skate Review
Sep 18, 2007
Nollie 360 pop shove into a manual who what?
Let's just say that after an hour of requests from photographers for Thrasher and Skateboard magazines to complete tricks like the 360-flip to front-side-crooked-grind, you won't be the first to search for "skateboarding tricks" on Wikipedia. Maybe I'm just a poser, but EA has finally created an advanced skating game for skaters.
Any skateboarding game made since 1992 is inevitably going to face comparisons with the sublime Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, a genre-defining franchise if ever there was one. Tony Hawk makes the complicated and technical moves of skateboarding as simple as a button press, making it easily accessible to anyone that's never dropped into a half pipe. Skate, on the other hand, avoids over-the-top arcade style and opts for a simulation approach -- If a 540 Christ Air is hard to pull off in real life, you can bet it's tough to do in Skate, and you can bet it feels that much more rewarding when you land it.
This is due to the analog control system EA has dubbed "Flickit". To do an ollie, you simply flick down then up on the right analog stick. Things get more complicated when you start rolling the stick and moving diagonally for things like varial kick-flips or inward heel-flips. Thankfully there's a handy little trick book in the pause menu with all the instructions you need. The controls work well and it won't be long before you're shredding, but don't expect 900 Mctwists right off the bat.
The beauty of Skate is not so much in the innovative controls but in the progression of your skills and in exploring this gorgeous city. You start out as a lowly newb in sunny San Vanelona, a fictional skate heaven where everything is in play, from elementary schools to community swim centers to skyscrapers to Rob and Big's pad to Danny Way's Skate Park. As a young pro, you need to get noticed to access to these hot spots. The only way to do that is to shred the town and get your pic in one of the skate mags: Skateboard or Thrasher. You can choose to accept these picture challenges in any order for either mag -- the eventual goal is to land the cover. When you perform these stunts, a photographer will stake out a hot spot and you can try over and over again to get the assigned maneuver right. Some are easy and you can do in one go. Others may take well over an hour to nail just right -- frustrating if you don't have the patience to gut it out. Still, it's awesome to nail a trick and pick out a photo that will grace the cover of Thrasher. If that's not enough, you can create your own skate vid at any time and upload it online for your friends to see and rate. Radical.
There's also a ton of licensed gear in Skate, and as you become better known from your magazine and movie coverage, sponsors like Volcom and Independent will knock on your door. Guiding you through Skate are a number of pros like Danny Way, Mike Carroll, and Jerry Hsu, adding to the already awesome atmosphere of San Van, as the locals call it. Represent!
As luck would have it, Skate's also gorgeous to look at, especially as you're competing in the Big Air contest at the X Games, standing on top of a 100-foot mega-ramp. Danny Way used the same type of ramp to jump the Great Wall of China in real-life -- now you can go big yourself. The only problem is that camera focuses too much on the board instead of where you are going, making it hard to see on sharp turns for a Thrasher downhill death race. The sound features an eclectic soundtrack including the likes of Black Flag, Motorhead, David Bowie and ZZ Top. The pros provide a ton of dialog and the sound effects are amazing -- the splat your head makes on a botched front flip is memorable. EA also tracks your broken bones with a chart known as The Hall of Meat. Nice.
Aside from the online video features, players can also jump online and play "s.k.a.t.e.," a game of horse with a board, or have trick contests at 20 designated spots around San Vanelona, like a huge ramp made of garbage or a hidden apartment swimming pool.
But even though Skate is swimming with atmosphere and features, it's the gameplay that stands out in this gem. It's not trying to compete with Tony Hawk -- it's trying to do its own thing. As such, old Tony Hawk fans looking for a more authentic challenge will love this game. While some challenges will be frustrating, that's just how skating is, and EA did a wonderful job re-creating the atmosphere and style of the sport in game form. Take our advice and play this game. When you're standing on top of that 100-foot tall mega-ramp with X Games gold, you'll thank us.