Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 (PS4, ONE, PS3, 360)

[Lisbon]

Well, shit. No PC really just kinda blows.

 

I dunno, though. It's being developed by the same folks who brought us the what are probably the worst titles in the series. I have more trust in Team Sonic than I do for those guys, so meh, not a lot of hype from me, especially because it's a console exclusive. 

It sucks because these games were practically my childhood   I'd really, really love to see it come up from the dead with a kickass title that carries on the legacy of the first four THPS games, but I just don't really trust the devs of this game. That, and I can't really play it, so no hype from me. Just hope.

 

I do want to see what they do with the soundtrack though - THPS soundtracks are just godsend, even in the worst games the series has to offer. I'm be pretty excited to see what's in store on the musical side of things 

[Indigo Rush]

Alright I can understand the saltiness if the game is being made for 360 and PS3 when it could have all the focus on next-gen hardware and also PC, but for crying out loud, if they are making less power intensive versions for last-gen, why can't they add Wii U to that list? 

 

How's that for salt. *crosses arms*

 

 

 

 

I used to have a Wii U, now I only have a PC... ;~;

[Milo]

No mention of local multiplayer is scary. THPSHD is virtually useless to me without it.

[goku262002]

So its a full retail priced game, in case you thought different. but it looks like they are pulling their same old tricks by stripping the previous gen. of features, I.E. looks like their is no online multiplayer for Xbox 360/PS3 versions.

Fucking bitch, The 1 thing I didn't want to happen and they are doing it.

[Junko]

Hey man, the 7th gen can't handle that 480p resolution and work online.

[Radiant Hero Ike]

Welp.

It's uh

something I guess

I'll probably rent it.

[mikeblastdude]

Reading all of these posts makes me glad that I never played the games in the series past THPS4. Were they really that bad?

 

Anyway, I guess I'll remain cautiously optimistic and hope that this could still turn out to be good, but I think I have a better idea of what to expect now.

[Marcello]

Underground was really good. My favorite in the series.

[Metal the Mario]

Reading all of these posts makes me glad that I never played the games in the series past THPS4. Were they really that bad?

From my experience, Underground and Underground 2 were great, with the latter having one of the most memorable soundtracks in the whole series IMO. American Wasteland is a little more mixed, but I personally enjoyed it. I'm pretty sure Project 8 onward is when people agree that the series started to go downhill.

 

I'm in agreement that what we've seen and heard of THPS5 so far is a little worrying, but I'm hoping it beats the odds and becomes a great game anyway. I'd only be able to get it on PS3, so graphics (and multiplayer) don't concern me all that much; I just want a game that blends the best elements of the THPS and Underground games.

[goku262002]

Underground 1, 2, and the PSP versions were still gold, try them.

American Wasteland is great, again worth trying esp. the 360 and PS3 versions.

Project 8 was...okay. try if you want.

Anything after, no. not even that HD edition of THPS.

[Sami]

Pro Skater HD is hot garbage and this is by the same team

 

it's probably going to suck ass 

[goku262002]

Pro Skater HD is hot garbage and this is by the same team

 

it's probably going to suck ass 

[Dizcrybe]

The greatness ends after American Wasteland for me. Proving Grounds was aight, though. I haven't played Shred, Ride, or THPSHD, though. Though, knowing me I'd probably end up liking them anyway.

[Milo]

No online multiplayer confirmed for PS3/360 versions.

...which begs the question of why make the game crossgen at all. Just make the game exclusively for PS4 and Xbone and Wii U if you're not willing to make the content the same for all versions of the game.

Every time new info about this game is revealed, it just makes the game sound even worse.

[goku262002]

No online multiplayer confirmed for PS3/360 versions.

...which begs the question of why make the game crossgen at all. Just make the game exclusively for PS4 and Xbone and Wii U if you're not willing to make the content the same for all versions of the game.

Every time new info about this game is revealed, it just makes the game sound even worse.

Fucking hell.

