Skate 2 (Xbox 360)

New Friends

Another new feature is being able to phone a friend. These friends are unlocked fairly early in the game and generally make the game easier or open up areas. One of your homies will drain pools for you expanding the skateable areas. You can also get a body guard and a guy who will remove anti skating features. The latter two can be important characters because some challenges have you skating in an area littered with anti skating features (small chunks of metal on rails making them almost impossible to grind) and an abundance of security guards. Having someone to remove these items and keep the guards busy really makes a huge difference. This is another feature which is a fairly good idea but doesn’t seem to have been fleshed out as well as it could have been.


DLC

I was a little surprised by the downloadable content so far. The first piece which unlocks everything in the game is a bit of an obvious choice and will suit those who want to have a more openworld experience. The surprising part is the second DLC. This expands upon the replay editor and allows for longer video clips to be posted. This feels like something that should have been added in the game itself, especially as it has been launched so soon after the games release. You shouldn’t have to pay for a feature like this one. What will they do with Skate 3? Will you only be given an Ollie and have to buy all your trick set the day after launch?


Overall the game improves on everything that the original did. Whilst these improvements are only slight in places they do make Skate 2 a more superior game. Having said this I find it difficult to score Skate 2 any higher than its predecessor as the game is an incremental improvement rather than a full sequel. I hope that Skate 3 isn’t released in twelve months time, I’d rather wait 2 years and have a more significant release. There’s enough in the game to justify purchasing it but not enough to warrant a high score.