Category: Game Releases

New game releases.

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Apple announces premium subscription service Apple Arcade

By Joe Robinson 26 Mar 2019

Hot on the heels of all the fun-times of GDC, Apple seem keen to retake the initiative on mobile gaming, or at least, the conversation around mobile gaming. Last night they made a number of announcements at their “It’s Show Time” event at the Apple Park campus, the most relevant to us being Apple Arcade.

Apple Arcade is essentially a subscription service, ‘Netflix for mobile games’ if you want the catchy elevator pitch, although it’s equally as comparable with initiatives like PlayStation Plus/Now, or Humble Monthly. This is something that’s been hinted at for a while, and certainly Apple have been making noises about wanting to improve discoverability of games – even though apparently sites like ours aren’t needed anymore.

Essentially Apple Arcade will allow iOS, MacOS and Apple TV users can pay a subscription fee to get access to the entire library of games included in the Arcade, which will be over 100 at launch. We’ll post the full list that we know about below, but it includes games like Overland and the newly announced Beyond a Steel Sky, the former of which is one of our most anticipated mobile games of the year.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67umVefSXnY?controls=0]

This isn’t great news for Android users, as they’ve already said that any game on Apple Arcade won’t be on any other mobile platforms, and they won’t be any other subscription service. We could probably still see PC/Console ports (or more likely, PC/Consoles games ported to iOS via Apple Arcade), but Android users could potentially lose out on a lot of promising premium titles after this program launches.

This is a strange one for me personally – as an Android-only mobile user, it sucks that I probably won’t be able to play great games like Overland now, unless they come to PC. But Pocket Tactic’s mission is to support premium mobile games, and those that play them, as much as we can… plus, there’s no ignoring that more of you game on iOS than you do Android.

While I doubt Apple Arcade will be some kind of messianic ‘saviour’ for premium games, I think it will offer a more comfortable route to market for many premium developers. There are countless things to worry about on the app store: discoverability, profitability, niche interests… Apple Arcade is likely to help with many of these, but then there’s plenty of proven cases of premium games doing fine without it so far. If a developer isn’t particularly bothered about making an Android port, I imagine that will help contextualise the benefits of Arcade. There are plenty of PT favourites that still don’t have Android versions, after all.

There are still several big questions that Apple will need to fill in some blanks for, however, namely:

  • How much will it cost?
  • How do the Devs get paid?
  • Can the Arcade Apps be purchased individually still via the app store?
  • How/Who is going to curate these apps?
  • Who will own these apps, and how will you access them once installed?

With regards to what games are coming TouchArcade already has a decent list online which we’ve reproduced below:

  • ATONE: Heart of the Elder Tree
  • Beyond a Steel Sky
  • Box Project
  • Doomsday Vault
  • Down in Bermuda
  • Enter The Construct
  • Frogger in Toy Town
  • HitchHiker
  • Hot Lava
  • Kings of the Castle
  • Lega Arthouse, Cardpocalypse
  • LEGO Brawls
  • Lifelike
  • Little Orpheus
  • Monomals
  • Mr. Turtle
  • No Way Home
  • Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm
  • Overland
  • Projection: First Light
  • Repair
  • Sayonara Wild Hearts
  • Sneaky Sasquatch
  • Sonic Racing
  • Spidersaurs
  • The Bradwell Conspiracy
  • The Pathless
  • UFO on Tape: First Contact
  • Where Cards Fall
  • Winding Worlds
  • Yaga

Apple Arcade is due to launch this Fall, so Imagine many of these questions will be answered before then.

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Humble Book Bundle–Coder’s Bookshelf From No Starch Press

A new game developer friendly Humble Bundle is currently running, this one is the Humble Book Bundle: Coder’s Bookshelf.   As always, Humble bundles are a collection of similar themed items, often Books, Games or other media, increasingly of interest to game developers.  Portions of the proceeds go to charity, humble, the publisher or to support GFS.  Each bundle is broken into tiers, and if you buy a higher tier item, you get all of the items below it.

