Dating back to 1986, with Atari’s coin-op 720, there have been a slew of skateboarding games. There was Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2, 3 and 4, Tony Hawk’s Underground, Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland and Tony Hawk’s Project 8 to name a few. Wow…not much variety, is there? Breathing new life into the skateboarding genre is the company that gamers seem to love to hate, EA, with its title simply named, Skate. For fans of this genre, EA’s incarnation revives skateboarding video games, after some very stale and uninventive Tony Hawk games.
Because most gamers that are in the market for Skate have likely played the Tony Hawk series, I believe it is fair to compare and contrast the two, as a way of benchmarking. The biggest difference between Skate and Tony Hawk is the control scheme. Skate is unique in that most moves are managed with the two sticks, and the face buttons are used to propel or brake only. Essentially, the left stick controls the skater’s body, while the right stick controls the board. To ollie, the gamer pulls back on the right stick then flicks it straight forward. A kickflip is done by pulling the stick back, then thrusting it to the 10 o’clock position (or 2 o’clock if you’re skating in a goofy stance). Nollies are exactly the reverse of ollies, so by pushing the stick forward, then flicking it to 8 o’clock you perform a nollie kickflip. There are many, many more moves available to the skater. You’ll learn them as you go, or you can always refer to your Trick Book, which also tracks the number of times you’ve attempted and successfully pulled off a given move.
With Tony Hawk, jumping in the proximity of an object and pressing Y initiates grinds. Skate requires only that you jump onto a grindable object with some speed. It may sound easier, but it’s not. It takes timing, accuracy and practice to master this skill. Holding one or both of the trigger buttons performs grabs, which can be tweaked with the right stick. Advanced moves, like a Christ Air, are done with a grab and pressing B. The bottom line is Skate’s system has a steeper learning curve, but is much more challenging and rewarding than the Tony Hawk system. If there is one thing missing from the controls, it’s the lack of a “free look” ability. Often the gamer will want to take a look at a structure to figure out how to get on top, or watch other skaters online. To accomplish this, you have to turn your body, which sets your board in motion. The solution could have been as simple as clicking the right stick to free look, but EA missed this.
Another radical departure from the Tony Hawk series lies in Skate’s treatment of the graphical portion of the game. While games like Project 8 took a cartoony, comic book style approach, EA’s take is a little more urban and gritty. The environments look like a real southern California city, with ramps and grind rails almost looking as if they belong there. There are no “jaggies” to speak of, yet the game maintains a smooth and steady framerate. On occasion, you’ll notice a slight and brief stutter while the game loads the next section of the map, but it is no where near the bogging down you may have experienced with Project 8.
Character models look fantastic and are highly customizable. The gamer has plenty of leeway in shaping the character’s face and body, however there are no female characters offered. You are free to completely alter the look of your skater, should you decide to change later in the game. There is also a large assortment of clothing, accessories and boards to make your skater unique, however the majority of the items have to be unlocked and purchased.
Skate does a great job in the sound effects department. The noise wheels make on pavement is convincing, as are the environmental sounds. The Tony Hawk series has provided some great soundtracks, and Skate is certainly equal to the task. Any game that can drop in Booker T and the MG’s, and make it work, is OK in my book. Rounding out the eclectic play list are Cheap Trick, NWA, Slayer and The Ramones, to name a handful. By default, the soundtrack is set to “Ambient”, which means music will play from a source located in a good place to skate. When you hear music, you can track down its source and find special areas or challenges. Alternately, you can set the music to play constantly, or turn it off altogether.
