Although Geoff Keighley's Summer Game Fest has had a number of significant surprises over the last few months, one of the biggest came with the reveal that Vicarious Visions would be remaking the first two Tony Hawk Pro Skater games in this year's Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1 + 2. Not only would the title bring players back to the incredible skating gameplay that cemented the series as an iconic classic, but it also featured the same levels, characters, and arcade styl gameplay.
Players who pre-order the digital edition of the highly-anticipated remake were promised something extra as well: access to Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1 + 2's Warehouse Demo that allowed them to get to grips with the franchise's seminal skating gameplay. Back then, fans were unsure exactly when they'd get access to this fun pre-release content, but now a new video on PlayStation's YouTube channel reveals a release date for the pre-order bonus.
According to the video, players will be able to get their hands on the Warehouse Demo on August 14, coming in just under a month before the title's official release date. The demo looks to be a recreation of one of Tony Hawk Pro Skater's most iconic levels, with the original game seeing players skate around the Warehouse during its first level to pick up the controls and some new tricks. It seems Vicarious Visions will be allowing players to do exactly the same with this fantastic piece of pre-release content.
Vicarious Visions is perhaps the best person to remake Tony Hawk Pro Skater and its sequel, with the company's work on Crash Bandicoot standing as one of the best remakes of all time. Not only did the N.Sane trilogy show much worth there was in repackaging classic games for modern audiences, but it also went on to completely revitalize the franchise, with Toys for Bob taking the studio's lead and developing the long-awaited Crash Bandicoot 4.
With the Tony Hawk franchise - and the skating genre in general - lying dormant over the last few years, it seems Vicarious Visions work on the franchise could reignite a storied series and bring it back to gaming glory. Naturally, with Tony Hawk Pro Skater 5 becoming one of the biggest flops of the last decade, the team has a lot of work to do to reinstate the franchise's glory, but if anyone can do it, it's Vicarious Visions. It appears a number of studios are looking to follow in the footsteps of the studio as well, with remakes of Destroy All Humans! and Mafia also in the works.
The Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 remastered collection is set to drop on PC, PS4, and Xbox One on September 4.