PinOut, Civilization VI and other awesome apps of the week

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Awesome Apps
'Appy weekend everyone!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

With Apple’s earnings call and Thursday’s Mac event, there was plenty of serious business in the world of Apple this week. That’s why we’re choosing an all-game lineup for this “Awesome Apps of the Week” installment.

Plus, when the titles are this good, it’s hard to ignore them! Check out our picks below.

PinOut

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Did you wake up wishing to spend your Sunday playing a mashup of pinball and ’80s sci-fi classic Tron? Well, if you did indeed have this oddly specific dream, you’ll be pleased as punch this weekend. That’s thanks to PinOut, a fun remix on the pinball genre that fuses pulsing lights, retro wave beats and an original take on regular pinball tables.

In the game, pinball is fused with an endless runner game of sorts, as you compete to see how far you can move through a seemingly never-ending table in the time allotted. Unlike more traditional pinball games, it’s a pinball experience that could only ever take place in the digital world — and it’s all the better for it!

Available for: iPhone, iPad
Cost: Free (with in-app purchases)
Get it from: App Store

Civilization VI

Well, there goes all that free time you were going to fill with useful jobs around the house! The eagerly anticipated Civilization VI rocked up on Mac this week, three days after it landed on PC.

25 years after Sid Meier’s popular franchise — squeezing all of, well, civilization into a single game — first shipped, the experience remains as rewarding as ever. Civilization VI builds on the same epic, turn-based format that has worked for so long, but adds a plethora of new material.

You’ll need a high-end Mac to run it, and right now it’s still a single-player game that’s pricier and not as expanded as Civilization V, but so long as you’ve got the hardware and are happy to sign over a few thousand hours of your life, no one is going to regret this purchase.

Available for: Mac
Cost: $59.99
Get it from: Mac App Store

RPG Dragon Sinker

With the title RPG Dragon Sinker, it’s no great secret what type of game this is. The arcade-style basketball sim fantasy role-playing game is a fun flashback to the 8-bit days of Nintendo, right down to a tremendous chiptune score from renowned game composer Ryuji Sasai.

While not quite on the time-munching level of Civilization, RPG Dragon Sinker is, nonetheless, a game that promises to consumer plenty of your waking moments. You’ll lead a team of up to 12 (!) party members as they do the usual exploring and battling stuff you’d hope for from any self-respecting RPG.

If you’ve played any of the developer’s previous RPGs, you’ll be at home very quickly. What RPG Dragon Sinker lacks in novelty, it certainly makes up in other ways. Recommended!

Available for: iPhone, iPad
Cost: Free/$4.99 (ad-supported or premium)
Get it from: App Store (free) / App Store (premium)

Oh…Sir!! The Insult Simulator

Imagine Street Fighter II with no physical combat but a whole lot more Gordon Ramsay-style insult-throwing. That’s basically the premise behind Oh…Sir!! The Insult Simulator, a hilarious game that lets you choose your “fighter” and then engage in round after round of DIY verbal jousting.

There are all the combos, criticals, continuations and other fighting-game mechanics you’d expect — but with a brilliant twist. Probably the most laugh-out-loud app experience of 2016.

Available for: iPhone, iPad
Cost: $1.99
Get it from: App Store

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