Session: Skate Sim - Abandoned Mall Review (_kikku)
nice compact map packed with interesting spots that you can get really creative, although the big quarter pipes brings me a question of why haven't they still even bothered to improve the transition skating till now
my main grief is actually just how it looks- the thing i LOVE about Session's base maps is how genuine they feel. streets are mostly true to their real life counterparts with a lot of things that most of the tourists wouldn't really want to see, like a pile of litters sitting down in the corner of the street or an entire block full of worn out concrete buildings. it gives so much life to wherever you go in this game even without the pedestrians but it's simply not the case with this DLC
a bunch of graffiti that are just stamped on the wall and floor texture rather than feeling like they're actually drawn by some locals around the place, lot of colors feel like they're just there because they obligatory had to, and most of the ramps and objects are conveniently placed for skating rather than blending into the place. honestly it has that "corporate punk" vibe all around which you can find in titles like Riders Republic and later THPS games(THPS wore it better tho)
this artistic direction actually gives me more concern about the future of this game because i believe a lot of people who've been here since the kickstarter~early access days should also got the appeal from how genuine the whole thing feels, and how it makes you see the street in the same way we do irl skating. if Session follows the same path with being another "Hot Topic: The Game" it's not only the problem of presentation and atmosphere but also the gameplay itself and the general experience
that's a lot of thoughts with a mere single DLC map from me but still, yea