The folks over at GOG have just launched their “SummerGaming Sale” and they’re kicking things off by giving away a free copy of Xenonauts, a turn-based strategy game inspired by the classic X-COM series. The free download includes versions for macOS, Windows, and Linux and, like all GOG-distributed games, is DRM-free. The GOG sale is on until June 18th, but the free Xenonauts offer is only good for the next 48 hours.
Don’t hold your breath for Valve’s Steam Link app for iOS because Apple rejected it from the App Store over “business conflicts.”
It’s May the 4th, which means today is Star Wars Day. We rounded up four Star Wars games for your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch to help celebrate the day.
Aspyr is bringing even the expansion packs to Civilization VI on the iPad. This week the company announced the Australia Civilization & Scenario DLC pack was available on iPad as an in-app purchase, joining Multiplayer, Vikings, and the Poland packs already out. I liked the Aussie pack, though I didn’t beat the Australia scenario. That scenario is economics only, involving growth and exploration. In multiplayer matches, Australia gets a bonus production rate at the beginning any defensive war, coastal cities get Housing bonuses, and Pastures can trigger a culture bomb that steals tiles from other civilizations. The unique unit is a Digger, which replaces Infantry, and its unique building is an Outback station Workers can produce. I enjoy the economic aspects of Civ VI, and the Aussie pack is a lot of fun. The right strategy can use their strengths to dominate the battlefield, too. All of the Civ VI expansions are $4.99 on iPad. The full game is $59.99, but it’s half price until May 17th. If you’re interested in Civ VI on iPad, get it before then!
Aspyr has released the Rise & Fall expansion for Civilization VI on Mac and Linux. It’s a substantial expansion and refinement of the game including Golden Ages (along with Dark Ages), city Loyalty, Emergency Situations, and a lot more. There are also Historic Moments (a sort of visual history of your Civilization that ties into Golden and Dark Ages), as well as new leaders and civilizations. I’ve been playing Poundmaker of the Cree, a First Nations tribe in what is now Canada. Plus, new Wonders, including new units you only get a Wonder, and plenty of interface enhancements. For instance, there is now an animated element showing Religious pressure, and for the new Loyalty system. In the image below, two NPC declared an Emergency Situation against me after I took a capital. Against capable opponents it adds a time-pressure element to the game. There’s definitely a lot going on in this update. Civilization VI: Rise & Fall is $29.99 through Steam and as an in-app purchase in the Mac App Store. You’ll have to update Civ VI from the Mac App Store to see the in-app purchase.
Check out OneCast, a service that lets you stream Xbox One games to your Mac. According to The Verge, OneCast’s engineers reverse engineered the protocol Microsoft is using to allow Xbox One games to be streamed to PCs. Which means it’s not an official Microsoft app, and you might want to think about that before paying the introductory price of $9.99 (there’s a 14-day free trial, too). Streaming games—in this context—means you’re running the game on your Xbox One, but using your Mac as the display with an Xbox One controller. It’s aimed at players who want to play their games remotely, or maybe don’t have access to their TV due to competition in the house. Microsoft offers this service to Windows users, but OneCast is making it available to Mac users. The consensus seems to be that it works, with some glitches, but that hyper-competitive twitch games may leave you with a disadvantage. I’d certainly try it before buying it.
Bryan and Jeff talk about the Spotify Platform problem and the problems facing any independent music streaming service. They also talk about the things they learned from Tim Cook’s interview with Fast Company, and whether or not Apple is signaling a bigger play in Apple TV gaming.
Feral Interactive is bringing Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration to the Mac and Linux. Players will become Lara Croft, as she “seeks the lost city of Kitezh to recover the Divine Source, an ancient artifact with the power to grant immortality.” Like other titles in the franchise, players solve puzzles, avoid traps, and generally adventure through gorgeous maps. This game is being bundled with all the original downloadable content , including add-on adventures, different player modes, additional outfits for Lara Croft, and Expedition Cards. Pricing and availability haven’t been released, but Feral’s announcements tend to presage release by a few months. Screenshots for the game look amazing, as does the trailer, below.
