Mobile Gaming Just Keeps Getting Better
When it comes to mobile gaming, the platform has become so well-established and filled with notable titles that even the snobbiest gamer shouldn’t turn up his or her nose at these “casual” experiences. Sure, they’ll probably never be as great or engaging as your modern console/PC games, but that’s also not really the point. For one, many of the best mobile titles can’t be played for that long without paying for something, which is certainly an option but not one that’s necessary. And even with all the heavy-hitting games headed to consoles and PC this fall and winter, there are more reasons than ever to consider playing on your phone, too.
Catch ’em All—On The Go
This became apparent earlier in the month when the Pokémon Company announced the release of Pokémon Shuffle. It may be a simple puzzle game in the vein of so many others available now, but it’s also just a holdover for what’s to come from the company. Yes, the franchise’s fans have even more to look forward to in the coming months (in addition to Poké fighter Pokkén). While the game doesn’t have a release date yet, Pokémon GO looks fantastic and will provide gamers with even more ways to “catch ’em all.” In this case, you’ll be able to do so in the real world, as a small device will alert you whenever a creature is “nearby” so you can add it to your collection.
A Fun Twist on Post-Apocalyptic Life
The noteworthy spinoffs don’t stop there, though, and you may have already read about/played this particular game if you’ve been paying attention. If not, here’s the deal: Bethesda Softworks went above and beyond the call of duty in making sure Fallout fans weren’t left twiddlin’ their thumbs in anticipation of the fourth game in the series. They released the impeccable Fallout Shelter for Android and Apple devices over the summer, and it’s easily one of the best mobile games of the year. The gist of it is simple: you are a vault overseer who needs to make sure his or her underlings are safe and happy, be it at their jobs or battling radroaches. There is, of course, much more to it than that, such as sending your dwellers into the wasteland to battle creatures and find supplies, but you really should play it for yourself.
There are Options Galore
It’s not all about the console-to-mobile games, though. There are platforms out there being adapted to mobile that continue to get better with each passing year. This is evident in the Apple/Android versions of Gala Bingo’s site, which exists largely for players looking to dig into the plethora of games available there. Rather than making the experience less than what it is in your browser, Gala allows users to dig into their 150+ titles through their phone or tablet. It makes for an immersive experience, and it doesn’t hurt that they worked to cut down the app’s loading times.
And yet, even with all the aforementioned positives, there remain a few negatives here and there:
EA Bails on its Users?
This is a bit of unfortunate news coming from the folks at the International Business Times. They have reported that Electronic Arts (best known as EA) has yanked a dozen of its titles from the iTunes and Google Play stores. Now, this wouldn’t be an issue if the games weren’t good, but these were some of the finest available, like Burnout Crash, Bejeweled 2, and Dead Space. The apparent reason for all this is that the company didn’t want to spend (read: waste) time adapting its titles to the upcoming iOS 9 update for Apple devices.
Even with that bad news coming from EA, things are clearly looking up (and then some) for gamers on the go. The mobile platform is easily becoming one of the most interesting platforms to watch develop, if only because so much has changed in the past few years alone. Who knows what developers will achieve in the next few years, if not the coming six months!
