Pocket Gamer's recommendation-a-day advent calendar: Rogue Star
One more awesome game from 2015
Every day, as we count down to the Christmas, we'll be sharing a brilliant and essential game from 2015 that didn't quite make our game of the year list. We'll share the very best iOS and Android games of the last 12 months on Christmas Day
December 3rd - Rogue Star
iOS (£3.99 / $4.99)
Rogue Star is a reimagining of seminal 8-bit spaceflight simulator Elite. One of the creators of the original went on to make Elite: Dangerous for the PC but I reckon us mobile gamers got the better deal.
The reason is that Rogue Star retains the essential fun of the original without excess baggage. You fly between planets, shooting pirates, being a pirate, or a bit of both, and buying and selling cargo. You make money, upgrade your ship and work up to becoming an unstoppable badass.
Who isn't going to love a bit of space dogfighting with delightfully unrealistic physics? And Rogue Star nails the feel of rolling and blasting through the void with style.
What makes it special, though, is the carefully chosen side helping of extras. There's lots of missions and a simple plot. Instead of just buying cargo, you have to win it in tense auctions. Rather than mere flying and shooting you can fine control power to engines, weapons and shield for real-time tactics.
Best of all is the winning sense of humour and vast selection of sweary stock phrases for the aliens you encounter to choose from. It's simple, challenging, yet infectious fun.