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Classic puzzle-platformer 'Fez' is coming to iOS
It might be five years old, but Fez remains a masterclass in indie puzzle-platforming. The bright pixel art, the mesmerizing Disasterpiece soundtrack and perspective-shifting gameplay comes together in a wonderfully mysterious and serene collectathon. Following its release on Xbox 360, PC, Mac and various PlayStation hardware, Polytron is bringing the game to iOS. In a short teaser trailer, the eyepatch-wielding Geezer tells Gomez, the main character, how the "adventure is ready." A flashy cube appears in the sky, before the entire scene pans out to reveal the game running on an iPad. So yeah, you can expect a tablet-optimized version.
'Alto's Adventure' studio will launch its new game this fall
Indie game developer Snowman has built up quite a reputation based mostly on one game: Alto's Adventure. But we now finally know when we'll get to see the studio's next creation. Where Cards Fall, a game the company has been teasing for a few years now, will be out this fall for Apple TV, iOS and Steam. If you haven't seen any of the gameplay yet, Snowman has also released a new trailer today that gives a pretty extensive look at what to expect when the game arrives.
'Fallout Shelter' arrives on Windows 10 and Xbox One next week
Mobile games have been making their way to consoles at a semi-regular clip lately. Most recently it was Square Enix Montreal's series of Go titles moving to PlayStation 4, and now Fallout Shelter is making its way to Xbox One and Windows 10. Now, it was already available on Steam, but this version offers Play Anywhere features like cloud-sync and shared achievements between the platforms. So, it's a little different.
'A Normal Lost Phone' is a game set entirely inside a smartphone
"A Normal Lost Phone." That's precisely what you think after launching this curious new indie game. The text messages, calendar app and music player -- everything is made to look and feel like a smartphone. You're free to poke around, but with no credit or internet connection your options seem limited. That is, until you start reading the texts. You'll quickly discover who the owner is and begin to piece together their life, including their relationships and inner demons. I'll say no more -- any further details would give away the story -- but it's a brilliant blend of writing and puzzles.
'Super Mario Run' will hit Android devices in March
It's-a me, Android. Nintendo's first fully fledged smartphone game (sorry, Miitomo), Super Mario Run, is scheduled to hit Android devices in March after landing on iOS in December. The news appeared on the official Nintendo Twitter account this afternoon.
Nintendo's 'Fire Emblem Heroes' mobile game arrives next month (update)
If you've been yearning for a Fire Emblem game to play on the go that isn't relegated to a portable gaming system, maybe the upcoming Fire Emblem Heroes will do the trick. It's a tactical role-playing game (think Final Fantasy Tactics) where "fate has brought two warring kingdoms together in a bitter clash." Naturally. During today's Fire Emblem Direct stream, it was announced that you'll battle it out on an 8x6 grid.
The 'Titanfall' mobile game will die on the vine
If you managed to get access to the Titanfall: Frontline beta, congratulations: You're playing a mobile game marked for death. "We've learned an incredible amount in the beta test of Titanfall: Frontline, but in the end felt the experience wasn't ready to deliver the intense action-packed gameplay synonymous with Titanfall," a post on the game's website says.
'Super Mario Run' hits 40 million downloads in four days
Nintendo has released official download figures for its first (true) smartphone game. 40 million people have tapped their way through the free version of Super Mario Run in just four days. The full game is priced at $10, but Nintendo didn't reveal exactly how many Mario Runners have decided to take the plunge. How does that compare to 2016's smartphone hit, Pokémon Go? Well, it's not a simple comparison.
'Super Mario Run' is now available
Finally, there's a Mario game on smartphones. As promised, Nintendo has released Super Mario Run today, giving iPhone and iPad users a new way to run, leap and spin through the Mushroom Kingdom. It's an auto-runner, meaning the portly plumber will jog, hop and vault over obstacles automatically. You tap the screen to jump, leaping across gaps and goombas to collect colorful coins. It sounds simple, but there's a surprising amount of complexity to the platforming. Like Rayman Jungle Run, timing is essential to unlock contextual moves, such as rolls and wall jumps.
Rockstar classic 'Bully' arrives on iOS and Android
Think of Rockstar and your mind probably jumps to the Grand Theft Auto franchise, or Red Dead Redemption. While excellent games, they've arguably overshadowed an oft-forgotten classic from the PlayStation 2 era: Bully. The adventures of Jimmy Hopkins at Bullworth Academy were charming and mischievous, blending pranks and favors with classroom mini-games. Ten years after its original release, the game is now available on Android and iOS. It comes with the extra classes, missions and characters from the Scholarship Edition (released on Xbox 360 and Wii in 2008), while introducing new lighting, textures and character models.
