STACK #249 July 2025

GAMING FEATURE

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Tony Hawk turned professional at age 14. DYK?

Skate fans rejoice, for another two legendary Tony Hawk’s games get the remastered treatment this month in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 .We chatted with game director KurtTillmanns about what’s involved in remastering such classics, and what we can expect from all his team’s hard work. Words Amy Flower W hen bringing a revered title back for another spin, there’s often more pressure than if you’re starting from scratch with a new title. BACK TO THE GRIND!

Pro tips! Kurt shared these tips for budding skate champs… Play the tutorial! Tony Hawk narrates the whole thing and teaches you how to skate. If you begin your combo with a special trick, your score will be exponentially higher. Try and fit as many special tricks as you can into a combo, and don't grind too long. Don’t worry if you fall off your board, that's just a part of skating in real life and in the game.

they play pretty closely,” says Kurt. “The physics and some of the mechanics have been updated from Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 . There were moves in THPS 1 + 2 that weren't around when those games initially came out, like spine transfers and reverts. “Because this gameplay feature set just has more tools in it, you're going to be able to do things in these parks that you were never able to before, like

great example is, he always wants to make sure that the game represents tricks in the proper way. Over time trick names will change a little bit, so he sends us emails and is like ‘Hey, you know what? This grind, we no longer call it that. We call it something else now’, so we make those changes as well.” Technology has evolved greatly since the originals released back in 2001 and 2002, which only means good things for skate fans. “I think one of the most interesting things is, for skaters especially, having a full body scan of every skater and bringing them in with one-to one detail,” enthuses Kurt. “We're showing it in a new fidelity that hasn't been seen before, and that’s true for the parks as well. You go back and you play a lot of the previous games and it's like a box and some walls and it feels great. Now we get to upgrade that and make it look and feel brand new and modern.” While aiming to remain faithful to the classics, we can look forward to some enhancements. “The level layouts come over from the original games. They’re exactly what you remember, and

skitching. Skitching wasn't introduced until Tony Hawk’s 4 , but now you're able to do that in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 parks. It’s also the same with certain goal types: Combo goals weren’t introduced until Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4 , but we now have them in THPS 3 parks. “We’re also adding new skaters, game modes, and levels, like an abandoned waterpark.” The soundtrack is a key ingredient to the Tony Hawk’s experience, and we’re in for a hot mix of old and new. “We try to make sure that the soundtrack represents where skate culture is today and pay homage to what was in the original,” Kurt tells us. “We look at it as a best of both worlds, where it's coming from and where it is now. Classics like Ace of Spades from Motörhead are back and we have brand new tracks like Lupe Fiasco's Kick, Push in there as well.” Ultimately, the experience of updating these two classics has been a rewarding one. “It has been so much fun working on Tony

“There's a lot of pressure to make sure we’re doing right by the fans because people have been playing and loving these games for so long!” Kurt admits. “These games have always been a representation of skate culture, but you can't just remake one-to-one what was there before. “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater games represent where skate culture came from, where it is now, and a little preview of where it's going. That's a lot to keep in mind and balance when you're making a game.” Great news is that Tony Hawk himself has been heavily involved with these updates. “He gives us feedback on how the game is looking and feeling,” Kurt tells us. “He’s very heavily involved in soundtrack song selection, and also with the pro skaters and who makes the roster. “We have a lot of great discussions with him about skate culture and how it has changed. A

Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 and bringing these iconic games back,” Kurt says with a grin. “There's so much here for fans of the originals and we want to introduce the series to a whole new generation of players. There’s nothing out there that looks or feels like a THPS game, and we can’t wait for everybody to get their hands on it.”

• Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 is out Jul 11

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42 JULY 2025

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