According to the studio, the camera controls have been overhauled in terms of both its positioning, as well as its realignment speed. Through this, the in-game camera now provides a better view of incoming obstacles so that players can prepare for their next tricks and lines.

“We’ve had some core camera issues since launch, making it harder to consistently land your tricks & lines,” wrote the developer in its announcement. “The focus on this overhaul has been on keeping the player & gameplay options clearly visible & on screen at all times while also ensuring you can see what’s coming so you can adapt accordingly!”

The core gameplay has also seen some refinement in the update, with the New Physical Animation feature being permanently toggled on. The physics assets on player characters have also been rebuilt, allowing for better feedback for players with regards to their skateboarder’s posture and reaction to inputs.

When it comes to performance, the update has now removed the option to run Session: Skate Sim at 45, 90, and 120 frames per second. Players will instead only have the option to play the title at either 30 or 60 frames per second, with 60 FPS being stated as the ideal option.

The update also brought with it a re-release of the New York Sewer map for free. Originally part of a collaboration with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the map has been redesigned to remove all of the TMNT branding. Those that had managed to unlock the Sewers map during the promotional event will be able to access both versions of the map, including the TMNT branded one.

For more details about the update to Session: Skate Sim, check out the full patch notes below.

Session: Skate Sim patch notes:

Camera Overhaul

• Camera positioning & realignment speed overhaul while On Board
• Ensure the camera provides visibility on what’s ahead to better help prepare for tricks, lines, and landings
• Retain player on cam at all times – including on turning & at speed
• Camera while grinding follows the player around curves
• Camera logic & flow on banks, quarter pipes, and liptricks – it helps to see where you’re landing!
• Provides height on cam to provide improved landing visibility
• The camera has better world avoidance techniques
• Camera follows the player on bail instead of the board
• Camera menu options updated / simplified

Improved skate feel & fluidity

This deliverable is more the sum of many core changes, and not all benefits of this work are clear in the gameplay at this point in time. The bulk of the work done is on the code foundation that will facilitate future fixes in both feel & fluidity of the skater. This will also contribute to the flow and friction of the skater, and board, in relation to the game world!

• The New Physical Animation update is ALWAYS on, it was previously off by default.
• We rebuilt the physics assets on the player characters – changing their posture and reaction to player inputs
• Flow & Friction pass #1 – The foundation to the future Flow update this Summer!

Other feel & fluidity bug fixes

• Fixed Goat Feet bug when skating fast
• Fixed Mongo Push Bug – causing the player to bail and bug when not completing a full push

Frame rate Updates

We had previously supported non-optimal frame rate settings in Session, leading to extensive variations in gameplay bugs due to our gamecode structure. Reducing these options allows for a more consistent gameplay experience.

• Removed – 45 / 90 / 120 FPS
• FPS settings are 30 & 60 now – with 60 being ideal

General Bug Fixes

• Skateshop – DLC Merch Cannot Be Sold / Removed From Inventory
• Shop/Apartment – Equipping New Griptape Resets Board to a Blank Deck
• On Board – Skater Turns Too Sharp When Skating Fast
• On Board – Skater Flung Across Map After Respawning Near a Wall
• Landing – Big Drop Landing Causes Instant Fall When Getting Back On Board
• Missions Game loses focus when triggering talk prompt for NPC and walking
• Prog – Unable to Sprint, Set Marker or Push After Changing Map While Prompt is on Screen
• Object Dropper – Object Dropper HUD Persists During Cutscenes
• Loc Scoop+Flip tutorial mission uses inconsistent trick name for 360 Flip.

The developer and publisher Nacon has released an infographic indicating the most played maps (New York, San Francisco and Philadelphia), the popularity of each skateboarding stance (Regular wins out over Goofy) and the number of game sessions since 1.0’s release. However, it also revealed its next big content drop: Paris.

Releasing on July 18th, players can visit iconic locations like the Place de la République and the Le Trocadéro et son esplanade. Alternatively, they can hang out by the banks and enjoy the scenic beauty of the 777-kilometre-long Seine river.

For more details on Session: Skate Sim, check out our review here and stay tuned for updates on the release of Paris in the coming weeks.

As mentioned previously, Session: Skate Sim is a proper simulation of what it’s like to ride a skateboard in real life. So unlike its obvious inspirations like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, pulling combos isn’t just a matter of pressing the right button combinations after a jump; Session: Skate Sim demands that players have a deep understanding of how the board and the jumps work in order to perform them in the game. The controls seem pretty unintuitive at first; the two thumbsticks control the front and the back foot respectively while the two triggers help steer your player character in the respective direction. Acceleration is performed through two face buttons (one for each foot), all of which culminate in a pretty steep learning curve that’s hard to get used to. Even doing basic maneuvers like skating and steering requires some experience with these controls, and you are probably going to fall a lot during your first couple of hours with the game.

