As the release of EA’s Skate 3 draws nearer, there is a considerable amount of discussion over the game. Pretty natural for a skateboarding website, right? But with this discussion also comes thoughts of other skateboarding games as well. It’s fair to say that at the moment, the Skate games are at the top of the skateboarding video game latter.. And we all are aware that prior to Skate, the Tony Hawk series ran the show. But, there have been quite a handful of skateboarding video games outside of these franchises, and many of them are often overlooked. So, let’s take a look back at five other skateboarding games.. Some of which you may have never played. (These are in no particular order)
Grind Session was released back in 2000 for the Playstation and was developed by Shaba Games. Unlike many skateboarding games at that time, it featured quite a few real skateboard pros. You would find the likes of Willy Santos, Ed Templeton, John Cardiel, and more. It also offered up a handful of real spots to skate. Some of these included NYC Banks, Burnside, the London Playstation Park, and Slam City Jam.
The gameplay wasn’t quite like the THPS games that were on top at the time… But it wasn’t terribly far from it. The controls were fairly similiar, but the engine was much more realistic. It was one of those games where you could go wild with, or you could just chill and limit yourself to tricks that you considered “realistic”. Anyway, here is a gameplay video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nS7NSbB_Gi8&feature=related
With the games out today, is it worth going back to?
Hard to say.. This game doesn’t offer up TOO much major differences when compared to other titles.. But it was still a pretty fun game way back when. If you ever get tired of the skate games you have and you don’t mind stepping back in time and settling with your PS1 graphics, you should probably check this one.
This one comes from Electronic Arts and was released on the Playstation in 1998. You aren’t going to find any real skateboarders in the game, and you’re not going to find any real spots.
The main issue with this game was that it was so limited. Every level was linear. You started at point A and ended at point B. You could only hit an obstacle one time per run. And as if that isn’t enough, you don’t pick the tricks you do. You just ride up a ramp and press ‘X’ and see what trick you come up with. Might be a 1080 spin, might be a quadruple back-flip (hell, it might even be both). Tricks on flat land? No, not in this one. I’ll let the gameplay video do the talking: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErC3RHHsBGc
With the games out today, is it worth going back to?
Eh, nah, I couldn’t say that it is. It’s a shame, because as a kid I remember LOVING this game.. But I guess that’s just the way it is on this one. You can probably find it used for $2-5 somewhere.. If you’re curious enough you might wanna pick it up. But don’t say I didn’t warn you >.>’
This one dropped in 2002 on the Playstion 2 and Gamecube. Konami was behind this game. It includes skaters such as Rick McCrank, Kerry Getz, and Arto Saari (tell me that’s not awesome). Doesn’t include any real spots, though. Oh, and Metal Gear Solid fans might find some characters in here that interest them.
The gameplay on this one was a little bit more objective oriented than others. A lot of the times you’re collecting items, focusing on skating in just a specific area, and occasionally trying to clear/grind certain distances. Of course, even with this style gameplay, you still get a lot of free skating. Anyway, here is the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiCLvFh8Zvw
With the games out today, is it worth going back to?
If you like objective oriented skateboarding games, sure. It’s not quite as old as the other titles here, so maybe it will be a little bit easier to find. Anyway, it’s not that bad of a game in my opinion. It can take a little while to get used to the engine though.
Another one from Konami and available on PS2. This one dropped back in 2001. It features the same people I mentioned for Evolution Skateboarding, but it also brings in people like Colin McKay, Chris Senn, and Chad Fernandez.
Again, pretty objective oriented gameplay. This one however plays a little bit sketchier than the above title. It’s also more similar to the THPS controls than the aforementioned games. Nothing too original.. Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76RErNjUOuY
With the games out today, is it worth going back to?
Hm.. Not sure quite how to put this. No.
Comes from Z-Axis on the Playstation. Made availiable in 1999. It includes a handful of real skate spots, but it doesn’t have any real skateboarders. Everybody in this one is fiction.
This game had some original gameplay. In my opinion, it still stands out (and over) when compared to games of today. The way this game works.. You have to figure out what trick you are going to do BEFORE you pop your tail. You hold the buttons down, your skater sets up, you release them and the tail pops and tricks begin. A much more technical and realistic approach. And on that note, this is a realistic game. It’s often noted as a “skateboard simulator”, for that matter. But with such unique controls and gameplay, it can take a while to figure it all out and get good at.. But what’s wrong with that? Oh, and there’s a hard gameplay mode.. And in this one, you actually have to manually catch your tricks in order to land! Check the gameplay: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7l2tSpI9Y8
With the games out today, is it worth going back to?
Other members and myself have mentioned this title around the forums and called it the best skateboarding game to date.. And in my opinion, that’s exactly what it is. If you’re looking for an original skateboarding game.. And something more on the realistic side.. Then this title is a MUST for your game collection. The only issue is that this game is over 10 years old, so you’ll need to settle with some outdated graphics.
Well.. There you have it. Hopefully you caught wind of some games you never heard of, and maybe you feel like checking them out.
