Mike V: Do or Die - Skateboarding

I’ve never been entirely convinced that licensing a personality bears any impact on the quality of a game, though it does serve to drive the price up a bit.

I’ve surfed the pavements in my time, but I'm not exactly a Mike Vallely follower. So does it make any difference to the skating experience if we know the licensee behind Mike V: Do or Die?

There are enough skating games that the most immediate question is always going to be: “What does this one do differently?” It’s a 3D affair, and you steer your deck by tilting the handset. That’s nothing new - indeed, it’s expected.

It’s in the movement of the board that Mike V: Do or Die aims to set itself apart from the pack and thankfully, it's successful.

The left side of the screen is used to give the skater momentum by swiping the touchscreen as if your foot was pushing on concrete. Swiping in the opposite direction grinds the board to a halt.

The right side of the screen features a top-down view of the semi-translucent skateboard, which is operated the same way as movement. Sliding a finger up and down the board in different directions and at different angles kicks the board in the appropriate manner. This allows jumps and mid-air tricks to be initiated in a totally organic manner.

It’s a simple mechanic, yet one that matches the operation of a skateboard so closely it’s a wonder it hasn’t been done before. Hitting just the right angle when swiping the thin board isn’t easy, but this difficulty fits with the real-life operation of a skateboard, so it’s hard to criticise the game for such realism.

The camera can be skewed by riding into obstacles, unfortunately, which complicates control. It's clearly a bug in the system. This is far less excusable, and is enough to bugger the current game and force a full restart.

The venues aren’t quite as realistic. The graphics are decidedly bland, profoundly so when skating outside. Indoor, things look pretty good; however, flat textures and sharp edges on objects give the game a rigid, unpolished look.

As always you can follow a career path (apparently based on the ascension of the eponymous Mike V to pro status) or you can opt for a free ride system, which even allows you to rather perplexingly get behind the wheel of a car. It doesn’t harm the game, though it doesn't fit either.

It’s a solitary experience surfing around the streets of Mike V: Do Or Die – Skateboarding struggling to pull off tricks, so the casual gamer need not apply. The hardcore skating fraternity will appreciate the unique board controls, however, and delight in rising to the challenge set by Mike V.