Games to Try Before You Die: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (PSX/N64)

Skateboarding...I think everyone tried it at least once. They either failed miserably at it, or followed through and were able to pull off at least an Ollie or something.  When Tony Hawk hit the scene with the X Games in the late 90's, he revolutionized skateboarding and we followed him too. Then the video game came out, and then even your 5 year old brother could be a skateboarding mad man....and we loved it.

What: Tony Hawks Pro Skater was a game where you had to perform tricks, collect VHS tapes, and battle to get the biggest score against your friends. You would do the infamous "900" if you could grab enough air and your special bar was topped out. You could be top skaters at the time and roam free to do what you wanted in this game.

Why: With a killer soundtrack, top skaters, custom decks and wheels, and freedom, this game was a killer success. To this day, it is still fun when you plop that thing in your game system of choice. The Warehouse was my favorite level and everyone wanted to be Tony Hawk in the game, usually resulting in some sort of fight. It has since then spawned a billion sequels, but sadly the Tony Hawk brand has slightly faded.

Supposedly they are doing and HD remake of this classic game! Back to the basics. Tony Hawk kicked ass!