Skate 2 Review

Skate 2 is a good, lengthy game, and it has moments of greatness, but it’s not great across the whole experience. I’m planning on going back and do more of the unfinished tasks and challenges I have, but I’m sure I’ll continue to swear and be frustrated by the game’s shortcomings (which are easily remedied, as I see it). As I’ve said in similar terms in the past with a couple of other game reviews, playing Skate 2 makes me want to play Skate 3, because I’d like to think that this kind of feedback will give the makers a better understanding of how the next game could be so much better. Give us a big world to skate, a big bunch of reasonable challenges to complete and durable multiplayer over Xbox Live that’ll keep us playing your game well after we’ve finished the Career path. Don’t feel you have to make me do something over and over to prove that I’m getting better as a player. Entertain me, but don’t overwhelm me. Unfortunately, despite all of Skate 2’s entertainment, it is often overwhelmingly discouraging.

There’s even more to do—and more variety in those activities—in Skate 2 than its predecessor, but there are design decisions that were made as the game was being created that are questionable for how they negatively affect gameplay quality.

There are glitches here and there (texture pop-up, 3-D camera foibles, etc.), but mostly New San Van is a gorgeous skate park/city with lots of nuance and skateable terrain.

I wish there was more variety (and entertaining banter) in what the voiceover companion says throughout, and the soundtrack is quickly repetitive if you play for any length of time.

The completist will be busy for some time, given all the Career tasks and other objectives the designers have built into the game.

Skate 2 continues to raise the bar for skateboarding games, but it just wasn’t enough for draw the kinds of raves offered for the first game in the series.

[TeamXbox]
[IGN]