This bundle consists of:

1$ Tier

Understanding ECMASCRIPT 6

Learn Java the Easy Way

Think Like A Programmer

Python Playground

8$ Tier

Doing Math with Python

Wicked Cool Shell Scripts

Automate the Boring Stuff with Python

The Art of R Programming

The Principles of Object-Oriented Javascript

15$ Tier

The Rust Programming Language

The Book of R

Cracking Codes with Python

Practical SQL

20$ Tier

The LINUX Programming Interface

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8AUn2XvMCk&w=853&h=480]

GameDev News

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Celebrate International Puppy Day with these helpful hounds!

Celebrate International Puppy Day with these helpful hounds!

Who’s a good boy?! These pups! Celebrate the most majestic creature with these pup-filled games.

  • Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: Legendary game worlds and fighters collide in the ultimate showdown. Whether you’re playing the game locally or online* with up to eight players**, don’t forget to call the Nintendogs for assistance!
  • Overcooked 2: The Onion Kingdom is being threatened by The Unbread! The Onion King and his loyal pup Kevin need you, so chop, fry, and bake your way through a series of crazy kitchens to defeat them. No, Kevin! Don’t be a hero!
  • Super Mario Odyssey: Explore incredible places far from the Mushroom Kingdom as you join Mario and his ally Cappy on a massive, globe-trotting adventure. Collect Power Moons to power up the Odyssey airship and save Princess Peach from Bow…wow… Is that dog wearing a hat?!
  • Wargroove: In this turn-based strategy game, choose your Commander and wage war on battling factions. Queen Marcia’s faithful hound Caesar can even command his own armies. You better watch out; this pup gets ruff!
  • Undertale: Fall into the underworld and explore a hilarious and heartwarming world full of dangerous monsters. Date a skeleton, dance with a robot, encounter Annoying Dogs…or destroy everyone where they stand. The future is yours to determine!
  • Mimpi Dreams: Mimpi is a lazy pup who becomes a “Superdog” in his dreams. Whether you’re moving objects or helping him communicate with dream creatures, help him save his friends and learn what it takes to be a good boy!
  • Numbala: Fly a spaceship through galactic islands, rescue your best dog friend, and train at math all while you chase a mysterious space whale! Phew!
  • Left-Right: The Mansion: Gigi the dog ran into a huge mansion, and it’s up to you to save him! Journey through a mysterious place where you have a simple choice to make: left or right?
  • The Liar Princess and the Blind Prince: Transform between the wolf and the princess to solve puzzles, evade traps, and unlock fragments of memories. Weave through the dark and dangerous forest to guide the prince toward a cure.

* Nintendo Switch Online membership (sold separately) and Nintendo Account required for online play. Not available in all countries. Internet access required for online features. Terms apply. Learn more at: https://www.nintendo.com/switch-online.

** Additional accessories may be required for multiplayer mode; sold separately.

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The Weekender: Amplified Edition

Despite GDC 2019 going on the background, it’s been a pretty vibrant time in mobile gaming this week. As someone who stands at the convergence of several different gaming spheres (mobile, war games, PC Strategy etc…), I’m always more open to visionary ideas that further merge several aspects of my life – that’s why Google’s Stadia announcement was so interesting.

I won’t re-hash what I’ve already said – while we wait to see how it ultimately turns out we’ll continue to review excellent games like Tides of Time, or Assembly. Maybe not Pirate Outlaws… Roguelikes seem to be the new ‘hot’ genre at the moment, and this week is no exception.

Meanwhile, In mobile gaming…

Out Now

NecroDancer: AMPLIFIED (iOS Universal)

The original Crypt of the Necrodancer currently stands as one of our favourite roguelike games, so the fact that there’s now a prequel game is very good news indeed. Amplified features brand-new content, as well as all of the original content from the mobile version of Crypt of the Necrodancer, so be mindful if you already own that, there could be some repetition.

