After I stopped playing console games for a little over a decade, I've recently got a PS3. Since then, I bought some games, mostly in the fighting and RPG genre. I also like sports games since they allow me to do things that I could not do in real life. I remember how I loved Tony Hawk's Pro Skater on the first PlayStation way back in the late 90s, but somehow started struggled with the series since I feel like I'm memorizing the buttons to pull of chain combos which defy the laws of physics.
Last week, I bought Skate (the first of three games), a game that caught my attention years ago due to its realistic approach to the real sport (I'm a sucker for realism). I thought I would like it and that was true. What I did not expect was that the game's low camera angle somehow causes motion sickness for me. So a few days later, I went out and got Skate 3. I love it! I've since logged about 7 hours of gameplay and enjoyed every minute of it. The ability to free skate everywhere, doing tricks and grinding rails, skating around a fictional campus and its neighborhood areas while A.I. skaters pop out every now and then so you never feel lonely were just amazing. While I never skateboarded in my life, I did spend a big amount of my time roller-blading with my friends. The feeling I got from Skate 3 mimics that experience.
If you like skateboarding at all (and prefer realistic gameplay), then you should definitely get the Skate games. For newcomers, start with Skate 3.
