There are some pretty notable eras that exist throughout the history of the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series, with certain sets of games being far more well-regarded than others. In general, fans tend to point towards the arcadey Pro Skater games and the more story-oriented Underground series as being the two best eras for the series of skateboarding games. More specifically, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 and Tony Hawk's Underground 2 are the two games fans point to as the best.
Pro Skater 3 is usually pointed to as the best of the classic Tony Hawk games for a ton of reasons. It was the last game to have the traditional timer-based arcade gameplay for a long time since Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4 and the later Ungeround titles would go for more of a free-form approach to gameplay. Underground 2 would be seen by many fans to be the peak of this kind of gameplay, though which game is actually the best?
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 Revolutionized Skating
Pro Skater 3 is considered by many to be the gameplay peak of the series, thanks to the introduction of mechanics like reverts to the game, which allows players to link together combos in new and creative ways and online play. However, Pro Skater 3 is far more well-remembered for its single-player gameplay and amazing level design. The PlayStation 2 version of the game is one of the most well-reviewed PS2 games on Metacritic, with many reviews finding the game to be nothing but an improvement over the previous games, especially when it came to the combo system. Later games in the series would benefit from Pro Skater 3's achievements. Reverts alone would open up a world of new tricks while levels like Canada and Warehouse became iconic. An upgraded engine on the PlayStation 2 and GameCube versions would also help make the game's skateparks be much more dynamic.
It's pretty difficult to come up with a real criticism against Pro Skater 3, with some critics even going as far as to say that it's a perfect game. If there's anything that could be raised against Pro Skater 3, it's that there are some pretty wild differences between the multiple different consoles this game was released on. Some releases had specific skateboarders, some had unique levels, others featured mechanics from older games and others lacked these mechanics. Fans tend to side with the next-gen versions of Pro Skater 3 as the ones to play. The series hit its peak when it came to the time limit-based arcade gameplay of the Pro Skater games and would slowly start to open things up a bit more with later games. This would eventually culminate with what many fans consider to be another peak for the series with Tony Hawk's Underground 2, a clearly fan-favorite release.
Freeform Skating Defined Tony Hawk's Underground 2
Underground 2 wasn't as well received by critics as Pro Skater 3, but fans have since rallied behind the game with some even calling for a remake. Underground 2 is a far different type of game, though things were still centered around players completing missions in multiple combo playgrounds. This time, though, there was an absolutely wild narrative that saw the player joining Tony Hawk, Bam Margera and several other pro-skaters on a World Destruction Tour where two teams try to cause the most international chaos possible. The story takes players to several locations across the globe, including Boston, Australia and even a revamped Warehouse from Pro Skater 3. Across these levels, players are able to explore and complete tasks in small open-world environments.
The lack of a limiting timer is both something that was praised and criticized in reviews. Some consider the free-form format that was originally introduced in Pro Skater 4 to be freeing while others miss the faster-paced gameplay of the previous games. Many agree that the missions in Underground 2 are far more creative than the collect-a-thons and high-score challenges that padded out the Pro Skater series. That being said, fans of the classic Pro Skater series could always play through Classic Mode instead, which brings back the timer and tasks players with going through multiple classic Pro Skater levels and Underground 2 levels with familiar gameplay from previous games. Pair that with the revamped creation modes such as Create-A-Park and Create-A-Tag and it's pretty clear why many fans see Underground 2 as the best of the Tony Hawk series.
Which Game is Better?
Both of these games are iconic for a reason, with many being huge classics on the systems they released on. Both games are loved by fans and say a hefty amount of critical success too. When it comes down to figuring out which game is really the best in the Tony Hawk series, however, there's one game that manages to ever so slightly inch itself ahead. While this may come as a surprise to long-time Tony Hawk fans, Tony Hawk's Underground 2 may actually be the best game in the series.
Pro Skater 3 revolutionized the series, but Underground 2 perfected what Pro Skater 3 did well. Not only were the levels and moves just as game-changing as always, but Underground 2 gave both new and old fans something to love with the enjoyably wild story mode and the nostalgic Classic Mode. Tony Hawk's Underground 2 is simply Pro Skater 3 but somehow even better, though it's pretty clear why fans hold both of these games close to their hearts.