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games - page 16

Developers think Apple Arcade is disruptive — for better or worse

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Apple Arcade
Apple Arcade has plenty of promise -- but poses some big challenges, too.
Photo: Apple

Will Apple Arcade turn out to be the game changer that developers are hoping for? According to a new report… maybe.

Speaking to a slew of developers, a news report found that many are cautiously optimistic about what Apple Arcade could mean. In particular, it could help break the stronghold of freemium titles in the App Store. But there are still potential challenges.

These are all the games coming to Apple Arcade

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Apple Arcade
Apple Arcade could redefine gaming on mobile.
Photo: Apple

Apple showed off a smattering of games for its upcoming Apple Arcade subscription service at yesterday’s event. But, presumably because reeling off a list of 100 titles would’ve slowed the event to a crawl, it didn’t reveal exactly which games would be available.

One day on, we’ve got a far more comprehensive look at some of the titles which will be available for the service. Here they are:

Google Chrome now supports Nintendo Switch controllers

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The Nintendo Switch's flexible Joy-Con controllers work just fine with a Mac (but not an iPhone).
Nintendo’s newest console was by far the hottest product.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Google Chrome now supports official Nintendo Switch controllers.

The console’s included Joy-Cons and optional Pro Controller are compatible. The surprise update comes just days before Google is expected to unveil a brand new game streaming service at GDC 2019.

iOS users miss out as Steam makes mobile PC gaming more portable

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Steam Link iPhone iPad Apple TV
Steam Link’s first big update is great for controller users.
Photo: Valve

Valve today confirmed a big update to its PC game streaming platform that makes desktop games more portable than ever.

Its new Steam Link Anywhere service now lets you enjoy your favorite titles anywhere in the world through the Steam Link app for mobile. But don’t get too excited if you use an iPhone or iPad.

Apple’s strict App Store guidelines mean iOS users remain left out in the cold.

GameClub will bring forgotten iOS games back from the dead

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GameClub
Look out, Apple Arcade!
Photo: GameClub

Remember the games you used to enjoy on your iPhone and iPad in the early days of the App Store? The chances are few of them are still supported and available for download today, but the best could soon be making a comeback.

GameClub is a developer that plans to resurrect forgotten iOS games. The first title on its roster is Hook Champ, a game from Rocketcat that first hit the App Store in 2009, and you can play it today by signing up for early access.

Slam Mania brings 1980s wrasslin’ action to the App Store

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Slam Masters
Get your retro wrestle on!
Photo: Easy 8 Software

I’m an unabashed fan of pro wrestling — and pro wrestling games, too. As much as I can enjoy the highly polished WWE 2K19, however, my heart belongs to the 2D grapplers of days past.

If you also have fond memories of pumping quarter after quarter into the WWF WrestleFest cabinet at your local arcade, a new iOS game is sure to have you tearing off your America-loving t-shirt in elation. Check out the trailer for Slam Mania below.

Fortnite goes high plain driftin’ with the new Driftboard

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Fortnite 2
The day has finally arrived.
Photo: Epic

Bored of traveling around on foot in Fortnite? There’s some good news: Epic has finally introduced the new, eagerly awaited Drifboard” into the game. It allows players to catch some air and pull a few tricks while they’re going about their running and gunning business.

The Driftboard allows you zoom past your fellow players and competitors with impressive speed. You can even loot and revive allies without having to set foot off the board. Check it out in action below.

GTA: Vice City looks better than ever on iPhone and iPad Pro

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GTA 2
Travel back to Vice City in style.
Photo: Rockstar Games

Amazingly, it’s more than 16 years since the legendary Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas landed on PlayStation 2. (That’s the same length of time that had elapsed, on its launch in 2002, since the game’s 1986 setting.)

Almost two decades later, the game is as much fun as it ever was. And now, thanks to an iOS update, its iPhone and iPad port looks better than ever.

Tamagotchi-style virtual pet Noa Noa! heads to App Store

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Noa Noa! 2
That warm feeling in your stomach is nostalgia.
Photo: Noodlecake Studios Inc.

