Gamebytes: Skate for the Xbox 360
By Jeremy Hohman;Friday, October 5, 2007 4:47 PM CDT
I’ve heard a lot of people comparing Skate to the Tony Hawk series, but just because it’s a skate board game, does not mean that it will be the same. I am sure that is why they took a different approach. Skate is a more challenging and realistic game then what we have come to know.In the beginning of the game, you have to choose a number of no-named skaters to climb your way to the top. The hardest part of the game is the control scheme. Learning kick flips and shuvits can be difficult considering the right and left analog stick pretty much do it all. To get going you must hold down the A or X button, once you get moving you can perform ollies by holding down the right analog stick and move it straight up. To perform a kick flip you must push up diagonally. To perform a shuvit it requires a half circle. Performing grab tricks can be tricky as well. The right and left trigger act as your right and left hand and by moving the right analog stick you can utilize different tricks by moving the analog stick in different directions, or by pushing the B button. Because of the nature of the control scheme, you will find yourself sometimes meaning to do one trick but accidentally doing another. The graphics for the game are pretty good but nothing out of the ordinary. The camera angle is not your traditional view, but it’s a new way to view your skater. The soundtrack is made up of pop music and rap music to add to the experience. You will travel around skate parks and city like environments completing goals and objectives to earn cash and fame. The city streets can be brutal, if you don’t get enough speed or time your ollie just right it could lead to an ugly spill. That is why this game takes a lot of getting used to. Skate is for all ages’ game and if you are looking for a realistic and challenging game then you will want to check out Skate.Skate for the Xbox 360 gets a rolling C.
Jeremy Hohman is the writer, producer and host of GameBytes a 30 minute weekly game news and review show. Jeremy is currently traveling across the U.S. hosting gaming competitions for GameZnFlix at the Midnight Gaming Championship 2007.
To see where Jeremy will be next, and to play the games that were reviewed, simply go to http://www.gameznflix.com/
