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Nintendo delays mobile 'Mario Kart Tour' game until the summer
Unsurprisingly, Nintendo needs a little more time to polish its mobile-friendly version of Mario Kart. Beyond the name and target platform, we know precisely zilch about Mario Kart Tour, which was originally scheduled to come out by March 2019. But we haven't seen a single screenshot or Nintendo Direct-style video explaining what the game is like or how it works. So it wasn't a huge shock when the company announced today that the game is now scheduled for summer 2019. Why the delay? "In order to improve [the] quality of the application and expand the content offerings after launch," Nintendo explained in its Q3 earnings report.
'Alien: Blackout' mobile game picks up where 'Isolation' left off
Alien fans wondering what the franchise's official Instagram account was teasing last month across a series of motion posters, each more terrifying than the last, will be happy to learn that a new game is on the way. But we're not getting the console follow-up to Alien: Isolation players were (probably) hoping for. Instead, Alien: Blackout is a mobile title for iOS and Android starring that game's protagonist Amanda Ripley -- who also happens to be the daughter of the original film quadrilogy's iconic heroine, Ellen Ripley.
Japan thinks smartphones are destroying students’ eyesight
The eyesight of Japan's students is deteriorating and the country's government thinks smartphones are to blame. A recent survey conducted by Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology found that the number of students with vision below the standard 1.0 score (equivalent to 20/20 vision) is at an all-time high of 25.3 percent. Worse still, just over 67 percent of high school students and more than 34 percent of elementary students didn't meet the bar. The government is attributing the trend to "increased time spent staring at [smartphone] screens...and mobile games."
Christianity and conservationism collide in 'Pangolin's Puzzle'
Pangolin's Puzzle is a new mobile game that offers a refreshing approach to the puzzle genre -- instead of relying solely on spatial manipulation or number-based solves, it serves up written logic problems. Players manipulate patches of the environment on a grid, building landscapes according to descriptions of how each feature relates to one another. It's tricky, thoughtful and addictive, especially when you add in the adorable main character, an anteater-like animal called a pangolin.
Niantic revives ‘Ingress’ for the post–’Pokémon Go’ world
Niantic has a problem. It's the king of GPS/AR/Maps–based "exergaming," but it's leasing its empire. Pokémon Go is built on IP it doesn't own or control, and a portion of the profits are sent back to Japan. A chunk of the proceeds from its forthcoming Harry Potter game, already a likely blockbuster, will go to J.K. Rowling. It's why Niantic is taking the time to remind the world that its own, original IP, Ingress, still exists.
'Diablo Immortal' brings Blizzard's action RPG to iOS and Android
On the same day it released Diablo III on Nintendo Switch, Blizzard announced it's bringing the Diablo franchise to even more platforms. The studio revealed at Blizzcon that Diablo Immortal, which is coming to iOS and Android, will be the first mobile game in the series.
You can finally play 'Old School Runescape' on your phone
After years of being confined to computers, Old School Runescape has finally made it to mobile. More than a full year after developer Jagex promised the port, the throwback version of the wildly popular MMORPG is now available to play on iOS and Android devices.
Pre-order ASUS' ROG gaming phone on October 18th
ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) announced the release date of its gaming-oriented smartphone today. The ROG Phone will be available for pre-order on October 18th for a starting price of $899 for the 128 GB version. The 512 GB model will cost $1,099. There isn't any word on ship date yet, though accessories for the device will be available starting in Q4.
Nintendo’s gacha RPG ‘Dragalia Lost’ arrives on mobile
Nintendo's new mobile game Dragalia Lost has landed on iOS and Android in the US, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau. The game boasts all the hallmarks of a Japanese RPG made by gacha specialists Cygames: turn-based action (check), anime-style characters (check), microtransactions galore (check), and dragons (check). Of course, you can opt not to spend any cash on in-game characters and dragons -- which you can morph into during battle -- and just grind it out instead.
'Professor Layton and the Curious Village' comes to iOS and Android
Today, the beloved adventure game Professor Layton and the Curious Village is out for both iOS and Android. Studio Level-5 remastered the classic puzzle game in HD and optimized it for mobile. You can pick it up today for $10 from the App Store or Google Play Store.
Nintendo's next mobile game launches on September 27th
Nintendo's next crack at the mobile gaming market is fast approaching. Today, the house of Mario announced that Dragalia Lost will be released in the US, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau on September 27th. There's no word on when the game will be available in Europe and other parts of the world, however. The app, if you need a refresher, is an action-focused RPG co-developed by Cygames, the studio behind the massively popular Granblue Fantasy in Japan. Early trailers have teased a 3D world with chibi-esque characters, real-time combat and monstrous hero transformations.
'Pokémon Go' will offer parental controls with a log-in for kids
Pokémon Go will debut a new log-in system called Niantic Kids that will give parents a way to keep a close eye on their children's accounts. The upcoming log-in platform will give parents access to a portal where they can manage their child's privacy settings and control the personal info they share. They'll also be able to review and approve permissions for their kids. According to ComicBook, the new feature will finally give kids under 13 a way to trade monsters with friends.
