The original "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater" was such a success that it had nearly defined every succeeding extreme sports game in terms of control schemes and gameplay mechanics. Nearly a decade after its release - and after the genre had quieted somewhat - "Skate" reinvented the control scheme to prove a worthy competitor to the stream of Tony Hawk titles. "Skate 2," the latest installment, smoothes out some of the rough edges of the original but, while still fun, doesn't do much differently either.
The heart of the game is its sharp controls. Rather than mashing buttons to pull off tricks, moving the right analog stick in a few different directions and patterns results in different tricks. The left stick controls the directions your character is facing and the triggers make your skater perform grabs. Grinds feel refreshingly natural; which grind you pull depends simply on your orientation as you land on a rail. It's a very intuitive system that relishes being easy to learn but hard to master.
The big, open world of "Skate 2," set in the fictional city of San Vanelona, provides plenty of opportunities for different challenges that range from the simple do-this-trick-there tasks to races and different competitions with other skaters. If you're into the core concept, there's plenty to keep you occupied in "Skate 2;" if not, the game doesn't really get much better than the gameplay in the first hour.
This installment adds some new, if mostly uninspired, features to the original formula, the foremost of which is being able to get off your board and drag things around in the environment to set up better opportunities. In a startlingly gruesome - but not wholly surprising - turn, "Skate 2" makes beefing out an actual minigame; you get awarded points based on how badly your avatar gets hurt. It's just like "Burnout," except it replaces cars with human bodies. It can prove sort of disgusting.
The multiplayer mode is definitely one of the game's strong suits, as there are plenty of modes that range from outscoring everyone to pulling off the same tricks, as well as cooperative ventures like trying to collectively beat a high score. But offline play is limited to one player at a time, meaning all players have to take turns on one controller.
The big problem with "Skate 2" is that it's just a by-the-numbers sequel. The formula still works, but there's nothing but a new layer of polish to distinguish it from the original. And in reality, while the series deserves credit for refreshing a somewhat stale genre, it's essentially the same as the "Tony Hawk" games, only with a different control scheme. Sequels that provide more of the same might-be quality games, but riding the same ideas over and over is bad for any series. "Skate 2" comes a bit too close to that line.
"Skate 2's" graphics are mostly passable, though occasionally substandard and rarely special. While the game renders a modern urban environment with excellent architectural detail, combining the exquisite detail of something like "Grand Theft Auto IV" with the low-res textures of "Grand Theft Auto III" doesn't work too well. Character models look good and the atmospheric lighting looks pretty, but as a whole the game doesn't look great by today's standards.
By contrast, the sound design is excellent. Skating sounds like skating and, more importantly, the skaters sound like skaters - exaggerated, borderline satirical dialogue notwithstanding. Best of all, the stellar soundtrack combines some great punk, rap and metal for a mix that will probably entertain anyone with an interest in the game in the first place.
Any fan of skateboarding games will enjoy "Skate 2," but probably won't be blown away. And, unfortunately, the game doesn't give much reason for anyone who doesn't like the genre to give it another try.
You can reach this writer at thescene@theeagleonline.com.
