#thps

However, it was quickly realized that the game was called Session and not Skate nor was it a timely remake of the original Tony Hawk's Pro Skater games. So actually, who cares? Whomever these developers are, they can sure have a good old college try but the ceiling for any notable quality had to be about a foot high. It's not just big shoes to fill;- they are great big alpine boots with knots, velcro and notches in front of a mountain to climb.

Image courtesy of Highsnobriety

Let's recap so we're all on the same page here:

The last decent skateboarding game was Skate 2 (Skate 3 if you ask non-fans of skating games) which came out in 2009 and as it turns out from a quick search, I am old. Session was actually revealed about five years ago and not when I was a child. So there is about a ten year difference. Between that, we have the vapid Pro Skater HD and the somehow far worse Pro Skater 5. Skate 3 was met with moderate success however, the general consensus is that the shark was well and truly jumped by introducing literal flying.

Image courtesy of XboxAchievements

Fun sure - Coach Frank was alright but the game was less skateboarding and more Burnout: Paradise but with human beings instead of cars.

So skateboarding games are kind of in the mud right now and they're tasked with bringing it back as it were with something that appears to have a heavy focus on a realistic experience with a good physics engine and immersive graphical fidelity. This mirrors Skate 2 right? We shall put a pin this and come back to it later.

What Did They Achieve?

Screenshot courtesy of Spielbox on YouTube

Well, it's definitely a game.

I enjoyed my time playing it but it's definitely weird. The world is empty and not in a GTA V kind of way, There's literally no people in other than you and the people who give you objectives. There's no activity, no natural noise or ambience. I can hardly say I'm immersed. Whilst it's a way more realistic city than say the wackiness of San Vanelona or any of the numerous iterations of Los Angeles in the Tony Hawk games.

But y'know, atmosphere isn't everything. I suppose this way, the core gameplay mechanics can be concentrated on by the developers and enjoyed by the players. Right?

To keep it sweet, I found the gameplay addictive and challenging on a personal gaming level but I didn't care for doing any of the missions particularly because there's not really any incentive. There's no real narrative either or any throughline that allows a kind of "natural progression" through the environment that you often in see in most open world games. This method may encourage independence but I actually think it's because there's not a lot going on.

The strange silent dialogue in the boxes alongside the portraits reminded me of an rpgmaker game. The lo-fi beats to ragdoll off into oblivion to hardly bears mentioning because nowadays, people just turn it off, mod new music in or just listen to their own music with the game volume turned down.

So in short, they achieved a good first start.

Screenshot courtesy of Spielbox on Youtube

I mean, there's not a lot I can say about it really. It's a skateboarding physics engine with some famous people in it sometimes but it's 32.99 for a game your mum might mistake for a new Skate game at Christmas. It's just lacking in character for me. If I was a physics teacher, this game would probably make my day but maybe the zoomers would prefer this over something with pop punk in it because their experience of that style and aesthetic is Machine Gun Kelly and that jerk-off tiktok guy who does covers.

Maybe I'm too picky but I feel like skating has to encompass all these things. You can't have a game that's a simulation of playing guitar but it's the same mechanics as Guitar Hero but there's no style in it.