Skate 2

Developer: EA Black Box
Publisher: EA
Release Date: Jan. 22, 2008
Systems: Xbox 360 (reviewed), PS3
ESRB Rating: T
Official Web site

In a nutshell: The most realistic skating experience you can have lying down on a couch.

0:00 I enjoyed my hour with the demo of the original Skate so much that it almost made up for the time I spent suffering through the Wii spin-off Skate It. Hopefully this Xbox 360 sequel will bring the joy back.

0:01 The Skate 2 logo flickers on a billboard atop a half-pipe, with random skaters skating about. The bottom shows "EA|HD: HD-compatible for optimal gaming." Er, doesn't that go without saying on the Xbox 360 these days?

0:02 Logging into my EA Nation account using the on-screen keyboard is pretty annoying. Also, what's the point of blanking out my password as I enter it if anyone can see me choosing the letters very slowly?

0:03 The camera zooms down an alley to the menu on a brick wall. "Thank You for Letting Me Be Myself" plays in the background ... appropriate for a game that lets you make your own tricks.

0:04 New Career. "Hey, get up ... it's time to go," says a guard from behind a meal slot. "It's your lucky day, boy." Surprisingly, it's HD video and not pre-rendered animation. It's like the opening to some hard-bitten crime show as I pass by other prisoners, each with the name of an actor hovering below them. Out in the prison yard, they're rolling dice and lifting weights, eating ice cream and ... playing patty cake? Reminds me of "Arrested Development" a bit.

Read the full review at Crispy Gamer

skate.

Developer: Black Box
Publisher: EA
Release Date: Sept. 12, 2007
Systems: Xbox 360, PS3
ESRB Rating: T
Official Web Site

In a nutshell: Er, skate.

0:01 The title screen is the word "skate" with a skateboard rolling sound in the background. Simple and effective.
0:02 "The community center it he perfect place to learn the basics." OK! These "flickit" controls are gonna take some getting used to for a Tony Hawk semi-pro like me.
0:05 The flicking and rotation to pull off moves kind of remind me of Street Fighter II. Also, I find it funny that I know how to do jump tricks but not how to skate around yet.
0:06 "You'll figure it out eventually. Timing just takes practice." This does not inspire confidence before my first try at jumping onto ledges.
0:07 "Yo, ease up on the push button, man. This ain't a button-mashing game." Cute.
0:08 The entire sky turns blood red when you fall. Nice touch. I also like the low to the ground camera angle. Dramatic.
0:09 It so weird having actual momentum. In Tony Hawk I'd be flying around like a pinball, instead, I slow down rather quickly by turning.
0:12 There's no grind button? No, instead you just jump onto a rail and grind if you're lined up right. I have to admit grinds that just kind of end because I lose momentum aren't as exciting, but they're definitely more realistic than in Tony Hawk.
0:15 Replay editing is full of options, but the analog controls are kind of touchy. Either it's super slow or super fast. Something more in-between would be nice.
0:16 I run into a rail and bail. In Tony Hawk I'd have just bounced off. I'm not sure which I prefer yet.
0:18 "Just close your eyes and pretend it doesn't hurt." I laughed.
0:19 I complete a challenge but this time I only get photos, not editable replays. What's up with that?
0:20 The rag doll physics make falls look awkward. The skater just kind of goes limp. Where's the tension in the muscles?
0:24 Ouch! I'm so intent on pulling off a nollie that I run right into a cement pillar. The bails aren't nearly as violent as they are in Tony Hawk, but they make me cringe more. Probably because they're not so over the top.
0:34 For the past ten minutes I've been trying to flip into a manual. Every time the off-screen helper says the same... exact... thing. I want to kill him!
0:39 Five more minutes and I still can't pull off the flip into manual. What am I doing wrong? Enlighten me, game!
0:42 Finally got it! The key seems to be going for bigger air, holding the stick down longer before the first jump, and using a very subtle touch for the manual. Requires much finer control than Tony Hawk, where mashing the control stick is more the order of the day.
0:49 I really feel a sense of accomplishment when I put together a line and getting 1000 points with three grinds. The game really lets your creativity shine.
0:51 In the middle of a trick I get a "demo is timed out" message and get bumped out to a video of some greater tricks then I'm kicked out to the dashboard. Note to EA: A time limit does not really promote the game's open, go-anywhere nature.

Would I play this game for more than an hour 51 minutes? Yes
Why? It's wholly different and shows lots of rooms for creativity and expansion.

This review based on an early demo version downloaded from Xbox Live.