Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5: Grinding Rails and Defying Gravity Since 1999!

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5: Grinding Rails and Defying Gravity Since 1999!

Remember those carefree days spent honing your skills on a virtual skateboard, pulling off gnarly tricks and defying gravity with the push of a button? Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series brought skateboarding to the masses, transforming couch potatoes into digital daredevils. After a lengthy hiatus, the franchise returned in 2015 with Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5, aiming to recapture the magic that made its predecessors iconic. Did it succeed? Well, let’s drop in and see if this sequel landed a clean ollie or face-planted spectacularly.

A Familiar Grind, New Tricks

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 picks up where the series left off, offering a fast-paced, arcade-style skateboarding experience. The core gameplay mechanics remain largely unchanged, with players controlling their chosen pro skater using familiar button combinations for ollies, grinds, grabs, and special tricks. The game features eight playable skaters – Tony Hawk, Rodney Mullen, Nyjah Huston, Aaron “Jaws” Homoki, Lizzie Armanto, Riley Hawk, Chris Cole, and David Gonzalez – each with their unique stats and signature moves.

New to the series is a revamped level design system that allows players to create custom skate parks using pre-built modules. Think of it like LEGO for skateboarders: you can mix and match ramps, rails, pools, and other obstacles to craft your own skateboarding paradise. This feature adds a layer of creativity and personalization, allowing players to tailor the environment to their specific skateboarding style.

A Tour Through Iconic Locations

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 features eight diverse levels inspired by real-world locations, including:

Level Location Description
The Boardwalk Venice Beach, California A classic skate park setting with ramps, rails, and pools overlooking the ocean.
Bunker City Berlin, Germany An abandoned industrial complex filled with graffiti, grindable ledges, and rooftop drops.
Sunset Strip Los Angeles, California A vibrant cityscape with steep hills, stair sets, and iconic landmarks like the Viper Room.
And more!

Each level is packed with hidden secrets, challenges, and opportunities for high-scoring combos.

Multiplayer Mayhem: Online and Local Competition

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 embraces the competitive spirit of skateboarding with robust online and local multiplayer modes. Players can go head-to-head in a variety of game modes, including:

  • Score Challenge: Earn the highest score by chaining together impressive tricks and combos within a time limit.
  • Tag Team: Work together with a teammate to rack up points and dominate the competition.
  • H-O-R-S-E: A classic skateboarding duel where players take turns attempting increasingly difficult tricks; failing a trick earns you a letter in the word “HORSE,” and whoever spells it out first loses.

Technical Troubles: A Stumble on the Landing

While Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 attempts to recapture the magic of its predecessors, the game unfortunately suffers from some technical shortcomings upon release. Issues included inconsistent frame rates, glitchy physics, and a somewhat clunky control scheme that felt less responsive than previous entries.

These issues marred the overall experience for many players and ultimately contributed to the game’s mixed reception.

A Legacy of Shredding: A Comeback Story Yet to be Written?

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 represents a bold attempt to revive a beloved franchise, but ultimately falls short of its ambitious goals due to technical hiccups. Despite its flaws, the game still retains some of the core elements that made the series so popular, offering fast-paced skateboarding action, customizable skate parks, and engaging multiplayer modes.

Whether this sequel can truly land a clean trick and reclaim its place among the skateboarding elite remains to be seen. Perhaps with future updates and refinements, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 could still find its footing and become a worthy addition to the series’ legacy.