Tony Hawk Killer (Skate (PS3))

Member Name: codename8778

Product:	Skate (PS3)
Date:	30/03/09 (20 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Control System, Realism, Sense of Achievement

Disadvantages: Frame Rate Issue, Restricting, Can be quite hard for newbies

Skate, finally an alternative to Tony Hawks Pro Skater.

I first tried this game when Sony released the demo for Skate 2 on the PSN. you only get a few minutes of game time in the demo, so I then moved onto trying the now old Skate demo. I really liked it so I bought Skate second hand for £10 (I couldnt justify paying £40 for Skate 2).

At first I was a little dissapointed; its very stop start (its not very flowing, you constantly have to try the same sequence over again and again, and it can be very strict and restricting on precisely what it requires you to do), and like many 'free roaming' games, I found myself not making use of it, as it is fairly pointless, and its much quicker to get around by just using your map and jumping to locations.

Also I found the frame rate really poor, many times the game slowed to a crawl, often at important times where I'm trying to complete an objective. Its very frustrating and puts a real dampener on the experience. I have found though that some people have this problem with the game, and others dont, so take your chances.

Now that I've got the negatives out the way I can focus on the positives. The game is far more realistic and addictive than the now painfully overused stale Tony Hawk franchise. You really feel that you have to put effort into each little trick, and although they may not look as complex and over the top compared to Tony Hawk, it does feel far more rewarding. There are plenty of objectives to keep you going for a while, and lots to explore if you just feel like killing an hour. Its the kind of game where you could get lost playing for hours without actually achieving anything.

The control system is excellent, and further proof of the brilliant Fight Night style of control. Basically everything can be done by just using the analogue sticks.

I'm now finished with Skate, and soon to be moving onto Skate 2. Now that Skate 2 has dropped so much in price, it may just be more appealing to jump straight to it, but Skate is still a very good game in its own right, albeit with some flaws which stop it from becoming a true classic.

Summary: You must play either this or Skate 2