Written by: Mark

 

 

 

Harking back to the PS1 days nothing could come close the Tony Hawks series of skateboarding games in terms of quality, that was until EA released Skate in 2007 which made some excellent strides forward in the skate genre particularly through the twin stick approach.

 

In 2009 Skate 2 was released to high praise indeed and cemented the series status as market leader. Thus was the level of competition the Tony Hawks series took a major risk with the release of Tony Hawks Ride in time for Christmas 2009 which came bundled with a cumbersome skateboard add on which promised to give an authentic skateboarding feel. Slammed by some critics Tony Hawks Ride was a good effort but sadly lacked the quality seen in the Skate series and the skateboard add on did the game no favours as it simply brought no additional quality to the experience.

 

Fast forward six months and we find that Electronic Arts and developer Black Box bring us the third instalment in the Skate franchise, but the question is: Does the game offer any new features from it’s predecessor in order to pull even further ahead of the competition?

 

 

The first noticeable feature which highlights just how serious the developers are taking the Skate series is how the in game roster of professional skaters has expanded with the series and in Skate 3 we find even more recognisable names featuring within the game.

 

This shows that not only do we have a sports title accessible to a wide audience but also that the game is doing it’s uttermost to appeal to the massive worldwide skating community and I have to say that although not a skater myself it achieves everything it sets out to do and much, much more.

 

 

It soon becomes obvious that the development team at Black Box are either skaters themselves or have put in tremendous amounts of research and further evidence of this is the games opening cut scene which tells a very humorous story in the life of a skateboard from the tree being cut down to the point of being ridden by the professionals.

 

This may sound a little confusing as to whether this is actually necessary and if truth be known it is not, however it provides a very entertaining introduction and sets the scene nicely for the game ahead which again is packed full of features which highlights how much understanding of the sport the development team have.

 

 

Unlike several other skateboarding games the career mode in Skate 3 sees the player start out as an established skateboarding legend who in order to progress their career further splits with their management team and sets up their own skate brand which gives the player opportunities to create their own boards, skate parks, clothing range and even their own skate team which can be taken online.

 

Whilst many may enjoy the opportunity to see a total novice develop into a skating superstar the angle taken in Skate 3 works supremely well and still finds opportunities to include useful tutorials to make the game accessible to newcomers as well as those whom are veterans to the series.

 

Throughout the career mode the player is given tips by Coach Frank whom is superbly voiced by Jason Lee from the TV series My Name Is Earl and this remains entertaining throughout and never detracts from the gameplay which once again takes place in a skater friendly open world.

 

 

Whilst the open world approach was done to great effect in Skate 2 it seems that Skate 3 steps this up a level and now takes place in the town of Port Caverton which features a very diverse environment featuring such areas as urban estates, university campuses and an industrial area each packed with challenges and obstacles designed to make the environment a true skaters paradise.