Hands on with Skater Nation on iPhone

Plenty of skateboarding games have flocked to iPhone and iPod touch, but Skater Nation looks to swoop in like a hawk and stake claim to the territory. Impressive controls and seamless sandbox design could have this promising title roosting at the top of the genre.

Set in the fictional city of Sandifornia, Skater Nation has you hop on the board as one of eight different skaters in its showcase Career mode. Six skaters are available initially, with an additional pair unlocked after your first run through the game, each differing in their abilities.

Variations in jump height, speed, grinding ability, manual skill and other attributes give each skater a unique play style.

While you're unable to augment these stats or customise your skater's threads, parts acquired by completing missions can be used to tailor your skateboard. Deck, tracks, wheels - the game provides ten options as you tackle the game's 36 challenges.

Roaming the open expanse of Sandifornia, you can take on challenges by chatting up characters milling about the city's districts. Free Ride mode allows you to mess around at any of the city's locations, but the sandbox structure of Career mode enables you to move freely between areas without loading times or even seeking out any of the scripted challenges.

The latter vary from item collection to earning points to pulling off specific tricks. One challenge, for instance, asks that you grind three ramps in quick succession. Another requires earning 5,000 points within time. Finding a way to the top of a tall building is your task in a later challenge. Linking together a series of specific tricks is your objective in yet another.

Pulling off tricks and other maneouvres relies on a combination of button presses, flicks of a virtual analogue stick, and tilts of your handset. Despite a limited interface, Skater Nation delivers surprisingly capable controls. No doubt committing the massive trick list to memory will take time, but the basics are intuitive.

Two virtual buttons sit in the lower-right corner opposite the analogue stick. Pressing down on the A button initiates a jump: the longer you hold down the button, the higher the jump. A follow up tap of the A button while airborne results in flips corresponding to the direction swiped on the analogue stick.

The B button switches your stance while rolling on the ground, whereas tapping it during a jump executes a grab. Flicking the analogue stick during a grab sets it in the corresponding direction.

Additionally, manuals let you string together tricks by combining taps of the B button while on the ground and either flicking the analogue stick or tilting your device. Manuals grow increasingly hard to execute the higher your combo, essentially eliminating the possibility of infinite combos.

Pull off a particularly impressive string of tricks and you can upload a replay video to YouTube. Lengthy 3-4 minutes replays can be edited and then uploaded, notable videos highlighted on the game's official community website. Along with trophies through Gameloft Live, there ought to be sufficient replay value.

Only the lack of multiplayer gives us pause, though Skater Nation still looks to surpass expectations with great controls and leisurely open-ended gameplay. Look for it to appear on the App Store in early December.