When I said in my review of Skate 2 that the ability to record and upload your own video was a game-changer, I wasn't kidding. I can see a day when some form of video generation will be seen as mandatory. Heck, if by next generation the consoles themselves don't come built in with the ability to take your own screenshots, something is terribly wrong.

To get you up to speed, here's how video works in Skate 2: The game is always recording, but it doesn't hang onto your footage indefinitely. If you pull a great trick or see a hilarious glitch you pretty much have to stop and save it right then, or the moment will be forever lost. The first Skate had a similar feature, but it wasn't quite as robust. The best new addition is the ability to reposition the camera. You can move the chase camera (the one that constantly follows the skater) or put the camera on sticks at a fixed location (the camera will pan to track the skater).

Here's an example I made using the chase camera. I adjusted the position of the camera a little closer to street level to make my ollies through the big cement openings feel a little more dramatic. I also slowed the jumps down to 40-percent speed for the same effect.

This clip uses a fixed camera to give viewers a nice long look at all the mayhem I caused during a particularly bad bail.

The thing I really dig about this feature is how easy it is to make an interesting video and get it onto the Web. Of course, folks with more technical know-how will be making entire skateboarding videos out of this footage. The ability to download the .flv file from the skate.Reel Web site will make the process fairly pain-free.

But already there's a ton of interesting stuff to be done with these videos. Firstly, people are using them to show off their skills. I'll use this opportunity to explain to you the two of the different skating styles in Skate 2. See, you can play Skate 2 ultra-realistically, sticking to the kinds of tricks mortals can pull off -- like these tricky manuals from Blaze97:

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But you can also do some really insane, bionic stuff. People call stunts like jumping off of buildings or pulling off totally improbable moves "arcade"-style maneuvers -- much in the same way that a game like Burnout is considered arcade-style racing when compared to the more simulation-oriented gameplay of Gran Turismo. Anyway, check out Chief Reef dropping in off the top of a dam, landing, then continuing his line with a high-speed grind. Totally improbable, but still really, really cool.

In addition to impressive feats of dexterity, you'll also find tons of great bails, glitches and bloopers hitting the Web. One of the wildest is "Waterbottle Steals Skateboard," which is found at Goonskate -- a spin-off skate community with roots in the Something Awful Forums.

Best of all, these clips need not be mere diversions. These videos are also a really great way of sharing game tips. Check out this footage of one of the game's hardest challenges, "Can You Spell Girl?". Players are supposed to best two artificial-intelligence-controlled pros in a game of S.K.A.T.E. (like the old basketball game H.O.R.S.E., only you copy tricks rather than jump shots), matching the insane moves that they pull off. Even the most skilled skaters have a tough time with this one. That was until BIGBEN4X4, a poster at the EA forums, discovered that you could drag a barrier in front of the trick ramp, confusing the pros into screwing up their tricks. Here's the result:

I'll be watching community videos in the weeks ahead, and will post more of the best stuff that I find. If you've found a Skate 2 video that you think is particularly interesting drop me a note at gus.mastrapa@crispygamer.com and maybe I'll drop it in into the next column.