Well said viewpoint here... and I agree with enjoying some tricks more than in Skate. I really dig the skater's style for the mocap, though some of his tricks coming out looking bad in-game. It's mostly landing looks funny, like for lazers. The character model is more realistic looking than any in the Skate series.
I really believe with all these animations smoothed out with less magnetism in grinds and adjustable trucks for sensitivity in turning could make for a really great game. I'm really curious to see how they tackle vert and transitions. How smooth will the next update be?