Mr. Easygrease

I think I'll start off by hitting the only complaints I've seen - and have seen multiple times... Too hard, no "skate' controls, and for the finale ? Poor control. Ahh, alas the uncoordinated and non-skating contingent have spoken, therefore it MUST suck. Wrong. Flat out, dead wrong. The control setup is brutal, unforgiving, and extremely precise - if you are going to war with a trick, odds are its you, not the controls - if its too much for you, try the real thing, it will certainly improve your understanding of how a skateboard actually works. Excellent world design, tons of hidden gem spots to go along with the well known scene spots, sound is the best I've heard in a skating game . Details like board and wheel size matter - the joy of using manuel catch is an excercise in timing and controling your nerves - expect to be frustrated, enjoy the Ah ha moments - thats called learning... Lazy Day studios ? , EA What ?? Go Skateboard today.

Skater XL - Console version. Came out of the gates fairly strong, first one to market in a decade long skating drought, excellent controls - a little too forgiving in the difficulty department - but still better than the Skate series. That being said, Evolution has again spoken, industry standard THPS was KO'd by Skate - XL had the potential to do the same, but catering to PC alone is what has ultimately crushed this console version under the weight of its own expectations - Unless EasyDay steps up and delivers a deeper experience this game will wind up in the purgatory of "was a good game". Maps are servicable to the skating mechanics, soundtrack is fine for a couple of hours, then your ears bleed... Multiplayer is this games saving grace - Hey, at least its not Shawn Whites game... All told, some good fun to be had - Won't stand up well against a true sim, but still better than canned trick animations.