I used to love playing Tony Hawk games back on the PS1 and PS2. The first couple games of the series were amazing, but things dropped off quite a bit afterward. Even the current-gen versions haven’t wow’d me. Skate came along and revolutionized skateboarding games and now Activision is responding with Tony Hawk: Ride. Go put away your controllers because they won’t work with this game.

Hopping on the board at Activision’s booth at E3 was a bit awkward at first; I almost fell over once or twice in the first five minutes. After playing for 10 minutes or so, things felt natural. Movement is very fluid and this is the most visceral skateboarding experience you’re going to get without hopping on a real board. In the demo I got to play, I initially started out with a trick run where I was doing manuals, olleys, kick flips, and grinds. Controlling each movement on the game’s Easy setting (which was shown) felt great. You can turn things up a notch once you get better, so don’t worry about the difficulty. Afterward, I got to see a half-pipe section where I could pull off big air, hand plants, and all types of tricks.

The game is very realistic and you finally feel connected to the board (since you physically are connected). I spoke with the makers of the board peripheral, Robomodo, during the demo as playing raised a few questions. An in depth calibration will precede playing, so you won’t have to feel the need to move your couch or tables to prevent them from setting off the board’s sensors. You can also tweak it so you don’t have to bend over as far to activate grabs. I asked about wearing shoes versus socks and was told either will work just fine, so you aren’t restricted like with the Wii Fit board. The potential for expansion of the board peripheral is huge, with skiing, snowboarding, and surfing games all set to make their appearances. I wouldn’t be surprised to see it branch out even further.

I think the ease of play and realism will rocket Tony Hawk: Ride up the charts as one of, if not the best skateboarding game we’ll see. Never before have you been so connected to the tricks you pull off in the game. Hitting that 360 kick flip will undoubtedly give you a sense of accomplishment. I haven’t played a skateboarding game extensively in a long time, but I think Ride will change that this Fall.