SKATE (Xbox 360)

When you bail in the game you a placed back exactly where you fell. This may not seem like a major problem, but in fact it is. Obstacles such as curbs require a run up before you can get over them. When you bail you are but right close to the curb and so are unable to get over them without skating away and coming back for another attempt. This while frustrating some of the time is made even worse when you are in a death race, especially when your opponents seem to spawn just past the obstacles.

The open game world is something I generally applaud, though at times it feels like you are given a bit too much freedom. I would like to have been introduced to the city a little slower. In the game there are no stats, so it’s possible to pull off the same tricks at the start of the game as at the end. I would have liked a slightly more conventional approach as enjoy character building.

The games video challenges often encourage you to go against the grain and revert to Tony Hawk tactics. Many of the videos are done by finding a long downhill ledge (such as a curb) and grinding down doing various tricks as you go. These are quite unsatisfying and the 5000 point lines that can be achieved are far less satisfying than many of the photo challenges that only net 500 points.

The games online portion is disappointing due to some unacceptable lag. Most of the online play I have tried has stuttered terribly. When your opponents take their turn it looks more like a slide show than a flowing game.

A lot of the games shortcomings are probably due to the game being released to a very tight timetable. It is clear that EA wanted to be the first skateboarding game on the market this year and so sacrifices have been made. The game clearly deserves a sequel which will achieve its true potential. Let’s just hope EA don’t follow normal procedure and run to a timetable that restricts the game.

The game is worth buying if you are a skating fan. It definitely brings something new and challenging and has its own distinct feel. I will never view a Tony Hawk game in the same light again, in fact Skate may have put me off the Tony Hawk series completely.