Hey everyone. Checking in here after like 3 years lol. Just wanted to post some corrections as I messed up a few points in this video: 1. Tony Hawk 2X does not run on Tony Hawk 3's engine. According to a comment here, it seems it runs on Treyarch's ArchEngine. 2. Activision, as far as I can tell, does not pay for skating footage. It's mostly shot by skaters themselves for contests, sponsorshps, magazines, or just for fun. 3. I left out that the game supports custom soundtracks. Sorry for the errors here!
Activision wanted THPS3 to launch with the Xbox, but Neversoft didn't have the resources to have the game ready on a new console at launch. Treyarch was then tasked with creating THPS2X so a Tony Hawk title would be available. THPS2X does not use the THPS3 engine. Treyarch's ArchEngine was ported to the Xbox. Neversoft was still using a version of the Apocalypse engine at the time. It was a rushed project. If I recall, it was about 9 months to both write the engine and port the game. We had all of the source files from Neversoft, but they were too busy trying to finish THPS3 to offer any support. We had to reverse engineer their levels and their scripting system. The bonus levels are not good. 1) We had no experience making Tony Hawk levels and 2) We played the game everyday for hours. As a result, the levels are WAY too hard.
Thank you for the insight! Really appreciate you taking the time. Regarding the THPS3 engine point, I must have misread something when I was researching and I apologize for that. It's very interesting to hear from someone who worked on the game, though. I figured that the project was rushed a bit to make the console's launch, but I had no idea that you only had 9 months. Was there anything that you remember wanting to do with 2X that you couldn't do because of the time constraint?
@@DaveOGames I don't think anyone was happy with the bonus levels, though I don't know that more time would have helped. 2X would probably have a better reputation if the levels had been left out altogether. Following THPS2X, the team worked on a sequel to Shaun Palmer Pro Snowboarder using the THPS2X engine. Activision killed the O2 line before it was ever completed.
@@realamericannegro977 The art direction actually feels like an enhanced version of the originals'. I own both original copies for the Dreamcast that I used to play as a kid and the new one is everything you could ask for.
@@6scar911 yeah modern remakes be doing too much and want things overly shiny. Although after seeing more stages many if them do look like the old games but still not like how people truly want them to.
Fun fact: in the Club level, on the dance floor that lights up under you, you can land in a manual off the vert ramps (like a revert, but without pivoting) and string together massive combos. It also gives you a "Billie J Dancefloor" gap (the floor resembles the one used in the Billie Jean music video).
You forgot to mention you can put in CDs into your XBOX and copy your own songs to the system for a custom soundtrack. Same with Dave Mirra 2 and other tony hawk games for the system. I had GC and PS2, but preferred to get the Xbox versions back in the day because of that feature.
I have the February 2001 issue of EGM which touched briefly on this game and the circumstances around it. On the list of confirmed games it lists “Tony Hawk 2 Enhanced.” And one of the things that the Xbox team was insisting on early on (and this was dropped later) was a policy of “no ports, no patches, no shit.” Microsoft originally wanted any multiplatform game to take advantage of the more powerful hardware. It specifically calls out an enhanced version of THPS2 citing that “it will offer multiplayer over the internet, along with skate parks from the first game. Early reports indicate that these older parks will be merged with the new game’s levels, making for truly sprawling environments.”
Great stuff! Nice to see coverage of a game that I've always wanted to try but couldn't. Just a note: the goals in the Tony Hawk 1 maps are ported directly from TKPS1. Those lower values and only 5 objectives are the same as they were in the original game.
It was amazing to play THPS2 on PS1 at first, then I got the try the N64 port, my mind got blown with the Dreamcast version, PC is really good but then, this xbox version came out. I freaking loved THPS2x!
2:50 Activison did not pay filmers to make those clips with pro skaters. Those clips are from videos that were made by skaters sponsors. Activison-Neversoft later on just used those clips for promotion. These games did A LOT of skateboarding industry. A lot of kids got into skateboarding and even if they didn't continue skating they were still buying skate shoes,clothing brands with skateboarding teams etc.
