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    Apple Arcade

    Apple Arcade launched this time last week alongside iOS 13.

    For those unaware, it's a gaming subscription service for iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and (soon) Mac. It works like Game Pass - for £4.99 a month, you get unlimited access to a library of regularly updated games.

    Critically for the MTX clogged mobile gaming market, Apple have pledged that no game on the service will ever include in-app purchases. You get the whole tamale, so long as you're a subscriber.

    Also of note is that so far, all of the games on the service are entirely exclusive to it. You can't buy them permanently (like you can with Game Pass titles), you have to be a subscriber to play them. Unfortunately for Android users this probably does mean some games that would have come to the platform now won't.

    This is because Apple have funded a number of the games and are now effectively a games publisher, which is another interesting kink - as well as being another way for them to invade your life if you use their products.

    You get 1 month free, so I took out the trial, and I have to say - the games I've tried so far are very good! It's great to be able to access more games that aren't ruined by the fact that it's so hard to make money out of pay-once games on the App Store.

    My highlights so far:

    Grindstone



    OK, this is really fun. It's a puzzle game where you play a guy battling his way through rooms of monsters. You drag your finger through adjacent monsters of the same colour, trying to get as many as possible in one go. Then you tap 'Go', and the hero smashes his way through them. Get more than 10 in one go, and a shiny Grindstone appears. Pick up the Grindstone as part of a chain of enemies, and you can then continue the chain with enemies of a different colour.

    Make that new chain longer than 10 enemies, another Grindstone will appear, so you can do the same thing, and - yeah, you can see how this becomes addictive. The longer you stay in a level, the more aggressive enemies will become. End a chain next to an angry one, and you'll lose a heart. Lose all your hearts, and you'll lose everything you've accrued that level, so it becomes a risk/reward thing of when to exit.

    Gorgeously solid, elastic animation, too. Lovely.

    Painty Mob



    This chaotic looking game is basically all about running about like a loon, chucking paint on people, then running away when they (understandbly) get quite cross.

    You run by moving your left thumb around, you chuck paint by tapping your right one, and everything happens very quickly indeed. You're constantly on the hunt for more paint to refill your stocks, and the more people you cover with paint, the bigger the angry mob chasing you is. Hit enough people with paint before you're caught, a bar will fill, and you'll be onto the next stage.

    A very kinetic feel with good use of the iPhone's force feedback, and eye spangling splashy neon graphics. A nice little time killer.

    What The Golf



    A strange sort of joke of a game so far, reminiscent of other quirky, leftfield iPhone efforts like Desert Golfing and No Brakes Valet. It's golf, but it's not really golf. So far every level has been surprising - from chucking the hole at the ball rather than the other way round, to getting a 'Home In One' by whacking an entire house across the course.

    Not sure what this one will be like in terms of staying power or if the joke will wear thin rather quickly, but it's definitely something different.


    For me, I really like how so many of the games so far feel really tailored for mobile. There is a Squeenix RPG on the service, plus Zelda ripoff Oceanhorn, but I'm not sure I can be bothered with such a lengthy quest on my phone. I just want to chuck paint at people and run away from them till I get to my bus stop.

    Has anyone else taken out the trial? [MENTION=960]Lebowski[/MENTION], I know you have, you mentioned it elsewhere. I'd like to hear other people's thoughts on these games.

    #2
    Following 5 days of praise for this service & its games from Eurogamer, I gave in & have ordered an Apple TV HD from ebay (Refurb at £88 with a years warranty), it arrives Monday. I'll let you know

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      #3
      I must admit I am tempted to try this out having seen a lot of praise for the games on there this week.I have an unconnected Apple TV lying around so might as well give it a whirl. I'll sync my spare Xbox One controller with it and see how it goes.

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        #4
        While some of the games are exclusives like grind stone games like Sayonara wild hearts and what the golf are also on Nintendo switch and ps4 so its not just mobile fodder it seems the arcade will be getting some interesting indie stuff too.

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          #5
          My Apple TV unit finally arrived (useless lying ebay seller). Anyhow it paired within seconds to my Xbox One S bluetooth controller and Apple Arcade is great. I've tried about 7 games so far and they are smooth and control brilliantly. Recommended

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            #6
            I finally got round to finding a nice Apple TV in CEX and a few cheeky trades later I'm up and running.

