05-04-2019, 08:02 AM
The Weekender: Lunar Rescue Edition
<div style="margin: 5px 5% 10px 5%;"><img src="http://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/the-weekender-lunar-rescue-edition.jpg" width="1920" height="1080" title="" alt="" /></div><div><div><img src="http://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/the-weekender-lunar-rescue-edition.jpg" class="ff-og-image-inserted"></div>
<p>It’s been a bit of a slower week this week but hopefully you’ve all found something to your liking – not as many reviews as I’d like but everyone is working on something, so the pipeline will keep spitting out new entries for the index and we’re working on a couple of new features as well.</p>
<p>I especially like updating the <a href="https://www.pockettactics.com/guides/upcoming-ios-android-mobile-games-2019/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Upcoming Mobile Games feature</a>, as it allows me to go back through the various bits of news we don’t always get to cover, and get hyped for the rest of the year.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, in mobile gaming…</p>
<h2>Out Now</h2>
<h3>SpellForce: Heroes & Magic (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/spellforce-heroes-magic/id1451708258?mt=8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">iOS</a> & <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hg.spellforce" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Android</a>) – <em>Full Review Coming Soon!</em></h3>
<p>This game released last week but we forgot to give it a mention – the <em>SpellForce</em> series can chart its origins to the wild days of 2003, where it’s spent most of 15 years across 8 releases masquerading as a real-time strategy/RPG. Now the series is making its mobile debuts with <em>SpellForce: Heroes & Magic</em>, and it’s ditched the standard flow of time to offers a turn-based strategy experience instead.</p>
<p>It’s leaving the story and lore of the <em>SpellForce</em> universe largely untouched, and offers both a free play or a 13-mission adventure mode. There are three playable races, six neutral factions, and you have to build up your kingdom, explore the surroundings and defeat your enemies in turn-based hex combat.</p>
<iframe class='youtube-player' type='text/html' width='654' height='368' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/X0RZ2k8HKCY?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent' allowfullscreen='true' style='border:0;'></iframe>
<h3>SpellSwords Cards: Origins (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/spellsword-cards-origins/id1459350707?mt=8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">iOS</a> & <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.oneupplus.SpellswordOrigins" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Android</a>) <em>– Full Review Coming Soon!</em></h3>
<p>This one ticks multiple PT Bingo boxes this week – it’s got ‘Spell’ in it, like our top entry, and is a roguelike deck-builder RPG with card mechanics and procedural generation. One of it’s unique hooks is reported to be ‘Card Fusion’, so you can finally summon that Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon that you’ve been dreaming of all these years.</p>
<p>On a serious note, this game is yet another newcomer in what’s becoming a rapidly over-crowded genre. The aesthetic is certainly cool, but it depends whether the gameplay can back it up – we’ll bring you our thoughts as soon as we can.</p>
<iframe class='youtube-player' type='text/html' width='654' height='368' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Exse2lLogB8?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent' allowfullscreen='true' style='border:0;'></iframe>
<h3>Lunar Rescue Mission (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/lunar-rescue-mission/id1454133831?mt=8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">iOS</a> & <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.topsecretdevelopments.lunarRescueMissionPro" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Android</a>) – <em>Full Review Coming Soon!</em></h3>
<p>On PC I’ve been a fan of games like <em>Space Engineers</em> and <em>Kerbal Space Program</em> for years. I don’t quite have the fortitude (or the math) to play them as much as I’d want to, but I’m glad they exist and they are fun to drop into every now and then.</p>
<p><em>Lunar Rescue Mission</em> is no <em>KSP</em>, but it boasts realistic phsyics and several different vehicles that require mastering as you travel across sectors trying to rescue stranded colonists. Quite keen to get a review done for this one as it’s different and something you often see, plus it’s not even that expensive. It’s been in beta on Android since at least 2017, but now its released fully on both platforms.</p>
<iframe class='youtube-player' type='text/html' width='654' height='368' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/tw8JMcg16-0?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent' allowfullscreen='true' style='border:0;'></iframe>
<h2>Updates</h2>
<h3>Tropico (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tropico/id1264531625?l=en&mt=8&at=11l7vY" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">iOS Universal</a>) (<a href="https://www.pockettactics.com/reviews/tropico/">Review</a>)</h3>
<p>And last but certainly not least, <em>Tropico</em>’s iOS port is now available on iPhone, as well as iPad, making it a universal app. Just go to wait for that android version now…</p>
<iframe class='youtube-player' type='text/html' width='654' height='368' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Mg2zKSkRjTk?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent' allowfullscreen='true' style='border:0;'></iframe>
