Skate launches the saga with its famous flickit stick and a realistic approach that brushes aging Tony Hawks aside. The open cities invite flow, filmed sessions take on documentary flair, and the 360 finds in this first entry an instantly foundational classic.
Your verdict
Category
Sports1 player12+
Description
Skateboarding game by EA Black Box and EA Sports, September 2007. The player tackles skateboarding challenges in fictional San Vanelona city with realistic stick flick mechanics replacing traditional button inputs. City open world, skater customisation and professional competitions. The first Skate revolutionising the genre with its realistic control mechanic.
Skate. review
3/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Polished"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
1/5
Story
★★★★★
"Anecdotal"
The selection plays credibility rather than power: jazz, soul and instrumental hip-hop turning quietly during the back-and-forth across the city, far from the punk the genre imposed at the time. This scouting soundtrack, calm and without a catchy chorus, leaves all the room to failed attempts and turns the session into a stroll rather than a performance.
The Japanese edition of Electronic Arts' skateboarding simulation, a regional variant distinct from the Asian run for a title whose realism shook up the genre. On a market where Western board gaming stayed niche, this Japanese pressing remains uncommon and completes the map of versions sought by collectors. Its interest owes to this rare local presence and to the singularity of a Japanese distribution for an American title.
Is Skate. still worth playing in 2026?
A skateboarding game from EA Black Box, Skate revolutionises the genre by dropping buttons for the Flickit, a system that reproduces tricks with the analogue stick by mimicking the board's real movements. The realism of the tricks, the freedom of an open city and the authentic feel of riding win over skate fans. The learning curve and a more measured pace than Tony Hawk can throw players. An excellent skate game for fans of realistic gliding and urban freedom to explore board underfoot.
