Mobile Games -- What's fun and on the go? (Part 1)

As a handheld gamer, I feel like there has been a significant decrease in new titles lately. Maybe due to the lack of third party companies producing games? Or perhaps, the producers are focusing on a more accessible medium… Which is why recently I have been taken by Mobile Games!

By 2017, over a third of the world’s population is projected to own a smartphone, an estimated total of almost 2.6 billion smartphone users in the world. – “Statista.com”– Smartphones

Mobile Games are BIG and more apparent than ever. Companies like EA Games and 2K have been on the Mobile Game bandwagon for a while now, and it’s great to see companies like Nintendo and Disney starting to create great quality games for smart phones too. Like most of the “youth” these days, I have a TERRIBLE attention span. If something doesn’t catch me in the first five minutes, I’m not sold. This, like others, means that I play games all-at-once or not-at-all. To me, a great Mobile Game is something that is easy to use, easy to see on a smart phone screen, and can be started and played on the go without using excessive amounts of data. Here are some titles that have popped up on the App Store lately that have taken my interest…

Pokémon Go

Of course I have to talk about the latest phenomenon that has literally captured the world’s attention. I will admit, I dont know a life without Pokémon. I have been playing since the beginning but my favourite thing about the new Pokémon GO is how it is connecting people, and getting people out of their homes to make friends and explore their neighbourhood. They have now announced a “Pokémon Go Plus” peripheral to take with you, so you can catch pokémon and collect from Pokéstops with a touch of a button on your device. I guess it takes the fun out of finding random pokémon in your post-work beer…

Kingdom Hearts Unchained

I have to admit, this one deserves a lot more time than I have already spent on this one… It is everything you would expect from a typical Disney/Square Enix Kingdom Hearts JRPG with a Mobile Games twist. Story line, collect magic from the baddies you defeat to get better magic, and so on. This game requires a bit of attention at the beginning — definitely one for the couch, and not so much the bus home from work.

MicroMachines

Retro Gamers– Listen up! When I saw this show up in the “latest games” in the app store, I was sceptical at first. As a child I had the MicroMachines game on Sega Megadrive, driving my tiny car on the breakfast table was quite appealing to me — watch out for the HONEY! After seeing the original sprite cast including Cherry, Spider and Dwayne, I was already sold. Anything old school has my heart. It’s in similar style to the original games, but with an “In App Purchases” twist. You collect coins, upgrade your tacky vehicle and drive around tables, bedrooms and floral backyards in a Burger van. So much nostalgia!