Clash of plans
Apple Arcade
What’s the story?
Apple succeeded in gaming seemingly by mistake. From the dawn of the iPhone, it blundered along, annoying developers with oddball App Store review decisions, making a mess of controller support and setting fire to Game Center. Race-to-the-bottom pricing created a mobile gaming landscape filled with freemium tat – and too few people ever discovered the rare gems.
The idea that this could all be fixed with Apple Arcade was met with scepticism – even derision. But Apple really has made a swish premium gaming service that seamlessly works across iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV. Games work offline, support controllers, use iCloud to sync progress, and aren’t on other subscription services – nor Android. Given that it costs just a fiver a month for a family subscription, it sounds too good to be true…
Is it any good?
In a word, yes. But not just in a “We’ll give Apple a grudging pass” manner, nor a “This will do until we get some proper games” way. Apple Arcade is a showcase for the best in mobile gaming – and everything’s new. You don’t get a reheated selection of old games (although there is the odd sequel), but over 100 titles you won’t have played before.
Doubtless some will grumble at the lack of AAA fare, but that’s kind of the point. Arcade is
