Review: 'Skate' grinds on Tony Hawk's turf

Skateboarding is all about cheeky defiance, which is exactly what Electronic Arts is sporting for going up against Activision's billion-dollar Tony Hawk skateboarding franchise.

But EA's Skate is more than just thumbing its nose at a rival video game company -- it's actually a very good game that, while not without its faults, proves there's room for some healthy competition.

Available now for the Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3, Skate offers a more simulation-like approach to skateboarding than the Tony Hawk titles, which are more fast-paced arcade games with over-the-top mid-air stunts.

In the fictitious town of San Vanelona, Skate attempts to re-create the sensation of real skateboarding with authentic player and board physics and a low camera to concentrate on your footwork.

The goal in the meaty career mode is to work your way up from punk skater to pinup pro, as you sculpt your skills, take on trick and race missions and vie to make the pages of Thrasher magazine.

If a less structured game is more your pace, you can create your own skater from scratch and take on non-linear challenges spread out around the city (including indoor locations you can unlock). You will also run into virtual versions of real skateboarding pros or up-and-coming stars, including Danny Way, Rob Dyrdek, Mark Gonzales, Mike Carroll and P.J. Ladd.

While it takes some getting used to, Skate puts a heavy emphasis on the controller's two analog sticks to pull off moves rather than rely on the four main buttons. EA calls this "Flickit" control. Watch a review of the latest video games on the market »

For example, to pull an ollie you'd pull back and push up on the left analog stick, while a "goofy" twist on it is performed by also pushing up on the right analog stick. Similarly, a 360 flip is achieved by pulling back and pushing off to the top left (think 10 o'clock) on the right analog stick, while a goofy move is doing the opposite on the left stick (pushing off to 2 o'clock).

One of the issues with the game is its steep learning curve --even grinding on a rail or curb can be tricky at first -- but those who don't give up prematurely shouldn't be disappointed. At any time, you can access the trick book to read up on how to perform these Flickit controls.

Another shortcoming with Skate is a frame-rate that fluctuates depending on what you're seeing on screen, so it might be fast and smooth when you're cruising down a steep hill by yourself, but might grind to a halt when there's a lot of action onscreen, such as in a four-player online match. Many online forums suggest that this problem happens more with the PlayStation 3 version of Skate than the Xbox 360 game.

Similar to the Halo 3 video game, Skate also lets savvy players record, edit and share movies with other players in YouTube-like online video posts, designed to show off your best tricks. You can also go online to play the game cooperatively or competitively in a handful of multiplayer modes.

Despite being a relatively tough game, Skate is an ambitious and entertaining effort that proves to be a solid rival to the mega-popular Tony Hawk titles. E-mail to a friend

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