, expect to see some differences in map layouts and even ordering as we have to remember this was a time where there would be wild differences between ports of the same games.

An aspect of many of the levels in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 that I loved, and maybe just something I'm appreciating returning to these games as an adult, is there's normally so much more to a level than what you first experience. In London, a variety of buildings can be grinded to the top of revealing hidden half pipes, and there's a reward for exploration on Skater Island that's Spongebob Squarepants inspired.

New Levels, Skaters, and More

There are a few new additions to the game for those who have already explored the originals from top to bottom. Of course, the most basic change is that the game handles fantastically; secondly, there is the addition of two new levels. Pinball, a track that begins with you getting boosted out into a downhill style track, and Waterpark, set in a derelict and shut-down waterpark.

Once you've completed the game, you'll also unlock new, more difficult goals for each level. Just when you think you've mastered a track, don't be surprised when a COMBO line or new objective has you stumped. This is a great addition for a pseudo post-game, letting those who know the game like the back of their hands be tested in a whole new way.

I loved exploring Waterpark. There are handrails to slide over, the remains of what I can assume was a lazy river creating a halfpipe through the whole track, and each ride has doors that you can skate into at the bottom, allowing you to pop out at the top.

Skate down water slides, across pirate ships, and on top of splash pads in this densely packed skater's playground.

Free Skate and Level Creator

If you don't want to set yourself a two-minute time limit, you can also skate around in Free Skate. Here you'll have access to all of the levels you've unlocked from the campaign as well as access to the directory of fan-created levels.

The fan-created levels are something that I'm most looking forward to. Unfortunately, at the time of review, there hasn't been much movement there. In addition to having the full freedom to create levels like those in the main campaign, the Level Creator has new objects like the boost pads found in Pinball, but also the ability to make goals.

The Soundtrack Is Some of the Same, and a Lot New

It wouldn't be Tony Hawk's Pro Skater without a fantastic soundtrack, and while not all of the original tracks are returning, new ones have been added that fit the tone and vibe of the original game fantastically. Skating through each level, two minutes at a time, you're able to really enjoy all of the music without it getting repetitive.

I enjoyed a lot of the new tracks. They all fit the vibe of the game fantastically, but there's a special bit of nostalgia that hits when one of the classic tracks comes on.

Visual Upgrades Across the Board

An extremely satisfying aspect of revisiting these levels ~23 years later is that, comparing the visuals of the original game, even that of the PS2 ports, you can see what the team was going for dialed up to 11 with this remake.

You can see it as soon as you drop into the Foundry. The predominantly grey slabs have been replaced with a factory floor. Flashing lights, workers standing around, and more dynamic scenery (including things to skate on or around). All of these improvements show how much care was put into taking what was already a fun playground and filling it with shiny new toys.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 Review | Final Thoughts

This is the kind of remaster that you want to see. It looks like a shinier version of all of your best memories playing the original and adds just a bit more for new and old players alike to experience.

Even two minutes at a time, it's a delight to skate around the world, interact with all of the different elements of the world, hunt down secrets, and hopefully score some top scores.

After the incredible success of 1+2 and now 3+4, all I can hope for is THUG to grace our screens again.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 was reviewed with a copy provided by the publisher. All photos were taken over the course of the review.