Ever since the legendary 720° and Skate or Die on the NES, have we experienced a truly great skateboarding game? We’ve seen a few attempts but nothing even remotely fun or playable. Enter Tony Hawk's Pro Skater.  Released in the summer of 1999 for the Sony PlayStation, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater accomplished what so many others had tried and failed to do.  It was a skateboarding game that captured the style and fun of the skateboarding sport but did so in a way that everyone could enjoy it with or without previous skating experience.  Now, thanks to Treyarch and Crave, this PlayStation classic has been ported to the Dreamcast console and what a port it is. 

In short, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater is one of those games that’s easy to pick up but hard to master.  Within a few minutes of playing, most players can complete a few simple tricks and learn the basic controls.  The fun part is trying to out-do yourself time and time again by linking tricks together for a bigger score.  Most people could technically complete the game and open all the areas with the minimum requirements necessary.  However, real bragging rights aren't earned with the completion of the game but rather by how many points you scored doing it.  

Players are required to collect five tapes in each level and each tape has a certain objective attached to it.  The first level, for instance, requires five box stacks be knocked down in order to earn a tape.  Another tape requires that the player earn at least 5,000 points and yet another requires the player to find the tape hidden somewhere in the level.  The player needs a certain amount of tapes to advance to the next level.  It is to the players advantage to earn the tapes early however since the further you advance in the game, the harder it is earn tapes and earn the objectives.  Of course, the single player aspect of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater is only half the fun.  Tony Hawk's Pro Skater also has three 2-player modes so that you and a friend can directly compete for points and tricks.  Horse is just what it sounds like.  Based on the old basketball game, you or your friend start by doing various tricks and then it’s up to the next player to best that effort.  A player earns a letter when they fail to surpass the other player’s effort.  If they complete the word Horse, they lose.  Trick Attack is an incredibly simple mode in which your only goal is to earn more points than the other player.  Graffiti is a variation on the Trick Attack mode in which not only do you have to compete for points but you must pull off tricks on the most objects in a certain area.  By doing a trick on a particular ramp or rail you paint it your color.  A player wins not when they have the most points but when they’ve pulled tricks on the most areas.

The graphics in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater are excellent for a PlayStation title but seem somewhat simplistic for a Dreamcast port.  Although the Dreamcast is a significantly more powerful system than the PlayStation, the only real upgrades to the graphics seem to be the higher resolution displayed and some updated texturing.  The skater models and tracks look virtually identical to the PlayStation version. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing but it was hoped that more detail would be added to the skater models. However, due to the short time between the original PlayStation release and the final Dreamcast port, it would seem that the few upgrades are all Dreamcast owners get.  One notable difference between the two is that the Dreamcast version simply looks cleaner.  This is most likely due to the addition of texture filtering and the high-resolution display.  Every edge on every object is incredibly sharp and clear.  This difference is most noticeable in the 2-player mode.  Although the screen is split between the two players, the squished display is much easier to view than the PlayStation version. While multi-player looks fine on the PlayStation version, it’s so much easier to see where you’re going and what you’re doing in the Dreamcast version.  

Unlike the graphic updates however, the sound and music remain exactly the same from the PlayStation original. This is definitely a good thing as the original featured excellent sound effects as well as a soundtrack that fit the game play and style nicely.  When the player skates over smooth concrete, only the roll of the wheels can be heard.  When the player skates over asphalt, small bumps can be heard along with the wheels rolling.  The skateboard sounds exactly as it should even when the player pulls a grind on a pipe.  The sound effects are incredibly close to reality and were most likely recorded in a special sound session instead of sampled off previously recorded sound libraries.  The music features such bands as Black Flag, Dead Kennedys and Primus and fit they fit the game's style perfectly. 

The control has thankfully remained exactly the same from the PlayStation original.  Even the button map is identical since both the Dreamcast and PlayStation have the same four button layout. The X button on the PlayStation version is logically mapped on the A button for Dreamcast and likewise every other function from the original.  The only real difference a player might experience is the shape of the controllers. Although the majority of people who are used to the Dreamcast controller will find the controls comfortable, new owners used to the PlayStation controller might take a bit longer to get comfortable.  Treyarch even added some VMU functionality in the form of comments based on your tricks.  When you land an especially long chained trick, the VMU will display comments such as, "Awesome!" as well as the total points earned. 

The graphics and VMU aside, though, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater on the Dreamcast is identical to the PlayStation version. This is both a blessing and a curse. It’s great that Treyarch managed to port the same gameplay and fun that made the original such a winner without any notable flaws or differences.  However, if you already own a version of this title on another system, there is very little incentive to buy this particular version as it’s basically the same game with new graphics.  That’s probably the only real negative about Tony Hawk for the Dreamcast.  However, if you own a Dreamcast and have yet to own a copy of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, this is the definitive version to get.