The Skate series has become a fan favorite over the last couple years, as it has fought for the love of skateboard-loving gamers against the Tony Hawk series that has dominated for generations. Luckily for those who have been dying for another fixing of Skate, the wait is over as Skate 3 is set to release this May. We had a chance to play a near final version of the game and Skate 3 feels a tad familiar, but definitely in a good way. Skate 3 is more or less a slightly tweaked version of Skate 2, with no major changes being made to disrupt the popular formula that has gained the series its success. You still use the right thumbstick to do all of your tricks. It is a tried and true formula that was certainly awkward when it was initially introduced, but we honestly can’t imagine a skateboarding game using any other method. The basic story for each and every one of the Skate titles is quite similar; in Skate 3 players will work-through the story of a skater trying to generate success in the city of Port Carverton, as you and other members of a team you create try and sell skateboard decks.
The goal is 1,000,000 decks and it is going to take a lot of work to rise to the challenge and be successful. In order to sell these decks, you must complete challenges in the open world setting that has previously existed in the series. The challenges are scattered all over the expansive city, allowing you to explore the turf, as you become biggest vendor of decks in Port Carverton. One of the best new features added to the Skate 3 is how there is no difference between single and multiplayer. Throughout the campaign, you skate with two other AI skaters each of which can be taken over by a friend on Xbox LIVE. This completely eliminates different modes of play, even though there are a couple different multiplayer options if you should be interested in that type of gameplay. A unique addition that certainly only adds to the overall awesome experience that Skate 3 already provides. You can still share photos and video shoots with friends over Live. If you are used to playing the series alone, don’t fret, you can recruit other AI skaters to join the cause as you play through the lengthy campaign.
The online play is a little awkward as each player gets a turn choosing objectives, so it’s not completely seamless, but great nonetheless. Another aspect that has been changed up in Skate is the method of travel throughout the city. The city is broken up into various districts, as in the previous games you could easily teleport from objective to objective so Black Box broke the city up to make the travel even quicker. We should also expect another great soundtrack, provided by EA Trax. Skate 3 doesn’t take any risks at all. This is one of the few times where that is the best decision. The series always manages to be fresh even though there aren’t any leaps in the gameplay or modes, which is a good way for Black Box to go. If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it. Skate 3 is shaping up to be another great addition to the series, especially for the fans. If you haven’t played Skate before, Skate 3 will be the perfect excuse to give the series another shot when it releases later in the month. Stay tuned to PlanetXbox360.com for more details and a full detailed review in the next couple weeks, until then a demo of Skate 3 is now available for download on Xbox LIVE if you would like to try it out.
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