skate.

In Electronic Arts' Skate, you create a skater and complete various photo and video challenges to get sponsors and become well known in the skating world as you appear on magazines such as Skateboard Mag and Thrasher.

Xbox 360

PlayStation 3

Overview

Skate is a skateboarding game published by EA and developed by EA Black Box for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It was released on September 14 for the Xbox 360 and September 24, 2007 for the PS3. A sequel has been announced for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, and Nintendo Wii (Though the Wii and DS sequels will feature special control schemes). Skate features professional skateboarders such as Danny Way, Rob Dyrdek, Paul Rodriguez, Chris Haslam, and more.

The game takes place in the fictional city of San Vanelona, which is inspired by the real-world cities of San Francisco, Vancouver, and Barcelona. The player creates a custom character, choosing everything from hair style, decks, trucks, wheels and outfits, and hops into the world where the goal is to gain sponsors and make your way to the X-Games. This is done by performing a variety of tricks and challenges in front of cameras to gain notoriety. There are challenges such as "own the spot" where the player must gain a certain amount of points in a set area to make it his own, and Death Races where the player races against AI controlled skaters. Completion of these various missions unlocks new equipment and clothes. A unique aspect of Skate that sets it apart from the Tony Hawk franchise is the way it uses both of the analog sticks to control both of your skater's feet, requiring you to move them in a specific way to perform tricks. Also grinds are made by landing on the ground in a certain angle that in real life would be used as a grind. The 'Flick-It' control system that skate acquires is known for its innovation, and sometimes a bit hard to master.

Online is a feature that Skate has that the Tony Hawk series doesn't. You have various game modes to play in. You have freeskate which is basically you and a few friends skating around for fun. You can choose between either a public or a private session. You also have Jam sessions which is you skating around doing various tricks and trying to earn as many points as possible. There is also a game called S.K.A.T.E which is identical to H.O.R.S.E in basketball. The Tony Hawk series also have this, but instead of trying to earn more points, you have to copy the same trick that your opponent does. And they cannot do the same trick twice or they are forced to give up their turn.

There are also races that you can do; you can do your typical Death Race which is just racing down a hill while you have to pass through various checkpoints. And you also have races which require you to do specific trick tasks before you can move on. You also have Spot Battles in which you must earn a higher amount of points than anyone else to own the spot. Several of these modes, such as S.K.A.T.E, Own the Spot, and Freeskate, can be done offline as well with up to three friends locally.

Criticism

While Skate has been received rather well, there are a number of common criticisms the game has received. One of the most common complaints is that players cannot get off of their skateboard and walk. This makes it difficult to get to certain spots, such as above stairs. Another common complaint is that the camera could be greatly improved upon. For example, the skater that the player controls doesn't become transparent as often as he should, causing the players view to be blocked. Loading times can also prove to be sporadic and annoying when using the session feature. Another criticism is that the game often requires tricks that are too specific for the controls to allow, often leading to confusion and frustration.