Skate or Die - C64

Skate or Die is far from original. In fact, it's almost a given that the title was inspired by Atari's arcade and subsequent home computer hit, 720 degrees. What it does do, and it does it very well, is to take the essence of 720 and combine it with the tried and tested multi-event structure from classics like Summer Game.

The finished product is a beautifully polished, well rounded game. Take the Pool Joust. You or your opponent have five attempts to knock one the other from their board armed with a canoe paddle. As you reach the lip of the pool you can get some air and pull of a 360 or, if you're good, a 720, or just hang there for a moment.
Fail and the paddle is passed to the opponent. The Race is a simple slalom event, spiced up with shortcuts in the shape of ramps and pipes. Downhill jam pits you against an opponent is a battle to kick the other from the board while avoiding hazards, including chain link fences that resulting a cleanly sliced and dices skater!

Skate or Die is quite possibly the greatest skate game on the C64, even on the 8-bit platforms. In fact, one could argue it held that crown for 13 years, usurped only when Activision delivered Neversoft's Tony Hawk's Pro Skater to the PlayStation. more