8. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater
It feels wrong ranking Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater this low on the list. This is the game that started it all, and it’s still a good game. But it lacked some key mechanics that would be introduced later and help truly elevate the gameplay this game introduced.
Still, even without stuff like reverts, THPS1 holds up. The soundtrack is still great, the controls feel snappy, and the levels are still a blast to play. But there is a roughness to everything that later games would resolve. It’s clear this was the start of something special, and while this game would lead to some of the best skateboarding games ever made, it just isn’t nearly as good as those later entries.
