Skater XL vs. Session

Skating is making a comeback. From traditional popsicle decks and longboards to rollerblades and Razor scooters, rookies and pros of all ages are pounding the pavement. In an effort to beat the oppressive heat and potential injury, many are looking to shred in the meta and wonder which game to buy.

To put it in Call of Duty terms, SkaterXL and Session retain the boots-on-the-ground feel of the Modern Warfare series, while Tony Hawk and Skate 3 make for great party games like the Black Ops franchise.

Each series on the market has unique advantages and disadvantages, and you may find it worthwhile to purchase them all. But if you’re balling on a budget or aren’t looking to sink countless hours on multiple titles, this article will walk you through the specs of each.

Skater XL

Skater XL hit the market in 2020 as an alternative to the previous titles. Better optimized for PC, Skater touts dual analog controls that mimic the footing of real tricks, with one stick assigned to each foot. This feature is what many gamers believed the skate genre was missing, and Easy Day Studios made this the core concept of their game to provide a more realistic skating experience.

Skater XL strays from the beaten path of programmed controls, meaning you can experiment with different methods to customize your lines. That being said, it’s not the sort of game that you can pick up and instantly shred. The mechanics are uniquely complex and require time to polish.

Graphically, Skater XL is a perfect medium between Tony Hawk and Skate with a wide variety of street, transition, and vert. There’s nothing fancy about the background artwork. Not to mention, the ragdoll animation has a flair for the dramatic. If realistic virtual skating is going full rigor mortis as soon as things get sketchy, Skater XL has you covered.

The standard game comes with a default male and female character, as well as pro skaters Tiago Lemos, Evan Smith, Tom Asta and Brandon Westgate. There’s also a basic assortment of skin tones, hair styles and colors, tops and bottoms, and skate gear. It’s not an extensive list, but there are a few major brands like Nike, DC, and New Balance.

In spite of the hype from the PC community, what console players received is a beta devoid of content, haptics, and settings configurations. For starters, the entire D-Pad is devoted to camera controls, while the buttons do virtually nothing. One button pushes regular, another goofy. What remains is used to drop waypoints so you don’t have to spawn at the entrance of the map.



Each map is large and open, many imitating real life; Downtown LA showcases the Staples Center. The base game relies largely on user mods for downloadable maps, apparel, and gear.

Challenges take place on these maps, and typically require a single trick to be executed. There’s no point system or rewards for completing challenges (except those granted by the console).

There’s no official sandbox mode, but the DIY Map Editor section of the menu provides a few ramps, rails, and obstacles that can be placed and rotated throughout the map. The edit options are still in alpha, and for whatever reason, you’re forced to acknowledge this before switching it on in settings.

We get it: it’s a draft. Skater XL feels incomplete, and falls more in line with a skating simulator than an actual game. There are tons of mods to download, but it’s disheartening that even indie developers fall into the trap of relying on user-made content to support their game’s longevity. It has its high points, but if you’re looking for a title with numerous game modes, it may not be worth paying retail price.

Session

Like, Skater XL, Session is more of a skate sim than a game. This indie title from Crea-ture Studios finds the middle ground between SkaterXL and Skate 3.

Session picks up where Skater left off, with a more expansive variety of maps and settings. Key bindings can be toggled and physics cheats can be modified to suit your gameplay. That said, it's still easier to land a kickflip or heelflip than a simple pop shuv.

The walking/running and ragdoll mechanics are anything but fluid, but Session is noticeably less buggy than its predecessor.

Like EA's Skate series, there's also a condensed campaign and camera features to capture the perfect analog skate clip.

There are a variety of valid stances to use in game, but much like real life, pushing mongo causes your board to become unstable with the risk of bailing tricks. While the physics are more grounded than the skate games of old, I find that Session still leaves much to be desired. That being said, the future looks a little brighter for the growing Crea-ture Studios.

Conclusion

As you can see, the age gap between the titles makes for somewhat of an apples-to-oranges comparison. All of these games have a way of sucking you in. The best part is how they don’t try to steal from one another but stay true to their respective niche.

If you’re looking for the most expansive game, Tony Hawk gives you the most bang for your buck. But if you prefer the mechanics of street skating, Skate 3 is worth consideration. In the end, it comes down to style and preference.