Games - page 10

Mario Kart Tour celebrates first anniversary with new characters, courses, Auto Mode

By

Mario Kart Tour was 2019's most downloaded iOS game
The game recently celebrated its first anniversary.
Photo: Nintendo

Mario Kart Tour recently turned one, marking its first year on iOS following its debut in September 2019. To celebrate, the game is offering a slew of anniversary themed celebrations — including new characters, courses, and an intriguing new Auto mode.

Auto Mode can be selected at the beginning of a race. You can then watch the characters speed round the course a bit like an extended demo mode. If you’re into taking screenshots of the game, it’s a good addition since you don’t have to worry about controlling the character.

Monkey pals build an island paradise in Apple Arcade’s The Survivalists

By

‘The Survivalists’ debuted Friday on Apple Arcade
The Survivalists challenges 1 to 4 players to survive after being shipwrecked. But there are monkeys to help.
Graphic: Team17

The Survivalists, which debuted Friday on Apple Arcade, shows that being shipwrecked on a deserted island doesn’t have to be a disaster. Players can train monkeys to make life comfortable. And there’s plenty of adventure to be found in this game for 1 to 4 players.

Take a ridiculously long sword on a Slash Quest on Apple Arcade

By

‘Slash Quest’ slashed onto Apple Arcade on Friday
Getting used to a talking sword that keeps growing and growing is part of the fun of Slash Quest.
Photo: Noodlecake/Apple

Slash Quest is a hero’s journey where the sword is the hero. Shep the simple shepard is just along for the ride as Swordie the talking sword sets off on a quest to save the Queendom.

Slash Quest from Noodlecake debuted Friday on Apple Arcade.

Players have spent an astounding 10.4 million combined years playing Fortnite

By

The evolution of Fornite
The evolution of gamerkind.
Photo: Game.co.uk

Here’s a slightly crazy statistic: Gamers around the world have spent a combined 10.4 million years playing Fortnite, according to a new report. That’s considerably longer than the 6 million years humans have been around in some form.

In total, the top 10 games played online have been played for some 19.2 million years. World of Warcraft, Overwatch, Grand Theft Auto V and Witcher 3 make up the rest of the top five.

Candy Crush Friends Saga passes $200 million in lifetime player spending

By

Candy Crush
continues to go from strength to strength.
Photo: Nathan Love/King/Candy Crush Friends Saga

Candy Crush Friends Saga has surpassed $200 million in lifetime player spending across both the iOS and Google Play app stores, a report from app intelligence first Sensor Tower claims.

In total, the Candy Crush franchise has earned more than $1 billion so far this year.

Doom and Doom II are now better than ever on iOS

By

Doom cover
It still blows my mind you can play Doom on a phone.
Photo: Id Software

It still blows my mind that Doom and Doom II, games I remember being awestruck at the existence of on a home computer, can now fit onto a device the size of a deck of playing cards.

Now, thanks to an update by developer Bethesda, the iOS ports of these two classic titles are now better than ever. Here’s what they’ve added to this duo of gaming classics.

PS3 classic The Unfinished Swan game makes a splash on iOS

By

Unfinished Swan
A storybook set in a monochrome world.
Photo: Giant Sparrow

A great game is worth waiting for! Eight years after it debuted on the PlayStation 3, Giant Sparrow’s critically acclaimed 2012 game, The Unfinished Swan, landed in the iOS App Store (without much in the way of warning) this week.

A first-person puzzle adventure game set in a largely monochromatic, storybook universe, this is a gaming experience you won’t soon forget. Check out the trailer below.

Mario Kart Tour gets nostalgic in its latest update

By

Mario Kart Tour
Graphics sure have come a long way!
Photo: Nintendo

Way back in the grungy dark days of 1992, when A Few Good Men was playing in theaters and Rage Against the Machine was busy blasting out of the boomboxes of flannel shirt-wearing youths, the original Super Mario Kart landed on SNES.

Jump forward to the present day and Mario Kart Tour, the iOS version of the popular Nintendo kart-racer, is paying nostalgic tribute to its glorious past with a new tour and characters. Check out the details below.

