Publisher: EA Developer: EA Black Box

Release Date: 1/21/2009 Platforms: PS3, XBOX 360

DRAGGING THAT SOPHOMORE SLUMP OUT BACK AND KNOCKING THE CRAP OUT OF IT…

I have been waiting to do this review since the initial release of Skate. Five minutes into playing I knew a follow up was inevitable. I was blown away to say the least. For the next entry I wanted to see if they could not only identify their weaknesses, but have more ambition than to simply fix what was broken and call it a sequel. And now that the Tony Hawk series is taking a hiatus, it would be all too easy for Black Box to do just that.

But now I know that my faith was not misplaced. Not only has Black Box fixed what was broken. But they have taken strides in moving the genre forward. And although this series is known for a more realistic take on the skateboarding game, Skate 2 goes out of its way not to take itself too seriously.

Is this the best skateboarding game to date? Easily. Do the improvements and new content bring forward a new batch of problems? Sure. Are you still going to love playing regardless? Hell yeah.

So let’s go.

The 400 pound gorilla in the room is the graphics. Yes, this game is beautiful – but we all knew it was going to be, now didn’t we? The create-a-character is better but still nothing all that great. Which is odd considering that EA games are known for their in depth creator setups. Some of the textures are a little low-res but it’s forgivable considering the size of the new and improved San Verona. And although the fictional city is more than twice as large as before, those who played the first Skate will notice that everything is the same but different. For me this makes traveling around both familiar and exciting. Now some purists may get upset when their favorite skate area has been altered. But when they see the new direction, I think they’ll get over it pretty friggin’ quickly.  All the old skate parks have given way to new entries ranging from gritty converted warehouses to new age (but not wannabe futuristic – thank God) multitier wave-influenced areas. The most noticeable difference in the intention of the parks is that you get much less room to build up raw speed. The new direction requires a build up of momentum using objects in the environment. So start looking for those lines people – you’re going to need them.

The sounds are equally as impressive. Your wheels hitting any surface has the sound accompanying it that you would hear out in real life. The voice acting is spot-on and the commentary from your cameraman is hilarious. Music is tight with (once again) one of the best video game soundtracks around. The great ambient sound effects further add to the immersion. The best sounds by far are the cracking and breaking of your bones as you land like a floppy pancake on the ground – after bouncing your head off of a 3ft thick steel pipe that is. It’s good enough to send chills down your spine and make you wince. Oof.

Now for the part that makes us all tingly in the nether regions – new additions to gameplay. The most useful of which is the ability to move certain objects and position them in any way you see fit. This of course gives way to the idea that the player can in some small way customize their own version of Skate 2. When I move an object to a spot, there it stays until I move it again. And although this addition isn’t used often in the career mode, it is invaluable to screwing around with some friends to see just what you can do with what you’ve been given. Granted I position objects in a way that leads to my virtual crippling, but that’s OK because the new and improved ‘Hall Of Meat’ gives you money to break your ass in new and exciting ways. You can even control your body and how you fall – so have at it.

The ability to dismount your board and get to those hard-to-reach spots has been added – finally. And ’skitching’ is now a welcome addition to your move roster. For those of you who have no idea what I just said, skitching is when you grab onto a moving vehicle and hitch a ride. And with a larger San Verona to navigate, this is an awesome way to cover ground fast. Two things to remember: 1) hold on tight because one turn can send you careening off a cliff. 2) Know when to let go because you can get some serious speed that leads to incredible lines of manuals and grinds (Hint: go for the sports cars).

And finally, Black Box has given us the traditional behind-the-player camera angle. This was the one constant that turned off a lot of people who were too used to playing Tony Hawk. And although the transition wasn’t really all that difficult for most gamers, this camera angle will bring in those who couldn’t hack the last game’s view. Welcome to the fold people.

Now as I said before, there are some problems that have popped up in lieu of the new additions. Off the board controls are sloppy and annoying at times, especially when you’re trying to approach a movable object from a certain angle. New levels of realism apparently include garbage and litter that have their own physics. Now that would be kind of cool if the litter and garbage didn’t slow you down at integral points during the game – I’ve actually lost contests from getting hung up on that crap. Note to Black Box: guys, what the hell is that? Seriously.

The final curious downside is the execution of the storyline. We are led to believe that San Verona has become an oppressed police state while your character has been locked up and that your colleagues are struggling to find a place to skate. Everything is supposed to have gone to hell. But the reality is that the streets are littered with rental security guards that need to be constantly abused to give chase. And only a handful of serious guards will kick your ass immediately. I got whacked with a taser on several occasions which was rather brutal (and fun to watch) Word to the wise: don’t piss them off from behind a rail. Portions around the city that have been grind-proofed can be easily fixed in the beginning of the game. And those ‘oppressed’ skaters are literally everywhere. Leaving you to wonder where isn’t a person allowed to skate in this friggin city? This would only be a police state in a kids movie people.

I suppose this wouldn’t be such a big deal if it wasn’t so perplexing. Why even develop this storyline in the first place if you can’t even covey the proper feel past the first three minutes? I expected a heightened sense of urgency and all I got was business as usual. Odd.

Not that business as usual is so bad mind you. The contests are competitive with A.I. that’s challenging but not obnoxiously difficult. The races and challenges are up to snuff (and often improved) with the last offering. The online modes are just as huge of a blast as they have been built up to be by the press – a nice change from other multiplayer offerings from other series. And of course nothing beats getting some friends together and hitting the virtual pavement. The controls are great and still feel very fluid in your hands (the new ‘flickit’ controls are sick) and the camera is right where it needs to be (a couple of hiccups notwithstanding). Video editing is always an awesome distraction and is done particularly well in this series. The level creator is one of my favorite things about this game – post them online and lets your cohorts have at ‘em! You’ll be surprised what the game will let you construct. Time suckage at its best right here people. Get some.

Overall, I recommend Skate 2 to anyone who has even a mild interest in skateboarding. It’s fun, engrossing and great to play online or with friends in the living room. After a few minutes getting used to the controls, you’ll be ripping it up in no time. Hell, your significant other might even go a round or two. So pick this up. I’m talking now-ish folks.

Best. Skateboarding. Game. Ever.

Overall: 8.5 out of 10

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