Sometimes you may not need to set up a full FTP server with authenticated users with upload and download privileges. If you are simply looking for a quick way to allow users to grab a few files, an anonymous FTP server can fit the bill. This article shows you show to set it up.

This example uses the vsftp server.

Installing and configuring the anonymous FTP server

Install the vsftp server using sudo:

$ sudo dnf install vsftpd

Enable the vsftp server.

$ sudo systemctl enable vsftpd

Next, edit your /etc/vsftpd/vsftpd.conf file to allow anonymous downloads. Make sure you have the following entries.

anonymous_enable=YES

This option controls whether anonymous logins are permitted or not. If enabled, both the usernames ftp and anonymous are recognized as anonymous logins.

local_enable=NO

This option controls whether local logins are permitted.

write_enable=NO

This option controls whether any FTP commands which change the filesystem are allowed.

no_anon_password=YES

When enabled, this option prevents vsftpd from asking for an anonymous password. With this setting, the anonymous user will log straight in without one.

hide_ids=YES

Enable this option to display all user and group information in directory listings as ftp.

pasv_min_port=40000

pasv_max_port=40001

Finally, these options set the minimum and maximum port to allocate for PASV style data connections. Use them to specify a narrow port range to assist firewalling. You should choose a range for ports that aren’t currently in use. This example uses port 40000-40001 to limit the ports to a range of 1.

Final steps

Now that you’ve set the options, add the appropriate firewall rules to allow vsftp connections along with the passive port range you specified.

$ firewall-cmd --add-service=ftp --perm

$ firewall-cmd --add-port=40000-40001/tcp --perm

$ firewall-cmd --reload

Next, configure SELinux to allow passive FTP:

$ setsebool -P ftpd_use_passive_mode on

And finally, start the vsftp server:

$ systemctl start vsftpd

At this point you have a working FTP server. Place the content you want to offer in /var/ftp. (Typically, system administrators put publicly downloadable content under /var/ftp/pub.) Now you can connect to your server using an FTP client on another system.

Image courtesy of Tom Woodward on Flickr, CC-BY-SA 2.0.

During 2019, we’ve developed and shared a clarity of vision we’ve never had before in Destiny. We’re finally going to make the Destiny 2 we’ve always wanted to make—one world that you and your friends are going to meaningfully change and make memories in. This year, our team has felt the full weight of what we’re responsible for (even on your worst days in the game, no one is harder on us than ourselves). But we now have a unified purpose. A calling.

October 1st is the first step toward what we want Destiny 2 to become. Everything we’re doing this fall is more than just any one part – it is Destiny 2 fundamentally evolving and in some ways starting new. It’s Shadowkeep, it’s New Light, it’s Cross Save, it’s you, me, and our friends together. It’s all of it.

This isn’t just the next chapter of Destiny 2, but the next chapter of us.

Tomorrow, that journey begins again for all of us and many, many others. These past few months have been awesome with you. Thanks for being the bright points of light shining in the night. You are Destiny’s stars. Be that light for the new Guardians wandering around the Tower, soloing a public event, dropping into Crucible for the first time, or trying to learn Raid mechanics you can do with your eyes shut. We were all Kinderguardians once.

Let’s help each other, make some memories, and head back to the Moon and see what’s been going on there for the last five years. It’s weird to say five years in, but given the year we’ve had: we’re just getting started.

See you soon.

Luke Smith

The combat update from 1.9 has been a controversial topic for many. Some loved the changes, while others hated it and refused to move on from 1.8.

Mojang has been hard at work trying to make it the best experience possible to the needs of PC players while also making sure those that play on phones or tablets have a good experience.

To this end, jeb has posted on Reddit a new custom snapshot which contains several large changes to combat.

This is a summary of those changes, as explained by jeb:

This “manually installed Java snapshot” is the first experiment of the new direction of combat mechanics. It’s based upon the current Java Edition system, but with the following major changes:

• Overall much faster attacks

• Attacks only happen when fully charged, even if you spam click

• You can hold to attack

• Weapons have different reach (attack range)

• When you stop attacking, the attack timer will continue charging to 200%

• At 200% you can perform special attacks (crits, sweeping, knockback) and these attacks have longer reach

• Sweeping only occurs on swords with the Sweeping enchantment

• Critical attacks (jump attacks) bypass shields

• Shields have no warm-up delay

• Shields also activate when crouching/sneaking

• If you hit something, the target’s “invulnerability timer” will be shorter if you have a quick weapon

Installation instructions:

Finding the Minecraft application folder:

• Windows: Press Ctrl+R and type %appdata%/.minecraft and press Ok

• Mac OS X: In Finder, in the Go menu, select “Go to Folder” and enter ~/Library/Application Support/minecraft

• Linux: ~/.minecraft or /home/<your username>/.minecraft/

Once you have the launcher set up you can download the server files from there as well.