The 1990s was a simpler time, back when Apple was an underdog computer company and kids were obsessed with keychain virtual pets like Tamagotchis.

Jump forward to 2019, and things have certainly changed. Sure, Apple’s a whole lot bigger than it was, but virtual pets have come a long way, too. Instead of regular virtual pets, upcoming iOS game Noa Noa! is a virtual pet simulator, in which you control a Tamagotchi-like device inside the game. In other words, it’s a virtual virtual pet simulator. Got it?

Rome: Total War for iOS gets 8 new playable factions and more

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Rome: Total War
Rome: Total War just got a big update for iOS.
Photo: Rome: Total War

I’m still blown away that the developers of Rome: Total War for iOS were able to take the classic PC strategy game and translate it almost perfectly to Apple’s touch-based mobile operating system.

Well, the game just got even better since its latest update adds 8 more playable functions, and numerous other updates. Check out more details below.

Alien: Blackout on iOS is all about survival

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Blackout
Could this be one of the year's scarier games?
Photo illustration: Alien: Blackout

In space, no-one can hear you scream. When you’re playing a mobile game on the commute to work, everyone can. That rule could possibly apply to new Alien game Alien: Blackout, which launches in the App Store today.

Adopting a survival horror approach, similar to the brilliant Alien: Isolation, but with gameplay more akin to Five Nights at Freddy’s, it aims to be one of the scarier iOS titles of the year. Check out the trailer below.

2019 iPod touch update could focus on games

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iPod touch 1
A games machine or just a defensive trademark? We'll have to see.
Photo: Apple

The iPod touch hasn’t been updated in three-and-a-half years, the longest period in the product’s history without an upgrade. However, a recent trademark application from Apple gives the slightest hope that its touchscreen music player could have a future.

That’s because Apple has extended the trademark coverage for “iPod touch” to include “Hand-held units for playing electronic games; Handheld game consoles.” While there have long been games available on the iPod touch, this hints that Apple could see gaming as a future primary category for the product to exist in.

Beat Cop game brings 1980s police experience to iOS

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Beat Cop 1
Beat Cop puts you in command of a shamed NYPD detective.
Photo: Pixel Crow/11bit Studio

If you hanker after the point-and-click adventure games of the 1990s (think Full Throttle), you’ll find plenty to like about Pixel Crow and 11bit Studio’s Beat Cop — which just brought its pixellated stylings to iOS.

Inspired by 80s cop shows like Miami Vice, the game puts you in control of an NYPD beat cop in 1986-era New York City. Your character has been busted down from detective after getting in over his head in a previous job. As a result, he’s stuck writing tickets and busting minor hoods, until he can redeem himself.

Check out the stylish trailer below.

App Store made almost twice as much as Google Play in 2018

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App Store
Apple apps no longer dominate App Store search results.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The App Store raked in almost twice as much revenue as Google Play in 2018, despite significantly fewer downloads.

Google’s marketplace did enjoy a 27.3 percent rise in gross app revenue year-over-year — a larger rise than Apple’s — but iOS remains the most lucrative platform for developers by far.

Ranking all the major hardware Apple released in 2018 [Cult of Mac Magazine No. 277]

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Cult of Mac Magazine No. 277
Ranking Apple's hardware releases in 2018.
Cover: Marty Cortinas/Cult of Mac

It’s been one heck of a busy year for Apple, and we’ve got the devices to prove it! Truth be told, despite Apple’s fluctuating share price, this has been one of the company’s best years in a while for hardware. What was the cream of the 2018 Apple crop? Here’s how we rank Apple’s major new product launches for 2018.

Find the best goods from 2018 and learn how to set up all your new hardware in the latest free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. Get it now on iTunes, or keep reading for the week’s best Apple news, reviews and how-tos.

Civilization VI for iOS offers all expansion packs free this month

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Civlization VI
A big game gets even bigger.
Photo: Aspyr Media, Inc.

Sid Meier’s Civilization VI is already pretty darn epic when it comes to the number of hours you’ll need to put in to get the most out of. But if you’re looking to make a big game even bigger, you’re in luck.

