My thoughts

I love this game despite its drawbacks.

I'm about 30h in and this is one of my favourites right now. Its such a breath of fresh air on a gaming scene that has been feeling pretty slate recently imo. While the whole vibe of Skate is the most cartoon-like out of the series, for me it works given the time we live in. I think theres a large part of the community that is disappointed with the overall aesthetic not being as gritty as previous titles and a lack of skate related figures in game but that feeling went away quickly. Having recognisable figures added to the game would definitely be cool but for me it also works without them. The map is vibrant, exceptionally thought through to the point that even without QDOs you can make sick lines out of almost anything. Its the ultimate sandbox that that keeps working your curiosity and determination. Im having so much fun i dont even care about the negatives

Some feedback:

Performace: I dont have much to complain about. I have had a few crashes but its never gotten to the point where it annoyed me. I have noticed that when you are trying to climb a wall and you are at the top, if there is a little rail for example or somebody has put a little kicker on the edge of the building - that little thing can make the character not be able to grab onto the ledge and finish climbing, even though he is jumping high enough to reach. 

Music: Maybe i havent figured this out but it would be cool if there was a way to shuffle the playlists or just have one big playlist cycling through all the songs. Gets a bit boring when you listen to the same songs in the same order over and over again. Also i think once the playlists end there is no "next" so you have to turn the music on again yourself after you realise you have been skating in silence for the past 5 minutes. Its a small thing but it would freshen up the music experience and secure a constant flow of it.

Cosmetics and currency: I have nothing against this. The game is so much fun in early access already that devs definitely deserve to be paid imo. The recent 500 SVB gift is also appriciated! Small things like that definitely keep me coming back. Though when i started playing, the average cost of an item was lower. I think on average an item would cost 100-200 SVB and now everything is above 300 so it feels like im getting less bang for my buck but whatever. 

Community: Its clear that a lot of thought has gone into the whole Co-Op sesh, Throwdowns, QDOs etc and it has a lot of potential so keep polishing it. Teaming up with people makes the game so much fun when you get tired of solo grinding or whatever and there is many way to do it. Im curious to see what else you can come up with in the future! The rotation of new challenges is great too!

Honestly, great work so far guys. Lots of good ideas, cant wait too see the next ones! I think not judging the game through the lens of previous titles is the only way to do it. It has been a long time, times have changed and we making Skate great again baby!