Skate | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Thu, 15 Feb 2024 22:08:17 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png Skate | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 EA’s Skate gets mobile version with crossplay/progression https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/mustafa-mahmoud/eas-skate-gets-mobile-version-with-crossplay-progression/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/mustafa-mahmoud/eas-skate-gets-mobile-version-with-crossplay-progression/#respond Tue, 13 Feb 2024 10:00:03 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=648045 While the heyday of skateboarding video games may be behind us, EA is currently looking to revamp the genre, bringing back its much-loved Skate series in a new way. Said to be coming to PC, consoles and mobile devices, the free-to-play title looks to feature full crossplay and cross progression across the board – including …

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While the heyday of skateboarding video games may be behind us, EA is currently looking to revamp the genre, bringing back its much-loved Skate series in a new way. Said to be coming to PC, consoles and mobile devices, the free-to-play title looks to feature full crossplay and cross progression across the board – including between mobile and consoles.

Ahead of its still indeterminate release date, EA has been playtesting Skate publicly, allowing fans to get a taste of the game ahead of its official release. As part of the latest testing stage, the team announced and released an early version of the game for mobile – revealing that Skate will include full crossplay and cross progression.

While a majority of newly released games feature crossplay/cross progression, very few titles manage to offer the same on mobile, typically releasing a bespoke version for the portable platform – meaning no cross compatibility.

Fortunately, it seems as though the mobile version of Skate will be an accurate representation of the console/PC experience – so much so that players can freely switch between platforms with all their progress seamlessly carrying over.

In the wake of Capcom bringing Resident Evil 4 Remake and RE Village to iPhones (as well as Kojima releasing Death Stranding on iOS), it is clear that developers are paying much greater attention to the mobile platform. Hopefully this is the start of the smartphone gaming renaissance.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What do you think of Skate so far? Should more games come to mobile? What title desperately needs cross progression? Let us know down below.

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Skate will be free to play with microtransactions https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/skate-will-be-free-to-play-with-microtransactions/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/skate-will-be-free-to-play-with-microtransactions/#respond Sun, 17 Jul 2022 08:23:23 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=568229 July has been an unexpectedly big month for EA’s Skate game. The first public alpha test took place last week, and now EA has revealed further details, including the fact that the game will be free to play.  Officially titled ‘skate.’, the new game in the series will be free to play with “cosmetic and …

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July has been an unexpectedly big month for EA’s Skate game. The first public alpha test took place last week, and now EA has revealed further details, including the fact that the game will be free to play. 

Officially titled ‘skate.’, the new game in the series will be free to play with “cosmetic and convenience items”, which likely equates to some kind of XP boost in addition to different deck designs in the game. The developers claim there would be no ‘pay to win’ items, but, well, it’s not exactly easy to trust EA at its word given its past history with microtransaction systems.

With this new Skate game, EA will be going in a ‘live service’ direction, with this title expected to act as a platform for future content updates for years post-release. With that in mind, there may well be a battle pass system in place too when the game eventually releases.

Skate does not have a release date at this time, but the game is expected to arrive sometime in 2023.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: I would have preferred a smaller single-player experience like the recent Tony Hawk Pro Skater remake, but we should have anticipated this kind of direction from EA. The company is always looking to try and hit big revenue targets with multiplayer, open-worlds and baked in monetisation systems. 

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EA confirms recent Skate playtest leak but urges fans not to download https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/ea-confirms-recent-skate-playtest-leak-but-urges-fans-not-to-download/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/ea-confirms-recent-skate-playtest-leak-but-urges-fans-not-to-download/#respond Wed, 13 Jul 2022 11:38:39 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=567805 Last week, it was reported that EA's recent Skate 4 pre-alpha playtest build leaked online and has been cracked, allowing essentially anyone to play. EA has now confirmed the leak, but is urging fans not to download the current build due to its age.  When EA announced the Skate 4 pre-alpha playtest, the publisher made …

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Last week, it was reported that EA's recent Skate 4 pre-alpha playtest build leaked online and has been cracked, allowing essentially anyone to play. EA has now confirmed the leak, but is urging fans not to download the current build due to its age. 

When EA announced the Skate 4 pre-alpha playtest, the publisher made it very clear that this was an early build that is still missing a lot of polish. It turns out, the current playtest build is even older than anticipated, dating back to September 2021, so it is missing a lot of content the developers have been working on for the past year.

In an update to the Skate website, the development team confirmed that it is “aware of an earlier version of the game that has been distributed without our authorisation”. The post goes on to confirm that the build is “from September 2021 and was never intended for external use”.

EA also warns of the dangers of downloading files from unknown sources, and adds that there will be more playtests later this year as the team prepares for a likely 2023 launch.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: The pre-alpha might be interesting for those studying game development, but if you are a fan of the Skate games, you're unlikely to get the experience you are hoping for with this. 