They really want this be a real THPS game don't they? right down to omitting features from the last gen. ports.

[Jango]

Like 3 gens before. I remember American Wasteland on the PS2 had some online multiplayer. Poorly, but had. Why they can't simply make it for the ONE and 4, and cancel the other?

[Junko]

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 Online Details, PlayStation-Exclusive Goodies

Right off the bat, check out our first full gameplay trailer. This should give you an idea about the game’s energy; the footage contains pros and some of our hidden characters, sick tricks and combos, and a bunch of online multiplayer action. And the song we used in the video, Plague Vendor’s “Black Sap Scriptures,” is in the game and I think it’s a good example of the music Tony Hawk is curating for THPS5. They even popped over to play the game at the studio!

Speaking of online multiplayer, I wanted to share some new details. Connecting with other players is totally different than previous THPS games, and it’s unique compared to current crop of skating titles. The Freeskate levels serve as lobbies for up to 20 players. They act as hubs where players can hang out and skate between different missions and online matches.

The sessions themselves are hosted by dedicated servers, so you can drop in and out of populated Freeskate sessions at any time. When you are ready, you can jump into a mission with your party or challenge the entire park in one of the competitive multiplayer modes. This is done from the Sessions menu, a multipurpose tool for queuing up missions or modes, managing your party, and checking to see who’s in the park. When your mission or match is finished, you can either retry/rematch or seamlessly jump back into the Freeskate where you can hang out while deciding what to do next.

This means that Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 is designed to get you online quickly and easily. As a reminder: the online features are only in the PS4 version. The PS3 version has no online play (this is why the price is $20 less).

Also, PS4 and PS3 owners will be happy to hear Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 has PlayStation-exclusive content. There will be three character heads from Sony’s games: Ratchet, Sweet Tooth, and Sackboy.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention some nuts and bolts things about the game. The pre-order exclusives from GameStop, Best Buy and Amazon are all live, so be sure to eye those and pick your poison. There are differences between what is offered for the PS4 and PS3 versions, so be mindful of that. It will be available for PS4 on September 29, 2015 for $59.99, and the PS3 version will show up before the holidays for $39.99.

 

[Jango]

Character heads? Gimme the entire f* characters like the old times ffs.

[Milo]

So some new screenshots of the game were released that has the game boasting a new artstyle. Specifically, there are black outlines on the models and some cel-shading going on this time.

More images, as well as the linked sources for them, in this Neogaf thread.

...in a lot of ways, I think this artstyle change actually makes the game look worse. The artstyle from the original screenshots wasn't really a problem IMO, it's just that the graphics they were presented in looked dated. But this artstyle change now makes the graphics and the artstyle look poor. Adding cel-shading to a game (series) depicted with a realistic art direction makes the characters look downright strange on top of still looking outdated. I mean look at Tony Hawk here (this is from the first picture above).

In trying to sidestep one problem (poor graphics) rather than actually fix it, all Robomodo and Activision did with this change was just create another problem (poor art direction).

EDIT: Meanwhile, at Gaf (thread linked above)...

 

ayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy lmao

Edited August 10, 2015 by Señor Gabe

[Graystripe2000]

You gotta be kidding me! http://www.destructoid.com/tony-hawk-s-pro-skater-5-is-buggy-junk-even-with-the-huge-patch-313052.phtml 

http://m.neogaf.com/showthread.php?t=1118318&page=1
 

[Willsy]

I think we've found this year's Sonic Boom, ladies and gentleladymen.

Though outside of CoD, Destiny and Skylanders, most of Activision's portfolio consists of shovelware anyway so I am hardly surprised. It's a Shane though, I had a couple of Tony Hawk games on PS1/2 and white I had no interest in skateboarding I found the games to be fun. I'll give them one thing though, the whole "stick a fraction of the game on a disc and patch the rest of it in to cover our asses" move is very unique and innovative though...

....kill me if this is where the industry is going.

