Skate 2

"A bag full of tricks and a memory that will make you forget who Tony Hawk is."

As the title says, Skate 2 COMPLETELY makes you forget about Tony Hawk while your playing it. The only times you will remember is when you see the box art for one of his games.

But that phrase right there doesn't sum this game up- It will take a lot more than that.


Gameplay: 10/10

Absolutely perfect for a skating game. Controls are well-mapped to the controller, and for some, bailing just might be the fun part of this game.


Graphics: 8/10

Ah, this is where the music ends. While the framerate and the overall smoothness of the game has been improved and marks, cuts, and burns have been added, there are still a few kinks. The prettyness hasn't much improved from the first game, and at times, the framerate can even dip below 30.

Audio: 10/10

Another perfection on Black Box's title, the type of music fits perfectly into the skating world of San Vanelona.

Controls: 7/10

This area of the game aslo has a few kinks that might need to be straightend out. Newcomers to the Skate series will DEFINATELY have trouble doing specific tricks, the most notible being the kickflip, and the varial kickflip. But, otherwise, they are perfectly mapped to the controllers.


Plot: 5/10

Now this is where it really hurts. Black Box decided to follow Saint's Row 2's storyline, making you disappear for 5 years, come back, be told that a disaster happened, and that a neighborhood-friendly company came in and picked up the pieces. Least I remind you that Saint's 2 came out first.


New Features introduced: 10/10

This area really shines. Brightly. you can now get off your board to do activities, get hit by a car, or move objects around to make your own skating heaven. The introduction of the Thrasher Hall of Meat also makes bright lights--Whenever you bail, points are racked up to see how much damage you've done. When the box glows red, it means you've broken something. But this also has it's drawbacks--Breaking a limb is much more harder than in the past, so expect to be dropping and falling hard in order to break something. Black Box has also amped up how many tricks you can now do--New Flick-it moves such as the one-foots, handplants, and hippy jumps will make an appearance.


Overall:

Skate 2 has made a memorable comeback since it's first outing, and double the fun. Although there are a few kinks that might need to be sorted out in the future, this game is endlessly replayable.
One last question: Who is Tony Hawk?

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/03/09

Game Release: Skate 2 (US, 01/21/09)