Price: $1.99

Publisher: Widget Revolt

Ice Tales HD is a retro action puzzler game where you play as Pendleton, a penguin that has been wrongfully placed in the middle of nowhere. You job is to keep Pendleton alive and get him home by collecting various objects but more importantly, by avoiding certain objects.

Each level consists of a map of ice blocks that create a mini maze. The ways the maps are built make controlling the penguin a bit difficult. You control Pendleton by swiping across the screen.  The faster you can flick the faster he moves. You can also make him jump by tapping the screen; this will come in handy when trying to get around obstacles.  Overall the controls take a bit of getting used to and could have been a little less twitchy.

Each level has one goal, to collect as many starfish as possible. Along with starfish each level has a fish bucket (we all know penguins love to eat fish) that will give you tons of points once you get to it, but get to it quickly because seagulls will show up and cause problems. So far things sound pretty easy going in the life of Pendleton, right? Well not so fast. Pendleton isn’t the only one after the starfish. Crabs, seals, bears, and squids are all out to get Pendleton so beware.

The retro-ness of the game really comes out in the graphics and audio. Right away you notice the graphics being a little…dated. But hey, that’s retro! Right? And then I heard the in game audio and WOW it blew me away. I actually started loudly laughing in public. It is very retro. The beeps and bloops really create a great feel for the retro game.

Aesthetically speaking this game is definitely a blast from the past but in my opinion, a good retro game needs to have a bit of a modern twist built in. Unfortunately, that twist seems to be missing in Ice Tales HD and it’s not very different from 8-bit games twenty years ago. That’s not to say it isn’t fun.  Just that there’s nothing unique about it that helps it stand out.

Overall Value for it’s $1.99 price point

Overall: Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Graphics: Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Sound: Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Controls: Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Price: $6.99

Publisher: Days of Wonder, Inc.

My first impressions of Ticket to Ride were not good. The menu graphics seemed hokey; they are all still-frames that look like oil paintings. Once you tap on a link to another menu the next menu slides in to frame. This whole time the train conductor is voicing over each screen with the options that you have just activated. Once you’ve tapped the Play! Button you are shown four different game maps to choose from. The United States map comes with the game but the other three maps are DLC, the most expensive being $3.99; the least expensive – 99 cents. This menu is also the menu where you choose to play against the computer, online, or pass and play, all modes allow up to five players.

Once the game begins the hokey graphics become a thing of the past and brighter and better graphics take over. If you need it, there is a very in-depth tutorial that will literally walk you through every aspect of the game. However, if you are anything like me, a real man, you will forego the instructions and learn as you go. Which is what I did when I got whipped my first game and the second. But I finally won the third game (after I watched the tutorial). So save yourself some time and watch it.

The gameplay is pretty simple, the object of the game is to create as many train paths as possible. The game begins by having you pick to destination tickets.  By connecting to these destinations, you gain additional bonus points.  Certain tracks require specific train colors; green tracks have to have green train cars, red tracks need red cars. Gray tracks however, can use any color train car. Each round you are allowed to pick up to three destination tickets, pick two train car cards, or play the cards you have collected.

The solo games are quite fun and they move along very quickly.  I found that the computer players aren’t too easy or too difficult. Online play is a different story. I tended to wait for the other player to make their move and I didn’t seem to lose quite as much. Oddly enough, I never played against another American when I played the USA map.

After a few games you will be hooked, I’ve been playing Ticket to Ride ever since I downloaded it. It’s taken me over an hour to write this review because I keep getting sucked into another game. To wrap this up, Ticket to Ride is an amazingly fun game and well worth the $6.99 price tag.

Overall Value for it’s $6.99 price point

Overall: Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Graphics: Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Sound: Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Controls: Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Price: $4.99

Publisher: Out Of The Park Development

Reviewer: Josh Cox

Fans of baseball, rejoice!  A baseball game has finally arrived for the iPhone that doesn’t take just quick flicks of a finger to be successful but instead rewards thinking on your feet and making good decisions in the role of a GM or Manager of a major league club.  iOOTP is built on the same simulation engine of the world’s best selling baseball simulation, Out Of The Park baseball (OOTP).

