Tag Archives: Mobile Gaming

Digital Playground

Mobile Gaming is a Gift 2024

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Introduction

From my last article, you know that I bought myself two gifts this year, a Nintendo Switch and a Retroid Pocket 4 Pro. Truly, mobile gaming is a gift 2024. Both brought me much joy. I always held a soft spot for mobile gaming ever since my parents bought us Game Boys for Christmas one year. I never owned a Game Gear, but I bought myself a Game Boy Color.

Then, Nintendo released the Game Boy Advance. I bought several consoles over the years, including the SP NES version shown in the picture below. That thing got me through 3 years of working overnights in a halfway house for errant teens. Before that, I learned how to solder to put a backlight in my original GBA. And, much of the reason that I played it so much is that I owned a ROM card that allowed me to try many different games on the system. Plus, the games were almost always good.

In keeping with that tradition, the Retroid Pocket became my chosen mobile gaming experience this year. It replaced my daily phone habit of playing Hearthstone and Magic the Gathering. As I discovered new uses for the console, I became more excited about the possibilities.

What is this Thing?

Version 1.0.0

What are those possibilities? Yes, I just practiced the worst type of journalism with a question for a title and a question for the opening of this section. But, I promise that I come by this honestly. Maybe you had those questions? If not, I would have. I’m a naturally curious person.

So, the Retroid pocket family of handhelds, the version 4 pro shown above, are a line of Android powered gaming devices. This provides you with the full suite of Android apps in addition to the various emulators that people developed for the system. Without going into too much detail, I found out that it gives me the ability to relive games up to the “sixth” generation of consoles.

While it looks like any other number of mobile gaming devices (most notably the Switch), that’s part of it’s charm. I’ve seen other mobile PCs that might be more powerful, but they also don’t look very portable or have the best battery life. That was the biggest draw for me when researching the possibilities.

It’s Actually Mobile

I took the Retroid Pocket on our Cape “camping” vacation. We used to tent. Recently, though, we’ve reserved a yurt for these trips, so we have access to a roof, running water, and electricity. So, at the lower end of “glamping”. One of the main reasons that mobile gaming is a gift 2024 in the form of the console is that I can fit it in my back pocket. Also, as Liam said the other day, the battery life on this thing is great.

When I opened the box and started working with the device, I only expected it to be able to allow me to relive my childhood. Play some old Atari and Game Boy advance games wherever I wanted. True enough, initially. However, as I worked more with the system, I found it to be much more powerful that expected. I showed Liam the new additions to the library, and he’s played the thing almost exclusively for the last week or so. I might have to buy another one.

As others succumbed to the iCult, I continued to stubbornly cling to my roots as an Android faithful. What can I say? I know they only give the illusion of control (unless you root, and who has the time for that?) but that illusion proves quite powerful. Because one of the reasons that I stick with Android is the customization offered. The Retroid Pocket is no different. In addition to the normal customizing, the addition of the controllers offer even more ability to make the device your own.

My Experience with the Retroid Pocket

Even with the large amount of customization, the system more or less comes out of the box ready to play. They include a powerful front end that finds and installs emulator cores for you for nearly any system you can imagine. Then, you just need to rip and upload some roms from your games and you’re good to go. Some of the newer and homebrew games include a rom with the cartridge purchase, making that easier.

As mentioned, the Pocket gave me the ability to relive memories from my childhood to early adulthood. I was talking with my brothers in the wake of my mother’s death and we talked about the year we received an NES for Christmas. That led to a discussion of games that I had forgotten and the ability to go back to play those games. I also told a story a few months ago about how my cousins had an NES and Legend of Zelda. That, in a lot of ways, inspired me to ask our parents for one.

Owning the system helped me to advance the web page, too. One of my most viewed recent videos of modern Atari games came from directly recorded gameplay on the console. I’ve used clips and screenshots from the games on our Instagram page. It is quite possibly the perfect mobile gaming console on the market today.

Why Mobile is Still Important in 2024

Gamers have always wanted access to their games on the go. I, especially, love to bring my games with me. From the old magnetic board games we played in the car to my first Game Boy and then the Game Boy Advance, I always brought games with me wherever I go. I first learned about “mobile PCs” when Steam announced the Steam Deck. I preordered one, but then couldn’t justify the expense.

