Hello everyone, and welcome to the week! It's time once again for our look back at the noteworthy updates of the last seven days. Plenty of the usual suspects this time around, but there are enough pleasant surprises to please a variety of crowds, I think. Of course, you can keep an eye out for updates yourself using AppShopper Social [], the watchlist in the TouchArcade App [], or by participating in the TouchArcade forums, but this weekly summary is here to fill in the things you might have missed. Let's dig in!
Phoenix 2 got a cool update this week with five new ships to collect, a new Zen Mode, three super-challenging new leagues, new enemy attacks, and a timer that lets you know if you're on track to beat your previous score. This update also makes some adjustments to the game balance, decreasing the energy cost of the Vorpal Lance's Charge Counter and changing the way the Chrono Field works. Finally, community missions now have an extra-tough sixth act, while D and C League missions have four acts.
The big news for Mini Metro in this update is the addition of an endless mode that allows you to keep on playing as long as you like. There is also some new music courtesy of Mateo Lugo, whose work you might have heard if you've played Reigns. You can hear those new tunes if you play on the San Francisco, Seoul, and Shanghai maps. This new version also addresses a number of bugs.
Candy Crush Saga has two new episodes. Play through an assortment of new levels in Smiley Seas and Crumbly Crossing. Apparently all you need to name an episode of this game is Ample Alliteration. I've noticed the updates have stopped mentioning how many new levels they contain, as well as no longer stating the total. I wonder if they're worried about potential new players being intimidated? Well, who knows. If you like matching the candies, though, you've got some more work to do.
With the sequel in soft launch, it appears that this long-running game's run is finally winding down. But don't worry, it still has some new characters to offer even at this late stage. The latest challenge has you working to unlock another Batman variant. This time, it's the Flashpoint Thomas Wayne Batman. Meanwhile, in the online battle mode, Blackest Night Superman is up for grabs as a prize. He looks like a real monster, so I'm sure he'll be of use to anyone who can earn him. Other than that, there are some bug fixes and not much else.
Quite a few people have gotten into the latest game from 22cans, The Trail. Which is good, because that gives the developers a reason to keep on adding to the game, right? This update brings some big things. Well, bigger things, to be specific. Larger private chests and larger houses, if you really must know. And you must, or you wouldn't be reading this, would you? This update also adds the Bone Canyon, allowing you to head a little farther down the trail and get to work on some new quests. Also: bug fixes!
Drift Girls? Yeah, sure, why not. Um, okay, so Drift Girls. Drifting, I presume. But also Girls? People make all kinds of games these days, you understand. This one has been getting a steady stream of content for a while now, and this update is, well, more of that. There's a new Episode 18, a new girl named Nanoko, and some bug fixes, because that's the real theme of this week. Remember, video games are fantasy worlds where we can do lots of things we can't in the real world. Please be responsible and don't date and drive.
Brave Exvius got a big overhaul in its latest update. The main menu UI was redone, and now if you summon through gold or rainbow crystals, you are guaranteed a four or five-star unit respectively. New summon tickets that guarantee a four-star unit have been added, and some new recipes have been added as trophy rewards. If you're looking to fulfill those recipes, that's easier now, too. A material location feature will help you find whatever it is you're looking for. There are a few other tweaks, additions, and adjustments, but I'll let you go on and find out about those on your own.
Here's a nice update for Modern Combat 5: The Multiplayer eSports Shooter. No, seriously, that's the game's name now. ESPORTS, EVERYONE! Anyway, there are two new sets of armor to collect. First, the Kitsune armor is an advanced form of the Morph armor. No word on whether it enables you to sell counterfeit paintings to poor, unsuspecting villagers who have to work hard for their bells, but hey, stranger things have happened. The other new armor is the Kemono armor, which will be available through bonus events. Kemono means beast, so maybe the perks will be blue fur and an inordinately dense vocabulary? This new version also lets you fully customize the color schemes for your prestige weapons, and it does all that while heroically fixing some bugs. ESPORTS.
Why is this game so freaking great? Seriously! You can spend a whole dollar and get something made by one person that puts full-priced racing games from major publishers to absolute shame. As much as I could list all kinds of bad things about gaming in 2017, stuff like this really shows how good we've got it as players. Anyway, this update brings manual gears, analog steering wheel controls, visible real-time damage for all vehicles, improvements to the multiplayer mode, and some optimizations and fixes. Yes, another coveted Update Mondays Most Spider-Mans of the Week award for you, Brownmonster.
It's always a momentous occasion when a new nation joins the ranks of World of Tanks Blitz. This time, it's the French entering the fray with 10 vehicles and provisions. This update also brings a special event called Lost Division, some new camouflages and paints, and some new ways to earn more credits in each battle. I'm glad to see the French tanks making the scene, as the country represents a significant part of tank and artillery history. Merci beaucoup, Wargaming.net!
Blue skies are back again as Real Racing 3 heads back to the Daytona 500. Fly sky high and you might earn Danica Patrick's Ford Fusion for your very own virtual garage. A few more cars join the roster in this update as well, including the Centenario LP 770-4, the Porsche Cayman S, the McLaren F1 GTR, and more. If you're more interested in watching than playing for some reason, you can also watch some in-game live-streaming footage from Daytona featuring Dario Franchitti. Just remember to try and go easy on the car!
The biggest surprise of the week is this update for Sunday Lawn from Donut Games. Like many developers, Donut Games is hard at work on making sure their games are ready for the potential 32-bit apocalypse. While they were updating the classic Sunday Lawn for 64-bit compatibility, they figured they might as well throw 20 brand new levels into the game for everyone to enjoy. How about that? What a nice developer!
