Skate

"The controls are ironically what made this game disappointing for me."

Skateboarding games aren't an all-too popular genre, there were a couple, but none of them were as some people call it: "mainstream" or a big hit. That was, until a game called "Tony Hawks Pro Skater" came. The series really became a success with the next two games, than the popular Tony Hawks Pro Skater 4 came out, which is admittedly, my favorite skating game. Whilst it is still a tired genre, a new skating game came out. EA released a new skateboarding game simply called, Skate. It's said to be the "Tony Hawk" killer and is most noted for it's revolutionary controls and realism. While it is a decent skating game, this is definitely not a Tony Hawk killer, nor is it even close to being one.

Controls
Now like I said above, people creamed themselves because of the controls and the incredible realism. In Tony Hawk games, you executed a trick by ollieing, then pressing another button. Usually mixed with the D-Pad. It's different this time. Skate uses what is called the "flick-it" controls, so instead of pressing a button, you use the right analog stick and turn it in different, simple patterns. The problem? There is a lot of tricks to do in Skate, all of them are executed by a pattern on the D-Pad. So it becomes a big hassle to do the tricks you want. Like if I'm trying to do a 360 Flip, most of the time I'll so a 360 Pop Shuv-It.

It is pretty fun when you actually land the trick you wanted to do, but most of the time, it's overly frustrating when you can't do it. You have to be almost pin-point exact to execute semi-difficult to difficult tricks. With grinding, instead of pressing a button when you it a ledge, rail, etc, you just land on it to grind in Skate. It differs depending on what direction your skateboard is facing. Again, another problem when trying to execute a certain trick.

I don't know why people say that it's really like you're skating. It's absolutely nothing like the actual sport. It doesn't add anything to the realism aspect and it's practically a gimmick to make it seem like it's not a Tony Hawk rip-off. I'm not saying that it is, but this is my view on why the controls are like that. The controls failed. Doing something new doesn't necessarily mean it's automatically better, I mean the controls work, but they are a major pain in my ass.
Controls:3/10

Graphics
The graphics are pretty good, but it's nothing we shouldn't expect nowadays. The camera focuses mainly on the skateboard and what tricks you're pulling off. And since I guess every trick was motion-captured, the animations are excellent. However, the environments do get repetitive looking, along with the vehicles. The character you created also disappears every so often, like the old video game flaws if there was too much crap on the screen. Now it almost seems like it was intentional, but I don't know.

Now the facial detail with the pro-skaters are awesome, they look pretty realistic. But I don't know why they couldn't give you better and more choices when you are creating your character. I don't know if I that belongs in the graphics section or not, but it's relevant to the facial detail...it's very limited.

Overall, the graphics are good, but again, it's nothing we shouldn't expect.
Graphics:7/10

Sound

The soundtrack in this game is spectacular. All though it really ranges between limited Rock genres and rap, the music is generally good. But that's me. It will obviously vary for you, so all I can say is this about the music; Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 still has arguably the best soundtrack in any skating game. The sound effects are also good. It sounds like it was recorded from real-life skating (which is probably true).
Sound: 8/10

Gameplay

It's a skating game. So obviously, you skate. The gameplay is set into two categories; free-skating and missions. Most of the missions are challenges by pro skaters, it usually involves you do an already planned out trick(s). This is where the problem comes in. Remember the controls section? Well again, all the tricks available to do in this game are executed by just the the right analog stick. I also mentioned it's a pain in the ass to do a trick that you want to do for the most part. In most of the challenges, you HAVE to do the set of tricks that are list, which becomes tedious and frustrating.

You can also do games of S.K.A.T.E. (like H.O.R.S.E in Basketball), which are generally boring. And the most annoying thing in this game, video tape challenges. This is kind of like Classic Mode in Tony Hawk games, you have to do what is listed. In Tony Hawk, they were fun and not insanely challenging, plus you didn't have to do everything listed. In Skate, you have to do everything listed, most of which are sometimes impossible if you're in the wrong environment, and harsh (and like everything else, frustrating and not fun). But the worst thing about them, they are mandatory for your success in the main Story.

For me really, the only fun part in this game is free skating and playing around with all the different tricks. And surprisingly, this doesn't get boring that quick. This is easily the best part about the game, but not worth the expensive price tag it's set at. There is a lot of skateable stuff in this game, everything from kickers to ledges. But the thing that makes free-skating sucks is you can't even get off your board, plus the pointless bone-breaking system thing. The map is also a decent sized, so there is plenty of stuff to skate. As you progress, you unlock more skating spots, like the Plan B warehouse which is any skater's dream. Street skating in this game is where it shines, but on the vert, not really. I understand the more realistic side they applied to the vert, but it's not fun at all to be on half-pipes in this. It takes more than 10 seconds just to get enough speed to do a trick in the air...and that's if you master how to get speed on it.

The realism aspect in this game is amazing. But there are too many people saying how everything you can do in this game is realistic, which it's not. I did an 180 Indy backflip off of a three-foot high kicker. And is this a bad thing? Absolutely not. It's just the problem is the controls mixed in with the realism. Tony Hawk is known for unrealistic and massively insane stuff and I LOVE that aspect. I'm also totally fine with dramatic realism, but with the unnecessary control scheme, it doesn't even matter. You know what would make this game a hell of a lot better? Tony Hawk control scheme with this game's realism. Perfect skating game if you ask me.
Gameplay:7/10

Final Rating:5/10

This game is by no means bad, but it's not worth buying at all. The controls are pointless which almost makes this game unplayable. Fortunately, experimenting with the tricks possible while free-skating is a blast, which automatically makes the game playable. It's worth a rent, but nothing more. It's still not a Tony Hawk killer.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 07/18/08

Game Release: Skate (US, 09/14/07)