Skate 2
- January 26, 2009 13:47 PM PST
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When the first Skate debuted, it offered up a realistic simulation-based alternative to the unrealistic circus that the Tony Hawk franchise had become. Now, the sequel is here with some subtle improvements that push virtual skateboarding to new heights. Still, it's pretty obvious that this franchise has some work to do before it can fully knock the Birdman off his perch.
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Skitched
Taking place in New San Vanelona, Skate 2 follows in the skidmarks of the original. Unfortunately, prior experience with the first installment is necessary if you hope to start playing right away; Skate 2 isn't a game where you can pick up the controller and start flipping your board around. The innovative controls definitely take some getting use to. But that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Landing tricks can be more difficult than necessary but when you do pull off a sick trick it makes you feel unstoppable.
The game features a deep Career mode that adds a few new events such as the Hall of Meat and Tranny. The Hall of Meat events are by far one of the most addicting challenges where the aim is to bail off your board and eat as much concrete as you can. The Tranny contests are also exciting but suffer from the same problem as most other challenges-crowded level designs which makes it hard to execute tricks to rack up points.
Put On The Red Light
Skate 2 also has some iffy design problems that definitely cut into the fun. A good example is the addition of Big Black, the lovable bodyguard from the MTV show Rob & Big. For a fee of five hundred dollars, he'll take out the pesky security guards and give you five minutes of freedom to skate around in a restricted area. Unfortunately, there are skate stops-those little metal guards that they use to discourage skaters-planted everywhere, which seriously hinders your ability to line up tricks. You can deal with the stops by phoning your pal to come remove them for a hundred dollars but it seemed like an unnecessary barrier to overcome.
Thankfully, the refined multiplayer component makes up for the poor design choices found in the single-player mode. You can freeskate with friends and choose from over a hundred different events. The transition from online freeskate to multiplayer challenges is seamless as well. The events can go one of two ways, either a competition where you are pitted against eachother or a co-op event where you must work towards a common goal. Winning events that you suggest are the ultimate grounds for smack talking and the volume of various events is seemingly never ending so hours upon hours of fun is to be had.
Don't Skate Alone
Skate 2 does have a lot to offer but it falls short in a lot of ways. Its realism feel is great when it comes to technical aspects like tricks and controsl but it's taken one step too far. If I wanted to get harassed by security and constantly get intimate with the asphalt, I would go hop on a skateboard in real life. Still, the solid multiplayer and incremental improvements make this a compelling choice for virtual skaters. And hopefully, they'll get it right with Skate 3.
PROS: Multiplayer modes rock; new modes like Hall of Meat are fun.
CONS: Minor design issues cut into the fun. Level designs need work.
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Comments [8]
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- Jan 20 2009 at 04:49:18:PM PST
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Wow, I had no clue it was even in development let alone coming out. I suppose I should pay more attention to the newer games sometime, but I've lost interest in 99% of all new games.
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I liked Skate 1,but not enough to anticipate a sequel.Truth is I'd rather have Tony Hawk with its lack of realism,because that was more fun to me. I'll agree that the Birdman's games were treading "been there,done that" territory a little too blatantly,but it still had me in the zone to set multi-million point trick runs.That replay value means more to me then any simulation can provide IMO.
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monkbaine wrote:
I liked Skate 1,but not enough to anticipate a sequel.Truth is I'd rather have Tony Hawk with its lack of realism,because that was more fun to me. I'll agree that the Birdman's games were treading "been there,done that" territory a little too blatantly,but it still had me in the zone to set multi-million point trick runs.That replay value means more to me then any simulation can provide IMO.i agree with you, "Skate" is more realistic and had a better graphic than Tony Hawk's. One, thing i like from Skate is the control its easy to master it and we can do many tricks. I think Skate is the best, (Maybe)
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Skate is more relaxing to play than Tony Hawk.. just cruising through the city doing tricks. I like how it's more of a sandbox game and the tricks seem more rewarding to pull off because of the added realism.
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Loved the demo and can't wait to pick it up. I admit that I was a fan of Tony hawk before Skate. I loved the funny TH storylines but hated the ability for half-a-million point lines and the ability to ollie 25 feet in the air. I agree that Skate still does need a lot of improvements. (Sometimes unrealistic tricks, still somewhat of ragdoll animation bails, and that sometimes bails come out of nowhere when your just skating around.) But nonetheless, I can't wait to pick up Skate 2 this weekend.
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It's pretty short. I know that i played around 24h Skate to complete it, and i still had much fun.
At Skate2 it took me 8h and i don't really feel to play more/again, even when i love skate..
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Skate is great, tony hawks "was" great, IMO THPS1 and 2 where THE best, although u couldnt compare skate to tony hawks as they were 2 totally different games. Granted they were both skating but tony hawks was fun in the sence that you didnt have a story to complete, instead it was more goals on owning the local bullies and what not. then later THUG came out and that was a GREAT game, it had a story, u could get on and off your board, but ever since THUG 1 the games have went downhill IMO. When i first played skate i was thinking " its so hard to get high points, although the challenges didnt ask for alot of points." although when i accually bought the game and started playing the story, it was great! totally different game, the graphix were AMAZING! the totally different of tricks "analoge instead of using a button to flip the board." The fact that when you accually pull off a set of tricks and get a "X3 multiplier" then pull off a hugeeee trick and land a whole load of points, it does make you feel alot better than if you pulled off a 100k point trick in THPS. i think tony hawks "COULD" make another GREAT game which could match skate although it would take some sort of amazing team to beat skate IMO.
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