EA's Skate video shows off "Flickit" controls

by Kevin Kelly { May 6th 2007 at 12:46PM }

EA's Skate game continues to look impressive, and the hype that it'll be the Tony Hawk ~~monopoly~~ franchise killer might actually have some weight behind it. What's especially cool is when they throw up the Tony Hawk control scheme under Skate, letting you compare the two. You'll see which one looks more intuitive.

With all the flicking you'll be doing, it's almost like Wii-ing on your 360. Click here for an HD version.

Tags: EA, Skate, skateboarding, Tony Hawk

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Steve Tran @ May 6th 2007 12:54PM

I like the comparison in the end between Skate and Tony Hawk. Can't wait to see when they show some in-game videos of it

Will @ May 6th 2007 12:56PM

That looks sweet. Skate is really catching my eye. I'm too lazy to actually go look, when is this supposed to be coming out?

mike @ May 6th 2007 12:58PM

well that little video of theirs completely turned me off the game. I hate using those sticks for anything but aiming and camera movement. Games like NHL 07 and monster maddness dont thrill me. I would much prefer the tony hawk button style presses then having 50 tricks mapped to the right stick alone. Just imagine how hard its gonne be to pull off the correct trick when the if your the slightest bit off, your gonna preform a different move.

I think ill stick to tony hawk. If I wanted realistic skateboarding, I would take it up in real life. I enjoy the escape from reality and flying 100 feet in the air into a grind like in TH

Arno @ May 6th 2007 1:05PM

Were those ingame graphics?

mike @ May 6th 2007 1:15PM

"Were those ingame graphics?"

LOL of course not. That was real life. still another 50+ years before we see in game graphics like that.

Dirtyboy @ May 6th 2007 1:47PM

Competition spurs Innovation.

James @ May 6th 2007 2:12PM

Yo Kevin Kelly,

I realize that the controller they happen to use to demo this stuff is the 360 controller, but this game is coming to both 360 and PS3, so your categorizing it as "only" 360 is a bit misleading.

And yes, this game looks like it may bring some credibility to video game skating. Looking forward to it.

2kings @ May 6th 2007 2:33PM

im quite excited for this game since i was a huge tony hawk game fan

but they really tapped out the series

Arno @ May 6th 2007 2:39PM

#5, I was about to say... lol

Negativecool @ May 6th 2007 4:16PM

It's kind of ironic thate everyone is rooting for EA as the underdog here. Once EA establishes dominance in the skating genre, we will be back to bitching about how their monopoly is drowning out creativity.

Jesse @ May 6th 2007 4:47PM

theres actually an ad for THPS 4 on gametap as i type

lwnexgen @ May 6th 2007 4:51PM

This really doesn't look any better than Tony Hawk. I can't stand games like this that rely on stick-gestures; they're too inaccurate and frustrating when you think you hit the right move and the game won't recognize it.

sheppy @ May 6th 2007 4:52PM

Actually, I'm rooting for Yanza Callibrista 2...

Seriously, here's my bitch about both series and how they're trying to look.

I was good at Tony Hawk, okay at Tony Hawk 2. Tony Hawk 3, I was awesome. But then I took a break. And while there were people stringing together 1+ million point combos, I was happily enjoying the rare occasion I broke 200,000. But here's the problem. Tony Hawk, as a series, started catering exclusively to the million pointer crowd. And that's how I fell off. I wasn't among the ranks so as the series went on longer, and I found myself struggling to pass level 3 of 12, I decided "fuck off" with that. My last Tony Hawk game was THUG 2 on PSP.

Skate is unfortunately aiming at the Tony Hawk crowd and has stated they "want to present a challenge to the converts." They want better realism and more difficulty. I, meanwhile, just want to play. Not have to memorize the grind lines or the many, many trick zones or trick combinations to do decently.

In essence, these are exactly the reason why, when I want to get my extra sports on, I'm throwing down in JSRF.

Luis @ May 6th 2007 5:04PM

This reminds me of MVP 06 NCAA Baseball. They came out with a new way to hit in that game by using the analog sticks in a new way. Yea, it seemed like a cool idea, but it was extremely hard to get used to and didn't work all that too well either.

Plus, this just makes it even more harder to get into a game like this. Remember how fighting games were like 10 years ago? So easy to get into and now they are very complex.

I just hope Skate has the option to NOT use the 'flickit' controls.

happygolucky @ May 6th 2007 5:15PM

when tony hawk announced the new nail the rtick any where mode, thsi is whaat i thought the game would play like for project 8. i guess ea picked up on teh idea

The 84th @ May 6th 2007 5:23PM

looks good, if you keep gestures natural, itll be great. only problem is too many gestures is hard on the mind and the sensitivity.

willie @ May 6th 2007 5:37PM

I think this game is catering exclusively to the real skaters, because they can see how the tricks are similar to the actual control stick's direction.

mkoracer @ May 6th 2007 5:39PM

I sure am glad that learning the dragon punch and fireball back in 1993 have come in so handy with the advent of games like fight night R3 and SKATE! OMGzzors I'm joking, I love FNR3 and this may turn out to be the best skateboarding game ever.

