I finally played skate 4 on a friend's ps5 and I wanted to make a mini review. I think I'm going to repeat a lot of what people have already said before me ; I haven't looked at any reviews of the game yet. I spent a lot of time on Skate 3 but not on the previous games, also i'm not going to be really nice-
Also, excuse my english, I'm french-
the game aesthetic
When you compare the game to previous ones, which were made in the 2010s, I really felt like I was playing Fortnite. The graphics are super "smooth" and quite cartoonish, which I like less than the slightly gritty aesthetic of Skate 3. The graphics look like all the others recent games.
I think that the clothes are a real shame, they are soooo basic, and there is almost NO BRANDS unlike skate 3 where there is so much iconic skate brands.
2. the physics
It's quite satisfying to pick up speed quickly, and I like the ragdolls, which are less rigid than in Skate 3. However, one thing I really dislike is this kind of unrealistic floating effect, like you're flying through the air as soon as you jump. Yes, you have to exaggerate the "flying" effect a bit in a skate game, but here it's really over the top.
Another thing I've noticed is that the grinding surfaces somehow draw you in; it feels almost impossible to miss a grind because even when you don't want to, you end up grinding everything.
3. gameplay
Something resulting from this constant "flying" effect is that this game doesn't seem to be about skateboarding, but rather about acrobatics and gliding.
I've noticed that while in previous games you skated like in real life (well, I know it's incredibly difficult to reach that level irl-), here everyone's trying to jump off the tallest buildings, fly, do acrobatics... It looks more like a Red Bull-sponsored video than a real skateboarding session. Why is it so easy to do backflips ???
Also, I don't really like the fact that you don't have the choice of being on an online server. First of all, you can't play if you don't have an internet connection, and secondly, I like being alone with NPCs sometimes.
I won't even mention the NPCs, who are rather boring; that's just my opinion. But it lacks true skateboarding legends to challenge.
Speaking of challenges, I couldn't find any deathraces, which is too bad cause it was one of my favorite.
4. reward system ?
uh- I don't really know how to name this part, but OMG I HATE IN-GAME PURCHASES.
On one hand, the game being free-to-play is cool, but I much prefer paying for the game and then being left alone, so I can win the outfits, boards, and wheels I want without having to spend any more money.
Skate has fallen into this horrible blind box system, with its in-game purchases. Like I said, it feels like I'm playing Fortnite.
So that's pretty much it. I know I'm heavily biased by my distrust of recent technologies (for example, it annoyed me that my character had a smartphone, but it's not a big deal really), and my love for games with the aesthetics of the 2000s and 2010s. Personally, I'll continue playing Skate 3 with my friends.
