To anyone who loved the Pro Skater video games, here's some information you should enjoy if you haven't already heard...
Pro Sater is being remade! Woo...yeah. This is cool if you're still into video games. If not, come back next week for my new post.
The remake of Pro Skater isn't just an HD version being ported to ps3 and Xbox, it's actually a Compilation of levels from the first two installments, remade in a completely new engine for ps3 and xbox360. So far not much information on the game has been released at this time other than a summer release date, confirmed playable character Tony Hawk(what a surprise) and a few playable levels. Once the games released, it will only be available via the play station network and Xbox marketplace as a download.
This new release came as a surprise to me since the Tony Hawk series was claimed to be shut down after their second failure of a video game in a row, Tony Hawks Shred. Along with Tny Hawks Ride, the two games were massive failures. They tried to Change the way the game was played completely by taking away the original controller, and throwing in a motion board instead. This whol idea was dumb in my opinion since I grew up with the series. But oh we'll, money is money right?
Monday, December 19, 2011
Monday, December 12, 2011
Tunes to skate to..
The only genres worth listening to while skating is rap and old school punk rock. I'm not even a huge rap fan, but it just goes so well with skating. It's like the yin to skatings yang.
If you have ever played any old playstation skate games such as Pro Skater, or the more modern Skate, you would hear a lot of rap and punk music. Why? Because they go hand in hand and the punk rock also amps up the skater. At least in my case it does.
It's not the hip-hop/rap combinations that a lot of todays music has become that goes well with skating, its more of the old school Public Enemy and Rage Against the Machine. For punk rock it would be The Dead Kennedys, Primus and Suicidal Tendencies.
If you were to lookup videos of skating on the web about 80% would contain rap, while about 15% would have punk rock. The last 5% is any of the weird music kids listen to these days that they sadly put into their videos.
If you have ever played any old playstation skate games such as Pro Skater, or the more modern Skate, you would hear a lot of rap and punk music. Why? Because they go hand in hand and the punk rock also amps up the skater. At least in my case it does.
It's not the hip-hop/rap combinations that a lot of todays music has become that goes well with skating, its more of the old school Public Enemy and Rage Against the Machine. For punk rock it would be The Dead Kennedys, Primus and Suicidal Tendencies.
If you were to lookup videos of skating on the web about 80% would contain rap, while about 15% would have punk rock. The last 5% is any of the weird music kids listen to these days that they sadly put into their videos.
Them young kids
There is something that I realized quite a while ago, maybe a year or so. But I am sure that a lot of people know this already but it fits well in a blog post for my topic so here it goes...
If you want to become good at something, start doing that "thing" at a really young age. Preferably, the youngest age possible. If this happens, the said child will most guaranteed become a professional or at least moderately skilled at whatever "thing" they attempt by their early to late teens.
I not only say this because children pick up every little toy that comes out these days and instantly masters it in no time, but also because it is true with skateboarding as well. If you ask any given amount of professional skaters how old they were when they started skating, I can almost guarantee that they will anwser anywhere from 6-13. And if you ask them why they started, you will most likely hear the "I was given my first skateboard from a friend/family member" answer.
Not that starting young is a bad thing because with me I kinda of did, but I did not stick with it 100%. I quit for a while and then picked it back up a few years ago. The older you are when you try to pick up a new hobby or activity, the harder it generally is to get good at whatever it is. And in my case, it was skateboarding.
If you want to become good at something, start doing that "thing" at a really young age. Preferably, the youngest age possible. If this happens, the said child will most guaranteed become a professional or at least moderately skilled at whatever "thing" they attempt by their early to late teens.
I not only say this because children pick up every little toy that comes out these days and instantly masters it in no time, but also because it is true with skateboarding as well. If you ask any given amount of professional skaters how old they were when they started skating, I can almost guarantee that they will anwser anywhere from 6-13. And if you ask them why they started, you will most likely hear the "I was given my first skateboard from a friend/family member" answer.
Not that starting young is a bad thing because with me I kinda of did, but I did not stick with it 100%. I quit for a while and then picked it back up a few years ago. The older you are when you try to pick up a new hobby or activity, the harder it generally is to get good at whatever it is. And in my case, it was skateboarding.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Tony who?
Who knows about Tony Hawk? The better question is, who does NOT know about Tony Hawk? He is known worldwide and his name is everywhere from skateboarding to his very own clothing line.
