skate

Is there any other skateboarding title out there besides the ones pertaining to the Tony Hawk series? Finally the answer to this question is "Yes" as skate is the only worthy rival of Tony Hawk, even surpassing it when it comes to realistic aspects. EA have done a wonderful job, by starting from a promising premise: a game that's opposite to Tony Hawk and more centered on casual skating than crazy tricks and impossible ollies. The launch of the game is less than two weeks away and we gave the Xbox 360 title a spin, searching for the core and essence of virtual skateboarding.

Concept & Gameplay The new era of sports and sports-related games has begun and EA takes the frontline of the new wave delivering thumbstick-based gameplay. The days of action buttons are gone, as most of the sports sims produced by EA Sports rely heavily on the use of the right analog stick and the left one. In NHL 08 for example, the right analog stick is crucial if you're not used to the title's controls, because it makes the speedy gameplay a piece of cake, also increasing the fun. In skate, you'll control the skater with the left thumbstick and the board with the right thumbstick creating some of the best-looking moves I've seen and also realistic ones, unlike the sci-fi tricks from Tony Hawk.

The most famous skateboarding trick, the ollie is done by holding down the right thumbstick and flicking it up afterwards to make your skater airborne. EA's skate also features a couple of grabs, spins, nollies and the list can go on an on as there's a trick for every piece of environment that you encounter. An interesting feature included in skate is the skate.reel that allows you to edit the videos you save. At any time during the game, you'll be able to capture 30-40 seconds of neat skateboarding tricks, editing the footage afterwards and adding all sorts of filters like fisheye or western. You can speed up the playback and toy with various other options to make the video look cooler, before posting it online. In skate, the player gets a chance to funk around San Vanelona, as he performs grinds and enters various competitions in an attempt to become a top skater.

There's a neat tutorial at the beginning of the game, teaching you all the basic stuff, specially the use of thumbsticks. It's all done through a couple of introductory missions and a merry chap, who'll guide through the world of skate. In case you're really keen on this urban phenomenon you'll surely be happy to know that Danny Way, Chris Cole, Jason Dill, Chris Haslam, Colin McKay and dozens of other major skaters were included in this Xbox 360 title. You've got a big and open city waiting for you, with varied environments to skate on. The player just has to search for the ideal place to skate, even if it's a set of stairs or someone's pool. Since I compared skate to Tony Hawk, I might as well say that this game also features a couple of crazy stunts that can't be performed in real life, but not as many as the previously mentioned rivaling title. San Vanelona is divided into 4 major areas, including the suburbs, the old town and downtown, each with their unique characters.

Some of these areas have heavy traffic and downhill environments, while others include houses with pools which are ideal for a couple of illegally-performed tricks. Downtown, you'll get to skate on the best stairs ever as it's the financial district you're dealing with, packed with company headquarters and security. Unlike Tony Hawk, skate is a relaxed game that doesn't push you to perform the coolest combos, allowing to stroll gently in San Vanelona without pressure. EA's title features a story mode, which will make your skater famous, as he climbs to the top of the hierarchy. You'll know that you're famous once the skateboard magazines start interviewing you making your fame increase big time. Players can also do videos, get photographed and show the rest of the world their tricks. Once you're on the cover of the magazines you're a star and you'll be able to compete in the famous X Games.

I'm not saying that this game is flawless though, mostly because I haven't played the full version yet, but there are still a couple of physics issues to be corrected. The skateboard tends to behave strangely sometimes and the skater's way of falling to the ground surely defies gravity and even anatomy. I'm not a feminist, but I'm surprised to see that the female skaters were left out, so there's no trickster missy to puzzle us all. Too bad, as a feminine player always spices up the competition... The X Games Stadium I mentioned before can be unlocked and you'll surely have a ball there, or should I say a major fall? This title will always allow you to perform tricks in the craziest locations challenging your creativity and originality.

You'll just feel like there are hundreds of cool moves to perform and you only know a few of them the whole time you're playing the game. Unlike other games pertaining to the genre, skate won't award you experience points or new abilities. You start the game with all the tricks you can get and the only experience you earn is your own, developing your skills as you play more. As you'll see by playing the skate demo, there are various "dudes" chilling around town, which you can challenge to a certain competition, by pressing the Y button. Usually this requires you to fulfill three or four tasks, sometimes with the pressure of a time limit.

Video

skate is all next-gen graphics, from top to bottom and really couldn't find a faulty texture anywhere. San Vanelona looks great and there's an unexplainable GTA feeling I can't shake. Then there's that nice video editing feature I mentioned which allows you to become a star, posting your mega jump online. If you compare this title to Tony Hawk, graphically speaking, skate is a breath of fresh air and a much needed break from the long running series. The camera handles the sudden moves of the character and his falls pretty well, catching all of the cool aspects of a grind, grab or ollie. San Vanelona's areas are good-looking, colored and keep that urban look that fits an underground mania like skating competitions.

Sound skate has a pretty neat and original feature hidden in its soundtrack. The well-known Sex Pistols punks got together after 30 years in a studio, in order to create a new version of the "Pretty Vacant" tune. The song is featured in skate, which is a nice addition to the list of 45 tunes you'll be listening to. On the list you'll find famous artists like Slayer or David Bowie, White Stripes or The Ramones, but also a couple of rappers I've never heard of. If may surprise you, but skate features a narrator, that does his job perfectly, guiding you through tutorials and keeping the skatin' spirit alive.

Multiplayer skate is a great online experience, allowing you to take part in various challenges, skate together with your friends or try one of the modes you've also seen in Single Player. Those video replays I mentioned before can also be performed in the company of your friends, so you'll do group replays featuring beautiful choreographies and spectacular moves. Just edit them afterwards and post the videos online, waiting for the other skaters' votes.

Conclusion skate is a bundle of joy getting ready to launch on September 28 and promising to threat Tony Hawk's status as "best skating game". It's no wonder that Tony Hawk's Proving Ground is just around the corner, its demo being available on the Xbox Live, next to skate, as the competition is getting tough in the world of next-gen consoles. We'll just have to wait and see if EA's promising title manages to "outskate" Proving Ground.