The new content features Nocturna, a shape-shifter, with a brand new story and a new zone complete with new levels, boss battles, enemies and rewards. Groove your way through the dungeon, slashing fools to the sick beat.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilP_dT9IoMI?controls=0]

Crossroads Roguelike RPG (iOS & Android)

Speaking of Roguelikes, there’s another one that looks interesting as well. In Crossroads you create a character by choosing its race and class, and then you must go on a quest as an agent of the Adventurer’s Guild. You journey to your mission by revealing cards laid on a grid. Some cards will reveal loot, or spells, or powerful buffs, while others will present challenges. It’s all procedurally generated, and there are 5 different adventures to embark on.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=by1hpyiMCrc?controls=0]

A Sea of RPGs

Usually when I come to do this column, especially if I’m not able to get code for things in advance, I simply keep an eye on what’s ‘premium’ as a potential source of new games. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be working as well as of late, as we’re starting to see more games release with a premium price point AS WELL as IAPs. As far this week goes, there’s been a few RPG releases like that, namely off-brand Pokémon-like Evertale (iOS | Android), and JRPG Legend of the Tetrarchs (iOS | Android).

Evertale’s seems more of a token fee, but both game’s IAPs seem to revolve around in-game currency. As we saw recently with Pirates Outlaws, grind can be bad, and it’s made all the more bitter if you have to pay for the privilege.

But then you’ve also got ThirdMiracle (iOS | Android) & Kings Hero 2 (iOS | Android) which have also released this week and don’t appear to be any more than what they are. The former is another JRPG, while the latter is a hex-based tactical RPG in the old-school fantasy façade.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rS07x7TfhRk?controls=0]

We’ll try and get to all of these as/when we can, but as always – buyer beware.

Updates

Stardew Valley (iOS & Android) (Review)

This update is just on the recently released android version at the time of writing, but the dev have released a patch that’s fixed a few things.

Star Traders: Frontiers (iOS & Android) (Review)

The gift that keeps on giving, there’s been several updates to the game since we last checked. The main thing you need to know that the upcoming release of deployable fighters and Carrier-class ships has been pushed back till the 2.5 update, and the release of a new Era/Story season has been brought forward. Other than that, the Trese Brothers continue to tweak and adjust their magnum opus.

Sentinels of the Multiverse (iOS & Android) (Review)

A firm favourite amongst PT readers, Sentinels has just received its final expansion along with the 3.0 updates. Season 2 pass holders get it for free, otherwise its available to purchase via IAP. It comes with five new heroes, five new environments, and the final boss battle scenario.

DomiNations (iOS & Android)

One of our favourite RTS games, DomiNations is celebrating its 4th Anniversary with a brand new content update focusing on space travel. Sally Ride, the first American woman to go into space, has been added as new leader, as well as the Space Shuttle and SETI Wonders. In addition, new events have been added that focus on key milestones surrounding mankind’s journey into space, from Yuri Gagarin, to Apollo 13.

Sales

Sentinels of the Multiverse (iOS & Android) (Review): $1.99

To celebrate the launch of the final expansion, the base game has been discounted to just a couple of dollars. 

Steamworld Heist (iOS Universal) (Review): $4.99

We rather enjoyed this stylish turn-based strategy game, and now you can too as the game is once again down to half price.

Football Manager 2019 Mobile (iOS & Android): $5.99

FM Mobile is the streamlined version of Football Manager (you could almost call it ‘Lite’) as opposed to the near-direct port that is FM Touch. It’s currently enjoying a small discount, if you’re interested.

Alien: Blackout (iOS & Android) (Review): $2.99

We didn’t like Alien Blackout, but it’s now on sale for the first time since launch, down a couple of bucks. It’s also recently been updated with a new mode called ‘Survive’, which is basically Ironman.

And just before we go, Android users can pick up the original Warhammer Quest for $1, if you’re interested.

Seen anything else you like? Played any of the above? Let us know in the comments!

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Real-Time RayTracing At GDC 2019

At GDC 2018, Microsoft unveiled DXR, or Direct X 12 Raytracing, an SDK enabling real-time raytracing, followed closely by NVIDIA announcing hardware support.  This year at GDC 2019, those technologies have come of age, with major raytracing support coming from 3 major game engine manufacturers.  Additionally NVIDIA have announced some potentially game changing news as well.  Let’s break down the announcements and demonstrations one by one.

