It’s very rare to experience a game that challenges our traditional perception of how things should be done for a genre, and reinvents the way we think altogether. EA Box Art's Skate fills a void in our hearts to when the glorious of something old, reinvents the magic of something new. Like all masterpieces, it’s not perfect. Despite this, after playing for countless hours, players will be glorified in the sweat of victory from achieving something so visceral and real. So much so, that going back to the games that changed our definition of genres before---become ordinary.

Forget the Tony Hawk series. The rules of Tony Hawk do not strictly match up to those in Skate. While Skate is not completely prone to unrealistic moves, its physics based engine and remarkable ‘Flickit’ controls transforms the genre into something new and exciting for the player. Skate doesn’t define triumphant feats in the form of grinding for 2 hours straight or leaping 5 buildings with one ollie. Skate is nothing more than a definition of the practical. It’s simple, which makes it richer. In Skate, doing a nollie kick flip while grinding on a rail is heaven. In Skate, not only is the genre redefined but also so is the definition of extraordinary. Players are normal people in a normal setting. No longer does one have to do daredevil unrealistic things that define the extraordinary. They simple have to live for the Skate-ing.

In Skate, the primary revelation of something different presents itself in the form of the Flickit controls. Such controls remove the necessity to touch buttons to perform skating moves. The primary tricks are simple. Use the Right Stick to perform either an ollie or a kick flip. Pull back on the stick and flick it in a C shape to perform a Pop Shuv It. The system is simple, but remains very detailed and accurate. Skate's controls are solely dependent on the physics engine. Pop an ollie, and shift your weight forward and you're going to get a different result had you simply flicked the Right stick at the time. Hold either L2 or R2 to control your hands for grabs. To further kick the subtleties in Skate to a newer level—tweak it by moving around the Right Stick. The primary learning curve of the game, as can be guessed from the nuances in movement, can aggravate players. Luckily, after a while, players will see the beauty in the system when they take in the sense of accomplishment from pulling off amazing tricks. Even though the control system becomes easy to learn after a while, the core of the game itself takes a lot of practice.

Since Skate is primarily grounded in an open-based system, the choices of doing tricks is limitless as long as they are grounded in reality and are executed properly. To perform the cooler movements in Skate, one must find the accurate location, pay attention to timing, and have the determination to get up after splattering their face on the concrete. If you want to do a coffin grind combined with a 50-50 semi at the end of a rail—you have to remain patient. You have to find the right spot, figure out the right timing, and hope that you won’t need new teeth.

Even though the control system is spot on, there are still some issues as mentioned that interfere with performing tricks with the controls. While the game is attentive on physics and realism, you will experience oddities here and there. If you follow a person and do a nollie kick flip into them, you will notice your board goes right through them. As you skate, you might even notice a bit of your foot missing into the board. Players will definitely see at least some oddities that dent the realism and bring up a strong reminder that this is a game, and that reality is not always perfect. In terms of gameplay errors, there are no liptricks or flatland tricks. So sorry folks, there will be no dark sides on the rail this time! A bit of a disappointment, but not too much of a holdback.

You begin on your journey in San Vanelona; an expansive fictional city, ... (continued on next page)