Skate 2

Skate 2 was released in 2009 as a sequel to the successful revolution of the skateboarding game genre and expanded the formula of the first installment with new ways to interact with the environment of the fictional city of San Vanelona, which had been rebuilt after an unspecified disaster and offered players more buildings, ramps, rooftops, and improvised obstacles to discover, collect collectibles from, and reshape their own trick lines according to their own imagination, bringing the game even closer to the true spirit of street skateboarding.

The game also offered more sophisticated online community tools, allowing players to share their own creations, videos of their tricks, and rate each other's sequences across the whole platform. A new feature was the ability to get off the board and carry obstacles on foot, such as ramps, crates, or mobile containers, to locations better suited for building a custom trick sequence, further deepening players' creative freedom to build their own skateparks right in the streets of the city. The Flick-It control system from the first game remained in place and was further refined with new types of tricks and grinds, so performing moves with the analog sticks felt even more natural and fluid. Visually, the game offered a more detailed city and characters on Xbox 360 and smoother movement animations, again accompanied by a carefully selected soundtrack from the alternative and rock music scene.

Reviews received the game very positively, praising in particular the creative freedom, improved controls, and new ways of interacting with the environment compared to the already well-reviewed first installment of the series. Skate 2 cemented the series' position as a respected competitor to Tony Hawk's and confirmed that a more realistic approach to skateboarding had its firm place in the market alongside more arcade-oriented competitors. It is still considered one of the peaks of the trilogy today and a favorite choice of genre fans and casual players alike, who especially appreciate its creative openness.

Why play it: For its improved controls, creative freedom, and new ways of interacting with the environment, it ranks among the peaks of the trilogy and is a favorite of both genre fans and casual players.