01-25-2020, 08:50 AM
The Weekender: License Holder Edition
<div style="margin: 5px 5% 10px 5%;"><img src="https://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/the-weekender-license-holder-edition.jpg" width="820" height="413" title="" alt="" /></div><div><p>I thought this week might turn out to be quite interesting after the explosive news regarding <em>Carcassonne</em> (see below), but things seemed to settle down quite quickly. As you’ll read below though, that wasn’t the only franchise that will be changing the guard!</p>
<p>We’ve also caught up on a few reviews this week and then <a href="https://www.pockettactics.com/articles/black-desert-mobile-mini-game-flappy-bird/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">I had a bit of a moment</a> regarding <em>Black Desert Mobile.</em> I’m sorry.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, in the world of mobile games…</p>
<h2>New App Releases</h2>
<p>It’s another dud weak in terms of releases, however a couple of things caught our eye…</p>
<h3>Retro Bowl (<a href="https://apps.apple.com/app/id1478902583" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">iOS</a> & <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.newstargames.retrobowl" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Android</a>)</h3>
<p>We didn’t spot this in time last week, but we wanted to give a quick shout out to <em>Retro Bowl</em>. It’s from the developers of <em>New Star Soccer</em> and is themed around the American NFL. You pick your favourite team and manage all aspects of their existence both on and off the pitch.</p>
<p>It’s a ‘free-to-try’ game in the sense that you get to play five games for free before being prompted to pay for the full game, which costs $0.99/£0.99.</p>
<iframe class='youtube-player' type='text/html' width='980' height='552' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/kf7DIBfD54U?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>Tetris is Dead? Long Live Tetris?</h3>
<p>Echoing <a href="https://www.pockettactics.com/articles/carcassonne-ios-expired/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the news we heard about <em>Carcassonne</em></a> earlier in the week, it seems EA’s stable of mobile <em>Tetris</em> games are also being replaced by a new upstart. The AAA games publisher was responsible for <em>Tetris 2011</em>, <em>Tetris Premium</em> and <em>Tetris Blitz</em> – these games are still available on iOS but have vanished from Google Play.</p>
<p>We’re unsure at this time if Android users are still able to download the game if they’ve had it downloaded previously, or whether existing downloads still work. The developers have stated officially the games will be retired on <strong>April 20th, 2020</strong>. At this point even iOS users won’t be able to play them, regardless if they’ve got them on a device or not.</p>
<p>This is where the new challenger comes in. A company called N3TWORK INC. has now released a new free <em>Tetris</em> app on both <a href="https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/tetris/id1491074310?mt=8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">iOS</a> and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.n3twork.tetris" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Android</a>.</p>
<p><img class="leftAlone" title src="https://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/the-weekender-license-holder-edition.jpg" alt="Nu Tetris" width="820" height="413"></p>
<p>They’ve only done one game before – a free-to-play fantasy match-3 puzzle/RPG called <em>Legendary: Game of Heroes RPG</em>, as well as an Apple Watch game called <em>Mafia Watch</em>. That’s nice, I guess? It’s a shame this latest shut-down is more draconian than <em>Carcarsonne</em> but it depends on the terms of the license deal they have.</p>
<h2>Best App Updates</h2>
<p>On the bright side, there’s a couple of cool and interesting app updates to cover this week. Let’s take a look…</p>
<h3>Star Traders: Frontiers</h3>
<p>Our <a href="https://www.pockettactics.com/articles/pocket-tactics-mobile-game-of-the-year-2019/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">2019 GOTY Winner</a> is still proving it’s worth with another sizable update this week. The main focus is improving how Interdictors fare in battles, as well as adding in three new specialist ships that specialise in anti-craft warfare (‘crafts’ are fighters, bombers etc…)</p>
<p>There’s also been some further tweaks to various talents, as well as an overhaul of the Frontier Liner starting ship. Lovely stuff.</p>
<h3>Out There: The Alliance Update</h3>
<p>When <em>Out There</em> launched on Nintendo Switch it did so as <em>Out There: Omega The Alliance</em>, an exclusive version of the game that came with goodies like a new ending, new spaceships and achievements. Developer Mi-Clos did reassure everyone though back in November that this content would be coming to other platforms, and now it’s finally out as a free update on mobile. If you haven’t played in a while now might be a great chance to dive back in. We’ve included the Nintendo Switch trailer so you can see what the new edition will look like.</p>
