Skate 3 rolls in on May 11

http://www.vgchartz.com/games/index.php?name=Skate

Skate on X360: 710,000 copies
Skate on PS3: 270,000 copies
Skate Total: 980,000 copies

Skate 2 on X360: 900,000 copies
Skate 2 on PS3: 540,000 copies
Skate 2 Total: 1,440,000 copies

Not including the killing it made on DLC, yes, the franchise is doing VERY well for a new to this-gen IP. Key thing to is that it jumped so much between the first two games, growth is crucial in determining sequels.

Also, metacritic puts Skate at 86/85, and Skate 2 at 84. It might not be your thing, but Skate is a great franchise. I just hope it doesn't spiral downward like Tony Hawk did after 3. I purchased Skate on launch because the demo was awesome. I purchased Skate 2 on launch because the first game was awesome. I plan on keeping with that tradition this iteration.

wow, nothing like a cold hard fact to slap you in the face like a hot wet penis.

I actually skipped, skate 2 in anticipation of the third game adding a little bit more, so I'm pretty psyched to pick up this game :)

I was on the same boat as you until I read about the hard mode and build-a-park.

From Wikipedia,
"Two new game modes have been added, one to simplify the trick system and one to make it harder, also known as Hardcore Mode. Hardcore Mode restricts tricks to be performed at a lower height to make things such as flip-tricks and getting onto ledges harder; it has been said that you can bail on flat if you don't flick a trick hard enough. Grinds are also much harder as there isn't as much 'suction' into ledges and rails. It also takes five pushes to get to top speed on flat as opposed to the three in the last two skate games.

Create-a-park is also a big feature in Skate 3. This allows gamers to build skateparks similar to the Tony Hawk games. According to the skate website, players can build a variety of set-ups such as mega ramps and plazas."

Ya know, I thought the same thing until I read up on the build-a-park and hard modes.

from Wikipedia:
"Two new game modes have been added, one to simplify the trick system and one to make it harder, also known as Hardcore Mode. Hardcore Mode restricts tricks to be performed at a lower height to make things such as flip-tricks and getting onto ledges harder; it has been said that you can bail on flat if you don't flick a trick hard enough. Grinds are also much harder as there isn't as much 'suction' into ledges and rails. It also takes five pushes to get to top speed on flat as opposed to the three in the last two skate games.

Create-a-park is also a big feature in Skate 3. This allows gamers to build skateparks similar to the Tony Hawk games. According to the skate website, players can build a variety of set-ups such as mega ramps and plazas."

...god I hate Joystiq's reply system and inability to delete posts.

sorry haven't had coffee yet... skateboarding*

The last two Skates had demos on the PS Store, I'm not sure if they do on Live or not,

They did. I'd say go download the Skate 2 demo now and see for yourself how good these games are.

I say download the demo to the original Skate. It gives you 30minutes of free exploration in a large park (the city's civic center). It's a great starting point.

Well he's been in a load of Kevin Smith's films too.

Kevin Smith movies haven't been any good since Chasing Amy.

Jason Lee still skates (when he can) and is still very involved in the skate community, even if it doesn't seem so. He co-founded Stereo Skateboards with Chris Pastras in the 90's, and brought it back in 2003 where it's still running strong today. If anyone here loves skateboarding, then you should know about Stereo. If you don't, then check out Stereo's "A Visual Sound" and "Tincan Folklore". Probably some of the most influential skate videos from the 90's. Very mellow. Everyone skates to jazz too!

Have to disagree on Kev's flicks sucking. Dogma was great, Clerks 2 was perfect, and Zack and Miri/Cop Out were hilarious. He grew up and out of the "everything has to be witty monologues", thank god. Clerks doesn't hold up as well today as it did when I first saw it.

There were demos for the first two. It's safe to say there will be a demo for this one too. The demos sold me on the previous two as launch day titles. Why would you rent what you can demo?

Because demos rarely do justice for a game. I'd enjoy a little more length of trial before purchasing the copy if it's worth it. I enjoyed owning the Skate titles. Don't care how many down votes I get, Skate 2 was crap compared to Skate 1. Not to say it was a horrible game.

Create-a-park, hard mode (think of it as realism mode), a focus on co-op, darkslides, underflips, an entirely new world (not the rehash of San Vanelona) - The new world is supposedly much more vibrant, colorful, and rewarding for creative skaters. More lines, more fun. The city's sections include a downtown, university (awesome), and an industrial zone.

Totally on board for this. 5/11 needs to be now.

Skate 2 had some upsides over the first (more tricks, more traverse, DLC, better framerates) - But the first just had some magic behind it. It felt more like skating in a real town. You could find spots that didn't feel like they were made to be spots. There was a bit of discovery behind it, then showing your friends "Dude, check this spot!". Skate 2 had a lot more of pre-made spots I think. They also reduced the realism a bit to me. Jumps felt higher and floatier to me. Attitude was different too.

So while I agree with you that Skate had something about it that was missing in Skate 2... I still played Skate 2 for 132 hours according to Raptr.