I stopped behind a dumpster while cruising the streets (keep your mind out of the gutter) and noticed that I couldn’t move it around. I couldn’t move anything. There was an option to drop objects into the environment and twist them as I pleased, but it wasn’t clear if it was a development tool or a replacement for the Create-a-spot mechanic from the previous game. When I asked Producer, Chris “Cuz” Parry, about the matter, he replied, “Who needs Create-a-spot when you can make an entire park?” and promptly closed the discussion.
The trick-list is almost exactly as you remember, with the additions of dark slides and underflips, so you don’t have to fake it with kickflips-to-heelflips anymore. Dark slides are just as cool as you would expect decks sliding upside-down to be, and not too difficult to perform. Staying on the rail is the hard part. There are no signs of casper slides yet, but here’s hoping. The most exciting addition isn’t a trick though. Off the board, you no longer run like you’re holding in an Ex-Lax-explosion.
Skate 2 could be a lonely experience, even on online, where multiple players could often be seen sessioning separate spots. If you’re a skater, you know that having a good crew of friends is a necessity. Black Box knows it too, which is why Skate 3 is all about teamwork, on and offline. In Skate 2, our nameless hero made it to the top, but sponsorships don’t always pay the bills. He/she is out to form a new company, complete with clothing lines, custom decks, and the riders to hawk the wares. I wasn’t able to play any of the single-player missions, but multiplayer is already showing off the focus in fine form.
Separated into teams of three, we played through five types of challenges, and the familiar ones take on an entirely new spin with a crew at your side. In Death Races, the finishing spots of each team member add up to determine the winner. My favorite was 1-UP. It’s similar to SKATE (HORSE with a board). You take turns setting higher and higher scores within the time-limit. The catch is that your entire team rides simultaneously, and the timer stops when anyone falls. It’s really embarrassing when you bail on the first rail and the opposition beats you mercilessly, with a single kickflip.
Skate already commands a devoted following, myself included. It’s been almost a year since the sequel, and yet there were more than 75 videos uploaded to EA’s site the day of this writing. Digital skaters have formed teams, complete with custom graphics and videos. Check out Hoodlum Family’s blog to see an example of true commitment. If Black Box stands by its talk of blurring the lines between multiplayer and single-player, we can look forward to one of the most engaging and creative communities this side of a real skatepark.