Puzzles are great games for those rainy days when you’re curled up with a blanket and a hot cup of tea.
Get ready to totally kill your iPhone battery because Nintendo is bringing Mario Kart Tour to Apple’s smartphone.
We’ve shared the best iOS apps of 2017; now it’s time to find the best 2017 games in iOS.
Here’s our short list of stand-out iPad apps from 2017.
Aspyr Media released Thursday Sid Meier’s Civilization VI on iPad, the first game from this great franchise to come to iOS. Aspyr said the interface has been reworked for Touch, and it otherwise looks like Civilization VI. Which is awesome for gaming fun and miserable for my time management. I mean, utterly miserable. I do loves me some Civ action! The game is priced at $59.99, a hefty price that tests new waters for bringing premium games to iOS. But, it’s being released with an introductory price of $29.99, half off. This is the base Civilization VI game without any of the expansions for the desktop game. It’s a free (3.1GB) download that lets you play your first 60 moves for free. After that, you have to make an in-app purchase to buy the full game. Aspyr said the game is playable on iPad Air 2, iPad 2017, or any iPad Pro—the requirements listed in the App Store’s requirements pulldown are more expansive, but I’d stick with the models specified in the description.
Your hunt for Pokémon just got more realistic thanks to ARKit support in Pokémon GO for the iPhone and iPad.
If you need a quick game to play after Christmas dinner, or just want to get in the holiday spirit, you’ll want to check out these games.
Looking for some cool games to kill time while you wait for Star Wars: The Last Jedi to open? Check out these iPhone and iPad games to hold you over.
Feral Interactive announced Tuesday it was bringing Deus Ex: Mankind Divided to the Mac. Better yet, the company is adding in support for Metal 2, Apple’s graphics API. Deus Ex is a cyberpunk-themed action-role playing franchise, with Mankind Divided being the most recent installment. It was released on PC in August, 2016. In this installment, players are Adam Jensen, an augmented covert agent. I loved the original Deus Ex, and am delighted to see Mankind Divided come to Mac. It’s going to be released December 12th for US$59.99/£39.99/€49.99 on Steam and direct from Feral Interactive. There’s a Deluxe Edition version, too, for $89.98/£64.98/€79.98.
There’s a cool new game coming to the Mac on October 24th called Observer. Above and beyond the obviously superior name, Observer looks great. It’s a cyberpunk horror game with a killer description. From Aspyr: “The year is 2084. You are Daniel Lazarski, an elite neural detective known as an Observer, whose purpose is to hack and invade suspects’ minds. To gather evidence, you must relive their darkest fears, and, finally, face your own.” Sign me up! The trailer looks terrific (some may find it dark). Pricing hasn’t yet been announced, but the game will be released on Steam for Mac and Linux, according to MacGamerHQ. Aspyr usually releases its Mac titles on the Mac App Store, too, but a MAS version hasn’t yet been specified.
Retro Games has announced the C64 Mini, a full Commodore 64 in a mini package. Billed specifically as a gaming console, the device is expected to ship in early 2018 with 64 built-in Commodore 64 games. According to HotHardware, the C64 Mini will have two USB ports, one for a joystick and another for a full size keyboard for all your BASIC programming needs. I was already in the Apple camp back in those days, lusting after an Apple //e, but the Commodore 64 did a whole lot for a little money. The C64 Mini version, which is properly licensed, is part of the ongoing wave of nostalgia over old gaming systems, even though the original Commodore 64 was a full computer. The C64 Mini is priced at $69.99, though it hasn’t yet been added to the Retro Games website.
GRID Autosport is coming to iOS (and Android, if that’s your jam). This is racing game, and the iOS trailer looks amazing. It’s being developed for mobile by Feral Interactive. We don’t have a lot of details yet, but the company noted in the comments on YouTube that it will have a career mode, just like the original console version. GRID Autosport will be a tilt-and-touch game. What do you think?
