Reviewing EVERY Mainline Tony Hawk Game in One Video 

I am Poopfart69, to see that footage where I existed in ThugPro was used brought me great joy lol. Amazing job!

THAW is wildly underrated

2 things I’m proud of as a skater and a THPS fan: Before 3 came out they had a website that you could tell the developers what you wanted in the game. I told them they should add Wolverine and Loops in the park editor. The game came out and had both. Also I saw Geoff Rowley win a contest in Huntington Beach with my sister around summer 2001 and that footage is in the intro where you can see me and my sister in the stands!

The two Underground games were the absolute pinnacle of this series and nobody will ever convince me otherwise.

THAW for me is the most well polished, charismatic and creative in terms of narrative, art direction and overall world building despite it's limitations. It just feels like a fresh game within the rest, like the cool badass cousin. It has a special place in my heart.

man i never realized how much better THPS3 felt than THPS4. even tho 4 was the first to free roam and no longer “classic mode” 3 really felt fluid and clean so early on in the series. especially the colorful and fun levels

An underrated feature of THPS3 is that whether your skater is street or vert changes a few of the level goals - always loved that

I’ve seen a million Tony Hawk game retrospectives/reviews but I never get tired of them because I love to hear so many different perspectives on this series that I am a die hard fan of. It’s such a cool aspect of humanity that we can experience the same exact thing but have wildly different opinions on and how those opinions can differ from nostalgia or lack thereof. Gr8 vid m8.

THPS 1+2 was such a great remaster. Instantly became my fav of the series.

Dude THAW is SO GOOD! Easily my favorite in the series! It absolutely blows my mind that people hate on it The soundtrack, the open world, the art style

The soundtrack in THAW is soooo good, just replayed the whole thing. I felt like the further you get into the game the more you can feel that they were rushed through development. It’s a real shame because it’s otherwise solid

Love the positive view of American Wasteland. I feel like that game gets a lot of undeseved criticism. I feel like Project 8 is where things really start falling off as the physics and camera feel so wrong when compared to previous entries. Great analysis!

I loved Tony Hawk 3. The varied locations for stat points and secret boards, the level colors, the special tricks, the graphics. Everything

Nice one! What I really love about THPS 4 is the inclusion of difficult goals. The only Tony Hawk's game that really gave me a challenge.

From the perspective of someone who's spent thousands of hours speedrunning 3, 4, UG and UG2, I definitely think THPS4 is incredibly underrated. The engine is at its peak, with the gameplay feeling smoother than it ever was or ever will be. There's a real tightness to the movement and physics that's just not quite there in the later entries. I definitely understand that the lack of story may result in the player not having the desire to drive forward, but for me the drive comes from how satisfying the game is to play and master. It's easily the most challenging game in the series, and in the same way that 1 & 2 are hard to revert to with their more limited options, the difficulty of 4's missions is exacerbated by the lack of off-board that one grows accustomed to when coming back from Underground on. Throw in your high scores or best times being tracked in the vast majority of goals and you have, for me, a highly replayable experience. I don't think there's another game on this planet that I'd rather take on a desert island.

THPS3, THUG 2 and THAW were three of my most played games as a kid, spent so much time across the career modes, had a blast dicking around with the homies in the assorted 2-player modes and spent so much time creating skaters, parks and graffiti in the creative modes. The rock / punk / hip-hop soundtracks were always so dope as well and played a massive role in shaping my music tastes for better or worse, hahaha! A shame that we're not gonna see that 3+4 remake after 1+2 seemed to be getting the series back on track, but we'll always have the old titles to play and enjoy! I would love to see the Pro Skater / Jet Set style gameplay make a comeback, these games had such a swagger to them and oozed style that is sorely missed in the current AAA / AA gaming landscape. At least the indies are holdin' it down.

THUG 1, THUG 2, & THAW is top 3 for me. Also there is a modified version of THAW called reTHAWed on PC. It has some techs & exploits similar to THUGPRO but you can only just THAW levels.

You hate to see a fun series milked for all it's worth until there's nothing left.