Plus this is what EA's 3rd jaunt into making a skateboarding game? First Skate or Die (Split Screen Jam!) Then Street Sk8ter on the PS1. So they kind of have *some* cred, jooknow.

Pyronite @ May 6th 2007 6:07PM

Analog controls like this are the best, from NHL07 to FNR3 and beyond. I for one am looking forward to it.

nerdXcore @ May 6th 2007 7:23PM

Yes, EA is a big, dumb, evil company, but the Tony Hawk series is so freaking ridiculous (grind on a moving helicopter, then leap off and do a 720 while drinking a Mountain Dew! Extreme!) that SOMEONE needs to step up and make a halfway decent skating game.

I am rooting for Skate, but only by default.

Riff1 @ May 6th 2007 7:42PM

I don't know.

It seems like in all these analog-controlling games, all I have to do to shell out a devastating combo/trick/haymaker is just flick the stick wildly in every direction possible.

dsub @ May 6th 2007 8:35PM

I dig the graphics, but I totally called the gameplay when this game was announced. For some reason, EA feels that applying this "analog stick only" sort of control scheme all the sudden makes a game "innovative and fresh".

Unfortunately, in my opinion all it does force me to go into the menu and change the control options. That video makes it seems as if these new controls make for a more seamless experience, but trust be, they will frustrate more than they will do good. It takes alot more time for someone to press down on the left thumbstick and then up quickly to ollie, then follow that by a left/down and then 3/4 around on the right thumbstick than it does to just press A and then right/X. They've done it with Fight Night, NHL 07, and now Skate.

I won't knock it till I try it, but based on EA's previous attempts to implement this so called "innovative" control scheme, I have my doubts.

obo @ May 6th 2007 9:25PM

Katamari Damaskaaaaaaate

dorian @ May 6th 2007 11:17PM

why hasn't said anything about this using the wiimote? and why the 360 first?

Markham @ May 6th 2007 11:33PM

I thought the point of Tony Hawk was to create your own death trap parks and then laugh as your friend falls into a spike pit while trying to pull off some combo.

Costantino @ May 7th 2007 3:59AM

wow, kickflippin is a lot like doing an hadouken...

WizarDru @ May 7th 2007 11:58AM

Yikes. I realize they're trying to change the control scheme, here...but having to memorize a ton of different 'flicks' to pull of a specific trick is kind of a pain. When they overlay all the different flicks on the same spot, I got dizzy.

I'm not sure I see how having all the tricks controlled from a series of patterns on the stick is any better than pressing a button for a type and then pushing a direction. Different, sure, but better? I'm not seeing it.

Saneless @ May 7th 2007 1:43PM

"but having to memorize a ton of different 'flicks' to pull of a specific trick is kind of a pain."

Are you kidding me? I can only remember like 4 tricks in THPS. And if I don't play for awhile, not even that many. I think EA's control scheme greatly simplifies something that was way, way overly complex already.

Brandon @ May 7th 2007 3:23PM

oh look it's Fight Nigh......oh i mean skate.

Nessman @ May 8th 2007 5:26PM

call me crazy, but i like the dual joystick press-Y-to-grind style of the TH games. This could be really sweet, but i think we'd need an actual joystick to pull this off. It'd be too easy to try and do one move and do another since the room is so cramped in your inch-wide-all-around thumbstick on your 360 remote.

I hope this hits wii, it'd be perfect.

RxAxDSkater @ May 9th 2007 11:42PM

Ok, this is a game for SKATERS by SKATERS. If you actually skated in real life, you'd learn that doing these tricks AREN'T easy. I took me a year of practice just to get most of these tricks down. And the controls are really damned close to the real thing. People who prefer 900 360 flips off of roofs, stick to Project 8. People who skate in real life and know personally the spirit of the sport, buy skate.

skate4life @ May 10th 2007 12:46PM

those who tink the tony hawk games are better are simply not skaters ,if you dont skate you wont like this game as much as skaters , and by the way I seriously would like more to do a sweet looking kickflip than a double backflip to nose manual.And skaters do know the names of the tricks they are doing because we practice it so much ,but you have the right to dream ,all in all I cant wait for this game to come out and I will buy a 360 just for it

george i skate @ May 24th 2007 11:43PM

i think this game is also aimed at skaters. i for one skate, and i think it is a great idea. i just hope that they implement a goofy and regular control scheme. you know, like lefty and righty controls. being a goofy skater, im afraid that if the controls are for regular style skating, i might get confused. now im rambling. but i cant wait for this game!