Last week we finally got to see the launch of Apple Arcade. It’s got some acclaim for a pretty surprising line up of titles at a very affordable price point. But Google is already ready to answer with their Android counterpart in the form of Google Play Pass (which they announced earlier in the year), though there are some key differences.

For one, Google Play Pass will not just be about games. It will also feature various different apps that you will be able to use without any in-app purchases. Unlike Apple Arcade, the games being offered aren’t all exclusives either, a lot of them are games that are available now for both iOS and Android. They will just be free and have no in-app purchases if you subscribe to the service. You can see the announcement trailer below which features several of the apps and games that will be part of the service.

Google Play Pass will be available this week in the US and will roll out to other regions soon. The regular price will be $4.99 USD a month, but if you jump in before October 10th you can lock in a special introductory price of $1.99 a month for the first full year.

While the streaming service, Stadia, has been taking up all the talking space for Google in gaming, it seems they’re also slipping another gaming-based subscription service out there in the form of Play Pass, a potential rival to Apple’s Apple Arcade mobile initiative.

It was announced earlier in the year that Apple was going to have a new subscription service on their iOS devices called Apple Arcade, one they’re apparently putting a lot of money into. It’s a service that will include constant access to premium mobile titles. As confirmed by Google to Android Police, Google is actively testing a similar service called Play Pass that will, presumably, come to all similar compatible Android devices.

Not a lot of details are known at this point outside that testing is ongoing and they are thinking of a $4.99 monthly fee and will include “a curated catalog spanning puzzle games to premium music apps and everything in between. From action hits to puzzles and fitness trackers, with Google Play Pass you unlock access to hundreds of premium apps and games without ads, download fees or in-app purchases.” Which means it will expand beyond gaming and could be a more all-encompassing service. Google has been making a big push into gaming, and this seems pretty in-line with that and the continued rivalry between them and Apple. We’ll keep you updated.

Though you might audibly groan at a game developer trying to break into mobile gaming, wondering what’s the point, there’s certainly a big market out there for it. According to App Annie in its Q2 2019 App Index report, 11.2 billion mobile games were downloaded between April to June 2019. The most popular platform was Google Play.

As such, games account for 35 percent of all global app downloads on mobile phones for the quarter. However, they also make up 75 percent of total consumer spending on both the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. Some of the bigger markets for Google Play downloads included India, Brazil, and the United States with Arcade, Action, and Casual being the top three categories for games.

On the Apple App Store, the United States was the biggest market, followed by China and Japan. Arcade, Action, and Puzzle were the top three game categories there. In terms of spending, Fate/Grand Order was on top, followed by Honour of Kings and Candy Crush Saga. However, for average monthly active users, it was PUBG Mobile that topped the pack.

Square Enix’s mobile port of Valkryie Profile: Lenneth, itself a PSP port of the first game that released in 2006, is now available on Android and iOS for $15.99. Check out the recent gameplay and launch trailers below.

Valkryie Profile: Lenneth is in Norse mythology as gods and mortals run amok. As the Valkyrie descends from Valhalla to Midgard, she must find chosen souls and recruit them to become Einherjar. Fighting alongside these characters will help train them, though the story also focuses on the Valkryie discovering her own identity. Renowned for its combat and soundtrack, Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth even features multiple endings based on one’s decisions.

Though the game is a full-priced title, there are “booster options” available via in-app purchases for those who choose to use them. Mobile-centric features include visuals optimized for smartphones, the ability to save anywhere along with auto-save, an auto-battle option, and controls/UI optimized for the touchscreen. What are your thoughts on the mobile version? Let us know in the comments below.

After an excellent translation on to iOS, especially to the Apple iPad, Firaxis’s XCOM: Enemy Unknown is now available for Android devices today through the Google Play Store.

It currently retails for £7.14/$11.99 and will require 3.6GB of free storage space. We would assume that Firaxis translated the same touch-screen based controls to the Android version. Check it out for yourself and let us know what you think.

