Apple Arcade is one of the cloud gaming services I tried in 2022 that I really enjoyed. It promotes no microtransactions in any of their games (big props for that!), boasts several multiplayer online games, easy to get matches against others and some really fun games. The graphics were above average, they have some exclusive titles you won’t find anywhere else — including virtual pinball — and the price is reasonable: $50/year is less than the cost of one AAA game. There are downsides, things I didn’t care much for, but the pros outweighed the cons, and I planned to return and subscribe at some point in the future, perhaps in 2023. Hasn’t happened yet, but them adding a new James Bond game called Cypher 007 on my birthday, today no doubt surely helps me get closer to pulling out my wallet. via GameInformer:
“The criminal mastermind Blofeld and head of Spectre has once again hatched a plan to sabotage his archenemy James Bond,” the game’s description reads. “This time, he has utilized brainwashing techniques known as ‘The Mind Trap,’ holding Bond captive in a mental prison in an attempt to turn him into the ultimate double agent. Play as Agent 007 on his most challenging missions yet – escape the Mind Trap, defeat Blofeld, and put an end to the Cypher program.”
This sounds cool. Here’s a teaer video as well:
What I don’t like about Apple Arcade is you need an Apple device to check it out. I did buy an Apple TV device, but it isn’t hooked up as of this writing. I would need to dig that out, plug it back in and then re-activate the Apple Arcade subscription. Wish it just worked on the PC and didn’t require any Apple hardware, but that’s just not how they roll. It also works with iOs phones, Mac tablets and Mac computers, none of which I have. The Apple TV is the least expensive way to gain access to the world of Apple Arcade. Not that I’m down on Apple devices, I’ve owned several over the years and they are well known for doing their own thing. Just one thing you have to accept if you want to be part of what they’re doing. That just feels a little bit like AOL in the 90s to me, but it is what it is. It isn’t enough to keep me away from something cool game-oriented they are doing.