Tony Hawk is a professional skateboarder. So? He's good at what he does. There are plenty of professionals at many different sports. Why do some only know of his name when they hear the term "skateboarding"?
I think it is because he was the first person to ever land a "900". Yeah it must take a lot of skill to be able to do that, especially since he was in the middle of a competition with thousands maybe hundreds of thousands of eyes watching him. That must have been a lot of pressure. But he still did it. That I give him props for, though I still think he has become a cliche. Maybe it's just the fact that it angers me that he is the first person who everybody thinks of when talking about skateboarding. There are many more skaters today than back when Tony was becoming a star. Im just being biased, oh well.
Tony Hawk is a professional skateboarder. So? He's good at what he does. There are plenty of professionals at many different sports. Why do some only know of his name when they hear the term "skateboarding"?
I think it is because he was the first person to ever land a "900". Yeah it must take a lot of skill to be able to do that, especially since he was in the middle of a competition with thousands maybe hundreds of thousands of eyes watching him. That must have been a lot of pressure. But he still did it. That I give him props for, though I still think he has become a cliche. Maybe it's just the fact that it angers me that he is the first person who everybody thinks of when talking about skateboarding. There are many more skaters today than back when Tony was becoming a star. Im just being biased, oh well.
Friday, November 18, 2011
Vimeo it up
So I found an awesome skate video on this site called Vimeo the other day. Credit to joe plan for showing me the site. Anyways, the video is sick. It's a French film although I don't think anyone actually talks in it, but I haven't finished it yet so I don't know. The video shows some skaters skating during the day ad night around various places such as Ney York, London and other European countries. The videos is called Days&Nights. Go check it out, http://vimeo.com/28577953
Friday, October 21, 2011
B-b-b-b-Bob Burnquist!
Heading back to talking about pro skaters in this weeks post, I'm going to blog about Bob Burnquist. Bob was featured in eight out of the eleven Tony Hawk video games thus far. I've known about him as a professional skater my whole life since I grew up playing the games he was in. I've also watched numerous skated videos that he was featured in as well, being inspired by all that he has done and still continues to do.
Bob Burnquist started skating in 1986 and turned pro only seven years later. He started competing in 1989 and has won numerous medals for his skating. Burnquist has won five X-game gold medals, one in 2000, another in 2001, 2003 and lastly in 2005. Along with those five gold medals, bob Burnquist has won several other awards from other skatieboarding.
Bob grew up in Rio De Janeiro but now lives in Vista, California with his girlfriend Jen O'brien and their daughter Lotus. Besides skating, Bob burnquist enjoys doing many other things for fun. He is a licensed pilot and skydiver with over 450 jumps under his belt. He also loves film and farming. Despite the fact that Bob has very heavy asthma, he is still a very successful skateboarder.
Bob Burnquist started skating in 1986 and turned pro only seven years later. He started competing in 1989 and has won numerous medals for his skating. Burnquist has won five X-game gold medals, one in 2000, another in 2001, 2003 and lastly in 2005. Along with those five gold medals, bob Burnquist has won several other awards from other skatieboarding.
Bob grew up in Rio De Janeiro but now lives in Vista, California with his girlfriend Jen O'brien and their daughter Lotus. Besides skating, Bob burnquist enjoys doing many other things for fun. He is a licensed pilot and skydiver with over 450 jumps under his belt. He also loves film and farming. Despite the fact that Bob has very heavy asthma, he is still a very successful skateboarder.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Skate and Destroy
Another great old school skate game is none other than Thrasher: Skate and Destroy. This game came out during the late 1990's and was just as big of an impact on my interest in skateboarding as Tony Hawk's Pro Skater was, if not bigger.
In my opinion, Thrasher out did Tony Hawk's game. Although I did not play it nearly as much due to the fact that my copy of it got too scratched and eventually stopped working. Luckily or not so luckily for me, I was still left with Pro Skater. None the less, Thrasher rules. Only two companies, IGN and GameSpot, agree with me while the rest of the world does not. Thrasherr had noticeably less advanced graphics than Pro Skater did and was unfortunately one of the big reasons the game was ignored. The biggest reason being the difficult controls. Because Thrasher was not as simple as picking up a controller and playing, like Pro Skater was, a lot of people disliked it. This is a lame reason not to like a game. People just need to stop being lazy and accept change if it happens.
Unlike Tony Hawk's Pro skater, Thrasher had a storyline. The player picks one of six fictional characters and works through a total of twelve levels across the globe, gaining sponsors, decks, clothing and eventually ending up on the cover of the Thrasher magazine--from which the game gets its name.
