Developer: Illusion Labs
Price: $4.99
Version reviewed 1.0

Graphics: 5 stars
Game Controls: 4 stars
Re-use/Replay Value Rating: 4 stars
Overall Rating: 4.5 stars

I love skateboarding, so when Illusion Labs released their virtual skateboard game called TouchGrind, I quickly ran for a copy.  After seeing numerous youtube videos and pictures of the game, it looked like it would be fun the second you open it, but my first impression wasn’t what I expected.  I opened the game, and I had to go down this 7 button “how to” tutorial and then try to practice those moves several times in the “warm up” section of the game.  It took a long time to get used to the tricks and moves and it really made we want to delete the game.  It wasn’t because the game was bad, it was just because the tutorial wasn’t interactive enough. (A great example of an interactive tutorial is Super Monkey Ball or Antimatter)
After a week of using the game, I started to get the hang of it, and I got obsessed with the game.  The graphics are stunning and are really crisp.  It has very accurate shadowing, color shades, ramps, and boards.

The gameplay is pretty awesome, but since the skateboard takes up most of the iPhone’s screen, you have a limited view of  the objects around you, but the markings on the game makes up for that.  Illusion Labs did a great job of creating a lot of boards (you win new boards by doing tricks in front of judges) so the game lasts a while.

Overall, I think that TouchGrind is a very innovative iPhone application.  It is extremely unique and really shows what the iPhone can offer.  It may be a little hard to play at first, and you may have a limited view of the objects around you, but TouchGrind really is an awesome game and I definitely recommend that you buy it.