Catching up on news and releases

Not quite a set of reviews this time. Instead I wanted to share some of the very cool deals and updates that have been released lately. Some of these may not still be active (deals) if you are coming to this post after the first half of April 2014. On with the news items.

Hey! Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft has started its release on mobile with an iPad version releasing in Australia, New Zealand and Canada (with other regions to follow soon). If you read my original beta review (here) of this collectible virtual card game, you know I like it and can't wait to have it in my hand on the go. This is an immediate download for me and should be for you as well.

Flick Kick Football Legends (review here) has been updated to add Infinity Cup play. In the Infinity Cup, you play in basically a single-elimination tournament where you start in tier 1 against 3 opponents. Beat them and you get a small cash reward and get to move to the next tier (against slightly harder opponents). You are also given a points score for each match based on how you did: number of goals, saves, etc. with bonuses for hat-tricks and clean sheets. The points go toward your Infinity Cup total for that attempt and you are shown your ranking on a leaderboard to allow you to see how you compare to other players' attempts. All-in-all this is nice addition to the game with a new way to earn a little cash and since it comes in 3 game tiers, you can play a tier without running out your stamina bottle. I did notice the game lags a bit more and sometimes hangs up on my original iPad mini but I imagine that will be corrected soon.

Like books? There have been some insane deals on e-books recently. If you are like me and just received your e-book settlement from Amazon and Apple, congratulations you have an opportunity to go and pick up these cheap omnibuses:

Terry Brooks' Magic Kingdom of Landover Volume 1, which includes the books Magic Kingdom For Sale SOLD!, The Black Unicorn and Wizard at Large is on sale for Kindle (or Kindle app) at Amazon for $1.99.

Not quite the deal it was before when it was on sale for $9.99, but still nice is the 5 book set of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire, which is on sale at Amazon or in iTunes for $19.99. Worth a read and your time if you want to know what the fuss over Game of Thrones is all about.

Also, FTL - Faster Than Light has been released for iPad. I don't have a copy yet, but probably will have one soon. It is the same price as on Steam, $9.99, and early reviews say it is possibly the best version of the game.

Finally, in case you missed it, Path of Exile was updated over a month ago with the Sacrifice of the Vaal expansion. This added new game mechanics, secret areas, monsters - a lot of content. There are now Vaal versions of skill gems that have insane effects over the normal versions of those gems. Additionally there two new leagues going, Invasion and Ambush. I haven't tried Invasion where each map area is invaded by monsters from another part of Wraeclast. I have played Ambush, which is fun with treasure boxes that are found (typically 1 or more per area) that are defended by monsters who Ambush you when you open it. Plus you can use your Transmutation and Augmentation orbs on them to make the boxes magic or give them better magically properties, like this:

1,872% increased rarity!

Here is what was found in one:

Yep that's a Legendary item and a rare drop, oh yeah!

Insane, right? Path of Exile continues to be the best action RPG out there in my book - wish my PC was more powerful so I could enjoy all the effects and polish at their best. Try it again if you stepped away from the game.

Lots there for you to go check out and keep you busy until next time!

Flick Kick Football Legends Review (Updated)

I played a lot of Flick Kick Football from Pik Pok on my iPod. When I saw that they were releasing a new Flick Kick game called Flick Kick Football Legends (available for iOS and Android), I was certain I would pick it up and give it a try. The original game, typically $0.99 or $1.99, uses a 1970's shaded-cel feel with a swiping mechanic to shoot soccer balls at the goal. There are often players put in the way as obstacles that you have to bend kicks around. All in all, a fun game.

In Flick Kick Football Legends, Pik Pok has taken the same 70s feel and the flick mechanic and expanded it to a full game. With game clock running, you will use the flick mechanic to pass the ball to teammates and attempt to score. Hit an opposition player, they will steal the ball and then you have to use the flick mechanic to dispossess them before they score on you. There are also Nigel and Kevin, the announcers who share some witty reparte after every match.

The game also has a player card mechanic added - each of your team members have their own trading card that shows their level and special abilities (like making the goal a little wider, stronger shot or better bending ability on shots). You swap players in and out depending on the mix of abilities you want on the field. There are also different rarities of cards, which translate to more or fewer abilities for that player and also impact their level cap (basic cards start all maxed out with no abilities, commons have one ability and can level 3 times, uncommons have 2 abilities and can level up 6 times, etc.).

You play your team through various divisions, earning promotion to the next level by winning your league. The amateur league has fewer, easier opponents and each subsequent division has more opponents, stronger competition and more games to play before the season is over.

As with most free-to-play games, you can earn two types of in-game currency. Gold coins are earned for winning matches, 10,000 of them can be spent on a basic pack of 3 common (possibly one of which could be uncommon) cards. Cash is earned by winning your league and 250 cash can be spent on a pack 3 cards and at least 1 uncommon or better card. Or you can spend more cash for better packs. There is also a stamina counter that limits how many matches you can play in a row before you have to wait for the timer to finish its 30 minute countdown and the stamina bottle to refill a bit (1 game worth per 30 minutes). Oh and did I mention ads? They show up as well - as banners at the top of the screen and full page ads you have to click out of between halves or after matches. According to Pik Pok, the ads will go away after making an in-app purchase and rebooting the app.

It is these free-to-play elements that actually overwhelms an otherwise fantastic game. I understand wanting to make money off the great game you have made, but the constant ads, stamina timer, slow cash earnings limiting getting more players all detract from a great swiping game mechanic with cool card/player leveling system and game progression through seasons and promotion to new divisions.

Where Pik Pok could have gone is to make this a paid app (a couple dollars) and then still leave in the currencies. If you want to pay to get quick cash - go for it. If you want to play to earn what you can - do that. Oh and remove the stamina timer as all it does is make me stop playing the game. Or change it to a player stamina timer so you have to rotate players (available skills) for some matches or just wait until playing. If those things were changed, Flick Kick Football Legends would be a 4 or 5 Mick Happy game. As it is, it is at best a 3 Mick Happy game due to the interruptions, timers, etc. It is really too bad that a great game is hobbled by the implementation of free-to-play.

As an aside, I have taken it as a personal mission to progress as far as I can in the game without spending a dime due to the annoyance I have with the In-app Purchase and timers. Which is a shame as I would have spent 2 or 3 dollars on the game otherwise. For another free-to-play game that has in-app-purchases done right, you should check out Dr. Who: Legacy.