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Skate It

• By Matt Cabral
• December 09, 2008 11:16 AM PST
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Electronic Arts brings their slick skate sim to the Wii with intuitive Wii-mote controls, gnarly Balance Board support, and a bag of tricks that'd make Tony Hawk take notice.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Not as good as last year's 360 and PS3 versions, but still an excellent effort for the Wii, with surprisingly good "flick-it" controls. Finicky but fun Balance Board support will have you dusting off the rarely used peripheral.

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Just over a year ago, Electronic Arts let Skate loose into the previously Tony Hawk-dominated extreme sports genre. The title's sim-over-arcade controls proved an instant success, earning serious street cred with fans, while giving Mr. Hawk a reason to quiver in his Vans. The Wii version, dubbed Skate It, invites gamepad grinders back to the fictional skater's paradise, San Vanelona, for another dose of slick tricks and skinned knees. The series' staple organic "flick-it" controls, triggered by the analog sticks on the PS3 and 360 versions, are mapped surprisingly faithfully to the Wii-mote. Imagine the wireless Wii controller as a giant analog stick, and you'll be well on your way to urban skater stardom; kickflips, ollies, nollies, and pop shuv-its can all be intuitively pulled with some creative waggling. Additionally, A and B button presses further modify your sick skills with grabs and grinds. Toss in some air-catching tweaks and D-pad-triggered style enhancements, and you're working with a brimming bag of tricks.

Even cooler, those that have been waiting for a reason to blow that dense layer of dust off their balance board, can hop back on it for an even more immersive experience. You'll still need the remote for some moves, but the board-broken into six separate pressure-sensitive points-will allow your feet to further fuel the trick-infused fun. This method's actually less precise than the Wii-mote only option (as well as a third, Wii-mote and nunchuck, layout), however, the board's ability to make you feel like you're standing atop a real deck is unmatched, and mostly makes up for its shortcomings. After cruising around and nailing a few tricks with this set-up, it's unlikely you'll return to the more intuitive but less satisfying control schemes.

Visually, Skate It is typical of a title originally created for the PS3 or 360; it's jaggy, blocky, and darn right ugly in some places. Still, its fictional skater's heaven and real world locations are supposed to represent the sport's edgy culture, so the sub-par presentation mostly blends with the intentional grit and grime. The audio fairs better, with an adrenaline-pumping track list that'll have you getting back on your board no matter how many times you wipe out.

A lengthy career mode is Skate It's highlight, as it sees you building your skills through increasingly difficult challenges. Along the way you'll earn sponsorships, allowing you to strut your mad moves around the globe, and customize your own personal trick-enhancing hot spots by arranging environmental objects. A local multiplayer mode offers some nice bragging right opportunities, as it lets you take on up to four friends. Despite making for a challenging, trash-talking good time, though, having to pass around one Wii-mote or wait for the board to calibrate for each player is a bit of a drag. Flaws aside, Skate It successfully brings its genre-defining formula to the Wii crowd, while also giving your Balance Board a break from yoga and step aerobics. Hot on the heels of Shaun White's recent board-balancing entry, Skate It gives gamers another good reason to get off the couch this season.

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