Fortnite no more: Epic sends email to Apple users about end of updates

By

Fortnite-Battle-Lab
TL;DR: Epic wants fans to know Apple's the one responsible.
Photo: Epic Games

It’s the end of the line for Fortnite on iOS and Mac. For now, at least. In an email sent to users, Epic Games says that users on Apple platforms will no longer be receiving new content for the game.

And, you know, to drum home the point that, as Epic is keen to suggest, Apple’s the one entirely at fault.

Build your own Jurassic Park in latest Minecraft DLC

By

Jurassic Park DLC Minecraft
DLC... uh... finds a way.
Photo: Minecraft

No expense has been spared in the latest update for Minecraft, which just added a whole lot of Jurassic World-themed DLC to the mix.

If you’ve ever fancied using the popular sandbox video game to build your own prehistoric amusement park, train dinosaurs, and go on Jurassic expeditions, this is the update for you. Heck, there’s even Jeff Goldblum’s Dr. Ian Malcolm recreated in awesome pixel-art detail!

Circulous is the mind-twisting puzzle game from one of Apple’s favorite teen devs [Updated]

By

Circulous
Puzzle game is available for pre-order today.
Photo: Chain Reaction Games

Update: Circulous launched in the App Store today, priced $4.99.

Like point-and-click adventures? Enjoy escape room puzzles? Then you’ll love Circulous — or so its 16-year-old creator Brayden Gogis hopes.

If your response to a teen creating an iOS game is “how good could it really be?” the answer is pretty darn great. Gogis has been developing games for iOS for several years, and his previous titles won kudos from Cupertino itself. Apple even referred to him as the “high school puzzle master.” Circulous is the title he’s most proud of. Check out a trailer below.

The good, the bad, and the Wario: Mario Kart Tour goes to the Wild West

By

Mario Kart Tour
Mario Kart Tour is going west.
Photo: Nintendo

Get ready for some high plains drifting because Mario Kart Tour is headed west. To the Wild West, more precisely!

Having travelled all over the world in previous updates, the mobile-focused version of Mario Kart is now going back in time to frontier country with its latest update. And it’s brought some appropriately themed characters along for the ride over yonder.

Pokémon Café Mix adds new orders and Pokémon to up the fun

By

Pokemon Cafe Mix 1
Gotta serve 'em all!
Photo: Pokemon Cafe Mix

Pokémon Café Mix, the latest iOS game featuring everyone’s favorite pocket monsters, just received one of its first updates — bringing new orders and Pokémon, including the likes of Bellossom and Exeggutor.

In Pokémon Café Mix, players run an eatery frequented by Pokémon. In order to fulfill the different food and drink orders you have to solve puzzles, while also running the café. As you complete food-related puzzles, you encounter additional Pokémon, while also getting the chance to expand your business.

You’ll soon be able to enjoy Mario Kart Tour in glorious landscape mode

By

Mario Kart landscape mode.
The tyranny of portrait mode is coming to an end!
Photo: Nintendo

Mario Kart Tour is addressing two big player complaints in its new update — adding landscape mode orientation, alongside portrait mode, as well as alternate game controls.

The update launches tomorrow, July 21. If you’ve not played Mario Kart on iOS for a while, it may be worth checking out this update to see how much these transform the overall gaming experience. Check out the trailer for the update below.

Another Professor Layton puzzle-adventure is coming to iOS this month [Updated]

By

Professor Layton Unwound Future 1
A letter from the future kickstarts the latest Professor Layton adventure.
Photo: Level-5

Update: Layton: Lost Future HD is now available for $13.99 in the App Store. A discounted bundle ($10 off!) of all three games is also available.

Classic Nintendo DS puzzle game series Professor Layton continues to make its way to iOS slowly but surely.

Professor Layton and the Unwound Future, the last installment in the original trilogy, which launched on DS a decade ago, is coming to the App Store July 13. Complete with some swanky updated HD graphics for your troubles!

Metal Slug will make its return to the App Store with Code: J

By

Metal Slug Mobile game J 1
Metal Slug will make its return to the App Store for the first time since 2016.
Photo: Metal Slug Code: J

Popular run-and-gun franchise Metal Slug looks to be returning to iOS for the first time since 2016’s Metal Slug Attack. Over the weekend, Tencent’s Timi Studios released a trailer for what they are currently calling Metal Slug Code: J.

