EA’s Black Box is back with the latest release from the company’s landmark franchise, SKATE. The SKATE franchise has revolutionized the skateboarding genre by moving away from frantic, button-mashing control scheme of the past to a more realistic and natural setup where the right analog stick controls your skater’s moves. The SKATE series has been a very strong skate simulation title and SKATE 3 aims to build off the foundation the first two titles created.

SKATE 3 breaks new ground by taking all of the camaraderie, competition, and excitement of real-life skateboarding culture and putting it into the hands of gamers. Boasting a roster of over 25 skaters, SKATE 3 will see the return of popular skaters such as Jerry Hsu, Eric Koston, and Danny Way as well as the addition of a handful of amateurs and Jason Lee in the role of Coach Frank. This time around, skaters will also be exploring the newly created town of Port Caverton. In addition to the new location, the game also includes a host a new gameplay features and customization options, such as the ability to move and control ANY in-game object. The biggest change, however, comes in the form of the new team-based structure in which players will work with teammates to complete objectives.

The SKATE series continues to impress with each new release and this years game looks to be the best yet. SKATE 3 is expected to hit stores May 10th, 2010, but first, check out some gameplay screenshots below.