iPhone It In: Baseball Slugger: Home Run Race 3D
I'm sure we lost a good percentage of you with the title of the game alone, both for its connection to sports and its inarguable terribleness. Honestly, it's probably best, if only to stave off the complete stoppage of the world economy. It may seem like hyperbole -- OK, it is hyperbole -- but that's just how addictive I found BS:HRR3D (you know, I'm just gonna call it Slugger).
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Slugger is, for lack of a more accurate term, a baseball MMO. You'll create your own player, and compete in homerun derbies, earning gold balls for top performances (or nailing an achievement like "Get 500 Home Runs"). With that gold, you'll be able to buy new stat-tweaking gear, which can give you the edge when you battle other players from around the world in matchups. Victory in multiplayer will help you to increase your ranking and ascend the ranks of baseball greatness.
Most importantly, all these bells and whistles are built around a great basic mechanic, which has you tilting the phone slightly to change your bat placement and tapping the screen at the exact right moment to knock it out of the park. You'll also get bonuses for propelling the ball into signs or specific sections of the field.
Every match, win or lose, brings you closer to hot new gear, which makes pressing the "Home" button without "one more game" incredibly difficult. It's so perfect for the platform, because you can have a quick match while you're waiting for the bus, but there's enough depth that you'll constantly be drawn back.
I dragged my heels in picking this game up when it was recommended to me by our own James Ransom-Wiley just because it didn't sound like my thing. I'm assuming some of you will do the same, but trust me, give it a try, even if you can't tell an ERA from an RBI.
Baseball Slugger: Home Run Race 3D (COM2US, $2.99):