Galaxy Note 9 might be the first place you play ‘Fortnite’ on Android
The world's biggest game could be exclusive to Samsung's Galaxy Note 9. Both 9to5Google and XDA Developers have independent sources claiming that Fortnite will be a 30-day exclusive to Samsung's upcoming phablet, with other Android devices getting it later. XDA Developers even goes so far as to say the phone's launch video will be based around developer Epic Games' free-to-play shooter, and that the game will come pre-installed on the handset. There are rumors that the new Bluetooth Smart S Pen will be integrated into play somehow. A certain blue-haired streamer might even be involved. Oh, and if you're a Samsung DeX fan, this will apparently work with that too.
The best free and inexpensive mobile games
If you're a gamer on a budget, you don't have to drop hundreds of dollars on a console or $60 a pop on the latest triple-A titles. Chances are you already have a fantastic gaming machine in your pocket: your smartphone. While you won't get the graphics of a high-end PC or the community of PSN, your phone can scratch that gaming itch for a fraction of the price.
How the PlayStation Vita compares to legendary handhelds
The PlayStation Vita is hanging on by a thread. Sony Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida said in 2015 there was no hope for a follow-up to the handheld console, and since then, the Vita machine has been quietly winding down. Sony is halting production of physical Vita games across Europe and North America on March 31st, 2019, though Sony Japan will continue to churn out carts in the domestic market -- for now.
Nintendo partners up for a money-printing mobile RPG
With all eyes on the Switch and the console's new Labo cardboard peripherals, it's easy to forget Nintendo is now very much a mobile game developer, too. In Nintendo's latest financials, however, its mobile games received only a passing mention, and Mario Kart Tour is still a ways off. But it turns out Nintendo has other mobile titles in the pipeline. It's been working with developer Cygames on Dragalia Lost, a Japanese-style action RPG. You may know Cygames as the company behind the digital card game Shadowverse, but otherwise it typically makes titles aimed squarely at the Japanese market, like the hugely popular Granblue Fantasy.
Ubisoft revives 'Might & Magic' as a mobile strategy RPG
Might & Magic is back, but not in the way you were probably hoping for. Ubisoft has revived the beloved RPG series as a mobile battler called Might & Magic: Elemental Guardians, chock-full of colorful and chibi-esque creatures to collect. The first batch of screenshots reveal a four-person party and various wave-based opponents to dispatch. Ubisoft is promising a "fast-paced strategic battle RPG" with a Pokémon-style elemental system, monster evolution (from "loyal" to "legendary") and customizable Glyph equips. In combat, though, it seems each monster is limited to three abilities — preparation, then, will probably be where the real depth lies.
A cloud service for mobile gaming isn't as dumb as it sounds
We're reached a point where cloud gaming finally makes sense. The technology that exists now is beyond what was available to famous failures like OnLive and many others you could say were ahead of their time. Servers, the consoles and computers we have in our homes, and the speedy internet connections that feed them are now capable of mimicking the experience of playing a game stored on your local machine. Big companies like Sony and NVIDIA have gotten involved over the past few years for just this reason, and one upstart believes it's spotted an unfilled niche in the market. What Spotify has done for music and Netflix for TV, Hatch wants to do for mobile gaming.
'Fortnite Battle Royale' is coming to phones and tablets soon
Fortnite has rapidly gained ground on the battle royale-style champ, PUBG, and now Epic Games has announced it will launch a mobile version on iOS and Android. Amazingly, it's supposed to be the same 100-player PvP game we've seen on other platforms, and there's even a promise to support cross-play and cross-progression with the PC and PS4 versions. Unfortunately, the Android version is coming "in the next few months," but sign-ups to play on iOS will open Monday with invites to play rolling out soon after. Minimum compatible iOS devices include iPhone 6S/SE, iPad Mini 4, iPad Pro, iPad Air 2 and iPad 2017 running iOS 11.
'Alto's Odyssey' took three years to make, and that's all right
It's been three years since Snowman, a tiny independent studio based in Toronto, launched Alto's Adventure on iOS devices. Back then, the Alto crew was three people -- Ryan Cash, Harry Nesbitt and Jordan Rosenberg -- and Alto's Adventure was their first real game. They didn't know what to expect when they published it in the App Store for $2.99 in Feb. 2015, but the team hoped for the best. That launch changed everything. Alto's Adventure was a huge success. Players devoured the serene, soothing experience set on the slopes of a snowy mountain range -- it was an endless-runner snowboarding and llama-herding game, and its only mechanic involved tapping the screen to jump. Though gameplay was simple, the atmosphere and art told a larger story about comfort, risk and the warmth of home. Apple users ate it up, and the next year, Android players got a taste as well.
