Powerman 5000’s song “When Worlds Collide” has probably not made on it onto any of your quarantine playlists yet, but with any luck, you’ll once again be listening to it on repeat like it’s 2001 again.
That’s because Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 and 2 — not just two of the greatest skateboarding video games, but two of the greatest video games period — are being remastered in 4K and will be released on September 4 for Playstation 4, Xbox One and PC.
The Birdman himself took to Twitter on May 12, his 52nd birthday, to announce the upcoming two-for-one package re-release:
Happy Birthday to me! #THPS 🎮🛹 pic.twitter.com/XGuVZ2VPD2
— Tony Hawk (@tonyhawk) May 12, 2020
“The remastered collection will feature updated visuals; all of the original levels, characters, and tricks; extra challenges; a more elaborate create-a-park mode where you can share custom skate parks online; and brand-new online multiplayer modes along with local multiplayer,” writes The Verge. “On top of that, the games will include ‘the vast majority’ of the iconic THPS soundtracks, though not every song made it due to licensing issues.”
Vicarious Visions, the team behind the remastering process, did not elaborate on which songs will be cut; but as integral as that element is to the original games, even old-school fans are likely to overlook that in favor of the detailed, faithfully updated visuals.
“The challenge of a faithful remaster is knowing where to push the boundaries, and what to keep sacred,” Vicarious Visions COO Simon Ebejer told The Verge. “It’s important to capture the original experience.”
Whether or not they accomplish that will be seen in September when the game receives a full release. But if you want to test it out earlier, the team is offering early access to the “warehouse level” sometime this summer to people who buy digital pre-orders.
And if you can’t even wait that long, here’s a trailer:
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