In this review we will tell you about Session: Skate Sim, a skateboarding simulator developed by Crea-ture Studios and published by Nacon
Many have been published over the years skateboard games very successful, but in most cases these titles were extremely arcade. But now it seems that skateboarding fans will finally have the chance to get their hands on a more complex product thanks to Session: Skate Sim. This simulatordeveloped by Crea-ture Studios and published by Naconpromises to deliver to gamers a very realistic experience indeed. If you are curious to find out if Session: Skate Sim managed to meet expectations, in this one review you will find all the answers to your questions.
The hard life of a skateboarder
If you have played other skate games by now you will be used to performing spectacular tricks in sequence without too much effort, but here you will have to completely forget about the past. Session is in fact a title extremely difficult which really requires a lot of effort to perform even the simplest actions. The goal of this title is to make you experience first hand the real experience of skateboarding and consequently before being able to successfully perform a trick you will have to do hundreds of attempts.
Having to make all these attempts to perform even the simplest of tricks certainly is frustrating, but that’s not to say the game isn’t fun. For example, being able to successfully perform a grind will give you a truly unique sense of satisfaction that will make you easily forget all the falls that preceded it. Unfortunately, however, to be able to really appreciate this feeling it is essential to be a true skateboard enthusiast. Session: Skate Sim is admittedly a title designed for those who know the world of skateboarding thoroughly and consequently it can hardly be appreciated by other types of gamers. In fact, the more casual players who perhaps only like the titles of the Tony Hawk series will hardly have the desire and the patience to spend hours and hours repeatedly falling off the skate.
Maximum Accuracy – Session Review: Skate Sim
Being able to create a system of cosend realistic for a skateboarding game is not easy at all, but Session did it perfectly. While on the skate you can push yourself forward with both feet by pressing the respective buttons on the controller, while to lean to the right or left you just need to use the dorsal triggers. To perform i trick instead you will have to use analogwhich in game will allow you to check the right and left leg respectively. For example, to do a kickflip you will have to lower one lever to shift the weight on one leg and then use the other to perform the trick.
In addition to very realistic controls, Session also stands out thanks to one really good physics. This system will make you feel like you are really controlling someone balancing on a skateboard and not a character with their feet glued to the board. All your actions in the game will in fact be determined by factors such as speed, accuracy and timing, just like in reality.
Skating in the 90s – Review Session: Skate Sim
In Session: Skate Sim you will have the opportunity to visit three different locations who made the history of skateboarding in the 90s: New York, San Francisco e Philadelphia. These places are made with great care and they will allow you to experience those cities exactly as they were in those years. This factor could allow players to easily identify with a skater of that era, but unfortunately it is not enough. In fact, cities are characterized by a depressing desolation which at times makes them even disturbing. On the street there will be only you and your skateboard, and you will never see pedestrians or cars passing by. If you want you can enable the presence of passersby from the options, but the function is still in beta and these NPCs will end up causing you a lot of annoyance during the game.
Despite being a bit bare, the three cities of the game offer so many possibilities for a pro skater. In fact, around you can find handrails, stairways, ramps and many other elements to exploit. The cities, however, are made in a realistic way and consequently you will not easily find points to perform tricks in sequence. Fortunately the game will come to your aid by allowing you to edit the map a bit. For example, you will have the possibility to move elements of the scenario to create improvised ramps and other elements useful for your tricks.
This sandbox mode will allow you to train and perform extremely satisfying trick sequences, but unfortunately you will do all this only for the glory. In fact, to keep the realism of the title high there are no scoring systems or other elements typical of more arcade products. At the beginning of the game you will have the opportunity to face some missions, but they will mainly be very trivial tasks that will help you learn the basics of the controls.
The lack of a points system is understandable, but unfortunately fiends up making the game even less appealing for more casual players. However, true skate fans will certainly appreciate the video mode present in game. Through this editor you can in fact save your most spectacular actions and edit them to your liking thanks to the addition of filters and effects.
A good balance – Session Review: Skate Sim
For what concern technical sector Session is doing pretty well. During our test (which took place on PS5) we never felt any dropped frames and we really stumbled upon very few bugs. The sector graphic instead unfortunately it has disappointed us a bit. The settings are well made, but the speech is very different as regards the models. In fact, your PG will be very plastic and this feeling is also accentuated by the woodiness of the facial animations. Plus also the textures in several places leave something to be desired, slightly damaging the visual rendering of the settings. Obviously these aspects are not the fundamental focus of the title but in any case we would have liked to see more attention.
Conclusions
Now the point of our review has finally arrived where we sum up Session: Skate Sim. If you are looking for a fun skate game to unwind after a tiring day, Session is by no means the right choice. This title indeed is extremely difficult, frustrating and repetitive. During the course of a session you may find yourself trying to complete a trick for hours and often you may stop playing without completing anything. This makes the game really boring and frustrating for average players, but on the other hand is able to give a lot of satisfaction to true skate enthusiasts. All of which makes Session: Skate Sim be an extremely niche title which can be appreciated a lot by those who are really passionate about skateboarding, but unfortunately not by others.
Session: Skate Sim is disponibile ora per PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X | S. If you are interested in staying up to date with all the news on the world of video games and much more, then continue to follow us here on TechGameWorld.com. Furthermore, in case you want to buy some games at an advantageous price, we suggest you take a look at the many offers on Instant Gaming.
Points in favor
- Realistic controls
- Excellent physics
- Well-maintained maps
- Extremely satisfying for enthusiasts …
Points against
- … but terribly frustrating for average players
- A point system is missing
- Desolate settings
- Graphically below average