Just as those of us who played Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater as kids have matured into adults, the professional skaters we controlled 20 years ago have become old fogeys. Thanks to new scans by Activision and Vicarious Visions, the upcoming remaster will feature the original pros in all their middle-aged glory.
Every skateboarder who appeared in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater and its direct sequel have returned. But, as first reported by Game Informer and confirmed to Kotaku by an Activision rep, new scans performed for the remasters mean that they won’t be the young, polygonal bucks they were in 1999. You can catch glimpses of their updated appearances, which closely match how they look today, in the gameplay footage that’s been provided over the last few days.
Tony Hawk, who turned 52 earlier this week, definitely raided the old folks’ home while recruiting skaters for the remastered games. Rodney Mullen, perhaps the greatest skateboarder of all time and Massachusetts Institute of Technology fellow, is 53. The grizzled Chad Muska turns 43 next week. Andrew Reynolds will be 42 in June. Elissa Steamer? 44. Steve Caballero is practically a grandpa at 55. And while it’s obvious they’ve aged a bit, they all look great! The passage of time is wonderful and terrifying.
I love everything about this. The original games are what got me and, I assume, several kids my age into skateboarding in the first place. Seeing so many of these veterans together again is incredibly nostalgic, and having them appear as they do today rather than in 1999 really drives home the long-lasting influence of the Pro Skater series and the sport it simulates. I can’t wait to shred some rails and boxes as Mullen again; let’s just hope the remasters don’t have accurate ankle and hip physics.
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