Publisher: EA
Developer: Black Box
System: Xbox 360
Genre: Extreme Sports
Release date: Available now
Review by: Andrew Clark

Skateboard paradise is a place where all the railings are chipped and blackened with paint from the underside of sponsorship decks, and where the sun always shines as bright as a Gary Busey smile. It’s a preserve where professionals and novices alike outnumber pedestrians, tricking, setting up lines and grabbing insane amounts of open air in the hopes of nailing that perfect performance. This is a vision not too far from EA’s Skate, the “other” skateboarding game, a contender which looks to unseat the current crown bearer by firmly grounding itself in reality.

Now take this virtual dreamland and put yourself in the kicks of a lowly nobody, clambering up the ranks to professional grade stardom. Your day started as any other normally did, making runs, dumping it occasionally, yet somehow maintaining good spirits throughout. As you shoot through a hallway and pop up onto a steep rail, the smile tickles your earlobes with wideness; it’s a beautiful line, but the transit authority bus that slams into you doesn’t see it the same way. Welcome to the hospital, population: you.

Creatively speaking, Skate grinds the edge of genius, not just in gameplay mechanics, but also in how you come about residing in the fictional burg of San Vanelona, the skateboarder’s Promised Land. You’ve made quite an impression, not only on the working man’s limousine that halted your line, but also on the cameraman that caught the entire thing on tape. His encouragement, coupled with the major reconstructive surgery you received, should have you back on the grip tape in no time flat. Your unfortunate accident has left you quite scrambled, and your body and face aren’t the only things in need of repair. So give yourself a name, format the look of your avatar and get back out there and reestablish yourself!

The reality of Skate is that you won’t be doing inhuman tricks, million point combos or traversing cavernous gaps during play. You will, however, get a feeling for the challenge of skateboarding, the time it takes to nail a trick, and perhaps the urge to toss your controller like a Frisbee after numerous failures. Skate can be best described as a skating simulation where timing is law, and your character’s limits are more in line with Tony Danza than Tony Hawk. Roam about the streets of San Vanelona, compete for money, sponsorships, and bragging rights, and remember that it takes patience to become top dog. Where the “other” games make you feel superhuman, Skate will force you to get in touch with your humanity.