Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2's remastered skaters are showing their age
What's my age again?
Time was, you could slap a JPEG on a handful of polygons and call that a Tony. But time affects us as much as graphics tech, and all those chipper young skaters in their 20-somethings back in 1999 are now well into in their forties and fifties. So when the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 scanned the cast's faces to grab their likenesses, it's not their fresh young faces coming out the other side. Instead, this year's remastering is offering pixel-perfect renditions of a bunch of skater dads.
Have a gander at this newly-surfaced gameplay footage from the Pro Skater 1 and 2 remaster announced earlier this week, and see what I mean (via Kotaku).
Granted, it's not like any of these folks ever stopped skating, and when he's not being mistaken for himself, the now 52-year-old Hawk is still pulling off 900s on the reg. Plus, to their credit, they're largely wearing their age well - as I suppose is to be expected when you're top-class professional athletes.
I'm not so sure about Steve Caballero's outfit, mind. Your man seems keen on capturing the precise energy of a Dennis the Menace mid-life crisis.
As the youths down Bristo Square keep reminding me, though, skate culture is still alive and well with the kids. If you're a cool teen who wants to skate with someone closer to your own age, though, Vicarious Visions have at least brought back the create-a-skater character editor from the originals, along with most of its unironically-brilliant ska-packed soundtrack.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 launches on the Epic Games Store this September 4th for £40/$40.