Lucky for you, Skate 3 developer Black Box is aware of this challenge and dealt with it once before in Skate 2.

What Is It?
Skate 3 is the follow up to last year's non-Tony Hawk skater sim, Skate 2. The setting is new, the modes are somewhat familiar and the emphasis is on team gameplay this time instead of the solo experience.

What We Saw
EA sat games journalists down in groups for a quick rundown of all the new features plus a multi-round multiplayer face off in several different gameplay modes. The modes (as I frantically wrote them down between loading screens) were: Race, Domination, One-Up, Contest and Own-the-Lot.

How Far Along Is It?
Very early days. Skate 3 is built on Skate 2's engine, so everything looks farther along than it is and probably will move along quickly — but it was still what you'd call "alpha."

What Needs Improvement?
Race: It is so hard to get back on the right track once you've hosed yourself in a race. I was doing damn fine at the beginning, but when I messed up a jump by trying to flick my trick stick (read: right stick), I wound up facing the wrong way and the game reset me on the race track right back where I'd failed the trick with zero momentum to get up the vertical wall from which I was trying to do a trick jump. It ruined the pace of the race and of course put me in last place. (And no, I didn't mean for that to rhyme, it just came out that way.)

Skate.School: Sadly, EA wasn't ready to show off Skate.School — their tutorial mode. I put it here because it's really, really important that the developer nail the tutorials in Skate 3. So much of the gameplay rides on a team experience and there doesn't seem to be a space that's really all about solo skating except for the tutorial. Without a solid tutorial experience to catch everyone up, newcomers are going to be left in the dust (and totally demoralized when they realize they're the weak link) by their teammates.

Not Fundamentally Different: Some people griped that Skate 2 was really Skate 1.5. Those same people might be tempted to say that Skate 3 is really Skate 2 because when you get down to it, new tricks and new modes doesn't necessarily make a new game. The might even call Skate 3 Skate 1.75, if they're being particularly harsh.

What Should Stay The Same?
One-Up: Easily the most nerve-wracking mode of them all, One-Up also turned out to be the most fun. You and your posse start out at the beginning of a track while a rival posse watches from nearby. When the timer goes off, you have something like 60 seconds to rack up as many points as you can by doing tricks. If any one of you falls of his or her board, your time automatically expires and the other team gets to try and one-up your score on the course. It was really fun — especially when I realized that on one track, it was the experienced developer who fell down and cost us the match, not me. I was being smart and just doing kickflips in a corner.

Hall of Meat Defaults to Off: I loved Hall of Meat because I'm a bad skater so it feels good to see some kind of rewards system for totally wiping out on even the easiest jumps. But the developer told me that people (particularly people who didn't realize you could turn Hall of Meat slow-mo displays off) weren't too fond of it. So Black Box has separated Hall of Meat from the main gameplay and given players the option to pursue it or ignore it completely. I didn't get to see this because the revamped Hall of Meat isn't ready yet, but more details forthcoming.

Not Fundamentally Different: The first two games were really good and mostly accessible games. Skate 3 seems to meet those same benchmarks, so what's not to like?

Final Thoughts
Customization from the community was a huge part of Skate 2, but it's the absolute life blood of Skate 3. From dedicated posses who take on the entire community online to niche artists who get off on designing team logos for other players to use and even on to would-be filmmakers who capture some of the craziest stunts or recreate true machinima, Skate 3 is all about a multiplayer, community-driven experience. So if you want solo skating, I have a feeling you're going to be disappointed. But if you're still thrilled with Skate 2 and ready for more multiplayer, this is your game right here.

The Maloof Money Cup is the largest-pursed event in professional skateboarding, and EA is bringing both the park and the thirll of competition to both the PlayStation 3 nd Xbox 360. Players will be able to compete against the pros offline, or take their game online to score bragging rights.

"Skate 2 has been embraced by the gaming and skateboarding community across the globe, making it the perfect stage for the Maloof Money Cup's videogame debut," said Joe Maloof, President of Maloof Companies. "Now players everywhere can experience the world's greatest skateboarding championship and revel in the high-stakes excitement of the competition for themselves."

The Maloof Money Cup ack hits next week for a mere 240 Microsoft Points, or $3.00 PSN.

The downloadable Fantasy Plaza skate park, which will include the surrounding downtown Los Angeles area, is modeled after the 25,000-square-foot indoor concrete skate plaza that is home to Dyrdek's MTV show Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory. It will sell for $5 in the Playstation Store and 400 Microsoft Points on Xbox Live.

