Price: $.99

Publisher: GAMEVIL

Reviewer: Cody Sharp

Baseball Superstars II Pro ups the ante on an already strong iOS series.  Though the game is incredibly similar to the previous iterations by GAMEVIL, it adds just enough additional features, content and modes to be worth the money regardless if you have the previous versions.  If you have yet to buy any game in the series, this purchase should be a no brainer for any sports fan.

As with the previous titles, you are given many modes to play in including; Season Mode, My League (which is a story mode that lasts about 10 game years), Exhibition, Home Run Derby, and a Mission Mode.  Nearly all of the modes allow you to earn G Points which give you the ability to buy items or increase your player’s ability in the My League mode.  Part RPG, part baseball sim; My League is the real meat of the game and will make you return again and again.  Season mode even allows you to sign the players you have created in the My League mode. The integration between all of the modes is really outstanding and gives you a reason to play them all.

The graphics are not much different from previous iterations and overall they are just so-so.  I would like to see a pretty large improvement in the next version of the series in this area.  After all, this is the 4th game and not much has changed here.  The music within the menus is upbeat and easy to like.  However, the sounds within the game get incredibly tiring and hearing the same strike, ball and out announcements continuously makes it an easy decision to turn them off.

If you are looking for a game that has pick up and play ability, this one also has it in spades.  Uniquely, it also has the ability to suck you in for hours at a time.  Not many games can combine both of those qualities and I believe that is why it is such a fun title.  A word of warning – While veterans of the series will immediately recognize the game and how to play, new users may find the controls a bit tough to get used to at first.  My advice, stick with it.  You’ll be glad you did.

Overall Value for it’s $.99 price point

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

Price: $.99

Publisher: SteamPack

Reviewer: Nick Alfonse

Travel back in time to ancient Asia with SteamPack’s latest title, SamuraiTale, which tosses gamers into a story of vengeance and violence in traditional beat-em-up gameplay fashion. After the sword master, Detuka is murdered by assassins from Dark Crows, the young disciple Ryugetu sets out on a mission of redemption which is steeped in blood. Armed with just a samurai sword and his thirst for revenge, Ryugetu battles his way through the swarms of enemies in true hack and slash style.

SamuraiTale features our hero Ryugetu with his feet planted as if they were in cement, completely stationary like a statue in the center of the screen. Various enemies rush from either side, running at different speeds with unique attacks, requiring players to slash with precise timing in order to survive. A mistimed attack creates a delay where you’re left completely vulnerable, and with a strict “one and done” life meter, a single mistake pretty much means game over. Each of the four stages harbors a different boss character, with increasing difficulty and insane amounts of foes rushing towards you towards the latter moments of the game.

The animation is smooth and quick, with small spurts of blood leaping out from enemy assassin’s chests following a successful kill, as Ryugetu stands tall and poised in the face of death. In between levels, gamers are presented with some visual eye candy in the form of brilliantly drawn storyboards, accompanied with a few choppy blurbs of info about the story. As with many painfully obvious translated games, SamuraiTale has a couple English SNAFUs, including “Ryugetu finally gets the entrance of the castle,” or “Ryugetu finds that Dark Crows is not the only hit sqad (sic).” Seasoned gamers will know developers have been screwing this up since the 80s, but it’s still a clear lack of attention to detail, although not quite as side splittingly goofy as something along the lines of “All your base are belong to us.”

With a brimming soundtrack, SamuraiTale keeps the action pumping for as long as you can survive (which usually isn’t too long, unfortunately), and dots the background music with plenty of extra sound effects. The sound of enemy footsteps creeps up to Ryugetu, as a gritty slashing sound erupts with each kill, or a harsh metallic ping following a mistimed strike. Instead of recycling the same one or two tracks, SteamPack assembled a fairly full soundtrack, giving each stage and the menu screens their own dramatic, epic song.

Since Ryugetu doesn’t need to take a step in either direction, gamers will find themselves tapping up a storm in order to survive past the initial wave of Dark Crow assassins. Tap the lower portion of the screen on either side to attack low, and press the top part of the screen to strike high. Coordinating this is crucial, as certain enemies leap into the air while others charge on the ground, sometimes arriving within a split second of each other.

Grammar errors and jokes aside, SteamPack utilized the soundtrack and graphics to their advantage in an attempt to make a fairly one dimensional game more attractive than it actually is. In addition to the four stage story mode, there’s also an unlimited option which pits Ryugetu against a never ending onslaught of enemies, although the replay value here is pretty limited. However, for $0.99, I’m not exactly expecting SoulCalibur 5.

Overall Value for it’s $.99 price point

Overall: Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Graphics: Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Sound: Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Controls: Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Price: $.99

Publisher: Gutenberg Nieto

Reviewer: Nick Alfonse

Grab the sunscreen, pull on your swimming gear, and strap on your best pair of flippers, because Gutenberg Neto is taking iPhone gamers on an all new underwater adventure. Join our aquatic friend as he swims through the sea, avoiding enemies and obstacles to survive as long as possible in this fast paced side scrolling title. Pleasantly cartoony, easy on the eyes, and simple to play, The Fish Dies in the End cuts the fat and serves up a game which is almost exactly what its name implies.

I’d be lying if I said the little guy didn’t remind me of the iconic fish from Disney’s Finding Nemo, although he’s without the exotic clown fish markings and signature Pixar animation. With a goofy grin and a pair of brilliant sea green eyes, he attempts to navigate through treacherous waters with spiky coral, electrifying jelly fish, and razor sharp sea urchins. As gamers progress, frowny faced sea rays and bloodthirsty piranhas come flying across the screen, topped off with the feeding frenzy of sharks that’re really capable of ruining your day. The longer he survives, the higher the score climbs, but with only three lives, it takes a soft touch and nimble timing to make it past more than one or two shark attacks.

The Fish Dies in the End is completely 2D, with a softly colored aquatic background and floating bubbles running across the foreground of the action. Each of the enemies is surprisingly angry at the little goldfish, as advertised by their glowing red eyes, gnashing teeth, and disdainful scowls pasted upon their faces. When colliding with one of these testy foes, our underdog hero winces in pain, blinking with invincibility for about a second before returning to the fray. The action really heats up during the shark attacks, as the screen fades to an ominous dark reddish hue as a wave of the ferocious hunters come screaming at you from nearly every direction.

A cutesy, bubbly background song provides the music for menus and gameplay, accentuated by a handful of effects. Tapping to swim evokes a quick splashing sound, while taking damage from one of the hostile starfish or sea urchins is marked by a little smacking effect. As the background colors change for an upcoming shark attack, the music shifts into overdrive for a few moments, quickly changing back to the original song (provided you survive the wave of predators).

If you’re pining for a simplistic control system, look no further, as The Fish Dies in the End is all centered on one tap, and one tap only. Press to swim upward, release to float back down. The real challenge though is learning how often and long to tap to effectively dart between attackers, especially the sharks, who move faster than anything else on screen.

This isn’t super flashy, complicated, or thrilling, but simply an entertaining, quick mobile game which achieves exactly what it sets out to do. Swim through the obstacles, rack up points, and fight your way through shark feeding frenzies, but rest assured that this fish will die in the end, no matter what.

Overall Value for it’s $.99 price point

Overall: Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Graphics: Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Sound: Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Controls: Rating: 4 out of 5 stars