We tried Mike V: Do or Die, a game developed by RatRod Studio for iPhone and iPod Touch. A skating arcade in 3D, following the same line of Tony Hawk's games.
Mike Vallely is quite a famous character...bah, al least in North America. He is not well known around here. For most of us, skating world begins and ends with Tony Hawk. But Mike has been around for a long time, event appearing as a secret character on some of Tony's games. Not only he is a skater, but he is also a musician and an actor.
The game that RatRod gave us is a 3D game where we can skate freely though 7 different tracks, doing all kind of tricks in order to unlock the next track. To accomplish this task, we will use all the power that the iPhone has to offer us: we turn by tilting the device, move by swiping the left finger and do the tricks by tapping and swiping the board on out right. The controls scheme is very creative, intuitive and, most important, very realistic.
There is a large number of tricks that can be done doing different gestures over the skateboard. Problem is: sometimes this system is not accurate enough. We will find ourselves doing different trick that the ones we intended to do. Additionally, physics simulation is not a strong point in this game: it is not possible to fall from the board, so it doesn't matter how bad we fall after failing to do a trick, we will always remain standing.
Graphics are pretty nice, the game really uses all of the iPhone's capability, showing a nice and detailed 3D world. Characters movements look nice most of the time and there are lots of different skins and clothes where we can choose from, than will be unlocked as we advance in the game. There are also lots of different designed for the skateboard, including different kinds of wheel, so we will be able to customize it as much as we like.
The music is in charge of Revolution Mother, Mike's band, giving us some cool heavy/hardcore tunes that really go perfectly with the game. There are plenty of song available, so you won't be get bored...but if you do, you can play your own songs as well. Sound effects are good: just what is necessary for this kind of game.
There is a lot of extra material, like photos or videos of different skaters, that can be unblocked later during the game.
Mike V: Do or Die is a really fun game, event if you are not a skating fan. But for those who are, this is a must-have. The game need iPhone 3G or iPod Touch 2G to work, so keep that in mind before buying it. You can find it in the AppStore for 4.99u$s