If you have any comments, issues, or other criticisms, then leave a comment over on Reddit so that jeb will see it.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Minecraft/comments/c5mqwv/a_custom_java_edition_snapshot_to_test_new_combat/

Signups now open for college esports tournaments featuring Blizzard Entertainment’s Heroes of the Storm®, Hearthstone®, and StarCraft® II

This year’s programs offer more opportunities—and scholarships—for college gamers across U.S. and Canada than ever before

IRVINE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Student gamers everywhere can now matriculate in a full schedule of college esports programs, as Tespa, Blizzard Entertainment’s college esports network, has revealed its lineup of tournaments and events for this year, including the fourth edition of Heroes of the Dorm™. With programs for Hearthstone® and StarCraft® II in addition to Heroes of the Storm®, Tespa will award more than $1 million in scholarships and prizing by the end of the 2017-18 academic year.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180122006267/en/

Now in its fourth year, Heroes of the Dorm is introducing regional play. More than $500,000 in scholarships and prizes are up for grabs in this premier collegiate esports competition. Regional winners and other top teams on the national leaderboard will be seeded into the 64-team National Championship bracket. The battle for the Heroes of the Dorm National Championship—and for the scholarship money each player receives for the remainder of their college careers—will be fierce. Fans can watch all the action on both www.twitch.tv/blizzheroes and www.mlg.com.

In a one-of-a-kind broadcast partnership with Raycom Sports, Heroes of the Dorm will have a dedicated, nationally-syndicated program during a five-week period of competition. Raycom will produce the weekly, one-hour Heroes of the Dorm program, featuring schools competing in the tournament’s Atlantic Coast Region. The original series, which will cover competition as well as spotlight player and team stories, will be broadcast across Raycom Sports’ syndicated network of affiliates in more than 50 markets in the United States.

“With intense student competition and an epic tournament bracket featuring schools across the United States and Canada, Heroes of the Dorm showcases the kind of excitement that can only come from college esports,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We look forward to cheering on all of the talented players who will be competing in Heroes of the Storm, as well as Hearthstone and StarCraft II, for their share of Tespa’s biggest scholarship prize pool ever.”

Starting today, eligible college gamers in the United States and Canada can sign up to compete in Heroes of the Dorm at www.heroesofthedorm.com. See the full schedule below:

Hearthstone Collegiate Championship

Teams vying for the 2018 Hearthstone Collegiate Championship will have their hands full as they battle for their share of $150,000 in scholarship prizing. Each team of three will have to battle through a seven-week regular season and the regional playoffs to make it to the single-elimination championship bracket. Fans can watch the tournament live on www.twitch.tv/playhearthstone.

Eligible college gamers in the United States and Canada can sign up to compete in the Hearthstone Collegiate Championship at compete.tespa.org starting today. See the full schedule below:

Tespa Collegiate Series—StarCraft

The first ever Tespa Collegiate Series—StarCraft will award $35,000 in total scholarship prizing to the top performers in the 16-team league. Teams of three players will battle it out in StarCraft II twice a week during the eight-week regular season, with four teams joining the tournament via the open qualifiers. Matches will be broadcast on www.twitch.tv/starcraft and www.mlg.com. Eligible college gamers in the United States and Canada can sign up for qualifiers at compete.tespa.org starting today. See the full schedule below:

About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.

Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft®, Hearthstone®, Overwatch®, the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® franchises, and the multi-franchise Heroes of the Storm®, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating some of the industry’s most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard Entertainment’s track record includes twenty-one #1 games* and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company’s online-gaming service, Blizzard Battle.net®, is one of the largest in the world, with millions of active players.

*Sales and/or downloads, based on internal company records and reports from key distribution partners.

