Skate
2 is one of the best free-form
extreme sports games on the market
Some
of the replays, such as this one where Rob
Dyrdek performs the Hippy Jump, look awesome
Smooth,
flowing graphics are only one small
part of Skate 2's in-depth gaming experience
Tony
Hawk eat your heart out!
Grab your board and get ready for
high flying action as the sequel to the amazing Skate has
arrived.
Skate 2 picks up
five years after the last game and finds the city of New San Vanelona
in ruins following a series of earthquakes.
With few undamaged sections of the
city remaining, the local corporation has stepped up security in an
effort to protect the undamaged areas of the city.
Players are tasked with rebuilding
the skate community and this is done by warming up at
Slappy’s park and taking a few tutorials.
Unlike Skate It, Skate 2 does not
require players to learn to skate and instead puts them right into the
action.
A new twist to the game is to get
off the board and walk around town. This allows players to move objects
and setup their own obstacle courses which can be shared with
other skaters online.
A nice touch is that by a simple
press of the button, players can restore their changes back to their
original positions.
While changes to the courses are a
nice touch, this is first and foremost a skating game and as such the
core of the game.
Skate 2 really shines in this area
as the controls are not only easy to use compared to other skating
games, but it has nice features such as being able to place cameras to
record your actions, clothing that gets torn over time from crashes,
and being able to track your injuries.
Players can also select from a
male or female character and can improve their lot in life by
purchasing land and creating their own parks.
Players can also control
their hands and feet while on the board which really makes for some
great style points when catching some air.
Graphically the game shines and
the action is smooth and fast as are the challenges.
I am not well versed in the world
of skating, but in no time I was getting into the thrill of being able
to Skitch, pull an Ollie North and a fingerflip.
While the game does not have an
abundance of story, it knows what it's audience is and sticks to the
non-stop action and fun that made the previous Skate gamessuch huge hits
with gamers.
There are some nice online options
that allows players to pop in and out of games at will, which also
allows players to take on serious challenges by playing against other
gamers.
In short, while it does not
rewrite the series, Skate
2 is a great addition to the series and will keep gamers
thrilled until the next chapter in the series arises.
Game: Skate 2 System: PS3
Players: 1-8 Online: Yes Developer: Black
Box
Distributor: Electronic Arts
