With all of the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater games having now been remade (except for THPS 5, we don’t talk about that one), curiosity has naturally shifted to the Tony Hawk’s Underground series. And why wouldn’t it? Despite there being massive expectations for the new subseries due to its predecessors being the most celebrated skateboarding games of all time, the first Tony Hawk’s Underground game, released in 2003, was a bona fide hit that built upon its already sturdy foundation. Instead of there being levels with random goals and collectibles scattered throughout, Underground shifted to a more quasi-open world format with a fully fleshed-out story and characters that provided players with even more freedom.
To be honest, Underground is my favorite Tony Hawk game ever. I love the maps, goofy over-the-top story… all of it. And I’m not the only one, seeing as Tony Hawk himself has expressed great interest in giving Underground the same treatment as the Pro Skater games and remaking it. However, since then, certain developments have made that idea feel less and less of a possibility.
Layoffs Make A Tony Hawk’s Underground Remake Unlikely
In the lead-up to Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4‘s release, it was revealed that much of the team at Iron Galaxy — the developer behind 3+4 — had been laid off by Activision. Obviously, with Iron Galaxy playing such a big role in adapting these games to modern audiences, the likelihood of further remakes (or games in general) has greatly diminished.
Now, to be fair, Activision Blizzard is a massive company, and it’s very likely that if the demand is there for a Tony Hawk’s Underground remake, the company can (in theory) pull from one of its many subsidiaries in order to get the project off the ground. But I want you to think about that for a second. And once you’re done thinking about it, I want you to ask yourself this: Should Tony Hawk’s Underground be remade, or should we instead demand that a fresh, new game be made?
A Tony Hawk’s Underground Remake Won’t Work
I was only 11 years old when I got Tony Hawk’s Underground for Christmas in 2003. I had played almost all of the Pro Skater games, but because of my age, I didn’t appreciate them as much as I should, at least in hindsight. But coming into my prepubescent years, I started forming my own identity as a person. I began to perceive things differently, whether it was music, TV shows, movies, or, yes, video games too.
In the early stages of Tony Hawk’s Underground, you’re introduced to your player-created character, a poverty-stricken skater from the streets of New Jersey. Having been raised in Jersey for most of my life, I instantly related to this character. I even identified with his a-hole friend, Eric Sparrow, another local skater who seems to be on the level early on, but progressively reveals his true colors towards the middle section of the game.
Within seconds of actually being able to play Underground, I was hooked.
With “A Day At the Races” by Jurassic 5, Percy P, and Big Daddy Kane blaring out in the background, I skated everything I could find. The crack dens and pipes on Elm Street, the dilapidated halfpipe — everything I could find. I remember doing enough tutorial missions, teaching you about the new mechanics, such as spine transfers and the ability to get off your board and walk around freely. I still remember the Chad Muska mission where you impressed him to the point of him giving you some sound advice before gifting you with a skateboard.
That feeling will never go away. And here’s the thing: No remake can replace that feeling.
Maybe I’m in the minority here, but quite frankly, I’m not a fan of remaking games. It’s kind of like remaking movies for me — the original is always better. Not necessarily because it looks better, or is done with modern audience sensibilities in mind, but because it has something that a rework can never take ownership of: Heart.
Tony Hawk’s Underground has heart. Tons of it. And it’s a perfect reflection of the times it was released in. Which is why remakes have never made much sense to me. Barring situations where a studio will remake one of its imperfect classics in a transformative way that is arguably better than the original (Mafia immediately comes to mind), I just don’t feel like any of these new remakes capture the feeling I had when originally playing them. Most of these games are dated and exist within a certain era of gaming that we’re nostalgic for, but don’t necessarily miss. Other games — such as Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater — have already aged well and can appeal to modern audiences, and aren’t in need of the Unreal Engine treatment for the purpose of a quick cash-grab.
Maybe A New Tony Hawk’s Underground Game Is The Move
Personally, I feel like Tony Hawk’s Underground is perfectly fine as is and isn’t in any need of a rework or reimagining. And let’s face it — a remake probably wouldn’t hit the same anyway. As amazing as it is, Underground is very much a product of its time. And some of it — if not a lot of it — wouldn’t land the same way, especially for younger gamers who were either too young or not alive at all when it came out.
So instead of potentially bastardizing a classic, why not make a new game?
Yes, committing to a new installment of an existing IP isn’t an easy task for publishers to invest in. But Activision Blizzard is now a subsidiary of Microsoft, meaning the resources are there. And judging by the success of the 1+2 and 3+4 remakes — as well as the hype behind the new Skate game — it’s obvious that the demand for a new skateboarding game is there.
Leave the reskins and remakes behind, Activision. Make a brand-new game with the Tony Hawk’s Underground name on it — hell, make it a reboot if you have to. Just give us gamers something new, instead of constantly reminding us that original ideas and ambitious new directions are a thing of the past with another repackaging of a classic that can’t be replicated to begin with.
