The last time there has been a good series based on skateboarding was the original Tony Hawk series between 1999-2005 and since then there hasn't been any good games skating games expect for the Skate series which was around 2007-2010. OlliOlli takes things even further for the sports genre but for a 2D indie title it has a lot to offer on the PS Vita and just recently been released on both PS3 and PS4 as a Cross-Buy title which is great value for money; but it’s more fun playing it on the handheld as it started off for the PS Vita.
OlliOlli does features two-dimensional levels and a very basic and simple control scheme, using only the X button, the L and R shoulder buttons, and left analog stick. You can combines tricks performed with attempting to land perfectly, and failing to do so results in the game awarding only a fraction of the points that would have been earned with a perfect landing which you would need to pull off. Each level has 5 achievements to perform and challenge, and once complete unlocks a harder level. Falling at any point in a level forces the player to reattempt the level and would have to complete it all over again. It does try to be punishly difficulty to you where you want to pull off the right moves and combos it’s more about practice, timing and patience through each of the levels.
Already mentioned that for a 2D Indie game the graphics and visuals really do stand out making it feel more like a NES/8-Bit style game for a 2D sports with smooth animation during gameplay there is no story around it you just end up grabbing your board and just skate. There times that I wanted to throw my Vita out of the window on how difficult the game is it even offers an online high score called Daily Grind based on the number of combos and tricks you can perform before landing back to the ground by pressing the higher the score the more chance you'll be on top of the rank list. However if you ending failing by falling over or messing up combos and tricks or landing too early your score will be sent online and you would have to wait over a day to try again and try to get a higher score. If you want to become the best skater in OlliOlli you need to practice.
This is still a wonderful arcade experience that not only demands both precision and speed, but the tight controls necessary to make both possible. But this is a great fit for the portable, its stages are great for quick play sessions when you've got only a few minutes to spare or taking a bus trip, and mastering all the game's challenges takes a while to complete especially if you want trophies achievements for it OlliOlli is a great way to welcome the skateboarding franchise to the next-gen era.