August 05, 2008 | 11:00 PM PST
by: Tim Livingston
Last Thursday, EA threw a hands-on event at Swig in San Francisco, CA to give the media a first-look at the sequel to one of its best-selling games of 2007. Produced by EA Black Box, Skate 2 promises to be a game worthy of tons and tons of playing time once it makes its eventual release, and from what we were able to tell, it looks like even in the early stages of completion, this game has a chance to be one of more exciting games that EA releases in the coming months.
A Mountain-themed level in the build
What we know and see of the game looks promising. It takes place five years after the original game, and the only thing we're hearing about the plot is that the circumstances surrounding your character are "mysterious." You'll play the game under a completely different city, this time called New San Vanelona, and there looks to be a whole new set of environments to skate in. We were able to take a look at three environments: an abandoned warehouse behind "Slappy's", a waterfront level, and Mount San Van. Each look allowed the us to experience different phases of the game. The warehouse was set-up like a skate park, with half-pipes, launch ramps, tons of rails, and some gaps to traverse, but it also allowed us to see one of the many new features in the game that look to wow players upon release. Using a button for grabbing, you were able to move things around to create spots for you to customize tricks. Tables, ramps and rails could be dragged and from the looks of things, many more things will be able to be moved, including dumpsters, trash cans and perhaps even phone booths. Producers are going with the credo, "If you think you can move it, you probably can" when it comes to the interactive environments, and by all accounts, it looks like the interactive New San Van looks to be even moreso upon release.
The waterfront level showed off the expansive environment that will greet skaters, as fine-tuning your tricks, especially grinds and boardflips, will be what to look for in the waterfront. Smooth concrete and a beautiful backdrop along with a ton of places for you to session is the main draw so far, and by all accounts, much like the warehouse, you'll have plenty of spots to work with. The mountain level looked to be one of the best additions from last year's game. While the downhill aspects of the game from last year were mostly from the steep city streets patterned after San Francisco, this one shows a mountain that starts outside of the city and takes twists and turns all the way down to the city's edge. On the way down are numerous off-shoots that can take skaters through concrete tubes and off road edges, and even through an S-Bowl patterned after a skate park designed by one of the producers that resides in San Francisco. The mountain also featured a new aspect of the game where there are challenges that you take on to win money to get sweet swag in the game. The one we saw was a downhill event where if you were able to take any of the shortcuts you had available, you'd reach the bottom in no time. It added a whole different dimension to the proceedings and is a nice addition to the already huge atmosphere this game is presenting in its early stages.
As in the previous game, the physics are what stands out the most. While this is a first-look and is not polished by any means, this still had the physics that made Skate stand out when it came out last year. The realism is most definitely proven once you get going with the tricks, which is at least twice as many as there were last year. The Flickit Control System is still smooth and it allows you to string together tricks, but in a manner that allows you to really focus on the timing of the tricks. You're going to have to hold that grab for a while before you switch to something else coming off the halfpipe. No split-second tricks here, folks. In addition to the Flickit system and the previously mentioned grab button for both the interactive environment and your board, you have the ability to push with both feet in the game, with two buttons being used to allow you to do some neat tricks. Landing tricks with either foot was an interesting concept and looked really good when performed correctly. An ollie into a footplant into a kickflip off a table was done with precision and timing and you felt accomplished doing it. Get ready to hippy jump over a table or two, as well, and, if the mountain stage is any indication, you can coffin down the mountain in your own version of street luge.
Rob Dyrdek in Skate 2
Even in the earlier stages of development, the game is running extremely well. While there are a couple of graphical glitches to take care of, which is a norm considering this isn't even an alpha test, the environments look beautiful, and perhaps best of all, the graphics have reached the hallowed ground of 60 frames per second. The motion caption team laid a ton of great tricks in, and from there, producers were able to tweak and throw some otherworldly things into the mix. Guys like Rob & Big star Rob Dyrdek, John Cardiel and tons of others are in the game this time around, and the sets of tricks are set to their liking, including a couple backflips from Dyrdek. Both Rob and John were present at the kickoff party to try out the game and to schmooze with media types, and both got a kick out of playing as themselves. Cardiel's story is especially moving, as his horrifying accident last year left doctors proclaiming he would never walk again. Instead now, he's upright and walking and even skating around a bit. Who needs medical opinions?
