Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4

G4 TV

The new career mode adds a considerable amount of depth to the overall game, while a quick session has more twitch factor than ever before.

GamePro

The speed has also been cranked, so that skaters fly through the levels at an insane velocity. [Nov 2002, p.50]

Play Magazine

Where else can you skate to Iron Maiden, AC/DC, De La Soul, Public Enemy and the Sex Pistols? "Evolution Skateboarding"? Yeah, right! [Dec 2002, p.76]

Armchair Empire

Not only is this the greatest THPS yet, but as always is one of the year’s best games. Period.

GameSpy

While titles like "Aggressive Inline" and "Mat Hoffman 2" come close to competing with THPS3, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 blows them out of the water...[but i]t seems very strange to me that this game didn't have official Xbox Live support.

GameSpot

The deeper single-player and improved multiplayer modes makes Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 the most tightly-packed installment in the series to date, and the slightly refined gameplay is still unmatched in the action sports arena.

GameZone

An extreme skateboarding masterpiece.

Operation Sports

The best gets better. No doubt about it. The guys at Neversoft got pushed by the competition and they responded.

Game Revolution

This seems to be pointed directly at the veterans of the series rather than new gamers, and I have serious doubts that anyone who hasn't played the earlier versions will stand much of a chance at making it through this one.

Yahoo! Games

The effect of these changes is hard to overstate. The gameplay is much more laid back, and without having to restart levels over and over, it flows better.

Electric Playground

While it's a shame the Xbox Live stuff never materialized, Tony Hawk 4 still manages to top its previous outing on the Xbox.

Game Informer

Addicting as hell. [Dec 2002, p.137]

Adrenaline Vault

All in all, Pro Skater 4 isn't a massive leap forward for the series, but a massive and refined expansion upon its original premise.

IGN

By far the best skateboarding title around...I just don't think there's enough newness here for a casual Xbox gamer to drop another $50 so soon after buying "Tony Hawk 3" and we're still not playing the Hawkman online yet.

Official Xbox Magazine

Better graphics, better environments, more options, and most importantly of all, a massively overhauled gameplay structure, exactly what the old dear needed. [Dec 2002, p.138]

Cheat Code Central

THE innovative and indepth product that I was hoping THPS3 would have been.

XGP Gaming

It contains all the elements that made the first 3 so great, plus improved controls, graphics, and many more goals.

GamerWeb Xbox

Digital crack, plain and simple.

Gaming Age

"Polished" is the best way to describe THPS4 for the Xbox. The visuals, the sounds, the gameplay, the interface, everything is about as good as it is going to get in this generation...I really feel the series has plateaued.

Entertainment Weekly

With timeless beats like De La Soul's "Oodles of O's" plus pre-Mortal Kombat combos (which don't require memorizing 56 moves), you'll forget you actually bought this game for your kid. [25 Oct 2002, p.83]

TeamXbox

Full of major improvements that really warrant a purchase if your last THPS was number two. I don’t feel it is SO different that you would feel compelled to purchase it if you just got three.

Total Video Games

So the game is mainly a case of refinement to the point of perfection, but the problem is that if you’ve already got Tony Hawk 3 there’s very little reason to pick this game up.

Maxim Online

Freed from time constraints, you now accomplish level-specific goals—like outmaneuvering skater-busting cops—to advance while on the lookout for secret minigames.

Eurogamer

A tough one to score then, but still unquestionably excellent.

Xbox Nation Magazine

While there is no questioning the game's ability to sap huge portions of your life, we'd dare say there may be better ways to spend said portions of said life until next year's edition hits Xbox Live. [Winter 2002, p.92]