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Skate 2 getting custom soundtracks today
Skate 2 may offer some excellent variety with its 50+ song soundtrack, but sometimes you just feel like skating to your own tunes. Developer EA Black Box knows this and has announced that it is finally patching custom soundtracks into the PS3 version of the game.The update, which releases today, will include some minor bug fixes, removal of exploits and other adjustments. You can check out the full list of fixes after the break. Also, for the first song on your custom soundtrack ... go with some real hardcore thrash metal.
Skate 2's new 'Classic San Van' DLC is old hat
Those of you who find yourself reminiscing about the "good ole days" of the first Skate game, we've got something you'll likely be interested in: EA has unleashed a new DLC pack for Skate 2 called "Classic San Van." Featuring a variety of locales from the first game, Skate 2 players will now be able to shred it up in classic spots such as the Parkade (yes!), the School (italicized yes!), and the Community Center (bold yes!), all while utilizing the new tricks found in the sequel. The DLC even places some objects for you to move around in each area, as you can see in the video above. Skate 2's "Classic San Van" DLC pack is available now on Xbox Live Marketplace and PSN for 400 and $4.99, respectively. %Gallery-23257%
Free LOTR: Conquest DLC, not so free Skate 2 content
There's new downloadable content available on the Xbox Live Marketplace, specifically for Lord of the Rings: Conquest and Skate 2. The LOTR Hero Arena Bonus content is 100% free and gives players a new way to play team deathmatch. If you can spare 135MB of hard drive space, by all means, enjoy. For those looking to become the Steven Spielberg of Skate 2 film making, there's new 600 Filmer Pack content that adds "advanced camera controls for the replay editor, custom watermarks, expanded online storage" and new apparel to boot. We'll leave that purchasing decision up to you, but for the sake of comparison, Bungie offers a similar expanded Halo 3 storage solution with Bungie Pro. Hey, just saying.Source - Skate 2 Filmer PackSource - LOTR: Conquest Hero Arena Bonus
Metareview -- Skate 2 (360, PS3)
True story: We were going to review Skate 2 ourselves, but we ... no, not we ... I, I Justin McElroy sucked too bad at it to review it. I don't know if my thumbs are just too stupid or what, but as a long-time Tony Hawk fan, I found it hard not to pine for a game that let me press one button and automagically grind on a space dinosaur's boner. Here's what more qualified people had to say: GamePlayer (95/100):"Skate 2 is a brilliant game. For the most part it takes the fantastic template laid down in the original and injects it with a smartly integrated new move-set, an exciting world to rip to shreds, and the same addictive, unquestionably stylish gameplay which saw the Tony Hawk series bolt for the hills." Totally 360 (90/100): "Overall the development team should be commended for making another excellent skating title. Everything runs really smoothly and it seems to have come together really well. The new features add on to what was already a fun experience with the original." IGN (83/100): "Technically an improvement over the first title, and anyone who hadn't yet played the original should skip it and go right to the second. It's a really fun game that allows you to play it the way you want with a control scheme that is second-to-none at the moment. However, it's far from perfect. GamePro (80/100): "The first Skate was a refreshing take on virtual skateboarding, so expectations were high for this one. Maybe they were a little too high: Skate 2 doesn't quite deliver the revolutionary skating experience that we were all hoping it would be." Source -- Metacritic: Skate 2 (Xbox 360) Source -- Metacritic: Skate 2 (PS3)
Underachievement: EA selling 'unlock everything' DLC for Skate 2
It won't instill gamers with the same red-faced anger as EA's fizzled plan to offer for-pay weapons in Battlefield: Bad Company; instead, the newly released "Time is Money Pack" for Skate 2 will simply make those who buy it feel varying degrees of guilt, regret and perhaps even fear. That's because, for 400 ($5) on XBLM or $4.99 on the PlayStation Store, owners of the game can literally pay their way past the effort it would take to unlock everything in the game. The "everything" in question includes "all locations, skaters and gear that can be earned by playing through Skate 2's career and online modes," according to the DLC's description. So, basically, you're paying for access to content that's already in the game. Or, to put it another way, you're paying five bucks for a cheat code. A downloadable code, if you will. Next thing you know, people will be paying for good grades and -- who knows -- even Senate seats. Oh, wait ... [Via X3F]
Mass layoffs hit Skate, Need for Speed dev Black Box
As many as 200 of the 350-plus employees of EA Black Box have been given their walking papers, according to a report on Gamasutra. Joystiq has confirmed with EA public relations that the Vancouver, BC based studio let a number employees go today, although the publisher was unable to provide us with a specific tally of the affected at present.EA Black Box is the studio responsible for the Need for Speed franchise and the just-released Skate 2. Its (now remaining) staff is currently in the process of being integrated into EA's Vancouver-area Burnaby studio. EA confirmed late last month that Black Box would close as part of its plan to reduce global staffing by 10%.