'Super Mario Run' is just as much fun as we'd hoped
It's no stretch to say that Super Mario Run (launching December 15th for iOS; an Android version will arrive next year) is one of the most notable mobile games in years. It's Nintendo's first real smartphone game and one of the only instances in which the company has developed a Mario game for non-Nintendo hardware. It's the first of several mobile titles planned and could mark the start of a major business shift for Nintendo. But let's put aside all these heady concerns about what Super Mario Run means for the company and answer the most important question: Is the game fun?
Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime explains why it's time to go mobile
Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime has garnered a reputation for being a larger-than-life character, whether he's onstage presenting his company's latest or getting ready for a one-on-one interview. He's playing Super Mario Run on an iPad mini when our meeting begins, as if he just can't stop to focus on the more mundane task at hand. "I'm gonna put this down now," he says as we get started. "I had a great run going, too."
Sony is bringing 'Parappa', 'Wild Arms' and more to mobile
Hot on the heels of PlayStation Experience, Sony has announced the first smartphone games developed under its new "ForwardWorks" banner. The huge roster includes a new Everybody's Golf title (known as Hot Shots Golf in the US), which will come out first in spring 2017. The company is also working on a new Wild Arms game, an adaption of Arc the Lad and What Did I Do to Deserve This, My Lord? Looking further ahead, ForwardWorks has confirmed it'll be working on a new Parappa the Rapper game, as well as apps based on Doko Demo Issho and Boku no Natsuyasumi.
'Pokémon Go' global rollout pauses to fix server problems
If you haven't seen anyone wandering around late at night and waggling their smartphone to catch digital animals, just wait: Your friends will probably drag you into the wildly popular Pokémon Go soon. Or perhaps you don't live in America or the antipodes and are eagerly awaiting its international rollout? Sorry to break it to you trainers, but the global expansion of the Pokémon mobile game has been delayed until its servers recover from player overload.
New Gordon Ramsay mobile game brings the heat and profanity
Ever dream of working in a kitchen with Gordon Ramsay breathing down your neck? With the new Gordon Ramsay Dash game, which lands on iOS and Android next week, you can get a taste of cooking in a stressful environment under the chef's watchful eye. I had a chance to speak about the game with Ramsay himself -- who, by the way, is unnervingly calm in person.
Tencent buys the game company behind 'Clash of Clans'
As Candy Crush and Kim Kardashian have taught us, there's a lot of money in cheesy mobile games. Tencent has purchased Clash of Clans maker Supercell in a deal that values it at $10.2 billion. The Chinese company will acquire Softbank's 73 percent share of the game maker, which grossed $1.35 billion in 2015. The exact purchase price wasn't disclosed, but to pay for it, Tencent formed a consortium and is raising additional debt. Supercell will continue to operate independently from its headquarters in Helsinki, Finland.
'1979 Revolution' arrives on iOS following Iranian ban
Shortly after its release in Iran, the country's government banned the sale of 1979 Revolution, a game that allows players to witness the unrest as a photojournalist. Created by former Rockstar Games developer Navid Khonsari, the title combines video games and documentary filmmaker for a first-hand look at the events in Tehran in the late 1970s. The Iranian government didn't think too highly of the project, as the National Foundation for Computer Games (NFCG) announced a plan to block sites like Steam and others that were selling the game less than two days after its April release. The NFCG called it "Anti-Iranian" and proceeded to confiscate copies of the title as well.
'Miitomo' players are apparently abandoning Nintendo's app
Nintendo's first big foray into mobile gaming, Miitomo, boasts 10 million downloads, but it's more than a game -- it's a quasi social network that's apparently turning into a ghost town. It's generally understood that games see a big bump in players at the outset and gradually that number declines over time. For social networks, where the typical "gameplay," so to speak, is interacting with others, once the user-base declines, there isn't much else you can do. Just ask whoever is still on Ello. The folks at the SurveyMonkey Intelligence blog have been keeping an eye on Miitomo and have made some sobering observations on how Nintendo's smartphone app has performed since launch.
Britney's new mobile game offers a piece of the pop princess
First came Kim. Then came Katy. And now it's time for Britney, bitch. Vegas' pop-princess-in-residence is following in the digital footsteps of Kanye's notorious Instawife with a free-to-play mobile game out today on iOS and Android. Britney Spears: American Dream, the first release of a five-year deal with developer Glu Mobile, is described as narrative role-playing game. It positions you, the player, as an aspirational pop star seeking Britney's advice and approval, and, ultimately, fame in the finicky music industry. Despite headlining the game and providing access to her catalog of hits, however, Britney is mostly a side attraction.
African mobile game rewarded its top players with a real cow
What did your favorite mobile game give you the last time you topped its leaderboard? In Tunisia, the developers of a game called Bagra, which translates to "cow," gave its top players a real, living bovine. To win, the couple had to be better than everyone else in a game of keeping a digital herd of cows safe while stealing from others.
