Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD isn't for everyone. For modern gamers, it's a pain to play. You have 10 goals in each of the 7 levels (an astonishingly small amount of levels, really.) to complete in a 2 minute run. But for those of us who grew up playing THPS2 religiously, this is the game for us. It omits every trick that came after THPS2, and this is the very first game post-Tony Hawk 2 to do that, and it's such a nostalgic, refreshing feeling to get your classic Tony Hawk combos down without the use of reverts, nail-the-trick, spine transfers, etc.

Visually, the game looks great. I'm not sure why people are talking about "abysmal frame rates," because frankly, the only time I've noticed frame rate drops are when there are a lot of things going on. I.E., crates exploding in the Hangar level. The game runs smoothly, as far as I'm concerned. Those few and far between frame rate drops are totally forgivable considering the game as a whole runs smoothly, and the levels, pro skaters, textures, and small touches throughout the levels look amazing.

The controls couldn't be more spot-on, especially with the Dualshock3. It feels EXACTLY like you're playing THPS2. The D-pad is perfect for this game, since Playstation is where the THPS series got its start. The one and only complaint I have control-wise is that the wallrides are finicky and unreliable. You have to hit them at the seemingly perfect angle to do them. But considering most of the goals in the levels (sans 2 or 3) don't require wallrides, this isn't a huge issue.

The audio department is nothing to complain about. Skateboarding sounds like skateboarding. RoboModo took some of the most iconic songs from THPS1 and 2 and incorporated them into THPS HD. It's just too bad they didn't include all of the original songs. Half of the soundtrack is comprised of songs from the first 2 games, and the other half are new additions. Thankfully, these new songs fit well with the game's atmosphere and nostalgic feel. They don't sound like they were last minute additions. When you have an El-P track in your skateboarding game, you know you're doing something right in the sound department.

Like I said in the beginning of this review, THPS HD isn't for everyone. If you want to, you can choose one pro skater and blast through the game in around 30 minutes to an hour. But that's not what this game is about. I've completed literally everything there is to do in this game with every character, so I do feel a bit more entitled to review this game more than certain others who pick it up, play it for 15 minutes and label it as a "this sucks" experience. The game is about completion. On top of the regular level objectives, you get a mode called PROjectives, which is basically the "hard mode" of the original game. And after completing this mode, you'll get the biggest sense of accomplishment considering it's tough as nails. A good, fair challenge for any gamer searching for one. But that seems to be the problem. These first 2 games were released over a decade ago, and it's hard not to say that games have gotten easier over the years. Too much hand holding, too much obvious paths, too much to get you to complete the game as quickly as possible. Not here, I say. If you want to REALLY complete this game, be prepared for one of the toughest gaming experiences you'll find all year.

All in all, THPS HD isn't a perfect game. However, it IS a near perfect HD remake. A nostalgic romp through two of gaming's most important titles. The atmosphere, the pro skaters to play as (which look great, by the way), the old way of doing THPS tricks, nearly everything. The one complaint I have is the lack of levels. We're missing classic levels such as Burnside, Philly, and there are no secret levels to unlock, but DLC packs including levels will be available in the near future for purchase. I don't blame THPS HD itself for its mixed reactions, I blame gaming as a whole. Like I mentioned above, if games hadn't gotten easier over time, this game would be revered as one of the greats. Nothing with a major impact, story arc, or anything revolutionary. However, it sure is a lot of fun, and it sure is a good, tough challenge. Something that seems to be missing from any given game released in the past 5 years.… Expand

Pretty bad when this "remake" feels more like a parody. Missing most features from the original two games such as levels, skaters, multi-player, and create-a-skater. Heck, even most of the animations are missing. When you fall off your skate board you sort of lay there, and the screen flashes white and resets. I would have rather had bought the original game, HD be damned.

Ouch, I've been double stung by this game. I put many of the xbox versions flaws down to the controls and took a chance on the PS3 version due to the lack of a demo for it. Unbelievably this is actually worse than the xbox version. The framerate is abysmal at times, something that was not a problem on the xbox version and the sluggish control responses and general slowness persist. An absolutely horrible attempt at an HD remake.… Expand

It looks worse than the original ps-one version (of THPS 2 at least), it handles worse than the original... I don't really have anything positive to say about this game. If you want to relive the glory days of THPS 2, I suggest you go to a gamestore and see if you can find the original psone game there. It'll be a lot more satisfying to play than the remake.

Hope for a dying series.

This is what Tony Hawk needs to be. Not all those other ones like Ride and whatever the other one with the board was. It takes what is great about Tony Hawk and thats it. Past levels from the good ole days. Not sure what else your expecting from it.

Buy it, dont buy it. I know where I stand.

Tony Hawk Pro Skater HD is the best THPS game since Pro-Skater 2. It caters to all the people who have been wishing for a new Tony Hawk game since Project 8. That is to say we are pretending that the gimmicky Tony Hawk Ride and its forgettable successor which also utilized a horrible plastic skateboard controller never existed. Now that Tony Hawk has disappeared from the spotlight after several years in the media as the Michael Jordan of skateboarding, he's aimed at a comeback...and unfortunately publisher Activision is still involved. If you're familiar with the original 4 THPS games, you'll feel right at home here. All the original gameplay features are still there. Except for......"Create a Park" which I am willing to bet a night with my hot wife that it'll show up as a DLC somewhere down the line. I don't know how they chose the levels but it wasn't according to fan feedback otherwise the Cruise ship and the electric neon hell of Tokyo would be in the game. I also wouldn't mind skating around in Hawaii from the THUG series but again....I bet more is coming via DLC.

The game plays great and looks great. The lighting in the levels is awesome. Controls are as tight as ever and its never been easier to pull of tricks with the thumbstick on dualshock 3 whereas back in the day the Dualshock 2's thumbsticks were wonky as hell and impossible to use. I do have to take points off for not having some of the O.G. THPS Skaters like Chad Muska and Kareem Campbell or Mike Vallely (3 of my favorites); instead they've opted for Tony Hawk's kid and some new-gen skaters that no one other than the hardcore crowd knows. Points must also be taken off for the average soundtrack and missing create-a-park mode but points were given back for having Officer Dick and the usual post-game finish cheats menu! I give this an 8 out of 10.… Expand