Why The Original Tony Hawk's Pro Skater Trilogy Is Worst On Nintendo 64 

is that little rant you did about Dead Kennedys why you never sing at all the karaoke things we've been to

Funny how the last N64 game was one of the launch titles for Gamecube.

I was so pissed when we didn't get THPS3 on the Dreamcast :(

There are plenty of complaints to be had about the N64 joystick, but the D-pad? Gotta disagree there. The neutered sound track is the biggest offender, then the lack of movies.

I got to work security at the Warped Tour one year and didn't recognize any of the bands, but luckily Goldfinger played my stage near the end of the night and I got to hear Superman live and up-close. It instantly took me back to being a kid playing THPS1 lol

There is one thing that made me a little proud to have the N64 versions back then and it was the almost instant loading. If those cartridges had more storage space, the N64 would have definitely been the better console in term of performances.

Thps1-2-3 on N64 is my whole childhood. For me in my head. It looked exactly like the newer remake looks today

The N64 versions also lacked those real videos of the skaters. Those made the game worth playing multiple times with different skaters. Also, a few years ago Chad Muska ollied over me at a skatepark and I stood atop the real life Leap of Faith the same year my girlfriend and I took a skate trip to Burnside Skatepark (we skated there all night).

I remember playing the first 2 on N64, never knew they were inferior to the others cuz I had no concept of a "bad game"

I'd imagine there's way too much travel on a N64 analogue stick to play Tony Hawk comfortably, than on a PS or even a Dreamcast controller.

When I was a kid I only had an N64, so I ended up with the N64 versions of THPS1 and 2. I had remembered hearing Papa Roach's Blood Brothers in the second game playing it at my cousin's house, so imagine my confusion when I was scrolling through the track list trying to find that song, only for it to be completely absent. I thought my game was broken or something. I was too young to understand that a cartridge meant less space. I also thought RATM's Guerilla Radio actually went "ALL....BWECCHHH....CAN'T STOP US NOW"...only to later realize it's a censored version of "ALL....HELL....CAN'T STOP US NOW". Really Nintendo? Can't even say the word "hell", the most non swear swear word there is? Needless to say I felt pretty jipped on the music side of things. The games were still playable, for me at least, but the PlayStation/PC/Dreamcast versions will always be superior, if for nothing else than having the full track list.

the only good thing the n64 ports have is speedrunning

I thought they looked and ran better than the ps1 titles, but that’s just me. Was never a fan of the weird warping textures on ps1

I kinda want to try the first game on N64. Edit: I GOT IT!

No music, no video, bad controls which is why the psx versions won. My favorite game that you never mentioned was the psx version of thps4, it is like thps2 but with spine transfers, pivots, balance on lip tricks, triple flips and swapping grinds. I never knew it existed so i played it years later on emulator and i was shocked how good it was.

Going from The N64 and the GC version of THPS3 is literally like night and day. It's insane just how different they are and how much better the game looks and controls on the latter console.

Three of the four "removed" levels are just ports from THPS1, which are there because you couldn't play them on the 6th gen consoles. It wouldn't make sense to put those levels on a game that looks like the original one and has the same engine. The only thing really missing is the Cruise Ship, and while it's a shame, there's no way the N64 and PSX would ever run a level like that without being a complete abomination.... and the Downhill Rio is just terrible too. However, I think Shaba Games actually did a good job on the THPS3 PSX port. Yes, it should have never come out on the N64 because of its inumerous limitations, but it _works_ on the Playstation. Sure, there are differences, but most of the compensations are well thought, like Canada's extra areas, Rio's balconies -- hell, the Foundry is actually better to skate on the PSX version with those tubes that go around the entire level!! Please don’t take me the wrong way as I'm not dissing the content, I just think that the PSX port is really underappreciated and it doesn't deserve to be put on the same spot as the N64 port-of-a-port.

As a kid I only had N64 and all of my friends had N64. So I never got to play the superior PS1 versions. But I'm so glad they did their damndest to port these iconic games to the less powerful console. So many of us would not have experienced them at all otherwise.

Just managed to, for the first time, emulate the Dreamcast. Huge thanks to the makers of reDream, the simplest emulator that allowed me to play a much better looking version of the game I played a whole lot growing up, THPS 2 on the PlayStation.

