Session Skateboarding Sim Game
Session: Skate Sim is a sports video game developed by Montreal independent developer Crea-ture Studios (stylized as creā-ture Studios Inc.) for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. The game was considered by many as the spiritual successor to the Skate series.[1]
Session Skateboarding Sim Game
Session is an open-ended video game, promised to exclude a scoring system and include a different control scheme.[2] The game is presented in the style of a fish-eye lens from a mini DV format camera.[3]
Session: Skate Sim was conceived in 2015 under two working titles, Project: Session, followed by Session.[3] Between then and the two years that followed, many fans and outlets discussed a major need for a new skateboarding game.[2] Developer Marc-Andre Houde described the inspiration for the game as a passion for the sport.[4] Houde also stated the game would be developed using Unreal Engine 4. Originally, the team had planned to build the game in Unity, but the team was attracted to Unreal's multiplayer capabilities.[5]
In early November 2017, Crea-ture Studios released a free demo for Session.[6][7] A trailer released by the team shows several clips of the demo, which is set in an unnamed jail and allows players to freely skate in a closed skatepark.[8] Later that month, the team opened the project on Kickstarter, which successfully reached its initial goal after three days.[9] A trailer for Session was unveiled during the Microsoft conference at E3 2018.[10] Session was released on Steam Early Access on 17 September 2019,[11] and for Xbox Game Preview on 17 June 2020.[12] On 18 January 2021, it was announced that Nacon would be publishing Session.[13] In July 2021, it was announced that the game would be fully releasing for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.[14] Nearly a year later, it was announced that a full release would be available on 22 September 2022.[15] In February 2022, the game was renamed from Session to Session: Skate Sim.[16] On 22 January 2023, a Nintendo Switch version was announced for a 16 March 2023 release.[17]
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Further to this, missions in general tend to be poorly explained and there's far too little in the way of communicating the moves required to pull off your next laundry list of manoeuvres, no way to quickly call up the required inputs beyond digging into the menus and guessing at things. This is stuff that should be right there onscreen at all times in a game as punishing as this.
There are also a series of experimental features within the options menu that allow you to switch on beta-style features that haven't made it to the game proper yet. But we found that, for example, turning on pedestrians so that there are some people walking around the empty environments, led to the frame rate beginning to chug quite noticeably in both docked and handheld modes.
In the end, what you've got here is a game that you've got to applaud for its dedication to a very straight-laced, po-faced simulation of the art of skateboarding. We can imagine that playing Session: Skate Sim on a platform which enables crystal clear visuals and more responsive controls could be a deeply rewarding experience for players who really want to dig in and spend time learning to master what's on offer. There's definitely a place for a no-nonsense sim of this sport, for sure. However, this Switch port is just too sloppy, the visuals are muddy, there are control issues, random bugs and it all becomes too much of a struggle to ever really call fun.
Session: Skate Sim is a valiant attempt to recreate the trials and tribulations of actual, real-life skateboarding that eschews the arcade flashiness of other skating games in favour of slow and methodical repetition and mastery of both your board and your environment. There's a deep and involving game here for skate fans who want something to really sink their teeth into, or at least there would be if it wasn't for blurry visuals, control issues, poor mission design, and frame rate issues that make for an uphill struggle that just doesn't feel worth the pain in the end. If you've got a ton of patience there's still some joy to be found here, but it's gonna take some patches and updates to get this particular port to the place it needs to be in order to earn a full recommendation.
That looks really bad. Not just the graphics which are on par with GTA San Andreas but the game looks completely empty. Why can't we get a game populated with people and cars. Remake of THUG 1&2 or even TH American Wasteland. I'm surprised no one's made a game with skateboards, BMX, Rollerskates/blades and scooters. Best of all worlds.
Maybe it's negative bias (or whatever the term is where you only remember the bad stuff and not the good stuff), but I feel I'm reading this a lot lately 'good effort, but didn't hit the mark' type stuff. Sometimes because of Switch hardware, other times because of the game at its core.
@Sam_TSM that's a fair observation. Sometimes i consider the possibility that we as consumers simply have too high standards, that can never be met fully. But then i get reminded that a certain level of scrutiny can be justified, otherwise the quality of games will plummet.
it can be hard to tell what is and isnt viable for switch with how many technical factors go into making games especially in cases like this game where it feels like things like framerate and resolution have an effect on gameplay.
@Yannis For me i do feel like technical aspects are easier to measure, for example if you asked someone whether a game has trouble keeping 30fps they could give you an objective answer but if you ask whether a game has "a good story" or "feels good to play" the answer would be subjective (though a higher framerate would generally result in a more responsive game)
Bummer, was hoping this turned out good on the Switch when I saw it on the Eshop. I've been craving another modern skateboarding game after those amazing Tony Hawk 1&2 remakes. It's a huge shame that the other Pro Skater games won't get any remakes anytime soon because of the closure of Vicarious Visions.
I'll either wait for this game to get patched up on Switch or play it on a different platform. I've heard a lot of good things about this game. It looks better than Skater XL. Which was a disappointment for me.
@Grim ah, now that you mention it, I recall reading something to that effect too. Sigh. Another "live service" game that will be dead on arrival because developers are so desperate to milk every penny from consumers in every way possible except the one that works: just making a good game.
I think i remember refunding this on steam, the controls are too complicated and not fun might as well learn how to skate for real, the graphics and locations are very dull and boring. Its not a game but a skateboard simulator
I'm pretty sure I'm going to end up picking this up, I just wish it wasn't $49.99. Ive had it on PC since it hit early access and followed it on crowdfunding before that, and I have complaints about it for sure, but it definitely is going for a simulation and does pretty good with that. It's not for everyone for sure. Shoot, it's probably not for most.people, but it's a neat thing. it's made it hard for me to go back to the skate games because I feel like I have so much more control over the board in Session. And even the PC version is buggy, which also makes it hard to justify the price
I definitely had my doubts on how this game would even run on the Switch, and how it would look, as the Steam Deck can really struggle with it at times, and some compromises need to be made there to get it to run smoothly. One of those miracle ports that might have been too ambitious.
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Conquer Session: Skate Sim! A game created by skaters for skaters. Find all the sensations of skateboarding and live an ultra-realistic experience. Skate the most iconic spots in the biggest cities in the US and customize your skateboarder, board, and style. Session is on sale until March 27 with an exceptional 50% discount off.
Session was first released in Steam early access in September 2019 thanks to the success of a prior two-year Kickstarter campaign. Early reception was largely positive, and for good reason, as the small but active fanbase appreciated the authenticity of the experience. After three years of updates, Montreal-based developer Crea-ture released the 1.0 version of the game on September 22, 2022 for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Windows.
In the end, I enjoyed the time I spent with Session: Skate Sim, though as a newcomer to the genre, I definitely do not think this was a good starting point. To fully appreciate the simulator, you must have patience and the ability to get back up and keep trying when you fall. Having some prior knowledge of real-world skateboarding would definitely help as well. Your satisfaction with Session will not come from getting a high trick multiplier or score; instead, it will come from your mastery of the control scheme and trick sets, along with your appreciation of skateboarding culture as a whole. 041b061a72