THUG Pro

The Tony Hawk series is back thanks to THUG Pro. This was once one of the premier gaming franchises around. The series was pure gold right up until Tony Hawk’s Underground 2 which was the sixth game in the series. Then after that things started to go downhill with each game after that lacking the spark that made the series so special. Which ultimately led to the mess that was Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5!

Step In The Fans!!!!

Fans were not happy with what happened to the Tony Hawk franchise so a team stepped up to make sure that there was the ultimate Tony Hawk game. That game is THUG Pro and it really is the ultimate skating game. This is a fan game and it is also free to download, but you do need to have a copy of Tony Hawk’s Underground 2 installed on your PC in order to play it. For this reason, THUG 2 has actually kept its price on PC rather well over the years.

Built On The Underground

THUG Pro is made using the Underground 2 engine which many folks consider to be the last classic Tony Hawk game (although I would maybe give that to American Wasteland) so it was probably the best game they could have used for the basis for this. As a result, if you have played one of the first six Tony Hawk games you will feel right at home with THUG 2.

Classic Controls

One of the coolest things about THUG Pro, in my opinion, is not just that it controls like a dream, but the fact they have put some great default control schemes in the game. You can set the controls so they are exactly like they were on the PlayStation 2 or the original Xbox. If you are like me and use an Xbox 360 controller on your PC, this really is awesome. You can if you want to tinker with the controls and you can even use a keyboard if you want, but I highly recommend using the PS2 or Xbox layout depending on what kind of controller you use for your PC.

Skate Baby Skate!!!

There are a ton of different levels for you to skate on in THUG Pro. Different levels from the first seven Tony Hawk games have been included as well as a few surprise ones like Andy’s Room which is from the Disney themed skating game that was made with the Tony Hawk engine. The Warehouse, The Hangar, Suburbia, The Carnival, New Jersey, Skatopia, Vans Park and many more are all included. Getting to play on some of the best levels from the franchise’s history is so cool!

Get That High Score

There is no single player campaign in THUG Pro which is my biggest negative for it. I get that this is a small team of folks working on it so having a campaign or something like that was always going to be tough. Still, in single player, you can skate on any level you like and go for a high score run which is fun. The main idea behind the gameplay is getting online and putting your skills to the test with other Tony Hawk fans. I actually found this to be a lot of fun and found the servers to be great. I never had trouble finding someone to play with or had any trouble with lag or any other problems.

I think that THUG Pro is one of the better fan made games/mods I have played. If you are a fan of the older Tony Hawk games this is a must play for you. It has been made so very well, it is easy to install and above all else, it reminds you of how much fun the Tony Hawk series used to be.

8/10

Pros:

• Features some of the best levels from the whole series
• Plenty of characters to skate as
• Online mode works incredibly well
• High score mode us fun for single player
• Classic Tony Hawk skating gameplay

Cons:

• Not a ton to do in single player
• You do need a copy of THUG 2 in order to use this mod