Video Game Review: ‘Skate 2’ Lives Up to Expectations in Every Way

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Video Game Rating: 4.5/5.0

CHICAGO – As icicles hang at skate parks and snow-covered ground makes it hard to roll, EA’s excellent “Skate 2” will probably be your favorite diversion throughout the winter.

What’s amazing about “Skate 2” is that it has the ability to appeal to skating fans, people who have never been on a board, and even people who usually don’t like boarding games. It’s an addictive and excellent addition to any collection.

I have a natural bias against skateboarding games. A large portion of my pre-teen years were spent on a board and I kind of find the phrase, “skateboarding video game” an oxymoron. Skateboarding is about being outdoors and, perhaps most importantly, is about willingly throwing your own body in the air, not even attached to anything, and hoping you don’t break anything serious. It’s impossible to recreate the actual thrills of boarding in game form.

Skate 2
Photo credit: EA

Having said that, “Skate 2” comes as close as any game I’ve ever played. It’s casual fun and yet sometimes very difficult. It is a massive game that can also be picked up and played for 10-15 minutes at a time if you so desire. And it is shockingly addictive.

There is a plot to the career mode of “Skate 2” but all that will really matter to people interested in the game are the amazing controls and the most well-designed skate park in the history of gaming. The entire city of New San Vanelona is your playground. From parks to downtown areas (where you’ll have to evade the police) to drained pools. the construction of the playable spaces in “Skate 2” is jaw-dropping.

You could spend hours skating around the massive city, looking for rails to grind and new places to jump. And if the design of the city isn’t good enough for you, almost everything is free for you to move. Pick up a rail or push a dumpster and create your own challenge. No two “Skate 2” experiences will be the same.

Other than the depth of the virtual space, what makes “Skate 2” so difficult to stop playing is the natural learning curve of the game. The creators of “Skate 2” have expertly designed an experience that’s easy to learn and hard to master. Within seconds, you’ll be doing ollies and kickflips with ease, flicking the right analog stick does most of the work, but it takes a while to figure out how to string together truly impressive tricks.

As the career mode in “Skate 2” advances, the difficulty level, a major part of whether or not a game is truly enjoyable, is masterful. Just as a trick seemed out of my reach and I was getting too frustrated, I’d try it one more time and pull it off. And, of course, success in one challenge makes you want to either try another or test out your new technique around town. The controls are fantastic.

“Skate 2” is such an easy-going, enjoyable experience that I even found myself getting into elements of this type of game that I never do - replays and photos. When you spend enough time trying to master a trick and you finally pull it off, you’ll want to see it from every angle. And, of course, the game is customizable enough to have the virtual skater look like you. With the wind chill below zero in a large portion of the country, “Skate 2” is likely your only chance at boarding glory.

You could spend hours free skating, but there “Skate 2” features not only a very deep challenge/career structure that allows players to climb the skateboarding ladder to fame the way they choose, but includes several online modes. The cooperative mode is probably going to be the most popular. It’s similar to what made “Burnout Paradise” an online hit.

In it, one player sets a goal like a score or certain tricks and then the team has to complete it. Basic challenge/racing games online are common but a skateboarding co-op game is refreshing. Of course, most of the challenges from the career mode are available to play against real players online as well.

Is “Skate 2” perfect? Almost. There’s an awkward marker system that takes a while to get used to. If you start a challenge or find a really good spot on the top of the hill, you’re supposed to push L1 and place a marker to instantly teleport back there.

Of course, in the heat of boarding, that’s easy to forget and, more often than not, you’ll find yourself stuck in gap or crumpled in a ball after a wicked crash and wishing you could get back on your feet or someplace better without walking or pushing your board there. There’s also some flaws in the storytelling career mode, but it’s easy to forgive bad writing when you’re working on an awesome hand plant.

Most of the gameplay that made “Skate” a smash hit has been imported and improved upon in the sequel with an amazing gameplay space and fantastic control design. It’s early in the year, but “Skate 2” is a title that I’ll be playing long after it gets warm enough to get on an actual board.

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com [email protected]