About Tespa

Tespa is the premier college gaming network in North America, dedicated to creating a home for gamers on every campus. Recognized as the leader in college esports, Tespa cultivates student communities that host epic gaming events on campuses in the United States and Canada, and plans to distribute more than $1 million in scholarship prizing in 2018 through intercollegiate leagues. Tespa has had more than 5000 teams from more than 1400 universities compete in its college tournaments and has empowered student leaders to become entrepreneurs in the gaming industry.

About Raycom Sports

Charlotte, N.C.-based Raycom Sports is a leader for compelling storytelling, production, and content distribution across all platforms. With an award-winning production team, Raycom creates original feature programming such as Football Saturdays. Raycom is the syndicated rightsholder of Atlantic Coast Conference men’s basketball and football since 1982, and manages live television broadcasting, original programming, archival footage, mobile applications, social media, the official ACC website and the ACC Official Corporate Champions program. Raycom also serves as the digital content, marketing, video and broadcast production partner of The Basketball Tournament (TBT). Raycom manages client activations and hospitality at ACC FanFest at the ACC Football Championship and ACC Basketball Tournaments.

Raycom Sports’ parent company Raycom Media, owns and/or provides services for 65 television stations and 2 radio stations located in 20 states covering 16% of U.S. television households.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information in this press release that involves Blizzard Entertainment’s expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future, including statements about the dates and features of Heroes of the Dorm 2018, the Tespa Collegiate Series—StarCraft, and the Hearthstone Collegiate Championship, are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause Blizzard Entertainment’s actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include unanticipated product delays and other factors identified in the risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Blizzard Entertainment and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Blizzard Entertainment nor Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of the future performance of Blizzard Entertainment or Activision Blizzard and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180122006267/en/

Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
Christy Um
Director, Esports Communications
949.955.1380 x61251
christy.um@blizzard.com
or
David Gordon
Global PR Manager, Esports
949.955.1380 x13506
dgordon@blizzard.com
or
Sara Zaidi
Global PR Manager
949.955.1380 x61091
szaidi@blizzard.com

Source: Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.

News Provided by Acquire Media

If you’ve been left intrigued by Ring Fit Adventure but haven’t yet taken the plunge, you’ll be pleased to know that you’ll soon be able to check it all out for free at a number of locations around the UK.

Nintendo’s taking its fitness and RPG mash-up on tour, giving players a chance to get their sweat on and see what the game’s all about. It’s all kicking off next month; you can see all of the locations and dates below.

In your one hour session, you can expect to experience the game either solo or with three other people of all ages and fitness levels. Places are limited but free; you can go ahead and book your session here.

If you haven’t already, make sure to check out our full review of Ring Fit Adventure.

Are you still on the fence about this one? Let us know below.

The only thing more fun than playing video games is reading about them, and in the past few years, we’ve seen the number of game-specific books explode as players seek to learn more about the industry and writers strive to catalogue and analyse what has become one of the world’s most popular forms of entertainment. It has gotten to the stage where we’ve amassed so many tomes at Nintendo Life Towers that we’ve decided to put together a handy guide to all of the very best books about games money can buy.

As a few of these books are part of wider (and ongoing) series, we’ve lumped some together in categories based on publisher or author – rest assured, however, we only do this when we’re totally sure that each and every book in that range is worth a look. We’ve also updated this guide for 2019 with some new entries from the likes of Geeks Line, Bitmap Books and Read-Only Memory.

With that out of the way, let’s turn the page, shall we?

The NES Encyclopedia

Penned by highly-respected UK games journalist and Nintendo Life contributor Chris Scullion, The NES Encyclopedia aims to catalogue every single game released for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Yes, Chris really is that crazy. But you know what? He’s absolutely pulled it off and this book is the ultimate resource for anyone even the slightest bit interested in the massive NES library of games. Scullion knows when to lay on the knowledge and when to crack a joke, so it’s a real joy to read, too.

Please note that some links on this page are affiliate links, which means if you click them and make a purchase we may receive a small percentage of the sale which helps support the site. Please read our FTC Disclosure for more information.

Super Famicom: The Box Art Collection

This delightful release from Bitmap Books is a compendium of gorgeous cover artwork, all taken from Japanese Super Famicom releases. Each game’s cover is shown via high-quality photography and is accompanied by a short description. This is the perfect coffee table book and a must for all Nintendo fans – especially those who grew up importing weird and wonderful games based purely on their covers alone.

