Sports games simply aren't what they used to be. Most games based on major sports have become yearly releases that marginally improve on past titles but don't offer anything unique. While this isn't inherently bad, it shows a subtle decline in the developer's urge to be daring with sports games. In the early 2000s, that was different -- one game has perfectly captured the era's strange essence: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater.
The original Pro Skater was released just before the turn of the millennium. However, it helped usher in a style and attitude that would resonate with many youths of the era. Culture aside, the game itself was a blast to play and helped popularize a subgrenre of sports games. Following Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, more extreme sports titles began to release, and as the early 2000s progressed, these titles became increasingly zany and outrageous.
The Pro Skater remaster has helped show a new generation what gaming felt like in the 2000s, as it maintains its environments, music and attitude. While there are still more Tony Hawk titles that deserve similar treatment, it seems only fitting to start with the classics.
For most players, the moment they press start, they are greeted to a punk tone that matches the freedom felt when diving into the iconic warehouse and getting major air. The carefree vibe is a trademark of the series that both makes the player feel like anything is possible and encompasses the overall cultural feeling of the early 2000s.
That vibe is further bolstered by the game's soundtrack of catchy punk, rock, rap and ska tunes. The music is what made early aughts skate culture so engaging, and it can be felt even in video game format. More often than not, the music also matches the skating tempo and gives players the push to do more daring tricks.
Capturing the west coast vibe, the environment is one of the most iconic aspects of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. Its gameplay and world-building even influenced other titles. While most maps feature normal environments like warehouses and malls, Pro Skater gets weird. One of the most iconic and interesting sections is the Area 51 map, which features aliens and flying saucers.
Each game in the franchise expands its gameplay by adding new and more challenging tricks. However, as more titles spawned from Pro Skater, they explored different playstyles. One example is EA's Skate series, which replaces button inputs for utilizing the right stick to nail complicated tricks. In many ways, Pro Skater helps broaden the skateboarding genre.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater is one of the first sports games to dare to be different, and it's a perfect time capsule of the early 2000s.