So the only one I really played on the Nintendo 64 was THPS2. Even though we were kids and mainly owned a Playstation, we knew there was a clear difference between the PS1 and the N64. The PS1 version is superior to the N64 version in every way.

I mean... The PS1 is half as powerful than the N64 and looks even worse. the only good thing about the PS1 version is the music quality

I only ever had the first game on N64. Loved it and never had any idea it was the lesser version.

This is why the Dreamcast for 1 and 2 was superior to the PS1 and N64. Btw, the N64 Version for music had more censorship which was one way to achieve Rated E and then removed blood which was another for Rated E.

I enjoyed this video a lot! What would be the best versions? I played 2 and thugpro on my pc but the framerate is quite abysmal. Are the original xbox versions any good?

If Police Truck really didn't have any lyrics, what did you even plan to do once you got up there?? Great vid though, I've been watching a bunch of THPS videos to get hype for THPS 1+2

I grew up playing the PS1 versions of 1&2 usually at my friend house. I played THPS 3 at another friends house on the PS2 and it blew my mind. I only had an N64 at the time so when I picked up THPS games on N64 I was puzzled why half the songs were missing and were butchered. Kinda ruined it for me

any chance you can link to the background music you used?

Is it true the expansion pak increases the framerate in these games, or does it just give the option of having a higher resolution (at the potential cost of framerate)?

Amazing video. Do you still have that Vita? lol, I've been wanting to buy one ever since I lost my old one.

THPS3 actually came out in 2002 if you can believe that. I grew up playing the first game on N64 and I loved it. Butchered music and all, it's those versions that are most nostalgic for me. That and, as you said, it controlled reasonably well on N64. Geoff Rowley has always been my guy in these games. Played 2 on PS1 and 3-THUG on GameCube.

I think the release of the n64 version of 3 is interesting being the last released game on the system and it was the only game released for the system in 2002. Yes it’s horrible compared to the other versions... but the fact it was released at all was a miracle info itself. That makes it interesting to me, the question on why it released to begin with

Load times on n64 were amazing

Over time the Dpad on the N64 gets worse. I can definitely see it affecting gameplay. All you gotta do is clean the rubber membranes on it though to restore it. I soak them in warm soapy water then dry and put it back in the controller. The issue you were describing definitely sounded similar to an issue I had with Mischief makers recently but was fixed once i thoroughly cleaned the Dpad. :)

I grew up with these ports of 1 and 2, as well, and have only seen gameplay of their ports on other consoles. The one thing you could've pointed out going back to these, both in n64 emulators and on original hardware, is how slow the loading times are. I don't know how bad they are on other ports, but it just feels like you're waiting forever for every level to load or to even get to the main menu. The lack of FMV's is a huge thing, too, since seeing the skaters clips were part of the rewards for beating the games, so there's a generation of people who only had the n64 ports of these games that never got to see any of the skater's parts. Also, this is something weird that I couldn't ever confirm, but in Pro Skater 3, is the song "Let's Get Dirty" censored differently on any of the GameCube, Xbox and PC ports? There's lines that say: "My dress code is all black When I'm makin the moves Similar to the new PlayStation 2" I swear I've heard the console name PS2 be censored in a gameplay video of the game, but I can't find the video and don't have any copies/consoles other than the PS2 version to check on.

Bro, when you had an N64 you didn’t notice or care. Music sounded awesome. We were stoked to have real songs on the system and just excited to have Tony Hawk!! Gotta love those remixes!!!!

Revisted THPS2 on my N64 when I finished the 1+2 Remake. And I was absolutely done with it when a simple wall ride 5 bells seemed like the most impossible thing to do.

THPS 3 didn't come out on N64 here in the UK, apparently it only came out on N64 in America.

What impressed me the most with the N64 versions of THPS2-3 is the sound quality of the music, sure it’s a butchered up versions of the songs but it sounded very “CD” sounding unlike THPS1 which sounds compressed.

If you played with the d pad like an OG the first THPS was great on N64

I think a big downside N64 version : the controller was akward for Thps, especially the small yellow buttons . Also the D pad is inferior to psx

I feel like they would have done better if they made the game from the ground up instead of trying to port it, just like what happens with portable ports of games.

THPS3 was my first of the series on Gamecube. Sunk SO many hours into that one, far more than I would ever sink into subsequent entries. So yeah, never played 1 & 2 (unless you count the GBC port of the first game) but 3 will always have a special place in my heart.

