Nothing is more satisfying than seeing a game break the mold and adventurously attempt to be something more different.  Airblade’s attempt at breaking away from the usual skating genre is not only a welcome try, but also one that actually almost comes close to being something much better.

The game has certainly a lot to offer such as four different playing modes--Story Mode, Score Attack, Freestyle and the Multiplayer mode.  Story Mode follows a mission-based storyline.  Score Attack allows you to score as many points as possible in any given level.  Freestyle mode gives gamers unlimited time to explore the levels and get use to the controls.  And Multiplayer mode contains five other games.

Thankfully, the controls in this game are not too difficult to learn.  The game has a Training Mode, which will teach the basic stunts gamers can perform and the instruction manual even lists all the more complex tricks.  The AirBlade is powered by energy measured in the Boost Meter on the upper left-hand corner of the screen. Boost increases a skater’s speed, giving players that extra boost to jump further.  The meter does run low pretty quickly but performing tricks can easily restore it.

Helping you out using a visual and audio communication device (seen in the game in the lower half of the screen in the form of Kat, your helpful friend).  During the various game modes, Kat gives you information and tells you how to perform a trick.  Her messages are mostly text, although in Story Mode, you can hear her voice.

The story in Story Mode starts off interesting: A corporation known as GCP storms an apartment building looking for the AirBlade prototype taken by ex-GCP employee Oscar.  In order to protect the AirBlade, Ethan and his friend Kat take off with the AirBlade.  Gamers assume the role of Ethan, who knows how to skate, and is helped out by Kat by means of a com-link.  The story unfolds with the completion of each level but the story itself becomes unclear.  Its defy-the-system-and-down-with-authority theme grows old fast, especially after the fourth time Ethan defiantly gives his sticking it to “the man” speeches.

Completing the levels in this mode requires gamers to finish a list of objectives--all of which you can be achieved in any order.  They consist of destroying video cameras mounted on poles, destroying GCP vehicles such as vans and limousines or knocking out the armored GCP thugs using various tricks such as grinding a vehicle or flipping the board on a thug’s face.  Though the difficult part is completing these objectives before the timer runs out.  Frustrating is the fact that if the timer does run out, gamers have to start all over again.

Depending on your performance, you’re graded at the end of each level (e.g. A to D and a grade of S if you performed flawlessly).  The grade is determined by the various tricks done as well as how many times you fell.  Falling takes away points and is counted at the end of each level.  A good grade will also help unlock new stages and other things such as new characters.

Graphic-wise, the game is no Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3.  The character models are not sharply detailed, especially during the cut-scenes in Story Mode, but they’re not at all bad.  Visually stunning, however, is the city itself.  It’s breathing with life and detail.  Movie theatre marquees are splattered with bird droppings and copper pipes are rusting--its and attention to detail that will certainly go unnoticed during gameplay.

Pedestrians could even be heard and you can hear the cars honk at you when you zoom across the street.  The AirBlade even emits a low-pitched humming, a nice effect.  The sound’s weakness is in the character’s dialogue--the voice acting isn’t entirely bad, but it certainly doesn’t help the badly written script.  Yet the soundtrack makes up for things with the blend of hip-hop with techno.  It’s certainly a departure from the Sum 41 and Limp Bizkit-type tunes heard recently in sports games.

The Multiplayer mode has five playing modes that are actually well done and highly entertaining. Score Attack has gamers trying to score high points. Trick List has gamers with the most tricks as the winner. In Ribbon Tag, players must race to win a ribbon and then keep it away from the other player (the longer you possess the ribbon the more points you win). And Show Off has players showing off who can perform more aerial tricks and combos. The first four games are seen through a split screen while the last one, Party Mode allows up to eight players to participate in a competition where the player with the lowest points is eliminated until only one player is left.

