OlliOlli 2: Welcome to OlliWood

Cinematic in name and in nature, OlliOlli 2 nails everything that a sequel should aspire to be: iterating on the core concepts of its predecessor by offering a more refined and enjoyable experience. Not only that, Roll7 has crafted a second album to be proud of, one which takes seconds to learn and possibly an eternity to master.

I had an overabundance of mellow to harsh, though, because OlliOlli 2 distributes the stuff generously. It has a feel that no other game really captures, and a flow that's hypnotic within mere seconds of starting up a new track. Every single drop of OlliOlli 2's aesthetic and every single one of its mechanics is built around accentuating that experience, and it never stops working, from your first push-off to your final, exhilarating landing.

Even with its new tricks, it's hard to look at OlliOlli2 as not just "more OlliOlli." If you weren't into the action the first time around, or if you’ve already had your fill of it, there is nothing here to win you over. One of the few features that could help differentiate the sequel, local multiplayer, isn't in the game at launch (but will be patched in later), and, slight graphical improvements aside, you might be able to watch over someone's shoulder and not be sure whether they're playing OlliOlli2 or its predecessor.