It’s not the controller that suck, it’s just the player that cant handle

I rented it on N64 the day it came out, we were so confused how to even jump and do tricks - and it was blockbuster, so no game manual... and it's the year 2000 so 11 year olds aren't thinking to google this sort of thing yet. We almost took it back, thinking it was broken.

I have the third on 64. weird how I had the first on psx and the second on DC. never played the following gen versions of 3 or 4.

3:24 There is a goal where you have to perform a quarterpipe transfer across the pillar containing a wire. Once this is done, the wire will snap, and the pillar will fall to crush and destroy the ice cream truck, slowing down its music as a result. This is needed to collect the secret tape without any jetpack cheats.

how did you play thps on ps vita? were they delisted?

I'm currently playing thps3 on my everdrive and I notice the music issue. Del the funky homosapian song cuts the chorus completely and they only have the first 45 seconds of Aaf song.

"The ice cream truck doesn't move in n64 but does in other versions" - it doesn't move in PS1 either. Surely a better comparison than comparing with next gen consoles.

I played the first game on the N64 and loved it! I rented the second one for N64 because I knew I’d eventually have a Dreamcast to buy the second one for. That said they were solid ports. I was shocked THPS3 was ported to N64, I bought it for GameCube. Seeing the cart available at stores always had me wondering who would buy that? I wonder how many it sold? I never see THPS3 on n64 at the retro game stores.

I feel like you're being very unjust in your arguments. The music being scaled down is pretty obvious but graphic wise, it is pretty much on par with the PS1 if not better. All three gamed also recieves a performance boost with the expansion pak. Draw distance isn't good on the two first games on any system, save for maybe the Dreamcast or XBOX so with the third being bad is just because it uses old tech.

Digital foundry seems to think n64 is rendered better! It’s like SCREW YOU the n64 doesn’t render at high enough res to do that much antialiasing and has super low res textures so the whole thing looks blurred and colours bland

Did the number 3 version come out in Australia?

Uuuummmmmm, how’d you get thps on a ps vita??? I do t see them on the store.

i actually got a n64 for my christmas of 2013 with a copy of thps and i played the shit outta that with my uncle. i recently got a ps1 last year in july and got the first thps and i fell in love. i can now understand why everyone hates the n64 version, and I concur that the PS1 version is much better, due to it being made for that platform specifically, but I still have a softspot for the n64 version of the original game.

THPS and 2 are playable on the N64 wasn't as great on Dreamcast and on PS1 but its playable when 3 came to the N64 everyone was playing it on GameCube and next gen consoles so nobody gave a darn except for the loyal N64 gamers who stuck until the end

i loved THPS 2 on the N64 so much !! Of course there were fewer songs, and the videos were missing ... But the graphics were much better than on the PS1 ... And the missing songs didn't bother me, I had a CD player

List of fav TH games. 1. THUG 2 REMIX (PSP) 2. THPS 3 3. American Wasteland 4. Project 8

I gotta agree with you. I grew up on the n64 and remember playing thps 1 and 2 all the time and loved it. I don't remember songs being neutered and controls sucking as I was just a kiddo having fun. Lol. I remember playing thps 2 on PC and n64, maybe I got it twice lol.

Fun fact: the ps1 version of thps1 is much better than the n64 version. Better graphics, full music instead of snippet version, more content, etc. The only thing I like about the n64 version over all other systems is bc the menu music loop is that 5 second constantly looped which I prefer more. Anyway ps1 version is worth the 10-15$ on eBay. I don’t even bother with my n64 version anymore.

Yeah I had thps2 on N64 I had no idea PS1 was better ad I didn't have ps1. But I got thps3 on ps2 and saw a huge jump up in quality.

Not only that but also no fmv of the skaters after beating career. Also why the 4th game was never ported to n64.

I wonder what’re your thoughts on the PS1 port of Pro Skater 3?

It is halfway through the year 2024 and I don't know if I was EVER aware that there was an N64 port of THPS3...

Thps is most of what I played on n64. I had a blast. I didn't get a Playstation until the ps2 so I didn't know there were better versions. N64 was my main console for a very long time

Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 will always be my favorite sports game of all time. Never played 1 + 2 as a kid so the 2020 remakes were brand new to me in every way.

Nintendo should've bought Factor's 5 MusyX codec in order to be the main audio development tool for all the N64 Dev kits, I guarantee that all the music could've fit with good quality, also convert assets and textures from disc based games to the N64 peculiar texture cache was a pain. No studio would want to redesign everything from scratch just for the N64.