CryTek

CryTek started the raytracing announcements off with their amazing real time demo Neon Noir.  Even more impressive, it was done using an AMD card without real-time raytracing support!  Unfortunately, the demo was never released to the public.

Unity

Unity showed an impressive demo Reality vs Illusion which intercuts real world footage and real time raytraced BWM footage that is nearly impossible to discern the difference.  Unity’s technology is sadly several months from being available in a future HDRP release.

Unreal Engine

Unreal is the closest with their real time raytracing implementation, in fact it’s available now in Unreal Engine 4.22.  They also had a presentation in the form of the short movie Troll.

NVIDIA

NVIDIA also had a real time raytracing demonstration in the form of Project Sol, Part 3.  Their announcement may have been the most significant however, as they announced that DXR driver support will be shipping in April to older generation NVIDIA GPUs, such as the 1060/1070 and 1080 cards.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjE6Iv2DssU&w=877&h=493]

GameDev News

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Pre-Purchase Now – Vampire: The Masquerade® – Bloodlines™ 2

Vampire: The Masquerade® – Bloodlines™ 2 is Now Available for Pre-Purchase on Steam!

Sired in an act of vampire terrorism, your existence ignites the war for Seattle’s blood trade. Enter uneasy alliances with the creatures who control the city and uncover the sprawling conspiracy which plunged Seattle into a bloody civil war between powerful vampire factions.

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Experience family-friendly VR with hippos, aliens, photography and more in new Nintendo Labo: VR Kit

Experience family-friendly VR with hippos, aliens, photography and more in new Nintendo Labo: VR Kit

Ever wish you could paint like an elephant or feel like a superhero by stopping an alien invasion? Nintendo Labo: VR Kit launches exclusively for the Nintendo Switch system on April 12 with dozens of simple and fun virtual reality* experiences for kids and families to enjoy together. Get a sneak peek at what’s included in the Nintendo Labo: VR Kit in this new video released by Nintendo: https://labo.nintendo.com/#video.

Combining the innovative physical and digital gameplay of Nintendo Labo with basic VR technology, Nintendo Labo: VR Kit introduces virtual reality in a unique and approachable way. The Toy-Con Wind Pedal produces a blast of air to create the feeling of flying, while the Toy-Con Blaster slides and clicks before it launches a volley of lasers (or fruit). Players can make different DIY cardboard creations like a Toy-Con Elephant or a Toy-Con Camera; play a variety of VR games and experiences with these creations; and discover how it all works – or even design their own bite-sized VR experiences with the included programming tools.

“Nintendo Labo is inherently designed to encourage imagination and creativity in people of all ages by blending real-world and virtual experiences,” said Doug Bowser, Nintendo of America’s Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “This new kit takes that concept a step further by layering in virtual reality to bring the Toy-Con creations to life and encourage family-friendly, pass-and-play experiences.”

All the games and experiences in Nintendo Labo: VR Kit are designed to be shareable, fun and social. By alternating turns, everyone in the room can watch and enjoy players’ reactions and join in the fun. Some games even allow players who aren’t looking into the Toy-Con VR Goggles to interact with the on-screen experience. For example, if one player is exploring the in-game ocean and taking photos with the Toy-Con Camera, another person in the room can wear the Toy-Con Snorkel and step in front of the Camera to make a bug-eyed fish swim quickly toward the player’s face – the reaction is priceless!

The Nintendo Labo: VR Kit offers a variety of games and experiences that work with the different Toy-Con creations, including:

