Session: Skate Sim brings realistic skating simulation to the handheld, but should it?
Since the release of Skate and its subsequent sequels in 2007, three competing games (Skater XL, Session Skate Sim, and TRUE SKATE) have dominated that particular kind of realistic skateboarding game. Direct competition in this small market caused a real divide among fans and sparked a gold rush to the Nintendo Switch. We have our first entry for Session: Skate Sim, what portends the genre coming to handhelds?
In Session, and similarly in the skate simulation genre as a whole, controls are based on each stick representing a character’s leg. To perform an ollie (jump), the left stick must be pulled back, and when released, the right stick must be pushed forward to create a jumping motion. The same is true when performing flip tricks. Timing with stick input allows you to create sequences of moves and combos. Using these inputs when landing on an object will also initiate a grind or slide depending on your position. Turning is the trigger button, pressing is the face button.
A manual (wheelie) is started by moving the front foot stick back and forth, but not all the way through. This creates a balancing act of maintaining a manual or nose manual. Flipping through the manual will be the ultimate challenge. Grab is not currently implemented, but future updates are promised. That’s no surprise, as games of this sort tend to be a work in progress. At least in a session you can get off your board and walk. This is better than our competitors.
Skate sim controls have a steep learning curve with lots of frustrations and a deep tutorial system. Luckily, I had hundreds of hours playing these sims on PC, so I was ready for a long ride on the handheld version of Session. Unfortunately, the Nintendo Switch Joy-Con analog sticks don’t have the kind of throw you need for precise movement. The Pro Controller adds some much-needed improvements to the controls, but for handheld mode the manual is very frustrating. has been added to the trick system.
The game comes with a fully functioning story campaign in which your created character returns from retirement and returns to pro-level status. to hold. Pros are funny and requests for tricks are rarely repeated. The quest itself is registered in a very clumsy way. Doing the above tricks will often prompt you to continue the quest, but it will also fail. They just trigger in inconsistent and half-baked ways.
The three maps (New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco) are huge. Each one feels handcrafted with hundreds of skate spots. Many real-world locales are included for even greater accuracy. The way the Session was developed, everything is grindable, so the trick possibilities are endless. You can also get off your board and walk, which encourages exploration. Outside of gameplay, Session features a complex replay editor that lets you shoot tricks with follow cams, fisheye lenses, filters, and even slow motion. These awesome tools allow you to capture and save complete skate parts in-game (check out YouTube). A full-featured stats menu lets you tune your gameplay to your liking. You can turn on lunar gravity or slightly increase flip speed. Part of his fun is tweaking the settings to find the sweet spot that best suits his style, allowing for endless customization possibilities. My gameplay can be completely different from someone else’s, which makes it a unique experience.
Unfortunately, the depth and complexity can’t make up for the poor looks of this port. It’s like someone put petroleum jelly on the camera. Textures are blurry and pop in almost non-stop. The details are basically a completely pixelated mess that’s hard to see. A consistent halo is forever around my character’s frame, so it blocks the background but flickers with the right lighting. They are represented in highly detailed character portraits along with blurry gameplay. It’s a rough translation from PC to Switch. The loss of quality outweighs potential portability, which includes a poor timing window for tricks.Too much to recommend playing this on Switch. It has many drawbacks.
Sessions: Skate Sim has an exciting premise at first glance. With the promise of new entries like Skate 4, the skating simulation genre continues to attract attention. On-the-fly physics tweaks, animation tweaks, and massive maps. Concessions were needed to include this full-featured version of his PC game on the Switch. You can see it in both the visuals and the way it’s played. It’s a miracle that a game works at all, but just because it can be ported doesn’t mean it should.
