After the release of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2, the skateboarding series has seen a huge a surge in popularity, but it's just made fans hungrier for more remakes. The latest Tony Hawk Pro Skater sequel rumor was in the form of cryptic promotional art, but since then, nothing has come to light.
That means fans of the series will have to dust off their old consoles and load up some of the classic PlayStation games, and Redditors have debated over which game is the crown jewel in the franchise. There are even fans who vouch for some of the worst games in the series, but unsurprisingly, there isn't a single Pro Skater 5 apologist.
Tony Hawk's Underground (2003)
Joe_surewould thinks Tony Hawk's Underground is the best game in the long-running franchise. The Redditor explains, "I think that the storyline, the awesome maps, and the customization made THUG1 the best Tony Hawk game in the series. Feel free to agree or disagree!"
Tony Hawk's Underground marked a lot of precedents for the series. Not only did it drop the Pro Skater name, but it was also the first game that allowed players to hop off their board and the first to have a story mode. And while it wasn't a completely open world, there was the ability to free-roam around large areas too. The series was completely rebuilt from the ground up.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 (2002)
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 is noteworthy for being the first game in the series to drop the limited two-minute runtimes, allowing players to leisurely complete each task without worrying about time limits. Outside of that, it doesn't advance the series all that much, but between Alcatraz, Kona, and Zoo, it simply has some of the most memorable and exciting levels.
A deleted user thinks it's the best and notes, "I'm holding out for a remake." As Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 is being a complete remake of the first two Tony Hawk games in the series, there's hope for Vicarious Visions to do the same thing with the third and fourth games. It makes sense, especially seeing as how the new engine has been built and there are so many classic levels that fans would pay to see get the same treatment.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 (2002)
Kn05vc believes Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 is the best game in the franchise, noting that they "found 3 a huge step up from 1 and 2." The game is best known for having the simplest possible addition but one that has been imperative to the gameplay ever since. Pro Skater 3 added the revert, which meant that more tricks could be tied together to create even bigger combos.
Who knew that a simple tap of a button would have been the most important change to the gameplay of a billion-dollar franchise? And along with the timeless gameplay mechanics, Pro Skater 3 also features some beloved levels, including Canada, Tokyo, and Suburbia.
Disney Extreme Skate Adventure (2003)
AfroThunder_Dj seriously asks, "Disney Extreme Skate Adventure count? There are loads of great extreme sports games that aren't Tony Hawk, and while Disney Extreme Skate Adventure might seem like one of them, it's definitely tied to the beloved skateboarding series.
The Redditor calls the authenticity of the skating game into question because it uses the exact same engine as Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4, making it feel a lot like a game in the classic series. Though nobody would expect a Disney tie-in game to be good, between being able to play as Tarzan or Buzz Lightyear and having the same sense of speed and fluidity found in Tony Hawk games, Disney Extreme Skate Adventure is surprisingly great.
Tony Hawk's American Wasteland (2005)
After the Underground series came to its natural end, the Tony Hawk series was reinvented once again with Tony Hawk's American Wasteland. Heathmon1856 argues that American Wasteland is the best Tony Hawk game, claiming, "the seamless map was crazy at the time."
The 2005 release was the first game in the series to be marketed as a full, living, breathing open world, but there's an asterisk next to that statement. While the game does feature a huge version of Los Angeles, all the main areas are tied together by very long and narrow hallways, which are clearly masking loading times. However, the main areas are still the most vibrant and colorful of any Tony Hawk game, and it features the series' best trick set pieces, such as dinosaur heads and Ferris wheels.
Tony Hawk's Project 8 (2006)
If it wasn't clear by the fact that it's the eighth game in the series, the Tony Hawk franchise was beginning to show its age. For seven games, the series hadn't once changed its arcade-style large-combo approach, but Project 8 attempted to ground the gameplay a little more.
The 2006 game had players performing simple flip tricks by having the analog sticks control each of the skater's legs, but it didn't quite land well with the fans. But CloudyRomero loves the game more than any other in the series, asking, "Can't we have some justice for Project 8?" In fairness, the game did right a few of American Wasteland's wrongs, including actually being an open world without any restraints.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 (2001)
AmuseDeath points to the classic Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2, claiming, "I would play it over and over again at my local K-mart and was ecstatic when I bought the game on the PS1."
While the first game in the series is very much a classic, the sequel improved on its predecessor on every level, whether it's with the iconic maps like School II or the sun-soaked Venice Beach or all of the added tricks. But more memorable than anything is Pro Skater 2's incredible punk rock soundtrack. When it comes to the debate over which is the ultimate Tony Hawk game, most would argue that it's the 2001 release.
Tony Hawk's Proving Ground (2007)
Proving Ground got a lot of flack for being broken upon its release in 2007. The game was pretty glitchy and could have done with a bit more time in the oven. However, that's what happens when developers get too ambitious, as Proving Ground combined almost everything that had even been seen or done in any of the previous games as well as adding to it.
That's exactly why Eraluna16 thinks it's the best Tony Hawk game, giving credit to the endless amounts of gameplay. The Redditor also argues, "Overall, Proving Ground is an underrated game that marked the end of an era for the Tony Hawk franchise." The 2007 release is a huge game that takes 80 hours to fully complete, and it has a sprawling city that, for the first time, is immersive and feels like a living, breathing space. In hindsight, despite a few shortfalls, the game totally deserves to be reevaluated.
Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam (2006)
"Downhill Jam" is one of the best levels in the original Pro Skater, and it has a much different format than any other level in the game, as the whole stage is entirely downhill instead of being mostly level. It gives off a much higher sense of speed compared to the other levels, and the 2006 release made a whole game out of it.
Gawalls thinks Downhill Jam is by far the best game in the series, noting, "I lost weeks on that and Excite Truck." The game isn't a part of the main series and was originally exclusive to Nintendo consoles, but it was released on other consoles the following year, and it's become something of a cult hit amongst fans of the series.
Tony Hawk's Underground 2 (2002)
Tony Hawk's Underground 2 isn't a direct sequel to Underground, but it's a follow-up in that it also follows an amateur skater (created by the player,) and has a dense story mode. Eriugam31 thinks it's the best game in the series, positing, "Underground 2 has some of the most memorable characters, levels, challenges, and cheesy lines."
At the height of the Jackass craze, the Tony Hawk series capitalized on that, as the game is a globe-trotting affair where the skaters compete with the Jackass crew to see who can cause the most havoc in each major city. The game features Barcelona, Berlin, and New Orleans, which has an incredible, 0ut-of-the-ordinary supernatural element to it. And though there's Jackass: The Game, which is one of the weirdest games based on a TV show, Underground 2 pulls off Jackass' hijinks much better.