Summary
- Matt Hoffman's Pro BMX was totally gnarly dude
- It was like THPS but with bikes, and also a little worse
- I'm not really selling this, but I really want it back
Everyone who grew up in the '90s will remember the phenomenon of 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. And everyone who grew up later will remember oldies like me droning on about how great Tony Hawk's Pro Skater was, as well as possibly being severely let down by THPS 5 and then finally understanding the magic with THPS 1+2. But what rarely gets remembered are the copycats THPS spawned.
One of these games was Matt Hoffman's Pro BMX, the most closely related of them all. Also made by Activision, the game even featured the Birdman himself as a secret character, and included some levels from THPS alongside a few original tracks. It was a subpar version of THPS in all honesty, but it's an oft-overlooked game I have a deep nostalgia for nonetheless, and I want it back.
The Olympics Is Reminding Me Of Old Sports Games
Part of this is inspired by the Olympics. My favourite part of the Olympics is watching sports I only watch once every four years and caring deeply about them. I watched the street skating, the trap shooting, several different versions of the gymnastics, and despite not being much of a tennis fan, felt a pang of emotions as the fight in Andy Murray's old bones finally gave in as he retired in ferocious style with a valiant defeat to the Americans. But the event that has most gotten my attention this year is the BMX.
Great Britain got a Silver in the Men's BMX park event, and pretty much any event Britain is in the mix for gets my attention - hence my earlier confession to watching the trap shooting. But the BMX park is second only to the skateboarding park event for how much of a fascinating spectacle it is, and this year, the BMX is even closer to my heart. Britain's Silver Medallist, Kieran Reilly, lives just 15 minutes away from me.
In some ways, that shouldn't make a difference - certainly not to my nostalgia for an okay early '00s video game cashing in on the short-lived X-Games popularity. But as I wrote about with 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Thank Goodness You're Here, I do feel an affinity for people who are this 🌜far north, and beyond that, the Olympics is about forging those 🎃connection𓂃s with the athletes.
Sport And Video Games Can Both Bring People Together, But Often Drive Us Apart
There's a community spirit that is unmatched with the Olympics. The nation comes together for its heroes, and you instantly become invested in sports you just heard about when you recognise your flag. Club sports have that on a deeper level, but also in more diluted ways. As a Newcastle UTD fan, there’s constant bickering about players deemed not good enough for our sudden acceleration, the need for transfers, and uncertainty behind the scenes, not to mention tribalism clouding discussions between football fans over the health of the game with extra competitions, PSR regulations, and refereeing reform.
Even supporting England at the Euros this summer was tarred by in-fighting, with some fans seemingly desperate for England to fail so they could be proven right about Gareth Southgate, and keen to let the air out of the tyres as soon as any enthusiasm built. If a last second overhead kick, flawless penalty shootout, and 90th minute winner to send us to the final doesn't excite you, find another sport.
That has made the Olympics more of a safe haven, and while the anti-woke charlatans are trying to invade that with whatever angle sticks, they will not overcome the triumph of the human spirit that the Olympics represents. At its heart, it is about a love of sports - not just the athletes, who dedicate their lives to a whole swathe of disciplines, but for the viewers✅ as well, who love the very idea of sport that they feel the passion for it despite a lack of back🌼ground or even understanding of the rules.
That, too, is what Tony Hawk's Pro Skater and Matt Hoffman's Pro BMX represents. Skate culture may have seen a growth off THPS' back, but mostly people were playing for the love of a sport they didn't quite understand. In the heat of the Olympics, it feels as though Matt Hoffman's Pro BMX is due a comeback.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 (2020)
- Top Critic Avg: 89/100 Critics Rec: 97%
- Released
- September 4, 2020
- ESRB
- e
- Developer(s)
- Vicarious Visions 💦
- Publisher(s)
- 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Activision
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Multiplayer
- ☂ Online Multiplayer
Drop back in with the most iconic skateboarding games ever made. Play Tony Hawk’s™ Pro Skater™ & Tony Hawk’s™ Pro Skater™ 2 in one epic collection, rebuilt from the ground up in incredible HD. All the pro skaters, levels and tricks are back and fully-remastered, plus more.
Skate as the legendary Tony Hawk and the original pro roster, plus new pros
Skate to songs from the era-defining soundtrack along with new music
Hit insane trick combos with the iconic handling of the Tony Hawk’s™ Pro Skater™ series
Play all the original game modes and go head-to-head with local 2-Player modes
Show off your style and creativity with upgraded Create-A-Park and Create-A-Skater features
Take your sessions online and compete against players from around the world in Multiplayer modes and leaderboards
Break skateboarding boundaries, show off your own style, and be part o🌃f the next generation of skaters and creators with Tony Hawk’s™ Pro Skater™🀅 1 + 2.
Your comment has not been saved