            There are loads I want to play but i started with:

            Grindstone - At a glance it looks like a million other mobile games but like wakka says it's really good. I've been playing loads this afternoon. And for a game that looks very mobile orientated it plays great on the tv with a controller.

            Skate City - This is feel good skating. The atmos is chilled and the momentum feels good.

            Sayonara Wild Hearts - This connects to the Minter and Mizuguchi fan in me. The music and visuals come together to make a great experience.

            Pinball Wizard - A pinball based dungeon crawler. Okay, so the physics aren't fx3 standard but it's really good fun to play. Really like this one.

            Sneaky Sasquatch - Basically MGS on a camp site. Really good fun and comical too.

            Overland - This was perhaps the number one reason I wanted to dip my toe into Apple Arcade. It looks like a board game ... a handmade aesthetic like Yoshi's Crafted World. It's isometric landscapes are littered with dangerous creatures and your survival relies on stopping your car for supplies/fuel, etc. I haven't quite connected with it as I'd hoped yet (lack of tutorial makes it hard to get into) but I'll stick with it.



            So far I really like it
            Last edited by Atticus; 02-02-2020, 23:02.

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              #7
              I think if apple can carry on with the nice little indie games/mobile games they could make a niche for themselves. It's kind of the opposite of Stadia. They are trying to walk before they run.

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                #8
                I've gone from a bunch of underpowered gear to now having three modern avenues to try this out, so I'm hoping to be on it soon. I was at a buddy's place a while back and suggested he grabbed Grindstone, not sure I'm going to see him again based on the what I've heard since.

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                  #9
                  I finished Grindstone over Christmas, which it turns out, is a long game. Good, but boy howdy does it take some time. I know this has now ported to the Switch, but I don't think there's anything particularly extra they added?

                  Aside from that I've enjoyed Necrobarista, which is a visual novel. It isn't half as action-packed (or as smooth on my iPad) as this trailer would have you think, but it's quite a nice reflection on the concepts of death and moving on.



                  I tried playing World's End Club a few months back, which is the latest from Too Kyo games who've brought together the Zero Escape and Danganronpa scenario writers.



                  ... I didn't get on with it quite as I hoped. Again, I found performance a bit of a drag, but at the same time they announced that this wasn't the complete vision for the game, and that the 'true' ending would be in a Switch version at a later date in 2021. Not sure that was the greatest sales pitch, guys.

                  Anything else of note folks have played?

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                    #10
                    Ive not had a look at Apple Arcade since my free trial ran out a couple of months after launch. Anything worthwhile been added to the service since that time thats worth checking out?

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                      #11
                      It's not a new addition, but just adding Tangle Tower to my list of recommends on the service. I played it through over the last couple of days on the Switch and it's great - murder mystery with some slick puzzles and good characters.

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                        #12
                        Fantasian is out already!



                        JRPG from Mistwalker, being touted as Uematsu's potentially final full OST, with gorgeous dioramas for backgrounds, and some fun ideas to take some of the drudgery out of random battles (see video).

                        Downloading now, praying it runs well on at least one of my systems, but still secretly crossing every pair of digits in the hope it'll get ported to another platform soon.

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                          #13
                          Not only is Fantasian really good, but World of Demons (Platinum), Taiko no Tatsujin, and Clap Hanz Golf (i.e. Everyone's Golf) just released too. Apple Arcade is on fire!

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                            #14
                            Service has been quiet for a bunch but there's a few new games on the horizon which look interesting.

                            Not least of which is a new, non-Shenmue game from Yu Suzuki's YSNET!



                            It looks utterly mad! It could play like Panzer Dragoon meets Space Harrier! It sounds like someone's about to be hit by a lawsuit re: Killer Queen!

                            I'M THERE!
                            Last edited by fuse; 31-05-2022, 23:22.

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                              #15
                              Oh wow....that looks really cool. I'm definitely into that. I think I'll have to resub to Apple Arcade for that (I only ever had a trial of the service).

                              I think I'll play on Mac with a pad though. Out of interest, Fuse, where do you mostly play your Apple Arcade games?

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