Especially when I learned that the battery life is abysmal and I repaired my old gaming laptop, I had no reason for another, even smaller PC that I’d have to keep plugged in more or less. Fool me once and all that. Well, while reading about other mobile PCs, I learned about the Retroid Pocket. I did some more reading and realized that’s exactly what I want from a mobile gaming console right now. I also bought a Switch for a similar reason.

So, in the sea of smart phones, mobile PCs, and hybrid consoles, I chose the my Retroid Pocket 4 Pro for my mobile gaming is a gift 2024. It gives me (and my son Liam and probably Quinn when he discovers it) exactly what I need from a mobile gaming experience.

The Verdict

I highly recommend you purchase one of these consoles. I have yet to find a reason to regret my own purchase. If you want something portable that lets you experience the glory days of retro gaming, there is no other choice, as far as I’m concerned. Let us know what you think in the comments or on social media.

Digital Playground

2024 Look Back on Mobile

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Introduction

As I started to implement the theme months over the last couple of years on the page, they evolved and changed. Not always for the best, as we saw with Frightober this year. But, always trying to make thing better around here, I tweaked the format slightly again this year. Two years ago, I simply announced my games of the year. Last year, I announced the contenders and then wrote an article about the winner. This year, I went more with a nostalgic look back before I talk about how my experience with gaming changed this year. This is my 2024 look back on mobile gaming.

Out of the three gaming genres that I play most (PC/Console, Mobile, and Tabletop), this one changed the most. I went from playing several games daily to only a few and then finally logging into two games on a semi regular basis every month. That’s my phone usage. Let me explain what changed.

A Gift to Myself

Because I am an adult male with adult motivations, I put together a reward system for myself to keep from calling into work last year. In addition to the stressful teaching duties, I took on two classes and department coordinator responsibilities. My very adult plan to keep myself going to work included ice cream for every full week, a Lego set for every month, and a Nintendo Switch for making it the entire second semester without taking a “mental health day”.

While I just treated the reward system with snark and some condescension, it worked. I made it through the second semester and bought myself a yellow Nintendo Switch like the one in the picture up above. I wanted a Switch of my own for a few years now and this finally gave me a reason to go through with the purchase.

Initially, I used it to play more Hades, probably my favorite game of the last few years. Then, more recently, I started up Pikmin 3. Initially, I wanted to include it in my puzzle games posts on Instagram. Then, I remembered how much I enjoyed the game. So, I kept playing. I plan to get deeper into both games over Christmas break.

The Real Reason

I don’t remember when or how I learned about the Retroid pocket. But, I quickly became obsessed with the idea of having all of my former games in handheld form. I ended up buying this first as a way to scratch the Switch itch. Initially, it worked. I transferred all of my Atari games to it and then built out my GBA library. Eventually, I expanded out to Sega Genesis and NES and SNES.

More recently, I discovered that it emulated PS1 and PS2 games faithfully. Of course, I started playing GTA3 and Fatal Frame as a result. The big news, though, for my family, is that it also works for Gamecube games. After I played Super Mario Sunshine (Chris guess that was the first game I got for it), I found Luigi’s Mansion. Liam discovered that and he’s been playing it ever since. I don’t think I’m ever going to see it again.

The Verdict

The 2024 look back on mobile initially started out as a lamentation of the fact that I no longer use my phone for gaming. However, it quickly establishes that’s because I branched out into other forms of mobile gaming. With the Switch and Retroid Pocket, I foresee a coming year of many different games.

Digital Playground

Marvel SNAP November 2024: War of the Nine Realms

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Introduction

Frightober fell apart this year. After a promising start, things blew up due to several unforeseen circumstances. As a result, I also needed to rework the Noob’s Book Club schedule once again. I went an entire month without updating. Sorry. I will explain more with the episode coming this weekend. In spite of all that, I remain committed to getting back on track this month, starting with Marvel SNAP November 2024.

While not a first for me, I never even loaded the game last month. So, coming back might be a bit of a learning experience. Then again, this is Marvel SNAP we’re talking about. As long as you still play cards on a battlefield of three locations, I’ll figure it out. Ugh, that sounded bitter. Sorry.