<h3>Star Traders: Frontiers (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/star-traders-frontiers/id1442583232?mt=8&at=11l7vY" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">iOS</a> & <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tresebrothers.games.startraders2" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Android</a>) (<a href="https://www.pockettactics.com/reviews/star-traders-frontiers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Review</a>)</h3>
<p>Now that Carriers are well and truly out the door the Trese brother’s unrelenting pace of updates is back on track. Update #146 adds two new female faces, adds a new prototype Bounty Hunter story mission and a whole bunch of QoL fixes. The full change-log <a href="https://steamcommunity.com/games/335620/announcements/detail/1610510924005575672" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">can be seen on steam</a>.</p>
<h3>Evolution: The Video Game (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/evolution-the-video-game/id1112610493?mt=8&at=11l7vY" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">iOS</a> & <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.northstargames.evolutiongame" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Android</a>) (<a href="https://www.pockettactics.com/reviews/evolution-the-video-game/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Review</a>)</h3>
<p><em>Evolution</em> has had a few updates since it released, but the most recent one allows Premium users to play for free with any friends or family that are only using the ‘free’ version of the game.</p>
<h2>Sales</h2>
<h3>Asmodee Digital Spring Sale</h3>
<p>Asmodee Digital are having a Spring Sale on both <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/developer/asmodee-digital/id1135862620" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">iOS</a> & <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/dev?id=7959316599581723037" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Android</a>, with the following games going for up to 60% off:</p>
<ul>
<li><em>Carcasonne </em>(Android)</li>
<li><em> Mysterium</em></li>
<li><em> Agricola</em></li>
<li><em> Agricola 2P</em></li>
<li><em> Isle of Skye</em></li>
<li><em> Pandemic</em></li>
<li><em> Pathfinder Adventures</em></li>
<li><em> Twilight Struggle</em></li>
</ul>
<h3>Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/star-wars-kotor/id611436052?mt=8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">iOS</a> & <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.aspyr.swkotor" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Android</a>)</h3>
<p>It’s May 4<sup>th</sup> tomorrow, but plenty of places are getting in early with their <em>Star Wars</em> celebrations – everyone’s favourite Bioware RPG is currently half-price on both mobile platforms, just in case you <strong>STILL</strong> haven’t picked it up yet.</p>
<p><em>Seen anything else you liked? Played any of the above? Let us know in the comments!</em></p>
</div>
<div style="margin: 5px 5% 10px 5%;"><img src="http://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/the-weekender-lunar-rescue-edition.jpg" width="1920" height="1080" title="" alt="" /></div><div><div><img src="http://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/the-weekender-lunar-rescue-edition.jpg" class="ff-og-image-inserted"></div>
<p>It’s been a bit of a slower week this week but hopefully you’ve all found something to your liking – not as many reviews as I’d like but everyone is working on something, so the pipeline will keep spitting out new entries for the index and we’re working on a couple of new features as well.</p>
<p>I especially like updating the <a href="https://www.pockettactics.com/guides/upcoming-ios-android-mobile-games-2019/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Upcoming Mobile Games feature</a>, as it allows me to go back through the various bits of news we don’t always get to cover, and get hyped for the rest of the year.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, in mobile gaming…</p>
<h2>Out Now</h2>
<h3>SpellForce: Heroes & Magic (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/spellforce-heroes-magic/id1451708258?mt=8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">iOS</a> & <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hg.spellforce" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Android</a>) – <em>Full Review Coming Soon!</em></h3>
<p>This game released last week but we forgot to give it a mention – the <em>SpellForce</em> series can chart its origins to the wild days of 2003, where it’s spent most of 15 years across 8 releases masquerading as a real-time strategy/RPG. Now the series is making its mobile debuts with <em>SpellForce: Heroes & Magic</em>, and it’s ditched the standard flow of time to offers a turn-based strategy experience instead.</p>
<p>It’s leaving the story and lore of the <em>SpellForce</em> universe largely untouched, and offers both a free play or a 13-mission adventure mode. There are three playable races, six neutral factions, and you have to build up your kingdom, explore the surroundings and defeat your enemies in turn-based hex combat.</p>
<iframe class='youtube-player' type='text/html' width='654' height='368' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/X0RZ2k8HKCY?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent' allowfullscreen='true' style='border:0;'></iframe>
<h3>SpellSwords Cards: Origins (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/spellsword-cards-origins/id1459350707?mt=8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">iOS</a> & <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.oneupplus.SpellswordOrigins" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Android</a>) <em>– Full Review Coming Soon!</em></h3>
