Skate It
Encyclopedia
Skate It is a skateboarding video game developed by EA Montreal
, Exient Entertainment
and EA Black Box
for the Nintendo DS
, Wii
, and iOS. The game is a spin-off
of 2007's Skate
, and the developers have stated that it is not a port
or sequel
but rather an original game. It was released on November 19, 2008, the day after Tony Hawk's Motion
was released on the DS. EA announced the game for release in May 2010 on the iOS platform, and has since been released.
) have caused widespread damage and a mass evacuation of the city, leaving the player free to skate alone and undisturbed. They will, however, be able to travel to other cities in the world later in the game.
Because the Nintendo DS and Wii lack the dual analog joysticks that were used for control in the original game, the controls for Skate It were redesigned to take advantage of each platform's respective control methods. For example, the Wii version utilizes the motion sensing of the Wii Remote
to control the player's skateboard, with gestures used to perform tricks, while the Nintendo DS version will feature stylus and touchscreen control. The Wii version also features support for the Wii Balance Board
.
The Wii version uses a modified version of the original's game engine
, supports 480p and widescreen display options, and contains the Instate Replay feature from the original game. The Wii version also offers a deep and unique career mode that allows the player to earn sponsors, unlock gear, and travel to places such as London
, Barcelona
, Paris
, Shanghai
, San Francisco and Rio de Janeiro
, a first for the series. In addition, a number of offline and online multiplayer modes will be available.
gave the Wii version of Skate It an 8.5/10, citing some issues with the motion-based control scheme though they claim that for those willing to master it, the scheme reveals a great depth and a more nuanced trick system. They also praised the overall gameplay, the long and extensive single player mode, the soundtrack and presentation, but felt the in game graphics were "bland" and at times "nasty". IGN also gave the Nintendo DS version a 7.9/10, calling the gameplay "enormously challenging" and "amazingly satisfying due to its complexity", but were slightly disappointed by occasional bugs and glitches and an overall lack of polish compared to the Wii version. The Nintendo DS version was a nominee for several DS-specific awards by IGN in their 2008 video game awards, including Best Sports Game, Best Online Multiplayer Game, and Most Innovative Design.
EA Montreal
EA Montreal is a video game development studio owned and operated by Electronic Arts. The studio is based in Montréal, Québec. It was inaugurated by EA on March 17, 2004. The studio was founded by Alain Tascan a former Ubisoft and BAM! Entertainment executive. It is one of a few examples where EA...
, Exient Entertainment
Exient Entertainment
Exient Entertainment is an independent video game developer based in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is known for its ports of various games on the Madden NFL, FIFA, Need for Speed, The Sims and Tiger Woods PGA Tour series for Electronic Arts and the DJ Hero series for Activision...
and EA Black Box
EA Canada
EA Canada is a video game developer located in Burnaby, British Columbia. The development studio opened in January 1983 and is EA's largest and oldest studio...
for the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
, Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
, and iOS. The game is a spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
of 2007's Skate
Skate (video game)
Skate is a skateboarding video game developed by EA Black Box for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. It was released in North America on September 17, 2007 for the Xbox 360 and September 24, 2007 for the PlayStation 3 and in Europe on September 28, 2007 for the Xbox 360 and October 5, 2007 for the...
, and the developers have stated that it is not a port
Porting
In computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created for a computing environment that is different from the one for which it was originally designed...
or sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
but rather an original game. It was released on November 19, 2008, the day after Tony Hawk's Motion
Tony Hawk's Motion
Tony Hawk's Motion is a 2008 video game in the Tony Hawk series of video games, for handheld consoles released on the Nintendo DS on November 18, 2008.-Gameplay:...
was released on the DS. EA announced the game for release in May 2010 on the iOS platform, and has since been released.
Overview
Skate It is set in San Vanelona, the same fictional city as the original game, although several mysterious disasters (identified as earthquakes in Skate 2Skate 2
Skate 2 is a sandbox skateboarding video game developed by EA Black Box and distributed by Electronic Arts as a sequel to the 2007 game, Skate. Skate 2 was released in January 2009 on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.-Plot:...
) have caused widespread damage and a mass evacuation of the city, leaving the player free to skate alone and undisturbed. They will, however, be able to travel to other cities in the world later in the game.
Because the Nintendo DS and Wii lack the dual analog joysticks that were used for control in the original game, the controls for Skate It were redesigned to take advantage of each platform's respective control methods. For example, the Wii version utilizes the motion sensing of the Wii Remote
Wii Remote
The , also known as the Wiimote, is the primary controller for Nintendo's Wii console. A main feature of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact with and manipulate items on screen via gesture recognition and pointing through the use of accelerometer and...
to control the player's skateboard, with gestures used to perform tricks, while the Nintendo DS version will feature stylus and touchscreen control. The Wii version also features support for the Wii Balance Board
Wii Balance Board
The Wii Balance Board is a balance board accessory for the Nintendo Wii video game console. Along with Wii Fit, it was introduced on July 11, 2007 at the Electronic Entertainment Expo...
.
The Wii version uses a modified version of the original's game engine
Game engine
A game engine is a system designed for the creation and development of video games. There are many game engines that are designed to work on video game consoles and personal computers...
, supports 480p and widescreen display options, and contains the Instate Replay feature from the original game. The Wii version also offers a deep and unique career mode that allows the player to earn sponsors, unlock gear, and travel to places such as London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, San Francisco and Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, a first for the series. In addition, a number of offline and online multiplayer modes will be available.
Reception
IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave the Wii version of Skate It an 8.5/10, citing some issues with the motion-based control scheme though they claim that for those willing to master it, the scheme reveals a great depth and a more nuanced trick system. They also praised the overall gameplay, the long and extensive single player mode, the soundtrack and presentation, but felt the in game graphics were "bland" and at times "nasty". IGN also gave the Nintendo DS version a 7.9/10, calling the gameplay "enormously challenging" and "amazingly satisfying due to its complexity", but were slightly disappointed by occasional bugs and glitches and an overall lack of polish compared to the Wii version. The Nintendo DS version was a nominee for several DS-specific awards by IGN in their 2008 video game awards, including Best Sports Game, Best Online Multiplayer Game, and Most Innovative Design.
External links
- Skate It Official Homepage
- http://www.digitalsomething.com/news/1850.html Skate It DS Review] at DigitalSomething