PureSkate 2 Review

I admit it: I can't skateboard. I want to. I feel there is a Tony Hawke inside me, but it died from lack of nourishment. Still, could PureSkate 2 satisfy my cravings?

PureSkate 2 is a skateboarding jaunt, obviously. It's all about finding locations, learning tricks, and scoring cash to get better equipment. And unleashing the latent skateboarder in all of us.

The fun idea here is the two-finger control method. It uses an adjusted first-person view, and our virtual X-Gamer does the winding up on his own - as long as the player keeps two fingers on the virtual skateboard at the bottom. The skateboard can be controlled by leaning one's fingers this way and that; literally, the fingers do the walking in an intuitive matter.

The game walks players through basic control, and later on it's possible to start doing a host of tricks. Again, a lot of these are quite intuitive, and kudos must be given to the developer for thinking these through. I admit I've spent a lot of time just skating randomly. Don't judge me... I'm living the virtual high life here.

In any case, there is more depth to the gameplay as it encourages exploration and unlocking new areas and taking on challenges. The challenges are fun, and tie in to the overall achievement tracking. One element is to get game cash by completing specific missions, or finding and collecting cash bonuses and the like. In this, the developer does well by giving it an arcade touch - what with the ability to upgrade skateboarders, attributes, and gear. And yes, there are opportunities to use real cash.

My biggest gripe is the control mechanism. The two-finger concept is great in theory, but is a bit awkward in practice with the default vertical alignment. It doesn't translate well all the time, and I spent more time than I would have liked contemplating slow-downs and such - which is a shame, because I truly believe the game has something here. There are "coming soon" elements, so hopefully the developer works on some of the problems because the artwork is great, the sound effects are effective, and this game has a lot of love to give.

Frankly, if there is a game worth waiting on, it's probably PureSkate 2. So I'll wait. Because the skateboarding world needs me.