The series was meant to stay in the realm of 1999-2004, that was the best time period for extreme sports in video games.

The problem with THAW (in my opinion) is basically the entire game is a tutorial. Every mission feels like its just another tutorial and you never really get to experience it all together within the story mode

I've played a lot of Tony Hawk games since I was a literal toddler, and personally THUG2 and THAW are absolutely unmatched with the extremely tight gameplay and a type of endearing insanity that simply doesn't exist in AAA games today

Downhill Jam holds a special place in my heart. For the longest time as a kid, it was the only PS2 game I owned and it held me over. The soundtrack was perfect, unlocking all the characters was a genuinely fun challenge to complete, performing tricks felt REALLY good. It is without a doubt my favorite TH game

Pro Skater 3 is my all time favorite game. Though i can recognize later games like the underground games play soo much better and are what i usually play nowadays along with THUG Pro

I’ve been playing THPS ever since its release, with THUG probably being my personal favorite. I have to say, you do a GREAT job with reviewing these games. Much love!

I had THUG and THUG 2 for GameCube and I remember staying up all night playing through them. They’re my favorite. Definitely deserve a remaster 😢

It was one game where you can use your skateboard as a baseball bat

thanks for letting me know about the THPS1+2 mod, definitely gonna check that out.

i saw KISS in 2010, and those developers did a great job matching the energy and ambiance of a real KISS concert. im pretty sure gene shoots some stage set with pyro thats an eye for detail

thug - thaw was prime🔥 Honorable mentions: Thps 3/4 & downhill jam

THUG2 is my favorite because I have the most memories with it, then THAW. Having Project 8 on my PSP was awesome though.

Great video. You have inspired me to pick up THUG2 and THAW again after ten-ish years. American Wasteland will forever be one of my favorite games of all time. ❤

loved this, great job.

Wastelend had so much more potential, but it feels like they got barely done with the tutorial, had no time left and then stretched it out to be the entire story missions

Nice retrospective. I have a lot of fun memories playing the first and third game. 😊

I'm definitely someone who doesn't like the games from underground 2 onwards but I respect the different pov and this was a great video. Pro skater 3 for me is the best in the series because it still had the fun original format while adding the last truly necessary addition to gameplay in the revert. (Spine transfers and other additions in later titles are still good but I'd argue not necessary) Underground is my second favourite because the story is very good but I'll always prefer the timed objective based gameplay of the original games. awesome work bro.

thps3 is my favorite. Good to hear you talk good about it

Thug was always my favorite of all time. It introduced so much and was a heck of a ride the entire time. SO many hours creating parks (of which probably still exists on a memory card somewhere lol)..and the days of playing split-screen with friends was an experience. Many other great games I've loved as well. but THUG is my most memorable

Underground was my favorite. Serious nostalgia with that game.

I loved the slowed down trick mode on Project 8…I loved how intricate movements changed the flip entirely!

I never thought about it, but I played this series the entirety of my childhood. 1 on n64, 2 on dreamcast, 3 on ps2, 4 i rented consistently (just bought my first copy last month), and thug 1 was the first game guide I ever bought. All the way until project 8, this series was on my playist.

I know people do criticise THUG 2 a lot but for the rare few that played PS2 online, THUG 2 was phenomenal. It was a lawless place with people glitching out of bounds to get to the most inaccessible areas and cheating bastards with Gamesharks that could crash your game or Robin Hood-like cheaters who made hacked characters using banjos as skateboards and uploaded them for all to download.

This video was awesome 💯 good shit

Actually a very solid video, as a hardcore player i pretty much agree with most things u say compared to others. Thaw is definitely my favorite thanks to the engine and how fun scoring in that game is, but thug 1 and 2 are definitely the best out of the series. Thug 2 especially since the engine is the most balanced and well rounded out all the games, hints why they used it for thug pro. Props!

Thank you for the the american wasteland part, it too was my favorite and I started playing with THPS2, I can't count how many times I replayed AW, it's such a dumb and fun ride all the way to the end, the characters are very charming and being able to grind during the disguised loading screens is great.

