EA's skate looks pretty darn polished and extreme

by Nick Doerr { Jul 16th 2007 at 5:30PM }

We're not scared to admit it -- we've got a pretty biased attitude against Electronic Arts. They aren't the best at making quality titles ... they're more of the Kroger brand soda to Sony or Epic or Konami's name-brand colas. However, things may be turning around. First, Burnout Paradise seems to be built from the ground up on Sony's system and it's looking sharp. Then comes skate. This game looks excellent and the level of polish is impressive. We're not fond of "totally xtreem sportz" titles, but this one really makes us want to reconsider. Interesting dual-analog gameplay mechanics and a more skating-sim style make us squirm with anticipation. Check out the video. We like it!

Tags: ea, electronic arts, ElectronicArts, playstation 3, Playstation3, ps3, skate, sony

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Wreckheart @ Jul 16th 2007 5:56PM

gotta love the guys doing Burnout at Criterion, they always do a good job with their software, i expect no less this time around, i bet they will have that PS3 hummin.

Toby @ Jul 16th 2007 6:00PM

Criterion always pushes consoles to the next level. Black was amazing looking for the last gen consoles. As for skate, the controls are going to be very satisfying, but i cant help to point out when the skater lands his tricks, theres no recoil in his legs. Thats on thing THPS got right, the recoil after landing.

Popfrogs @ Jul 16th 2007 6:12PM

Finally, someone beats the endless stream of boring Tony Hawk games with something original. This one is a must-buy for me, I skated for 8 years and still do from time to time. I'm stoked.

a.j. @ Jul 16th 2007 6:16PM

um...this is not "extreme". i know everyone is up this game's ass but how fun will it really be after a few hours? skating around, doing normal tricks...yay. zzzz. i've been skating for 22 years so i'm all for some realism but part of what makes the now dreaded tony hawk games fun is that you get to do things you can't usually do in real life. combos etc. i just hope the hype matches the fun. cause you know, i can go outside an ollie over a curb or do a railslide without a console.

a.j. @ Jul 16th 2007 6:23PM

@2 "but i cant help to point out when the skater lands his tricks, theres no recoil in his legs"...yeah...i noticed that too, there seems to also be a bit of a delay/lag when he transitions from skating to doing an actual trick. like the board stops for a second. meh...

Titty Pink @ Jul 17th 2007 7:37AM

Sad to say it, but I'm really not stoked over this either. Tony Hawk DID get old, but I just can't see this being as ground breaking as the first or second pro-skater games. I mean graffiti was the BEST when it was new! The tricks don't look very xtreme, and the knees thing doesn't exactly add to the realism of Skate either. Don't get me wrong, the first videos were sweet. I liked the camera angles and all, but I was rating those on what I expected to see later, and this is just meh for me. I want this thing to rock as much as anyone, but a skate sim might not bring the challenge AND excitement that Tony Hawk had in the beginning. Now I'm sure some will say that this can't be compared to Tony Hawk, but as the reigning champ of skate games (as sad as that may be), you have to compare them on some level. They don't have to go back to the drawing board, but the videos just don't show me anything that I MUST have at this point. Hopefully they will later...release date?

Marco Cano Jr @ Jul 16th 2007 7:09PM

Alex Ward from Critieon has said on the record that they are a Playstation developer at heart (IE: Playstation Fanboy/Girls). I think N'Giai (from newsweek's level up) did that interview.

marcandrer @ Jul 16th 2007 7:11PM

I have to admit it looks very good.
But is it just me or does the guy seems "glued" the half-pipes. Don't quite know how to describe it but it's weird.

Another major flaw that is also in Tony Hawk is that the game allows you way to much time in air. I mean I don't think it's possible to pull 3-4 kick flips in one jump.

Consolcwby @ Jul 16th 2007 7:23PM

While this looks pretty good, the scoring is a little low to me... I keep wondering what songs this is going to contain - THPS2 had some of the best, IMHO. I also wonder if pulling combos are going to be tough with a dual stick approach. I just don't know about this game yet... =/

BTW, I dug out my old copy of THPS2 and played it for a few hours today. The game seems almost fresh compared to the newer Tony Hawk games. =( If only they could release this for PSN or maybe do a remake, then perhaps we could all have our 'xtreme' skating fix... =( Makes me sad to think that an 8 year old game is actually more fun than the games from the last few years - especially when you think of what they can do level wise nowadays. )=

Gareth Burleigh @ Jul 16th 2007 8:54PM

marcandrer 3-4 flips of the board are possible. In an old New Deal video Ron Knigge does a quadruple nollie flip off a curb (I didnt look pretty). Bear in mind thats constantly flipping and not flip catch flip as you can do in Hawk. I hear you about the air problem though you wanna flip b/s tailslide a 10 stair rail and more than clear the whole thing before you can hit the slide button.
Im really looking forward to skate, the more realistic element suits me just great. Id rather skate the carlsbad gap in THPS2 over and over than play the stupid everything grinds levels in the later games.
Lets hope EA dont cock this up

Gareth

iDeLine @ Aug 11th 2007 12:19AM

This game wont appeal to the hardcore thps players. If you ever went online during thps3-thug2, it's a completely different type of playing style compared to off line players. In the community, you either whore, or you style. This game has neither of the options.

Neversoft needs to get rid of the engine they used in thaw and thps8. That thing is just trash. If they just added levels to THUG everyone once in awhile, I could play that game for the rest of my life. Styling on that game is so fun.

Watching these trailers for Skate is just boring. I'd much rather find a video a pro made in the thps community of something never before seen or found. I doubt anyone here can relate with me =/