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Get involved! The PG Community Round-up (24/06/13 - 08/07/13)

The hottest competitions, biggest site announcements, and more

Get involved! The PG Community Round-up (24/06/13 - 08/07/13)
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Every fortnight, I pore over all of the content on Pocket Gamer to highlight the three topics that got everyone talking over the past 14 days.

In addition to doing that, I round up all of the big site announcements so that you can see at a glance all of the important recent 'happenings' in the world of Pocket Gamer.

No, it's fine. It's no bother. No need to thank me. Oh, okay, then. Cheers.

Let's jump straight into the action, and see what everyone's been chatting about over the last couple of weeks...


The Big Three

1. Broken Age delayed due to development costs:

This is the news that Double Fine - industry legend Tim Schafer's studio - has run out of money to develop its crowdfunded adventure game Broken Age. That's despite Double Fine raising over seven times more than its Kickstarter funding goal.

Opinion was divided on this matter, with NotSpam saying that "players just have to realize 80% or so (of projects on Kickstarter) will be average or worse, and 20% will be very rewarding for some players that like niche genres."

Contest Chris, meanwhile, was more hesitant: "I've never Kickstarted a game and never will. You simply can't take the developer's word at all."

David Mowbray had a different spin: "This problem has 0% to do with developers in general and the standard process of development, and 100% to do with Double Fine and the fact that they have a rich history of missing targets, budgets, and release dates."

Were you a Broken Age backer? What are your thoughts on the game's delay? Let us know here.

2. Harry has an opinion on Google reportedly building a games console. So do you:

Our Harry doesn't think Google should work on its own home console when it already has so many powerful gaming devices in the pockets of players. His article makes for a fascinating read. You can read it right here.

Klouud echoed the thoughts of Harry, stating that "while the Ouya is really neat - I think that having a standalone console is going to be a bit redundant in the future. We all have tiny computers in our pockets, and I don't see why they can't act as consoles."

However, MW1 was more sceptical about the increased role of smartphones in the future: "While the processing power of smartphones is steadily increasing, it's still not enough to run full 1080p HD games like the big consoles".

Adam Campbell weighed in with the following: "Google or Apple could do better with their infinite funds and ownership of their own OS and evolved distribution services".

RockinIt pointed out that "right now there isn't a single mobile game that can match the graphical quality of Shadow of Colossus... which came out on PS2, a 12-year-old console".

What's your opinion on this subject? Let us know here.

3. More FIFA 14 details emerge. Lots of swiping involved:

EA is promising "all new ways to play" its yearly football franchise on mobile. This apparently means swiping on the screen to shoot, pass, dribble, and more. The next FIFA instalment will also feature more traditional controls, and be available on Android.

Asmi8803 said: "About time, never understood why they had virtual buttons." Josh Dombro was equally positive about the new touchscreen-optimised control system: "They're trying new things and adapting to the touch interface, which should be encouraged."

Ahmedkhn93 is clearly a somewhat frustrated Android footie fan: "thank God it's also for Android". So, too, is BottleOfBrown (albeit less trusting of EA), who states: "I won't believe it's coming out for Android until I can download it."

What do you think about EA's announcement? Let us know your thoughts here.


Get stuck in!

Gamer X is back with another challenge for you. This one's for all the pinball wizards out there.

Simply download the free table for Zen Pinball, set a high score, let us know about it, and you'll be entered into a competition to win amazing prizes from the creator of the game. These goodies include signed concept art, T-shirts, hoodies, and even some rather dapper slippers. Click here for more details.

We've also gone ahead and re-launched the Pocket Gamer podcast. Instead of simply covering iOS titles, the weekly show now features all of the chat you could possibly want about iOS, Android, 3DS, Vita, Windows Phone, Ouya, and beyond. Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes here.

Remember that we're now on Google+ and Pinterest, too, so make sure to have a look at those when you get the chance.


Right then, pals, I'm off. I'll be back with another round-up in just two weeks' time, so get commenting and maybe you'll wind up 'starring' in our next feature.

Make sure you're following us on Twitter, that you Like us on Facebook, and you're subscribed to our YouTube channel to keep up to date with all the latest news, competitions, and features from the Pocket Gamer team.

Peter Willington
Peter Willington
Die hard Suda 51 fan and professed Cherry Coke addict, freelancer Peter Willington was initially set for a career in showbiz, training for half a decade to walk the boards. Realising that there's no money in acting, he decided instead to make his fortune in writing about video games. Peter never learns from his mistakes.