Skate 2 rolls out Jan. 21

Sequel to EA Black Box's acclaimed open-world street-skateboarding hit will arrive on US PS3s, 360s early next year; rest of planet gets it January 23.

The first quarter of 2009 is the new fourth quarter of 2008. With the current holiday period bursting at the seams with AAA-game releases, many top-tier games have shifted their launches until after hangovers from New Year's Eve revels will have long worn off. These include Resident Evil 5, Street Fighter IV, Dragon Age: Origins (for the PC), and the downloadable expansion Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned.

It's skating weather in San Vanelona year-round.

The latest game to join the early-2009 set is Skate 2. This morning, Electronic Arts announced that the sequel to its open-world street-skateboarding hit will grind onto North American Xbox 360s and PlayStation 3s on January 21. The T-for-Teen-rated game will launch in other territories, including the UK and the rest of Europe, on January 23.

Developed by EA's Black Box studio at EA Canada, Skate 2 is actually the third installment in the publisher's Tony Hawk-foiling franchise. Coming two months after the launch of the Nintendo DS and Wii Balance Board-enhanced spin-off Skate It, the game returns to the fictional city of San Vanelona. Recently rebuilt after an unnamed disaster, the San Francisco/Vancouver/Barcelona hybrid offers an open world in which players can perform a variety of tricks. The game's thumbstick "FlickIt" trick system has been enhanced with an array of button-based moves, including the ability to grab obstacles and step off of the skateboard itself.

For more on Skate 2, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.

56 Comments

  • Raykuza

    Posted Dec 4, 2008 6:46 am PT

    I'm not too sure how I feel about stepping off the board. I liked how the board limited you to the point where getting around almost became a puzzle. But then again, it was kind of stupid to jump 3 inches, nick your board on something, and land on your feet only to slowly lean over and fall down...

  • _Cadbury_

    Posted Nov 29, 2008 6:11 pm PT

    @rarson
    If you check out the EA skate site youll see theyre doing a great job at improving Skate, taking onboard peoples suggestions, asking people what they like/dont like about a new video clip. So this should end up as a great game

  • rarson

    Posted Nov 28, 2008 10:28 am PT

    I liked Skate, the little bit that I played of it. It seemed like a refreshingly different experience than the Tony Hawk games, the last 5 or so of which have all run together in my mind to the point where I don't even care to try any of them.

    I'm curious though, maybe I haven't been paying attention, but doesn't this seem pretty quick on the heels of the last game? I hope EA didn't rush it. I'd actually like to see this franchise grow, but please do not bury us with scores of incremental updates.

    I'm looking forward to seeing how this game turns out.

  • thirteen_zombie

    Posted Nov 26, 2008 9:27 am PT

    cant wait for skate 2

  • laptop12

    Posted Nov 26, 2008 8:58 am PT

    SWEET.... too many hot games for the next Q

  • NoseWeed619

    Posted Nov 26, 2008 8:22 am PT

    Hooray!

  • Autolycus

    Posted Nov 26, 2008 6:35 am PT

    @betterthanu




    Purchased up multiple licenses and companies and release a yearly crappy game only to bank off the license name. Can't emphasize how much this killed the video game industry right here.



    Got busted for over working their coders witout paying them (we are talking 80 hour weeks, week after week, getting paid 40 or 60 with normal pay, later found guilty by the judicial system)



    Started in game advertising, if I remember correctly



    I recommend doing a goolge search to see how many licenses they have...



    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_Arts#Criticism




    might want to check that out for more info

  • Autolycus

    Posted Nov 26, 2008 6:23 am PT

    @biggest_loser, if's a more well known title now, so it's an automatic 8

  • TehUndeadHorror

    Posted Nov 26, 2008 5:56 am PT

    Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

  • biggest_loser

    Posted Nov 26, 2008 3:40 am PT

    Will it get higher than 7 on Gamespot this time?

  • MsRockstar

    Posted Nov 26, 2008 12:27 am PT

    lol San Vanelona

  • OBonus

    Posted Nov 26, 2008 12:12 am PT

    non stop marathon to beat this game first day for sure, pre ordered it the first day i heard about it, people at the shop didn't know what i was talking about, it kinda sucks though how all the things you had to work so hard for like hippies and 360 flips outta nose slides are gonna be a sinch now.

  • heavymetalzplin

    Posted Nov 25, 2008 11:36 pm PT

    yeahhhh
    the sequel to the best skating game made.
    ever.

  • punkpunker

    Posted Nov 25, 2008 11:12 pm PT

    YEAH!!! the game is getting better and better

  • Joe_Zombie

    Posted Nov 25, 2008 10:05 pm PT

    FINALLY
    being able to step off the board will be an amazing addition to the game.
    take a lot of frustration out of it.
    cant wait

  • hortys_999

    Posted Nov 25, 2008 9:48 pm PT

    all the moves done with the buttons are just a contextual expansion of the controls. from a control standpoint, the moves that the buttons open up is just a very natural extension of the pre-existing controls. it's not turning into tony hawk or anything....

  • pizzamanopenup

    Posted Nov 25, 2008 9:41 pm PT

    "enhanced with an array of button-based moves"

    ...Wait...Wasn't the whole point of the first skate to eliminate this kind of thing as best as possible? Seems like a step back to me.

  • the_greenzero

    Posted Nov 25, 2008 9:02 pm PT

    Cool, my birthday is on the 21

  • Elitekiller1172

    Posted Nov 25, 2008 8:52 pm PT

    yes cant wait im preordering that crap

  • ctg867

    Posted Nov 25, 2008 7:21 pm PT

    That opening line sounds very familiar. The first quarter of 09 sounds like the last quarter of 08? That crap happens every year. Anyway, looking forward to Skate. I hope it fills some of the gaps of the first one.

