Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 (THPS1+2) is finally here, and while it has some fancy new graphics and a lot of quality of life improvements, it still has the same challenges – and some of them are downright annoying. So you’re forgiven for pausing your game to search for the solution. It’s OK. We’ve all been there. There’s no shame.
There is.
Anyway, we’re going to share some mini-guides for some of the more difficult to accomplish tasks in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 (THPS1+2) and hopefully get you on your way to the rank of Master Skater. That isn’t an actual in-game rank, but it should be.
- Read More: THPS1 Secret Tape Locations
If you don’t want to read this guide, you can just hit the videos for each Secret Tape and miss out on all the nuances that come from the written word. That’s OK. But, before you do, you should know a few things.
Hangar Secret Tape
This is one of the easier Secret Tapes to find. Start your run and then head to the back end of the level. Here, you’ll find a helicopter conveniently parked between two ramps. Simply hit up one of the ramps, aim for a propeller and land a sweet grind to get that helicopter up off the ground.
Doing this opens up a secret area adjacent, which takes you into a small outside area with a quarterpipe. Simply ride up the quarterpipe and you’ll bag yourself a secret tape. This one is really easy, and if you needed a guide for it, you definitely need the rest of this guide.
School 2 Secret Tape
The Secret Tape in School 2 isn’t that hard to find, but it can be a little tricky getting to the right spot. When your run begins, turn left and follow the railing path downwards. Then, turn left and head towards the far wall. Once you reach the far wall, turn around and head back the way you came. On your right-hand side you’ll see two awnings. Ignore the first one, but pay attention to the second one.
To get up onto the awning you need to hit the slanted wall and jump your way up, but you can also wall-ride up to make things easier. Once you’re on the awning, head towards the wall in front of you and then wall-ride it to get to the opening in the building’s structure. Once you’re there, you’ll see a couple of flag poles, a ramp, and the elusive Secret Tape. Just hit the ramp and make sure your aim is true to get your prize.
Venice Beach Secret Tape
To get the Secret Tape in the Venice Beach level in THPS1+2 (specifically, THPS2) you need to have collected a few stat points, or have a naturally gifted aerial skater. You’ll need your Airtime, Speed, Ollie, and Hangtime stats to be as full as possible to make getting the Secret Tape as pain-free as possible. As you can see in the clip above, I did not heed my own warning and barely scraped by with the bare minimum. I live on the edge, and Tony would be proud of that. Or at least his Jackass friends would be.
As you start the Venice Beach level, go forward and through where there are a bunch of tables and a really long manual-ramp. Keep going until you hit the quarter pipe at the end of this area, then pull a trick on the quarter pipe and land it. This will point you in the direction you need to go. From here, stay on the LEFT hand side of the rails connecting the tables, and when you get to the table closest to the powerline poles, almost directly underneath the Secret Tape, hit that table with full speed and release the jump button just as you hit it.
This isn’t perfect by any means, and even with full stats you’re still at the mercy of the game’s physics. You want to hit the angled table just right so that it sends you soaring into the air high enough to grab the secret tape. You can try to pull a Boneless (tap up on the stick/d-pad before pressing the jump button) to get a bit more height and heft.
New York City Secret Tape
Again, this one is a little more difficult and it will require you to complete another task before you can get the Secret Tape. You’ll need to complete the Collect 5 Subway Tokens task, which will open up the subway doors to you.
Once you’ve done this during a run, the entrance to the subway remains open for each subsequent run, so don’t worry about having to do it all in one go!
Start a new run, or do it all in one go if you’re a legend like me. Either way, you need to get up through the subway doors. These are located at the start of the level. Go forward a little before turning around and you’ll see the escalator opening. Head up here and then turn right. You’ll see the subway tracks are now open for you to grind on, which completes the Grind the Subway Tracks task. Do this and go as far as you can before the tunnel – you need to end the grinding run before the end of the tunnel. You’ll now be in a new area that is only accessible via this route.
There’s a ramped path that leads upwards, and at the end of it there are some metal rods poking out of the structure. You need to grind one and then jump over to the left before going to far. Do this and you’ll have your Secret Tape.
Philadelphia Secret Tape
This one is perhaps the trickiest of all, but with the right stats, a bit of patience, and a dollop of luck, you’ll be able to get it without any issue.
When the level starts, head towards the ramp that is followed by a grindable rail. Hit these up and fill up your special bar to boost your stats. Then, head towards the step at the end of the area and grind one of the rails for a little extra speed. Coming off the rail you’ll have a sloped concrete ramp in front of a large building. Hit this and then do a Boneless to launch high enough to reach the over the railing of the building. If you find you’re not able to comfortably clear the rail, hit the grind button and then jump off onto the roof. Once here, you can go ahead and perform a grind move on the red valves which will complete the Drain the Pool task. Then, on the back wall of the roof, wall-ride up onto the higher roof. From here it’s just a case of getting your jump right and grinding the cable that runs from the roof to the fountain. Here is where you’ll get the Philadelphia Secret Tape.
If you haven’t already, give our Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 PS4 review a read or a watch through here.
