Konami's last adventure with the X Games franchise on the PlayStation 2, ESPN X Games Snowboarding, earned critical acclaim but got lost in the shadows of EA Big's excellent SSX. Konami is hoping that ESPN X Games Skateboarding, being the first skateboarding game out of the gate for the PS2, will garner the attention Konami thinks it deserves. The game is already on track as far as gameplay modes are concerned--Konami just has to tighten up the gameplay and get the graphics in check.

　　Despite its early state of development, X Games Skateboarding already features a wealth of gameplay options. The license mode works similarly to Tony Hawk's Pro Skater's career mode. You begin by choosing one of eight professional skateboarders including Colin McKay, Chris Senn, Kerry Getz, Carlos DeAndrade, Chad Fernandez, Rick McCrank, Lincoln Ueda, and Bob Burnquist, who defected from the Tony Hawk camp. After choosing a board, you may then adjust the trucks and bearings to increase turning or speed. Each of the nine levels has a number of objectives to accomplish, such as collecting X Games flags or scoring a set number of points. As you progress in the career mode, 64 licensed boards are unlocked, as well as gear emblazoned with each rider's respective sponsors. The free-skate mode lets you rip tricks and combos without the pressure of a timer or objectives. Score attack lets you choose a level and shoot for the highest score possible, and the practice mode walks you through the controls with the aid of tips from some of the game's many real-world pros. X Games Skateboarding's split-screen multiplayer mode lets two players attack the course at once in attempts at outscoring each another.

　　The nine levels included in ESPN X Games Skateboarding are broken up into three categories. As part of Konami's agreement with ESPN, three tournament stages let you compete on the real street courses and vert ramps used in the 2001 X Games in San Francisco. While there are certainly lines to be had on the street courses, their compact design forces you to be decisive and instinctive due to the close proximity of each object to the next. The vert ramp is a good place to practice your grab and air combos, but performing lip trick combos proved to be a bit difficult. The three sprawling action stages, which take place in New York City, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, are reminiscent of the environments found in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. There are countless transitions, ledges, and drop-offs to exploit, but like the majority of the game, the level design is still too incomplete to judge. Konami has included three fantasy stages that are designed similarly to the action stages, only they let you skate in places most would only dream of. There's a museum complete with dinosaur bones to grind down, a mining shaft with cart tracks to follow, and a semisecret level that takes place on a doomed ocean liner.

　　Konami hasn't said how many tricks the final version of X Games Skateboarding will include, but there are already dozens implemented in the pre-alpha version. Rocket airs, rock 'n' rolls, methods, 50-50 grinds, manuals, kickflips, impossibles, and board slides are just a small sample of the tricks included thus far. Konami stated that the control scheme that is currently employed in X Games Skateboarding will likely be changed before its release, but in its current state, each move is performed with a combination of the face buttons and the directional pad or analog stick. It makes getting into the game easy, and players familiar with the Pro Skater series will begin linking tricks into combinations in no time.

　　From what was shown of X Games Skateboarding, it appears to be running on the same game engine used for Konami's X Games Snowboarding. The enormous action levels are fairly detailed already, with plenty of objects to attack. Hazards such as cars and pedestrians, however, have yet to be added. Chris Senn is the only rider included thus far, and for those who know him, he is immediately recognizable. The motion-captured trick animations already seem polished thanks to accurate head tracking and convincing physics. Holding a rock 'n' roll or stalling a sad plant gives you the same edge-of-your-seat feeling you get while watching someone bust the tricks in person. Konami has already dotted a few I's and crossed a few T's where the graphics are concerned. The skater's shirt flaps wildly in the wind, sparks are kicked up while grinding, and the boards use a blurring effect that helps amplify rotation. A real-time shadow has also been implemented that will stretch along the transitions as it chases each skater around the levels. For a game that is so far from completion, X Games Skateboarding's graphics are shaping up nicely. Please note, however, that the screenshots provided are concept art and are not indicative of X Games Skateboarding's in-game graphics thus far.

　　Twelve bands have signed on for X Games Skateboarding's soundtrack. The groups announced thus far include Linkin Park, Voodoo Glow Skulls, and the perpetually touring hard-core band New Found Glory. Unfortunately, the music was mixed too low in the build shown by Konami to make out any specific tracks. The current sound effects are also likely placeholders--the final effects won't be added until X Games Skateboarding starts heading down the home stretch.

　　ESPN X Games Skateboarding is in a highly competitive genre where many would say that a champion has already been crowned. Konami is hoping that bringing it to market before Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 hits store shelves will motivate consumers to give its game a serious look. While it's far too early to make any judgements, X Games Snowboarding appears to be headed in the right direction. An updated version is scheduled to be on display at next month's E3, so we should have a better idea of the progress the team has made then. ESPN X Games Skateboarding for the PlayStation 2 is currently scheduled for release this August. We'll have more information for you as soon as it becomes available.