" So unlike its obvious inspirations like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, pulling combos isn’t just a matter of pressing the right button combinations after a jump; Session: Skate Sim demands that players have a deep understanding of how the board and the jumps work in order to perform them in the game."

Upon booting Session: Skate Sim for the first time, you will be taken through a basic tutorial that will teach you the basics of movements and how to perform a couple of stunts and feats. There’s also a pretty in-depth character creator that allows you to create a custom skater by choosing from a bunch of different apparel and facial styles and whatnot. The final release also features pre-made character models of some renowned skaters such as Torey Pudwill, Nora Vasconcellos, and Ryan Thompson just to name a few.

Once you are done with these formalities, you are dropped right into the deep end of the pool. One of the biggest additions with the final release of Session: Skate Sim is the story mode, which sees you completing a set of missions scattered all across the map as you embark on a journey from being a nobody to a pro skater. Missions are pretty basic in their scope, but completing them will net you cash and exposure, and currencies are needed in order to gain access to better boards and gear from the in-game store.

While the writing itself can be smirk-inducing at times, it’s pretty bland for most of its runtime with nothing in the name of plot twists or character arcs, or anything in that vein. The mission objectives are pretty similar too, tasking you with performing highly specific moves at specific spots around the map – which can get frustrating especially early on when you aren’t all that well-versed with the controls. Furthermore, the lack of advanced tutorials and the hit-or-miss registration of the stunts can make getting through some of these challenges way more frustrating than it needs to be. All in all, it’s a pretty barebones campaign that’s meant to ease players into the world of Session: Skate Sim – but I can’t help but feel that it could have been so much more than that.

" All in all, it’s a pretty barebones campaign that’s meant to ease players into the world of Session: Skate Sim – but I can’t help but feel that it could have been so much more than that. "

As such, I found myself mostly ignoring the story missions altogether and just trying to carve out my own fun in the multitude of skating arenas in the game. Session: Skate Sim is physics-driven for the most part, and requires precise movements to nail flips and ollies or any trick that you can come up with. Even minute factors such as the type of terrain and board length and wheel size all contribute to the stability and utility of your skateboard. Between this and the fact that the camera is jutted at a very close angle to the player, gauging the appropriate distance for jump and noticing some terrain irregularities became a pretty prominent issue for me which led to more than a couple of goofy fails. But crea-ture has implemented some accessibility mechanics to combat this inherent frustration, such as being able to mark a start spot for instant respawning after any unfortunate accident.

Of course, once you master these mechanics – you will have plenty of opportunities to pull off ludicrous stunts ranging from manuals to ollies to kickflips and what have you. Session: Skate Sim features a wide variety of maps for players to goof around in, ranging from underground stations to skate parks to alleyways to main roads just to name a few. Some of them are even based on real-life skating spots as well, so there’s that too. Furthermore, you’re also free to pick up your board and explore these levels on foot, which can be helpful if you want to navigate through complex areas or just want a change of things.

Session: Skate Sim has received a slew of notable additions since its early access beginnings thanks to plenty of content updates, all of which pay off in the final release. Lip tricks and animation blending are two new experimental features, alongside animation blending and NPC presence on maps. And yeah, there’s also a feature-rich replay editor that you can use to cinematically capture your tricks and flips with plenty of control should you have the mechanical prowess to actually pull them off. These additions might not mean much to anyone following the game for a while, but when looking at the big picture – Session: Skate has certainly added many things to the experience.

"Visually, the game just looks bland with lifeless textures and poor lighting and visibly low draw distance. There’s no voice acting in the story mode, and the world itself is lifeless and non-reactive to a fault. "

But a major gripe that really sours the experience is a visible lack of quality in terms of overall presentation. Visually, the game just looks bland with lifeless textures and poor lighting and visibly low draw distance. There’s no voice acting in the story mode, and the world itself is lifeless and non-reactive to a fault. There are plenty of featured soundtracks, but none of them really stood out during my experience with the game. While it’s understandable that an indie game like this one wouldn’t have the resources to compete with AAA levels of production quality, the visual presentation ends up being so flat that it verges on the edge of being off-putting. While the game itself is technically stable for the most part, I did experience a few graphical bugs and glitches here and there as well.

