Time to brush up on your revert skills, brah. The long-awaited DLC add-on for Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD isn’t too far off now, and with it will come the return of legendary characters, maps and one particular move fans have been dying for.

The Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD Revert Pack, out December 4th on PSN, Steam and Xbox Live Arcade, brings back the revert move and adds three new stages remastered from Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 (Airport, Los Angeles, and Canada) as well as skateboard legends Steve Caballero and Geoff Rowley. Metallica’s James Hetfield and Robert Trujillo are also joining the roster as playable guest characters, in accompaniment to the soundtrack addition of Metallica’s “All Nightmare Long” song.

The Revert Pack will cost only $4.99 across all three platforms. But for skaters who just want to experience revert combo bliss, Activision will also be releasing a free title update that will add the revert ability to the original base version of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD. This patch is currently slated for release during the week of the Revert Pack’s launch.

Scope out these brand new screenshots.

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Before Call of Duty became a combat-themed cash cow, Activision rode a very different franchise down the rocky road to sick profitability. This particular ride had four polyurethane wheels, rode low to the ground and was often tricked out with enough logos/stickers to make a NASCAR fan blush. The dudes who ollied and nollied on it ranged from a taciturn guy the cool kids called The Birdman to a flannel- and tattoo-sporting head case who dated supermodels and had a sound effect for a first name.

Yes, there was a time, way back in the late ‘90s/early 00’s, when Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater was one of the top franchises on the PlayStation. Smell the teen spirit, already.

As the years went on, the new consoles debuted and the wheels sorta came off. The series’ full-on faceplant came with 2009’s ill-fated Tony Hawk: Ride, an overpriced package that proved once and for all that gamers weren’t willing to double the cost of their game purchase just to ride on a wonky skateboard peripheral.
Enough time has passed–from both the series’ grunge-inflected heyday and Ride’s catastrophic retail performance—to make Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD, the leadoff hitter in Xbox Live’s 2012 Summer of Arcade series, feel like something more than a nostalgia-fueled cash-grab.

This isn’t a remade port of the original 1999 Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. There are no pointless frills. No shoehorned storylines about battling City Hall and soulless developers to just, you know, stake out some turf to skate, man. No, this is a seven-level greatest-level package culled from Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater and its 2000 sequel (levels from THPS3, including the ability to revert, are coming later as DLC), augmented with some bizarre and clever gameplay modes. The package feels almost a little too lean and mean for its own good, but it’s also a strong and nostalgic reminder of why we once loved busting manuals and no complies in the first place. (Want to feel really old? Tony’s son Riley Hawk is now a skater option.)

The career mode’s as straightforward as it ever was. Starting with the classic warehouse level where you first learned to string tricks like a million-point high score pro, you’re nailing the same objectives in the same two-minute time span—collect the S-K-A-T-E, find the special DVD (not VHS tape—hello, modernism), smash the boxes—to unlock the next level and keep skating. The levels, meanwhile, look both familiar and fantastic. Developer Robomodo has done a masterful job of applying the HD sheen to the school and mall levels that first wowed us in 1999, and the detail work’s apparent.

Two new game modes make the game’s $15 price of admission more than worthwhile. First up is the sickly hilarious Big Head Elimination mode, a multiplayer mode that finds you trying to string tricks together to keep your ever-inflating noggin from exploding like a faulty balloon. The other is Hawkman, a single-player spin on Pac-Man that demands your skater grind, manual and air-trick to “eat” colored strings of pellets.

THPSHD is as remarkable for what’s new as what’s missing. In a move more shocking than Tony Hawk taking up synchronized swimming, local multiplayer didn’t make the cut. It’s also a little disappointing to not be able to create your own levels or skater (you can use your Xbox Live avatar, so that’s something.) Then again, this was never supposed to be the skateboard set’s equivalent of LittleBigPlanet.

If you’ve never played it—kinda scary to contemplate that there are sixth-graders today who were just born when Pro Skater 1 first hit—this HD remix is a great chance to see what all the cool kids were playing when Nirvana and Alice in Chains still ruled the airwaves. PlayStation-era vets will find it a worthy skate down Tony Hawk’s Memory Halfpipe. Watch out for that, railing, dude.

