Skate

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Fun yet tough game is injury-filled.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that the game makes an absurd attempt at comedy when, in a video, kids see a skater standing in a hospital holding his severed arm. The controls are complicated and can take patience in getting good at them.

  • Not applicable.
  • Player can get hit by a car or bus. The intro live pro video at the beginning of the Career mode has Busenitz standing in a hospital holding his severed arm (absurd comedic effect) and Gonz has blood on his shirt from doing surgery.
  • Not applicable.
  • Words such as "ass," "bastard," and "damn" are used.
  • Not applicable.
  • Cigarettes are visible behind a drug store counter in an intro video. There is also a line of dialogue or two from a skate pro that refers to smoking.

What's it about?

Available for the Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3, SKATE offers a more simulation-like approach to skateboarding than the Tony Hawk titles. In the fictitious town of San Vanelona, Skate attempts to re-create the sensation of real skateboarding with authentic player, board physics, and a low camera to concentrate on your footwork. The goal in the meaty career mode is to work your way up from punk skater to pinup pro as you sculpt your skills, take on trick and race missions, and vie to make the pages of Thrasher magazine. If a less structured game is more your pace, you can create your own skater from scratch and take on non-linear challenges spread out around the city (including indoor locations you can unlock).


Is it any good?

 

While it takes some getting used to, Skate puts a heavy emphasis on the controller's two analog sticks to pull off moves rather than rely on the four main buttons -- EA calls this "Flickit" control. One of the issues with the game is its steep learning curve but those who don't give up prematurely shouldn't be disappointed. Another shortcoming is a frame-rate that fluctuates depending on what you're seeing on screen, so it might be fast and smooth when you're cruising down a steep hill by yourself, but might grind to a halt when there's a lot of action onscreen.

Similar to the Halo 3 video game, Skate lets savvy players record, edit, and share movies with other players in YouTube-like online video posts, designed to show off your best tricks. You can also go online to play the game cooperatively or competitively in a handful of multiplayer modes. Despite being a relatively tough game to master, Skate is an ambitious and entertaining effort that proves to be a solid rival to the mega-popular Tony Hawk titles.


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What families can talk about

Families can talk about how this game stands up against the almighty Tony Hawk video games. What do you like and don't like in this game that attempts to mirror real life? Do you like this game better or worse than the more arcade-like experience provided by the Tony Hawk games?


This review was written by Marc Saltzman
Teen, 17 years old
November 30, 2008
 
not bad
ok it swears but not much i dont hear b***ard but the bus hitting at the bingining isnt bad the hospotal scene isnt bad yea you can get hit by cars and it shows what bones you broke, srpained and bruised and also a faceplant and ouch ( racking your balls ) overall this game is addicting and fun ive beaten it 3 times and im no bored with it

Flag as inappropriate 
Teen, 17 years old
April 9, 2008
 
i lost my head that shipp was sweet
i may only be 13 i am more matuer then some of my freands i have 6 brothers and sisters plus me makes 7 and i help out with them all the time like they are my own kids. i do not have any kids and i do not plain to have any till i am like 30 or i might just adoupt one. i am in 7th grade.....!!!!

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Parent of 14 year old
April 9, 2008
 
i think that dis game is great and not inapropiate . theres just alittle blood in the intro. and you can get hit by a car, but no blood at all. dis game is different because it has a new kind of system its flick it. so i think kids from the age 9 is ok for dem to play dis game

Flag as inappropriate 
Kid, 12 years old
April 9, 2008
 
i didn do notin
o my god dis game is sooooooo cool.I want it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Teen, 18 years old
April 9, 2008
 
hey
this is crazy

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Teen, 14 years old
June 30, 2011
 
Skate 8+
Skate is an incredible game, But it is not for young children. It deserves the T rating, but T does not equal pg-13. It has frequent mild language(and I mean mild), some violence,and breif tobacco refrence. The mild language is words such as d@$&, a$$,and hell, usually in horribly written dialogue such as when characters are complementing you a character refers to you as "hauling a$$" violence includes getting hit by cars and falling off a large ramp with ragdoll physics. There are cigarette packages in a gas station in the intro video

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Teen, 15 years old
March 28, 2009
 
The Gist of Tony Hawk Game To A New Level
I used to play Tony Hawk pro skater games all the time on my XBOX, but now that I've tried "Skate," I don't think I can go back! The game is kind of iffy for some ages. Language considers curse words that you'll probably hear sprinkled in everyday conversation, just mild obscenities. Sexual content is extremely limited. I don't think I saw one flirting scene. Violence, though, is heavy. If you look on the back of the box, it's rated for blood and gore, but by "gore," it's just showing pictures of bones you broke when you smash into stuff. Smashing into moving cars, ollying old lady's backs, running into lampposts, and falling down open manholes are my personal favorite things to do (because I'm weird) as your character can flip around in comic ways. I played it with my dad watching and even though language spews from the game, he laughed every time I would (deliberately) smash into something. Buy this game and start smackin' into junk!

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Kid, 13 years old
April 9, 2008
 
bold
For little kids who might see it will get frightened by the bold it showes.

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Teen, 18 years old
April 9, 2008
 

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Kid, 12 years old
April 9, 2008
 

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This review was written by Marc Saltzman
Platforms:Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Available online?Available online
Genre:Sports
Developer:Electronic Arts
Release date:September 25, 2007
Price:$59.99
ESRB rating:T for blood and gore, crude humor, language, mild violence, tobacco reference

This review was written by Marc Saltzman

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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