Author: garrybalogh

Tim Cook Visits Mistwalker, Studio Behind Upcoming Fantasian

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Fantasian would have to be one of ATVG’s most highly anticipated upcoming Apple Arcade titles.

Fantasian is being cobbled together by the team at Mistwalker – helmed by Hironobu Sakaguchi, creator of the Final Fantasy series.

Sakaguchi’s creation featured back in March in a fascinating slice of video, in which the games veteran is seen bent over obsessing with real-world models being created for the upcoming game.  As you’ll see in the video, and in the character design from the screenshot above, there is definitely a Final Fantasy flavour going on here.

Apple CEO Tim Cook toured the studio earlier this week, and photos from his visit give a sneak peek at some of those models which will be used as environments in-game.

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Sakaguchi narrates the video, bemoaning how many models the team will need to fashion to complete the project, and the narration almost reads like a beautiful Haiku.

The full dialogue is as follows:

Fantasian is a game that shouldn’t exist.
Every day is a challenge, creating game worlds by hand.
We are building dioramas, photographing them and adding 3D characters.
I’m a little scared of how many sets we are going to have to build in the end.

The Fantasian portion of the video kicks in at 1:15, and it’s a must-watch to see these
dioramas being carefully crafted, and then gameplay footage shown implementing them.

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Does the fact that Cook visited Mistwalker during the week mean that Fantasian is readying for release? Remains to be seen.

Whether it finds its way to the service in 2019 or 2020, Fantasian is an exciting prospect.

Roll the video.

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 2020 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.

Apple TV Sci-Fi FPS Shadowgun Legends Is Back With v1.0.2

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Is this sooner or later? It’s hard to know. Just how long is a piece of string?

Madfinger Games told ATVG recently that Shadowgun Legends would get a tvOS update bringing it into line with its mobile counterpart “sooner or later.”

Today was that day.

Continue reading “Apple TV Sci-Fi FPS Shadowgun Legends Is Back With v1.0.2” →

10 Apple Arcade Games That Have Already Had Free Content Updates

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No ads, no in-app-purchases (IAPs).

These were only two of the bullet points promised back in March 2019 when Apple unveiled Apple Arcade, its disruptive gaming subscription service. But those two bullet points add up to a whole lot of value for Apple Arcade gamers.

No IAPs also means no paid downloadable content, meaning that any content updates that come to Apple Arcade games, will be free.

Have you ever opened up the App Store to check for updates and noticed one of your go-to games has had a free content update? Now you can love that game you already love even more. And as we know, love is all folks.

An excellent example is the recent 8.0.0 update that came to Real Racing 3, bringing Formula 1 racing to this six and a half year old game, and getting me playing again.

With 102 games currently available, ATVG expects to see a lot of Apple Arcade games receiving free content updates over the next 12 months, but even now, with the service only having launched in September, many games have already received additional goodness to enjoy. And there is more on the way.

In this recent piece, ATVG had a look at studio Cornfox’s 2020 roadmap for excellent JRPG Oceanhorn 2, noting that there’s a big content update brewing. I guess I’ll have to get in and finish the game before then. Work to do.

Over the page you’ll read about 10 Apple Arcade games that have already had content additions in the last couple of months. Some are small, such as additional achievements, and some are big, adding whole new levels and worlds.

Let’s dig in.

Continue reading “10 Apple Arcade Games That Have Already Had Free Content Updates” →

An Evening With Sayonara Wild Hearts – 2019 Apple Arcade Game Of The Year

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Of the 102 games currently available (at the time of writing) through Apple’s gaming subscription service – Apple Arcade – The Apple TV Gaming Blog has not yet dipped its toes into Simogo’s latest release, Sayonara Wild Hearts.

As I said in my recent article detailing an evening spent with Stela, I am but one man with two hands. One game at a time it must be.

But ’tis the Season of Lists in the games industry, and Apple kicked things off recently by handing out some awards and announcing its various picks of the year. With all the hype and fanfare surrounding Sayonara Wild Hearts – which featured as a launch title for Apple Arcade – I thought what better time to spend an evening with Simogo’s newest creation?

So I fired up the telly and the Apple TV 4K, powered up the Nimbus, cranked the stereo and dimmed the lights. If you’re going to do something, you may as well do it properly.

Continue reading “An Evening With Sayonara Wild Hearts – 2019 Apple Arcade Game Of The Year” →

Stela – Apple Arcade’s Heart Of Darkness

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At the time of writing, Apple Arcade – the tech-giant’s subscription gaming service – has a catalogue of 102 games. The diversity among those 102 releases is expansive, covering nearly every gaming genre imaginable (except you FPS, I’ve got my eye on you). 

There are RPGs of many flavours (ARPG, JRPG, tactical, turn-based), twin-stick shooters, puzzlers that prod both sides and every corner of the human brain, 2D platform games, various multiplayer joints, and much more. 

