Skate 3

Skate 3 is a skateboarding video game, the third installment in the Skate series and the sequel to 2009's Skate 2, developed by EA Black Box and published by Electronic Arts. It was released worldwide in May 2010 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.[1]

Skate 3
European box art
Developer(s)EA Black Box
Publisher(s)Electronic Arts
Composer(s)
Platform(s)PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Release
Genre(s)Sports
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Gameplay

Skate 3 is a skateboarding extreme sports game set in an open world environment and played from a third-person perspective. The game takes place in the fictional city of Port Carverton, which embraces skateboarding, unlike the "skateboarding is a crime" mentality portrayed in the second game. Although the location is a more colorful and friendlier place than Skate 2's de-saturated, and grainy streets, the gameplay provides a similar feel to the first and second games.[3] Port Carverton is made up of three districts, Downtown, the University, and Industrial. Although the overall look of the city is very clean (except industrial) each district has its own unique designs and monuments. Downtown is full of slick rigid ledges and rails, while the University is full of banks and open areas. Industrial is the most unusual; it is home to a huge quarry that has bricks of stone.[4]

Several notable skateboarding professionals appear throughout the game, such as Danny Way, Darren Navarette, Terry Kennedy, Eric Koston, Chris Cole, Pat Duffy and Jason Lee who voices the character Coach Frank.

In contrast with the original Skate, two new difficulty levels have been added: "Easy" and "Hardcore" modes. "Easy Mode" allows the player to perform tricks easier and provides greater control of the character. "Hardcore Mode" attempts a more realistic simulation of skateboarding and requires the player to perform tricks precisely. It adds a more realistic feel to the game unlike easy. It would also be recommended for players who have more experience. The game also features an introductory "Skate School", where Coach Frank (Jason Lee) teaches players the basics of skateboarding, such as grinding and performing ollies. This feature is optional and the area can also be visited for unrestricted skateboarding.

Similar to the Tony Hawk games, Skate features a "Skate.Park" mode that allows players to build custom skate parks.

EA introduced three new online game modes: "1-Up", "Domination", and "Own The Lot". In "1-Up", players compete in turns to beat the other team's last score in a given time period. In "Domination", teams compete to gain the most points on set spots in an area within a time limit. In "Own The Lot", two or more players try to complete tasks before their time limit ends.

Unlike the previous Skate games, Skate 3 has no offline multiplayer game modes on the disc.[5] Players must purchase the "San Van Party Pack" downloadable content in order to access the offline "Party Play" mode.[6]

Plot

Some time after Skate 2, the player character has proven that they are one of the best, and now goes by the alias "The Legend". They are attending the Port Carverton University. After a failed attempt to "Jump The Shark", a Thrasher challenge at the stadium, their next goal in life is to be a skateboarding mogul by making a team composed of skaters like them. Their goal is selling over a million boards while doing the same odd jobs around Port Carverton. When one million boards are sold, players are able to wear new styles of clothing for their skater and the plot ends there.

Development

In the developer's diary, it was revealed that characters such as Joey Brezinski, Dan Drehobl, Benny Fairfax, Josh Kalis, Lizard King, Andrew Reynolds, Chris Haslam, Terry Kennedy, Chris Cole, Jason Dill, and Rob Dyrdek would be featured in the game. New tricks were introduced, like the darkslide, underflip, and dropping into a ramp or bowl.

The soundtrack contains 46 licensed tracks.[7]

John King of The Dust Brothers composed original score for the game. According to Mutato Muzika's website, Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo and Del the Funky Homosapien were involved with Skate 3's soundtrack, with each composer providing music for a different area in Port Carverton. When on "Interactive Mode", the list of the songs on the "Music Player" start to play as the player is in a challenge. When the player quits the challenge, the music stops. Once the skater has traveled far enough from the spot at which they just played in Career mode, the instrumental songs start to play again. The game also features music by composer Dan Diaz, who continues his work with the franchise after writing for Skate 2 and Skate It.

Reception

Skate 3 received "generally favorable reviews" from critics on both platforms according to the review aggregator Metacritic.[8][9] In Japan, where the PlayStation 3 version was ported for release on December 16, 2010, followed by the Xbox 360 version a week later, Famitsu gave both console versions each a score of three sevens and one eight for a total of 29 out of 40.[12]

The A.V. Club gave the Xbox 360 version a B+ and said, "Online play isn't essential, but it would be a shame to continue skating in a vacuum."[27] 411Mania gave the same console version a score of eight out of ten and said it was "a great follow-up to Skate 2 but it might be a bit too close for comfort. The last thing we want is for Skate to start taking a page out of Tony Hawk's book with yearly iterations that bring nothing new to the table."[28] The Daily Telegraph gave the same console version eight out of ten and called it "a difficult, slow burning game that never strays far into the whimsical and overblown. Understanding the mechanics, let alone mastering them, is a slow, difficult, painful crawl from gnarly amateur to diamond champion."[25] Wired similarly gave it eight stars out of ten and said that it "doesn't take gamers anywhere as exotic or over-the-top. And that's its charm. The realistic setting and complex control scheme make for an engaging single-player experience, but it's the wide range of online multiplayer options that make Skate gleam the cube."[26] The Escapist gave the same console version four stars out of five and stated: "Fans of the series will find more to love in the third installment. For newcomers, this is the most accessible and fun skateboarding game there is."[29] Edge gave the PS3 version seven out of ten and said, "While refinement might be the best way to make a good game better, it certainly isn't the best way to justify the cost of a second sequel in as many years."[30]

