In this episode, Bryan Chaffin ask if Apple’s rumored next iPad Pro is the Mac replacement long predicted. They also discuss what went wrong with Apple TV gaming, and the pros and cons and cons and cons of iPhone driver’s licenses. They sneak some Anki Vector love in there, too.
Aspyr Brings Civilization VI to iPhone
Civilization VI on an iPhone? Really, it boggles my mind that Civ VI can played on an iPad, but Aspyr announced Thursday that it’s now available for iPhone, too. What these “phones” we carry with us everywhere can do is really something else. In any event, Civ VI for iPhone is free download—the free version lets you play 60 turns, enough to see if you’re going to like it. You can unlock the full game for $23.99 as an in-app purchase. It’s a hybrid app, too, so if you already bought it for iPad, you can download it on iPhone.
Sid Meier's Civilization VI Now on iPhone and It's on Sale
Sid Meier’s Civilization VI is a popular turn-based game and part of the Civilization game series. The company behind the game—Aspyr Media—recently reengineered the game to make it available for the iPad. And now it’s available for the iPhone as well. To celebrate the game is 60% off at US$23.99, when it’s normally US$59.99. Download now and play your first 60 turns for free. Purchase the full game to build an empire that stands the test of time. Civilization VI requires iOS 11 and an iPhone 7 or 7 Plus, iPhone 8 or 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPad Air 2, iPad 2017, or any iPad Pro. The game offers new ways to interact with your world, expand your empire across the map, advance your culture, and compete against history’s greatest leaders to build a civilization that will stand the test of time. Play as one of 20 historical leaders including Roosevelt (America) and Victoria (England).
Mac Game Developers are Nervous About the Future of macOS [Update]
Apple is deprecating OpenGL and OpenCL in macOS Mojave. That makes Mac game developers nervous for the future of Mac gaming.
This World Creator App is a 2048 Building Simulator Game
A cool app called World Creator combines gameplay from the popular app 2048 with a SimCity-like building simulator game. Choose various historical personages as your hero, build your city in 2048 style, meanwhile cast unique skills to attack or disturb opponents, crash their cities and become the champion. Witness opponents’ construction progress in realtime, collect vairous skins of the heroes, fight with other players in different styles, and upgrade your heroes, enhance skill power, overwhelm your opponents in the battlefield. Spring to winter, sunrise to sunset, day to night, enjoy the view of your civilization in construction from every angle. App Store: World Creator! – Free
50 (Almost) Ways to Leave Your Lover (High Sierra) for macOS Mojave
With macOS Mojave now in developer beta, many will want to try it out as soon as the public beta is released. There are some ways to do this with care and caution and still have fun.
Pokémon GO Will Finally Let People Trade Pokémon
Do you still play Pokémon GO? Then you’ll be excited that you’ll finally be able to trade Pokémon soon with a new update to the game.
Review: Taking a Quick Look at Fortnite on iOS
Sometimes the controls can be a bit awkward in certain situations, but overall Andrew thinks Epic Games did well with the app.
Command & Conquer: Generals Deluxe Edition for Mac on Sale for $5
Hey Mac gamers, Aspyr Media has Command & Conquer: Generals Deluxe Edition for Mac on sale for $5, which is now downloading on own Mac even now. That’s right, I took the time to buy it before alerting you, because what if it turned out to be a mistake and the price went up!?! 😱 But for reals, who doesn’t love Command & Conquer? Unfortunately, it’s a single player game these days because Apple has mostly abandoned Game Center, but it’s a great (though old) single player game, so giddy up! This version includes Command & Conquer: Generals and the Zero Hour expansion.
New App Will Let You Play Steam Games on iOS, tvOS
It will let you play Steam games on iOS and tvOS. But there’s a catch.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi Will Become an AR Game
The grand prize for the sweepstakes are tickets to attend the premiere of “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” in Los Angeles this December, as well as a private tour of Lucasfilm in San Francisco.
How Apple Frittered Away its Early Lead With Apple TV Games
In 2013 Apple had turned the tables on Nintendo. Then Apple dropped the ball.
