Skater XL

Skateboarding videogames were all the rage back in the late 90s and early 2000s. Despite their popularity, the genre has all but disappeared in recent years, leaving fans of the sport with a lack of options to enjoy their favorite pastime from the safety of their homes. That’s exactly where Skater XL and its immersive gameplay come in.

A realistic approach to the extreme sport, Skater XL feels like true to life simulation of skateboarding. Its advanced physics and tight controls turn this into a true modern classic of the skateboarding genre. However, does the lack of a single-player campaign affect the game’s overall score? Let’s take a closer look at what makes Skater XL great.

Realistic controls

If you go into Skater XL expecting an experience similar to Tony Hawk Pro Skater, you’ll be sorely disappointed. Unlike Tony Hawk’s immensely popular skateboarding series, Skater XL offers a more realistic approach to the sport. Think of it as an evolution of what we saw in EA’s Skate.

Unlike Skate and Tony Hawk games, however, is how Skater XL handles its tricks. There are no pre-programmed tricks in the game, with all of them having to be recreated using the game’s advanced physics engine. For example, doing a kickflip requires that the player (controlling one of the skater’s feet) flips the board themselves.

To achieve this freedom of control, developers Easy Day Studios devised an intuitive and independent foot control system. That way, players are responsible for each action their skater performs. This does an outstanding job translating whatever skateboarding skills a player might have in real life to the virtual world of Skater XL.

Sure, these controls sound nice on paper, but the thing is that the developers nailed the feeling of skateboarding to a T. Every action looks natural and feels immensely satisfactory to pull off, made even better when they’re combined with the game’s robust physics engine.

Skate by yourself

One of Skater XL’s major flaws is its multiplayer mode: as it is right now, Skater XL is an entirely single-player experience. Thankfully, the developers seem to be working on an online multiplayer mode that will allow other players to skate together with their friends.

If you’re worried about the limited amount of content available on the base game, do not fear. One of the best parts of Skater XL is how well it works with mods. These fan-made modifications let you alter virtually every aspect of the game, from new maps to revamped physics.

Visuals and skaters

Graphically speaking, the game looks nice enough. The realistic aesthetic goes well with the game’s simulator-inspired gameplay, and the character models work well with the game’s animation system.

Another thing worth mentioning is that many real-life skateboard brands appear in the game. Additionally, Tiago Lemos, Brandon Westgate, Evan Smith, and Tom Asta, appear in the game, letting you choose from one of your favorite real-life skate pros.

The game’s locations look great when compared to their real-life counterparts. Skater XL manages to make everything feel as close to real as possible with its neutral visuals and impressive physics controls.

Pros:

• Fun controls
• Impressive physics
• Outstanding mod support

Cons:

• Very little base game content
• No multiplayer at launch