Skate 2 is the bitching new version of the game that brought Skateboarding videogames kick(flip)ing and screaming into the 21st century. This time, EA has delivered a host of new tricks and some new features to keep things interesting. The basic premise is still the same, of course. You get to bust sick moves using the dual analog control method that made the first game so special, using one stick for each foot. After the surprise success of Skate, EA has produced a bigger, better version of the game. Skate 2 is set once again in that fictional amalgam of San Francisco, Vancouver and Barcelona, San Vanelona, but a series of violent earthquakes have partially destroyed the city, opening up a whole new series of skating opportunities. The deserted remains of the city, now called New San Vanelona are protected by Mongo Co. You need to evade their operatives to be able to skate the best spots. This time around, the Create-a-Skater feature doesn’t exclude those without a y chromosome, and you can make skater-gurl as well as skater-bois. That’s the plural of boi, not the french for wood, by the way. Once you’ve made your skater, you can break them by wiping badly, and if you do, you’ll see their broken bones in the hall of meat. Once you hit the concrete and asphalt, the control method is similar to the first game, but it’s enhanced to enable you to pull tricks that were just not possible in the first Skate game. Footplants, crail slides, ollie norths and fingerflips are all opened up to players of Skate 2, and lip and hip tricks are both enhanced. And if all of New San Vanelona’s great terrain is not enough for you, Skate 2 lets you rearrange the furniture, to create the perfect skating spot. Skate 2, the greatest way yet to enjoy the excitement of skateboarding from the comfort of your couch.