For all of you gnarly dudes and dudettes who lived for the glory days of extreme sports video games, ever since their fall a few decades ago, it has no doubt been a little tough. Between Tony Hawk, SSX, and some other franchises, there was absolutely a time when pretty well everyone was trying to show their mad skillz, whether on the streets, the slopes, or just about anywhere you could imagine. While some other series tended to play things more straight, what typically made the best Tony Hawk titles so addictive was the pure ridiculousness of it all… and now the Switch (and Switch 2) will allow you to enjoy all of that crazy fun whether at home or on the go, but perhaps with a few small caveats.

The main attraction here is absolutely Pro Skater 3, which features some of the most iconic and memorable stages to explore and slowly try to master. Not only will you need to try to get your combo game going, racking up high scores, each stage is also full of objectives both in plain sight and cleverly hidden. This sort of design is really where the franchise absolutely shines, going well outside of mere score chasing and encouraging you to explore, experiment, and get creative to collect every possible objective in each stage. While, in theory, the later Pro Skater 4 should have exceeded the highs of its predecessor, having been reintroduced to them both it really feels like this series peaked with 3, but that’s absolutely a matter of taste.

Now, given that it has been multiple decades since I played these games, there’s absolutely a fair warning with them, that you may find your skills and reaction times to be a bit rusty. The titles are all about execution, and until you get back that feeling of being in the zone it can be rough getting back up to speed, especially if you’re not quite as nimble with the controller as you used to be. While perhaps you’d be offended by me pointing it out, there are some accessibility options for those feeling a bit too taxed, and honestly as long as you’re having fun there should be no shame in dialing back the challenge, so you’re better able to simply enjoy the game however you see fit. If you’re big on playing in handheld mode I’d say that while the performance on the Switch 2 is pretty solid, there definitely feels like there’s a compromise, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the OG Switch would also struggle a bit more on the go, and if you’re playing with the joycon the shallow joystick and buttons could also tack on added challenges.

Regardless, there’s an energy and spirit here that’s unmistakable, and while I do remember playing these titles for hours, slowly working up my proficiency at doing tricks and knocking out objectives, playing them again felt great, even if initially frustrating. I really do wish either Nintendo, bigger publishers, or the indie scene would take on the challenge of resurrecting this take on extreme sports, with a focus once again on the ridiculous fun of them and not going down the often dull simulation route that has instead taken its place. If you were a fan back then, or have always heard stories about this style of play, but never checked it out, this would seem to be a terrific option out there to jump in and enjoy.