<iframe class='youtube-player' type='text/html' width='980' height='552' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/M14lmV_XEL0?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>App Sales</h2>
<ul>
<li>As a reminder from Monday’s report, TheCodingMonkey’s <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/carcassonne/id375295479" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Carcassonne</em></a> as well as the other games they’ve made are currently on sale to mark the (upcoming) shutdown of their version of the iOS game. It’s currently half price.</li>
<li>To celebrate the big <em>Alliance</em> update (above), <em>Out There</em> is down to just $0.99 on <a href="https://apps.apple.com/app/id799471892" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">iOS</a> and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.miclos.google.games.outthere" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Android</a>.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.pockettactics.com/reviews/football-manager-2020-mobile/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Football Manager 2020 Mobile</em></a> & <em>Touch</em> are discounted for the first time since launch – roughly 25% cheaper.</li>
<li>Continuing on the sports theme, <em>NBA 2K20</em> is down to $1.99 on <a href="https://apps.apple.com/app/id1471692155" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">iOS</a> and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.t2ksports.nba2k20and" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Android</a>. Not its cheapest price ($0.99) but close enough.</li>
<li>We only reviewed it last week, but <a href="https://www.pockettactics.com/reviews/dragon-castle-board-game/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Dragon Castle: The Board Game</em></a> is on sale again. The second time since launch and the cheapest price to date.</li>
<li>Our 2018 GOTY Winner, <a href="https://www.pockettactics.com/reviews/review-meteorfall-journey/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Meteorfall</a>, is currently $1.99 again.</li>
<li>Everyone’s favourite game <em>XCOM: Enemy Within</em> is also down to $1.99</li>
</ul>
<p><em>Seen anything else you liked? Played any of the above? Let us know in the comments!</em></p>
</div>
https://www.sickgaming.net/blog/2020/01/...r-edition/
<div style="margin: 5px 5% 10px 5%;"><img src="https://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/the-weekender-license-holder-edition.jpg" width="820" height="413" title="" alt="" /></div><div><p>I thought this week might turn out to be quite interesting after the explosive news regarding <em>Carcassonne</em> (see below), but things seemed to settle down quite quickly. As you’ll read below though, that wasn’t the only franchise that will be changing the guard!</p>
<p>We’ve also caught up on a few reviews this week and then <a href="https://www.pockettactics.com/articles/black-desert-mobile-mini-game-flappy-bird/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">I had a bit of a moment</a> regarding <em>Black Desert Mobile.</em> I’m sorry.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, in the world of mobile games…</p>
<h2>New App Releases</h2>
<p>It’s another dud weak in terms of releases, however a couple of things caught our eye…</p>
<h3>Retro Bowl (<a href="https://apps.apple.com/app/id1478902583" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">iOS</a> & <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.newstargames.retrobowl" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Android</a>)</h3>
<p>We didn’t spot this in time last week, but we wanted to give a quick shout out to <em>Retro Bowl</em>. It’s from the developers of <em>New Star Soccer</em> and is themed around the American NFL. You pick your favourite team and manage all aspects of their existence both on and off the pitch.</p>
<p>It’s a ‘free-to-try’ game in the sense that you get to play five games for free before being prompted to pay for the full game, which costs $0.99/£0.99.</p>
<iframe class='youtube-player' type='text/html' width='980' height='552' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/kf7DIBfD54U?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>Tetris is Dead? Long Live Tetris?</h3>
<p>Echoing <a href="https://www.pockettactics.com/articles/carcassonne-ios-expired/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the news we heard about <em>Carcassonne</em></a> earlier in the week, it seems EA’s stable of mobile <em>Tetris</em> games are also being replaced by a new upstart. The AAA games publisher was responsible for <em>Tetris 2011</em>, <em>Tetris Premium</em> and <em>Tetris Blitz</em> – these games are still available on iOS but have vanished from Google Play.</p>
