Finally, after 15 years, we have another game in the Skate franchise, “skate.,” the fourth installation of the Skate series. However, EA, the developers of the new game, say the game “isn’t a sequel, remake, or remaster. It’s an evolution of the Skate franchise.” Early access for the game was released on September 16th of this year and people were racing to play it. When I tried to launch the game for the first time, I was stuck in a queue of thousands. It took several minutes for me to be able to actually start playing the game. The controls were very similar to the previous games, which made transitioning to the new game very easy. But what makes this game unique, and why is everyone playing it?

Apart from other popular skating video games, such as the Tony Hawk Pro Skater series, Session, Riders Republic, and others (Those are all great games and you should play those if you haven’t.) Skate has remained a staple in skateboarding and video game culture for almost two decades. With simple and memorable controls, it makes it easy for even the newest of players to pull off some sick tricks and lines.

However, the game has faced some criticism.. Some people say it strays too far from its predecessors. In the past, Skate games were gritty and had a rough feel to them, like you were skating in the real world. But now, this new Skate game feels too clean and unoffensive, trying to appeal to as many people as possible. The new game is also fully online, as opposed to the previous three games where they were singleplayer and did not require internet connection to play. This can exclude some of the playerbase and make it harder for people to access.

Aaron’s opinion:

For a new player this game is definitely enjoyable. It has very smooth and realistic gameplay. I have never before played a skate game, nor have I ever ridden a skateboard. But I do enjoy very versatile games. And while this game is great, I don’t know how versatile it is yet. I did keep in mind that it is an early access version of the game and that did bump it up a couple points.

Some of the pros of this game include its animation style. It’s not trying to be cartoonish, realistic, or slightly pixelated to engage old players with nostalgia. Personally, I think its 3D Animation style is perfect, especially for this kind of game, a sports game meant for mimicking real life while also trying to have some non realistic parts to it. Another pro is its wide range of skating moves. Kick flips, ollies, 360s, all are beloved parts of the game. And I absolutely love the combo points that you get from combining different moves together for a unique, intuitive experience.

Cons include the tutorial. As a new player, I immediately went to the tutorial to grasp the controls so that I could dive into the game quicker, but unfortunately, it wasn’t exactly quick.. I got so bored with the tutorial that it took me 7 days to complete it because It took so long and I wasn’t having any fun. Another con is that, while the map is pretty expansive, it isn’t as large as it could be, and I will definitely be more excited for the main version’s map. Hopefully it’s a lot bigger, and with more moves to go along with it.   

That’s all from us. For your own, well informed opinion, we’d recommend playing the game for yourself! It’s free to play on Windows, Playstation, and Xbox. If you don’t have any of those, there are tons of videos online showing off gameplay and the history of other Skate games. I hope you all are as stoked as we are for full the release!