Thank goodness you said this. I was a bit shocked when this vid said Activision went out and shot video of the skaters lol. I decided to check the comments before I wrote my own. It's a bunch of clips from preexisting skate videos that Activision got access to and edited for the game.
@@SEGAHEADDY a lot of it is 411VM as they seemed to have a partnership in the game, you can see the logo all throughout each game 411VM was absolutely HUGE in the skate world back in those days (basically the #1 skate media consumed those couple decades)
the skatepark level (1 of the new 2x levels) is actually a recreation of a real life skatepark where they hold the Tampa Pro Open, one of the most important contest in pro skating
4:12, you're supposed to go up this way by bonelessing, it makes the whole experience a lot easier. 6:35, to be fair in the original pro skater there was only 5 missions in each level, and they might of been going off of the same score requirements in thps 1, and in thps 1 there wasn't as many ways to make your combo to go longer, so the score requirements were a lot smaller.
Wikipedia just says NA so it might not have been released anywhere else. I think Dreamcast ports are the unsung hero of that generation. That console took some great PS1 games and was able to really improve the frame rates/graphics to make them even better.
Before game shops were franchised ; i played this in my local uk shop on the original duke controllers. cannot say i ever saw it on the shelves though.
So this is the original Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1 + 2. Excited to play it on my Xbox One. Maybe if they game is successful maybe they'll add 3 and 4 levels and maybe the 2X levels. I would happily buy a expansion pack to have levels from 3 and 4 as well as 2X
Plus the rooftops level did appear on the GBA version of Tony Hawk Pro Skater released in 2001. Maybe Vicarious Visions released Pro Skater 2 on GBA instead of 3 is maybe they are getting there feet wet on the GBA. Though the GBA and Xbox versions in later Tony Hawk games manage to be around the same time as the PS2 and GameCube editions.
I remember buying the original XBox when it launched and I nabbed Tony Hawks 2X as soon as it dropped. I swear I was addicted to 2X. I literally would play it from morning to to evening on certain days.
Dave, you mention around the 2:45 mark that neversoft was not going to pay to shoot more live action shots of the skaters for the intro. I'm a skater, and can safely say every single clip used in the Tony Hawk games from THPS to 1+2 uses clips from a given skater's video parts that they release over the course of their career. Getting tricks that are worthy of putting on film is difficult, and a professional skateboarder would NEVER use unseen footage for a video game. Those clips are for video parts, shots from contests, or clips from a defunct video magazine called 411vm.
It's my favorite Tony Hawk game honestly. I like it even more than the new remaster which feels.... fast. I don't care for the new levels but playing TH1 and 2 together is great. And on something other than Playstation 1 is nice. Music skips on my PS1 disc
I loved 2x and played it to bits but the difference in speed of the game play between 2x and 3 makes it really hard to go back to (2x feels like its in slow motion) especially when lots of the levels from 1 & 2 were recreated in future games of the series.
Yeah I was seeing in another Tony Hawk video that some of the levels showed up in some of the later games like THUG 2 and Project 8. THPS 3 is still my favorite of the first 4 gameplay wise but THPS 2 gets the nostalgia win and had a better soundtrack IMO.
Weird thing about this version of the game: The physics are way floatier than most of the other versions. The GBA version also had this issue. My guess is that it's because they both run at 60 fps.
Good video man. Just found the channel and subscribed. I will say, about draining the fountain, I think the way a you ended up doing it is the way the game sorta intends you too. I don’t think all balance in the world would get you all the way down that power line, but I could be wrong.
I've been buying Xbox and 360 games recently. Think I'm gonna skip this one and just play the PlayStation version. The slower frame rate kinda lends itself to the experience in my opinion
Minor mistake on my end. A dev on the game commented here and clarified: "THPS2X does not use the THPS3 engine. Treyarch's ArchEngine was ported to the Xbox. Neversoft was still using a version of the Apocalypse engine at the time....We had to reverse engineer their levels and their scripting system."
2X, 3, 4 underground 1 and 2 and american wasteland all came out on it and they were great. I don't understand the comment, but do you think the xbox only got underground 1 and this?
