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GAMES OF THE WEEK - The 5 best new mobile games for iOS and Android - November 11th 2020

GAMES OF THE WEEK - The 5 best new mobile games for iOS and Android - November 11th 2020

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It's that time again! Time for another entry into our long-running GAMES OF THE WEEK series.

If you're looking for the best 5 games which have hit the iPhone, iPad or Android stores this week then you've landed yourself at the exact right place at just the right time. Lucky, lucky you.

With this article, we skirt around the droves of subscription services (Apple Arcade, Google Play Pass, GameClub, Hatch, and all of their friends) which have launched onto mobile platforms over the years. We also don't factor in things like Steam Link or Google Stadia which allow streaming to handheld devices - and would open up this list to almost every game under the sun.

What that means is that our list is a finely curated list of brilliant, fresh titles which you can download and play without subscribing to, or installing, any third-party initiative. Of course, there are some great games on those services, but, let's focus on the stuff that you can grab right now.

From saving the planet from extraterrestrial occupiers through to fighting sheep-to-sheep in physics-based, turn-based combat there's plenty to see this week, and that's just two of the games from the five - there's also a brutal 2.5D fighter, a detective point and click adventure and a tactical, top-down shooter.

Remember, if you're looking to check through some of our previous selections then you can always do that at our Games of The Week Hub, it's a great way to find games to fill out that empty storage space on your phone. Or, if you like your news in bitesize chunks, delivered straight to your palm then maybe follow us on Twitter or join our Discord.

Anyway, without any further delay, click on the big, blue button below to find out more about what we believe to be the top five of the games which released on mobile over the last week.

Click Here To View The List »

Lamplight City

Available on: iOS
Genre: Adventure
Find out more about Lamplight City
Lamplight City

We do love a good point and click adventure when it comes to mobile gaming, and that's not least because the pointing and clicking can be all done in one simple, tactile action when you're using touchscreens. Lamplight City is the latest game in the long-running genre to make its way over to the mobile screen, with a launch on iOS earlier this week.

It follows the adventure of a private investigator who is out to not only solve the cases of their client but also solve the murder of their former partner. It all takes place in a steampunk-adjacent setting in a world twisted by the technological changes to our timeline's late 1800s.

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XCOM 2 Collection

Publisher: Feral Interactive
Available on: iOS
Genre: Strategy
Find out more about XCOM 2 Collection
XCOM 2 Collection

Easily one of my favourite games of the last five years, I'm absolutely delighted to see this absolute masterclass in squad-based strategy make its way to mobile platforms (iOS now, Android to follow next year). You'll lead a rag-tag squad of survivals in guerilla attacks against alien occupiers as you try to free Earth from their enslavement. It also includes four of the expansion packs, including the substantial War of the Chosen which adds three (kind of) friendly factions, three boss-tier enemies and a whole bunch of associated maps, items, equipment, research, classes and perks.

It's expensive but works out at about a quarter of the price that I paid for the content over the years, and I grabbed it again without hesitation.

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Shadow Fight Arena

Publisher: Nekki
Available on: iOS + Android
Genre: Fighting
Find out more about Shadow Fight Arena
Shadow Fight Arena

This edition of Games of the Week is a little bit later than usual. That's for a variety of reasons, but regardless of WHY it happened, it has actually given me some extra time to sit down and play some more of the games that I'm writing about this week and that's mean that I've played through just over a dozen fights on Shadow FIght Arena and I'm loving it.

It follows the formula of most side on fighters, however, because it is built from the ground-up it actually feels really, really good. Input is quite simple, there's a weapon button, a melee button, a special button and a ranged button. Depending on the characters these can combo or, simply, do different things, but you can also alter how you use that type of attack with the movement analogue. Now, I know that if you've played fighting games on mobile before, this isn't the most revolutionary way of changing things, however, everything flows really well, and it's a beautiful look game. I'm quite impressed with the variety of characters, and really like the feel of the game... maybe that's because I keep winning, or maybe it's because I've been waiting for Shadow Fight Arena for a long time and just didn't know it.

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Sheep Squad

Available on: iOS + Android
Genre: Strategy
Find out more about Sheep Squad
Sheep Squad

I only found out about Sheep Squad last week, and, well, kind of thought of it in the same way that many people probably did: it's Worms with sheep, right?

In many ways it does feel familiar, however, i do like the simple controls, the animations, the clean UI and the steady pace of the unlocks. It's a well-made game with familiar elements to it, but that still delivers an enjoyable experience. I'm going to be playing Sheep Squad for at least a few more weeks so that I can see some more of the gameplay and unlockable content, and if you're in the mood for a simple couple-of-minutes-a-play game of this type then you can't really go wrong here.

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Space Marshals 3

Publisher: Pixelbite Games
Available on: iOS + Android
Genre: Action
Find out more about Space Marshals 3
Space Marshals 3

I hadn't actually played the Space Marshals game before Space Marshals 3 landed on my desk, and while I can't comment on the first two, I can say that I've really enjoyed playing through the third so far. It combines twin stick shooter mechanics with a light-stealth and cover-based strategy system that makes the slower combat moments feel tense, and the heated combat moments feel thrilling. That's incredibly uncommon in games, and I'm hoping we'll see more of Space Marshalls 3 (Chapter 2?) in the near future.

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Dann Sullivan
Dann Sullivan
A job in retail resulted in a sidestep into games writing back in 2011. Since then Dann has run or operated several indie game focused websites. They're currently the Editor-in-Chief of Pocket Gamer Brands, and are determined to help the site celebrate the latest and greatest games coming to mobile.