Skate It (Wii) Review
Tony Hawks has long been the king of the skateboarding genre. First introduced some 10 years ago, the Tony Hawk games have been a popular and hugely successful series of games. Not much has challenged the series, until now, with EA introducing their new skateboarding game Skate It. Can Skate It stand tall against the juggernaut that is Tony Hawk, or does it fall face first into the pavement like I would if I attempted to skate? I must admit, I was a pretty big fan of the Tony Hawk games, particularly the first few that were released.
I cannot say I am a fan of skateboarding as such, but the Tony Hawk games have been generally so well designed that they actually make you interested in skating. Though I am no expert on the extreme sport of skating, it is not hard to realise that Tony Hawk was a slightly more arcade experience as opposed to being a realistic representation of what skating is like. It was pretty simple to play and the tricks and stunts you could pull of in the game were a mile short of reality. This is where Tony Hawk and Skate It differ, with Skate It coming across as a much more real representation of skating. This is not to say that Skate It is 100% realistic, as that would be plain boring. Compared to Tony Hawk though, it is an experience that is much more grounded in reality.
Skate It takes place in a fictional world of San Vanelona, a fairly large city that provides ample space and conveniently located objects to skate around in. You’ll eventually open up various other levels that are based on real world locations. The basic premise of the game is fairly similar to some of the recent Tony Hawk titles. Your character is simply whoever you want it to be (there is a fairly good character creator mode) and your mission it to show off your skating skills so you can earn money, become sponsored, and make it big in the world of skating. In each level, you’ll be asked to perform a couple of small missions, such as grinding a pole or scoring a set amount of points. The excellent thing about this, though, is the fact that you are given so much freedom. For the most part, there is a lot of freedom in terms of how you tackle a mission. Objectives that are set by the other characters in the game usually don’t allow as much freedom, but the vast majority of objectives in the game can be tackled in a way that suits the player.
Each challenge in the game has two levels of completion; you can either own a challenger if you do the minimum that is required, or you can kill a challenge if you do that bit more. This approach is good as it allows players to proceed through the game and it also provides for those wanting a greater challenge. One of the first things you will notice about Skate It is its unique control scheme. To play the game, you need to hold the Wiimote in a flat, horizontal position, as tilting the control up or down will result in tricks being pulled off. For example, if you are simply skating along a flat surface, a simple tilt of the control in an upward direction will result in a manual.
Flicking the Wiimote up result in a jump, while tilting the Wiimote in certain directions when in the air will lead to grab and flip moves. In fact, due to a lack of dual analogues, the majority of the games tricks are performed by waving the Wiimote in different directions. The analogue on the Nunchuk is used to move your character whilst the A button on the Wiimote is used to gain speed. Aside from this, the game is pretty much played with motion sensing, which is hit and miss affair. Relying on movements of the Wiimote to perform tricks is very tricky in the beginning, and it still proves hard after extensive play.
Skate It isn’t a game you can just pick up and play, it requires persistence and dedication to learning and mastering the unique control method. Don’t expect to be able to turn the game on and perform a 900 degree spin on your first go. Even minute tricks such as grinding a pole require much more skill than what is required in the Tony Hawk games. I haven’t mentioned that you can also use the Wii Balance Board to play the game, but I found it nearly impossible to do so. When using this control method, different areas of the Balance Board are allocated to certain tricks, so you need to put pressure on that area to perform that trick. It is extremely confusing and the board is a bit sensitive. It was a good idea in theory to implement Balance Board controls, but I for one wouldn’t advise people to use them. Stick to the Wiimote and Nunchuk combination, which is difficult enough as it is. Visually, Skate It looks pretty bland and there is a distinct lack of colour in the game.
Character models are slightly prehistoric though the game does run smoothly and the in-game menus are stylish. The soundtrack is pretty good, featuring a mix of punk, hip-hop, and old school rock. The ability to play your own songs via an SD card would have been welcomed, but alas, it is not the case. Skate It also offers an extensive amount of replay value. The solo mode is quite lengthy, and there is a competent multiplayer mode. Add in the fact that game takes a lot of time to master, and the freedom in how you approach the games challenges, and you have a game that will provide for hours and hours – provided you can become accustomed to the control scheme.
Overall, Skate It is a quality skating title that takes an entirely different direction compared to the well established Tony Hawk series. It takes quite some time to get used too, and it will frustrate the game considerably from time to time. However, with persistence and a willingness to master the controls, Skate It offers a much more realistic skating game. The control scheme is far from perfect, but the developers have done a bang up job in bring an entirely original skating experience to the Wii.