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Skateboarding sim ‘Session’ leaves Early Access this September https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/mustafa-mahmoud/skateboarding-sim-session-leaves-early-access-this-september/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/mustafa-mahmoud/skateboarding-sim-session-leaves-early-access-this-september/#respond Fri, 08 Jul 2022 16:00:19 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=567328 The popularity of certain sports within the medium of video games has waned and waxed over the many years. Currently, the skateboarding genre is seeing a resurgence with one of the most prominent upcoming titles being Session: Skate Sim. After a lengthy development and Early Access period, Session is set to get its full release …

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The popularity of certain sports within the medium of video games has waned and waxed over the many years. Currently, the skateboarding genre is seeing a resurgence with one of the most prominent upcoming titles being Session: Skate Sim. After a lengthy development and Early Access period, Session is set to get its full release this September.

Making the announcement during the recent Nacon Connect Showcase (Where an open-world Terminator game was also announced), a release date for Session was finally announced: The 22nd of September 2022. This follows on from a lengthy Early Access period which began all the way back in September of 2019.

For the uninitiated, Session is a skateboarding title which take heavy inspiration from EA’s SKATE franchise (which is also making a return) as well as “the golden age of street skating – the 1990s”

Session: Skate Sim “lets you experience true skateboarding and its culture: no scoring system; just you, your spot and your imagination!” – a vastly different style of play to that of the other major skateboarding franchise: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater.

Session has been met with ‘very positive’ reviews on Steam since its Early Access debut, and with the game currently 25% off (meaning it costs just £14.99), now would be a great time to familiarise yourself with the game ahead of its full release on the 22nd of September.

KitGuru says: What do you think of Session? Do you enjoy skateboarding games? What other sport do you want to see get a video game resurgence? Let us know down below.

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EA’s Skate 4 pre-alpha build has reportedly been cracked https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/eas-skate-4-pre-alpha-build-has-reportedly-been-cracked/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/eas-skate-4-pre-alpha-build-has-reportedly-been-cracked/#respond Fri, 08 Jul 2022 13:35:44 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=567376 Just one week ago, EA announced the Skate 4 pre-alpha playtest, encouraging fans to sign up to provide feedback. In the past we've seen gameplay footage leak out of playtests like this, but the situation with Skate 4 might be much worse, as the playable build has reportedly been cracked.  Apparently someone in possession of …

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Just one week ago, EA announced the Skate 4 pre-alpha playtest, encouraging fans to sign up to provide feedback. In the past we've seen gameplay footage leak out of playtests like this, but the situation with Skate 4 might be much worse, as the playable build has reportedly been cracked. 

Apparently someone in possession of the pre-alpha has managed to crack EA's security protections, which will make the build playable after the playtest concludes. It also potentially opens the door for the playable build to leak more widely, something that EA is going to do everything possible to avoid.

If the pre-alpha build leaks out, then it could impact EA's future plans for ‘open' game development, with playtests throughout development and more frequent news updates.

For now, the pre-alpha has not leaked, but if the game has been cracked, we would expect some unwatermarked gameplay to hit the web at least.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: This is a pre-alpha and not something made for widespread consumption. It would be a huge shame for this build to leak after the team took steps to be open about the game's development. 

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Skate 4 gets pre-alpha trailer and insider program for playtesting https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/skate-4-gets-pre-alpha-trailer-and-insider-program-for-playtesting/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/skate-4-gets-pre-alpha-trailer-and-insider-program-for-playtesting/#respond Fri, 01 Jul 2022 15:30:38 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=566476 Last week we heard through leaks that EA was planning a Skate 4 reveal before the end of June. Yesterday, those reports were proven correct, as EA released a new trailer, giving us a very transparent look at where the game is at in development, and opening up an insider program for future playtests.  The …

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Last week we heard through leaks that EA was planning a Skate 4 reveal before the end of June. Yesterday, those reports were proven correct, as EA released a new trailer, giving us a very transparent look at where the game is at in development, and opening up an insider program for future playtests. 

The pre-pre-pre-alpha gameplay trailer for Skate has dropped. EA is very honest about where the game is in development, it is still early days and there is still much work left to be done. However, the game is playable and the developers are making good progress. With that in mind, the team will soon be conducting playtests, giving fans a chance to offer feedback on the game as the developers continue to polish it up and get it ready for release.

You can now sign up to the Skate insider program. When the trailer initially went live, the sign-up page crashed due to the influx of traffic, but it all seems to be working correctly now.

Currently, Skate 4 (unofficial title) is aiming for a 2023 release. The first playtests should happen within the next few months, although participants will likely have to sign an NDA.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: A lot of companies, EA included, do a bad job of showing games early. We either get almost entirely fake vertical slice trailers, or a simple logo teaser followed by years of silence. With Dead Space and Skate, EA has taken a more open and transparent approach, showing early footage and providing the right messaging to keep expectations in check. It has been quite refreshing to witness and we hope to see a similar approach taken with future games too. 