New Locations

I like Valhalla. Anything that gives me a chance to abuse On Reveal cards sounds fun. Time to dust off the old Odin deck and see what shakes out. Yggdrasil just buffs power at another location. I mean, it might be fun with the one that decreases power by one each turn. But, that’s just the math geek in me laughing at all this action for ultimately nothing. Otherwise, I don’t see a huge advantage from the location.

New Characters

King Eitri

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Activate: Draw a card that didn’t start in your deck.

Fenris Wolf is the ultimate troll card, especially for someone like me who always seems to end up on the short end of the stick against disco or destro decks. Bringing back someone’s Infinaut sounds like a blast. Sutur goes right in my Skaar deck, but I don’t know which card I’d swap it in for. Eitri and Gorr are just decent cards by themselves. I think the two that I’ll have the most fun with, though are Malekith and Frigga. Especially Frigga. That recursion ability makes me unreasonably happy. Combine it with a double or triple effect and it gives you an embarrassment of riches.

The Verdict

While Marvel SNAP November 2024 offers neither compelling characters nor earth shattering card effects, I still want to come back to the game this month. So, I’ll make an effort to find the fun in the season. I don’t see anything for December yet, so I don’t know if will continue, but at least it’s a start.

Images SNAPped from here.

Digital Playground

Marvel Strike Force

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Introduction

In a month dedicated to Marvel and the new movie Deadpool and Wolverine, I pained myself into a bit of a corner this week. I wanted to talk about some of the Marvel video games other than Marvel SNAP. I regularly talk about each season in SNAP, so even though they “updated” with “new” game modes, I saw no point in reviewing them here. The only one I found that even remotely interested me was Marvel Strike Force.

First Impressions

Marvel Strike Force is a turn based RPG with Marvel Super Hero skins. That more than covers it. The story, while slightly forced, at least attempts to be interesting and figure into the game play. So, what else can I say? Not much honestly.

So, what else can I say here? Not much, if I’m being honest. I simply don’t need another treadmill game leading me from reward to reward in hopes that I can pull a decent hero without having to pay actual money. Who knows? Maybe when the winter comes and I have more time to devote to sitting on the couch, I might try again.

The Verdict

If you like this type of game and Marvel, you’ll probably enjoy it. As I just wrote up there, I don’t have the time or energy to devote to the game right now, so I won’t be joining you any time soon. If anything changes, I’ll be sure to update you.

In the meantime, I’m counting down the minutes.

Digital Playground

Marvel SNAP February 2024: Black Order

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Introduction

Let me get this out of the way and diminish my nerd cred further. I have no idea who or what the Black Order is. Even after a quick look at the Wikipedia page, I have no idea. Oh well, it won’t stop me from bringing you my thoughts on the latest update in the game Chris once called “War with additional features.”

New Locations

Neither of these locations wow me as much as some others in the past. I do like the idea of getting a random 6-cost card from my “Ones” deck, so that will be nice when I play that one. Independently, the Infinity Stones can either be game changing or a complete whiff. Like the actual stones, their real power comes from playing all of them and getting the buff on Thanos as a result. So, I will most likely curse that location when it shows.

New Characters

Proxima Midnight

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When this is discarded, jumps to your lowest-Power location. (that isn’t full)

Nope. Not even seeing the cards brings any recognition. I have no idea who any of these people are. Luckily, I don’t need to know who they are in order to play the cards. And, I will play Black Swan and Cull Obsidian without a doubt in my “Ones” deck. I don’t play discard very much, as I mentioned in the previous article about Marvel SNAP. So, I doubt that I will prioritize Corvus Glaive or Proxima Midnight unless I get a quest for discards. I like the idea of Supergiant in an reveal deck and it also sets up a pretty cool Hela in the right discard deck.

The Verdict

I’m not as excited about the Black Order update as I was Planet Hulk. Granted, not knowing the characters or story diminishes my enjoyment some. But, also, the cards and locations aren’t as much fun, either. Plus, next month is X-Men vs. Avengers and I’ll be looking forward to that. I still plan on playing enough to get all of the goodies. See you in game, SNAPers.

Note: Images taken from Marvel SNAP Zone.

