Pocket Gamer:
The Trawler was in dry dock last week, having the barnacles scraped from its hull (ahead of the Pocket Gamer team, who are due their checkup next week), so we apologise for its absence.
To make up for it, this week see two huge releases, alongside two topical games that couldn’t be farther apart in tone or content. The proliferation of sites that see fit to give away free apps means that there's no excuse not to try as broad a range of titles as possible.
Dear valued player, Following an incredible 11 years since its initial launch back in 2009, we are officially announcing the closure of the original FarmVille game on Facebook.
The video game industry is not one where originality reigns supreme. Sure, there are definitely Big Ideas that change the landscape of gaming, but for the most part publishers are content to slowly improve on stuff that’s already proven profitable.
But sometimes imitation goes beyond mere flattery to become a fad, when seemingly the entire video game world gets fixated on a single idea and starts churning out endless copies. We’re seeing it now with Fortnite and the Battle Royale craze, but this isn’t a new thing. Let’s blow in the cartridges and revisit some of the most potent fads in video game history.
I thought that too until he mentioned "paradigm change" with the addition of a competitive two-player mode. Obvious fumble, and we all do it, but it's a pet peeve that I should work on.
Thomas from Lizard Lounge writes, "What a time to be alive! Farming Simulator has released its eighth instalment, you too can discover the mysterious and glamorous life of a slice of bread, and someone has released a game about grass and it’s not even the interesting kind of grass. Walking simulators, have you heard of those? Games like Gone Home, Serena, The Beginner’s Guide, in which you walk around a world and stuff happens at you?"