[Milo]

So many interesting stories coming about for this game out of GAF (and before anyone disputes, its by people who have bought/own the game), it's unbelievable.

No advance copies were sent out to professional reviewers, which is why there aren't any reviews from any major sites yet. The below revelation might give some insight as to why...

The game has a day-one patch (7.7GB) that's larger than the game itself (4.6GB size, and yes that's on the disc). There are alsoy reports that if you play the game without the patch, you can't play anywhere outside of the tutorial and the create-a-park mode (reminder that a big selling point of the game is the online multiplayer mode where you join a lobby of sorts to play with other people, and that this game doesn't have local multiplayer. And the PS3/360 versions of the game coming in November won't have multiplayer at all). So the vanilla game would literally be unfinished (good luck if you don't have internet...). The latter of which still needs to be verified, however.

Seemingly, the only reason this game even exists in the first place is because the Tony Hawk videogame license is set to expire this year (it was renewed all the way back in 2002, and was set to last for thirteen years). So unless the license is renewed, this will be the last Tony Hawk game.

Then there's the game content itself.

The widely-touted slam mechanic is put on the same button as the grinding mechanic, and you slam everytime you hit the button, regardless what you are doing (which is contrary to people's claims that it's a mechanic one holds down). Magnetization / grind detection seems to be worse than the original games, which can lead to moments where your combos end abruptly because the game slammed down instead of grinding. Such a situation happens in this gif (specifically when the player goes to the ledge of the small wall, there he was attempting to grind). Combos also end abruptly here when the slam button is used and hits the ground, whereas in the original you could attempt to flip trick or manual in order to continue your combo if you hit the ground. So the slam mechanic / sloppy detection system makes combos much harder harder to retain.

There are load times everytime you start a mission in Free Skate mode. This didn't happen in previous titles. You also have to press the triangle / Y button to ensure you're playing a private match alone when playing a stage (and even then, you can't pause during an in-game session). Otherwise, if you press X / A button when selecting a stage, you'll be taken to the online lobby. Because it is an online game, see.

The game's customization options are very barebones, it consists of a 'head option' (which decides hair, skin color, face, AND gender) and 'body' options and you can pick your board from the boards already being used by the pros. You can't customize trucks, decks, grip, or bearings.

And yes, really, head option sets gender, look:

Female body, but male head. Amazing.

You can't adjust trunk tightness for handling control vs speed, customize your deck, or map tricks to your button/direction of choice anymore. Nor do all the pro skaters had different stats for different styles of play until you maxed out stats. These were game features that were not only in the previous PS games, but some of these were available in the very first game. There's also apparently gaps in the music as well, like the music just failed to stop loading or something. The sound effects sound like they were ripped straight out of the earlier games on the PS1. Among a bunch of other things.

Lil Wayne is playable in the game...but if you go to him in the skate player biographies, he has no name?

The game itself doesn't seem to be downright unplayable / broken, but -to put it lightly- it's in the same sense that Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric also qualifies. Expect a lot of unpolish, poor collision detecting, and wonky physics (those who claimed Robomodo fixed the physics? "The man doth protest too much.")

---

...needless to say. The reviews, when they do come in, ought to make for a rather interesting read.

EDIT:

As it is written in the Scriptures, "We heard Activision say: 'I will tear down the temple of Tony Hawk built by Neversoft, and raise up its tombstone in three days.'"

Edited September 29, 2015 by Gabe

[Milo]

Hate to double post, but the THPS5 Eurogamer video full of glitches in THPS5 in the above post? The Eurogamer article that posted them noted that all of the glitches were found within an hour of playing the game. And this was after the game received the day-one 7.6GB patch...

Edited September 29, 2015 by Gabe

[Badnik Mechanic]

This year's Rise of Lyric indeed.

[Blue Wisp]

What.

Seeing stuff like this makes me wonder, aren't there teams (well, maybe just one guy) that are SUPPOSED to find stuff like this pre-release? Did they skip that phase of development or something?