A few years ago, when talking about skate video games there was only one name and one last name: Tony Hawk. The game saga developed by Neversoft brought the world of skateboarding closer to locals and strangers, with an arcade-style proposal that anyone could take and enjoy.
But you do not have to be a pro of the table to know that grinding the telephone wiring or doing a Natas Spin of zillion turns are not things that are seen very often. So although tremendously fun, the Tony Hawk never filled the gap for those looking for a skate true to life.
That changed with the arrival of Skate in 2007. EA Black Box demonstrated that it is possible to make a skate game that represents what can be seen any afternoon in a plaza or a local skatepark and that it is possible to do it in a fun way.
Unfortunately, after the launch of Skate 3 in 2010, the skate world practically disappeared from video games. It is not surprising that at that time several fan projects emerged that aspired to become “the new Skate”, such as Session, which has been available since last June through the Xbox Game Preview program, or the game that concerns us today: Skater XL, which is now available on PS4, Xbox One and PC, and will soon be available on Nintendo Switch as well.
Developed by a small team of passionate skateboarders who call themselves Easy Day Studios, Skater XL picks up the EA Skate baton and takes it to the next level, betting on the most realistic representation of the skate seen in a video game. Now, is the result of fun? The answer, in our review of Skater XL.
During a preview session, its managers told us that it is a game of skaters for skaters. And they were not lying: for good and bad, Skater XL is a game that we can only recommend if you skate or closely follow the world of skateboarding.
“ nintendoinquirer” will provide further updates when more information is available.