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EA reportedly set to reveal Skate 4 gameplay in July https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/ea-reportedly-set-to-reveal-skate-4-gameplay-in-july/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/ea-reportedly-set-to-reveal-skate-4-gameplay-in-july/#respond Wed, 22 Jun 2022 14:37:52 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=565301 This week, Tony Hawk himself confirmed that we're unlikely to get a remake for Pro Skater 3 + 4, as Vicarious Visions was absorbed into Blizzard shortly after shipping the excellent Pro Skater 1 + 2 remake. While Tony Hawk Pro Skater might be dead in the water, EA will be picking up the slack …

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This week, Tony Hawk himself confirmed that we're unlikely to get a remake for Pro Skater 3 + 4, as Vicarious Visions was absorbed into Blizzard shortly after shipping the excellent Pro Skater 1 + 2 remake. While Tony Hawk Pro Skater might be dead in the water, EA will be picking up the slack with Skate 4, which will apparently be revealed next month. 

EA first announced a new Skate game a couple of years ago and set up a new studio to handle the project. According to industry reporter, Tom Henderson (via TryHardGuides), the game will get a proper unveiling in July with in-game footage. There may also be an event where streamers, YouTubers and traditional gaming press will get hands-on time with the game to produce gameplay impressions.

Some gameplay footage for the new Skate leaked earlier this year, showing a very early pre-alpha build with a basic map in place, and some early iterations of game mechanics and animations. Many of us assumed that footage was relatively recent when it leaked, but according to Henderson's sources, it was months old.

With that in mind, the new Skate game is likely further along in development than previously thought. It is also possible that Skate is one of the four games EA plans to release in early 2023, alongside the likes of Dead Space Remake.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Games: It is a huge shame that we're unlikely to see new Tony Hawk games, but hopefully the return of Skate can make up for that. Will any of you be picking up Skate 4 when it finally releases? 

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Skate 4 may allow players to create and share their own parks and decks https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/skate-4-may-allow-players-to-create-and-share-their-own-parks-and-decks/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/skate-4-may-allow-players-to-create-and-share-their-own-parks-and-decks/#respond Fri, 22 Apr 2022 12:37:01 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=557988 It has been almost 18 months since EA officially announced Full Circle, a brand new studio looking to bring back the Skate franchise. Skate 4 has been in development for at least two years already, and now following on from a pre-alpha gameplay leak, more details about the game have been revealed, including a big emphasis …

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It has been almost 18 months since EA officially announced Full Circle, a brand new studio looking to bring back the Skate franchise. Skate 4 has been in development for at least two years already, and now following on from a pre-alpha gameplay leak, more details about the game have been revealed, including a big emphasis on customisation and user-generated content. 

Earlier this week, the first pre-alpha gameplay footage for Skate 4 leaked online, showing a basic but playable open-world skating game. Now, reporter Jeff Grubb has revealed more details about planned features for the game during a livestream.

According to Grubb, the development team are emphasising customisation features for Skate 4. There is talk of giving players the tools to create their own skate parks and share them online with other users. EA may also allow for custom skate decks with user-generated art, although such a feature would also require heavy moderation.

EA executives have expressed a fascination with making games more social and community driven in the past, and despite lofty statements about user generated content, few games have shipped with these features in place. Recently, Battlefield 2042 took a big swing at it with the Portal game mode, and it seems Skate 4 could be another testing ground for this.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Skate 4 is still quite some ways off from release, but the game seems to be taking some inspiration from Forza Horizon, which should be good news for replayability. 

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SKATE hits major development milestone https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/mustafa-mahmoud/skate-hits-major-development-milestone/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/mustafa-mahmoud/skate-hits-major-development-milestone/#respond Mon, 28 Mar 2022 16:34:45 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=555158 Though skateboarding may no longer be the hip and cool teen / young adult sport that it once was, many still hold a great deal of appreciation for the sport, at least when it comes to video games. While Tony Hawk fans had Pro Skater 1+2, SKATE aficionados continue to wait for SKATE 4 – …

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Though skateboarding may no longer be the hip and cool teen / young adult sport that it once was, many still hold a great deal of appreciation for the sport, at least when it comes to video games. While Tony Hawk fans had Pro Skater 1+2, SKATE aficionados continue to wait for SKATE 4 – though perhaps not for much longer.

SKATE 4 was announced by EA all the way back in June 2020, though it was clear that the project was in very early development. Since then we have seen little from the game. Fortunately, this may not be the case for much longer as according to industry insider Tom Henderson:

“Sources have said that the game is well into its QA phase, which is news that can now be revealed via Origin's API.”

This means that devs have started actively playtesting the game, representing a major milestone for the upcoming title. In fact, playtesting has reportedly been going on for months, with development further than many initially expected.

Fans might actually get their first proper look at the game sooner rather than later, with insider Jeff Grubb saying “we’ll probably hear more about [SKATE] pretty soon.”

