Let me preface this by warning anyone whose reaction to this review would be, “If this game is so realistic, why don’t you go out and actually skateboard?” Would you say the same thing if I was talking about a first-person shooter? The purpose of a video game is entertainment, challenge and (hopefully) stimulation. Video games are not meant to operate as a flimsy substitute for reality.

Alright, onto the meat: the first couple Tony Hawk games were the shit when they came out; they were the first truly good skateboarding video games, revolutionary in style and gameplay. But by the third, the franchise had become tiring. Giant levels incorporating landscape-reshaping events hid gameplay almost identical to the previous two. So for the fourth game in the series, the team at Neversoft completely revamped the structure of the games, incorporating larger levels and goal-based (as opposed to run-based) gameplay. As with the previous cycle, the second game perfected the style and the third stretched it. So what did they do? Why, they kept the gameplay exactly the same and piled on gimmicks, of course! It’s been five games with no substantial shift, and it seems that the only innovation in the 9th game will be the ability to punch a passerby. We’re overdue for a change, and EA has stepped up and delivered.

Skate (officially titled “skate.” but that’s really annoying to type frequently) is the first attempt to really shake shit up in the post-Tony Hawk world. Its mechanics are realistic, all the tricks are real, and as a result it is much more fun than the comic book skating of the Tony Hawk games. The control scheme is entirely new, with no derivations from other skateboarding games. No more X to ollie and triangle to grind type bullshit. To ollie you crouch by pulling back on the right joystick, then flicking it up to push off the ground. To grind, ollie onto a rail and use the right stick to dictate the position of the board on the rail, forming different grinds. To manual, balance the right stick slightly towards you or slightly away. Push the left stick forwards to lean down for speed and pull it back to slide to a stop. Basically, the right stick controls your board and the left stick controls your body. It takes a while to get used to, but once you have the hang of it, the level of precision control you have is astounding.

Skate takes place in a giant city that you explore at will. Everything is skateable, and the time it must’ve taken to build a city this fun to skate in and still believable is something I don’t even want to think about. Just free skating without an object is completely enrapturing and will keep you from getting your homework done. Which is not to take points away from the career mode. In Skate there are no stats, no special moves, nothing. You start with every ability you will have. That means that as the challenges get harder, it forces you to develop skills. Instead of having new special moves and higher stats normalize each new goal, Skate emphasizes challenge and skill growth, and that is thoroughly refreshing in a culture obsessed with easy victories.

Have I mentioned that Skate is an amazingly pretty game with breathtaking animation and sound that makes it feel like you’re actually on the streets? Well, it is.

When you get this game, it will take you a half-hour to learn to ollie proficiently. You will gasp the first time you trip over a curb. You will break every bone in your body. But when you master the controls, you’ll have a real sense of accomplishment. You will learn that grinding electrical wires while doing a handstand by pressing three buttons doesn’t even compare to doing a 360 hardflip to noseblunt down a 30-stair rail and getting that rush, knowing that what you just did took some actual thought and skill. You will not only feel no desire to ever play Tony Hawk again; you will forget those games ever existed.

As my friend (who does go out and actually skateboard, thanks) handed me this game for the first time, he said, “I’ve been dreaming of a game like this for a long time, but I didn’t think they’d ever make it.” Well, goddamn, it’s about time.