Baseball Slugger: Home Run Race 3D Video Review

I'm about to say something rarely said here: This is a great game for the iPhone! Baseball Slugger: Home Run Race 3D, is a great mix of nice graphics, easy but addictive gameplay, and online matchups. It also doesn't hurt that it's just 99 cents.

As the name implies, you're trying to see how many home runs you can hit. A computer pitcher throws the ball, you adjust your zone, and swing for the fences. It's a little difficult to tell just when the ball is over the plate, but with time, you'll get better and better at judging that.

The game mixes up several different views of your homers, and includes special "novelty" balls that can double your score, erase outs (in single player mode) etc.

The game takes a straightforward concept and keeps it fresh. Using matchup mode you can take on similarly skilled players (in the rookie channel) or if you're feeling lucky, take on another player of any skill set.

In short it's everything a $2.99 app should be, at a third of the price.

Take a look:

GloBall For The iPhone and iPod Touch

We're definitely entering Apps 2.0 in the App store. Even the simplest of games are maturing and starting to utilize the unique properties of the iPhone. Globall is one of those apps. Globall is a fairly straightforward (but fun) game in which you control a glowing ball to break blocks, gather coins, and avoid enemies while strategizing to gain the highest score.

The real fun of the game though, comes when you see your score. Why? Because GloBall cleverly places your score on a global map, then shows you how much of a king of the hill you are: You see the distance to the person nearest to you with a higher score. 

Here's a look:

Light Riders for the iPhone and iPod Touch Video Review

Who hasn't wanted to play a game based on the Light Cycle scene from TRON!? And now you can do it on the go with Light Riders for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The game looks great, but unfortunately if you're playing alone, it will probably get old pretty fast. You see, the other "bot" riders aren't the brightest in the bunch: I found if I stayed in the corner of the screen by myself making a series of squares, eventually the other three riders would crash all on their own. Some tweaking to AI, perhaps progressively more difficult gameplay would be a great addition. Of course, it might not be a 99-cent app then either.

The real fun of the game is the network play, which unfortunately is currently limited to the local wifi network. This game could be huge with networked play. For now, you can download it, and get your cycle moves on, or play someone else in the house.

It's got great potential, but if it delivers on all the possibilities, don't be surprised if the price inches up as well.

Take a look:

FLOverload for the iPhone and iPod Touch Video Review

Plumbing isn't always fun. Fortunately it's quite addictive in the straight-forward game FLOverload for the iPhone and iPod Touch. In the game you are racing against the clock to build a pipe from one side of the screen to the other, using as many pieces as you can (for maximum points), or you can be less creative, uncover all the pieces, and still have a challenging time trying to beat the water flow.

There's a long tutorial before you begin the game, but as you'll see in the video below, it's really quite simple, and if you like puzzle games on the iPhone this will probably quickly become a favorite.

Here's a look at FLOverload:

Space Ace for the iPhone and iPod Touch

Space Ace, and its sibling game Dragon's Lair roared into arcades in the 80's, bringing with them a fantastic new look. Unfortunately, the gameplay, at least per quarter (and at least for me) was fast and unsatisfying. Rather than being a straight shoot-em-up action game, the lush animation, and timed moves played more like an animated comic book than an action arcade game. 

Today, games like Guitar Hero have seasoned a whole generation of entertainment based on hitting a button when it lights up.

The beauty of having Space Ace on the iPhone is first, the animation looks stunning. It's one of the best looking games on the iPhone, just as it was in the arcade. Of course, now that I don't have to pump the thing full of quarters, I can leisurely play through the whole game, which admittedly didn't take very long (at least on cadet, the easiest of three settings). It can still be frustrating when you miss one of the buttons, but it's not nearly as frustrating as playing the game for years without getting anywhere.

If you're looking for a little arcade nostalgia that still looks crisp today on a modern device, pick up Space Ace for the iPhone and iPod Touch.