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From tricks and glitches to behind-the-scenes facts, this list is packed full of info that will rekindle childhood memories. Alternately, this list will have younger players breaking out their emulators. Let’s dive into these 10 things people never knew about the Tony Hawk Pro Skater franchise!
10 Photos Of Random Women?
In the first Tony Hawk Pro Skater, photos of random, nameless women pop up throughout the game. There’s one particular instance where this occurs on the game’s Nintendo 64 version. This is only visible to players who have the N64 expansion pack, which increases the console’s textures and resolutions.
At the end of the mall level, players can see multiple boxes with different photos or logos on them. There are even more boxes behind the first section, and in this version, the boxes have a black and white photo of an unnamed woman on them.
9 Some Trick’s Aren’t Possible In Real Life
According to recent comments from Tony Hawk himself, some in-game tricks are impossible, or at the very least, exaggerated. For example, he claims that the Muska Nose Manual is not possible, and that it is very dangerous to try.
Hawk also states that the Casper Flip is actually done on the ground rather than in the air. Before anyone starts policing the game’s elaborate tricks, it’s important to note that games take players out of reality for a reason. It’s all in good fun! Just don’t try these tricks at home.
8 Weird Dog Easter Egg
In Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2, the Tampa level contains an odd little Easter egg. Players who make it to the rooftop will see a dog in a sunbathing chair while watching television.
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There doesn’t appear to be a reason for this Easter egg, other than entertainment value. Or this could be a lesson for viewers. If a dog goes missing, there’s no need to panic. It’s probably just relaxing on top of the house with a nice cold margarita like any other ordinary pet would be.
7 Remixing In The Airport
The airport’s “Stop The Pickpockets” mission in Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 contains a neat remix of a Spider-man PS1 track. Since Neversoft developed both games, this isn’t incredibly surprising. The track is a remixed version of the song that plays during the first Spider-Man versus Venom fight.
Tommy Tallarico composed the soundtrack for Spider-Man, but Pro Skater 3’s soundtrack typically contains popularized rock songs from bands such as The Red Hot Chili Peppers and AFI instead. So, this unnecessary Easter egg acts as a little shoutout to Mr. Tallarico.
6 Hidden Free Range Camera Mode
This one is super cool and a bit tricky. In Pro Skater 3, when the Neversoft eye makes its third freeze, quickly hold down the pause button. This will enable a hidden free range camera mode where players can view the level without restrictions.
This feature allows players to get a closer view of NPCs and inanimate objects throughout the game. There are some funny glitches and some things that developers didn’t intend on showing. It’s an all-around fun time.
5 A Captain Is Murdered?
Pro Skater 3’s cruise ship level contains a very dark Easter egg. When players destroy every piece of glass in the greenhouse area, an auditory cutscene unfolds. Players can hear the captain being thrown overboard, only to find out that this now dead captain is a total fraud.
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After this, the “original” captain calls the player out, thanking them for saving him. He follows up with some lame advice, reminding skaters to not skate on the water because it’s… well… wet. It sounds like this guy should stick to navigating the sea.
4 Sorority Women
In the demo version of Pro Skater 4, there’s a seemingly unnecessary Easter egg in front of the frat house. When performing a manual here, a timer will pop up. Once the timer runs out, a sorority woman will appear and start waving. She will pretty much blast right through the player like they’re not even there.
When the manual repeats, the same thing will occur, but a different woman will come out each time. This is not possible in the game’s final version. It was likely removed after the demo because it’s a bit pointless.
3 K-Pop Playable Characters?
Pro Skater 2’s Korean version has a very different feature as opposed to its other versions. In this game, an all-female K-Pop band called Fin.K.L appears as a feature. All four band members are playable characters in this one.
On the character select screen, the band members’ biographies are actually correct. The player’s stats, however, are based on other random character’s stats. In short, the K-Pop group members aren’t professional skaters in real life. Their appearance is simply a fun add-on, likely implemented to draw more attention to the game in Korea.
2 Unlockable Characters
This fact is especially nostalgic given that back in the day, players could actually unlock extra characters without having to purchase them. Oh, the old days. In Pro Skater 2, players could unlock random, non-skater playable characters. Hopefully, the remaster will follow suit. These characters range from Shrek all the way to Spider-Man.
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Not only that, but some characters have different outfits, suits, and skins, and some have their own moves. For example, Spider-Man shows up in four suits from his original game, and the Gene Simmons character features a move called “lick-it-up.” This one pretty much speaks for itself.
1 Goats, Goats, And More Goats!
The goat Easter egg trend sadly didn’t begin until Pro Skater 4. Players see two goats at the carnival level. These goats don’t seem too out of the ordinary, since they appear at an event like this one. However, later cameos are a bit more elaborate.
Later games continue this trend. Goats continue to appear in Underground, Underground 2, American Wasteland, Project 8, and Proving Ground. So, it looks like Pro Skater 4 gave birth to a new Tony Hawk trend. Forget the legitimacy behind these skate tricks. Someone needs to interview this guy about the goats!
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