I just read an interesting post by ars technica's Ben Kuchera. He was fortunate enough to get some balance board game time with Skate It at this year’s PAX (Penny Arcade Expo). The bottom line from his point of view – "I'd rather be playing with a standard controller".

Up until now we've seen a lot of positive feedback for Skate It's balance board controls, but as more people get hands-on with this game the more we'll start to see opposing opinions. While I don't see Ben's comments as a major blow for this game, he does make some interesting comments firstly with regards to the steep learning curve. According to the EA rep, "it takes about fifteen minutes to learn to do it okay, and a few hours to really nail the tricks".

This is understandable considering the innovative way in which the balance board is zoned for different tricks but for gamers hoping to just jump on and skate and do tricks without too much effort, this is obviously going to be a negative factor. For balance board fans however, I think it's a small price to pay for the kind of realism that this game promises.

Another interesting comment was this – "The game did feel like an oddly effective workout, however, as the muscles on my lower legs started to burn during my fifteen minute demo". Now there's a real bonus or for some, or a real turn-off for others depending on what you want out of the game.

One comment he made that I don't entirely agree with was "Skate It seems to use the Wiimote and balance board because it can" which seems to imply that balance board support was kind of an afterthought. I really do feel that EA developed this game specifically for the balance board and that they have really gone out of their way to be innovative in its use. Of course time will tell, but despite some negative impressions I think EA Skate It is still set to be one of the top balance board games of 2008.

You can read Ben's full post here.

This year's winner at GC 2008 in the category Best Wii Game was none other that EA's Skate It. no real surprise really - it was always going to be a two horse race in my opinion between Skate It and Shaun White Snowboarding and I would have been happy with either one taking first spot. Here's what GC had to say:

"The Wii Fit Balance Board can do much more than just aerobics and yoga: by shifting weight and skilful use of the Nunchuk, the player carries out the most amazing tricks in (four) virtual roles. A genuine skater feel is created on the run through half-pipes and over ramps. 'Skate it' gives an authentic and original recreation of the trend sport and benefits from the special features of the Nintendo console."

Here's a great interview and some live gameplay of EA Skate It using the balance board. The clip really does give a feel for how intuitive the game is when using the balance board and also shows how you'll use the Wiimote together with the Wiiboard to perform different tricks using the various zones on the board.

PS - the sound is a bit dodgy to begin with but does come right and you will need the movenetworks media player.

Well, EA's press conference has come and gone leaving little to get excited about (at least for balance board fans). E3 critics will be saying 'told you so' but I really expected to see more on Skate It and it looks like the best we are going to get on that front are some in-booth demos. At the very least I hope we get to see some gameplay using the Wii Balance Board for tricks.

All eyes are now on Nintendo and Ubisoft. Let's hope they don't let us down.

The buzz surrounding EA Skate It is really building and the latest pro skateboarder to endorse the game is three times X Games gold medalist Danny Way. Danny has been closely involved with the project from the beginning and is clearly impressed with the mechanics of the balance board and the way in which it translates real-world skateboarding to the game saying that it's "as close as it's going to get to creating the reality of skateboarding in a video game".

You can view the Skate It interview with Danny at GameTrailers.com.

EA Games has released some more screenshots for Skate It with artwork showing how the Wii Balance Board will be used to perform tricks. Up until now, we've only seen demos of using the Wii Remote for tricks and there's been some doubt over whether the Wii Board will be used for more than just steering and manuals.

Well according to these screenshots on IGN it's good news. In addition to manuals, ollies and nollies, the balance board has been divided up into 6 zones which allow you to perform kickflips, heelflips and nollie kickflips/heelflips. I have to say I'm well impressed and kudos to EA for really thinking this through and fully using the balance board in an intuitive way. Bandai may have been the first third-party to use the balance board with We Ski, but this definitely sets the standard. Now I can't wait to see some in-game demos of the balance board but I guess we may have to wait until E3.

EA Games has just confirmed the release of Boogie Superstar in the US and Europe for October this year but there was no specific mention of support for the Wii Balance Board. According to the press release, "Girls will have a blast belting their favorite tunes into the microphone, and performing real dance moves that are captured on screen using the Wii’s motion-sensing technology".

Wii Board followers will most probably recall that rumours of a balance board compatible release of EA Boogie, initially titled EA Boogie II, have been doing the rounds for some time. Earlier this year, UK NGamer magazine broke the news that the game would actually be titled Boogie Superstar and that it would be balance board compatible. The latest press release doesn't specifically confirm anything although it did say that the game's featured artist is a chart-topping global music sensation who will help promote the game. Maybe she's brushing up on her balance board skills in preparation for a big launch at E3 next month?

Update: Well it looks like despite previous rumours, we can officially scratch Boogie Superstar off the Wii Balance Board Games List. I got in touch with EA Games and asked about balance board support and here's what they had to say:

"Boogie SuperStar will not include game play on the Wii balance board. The game will utilize a microphone peripheral for singing and the Wii Remote's motion-sensing technology for dancing, to provide players with a realistic and enjoyable performing experience."

Here's an interesting idea for skateboarders looking forward to EA Skate It. According to a post on kotaku, EA developers are considering the possibility of shipping Skate It with some kind of add-on form that will snap onto the balance board and give it more of a skateboard look and feel.

Some of you may think it's taking things a bit far but I can see where they're coming from. After some vigorous play, I often find that my feet have moved off the board's sweet spot, making the controls a little erratic. The idea is that having something which more closely resembles an actual skateboard will help users to realise when they're no longer centered on the board without having to look down at their feet.

Bear in mind that the developers are only 'considering the possibility' so it's far from being a done deal, but now that the idea is out there I'm sure that Wii accessories manufacturers are already seeing dollar signs. I'd actually like to see this taken one step further. Instead of a form that's shaped like a skateboard, rather make an attachment that let's you use your own skateboard deck or even a snowboard. Now that would be pretty cool - most probably totally impractical, but cool.

It's got to be every skater's dream. Imagine having a whole city to yourself - no cars, no people and no sweaty security guards telling you to get the hell outta here.

Well that dream's now a reality, at least in EA Skate It, after the city of San Vanelona is hit by a series of freak disasters (alien attack, Godzilla, tidal wave, tornada - got to love the artist's renderings) forcing 99% of the population to be evacuated, leaving behind a skaters paradise.

I particularly like the use of Ghost Town by The Specials who, along with The London Beat, were two of my favourite ska bands - remember Mirror in the Bathroom?

It looks like EA Sports has really taken to the Wii Balance Board with news that their new label, EA Sports Freestyle, is working on a new fitness game which will focus more on cardio-vascular workouts.

As a bit of a fitness fanatic I think this is great news. Don't get me wrong, I think Wii Fit is excellent in it's own right but I see it as more of a 'taster' of what can be done with the Wii Board so it will be interesting to see what EA does with this title.