Skate 2 Review

Who would have thought that all it would take to dethrone the Tony Hawk franchise from the the skateboarding throne was a little realism and a new control scheme? When you look back at every game that went against it one way or another (Thrasher, Grind Sessions, MTV Sports Skateboarding, etc) and you see all of them were completely destroyed, when buzz first started about some crazy new skateboarding game from EA was in the works, almost everyone dismissed it as them trying to cash in on the Pro Skater style of gameplay finally and started to ignore it. When the day finally came, not only did the original Skate destroy Proving Grounds in sales, it also forced Activision to pull the franchise back to restructure it. Skate 1 was a breakthrough success that shows how one solid idea can completely reinvigorate what everyone had slowly accepted as being a stale genre. Not only was it a breath of fresh air, but there was a strong community built around the game that never faded away, and when EA announced that there was going to be a Skate 2, it was probably the first time that a sequel from them had more excitement in the air for all the potential to change things from the first game, but no one was sure exactly what could be done to change the actual gameplay itself without convoluting the stellar control scheme. Did they actually manage to beat the high standards set in the previous game while throwing in enough stuff to keep things fresh?

Gameplay - 10/10

With the original, not only did they manage to completely alter how people percieved skateboarding games, there was plenty of content, and entire city with 5 very different areas in between, loads of events to participate in, an excellent multiplayer component, and one of the most in depth replay editors anyone had ever seen in a console game. Who would have thought that not only would they completely obliterate that ridiculously high standard set in Skate, but expand on everything everyone loved, mix in old and new environments, and throw some solid co-op in for good measure? Skate 2 is the perfect example of how to make a sequel. Instead of trying to change everything up, they kept the flawless controls intact, threw in loads of new tricks for those that want more to sink their teeth into using some of the extra buttons, altered the event progression, and upped the framerate from 30 fps to 60, making everything buttery smooth. If you missed the original skate or tried it and thought it was fun but never invested time into it, you might do yourself a tremendous favor by starting here. Since it's a skateboarding game, there really wasn't much of a story to speak of other than trying to become a pro by doing various things to get featured on the Skateboard Mag and Thrasher, ultimately striving to earn a cover shot and a chance to show what you learned at the x-games. If you're looking for the crazy destructive antics of the Tony Hawk games, then stay far away, but the sheer number, diversity, and freedom in the events is impressive, not to mention that you no longer have to do events you don't want to unless you're trying to get all of the achievements. The size of the city is just as impressive as before, and it's a nice touch when you're skating through the New San Van's downtown area for the first time, setting up for a massive 360 flip across a familiar stair set only to realize at the last minute that the old landing area has been altered just enough to make everything feel fresh yet still staying away from the arcade-like nature of other skateboarding games. Just in case you get tired of hitting the same old 10 stair or ledges repeatedly, you're now able to freely walk around the city (no grabbing onto ledges here!) and while the controls aren't spectacular for this aspect, it's designed to let you run up different stairs or possibly set up some dumpsters to jump across so you can reach that ledge you've been dying to drop off since you first spotted it. The fact that you actually can move many of the objects in the city and there are ramps stashed in various places that you can move and set up anywhere is an amazing addition that means the diversity of terrain is limited only by your own imagination. If you set up a particularly nice location, you can go into the new spot editor, save it and set a score, then upload it for anyone to try out. Taking a cue from Burnout Paradise, by hitting the back button anywhere in the city, you have access to a map, options, your friends list, and the ability to create an online freeskate session in that location without ever having to return to the main menu. On top of all of this is an enhanced replay editor that lets you control the camera, meaning you can finally make videos that are on par or better than those shown in the intro and trailers for the first skate finally. The only downside to all of the freedom here is that they removed the filter effects that might be added as dlc later, but it's still an amazing package and I can guarantee that you're getting much more than your moneys worth with Skate 2.


Graphics - 10/10

Skate sported one of the sleekest art styles to be seen in a skateboarding game. With the vivid, yet realistic colors of the city and the realistic design of the city (what was with Project 8 and stores that happened to be shaped like halfpipes anyway?) along with some nice work done on models and textures, it seems there were lofty heights to reach if Skate 2 was ever going to improve. Thankfully, EA has some of the deepest pockets in the gaming industry along with some incredible talent, meaning that the framerate was upped, the city's design is similar, yet almost feels completely different, and the small tweaks that you'll have to see to believe. With the ability to freely move the camera around in the replay feature, the models look just as good up close as they do at a distance. While one of the features a lot of people enjoyed were the bails, you always had some people complaining about how your skater never looked like they'd been physically hurt or anything. To anyone that's thinking of making a skater with short shorts and no shirt, after a few bails, you'll see blood dripping down your body, or if you're wearing clothes, you'll notice dirt accumulating the more you hit the ground. Not even the wheels are immune to the realism, with them getting oil all over and the deck showing scratches as time goes by. There's the addition of female models as well, which received just as much attention as the males. That same effect of the world looking more vibrant is back as you get a higher multiplier, which is almost encouragement for trying to make sure you're doing good. Car models look a lot less blocky and overall, everything looks like it had a few extra months to get the extra attention it needed to make this worthy of being a sequel instead of just Skate 1.5

Sound - 9/10

After playing Skate It on DS and having to deal with the same 4 songs over and over, it was nice to see that they put just as much work into the soundtrack here as they did with the original title.There's a nice mix here, meaning that there's something for everyone and the songs all sound like their full versions. The city is full of all of the sounds that made it feel so alive, from the honking of horns as you try to skate across the street to the pedestrians yelling praise or complaints as you skate by them after pulling off a massive trick. The one downside for some people is that supposedly, the sound effects of the board snapping when you pop an ollie has been turned down some, along with the sound of your trucks grinding against different obstacles, which I never really noticed but feel it is worth mentioning for any audiophiles out there. I've got a 5.1 system that I used to test the mixing on and it sounds like everything was done better, such as being able to tell when that security guard is getting dangerously close to my rear right, but I'm not sure anyone was actually saying anything about that in the first game. On the downside, part of me wishes the soundtrack had been a little bigger, but I'm not sure that would have been possible without some aspect of the gameplay having to be sacrificed. There's always custom soundtracks for when you get tired though of what is offered!

Overall - 10/10

I'm simply amazed with the fact that not only does skate 2 stand up well to skate 1, it makes it hard to go back after experiencing it! It's very rare that a sequel manage to simply be a better game than the first but somehow, they pulled it off. Whether you're a hardcore skater or someone that tried out Tony Hawk 2 and thought it was alright, skate 2 is one of the must have games on 360. The sheer size of the environment is impressive, since no area feels like it was neglected. There's plenty of hidden spots to be found, an excellent multiplayer, a trick guide for if you're having trouble with the controls, and one of the strongest communities that's popped up in a long time. If you're picky about graphics, while skate 2 doesn't look as well as Killzone 2 supposedly does, it's surprisingly well done. The entire package is so much more than just a rehash in a new city, meaning that anyone who loved the first game should already have this and it's well worth the 60$ admission tag. Just in case the controls and depth aren't your bag, there's always the hall of meat that's dedicated to wracking up as much damage on your skater as possible. If you don't have the cash to buy it at full price, at least do yourself a favor and rent it, this is the perfect example of how not only to make an excellent sequel, but sets the new standard for action sports games.