  • finaleve

    Posted Nov 25, 2008 6:59 pm PT

    EA has a bad rep, but they do come out with some good games. Skate was one of them. They honestly picked up what was a dying trend (skateboarding in video games), and brought some life into it.
    Rock Band was another good game. I prefer that over GH because GH is getting milked badly.

    I just dislike that they are a big distributor of Valve, since...well Valve rocks.

  • killa4lyfe

    Posted Nov 25, 2008 6:53 pm PT

    hopefully it is as good if not better than the first one which i absolutely loved! that game was AWESOME

  • daabulls23

    Posted Nov 25, 2008 6:34 pm PT

    Not every EA game is crap, and Skate 2 should be a great game.

  • historyseeker22

    Posted Nov 25, 2008 4:23 pm PT

    skate 2, ps3, xbox 360, skateboard, sports

  • aBathingApe_

    Posted Nov 25, 2008 4:17 pm PT

    @betterthanu
    They killed the best football franchise ever. ESPN NFL 2K

  • CanesThing26

    Posted Nov 25, 2008 3:14 pm PT

    thats cool i heard skate2 might come out in march next yr. Skate was EA's first good game in a long time. can't wait to get Skate 2. im going to holding ea to some high expectations for this game because the first one was so good. hopefully they'll add custom in game soundtracks for the PS3 version

  • Stupes_

    Posted Nov 25, 2008 2:58 pm PT

    WOO! amazing game a must have for me.

  • Media_Mind

    Posted Nov 25, 2008 2:44 pm PT

    nice

  • better-than-U

    Posted Nov 25, 2008 2:37 pm PT

    to Autolycus ;
    what have EA done exactly?

  • Mattyrock

    Posted Nov 25, 2008 2:37 pm PT

    Can't wait. The first one was awesome, hopefully this will be better.

  • Jack_Bauer07

    Posted Nov 25, 2008 2:29 pm PT

    @gwf123

    I was exaggerating, man. It probably won't win GOTY on any website but it will by my GOTY

  • volcomstoner180

    Posted Nov 25, 2008 1:51 pm PT

    JEAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH CANNOT WAIT

  • -eddy-

    Posted Nov 25, 2008 1:49 pm PT

    If only they had flatland. :/
    I wouldn't probably need anything else for a good while.

  • DrKill09

    Posted Nov 25, 2008 1:45 pm PT

    I can't wait for Skate 2!

  • Autolycus

    Posted Nov 25, 2008 1:42 pm PT

    @um_wut

    If their trends change I will. Just because they release a couple of good games, doesnt mean I'll just forgive and forget. They've killed A LOT of the video game industry and it's forward thinking, I cant forgive that easily. But I am trying to make a statement for the next game developer that tries to use EA as its publisher. THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT WONT PURCHASE YOUR GAME (new) WITH AN EA LOGO ON IT. It's going to take a year or so of great games and lower prices on their sport franchises before I give that up.

  • MISLED81

    Posted Nov 25, 2008 1:36 pm PT

    What! Nice i heard it wasn't coming out till march or something. This is the best news i've heard all day. All i hope is that they didn't rush it to release, bugs and glitches could ruin a game. Either way i'll be getting it at launch

  • Um_Wut

    Posted Nov 25, 2008 1:20 pm PT

    @ Autolycus...that's too bad. Dead space is amazing and so are the rock band games. EA has been getting better with their games. I say give them a chance. they seem to be changing their ways.

  • sweet1234

    Posted Nov 25, 2008 1:20 pm PT

    Best thing to do when not skateboarding over the winter is play skateboarding games.

  • better-than-U

    Posted Nov 25, 2008 1:16 pm PT

    17 people in my local skatepark are buying this game on day of release:L we loved skate. so this should be great to...some of us are blades and bikers though:L

  • Autolycus

    Posted Nov 25, 2008 12:57 pm PT

    since i refuse to give EA a single penny of my hard earned money, i'll wait for a used copy...

  • gwf123

    Posted Nov 25, 2008 12:56 pm PT

    sweet , cant wait , jack_bauer07 it will be a great game but defiantly wont be goty , i dont think ANYYY sports game won this title , usually fps' or rpgs lol so it may be killzone 2 or any other ground breaking games

  • n4m3l335

    Posted Nov 25, 2008 12:52 pm PT

    I used to be a staunch Tony Hawk fanboy before I played Skate. Now I can never go back to TH. The ability to get off the board will be a great addition, but I was personally sold on the revamped Hall of Meat feature. Now I can be a total sadist to my skater and get money for it. w00t!

  • koolaidWTF

    Posted Nov 25, 2008 12:39 pm PT

    The first game was pretty good in my opinion, and the problems that they had in the first like for example not getting off the board and etc. is fixed from what I heard in the videos. So I think they will be a really good second game.

  • Stealth-S-117

    Posted Nov 25, 2008 12:34 pm PT

    This is gonna rock! Now all we need is some ollie impossible awesomeness. C'mon EA.

  • -eddy-

    Posted Nov 25, 2008 12:24 pm PT

    Gnarly!

  • ewmgreendawg

    Posted Nov 25, 2008 12:22 pm PT

    I loved skate and the sequel aims to improve the small problems the first game had. It's so good to be able to play a skateboarding game that feels right instead of that over-the-top tony hawk garbage.

  • ctburesch

    Posted Nov 25, 2008 12:11 pm PT

    I am not usually into skate games, but this looks really fun....

  • Primo295

    Posted Nov 25, 2008 12:06 pm PT

    I can't wait for this game!

  • Thomasdeleo

    Posted Nov 25, 2008 12:03 pm PT

    Loved Skate, can't wait.

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