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When Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 launched, I only had one thought on my mind: “This is awesome, but can we please get 3 + 4?”
I had dabbled with the first two entries back in the day, but it was only when Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 launched in 2001 that I properly got hooked on the series. It felt perfect, and despite classics like Metroid Prime and The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker sitting higher on my ‘best GameCube’ list, there’s no other game I sunk more hours into than THPS 3.
Given the recent disappointment surrounding the changes to THPS 4 in the upcoming remake, I’m going to cast that game aside for a moment and just focus on the third entry. Heck, even if developer Iron Galaxy retained absolutely everything from THPS 4 and delivered a near 1:1 remake, it still sits just below its predecessor in my personal series ranking.
Few games feel like products of their time as much as Tony Hawk 3. Sure, if you’re reasonably knowledgeable, you could look at any game’s stylings and production values and take a decent stab at when it was made, but THPS 3 is a snapshot of the early ‘00s like no other. The music, the visuals, the rebellious undertones… It launched right when Jackass was really beginning to gain momentum on MTV, and you could feel that in the new additions.
Unlike the previous two entries, which saw you traversing around levels on your lonesome, THPS 3 featured pedestrians for the first time. Challenges like ‘Bury the Bully’ in the Canada level and ‘Stop the Pickpockets’ in the Airport felt like they’d taken direct inspiration from the exploits of beloved idiots like Steve-O and Bam Margera (who, sadly, isn’t in the new remake), and it made the game feel like a ridiculous combination of Skating X Jackass sim.
It gave the series the boost it really needed, in my eyes. I’m no skateboarder in real life, but I would bet that most gain pleasure from skating with others. It’s one of the most sociable sports imaginable, and I would always see kids at my local skatepark racing down halfpipes before sitting with friends and listening to Blink-182 and Slipknot. It was a vibe, y’know? And THPS 3 captured it wonderfully.
Speaking of music, the game also introduced me to bands that remain some of my absolute favourites to this very day. Bodyjar’s ‘Not the Same’ became the song of 2001 and I can’t tell you how many times I listened to it in the months following the game’s release. Not only that, but you’ve got The Ramones, AFI, Guttermouth, Alien Ant Farm, and freakin’ Motörhead, for goodness’ sake. Look, I’ll always maintain that ‘Ace of Spades’ pales in comparison to ‘Overkill’, but it’s an absolute banger of a song, regardless.
Bodyjar and Motörhead have been confirmed to return for the remake, so even if Iron Galaxy hasn’t managed to get every song, I’ll be one happy chappy.
It’s going to be a bit odd playing a remake of THPS 3, truth be told. When I played 1 + 2, it admittedly lost that ‘product of its time’ vibe that makes the original games so memorable to me. I worry that even with the music and the Jackass-inspired challenges, THPS 3 on Switch may feel similar. If it can recapture at least some of that joy I felt in my youth, though, Activision and Iron Galaxy are on to a winner.
And if not? Maybe ‘Not the Same’ will take on a whole different meaning.
Did you play Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 back in the day? Which entry in the series is your favourite? Leave a comment with your thoughts, memories, and more down below.