A demo for Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 - which will include the classic Warehouse level from the original - is coming in August, but it's only available for players who pre-order the game. Originally developed by Neversoft, the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater franchise was a veritable cultural phenomenon, combining the irrepressible culture of skateboarding with the white-knuckle sensibilities of arcade game design. From 1999 to 2007, Neversoft created nine different titles in the franchise.
In the years following Neversoft's departure from the PlayStation 1 origins might otherwise suggest.
Longtime fans are eagerly waiting to learn if the new Tony Hawk's Pro Skater game will live up to the legacy of its original. They will get to find out when the game releases on September 4, but players who pre-order the game will have exclusive access to an early demo of the game, set to release on August 14. According to a PlayStation Blog post, the demo features the iconic Warehouse level, which players will get to explore as the main man himself, Tony Hawk. PlayStation also released a trailer, which can be viewed below:
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater is a franchise that is 100% dependent on its core gameplay. Neversoft's titles are downright legendary for their precision control and nigh-limitless skill ceiling. Games like 2012's Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 failed because of their loose handling and unreliable controls, even more than their infamously poor technical performance. By comparison, Tony Hawk's Project 8, developed by Neversoft for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, failed to maintain a stable framerate, but nonetheless felt great to play due to its full-tilt focus on the precision gameplay that defined the franchise since the beginning.
It's a bit disappointing that players will have to pre-order the game in order to gain access to the demo. The hardcore Tony Hawk's Pro Skater fandom are eager to discover if the new game feels like a true successor to Neversoft's legacy, but they won't be able to find out ahead of time without pre-ordering the game first. If the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 demo does receive positive impressions from the fandom, it will lead to major buzz for the highly-anticipated HD remake, but if not, it could doom the title before it even releases. The pressure is on developer Vicarious Visions to make sure Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 is the dream skateboarding game fans have spent years waiting for.
Source: PlayStation Blog, PlayStation