Nobody can deny that the board peripheral was a bit of a disaster for the Tony Hawk franchise. Neither Tony Hawk: RIDE or Tony Hawk: SHRED were a critical or financial success, so it seems like a good idea that the board peripheral has been consigned to the scrap heap. The much-rumoured new title in the franchise has been revealed and we're going back to basics with Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5, co-developed by Robomodo and Disruptive Games.
The Pro Skater series has always had a focus on high scores and fun mission objectives. Pro Skater 5 looks to bring back the feel of these games with new levels and a focus on "daring objectives, fine-tuned controls and high-score tricks", which include manuals and reverts to string together endless combos. Of course, nobody wants a bland repeat of previous titles, so there will also be power-ups and projectiles thrown into the mix to switch things up.
Tony Hawk explains why the series has returned to its roots:
Skateboarding has always been about the freedom of ripping with your friends, and creating a game that captures that feeling has been a vision of mine since the Pro Skater series began over 15 years ago. I’m beyond excited to see that dream finally come true with Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5, which takes the old-school attitude of the original games online in a big way.
Speaking of online, players will be able to set up drop-in, drop-out skate sessions that they can enjoy with friends or with other online players. You will be able to complete mission objectives, unlock new content and level up both offline and online. There will also be competitive modes that allow players to take on others in head-to-head matches. Finally, you can build your own skateparks that can be shared online.
The game includes a variety of skaters both from the new- and old-breed. Aaron “Jaws” Homoki, Ishod Wair, Chris Cole, David Gonzalez, Andrew Reynolds, and Lizzie Armant have all been confirmed as playable characters. You can also create your own skater. Here's a look at some of the pros in action on three of the game's skate spots. Check out some more confirmed names - Leticia Bufoni, Nyjah Huston, Riley Hawk and, of course, Tony Hawk himself - as they bust out a variety of tricks.
Beach
Shove-It
Noseblunt Slide
School
360 Flip
Kickflip McTwist
Airwalk
Warehouse
Ollie North
While the game will be coming out on both current-generation and last-generation consoles, the Playstation 4 version will be hitting retailers first this year. The Playstation 3 version will follow sometime afterwards but will, bizarrely, be limited for sale only in select retailers. While details of other regions are yet to be revealed, the PS3 version in the UK will only be available at GAME.