Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2x elegantly marries the best of the first two entries in the series, giving players a seamless ride through iconic levels while layering in fresh content and mechanics. You can pull off classic grabs, flips, and manuals from the original Pro Skater, then immediately dive into the more advanced vert combos and reverts introduced in Pro Skater 2. The depth of the trick system feels both familiar and expansive, especially when you leverage later-gen moves like the 540 McTwist or the Ollie Nosebone in the classic Warehouse run.

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One of the standout features is the inclusion of exclusive Treyarch-designed levels for the Xbox, which are built with the same meticulous care as the original stages but showcase new geometry, interactive set pieces, and hidden areas. These levels not only freshen up the experience for veterans but also organically blend into the core progression. As you chase high scores and secret collectibles, these brand-new environments offer surprising shortcuts and daring lines that keep every session feeling new.

Multiplayer support for up to eight players transforms your living room or online lobby into a skate park showdown. Modes like Trick Attack, Graffiti, and Tag are perfectly tuned for group competition: Trick Attack rewards creative combos, Graffiti turns grinding into street art warfare, and HORSE pits players head-to-head in an arcade-style trick duel. Free Skate multiplayer is equally compelling, letting everyone explore and chain big runs together, share hidden secret tapes, or just cruise through levels in a relaxed session.

Progression retains the mission-based structure of the originals—completing goals, finding lost tape reels, and beating high-score thresholds to unlock new skaters and boards. Because you can use all your favorite THPS2 tricks in the original Tony Hawk levels, going back to earlier stages never feels stale. From flipping off halfpipes to grinding rail-to-rail in the School level, the gameplay loop is addictive, satisfying newcomers and die-hard fans alike.

Graphics

Graphically, 2x represents a significant upgrade over the original PlayStation releases, thanks in large part to the more powerful Xbox hardware. Character models look sharper, with smoother animations and improved joint articulation that make grinds and flips feel more weighty and realistic. Lighting and shadows are more dynamic, giving each level added depth and ambiance—sunset parks glow warmly, while industrial stages feel suitably grimy and atmospheric.

The backgrounds in iconic spots like the Downtown L.A. level and the iconic Cement Factory have been spruced up with richer textures, higher polygon counts, and subtle environmental effects such as drifting fog or flocks of seagulls. This creates a more immersive backdrop for your runs. Even the user interface and HUD receive a facelift, offering cleaner fonts, clear trick lists, and refined menus that are both functional and visually appealing.

Exclusive Treyarch levels display their own visual identity, often with bolder color palettes and creative architecture that feels right at home next to the classic stages. Whether you’re skating through a futuristic warehouse or weaving around obstacle-strewn docks, the attention to detail—like weathered metal beams and dynamic skyboxes—earns high marks. The increased draw distance and reduced pop-in are especially noticeable compared to earlier console versions.

While there are occasional texture seams or slight frame-rate dips in very crowded scenes, these are rare and don’t detract from the overall visual polish. The art direction remains unmistakably “Tony Hawk,” balancing realistic skate environments with an over-the-top, almost cinematic presentation. As a result, every line you pull off looks great in motion and makes for compelling replays.

Story

Though Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater games aren’t typically known for deep narratives, 2x crafts a loose storyline through its Career Mode progression. You start as an up-and-coming amateur and gradually unlock professional tours, exhibition events, and hidden challenges that give a sense of climbing the skateboarding world’s ladder. Each level’s goal list plays as a mini-storyboard of increasing difficulty, from basic ollie over gaps to mastering complex combos under the clock.

The presence of legendary pro skaters—Tony Hawk himself, Bucky Lasek, Lyn-Z Adams Hawkins, and a host of others—adds character to each event. Their bespoke challenges and signature tricks feel like chapter beats in your overarching skate journey. Moreover, small details like interstitial cutscenes, locker room banter, and celebratory animations help sustain the illusion of competition and camaraderie, injecting a thread of personality into what might otherwise be just a sandbox.

Between levels, a slick radio soundtrack and occasional announcer voice-overs maintain momentum and set the stage for each new environment. Whether you’re grinding neon rails to a pumping punk track or carving a halfpipe to late ’90s hip-hop, the audio cues reinforce a feeling of skate culture authenticity. Though there’s no scripted plot twists or dramatic narrative arcs, the steady sense of progression and the joy of mastering each trick type create their own form of storytelling through gameplay.

Secret tape locations, hidden gaps, and unlockable outfits serve as collectibles that encourage exploration and add a layer of discovery to your career. Collecting all the tapes in a stage feels like uncovering the level’s “easter eggs,” and it gives you a real sense of accomplishment. In this way, the game’s structure imparts an emergent story—one defined by your own skill growth and the unique lines you carve out across multiple playthroughs.

Overall Experience

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2x stands out as one of the most complete skateboarding packages ever released. By combining both Pro Skater 1 and 2 with Xbox-exclusive content, it offers dozens of levels, hundreds of goals, and an unparalleled roster of tricks that keep the action fresh. Whether you’re reliving nostalgia or discovering the franchise for the first time, the breadth of material here is staggering and well worth the investment.

The multiplayer suite is a game-changer, especially if you have friends who share your passion for high-flying skate combos. Up to eight players duking it out in Trick Attack or collaborating in Free Skate transforms the experience into a social spectacle. The addition of more strategic modes like Graffiti and Tag expands the competitive dimension beyond pure point-scoring, encouraging tactical use of your environment and squad play.

Despite being a re-release, 2x never feels patchwork or uneven. The controls remain tight and responsive, the level design is top-tier, and the eclectic soundtrack continues to pump adrenaline through every session. Even minor drawbacks, such as occasional texture glitches or the absence of newer features seen in modern skate titles, are overshadowed by the sheer joy of executing perfect lines and chasing high-score supremacy.

For potential buyers, the real allure of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2x lies in its combination of timeless gameplay, impressive visual upgrades, and expansive multiplayer. It’s a celebration of an era-defining series that still sets the bar for arcade-style skateboarding games. If you crave fast-paced trick combos, competitive chaos with friends, and a vault of classic stages enhanced for modern hardware, 2x is a skater’s dream come true.

Retro Replay Score

7.9/10