Month: April 2009

About time someone brought a Tony Hawk-like skateboarding game to the iPhone. Fuel Industries has created Vans SK8: Pool Service [iTunes Link]. The game brings the skateboarding type of game everyone loves to the iPhone.

The game concept is simple (for now). You have one "pool" to skate in, two skaters (Bucky Lasek and Omar Hassan) , around 20 boards, and a bunch of wheels. One thing that is really cool is how you can customize your deck. You choose the skateboard and then the wheels you want. You play by tilting your device in the way you want your skater to move. You do tricks by swiping on the screen (it's not so hard, really). And as to graphics, they are really good. Screenshots don't really do it justice but take a look:

The game features a Career mode in which you must skate and accomplish certain achievements to unlock events. Overall, the game is quite fun. Plus it is unique. But I must say, it IS a bit short. However it's not extremely short and it is not the kind of game you will get bored of.

My experience with the game so far has been great. There are a few bugs here and there but nothing major and it is getting fixed in an upcoming bug-fix update. The physics feel realistic, and the controls are very well implemented. I have no complaints (just requests for things to add in update :) ).  As I said the screenshots don't do it much justice, but the video does give you a better idea:

Vans SK8 is currently priced at $4.99 . In my opinion the game is well worth it.  It brings iPhone one game closer to other consoles. Great job done by Fuel Industries, congrats on making the iPhone's first skateboard game. It's great!

Oh and for those wondering, this is my current score:

The following is a guest post by Mike Damian from midVentures.com, a Chicago-based tech firm who developed the Landmark Finder app for iPhone.

How often do you find yourself with time to kill and nothing to do? How would you like to take your friends and loved-ones on a memorable weekend getaway without spending lots of money?

Landmark Finder is an app that geo-locates your iPhones position and displays relevant landmarks on a Google map or list form. We use Landmark Finder all the time to:

See where famous people lived Discover where important battles were fought See where championship teams played Experience where natural disasters took place Discover great works of architecture, interesting neighborhoods, and exciting infrastructure! Marvel in exotic parks Witness Engineering marvels Learn about museums, parks, and hotels to spend the night

Landmark Finder covers the entire US including: New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, Austin, Philadelphia, Orlando, Miami, San Francisco, San Jose, Detroit, Jacksonville, Indianapolis, and many more cities!

Landmark Finder is perfect for weekend getaways, layovers at airports, people who often take business trips, who knows, you might even learn something about the city you live in!

We also plan on aggressively updating the app with social bookmarking features, the ability for people to add landmarks and have the crowds approve them, and other social features when iPhone OS3 comes out.

Landmark Finder is available from the App Store for $0.99, so think about checking it out, and keep your eyes peeled for a feature-rich update in the future.