Pros:
+ Skating the Warehouse, School and Mall levels is as fun and familiar as you remember
+ Big Head Elimination and Hawkman modes are inspired twists on familiar gameplay
+ HD refinish really pops

Cons:
– Seven levels skate by quickly
– No local multiplayer, create-a-skater or create-a-level features

Game Info:
Platform: Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade (also coming soon to PC and PSN)
Publisher: Activision
Developer: Robomodo
Release Date: 7/18/2012
Genre: Skateboarding
ESRB Rating: Teen
Players: 1-4 (online only)
Source: Review code provided by publisher

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Leading into next week’s XBLA-first launch, Activision skates through today with an info-packed update on Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD.

The Birdman’s HD reboot will be grinding onto PC digital download outlets, first and foremost. While the XBLA version hits first on July 18th as part of Microsoft’s Summer of Arcade special, the newly announced PC version and the previously announced PSN version will follow a few weeks later. No specific dates yet.

All three versions of the game will be overflowing with game modes, both brand new and some old favorites. Confirmed modes during the career campaign thus far include Free Skate, a new list of PROjectives to take on after all original objectives have been completed, the return of the “Pac-Man on skateboards” mode from Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground called Hawkman, and the all-new mode Big Head Survival. During Big Head Survival, players will be challenged to perform tricks to keep their skater’s head from swelling to the point where it explodes and the game ends. Who doesn’t love a good big head mode? I mean come on, it’s so retro-rad.

This growing-noggin mayhem will carry over to the online multiplayer suite as well in the new Big Head Elimination mode, in which players compete against each other to be the last big-headed skater standing. Other online modes will include classic Trick Attack (compete for the highest score in two minutes), Graffiti (perform tricks on objects to tag them), and a Free Skate option for players who just want to kickflip and grind together without being constrained by rules or timers.

Last but not least, questions regarding the manual and revert mechanics have been clarified. Manuals are included as part of the trick combo repertoire, however since they weren’t introduced until the third game, reverts will only work in the post-launch DLC levels pulled from Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3.

Check out these new screenshots for an in-game preview of the featured game modes, characters, and levels.

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Microsoft’s annual ‘Summer of Arcade’ Xbox Live Arcade lineup this year will deliver a diverse game mix to keep you indoors away from the sweltering summertime heat.

Dates have not been established yet, but the lineup will feature: Tequila Works’ survival platformer Deadlight; Humble Hearts’ hand-painted action game Dust: An Elysian Tail; 5th Cell’s innovative multiplayer third-person shooter Hybrid; Iron Galaxy’s medieval Angry Birds-esque Kinect castle-wrecking game Wreckateer; and Activision’s HD remake of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. Buy any three to bank a free credit of 400 MS Points.

Here’s a sizzle reel providing a sneak preview of Xbox Live Summer of Arcade 2012!

Three HUGE gaming blockbusters dominate the spotlight in the latest edition of our weekly screenshot round-up. Prepare to be shocked and awed by gorgeous new shots from Crysis 3, Halo 4 and The Last of Us.

Anything else to care about? You bet! Loads of games were immortalized in screenshot form this week. Other featured galleries include: Gravity Rush, Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy, Batman: Arkham City’s Harley Quinn’s Revenge DLC, Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown, Rayman Origins 3DS, One Piece: Pirate Warriors, Alan Wake’s American Nightmare for PC, Pokédex 3D Pro, Pokémon Black Version/White Version 2, Smart As, Sound Shapes, Madagascar 3: The Video Game, Mercenary Ops, Lollipop Chainsaw, Waveform’s Eris DLC, Worms Revolution, Fray, Dungeon Gate, NASCAR The Game: Inside Line, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD and Final Fantasy XIII-2’s final DLC set.

