Welcome to my world
- NA release: 18th November 2001
- EU release: 3rd May 2002
- JP release: 27th June 2003
- Developer: Neversoft
- Publisher: Activision (NA/EU), Success (JP)
- NGC Magazine Score: 87%
- Mods Used: Widescreen Code
After going through N64 games and its versions of Tony Hawk games lacking a bit in presentation, it’s nice to finally play a full version of the game. The full, good quality songs really add so much to the game, and the soundtrack for Pro Skater 3 is no exception. When I was younger, I played a lot of Pro Skater 4, and a lot of the muscle memory from that still applies to Pro Skater 3, and it still feels great.
The create-a-skater is very solid this time round, and you can upgrade your stats by finding tokens in levels. There’s some more interesting objectives as well that encourage you to explore each level, some of which are larger than previous games, but not too large, all of it filled with interesting sections and ways to transfer tricks from one section to the others. It’s the kind of game where you’ll have fun pulling off tricks and linking combos even when you’re doing the non-trick challenges. There are also even more interactive elements, and you can even trigger an earthquake in one level.
There’s also a few more fun special characters this time, such as Wolverine and Darth Maul alongside some silly ones like the Neversoft eyeball in a Frankenstein body (who starts with one point in every stat), a demoness and Kelly Slater on a surfboard, so there’s a lot of fun to be had. I’m still not overly fond of the time limit, but it’s still an incredibly solid skateboard game with an addictive nature.
Great
Attaining that elusive high score is still as relentlessly enjoyable today as it was when, say, Space Invaders appeared in arcades just over twenty years ago and, ultimately, it’s all you need – a hefty slice of gameplay that’ll keep you coming back. Tony Hawk’s 3 has that in spaced.
Neil Randall, NGC Magazine #67
Remake or remaster?
A remake is currently in the works.
Official Ways to get the game
There’s no official way to play Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3.
Europe
Japan
North America
GameCube Games by Date
2002: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
2003: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
2004: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
2005: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
2006: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
Coming out only two weeks after the PS2 version in the US is a big improvement over what we saw on the N64, but this of course was not the same in Europe, where the game was much older by the time the console came out. Unavoidable, but also quite unfortunate.
Thankfully this is a really solid version of the game, featuring all of the content of the PS2 original, coupled with improved performance and better loading times. So it was quite the statement of intent from both Activision and Neversoft coming off the N64, which always saw very late and highly compromised ports. Though the Xbox version (which came out later) has the best performance, as well as an additional level (The Oil Rig) and an additional character (X-ray); it doesn’t take away the sheen that THPS3 would’ve had at the GCN’s launch.
As for the game itself? This is the last of the classic THPS gameplay format, with smaller stages designed around the 2 min lime limit. The Revert is a true game changer, to the point that the lack of this mechanic can make it rough to go back to THPS2 (let alone the OG). It was so groundbreaking that the remake of THPS1 & 2 actually went out of its way to implement the Revert, despite never appearing in either game. The level design is once again superb, and even more dynamic than before, with moving cars, obstacles and pedestrians. It’s very much the apex of the classic format and one last hurrah, before Neversoft began moving more towards an open world format with future titles.