Digital Playground

Marvel SNAP January 2024: Planet Hulk

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Introduction

I saw last month that they planned to bring Planet Hulk to Marvel SNAP January 2024. This made me incredibly excited. Planet Hulk is my favorite story in comics, maybe ever. I loved the entire Greg Pak run of Hulk and Planet Hulk especially.

Yes, Immortal Hulk brought the Green Goliath back to his former heights after some lean years. But, I still think I prefer Pak’s take on Hulk and it bore the “Incredible” modifier instead of the new “Immortal” tagline. I mean, honestly, I’m just splitting hairs at this point. So, let’s take a look at the update.

New Locations

The Great Portal plays right into the Skaar deck. By giving you another 10 cost card to play, you reduce his cost even more. But, we’ll discuss that in the next section. Crown City, too, favors a powerful deck, as +4 to adjacent locations is pretty damn good in a game that sometimes comes down to every point of power. That thing is gonna set off some intense battles in the middle.

New Cards

Caiera

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Ongoing: Your 1 and 6-Cost cards can’t be destroyed.

Wow. I say. Wow. I already played Skaar to finish up the weekend quest and that card is powerful in the right shell. Who doesn’t want a zero cost 11 power card? Throw in Shuri and Taskmaster and the numbers get big quick in that deck. If I ever pull Caiera, I’m putting her in my “Ones” deck because screw your Killmonger, Bud. Herc is fun, but expensive, so unless you put him with Zabu, you only get a couple of moves to take advantage of. As previously mentioned, I don’t play much disco except to finish quests, so Miek isn’t a priority. Beta Ray Bill, as in the comics, is just another version of Thor. But, the Grandmaster opens up a whole new realm of possibilities that I hope I get a chance to discover. Overall, a strong batch of cards that I’ll have a ton of fun with, I think.

The Verdict

I think that I’m going to enjoy Marvel SNAP January 2024 more than I did last month. And, honestly, that’s saying something. I branched out to play some Conquest last month and got the Thor Hellfire Gala variant. I pushed at the end of the month up to Gold in the main play mode. That’s probably my ceiling, but I already played a ton this weekend to finish the Skaar quest and I’m planning my Conquest, uh, conquest to get that Ghost Rider variant.

Digital Playground

2023 Mobile Game of the Year Contenders

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Introduction

I searched earlier in the week back to last year to see if I wrote preview articles for the new year. I did, but I wrote them in January as part of “New Year, New Games”. Next year, our 10th, the theme is “New Decade, New Games”, so I the previews come then. Therefore, I needed a Wednesday article for my look back series. Enter 2023 Mobile Game of the Year Contenders.

This article almost makes us look official like. While merely a web page run essentially by two guys as a hobby, I like to dip my toe into the professional writing scene every now and then. So, while I already picked the mobile game of the year for this year, I can pretend for the sake of this article.

Candy Crush/Soda Saga

I played these games regularly several years ago. I worked ridiculous hours and spent what down time I had with the games on my phone. For whatever reason, even though I enjoy Magic the Gathering and Marvel more, I played these match 3 games and spent more money that I’m comfortable admitting on boosters and extended levels.

More recently, I picked both games up again. I spend less time with some of the other games that I like. Plus, I can’t find a new time sink that satisfies me the same as these games. So, I’m back to logging in on a daily basis to try to finish the next level. Once in a while, I get inspired to keep playing for a streak or other bonus.

Hearthstone

Likewise, I spent a good amount of time on this game at the beginning of the year. Mostly, I played Battlegrounds, but I always tried to finish quests in the main mode, too, in order to advance on the rewards track. Over the last few months, as I mentioned, I spent less time playing. I finished the Battlegrounds rewards track pretty early this time and they only recently released a new one. So, I might find some recency bias and choose Hearthstone as my game of the year. Hey, there’s precedent. I picked Marvel SNAP last year in spite of only having played it for a couple of months.

Magic the Gathering Arena

In spite of my recent decrease in play time, I still play MTGA as often as ever. I found a new joy with the game through my play group with Chris and Jason, so I use the game as a way to keep my brain and plays fresh during the in between times. They also offer cool midweek Magic events to get packs and other cosmetics. This week they introduce the new “Vintage” format for the game, Timeless. I tried to make a deck but didn’t have all of the cards or wild cards. So, I just submitted my elf tribal deck.