Hey everyone. Checking in here after like 3 years lol. Just wanted to post some corrections as I messed up a few points in this video:
1. Tony Hawk 2X does not run on Tony Hawk 3's engine. According to a comment here, it seems it runs on Treyarch's ArchEngine.
2. Activision, as far as I can tell, does not pay for skating footage. It's mostly shot by skaters themselves for contests, sponsorshps, magazines, or just for fun.
3. I left out that the game supports custom soundtracks.
Sorry for the errors here!
Activision wanted THPS3 to launch with the Xbox, but Neversoft didn't have the resources to have the game ready on a new console at launch. Treyarch was then tasked with creating THPS2X so a Tony Hawk title would be available. THPS2X does not use the THPS3 engine. Treyarch's ArchEngine was ported to the Xbox. Neversoft was still using a version of the Apocalypse engine at the time.
It was a rushed project. If I recall, it was about 9 months to both write the engine and port the game. We had all of the source files from Neversoft, but they were too busy trying to finish THPS3 to offer any support. We had to reverse engineer their levels and their scripting system. The bonus levels are not good. 1) We had no experience making Tony Hawk levels and 2) We played the game everyday for hours. As a result, the levels are WAY too hard.
Thank you for the insight! Really appreciate you taking the time. Regarding the THPS3 engine point, I must have misread something when I was researching and I apologize for that. It's very interesting to hear from someone who worked on the game, though. I figured that the project was rushed a bit to make the console's launch, but I had no idea that you only had 9 months. Was there anything that you remember wanting to do with 2X that you couldn't do because of the time constraint?
@@DaveOGames I don't think anyone was happy with the bonus levels, though I don't know that more time would have helped. 2X would probably have a better reputation if the levels had been left out altogether. Following THPS2X, the team worked on a sequel to Shaun Palmer Pro Snowboarder using the THPS2X engine. Activision killed the O2 line before it was ever completed.
I was surprised when I read “we”.
It’s always cool to see a game dev in the comments!
What's the deal with Neversoft reusing Tampa Skate Park for Tony Hawk's Underground? Did you guys get any credit for that?
@@Chaos447 Tampa was a real skate park. Neversoft's version was their own recreation of the park.
2x is the only way we can see these games faithfully reproduce the original look with updated graphics. Glad I have this game.
Does it have proper widescreen support?
I'd say the new game did a damn good job
@@Matanumi it does but has a different art style but they did what they could since they didnt have the assets that never soft used anyway.
@@realamericannegro977 The art direction actually feels like an enhanced version of the originals'. I own both original copies for the Dreamcast that I used to play as a kid and the new one is everything you could ask for.
@@6scar911 yeah modern remakes be doing too much and want things overly shiny. Although after seeing more stages many if them do look like the old games but still not like how people truly want them to.
Pro Skater and Pro Skater 2
Games so good they've been remade three times
Fun fact: in the Club level, on the dance floor that lights up under you, you can land in a manual off the vert ramps (like a revert, but without pivoting) and string together massive combos. It also gives you a "Billie J Dancefloor" gap (the floor resembles the one used in the Billie Jean music video).
You forgot to mention you can put in CDs into your XBOX and copy your own songs to the system for a custom soundtrack. Same with Dave Mirra 2 and other tony hawk games for the system. I had GC and PS2, but preferred to get the Xbox versions back in the day because of that feature.
I have the February 2001 issue of EGM which touched briefly on this game and the circumstances around it.
On the list of confirmed games it lists “Tony Hawk 2 Enhanced.” And one of the things that the Xbox team was insisting on early on (and this was dropped later) was a policy of “no ports, no patches, no shit.” Microsoft originally wanted any multiplatform game to take advantage of the more powerful hardware. It specifically calls out an enhanced version of THPS2 citing that “it will offer multiplayer over the internet, along with skate parks from the first game. Early reports indicate that these older parks will be merged with the new game’s levels, making for truly sprawling environments.”
Great stuff! Nice to see coverage of a game that I've always wanted to try but couldn't. Just a note: the goals in the Tony Hawk 1 maps are ported directly from TKPS1. Those lower values and only 5 objectives are the same as they were in the original game.