Like Pro Skater, Thrasher has several game modes. Skate mode(career mode), sessions, nickel bag, H.O.R.S.E, Top Dog, Stick Fix, Long Grind and Big Wallride. Skate mode progresses through twelve levels in a series of two minute runs. Before actually starting each run, the player has the ability to explore the level without a time limit until pressing the select button, starting the run. Once the run is started, the player has two minutes to attain the required high score to complete the level without breaking their board, or getting caught by the police. Once the player startes being chased by the police, they must then skate to one of the designated exit doors. If caught, the players score is annulled and the run must then be started again.
All in all, Thrasher was one of the best skateboarding video games I have personally ever played, and is one of the biggest influences on my interest in skateboarding.
In my opinion, Thrasher out did Tony Hawk's game. Although I did not play it nearly as much due to the fact that my copy of it got too scratched and eventually stopped working. Luckily or not so luckily for me, I was still left with Pro Skater. None the less, Thrasher rules. Only two companies, IGN and GameSpot, agree with me while the rest of the world does not. Thrasherr had noticeably less advanced graphics than Pro Skater did and was unfortunately one of the big reasons the game was ignored. The biggest reason being the difficult controls. Because Thrasher was not as simple as picking up a controller and playing, like Pro Skater was, a lot of people disliked it. This is a lame reason not to like a game. People just need to stop being lazy and accept change if it happens.
Unlike Tony Hawk's Pro skater, Thrasher had a storyline. The player picks one of six fictional characters and works through a total of twelve levels across the globe, gaining sponsors, decks, clothing and eventually ending up on the cover of the Thrasher magazine--from which the game gets its name.
Like Pro Skater, Thrasher has several game modes. Skate mode(career mode), sessions, nickel bag, H.O.R.S.E, Top Dog, Stick Fix, Long Grind and Big Wallride. Skate mode progresses through twelve levels in a series of two minute runs. Before actually starting each run, the player has the ability to explore the level without a time limit until pressing the select button, starting the run. Once the run is started, the player has two minutes to attain the required high score to complete the level without breaking their board, or getting caught by the police. Once the player startes being chased by the police, they must then skate to one of the designated exit doors. If caught, the players score is annulled and the run must then be started again.
All in all, Thrasher was one of the best skateboarding video games I have personally ever played, and is one of the biggest influences on my interest in skateboarding.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Old school
Lets talk about something new in this post. Something a little different than talking about any one specific skater. Something along the lines of......Tony Hawk's Pro Skater.
Who has not heard about the Pro Skater series? Or more commonly known as the Tony Hawk video games. If you do not know about these games, I highly suggest you check them out. They were AWESOME! They are a huge, and I mean huge, part of why I got into skateboarding. I grew up with the original Playstation game consol and the Tony Hawk video games were my life in the 90's. They included all of the original old school skaters whome I look up to in the sport, one of which I already posted about, Rodney Mullen.
The game lets you take control of several skaters and play though several different levels. Though there is no stoyline the game is still amazing. Theres also several different game modes as well. The basic one where you have a list of items to find and tricks to do within a time limit. Then theres Combo mode where you collect the letters C-O-M-B-O in order without breaking your line(doing a trick the whole way from the first letter C to the last being O, never just moving along the ground). The levels vary from larg cities to small suburban towns, though there are a few special unlocks you get once beating the game. In the first game you get to play as spiderman and you also get some space level. In the second game you unlock an Area 51-type level where there are alians.
That pretty much sums up the games and also my childhood. If you dont know about the Tony Hawk video games I really suggest trying them out. They are a lot of fun even though there almost 20 years old. They were a part of why I love skateboarding today. Life would not be the same without them.
Who has not heard about the Pro Skater series? Or more commonly known as the Tony Hawk video games. If you do not know about these games, I highly suggest you check them out. They were AWESOME! They are a huge, and I mean huge, part of why I got into skateboarding. I grew up with the original Playstation game consol and the Tony Hawk video games were my life in the 90's. They included all of the original old school skaters whome I look up to in the sport, one of which I already posted about, Rodney Mullen.
The game lets you take control of several skaters and play though several different levels. Though there is no stoyline the game is still amazing. Theres also several different game modes as well. The basic one where you have a list of items to find and tricks to do within a time limit. Then theres Combo mode where you collect the letters C-O-M-B-O in order without breaking your line(doing a trick the whole way from the first letter C to the last being O, never just moving along the ground). The levels vary from larg cities to small suburban towns, though there are a few special unlocks you get once beating the game. In the first game you get to play as spiderman and you also get some space level. In the second game you unlock an Area 51-type level where there are alians.