"I've been involved with the Skate franchise since the very beginning and each game has been able to perfectly capture the culture and feel of skateboarding," said skateboarder entrepreneur, Rob Dyrdek. "I can't wait to give players a taste of the Fantasy Plaza, my dream skateboarding space. The team at Black Box has recreated the plaza in Skate 2, complete with all the ledges, gaps and rails. On top of all that, there's still a lot more surprises outside the park that both gamers and skaters will enjoy."

And as the publisher behind such classic pieces of DLC as "pay to unlock stuff you can get for free in the game" and "pay for cheat codes", it should neither surprise nor enrage you to hear that Skate 2 has a similarly pointless bit of DLC up for sale.

It's called "Time Is Money", and costs 400 MS Points.

If you are busy, or just plain lazy, "Time is Money" will unlock all locations, skaters and gear that can be earned by playing through Skate 2's career and online modes.

Well, at least they're being honest about it.

Having tinkered about a little bit with the demo that was released last week on the 360, I'll probably show up at the store next week to donate my money to EA's cause. It's not that I particularly enjoy Skate's particular control mechanic, which I still don't think I've managed to master from the first game. No, it's the fact that I've grown so tired of Tony Hawk titles that anything different is a lovely breath of fresh air, even if said air doesn't always come and go out of the orifice I am trying to steer it towards.

Maybe I'll make a night of it and stop off at the local Longhorn Steak house on the way home. Suddenly craving meat.

Electronic Arts sent me a freezer box this morning packed with Skate 2 assets and two frozen steaks. I'm pretty sure I won't be storing that in my closet until November. But what's this about the two 6 ounce steaks being "prepared fresh from the Hall of Meat"?

It's people. Skate 2 is made out of people!

They're called the RVM Skate 2, and should be out in the US later this month at Zumiez stores, with an international release to follow. Not the most eye-catching pair of shoes you'll ever see, but then, as a collabo between a sneaker company and a video game publisher, they could have been worse.

Etnies x EA Sports Skate 2 RVM [Highsnobiety]

The Skate 2 demo features both single player modes as well as two of the game's online party play modes - Thrasher's Hall of Meat and Spot Battle. The Hall of Meat is a challenge to see who can hurt themselves the most, and Spot Battle is where players...do battle...on spots. Probably not. Either way, there'll be plenty to do.

The Skate 2 demo will be hitting Xbox Live tomorrow, January 8th, while the PlayStation 3 version is taking up the rear on the 15th. Or you could just wait until the 21st and buy the whole thing. I'm not going to tell you how to live your life. A skater has to make their own way.

Get on Board Early With the Skate 2 Demo on Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Network

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Black Box, an Electronic Arts Inc. studio (NASDAQ: ERTS) announced today that the Skate 2 demo will hit Xbox Live Marketplace on January 8th and the PlayStation Network on January 15, 2009. The demo introduces players to the city of New San Vanelona where they can skate with style and individuality via access to the enhanced character customization tools. Gamers will get a first glimpse of the deep single-player story and exciting challenges in all-new locations. The Skate 2 demo will also feature two of the game’s online Party Play modes: Thrasher’s Hall of Meat and Spot Battle.

Skate 2 ups the ante in delivering all the grit, creativity and culture of skateboarding. Equipped with double the bag of tricks, players are tasked to rebuild their career and revive the skate scene. Now with the ability to get off-board and move objects, gamers can create their own epic spots and challenges, which can then be uploaded, shared and experienced by others around the world.

Skate 2 hits retailers in North America on January 21st, and worldwide on January 23, 2009 – making it one of the first must-have games of 2009. Skate 2 is developed by Black Box, a studio of Electronic Arts in Vancouver, British Columbia and will be available on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system and the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. The game is rated “T” for Teen by the ESRB and is rated 16+ by PEGI.

Brian does a fine job of detailing Skate 2's new online features despite being obviously uncomfortable in his role of straight man to Cuz, who comes off as so annoying that he's almost enough to make me not want to buy the game. The ability to create your own spaces and share them online with other users is definitely nifty, as is the mini-game that rewards the most hideous falls - the only one I can ever see myself winning. I just wish I hadn't spent the entire video muttering "shut up, shut up, shut up" under my breath while rocking back and forth in my chair like a patient in a psychiatric ward.