That’s because the iOS version of the game is offering all of its expansion packs for free through the rest of December. Happy holidays indeed!

Apple highlights the apps and games which ‘shaped entertainment’ this year

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Apple removes 17 malware apps which secretly clicked on ads
Apple also covers movies, music, and more.
Photo: Apple

Apple has released its year-end lists for the best apps, games, music, movies, TV shows, podcasts and more. Apple’s selections — which it claims “shaped entertainment and culture around the world this year” — are all available to buy via Apple’s platforms.

Here are some of the selections that made the cut.

The Elder Scrolls: Blades gets pushed back to early 2019

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Bethesda
This game will look spectacular ... once it finally arrives.
Photo: Bethesda Softworks

Bethesda Softworks’ The Elder Scrolls: Blades may look stunning — but you’re going to have to wait a bit longer to play the highly anticipated iOS game.

According to a new tweet sent out by the game’s developers, the free-to-play RPG set in the Elder Scrolls universe has been pushed back to 2019. Originally, Bethesda planned to release it this fall.

Shine: Journey of Light looks and plays like a dream

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SHINE - Journey Of Light is a relaxing iOS game.
Looking for a dreamy new platformer for iOS? You've come to the right place.
Photo: Fox and Sheep GmbH

From Monument Valley to Alto’s Odyssey, there are some truly jaw-droppingly beautiful games on iOS. Eager to add its name to this list is Shine: Journey of Light, a refreshingly calming take on the platformer genre — in which you guide an orb of light through assorted caves, magical woods, and underwater labyrinths.

The goal is to find other orbs of light which, combined, will help light up the stars in the sky. Okay, so that might sound like nonsensical gibberish to the uninitiated, but the game is a dreamy stunner. Check out the trailer below.

CSR Racing 2 lets you restore and race top classic cars

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CSRRacing 3
This update is one for the car lovers.
Photo: NaturalMotion

CSR Racing 2, one of the best and most popular racing games on iOS, just received a great update. The new “Legends” refresh adds 15 new cars from the 1960s through the modern today, including the iconic McLaren F1.

Check out the trailer and new features list below.

Brilliant farming RPG Stardew Valley arrives on iOS

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Stardew Valley
You could say the game's outstanding in its field. You know, like a farmer. Out standing.
Photo: Chucklefish Limited

Looking for a fun game to get you through the rest of the week? You’re in luck if so, since massively popular farming RPG Stardew Valley just landed in the App Store, optimized for iPhone and iPad.

And it’s every bit as great as you’d hope. Check out the trailer below.

Tesla vs. Lovecraft brings steampunk blasting action to iOS this month

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Tesla vs. Lovecraft 2
Coming soon to an iOS device near you.
Photo: 10tons Ltd

Tesla vs. Lovecraft is coming to iOS, and, no, sadly that’s not a racing game in which Elon Musk’s electric cars challenge the driving supremacy of Cthulhu. It’s still pretty darn great, though.

Instead, the game is a top-down steampunk shooter pitting inventor Nikola Tesla against a horde of Lovecraftian horrors, using a static-powered mech and assorted other inventions to do so.

TrueDepth camera will reveal who to trust in new Game of Thrones game

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Reigns- Game of Thrones 2
Coming soon to an iPhone near you.
Photo: Nerial/Devolver Digital

One of the cool things about iOS gaming has been seeing how developers incorporate Apple’s new technologies into the games that they offer. At first, it was features like the accelerometer and now, thanks to the TrueDepth sensors used for Face ID, Apple’s face tracking tech is set to be incorporated into next-gen titles.

One of the first out of the gate is the upcoming Reigns: Game of Thrones. According to a new report, the title will use facial tracking technology in an innovative way: by asking you to carry out stare-downs with the various characters.

Microsoft will stream high-end games to your iPhone

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Microsoft Project xCloud
Project xCloud won't require powerful hardware.
Photo: Microsoft

Microsoft plans to start streaming high-end games to your iPhone, iPad, and other devices.

Its new service, dubbed “Project XCloud,” will remove the need for dedicated games consoles and pricey PCs — but you’ll have to wait until next year just to trial it.