Fruits Basket

Name: Fruits Basket
Author: Natsuki Takaya
Artist: Natsuki Takaya
Licensed (US): Tokyopop
Licensed (JP): Hakusensha
Chapters: 136
Status: Completed
Rated: T (13+)

Anime? Yes

Genres: Comedy, drama, romance, shoujo, supernatural
Themes: Stay with what you believe in, don't give up, loneliness is horrible.
Plot: Great
Art: Great
Ero: Very slight, it's a very innocent manga.

Review- I love this manga! (It's one of the few shoujos I like. By the way... shoujo is the "girly and romancey" manga.) All of the characters are unique, and the plot is unique as well. There are 13 members of the family Sohma that can transform into an animal of the Chinese zodiac when hugged by the opposite gender.

The concept is quite unique, and it's the #1 selling shoujo manga in North America! The art is crisp and detailed, and again, it's a completely unique idea! The characters all have a backstory, and you keep wondering how Tohru is going to break the curse. Overall, great read!

Verdict: Get it!

Stepmania

Name: Stepmania
Developer: Stepmania Developers
Original Port: PC
Size: Windows: 13MB Mac: 11.5MB
PC/Mac: Both
Price: Free

Trailer: None.

Demo? It's free.
Online? Yes, PvP.
Game Time? Long
Replayability? Yes, you can download many different songs from various web sites.
Achievements? Leaderboard.
Graphics? Great
Difficulty? Has up to 5
Controls? Button pushing, completely customizable.
Plot? None, dance sim.
Stand-out Features? You can create your dance files, or load new ones.

Review - For those of you who love Dance Dance Revolution, this game is perfect for you. For those of you who want Dance Dance Revolution, this game is great for you as well! It doesn't give the exact DDR experience, but who cares? This is great training for people who play DDR, and a great intro for those who don't! This game is ever expandable due to the fact that people can actively create "simfiles", the files that can be loaded onto the game and played.

This game is awesome, you can try to top your score, add new songs, and with the new 4.0 beta, challenge people online as well! Be aware: It will take all of your time and a decent amount of computer memory with it, (It's quite addictive) but it's incredibly worth it.

Verdict: Get it!
Tips:

• None right now, sorry!

The Chronicles of Inotia: A Wanderer of Luone

Name: The Chronicles of Inotia: A Wanderer of Luone
Developer: Com2us
Original Port: iPhone
Rating: 9+ (Frequent/Intense Cartoon or Fantasy Violence)
Size: 59.1 MB
iTunes Review Average: 4 Stars
Price: $4.99

Trailer: Here

Demo? Yes
Online? Yes, PvP.
Game Time? Long
Replayability? Yes, there are 6 classes.
Achievements? Leaderboard.
Soundtrack? More of a distant, non-distracting background music.
Graphics? Great
Difficulty? Normal.
In-app Purchases? Yes
Controls? Quick Slot buttons are close to the action button, but not too close.
Plot? Seems seperate from the other Inotia, but still really good.
Stand-out Features? Alchemy (combining items) and a team of 2 other warriors with you in-game.

Review - I bet you haven't played alot of RPGs with a team feature, right? Well, this RPG definately makes this feature new, and the it makes the cut. To hire an extra team member, you use a "Mercenary Seal" and go to the innkeeper. You can hire up to 2 mercenarys, and purchase an "Elite Mercenary Seal" if you want. This system makes fighting enemies much easier, but the AI might be adjusted to meet that extra piece in the gameplay.

Other than mercenaries, this game has other really cool features. Skill distribution is easy and fair, and you have good items to buy between the general store, armor store, and weaponry store. Plus, you can use alchemy and combine items with recipes. You don't have to do much in terms of attacking, just hold down the action button, but that's part of the fun.

Verdict: Get it
Tips:

• Take as many quests as you can, there's no limit.
• Try to have a priest in your group with AI skill frequency set to Low or None. This way, you can heal for free.

Zenonia 2

Name: Zenonia 2
Developer: GAMEVIL Inc.
Original Port: Mobile
Rating: 9+ (Frequent/Intense Cartoon or Fantasy Violence)
Size: 31.2MB
iTunes Review Average: 4 Stars
Price: $4.99

Trailer: Here

Demo? Yes
Online? Yes, PvP. Send other players letters or items through the Network system.
Game Time? Long
Replayability? Yes, there are 4 classes. Each class is a different character.
Achievements? Leaderboard.
Soundtrack? Very good, pretty cute!
Graphics? Great
Difficulty? Normal mode, hard mode, and hell mode unlocked later.
In-app Purchases? Yes
Controls? Completely movable and customizable, but the Quick Slot buttons are quite small. Don't put them near the D-pad or action button unless you want to be accidentaly pressing them.
Plot? Each character has their own story.
Stand-out Features? Alchemy (combining items) and interactive terrain.

Review - Personally, I think this app is a HUGE improvement over it's original. The character customization can almost always be seen, and the skill trees are all very unique and useful. One of the great assets is a Faerie now your companion. The Faerie can increase your wealth and experience points with passive abilities, and use an attack, Brilliance that is powered by good 'ol baddie smashing.

This game has great graphics, and I love the music. The SoundFX are also adorable. I only wish the buttons were a bit bigger, but you can position them however you want anyway. The PvP isn't really true PvP... it's more of a "snapshot" of your current stats and skills to be controlled by a computer to battle against someone else. But I only read that in a bunch of other reviews. I never play online. The point is... This is a great RPG. Tons of plot, great a/v... signs of an awesome RPG.

Verdict: Get it
Tips:

• Stay in the same area until you can't easily level up anymore in the beginning of the game.
• Buy the next "level set" of equipment ahead of time.

Song Summoner: The Unsung Heroes -Encore-

Name: SONG SUMMONER: The Unsung Heroes -Encore-
Developer: SQUARE ENIX Co., LTD.
Original Port: Clickwheel iPod
Age Rating: 9+ (Infrequent/Mild Cartoon or Fantasy Violence
Size: 257 MB
iTunes Review Average: 4 Stars
Price: $9.99

Trailer: English Here, Japanese Here.

Demo? Yes
Online? No
Replayability? Yes. Use different Tune Troopers.
Achievements? Yes. Gallery of Tune Troopers.
Soundtrack? Amazing. Click Here for Sample
Graphics? Great artwork, but if you zoom in during battle scenes, you'll get alot of pixels.
Difficulty? Not too hard if you know how to strategize and manipulate your tune troopers well.
In-app Purchases? No.
Controls? Not super for those with big fingers.
Plot? Amazing.
Stand-out Features? You use songs in your iPod library to generate your fighting force.

App Review - By far, the BEST RPG I've ever played on my iPod. The plot is great, and so are the graphics. There is alot of talking, so YES for those of you who love plot and touching video game scenes, and NO for those of you who don't. And when I say touching, I mean that even I nearly cried. You can skip each cutscene if you want, but I don't recommend it, of course.

The game uses the songs in your iPod library, and that's the main drawing force. Even though the song isn't wholly required for the remainder of the game, I totally don't mind. Square Enix introduced a new element to the world of gaming near seamlessly, and that's good enough for me.

Verdict: GET IT!
Tips:

• Use mages when you have a bunch of enemies in one area to kill.
• Use monks to get to further away places faster. (Their range is 5 squares)
• When opening doors, make sure all of your troopers are right next to it the turn before you open it. Then on the turn after that you open the door first thing to pummel the enemies before they can pummel you.