Retro Gaming: A Byte-Sized History of Video Games

While there are some pretty weighty tomes available that try to exhaustively chart the entire history of the games industry, there’s something to be said for a less-heavy approach – and that’s exactly what erstwhile Nintendo Life scribe Mike Diver has done with this superb coffee table book. Packed with enlightening nuggets of info and loads and loads of lovely images, Retro Gaming: A Byte-Sized History of Video Games is the ideal way to quickly get yourself (or a loved one) up to speed on decades of games, systems and much, much more.

The Visual Compendium Collection

Published by Bitmap Books, the Visual Compendium series has covered significant home computers and consoles from gaming history and more recently has focused on the NES and SNES systems. Packed with screenshots, exclusive interviews and in-depth features, the series has become incredibly popular with retro gamers and collectors alike, and the Master System edition is the first to have official approval from a hardware manufacturer, with Sega coming on board to offer exclusive access to key developers.

Hardcore Gaming 101 Series

Hardcore Gaming 101 is one of the longest-running game history websites on the internet and its utterly invaluable analysis of classic games is a real godsend for players who want to brush up on the history of our beloved pastime. A while back the team behind the site decided to repackage some of its web content in the form of physical books, each one packed with text and imagery. The series has covered individual franchises – such as Castlevania – as well as genres, publishers and consoles, and each and every book is worth the asking price several times over. Exceptionally researched yet totally accessible, each and every volume is worthy of a place in your collection. Digital versions are also available.

We know you’re busy and might miss out on all the exciting things we’re talking about on Xbox Wire every week. If you’ve got a few minutes, we can help remedy that. We’ve pared down the past week’s news into one easy-to-digest article for all things Xbox! Or, if you’d rather watch than read, you can feast your eyes on our weekly video show above. Be sure to come back every Friday to find out what’s happening This Week on Xbox!

Surviving the Aftermath is Coming to Xbox Game Preview Plus New Surviving Mars Update
Hello, Survivors! I’m thrilled to reveal the next game in our Surviving brand, Surviving the Aftermath! Launching on Xbox One late 2020, players who want to get in on the ground floor of the game’s development will be able to purchase the game on Xbox Game Preview… Read more

Introducing App and Game Limits for Family Settings
The new school year is well under way, and as families continue to balance homework and after school activities with screen time, Xbox is here to help. We’re continuously studying ways to improve children’s safety online and to give you, their parents or guardians… Read more

October 2019 Xbox Update Delivers New Family Settings Features, Wish List Notifications, and More
October is here and we know many gamers are already spending quality time with their favorite horror games (we won’t judge if you turn the brightness up). But never fear, we’re here to share lots of new features and improvements with the October 2019 Xbox One Update… Read more

Top 5 Ways to Stay Alive in Worse Than Death
Hey there, Xbox fans! We are a mom-and-pop indie studio from Toronto, Canada, and we’ve been making spooky, story-rich and thoughtful games for a decade now. Our newest title, Worse Than Death, launches today and is our first foray into the Xbox family. Worse Than Death… Read more

We Visit Afterparty’s Hell One More Time Before Its October 29 Release with Xbox Game Pass
We don’t want to surprise anyone, but the Hell of Afterparty can be a little messed up. At a recent preview event in San Francisco, developer Night School Studio gave us the opportunity to sit down with the game largely as players will get to experience it in just a few short weeks… Read more

Play Moons of Madness with the Lights On
There is nothing quite like closing the curtains, turning off the lights and powering up your Xbox with a brand-new horror game installed. Usually the ominous music, the screeches, or worse; whistling, that accompanies the dark and gloomy intro screen are enough to make… Read more

The Outer Worlds, Stellaris, and More Coming Soon to Xbox Game Pass for PC
“Are you feeling anything that could be construed as explosive cell death? No? Wonderful! Let’s get started.” –  Dr. Phineas Wells from The Outer Worlds We think this quote from The Outer Worlds is applicable in most situations. No explosive cell death? Awesome! Speaking… Read more

The Challenging Hand-Drawn Adventure of Indivisible is Available Today on Xbox One
Indivisible is the latest game from Lab Zero Games, best known as the studio that created Skullgirls. Their latest production is an RPG/platformer featuring Lab Zero’s signature hand-drawn and hand-animated art style that gives the game a unique look and feel… Read more