EA details restructuring plan, laying off 10% of employees
Sad news from EA: The company plans to lay off 10% of its workforce, representing about 1,000 jobs, by March 31, 2009. The new figure represents a 4% increase from the previously stated layoffs announced in October. EA's restructuring plan, which also includes "consolidating facilities," is expected to cut annual costs by $120 million.Nine studios and publishing locations will be closed by the company, including Black Box Studio (Need for Speed) in Vancouver, British Columbia, which will move its remaining staff to EA's studio in Burnaby, BC -- the company recently killed plans for a third Canadian studio. The publisher also states it plans to focus on hit games with "higher margin opportunities." Although EA claims it's "committed to taking creative risks," there's nothing more that gamers gobble up like a good sequel ... year, after year, after year.
Rumor: Need for Speed series has been canceled -- or has it? [update]
The latest episode of Electric Playground brought with it a shocking (yet somewhat believable) report -- they claimed to have learned from an unspecified source that Electronic Arts is canceling the development of new titles in the Need for Speed series. When they asked for a comment from EA, a spokesperson responded with a statement that neither confirmed nor denied the report.We tend to handle rumors without named sources with a bit more trepidation than others, but the cancellation of EA's 14-year-old racing franchise isn't completely outside the realm of possibilities. After all, the gaming industry juggernaut has sailed through fairer economic waters, and the latest installment in the supposedly canceled series, Need for Speed: Undercover, currently holds a Metacritic rating of 65 -- which also happens to be the exact number of people who purchased the game. We'll let you know when we hear more.Update: We've received a tip from someone a purported EA employ who wishes to remain anonymous. According to this source, the Need for Speed series isn't shutting down -- but EA Black Box, the development team behind recent entries into the series, "most likely" is. The source explains that EA not only scrapped their plans to open up a new studio in Vancouver, but that they also decided to close Black Box, moving the NFS and Skate teams to their much larger Burnaby studios. The source further details the fate of Need for Speed -- he claims that one of the next entries into the series will be developed by the EA-owned Criterion Games, and will likely use the engine of their racing series, Burnout. He also claims that there are three different teams within Black Box that are responsible for developing Need for Speed titles (which is how they're able to release a new NFS title every year) -- though these three teams will likely consolidate into one, leading to less NFS releases, more continuity between said releases, and, ultimately, drastic downsizing for the NFS teams.
Joystiq hands-on: Skate 2
After years of tired Tony Hawk sequels, 2007's Skate was a refreshing change of pace. Black Box's interpretation of the sport was a far more realistic one. The innovative "flick" control scheme better emulated the experience of performing ollies, nollies, grabs and assorted flip tricks. Players were dropped into the fictional city of San Vanelona, a massive virtual playground where anything and everything could become the starting point of a skating line. So how will Black Box attempt to improve the experience in its follow-up, Skate 2? By giving you new things to do without your skateboard. Skate 2 no longer glues your character to the board. With a simple press of a button, you can get off your board and start exploring the environment. New San Vanelona is a mix of old and new, and the city begs to be explored. No longer will you have to attempt to "glitch" the system to get to interesting skate points. You'll be able to walk up a set of stairs, for example. You'll be able to jump on top of a ledge. It's a simple addition, but it allows the world to be explored in far greater depth than before. %Gallery-23257%
Skate 2 to grind North American retail shelves January 21
Just as your head begins to clear from downing your seventh pitcher of holiday eggnog, Electronic Arts announced plans to push off and catch a mad vert when Skate 2 nails its retail landing in January. The sequel will do a frontside 360 in North America on January 21, while skateboarders elsewhere will be able to get their trick on two days later on January 23. Next month EA will also launch a Skate 2 web application, creatively titled "Graphics Creator," which will let players create customized graphics for their in-game decks and clothing. Additionally, would-be shredders in North America who pre-order Skate 2 will grab a code to unlock a "Throwback Pack" that will allow access to retro accessories, gestures and clothing. When you bail from a botched nosegrind, at least you'll look good in your Skate or Die shirt.
Joystiq hands-on: Need For Speed Undercover
click to enlarge Call us old fashioned, but we're just a little more interested in how EA's next Need For Speed will stack up as a gameplay experience than a Hollywood movie starring Maggie Q. (No offense, miss, er, Q.) So celebutaunts and FMV (okay, HD FMV) aside, the demo of the game we got behind the wheel of is surprisingly ... a racing game with cop chases.Mind you, it's very pretty, with HDR lighting and a nice healthy framerate to, dare we say, satiate one's need for speed. To that end, one of the three challenge types we played – Highway Battle – was an all-out drag race through heavy freeway traffic, the goal of which being to get far enough to your opponent that they "fail out." It was a rush, and showcased the ease of control EA is aiming for with Undercover's cars (read: we didn't crash nearly as much as we'd expected to), but it was over all too quickly.%Gallery-30062%
Skate to bust ollies on the DS?
Earlier today, IGN put up a post detailing that EA Black Box's (see what a little knowledge gets you?) Skate game was on its way to the Wii and DS, under the title Skate It. Of course, the page has now since been pulled and the link simply leads to a 404.Would EA bring the franchise to the Wii and DS? It would make sense to tap those markets and get Wii and DS owners into an arguably already casual game. Not to mention that the only skating game available on the Wii isn't too great and the DS could always use another good skateboarding game. So is this likely to happen? Well, we'll just have to wait and find out. If it's an April Fools' Day joke, IGN is really late to the party.[Via PALGN]