This was fantastic! Your commentary/editing were on point

Imagine if the N64 had 1GB cartridges It might have been the best console of that generation, 'cause many legendary good games we knew for PlayStation would've been exclusively for N64 meaning they'd even have more content and better graphics

The devs should have found a way to calibrate and translate the D-Pad controls to better fit the N64’s analog stick. It would’ve been hard and different, but the additional work would’ve paid off

Does anyone know what brand that red hoodie is at 1:34?? I can for the life of me remember the name of it and it’s killing me lol

I loved the N64 ports when I was a kid. If I tried to do it today however I wouldn't be able to. You're right it's a game meant for PlayStation

7:01 Despite the 3D stick being a thing for the N64, the N64 port of THPS3 doesn't have camera control functionality, and no option to remap the 3D stick to move the camera. It's best to play the PlayStation version of THPS3 or the other platforms for camera control.

I was lucky to have all these games on ps1 growing up, thps1 is actually the very first game I have memory of playing. however as a teenager I had lost my PlayStation and all my games, but I did have a 64, and a copy of the first 2 games and I had no problem playing the games and completing them 100% on that console. The soundtrack sucked, but I just muted it and played music on my stereo instead. The instant loading screens actually encouraged me to try speed running the first game and I had a blast trying to beat my own time over and over and over again. When 1+2 came out I had so much fun with it that I started collecting for ps2 now I’ve got the superior version of every game and I’m not going back to n64, but as a broke teenager with no money for retro collecting it got the job done and then some. Over the years there’s no other series I’ve put as many hours into and I keep coming back to it. I appreciate your content and passion for the games. Interesting you say 3 is your favorite it’s actually my least favorite of the ps2 era titles. I still love it it’s just at the bottom of my list. I’d probably have to put THUG at the top.

Great video! I grew up on these too. Use to rent 2 all the time. The yellow cartridge was cool.

I never played the N64 ports until I was way older but THPS on PS1 was my favorite game as a kid. The entire franchise will forever be my favorite franchise of all time. Even tho THPS5 was a complete fail it may have opened the door to more remakes and that’s definitely something I look forward to seeing.

the n64 versions of the pro skater 3 songs are so funny, they had to splice together the same bars over and over again to make it vaguely sound like the original

Videos like this is why I love RU-vid. This video gives me AVGN vibes. Anyway, you took the words out of my mouth about this trilogy. I went ahead and deleted 2 and 3 off my everdrive bc of the reasons you explained here, which I’ve felt while playing these games. Part 1 is my favorite. Controls feel more natural and better levels (imo). Great upload buddy!

Woah how did you get it on your vita?

I have to mention THPS3's truncated levels and lack of peds or moving objects isn't specific to the N64 version. The N64 is built off of Shaba Games PS1 version of THPS3 and the levels are near identical and obviously the PS1 version wasn't dealing with anywhere as limited as storage as N64 had to deal with. The levels are truncated or simplified for performance reasons, not only are most of the levels smaller in the PS1 version the geometry is a lot similar to cut down on polygons. (staircases being turned into ramps, curved objects becoming straight, etc) Funny enough when it comes to the competitive score attack scenes, the PS1/N64 levels are sometimes preferred as they either cut out the fluff or areas where there's not much combo lines, the best example being Canada that replaces the big OoB section that runs along the left of the starting area with new skate-able buildings, and the rail tracks instead of the suspended wooden bridge and quarter pipes. Though in these cases they're playing these levels in the Thug Pro engine modded in. The draw distance also seems to be on par with the ps1 version, arguably the fog/draw distance effects look better on N64 as it's a lot smoother drawing in distance geometry, whereas the PS1 version you can see each poly shape fade in separately. Regarding controls and game feel, so I have to preface I've only played the N64 version of THPS3 via emulation, but something is off with the game feel regardless of the controller. I set it up so I could play using a PS1 pad with the exact same mapping as the PS1 version and it still plays worse. Collision detection with objects just feels very slightly broken, but it's so subtle it's hard to describe exactly what's going wrong but you don't always attach to rails the same way, or the best example some quarter pipes/half pipes you will use and jump off like you just used a kicker not rotate 45 degrees with the quarter angle if you ollie too late, that and jumping up and out of pipes seems to not work sometimes. But I can play the PS1 version with the same controller and it even runs at a lower FPS than on N64 and the PS1 version still feels better. Feels like something with the physics and the collision detection got broke during the porting process. Only other thing is I would have mentioned in the video 3 of the 4 levels not in the PS1/N64 version of THPS3 were ported levels from THPS1 and not full campaign levels with goals or medals. Cruise ship being replaced with Downhill, which has no goals when cruiseship did, and is just a weird gimmick level to me felt far more eggregious. Oh, and DON'T FORGET THE JOKER!!!

