Skate It

"Let's Skate!"

As soon as I heard that this game was coming out on DS, I was growing more and more excited each day. I saw the screenshots and gameplay videos, and I play EA Skate for the xbox 360 all the time, and I was hoping they would be able to capture the same feel as the console versions and they did just that. It's Skate on the go!

Gameplay 9/10

Very fun gameplay that gets you hooked. Unlike the Tony Hawk games for the DS, you actually have to put effort in the challenges. (its not just kickflipping over a car that they put you right in front of) The challenges in this game can be difficult at times, but they are possible, and fun too.

Controls 9/10

Flick it! Using a little board on the bottom screen, you flick the stylus a certain way for each trick. I saw in the gameplay videos that the board was diagonal, and that bothered me the whole time that I was waiting for it to be released. I was thinking, "Why would they put the board not facing up and down? That's gonna bug the crap out of me!" But then I was relieved to find that under the settings you can change the board alignment however you like! Lefties don't have to worry. The controls is what EA Skate is all about, and they did a great job on getting the right feel for the nintendo DS. Just like Skate for the consoles, the controls do take some practice to get consistent with. You can do every trick that you can do in the console version: All flip tricks, All grinds, All grabs (including Coffin), Backflips, Frontflips, Powerslides, Reverts, etc.

Graphics 9/10

The graphics are awesome for the nintendo DS and all the levels that were in Skate for the console versions are exact to pretty much every detail. That is one of the features that makes this game so fun! Some of the environments can look a little scratchy at times but hey what DS game isn't like that?

Sound 6/10

The sounds of the skating is good and the tracks are cool, but there are only four songs. When each song is about 3 minutes and I usually play this game for about 30 minutes to an hour at a time, I found myself getting sick of hearing them over and over again so I just turned them off. This doesn't at all take away from the gameplay though.

Multiplayer/Wifi 10/10

This is what I love about this game. When you play online with this game, you will start off in a level freeskating with one other person. From there you can challenge them to games of S.K.A.T.E., death races, best trick contests, and jams. If they just want to keep freeskating, than they can just vote no. You can also vote to change locations whenever you want to.

Overall 9/10

Overall I think this is a very good game and better than the Tony Hawk series for the nintendo DS. Although I beat this game in about 3-4 days, it makes me want to keep playing more - even if it's just for the fun of freeskating. What's great about it is it even has replay! You can see the cool line you just did or the 360 christ air backflip off the mega-ramp! It is only the last 10 seconds though (rather than 30 for the consoles) but you actually most likely did a lot in the last 10 seconds. I would definitely recommend buying this game(sold new at around 29.99). Great game, great price, great wifi. I think you will love this game. This Skate It was so great it would be upsetting if they don't come out with a Skate It 2.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/29/08

Game Release: Skate It (US, 11/19/08)