That pretty much sums up the games and also my childhood. If you dont know about the Tony Hawk video games I really suggest trying them out. They are a lot of fun even though there almost 20 years old. They were a part of why I love skateboarding today. Life would not be the same without them.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Mr. Song
Next up is Daewon Song. I don't really know much about him since he wasn't a big part of skateboarding when I started learning about it and there isn't much to find on the Internet either. Maybe I just have bad luck searching.
From what I have found, daewon was born Februrary 25, 1975 in California. He is a Korean-American professional skateboarder greatly recognized for his technical street skating. Along with Rodney Mullen, daewon co-owns the company Almost. He also skates for the company team.
Songs First sponsor came from Sporting Goods In Gardena, California. Shortly after he was sponsored by World Industries, appearing in their film titled Love Child. Song left the company after nine years to form his own called Deca Skateboards. Unfortunately the company had to close after only three years due to the failure to Grow. Daewon then went on to co-found Almost with several other fellow pro skateboarders.
In 2006, Daewon Song was named Thrasher Magazines skater of the year. Daewon has also been featured in several Tony Hawk video games.
Since I really never heard of him until a few years ago, daewon song hasn't had much of an influence on skateboarding for me.
From what I have found, daewon was born Februrary 25, 1975 in California. He is a Korean-American professional skateboarder greatly recognized for his technical street skating. Along with Rodney Mullen, daewon co-owns the company Almost. He also skates for the company team.
Songs First sponsor came from Sporting Goods In Gardena, California. Shortly after he was sponsored by World Industries, appearing in their film titled Love Child. Song left the company after nine years to form his own called Deca Skateboards. Unfortunately the company had to close after only three years due to the failure to Grow. Daewon then went on to co-found Almost with several other fellow pro skateboarders.
In 2006, Daewon Song was named Thrasher Magazines skater of the year. Daewon has also been featured in several Tony Hawk video games.
Since I really never heard of him until a few years ago, daewon song hasn't had much of an influence on skateboarding for me.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
The one, the only, Rodney Mullen
Let's skip the rest of the formalities and get straight to the good stuff, the skaters. I believe the best person to start off with would be none other than Rodney Mullen.
First things first, he is one of if not my favorite skateboarder(s). Hopefully what I say about him does not turn out biased since he is one of my favorites and I am not trying to say that nobody could compare to him, because I do realize that there are plenty of pro's out there today. But seriously, he is good at what he does and I look up to him for it.
Many, including myself, consider Rodney to be the godfather of street and/or freestyle skateboarding. He alone created more than thirty tricks, several of which are very common tricks used today by skaters. Some of which I can do. These tricks are known as, 360 flip, Heelflip, Kickflip, Impossible, and the Flatground Ollie, not to be confused by the Ollie trick created by Alan Gelfand which was used as a half-pipe maneuver.
Born in 1966, Rodney started skating around age ten and has not stopped since then. His father originally objected to him skateboarding but willingly bought his first skateboard on a promise that he would always wear pads and would quit skating if he hurt himself. Rodney's first sponsorship came from an inland surfing shop. From that, he entered a Boys Freestyle Contest in '77 at Kona skatepark in Jacksonville. Rodney only placed third but happened to gained the attention of skateboard manufacturer Bruce Walker and was immediately sponsored. For the next three years, Rodney claimed first place in all of the 30 contests that he entered. I don't know about you, but to me, that is amazing.
Only a mere three years later, Rodney's professional career started in 1980 when he joined the Powell-Peralta Bones Brigade. Throughout the 80's was when Rodney created the numerous amount of modern skateboarding tricks we know and love today. His invention of the flat-ground ollie is considered his most significant addition to skating. It allowed him to further advance the sport and create the several tricks previously stated. Without him I doubt skateboarding would have progressed into the competitive sport that it is today and I most likely would not have ever picked up my first board.
The Beginning
Skateboarding started around 1950. It was created by surfers as a means of "surfing" the concrete streets. No one person invented the skateboard, though several have claimed they have. Instead, the first "skateboarders" used Wooden boxes attached to about a 30 inch two-by-four with roller skates attached at the bottom. The sport of skateboarding was in the midst of being born and discovered so anything went.
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