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The first three Final Fantasy remasters are coming to Android this month
Slated for release on July 29, a day after the PC versions
Square Enix announced at E3 that it's remastering its classic Final Fantasy games with 2D pixel graphics. Final Fantasy I through VI will see all new releases on mobile and PC, each as a separate title. Clearly, Square is looking to sell these games all over again since many of the previous remasters offer graphics fans don't like, whether that be the dated and undetailed 3D graphics of III and IV or the much-hated redesigned mobile graphics used in V and VI. So even though it's nice to see that Square has finally figured out that its classic pixel graphics are what fans want, it's pretty tiring to see Square constantly reselling its older games over and over. So here's hoping these remasters are top-notch, as I'm sure people are getting sick of repurchasing these games.
It's not often we see a new game exclusive to the Android TV platform. Mercenary Kings is a 2D action game funded in 2014 on Kickstarter and originally released for Windows. The game was later ported to the PlayStation 4 and PS Vita, and eventually released on Steam. Now Mercenary Kings has made its way over to Android TV.
Devolver Digital has consistently brought some of its published titles to Android, so long as you're lucky enough to own a SHIELD-branded machine. Their latest port is Not A Hero, a 2D shooter that has a very old-school style of gameplay mixed with a somewhat modern approach to everything else. The game absolutely revels in its stylized, Guy Ritchie-esque British ultra-violence mixed with the kind of humor you might expect to see on any given Internet forum.
The last two Rayman games to grace Android, Rayman Jungle Run and Rayman Fiesta Run, are some of the best examples of the genre on the Play Store. Now the developers are branching out by bringing Rayman back to his platforming roots. The third game in the series, Rayman Adventures, allows for more direct control of the 2D characters as they run around the screen. That makes stages bigger and less linear, encouraging players to explore every nook and cranny. You know, like an adventure.
The Sparkle series of games use a 2D layout and a "zen" approach, putting players in the role of a tiny plankton-like creature as it eats, grows, and evolves. The third game steps up the design of both the sea life and the background until it looks like you're playing in a catastrophic oil spill comprised entirely of tie-dye. Eat, grow, and try not to be eaten in return as you swim through the levels.
This War of Mine is not a fun game. But it isn't trying to be. While other "realistic" war games will hand you a rifle and tell you to take that beach, Private, in This War of Mine a few scraps of meat is a much more important tool for survival. You control three survivors living in a bombed-out house in the middle of an extremely non-specific war zone, trying to scrape together enough materials to craft their way through the war without starving or freezing.
Welcome to the latest entry in our Bonus Round series, wherein we tell you all about the new Android games of the day that we couldn't get to during our regular news rounds. Consider this a quick update for the dedicated gamers who can't wait for our bi-weekly roundups, and don't want to wade through a whole day's worth of news just to get their pixelated fix. Today we've got several PC and console pilgrims including Hotline Miami, War Thunder, and Always Sometimes Monsters, a new Portal-inspired Zen Pinball table, a mashup of tactic, RPG, and city-building, and standard platformers and puzzlers. Without further ado:
You have to look back pretty far to find a Rovio game that doesn't star aggravated avians. Last year the company developed the official mobile game for the unremarkable Dreamworks movie The Croods, but before that you have to look all the way back to Amazing Alex in 2012. Perhaps Rovio simply got tired of seeing their main franchise ripped off by a thousand mediocre wannabes, because now the internal developer LVL11 has released a Flappy Bird clone.
All dogs are time travellers. On a technical level, anyway: they move around through three dimensions while progressing through the fourth at a constant rate. But the charming hero of the adventure game Doggins has one less dimension to travel through, so he makes up for his 2D affliction by blasting himself backwards in time. If you want to see how (not to mention why) you'll have to play the game, now available for four bucks on the Play Store.
