Session: Skate Sim originally launched in early access on Steam and Xbox consoles back in September of 2019. It was one of two more realistic skateboarding sims to drop in the wake and absence of the Skate franchise after that series went dormant (although not for much longer); the other game of course being the (far superior, in my opinion) Skater XL.
I had a decent time with Session, but it felt rough around the edges; the ragdoll physics were comically bad and the real-world locations on offer didn’t inspire me to shred to my heart’s content. That being said, the actual skateboarding felt realistic and intuitive (for the most part). Plus, the developer, crea-ture Studios, gave a nod to the Skate series by letting players change the default Session controls — which use the shoulder buttons to steer and analog sticks to simulate your feet movement while tricking — to the classic Skate control scheme, which use the analog sticks for both steering and tricking.
And after several years of missing out on all of the fun, Session: Skate Sim is finally landing on the PS5 and PS4 when it leaves early access and officially launches across all platforms. And it’s coming out like next week, on September 22, 2022. There must just be something about crea-ture Studios and September, I guess.
I’ll be interested to see if there are any drastic changes or improvements since last I played it, which was probably a year and half ago, or if it will merely be a tighter version of that build.
I will say that the console MSRP of $49.99 seems a bit steep, especially since it’s $10 cheaper on PC, but if you pre-order (at least on PSN), you get access to the Brandalised content pack, which includes four T-shirts, four sweatshirts, and eight exclusive skateboards with the Brandalised color palette, if that does anything for you.
So yeah, if you haven’t played Session yet, it’s a crackerjack of a time to give it a whirl now that it’s official. I will more than likely check it out on my Steam Deck to see if there are any major new additions. Who knows? Just as Skater XL is permanently on my SDD, maybe Session too will find a place for the long haul.
And while you wait, why not check out the release date trailer below?
And if you are into skating games and also like a tinge of the bizarre, check out my reaction to the announcement trailer for the upcoming Skate Story.