What is involved in being successful in iOOTP?  Well success comes in different forms depending on what you are looking for.  You can manage each and every game if you’d like to, following along with the play by play and strategically stealing a base or bringing in the closer.  Or perhaps you would rather sim a week at a time and make moves from behind the scenes, trading for the players that will help you get to the pennant.  Whichever way you decide to control the game, you will be able to play using this year’s rosters, start a fictional league and work from an initial draft or even start in one of three historical seasons (that use real stats, teams and players from the past).

The interface within the game offers an absolute ton of information about your players and the controls make it easy to get from one screen to the next.  You can pull up a player by simply clicking his name from the roster, depth chart or rotation and slide your way to the exact information you are looking for.  If you have ever played Football Manager for the iPhone, this will feel very familiar.  The screens are simply laid out in the most simplistic, yet informative way possible.

Each day news reports are created from around your league to show you what’s going on.  Whether it be a weekly award or a major injury, seeing what is going on in the league during a given day is pretty easy.  One of the things missing from the initial release is an ongoing history for each player in your league.  The developers of the game have already mentioned that the information is being tracked and may be released in a future update.  This would be greatly appreciated as it would add further to the feeling of immersion within the league.

As far as the sim results for the 2011 season, be ready to get excited.  The standings looked spot on for 2011 after replaying it multiple times.  Unfortunately my Cubbies finished middle of the pack during the first season.  During the offseason I was able to make some key acquisitions, including picking up Mr. Albert Pujols, which turned the subsequent year around and helped my Cubbies easily make it to the playoffs.  There is no limit on the number of seasons you can play so that means seeing exactly how a player like Bryce Harper develops, year after year and his final career stats.

There is really no other iPhone baseball game that is like iOOTP.  With its realistic stats, great interface and unbelievable detail – it is sure to please anyone interested in the numbers of baseball or the strategy of managing a team.  There isn’t a single fantasy league baseball player that shouldn’t take the leap and buy this game.  After all, it is tailored to your exact interests.  Pony up the $4.99 and jump into the 2011 season today.

Overall Ratings for $4.99 Price:

Overall Value: Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Graphics: Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Sound: Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Controls: Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Price: $.99

Publisher: Runloop Ltd.

Reviewer: Josh Cox

Blockees is a fun and addicting puzzle based game where you must align blocks that are the same color by sliding them around the screen. The premise behind Blockees is quite simple yet very hard to master. Each level it a totally new challenge that can take awhile to beat.

Each level starts out with a grid playing area. This area will contain multiple blockees and a brush looking boarder.  The object is to eliminate the blockees by putting them in contact (touching sides, not corners). Once the blockees are touching they will disappear either ending the level are creating more room to eliminate the other blockees on the current level.

At the bottom of the screen there is a number that lets you know how many moves it should take you to complete each level. This number changes every time you make a move so be aware of this number at all times. If you finish the level within the allowed moves then you earn a star. Stars can be used on later levels to unlock hints. Believe me you will need stars. Some of the levels are tough. I got stuck on one so long that I had to quit playing for a while and come back to it. But just like any good game, I went back to it and kept playing.

There are five different colors of blockees: red, yellow, blue, gray, and rainbow. The gray blockees do not mix with any other blockees and the rainbow ones mix with all three of others. There is also a bomb character, he’s round so I feel uncomfortable calling him a blockee, but he blows up grays and bushes and freezes the red, yellow, and blue blockees.

There are 3 sets of levels, each set containing 25 levels. And if that wasn’t enough you can build your own levels and let others play them. And if that wasn’t enough you can download hundreds of other people levels. There really is no end to the amount of gameplay.

The graphics and audio are simple and vivid, but that fits the game very well. The colors pop and the audio is catchy. I think gamers of all ages will love Blockees. For the amount of fun and sheer gameplay, Blockees is a steal at $.99.

Overall Value for it’s $.99 price point

Overall: Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Graphics: Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Sound: Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Controls: Rating: 4 out of 5 stars