Skate 3

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Skate 3 is the third installment in the Skate series of video games, developed by EA Black Box, published by Electronic Arts and was released on May 11, 2010.[1] It is a sequel to the 2009 game Skate 2. The player moves to Port Carverton for Skate 3. San Vanelona is still used as a reference in the game, where it can be found at Danny Way's Super Ultra Mega-park on a banner that reads "Port Carverton vs. San Vanelona" In Joey Brezinski's 1-Up Pro challenge where he says "Eh, you're that dude from San Vanelona, right?" Also, in Lizard King's pro challenge, he says "I know you, you're the guy who jumped off the dam" which was on the cover on Thrasher in Skate 2, and a poster by All Mart that reads "San Vanelona: Safe, Relaxing, and Skate Free" (The reason it takes place in Port Carverton now).

Gameplay
The game takes place in the fictional city of Port Carverton (Named after Carver Don), which embraces skateboarding, unlike the "skateboarding is a crime" mentality portrayed in the second game. Although the location is more colorful and friendlier place than Skate 2's desaturated, and grainy streets; the gameplay provides a similar feel to the first and second games. Several notable skateboarding professionals appear throughout the game, such as Darren Navarette, Terry Kennedy, Eric Koston, Chris Cole, Pat Duffy and Jason Lee as Coach Frank.

In contrast with the original Skate, two new difficulty levels have been added: "Easy" and "Hardcore" modes. "Easy Mode" allows the player to perform tricks easier and provides greater control of the character. "Hardcore Mode" attempts a closer simulation of skateboarding and the player must perform tricks precisely. The game also features an introductory "Skate School", where Coach Frank teaches players the basics of skateboarding, such as grinding and performing ollies. This feature is optional and the area can also be visited for unrestricted skateboarding.

Similar to the Tony Hawk games, Skate features a "Skate Park" that allows players to build custom skateparks.

EA introduced three new online game modes: "1-Up", "Domination", and "Own The Lot". In "1-Up", players compete in turns to beat the other team's last score in a given time period. In "Domination", teams compete to gain the most points on set spots in an area within a time limit. In "Own The Lot", the teams compete to be the first to complete a number of specified tricks in a certain area.

Soundtrack
The soundtrack was revealed on the official EA Skate website on March 19, 2010 the soundtrack holds 48 licensed tracks.

Development
In the Developers Diary, it was revealed that characters such as Joey Brezinski, Dan Drehobl, Benny Fairfax, Josh Kalis, Lizard King, Andrew Reynolds, Chris Haslam, Terry Kennedy, Chris Cole, Jason Dill, and Rob Dyrdek would be featured in the game. Also, new tricks were introduced, like the Darkslide, Underflip, and Dropping into a ramp or bowl.

Developers hinted that the new game would include difficulty levels. Skate 3 is set in a new city called Port Carverton. Port Carverton is made up of three districts, Downtown, the University, and Industrial. Each district has its own unique designs and monuments, Downtown is full of slick rigid ledges and rails, while the University is full of banks and open areas. Industrial is the most unique; it is home to a huge quarry that has over 10,000 hand-designed bricks of stone.[5]

According to Mutato Muzika's website, Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo and Del the Funkee Homosapien are involved with Skate 3's soundtrack. The game also features music by composer Dan Diaz, who continues his work with the franchise after writing for Skate 2 and Skate It. A notable song can be "I'm Comin' Home" by Cheeseburger which is played during the opening scene of the game.

Skate 3 also features a tutorial mode called "skate.School with Coach Frank". Jason Lee lends his likeness and voice as Coach Frank.

Black Box has announced that they will be bringing the game mode "Party Play" back that was in EA Skate 1 and 2. Skate 3 freeplay is rated E.

Downloadable Content
Downloadable content has been made available for the game for purchase through Xbox Live Marketplace and the PlayStation Store.
 * Time Is Money Pack (released May 14, 2010)
 * Unlocks all locations, skaters and gear, and Skate. Park objects that can be earned by playing through the career and online modes.


 * Skate Share Pack (released May 14, 2010)
 * Enables the ability to share skate creations (videos, photos, parks) as well as access Skate. Reel footage and custom Skate. Parks created by the Skate community. This is available as a free unlockable code for players who buy a new/sealed copy of the game.


 * Filmer Pack (released May 14, 2010)
 * Gives the player more options for control of the camera during video clip editing and adds the option of uploading in high resolution.


 * Maloof Money Cup 2010 NYC Pack (released June 12, 2010)
 * This pack (which is based on the actual Maloof Money Cup) includes a re-creation of the custom street park built for the 2010 Maloof Cup and the ability to compete in the competition.


 * Black Box Distribution Skate Park (released June 22, 2010)
 * Zero, Mystery, and Fallen's private training facility. It was originally available for free for players who pre-ordered the game.


 * Danny Way's Hawaiian Dream (released July 6, 2010)
 * An enormous skate park loaded with everything from original street terrain to flowing skateparks to mega ramps, unlocks a new Plan B Skateboards gear and a new Danny Way outfit.


 * After Dark Pack (released July 27, 2010)
 * Includes two new areas (the Sanatorium and the San Van DIY) and the ability to skate at night. It is available for free for players who have activated the Skate Share Pack code included in the box.


 * Skate.Create Upgrade Pack (released August 17, 2010)
 * Includes two new skate. Park lots to build in (the Back Lot Park and Downtown Night Park), 11 new terrain pieces, 10 new branding pieces, 3 new foliage pieces, over 25 new miscellaneous terrain pieces (such as green screen and buildings), over 15 new props, Slappy and Fabio characters from Skate 2, new Create-a-Character items, and new features to the replay editor as well as new Miracle Whip themed items unlocked with the cheat code "dontbesomayo".


 * San Van Party Pack (released September 21, 2010)
 * Includes new Party Play feature and party style challenges, a large part of the Urban Rez area from the original Skate game, a new Pacific Northwest style skatepark, a large new skate.Park lot to build in, and new skate. Park pieces.

Reception
Skate 3 received generally positive reviews, with 7.5 from GameSpot. 1up.com also gave the game a favorable review, rewarding the game an A, and praising the tutorial in this installment, saying, "Skate 3 also revamps the tutorial and in-game aids. New training techniques [...] ensure that this iteration's tutorial amounts to more than just an exercise in trial and error." IGN UK also gave the game a positive review, awarding it an 8.0, but voiced concerns over the yearly release of the games, and stating that there are very few features that Skate 3 "could call its own".

The Australian video game talk show Good Game's two reviewers gave the game both 8/10. The players have stated that Skate 3 is the worst in the series.

Demo
The demo for Skate 3 was released on April 15, 2010. It contains some tutorials from skate. School, an introduction to Hall of Meat, two areas from Carverton and several challenges, some of which can be played online team-on-team or cooperatively. It is the first skateboarding demo to be released with online play and access. There is a 20-minute time limit on the demo, after which progress is reset, and the player is given the option to restart or quit, however this is not as tedious as other Skate demos, as the player is given access to freeroam from the start of the demo. The demo has barriers around certain parts of the game where you cannot access it. The Demo is still available for consoles.