Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4is finally here, and with it, a trip down memory lane. I was only three years old when the firstTHPSgame launched in 1999, but just a few years later, I would get to experience the magic of the skating franchise withTHPS 3.THPS 3+4gives my favorite entry in the series and its successor a fresh coat of paint, and it’s reminding me just how influential this series has been on my life.
I got into skateboarding because of my cooler, older cousin, which led me to get my first board at the age of seven. By that point,THPS 3had been out for two years, but because of my newfound interest in the sport, that same cousin gave me his copy. Looking back, it’s strange to think that something as simple asa hand-me-down copy ofTHPS 3would change my life, but it did in more ways than one.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater Franchise Helped Me Fall in Love With Not Only Video Games, But New Music, Too
One of My First Franchise Obsessions
Growing up, there were two game franchises that I became obsessed with;Jak and DaxterandTHPS.After I got my hands onTHPS 3and beat it, I needed a bigger fix. Thankfully, my cousin also hadTHPS 1andTHPS 2, deepening my love for skateboarding. As mentioned earlier, I got my first board at seven. It was a Zero board with the brand’s name painted in bright, hot pink across the deck, and frankly, I was awful. Eventually, I would even break my leg, but as they say, “no pain, no gain.”
However, when I played one of the manyTHPStitles, I could pretend to be a pro. Not to brag, buttheTHPSfranchisehas always been a series that I tend to excel in for some reason. I just responded really well to the controls, so that added an extra layer to theTHPSaddiction that I harbored as a kid. Beyond the game, though, were the soundtracks that helped bring eachTHPStitle to life.
The THPS Soundtracks Are Still Personal Favorites
There has been a bit of controversy surroundingTHPS 3+4’s reworked soundtrack, but as a music lover, a roster of new songs to discover is welcome.THPS 3still remains one of my favorite soundtracks of the series, and as funny as it is to picture seven-year-old me jamming out to “Ace of Spades” by Motorhead, it also fills me with a lot of gratitude. These games really helped shape my music taste growing up, and now that I’m actually a musician, I realize that theTHPSfranchise was one of the many building blocks that got me to this point.
Only 10 songs from the originals are included inTHPS 3+4.
It’s easy to look back at games from childhood and assume it was simply a fun pastime, but video games can be so much more. They can be stepping stones to the future, depending on when they arrive in your life. I could have easily turned off the game’s soundtrack or just approached it like white noise, but instead, I took note and let it become a major part of me.THPS 3+4may feel a bit different, but this remake could also affect a new generation of gamers who didn’t experience the original versions, and that’s an exciting thought.
A few personal favorite artists on the new soundtrack are IDLES, Turnstile, and King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard.
When I booted upTHPS 3+4, I knew I would feel heavy nostalgia, but I wasn’t prepared to realize just how important the discovery of this series was to me.THPS 3is still one of my favorite games from childhood, and I’m forever grateful that my cousin passed his copy down to me.
