There’s no arguing that graphically, True Skate has it going on. Instead of going for an arcade look, True Skate sports realistic graphics.
True Skate (Universal: $1.99) 
“The most authentic skateboarding game available on iOS or any other platform. The only thing more authentic, is an actual skateboard.”
Presentation
The game has a lower point of view than the top down view in Touchgrind, which allows you to see both the board and what’s up ahead. Because of this, the controls are different, and the way you see your board react is also different. When you pop your board, you can instantly see how the board reacts to your command. It even has awesome lighting effects. The only down side to the game is that there is only one skate park to skate in, and after a while, you pretty much know the thing by memory.
Controls
Skateboarding games on the iPhone have suffered from difficult controls in the past, but True Skate may have just set the bar. There is nothing between you and the board: no buttons, no UI (besides the buttons up top), nothing. What I will give to the game is that the controls feel slightly more realistic. The game is controlled by swiping and tapping the board in specific ways. And let me tell you: it isn’t easy. While after playing Touchgrind non-stop, I have yet to get the hang of True Skate. It feels like if you don’t do something perfectly, it’s all over. Worse, when I did manage to pull some tricks, it felt like I was doing it wrong. Most of my points came from grinding, which in itself felt wrong due to its slow speed. Sadly there isn’t much to say about the controls to make it any better. Sure, they feel natural, it’s simply very difficult to get the hang out of even the most basic thing.
Gameplay
Gameplay is another area where True Skate falls short. When you first launch the game, True Skates takes you though a short tutorial, showing you the basics of how to move, pull tricks, etc. And after that, you’re set free onto this skate park full of ramps, rails, and pretty much anything you might need to pull off some tricks.
The gameplay in True Skate involves pulling certain tricks in certain areas, and being rated on how well you did. There’s also “Follow the Leader” which involves following a ghost board to see what it does next. In the end though, True Skate is a sandbox game, which is good and bad. It leaves the player alone to do whatever they want, but at the sometime, with only one skate park, it gets boring easily.
Conclusion
In the end, True Skate feels like it fails to deliver. It’s got great graphics, mission, and hell, even a nice, realistic approach to skateboarding for the first time on iOS. However, that is what puts the nail in it’s coffin. The controls, and game overall, it hard. I can’t wait to see what comes next from True Axis (here’s hoping for Jet Car Stunts 2), but unfortunately, I can’t recommend True Skate.
