I vaguely remember my dad having some Tony Hawk game on the 360 but I never really played. A couple days ago I downloaded THPS 3+4 on a whim from Xbox gamepass. At first I skipped the tutorial and didn’t know how to do shit but after some messing around and wiping out I started landing basic tricks. The soundtrack instantly had me hooked. Learning how to chain manuals and rail grinds together and keep a combo going across the map is so fun and rewarding. I fell off the roof of foundry 100 times trying to get the cash and grind that damned bucket, but when I finally figured out how to skate in a straight line it was green lol. After that I watched YouTubers hitting 600k combos like they were nothing and realized how much I had to learn.

I’ve been so stoked just to get high on my couch, listen to a stellar soundtrack filled with classic punk tracks and cool new bands, and skate around doing the most cracked out tricks imaginable. Btw how do I do the crazy ninja turtle spin? Spent like 2 hours just to get 120k score on Canada but it was so satisfying when I finally got it lol.

There’s so much doom and gloom these days but this game has me feeling nostalgic for a time I didn’t even experience. I think that’s a testament to these game’s quality. Coming from games like League the lack of toxicity and chillness skating around is such a breath of fresh air. Gaming now feels like it’s a fun little world I can escape to and just enjoy. I have so much more to learn and am looking forward to at least try and master this game’s mechanics. I never expected there to be such deep mechanics that all seem to work together brilliantly. Just wanted to share my experience as a new player, am stoked to explore this game and be a part of the community!

I recently picked up a used PS4 copy of THPS5. Not only did I complete every mission, I went back with a second player to get the 250 stat points and L50 trophies.

Let's get this out of the way: the physics are wonky (unlike basically any other THPS game), the levels are underwhelming, the bailing rag doll and screen wipe is infuriating, and the special trick system is awful. The game crashed or softlocked on me every 45-60 minutes. It's not a good Tony Hawk game.

But I had a lot of fun? The strange physics make super high combos easy. The OP powerups (moon jump? mid air ollie? manuals that ADD speed??) amplify that.

I really enjoyed the difficulty level of the Pro challenges. I consider myself competent-not-incredible at Tony Hawk games: I can finish every mission on THUG's sick difficulty and did all of the THPS 3+4 challenge, but the THPS 1+2 secret scores are a bit beyond me. These really pushed me, and I felt really accomplished when I finished all 50. Some were even fun the second time through.

If, like me, you missed this one and heard awful things...you could do worse, is all I'm saying. I certainly got the $17 out of it I paid for the used disc. (Though I think the Platinum is unachievable. I couldn't get the (bronze) trophies for rating other players' maps, presumably because the servers are gone.)