Pets Lift Pirates’ Spirits Ahead of October’s Spooky Sea of Thieves Update
October has just arrived, and inevitably brings with it Halloween and the anticipation of gaming events given a certain graveyard twist. Sea of Thieves is set to continue this tradition with its next Monthly Content Update – Fort of the Damned, a challenging event arriving… Read more

World of Warships: Legends Gears up for Halloween
World of Warships: Legends celebrates Halloween early with a new Campaign! Players can get started on the way to earning a free Halloween-themed premium ship and tons of rewards throughout October! The Wicked Waves Campaign features the Jackal, a steampunk war machine… Read more

The Future of Atlas on Xbox Game Preview, Available Today on Xbox One
When I talk to players about Atlas, there’s one phrase I often hear: “Atlas could be my perfect game.” As a developer, it’s very exciting to hear so many people express that opinion. You can’t help but think “Wow, people really love what our game has to offer.” But when you work… Read more

Conquer the Red Planet in New Warface Update on Xbox One
looked to the stars for a new start, free from conflict and war. But there is no running from war. Blackwood Games and My.Games are proud to introduce the Mars update, a new chapter in the Warface saga on Xbox One which takes the action from Earth… Read more

Mortal Kombat 11 Free Trial Weekend Coming to Xbox One October 11 to 14
Fellow fighters! We’re excited to report that the Mortal Kombat 11 Free Trial Weekend on Xbox One is coming up starting October 11 at 12:01 a.m. PDT and running through to October 14 at 12:59 p.m. PDT. With new DLC fighters and various content updates available… Read more

Free Play Days – Warhammer: Chaosbane
We are glad to announce that Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members can play Warhammer: Chaosbane for free on Xbox One during this weekend’s Free Play Days! The Free Play Days event begins Thursday, October 10 at 12:01 a.m. PDT and runs through… Read more

Inside Xbox One X Enhanced: Ghost Recon Breakpoint
Ghost Recon Breakpoint’s open world of Auroa is huge, diverse, and bursting with rich natural detail. Whether they opt to see Auroa in 4K or 1080p, higher resolution or increased graphical fidelity, Xbox One X ensures that console players get the best experience possible… Read more

Details on Vigor 1.1 Update: Bridges
Hei, Outlanders. Post-war Norway was quite a ride over the last months. As Vigor went free-to-play during the gamescom announcement, new Outlanders started to flow in. We are humbled by the number of players who decided to give Vigor a try. There were already… Read more

The Meaningful Design of Frostpunk’s Society System
Society is everything in Frosptunk, the Victorian-era city-builder and a society simulator from 11 bit studios that is making its way to Xbox One today, October 11. As you reign in the last city on a severely frozen Earth, your success heavily depends on how you steer society… Read more

The Gorgeous Co-Op World of Trine 4, Out Now on Xbox One
If you’ve been looking for an amazing puzzle-platforming experience to play solo or co-op with friends, then you’re in luck! We’ve just released Trine 4 and Trine: Ultimate Collection to give you the chance to experience the lush environments and physics-based puzzles of the iconic… Read more

Next Week on Xbox: New Games for October 15 to 18
Welcome to Next Week on Xbox, where we cover all the new games coming soon to Xbox One! Every week the team at Xbox aims to deliver quality gaming content for you to enjoy on your favorite gaming console. To find out what’s coming soon to Xbox One, read on below… Read more

Narrative Adventure Game The Bradwell Conspiracy is Available Today on Xbox One
Hi Xbox Fans, The Bradwell Conspiracy is a narrative adventure game about photography, 3D printing and some worrying corporate underhandedness. We’re launching on Xbox One today and we wanted to share with you some behind-the-scenes insights that’ll make your experience… Read more

Round and round the roulette spins. Here are five more random choices from Apple Arcade’s selection. Will we strike gold this time? Or just strike out? If you missed our first batch, as reminder: Apple Arcade is out, and with it over a 100 new games for you to try and explore at your leisure. There’s almost too many for us to consider individual reviews, although we know other outlets have gone down that route.

If you want to cut to the chase, read our list of our favourite Apple Arcade games so far.