[Bonus Round] Enterchained, Tower Dwellers, Cricket Captain 2014, And The Boxtrolls: Slide 'N' Sneak
Welcome to the latest entry in our Bonus Round series, wherein we tell you all about the new Android games of the day that we couldn't get to during our regular news rounds. Consider this a quick update for the dedicated gamers who can't wait for our bi-weekly roundups, and don't want to wade through a whole day's worth of news just to get their pixelated fix. Today we've got a unique hack-and-slash brawler, a premium take on Clash of Clans, a game about some mystical and strange sport with insects and bats, and a licensed endless runner. Without further ado:
OrangePixel's original Groundskeeper was more of an experiment than a full game, an endless survivor-shooter in the company's typical old-school 2D style. The sequel retains the look and feel, but everything has been expanded: there's now a full story behind the tiny compartmentalized levels, you have access to a staggering amount of weapons, and the graphics and on-screen action have been given a considerable boost.
Welcome to the latest entry in our Bonus Round series, wherein we tell you all about the new Android games of the day that we couldn't get to during our regular news rounds. Consider this a quick update for the dedicated gamers who can't wait for our bi-weekly roundups, and don't want to wade through a whole day's worth of news just to get their pixelated fix. Today we've got a fancy space combat simulator, a gilded physics game, a simple snowboard trick-fest, and an endless runner with a twist. Without further ado:
Welcome to the latest entry in our Bonus Round series, wherein we tell you all about the new Android games of the day that we couldn't get to during our regular news rounds. Consider this a quick update for the dedicated gamers who can't wait for our bi-weekly roundups, and don't want to wade through a whole day's worth of news just to get their pixelated fix. Today we've got a sneaky dungeon crawler, a bullet-filled tank shooter, and a snowplow simulator that will fire you at the drop of a beanie. Without further ado:
Minecraft-themed shooter? Yeah, we've done that. Minecraft-themed platformer? Yup. Minecraft-themed dungeon crawlers, RPGs, and (of course) zombie games? You bet. Now developer DogByte, of 8-bit Ninja fame, is bringing Minecraft to the racing genre with the cleverly-titled Blocky Roads. For the moment this 2.5D driving game is exclusive to the Amazon Appstore, where you can pick it up for two bucks.
Do you like Minecraft, but feel that its pixelated style isn't retro enough? Then publisher Noodlecake is happy to oblige by turning the open-world, construction-oriented first-person action game into an open-world, construction-oriented platforming game. The Blockheads just landed in the Google Play Store after earning more than a few fans on iOS over the last ten months.
Welcome to the latest entry in our Bonus Round series, wherein we tell you all about the new Android games of the day that we couldn't get to during our regular news rounds. Consider this a quick update for the dedicated gamers who can't wait for our bi-weekly roundups, and don't want to wade through a whole day's worth of news just to get their pixelated fix. Today we've got an office-themed stealth game, an adorably vicious co-op shooter, and an admirable Pilotwings knockoff. Without further ado:
There's something strange going on with SNK's The King of Fighters. Way back in March of 2012 an Android version of the classic 16-bit 2D fighter series was published, with a frustratingly short list of supported devices and no small amount of technical problems. The app disappeared from the US Play Store before too long, only to reappear this July. Now there's a brand new version, The King Of Fighters-A 2012, available alongside the original Android release.
The long-running Worms franchise made an ungraceful exit from the Play Store when franchise owner Team 17 Digital deemed Electronic Arts' support unworthy of the brand. Now they're back in Worms 2: Armageddon (a sequel to the XBLA/PSN Worms, and not to be confused with the 1999 Worms Armageddon game) from Team 17 itself. The game is now available on the Play Store... in Canada. And only in Canada. At the moment it's a soft launch for the northern territory, so there's no word on when it will get a wider release.
When you're a space marine, getting captured by aliens is a real drag. You don't get to shoot stuff and you have to slave away in the anathema mines! In Dynamite Jack, you get to bust out of the mines with just a flashlight and an ample supply of bombs. This is a top-down 2D action game, but there's a prominent stealth component that looks very cool.
I'll be honest: I have no idea what's going on in this game. Towelfight 2: The Monocle of Destiny appears to be a pretty basic twin-stick shooter, right up until you notice that your wizened player character is shooting homicidal, spherical animals out of his eye. These critters have powers of their own, including lasers, chainsaws, and explosions. And when you kill enemies, they burst into Batman-style sound effects, which for some reason include "dirigible" and "maple syrup." Also, there's a dog, and you can play fetch with him.