Skate - hands-on

We roamed a small, well laid-out park in a very early build of the game, but we immediately felt we could invent our style as left analog stick became body and right stick became board. To ollie, you pull both down then flick them forwards, jumping and scooping the board up in tandem. Yank the right stick outwards and you'll flip the board hard and fast, but a slight nudge will result in an accentuated slow flip.

There's no grind button, so a combination of circumstances determines the type and aesthetic of your grind. As you approach a ledge or rail at preferred speed, you'll line yourself up, steer into angle, then spring into it. How you move determines what grind you'll do, and whether it will look sketchy or clean.

Everything else continues the idea. Tilt the sticks far forward or far backward, you'll manual. Hold a button and move the sticks to twist and point a grab to your favored emphasis.