Atari Revives Retro Gaming Console Ataribox
Just like Nintendo is resurrecting the NES Mini and SNES Mini, so too is Atari bringing back its own gaming console. Design-wise, the Ataribox takes design inspiration from the Atari 2600. One model has the familiar black and wood design, while the other has black with red accents. Both have the raised back and ribbing, with glass and wood finishes for the front. The rest of the specs are all modern. The Ataribox will come with an HDMI port, four USB ports, and SD card expansion slots, which may hint that Atari will allow sideloading. More detailed internals haven’t been released yet, but Atari promises to stuff it full of “modern internal specs” to support “current gaming content.” Pricing and release date information haven’t been released either, and Atari says they want to “get this right” before they make any more announcements.
Nintendo Bringing Back Retro Games with Mini SNES Classic
Nostalgic gamers rejoice, for Nintendo is bringing back its classic console as the mini Super NES Classic console system. It will come with 21 games like Super Mario World, F-ZERO, Final Fantasy III, Earthbound, Super Mario Kart, and Star Fox 2, which was previously unreleased. Nintendo will launch the mini SNES Classic Edition on September 29th for US$79.99. Just like the NES Classic, it will have an HDMI port so you can hook it up directly to your TV. Hopefully Nintendo learned its lesson when it released the NES Classic, which was hard to come by because of limited stock and was discontinued earlier this year. When September finally comes around, it wouldn’t be surprising if the SNES Classic is quickly sold out.
Railway Empire Isn't Coming to Mac [Update]
[Update: I checked with Kalypso on Mac support, and unfortunately the company said Railway Empire won’t be coming for the Mac. Despite being released on Steam—and Linux for crying out loud—there’s no Mac version planned. The original reports of it coming to the Mac were blamed on an error in the press release.] Yeah, I went through two keyboards trying to write this post. They kept shorting out from all the drool. It’s this new game, Railway Empire, which is being teased with the not-subtle tagline, “All Aboard Railway Tycoons!” It looks amazing. It looks like it picks up where Railroad Tycoon and Railroads left off, but bigger and more detailed. Players can invest in 300 technologies. There are 40 different trains “modeled in extraordinary detail.” Players will also have to manage work forces and can conduct raids and industrial espionage against rivals. Zzzzt! Dangit. There went another keyboard…in any event, it’s scheduled for release in the 1st quarter of 2018 for Mac, PC, Xbox, PS4, and Linux. Watch the amazing trailer below.
Dead Plague: Zombie Outbreak Looks Like a Fun Zombie Shooter for iOS
Check out Dead Plague: Zombie Outbreak. It’s a zombie shooter for iOS (and Android, if that’s your thing) by GameSpire, and it looks like a lot of fun. The player is part of BIOCORP’s strike force, and your job is to stop the zombie outbreak and collect DNA samples, too. It’s free to download, with in-app purchases available for boosted play. Check out the gameplay video below.
Feral Ships Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War III for Mac, Watch the Trailer [Update]
Feral shipped Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War III for Mac (and Linux) this week. This installment of the popular large-scale warfare plaform puts the player as one of three ever-warring factions. It includes giant war machines, new graphics, new weapons, and elite squads. It also has both a single player game and multiplayer. It’s US$59.99, and is currently available direct from Feral and through Steam. The company told me on June 19th that it will also soon be on the Mac App Store. The original trailer for Dawn of War III for Mac is embedded below, and it looks amazing. [Update: Edited with availability through Steam and the Mac App Store. – Bryan]
Microsoft Opens Minecraft Marketplace For In-App Purchases
As part of the Discovery update, Microsoft is also bringing a new feature to the game called Marketplace. Minecraft Marketplace is coming to the Windows 10 platform, as well as Minecraft Pocket edition for mobile platforms. Players can create and sell items in the Marketplace using a form of game currency called Minecraft Coins. When a player creates an item to sell, they can set their own prices as well as take a small percentage of the sale. Once you sell something, such as a custom skin or a map, the app platforms will take a 30% cut. Players can access items they buy through their Xbox Live account. This means that you can access your purchases no matter what platform you use. Microsoft will launch a public beta on Android in mid-April. The beta will test the Microsoft Coins so you won’t see any player creations yet. Microsoft is also hosting a Reddit AMA on April 20 from 9AM-12PM PST.
