TotalWarBattles
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Sega brings Total War Battles back to the Mac
I really liked Sega's Total War Battles when it first arrived on iOS. Classic RTS developers Creative Assembly did a lot of good thinking about how to bring that complicated genre over to the iPad's touchscreen, and they did an excellent job, keeping things simple and accessible without compromising on depth or complexity. They've done so well that Sega is now bringing the game back to the desktop. Total War Battles Shogun is now available on Steam, for both the PC and the Mac. There's no new content, as far as I can tell, but the game has been made completely compatible with Steam, including leaderboard and achievements for that platform. If you missed this one when it first arrived on iOS, and wouldn't mind having something fun to play on your Mac, definitely give it a look.
Daily iPad App: Total War Battles brings big-time RTS to iOS
I first saw Total War Battles (now out on the iPad and iPhone) at GDC earlier this year, and walked away excited about its potential. The Creative Assembly has been making phenomenal Total War games for the PC for years, with deep, intelligent war strategy across several time periods. Now Creative Assembly faces the challenge of bringing an involved, deep strategy game meant for a mouse and keyboard to iOS. Their answer is Total War Battles. It's been streamlined a lot, but all of the elements of real-time strategy combat are still there. You build bases, hire units, and lead them forward onto a (very compressed, hex-based) battlefield. What Creative Assembly actually came up with is somewhat similar to the popular Legendary Wars, but I think it's a bit cleaner and nicer than that one. That's not surprising, given how experienced Creative Assembly already was at making great games. Aside from the hex battle maps, there's a ten-hour long, story-based campaign to play through, and as Creative Assembly told me at GDC, the basic storyline is fairly easy, meant for more casual players. More difficult maps are available to those who want a challenge. Total War Battles also offers local multiplayer. You can face off against an opponent 1v1 on the same iPad screen. It's not quite as deep as the core game, but it is kind of a wacky take on strategy that's worth a try. Total War Battles is US$6.99, and despite its quality, I'm pretty sure that Creative Assembly won't get nearly the audience they're hoping to at that price. Still, it's a great game -- if you like real-time strategy games, it's a must-play, and if you play PC games at all, TWB is worth a look just to see the choices Creative Assembly made in translating its work to the iOS screen. And if all else fails, just wait -- the next time Sega runs a big sale, this will likely be a little cheaper.
Major iOS releases today: Macguffin's Curse, Sketch Nation Studio, more
As is customary Thursdays, a bevy of great iOS releases debuted on the App Store today, including several we've been waiting for. Here's a sampling of what you'll find out there (all prices are USD): If you just pick up one of these, MacGuffin's Curse should be it. It's a very well done puzzle/adventure title that's been in the works for quite a while. It's also destined for the Mac App Store, but at $1.99 on the App Store, you probably shouldn't pass it up now. Sketch Nation Studio is another big release we've been waiting on. I saw it in action at GDC earlier this year, and was impressed that it lets you build a game that can potentially be released to the App Store and earn real money. Sketch Nation Studio is basically a platform inside Apple's platform, and it'll be interesting to see how it plays out going forward. It's a free download. Downhill Xtreme is also free. It's a longboard racing game from veteran devs Distinctive Developments. I can't say I was super impressed with the controls on this one when I played it at GDC, but there is some excellent music in here, and it's free, so it's worth a download for sure. Monster Words is a freemium title that combines two of my favorite things: Monsters and word games. Illusia 2 is also free. It's a sequel to Gamevil's popular RPG platform, with lots of customization options and some really nice 2D graphics. Finally, Sega has released Total War Battles on iOS. This might be the one exception to only picking up MacGuffin's Curse this week. If you're a real-time strategy fan, this is definitely the one to buy. Total War is the acclaimed PC strategy series from developers Creative Assembly, and in bringing the game to iOS, they've made several smart moves that preserve the core of RTS, while simplifying the interface for the touchscreen. Definitely check this one out. It's $6.99 right now and worth that price if you love Total War or real-time strategy, but Sega price drops its games often, too. This is just the cream of the crop out today, too. Stay tuned, as we'll be featuring more big releases every day going forward in our Daily App series.
Sega shows off Total War Battles, new Sonic and Bloodshow at GDC
Sega was in attendance at GDC 2012 last week, showing off its latest and greatest mobile offerings for iOS. There were only three apps that really stuck out to me from the event itself, and you can read all about them right here below. First up, Sonic the Hedgehog 4, Episode 2 is going to be arriving on iOS this spring, as previously announced. If you liked the first iteration in this series, you'll probably like the second, and even if not, you know how Sonic the Hedgehog works by now. I will admit this version does look great, and the controls have been tightened up a bit. The inclusion of Tails is a nice selling point, too -- you can use Sonic's dual-tailed friend either as a flying helper, or for a gigantic spin move. And though I didn't get to see it in action, I was told that Tails also serves as a playable character for a second player jumping in over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, which definitely seems like a lot of fun. Sonic 4, Episode 2 is due out this spring. The most interesting release in Sega's booth was an iOS version of Creative Assembly's very popular real-time strategy series, Total War, called Total War Battles: Shogun. As you can see above, it's a real-time strategy title that's been completely redesigned for a mobile interface, using hex tiles and individual troop commands to guide Japanese infantry off into battle. I really liked this one. The design is almost a little too locked-down for those expecting a full RTS experience, but I really thought that Creative Assembly's changes were very smart, and brought the feeling of the popular Total War series to a much wider audience. There's a lot of content in this one, too, with 50 missions to go through, and then a series of optional side missions that really ramp up the difficulty for dedicated players. Units can be upgraded in between missions, and there's even a real-time, same-screen multiplayer mode (that will let two people play the game against each other one on iPad). Total War Battles: Shogun seems intriguing. Strategy fans can look for it in April for $4.99. And finally, from the makers of Samurai Bloodshow comes a sequel of sorts, called Alexandria Bloodshow. The biggest difference here is that instead of fighting with Japanese troops, you'll be fighting with Greek and Egyptian troops and calling down various gods and deities from those settings to fight for you. Combat plays out nearly exactly the same, and there's also that very unique look, sort of like little bits of art facing off against each other. Obviously there are also new cards and units to collect and play with, and if you want cards that you don't get from the standard game, there's a card shop included as well. The whole experience is very similar to the first title in the series, but if you liked that one, you probably won't be disappointed. Alexandria Bloodshow is also due out this spring, and price hasn't been determined by Sega just yet. Total War Battles is definitely the most interesting game on the horizon. I have a feeling that when that one arrives, a lot of strategy fans will find a lot of great new ideas on Apple's platform.
