Tag: Free games »

Just like that, we find ourselves in 2012. I'm going to side-step the expected talk of apocalypse and instead focus on resolutions. Those promises people make to themselves in an attempt to break nasty habits or set major changes in motion. We all make 'em and we all tend to break 'em. Sometimes. Okay, most of the time. What can I say? Healthy food usually tastes like cardboard. Although I have to admit I've finally managed to develop a taste for yogurt after roughly 28 years of trying. Anyway, before the inevitable failures start to set in I've got a small list of games that will keep the "spend less money" hopefuls on-track. At least for a little while.

Battle Legend Infinity - I'm fairly certain that this is a new thing. Combining old-school turn-based RPG battles with endless wave survival, I mean. At least, I think it is. Whether or not that's true, it's a neat idea. The classic video game character "knock-offs" are a nice touch, too.

Legendary Heroes - Two teams. Three heroes. Four unique abilities apiece. Legendary Heroes isn't just another castle defense iOS game. It's the same basic idea, but this time the emphasis is on managing hero units and building complimentary teams of three instead of strategically churning out cannon fodder.

Turtle Isles - Guiding wayward turtles around a beach a-la ChuChu Rocket. By tapping starfish. Heck of a concept. Sure it's missing the bizarre space mice but that doesn't mean it's not worth checking out. So, who's going to help these slowpokes pair up?

Scramble With Friends Free - Remember Boggle? Of course. I mean, who doesn't, right? Well now we can play a facsimile, complete with special power-ups (freeze time, etc...) on-the-go. Anytime, anywhere. Methinks a certain other multiplayer word game is going to find itself facing some unexpected competition.

Fluff Friends Rescue - I have to give The Humane Society credit, I never would have expected them to find a way to incorporate their usual dealings into a genuinely interesting game. But that's exactly what's been done with Fluff Friends Rescue. Think "town-building freemium" game, only instead of constructing stores and homes players will be setting up their own animal shelter. Also, it's super-adorable.

The holiday season is barreling down upon us. At this point I imagine a good many peoples' funds have been completely tapped out thanks to all that gift buying. No more cash for personal goodies. If only there were some way... wait! There is! A handy (and weekly) article about free games ought to do the trick!

DISCLAIMER: 148apps is not responsible for angry husbands, wives, moms, dads, brothers, sisters, grandmothers, grandfathers, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins or friends as a result of being ignored in favor of digital entertainment. If problems persist, 148apps suggests putting the iOS device down and spending time with the family. There's always next week.

iMAME - It's probably a Christmas miracle that it hasn't been taken off the App Store yet, but the virtual arcade machine that can be manually loaded with more games is indeed still up there. If, for some odd reason, it still hasn't been downloaded, now is the time to jump on it. There's always the possibility that this gift that keeps on giving will stick around for some miraculous reason, but why take that chance?

Dungeon Hunter 3 - Gameloft's latest dungeon crawler shakes up the series something fierce. It features four new character classes (Astromancer, Warlord, Shaman, Trickster), the option to play as a male or female character and a price tag of zero dollars. Interest has been piqued, yes?

The Sims FreePlay - The Sims has gone free-to-play, and while this might mean things such as tasks being completed in real-time it doesn't mean an end to the fun. With a price this nonexistent, it'd be a shame not to give it a look-see.

ZENONIA 4 - Gamevil's action/rpg series has just received it's most refined iteration yet. It looks prettier, plays better and is bound to give long-time fans of the series spontaneous fits of the giggles thanks to the inclusion of notable characters from past ZENONIA games.

EA are well-known for their sales on the App Store. Usually, around some kind of holiday, there's a sale on many EA Mobile games, often dropping games from $6.99 down to $0.99. So what is EA Mobile supposed to do with this time of year, referred to as the "holiday season?" Have an entire month of price cuts and deals, apparently. Thus, EA Mobile has begun their "Daily Deals" program.

The Daily Deals have kicked off with games dropping to the lowest price point possible: free! The first two free games were The Sims Medieval for iPhone/iPod touch, and Shift 2: Unleashed for both iPhone/iPod touch and iPad. As well, Battlefield 2: Bad Company went on sale for $1.99 for iPhone/iPod touch, and $4.99 for iPad; these are 33% and 50% discounts off the regular price, respectively. As per the title of the program, EA is claiming that there will be new deals each day, although for the first weekend of the promotion these deals remained in effect.

EA is offering a web app for users to keep track of the promotion at their EA Daily Deals web page. A new deal will be made available each day at 9:00 am PST (GMT -8), and EA says that they will vary from more free games, to deep discounts on paid titles.

While people love deep discounts on iOS games, and I myself am not excluded, I have to wonder if the current state of the mobile game business, where those who wish to sell games at premium price points are unable to do so because companies like EA can afford to drop their prices to deep discounts like this. In many ways, it's led to situations like the release of the new Tetris game, which relies heavily on IAP monetization, which is something some vocal users have been staunchly against. Massive regular sales on titles like this might be why that kind of situation is now occurring, and why sales like this exist, because it is difficult to sell titles at price points above $0.99, or even free. When EA, one of the companies that can actually sell titles at higher prices is so willing to have these kinds of fire sales with massive promotion, it does not necessarily portend well for the future of premium-priced apps on the App Store.