Skate 3 (Xbox 360)

[GaMeR-BoY]

Introduction:

Skate Series is already in its third episode in three and a half years of existence. Not surprising when one knows the propensity of Electronic Arts to provide an annual overhaul of its sports series (FIFA, Madden, NBA Live ...).In only five letters, Skate is the game that pushes gently Tony Hawk to retirement. Party on a niche realistic, the title while sobriety of Electronic Arts has completely mediocrity rival, certainly older. But while the episode turns fast becoming stronger, the series must now be careful not to turn a victim of the ravages of time. In SKATE 3, gamers make the magic happen. Skate.Create gives players all the tools to create custom content for their team for both private use and to share with the world.

Players can design their dream plaza or mega-ramp park with the all-new Skate.Park. They can also capture their team in action with the expanded Skate.Reel for team based video creation. Or design a custom logo for their team with the improved Skate.Graphics web tool and hit the streets in style. You had enough of you skinned your knees on the tarmac and your board is sleeping peacefully in the back of the closet but your passion for skateboarding remained intact? Thankfully video games are there and you can get back the feeling of snow sports without having to suffer the most painful consequences. Indeed, if the games have long been skating totally out of practice, current titles look instead to stick a little more reality.

There was a time when the world of skateboarding games could almost be summed up in a license: he appeared a little over ten years, the prolific Tony Hawk's series has given such acclaim. But we must recognize that the good Tony became increasingly breathless over the years and fans of the discipline are gradually excluded from such license to success. Finally it's Electronic Arts has a new wind is blowing on gender in the first Skate leaving in 2007.

It was no longer jumps to twenty meters high or even chain of improbable tricks for ten minutes without being qualified as realistic, the gameplay of Skate was finally just closer to practice. The recipe has been able to convince the players and Electronic Arts has not hesitated to exploit the bonanza by adding a second and now a third episode of the license. These different album always recover more or less the same bases but also bring their share of improvements.

Check out the Skate 3 trailer here.

About the Game:

For if Electronic Arts has not much news on it, it is perhaps because there was not much new to say compared to previous episodes. An unfortunately recurring habit in the editor where, one year on the other, the differences between two versions are often too small. A finding which Skate 3 is no exception. Let us be clear, this Skate 3 will not change the series. Yup. But we will not repeat here the policy of the U.S. giant. Let us instead to some new improvements and still this third component.

Team Up. Thrown Down. The award-winning SKATE franchise returns to break new ground with SKATE 3. Delivering the definitive co-op skateboarding experience, it's up to players to build the ultimate team and change the face of the city. Get ready to take on unique team challenges, compete against rival crews online and shred the streets of the all new skaters’ paradise, Port Carverton.

Behind the modern architecture of Skate 3, its stairs all sides and skate parks more or less wild, Port Carverton conceals his little resemblance to "San Van". Same residential steep, even desert excuse for excess, the same broad walkways, even downtown business ... To believe that the two cities are twinned, but one would prefer a more original cronyism. Everyone can throw down in SKATE 3. New skate fans can learn the ins and outs of skateboarding with the all-new Skate.School - a place to practice and hone their skills on the sticks before hitting the streets with their team.

SKATE 3 delivers all the camaraderie and competition of skateboarding. New tricks, improved off board actions, and gnarly Hall of Meat carnage mixed with exciting new team-based gameplay takes SKATE 3 to a new level of skateboarding fun.

[GaMeR-BoY]

Gameplay:

If the screenwriting aspect of Skate 3 is quite high, the increase in the game is actually built around a career mode. Your goal is simple, you just build your own brand of skate and you must make to sell the maximum of planks. Do not worry, it does not turn into VRP shock and canvass supermarkets to get heads gondola for your products. Just simply to conduct missions, win tournaments or challenges for videos or photos of your achievements make mention of your brand. You can also recruit other skaters who will lend you a hand so that your logo will eventually completely fill the city ... You will understand it is just an excuse to discover a new playground just by making huge missions scattered around Port Caverton.

This city is bigger than San Vanelona, but in return it is divided into three distinct areas: the university campus, downtown and industrial area. These three areas offer very different environments and challenges. We regret the way that the graphics engine still has not really changed since the first episode of the series. But behind these textures a bit antiquated these curves and sometimes a little too Cube, we are happy to find a well thought-out level design offers a variety of spots.

You do not have to fight with security guards for your sport: skateboarding is welcome in Port Caverton officer and campus security will even give you some advice. You will still accommodate you bystanders. If you do not want to fight for a piece of sidewalk, you still have the opportunity to perform in theaters. We find of course the possibility to edit their own skateparks or download the creations of other players. A small innovation, however his appearance: the simple fact that your skateparks are downloaded you will evolve in the career mode. The editor itself is still as comprehensive and easy to access, but now you no longer have to be confined in a room for use.