Marvel SNAP

As mentioned, Marvel SNAP won game of the year last year in spite of the fact that it took me several months to play the game. I probably played it more this year than many other games. My play time might not be as great as MTGA or Hearthstone, but that’s only because games only take 3-5 minutes tops to finish. Though, I recently discovered Conquest mode and I’m trying to get the Hellfire Gala Thor variant from that.

The Verdict

You get the true verdict for the 2023 Mobile Game of the Year Contenders on Friday. We here at 2 Generations Gaming already know the results. But, unlike much of what we do here, we promise no spoilers for this one. Come back Friday to find out.

Digital Playground

Mobile Gaming is a Gift 2023

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Introduction

Last year, I finally came through on an idea I had at least 5 years ago. I decided to come up with a theme for each month and focus the page on that theme. The first one I implemented was for October (the very first theme I came up with) and then I moved on to December. What better theme than gifts? And, so, welcome to the first article of the second installment, Mobile Gaming is a Gift 2023.

I use this as a way to look back on the year that was and all the mobile games I played. Also, I just got the idea to look at my “look ahead” article from earlier in the year. Provide an update on all the games I played and (more likely looking at the list) that I completely forgot.

So, About That List?

Of these three games, the only one I played was Mighty Doom. It was fun for about 10 minutes and then I quickly grew bored. Looking at the reviews of the other two, I won’t be trying MK: Onslaught any time soon. Sounds like a money sink with a decent story. I can watch that on YouTube. Dark Alliance sounds fun, but it’s 10 bucks, so we’ll see if I end up downloading that. Cheaper than the Steam version, though.

The Warhammer game looks like vaporware after a quick search. Apparently, the GTA series got incorporated into Netflix somehow because that’s the only story that I can find right now. Reviews of Ever Crisis describe it as an annoying grind fest with little pay off. So, one for six and I’m not even going to go into the cluster that the Warcraft Rumble game looks like.

Any New Games, Then?

Well, in addition to Marvel SNAP, Hearthstone (with less frequency than before), and Magic the Gathering: Arena, I also played Candy Crush and Candy Crush Soda Saga on a daily basis. Magic the Gathering Puzzle Quest is a daily login just for the freebie, as I theorized. I played a few times to finish quests, but not enough to consider it a regular. Even though the other Warhammer game looks imaginary or perpetually in the developing stage, I played Tacticus, a Warhammer 40k game. While repetitive, I still have fun playing it.

Additionally, sparked by conversation with colleagues, I downloaded the NYT word puzzle app again. I loved doing the small crosswords and got my Wordle streak to 75 before losing it. Good news! I’m almost to 20 again. They also have a game called Connections or something that took me a few tries to figure out. The last is Spelling Bee. Well, all of this nerdy fun led me to download Wordscapes.

It’s, uh, not great. I played for a few days, maybe a week. I paid to get rid of the ads because they annoyed the shit out of me. Then, today, I just stopped playing and uninstalled. It’s just too easy and there’s not enough variety in the levels to make it interesting. I thought it was cool to see what words used the same letters but just rearranged. Other than that, the game just became a time waster.

The Verdict

While the claim that mobile gaming is a gift 2023 isn’t completely false, it does feel empty after sitting down and reflecting back. Really, the only two games that brought me any joy were Magic the Gathering Arena and Marvel SNAP. Oh, I also dug out my tablet and played some Teamfight Tactics a few times. I don’t like it on the phone, but it plays nicely on the tablet. So, overall, not a total loss. But, definitely not the golden age of mobile gaming right now.

Digital Playground

Thankful for Mobile Gaming 2023

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Introduction

Tomorrow is the big day. One of my favorite, if not my favorite, holidays. Family, food, and football. And, with it, I started my thankful for gaming series. Yesterday, I talked about my adventures in console and PC. Today, I write about being thankful for mobile gaming 2023.

I played a couple of new games this year on mobile. Most of my time, though, I spent playing the old standards. Magic the Gathering, Hearthstone and, after an extended break, Marvel SNAP. Nevertheless, I still consider myself luck to live in a time that allows me to play all of those games on my phone.

