Like I said few days ago the Skate 2 Demo has arrived. I might manage to knock out a demo review this week but I know i'll be getting this game so I may wait and give you a full review.Due to the quality of videos on the web you won't really be able to notice the graphical upgrades, but you will be able to see the improvements to what were already impressive character animations. Plus the physics and frame rate, which were a bit sketchy at times in the last game, have seen great amendment; the game now runs at 60 frames per second (a vast difference from the previous 30 fps), and new physics mean the characters actually bend and crumple like real humans, when flying through the air after a major bail, the guys limbs actually flail about desperately, you can see the panic as he realizes how close the ground is. Very fun to watch. Mwahaha.
There is a graphics comparison between the PS3 and 360 versions of the game at gametrailers.com.
http://www.gametrailers.com/player/44295.html?r=1&type=wmv
I honestly don't see much difference except that the trees and bushes seem a little more detailed on the PS3, they look blander on 360. I know that in the last game the 360 had a better frame rate but PS3 version had clothes that blew in the wind. From playing the skate 2 demo i noticed that you can get cuts and stuff on your arm, and dirty up your clothes in th eps3 version, don't know if the same goes for PS3 In this video I can make out that the guys long hair moves about slightly on the PS3, I could not see it in the 360 version.
I played a ton of the Skate demo and tooled around the full version for a little bit. I really liked what they had done and there was a general feeling of, I dunno, "freedom". And now that the Skate 2 demo became available for us Silver users today, I decided to give it a go:
(if the video does not work quite yet, come back later )
There is something about the demo that rubs me the wrong way. The worst part is, I can't even really put my finger on it. Maybe it's the fact that the area in the demo is so small - the Skate Park portion is less than half the size of the original demo area for the first Skate, and in general, feels very cramped and tight, like there's not a lot of room to move around. And speaking of moving around, even that's giving me trouble - I seem to be wiping out more than I did in the original Skate and I can't get the air or the momentum going that I used to (WARNING: That is old webcam footage. If there's enough interest, I'll re-download the original Skate demo and record footage of that to better prove my point). There's also a demo timer; the demo for the original Skate let you go on for kind of a long time if I remember right - something like 30 minutes, I think. The demo for Skate 2 gives you five minutes, and you can extend that to around ten minutes if you complete the tutorial and all the challenges quick enough.
The small size and the short time limit don't exactly give you a lot of time to fool around. I always figured the 30 minute limit in the previous demo was to help show off the skate.reel function, where you could upload 30 seconds of footage to the official Skate Website. This demo seemingly retains that functionality, but without much time to really mess with the controls or stretch your legs in the skate park, there's not much use to it, if you ask me. Even worse: You have to sit through the entire introductory scene every single time you boot up the demo. Just the opening monologue is a good two minutes long. That doesn't exactly encourage replayability. I'm sure somebody from the peanut gallery is going to say, "It's a demo, cheapskate! Buy the full game!" - yeah, well, that's the thing. I wanted the original Skate - but I don't really know if I want Skate 2.
In general, the controls feel... tighter. Which should be a good thing, but I can't help but feel that this is a bad thing. They almost feel too rigid, or something, almost like a Tony Hawk game. The trick system has been tightened up so much that it doesn't really feel like the gestures I'm doing are what's pulling off tricks - it feels more like I'm miming a motion on screen and my Skater does something tangentially related. There's a serious disconnect now that wasn't there in the original Skate. The replay editor is also suffering - it has tons more depth, and that's great, and all - more depth for that stuff is nothing but a good thing - but reviewing footage quickly isn't as easy. In the original Skate, popping open the replay editor and reviewing your footage from multiple camera angles was a snap. I'd frequently pop in to the replay editor just to watch a bail I just did in slow motion and that was awesome. In Skate 2, you have to wrestle with several sub-menus, zooming options, panning options, and holding down the bumpers to modify certain button functions. I'm sure some people out there are going to use this new-found depth to create fantastic videos, but in turn, they've actually made me avoid opening the replay editor.
I guess what this boils down to is it feels like they simplified certain elements too much but alternatively they went and made certain elements more complicated than they needed to be.
And, even if there are visible improvements to the game otherwise, I don't think I like it.
The Community is still a threat!!!
- TokyoChicken manages to save this weeks Bomb Should Have a Face.
- lordofultima posts his Game of the Year nominations.
- The Eidos controversy discussion continues with Lies blog "Eidos Controversy Cliffnotes"
- TheBeast points out a brilliant deal on steam - Titan Quest for $9.99
- The winner of SuperMooseman's brilliant Caption Contest is revealed!!
- Lies creates a kick ass Mirrors Edge Guide.
- In the second guide in the drop this week Trav3ler gives us Left 4 Dead versus mode help
- Another guide gets a mention this week in the form of jacob187's Call of Duty: World at War Achievement Guide
Reviews
| game | score [+ -] | platform | genre | reviewed by | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Skate It | |  | WII | Skateboarding | Jeff Gerstmann Nov. 26, 2008 |
 | World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King | |  | MAC, PC | MMORPG | Andy McCurdy Nov. 21, 2008 |
News
New Xbox 360 Hardware Has Internal Storage? Manual scans and motherboard images of new "Jasper" hardware reveal pictures of circuitry, 256MB internal storage.
Added by Jeff on Nov. 28 2008
Assassin's Creed for a New Era?
Wedbush Morgan analyst suggests that Ubisoft is moving its jumpy-stealthy sequel to a new era.
Added by Ryan on Nov. 26 2008
Sony Movies Return to Netflix on 360 A parable for the competitive-yet-symbiotic relationship between Sony and Microsoft, or just some simple contract revisions?
Added by Ryan on Nov. 25 2008#
Fallout 3 DLC Announced One pack a month for the first three months of 2009. Also, mod tools!
Added by Jeff on Nov. 25 2008
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First Impressions: Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix SSF2THDR is now available... so I played a bunch of it. Here's what I think so far.
Added by Jeff on Nov. 26 2008
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Pandemic Shutdown Leads to Office Space Tribute
If there was a TV channel called "men beating office equipment," I'd DVR every minute.
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EA Announces The Next Mercenaries Game
"Mercs Inc." to continue Pandemic's legacy of explosions and open-world-type stuff.
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Hands-On: Ridin' Zelda's Spirit Tracks
A few minutes with Nintendo's next DS Zelda installment.
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Most Popular Achievements (11/14 - 11/20)
As the year winds down, it's clear that one game will stand alone... well, for the next few weeks, anyway.
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Play The Zelda Trivia Challenge, Part Two
Five more questions to tease your brain and maybe net you some cool stuff.
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Five Years In The World Of Warcraft
A bit of reminiscence about Blizzard's little juggernaut from a few of the developers who have been there.
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Pandemic Shutdown Leads to Office Space Tribute
If there was a TV channel called "men beating office equipment," I'd DVR every minute.
|
|
|
EA Announces The Next Mercenaries Game
"Mercs Inc." to continue Pandemic's legacy of explosions and open-world-type stuff.
|
|
|
Play The Zelda Trivia Challenge, Part Two
Five more questions to tease your brain and maybe net you some cool stuff.
|
|
|
Hands-On: Ridin' Zelda's Spirit Tracks
A few minutes with Nintendo's next DS Zelda installment.
|
|
|
Most Popular Achievements (11/14 - 11/20)
As the year winds down, it's clear that one game will stand alone... well, for the next few weeks, anyway.
|
|
|
Five Years In The World Of Warcraft
A bit of reminiscence about Blizzard's little juggernaut from a few of the developers who have been there.
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