If you read our recent review of Vector Unit’s Riptide GP: Renegade, you’ll know we’re fans of the studio’s futuristic jet-ski racer. It’s exciting then to have a release date for the developer’s upcoming title – MouseBot: Escape From CatLab – announced today.
Thankfully, we won’t have long to wait, as Tuesday 4th April is the day.
We’ve packed some more details and the trailer into page 2, so mash that button.
Last week marked another quiet week for new releases. Fingers crossed the two week drought will break this weekend, bringing some video games with substance, something with meat on its bones.
I sunk my teeth into last week’s only real notable release – Tiny Bombers from Ahoy Games – for a taste, and while I wouldn’t consider it a main meal, it is a nice little snack.
The best way to describe it would be to imagine that Crossy Roads and PAC-MAN 256 had a baby, and gave it bombs.
Movement is handled via directional swiping on the touchscreen of your Siri Remote, while clicking the home button to stop, and double-clicking to place a bomb. Be sure to put some distance between yourself and that bomb however, because if you don’t it’s game over. Bombs are placed to continue your way through dead ends in the maze.
Collect coins and special abilities to progress ever-onwards through endless corridors. As usual with this sort of title, there’s a stack of characters to unlock which is always fun.
It’s all very colourful and charming, with cute characters and animation, and like I said, a nice little snack.
Gaming will always need these sorts of pure arcade experiences – the breaks in between the big adventures.
Tiny Bombers is free to download so if it sounds like it might float your boat for a while, there’s no reason not to give it a go. And if this sort of thing does float your boat, then also make sure you grab Crossy Road, Disney Crossy Road, and PAC-MAN 256. For the sort of experience these games offer, they’re the very best at what they do.
The first few seconds of this trailer by the way, are awesome:
With the promising looking twin-stick shooter Quantum Revenge on the way, we thought we’d take a quick look at one of Realtech VR’s games currently available on Apple TV – Kosmik Revenge.
We’ve only taken a shallow dive into it so far, but enough to bring you some impressions. It’s a free download with in-app-purchases, so if it sounds like something that’s up your alley, it won’t cost you anything to take a closer look.
Hit page 2 for more.
Has anyone used Frankenstein’s name as a verb before? Not sure. The games writing crowd appropriated early 20th century horror writer H. P. Lovecraft’s surname as an adjective years ago, and has been applying the term Lovecraftian ever since, so I figure I’m good.
But moving on…
There are some excellent racers on Apple TV, but it would be hard to argue that any of them are perfect. What if we could role-play as Frankenstein and stitch together the ultimate racing hybrid, made up of our favourite elements from the games we love? Which games would we steal from? What would we take?
These are the sorts of questions that keep me awake at night, and what better way to help me get a good night’s sleep than to share them with you?
Obviously the which part I’ve spoiled in this article’s headline, but as for the what, mash the page 2 button to find out.
I know, it’s an unimaginative headline, but it’s Saturday morning and I’m only halfway through my coffee. Plus it leaves me so many options about what to talk about. Maybe that’s a bad thing though.
I somehow managed to miss my regular Random Friday Thoughts Facebook post this week, which to be honest is no great loss, as they weren’t really living up to their title. Yeah they were on a Friday, and sure they were thoughts, but they were never really particularly random. They didn’t do what they said on the box.
So welcome to The Weekend. Although depending where in the world you’re reading this from, I might be writing to you from the future, in which case I wish you a Happy Friday.
Hit page 2 for a rambling, weird sort of wrap-up to the week, that will probably prove to be a complete waste of your precious time. If so, I apologise in advance.
The old Henry Ford quote, “Any colour you like, as long as it’s black,” thankfully no longer applies to the Steel Series Nimbus. If you purchase it directly from Apple, you can now also get it in white.
A recent tipoff from our friends at Siniscope Gaming brought this to our attention, and it’s great when your options double.
Hit page 2 for more info on ATVG’s weapon of choice.
As of today, mobile gamers are enjoying version 2.0 of Nintendo’s Super Mario Run. The update brings playable Yoshis in four different colours, new buildings, more of the game unlocked in the free-to-play portion, and lots of updates that aim to improve the overall experience.
Seeing the release drop this morning when checking the iOS App Store for updates got me thinking: Will we ever see a version compatible with Apple TV?
