Skate: Xbox 360 Review – is it the Tony Hawk Killer?
Gronar recently wrote his review for Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground so I wanted to follow up with my review for Skate. When I first saw Skate in action, I said it would be a Tony Hawk killer. I played almost every game in the Tony Hawk franchise. He’s a nice guy and a talented skater but the games have seemed to rely on old tricks and never changed in all the years of the franchise.
Skate has a new control system features skaters that relate to the skate boarding crowd. This was what first impressed me when I play it prior to release. I am always a bit worried about raving on an early build before the retail version shows up since last minute changes have been known to happen. Read the full Skate Review to see why Skate may just be the new king in town.
Gameplay
I mentioned I saw and played Skate prior to release. Even then the game seemed to remind me of another favorite of mine, Amped. The game is about you trying to break into the professional world of Skateboarding. The unique thing about Skate is the fact the story line is really only the fact you’re trying to grab cover and reputation. Other than that there is no story and in Skate this formula works very well.
Skate also features a whole new way of pulling off tricks and I will go into the full details of this in the control section. I mention it here because in a way the game already separates itself from being another wanna be Tony Hawk clone or knock off. You are bound to find some similar areas or challenges, but Skate has its own feel and its own city, which is huge. You won’t find any breakaway glass to smash through or hidden doors. It’s pure skating and tricks as you try to make a name for yourself. Along the way you will meet up with pros. If you beat or impress them, you earn certain perks like a key to someone’s playground or an invite to a bigger competition. You’ll also have your camera man filming you right from the start and later learn why he will play a big key to the game.
San Vanelona is really influenced by three major cities and rolled up into one. It is the stage that you will play on and try and make it to the top. I like the fact EA scouted out the best places to skate and made one city to do all the action in instead of hoping around. I also enjoyed the fact you will find hidden areas like Danny’s compound, which has a sick ramp and a 360 tunnel to concur. Make the right lines keep your multi-player going and you’ll earn street cred and huge points.
Closer to the end you will be able to take part in the X Games and the Monster Ramp. Skate is not about pool grinding and racking up the multiplier. It’s more about the art and finer points of the sport. I noticed that while playing at first and even later I would go for the Y button or another staple THPS control move. It’s going to happen. Anyone who likes skating has been playing Tony Hawk games for years and habits are hard to break. Skate gives skateboarding fans and enthusiasts another option. While not perfect, for the first game of a franchise Skate is impressive.
Control
You will learn while playing the game that all the tricks and moves are done with the analog sticks. In fact you will only tap a button to get speed and grab the board. While the game is set so you get practice, it will take awhile to learn all the movements to memory. In a way, think of fight night and you will get a feeling of the way the controls work. Two things will help you during the game: one is to take your time pulling off tricks and two: use a steady movement. If you go too fast, you’ll pull off a different trick.
Younger gamers and old school TH fans may need more practice. In time it soon makes sense. In fact I wonder why Activision did not think of this years ago. Skate has a solid control scheme and it fits the Xbox 360 controller very well. You just need to learn it. Skate also has a replay editor that allows you to make movies, add effects of your best line, upload them and allow others to watch them at the website. All issues with the log in and uploads have been fixed and it’s neat to be able to show off your best lines.
Xbox Live
Skate offers some cool online features. You can host a room, make it private and just skate or take on a friend in a game of S.K.A.T.E. You can also try and out score a friend or race which I liked. If Skate has anything that needs addressed, it would have to be the size of the online areas. If you have a full room, it seems crowded and not as fun as when less people are involved. I also did not like it that you need to go to certain areas for certain events. I would have loved to have been able to skate each event everywhere. I am sure EA is already making adjustments on the sequel, but I had to mention it. I played online with a few friends and with Gronar and we had a blast trying new things out and skating the races. We both agreed talking later that the game is solid but needs a few tweaks here and there. For a first attempt, the online mode is well done.
Graphics
Skate looks good and in certain areas looks fantastic. At times there is a sudden change that they need to adjust in the next game. This is not to say the graphics are not well done. It happens in extreme games all the time. You can customize your skater and I liked the options.
The pros were all motion captured so they look excellent. Most of the compounds were taking from actual footage shot at each place and then modeled dead on. EA also owns the rights to the X Games, so the course looks amazing. My only real complaint is when it would look washed out and then back to normal.
Audio
Having a chance to play the game early, I also heard the sound track and was a little surprised. Skate offers a wide range of music. Most songs were hand-picked by the pros and the team. Some skateboarding fans may be a little surprised, but I liked the choices. The voice-over work is good and all done by the pros themselves. At times there are a few sound effects that sound either weak or not loud enough but overall a solid job in the audio department.
Replay Value
Skate offers skaters plenty of challenges and replay value. Extreme sports games are hard to flat out judge the reply value since each gamer is different. Die hard skateboarding fans will find Skate offers plenty. For others the replay will be a little less. EA didn’t reinvent the wheel here. They improved on an old formula and added something that was missing. Overall, it’s a game that is fun and will have replay value. Adding the ability to upload videos was a good idea.
Bottom Line
Overall Score: 8.5/10.0
Additional Comments
The team wanted to create a new way to play extreme skateboarding games and they succeeded. In many ways they nailed it solid and deserve praise for the freshman attempt. It shows a few signs of being new and in need of adjustments, but every new franchise learns from doing it. Skate is refreshing and fun and at least fans of this genre now have a choice. I think the controls make the game seem more realistic and offer more of a challenge.
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Filed under: Reviews • Xbox 360
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So SKATE beat out Hawk’s Proving Ground by more than a full point here at XBS… personally, I think it should have beat it by 2 points. But good review.
As writer of the Tony Hawk review, I have to agree. Skate is the superior skateboarding experience for 2007.
Thanks Jason, I would have scored it higher but with the new controls and the monor thing I thought it was rated just about right. If the VGA’s wne tas I think the did EA should win for best extreme sports game of the year.