In conclusion, Session: Skate Sim is a hardcore simulation game which means it might not probably appeal to anyone not willing to spend dozens of hours in trying to understand the many nuances of this complex web of mechanics and physics. On the flip side, the bland visual presentation and the lackluster story campaign will put off even the most ardent fans of the genre.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

Along with the Bay Area, players can venture to China Banks and Pier 7, among other famous landmarks. In a Steam post, developer crea-ture Studios said there would be an overhaul to the Grind System, along with cleaning up True Stance and Power Slide. While post-launch content hasn’t been outlined, the development team is committed to making all gameplay features available for free.

Downloadable content will be locked behind a paywall and includes new skates, new locations, more items, and so on. More details will be shared in the “months to come.”

Session: Skate Sim is out on September 22nd for PC, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, and PS5. Current owners and pre-orders can receive the Brandalised DLC pack for free, which offers eight t-shirts/sweat-shirts and eight new board designs.

Session: Skate Sim has been in early access on Xbox consoles and PC (via Steam and the Epic Games Store) for a while at this point, and now, we also know when exactly the game will be launching in full. Nacon confirmed during its recent Nacon Connect event that Session: Skate Sim will receive its full launch on September 22. It will be available for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

Reception for the game in its early access period has been solid, so for fans of the genre, this is a game worth keeping an eye on. Check out its release date reveal trailer below.

Crea-ture Studios founding directors Marc-Andre House and Vincent da Silva said that, “We are delighted to join the Nacon group, which has more than 30 years of experience in the sector. This is a great opportunity to accelerate our development and offer ever more exciting games.” The press release confirmed that House and da Silva will contiue leading the team and also have a “great deal of autonomy” while having Nacon’s marketing, editorial and commercial resources at their disposal.

Currently, there are 12 development sites under Nacon’s video games division with over 500 developers and a publishing team of 60. The company’s 2023 plan is to become one of the “leaders in ‘AA’ video games”. Other studios that have been acquired include Big Ant Studios and Cyanide (which developed Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood and is currently working on Blood Bowl 3).

As for Session, it’s currently available in Steam Early Access and Game Preview for PC and Xbox One. Its full launch will be coming to Xbox Series X/S, PS4 and PS5.

Session was recently updated in early access with two new levels – the Courthouse in Black Hubba and Highline Bridge – along with a new skateshop in Philadelphia. Various spots have also been added to Philly while others have seen updates (and the level as a whole has been optimized). The Replay Editor has also been revamped and now features keyframe types, depth of field, a camera roll, tripod camera, an undo/redo function and more.

If that weren’t enough, new spots have been added to NYC including a new section near James Park. Various spots can also be skated on including the barriers near Murry Street and Chatham Towers and the gap in the One Police Plaza. The tutorial has also been overhauled for new players while a new mode, Skate Dice, has been added. Stay tuned for more details on Session’s full release in the meantime.

Crea-ture Studios’ Session is slated to release for Xbox One later this year but the skateboarding sim is currently live on Steam Early Access for PC. Updates are slowing down for the time being though because the developer is currently “neck high” in revamping its physics. According to the team, this physics overhaul is “something that needed to be done to take Session from where it is currently and propel it into what it can be.”

It revealed that the upgrade would require “temporarily” unhooking most of its current mechanics and developing the physics before ” hooking them back in.” After the overhaul is complete, the regular stream of updates will continue. How long it will take remains to be seen but crea-tures Studios feels that it will result in a “lot more authentic and responsive” experience.

Whether this overhaul will affect the Xbox One version’s release is also unknown so we’ll have to wait for more details in the meantime. Session launched into early access in September 2019 and offers True Stance Stick controls along with the ability to create and edit montages. It emphasizes real-world locations for skating, including a 1:1 recreation of New York.

Crea-ture Studios’ Session, a realistic skateboarding title that’s currently available on Steam Early Access, has been delayed for Xbox One. It’s now slated to release in November or early December at the latest. In a recent Facebook post, the development team stated that it needed “more time to port Session to Xbox One”.

“We know this sucks and we totally understand as we know you have been waiting to play the game on console for a while now. We know it’s not great news to hear, but it’s not particularly fun to announce either, especially for a small studio like ours.

“It is never easy to make such decisions as we know it can have an impact on several levels, so these decisions are never taken lightly. We thank you for your understanding and hope you will stick around for the Xbox One release!”

Session was announced for the Xbox One last year at E3 but seemingly faded into obscurity shortly after that. It would arrive for Steam Early Access in September 2019 and was dated for Xbox Game Preview. The game itself is fairly open-ended, promising realistic skateboarding and True Stance Stick controls for mastering different stances.

You can even film different sessions and edit them together with an in-game editor, create montages to share with others. We’ll have to wait and see if Session is a worthwhile experience on Xbox One and how it involves in the future but there is potential. Stay tuned for more details in the coming months.