Mike V: Do or Die – Skateboarding: Review

Mike V: Do or Die – Skateboarding appeared in the app store yesterday afternoon for $4.99. It is the second full-fledged skateboarding game to come out (after Skater Nation). Even though these two games have the same theme, they are totally different games. In Do or Die, you move using the accelerometer, not a virtual d-pad. Also, the tricks are pulled off by sliding or holding a skateboard on the right side of the screen. The best comparison I can make of the controls is to Touch Grind, without the board taking up the whole screen.



There are two game modes in Do or Die: Career and Free Ride. In Career, there are 7 different levels. You have a limited amount of time to gain experience to pass the level. Experience is gained by doing tricks and doing combos. In you gain enough experience, you level up. This gets you new gear. There is a lot more customization in Do or Die than in Skater Nation. In Free Ride, you select a location to go, and then you drive a cool car using the accelerometer and your finger to drive to that location. The driving part of the game is fun, but it feels out of place. In free ride you are able to go to all 7 locations no matter if you have unlocked them or not.



The controls in Do or Die are easy to get used to if you have played touchgrind. But if you haven’t played touchgrind, it will take some time to get used to it. You can swipe, tap, hold, or double-tap the board in various places to pull off tricks. One thing I found weird was that it is very hard to crash. You can pull off crazy tricks without having to start with an Ollie. The controls in Do or Die are creative and fun, but you could easily get frustrated with them.

The graphics in Do or Die, in my opinion, aren’t as good as Skater Nation’s. However the developer of Do or Die is more available than Gameloft, so I believe that the developer will listen to any feedback. Overall, if you are a skateboarding fanatic, you will find yourself at home with the controls and the game. I have seen many opinions about the game, and everyone wants a comparison to Skater Nation. So I’ll give my opinion. I prefer Skater Nation to Do or Die because of the controls. I felt at home with the normal A and B controls plus the virtual d-pad. However I never played touchgrind, so it was hard for me to get the controls right.

Before you go out and buy the game you need to note: THIS GAME REQUIRES THE IPHONE 3G OR BETTER, AND THE IPOD TOUCH 2G OR BETTER. So before you spend $4.99 on a game, make sure that your device meets the requirements. Another thing to note is that this game allows you to play your own music, so you don’t have to listen to their soundtrack if you don’t want to. If you still aren’t convinced, there are some websites you can go to see videos.

Video game main trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jy4SCUZFVIw
Official Website: http://mikevdoordie.com/
Even more videos: http://forums.toucharcade.com/showthread.php?t=46078&highlight=mike

Overall 3.5 out of 5 (hard controls, good graphics, great skateboarding experience)

Mike V:Do or Die-Skateboarding on the App Store.