XCOM: Enemy Unknown was originally released for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 in late 2012 and faithfully recaptured the excellence and tactical turn-based nature of the series while updating the visuals and gameplay for a new generation. It was followed by an expansion called Enemy Within which served to further expand on gameplay options by offering new missions, a new faction to face, a new Class, new enemy types, and much more.

Can we hope that Enemy Within makes its way to mobiles in the coming year? Stay tuned.

After tearing it up on the App Store, Overhaul Games’s mobile port of Bioware’s all-time classic, AD&D RPG Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition is now available for Android via the Google Play Store. You’ll take on a quest in the Forgotten Realms, traversing the Sword Coast expansion and even tackling the stand-alone Black Pits. The game features improved visuals and a revamped interface for touch users.

It retails for $9.99 and you purchase additional content within the game. You’ll need an Android 4.0 or higher device in order to run it, but from there, you’ll have support for both your tablet, regular smartphone, stylus-equipped phablet and so on.

Currently, there are multiplayer match-making abilities which are in the beta phase, along with a new renderer. There’s also an increased level cap over the original game to allow for easier play and you can even access all the new features from Baldur’s Gate 2: Shadows of Amn.

Dungeon Keeper recently released for iOS and Android, and has been getting skewered by the press and gamers alike for its transaction model. The game places heavy time limits on the most basic of tasks, which can be sped up by spending gems. Of course, the gems require real money to purchase and the game constantly reminds you to purchase them in order to speed up the proceedings.

EA Mythic’s Jeff Skalski addressed these concerns to TabTimes, stating that, “It’s important to emphasize that we designed a game that is built around the typical mobile play patterns. This means Dungeon Keeper is meant to be played on the go multiple times a day with a few minutes here or there. This way of playing allows fans to naturally progress as a free player.

“That’s not to say you can’t quickly blow past 30 minutes in one sitting by summoning new minions, reorganizing your dungeon layout, find a keeper to attack, check in with your guild, queue up your next digs then take on a new event raid before calling it a night.”

The game seems to have a fairly decent average on both the Play Store and App Store, although there are tons of negative reviews overall. Stay tuned to see how quickly EA back-peddles from this practice, if they do at all.

If you were nice enough to buy Final Fantasy 6 on Android when it recently released on the Google Play Store, you may have noticed that the game has its share of issues. For one, “Esper” has been misspelled, but more importantly, the game crashes when Leo and Kefka meet thus delaying any further progress.

The good news is, Square Enix is aware of the issue and will be releasing an update to correct the same. The bad news is, no release date for the update has been provided so it could really be any day now.

As a remake of the classic JRPG, Final Fantasy 6 arrived on Android with revamped visuals and touch-optimized controls. There’s been adequate fanfare for the game, which is widely considered the best Final Fantasy title of all time. We’ll update you on the game’s patching in the coming weeks and whether the issues persist so stay tuned.

Set after the events of the very first Prince of Persia, we rejoin the Prince who continues the search for his past. The game will boast a new visual design with 3D levels and redesigned controls. Players will be able to opt for either a touch-based gesture control system or using the virtual joystick. Combat sees a new combo system along with different challenges and enemy types.

Prince of Persia The Shadow and the Flame also features new social connectivity which will help unlock achievements. There will also be leaderboard support and Facebook integration.

What are your thoughts on this new announcement? Let us know below.

Developed by Angry Mob Games and set for release in the first quarter of 2013, all renders and environments have been created using the Unity Graphics Engine. Check them out in full detail below. Certainly brings out the nicer side of both species, doesn’t it?

In AvP: Evolution, you’ll be able to control either an Alien or Predator and take the conflict across 24 levels set in the AvP universe, upgrading your character as you prepare for the ultimate end-game. Players can access the game on release via Apple’s iTunes Store and the Google Play Store.