skate. (PS3) (demo)

I've been a huge fan of the Tony Hawk series for a long time, but the formula has gotten pretty stagnant over the past few years.

I laughed out loud when I heard that EA was coming out with a skateboarding game. Not only a skateboarding game, but a skateboarding sim.

But I've been following it's progress since I first heard about it, and it's peaked my interest.

A demo was just made available on the PlayStation Store, so I downloaded it. And I am addicted.

Whereas the Tony Hawk series is known for it's slap-stick humor and over the top trick combos, skate. is more grounded in reality. You won't be pulling off 100,000+ point combos in this game. Linking a 180º kickflip into a rail grind, followed by a nose manual is an extraordinary feat in this game...and when you finally pull off something even approaching that, you feel awesome.

There's a steep learning curve, but you'll feel a great sense of accomplishment when you pull off something cool.

I've only played the demo. The game is already out on the 360, and it's being released tomorrow for the PS3. I'll definitely be picking it up.