THUG 1 & 2 are some of the all time best for Tony Hawk games

Great video!

Awesome video

well thought out video! i would say, thps4 was the online mode game. it blew up in 4 and the community is what kept pushing the following 3 titles in terms of design and gameplay.

Project 8 was my favourite game growing up on the 360 i used to sweat it differently it was so good i loved the open world spots for challenges

this video was awesome, i grew up on thps since the first one when i was 6 when it first came out on ps1!

Man I just finished playing from 2x all the way through to THPS 5 (for about an hour before I gave up) over the last two months, I feel basically bang on the same about a lot of them. I started with THUG as a kid and THUG 2 was my favorite back then but I was pretty enthralled with THAW this time around, did a normal playthrough on Xbox and then doubled back for a sick all goals + all classic goals on PC just because of how much I liked it.

Man I can’t even lie I love all of them. They all bring back nostalgia except the downhill one, never got around to that one lol

Wow!! What a great video man, I've immediately noticed the production quality and the honesty in your reviews.. it's amazing, Keep killing it ! 🤘🏻💜🔥 (By the way I already play THUG & THUGS on the original xbox, and I've ordered American Wasteland because you reminded me of how awesome it was!)

Awesome video! A lot of nostalgia here. Underground 1 is the best game in the series hands down for me. The story is so good and I can’t remember how many times I played through it.

My first Tony hawk game was pro skater 2 on The game Boy advance. Made by vicarious visions, it brought me such joy to see that they were doing the 1+2 remake and now regardless of when or if we get a new Tony hawk game, I am just content with the fact that I have that remake on my switch ready to play whenever I want.

THPS3 was my first and favourite for that reason. Havent played it in a long time but I feel like I would still remember every map and how to do sick combos and lines on them instantly. It was my first game overall I got alongside ps2 as a kid too.

THPS is my favorite game series ever. THPS1 came out when I was a teenager and I played them all Neversoft games throughout my teen years. I loved all the Neversoft games. Even my least favorite Proving Ground is lightyears ahead of HD and THPS5. I was really glad THPS1+2 was made and it was a nice the series is off on a high note right now. Also my favorite game is THUG. I was so excited for that game, I don't think I will ever be as hyped for a game as I was for that game before release. Also want to say I think what you said about THPS4 was spot on being the awkward middle child. Sort of stuck between the tight 2 minute runs of THPS3 and the story focused content of THUG. Love the game but it sums it up so well. I think I could talk about THPS all day so I will just leave it at that and not write a whole essay lol.

I’ve been hoping for a THUG/THUG2 remake/remaster for years now but I don’t think it will ever happen. THUG2 is my favorite Tony Hawk game and one of my favorite games of all time

great video!

This was a great video 🛹 My favorites are THUG 2 & THAW, Also THAW was my first Tony Hawk game But i enjoyed Project 8 & Proving Ground. I wish a lot of these could get remastered. THPS 1+2 on PS5 is sexy

THAW was my fave, I loved THUG 1 and 2, project 8 on 360 was so fire as well & pro skater 1+2 is amazing I love the reskin and updated gameplay

Great video! Keep up the great work. Would be cool to see you do a similar video for all the Tony Hawk offshoot series in one video (Shaun Palmer, Mat Hoffman, Wakeboarding Unleashed, etc.) as well as all the EA Sports BIG titles. Such a fun era of games.

I totally love THAW, its my favorite too This game reminds me Christmas and school vacations. I bought in december of 2009 and played it insanely all the month long

i find it funny that you mentioned how drab the thps4 levels looked, as a kid i would often play with the disco mode cheat on just for it to be slightly more colorful lol

Man I can’t believe it’s been so long now that even though I spent COUNTLESS of HOURS upon HOURS of my life playing these games since their debut, I almost forgot that they even ever existed in my current mind. The constant blasts of nostalgia this video gave me were unreal! From the very first game all the way to THAW my head it’s spinning with long buried memories

I loved the initial THUG. I thought it was great that you start off in Jersey, since I was from Jersey and me and my buddies all wanted to get sponsored. Also loved THAW very much, it perfectly fit in with that time period

Very surprised you didn’t touch on the Nintendo DS version of Downhill Jam. For me it’s the peak of handheld Tony Hawk. So much content and even a free skate mode.

