Title: Song Summoner: The Unsung HeroesPrice: $4.99System(s): iPod Nano 3G, iPod Classic and 5G iPodRelease Date: July 8, 2008Publisher (Developer): Square Enix (Square Enix)ESRB Rating: N/APros: Multiple user profiles, uses your songs to create Tune Troopers, easy controls, auto save feature, handy tutorialCons: battery hog, loads of loading, small imagesOverall Score: One thump up, one sideways; 80/100; B-; *** out of 5

When I first started seeing iPod games, I figured there would never be anything available beyond casual titles or puzzle games. And I was okay with that – I bought Tetris and Phase and figured I was set. And then Square Enix released Song Summoner: The Unsung Heroes, a GBA quality RPG for a selection of iPods.

Song Summoner is easily the best iPod video game available through iTunes. Not only that, it shows that more advanced genres can run on this portable platform. If someone had told me a year ago that I’d be playing an affordable, strategic RPG on my iPod, I’d have called them crazy. And yet here I am and I’m loving it.

Square Enix’s recent iPod release, Song Summoner: The Unsung Heroes requires a lot of patience. Not because it is a strategic RPG, mind you, but because you’ll have to sift through quite a few songs in the Hip-O-Drome before you find some truly worthy Tune Troopers that can be used in battle.

I spent over an hour yesterday, just testing tracks in the game and seeing what would come from them. At one point, I abandoned logical assessment (15 minutes in), and decided to just have fun with it. The result was a selection of popular, video game related and obscure tracks being plugged in to see what came out. Would a “One Winged Angel” trooper trump an “Aerith’s Theme?” How would a classic track, like “Bohemian Rhapsody,” fare against a top 10 pop hit like “Bleeding Love?” Would other Square Enix songs, or other video game songs in general, create stronger warriors? I tested it so you don’t have to.

Since the creation guidelines aren’t clear yet, I’m not sure if others will get the same results. So I’m including all the information about the tracks I plugged in, in case song length, my rating of the song or how I sorted it effects the resulting Tune Trooper.

I’ve owned Song Summoner: The Unsung Heroes for less than a day and already I am developing an unhealthy obsession for the Square Enix’s strategic RPG created exclusively for the iPod.

This isn’t enough time to craft a full-on review (that will come in a day or two) but an hour crafting Tune Troopers and a few hours of playing have provided me with a rudimentary education. I’ve learned a few tricks while playing which have been helpful in crafting a solid foundation for troop formation.

So the following are a few tricks to help you in creating your first few Tune Troopers and earning “S” ranks for your first battles…