#vicariousgamers
It was amazing to play THPS2 on PS1 at first, then I got the try the N64 port, my mind got blown with the Dreamcast version, PC is really good but then, this xbox version came out. I freaking loved THPS2x!
2:50 Activison did not pay filmers to make those clips with pro skaters. Those clips are from videos that were made by skaters sponsors. Activison-Neversoft later on just used those clips for promotion. These games did A LOT of skateboarding industry. A lot of kids got into skateboarding and even if they didn't continue skating they were still buying skate shoes,clothing brands with skateboarding teams etc.
Thank goodness you said this. I was a bit shocked when this vid said Activision went out and shot video of the skaters lol. I decided to check the comments before I wrote my own. It's a bunch of clips from preexisting skate videos that Activision got access to and edited for the game.
@@SEGAHEADDY a lot of it is 411VM as they seemed to have a partnership in the game, you can see the logo all throughout each game
411VM was absolutely HUGE in the skate world back in those days (basically the #1 skate media consumed those couple decades)
@@catethps Yup.
Ad soon as I played the THPS1 demo on PS1 I needed a skateboard. So I started back in 1999. Great times ❤️
@@StooRoxxAss just like my buddy in high school who started skating due to THPS. It didn't last long, though.
the skatepark level (1 of the new 2x levels) is actually a recreation of a real life skatepark where they hold the Tampa Pro Open, one of the most important contest in pro skating
I never heard of this version. I thought the Dreamcast ver of THPS2 was the definitive version
It still is, this version has busted physics. And the bonus levels are terrible
4:12, you're supposed to go up this way by bonelessing, it makes the whole experience a lot easier.
6:35, to be fair in the original pro skater there was only 5 missions in each level, and they might of been going off of the same score requirements in thps 1, and in thps 1 there wasn't as many ways to make your combo to go longer, so the score requirements were a lot smaller.
“Tony Hawk’s Pro skater was a series that had four main entries...” *doesn’t consider the THPS5 as a entire in the series*
THPS 5 was a disgrace to the previous games.
Jay Maxim im aware
@@Archmageeoffical I Was just agreeing with ya lol
Legit forgot about 5 while I was making this video lol
@@DaveOGames but thps5 doesn't exist?
This was the best version of these games by far.
New one is pretty.good
Raise your hand if you first played 2X's club level on the first (playable) Official Xbox Magazine demo disc.
I played THPS2 to death on the Dreamcast. Always wondered about 2X, not sure it was ever released where I live in the UK.
Wikipedia just says NA so it might not have been released anywhere else. I think Dreamcast ports are the unsung hero of that generation. That console took some great PS1 games and was able to really improve the frame rates/graphics to make them even better.
You can emulate on your PC super easily
Before game shops were franchised ; i played this in my local uk shop on the original duke controllers. cannot say i ever saw it on the shelves though.
@@mattstoyles423 hmm? We still have a game store besides GameStop in my town in Germany.
@@AustinCurtis i wish i could but all the webpages with the game are super sketchy or down, and i don't have a way to get the original disk
2x doesn’t use the THPS3 engine.
Think you left out the custom soundtracks?
* googles custom soundtracks *
Crap, my bad on that one.
So this is the original Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1 + 2. Excited to play it on my Xbox One. Maybe if they game is successful maybe they'll add 3 and 4 levels and maybe the 2X levels. I would happily buy a expansion pack to have levels from 3 and 4 as well as 2X
Plus the rooftops level did appear on the GBA version of Tony Hawk Pro Skater released in 2001. Maybe Vicarious Visions released Pro Skater 2 on GBA instead of 3 is maybe they are getting there feet wet on the GBA. Though the GBA and Xbox versions in later Tony Hawk games manage to be around the same time as the PS2 and GameCube editions.
Great review, dude! Very entertaining. Keep it up 🙂
Thanks!
Great video, this seems like a good channel. glad I searched for this game.
I remember buying the original XBox when it launched and I nabbed Tony Hawks 2X as soon as it dropped. I swear I was addicted to 2X. I literally would play it from morning to to evening on certain days.
