In order to make a truly great remaster of an old game, the developer must deliver the nostalgic feeling of playing the original while improving upon the original gameplay in every way so it doesn't feel dated. That's a very difficult task. They did it here though. This is one of the best remasters ever made. It perfectly captures the magic of the original Tony Hawk games but delivers it in a beautifully imagined modern package.

Playing this was a huge bummer for me though. It turns out I just don't like the Tony Hawk games anymore. There's nothing wrong with the game itself. It's basically perfect. I've just changed. Even though Skater XL is basically a tech demo, I'd rather skate around in that because the more simulation style skating feels better to me now after the Skate franchise. Going back to two-minute runs, trying to hit high scores and find all the collectibles, and the super arcadey feel of Tony Hawk just do not do it for me anymore.

Bummer.