And only have to wait a week to get my hands on (some of) it. A competition page on Xbox.com has let slip that a demo for the game will be ready for download on Thursday January 8 (meaning a PSN version will probably be out on the same day), along with a chance to win some Skate 2-related prizes.

Skate 2 Demo Download & Win Sweepstakes [Xbox]

Skate 2 has gone all out on improving the physics from the first game for a more seamless skating experience. That means wall-kicks for faster turns in tight corners, movable objects within areas to create the ideal skate park on the go, and better ragdoll physics for amazing wipeouts on plastic water bottles. It also means grabbing the backs of cars (the aforementioned skitching), clotheslining other skaters and (my personal favorite) getting Tased by pedestrians.

Not that skateboarding is a violent sport (unless you count masochism as a form of violence), but I’m one of those jerks who doesn’t derive pleasure from racing, boating, biking, or skating unless I can ruin someone else’s day. The pedestrians in the first game were no fun – there were too few of them and they mostly just stood there and took it when you ran into them. Then they’d get back up and go about their daily lives as if I hadn’t just body-check their shins.

Skate 2 addresses this with its shiny new physics tweaks, allowing me to turn Freeskate mode into Pedestrian Harassment Funtime. I found about this glorious thing when Skate 2 Lead Designer Cuz confiscated my 360 controller to show his skating buddies their likenesses in the game. I wasn’t too annoyed, because there were chicks in the lineup of characters this time (all one of them – Sammy), but I guess my nostrils must’ve flared or something because Cuz gave it back and said, “Here – I’ll show you something cool. Go run into that guy over there.”

Never one to ignore the advice of a game designer, I tried to ram into a paper-carrying business man. I missed, hit the curb and jumped off my board by pressing Y. On foot, I turned around and ran headlong into the guy, making him stumble. A yellow blip appeared on the map in the lower right hand corner of the screen.

“Do it again,” said Cuz. “They get madder when you’re on your board.”

I pressed right trigger to call my board to me with what can best be described as The Force (so much for total realism of physics), and hippie jumped at the guy. The blip turned red and the pedestrian swore and threw his paper at me, causing me to wipe out.

“It gets better,” said Cuz. “Go find a chick – I think she’ll Taser you.”

And by God, she did. After I’d rail-ran into her, got her to throw her latte cup at me and had a nearby frat boy push me over, the lady got out her Taser and zapped the beejesus out of me while I lay on the ground, writhing. Cops will Taser you too, apparently. I found that out after I skitched off a car and face-planted directly on a mall cop down a flight of stairs.

I was going to try and find out if you could get three cops to Taser you at once, but the friendly PR lady convinced me to try out more of the game modes.

Career mode is what it sounds like. It’s a good way to get started, but Skate vets are going to want to jump right into the Xbox Live competitive modes or start making levels in Create-a-Spot (which also is what it sounds like). In addition to your basic race and challenge modes, the Live mode also features co-op challenges where you’re all trying to meet a specific goal either by working together to get a point average, or by completely ignoring each other and trying to do identical tricks.

The best example of a co-op challenge I saw all night was course where you had to manual through the whole thing – down the road, through the drainage pipe and off a huge drop to the ground below. Each skater had to hit every one of the yellow arrows that marked the trail, and if they missed one, or stopped manual-ing, they had to respawn at the beginning of the course – costing their teammates precious seconds off the two minute time limit.

All in all, everything I saw in Skate 2 looked pretty good – but I do have a few concerns. First, the PS3 version is at a disadvantage because the analog sticks feel looser to me. It just doesn’t feel right when you’re trying to flick the stick forward and back to do a nollie. I’m sure PS3 owners will adapt accordingly, but for a console-hopper like me, it’s a damn shame that there’s such an obvious disparity between the two platforms.

The second is the new tricks. Supposedly there’s double the amount of tricks from the first game, covering everything from foot-plants to hippie jumps. I wonder if adding so much more is a bad idea because half the appeal of Skate was the simplicity – everything to do with your board was mapped to the right analog stick and there’s not too, too much button pressing involved. But in Skate 2, the new physics make hand-plants and foot-plants possible in the middle of all kinds of moves. So you’re constantly pressing the face buttons and the shoulder buttons while trying to work the stick. The most hectic it got for me was trying to do a coffin in the middle of a high jump – I had to hold L2, R2, Square and X (on PS3 – I told you, I’m a console-hopper) and this is after having to flick the analog stick forward and then quickly back to get enough air for the jump. All that button pressing and stick waggling is a tall order, even if this were a Japanese action game; and if you hose one of the button presses and wipeout in the middle of nowhere, it really throws off the groove to have to trek back to where you want to be or press up on the D-pad to respawn at the beginning of the area.

