Despite some issues with pop-in, the textures and architectural complexity of New San Van are amazing, and make the original Skate look like a lifeless town of broken LEGOs. Black Box went all-out and crammed an unholy amount of obstacles everywhere you look, so you can say goodbye to the days of cruising from spot to spot. At the same time, the city feels vast and expansive instead of claustrophobic. I was sincerely afraid that New San Van would turn into a stream of pre-made lines, but for every gleaming rail, there’s another with a nasty kink in the middle, and even the smoothest-looking gap might catch you in the neck with a low overhang or tree branch.
I love the raw and realistic approach to Skate 2’s level design, which is why the more user-friendly game mechanics hurt so badly. Landing sideways after blasting over a gap at 35mph, and in a manual no less, should not happen in any game. You can feel the hand of a mystical force pulling you to objects. It’s nice for transitions and dropping into pools, but not when half of your intended manuals get pulled into grinds. Vert also plays a much larger role in Skate 2, with a nice mix of colossal half-pipes and mini-ramps, but every ride is a gamble. Will you get that massive air, stall on the coping, or simply launch out? Vert is more manageable than it was in Skate, but to be blunt, it still blows. You’ll have to suck it up and ride the pools at some time if you want to see Career mode all the way through, and this time around, there are advantages to fattening your wallet. In addition to unlocking some of the best spots; you can buy expansions to the gargantuan Plan B Megapark and commission your cohorts to drain pools, divert security, and remove those pesky skate-stops.
As in Skate, you climb the ranks to sponsored-status by getting coverage in Thrasher and Skateboard Mag, and once again, the difficulty of the events ranges from childishly easy to rage-fueling aggravation. It doesn’t help that some of the photo and video missions seem bugged. On at least 20 occasions, I performed the required trick/sequence (with replays to prove it), but didn’t get credited. If all you want to do is free skate with some friends, Black Box gave the online and party-play features a much-needed overhaul. Spot Battles and S.K.A.T.E. are back along with the crash competition, Hall of Meat, and the bails in Skate 2 are more brutal than ever. Online free skate sessions are substantially larger, and players now have the option of activating events in the middle of those sessions. If you have a gap that you made out of moveable objects, you can even save it for a Spot Battle.
It’s amazing how little additions like getting off the board, fastplanting, and even sorting your replays into categories can have such a profound affect on the whole experience. The first Skate was nowhere near perfect, but it was a massive step forward in the right direction, and away from the high-flying acrobatics and rooftop grinds that have nothing to do with actual skating. To that end, Skate 2 feels less like a sequel, and more like the realization of the original dream. Now, if only I could get my cameraman to shut up for more than two seconds so I could concentrate.