With Spring officially here, the industry appears to be getting ready to drop the next set of announcements / marketing opportunities. Hopefully SKATE is in fact one of these.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: Are you excited for SKATE? What do you want to see from the game? When do you think the game is coming out? Let us know down below.

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EA’s SKATE is coming to PC for the first time ever https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/mustafa-mahmoud/eas-skate-is-coming-to-pc-for-the-first-time-ever/ https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/mustafa-mahmoud/eas-skate-is-coming-to-pc-for-the-first-time-ever/#respond Fri, 27 Aug 2021 16:20:08 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=529416 EA’s Skate franchise has just as dedicated a fan base as Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. It separated itself from other skating titles thanks to its ‘Flick It’ style of controlling, as well as the physics heavy gameplay. The franchise has been absent since 2010 on consoles, and never came to PC. It is therefore exciting …

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EA’s Skate franchise has just as dedicated a fan base as Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. It separated itself from other skating titles thanks to its ‘Flick It’ style of controlling, as well as the physics heavy gameplay. The franchise has been absent since 2010 on consoles, and never came to PC. It is therefore exciting to see EA confirm that the upcoming SKATE will be coming to the platform.

Releasing a short teaser video on Twitter, the footage showcased a real life person performing tricks on a skateboard, eventually jumping over an old-school PC, after which its screen lights up with the Skate logo. The caption for the video simply reads “PC_confirmation.exe.”

While this is undoubtedly good news, it does beg the question as to how the game will be controlled on PC. It is likely that one of the reasons as to why the previous games never found their way onto the PC platform is due to the fact that the game’s mechanics rely heavily on the use of analogue sticks. While PC players could of course plug in a controller, making such a thing mandatory would have been a tough ask.

Regardless of how the team at EA have decided to circumvent this issue, it is good not only for the current PC players, but also for the longevity of the franchise, and the preservation of games in the long run to see the upcoming SKATE arrive on PC.

KitGuru says: Are you excited for SKATE? Would you use a controller, or a keyboard if it was an option? What do you want to see from the game? Let us know down below.

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EA sets up new studio ‘Full Circle’ to develop Skate 4 https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/ea-sets-up-new-studio-full-circle-to-develop-skate-4/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/ea-sets-up-new-studio-full-circle-to-develop-skate-4/#respond Thu, 28 Jan 2021 16:49:30 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=502827 Back in June 2020, EA officially announced that it was bringing the Skate franchise back with a new game, but we didn't know much about the studio taking on the project. That changes today, with EA announcing the new studio it has put together for Skate 4.  EA's newest studio, Full Circle, is going to …

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Back in June 2020, EA officially announced that it was bringing the Skate franchise back with a new game, but we didn't know much about the studio taking on the project. That changes today, with EA announcing the new studio it has put together for Skate 4. 

EA's newest studio, Full Circle, is going to be working on the next Skate game, headed by former Xbox Live manager, Daniel McCulloch.

The studio itself is based in Vancouver and currently has plenty of open job positions that need filling. As you would expect, the Creative Director role has already been filled, with Deran Chun and Chris Parry taking on creative duties.

As this studio has only just formed, we can expect a long wait ahead for Skate 4. It is still likely a few years away from release.

KitGuru Says: Did many of you play the Skate games back in the day? Are you looking forward to seeing a next-gen version of Skate in action? 

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Former Xbox Live head is now leading EA’s new Skate team https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/former-xbox-live-head-is-now-leading-eas-new-skate-team/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/former-xbox-live-head-is-now-leading-eas-new-skate-team/#respond Wed, 15 Jul 2020 16:33:09 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=477066 At the end of last month, Dan McCulloch announced that he would be leaving Microsoft after a 15-year long career at Xbox. During that time, McCulloch helped lead the Xbox Live team and now, he is moving onto a new challenge- Skate.  In a tweet today, McCulloch revealed that he has left Microsoft in order …

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At the end of last month, Dan McCulloch announced that he would be leaving Microsoft after a 15-year long career at Xbox. During that time, McCulloch helped lead the Xbox Live team and now, he is moving onto a new challenge- Skate. 

In a tweet today, McCulloch revealed that he has left Microsoft in order to take on the position of Studio GM at EA. Here, he will be working with the Skate team on the next step for the franchise:

Of course, EA announced plans to create a new Skate game at EA Play in June, something that fans have been clamouring for over the last several years.

As you would expect, several former team Xbox peers have congratulated McCulloch on this move, including the chief himself, Phil Spencer.

For now, details on the next Skate game are slim, as EA is just getting the project off the ground. We did not get gameplay or even a cinematic teaser during EA Play but hopefully by this time next year, we'll see some more progress.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Are many of you looking forward to the return of SKATE? 

