iOS games - page 2

Apple to host surprise event for apps and games on December 2

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apps
The best apps of 2019 will be showcased at the event.
Photo: Apple

Members of the press received surprise invitations from Apple this morning to attend a first-of-its-kind event to honor 2019’s top apps and games on December 2 in New York City.

Apple routinely gives out awards for the best apps of the year, but this is the first time the company has hosted an event to hand them out. Get ready for the Oscars of apps.

Supercell’s Rush Wars goes to the big App Store in the sky

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Supercell’s Rush Wars has gone to the big App Store in the sky
You really had to rush to play this one.
Photo: Supercell

It’s easy to look at games like Clash of Clans and think that, with the right marketing budget and remorseless pushing of in-app purchases, anyone could create a money-printing mobile game powerhouse. Sadly, that’s not the case — as the sad ballad of Rush Wars makes clear.

Developed by Supercell, the company behind Clash of Clans, the game has already been pulled by its creators. It never even had the chance to exit beta.

One month in, I’m hooked on Apple Arcade [Review]

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iPad browsing Apple Arcade games catalog with iPhone and Xbox Controller
I was sure I was going to cancel, but I'm actually enjoying Apple Arcade games quite a bit!
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

I don’t consider myself much of a gamer, but the idea of games always seems to appeal to me. That’s why, when Apple Arcade launched, I activated my subscription to test the waters. My hope was that I’d get some clarity before it cost me anything to try.

Now, a month has passed, and I’ve got some mixed feelings about the service. Should I keep paying for it? Are its 100-plus games worth the monthly fee? Can I play it when and where I want? Get the lowdown in my Apple Arcade review.

EarthNight is an endless runner set on the back of a frikkin’ dragon [Review]

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EarthNight brings all the dragons you could hope for. And it's beautifully hand-painted.
This beautifully hand-painted game delivers all the dragons you could hope for.
Image: Cleaversoft

An endless runner with gorgeous hand-painted graphics, in which you sprint on the backs of enormous flying dragons? Welcome to the world of EarthNight, one of the plentiful launch titles for Apple Arcade.

Put on your running shoes and let us race you through its features in our EarthNight review.

Cat-heavy puzzle game will take you to A.I. school

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Machine learning game while True: learn() comes to iOS this week.
An oddly named game about cats and machine learning lands on iOS this week.
Screenshot: Nival

Do you want a fun iPhone game that combines cats with a stealth lesson in artificial intelligence and machine learning?

Of course you do. And thanks to the oddly titled while True: learn(), you’re about to get your chance. Check out the game’s new trailer, which landed ahead of this week’s release of while True: learn() on iOS.

5 million people rush to preorder Pokémon Masters

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Pokémon Masters
Coming soon to an iPhone near you.
Photo: The Pokémon Company

The folks at The Pokémon Company are sure taking the “Gotta Catch ‘Em All” catchphrase to heart — at least when it comes to hooking preorders for its latest mobile game.

With two weeks to go until Pokémon Masters launches on iOS and Android, the game already racked up 5 million preorders.

Sky Squadron may be the closest we get to Star Fox on iOS

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Sky Squadron is now available in open beta.
Now available in open beta.
Photo: Sky Squadron

Until Nintendo gets around to releasing classic game Star Fox on iOS, fans of the franchise may want to check out Sky Squadron. An upcoming vehicle-based blaster, it’s set to land in the App Store in early 2020.

If you can’t wait that long, however, its developer has just opened it up for an open beta. This is the perfect opportunity for early adopters to take it for a spin.

Mesmerizing exploration game Journey comes to iOS

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Journey game for iOS
Journey is less a game than an experience.
Photo: Annapurna Interactive

Journey has been described as more a work of art than a game. It depends on its amazing visuals and Grammy-winning music to draw players into a mysterious world. And now iPad and iPhone users can experience it for themselves.

When Journey debuted in 2012 it was awarded a Guinness World Record for “The Most Awards won by an Independent Game.”

Have a hell of a good time with Doom II for iOS

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Doom II is back, and this time it’s for iPhone and iPad.
Doom II is back, and this time it’s for iPhone and iPad.
Image: Bethesda Softworks

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the original Doom, Bethesda Softworks relaunched Doom II for iPhone and iPad. It promises “more demons, more weapons, more action” — just like it did back in 1994.

6 classic Mac games you can enjoy on iOS

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Flashback
This was a game-changer for computer games back in the day.
Image: MobyGames

With a constant stream of new, console-quality games in the iOS App Store, and subscription gaming service Apple Arcade on the way, there’s arguably never been a better time to be an Apple gamer. Yet despite all the great new iOS games, sometimes you just want to relive your misspent youth.

This week, Paul Cuisset’s classic Mac platformer Flashback blasted its way into the App Store. To mark the occasion, we dug up some of the best classic games that graced vintage Macs but now can be played on your iOS device. Check them out.

Dr. Mario opens his App Store surgery one day early

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Dr-Mario-World-multiplayer
Looking for a great puzzle game?
Photo: Nintendo

It’s a rare day that doctors are running ahead of schedule. Fortunately, today is just such a day as Dr. Mario, the classic 1990s Nintendo puzzle game, has landed in the App Store one day early.