In the previous episode, it was already possible to push elements of the set for you to create your dream spot in the middle of a street. The functionality is still there but you now also have access to the editor where you are. Specifically, you can create from scratch your own skatepark wild in the middle of any place. Basically, there are therefore more or less the same tools as in the previous episode, but we win here in terms of freedom and richness of content.

With a design mid-way between the two previous games, the environment is more realistic than in episode 2 and less colorful, like the number 1. That said, wandering through the city, we no longer feel a great rider skate park to open, because the sets are particularly deprived. The three main areas of Port Carverton: industrial, university and downtown, compete deprivation with poor textures do not help. Without blushing, the series is not a traditional delivery model, a fact confirmed with this episode and more comical collisions and frame rate vacillating.

Nothing dramatic, though. The animations of tricks always send the very best in the genre, although they could lose strength over time, and the squeal of urethane on asphalt provides the spectacle side noises. Walking also makes its return to a more flexible version. Very useful to trace the stairs when we forget to place his marker respawn , it is better integrated with the waltz tricks. However, given the disaster of last year, it could hardly be worse.

Skate or die:

Change of scenery. We pass the streets of San Vanelona Orwellian (remember the cops constipated) to the city, like California, Port Caverton. The latter, divided into three segments (university, city and docks), is presented as an open-world in which we can quietly slider and grind in peace under the lens of the camera super 8 his buddy. The novelty of the Skate 3 is to prove itself by showing other skaters full extent of his talent. For this, he will meet a lot of different challenges to appear at the four corners of the city logo of his team.

A team that we can expand as and as the ranking points, which can recruit new teammates. Among the most exciting events, there is a kind of "battle" where the skaters compete, and to turn over a short period of time. The team that wins is the one who makes the most impressive figures, knowing that any fall is penalized by a draw. When we know the character very realistic to the series, it weighs each of his movements with great attention. Simulation of Electronic Arts is indeed still difficult to understand but never inaccessible. And the margin of increase, coupled with career mode, is undoubtedly the main attraction of the Skate 3 .

What's pushing new cat?

Series Skate founded much of its reputation on two elements. First a gameplay both technical and rewarding. Then, the original orders, based on synchronized rotation of both sticks analog to launch all kinds of tricks. Still, after a first episode confined to popular figures and a suite of techniques to open more old school, there was reason to expect even more variety for this issue 3. Was it too much to ask? The only big news is the addition of side faces of dark Catches, which block movement in midair by pressing RB to follow up with a Darkslide (slide on the grip, with the board upside down). Stylish and very generous with points, this new trick is unfortunately the only one worth visiting.

For the rest, we will retain essentially flips underflip always good to take, but not transcendent to achieve. It still lacks a whole lot of figures, as in street ramp. Unforgivable, especially since the system lent itself perfectly catch the incursion of tricks and very easy to place as nice Caspers PRIMOS or other fans of Tony Hawk and Rodney Mullen taste already for many years.

The working time has been devoted to the creation of new figures have finally allowed the development of far more useless options like the ability to literally fall from the sky objects. Gates, bins, rails or tables that can then be positioned by hand to make the city a playground for further innovations in a little light, we note the appearance of two levels of difficulty unpublished In addition to the standard gameplay mode: easy and hardcore mode. At any time, it is possible to choose one or the other, which makes the game too permissive or too demanding of challenges. The method may possibly spice up the hardcore progression specialists holding off the speed and stability and jump height, but the title could very well get by trusting its gameplay usual.

[GaMeR-BoY]

Paranoid Park:

Otherwise, the title simply offers the minimum of what we are entitled to expect a sequel worthy of the name: more tricks (barely), an expanded playground, a mode Multiplayer online provides lots of different modes or a skate park editor more complete. Technically, the improvement does not jump to the eyes. The decorations are missing finishing details and walking, including jump, still be improved. However, there is nothing to say about the work of motion capture, animation revealing once again remarkable. No doubt, Skate 3 is the best skating game console high definition, although it is difficult to advise a high price if you already own the previous games, so the news is scarce. In the opposite case, Skate 3 fulfills his contract.

It could be more or less the same comment on the gameplay of Skate 3. Indeed we find the foundations that have made the success of the series embellished with some new story to spice sauce. Newcomers may find the grip rather disconcerting but thoughtful and a tutorial led by the charismatic coach Frank enable them to quickly learn the gameplay. For simplicity we can say that you control your character's hands using two triggers, both his feet are tied to two buttons on front, the left stick allows you to direct as you control the tilt from the board with the right stick. It remains then the other two buttons, one to get off his board and run, the other to brake or perform some tricks. Specifically, it accelerates through pushing the button linked to the foot in question.

To type an ollie, that is to say, to jump, he should put his weight behind the skate and then give a boost forward. Once in the air, it makes a grab by pressing a trigger: the corresponding hand will then grab the board. Based on this principle, we can achieve a variety of tricks involving the management of the center of gravity, grabs and involving the feet. The result is ultimately far more realistic than were the good old Tony Hawk's but can not qualify Skate realistic simulations provided. In fact, the series always leaves a good seat at the sensational and kidding: Some challenges require you to make such incredible falls to break your bones up ...