<p>This one ticks multiple PT Bingo boxes this week – it’s got ‘Spell’ in it, like our top entry, and is a roguelike deck-builder RPG with card mechanics and procedural generation. One of it’s unique hooks is reported to be ‘Card Fusion’, so you can finally summon that Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon that you’ve been dreaming of all these years.</p>
<p>On a serious note, this game is yet another newcomer in what’s becoming a rapidly over-crowded genre. The aesthetic is certainly cool, but it depends whether the gameplay can back it up – we’ll bring you our thoughts as soon as we can.</p>
<iframe class='youtube-player' type='text/html' width='654' height='368' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Exse2lLogB8?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent' allowfullscreen='true' style='border:0;'></iframe>
<h3>Lunar Rescue Mission (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/lunar-rescue-mission/id1454133831?mt=8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">iOS</a> & <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.topsecretdevelopments.lunarRescueMissionPro" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Android</a>) – <em>Full Review Coming Soon!</em></h3>
<p>On PC I’ve been a fan of games like <em>Space Engineers</em> and <em>Kerbal Space Program</em> for years. I don’t quite have the fortitude (or the math) to play them as much as I’d want to, but I’m glad they exist and they are fun to drop into every now and then.</p>
<p><em>Lunar Rescue Mission</em> is no <em>KSP</em>, but it boasts realistic phsyics and several different vehicles that require mastering as you travel across sectors trying to rescue stranded colonists. Quite keen to get a review done for this one as it’s different and something you often see, plus it’s not even that expensive. It’s been in beta on Android since at least 2017, but now its released fully on both platforms.</p>
<iframe class='youtube-player' type='text/html' width='654' height='368' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/tw8JMcg16-0?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent' allowfullscreen='true' style='border:0;'></iframe>
<h2>Updates</h2>
<h3>Tropico (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tropico/id1264531625?l=en&mt=8&at=11l7vY" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">iOS Universal</a>) (<a href="https://www.pockettactics.com/reviews/tropico/">Review</a>)</h3>
<p>And last but certainly not least, <em>Tropico</em>’s iOS port is now available on iPhone, as well as iPad, making it a universal app. Just go to wait for that android version now…</p>
<iframe class='youtube-player' type='text/html' width='654' height='368' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Mg2zKSkRjTk?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent' allowfullscreen='true' style='border:0;'></iframe>
<h3>Star Traders: Frontiers (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/star-traders-frontiers/id1442583232?mt=8&at=11l7vY" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">iOS</a> & <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tresebrothers.games.startraders2" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Android</a>) (<a href="https://www.pockettactics.com/reviews/star-traders-frontiers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Review</a>)</h3>
<p>Now that Carriers are well and truly out the door the Trese brother’s unrelenting pace of updates is back on track. Update #146 adds two new female faces, adds a new prototype Bounty Hunter story mission and a whole bunch of QoL fixes. The full change-log <a href="https://steamcommunity.com/games/335620/announcements/detail/1610510924005575672" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">can be seen on steam</a>.</p>
<h3>Evolution: The Video Game (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/evolution-the-video-game/id1112610493?mt=8&at=11l7vY" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">iOS</a> & <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.northstargames.evolutiongame" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Android</a>) (<a href="https://www.pockettactics.com/reviews/evolution-the-video-game/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Review</a>)</h3>
<p><em>Evolution</em> has had a few updates since it released, but the most recent one allows Premium users to play for free with any friends or family that are only using the ‘free’ version of the game.</p>
<h2>Sales</h2>
<h3>Asmodee Digital Spring Sale</h3>
<p>Asmodee Digital are having a Spring Sale on both <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/developer/asmodee-digital/id1135862620" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">iOS</a> & <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/dev?id=7959316599581723037" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Android</a>, with the following games going for up to 60% off:</p>
<ul>
<li><em>Carcasonne </em>(Android)</li>
<li><em> Mysterium</em></li>
<li><em> Agricola</em></li>
<li><em> Agricola 2P</em></li>
<li><em> Isle of Skye</em></li>
<li><em> Pandemic</em></li>
<li><em> Pathfinder Adventures</em></li>
<li><em> Twilight Struggle</em></li>
</ul>
<h3>Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/star-wars-kotor/id611436052?mt=8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">iOS</a> & <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.aspyr.swkotor" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Android</a>)</h3>
<p>It’s May 4<sup>th</sup> tomorrow, but plenty of places are getting in early with their <em>Star Wars</em> celebrations – everyone’s favourite Bioware RPG is currently half-price on both mobile platforms, just in case you <strong>STILL</strong> haven’t picked it up yet.</p>
<p><em>Seen anything else you liked? Played any of the above? Let us know in the comments!</em></p>
</div>