Videogames> EA's skate Usurps Tony's Throne

E365> Unrivalled in the skating stakes for close to the last decade, it seems Tony Hawk finally has some competition with the release of EA's skate.

Immediately, skate sets itself out as something considerably different to Activision's Tony Hawk series. Where the Tony Hawk's series has always been about frenzied button-bashing, unbelievable combos, and outlandish tricks, skate strives for something much more natural, far more representative of the real skating scene (which is immediately evident from the horrific crashes I sustained - I'm not a particularly good skater in real life either).

Instead of an outlandish storyline stuffed with as many cameos as possible, it's surprising to find an EA title excelling in the subtlety of a romanticist's view of the scene, capturing the very reason why skaters dedicate their lives to it.

Starting out as a rookie skater with the dream of entering the X Games, the central challenge revolves around the simple concept of earning some recognition, achieving a sponsorship, and finally receiving some cash to turn a hobby into a career - the typical skater dream. The timeless dilemma of selling-out or staying true is briefly hinted at with the option of receiving extra cash bonuses provided you keep the sponsor happy by wearing their shoes and riding their board, wheels, and trucks.

As you rise through the ranks, recognition is earned via two different magazines by securing coverage at various photo-shoots and events. Representing a more conventional way to the top, The Skateboard Mag is primarily about contests, while Thrasher caters to the slightly edgier audience with challenges such as performing tricks in the No Skating areas and winning appropriately titled Deathraces. Sandwiched between the photo-shoots, races and trick contests, the Pro Challenges are all about ludicrous one-off tricks to impress the pro with the reward of new sponsor opportunities.

The quintessential 'skater vid' also plays a significant role with a range of challenges to perform within tight time-limits for both magazines. Taking the concept to a natural progression, skate includes an editor to create the perfect vid with a variety of camera changes, filters and slow-mo effects to choose from, before uploading it to the skate.TV channel for everybody else to marvel or wince at.

Setting skate in the fictional city of San Vanelona has afforded EA Black Box artistic license to go to town (literally) when it comes to designing a skate boarding Mecca. From the Suburbs in the hills above to Downtown and its sprawling skyscrapers below, San Vanelona's four districts provide diversity in abundance. The environment as a whole feels far more believable and convincing than anything we've seen in a Tony Hawk's title to-date. Beyond the main streets, San Vanelona is packed full of skate parks and empty swimming pools, along with 20 Spot Locations to 'own' by beating a singular trick score.

Integral to the entire skate experience is the control system that EA Black Box has devised, replacing the tired face-button setup for something far more intuitive and elegant. So much so, that at first it's hard not to reach for the X button or frantically flick tricks in an awkward manner, ala Tony Hawk. The two thumbsticks, controlling body motions and the board, along with the shoulder triggers to perform grabs cover everything.

Performing an ollie is as natural as pulling back and flipping up on the right thumbstick, which in-turn provides the basis for the entire range of tricks. Flicks, shove-its, and flips are performed with a corresponding motion in the relevant direction, whilst rotations are governed by the other thumbstick.

Initially the trick system appears to be restricted to a basic variety of kickflips, heelflips, and grabs, however this represents a mere fraction of the surprising amount that skate's control system captures. Combinations of the sticks, triggers, and brake unleash a veritable barrage of tricks, from the Coffin to the almighty Christ Air. skate takes great pleasure in making the tricks that were as simple as pressing a button in Tony Hawk's closer to the complexity of the real world, simply being able to get onto a rail for a grind requires far greater timing and accuracy than tapping a couple of buttons.

skate's beauty stems from this control system, it replaces the "videogamey" button techniques and unnecessary complexities of Tony Hawk's with a setup that's entirely intuitive and natural, undoubtedly providing a more realistic experience than its main rival, which leaves the question why hasn't this been tried before.

Tied to the control setup, skate's board dynamics have easily established a new standard for Neversoft to try and catch up. The sense of weight transfer across the board is astonishingly close to the real world, and despite the occasional glitch, skate's animation and physics compliment the control system to ensure skate is a fun and satisfying experience.

Not content with surpassing Tony Hawk with the first attempt, skate smashes his board in two and promises the next ten years will be a little different. Providing the antidote to too many years of unimaginative Tony Hawk's sequels, skate's debut marks an overwhelming success of innovation, style, and fun.

RATING: 9/10 (but only because I don't believe in 10/10s)