DEVELOPER/PUBLISHER/PLATFORMS: Icarus Studios/Marc Ecko Entertainment/iPhone

FUN FACT: Michael C. Hall, star of the Showtime series, lends his voice to the game while series writer Tim Schlattmann crafted an original storyline. Doesn’t get any more official than that.

WHY COMPLEX IS CO-SIGNING IT: Because as the first phone to provide a worthwhile gaming experience, the iPhone is awesome. We just wish there were more serious games available. We love playing Crash Bandicoot and Trism, but besides Metal Gear Solid and Assassin’s Creed, there aren’t that many mature, serious games available. And Dexter: The Game seems to be pretty serious. Based on the Emmy-award winning Showtime series about a serial killer that kills other killers (we guess two wrongs do make a right), the game puts you in the shoes of the show’s main character Dexter Morgan as he tries to solve murders just like he does in the show. If you haven’t been able to catch the show, you’ll start DVR’ing it once you play the game.

STORY: As we said up top, Tim Schlattmann, a writer from the show jumped on board to mold the story of the game so that it really felt as if you were in the show. While the games story line is original, it follows the same premise as the show: Dexter Morgan (played by you), blood splatter analyst for the Miami PD, takes justice into his own hands by investigating homicide scenes and looking for the killer himself.

GAMEPLAY: When it comes to iPhone gaming controls, you either love ‘em or hate ‘em. We happen to love them. Dexter: The Game gives you the option of using on screen toggles or the accelerometer to move your character around the various crime scenes. Everything is very fluid, giving you full control of your environment. If you need to look around, all you do is swipe your finger across the screen in the direction you want to look. Everything you need to access during the game is available at a touch of the screen.

Dexter: The Game also gives you a number of choices while playing. As you encounter other characters during the game, you’re able to choose Dexter’s responses so as to not give away the fact that he’s secretly murking criminals in his spare time. You can even decide whether or not the courts should handle the bad guys or if they should take a dirt nap. If you do choose to off a guy (pause) you get to cut ‘em up! Always fun. When you’re not committing the cardinal sin, you can occupy your time by playing some of the mini games like solving Blood Splatter puzzles to see what weapon was used and how.

GRAPHICS: We knew the iPhone could deliver powerful gaming graphics, Dexter: The Game really pushes the envelope with graphics that could compete with Sony’s PSP. If only the iPhones email capabilities were as good.

DOWNSIDE: The only downside we saw the length of gameplay. While there is a ton of stuff to do while you solve each case, with only five cases to solve, It leaves you wanting more. But what do you want for $5.99?