EA shut down the game's servers around the end of 2016. However, just prior to the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2018 in June 2018 and in late 2019 after Electronic Entertainment Expo 2019, EA reactivated the servers, leading to speculation of either a remaster of Skate 3 or a new title in the Skate series.[31]

Legacy and sequel

The game has become a popular staple of Let's Play channels, due to its humorous ragdoll physics and glitches, resulting in the game being a high-selling game as late as 2014, requiring EA to issue a reprinting of the title.[32] The game was also one of the most requested titles to be added to the Xbox One backwards compatibility feature, and was made backwards compatible on November 10, 2016.[33]

At the June 2020 EA Play event, a new Skate title was confirmed to be in development, commonly known by fans as Skate 4, though no official title has been revealed yet.[34] EA established Full Circle, a new studio in Vancouver, British Columbia, to lead its development.[35] The studio is led by Daniel McCulloch, and includes Deran Chung and Cuz Parry, who had created the original Skate games.[36]

References
  1. Cullen, Johnny (March 17, 2010). "Skate 3 hitting UK retail on May 14". VG247.
  2. "Skate 3". Electronic Arts. Archived from the original on April 19, 2010.
  3. Cooper, Jonathan (March 5, 2010). "Skate 3 Preview". GameZone. Archived from the original on March 8, 2010. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  4. Lude Five Souls (April 6, 2013). "DESASTRES MENTALES EN EL SKATE 3 PARTE 1ยบ". YouTube. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  5. "Solved: Skate 3 - Two Player". EA Forums. August 18, 2015.
  6. "San Van Party Pack". Xbox Marketplace. June 22, 2018.
  7. "SKATE 3 Soundtrack Unveiled". Electronic Arts. March 19, 2010. Archived from the original on July 10, 2011. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  8. "Skate 3 for PlayStation 3 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  9. "Skate 3 for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  10. Chester, Nick (May 11, 2010). "Review: Skate 3". Destructoid. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  11. Teti, John (May 11, 2010). "Skate 3 (Xbox 360)". Eurogamer. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  12. "FAMITSU review scores - GT5, Castlevania LoS, Inazuma Eleven 3!!!". VG Chartz. December 7, 2010. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  13. Ahrens, Nick (June 2010). "Skate 3: The Next Best Thing To Real Skateboarding". Game Informer. No. 206. p. 90. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  14. Dyer, Mitch (July 2010). "Skate 3". GamePro. p. 90. Archived from the original on April 17, 2011. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  15. Costantino, Jesse (May 21, 2010). "Skate 3 Review". Game Revolution. Archived from the original on July 5, 2014. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  16. Calvert, Justin (May 11, 2010). "Skate 3 Review". GameSpot. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  17. "Skate 3 Review (X360)". GameTrailers. May 13, 2010. Archived from the original on April 20, 2012. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  18. Rowe, Brian (May 17, 2010). "Skate 3 Review (X360)". GameZone. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  19. Gerstmann, Jeff (May 11, 2010). "Skate 3 Review". Giant Bomb. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  20. Ahearn, Nate (May 11, 2010). "Skate 3 Review (PS3)". IGN. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  21. Ahearn, Nate (May 10, 2010). "Skate 3 Review (X360)". IGN. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  22. Hinkle, David (May 11, 2010). "Review: Skate 3 (X360)". Engadget (Joystiq). Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  23. "Skate 3". Official Xbox Magazine. July 2010. p. 82.
  24. "Review: Skate 3". PlayStation: The Official Magazine. No. 34. July 2010. p. 79.
  25. Gaston, Martin (June 1, 2010). "Skate 3 video game review". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  26. Mastrapa, Gus (May 14, 2010). "Review: Skate 3 Shreds With Slick Online Features (X360)". Wired. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  27. Fischer, Russ (May 17, 2010). "Skate 3 (X360)". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on May 20, 2010. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  28. Williams, Jordan (June 7, 2010). "Skate 3 (Xbox 360) Review". 411Mania. Archived from the original on June 14, 2010. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  29. Pitts, Russ (May 18, 2010). "Review: Skate 3 (X360)". The Escapist. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  30. Edge staff (June 2010). "Skate 3 (PS3)". Edge. No. 215. p. 101.
  31. Filippidis, Katrina (June 6, 2018). "EA just switched 'Skate 3' servers back on". Engadget. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  32. Dring, Christopher (August 26, 2014). "How PewDiePie fired Skate 3 back into the charts". MCV. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
  33. Hyrb, Larry (November 10, 2016). "Xbox One Backward Compatibility Turns One; Skate 3 Available Today". Major Nelson's Blog. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
  34. Grubb, Jeff (June 18, 2020). "#Skate4: Electronic Arts announces the next game in the beloved series". Venture Beat. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  35. Kerr, Chris (January 27, 2021). "EA forms new studio Full Circle to revive Skate franchise". Gamasutra. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  36. Stewart, Marcus (January 27, 2021). "Meet Full Circle, The New Studio Making The Next Skate". Game Informer. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
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