If our first-look is any sign of things to come, Skate 2 will be a force to be reckoned with on the extreme gaming scene this year. With only a tidbit to go on right now, the final product will certainly be something incredible, and will get EA's skating franchise into hallowed ground that only Tony Hawk had previously seen.
A Mountain-themed level in the build
What we know and see of the game looks promising. It takes place five years after the original game, and the only thing we're hearing about the plot is that the circumstances surrounding your character are "mysterious." You'll play the game under a completely different city, this time called New San Vanelona, and there looks to be a whole new set of environments to skate in. We were able to take a look at three environments: an abandoned warehouse behind "Slappy's", a waterfront level, and Mount San Van. Each look allowed the us to experience different phases of the game. The warehouse was set-up like a skate park, with half-pipes, launch ramps, tons of rails, and some gaps to traverse, but it also allowed us to see one of the many new features in the game that look to wow players upon release. Using a button for grabbing, you were able to move things around to create spots for you to customize tricks. Tables, ramps and rails could be dragged and from the looks of things, many more things will be able to be moved, including dumpsters, trash cans and perhaps even phone booths. Producers are going with the credo, "If you think you can move it, you probably can" when it comes to the interactive environments, and by all accounts, it looks like the interactive New San Van looks to be even moreso upon release.
The waterfront level showed off the expansive environment that will greet skaters, as fine-tuning your tricks, especially grinds and boardflips, will be what to look for in the waterfront. Smooth concrete and a beautiful backdrop along with a ton of places for you to session is the main draw so far, and by all accounts, much like the warehouse, you'll have plenty of spots to work with. The mountain level looked to be one of the best additions from last year's game. While the downhill aspects of the game from last year were mostly from the steep city streets patterned after San Francisco, this one shows a mountain that starts outside of the city and takes twists and turns all the way down to the city's edge. On the way down are numerous off-shoots that can take skaters through concrete tubes and off road edges, and even through an S-Bowl patterned after a skate park designed by one of the producers that resides in San Francisco. The mountain also featured a new aspect of the game where there are challenges that you take on to win money to get sweet swag in the game. The one we saw was a downhill event where if you were able to take any of the shortcuts you had available, you'd reach the bottom in no time. It added a whole different dimension to the proceedings and is a nice addition to the already huge atmosphere this game is presenting in its early stages.
As in the previous game, the physics are what stands out the most. While this is a first-look and is not polished by any means, this still had the physics that made Skate stand out when it came out last year. The realism is most definitely proven once you get going with the tricks, which is at least twice as many as there were last year. The Flickit Control System is still smooth and it allows you to string together tricks, but in a manner that allows you to really focus on the timing of the tricks. You're going to have to hold that grab for a while before you switch to something else coming off the halfpipe. No split-second tricks here, folks. In addition to the Flickit system and the previously mentioned grab button for both the interactive environment and your board, you have the ability to push with both feet in the game, with two buttons being used to allow you to do some neat tricks. Landing tricks with either foot was an interesting concept and looked really good when performed correctly. An ollie into a footplant into a kickflip off a table was done with precision and timing and you felt accomplished doing it. Get ready to hippy jump over a table or two, as well, and, if the mountain stage is any indication, you can coffin down the mountain in your own version of street luge.
Rob Dyrdek in Skate 2
Even in the earlier stages of development, the game is running extremely well. While there are a couple of graphical glitches to take care of, which is a norm considering this isn't even an alpha test, the environments look beautiful, and perhaps best of all, the graphics have reached the hallowed ground of 60 frames per second. The motion caption team laid a ton of great tricks in, and from there, producers were able to tweak and throw some otherworldly things into the mix. Guys like Rob & Big star Rob Dyrdek, John Cardiel and tons of others are in the game this time around, and the sets of tricks are set to their liking, including a couple backflips from Dyrdek. Both Rob and John were present at the kickoff party to try out the game and to schmooze with media types, and both got a kick out of playing as themselves. Cardiel's story is especially moving, as his horrifying accident last year left doctors proclaiming he would never walk again. Instead now, he's upright and walking and even skating around a bit. Who needs medical opinions?
If our first-look is any sign of things to come, Skate 2 will be a force to be reckoned with on the extreme gaming scene this year. With only a tidbit to go on right now, the final product will certainly be something incredible, and will get EA's skating franchise into hallowed ground that only Tony Hawk had previously seen.