The last thing that ground my gears was the product placement. Seriously – it’s obscene.

All three of these gripes drive home a point: Skate 2 is a game about speed. Anything that takes away from that (or distracts you from enjoying it – damn you Mountain Dew) is a nasty snag in an otherwise smooth experience.

Skate 2 is out for PS3 and 360 January 23, 2009.

The specific day on which EA "drops the deuce" with Skate 2 is still to be determined, but at least you know when to start trading all those unwanted games from your holiday haul.

Skate 2 Coming in January [IGN]

Hit the jump for the full soundtrack listing, keeping in mind that the songs with the asterisk next to them are the ones that are in both the Skate 2 and Skate It games. Even if you don't give a damn about the game it would make an excellent playlist for your next neighborhood barbecue.

EA Unveils Eclectic Soundtracks for Skate It and Skate 2
Track List Boasts Songs From Some of the Biggest and Most Influential Artists of All-Time Including Black Sabbath, Public Enemy, The Clash and Wu-Tang Clan

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Black Box, an Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) studio, today revealed the soundtracks that will power the award-winning Skate It and Skate 2. These two skateboarding games bring the sport’s incredible tricks, epic moves and high energy to gamers with all of the fun – and none of the bruises! The 52 featured songs are from some of music's most influential and celebrated artists including Black Sabbath, Public Enemy, Judas Priest and Wu-Tang Clan.

“The soundtracks for Skate It and Skate 2 builds upon last year’s critically acclaimed Skate soundtrack,” said Chris Parry, Associate Producer. “The songs reflect the culture of skateboarding, with some tracks picked by the pros themselves, and others coming straight out of iconic skate videos. Skateboarding today is an eclectic mix of people and influences and this is true of where we took this year’s soundtracks. Look for some old school soul and funk, a few rock anthems, some good beats and a lot of classic punk!”

“Skateboarding culture is like no other culture in the world and with that comes a unique sound of its own," said Steve Schnur, worldwide executive of music and marketing. “Our goal was to create two soundtracks that bring together classic acts and explosive new bands while fearlessly crossing all genres. This soundtrack is truly a tribute to the skate lifestyle, where legendary tracks by The Clash, Judas Priest and WAR can stand alongside cult legends like Dayton Sidewinders and The Specials as well as groundbreaking new acts like Awesome Snakes and Money Your Love.”

Skate It and Skate 2 continue to deepen and expand the breadth of the Skate franchise. Skate It, a recent recipient of 2008’s Best Wii™ Game award at the German Games Convention in Leipzig, brings the fun and soul of skateboarding to the Wii and the Nintendo DS™. Skate 2 lets players flaunt their style like never before with double the bag of tricks on the PLAYSTATION®3 system and the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system.

See below for the entire Skate 2 soundtrack. Songs included in Skate It are marked with a '1'.

SKATE 2
ARTIST SONG
Althea & Donna Uptown Top Ranking
Anubis Anubis
ASG The Dull Blade
Awesome Snakes I Want A Snake*
Black Sabbath Symptom Of The Universe
Black Tide Shockwave
China Creeps Stay On Or Die
Cut Chemist Addictive*
D.R.I. Beneath The Wheel
Dayton Sidewinders Go Ahead On*
Dragonforce Heroes Of Our Time
ELO Show Down
Fujiya & Miyagi Collarbone*
Gang Starr Step In The Arena*
Gaslight Anthem I'da Called You Woody, Joe*
Goons Of Doom She Wore Rat Skin Boots
Guilty Simpson Piglets
High Tension Wires They Fall Apart
Judas Priest Freewheel Burning*
Korrupted Hoodlums S.K.A.T.E.
Koushik feat. Percee P Cold Beats*
LL Cool J Rock The Bells*
Louis XIV Guilt By Association*
McRad Weakness
Money Your Love For Kristoffer*
Motorhead Eat The Rich
Nas Made You Look
Oh No Heavy
One Man Army It's Empty
Ponce De Leon Gator Jaws*
Public Enemy Harder Than You Think
Queen Sea Big Shark Hold Your Hand*
Radio Reelers Runnin’ Out
Rage Against The Machine Sleep Now In The Fire
Riverboat Gamblers Uh Oh!
Sam & Dave Hold On, I’m Comin’
Sly & The Family Stone Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)*
Stiff Little Fingers Alternative Ulster
Suicidal Tendencies Possessed 2 Skate*
T.S.O.L. Superficial Love
Teenage Bottlerocket Crashing
Texas Thieves Los Pool Riders
The Clash Death Or Glory*
The Riptides Return To Blood Beach
The Specials Ghost Town*
Tickled Pink Reach Out And Give Me Your Hand
Underground Railroad To Candyland Square Ball
WAR Low Rider*
Wu-Tang Clan Protect Ya Neck
Year Long Disaster Leda Atomica*
Youth Brigade I Hate My Life