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EA confirms that a new Skate game is in the works https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/ea-confirms-that-a-new-skate-game-is-in-the-works/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/ea-confirms-that-a-new-skate-game-is-in-the-works/#respond Fri, 19 Jun 2020 16:00:43 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=472943 Not only are we seeing the return of Tony Hawk Pro Skater this year, but EA is also reviving Skate. Fans of Skate have been asking for another entry to the series since Skate 3, which released all the way back in 2010. Finally, EA has listened, confirming a new Skate game during last night's …

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Not only are we seeing the return of Tony Hawk Pro Skater this year, but EA is also reviving Skate. Fans of Skate have been asking for another entry to the series since Skate 3, which released all the way back in 2010. Finally, EA has listened, confirming a new Skate game during last night's EA Play stream. 

The official Skate Twitter account posted the announcement, which contains the full announcement clip from EA Play Live:

The announcement is less than a minute long, simply letting fans know “we're back, we're doing it, Skate's happening”. Unfortunately that is all we know for now, indicating that the game is in very early development and won't be ready for quite some time.

Skate Creative Director, Cuz Parry, did give credit to the fans though, saying “you commented this into existence”. Hopefully we'll hear more next year, as more publishers begin to reveal their next-gen console games.

KitGuru Says: While this is a nice nod to the fans that have continued asking for more Skate over the last decade, very little information has been given so far. Presumably though, this is a full Skate 4, and not some silly mobile spin-off. 

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9 of the most wanted sequels unlikely to appear this E3 https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/damien-cox/9-of-the-most-wanted-sequels-unlikely-to-appear-this-e3/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/damien-cox/9-of-the-most-wanted-sequels-unlikely-to-appear-this-e3/#respond Sun, 10 Jun 2018 16:11:53 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=376459 E3 has arrived, and while there will be announcements aplenty, unfortunately not all series will get the same attention. Here are 9 of the most wanted sequels that likely won't appear at the event.

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E3 is officially under way, with many games expected to be announced and showcased from some of the biggest names out there. Throughout the years, however, many titles have seemingly never come to light despite overwhelming demand from respective fan bases. Here, we have nine titles that deserve a sequel, but won't likely appear any time soon.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 3

There are many long-lost Star Wars series out there deserving of a sequel, from Republic Commando to Empire at War and The Force Unleashed to a true Battlefront sequel. At the top of the list sits Knights of the Old Republic (KotOR), BioWare's 2003 classic.

Pre-dating the movie franchise by around 4,000 years, KotOR stood out thanks to its well-rounded combat and morality system that gathered all of the player’s choices to determine their alignment with the Force- it also had an excellent story twist. Obsidian’s Knights of the Old Republic II – The Sith Lords was released in the following year (2005 for EU residents), continuing the story and expanding on the mechanics.

Image: Steam

Due to the staggering success of the first title, publisher LucasArts got a little ahead of itself by greenlighting Knights of the Old Republic 3 before KotOR 2 was released. Unfortunately, Knights of the Old Republic 3 inevitably fell victim to budget cuts across LucasArts in 2004, with all focus shifting in 2008 towards BioWare’s MMORPG, Star Wars: The Old Republic. There have since been continued talks about revisiting the KotOR series specifically, but this has unfortunately yielded nothing to date.

Dark Cloud 3

Level-5 might be known for its widely popular Professor Layton, Yo-kai Watch and Ni No Kuni series but the Japanese developer first cut its teeth on Dark Cloud back in 2000. Despite being dubbed as an action role-playing game, the title was known for being the first to blend real-time combat across procedurally-generated dungeons, with elements of city-building games in the overworld.

A spiritual sequel followed in 2002 called Dark Chronicle (Dark Cloud 2 in North America), that retained its signature blend of game mechanics, while improving on its predecessor’s unique weapon level system, switching to a more timeless cel-shaded graphical style and implementing voice acting. Both titles were re-released on PlayStation 4 through PSN in 2016, pushing better graphics than their original PS2 counterparts thanks to the vastly superior hardware.

Image: IMDb

Despite rumours cropping up surrounding Dark Cloud 3’s existence, Level-5 manager Yoshiaki Kusuda stated that has never been the case, however the studio would listen to fan feedback and “seriously consider making it” if demand was enough. This would require enough of a voice to impress Sony Interactive Entertainment, which currently co-owns the rights to the series.

System Shock 3

Way before Dark Souls became the poster boy for unforgiving experiences, Looking Glass Technologies’ System Shock was widely considered one of the most difficult titles in 1994 due to its layered, complex systems in comparison to rival shooters at the time. Set on an isolated space station with no non-playable characters (NPCs) to interact with, the title sports a unique blend of action RPG and survival horror.

Switching its name to Looking Glass Studios, the developers worked alongside Irrational Games to craft a System Shock 2 in 1999. The collaborative project led to a more ambitious blend of genres, introducing more varied character paths for an open ended experience, as well as a persistent world that changed without influence from the player.