From the look of it, it picks up the gameplay that the Metal Slug games are known for, with plenty of action, ridiculously overwrought vehicles, explosions, and more. However, it includes quasi-3D movement that wasn’t part of the original SNK games and a slightly more modern art style. Check out the trailer below.

Gotta serve ’em all: Pokémon Café Mix is a puzzle game crossed with a café sim

By

Pokemon Cafe Mix 1
They want to eat the very best.
Photo: Pokémon Café Mix

Looking for a new Pokémon game to while away your commute now that some workplaces are reopening following lockdown? Pokémon Café Mix is ready to oblige. In the game, which launched Wednesday, players are charged with running an eatery frequented by everyone’s favorite Pocket Monsters.

To fulfill orders, you have to solve various puzzles, while also running the café. As you complete puzzles, you’ll be joined by additional Pokémon, while also having the opportunity to expand your premises. You can check out a trailer for the game below.

Apple could eliminate thousands of unlicensed games from China App Store next month

By

Apple Store
Thousands of apps could get the boot in China next month.
Photo: Apple

Apple is set to begin a deep clean of the App Store in China, removing “thousands” of games that don’t have the proper government approvals, a report by Bloomberg claims.

Developers and publishers have reportedly been told that they will need to secure licenses to continue selling their games starting next month. While regulators have been promising such a crackdown since 2016, they have been slow to push through rules. As a result, unlicensed games were still being published in the interim.

Call of Duty: Mobile Season 7 on hold due to current political climate

By

Call of Duty: Mobile racks up amazing 100m downloads in first week
Activision says this wasn't the right time to release update.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Activision has pushed back the launch of Call of Duty: Mobile Season 7. The game upgrade was originally scheduled to launch for iPhone and iPad this week on June 4.

Call of Duty launched worldwide on mobile last October. It has proven immensely popular, racking up 100 million downloads in its first week on the market alone. This made it the best launch in mobile gaming history. The new season is set to include a variety of new maps, weapons, and other improvements.

However, due to the present political environment, triggered by the killing of unarmed Black man George Floyd by police, Activision says that this “not the time” to release Season 7.

Pokémon Go‘s heartwarming Buddy feature will get even better with Reality Blending

By

Pokemon GO
This game is determined to be the very best. Like no game ever was.
Photo: Niantic

Pokémon Go‘s Buddy feature gives you a, well, Poké buddy to go on adventures with, much like Pikachu was to Ash in the animated series.

Now, thanks to a new feature called Reality Blending, the experience is going to get even better — and a lot more glitch-free. If you haven’t seen it, check out the (weirdly tear-jerking) ad for the Buddy Adventure feature below, as well as details about how it’s been improved.

Mario Kart Tour adds Dixie and Funky Kong for new Jungle Tour

By

Jungle Tour Mario Kart 1
And a couple of new characters, too.
Photo: Nintendo

Touring the world ain’t exactly easy right now — which is why it’s good that Mario Kart Tour is there to fulfill your globe-hopping needs. The hit Nintendo kart racing game has already taken players to New York, Tokyo, Paris, London, and other exotic locales. Now it’s headed for the tropical Jungle in its latest tour.

Check out the trailer for the Jungle Tour below.

Nimbus+ Wireless Gamepad Controller is an MFi controller with clickable joysticks, 50-hour battery, more

By

Nimbus+ Wireless Gamepad Controller
What better way to take your iOS gaming to the next level?
Photo: SteelSeries

SteelSeries, the worldwide leader in gaming peripherals, announced its new Nimbus+ Wireless Gamepad Controller for Apple devices Tuesday.

The Nimbus+ improves on the original Nimbus controller by adding a plethora of new features. These include clickable joysticks, new Hall effect triggers, and an impressive 50-hour battery which should make it perfect for gaming during your weekly commute. Once those become a thing again.

Fancade is a massive iOS game collection app that lets you create your own

By

New iOS app Fancade lets you play existing games or make your own.
New iOS app Fancade lets you play existing games or make your own.
Image: Fancade

What could be better than a mobile app that lets you play masses of games, like an old-school arcade squeezed onto your iPhone? A mobile app that lets you play masses of games and make your own new ones.

That’s what Swedish developer Martin Magni created with Fancade, a new iOS app launching Thursday. It offers a huge collection of mini-games, all created using the app itself, along with a drag-and-drop game-maker that lets you create your own.