If the above points have not really changed since the second album, fans of the series will still be delighted to discover some additional tricks that enrich a range of possibilities that was already particularly provided. The first innovation is the emergence of underflips. Basically, it is to start with a kickflip, that is to say, to jump by tapping the edge of his board to rotate, then once in the air, giving a kick to skate rotates in the opposite direction. Controller in hand, it is thus first perform a kickflip with the right stick, then quickly bring it to the opposite diagonal. The various tricks associated with this technique may not be very complicated to get out and those who are already hands on the previous pane have no difficulty in controlling them.

Things get a little complicated with the other novelty, Darkslide. It is simply turning his skateboard grind. The grind in question are less stable, but it is especially important to pay attention to the reception that follows because it is never advisable to land on the tarmac with all four wheels in the air. In the same spirit the more daring may try to make darkcatchs turning the board into the air and placing the feet on each side of the wheels. Again, the reception is not always obvious after such maneuvers. Ultimately these innovations make a small twenty new tricks that will appeal to those familiar with probably the series that began to know the movements of Skate 2 by heart.

The latest episode of this obviously concern the online mode. We found the course to share features with other gamers skateparks that were designed or videos that were shot but the content community is now more easily accessible. Indeed, while the multiplayer aspect is now directly available from the Career mode, moreover there is finally more game modes really differentiated from each other. This organization implies the disappearance of offline multiplayer mode but we must recognize that he was not greatly developed in the previous album. In return, the multiplayer online is now integrated into the career mode: you can invite your friends to join you to skate slowly, but you can also start at any time in online challenges to help you sell your famous boards and evolve in career mode.

Challenges issues are not really original, it is still such spots to take opponents to the most successful trick or amass the most points. The novelty lies in the opportunity to get together with friends to create real teams and thus challenge other groups of players on the net. The option to create a sense of community but do not expect much for a revolution. This debate could well apply to all Skate 3 this third album is not very surprising, it uses the mechanisms of their elders by making some nice new features, but in the end we will not complain because this recipe conservative we can get the best skating game market.

Before leaving the rider, a final clarification is required regarding community assets Skate 3: features of sharing photos, videos and custom parks require the activation of a single-use code supplied with the game enthusiasts of opportunity should provide for the purchase of a new code on Xbox Live to enjoy their title in its entirety. The price of the precious card is set at 600 points (about 9 USD).

[GaMeR-BoY]

Conclusion:

Series Skate stagnating. As a skateboarder at the foot of a slope too steep, this third episode grows slowly, with few new figures, a variety of game modes but already known to most and a new city, Port Carverton, not so different from San Vanelona that we ran in previous episodes. Rest of the gameplay traditional saga, still as powerful and full online multiplayer, which focuses on team building, cooperation and sharing of content (video captures, pictures, custom skate parks). It is understood, the fashion community has not spared any of the license Skate , but occurs mainly by small gadgets and can not hide the lack of commitment on the bottom of the track. Pleasant but a bit light for the fans of the series, and completely dispensable when you do not play online.

[Maq.H]

Apparently stuck for ideas for renewing the bottom of the game, EA Black Box has been working on creating tools and community interaction between players. It includes the idea: capture the spirit of the chill and the feeling of belonging to a community, oh so important in the small world of skateboarding. But frankly, all this seems a little gadget. For starters, there's no real way "Career" or "Online" menu in the game all conventional actually happening in the city of Port Carverton, full of challenges of all kinds.

After an initial registration with the free service EA Nation, the game will automatically connect to Xbox Live to allow players to meet these challenges solo against the AI in the case of contests or online against other players. Photo shoots or video, street racing or green, dual meet with skaters pros lines with compulsory figures (members of the team must then share the objectives), making commercials, which must be added the competitive challenges traditional series of sessions as SKATE, the Butcher (competition falls inherited from the previous episode), the races .

[Arzaan]

Challenges can also be increased cooperation. This is not exactly a novelty, but the coop is deeper than in Skate 2 . The progression in the game means to quickly create not a skater, but a real team, capable of mounting a brand and sell equipment. The team may very well be around bots , but the must is of course true to recruit skaters online. And then everything is planned so that everyone can find skate shoes at its foot.

A sort of online recruitment platform presents the different teams created by the players. They announce what kind of partner they seek (a specialist in downhill, street, stunt ...), and can be reached via a system of invitation to the Facebook. We can not say it upsets the gaming experience, especially as there is no guarantee attendance system in the long term, but the idea to proudly display its colors against other teams during the contests is rather motivating.

Specially since the clan spirit has been pushed to its maximum. Players always have the opportunity to create their own skate park, their promotional photos and especially their videos. The video editor has also been improved from Skate 2 . Permanently connected to REC, it can register any time during the game to make a montage by changing the angle of the cameras.