While Irrational Games went on to create a spiritual successor in the form of BioShock in 2007, attempts at a true sequel have been hindered by the flux of ownership concerning the System Shock IP.

The good news is that as of 2015, Nightdive Studios secured the full rights, re-releasing the original System Shock in an Enhanced Edition, planning to give System Shock 2 the same treatment and a comprehensive crowdunded remake of the original pegged for 2020. The bad news is that, while System Shock 3 has been confirmed as in development, there is currently no release window. Considering the team has lost focus on the remake of System Shock once before, it is unknown just how far the sequel will get through the development stages.

Left 4 Dead 3

Valve had a hit on its hands back in 2008, with developer Turtle Rock Studios (then Valve South) crafting Left 4 Dead for Xbox 360, PC and, eventually, Mac. While the 4-person co-op shooter set a precedence for class-based zombie survival games, what truly made it stand out was its use of an AI Director. This artificial intelligence is built to react to player choices and stats when spawning items, enemies and choosing their positioning on the map.

Exactly one year later, Valve followed up with Left 4 Dead 2 (2009), featuring an updated version of the original’s AI Director. Instead of solely handling enemies and items, the AID 2.0 had the ability to alter the map itself by changing the placement of walls, lighting and weather conditions to ensure a fresh procedurally generated experience each playthrough.

Image: Steam

The series has inspired countless titles, including a plethora of clones, however a true sequel has always been in the wind. Fans had gotten their hopes up thanks to a recent Facebook tease and website update, however Valve quickly quashed the rumours, explaining that its official pages were hijacked. Considering that Left 4 Dead 2’s announcement came at breakneck speed, it’s entirely possible that the title could appear at any moment, however Valve has remained silent for the best part of 8-and-a-half years.

Simpsons Hit & Run 2

Few licenced video games have made as much of an impact as The Simpsons: Hit & Run (2003) for Xbox, PS2, Nintendo Gamecube and PC, which to this day remains one of Radical Entertainments best received titles. Hit & Run emerged from the staggered development of a sequel the Radical’s previous entry, The Simpsons: Road Rage (2001), looking towards Grand Theft Auto III (2001) as inspiration.

Made as a parody to Rockstar’s first 3D GTA, players were put in the shoes of the Simpsons family, and Kwik-E-Mart Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, exploring the open world of Springfield and meeting iconic characters throughout the series’ then-14-year run. With a story from the show’s writers and pretty much all original cast members hopping on board with the project, it’s easy to see how Hit & Run has retained a cult following.

Image: Reddit

Radical’s run with the IP came to an end after the release of Hit & Run, with EA snapping up the rights. The Simpsons Game arrived from the publisher in 2007 is the closest to any form of sequel that we’ve seen, swapping the open-world format for platformer and puzzle elements.

It’s unlikely that we will see another console version of the Simpsons any time soon, let alone a true Hit & Run sequel, as it is not clear if any video game publisher/developer currently holds the rights to make it happen.

Bully 2

Bully (2006), otherwise known as Canis Canem Edit in original PAL releases, is Rockstar’s attempt at swapping Grand Theft Auto’s guns, cars and crime with slingshots, skateboards and general high school mischief. The player is pitted in the shoes of 15-year-old Jimmy Hopkins in his quest to dominate the various cliques in Bullworth Academy.

Breaking away from its exclusivity on Sony’s PlayStation 2, Rockstar eventually gave the title a make-over in 2008’s Bully: Scholarship Edition for Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii. The Scholarship Edition expanded upon the original by including never-before-seen content including missions, characters, classes, items and clothing.

Image: Steam

Rumours surrounding a sequel have been consistently appearing since 2009, from the original composer claiming a return to supposedly leaked conceptual art last year. That being said, with a string of popular titles such as Red Dead Redemption (2010), L.A. Noire (2011) and Grand Theft Auto V (2013), not to mention its plethora of downloadable content, it is looking uncertain as to whether we will get another title in the series any time soon.

For now, Rockstar is firmly attached to marketing this year’s Red Dead Redemption 2.

Skate 4

EA seemed to be onto a winner in 2007, releasing a more realistic physics-based competitor to the exaggerated fun shown across Tony Hawk’s Skateboarding titles. Skate utilised the dynamic analogue sticks on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 gamepads to control the movements of the player’s feet in order to perform tricks, dubbed the “flick it” control system.

Two sequels were spawned from the popular series, with Skate 2 (2009) ungluing the player’s feet from the board and allowing them to explore the open world environment on foot, and Skate 3 (2010) ditching the grainy aesthetic in favour of a more colourful, friendlier world.

For a long while, the Skate series looked to be abandoned by EA until Skate 3 was made backwards compatible on the Xbox One in 2016, and a 2018 revival of its online servers just before this year’s E3. Sadly, the series did not appear during EA’s E3 2018 press conference, putting another nail in the coffin for the beloved franchise.

