Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
Extreme sports games were never a thing until one Tony Hawk showed up and kick-flipped the script. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, and its successors, THPS2 and THPS3, gave gamers the adrenaline rush that many of them (myself included) weren't coordinated enough, or were risk-averse, to try in real life. While chaining together a 720-degree rotation trick in mid-air with a mile-long railing grind sounds like the stuff only true 90's legends could perform, we all were able to ollie with the best of them in Tony Hawk's virtual playground. Each game upped the ante on graphics and gameplay as well as creativity, with THPS 3 introducing the Revert and Balance Bar for more elaborate combos.
These games truly became iconic, though, thanks to amazing soundtracks with 90's hits from punk gods (Primus' "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver"), one hit wonders (such as Powerman 5000's "When Worlds Collide") and all time-greats (Anthrax and Chuck D 's "Bring the Noise"). In-game characters weren't limited to Mr. Hawk, as you had icons from the skater scene (including Bob Burnquist, Kareem Campbell and Chad Muska, with Jackass' Bam Margera showing up in the third chapter.). If you spent even more time, even Spider-Man was an unlockable character in THPS2, while Wolverine and Darth Maul were unlockables in THPS3! — Henry T. Casey
Credit: Activision
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbvMrJ6uoZSae6S7zGisrGegnrC1wdGeqmarpKS%2FunuQb29uZZKawLV51aKbnqddnK6usYytqaKkn5y2pr%2BNoaumpA%3D%3D