This level of diversity would be worthless if the quality was not there to match it, but fortunately, it proves equal. Apple Arcade is a labyrinth of gaming goodness that players of all ages will be happy to get lost in.

Whenever I’m exploring one of Apple Arcade’s titles, I feel sorry for the other 101 games I’m not playing, wishing I could clone myself 101 times in order to share the love. But I am just one man, with two hands, so one game at a time it must be. 

A few weeks back, I attempted to start a regular feature for this site called Pick of the Week, but didn’t follow up with any more of them. I don’t think any sort of regular, predictable feature really suits this site. ATVG is more of a wake up and see what’s what sort of site, and regular features dilute the energy of that. Until I change my mind and try a regular feature again. 

So with that said, it’s back to our regular programming, which is writing about whatever Apple TV gaming related thing that’s currently occupying my gaming time.  

Onwards. Excellent. 

Recently I spent some quality time with Apple Arcade title Stela, from Skybox Labs – a dark, brooding, haunted journey through a nightmare wasteland, in which the shadows have eyes, and claws… and teeth. 

Sounds like fun, right? 

Continue reading “Stela – Apple Arcade’s Heart Of Darkness” →

Black Friday: Save 20% On A 12 Month Apple Arcade Subscription

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Happy Black Friday Apple TV gamers.

Really quick post here with a couple of deals that are worth jumping on. I’m sure there’s a tonne more but these caught ATVG’s eye. Hit us up on the social feeds in the banner if you spy any others.

Two games are currently discounted that are console-quality titles you should consider for your Apple TV library, and a third game that’s completely free right now. Not sure if it’s free for the current Black Friday madness or some other reason, but who cares? Zero means nothing. Who needs a reason?

Jump over the page for the details.

Continue reading “Black Friday: Save 20% On A 12 Month Apple Arcade Subscription” →

Formula 1 And Real Racing 3 – Together At Last

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February 2013: Obama is President, the PS4 has not yet been released, the iPhone 5 and 4th generation iPad were cutting edge, and it will be another three and a half years until an Apple TV with gaming capability hits shelves, sparking the idea for this website.

Six and a half years feels like an eternity in the tech-based industry of gaming, but that’s how long I’ve been playing and writing about Real Racing 3. In that length of time, many franchises would’ve released half a dozen sequels, but the fact that Real Racing has been sitting on number 3 since 2013 is an indication that Firemonkeys is doing alright with its racer.

Earlier this week, Firemonkeys unleashed the latest in RR3’s long, long line of free content updates – version 8.0.0. What’s so significant about this update that warrants it being a freshly numbered version?

Two words. Well, one word, and one number.

Forumla 1.

Continue reading “Formula 1 And Real Racing 3 – Together At Last” →

Table Top Racing: World Tour – Nitro Edition Hits Apple TV Today

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That sure is a mouthful. Mind if I call it TTRWTNE for short?

When we look at Apple TV as a platform for gaming, we see that some genres are well represented, and others, not so much.

Fans of 2D action-platformers for example are well catered for, both inside and outside of Apple Arcade. Le Parker: Sous Chef Extraordinaire (review), Leo’s Fortune (review), Dead Cells (appreciation!), Spidersaurs, Shantae and the Seven Sirens, Stela – these are just a few fantastic titles right off the top of my head.

First-person-shooters on the other hand? Yeah, good luck with that. Even Shadowgun Legends is unplayable at the moment until it gets its 1.0.0 update.

How about kart racing then?

While it’s hard to argue the genre is over-represented on Apple TV, the few titles that are available are excellent.

Beach Buggy Racing is a must-have, and even has four-player split-screen. It is free-to-play, so you do have to contend with that aspect of it, although Vector Unit promises Beach Buggy Racing 2 on Apple TV in 2020 will be a premium release, so that’ll be one to look out for.

SEGA’s Sonic Racing is also a lot of fun, but only available to those with an Apple Arcade subscription.

There are no stand-out kart racers of exemplary quality available as a once-off, premium purchase. Until today.

The Apple TV gaming platform welcomes Table Top Racing: World Tour – Nitro Edition to its catalogue.

Continue reading “Table Top Racing: World Tour – Nitro Edition Hits Apple TV Today” →

Cornfox Reveals 2020 Roadmap For Oceanhorn 2 – Big Content Update

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Just prior to the launch of Oceanhorn 2 in September, ATVG posted this story revealing the final trailer before the studio hit the big go button. That story is the best way to catch up on this site’s coverage of the sequel, from its initial announcement right through to launch, as I’ve packed all the necessary links into it.

Now that launch has come and gone, and some of you may have even finished it by now (with 101 Apple Arcade games to play, I’ve yet to take much of a bite out of it), it’s time to look to the future.

Today Cornfox did just that, revealing plans for some big updates in 2020.

Continue reading “Cornfox Reveals 2020 Roadmap For Oceanhorn 2 – Big Content Update” →