Monday 22 September 2014

App Review No. 68 True Skate

Strong Points:
Lots of tricks
Fluid movement
Great graphics
Range of skateparks and customisation options
Lots of missions
Addictive
Intuitive touch mechanic
Amazing freeplay
Good sound effects

Weak Points:
Skateparks and unlimted slow-mo, wheel colours etc. can only be purchased via IAP's
All other purchases can be made with True Credits, which are extremely hard to get
Missions are repetitive and not as good as freeplay
Can get boring after a while
Tricks are just variations of a core few
Control scheme is hard to grasp at beginning
There are IAP's in a paid game!




In-depth Review:

Release Dates:
World Wide: 9th October, 2012

Controls:
Slide next to the skateboard to speed up
Slide/touch the skateboard to perform tricks

Let me start off this review by saying I don't board so I have no idea what any of these tricks mean (half double dolphin flip anyone?). Now that we have that cleared up, onto the review and the app itself and wow is it well done. The physics of the skateboard are excellent, with many tricks for you to try out and master.

However, if you don't know how to board, either in real life or a game, then the beginning of the game can be quite difficult with the controls scheme being quite difficult to grasp but when you do get it, you will suddenly become addicted to this game.

You can either play free play or complete missions which are basically "follow me" missions, tasking you with following another skateboard and you are scored on the accuracy of your path following. The missions can be unlocked using True Credits, the games currency or using IAP's. This is the first of True Skates problems.

Being a paid game for over £2, you would expect that there would be no IAP's but sadly you would be mistaken. Any new skateparks you want to buy are IAP's and if you want unlimited wheel colour changes, slow-mo refills etc. expect to pay up. Now while the original skatepark is good, I would have liked to have at least 2 or 3 which you wouldn't have to pay for and instead unlock by completing things. Now while you can buy wheel colours etc. for True Credits, they are hard to get and will take you a long time.

The graphics and sound effects are brilliant and really helps to immerse you into the app. However, it would have been nice if there were either more sound effects of people talking etc., or music because the skatepark is practically bear.

After playing for a few minutes, the game does start to show signs of repetition with the tricks just adding another number and the missions making you repeat the same thing over and over.

Conclusion: overall this is a great little app to pass the time in car journeys etc. but was let down by the IAP's. Wait for a free week if you're not too in to skateboards (like I did).

Rating: 82%

Thanks for reading, Satamer.

Updates:

New course - SLS 2015: New Jersey

New course - Mondo Ramp
3D Touch controls on supported devices

New course - SLS 2015 Los Angeles
New missions on SLS courses implementing Street League's scoring system

Fixed bug where downloading or applying a deck would sometimes freeze the app
Fixed bug to stop missions being accessible in realistic mode
Fixed bug where some missions would not appear in correct locations
Fixed issue where cancelling a custom image would revert to the default deck in cases when it should have reverted to a branded deck

Added a Skateboard Store with 50+ decks from nine major skateboard brands
Added mission hot spots to courses to access missions
Increased True Credit limit to 100,000
Decks are now harder to fully wear down
Fixed recent issues with blunt slide controls

New courses can now be purchased in 6 pack bundles as well one at a time. However, if you have already purchased a course from a bundle then the bundle will no longer be available

New course - Street League Super Crown 2014
Manual slow motion control
View replay button added to the HUD
Spin Cam is on by default
Adjust board angle for landing on transitions
Improved grind lock on and roll off physics for lips
Tail or nose now stays above a grind rail when trying to stop down onto it
Fixed some speed up glitches on grinds
Fixed issue with the board steering the wrong way during extreme skid angles
Various bug fixes

Fixed Game Center not working bug
Facebook comparability update necessary for Facebook functionality to continue working
Improved account management for attaching Facebook to accounts
Other fixes

New skate course: the pro course from Skatepark of Tampa
Fixed issue with steering and pushing at the same time using two fingers

New skate course: The Valley

New skate course: SLS 2014 Los Angeles (IAP)
New camera angles
Remembers the last park played and camera angle
More spin cam button position options

New skate course: SLS 2014 Chicago (IAP)
Skateboard wear: scuff up your deck and grip
Trick scoring for Manuals, Primos and Caspers
New physics for Primo catching and balancing
Easier Manuals
Scoring for body spin tricks when using Spin Cam
Unlock full gap and trick lists
Higher skateboard graphics detail
And more!

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