In July, publisher Activision released the first trailer for the upcoming Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5. Reception from fans wasn’t great, with many claiming the game looked dated and boring. Last month, a new cel-shaded art style was quietly substituted in a set of new screenshots released by Activision.
Fans still weren’t happy. This time many complained that the game looked just plain weird, with some comparing the look to the Mortal Kombat games of the 16-bit era. That said, it was hard to judge the new look from a set of still images.
Now Activision has released a new trailer for Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5, and this one shows the new cartoonish look in action. Titled “The Skaters,” the video gives gamers an introduction to the skaters lending their likenesses to the game, though the security guard from the trailer released in July doesn’t make an appearance.
Reactions are still mixed, but overall the reception seems much warmer than was the case with the first trailer or the screenshots released earlier this month. While the look is a little strange in screenshots, in motion it seems to help distinguish the characters from the background.
The main complaint now seems to be that this isn’t the Tony Hawk of old. Fan favorite skaters from the earlier games are notably absent with the exception of Hawk himself, replaced by modern skaters like David Gonzalez, Lizzie Armanto, and Chris Cole.
The soundtrack for the game earlier this month drives that point home as well. While long-running punk band Anti-Flag has appeared in a Tony Hawk game before and Cloud Nothings would fit right in on the soundtrack of an older title in the series, the songs that fans fondly remember from the series are nowhere to be found.
We’ll find out how well the game stands up to previous entries in the series soon. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 is out on September 29 for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, while PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 owners will have to wait until November 10.