THPS 3 And project 8 were my favorite

The 2 underground games will forever be remembered in my life!! Amazing games

Something I learned recently is that there was a PS1 version of THPS 4, and the levels feel like a weird alt universe version of what we were all used to. THPS3 was also on PS1, but for the most part that one was pretty close to the PS2 version.

I actually really loved "Proving Ground" on PS3 (especially at the time since I had to trade/sell my PS2 and all games to get my PS3... I've since rebought and collected everything I traded back in the day in the 15 or so years since 👌) and you didn't even mention one of the best parts... THE VIDEO EDITOR, I remember picking one of the great songs off that OST (seriously, one of the franchises best imo) and filming a ton of clips which includes placing/moving the camera around in game then doing the trick etc. etc. then going in and stringing it all together, setting the song and using the various Transition Effects and stuff... God damn man, such a great time doing that 😅 😁

I would just skate on the halfpipe level for hours in THPS4. It was so cool skateboarding with all the pros dropping in around you.

Amazing Video! I always thought the games stopped beeing after THPS3 but you made me think otherwise. Definitely gonna try THUG1 and 2. One question I hoped to get answered while watching was: Which game has the best level editor?

American wasteland is definitely my favorite! I have so many great memories playing this. And the map was soooo cool, remember jumping from the hollywood sign and all that cool stuff? It was awesome

THUG2 has been my all time favorite tony hawk game since it came out. I spent so much time on that game. The soundtrack was great, and on xbox you could burn cds to ypur xbox, and then have them play in game, so you could literally listen to whatever you wanted in the game. So good

Great job on the video! Growing up with THPS2, 3, 4 and THUG (and not really having played the other games until way later), it's interesting to see the perspective of someone who started out with the later games. I think THPS2's rating is so high because when the game was released, it was mindblowing how good it was and you didn't really know that you would be missing reverts or spine changes that much, sure it meant that whenever you went vert you would almost always end your combo but it also meant that the combo multipliers and time limit extender while in a combo weren't as broken as later games so the high score's were still a challenge to get. I think the sentiment of THUG2 and THAW being worse than THUG1 and the THPS games is mainly because the scope (and focus point) of the game changed. The first 5 games were really skateboarding games, sure there was a ton of nonsense in them but the major focus was skateboarding in a somewhat realistic setting (just ignoring the part where you did things like jumping helicopters or skitching elephants), while THUG2 ramped up the Jackass in it with ridiculous stunts and with THAW you're being a borderline domestic terrorist. There's no suspension of disbelief with those games and I think it's why it turned a lot of people (including me) off following games, even though mechanically they were still great. And when the mechanics took a nosedive is when the series really died.

A lot of people think Underground 2 is a Jackass game, and I believe Project 8 is kind of like a Wipeout game. The characters feels like characters which would have been in the ACTUAL Wipeout games, and that the ragdoll physics makes it feel like a Wipeout game, even though it predates the show by 2 years, though it may just be that late 2006 to early 2013 feel.

American Wasteland was my favorite and I played it 24/7

so glad you showed love to underground people hate on those games never understood why.

Great vid

I still play all of them. Some of the few games I kept when I sold all my older games and bought newer consoles.

“I’ve heard the opinion that THUG2 was the downfall of the series. ‘By people who hate fun’” for that I liked and subscribed 😂

I was very much just a casual gamer growing up, with the exception of THPS. With each release through Project 8, I was pretty obsessed. The music, bro…goddamn !

THUG1 was my first Tony Hawk game. Still my favourite.