A Couple of New Games

More than once, I typed into my Google machine, “best mobile game”. Every single time, I came away disappointed. I think most of the pages just listed the most popular or sponsored content. I mean, ads are the only way that we monetize our shitty web pages these days. Sorry, that was dark. Let me lighten the mood.

I spent more money in the original Candy Crush than I’m comfortable admitting. Recently, I take longer and longer breaks because the levels became nearly unpassable. The most recent level feels like a gate keeper level that requires me to spend more money. So, naturally, when I saw the Soda game pop up on one of the lists, I downloaded it. The game obviously plays identically to the original with a few “sodafied” alterations. I added it to my daily routine along with the first one.

I don’t remember when I saw this game, downloaded, or started playing it. I know that it still isn’t part of my daily rotation. I pick it up every now and then, play for a few levels to clear the daily quest, and then put it aside again for some time. I like the game, but always struggle with these tactics type games. They just don’t hook me for extended periods of time.

The Verdict

Other than that, I already mentioned the other games I played on a regular basis. For them all, I’m thankful for mobile gaming 2023. Do you have any others that you like and want to suggest? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter or Instagram.

Digital Playground

Loki For All Time Preview

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Introduction

I wrote in my Marvel SNAP article last month that I lost interest in the game for a bit. At the time, I theorized then that it might end up as one of the many games that came out with great promise but then ended up in the scrap heap of previously loved games. I think I also wrote that a card like X-23 alone could get me to play the game more. Well, with this Loki for All Time preview, I can confidently say that none of that is true.

I played more in this last month than the previous two combined. That much is true. But, I never opened X-23, so it had nothing to do with that card. I just remembered how much fun the game can be and also how quickly games go. I finish my quests in a game or two and it rarely takes more than 10 minutes.

Why a Preview?

Due to circumstances completely within my control, I moved some things around and rearranged my writing schedule for this month and next. I planned to do Dungeons and Dragons last week and then moved it to this week. I further moved it to next week because we took full advantage of the end of summer. Quinn and I never sat down to play either Roll Player Adventures or D&D, so I have no updates there. My DCBS order arrived the other day and when I sat down with my planner this afternoon, I decided to slot comics into this week. I mean, Marvel SNAP always has a new update every month.

While true, the updates don’t release precisely at the beginning of each month. Last month, for example, the article that I used as a resource for my Marvel SNAP article came out on August 9th. So, the official word for next month won’t come for another couple of days. I sort of painted myself into a corner here. Luckily, some information got data mined and I can at least talk about the new cards. Maybe when the other information releases, I can write an update talking about the stuff I missed.

The Trickster

On Reveal: Replace your hand with cards from your opponent’s starting deck. Give them -1 cost.

Our Loki for All Time preview starts, predictably, with the man of the hour, Loki. While not generally a fan of theft decks in any card game, I might make an exception with this card. I like that you are replacing your hand with their cards. Also, my “no fun police” sense tingles with the chance to beat those disco and destro decks at their own game. I never played Daken. I intend to play Loki day 1.

The Other Cards

Ongoing: Your cards with 1 or less Power cost 1 less. (minimum 1)

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If I’m being honest, none of these cards interest me very much. I can think of much more interesting things to do on turn 6 besides destroying my opponents cards played at a certain location on that turn. Maybe I see some utility with the location that destroys all the others, but that feels far too limited for my game play style. I play a “Ones” deck sometimes to finish the quest, but I think they all have more than one power. Besides, they can’t have their cost reduced below one. I suppose she allows for quicker Gobby and Hobby shenanigans. Some other utility. I might try a deck for a game or two with her if I end up opening her card. The only time I ever see a card that increases the cost of my cards is Iceman. I suppose that Wave gets hit by this one and that’s sometimes a popular play to lock you out of playing multiple cards later in the game. So, I might put Mobius in my Ongoing deck if I can find a slot for him.

The Verdict

The only card that looks remotely interesting to me is Loki. The others have limited (or almost no) functionality for my play style. When I come back in a couple of weeks with all of the information from the update, including the locations, I can give an update on my thoughts here in this Loki for All Time preview.

Note: Images snapped from Marvel SNAP Zone.