N64 gameplay was sick. The sound was ass though, PS1 always had that crisp ass sound compared to N64

im a weird person and got the n64 version of thps 2 because its all my game store had lol i do agree with this video though. especially the controller part.

THPS on the N64 was my first experience with the game. I was a young kid so it was all I knew. As soon as I got my hands on the PS1 version of the game, I noticed a big difference. When I got my PS2 there was no going back. There are a lot of games third party games that were held back on the N64.

I played it on N64 exclusively because an N64 is what my family had to play games on!

Why does it seem like everyone has played some sort of tony hawk game as a kid? Like everyone that I’ve seen make a video about a tony hawk game has said that they “grew up on it” not trying say it’s bad, heck I freaking love pro skater 3 it’s just how has EVERYONE grown up with it

Did I hear an 8 bit track of superman in the background?

Eric sparrow is the best villian in all of fiction.

The songs kept on looping at certain sections and you unlock special trick tutorials instead of unlocking skate videos. This was useless because you could look how to do special tricks on the internet even during the late 90s. That sums it up.

Are those your MIDI arrangements? I like them I'm sure the N64 could have played some decent samples of all those instruments, and shorten the vocal audio tracks (if available seperately) Wouldn't be awesome sound quality but my point is that the songs didn't need to be edited (even if the lyrics really did need to be taken out) Thursday, August 3, 2023 CE, 20:57 EDT

THPS2 is the worst on N64, because there was no code to unlock Skate Heaven. I had to 100% with everyone. I was so mad.

Maybe you might be using a 3rd party N64 controller, which explains why the directional buttons aren't as accurate as you expect. Perhaps an OEM Nintendo 64 controller has the most accurate directional buttons, so I highly suggest you get one if you haven't. Not to mention the skaters are a tad lighter on N64 than on the disc-based versions of the first THPS. Some players prefer the N64 version due to this reason, allowing for a slightly-floaty game feel. Without a PC version, the first THPS game's best version for speedrunning is surprisingly the N64 version considering the lack of load times. THPS2 and 3 had official PC ports, and their load times can be minimized if a no-CD patch is installed.

I always preferred the N64 version to the PS1 version of THPS1. Because the controls were more responsive. Sure not having all the music stunk, but it still was great. Can't say anything about 2 or 3...heck I beat 2 using a keyboard on a computer....and played 3 on the PS2.

What's the best way to play Tony Hawk in 99 when your 8 years old? Whatever console you're parents bought for you! I played the first two games on N64 and loved them. But I get your point

Why nobody ever mentions the screens on the ps1 version of thps1? I remember playing it for the first time after playing the newer games and that blew my mind.

Yo, its Good! But, how bad it is, is it because the Screen is kinda Blind...

The first Tony Hawk game I ever played was THPS 2 on N64. Once I did play the PS1 version, I realized that I hated the lack of a real video intro and how the music sounded, but I thought gameplay wise it was a great time. No noticeable differences in gameplay between that and the PS1 version I played later at friend's houses and stuff besides just the controller not being the same, but I did use the D pad and I started on N64 so maybe I'm just biased. PS1 games in the series also had pretty short draw distances, that wasn't just typical N64 fog in this case. I actually kind of miss it in THPS 1+2 now because it's a little overwhelming having everything loaded at once. Objectives just bleed into the background sometimes.

I prefer the n64 version of the first two games. Better textures, better framerate, better resolution. No dithering. The audio quality is not as good, granted, but none of them have aged well

With all these facts aside I will go ahead and ask did you enjoy these three games on the Nintendo 64 for what they were?

i could have sworn that thps2 on n64 gave you the option of mapping ollie to the a-button. i distinctly remember being relieved that i didn't have to use c-down anymore

I played the first game on N64 at a friend's house when I was a kid as I remember the Mall level. Was my first time playing a Tony Hawk game.