I was extremely late to the party with Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, never having played any of them until 2016 or so. Having long missed the zeitgeist, I figured it would be one of those instances where the games were massive in their time but are simplistic or clunky to play now. But man, was I wrong.

These are mechanically deep games with a crazy high skill ceiling, rewarding skillful execution and mastery of the controls. They have much more in common with combo-oriented action games like Bayonetta or Devil May Cry than anything in the “Sports” category they’re often lumped into (and as a fan of those action games, I felt right at home). THPS 3 and 4 are just sublime to control.

Admittedly, the first two entries show their age a bit due to lacking the mechanics that flesh out the gameplay in 3/4, but they’re still solid. The 1+2 remaster is outstanding by the way, bringing in all those later mechanics for the full THPS experience. It’s a near-perfect example of a remaster done right.

  • yo_accountant
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    51 year ago

    Tetris. That game has aged extremely well. I played it on the original Gameboy. I last played it on a VR headset.

    • SpdQbr
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      fedilink
      31 year ago

      When I first heard the concept of VR Tetris I though “wow that’s dumb” but it’s sooooo good. One of the most zen experiences I’ve ever had. Tetris Effect freaking nailed it.

      • Jaywarbs
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        fedilink
        31 year ago

        Looooove Tetris Effect. I’ve never tried VR but I’m real curious about it.