OlliOlli2: Welcome to Olliwood

OlliOlli2: Welcome to Olliwood pushes two-dimensional skateboard trick riding into movie-set scenery and adds a depth that turned the original idea into a full genre of its own. The core remains: the skater rides left to right, the player calls up tricks with the stick, and a precisely timed button press on landing determines whether they land clean or end up on the ground. New here are manuals, which allow chaining individual tricks into one unbroken combo across the whole level, and branching routes offering several paths through a single level.

Every level contains a set of objectives, from reaching a certain score through performing specific tricks to finishing without falling, and completing them unlocks a harder professional version of the same track. It's precisely this structure that makes the game an ideal handheld title: a single attempt takes under a minute, but the pursuit of a perfect run without a single stumble stretches into dozens of repetitions. The Vita version runs perfectly smoothly, which is absolutely essential for a game built on precise timing, and the controls are instantly legible. Visually it's clean silhouette graphics with striking colorful backgrounds referencing film studios, jungle, and western settings. Besides career mode, the game also offers a daily challenge with a single attempt and several purely sport-focused modes that push players toward the longest possible unbroken trick sequence and constant comparison against others.

The sound consists of an electronic selection that keeps the pace and subtly reinforces the rhythm of the ride; a properly long combination of tricks comes with a quiet satisfaction that few other games offer. Reviewers praised above all the precision of the controls and its addictiveness, criticism targeted the high difficulty of later tracks. The series' influence is visible across the whole wave of later two-dimensional skateboarding games. Today OlliOlli2 remains one of the best-fitting titles for short sessions the Vita ever offered, and also a game where the player visibly improves from attempt to attempt.