That about wraps it up for last week's significant updates. I'm sure I've missed some, though, so please feel free to comment below and let everyone know if you think something should be mentioned. As usual, major updates will likely get their own news stories throughout this week, and I'll be back next Monday to summarize and fill in the blanks. Have a great week!
Phoenix 2 got a cool update this week with five new ships to collect, a new Zen Mode, three super-challenging new leagues, new enemy attacks, and a timer that lets you know if you're on track to beat your previous score. This update also makes some adjustments to the game balance, decreasing the energy cost of the Vorpal Lance's Charge Counter and changing the way the Chrono Field works. Finally, community missions now have an extra-tough sixth act, while D and C League missions have four acts.
The big news for Mini Metro in this update is the addition of an endless mode that allows you to keep on playing as long as you like. There is also some new music courtesy of Mateo Lugo, whose work you might have heard if you've played Reigns. You can hear those new tunes if you play on the San Francisco, Seoul, and Shanghai maps. This new version also addresses a number of bugs.
Candy Crush Saga has two new episodes. Play through an assortment of new levels in Smiley Seas and Crumbly Crossing. Apparently all you need to name an episode of this game is Ample Alliteration. I've noticed the updates have stopped mentioning how many new levels they contain, as well as no longer stating the total. I wonder if they're worried about potential new players being intimidated? Well, who knows. If you like matching the candies, though, you've got some more work to do.
With the sequel in soft launch, it appears that this long-running game's run is finally winding down. But don't worry, it still has some new characters to offer even at this late stage. The latest challenge has you working to unlock another Batman variant. This time, it's the Flashpoint Thomas Wayne Batman. Meanwhile, in the online battle mode, Blackest Night Superman is up for grabs as a prize. He looks like a real monster, so I'm sure he'll be of use to anyone who can earn him. Other than that, there are some bug fixes and not much else.
Quite a few people have gotten into the latest game from 22cans, The Trail. Which is good, because that gives the developers a reason to keep on adding to the game, right? This update brings some big things. Well, bigger things, to be specific. Larger private chests and larger houses, if you really must know. And you must, or you wouldn't be reading this, would you? This update also adds the Bone Canyon, allowing you to head a little farther down the trail and get to work on some new quests. Also: bug fixes!
Drift Girls? Yeah, sure, why not. Um, okay, so Drift Girls. Drifting, I presume. But also Girls? People make all kinds of games these days, you understand. This one has been getting a steady stream of content for a while now, and this update is, well, more of that. There's a new Episode 18, a new girl named Nanoko, and some bug fixes, because that's the real theme of this week. Remember, video games are fantasy worlds where we can do lots of things we can't in the real world. Please be responsible and don't date and drive.
Brave Exvius got a big overhaul in its latest update. The main menu UI was redone, and now if you summon through gold or rainbow crystals, you are guaranteed a four or five-star unit respectively. New summon tickets that guarantee a four-star unit have been added, and some new recipes have been added as trophy rewards. If you're looking to fulfill those recipes, that's easier now, too. A material location feature will help you find whatever it is you're looking for. There are a few other tweaks, additions, and adjustments, but I'll let you go on and find out about those on your own.
Here's a nice update for Modern Combat 5: The Multiplayer eSports Shooter. No, seriously, that's the game's name now. ESPORTS, EVERYONE! Anyway, there are two new sets of armor to collect. First, the Kitsune armor is an advanced form of the Morph armor. No word on whether it enables you to sell counterfeit paintings to poor, unsuspecting villagers who have to work hard for their bells, but hey, stranger things have happened. The other new armor is the Kemono armor, which will be available through bonus events. Kemono means beast, so maybe the perks will be blue fur and an inordinately dense vocabulary? This new version also lets you fully customize the color schemes for your prestige weapons, and it does all that while heroically fixing some bugs. ESPORTS.
Why is this game so freaking great? Seriously! You can spend a whole dollar and get something made by one person that puts full-priced racing games from major publishers to absolute shame. As much as I could list all kinds of bad things about gaming in 2017, stuff like this really shows how good we've got it as players. Anyway, this update brings manual gears, analog steering wheel controls, visible real-time damage for all vehicles, improvements to the multiplayer mode, and some optimizations and fixes. Yes, another coveted Update Mondays Most Spider-Mans of the Week award for you, Brownmonster.
It's always a momentous occasion when a new nation joins the ranks of World of Tanks Blitz. This time, it's the French entering the fray with 10 vehicles and provisions. This update also brings a special event called Lost Division, some new camouflages and paints, and some new ways to earn more credits in each battle. I'm glad to see the French tanks making the scene, as the country represents a significant part of tank and artillery history. Merci beaucoup, Wargaming.net!
Blue skies are back again as Real Racing 3 heads back to the Daytona 500. Fly sky high and you might earn Danica Patrick's Ford Fusion for your very own virtual garage. A few more cars join the roster in this update as well, including the Centenario LP 770-4, the Porsche Cayman S, the McLaren F1 GTR, and more. If you're more interested in watching than playing for some reason, you can also watch some in-game live-streaming footage from Daytona featuring Dario Franchitti. Just remember to try and go easy on the car!
The biggest surprise of the week is this update for Sunday Lawn from Donut Games. Like many developers, Donut Games is hard at work on making sure their games are ready for the potential 32-bit apocalypse. While they were updating the classic Sunday Lawn for 64-bit compatibility, they figured they might as well throw 20 brand new levels into the game for everyone to enjoy. How about that? What a nice developer!
That about wraps it up for last week's significant updates. I'm sure I've missed some, though, so please feel free to comment below and let everyone know if you think something should be mentioned. As usual, major updates will likely get their own news stories throughout this week, and I'll be back next Monday to summarize and fill in the blanks. Have a great week!