Tony Hawk's Pro Skater's Influence Is Fully Explored In Upcoming Documentary

On September 4, Activision will release the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 remake for PS4 and Xbox One, introducing a new generation to one of the most successful game franchises of all time. A documentary, Pretending I'm a Superman, is also on the way, and while it's not officially tied to the upcoming game's release several folks who worked on the game are involved. GameSpot's sister site CBS News had the chance to talk to the producers about the project and how the series saw such a meteoric rise.

Created by former Neversoft game producer Ralph D'Amato and film director Ludvig Gür, Pretending I'm a Superman is a crowdfunded documentary that Gür began work on when he was only 18, and Tony Hawk himself agreed to participate almost immediately.

The film focuses on the early days of the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater franchises, including how it influenced a generation of players to become a generation of skaters, and it features interviews with skating legends like Hawk himself as well as Rodney Mullen. While Hawk helped to popularize the "vert" style, which makes heavy use of halfpipes for crazy flips, Mullen is responsible for popularizing the "street" style characterized by grinds, ollies, and similar tricks.

You can watch a trailer for the film below. A release date for the full documentary has not been set yet.

Pretending I'm a Superman's name comes from a lyric in the Goldfinger song "Superman," by far the most popular track in the original Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. It will be featured in the soundtrack for the remake on PS4, Xbox One, and PC, and the band's singer John Feldmann said the majority of people who talk to him about Goldfinger will mention the game.

Other popular songs returning include "Police Truck" by Dead Kennedys and "No Cigar" by Millencolin. The latter band is also from Gür's native Sweden.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater has been on hiatus since 2015 when the critically-panned Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 released. In GameSpot's Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 review, Peter Brown gave the game a 3/10 and heavily criticized its unnecessary "slam" mechanics, poor graphics, and boring levels. Hopefully the new remake will be far better.