  • Ocean Camera (Toy-Con Camera): Dive into the deep blue virtual sea and complete objectives like taking photos of sea life. The ocean is full of surprises.
  • House Camera (Toy-Con Camera): Interact with the strange creature living in the house – which some people may recognize from the Nintendo Labo: Variety Kit! – and complete missions by taking photos in its mysterious home.
  • Marble Run (Toy-Con Elephant): Try to complete physics puzzles by using various objects to guide marbles through rings. You can even create puzzles of your own to challenge friends and family.
  • Doodle (Toy-Con Elephant): Create colorful 3D artwork by moving the trunk of the Toy-Con Elephant through the air, using various in-game tools and styles to bring your creations to life. Once finished, show off your masterpieces on the TV by docking your Nintendo Switch. An additional multiplayer game lets you take turns drawing and guessing each other’s drawings.
  • Bird (Toy-Con Bird): Soar through the sky on a bird’s back, collecting items and helping baby birds hatch along the way. Players flap the wings of the Toy-Con Bird to fly and simply tilt it to turn.
  • Bird Dash (Toy-Con Bird, Toy-Con Wind Pedal): Compete in timed challenges by racing through checkpoints as you fly through the sky. The Toy-Con Wind Pedal is used in conjunction with the Toy-Con Bird to deliver an extra boost of speed, while also sending a surprisingly strong puff of air toward the player that enhances the sense of flying.
  • Blaster (Toy-Con Blaster): Battle an alien invasion and giant bosses in an on-rails experience that requires sharp reflexes and a keen eye.
  • Kablasta (Toy-Con Blaster): Challenge a friend to competitive hippo feeding. Yes, hippo feeding! Fling different types of fruit toward the hippos to lure them to your side of the pool and score the most points.
  • Hop Dodge (Toy-Con Wind Pedal): As a frog, jump as high as you can on an ever-growing stack of balls while avoiding obstacles and heading soccer balls. The wind resistance from the Wind Pedal will make you feel as though you’re actually experiencing a breeze.
  • VR Plaza (all Toy-Con creations): Enjoy 64 bite-sized games and experiences in VR Plaza, including platformers and puzzlers. Many of these experiences can be enjoyed using only the Toy-Con VR Goggles and Nintendo Switch system.

Two programing tools are included with the Nintendo Labo: VR Kit software. Toy-Con Garage is the tool that is returning from previous kits and optimized for this kit’s Toy-Con creations. Toy-Con Garage VR is a new tool that allows players to create their own VR games and experiences. In fact, Toy-Con Garage VR is the tool that the development team used to create everything in VR Plaza. Players can even import VR Plaza games into Toy-Con Garage VR mode to discover how they work, customize the experiences or use them as inspiration to create a completely new game.

Nintendo Labo: VR Kit will launch in retail stores on April 12 with two primary configurations, one that includes all Toy-Con creations and one that includes a smaller selection of projects to get started:

  • Nintendo Labo: VR Kit: Available at a suggested retail price of $79.99, the complete Nintendo Labo: VR Kit includes the Nintendo Switch software and materials to build all six Toy-Con projects – the Toy-Con VR Goggles, Toy-Con Blaster, Toy-Con Camera, Toy-Con Bird, Toy-Con Wind Pedal and Toy-Con Elephant – as well as a Screen Holder and other accessories. It’s a good option for kids and families who want to dive into the full experience.
  • Nintendo Labo: VR Kit – Starter Set + Blaster: Available at a suggested retail price of only $39.99, the Starter Set includes the Nintendo Switch software, plus all the components to build the Toy-Con VR Goggles and Toy-Con Blaster, as well as the Screen Holder and other accessories. The Starter Set is a great entry point into the world of Nintendo Labo VR.

Players that own the Starter Set can purchase the following optional expansion sets at https://store.nintendo.com/ to expand their experience:

  • Nintendo Labo: VR Kit – Expansion Set 1**: Available for $19.99, Expansion Set 1 includes the components needed to build the Toy-Con Elephant and Toy-Con Camera.
  • Nintendo Labo: VR Kit – Expansion Set 2**: Available for $19.99, Expansion Set 2 includes the components needed to build the Toy-Con Wind Pedal and Toy-Con Bird.

For more information about Nintendo Labo: VR Kit, please visit https://labo.nintendo.com/kits/vr-kit/.

*The VR mode should only be used by children ages 7 and older. Parents should restrict the display of VR mode for children 6 and under by accessing the in-game settings using the goggles icon. Users can easily turn off the VR feature and use the included Screen Holder instead of the VR Goggles to enjoy any of the included games and experiences in 2D.

**The two expansion sets do not include the Toy-Con VR Goggles or Nintendo Labo: VR Kit software.


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