SkaterXL Review: The First Real Skating Sim

SkaterXL will kick-start the revival of the skating games genre. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 & 2 will be remade. Session is a hit. Skate 4 was announced. SkaterXL has launched with an emphasis on accuracy and realism, making landing a flip feel as if you were landing a 900.

SkaterXL has a brand new set of mechanics where each joystick controls each foot. If you want to turn, the shoulder buttons will help. It can be difficult to get used to the controls at first because they are essentially your own body. It was difficult to learn this game. I had to throw out everything I knew about skate games and simply play it. skaterXl offers a variety of challenges to help you learn the system.

Unfortunately, skaterXl does not have much content. The game has no story mode or progression. If you’re looking for a game with lots of content, a story, and many different skaters and levels, then look elsewhere. It’s fun, but more of a sandbox for skating. I personally like that but I understand why others might not.

At launch, there are five maps. Three of these maps were created by the community. Most have plenty to do. Easy Day High School is my favourite, because it has so many places to skate and enjoy yourself. The maps can be a bit lifeless. The maps are empty. There are no cars moving, no people on the streets, and no one but you and your board. The Downtown LA map is empty, which is strange. I understand that the emphasis is on skating and not interacting with other people.

SkaterXL is the most realistic skate sim ever created. Easy Day Studios’ developers should be commended for this. When I first played it, I called the game the Gran Turismo of Skating Games and I really meant that. SkaterXL offers so much control, and the physics is so precise that each kick-flip looks different. No grab feels the same. And every grind feels like a great accomplishment.

It’s difficult to run and get off the skateboard, which is discouraging. However, there’s a Waypoint Map Marker to help you get where you’re going. There are a lot of things I’d like to see SkaterXL add to the game that would make it more enjoyable for me and also appeal to a larger audience. As we’ve seen, this game will receive a lot of support from the community mods.

There are mods available for skaterXl for the PC that can really bring this game to a new level. They can also make it a more enjoyable experience. The game is made more interesting by features like a custom editor for maps, the multiplayer integration, and the character customization. Those of us who paid full retail for the console versions of the game do not have access to these mods, and the game feels bare right now.

Easy Day Studios should build on the foundation of SkaterXL, and use what the community created with mods to update the game. There’s something special about skating to music and trying to master a series of tricks. skaterXl, despite its flaws, is one of the most rewarding skating games I have ever played.