(After putting it off for months, I have finally finished all of the pro challenges in THPS4. I don't care what anyone says, a 1,500,000 is crazy, and it took a lot from me to finally make it happen on both the Carnival and Chicago stages. Thankfully, the individual pro challenges for each of the skaters were much easier in comparison, and some of them were really creative. At the very least, I think I can safely say that my Pro Skater skills are better than anyone that I know, so that's pretty cool.)

After thoroughly enjoying Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3, I expected more of the same for the next installment, but with some new levels, tricks, and challenges. However, it seems that Neversoft was ready to try something new with the Pro Skater series, as the design of this game is very different to that of THPS3. Instead of going around completing as many challenges as possible under 2 minutes, you now go around completing each challenge individually, all with their own time limits and requirements.

Stages can have as many as 21 challenges each, so the decision to remove the time limit makes sense here. This may sound like a lot, but the design of the levels has changed to accommodate this new design philosophy. The stages in this game are much larger than any of the ones in previous games, and they all contain a lot of variety in their design. There are plenty of places to combo and trick off of, which makes traveling through all of them very fun. It also means that the challenges themselves can be spaced out, and be more involved than the last three installments.

While some challenges from previous games carried over (i.e. combo letters and pro scores), many of the challenges here are very unique and extremely ridiculous. This game really leans into the goofy side of 2000's skater culture, with lots of challenges requiring you to do funny tasks for the many NPCs in each level. The huge amount of missions makes it hard to get bored since you'll always be doing or watching something interesting. The missions themselves also act as tutorials for the games many mechanics, allowing players to gain a better understanding of the game's mechanics as they play. I find this to be a better alternative than the standard tutorial, which usually felt like a chore to get through. It was easy for me to notice that I was getting better as I played, and the better I got, the more fun I had with the challenges. It's an addicting feedback loop that makes playing through this game really fun.

The main downside is that with so many challenges, the quality can vary widely on occasion. You'll do challenges that make you feel like your bashing you head against a wall one minute, only to get one that can feel like a breeze. I'd say the worst challenges are in the bonus levels, I think I spent more time in those levels than any other just from having to retry all of those challenges. The pro challenges for each skater also contain some real tests of skill, but after getting through the rest of the game you should be able to handle anything else the devs through at you. Despite the quality of some challenges, I'd still say that most of them are either very fun, or very useful for learning how to play. I wouldn't have bothered completing all of them if i wasn't having a good time, though I will say that I did need a break from this game after a while just because I did feel like I was doing so much of the same thing in a few levels. At least the secret characters you unlock with all the money you get are pretty cool, especially the Star Warrior (who makes many of the challenges A LOT easier if you're having trouble).

One more thing I'd like to add is that I really liked the attention given to the people of the skateboarding scene at the time. Many of the NPCs are based off of real people, and the pro challenges are also inspired by some of the real life accomplishments of the pro skaters themselves. After completing a pro challenge, you get to see a short video of the skater, along with some narration where they explain themselves. These videos, as well as bonus videos you get in the shop, make the game feel really authentic and help immerse the player into that skate culture that this game is soaked in. I loved watching the credits video in THPS3, and seeing how much fun the devs and skaters had during the production of this game just made me nostalgic for a time when games like this were as fun to make as they are to play.

Overall, I'd say that THPS4 is a great step forward for the series. It changes things in a way that keeps things fresh while retaining the series core identity. It always feels like a Pro Skater game, despite the major changes made to the level design and challenges. There are some rough spots, but they are never bad enough to ruin the experience as a whole. Just like with 3, I think any fan of this series should give this game a shot at least once in their life. I think It'll be a while before I touch this game again though, after 190 challenges I need a break.

7.7/10