Crysis 3 (PC, PS3, Xbox 360):
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Halo 4 (Xbox 360):
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The Last of Us (PS3):
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Gravity Rush (PS Vita):
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Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time (PS3, PS Vita):
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Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy (Nintendo 3DS):
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Batman: Arkham City – Harley Quinn’s Revenge DLC (PS3, Xbox 360):
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Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown (PSN, XBLA):
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Rayman Origins 3DS (Nintendo 3DS):
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One Piece: Pirate Warriors (PSN):
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Alan Wake’s American Nightmare (PC):
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Pokédex 3D Pro (Nintendo 3DS eShop):
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Pokémon Black Version/White Version 2 (Nintendo DS):
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Smart As (PS Vita):
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Sound Shapes (PS Vita):
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Madagascar 3: The Video Game (PS3, Wii, Xbox 360):
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Mercenary Ops (PC):
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Lollipop Chainsaw – Juliet Starling Bonus Costumes (PS3, Xbox 360):
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Waveform – Eris DLC (PC):
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Worms Revolution (PC, PSN, XBLA):
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Fray (PC, Mac):
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Dungeon Gate (PC):
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NASCAR The Game: Inside Line (PS3, Wii, Xbox 360):
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Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD (PSN, XBLA):
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Final Fantasy XIII-2 – Final DLC (PS3, Xbox 360):
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Check Out These Links:

• First Look at Crysis 3 Gameplay
• NYC Becomes a Real Urban Jungle in Crysis 3
• Halo 4 Launching Worldwide November 6
• Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD DLC Levels to Come From Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3
• New Last of Us Trailer is Like the Car Scene From Children of Men
• Get Ready for Square Enix’s Nintendo 3DS Summer of Fun
• Square Enix’s 3DS Final Fantasy Rhythm Game Comes West This Summer
• Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time Goes Portable on PS Vita
• Payback’s a Bitch… A Bitch Named Harley Quinn
• New Beta Sign-Ups: Far Cry 3, DUST 514, Mercenary Ops and Fray
• One Piece: Pirate Warriors Goes All Dynasty Warriors on Your Manga-Lovin’ Ass
• Alan Wake’s Pulp Action Spin-off Shines Light on PC This Month

Kickflipping onto PSN and Xbox Live Arcade this summer, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD will feature remade levels from Tony Hawk’s Pro Skaters 1 & 2. Seven levels to be exact, including Warehouse, School 2, Mall, Phoenix, Hangar, Marseilles and Venice.

But what about Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3? Don’t worry, it’ll be represented in Robomodo’s HD homage to Neversoft’s original video game skateboarding classics. As downloadable content, that is.

The first post-launch DLC pack for Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD will consist of skate locales from Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3, and right now Activision, Robomodo, and Tony Hawk are asking fans to help narrow down which levels will be included via feedback gathering on Facebook.

Have any favorites in mind? Go let them know!

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Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD made its theatrical preview debut in trailer form during the Spike TV Video Game Awards in December. Now it’s time for some stills of Tony Hawk and his skateboarding pals Rodney Mullen, Nyjah Huston, and Eric Koston nailing sick tricks in retro parks pulled from the original games.

You read right. THPSHD will feature seven fan-approved levels from Pro Skater and Pro Skater 2. Warehouse and School 2 can be seen in this early batch of screenshots, and images will be coming along shortly for the HD remade Mall, Phoenix, Hangar, Marseilles and Venice stages.

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD kickflips onto PSN and XBLA this summer.

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14 exclusive trailers premiered during the award ceremony, headlined, in my opinion, by The Last of Us, the next PS3 masterpiece-in-the-making from Naughty Dog. It has the same cinematic production values of the Uncharted games with a new setting that certainly reminds me a whole heck of a lot of I Am Legend. The other trailer that caught my attention was the new one re-announcing Metal Gear Solid: Rising as Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance.

Other games featured include BioShock Infinite, Alan Wake’s American Nightmare, Fortnite, The Amazing Spider-Man, Mass Effect 3, Command & Conquer Generals 2, Hitman: Absolution, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Diablo 3, Transformers: Fall of Cybertron, Rainbow Six: Patriots and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD. Watch all the trailers in that order below.