Luckily, fans of the series can look forward to the successfully crowdfunded Session, which is inspired by the physics-based mechanics of EA's Skate.

Silent Hill

Konami first introduced its Silent Hill series back in 1999 for the PlayStation, with multiple titles spanning many platforms. While each plot revolves around different primary characters, all games revolve around the eponymous fictional American town, which is in itself a gateway to an alternate dimension that draws upon the psyche of the primary character to manifest monstrous beings and events tied to their mental state.

Silent Hill: Downpour was the last title mainline title of the series in 2012, handled by the inexperienced and short-lived studio Vatra Games. Despite taking a slightly more open approach to exploration, the title was met with mixed reception thanks to its sub-par combat and inconsistent narrative pacing.

The sorest spot for fans of the franchise, however, comes in the form of Kojima Productions’ Silent Hills, which was inexplicably ripped from the grasp of fans after its interactive Playable Teaser dropped in 2014. Due to tensions behind the scenes between Hideo Kojima and Konami, resulting in the former’s contract being terminated and the project being cancelled.

Unfortunately, Konami has not spoken up about the series since, but with its increased interest in mobile video game development and Pachinko machines, it’s looking increasingly unlikely that Silent Hill will get some love in the near future.

Half-Life 3

Of course, no title is in demand as much as the follow up to Valve’s Half-Life series. Beginning in 1998, Half-Life remains one of the most lauded titles of all time, spawning a sequel in 2004 and two follow-up episodic entries, Half-Life 2: Episode One (2006) and Half-Life 2: Episode Two (2007).

The original title became the subject of a comprehensive remake after the release of Half-Life 2, intending to update the game from its GoldSrc to Valve’s Source Engine. Starting out as a mod called Half-Life: Source, the title evolved into Black Mesa, a fully-fledged title still in development sold on Steam with Valve’s express permission.

Evidence of a third iteration in the form of Half-Life 2: Episode Three or a true sequel is few and far between, although conversations are seemingly ongoing. Interestingly, there is more evidence surrounding Half-Life 2: Episode Four, better known as Return to Ravenholm. This cancelled title was once in development by Arkane Studios, set to bring players back to the Eastern European mining town that debuted in Half-Life 2.

Although Valve creator Gabe Newell reassured fans that there is a possibility for a new Half-Life entry, it would require developers to come together of their own accord due to the company’s management-free structure. This seemed increasingly unlikely when writers Marc Laidlaw, Erik Wolpaw, and Chet Faliszek left the studio.

To make matters worse, Laidlaw updated his website with “Epistle 3“, a short story that he dubs a “snapshot of a dream I had many years ago,” alluding to what a third entry would have contained despite changing the names of characters to avoid copyright claims.

While Valve is keen to discredit claims that the company has forgone the Half-Life series in favour of its other titles, it is clear that the ongoing support of Dota 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offense and Team Fortress 2 has kept the teams occupied. That being said, with Valve’s new focus on expanding its library and the inevitable release of Dota 2-inspired competitive card game Artifact, perhaps anything is possible.

KitGuru Says: Which of these titles would you like to see come to life the most? Do you have a series in mind that would be a better fit to be brought back from the graveyard?

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Skate 3 servers are back up years after they unofficially shut down https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/ryan-burgess/skate-3-servers-are-back-up-years-after-they-unofficially-shut-down/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/ryan-burgess/skate-3-servers-are-back-up-years-after-they-unofficially-shut-down/#respond Thu, 07 Jun 2018 14:22:13 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=375954 There is a lot of mystery surrounding EA's plans for the Skate series. Back in 2015, Skate 3's online servers went down with no official announcement, and over the last couple of years, there have been plenty of rumours surrounding Skate 4. Now, it looks like we may finally be heading towards a revival for …

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There is a lot of mystery surrounding EA's plans for the Skate series. Back in 2015, Skate 3's online servers went down with no official announcement, and over the last couple of years, there have been plenty of rumours surrounding Skate 4. Now, it looks like we may finally be heading towards a revival for the franchise, as Skate's servers finally sprang back to life.

Once again, no official announcement was made by EA, so there is no concrete evidence leaning one way or the other. The most plausible theory right now is that EA is perhaps relaunching Skate 3 as a backwards compatible title for Xbox One. However, that hasn't stopped speculation over a potential full remaster or sequel at E3 later this week.

Reviving Skate 3 wouldn't be completely out of the question now either. Previously, EA had stayed away from remasters, but earlier this year we got a re-release for Burnout Paradise, so Skate 3 could potentially follow suit as a way of gauging interest in a sequel.

The Skate games have gained quite the cult following in recent years, due to its quirky physics engine and overall solid fun gameplay. It is easy to see why there is such a demand for some sort of addition to the series. Skating games used to be a staple of console generations in the past, but so far this generation we’ve only been graced with Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5- which was not received very well.

KitGuru says: It would be great to see a new Skate game, they offer hours of mindless fun. Did many of you play the earlier Skate games? Would you like to see the series return? 

