Tony Hawk's Pro Skater

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater is a skateboarding game developed by Neversoft and published by Activision, widely considered the title that defined the extreme sports genre. Players control one of ten real professional skateboarders including Tony Hawk, Bob Burnquist, and Elissa Steamer across nine fictional 3D environments such as a warehouse, school, mall, and skate park. Each run lasts two minutes, during which players must complete specific objectives like achieving a high score, collecting the letters S-K-A-T-E, finding hidden videotapes, and grinding designated objects. The game features a deep trick system with flips, grabs, grinds, spins, and special signature moves, governed by realistic physics and a satisfying combo mechanic. Additional modes include Free Skate and two-player split-screen.

PlayStation

Released on September 29, 1999, this is the original version that started the legendary franchise. The game features full-motion video cutscenes of pro skaters, a complete licensed soundtrack with tracks from bands like Primus and The Dead Kennedys, and all voice work intact. Each skater has unique signature moves reflecting their real-life counterparts. Critics at the time delivered overwhelmingly positive verdicts, praising the genius control, combo system, and level design. The graphics were described as simple but amazing in terms of animations, physics, and size of levels. The gameplay was said to have a simplicity of use that is disconcerting combined with a completeness that forces many hours of play. The consensus declared it not just the best skateboarding game ever created, but a landmark title that proved licensed sports games could achieve greatness.