Airblade has many secrets that can be unlocked and many of them come in the form of new levels, costumes and characters (featured in the Story Mode) to be used in the Multiplayer, Score Attack and Freestyle modes.  Trying to unlock all of these extras will keep gamers busy for some time. Also included in the Additional Features section in the game is a ten-minute DVD feature of the making of the game: it’s very informative, especially for those interested in the game making process.  You can also listen to the eight tracks in the Music Player.

Aside from being a unique sports title, this is also a fun game.  The little things such as uninteresting character design and its badly scripted story aren’t enough to make gamers ignore the many great things about Airblade.  This game is certainly worth the purchase price . . . trust me.

Gameplay: 9.1
Performing tricks on the AirBlade is actually not entirely difficult and given the amount of time gamers dedicate to the Freestyle Mode and a quick review of the moves in the instruction manual, gamers can easily execute the various other complicated tricks. 

During Story Mode, challenges consist of knocking GCP thugs using tricks like Flipping or destroying a GCP vehicle by grinding it.  The AirBlade has boosting capabilities the can make Ethan jump even higher, but the boost meter runs out quickly (you can, however, refill it by executing basic tricks).

Graphics: 8.6

The graphics don’t quite reach the level of Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3, but there is plenty of detail that makes up for the lack of definition in the characters both during the game and in animated cut-scenes.  There are moving third-dimensional pedestrians as well as moving vehicles gamers can interact with.

However, the most stunning visual feat is the city itself.  The details in the city are fantastic and Ethan can interact with mostly everything in his surrounds such as scaffolds, chain-link fences and even lampposts.

Sound: 8.9
To break with the usual musical offerings found in sports titles lately, the game’s tunes are more techno and hip-hop.  This actually does make for a good soundtrack while playing, although many times the music becomes repetitive--especially if you have to do a level all over again.  It would have been nice if the soundtrack--and there are eight other tunes in this game--changed even if you were doing the stage again for the third time.

The soundtrack isn’t the only thing that is good about the sound.  The sound effects in this title are not just made up of the whirling sound of Ethan’s AirBlade, but his surroundings as well.  Pedestrians call out when rushing past them and vehicles honk their horns when you get in front of them.  Listen carefully and you can hear the bustling street filled with chattering voice or the menacing threats from the GCP goons out in the street.  However the voice acting is a little weak in the cut-scenes.

Difficulty: 8.7
The game’s Story Mode is actually quite brutal, which can be a good thing and a frustrating thing since failure means you have to start from the very beginning of a level.  The good part is that after finishing a level, gamers can save their progress and they can complete the objectives in any order they wish. 

Part of the challenge comes in completing all objectives before the time runs out and the time you get is limited even though you do earn extra seconds for completing an objective like knocking down a GCP officer.  The problem is that you get so many objectives the extra seconds aren’t much help. 

Concept: 9.5
It is pleasant to see a familiar genre with a unique twist and Airblade has its share of unique twists and features.  Aside from the pleasure of thrashing about on a hover-board, different modes offer gamers new challenges.  And story mode, although weak in story plot, will keep gamers busy for a long while.

There are also many things to unlock, such as characters and new levels.  However, the most surprising feature in the game is the DVD bonus footage of the making of the game--which runs about ten minutes--and a character art gallery.  Gamers can also listen to the soundtrack in the Music Player in the Additional Features options. 

Multiplayer: 9.0
With five playing modes--Score Attack, Trick List, Ribbon Tag, Show Off and Party Mode--gamers will be more than satisfied with the interesting challenges each playing mode has to offer.  Among the five, Ribbon Tag is something entirely different and one of those rare treats.

Party Mode is also a blast, especially when played with a nice crowd of friends (the game allows up to eight people to play using the same controller).  The players with the highest score eliminate those with the lower score and advance to the next round until there is only one player left.

Overall: 8.8
Airblade takes the extreme skateboarding genre to a fresh and interestingly new level . . . all of which fans of skating games will definitely find unique and tremendously fun.  And although there are a few things in the game that needs some fine-tuning, the title’s strengths are just more noticeable.