All posts by Campbell Bird
League of Legends: Wild Rift review
Distract Yourself With These Great Mobile Games on Sale Right Now
Every day, we pick out a curated list of the best mobile discounts on the App Store and post them here. This list won't be comprehensive, but it every game on it is recommended. Feel free to check out the coverage we did on them in the links below to further vet these discounted games before you decide to buy:
Games marked with an asterisk(*) denote that the entire developer/publisher’s catalog is discounted, despite the fact that all of their games may not be listed here.
Say No! More review
Apple Arcade: Ranked - Top 25 [Updated 4.6]
In case you missed it, I am on a quest to rank every Apple Arcade game there is.
Over a year into the Apple Arcade experiment, I’m adjusting my approach to these rankings to make it a bit less cumbersome to update and read. For the most part, this means the number of updates on previously released games will decrease, and the text below each entry will be kept to a brief-yet-accurate justification for its positioning.
This has less to do with the pace of Apple Arcade releases and more to do with the fact that the general quality of games on the service simply isn’t what it should be. In the time that one release comes to the service, multiple high quality games hit the App Store that you don’t have to pay monthly upkeep for. Unless something drastic changes with the service, my opinion on it probably won’t change much. With the most recent update bringing older established titles to the service, Arcade is certainly the strongest it has ever been, but additional shakeups like this will need to keep happening to finally sell me on the service.
Anyway, on with the ranking updates:
Game ranking updates for 4/6:
League of Legends: Wild Rift Guide - How to be a good teammate
League of Legends: Wild Rift has been occupying a lot of my time lately. It's simply a fantastic mobile MOBA that everyone should give a try, even if you aren't familiar with LoL or other games of this type.
Prior to playing, you might want to check out these practical tips on how to go into Wild Rift prepared to contribute to your team. Once you've done that, read on below for some more tips on how to be a good teammate during your match.
The 5 Best Mobile MOBAs
MOBAs are a game genre that have almost everything working against them. at least on paper. They’re highly competitive and demanding multiplayer games where every player’s performance and abilities matter in determining the outcome of a match. Match lengths are pretty long, too, and if anyone rage-quits, the momentum of a match swings hard in favor of the team with more players.
All of these problems are exacerbated on mobile, where people are used to short play sessions in games they can drop in and out of. This is probably the reason why the turnover of games in this genre is so high on smaller screens. With the release of League of Legends: Wild Rift, we took a look on the App Store to find the best MOBAs that still have active communities. Check out our picks below.
Practical Tips for League of Legends: Wild Rift (or any other MOBA, for that matter)
League of Legends: Wild Rift has finally made it to the App Store, and it brings a level of polish and balance to mobile MOBAs that you'd expect from one of the most successful game developers in the world. One of the best things I've found about the game so far is just how mobile-friendly it is. Despite all the on-screen buttons and complicated gameplay, Riot Games made an experience that's easy to hop into and hard to pull away from.
In case you're considering downloading the game and aren't a MOBA pro, don't worry. Wild Rift has some great tutorials and practice modes that do a great job of teaching you the ins and outs of how MOBAs work in general as well as mechanics that are unique to this game. That said, there is some general knowledge and practical advice that goes unstated by the game, but is good practice for anyone who decides to play Wild Rift or any other MOBA, for that matter.
Steam Link Spotlight - Genesis Noir
Steam Link Spotlight is a feature where we look at PC games that play exceptionally well using the Steam Link app. Our last entry examined Neurodeck. Read about how it plays using Steam Link over here.
This week, we're going far out into the stylish cosmos of Genesis Noir. This point-and-click adventure reimagines the creation of the universe (aka The Big Bang) as a shot from a gun. You play as an unassuming watch salesman who gets caught in the love triangle that culminates in this gunshot, which is aimed at your lover. If this sounds spoiler-y, don't worry; this is just the setup. The rest of the experience leads you through the universe as you try to destroy The Big Bang to save your love.
Genshin Impact - Six months in the free-to-play wonderland of Teyvat
Six months ago this week, Genshin Impact released on multiple platforms, promising a vast open world of adventure and element-based combat. The only catch was that all of this action would be monetized via virtual slot machines known colloquially as "gacha."
Gacha games have their advantages in that they have a low barrier to entry, allowing players to hop into an experience without having to spend any money. The dark side of this design is that all of the most desirable game items and characters are locked inside a storefront that uses myriad psychological tricks to convince you that spending money for more chances to use this slot machine is a good idea (it's not).
Card Hog review
Beat Workers review
Doctor Who: Lonely Assassins review
Steam Link Spotlight - Neurodeck
Steam Link Spotlight is a feature where we look at PC games that play exceptionally well using the Steam Link app. Our last entry looked at Loop Hero. Read about how it plays using Steam Link over here.
This entry for the series goes back to a familiar territory: roguelike deck-building. Neurodeck takes many of the genre conventions galvanized by titles like Dream Quest and Slay the Spire, but places them into a more self-reflective structure where you have psychological battles with phobias and fill out personality tests to earn new traits to help you in battle.