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Mobile - The Weekender: Isle of Games Edition - xSicKxBot - 07-21-2018
The Weekender: Isle of Games Edition
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<p>Welcome to the Weekender, your weekly look at the best new games, sales, and updates. We’ve got a bumper crop of new releases to review, including two of the better games so far this year, at least in my book. Let’s check them out.</p>
<h2>Out Now</h2>
<h3>Teen Titans GO Figure (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/teen-titans-go-figure/id1323070827?mt=8&at=11l7vY" target="_blank">iOS Universal</a>) – <em>Full review coming soon!</em></h3>
<p>The sequel to one of 2016’s best games, and one of the most successful premium games on the App Store, <em>Teeny Titans Go – Teen Titans Go</em> has arrived. It’s named <em>Teen Titans Go Figure</em> and, well, at least it’s a little less of a mouthful. It has the same overall gameplay as the original, you run around Jump City collecting figures, completing quests, and taking on all comers in real-time figurine battles. The battles remain fast, fun, and tactical and still hinge on bringing the right trio to each fight and swapping them in and out to use their special powers as the situation dictates. There’s plenty new as well with a new main story line, side quests, city layout, new figures and powers, and new tofu battle effects.</p>
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<p><em>Teen Titans GO Figure</em> is a premium game but also offers in-app-purchases, which is also new. The IAPs are to buy rarer figures using real-life money rather than fake in-game money. There are also repaint tokens to change the look of figures and some other cosmetics. I’ve ignored these IAPs entirely and haven’t found any issues proceeding well into the game. You can still find plenty of figures at the various stores and put together a powerful cast of characters. </p>
<p>Overall <em>Teen Titans GO Figure</em> keeps what is great about the original and adds enough new stuff to make it feel like a different game. If you enjoyed the original or like real-time battlers in general definitely pick this one up.</p>
<h3>Motorsport Manager Mobile 3 (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/motorsport-manager-mobile-3/id1346580540?mt=8&at=11l7vY" target="_blank">iOS Universal</a> and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.playsportgames.mmm3" target="_blank">Android</a>) – <em>Full review coming soon!</em></h3>
<p>I know nearly nothing about motorsports. I know there are Formula 1 cars and stock cars and could probably tell you which is which if quizzed with some pictures. I went from this state of near ignorance to pondering pit-stop strategy differences between regular and endurance races within a couple hours of playing <em>Motorsport Manager Mobile 3</em>. It’s the third installment of what might be the best sports-management simulation franchises in the history of the tablet. Like its predecessors the game not only looks great but entertainingly covers every facet of managing a racing team from hiring engineers, mechanics, and drivers to building and buying vehicle parts, to managing sponsors and the team’s budget, to of course, the racing. So, if you’re into sports simulations, or sim games in general, <em>Motorsport Manager Mobile 3</em> is well worth the purchase. Like me, you’ll be anxiously watching colored dots speed around the track in no time.</p>
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<h3>Isle of Skye (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/isle-of-skye/id1326879265?mt=8&at=11l7vY" target="_blank">iOS Universal</a> & <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.digidiced.ixsrelease" target="_blank">Android</a>) – <em>Full review coming soon!</em></h3>
<p>Asmodee Digital’s latest tabletop to digital transformation, <em>Isle of Skye</em>, snuck onto Android earlier this week. <em>Isle of Skye</em> puts you at the head of one of five clans battling to rule over an island. To claim victory, you must develop your territory and trade resources wisely. The game features a single-player mode as well as asynchronous online multiplayer. We were caught a bit unawares with this one so no gameplay impressions this time around, but we’ve got Matt Skidmore on the case and should be able to bring you our full review next week. </p>
<h3>Lost Portal: Primeval Expansion (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/lost-portal-ccg/id924691770?mt=8&at=11l7vY" target="_blank">iOS Universal</a>) (<a href="https://www.pockettactics.com/reviews/review-lost-portal/" target="_blank">Review</a>)</h3>
<p>Premium solo CCG <em>Lost Portal</em> is one of my favorite iPhone games of all time and it just got its second batch of new content, the <em>Primeval Expansion</em>, which includes 40 new cards as well as a new town and four new dungeons in which to adventure. The game also got an update to the forge to help create cards you already own more easily, such as the dual-aeons which make multi-colored decks much easier to run. Another nice change is that card merchants return to a town, with their wares, to make them easier to track down later. If you’re fan of <em>Magic: The Gathering</em> and <em>Dungeons & Dragons</em> and haven’t picked it up, I highly recommend <em>Lost Portal</em>. If you’ve already got the game and want even more awesome the <em>Primeval Expansion</em> is a great addition to the game. </p>
<h3>Hags Castle (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hags-castle/id1387161479?mt=8&at=11l7vY" target="_blank">iOS Universal</a> and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.switchpilot.hagscastle" target="_blank">Android</a>)</h3>