* Song included in Skate It soundtrack

To review the full song lists for both titles and purchase the music from the soundtracks, please visit www.ea.com/eatrax/.

Skate It and Skate 2 deliver all the style, fun, creativity and culture of skateboarding. Skate It is rated E by the ESRB and Skate 2 has not yet been rated. Skate It will ship holiday 2008 and Skate 2 will ship early 2009.

The game will be hitting Xbox 360 and PS3 sometime next year.

“I was stoked when EA committed to putting our etnies Goofy vs. Regular event in their new game! GvR is one the best skate contests of the year and has created some of the most hype and friction over the past 5 years,” said Don Brown, senior vice president of marketing for Sole Technology and goofy footed skateboarder. “The original Skate was incredibly popular, so we’re really proud to be a part of Skate 2.”

See? He's completely stoked about all of the hype and friction that is bound to ensue. Skate culture is so rad.

EA Brings etnies’ Fifth Annual Goofy versus Regular Skateboarding Competition to Skate 2
One of the World’s Most Celebrated Skateboarding Events Makes Its Videogame Debut

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Compete for stance supremacy! Black Box, a studio of Electronic Arts Inc. (Nasdaq:ERTS), announced today that it will be partnering with leading global action sports footwear and apparel brand, etnies, to bring their epic Goofy vs. Regular (GvR) skateboarding contest to the videogame world. Gamers will lead a team of goofy foot or regular foot pros as they pit the best skateboarders against each other in the ultimate team competition.

“The Skate franchise has always been committed to showcasing the spirit and soul of skateboard culture,” said Executive Producer, Scott Blackwood. “The etnies GvR competition celebrates the fun, creativity and talent in skateboarding today. Featuring the event as one of the main competitions in Skate 2 felt like a natural integration and a perfect fit.”

Skate 2 picks up five years after the original Skate, a period marred by an unspeakable disaster that left San Vanelona in ruins. Within that time, Mongocorp rebuilt the city but their zealous protection of private property has put a damper on the once thriving skate population. Equipped with double the bag of tricks, gamers are tasked to rebuild their career and revive the New San Vanelona skate scene. With their ability to get off-board to move objects around and with help from a crew of locals, players will embark on a mission to take back the city, one spot at a time. Along the way, they’ll need to get coverage, earn sponsorships, own challenges and enter contests, including a coveted invite to etnies GvR competition.

“I was stoked when EA committed to putting our etnies Goofy vs. Regular event in their new game! GvR is one the best skate contests of the year and has created some of the most hype and friction over the past 5 years,” said Don Brown, senior vice president of marketing for Sole Technology and goofy footed skateboarder. “The original Skate was incredibly popular, so we’re really proud to be a part of Skate 2.”

etnies will also be partnering with Skate 2 on an exclusive shoe that will hit an etnies preferred retailer in the United States when the game ships in 2009.

Developed by Black Box in Vancouver, British Columbia, Skate 2 ups the ante in delivering an authentic skateboarding experience with all-new tricks that allow gamers to truly skate it their way – on and off the board.

Skate 2 will be released for the PLAYSTATION®3 system and the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system in early 2009. The game has not yet been rated by the ESRB.

Players who cannot wait until 2009 can pick up Skate It for the Wii™ this Fall.

About etnies

Established in 1986, etnies is the first skateboarder-owned and operated global action sports footwear and apparel company. etnies not only pushed the envelope by creating the first pro model skate shoe, but it pioneered technological advances and changed the face of skateboard footwear forever. Today etnies’ vision is to remain the leading action sports company committed to creating functional products that provide the most style, comfort, durability and protection possible. etnies stays true to its roots by sponsoring a world class team of skateboarding, surfing, snowboarding, moto-x and BMX athletes and continues its dedication by giving back to each of these communities. For additional information, visit www.etnies.com.