The New THPS 3+4 Soundtrack Actually Rips
The real trick is letting go of nostalgia, just a little.
Today, I’m going to be complaining about people complaining in both gaming and music. So feel free to join in and complain about my complaining about other people complaining.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater games meant a lot to people like me growing up in the early 00s.. They weren’t just about tricks and points. They were about attitude, identity, and more importantly, they helped kick-start my taste in music.. But the backlash to the THPS 3 + 4 remake soundtrack has annoyed me for a while as the tracklist rolled out in waves. Even though I’m enjoying the hell out of the game currently, people are writing off the whole game because of how they couldn’t license all the old songs from the original, instead, adding a ton of new songs from modern artists on this ‘modern remake’.
I get that it’s a remake, and the point is to keep everything mostly the same. But why are we so riled up at the fact that it isn’t the same setlist as 20 years ago (despite many returning classics available)? This sounds like the people to go to a concert screaming “play your old shit!” at the band, or they’ll leave, even though the tour is named after their latest album that they advertised they would play!
You might notice, especially if you’re a follower of my newsletter, I’m more of a “new music” curator. But I’m not above nostalgia. I enjoy it every now and then as much as any millennial. But the backlash to the Tony Hawks Pro Skater 3 + 4 remake soundtrack is starting to feel less like love for the past and more like a refusal to let the future in. Did people forget these games are also meant to attract a new generation of gamers/skaters alike? Also, did people forget they can simply fire up Spotify or Apple Music and literally blast the original soundtrack to the game if they wanted to?
Nostalgia Withdrawal
The internet is not handling the remix well. I found IGN’s review unfair, complaining a lot about not getting enough of the old songs, while never even mentioning the quality music they were able to get in the game. Yes, it’s about the game, but this also says a lot about how out of touch this reviewer is when it comes to today’s music to be making this kind of complaint. Then, IGN comments section is full of reactions like:
That’s like judging a skatepark based on what’s blasting from the boombox, not whether the rails are slick or the vert ramps are solid. Soundtracks matter — I get that, they’re iconic — but what’s wild is how little attention is being paid to the quality of the new music we did get, or even the core gameplay itself, based on the comments. People are suggesting they loved the original, but won’t be playing this solely for the few missing nostalgic songs is atrocious.
Let me take a wild guess.. Adam here doesn’t recognize most of the artists in the new tracklist. Therefore, objectively, it must suck. That’s how it works right? You’re not familiar with something, therefore it’s trash.
Tony Hawk on the Backlash
Tony himself even addressed the heat in a recent interview:
“Not everyone agreed with those decisions, but I’m like, ‘Let’s keep it fresh.’ Also, here’s help discovering other music… It was almost like an underground radio show.”
“.. It was more just trying to make room for new acts and new songs as well and not everything makes the cut. It's nothing personal and I appreciate that people have a fondness for that song, especially in relation to our game. I’m hoping that discovery is half the fun and a big reason these soundtracks resonated in the first place. So listen and enjoy the ride.”
Exactly! We’re not out here to create a greatest hits album that nobody born outside of 2001 would recognize. Part of what makes a video game soundtrack great is the thrill of discovery. And the new skater curated soundtrack holds that spirit.
If Ya Like The Old Shit, Buy The Old Games
Thanks for noticing my Jay-Z reference btw.. IYKYK
I get it, it’s a remake, so it should stick the closely as possible to the original. But there’s that, and there’s the pure example of our nostalgia-diseased culture today. It’s using the past as a measuring stick, but forgetting that the past games were built on the discovery of new music. And that part was punk rock as f*ck, which is essential to skate culture.
The THPS games weren’t sacred then to many of us because they licensed a few nostalgic 70’s-80’s hits our parents already worshipped— they were sacred because they showed us music we didn’t even know existed that was going on in the modern scene (and bands our parents didn’t know of, which is the same age that most of us playing these games are today!). Active bands that we could go see live and share with our friends. Which is why these 2000s games were so iconic for not only being good games, but being a musical awakening for many of us, where we discovered what our tastes even were!
Meanwhile, it Has Major BANGERS
Furthermore, the new music selection on this remake isn’t some hollow, trend-chasing, pay-to-play playlist like some EA games. Instead, the soundtrack is stacked with artists who are pushing genres forward today and feels very much skater curated (cause hell, some of it is what I hear people at the skate park put on!). Which is also great for the younger generation just getting into the game, giving them artists they are familiar with. For example:
Turnstile – “Real thing”
Jeff Rosenstock – “Head”
Denzel Curry – “Ultimate”
Run the Jewels – “yankee and the brave (ep. 4)”
100 gecs – “Hollywood Baby”
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard – “Gila Monster”
Also, newsflash for anyone who doesn’t touch grass or hasn’t been to a skatepark in several decades, YES- Gen Z and Alphas very much still skate and constantly pack parks all over North America. Many countries across the globe are now getting skate parks as well, as the winner of the Olympic gold back (2020 I believe?) is from the Philippines, where I’m from! What I’m saying is it’s a new generation of skaters.
This soundtrack overhaul to me is kinda like a pulse check on where skate culture and underground music are right now. And it rips. If you're ignoring it because it’s not 2002 anymore, you're sleeping on some of the best artists working today.
So I Made THPS Mixtape
While being annoyed at all this, I decided to be productive and curate my own THPS soundtrack that I think would fit the game, and use for when I go skate IRL. Just to set an example that one can make their playlist instead of complaining about the developer’s (or Tony Hawk’s) choices. Most songs on this list are released within the last 3 years FYI to keep it fresh, as if it’s for a newer THPS game. And it’s on YT music cause I don’t use Spotify.
A Modern Skate Mixtape, Not a Greatest Hits Album
As for me personally, as much as I love to relive my youth with nostalgic remakes, I’m just as much interested in finding my next anthem and how they can improve the overall presentation from the original. So yeah, you might be missing the old familiar tracks, but it’s always available on any streaming platform. By complaining about it and not giving the game and its newer tracks a chance, you’re robbing yourself of part of what made THPS legendary in the first place.
Let it cook.
Let it find your new favourite artist.
Let the new shit shred!
Great article! I agree that the remaster soundtrack should not be as much hated as it is... I think that the problem is that it is a remaster and not a new title in the series, people have exceptions towards remasters but well- we do not leave in times where skateboarding is big enough anymore to produce newer title so we have live through a remasters that try to fill the gap of a "new title"
Great thoughts on this. I haven't heard the new soundtrack, and can't actually remember the old THPS3 soundtrack except for Ace of Spades. I can see both points though.
Some years ago, Sonic Origins was released and they had to change some of the Sonic 3 music for "legal" reasons. Unfortunately, that meant changing some of the best music tracks from the entire series. I've tried a couple of times to hear the new versions but my brain just won't accept them. In this case it changes the entire mood of the level you are playing. So from one perspective, a person's memories may feel in conflict with the remake, which is understandable.
However, THPS doesn't really have the same gameplay style as other games. The music is not tied exactly to what you are doing, so it's there to fit the vibe and culture of what you're experiencing, skateboarding in this case. From that point, keeping up with the trends from the past 20 years does make sense. Maybe the developer could have added a few more of the old tracks, but they made a choice which should be respected.
Overall, it sounds like the same argument as always, people are resistant to change but will get used to it over time once it normalises.