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Session successfully crowdfunds its skateboarding antics, moves onto stretch goals https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/damien-cox/session-successfully-crowdfunds-its-skateboarding-antics-moves-onto-stretch-goals/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/damien-cox/session-successfully-crowdfunds-its-skateboarding-antics-moves-onto-stretch-goals/#respond Wed, 29 Nov 2017 17:25:22 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=356005 A few weeks ago, Session released its demo ahead of launching its Kickstarter campaign, with gameplay that reminisced over EA’s incredible, but long-gone Skate franchise. Now, with three weeks left on the clock, Session developers turn to backer-voted stretch goals after smashing its goal by £13,000. “It's time to change your destiny,” reads a backer …

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A few weeks ago, Session released its demo ahead of launching its Kickstarter campaign, with gameplay that reminisced over EA’s incredible, but long-gone Skate franchise. Now, with three weeks left on the clock, Session developers turn to backer-voted stretch goals after smashing its goal by £13,000.

“It's time to change your destiny,” reads a backer update on Kickstarter (accessible to backers only). “We talked about giving you a chance to choose your stretch goals. Since we are nearly halfway to our first stretch goal, here is how we'll do it. Every time we reach a stretch goal, you will have the chance to vote for your next target.”

Currently, the most popular choice by far is board and character customisation, while second and third place are taken by an additional city or mini ramp skateboarding. In dead last is the choice to vote for Vert/Mega Ramp with pro skater Elliot Sloan, who promoted the option himself.

If you don’t know what Session is, it’s Kickstarter page says that the gameplay “focuses on the authenticity of skating, both in the way the game feels and is presented to the player.  Based on this philosophy, each feature makes the game even more innovative, fun and respectful to the skateboarding culture.” It is essentially built by skaters for gamers.

Estimated delivery of the product is currently January 2019, if all goes to schedule. It seems that it is currently pegged for PC and Xbox One, although if demand is high enough, it could potentially end up on other platforms too. In the meantime, you can still download the free tech demo here.

KitGuru Says: Personally, I am quite excited for a new skateboarding game that isn’t focused on button mashing. Don’t get me wrong, Tony Hawks had its day but EA’s Skate was more my style, making Session a brilliant step forward for the culture. Do you like the look of Session?

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Skate’s spiritual successor, Session, gets a free demo ahead of crowdfunding https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/damien-cox/skates-spiritual-successor-session-gets-a-free-demo-ahead-of-crowdfunding/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/damien-cox/skates-spiritual-successor-session-gets-a-free-demo-ahead-of-crowdfunding/#respond Fri, 10 Nov 2017 18:45:48 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=353939 It’s safe to say that the Skate games were unique, pushing a physics-based engine instead of the wildly popular arcade-like Tony Hawk’s games. EA might not be listening to fan demand for the series to make a return, but creā-ture Studios is, with a spiritual successor in the form of Session planned to land on …

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It’s safe to say that the Skate games were unique, pushing a physics-based engine instead of the wildly popular arcade-like Tony Hawk’s games. EA might not be listening to fan demand for the series to make a return, but creā-ture Studios is, with a spiritual successor in the form of Session planned to land on Kickstarter later this month.

Skate fans have been getting progressively more frustrated in their now 7-year wait for a new title, while PC players have yet to experience a physics-based skateboarding game outside of the wacky and weird indie title, Griptape Backbone. creā-ture Studios plans to plug this gap with Session, releasing a free PC demo of its work-in-progress before it goes live on Kickstarter on the 21st November.

Session was teased back in 2015 as an open-world skateboarding game built using Unreal Engine 4. Initially, the game is planned for PC first and foremost, with plans to expand into console territory via Kickstarter stretch goals.

“As stated before, this doesn’t mean at all that we will make this game for PC only. Far from it. We want this game on console as much as we want it on PC. However, we’ll need your help to get there so we will most definitely have stretch goals for consoles,” said creā-ture Studios’ Marc-andré Houde in an interview with The Berrics last year.

A story mode might also be a possibility somewhere down the line, or even included within the stretch goals.

“There’s no real story, but this is still something that we are super open to. A lot of players are asking. They would like to maybe live the life of an amateur skater going Pro, so this is a really interesting part. How we envision Session and the way the game is designed, this is definitely something that we can add on later.

“I really like the Berrics concept: One hub to bring everything together, skaters and brands. It’s like that for Session, you have the core, you have the spots, you have the controls, but over this you have some virtual designs and you have some challenges. You have your friends, your crew. You can go shop. So a story can just be another layer on top of all these possibilities. The player is fully customizable so you’ll can make your own character and customize it as much as you want.”

KitGuru Says: I was a big fan of the Skate games and have always wanted to see what a modern game in the series could do. I am even more interested that this is being created by skaters, for an authentic feel rather than dictated by a big publisher. Are you interested in what Session has to offer?

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