Together Retro: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2

[alienjesus]

So I put this in my dreamcast today, and was excited to play it - a game I loved as a kid, and haven't played since.

At the moment, I wish I'd left it that way. Wow, this game has aged terribly in my opinion. I can't get over how clunky the controls are and how awkward it is to accurately steer you skater compared to later entries. The trick system feels horrible and I could barely stand to play through the first level. It seems i#m alone in this opinion though. I'm glad you guys are enjoying it, but I've not even 100%ed level one and I already feel like I won't be playing through this whole thing this month.

How about some of the newer entrys or maybe underground with the free roaming elements?

I've played Underground 2 on Gamecube, and I love it, and I played 4 just recently on oXBox, and although I think the missions and levels aren't really designed very well, the controls and trick system still feel very playable, unlike this. I'll give it more of a go, if only because the effort of selling it isn't worth the price I'll get.

[KDub]

I started doing everything with THPS3 because playing a Vert, Street or All Around player changed goals as did being a Custom or pro skater. Plus I wanted to skate as Darth Maul!

I've unlocked/done most stuff with the first two but 100% all levels is about as much as I usually do because after that I get bored with doing it again and again.

[Stark]

I'm hoping to start this up tonight.

[RyaNtheSlayA]

How so? Joystick moves, buttons do tricks, triggers spin. I'm not seeing the Dreamcast cheat me on my tricks or go the wrong way or something.

There's just something wrong about them. There's a certain... stiffness(?) to them that I find really unpleasant.

[alienjesus]

Played some more of the school level today. Fuck this game, the controls are horrendous. I never feel in control of my skater, and he seems to decide to tricks at random. Also, why is it grinds and wallrides and the likes only seem to work in this one if you hold Y/Triangle the entire duration? My hand is killing me from the claw I have to make to be able to hold Y and press A on the dreamcast controller.

For the record, I'm a moderate fan of the series. I've enjoyed plenty of the games, and still do enjoy most of them. But this one I just can't believe has aged so so badly. I've never felt so angry or less in control with a game as my experience with this one in the last few days has been. It's a horrible game, and I think I'm done for this month.

[harper]

Alienjesus, it sounds to me like you really need to pick it up for the N64.

I think one of the reasons I like the N64 controller for this game is because it kind of has a classic feel to it and it's not hard to get used to. You can just use the d-pad and c-buttons and it's a pretty comfortable arrangement. haha

But yeah, I haven't even played it on the Dreamcast but from what I'm hearing from alienjesus and RyaNtheSlayA, I'm not to jealous of those of you who have/are. haha

[noiseredux]

I haven't played it on DC in over a decade, but I can tell you I've never felt "not in control" using a DualShock.

[RyaNtheSlayA]

I haven't played it on DC in over a decade, but I can tell you I've never felt "not in control" using a DualShock.

Yeah. PS1 version feels fine for me. I will admit I haven't played the DC version in a year or two, but I do remember the controls feeling wonky. Especially in Pro Skater 1, where the analog controls only seemed to work half the time.

For the record, I feel the controls are extremely solid in the PS1 version, and I think it's aged just fine.

[TEKTORO]

I agree,
I stated the 2x version was definitive for content and polish but the PS1 version is my favorite.

[ExedExes]

70% on School II now. Getting that secret tape sure was a pain but it felt sweet after getting it. All the non-point goals are cleared now.

Also buying more boards to increase performance.

Much like my old BMX game, the more you clear and do, the better overall you get. Still can't get over 50K as much as I like, but improving stats will help with that.

Coming from someone who likes arcade ports and shmups, I'm shocked by how well I'm doing, even with a *stiff* DC controller