Grab your board and get ready for high flying action as the sequel to the amazing Skate It has arrived. Skate 2 picks up five years after the last game and finds the city of New San Vanelona,in ruins following a series of earthquakes. With few undamaged sections of the city remaining, the local corporation has stepped up security in an effort to protect the undamaged of the city.
Players are tasked with rebuilding the skate community and this is done by warming up at Slappy’s park and taking a few tutorials. Unlike Skate It, Skate 2 does not require players to learn to skate and instead puts them right into the action. A new twist to the game is to get off the board and walk around town. This allows players to move objects and setup their own obstacle courses which can be shared with others skaters online. A nice touch is that by a simple press of the button, players can restore their changes back to their original positions.
While changes to the courses are a nice touch, this is first and foremost a skating game and as such the core of the game. Skate 2 really shines in this area as the controls are not only easy to use compared to other skating games, but it is nice features such as being able to place cameras to record your actions, clothing that gets torn over time from crashes, and being able to track your injuries.
Players can also select from a male or female character and can improve their lot in life by purchasing land and creating their own parks. Players can also control their hands and feet while on the board which really makes for some great style points when catching some air.
Graphically the game shines and the action is smooth and fast as are the challenges. I am not well versed in the world of skating, but in no time I was getting into the thrill of being able to Skitch, pull an Ollie North and a fingerflip.
While the game does not have an abundance of story it knows what it’s audience is and sticks to the nonstop action and fun that made Skate It such a huge hit with gamers.
There are some nice online options that allows players to pop in and out of games at will, which also allows players to take on some real challenges by playing against other gamers.
In short, while it does not rewrite the series, Skate 2 is a great addition to the series and will keep gamers thrilled until the next chapter in the series arises.
4 stars out of 5
