its a kid game if you leave the control assists on. turn them off and you can play realistic. graphics...they went for a more modern aesthetic. skate 1,2 and 3 look like **bleep** and people would cry even harder if that was released in 2025. though I don't mind if they grunge up the game more. im not sure what modern skate games you're talking about cause session looks like **bleep** and skater xl looks decent with mods but the animations are bugged as hell
story line...whatever, its a multiplayer game and the missions are narrated. they just need to fix the soft lock bugs.
the buttons definitely register tricks, that's a skill issue. unless you're talking about the vert pumping bug which requires a game restart. I've tried basically all the grinds and flip tricks at this point and they work if you input correctly.