Session: Skate Sim

Crea-ture Studios have achieved a great feat by making the most authentic skateboarding game to date, seconded only by going out and practicing kickflips yourself. The physics-based controls are incredibly intuitive and satisfying to learn. There’s a steep learning curve that may put players off but if you stick with it, there’s no other game that does skateboarding as well as this. It’s not without its minor flaws, but look past them and you’ll find a game with endless replayability.

The updates for Session: Skate Sim have contributed to the overall immersion and added touches of realism to the experience. While there are still performance issues in places, and I am still having to wear the same beanie/hairstyle, the updates and DLC maps successfully keep the game interesting. By adding new spots and slowly but surely implementing new gameplay elements, Session keeps you coming back for one more try, and to see how you can skate a spot differently. One slight inconvenience when using the board breaking option however, is the lack of skate shops in the DLC maps, meaning you will have to frequently return to other locations or use a blank deck. But overall, Session: Skate Sim remains engaging and is still a fantastic virtual skateboarding sandbox.

At the end of the day, Session: Skate Sim is either a brilliant release or a frustrating game to try. It all depends on where you are when it comes to a realistic skateboarding experience and your expectations towards a digital version of it. If you’re not a professional skater and just want to try out a new game, there’s absolutely no doubt Session: Skate Sim isn’t for you.

With the presence of multiple pro skaters including Daewon Song and Samarria Brevard, as well as a semi-open world with legendary skate spots like Black Hubbus and FDR Park, Sessions: Skate Sim is a well-written love letter to the sport. While some may feel underwhelmed by the lack of customization and find the controls too difficult to adjust to, players that have a love of skating and are itching to dive into a new skateboarding title will eventually feel right at home.

Session: Skate Sim is unique amongst its peers. Its control scheme, while taking time to master, is massively rewarding. Rolling around the streets and finding your own skating lines is addictively entertaining. It's a shame about the quest system, its overall presentation and some of the rough edges but do I feel Session is a few patches away from greatness.

Session: Skate Sim knows how to capture what makes skating so much fun with its in-depth settings and excellent board control and physics like no other game. That also means a huge difficulty level. It's not for everyone, but it gives real skaters a simulator they can play for years to come, if Sessions many shortcomings are made up with updates.

Despite the 1.0 release, Session: Skate Sim still has a few issues. However, this shouldn’t keep any skating fan away from this deeply rewarding simulator that can, at times, feel just as rewarding as the real sport.