Me too ❤
Best version the new one is waste of money
That skate spark is Tampa ska park and it’s a real spot for people to skate. 5:50 is the level I’m talking about.
decent upgrade to a solid game
Dave, you mention around the 2:45 mark that neversoft was not going to pay to shoot more live action shots of the skaters for the intro. I'm a skater, and can safely say every single clip used in the Tony Hawk games from THPS to 1+2 uses clips from a given skater's video parts that they release over the course of their career. Getting tricks that are worthy of putting on film is difficult, and a professional skateboarder would NEVER use unseen footage for a video game. Those clips are for video parts, shots from contests, or clips from a defunct video magazine called 411vm.
It's my favorite Tony Hawk game honestly. I like it even more than the new remaster which feels.... fast. I don't care for the new levels but playing TH1 and 2 together is great. And on something other than Playstation 1 is nice. Music skips on my PS1 disc
2X is way better than the remaster we just got here not to long back
Much better actually
This really different than the dreamcast version because of the menu and graphics
This is the “HD remaster” back then
Best version of the old games. Had it and never forgot it such a badass upgrade.
I loved 2x and played it to bits but the difference in speed of the game play between 2x and 3 makes it really hard to go back to (2x feels like its in slow motion) especially when lots of the levels from 1 & 2 were recreated in future games of the series.
Yeah I was seeing in another Tony Hawk video that some of the levels showed up in some of the later games like THUG 2 and Project 8. THPS 3 is still my favorite of the first 4 gameplay wise but THPS 2 gets the nostalgia win and had a better soundtrack IMO.
I'm still mad this never came out in Europe. I guess by the time the Xbox launched here they just decided to go with 3.
Was THPS3 supposed to be a launch title for the original xbox, but it got delayed because the version wasn't finished yet?
the club music is very much like a ddr song paranoia
Interesting, had no idea this existed lol
A skate dance club. I wish there was one of those places. Roller skating rinks used to be big. What happened?
Is Spiderman unlockable in 2X?
Yes, pretty sure he is.
Weird thing about this version of the game: The physics are way floatier than most of the other versions. The GBA version also had this issue. My guess is that it's because they both run at 60 fps.
thank you im glad somebody else noticed this i thought i was going nuts
Amazing video! Though underground is the best ;)
Good video man. Just found the channel and subscribed. I will say, about draining the fountain, I think the way a you ended up doing it is the way the game sorta intends you too. I don’t think all balance in the world would get you all the way down that power line, but I could be wrong.
Thanks! Yeah I don't think the power line thing would work unless you had a ton of momentum, which is hard given where the line is.
I've been buying Xbox and 360 games recently. Think I'm gonna skip this one and just play the PlayStation version. The slower frame rate kinda lends itself to the experience in my opinion
Man I wish this game had been released in the UK. I wanna buy it but there’s no way for the game to work on my Xbox due to it being region locked.
Only way I managed to play it was soft modding my Xbox to play region locked games.
Nice Video enjoyed it! :)
Thanks! Glad you liked it!
Powerman 5000 is awful, yet quintessential for this soundtrack haha. Great vid btw
Hold up, was this game made w the THPS3 engine? Cause it feels like just a smooter THPS2. Is it like, THPS3 engine geared to feel like 2 or something?
Minor mistake on my end. A dev on the game commented here and clarified:
"THPS2X does not use the THPS3 engine. Treyarch's ArchEngine was ported to the Xbox. Neversoft was still using a version of the Apocalypse engine at the time....We had to reverse engineer their levels and their scripting system."
Can you play as spiderman on the first game?
Good vid. Thanks
I would just like to say the game does not run on thps3's engine just a updated thps2 engine
This still look amazing compared to the ps1 version
also this was ported by Treyarch
Personally Underground 2 has the best soundtrack
when you assume, you make an ass out of u and me
Cause tony hawk 1 and 2 were so much better
offlinetv
Xbox got zero love for tony hawk games, I mean they have underground and that's it
2X, 3, 4 underground 1 and 2 and american wasteland all came out on it and they were great. I don't understand the comment, but do you think the xbox only got underground 1 and this?