My short answer is no. But I’d be happy to be proven wrong.
If The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is Nintendo Switch’s system seller, then Super Mario Run is its Trojan horse. Designed to infiltrate smart phones with a teasing glimpse of arguably the most iconic of all video gaming mascots, and create a desire for more, Super Mario Run was a deft play by Nintendo.
But bringing it to Apple TV feels like it would dilute the intention of creating that sense of wanting more. You’d still want more, but maybe a few would feel that Mario on Apple’s digital-only console might be just enough. Also, ATV gamers that feel that way, might also be left thinking that if they got Super Mario Run, then maybe there is more to come, if only they wait long enough.
Super Mario Run will no doubt remain on smart phones, creating a longing for more with the promise of delivery via Nintendo Switch, and its upcoming Super Mario Odyssey, the Switch’s second-wave system seller.
While Apple TV and Nintendo Switch have one very important thing in common, being the ability to take games with you on the go, it’s doubtful they will ever have Mario in common.
Prove me wrong Nintendo.
Please!
Momentum. Inertia. Gravity. The study of the movement of liquids. If Newton and Einstein had jet-skis, they probably would have come to the same conclusions, but they would have had a hell of a lot more fun doing it.
It must have been tough for developer Vector Unit to bring all of the above physics elements together successfully in a video game – but with Riptide GP: Renegade – the studio has pulled off an impressive stunt indeed.
Vector Unit has implemented some of the best liquid modelling you’ll experience not just on Apple TV, but on any console. Sure, it might look better on PS4 and Xbox One, but the physics and the feeling of the water’s movement and its effect on your watercraft in Riptide on ATV remains first-class.
Wrap that core element within a fun arcade racer, and the result is an easy recommendation for your Apple TV.
Hit page 2 for more.
I’ve been sitting here for way too long trying to think of the perfect, hat-related subtitle for this review, because it’s the little details that are important. The bow around the gift, if you will. It’s a philosophy that studio Pixelbite seems to have taken with the development of Space Marshals 2, as it has a lot of those little details, the sorts of things that make a good game great.
Take hats for example. The hidden, collectible hats in Pixelbite’s shooter don’t add +1 attack, or +3 dexterity or anything of the sort, they’re purely cosmetic. But damn me if I didn’t have a small, quiet celebration every time I discovered a new one. And I bet you I smiled every single time.
Mission accomplished Pixelbite.
Hit page 2 to read on and find out what makes Space Marshals 2 a great fit for your Apple TV.
Siniscope Gaming is reporting the unfortunate news that mobile gaming giant Gameloft, has not updated the tvOS version of its FPS – Modern Combat 5 – since April 2016. The iOS version however, has continued to receive a steady trickle of updates with new content throughout the last 12 months, even as recently as February 22nd.
The FPS genre is under-represented on the Apple TV platform, and Modern Combat 5 was easily the best option. And of course it still is, as the game is still completely playable with all the content prior to April 2016, but just hasn’t received anything since then.
From the developer’s side of things, it is understandable that if a platform is not performing as expected, or if a game is not performing on a platform, then it makes little sense to throw resources at it.
Did Gameloft give up too soon though? Throughout 2016, and into 2017, Apple TV has seen some great releases, including a surprising number of titles that have had turns as PlayStation Plus monthly offerings. Then there is the not insignificant release of Mojang’s Minecraft just in time for Christmas 2016. There are definitely a good number of talented studios rolling the dice with Apple TV, and for the sake of sites such as Siniscope Gaming and ATVG – and of course ATV gamers the world over – we hope this trend in quality releases continues.
Perhaps if ATV gaming does start trending upwards in popularity, Gameloft may decide to take up support of its shooter once again. ATVG has reached out to Gameloft for comment, and will update this article if more news comes to hand.
In the meantime, for a list of great games to play, check out ATVG’s Best Games list from year one, and if you own an MFi controller, be sure to check out this list right here, because only you can play them.
Enjoy!
If you’re new to The Apple TV Gaming Blog (ATVG), or just new to Apple TV gaming in general, or both, then the best place to get acquainted is our Best Apple TV Games of 2019 article. You’ll find a great collection of games to play, and a bunch of useful links to our previous site content. Welcome aboard. Enjoy the ride.
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