Well, It Was Fun While It Lasted; ‘Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3+4’ Ditch Career Mode in Favor of Timed Challenges

Sometimes, companies make the strangest of decisions. After launching Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1+2, which were incredibly faithful remasters, excitement grew following the announcement of the next installments. But even if you have a certified banger on your hands, there’s still a way to mess things up. Rather than keeping the games separate and having their own identity, Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3+4 have ditched career mode in favor of timed challenges. Cool, I guess?

I Wish They Would Have Just Left ‘Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3+4’ as They Were Instead of Tweaking Things Again

It looks like the career mode from THPS 4 as we knew it has gone the way of the dodo. Instead, we’ll have 2-Minute timed challenges that take us through each of the stages we once knew from our youth. This feels like a bit of a step backward compared to the original game. And even the Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1+2 remakes.

Quoting the Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3+4 website directly:

“The parks from Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3+4 have been authentically remade in jaw-dropping 4K resolution* with streamlined goals in a two-minute format. Plus, tear it up in new parks including Waterpark with its grindable slides and a drained out lazy river that’s perfect for vert trick combos.”

Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4 was also the first game in the franchise to have a dedicated and proper career mode. Except on PlayStation 1, funnily enough. So, for most, this is a definitively worse way to experience one of the best games in the franchise. I don’t understand what went into the decision-making process to remove this feature. But it just proves that you could have a guaranteed homerun on your hands and still whiff on the hit.

Locking specific songs behind a Digital Deluxe edition purchase is one thing. Removing core features is a completely different — and much more unhinged — idea. Fans have been waiting for years to see remakes of their favorite Tony Hawk Pro Skater games. And removing core features from games that are over 20 years old just seems like a complete oversight. I’m hoping the career mode doesn’t pop up later as paid DLC, but in the modern gaming landscape? I wouldn’t be surprised to see that happen, and that’s a painful thought.