SKATE 2 X360

Black Box redefined what the skating-game genre could, and should be, with Skate It. Now they have come out with the long anticipated sequel Skate 2 for the Xbox 360. This new installment features a lot more exciting and sophisticated tricks, an improved Reel editor, a deeper create-a-skater, and much more.

Grind on any surface you can find. View larger.

The reel editor lets you create videos of yourself. View larger.

Giant ramps let you catch massive air. View larger.

You can buy property and turn them into skate parks. View larger.

The Story Continues
Skate 2 is set five years after the events in Skate It, where many earthquakes had devastated the city leaving it in ruins. Instead of the skaters' paradise that the city used to be, the new city dubbed New San Vanelona, has stepped-up security, thanks to Mongo Co., in order to protect the best parts of the city. This is the setting for you to rebuild your skate career and revive the city's skate scene.

Whereas you started the last game by learning the basics of skating, with Skate 2 you'll be immediately challenged by find a couple huge ramps. You start out at Slappy's, and while there are some tutorials, veterans will be able to blaze through them in about a minute. New players, on the other hand, will find Slappy's park to be inviting and easily accessible, and can get a taste of what's in store for them before taking on the entirety of San Vanelona. And once out there, you'll find that people you run into remember you and what you did five years ago, and are excited to see you back in action.

Exciting New Features and Capabilities
While the controls will be instantly familiar to fans of the previous game, there are loads of new tricks to perform. Skaters can now do footplants, crail slides and fingerflips. Or show off with a lip trick, an Ollie North, and the long-sought ability to Skitch (grabbing the bumper of a moving car) to gain speed.

New to Skate 2 is the ability to get off your board and walk around. While on foot, players can move certain objects in the world, creating their own lines with nearly 100 different objects. Changes to the environment, big or small, will stay put in the game regardless of how long you play. Should you decide that you no longer like your giant stack of trash bins or some other madness you've set up, one touch of a button can return the items to their original position. This means gamers can create their own epic spots and challenges, which can then be uploaded, shared, and experienced by others around the world.

Loads of Great Improvements
Skate 2 expands on the original's popular Reel editor, allowing gamers to place a follow camera or a fixed tripod camera wherever they want, recording their wicked tricks and brutal crashes. And speaking of crashes, skaters will now experience, and be able to highlight, damage to their threads. Clothes get dirty and become torn, and players get cuts and bruises depending on their actions. And if you crash big enough, you'll see a bail score pop up and increase as you take damage, culminating in the Thrasher Hall of Meat screen that tells you how well you've done crashing, and gives you an x-ray view showing your broken bones.

Skate 2 also features the choice of creating either a male or female character, rather than just male, and will offer an in-depth graphics creator. The role of money increases, allowing players to buy up pieces of property and turn them into a full-fledged skate parks. And there is a great new Goofy vs. Regular competition variant, where two teams of three skaters compete in the same park at the same time.

In short, Skate 2 ups the ante in delivering all the grit, creativity and culture of skateboarding, with all-new tricks and capabilities that allow players to truly skate it their way, on and off the board.

The create-a-skater features lets you personalize your player.