So, we’re running a new feature where we take a randomly selected batch of five games across a spread of genres, and run through some quick reviews so that you can get an idea of what’s worth your time, and what isn’t.

Hot Lava (Platformer) (2-Stars)

Normally I love everything Klei comes up with but this was a disappointment. Hot Lava has a pretty obvious premise: remember playing that ‘the floor was lava’ game when you were a kid? And it has a great theme: you’re pretending to be a character from a sweet 90s Saturday morning cartoon, with all the kitsch and bombast that comes with that genre. But the gameplay itself is just preset obstacle races with instant death when you fall into the lava.

What’s more, this precision 3D platformer does not work with mobile controls. One control option has you using the gyro in the phone to control your view, which is precise, but awkward if you’re in a space where you can’t move around. The other option is touch only, but doesn’t give you easy access to all of your abilities. If you have a controller, give it a try, but it’s not worth the hard drive space otherwise.

Where Cards Fall (Puzzle) (2-Stars)

I guess ‘moody navigation puzzler’ is now a well-established thing, and Where Cards Fall is the latest entry in it. There have been some standouts in this genre, Monument Valley being the most obvious one, that built their deliberate pace around smart and mind-bending puzzle design. However, in this case, Where Cards Fall‘s slow pace, requisite for ‘atmospheric’ titles, meant that in my brief time with it I barely scratched the surface of the puzzles.

You walk a character through various isometric playing fields, dragging around packs of cards. The cards essentially are platforms that can be collapsed and moved to create paths that the hero can jump through. Lead him to the magic card portal exit and you get to watch an inscrutable vignette. In the time I spent with this game, the hardest part was the fiddly controls—it took a while to figure out that with some care I could control the size of the platforms created by pinching my fingers ever so slowly. The puzzles themselves weren’t challenging at all.

Mutazione (Adventure) (4-Stars)

This adventure game’s story is told with a light touch but it’s instantly compelling. Your character, Kai, has immediate motivation, as she attempts to fulfill her grandfather’s dying wish and understand what he had devoted his life to. The setting, too, is immediately intriguing: Mutazione is an island of mutated people and plants, whose characters are quickly and efficiently drawn.

The game starts feeling like a traditional adventure game, but its conversation trees are mostly for flavor (like obvious influence Kentucky Route Zero) and its puzzles all revolve around amateur botany. It’s occasionally awkward to control, especially the lengthy plant encyclopedia that is inexplicably indexless. But for players looking for a unique interactive story, Mutazione should be your first stop on Arcade.

King’s League 2 (Strategy/Management) (3-Stars)

A sport’s management game without sports, King’s League puts you in charge of a team of fantasy fighters as they battle their way up the titular league. The story mode is entertaining with well-written (albeit broad) characters and it does a good job introducing the concepts of the game. If you don’t want to bother clicking through dialogues, you can also just jump in to creating your own custom team.

You recruit team members from town, choose training styles to mould them, and buy new gear. When you get into a match, most of the battle is handled for you, as your units march forward and bounce off one another. All you do is occasionally activate a special ability, when you have the chance. Because the matches are so simple, the team management is necessarily also simple. King’s League definitely has more of a ‘mobile game’ feel with its simplified gameplay. If that’s what you’re looking for, though, it might be a good fit.

Shinsekai: Into the Depths (Platformer) (3-Stars)

Capcom takes a break from arcade ports to bring us this Metroidvania set at the bottom of the ocean. This is one of the best-looking games on Arcade and probably they best sounding. Headphones are a must if you want to get the full underwater experience. The game itself is a slow paced platformer with forgiving controls that work pretty well on a touch screen, with a swipe-anywhere stick and tap and drag controls for actions.

In the time I had with it, I saw a lot of potential, but not too much interesting or challenging happening in the first hour or so. The slow pace is also a blessing and a curse: easy to handle with touch controls, but often dragging out basic movement in ways that kill the pace of the game. Your goals are also not entirely clear, which can be a motivation-killer in a wide-open game like this.

Still nothing too amazing this time around. I’m standing by my assessment that Arcade will probably be packed with a lot of good-but-not-great titles that are polished but not innovative. Let’s try again next time–hopefully the wheel will land on one of the new games Apple just added!

© 2019 Valve Corporation. All rights reserved. All trademarks are property of their respective owners in the US and other countries.