Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 is a (admittedly confusingly-named) remake of the first two entries in the hit skating series, smashing the first two games into one new shiny package. It's also unexpectedly dropping onto Steam October 3, as announced by the game's official Twitter account.
A brush-up of the 1999 and 2000s classics, the game feels like a bit of an apology letter after the disaster of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5. Justin Towell gave it a 86 in his review when it was released in 2020, but it might've passed you by if the Epic Games store isn't really your jam.
For a remake of a game from the early 2000s heyday of Ska music and pogs, it doesn't seem to have bailed when it comes to the nostalgia factor. As Towell writes: "Crucially, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 feels like the series did in its heyday, even if the games aren't exactly the same as the originals."
The Steam page is already up, so you can go ahead and wishlist it if you'd like—you can even get the "digital deluxe" edition that was offered on Epic, though it's more of a pixelated goodie bag: a few skate decks, some outfits, and a unique rider that's just a skeleton. He's called "The Ripper."
If that sounds out of left field for you, I'd like to remind you that this is a game where you can skate as the Roswell Alien and a Jack Black-voiced cop called Officer Dick. That's just what the Pro Skater games are like, it's best not to question it.
The only bummer here is that you're gonna need an internet connection to play it, likely thanks to some DRM as per the page—though it's not yet fully confirmed whether Denuvo'll be making an unpopular appearance like it did back in 2020.
Always-online DRM does seem a little overkill for a 3-year old game which mostly involves shredding up single-player levels, especially since this thing's prime Steam deck material. We'll just have to see whether nostalgia beats one of PC gaming's biggest bugbears when the Steam review floodgates open next month.
