Pocket Gamer 20th anniversary: Big first-person shooters, Clash meets football, and Apple Arcade

We've hit 2019 in our saunter down memory lane for Pocket Gamer's 20th anniversary, and it's a big one for me personally. It was the year I joined the team, with Dann kindly taking a chance on me, having only recently taken the reins as editor himself. I started as a News Writer before working my way up to Deputy Editor, which sadly doesn't include a cowboy hat and a star to pin on my chest. Still, it's been a good six, almost seven, years. 

So what was happening back in 2019? Well, in cinemas, Avengers: Endgame arrived, rounding out an epic saga and ending on a high note. Nothing whatsoever happened after that. Certainly, Disney didn't induce superhero fatigue by releasing about 76 different TV series, making everything a chore to keep up with. Elsewhere, Simba pointlessly went photorealistic, and Joaquin Phoenix won many fans for his portrayal of the Joker. Toy Story 4 was my favourite, though, and while a weaker offering than the previous three, it still struck a chord with me.

As for music, Lil Nas X and Billie Ray Cyrus' Old Town Road was getting a ton of radio play. A heck of a lot, in fact. I recall hearing it everywhere, despite forgetting it existed until writing this article. How quickly music moves on, right? In album land, Post Malone, Billie Eilish, and Taylor Swift all made massive records, as they often do. But it was Prequelle by Ghost that was getting played all the time by me. If you ever get the chance to catch them live, absolutely do so. They’re incredible. He says after they just announced a hiatus of sorts.

It was a solid year for entertainment, then, and a great one for games. On PC and console, we had the brilliant Resident Evil 2 remake, which was actually the first entry in the series I ever played, and I've remained a fan ever since. If only I could find a spare moment to play Requiem. FromSoftware left action RPGs alone for a second to release Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. It took me a while to get into it. However, once it clicked, I loved it. Meanwhile, Remedy launched Control, a superb shooter that sees you using powers to fight otherworldly entities known as the Hiss. GOTY was a tough one in 2018, that's for sure. 

In the wonderful world of mobile, PUBG continued to be a runaway success while Pokémon Go built on its existing foundations. But what of new things? Well, Apple released Apple Arcade, a subscription service that promised excellent games with no icky in-app purchase business. Alongside that, a certain FPS series shocked many people, including myself, when it arrived, and has remained popular ever since. So, let's start there, shall we?

Call of Duty: Mobile

Ever since the terrible BioShock port that used to be on iOS, I'd become convinced that FPS couldn't work on phones. Touch screen simply couldn't replace a controller or keyboard and mouse, I thought. Call of Duty: Mobile quickly proved me wrong. It played beautifully on a touch screen, and, better still, I could actually hold my own, too. In a multiplayer game! Wild scenes. Using maps from across the franchise's history was also a smart move, making it a greatest hits of sorts that doesn’t limit you to the latest PC or console entry. 

Rumble Stars Soccer

What happens if you mix Angry Birds with Clash Royale? You get Frogmind's Rumble Stars Soccer, of course. Like Clash, you have several characters to add to your match day deck, each bringing different specialities to the pitch. Some are more defensive, relentlessly pursuing your opponent's player to nick the ball, for instance, while others might be more offensive, possessing a powerful shot that's hard to save. So, it becomes a battle of wits, deciding when to unleash them. On top of that, you're in control of how they enter the field and where they end up. Using a slingshot-style flick, you hurl your players off the bench before they go about their business. It adds an element of skill alongside the strategic side, making for some intense matches.

Sky: Children of the Light

Thatgamecompany turned heads when they first released Journey, so many were super excited about Sky: Children of the Light. Thankfully, it lived up to expectations, offering a beautiful world to explore. Like Journey, it's not action-packed or gory. Instead, it's a serene experience that encourages co-operation with other players rather than fighting. Do check out Dann's review. He explains the majesty of Sky better than I can. 

Grindstone

It'd be strange to mention Apple Arcade without highlighting something available on there. For that, the easy pick is Grindstone. It's a colour-matching battler where you line up a load of yellow, blue or green creatures before our hero cuts them all down with their mighty sword. There's a tangible squelch with each foe that falls that keeps you thirsting for blood. It's all presented in a fun way, though. It's never overly gruesome, which definitely works in its favour.

Gris

I'm an easy target for a platformer with an interesting or pretty art style. Naturally, then, when I saw Gris, I found myself immediately smitten. Yes, I would like to play an interactive watercolour painting, thank you very much. Initially on PC, Gris lost none of its majesty when scaled down to a phone screen, with the port still delivering the same stunning visuals. 

It wasn't the only port to grace mobile either, with Hyper Light Drifter, Minit, Dead Cells, and Journey all arriving in 2019.