SkateSkateboarding is nothing new for videogames. Many of us here at XBS have enjoyed playing THPS series for years even online through GameSpy before Xbox Live support. The sad thing is that when one company has the market cornered, there is no reason to really raise the bar. The first three games of Tony Hawk were a blast to play and they kept my attention. While I thought Project was a step in a new direction, it still had the basic controls for the most part. I started to read about Skate and it grabbed my attention. The trailers alone were great but the question was could EA really bring something new and fresh for those who enjoy skateboarding games? Well, XBS was invited to attend the Skate Community event at EAX Studio in Vancouver. What you are about to read is a recap of the event and my impressions of the game — you maybe surprised at what I think!

I headed off to Vancouver on Monday morning and with no surprise got delayed in O’Hara for a few hours. So arriving late I checked in and caught up with the EA staff and community members for dinner. Since they were just about ready to leave, I grabbed something for takeout and we headed back to the hotel. I knew two members invited and the rest were real skateboarders who run fan sites. Most of them had their decks in hand and skated back to the hotel. Tuesday morning we had breakfast and headed over to EAX again. Some members walked while others skated over to the downtown studio. After a tour of the studio and some introductions, we had the first real glance at Skate.

Jay Balmer explained why Skate has created the buzz it has. I have added the trailer named Balmer Controls to the bottom of this paragraph, so you can see first hand what I saw and get a feel of the game right away. When watching the trailer, you’ll notice everything is controlled by the analog sticks. Tricks and combos can be created together without button mashing. It also means no more going to the first pool or long pipe area and just grinding at will to rack up stats and points.

Skate Screenshot

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The “Flickit” controls are impressive and with a little practice anyone will be able to pull off the tricks faster and in a more realistic way. When we first sat down to play the build of the game, I found myself tapping certain buttons by habit. The team came around to offer some advice and also to see what our first thoughts were. Chris Parry AKA Cuz noticed I was reaching for the buttons and tried to help break me of this habit. Finally after about 30 minutes with the game, I stopped reaching for the buttons and was doing some of the harder tricks. I also noticed that the real skateboarders were really into the game and soon a few were pulling off the insane tricks and landing them with ease. One of my biggest complaints about the Tony Hawk games is that while you could pull off a great trick or combo, the only one that ever saw it was you. In Skate you can stop the game and replay the combo or trick, add filters, and adjust the speed and camera angles. You can then save it by uploading it and send a note to your friends so they can watch it. You can also go anywhere and explore the city. There is no penalty for opening things up out of order. In fact there really isn’t any order. Skate and explore the way you want where you want!

Skate Screenshot

While I can’t tell you everything about the game, I do want to let you know the game is huge. You open up more places by completing certain tasks or challenges. You will also meet up with real pro skaters while playing. I will add the complete list of the pros near the end of the preview. EA went for a more realistic angle of the sport and, while you won’t find things to smash through, you will find challenges that are constantly changing. When attending any of the EA community events, you begin to learn to read both the group playing and the team members who created the game you are playing. These guys love the sport. They participate in it and love to skate in real life. This team believes what they are about to release is the best they could bring out and I like their attitude.

Reading a few of the emails and forums, there is a huge question about the story of the game. While there is a story and a reason for going through the massive city that the team invented, we were not allowed to see the opening. I can tell you that a camera man is with you recording your highlights and goals. Skate allows you to create a skater and style that fits you. There are plenty of different looks and items to choose from while creating your skater. I can also say as someone who has played almost all the sports games, it has a feel of the first amped in certain ways. One last thing about the story line: if you ever watched Seinfeld, you know the running gag about what the show is about. Skate is a lot like Seinfeld. In other words, don’t get to worried about what the story is, just enjoy it and you’ll get the most out of it.

Many of you have read our reviews and saw a few times when I questioned the EA Trax included in past EA titles as not really fitting in or even suggesting using custom soundtracks. This time the music is great and fits the skateboarding time span perfectly. I can’t give the play list, but I think everyone will find that it fits. Also the music does not play non-stop. The music will cue in when you’re near a certain challenge or hotspot in the game. We were running behind schedule and had to stop playing so they could show us in detail the Skate.Reel and online play. The skate.Reel is the option to record your last trick or combo and add effects and different camera angles to show it off to your friends. I really liked this feature and can already see how this will be used to showcase awesome tricks and push friends to out do each other in a friendly way. Editing and putting together a reel is pretty simple with a little practice.

Skate Screenshot

So far I really liked the game and the questions I had at first were all answered except for one relating to an online mode. Online play is hot and to be honest if Skate is going to compete in the market, they need an online mode that will be solid and fun. Due to NDA’s and the fact we were being shown things way in advance, I can’t go into details. I can tell everyone EA built a solid online mode that will be fun as well as offer competition. It seems EA went all out making both the single-player and the online modes, which is something gamers will want to play. Yes, you will be able to play with friends and it supports enough players per session to make it interesting. Just remember this is an overview and a preview of the game. Once it hits I know readers will come back to me and say “why didn’t you mention this or that feature?” I can’t and don’t want to spoil the game for anyone. I will say that after seeing it and having several hours to play it, Skate will certainly challenge Tony Hawk and it’s the gamers that win. Without competition in the market, there was no need to push the envelope and fortunately now there is!

Do yourself a favor and watch the trailers. All the tricks listed in the trailer are in the game and many more. This community event was different due to the large amount of younger skaters, but to be honest I got a good feel from their responses and the excitement that filled the room during the gameplay time we had. We did have a tournament and while I did not walk away with the bragging rights, I made it to the finals. Even after playing for hours, I could have sat back down and played some more and that says a lot. I promised to list the pros in the game so here is the list.

Danny Way, Mark Gonzales, Rob Dyrdek, Mike Carroll, P.J. Ladd, Chris Cole, Jason Dill, Pat Duffy, Jerry Hsu, Paul Rodriguez, Dennis Busenitz, Alex Chalmers, Chris Haslam, Colin McKay, John Rattray, Ryan Gallant, Ryan Smith and Terry Kennedy.

In closing, it is always hard to try and let our readers in on both the event and the gameplay. I hope this gave you a decent feel for both. I also want you to know I walked away from the event with the feeling EA is onto something really big here and not just hyping another game. Skate will be a hit and there will be a Skate 2 and more. It is something new and it’s the right time to release this to the Xbox 360 community. I also want to thank Ben Swanson, EA Community Manager, for showing us a great time both during the time with the game and after the event. Also the whole Skate team thanks and Cuz keep skating man.

Written by Rich Reed XBS Head Writer

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Filed under: Previews • Xbox 360

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