Immaculate review and retrospective! My favorite Tony Hawk games are a toss-up between THUG 1 and American Wasteland

another cool thing about thps3 are the videos you'd unlock

I'm so glad to see that I'm not the only one who's favorite Tony Hawk game is American Wasteland. I've always been kind of perplexed to learn about it's more mixed-to-negative reception because I always thought the story and gameplay was just as good as Underground 1. Plus, American Wasteland makes me miss the mid-00's lol.

i LOVED nail the trick

Underground 1 and 2 are absolutely the best. I also like how over the top american wastelands gameplay was while being still good feeling like underground to me.

THAW is the best and most underrated of all Tony Hawks. It's a shame you didn't mention the multiplayer mode because that's where I spent the most time. Great video.

Ironically, the first time i ever saw thps was at the local skate park at 1999. It was nothing like my 12 year old brain had ever seen before. Not exactly sure what i was doing for consoles before, but it wasnt long at all before I got my hands on an OG playstation and thps. Played up to and including 4, then none until 1+2, which feel absolutely fantastic

Having grown up with these games, and them honestly having a huge impact on my life, I love watching videos like this and seeing other people's perspective on the games. Especially since I just went through them all about 2 years ago. Started with the first and 100%ish them all through Project 8. Some of the older games I didn't beat with every single character because that would be tedious, but I at least would do all the missions. And honestly, I pretty much agree with everything you've said. I would say I am a bigger fan over all of THUG 1 and 2 than Wasteland, but the extra mechanics on there did make the game play just. A little better. I think I mostly just didn't care for the characters and the humor as much in Wasteland, but the idea of collecting the stuff for a park was pretty great. Unfortunately I played Project 8 on the PS3, which as you pointed out, was pretty miserable at moments due to the frames. Like trying to get the high school, going off a quarter pipe, and then bailing for what looks like nothing because the frames threw it off a bit. That would get old really fast. Otherwise, great game. The rest I played on my phone, and it was a lot of fun, but I don't own a 360, otherwise I would have played it on P8 on there. And going back to the originals was so much fun for nostalgia purposes, but it was hard not having certain mechanics.

What made THAW the best game for me in the series was: it's the game that captured every possible yet practical mechanic that could exist in a Tony Hawk Game. The only other thing that could have possibly been added was a full trick library for the BMX side. After that every game that would "Advance" the series could only do so with marginal and novel features, ie project 8's "Nail the Trick." To put in perspective what I mean, I honestly believe that THPS could exist today as an expandable title (ie one game with DLC's), as well as an esport, but it would have to be THAW. Simply put THAW is the archetype game in this series and had perfect release timing for it's audience and popularity, but unfortunately could not also have it's heyday when computer technology hit it's maturity.

Underground I fell in love with at 8 years old remember playing endlessly 😭😭😭😭😭😭

100% agree with everything in the video. So glad to hear someone else agree that American Wasteland was the peak.

My personal rankings of the series. This does not include the GB games, Ride, Shred or HD. 1. THUG 2. THPS3 3. THPS1+2 4. THPS2 5. THUG2 6. THPS4 7. THAW 8. THPS1 9. THP8 10. THPG . . . . 100. THPS5

Around THPS4/THUG the scale of objects in the level design gets funky and it begins to barely resemble skateboarding anymore. Maybe if you don't skate that means nothing to you but I've been skating since these games came out. THPS2 is the best game in the series. It's fun, not too unrealistic, and captures a golden moment in skateboarding culture.

There were versions of thps3 and 4 for the psx, same maps but graphics and gameplay from 2, felt like expansions packs, I really enjoyed those

As someone that played the first 8 games and loved them all american wasteland was my fav and the glitches were amazing

THPS 2 is my favorite. Is it the most feature complete and complex system? No, far from it but the addition of manuals alone was such a massive leap in what was possible. I love it's crunchy graphics, it's grimey look, the soundtrack that I still bang out to, and honestly where I was as a kid in that special time and place. I respect your views, I never played THUG, rented THUG 2 and missed American Wasteland due to the mediocre critical reviews but strongly considering giving them a go. That being said, I think 1-4 are the peak of the series just because of nostalgia and how they were able to make huge strides in the formula. If I were to recommend the series, I would start with 1+2 remake and then do 3+4. That's just me tho