<p><em>Hags Castle</em> is a first-person, three-dimensional dungeon crawler where you play as the warrior champion of a wizard named Greypoo. Yes, Greypoo. This Greypoo fellow requires you to defeat the witch of Hags Castle, though first you have to power your way through the many, varied, and dangerous denizens of the castle. You move through the game step-by-step and turn 90 degrees at a time by pushing the large movement buttons, which is a little weird because I kept wanting to use the usual touch controls. When you find stuff to fight combat is real time and relatively basic. It’s mostly about timing strikes correctly and backing up to avoid attacks if desired. The game is interesting if not compelling and I do like that you can easily play one-handed. Something to play while you wait for <em>The</em> <em>Elder Scrolls: Blades</em>, perhaps?</p>
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<h3>Reigns: Her Majesty – Free Expansion (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/reigns-her-majesty/id1171040772?mt=8&at=11l7vY" target="_blank">iOS Universal</a> and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.devolver.reigns2" target="_blank">Android</a>) (<a href="https://www.pockettactics.com/reviews/review-reigns-her-majesty/" target="_blank">Review</a>)</h3>
<p>Long live the Queen! As long as you can live, anyway, in <em>Reigns: Her Majesty</em>. The popular and entertaining sequel to 2016’s genre creating title <em>Reigns</em>. Now, the queen has more of everything in the form of a big content update. This expansion has added 200 cards, 3 new characters, and unfortunately for her, 5 new ways to die. <em>Reigns: Her Majesty</em> is on sale for the first time for $1.99 to celebrate the new content. </p>
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<h3>Dereliction (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dereliction/id1397537207?mt=8&at=11l7vY" target="_blank">iOS Universal</a>) – <em>Full review planned</em></h3>
<p><em>Dereliction</em> is a real-time, squad-based combat game where you control a team of space marines looking to reclaim an abandoned spaceship from alien creatures known as the Dross. Gameplay is tower-defense like and you’ll position your team and give high-level orders to best deal with waves on incoming Dross but don’t have direct control. You need to move your team, airlock by airlock, across the ship in order to secure it. Between fights you get to upgrade your marines and better equip them to deal with tougher and tougher foes. The UI is a bit rough around the edges, and positioning units exactly where you want them can be pretty finnicky, but the design is definitely interesting. I like the idea of building tactical advantages by controlling doors to filter foes through choke points and setting up crossfire to take Dross down quickly. I haven’t played enough to tell how deep <em>Dereliction</em> is but it’s worth a look for fans of real-time tactical combat games. </p>
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<h2>Sales </h2>
<h3>Reigns (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/reigns/id1114127463?mt=8&at=11l7vY" target="_blank">iOS Universal</a> and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.devolver.reigns" target="_blank">Android</a>): $1.99 (<a href="https://www.pockettactics.com/reviews/review-reigns/" target="_blank">Review</a>)</h3>
<p>The original <em>Reigns</em> is also on sale, a rarity since its release a couple years ago, to celebrate new content for the queen. </p>
<h3>Space Grunts (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/space-grunts/id1018002876?mt=8&at=11l7vY" target="_blank">iOS Universal</a> and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.orangepixel.spacegruntsfree" target="_blank">Android</a>): $1.99 (<a href="https://www.pockettactics.com/reviews/review-space-grunts/" target="_blank">Review</a>)</h3>
<p>If you want to feel like you’re playing an action game—complete with camera-shaking explosions—within the safe confines of turn-based tactics <em>Space Grunts</em> is for you. It’s a must-own for any roguelike fan and is currently half price. </p>
<h3>Beholder (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/beholder/id1205486761?mt=8&at=11l7vY" target="_blank">iOS Universal</a>): $1.99 (<a href="https://www.pockettactics.com/reviews/review-beholder/" target="_blank">Review</a>)</h3>
<p>If you’re ready to make some tough choices in a grim, dystopian future, now’s your chance. <em>Beholder</em>, a game where you run an apartment building and must spy on and rat out your unpatriotic neighbors, is on sale for its lowest ever price (normally $5). </p>
<h3>Bardbarian (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bardbarian-premium-edition/id1360427099?mt=8&at=11l7vY" target="_blank">iOS Universal</a> and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=air.com.treefortress.Bardbarian" target="_blank">Android</a>): $1.99/$2.49 (<a href="https://www.pockettactics.com/reviews/bardbarian/" target="_blank">Review</a>)</h3>
<p>Real-time-strategy game <em>Bardbarian</em> features Brad the Bardbarian who gathers warriors to lead around defending his village from waves of tower-defense-like attacks. </p>
<h3>Sunless Sea (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sunless-sea/id1133500069?mt=8&at=11l7vY" target="_blank">iPad</a>): $5.99 (<a href="https://www.pockettactics.com/reviews/review-sunless-sea/" target="_blank">Review</a>)</h3>
<p><em>Sunless Sea</em>—Failbetter Game’s beautiful game of isolation, discover, and death—has also dropped to its lowest ever price, down from $10. It’s a weird game of life on the sea and full of things like sentient icebergs, mutiny, betrayal, and cannibalism. We gave it four stars and you should <a href="http://www.pockettactics.com/reviews/review-sunless-sea/">check out the review</a> for more. </p>
<p><em>Seen anything else you’ve liked? Played any of the above? Let us know in the comments!</em></p>
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