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TONY HAWK'S SKATEBOARDING
review | PLAYSTATION
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a.k.a. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
Publisher: Activision. Developer: Neversoft. Released: October 1999 (Europe). Genre: Skateboarding. Other versions: N64; GBC; DC. Posted 30th September 2025. By Shane Battams © 2025 |
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It’s hard to describe just how pivotal a release Tony Hawk’s Skateboarding was in 1999. There were certainly skateboarding games prior, including the tepidly received Street Sk8er, but Neversoft’s first foray into extreme sports would prove a turning point for the genre. It established a new formula, one which Activision and other publishers would attempt to capitalise on in the years that followed, and its influences can still be felt within the genre more than 25 years later. Much more than just a trendsetter, THS would prove to be one of the most addictive and enjoyable games the PlayStation would see.
Developed with extensive input from the titular Birdman, Tony Hawk’s Skateboarding aims for an arcade-style affair that, despite being Neversoft’s first foray in the genre, feels precise and pristine. As one of 10 skateboarders, you can perform a variety of moves and tricks with a combination of face buttons and directional pushes. Square flips your board, circle performs a grab and hitting triangle while near rails or edges performs a grind. Momentum and speed allow you to perform multiple tricks in succession, building a combo that earns more points. Landing awkwardly or falling off a rail will see you bail and lose any points accrued. Each skater also possesses specials that can be performed once the meter glows gold. These reward the highest points but also present the biggest risks, as they often take longer to fully perform. It's an approachable yet addictive system bolstered by responsive controls, satisfying physics and rewarding gameplay.
Tony Hawk's Skateboarding provided nothing short of a revolution for extreme sports video games
The meat of the experience is to be found in Career, which sees you travelling to multiple skating locations with goals in each, and a two-minute time limit. These include two high-score challenges, the letters SKATE to collect, a special challenge unique to each stage, and a hidden tape to grab. Completion unlocks further levels, stat improvements and new decals for your board. Three competitions also become available, eschewing the aforementioned template. Here, you are given only 60 seconds to perform tricks to impress judges. Repetition, low scores or bailing will see you flounder, but three heats give you some wriggle room to redeem yourself after a bad run. Each character has their own career to beat, with collecting all tapes rewarding another character and gold medals in each competition gifting a special video highlighting each playable skater. Progression is therefore satisfying, encouraging exploration, and demanding dedication to master the gameplay.
THS proves hard to put down, not just because of how addictive it becomes. Completing each career should take between 10 and 14 hours, depending on your thoroughness and desire to find all the tapes and to take gold in every competition. Each level also houses Gaps, which require you to chain tricks between certain objects, and it’s fun seeking these out. Single Session and Free Skate allow you to enter all the stages outside of Career. There are also some fun multiplayer modes to partake in too. Graffiti sees you vying to colour the environment by tricking off objects, Trick Attack sees you attempting to trick the highest chains together and Horse sees you taking turns to perform the best trick, with the loser getting hit with a letter until HORSE is spelt out. It’s often a great laugh as they capture the anarchic spirit the series would become synonymous with.
THS proves hard to put down, not just because of how addictive it becomes. Completing each career should take between 10 and 14 hours, depending on your thoroughness and desire to find all the tapes and to take gold in every competition. Each level also houses Gaps, which require you to chain tricks between certain objects, and it’s fun seeking these out. Single Session and Free Skate allow you to enter all the stages outside of Career. There are also some fun multiplayer modes to partake in too. Graffiti sees you vying to colour the environment by tricking off objects, Trick Attack sees you attempting to trick the highest chains together and Horse sees you taking turns to perform the best trick, with the loser getting hit with a letter until HORSE is spelt out. It’s often a great laugh as they capture the anarchic spirit the series would become synonymous with.
FOCAL POINT: SKATIN' USA
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It’s all helped by a selection of iconic levels that are brilliantly designed. It’s hard to pick a favourite, as each has its own unique identity that gels with the gradually increasing challenge. Warehouse, a staple of future entries, serves as a quality starting point: a simple yet effective way of letting you get to grips with the mechanics. School ups the ante with rooftop access, interior gym and more opportunities to trick and grind. The Mall offers a fun mix of multiple floors with risky jumps and grinds offering combo potential, while Downtown adds roaming vehicles and a hidden pair of rooftops to find. Downhill Jam is perhaps the highlight, swapping the spacious arenas for a winding, track-like descent that offers tonnes of potential for big combos and breathtaking jumps. Even the contest arenas are well realised. There’s a good reason many of these levels would find their way into later entries: they’re all fantastic.
The presentation is mostly ace, too. The visuals are high quality, with each skater bearing decent detail and fluid animations during gameplay. Special mention must go to Chad Muska, who comes with a boombox that he sometimes breaks out during certain moves. The levels are spacious, detailed and distinct, with the nighttime lighting of Downtown contrasting with the sunny haze of School and Downhill Jam. Little touches, such as the trickles of blood after bails, add to the experience. It isn't flawless though, as performance can dip, such as during the Mall level when going near water fountains, and it can slightly affect timing. But considering the long view distance in most levels, it’s also forgivable. The sound is ace. The soundtrack mixes the searing punk of Dead Kennedys, bright ska of Goldfinger’s Superman, the offbeat Jerry Was a Racecar Driver and around six other tracks which fit the skating perfectly. Even the chilled menu theme is a joy. The audio effects also work, be it the painful bail sounds or your wheels landing perfectly after a trick.
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Each level has its own distinct feel, and each skateboarder their own special tricks
Tony Hawk’s Skateboarding (named Pro Skater in line with the rest of the world from its sequel onwards), would become a pillar of gaming for the next decade or so. It goes to show how fantastic the original was, as even well over two decades later, it’s an immensely fun game that can easily be picked up, but requires skill to truly master. Addictive skateboarding, superb level design and a memorable soundtrack still make it an iconic piece of gaming history. Aside from some technical issues, it’s hard to fault this one in most respects. If you have somehow yet to try this, do yourself a favour: grab your board and get skating. Setting a high bar for the genre, things would somehow improve from here.
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VERDICT"Tony Hawk’s Skateboarding is a fantastic first effort from Neversoft. Addictive gameplay, superb level design and a memorable soundtrack ensures it will be remembered as an iconic piece of gaming history." OVERALL: 9/10 |
OTHER SKATEBOARDING GAMES REVIEWED
Skate (2007, Xbox 360)
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Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 (2015, Xbox One)
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