Virtually Overlooked: Skate or Die

by JC Fletcher { May 15th 2008 at 8:00PM }

Much like Madden and other sports games lost features in the transition between the last console generation and the current one, EA's skateboarding games have been downgraded rather than upgraded as technology has improved. Skate on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 offers only one option in its title (the imperative "skate") versus the two options found in their 1987 skateboard game Skate or Die. Perhaps in the next year's iteration, EA will be able to reinstitute the "dying" feature, although we're doubtful -- the latest skating game from the company, Skate It, goes so far as to tell you what to skate (it) instead of allowing you to specify the object of your skating.

Skate or Die, for the four people who didn't play it on NES, is a skateboarding game comprising two halfpipe events, two downhill events, and a pool joust. The downhill events are obstacle courses, basically -- "Race" is a slalom down a trail in a park, with a winding paved road and puddles and potholes to avoid, and "Jam" is a race against the mohawked Bionic Lester down an alleyway. The halfpipe events include a high jump, in which players have ten passes to clear as much height as possible, and a "freestyle" competition, in which the goal is to perform tricks by messing with the buttons randomly. The pool joust is the centerpiece of Skate or Die, a competition between two skaters in an empty pool, rolling by each other and attempting to hit one another with oars. You have the option to practice any of these individually, or "compete" in all of them.

These options are all available from a hub world of sorts: a skate shop run by Rodney Recloose, who keeps the registers for competitions, and enjoys talking about his Marine Corps tattoo ("Semper Fi or die!")

For someone who didn't have any skater friends in the late '80s, and who lived in Texas, and who didn't go outside, the entirety of skateboard culture is represented by this one goofy NES game. While I learned in high school that real skaters mostly hang out in parking lots and smoke cigarettes while failing to do ollies, I always imagined a world of giant halfpipes, battles in empty swimming pools, and colorful mohawks.

The most baffling thing about the lack of Skate or Die on the Virtual Console is that it is available in Europe, as of December 2007. There's been plenty of time for Nintendo of America (or Konami, or EA) to get around to making this NES classic available. We suspect that the culprit is the original developer. While Konami has been happy to release Virtual Console games (including those published under the same "Ultra Games" name as Skate or Die) EA is currently represented on the VC by ... nothing at all.

Virtually Overlooked is a weekly feature that spotlights games that aren't yet on the Virtual Console, but should be. JC Fletcher sat in his chair in "goofy foot" style to write this up. Want more Virtually Overlooked? Check out the first year (or die)!

Tags: ea, konami, nes, skate-or-die, skateboarding

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Brian Arnold @ May 15th 2008 9:10PM

This is one of those games that, while I absolutely love it, I don't know that I'd pay $5 for it on VC.

I still have my original cart, and it'd be kind of cool to get to play it, and I played the crap out of it as a kid, but I don't know how much I'd really get into it now. Could be interesting to check out again, may have to fish out the NES from the closet to set it up. :)

Chintz @ May 15th 2008 9:24PM

Never played the NES game. I've only ever played the GB one, Skate or Die: Bad n Rad. It was a sort of skateboard platformey action game, with a few overhead stages too. I remember one of the bosses was a scuba man and another was a clown. At the end you rescue your girlfriend. It played sorta like a platform game where every world is a slippey slidey ice world, thanks to the board you can never get off of.

Joe H @ May 15th 2008 11:24PM

I only played Skate or Die 2.... I loved the halfpipe in it, but mostly it was just a horrible beat'em up /platformer type game.

Adam @ May 15th 2008 11:57PM

I just came in here to say that I loved the opening paragraph of this post.

That is all.

phenylketonurics @ May 16th 2008 12:31AM

HOLY CRAP, the soundtrack to this game is sweet. Hahah, I love it~ I wonder where Ski or Die went?

Ivo Manca @ May 16th 2008 1:08AM

I've only played this game on both the C64 and PC and kinda loved it.

But I think i've played Ski or Die more often :p

evan @ May 16th 2008 1:18AM

yeh i played this on the c64 a lot :)

Fullmetal Salchemist @ May 16th 2008 6:08AM

Is this the one where bees would chase you?

Andy Barratt @ May 16th 2008 8:24AM

No, the game where bees chased you was Atari's 720.

Ghaleon @ May 16th 2008 7:59AM

Ah, sometimes it all comes back to me how EA used to be a really games company. Back then there were no REALLY BORING IPs to exploit on an annual basis.

Mr.Taco @ May 16th 2008 9:04AM

I used to have all kinds of late nights with this game. But that was when skaters were cool, and posers were jerks that'd be in the parks smoking 'n crap.

If this came out on the VC, I'd be willing to slam down 500 points for it.

calamidades @ May 16th 2008 10:22AM

skate or die 2 had the most awesome intro screen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8TmIxHSBcU

berger34 @ May 16th 2008 10:56AM

SoD rocked, so did T&C surf

Garst @ May 16th 2008 2:40PM

I hated this game. I could not figure out what the Hell I was doing, and couldn't look it up or look at the manual because I was playing it in the hospital and hospital didn't have it. FYI, I was not in the hospital due to any skateboard related injury and Skate or Die was the worst part of my stay in the hospital. I actually asked the hospital to take the Nintendo away, it was so bad.