For nearly a decade, the Tony Hawk series has been running unopposed as
the only worthy skateboarding title. EA's skate. was looking to change
that last September, and for the most part, it succeeded that goal.
As opposed to Tony Hawk's, skate. is all about realism and simulation,
instead of insane jackass stunts. skate. uses a great physics engine,
and flickit controls. Using the right analog stick allows your skater
to manipulate the board, just as a normal skater would. Certain motions
made using the stick, result in different tedious tricks. The flickit
system is fresh, innovative, smooth, and natural. It is the most
perfect control scheme possibly ever in the history of gaming. No joke.
San Vanelona is the featured city in skate., and it's full of sweet
rails, and steep streets for you to get cool lines off of. Of course,
there are also plenty of cars and pedestrians to get in your way, but
it just adds to the organic feel of the world. Instead of grinding on a
telephone wire, you'll be grinding on a curb, or on a handrail. San
Vanelona is wide open, with four different subsections. The Suburbs is
where you'll find the community center skate park, as well as plenty of
backyard pools to get your air on. The Rez is full of steep streets,
with lots of jumps. Here's where speed freaks will get their own.
Downtown is the financial district, with 30 stair rails, but also lost
of security to try to stop you. Finally, Old Town is where you'll find
all the skate plazas, as well as the dry dam, where all the best races
are held. The city is huge, and whatever your style, you'll find
something to fit you.
Graphically, skate. is a gorgeous game. The lighting effects are
fantastic, and the animations made by your skater are seemless.
Unfortunately, there are a few drops in framerate, and many of the
textures are blurry. You'd think that'd make the game hideous, but it
really doesn't. skate. has a great art style that keeps everything
looking great.
skate. isn't just a street skater, as there are plenty of places to get
sweet air. The triggers allow you to grab wither side of the board, and
the right analog stick tweaks your grab in air. Pressing the brake
button can take your feet off the board, so you can do a christ air, or
a no foot air. The vert system is really deep, and just as feash as the
flickit system.
Jumping and grinding are really innovative and simplified. Flicking the
right stick down then up allows you to ollie, and simply jumping on a
rail at a good angle will allow you to grind. It's much more simple and
realized than pressing a button when prompted.
As you can tell, I love the trick system. Surrounding that, there are a
ton of game modes to use it in. Career mode allows you to create your
own skater, and try to become famous. Throughout San Vanelona, you need
to get coverage in the Skateboard Mag, or Thrasher Magazine. Once
you've obtained the cover to each magazine, you get to go to the X
Games. There are tournaments to win, and cool spots to own, as well as
pros to show up. All the challenges are very difficult,but very
rewarding to do. if you never give up, you will love career mode. The X
Games are announced by Sal Massakela. This is the best use of an ESPN
license in the history of gaming. No Joke. There's also the big air
ramp at the X Games, which is really cool, and you'll get a ton of air
here. If you get gold at the X Games, that's about as rewarding the
game will get. It will take about 3 - 6 hours to do that, but you can
still go out an unlock all the skaters and places to skate.
There's a good online mode, with races and spot challenges to do, as
well as playing a game of S.K.A.T.E. against others. You can also do
this offline in "Party Mode" There's a lot of ways to utilize the
controls in skate., and it is unbelievably fun to do.
The soundtrack in skate. is one of the better ones by EA. There are
over a dozen pros you meet through the game, and they are all voiced
perfectly. skate. is such an authentic game that way. The actual sounds
of skating are top notch, and were nailed 100%.
skate. has very little flaws. The framerate isn't perfect, the camera
is sometimes a bit clunky, and the game can be unfairly difficult. But
those are the only flaws. There you go.
As for difference between both versions: The 360 version runs quite a
bit smoother, and has better coloring, but the Ps3 version is sharper.
It really just comes down to which console you have, and if you have
both, then just flip a coin.
skate. is the best skateboarding game ever made. There isn't enough
good to say about this game. It really surprised me, as my expectations
were skeptical going into playing. Once I played for awhile, i got
sucked in. skate. is the most fresh and innovative idea in a long time.
Not only is it a great skating game, it also happens to be one of the
best games of 2007, in my opinion. Congratulations EA Black Box, you've
won my confidence all over again.
