Skate It Hands-on Preview

While it may be the most successful console of this generation, the Wii’s motion sensors have proved to be something of a double-edged sword. For every game that uses the Wii Remote in a useful or original way, there are at least three which end up being barely playable – succumbing to fiddly control arrangements, or else serving up yet another bout of mindless waggling.

On the basis of this fact, you’d be forgiven for having concerns about the prospect of a Wii-based follow-up to last year’s Skate. Intuitive controls were an integral part of the original game’s success, allowing you to easily manipulate every part of your skater’s body (ooh, matron). It would be a particularly painful wipeout if EA Black Box were to take the wrong approach, and we assume that quite a few hearts sank when the developers revealed that they were planning to support the balance board.

After trying the game for ourselves, we are both happy and relieved to announce that our own concerns have been eased. Skate It will actually offer a choice of three control setups: the Wii Remote on its own, Wii Remote and Nunchuck combo, and the board. In the first instance, the controller itself is used as a mini replica of your skateboard. The A button is used to push off and build speed, while steering is simply a matter of tilting to the left and the right – just as you would use your feet to apply pressure in real life. Performing a manual – the trick where you lift one end of the board without letting the rear touch the ground – is simply a case of tipping the remote up or down, while tricks are achieved by flicking or twisting in a set direction. It’s a completely different system to that used on the 360 and PS3 games, but both arrangements share a natural feeling that makes it very easy to guess the movements for specific moves – something that can only be a good thing. Furthermore, with the Wii Remote-as-a-board setup it’s far easier to pull off manuals. Since manuals are essential for pulling off long chains of tricks, it’s also now easier to perform a long sequence of moves.

With the Nunchuck connected, your directional movement passes over to the analogue stick. This separation makes it slightly easier to concentrate on pulling tricks. It’s certainly a useful option – but we imagine that it’s the balance board that most people are keen to know about. Is it just a gimmick, or has Black Box succeeded in creating a decent recreation of what it’s actually like to skate? To be honest, we’re not entirely sure. It’s certainly well designed. After calibrating the board to your balance and stance, you find yourself standing sideways on to your TV. You’ll still be holding a Wii Remote, which you’ll use to push and to spin while airborne, but everything else is governed by your feet. Sharply shoving your rear foot down will result in an Ollie, while doing the same thing at the front will perform a Nollie. Pushing down on other parts of the board will set off tricks: you’ll only have access to a certain set of moves at any given time, but using the Wii Remote’s D-pad you can cycle between these very quickly. We’re led to believe that once you get used to things, you’ll easily be able to blend moves from separate sets within a single sequence; this was far too challenging for us, but we believe it’s possible.

Steering, as you might imagine, is simply a case of shifting your weight. There’s a sensitivity slider for this, so control can be tightened or loosened as you see fit, much like a mouse. It all feels a bit weird at first, but it certainly gets easier with practice. We really had to fight our desire to jump up and down when it came to tricks – doing this produces an angry-looking warning from the Wii. On reflection, this is probably a good idea: if some idiot has managed to hurt themselves with the Wii Remotes alone, it’s entirely possible some moron will leap head-first into his plasma screen. At any rate, the board controls work very well – although we’re not sure how many people will use it as their primary means of control. Like many Wii games, it’s oddly strenuous to play in this way. Still, we’re glad to have the option available.

The Wii tends to get a rough deal when it comes to graphics, but Skate It is looking pretty decent. Shock horror, it’s not as pretty or as smooth as the forthcoming Skate 2 – but it’s no Plane Jane either. The game is set shortly after the disaster that destroys much of San Vanelona after the end of the original title, neatly excusing the absence of pedestrians. At the start of the career mode, you’ll run into a lone cameraman who likes your style. After impressing him to a suitable degree, he’ll fund your trips to a variety of locations around the world, including London, Paris and Rio de Janeiro. Aside from pulling off tricks and challenges in all corners of the globe, you’ll also get the chance to do yourself some serious harm with the Hall of Meat mode. As with Skate 2, this works as a soft and squishier version of Burnout’s Crash mini-game: the aim is to build up some speed before throwing yourself into a wall, down a cliff, into scenery – anywhere that might drive up your medical bill. At the end of each attempt, you’re presented with a score and an analysis of which bones you broke. It’s unpleasant, addictive and highly amusing.

As we’ve already commented elsewhere, the huge popularity of the original Skate means that EA Blackbox has set itself a tough act to follow. With Skate It, however, we think it’s made a smart move. It’s not trying to keep up with the 360 and PS3 versions, nor is it a straight port of an old title: it’s an original game, and one that seems to be offering something fairly new. The balance board configuration has clearly been given a lot of attention, so we’re hoping it’s something that people – us included – decide to use in the long run. Even if this isn’t the case, the Wii Remote setup should be a popular alternative. We’ll certainly be keeping an eye on Skate It. The Wii could do with a few more decent sports titles, and right now this is looking like a game with lots of potential.

Skate It is due out later this year on the Wii, and DS