Skateboarding 'Has Run Its Course' As A Top Video Game Format

[Steve_OS]

According to a recent interview, over at Kotaku, it seems skateboarding has run its course as a top video game format.

What are your thoughts? Is it time to scrap these games? What can they do to make the games better?

"The heyday of skateboarding games is past, the head of EA, the company that makes Tony Hawk rival franchise Skate, told Kotaku in an interview this week.

EA chief John Riccitiello, whose company's Skate series has been regarded as the better skateboarding video game series in the last few years, sees skateboarding as part of a bigger group of games he thinks will stick around.

"When it comes to action sports, I think that's going to be an an ongoing exciting genre," Riccitiello said during an interview in New York City. "But at least for the level of excitement out there, skateboarding seems to have run its course as the representative example in that broader genre."

[Blzer]

Re: Skateboarding 'Has Run Its Course' As A Top Video Game Format

In some ways I agree. Don't get me wrong, Skate 3 is the greatest skateboarding game ever made... but why did they have to pound out three of them in under three years of time? What's their driving force besides money? They would have earned so much more if they spent two - three years in between these games and released them then.

I don't know what more they can do to be honest, but I trust them to do the right thing. The best thing IMO is for them to release Skate 4 no earlier than Q3 2012, maybe even later. There's no need for a new one right now.

Oh, and the best thing for these games is to stay on the classic controllers. No big boards, no motion controls. That's just moving to a new parallel, not "improving" IMO.

[jyoung]

The problem is that game companies are still trying to treat "action sports" titles like they are any other yearly sports release.

The yearly release model just isn't sustainable for action sports games.

People will still buy these games if they are good and bring something innovative to the market (see, Skate 1), but as long as they are mostly rehashed sequels (Skate 2, Skate 3), they will sit on store shelves and wind up in the bargain bin.

[GrandMaster B]

They need to get rid of the single player story/career mode in these skateboard games that give you tedious and boring tasks and make into like a open world/city multi-player where you can just skate around with 15 or 23 other people or whatever you can fit at once so it runs smooth and let people just mess around. You could have competitions posted throughout the game world to compete online against others and have a park creator. That's it. keep it simple. In the end, I think people just want to skate around and do tricks without having to complete goals to advance to another area.

[Gotmadskillzson]

Re: Skateboarding 'Has Run Its Course' As A Top Video Game Format

I agree......there is no need for a skateboard game to be released EVERY year. They need to release it every 2 or 3 years. Have a career mode and just an open world mode where as if you want run a tournament or just hang out with 35 other gamers online, you can.

Enable voice chat in there and you would have a sure fire hit.

[Rodgersfan12]

Instead of this out of this world crap make a game with a true career mode fans have been asking for it for years now.

[Blzer]

Re: Skateboarding 'Has Run Its Course' As A Top Video Game Format

They need to get rid of the single player story/career mode in these skateboard games that give you tedious and boring tasks and make into like a open world/city multi-player where you can just skate around with 15 or 23 other people or whatever you can fit at once so it runs smooth and let people just mess around. You could have competitions posted throughout the game world to compete online against others and have a park creator. That's it. keep it simple. In the end, I think people just want to skate around and do tricks without having to complete goals to advance to another area.

There's nothing wrong with the "story mode" for a game like Skate, because aside from unlocking gear, boards, and accessories, everything else is open and available for you. It's not like tricks and locations are locked unlike THPS (or GTA for that matter), you can still do what you're asking to do.

I actually like that tedious stuff, it's an incentive to play lol. I just wish they didn't release them so closely in succession. I didn't ever pick up Skate 2 for that very reason (and that the location was the same).

[JohnDoe8865]

Re: Skateboarding 'Has Run Its Course' As A Top Video Game Format

I'm ready for SSX. We haven't had an SSX game in 5+ years. It's time. But do it right. A new SSX every year won't work, the same way a new skateboarding game or new ATV type game won't work.

[Bellsprout]

Re: Skateboarding 'Has Run Its Course' As A Top Video Game Format

I know people loved SSX, but I'd rather they made an uber-realistic snowboarding game like Skate. That would be so much fun.

[spit_bubble]

Re: Skateboarding 'Has Run Its Course' As A Top Video Game Format

What are your thoughts? Is it time to scrap these games? What can they do to make the games better?

I was lovin' Skate 3 until it started freezing on me every 20 minutes in create-a-park, and considering Skate 2 was essentially an add on to Skate, the word "quality" comes to mind.

But really there's not much you can do with a skating game, except build new places to skate in. This will satisfy the small core of people interested in buying a skating game, but it's hardly something that will help gain an audience.

As noted by others in this thread, letting more time pass between releases might have helped, but I'm not sure how much.

[BlackRome]

I left this platform years ago. The skateboards never did it for me but I loved the snowboarding games.

I haven't seen one great snowboarding game on any of the next generation systems.

[1WEiRDguy]

In some ways I agree. Don't get me wrong, Skate 3 is the greatest skateboarding game ever made... but why did they have to pound out three of them in under three years of time? What's their driving force besides money? They would have earned so much more if they spent two - three years in between these games and released them then.

I don't know what more they can do to be honest, but I trust them to do the right thing. The best thing IMO is for them to release Skate 4 no earlier than Q3 2012, maybe even later. There's no need for a new one right now.

Oh, and the best thing for these games is to stay on the classic controllers. No big boards, no motion controls. That's just moving to a new parallel, not "improving" IMO.

totally agree...oversaturation is the main problem...visually skate 3 was not improved over skate 2...and in all honestly, it felt more like dlc. Dont get me wrong, I loved the new "create a brand" feature, but it was little small things like the online creator that really didnt show any innovation to a game that rightfully deserves it.

Im not a skateboard purist by any stretch of the imagination, but even as a casual gamer, Skate 3 just felt rushed. Some of the major glitches still carried over from Skate 2, but thats what happens when you money grab. If by some chance they release a skate in 2011, i will not buy it, just like i didnt buy 3. Take a year off and get back to the basics. Thats what got you there.

Skateboarding should not follow the same path as the Rock Bands and Guitar Heros of the world...you dont need bi annual or annual releases and shove people with so much that eventually, they wont buy it at all.

[Blzer]

Re: Skateboarding 'Has Run Its Course' As A Top Video Game Format

Skateboarding should not follow the same path as the Rock Bands and Guitar Heros of the world...you dont need bi annual or annual releases and shove people with so much that eventually, they wont buy it at all.

Actually, even those were hammered to the ground way too quickly. I think Guitar Hero 2 came out at about the good time, but I don't think anyone else should have picked up the Guitar Hero name and Rock Band should have just did their first bit, then released DLC for about three years before Rock Band 2 came out. The way I see it, Rock Band 3 also should not have come out until about 2012 as well, pro instruments and all.

[goh]

Re: Skateboarding 'Has Run Its Course' As A Top Video Game Format

I think we need more "action sports" in general. Long time since there's been a BMX,inline or jetski game that wasn't on the Wii.

[Whitesox]

Re: Skateboarding 'Has Run Its Course' As A Top Video Game Format

Unless I missed a news bulletin somewhere, EA is still planning on pounding out another Skate game. Activision, on the other hand, needs to figure something out, and if they don't, then I foresee EA dominating the genre for quite a while. Would love to see a skate. styled game in another sport, such as BMX, Inline, or Snowboarding, though.