Skate has blown the Tony Hawks series right away with sharp and outstanding controls better suited to a skating game.
The realism that Skate brings is fabulous. Tony Hawks is with no doubt a fun game, with loyal fans. But it just isn't realistic enough, this is where Skate takes over. No-one could ever ollie 30 feet in the air and pull of about a billion flip tricks and grabs in one line, and the thought of it is so ridiculous it becomes boring. In Skate, gravity is real and tricks look insanely cool.
Using the analogue sticks to perform tricks takes only a short while to get used to. But when you master this art, its quite fantastic. One thumb controls the board, and the other controls the body. It is easy and fun to try new combinations, instead of smacking every button possible and see what happens (THPS). You can also do back and front flips. These are difficult to pull off, but they are supposed to be! Making it better when you finally nail a bad ass move.
The game is also quite non-linear, an aspect of games becoming increasingly popular. The interface and the way you move about the area is well designed. Challenges available are fun to try, you usually learn a new skill or move as well. You play the life of a skateboarder re-climbing the ladder, getting sponsors and video spots etc. This is similar to THPS, but again the realism makes it all the more worthwhile. Eventually, when you've completed the two career paths, you get to skate at the X-Games arena and Danny Way's outdoor park. The game keeps you entertained on the streets, but these parks are really off the hook.
However, Skate does have some downs. Loading is a slight problem, as it tends to have to load far too long and often, it can get frustrating. When you replay a trick, it gives you limited camera angles, and no full rotation feature which is not satisfactory. Creating your character is fun but limited in the amount of hairstyles, clothes and features you can choose from. You also bump into pedestrians and cars too often, especially in challenges (this is the worst thing in the world). A lot of challenges ask you to skate in 'no skate zones' where some annoying yellow man tries to push you over and you're deprived of anywhere decent to skate, which is not fun, at all.
I've given Skate a superb 9/10 rating - despite some criticisms - because it challenged THPS and was the first in the series. The game definitely reached new ground in its first release, and is sure to become part of a great series - not a one-hit-wonder.