<p>We’re unsure at this time if Android users are still able to download the game if they’ve had it downloaded previously, or whether existing downloads still work. The developers have stated officially the games will be retired on <strong>April 20th, 2020</strong>. At this point even iOS users won’t be able to play them, regardless if they’ve got them on a device or not.</p>
<p>This is where the new challenger comes in. A company called N3TWORK INC. has now released a new free <em>Tetris</em> app on both <a href="https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/tetris/id1491074310?mt=8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">iOS</a> and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.n3twork.tetris" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Android</a>.</p>
<p><img class="leftAlone" title src="https://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/the-weekender-license-holder-edition.jpg" alt="Nu Tetris" width="820" height="413"></p>
<p>They’ve only done one game before – a free-to-play fantasy match-3 puzzle/RPG called <em>Legendary: Game of Heroes RPG</em>, as well as an Apple Watch game called <em>Mafia Watch</em>. That’s nice, I guess? It’s a shame this latest shut-down is more draconian than <em>Carcarsonne</em> but it depends on the terms of the license deal they have.</p>
<h2>Best App Updates</h2>
<p>On the bright side, there’s a couple of cool and interesting app updates to cover this week. Let’s take a look…</p>
<h3>Star Traders: Frontiers</h3>
<p>Our <a href="https://www.pockettactics.com/articles/pocket-tactics-mobile-game-of-the-year-2019/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">2019 GOTY Winner</a> is still proving it’s worth with another sizable update this week. The main focus is improving how Interdictors fare in battles, as well as adding in three new specialist ships that specialise in anti-craft warfare (‘crafts’ are fighters, bombers etc…)</p>
<p>There’s also been some further tweaks to various talents, as well as an overhaul of the Frontier Liner starting ship. Lovely stuff.</p>
<h3>Out There: The Alliance Update</h3>
<p>When <em>Out There</em> launched on Nintendo Switch it did so as <em>Out There: Omega The Alliance</em>, an exclusive version of the game that came with goodies like a new ending, new spaceships and achievements. Developer Mi-Clos did reassure everyone though back in November that this content would be coming to other platforms, and now it’s finally out as a free update on mobile. If you haven’t played in a while now might be a great chance to dive back in. We’ve included the Nintendo Switch trailer so you can see what the new edition will look like.</p>
<iframe class='youtube-player' type='text/html' width='980' height='552' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/M14lmV_XEL0?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>App Sales</h2>
<ul>
<li>As a reminder from Monday’s report, TheCodingMonkey’s <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/carcassonne/id375295479" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Carcassonne</em></a> as well as the other games they’ve made are currently on sale to mark the (upcoming) shutdown of their version of the iOS game. It’s currently half price.</li>
<li>To celebrate the big <em>Alliance</em> update (above), <em>Out There</em> is down to just $0.99 on <a href="https://apps.apple.com/app/id799471892" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">iOS</a> and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.miclos.google.games.outthere" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Android</a>.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.pockettactics.com/reviews/football-manager-2020-mobile/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Football Manager 2020 Mobile</em></a> & <em>Touch</em> are discounted for the first time since launch – roughly 25% cheaper.</li>
<li>Continuing on the sports theme, <em>NBA 2K20</em> is down to $1.99 on <a href="https://apps.apple.com/app/id1471692155" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">iOS</a> and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.t2ksports.nba2k20and" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Android</a>. Not its cheapest price ($0.99) but close enough.</li>
<li>We only reviewed it last week, but <a href="https://www.pockettactics.com/reviews/dragon-castle-board-game/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Dragon Castle: The Board Game</em></a> is on sale again. The second time since launch and the cheapest price to date.</li>
<li>Our 2018 GOTY Winner, <a href="https://www.pockettactics.com/reviews/review-meteorfall-journey/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Meteorfall</a>, is currently $1.99 again.</li>
<li>Everyone’s favourite game <em>XCOM: Enemy Within</em> is also down to $1.99</li>
</ul>
<p><em>Seen anything else you liked? Played any of the above? Let us know in the comments!</em></p>
</div>
https://www.sickgaming.net/blog/2020/01/...r-edition/