Originally expected to drop July 10, Dr. Mario instead went live today. It’s free to download, although there are in-app purchases available for those who hate the idea of socialized health care.

Rome: Total War – Barbarian Invasion marches onto iPhone

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Rome Total War Barbarian Invasion 2
One of the deepest strategy games to make it onto iPhone yet.
Photo: Feral Interactive

Rome: Total War — Barbarian Invasion, a classic PC and Mac game that pits the Roman empire against barbarian hordes, has been tweaked to bring its incredibly immersive gameplay to the iPhone’s small screen.

Players get to experience the final years of the empire as a barbarian commander determined to bring down Rome’s power structure. Alternatively, they can play a Roman general looking to quash the rebellion once and for all. It’s all kinds of awesome!

Apple made an iPhone game just for Warren Buffett

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Warren Buffett
Get ready to sling papers till your fingers hurt.
Photo: Apple

Apple finally came out with its first new video game for iPhone since the App Store debuted in 2008, and it’s dedicated to the iPhone-maker’s largest shareholder, Warren Buffett. It’s called Warren Buffett’s Paper Wizard, and it sounded like a joke at first.

Apple CEO Tim Cook made a cameo appearance at Berkshire Hathaway’s shareholder meeting this morning to reveal the new game. In Paper Wizard, players cruise around tossing newspapers at houses as an homage to Buffett, who worked a paper route as a kid to make money. Now he’s one of the richest men in the world (and with his own paper boi video game to boot).

Nintendo RPG Dragalia Lost blasts into new markets

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Dragalia Lost
Are you playing Dragalia Lost yet?
Photo: Nintendo

Nintendo action RPG Dragalia Lost has finally expanded its reach to a bunch of new markets, including Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom.

The free-to-play game, which debuted in the United States and other countries last September, runs on Android and iOS. With this wider rollout, even more people can enjoy the hit game’s fast-paced action.

iSenberg? Breaking Bad game coming to iOS

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Breaking-Bad 2
Coming soon to a mobile device near you.
Photo: HBO

Breaking Bad is coming to iOS. No, we’re not talking about Aaron “Jesse Pinkman” Paul signing up for one of Apple’s original TV shows, but rather a new Breaking Bad game coming to mobile devices.

The upcoming Breaking Bad: Criminal Elements is seemingly set during the timeline of the show’s original run. The game features key characters including meth-cooking science teacher Walter White and drug world baddies like Gus Fring, Saul Goodman and Mike Ehrmantraut. The game should land on iPhones later this year, b**ch!

Pokémon Go player-vs.-player battles teased again

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A major missing feature from Pokémon GO will be added soon.
A major missing feature from Pokémon Go will be added soon.
Photo: Niantic

Every version of Pokémon is about players using pocket monsters to battle other trainers. Well, every version except Pokémon Go, which conspicuously lacks the capability to let you go head-to-head with another player.

Game developer Niantic promised this feature would arrive before the end of the year. The company suggested today that the wait is almost over.

Fortnite smashes its concurrent players record

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Fortnite
Fortnite isn't going anywhere soon.
Photo: Epic Games

If you thought Fortnite already reached its peak, think again.

Epic Games confirms that its hit Battle Royale game now boasts a staggering 8.3 million concurrent players worldwide. The number more than doubled since February, thanks in part to the game’s recent launch in South Korea.

Addictive new iOS game is all about … throwing strips of bacon?

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Bacon 2
A sizzling new game will fill your appetite for weird iOS games.
Photo: Chris Yarzab/Flickr CC

A game where you flip bacon through the air doesn’t sound, on paper, like it should be a winner. But when it comes from Philipp Stollenmayer, the app developer who previously created the brilliant Sometimes You Die, things become a whole lot more interesting.

Check out the trailer for the third part in Stollenmayer’s food game trilogy below. If you’re looking for a fun (albeit offbeat) game for the weekend, this could be the one for you!

Grid Autosport is a hit, despite hefty price tag

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GRID Autosport racing
See, you don't need in-app purchases to be a success!
Photo: Feral Interactive

Grid Autosport, the AAA racing game that offers a console-quality racing experience on iOS, has passed more than 100,000 downloads since debuting on the platform last November.

That’s an impressive figure in its own right. But it’s also welcome news for anyone who’d like to see fewer of the freemium games loaded with in-app purchases that have clogged the App Store in recent years. Here’s why.

Fortnite update makes gunfights easier than ever

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Fortnite iOS 14
Everyone should welcome skill-based matchmaking.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Fortnite season five is now in full swing, giving players new areas to explore, a new vehicle to ride around in, and more. The latest Fortnite update also makes huge control improvements.

Players on iOS will find gunfights easier thanks to autofire, while those on Nintendo Switch can enjoy more accurate aiming with motion control.

The games in Fortnite Playground mode end next week

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Fortnite Playground mode
Say goodbye to Fortnite's Playground LTM. It will close in less than a week.
Photo: Epic Games

Looking for something to do this weekend? Been meaning to try Fortnite‘s Playground mode on your Mac or iPad? You should combine those because this training level is getting pulled down in a few days.

The good news is Epic Games already has big plans for the next version.