Pocket Tactics' Games of the Month: April 2016

[admin]

Well, it's May which, for me, means that we can expect temperatures to finally climb into the 50's (that's degrees Fahrenheit, about 10+ degrees C for the SI inclined) and...

http://www.pockettactics.com/news/pocke ... pril-2016/

[Triggercut]

Seriously? Two are PC games... Are you even trying here?

[Mirefox]

I have to say that I don't totally get the point on this column. You've got a site devoted to a certain type of game (though that pool is expanding a bit) on mobile platforms but in a column on the best of the month, you don't really focus on either the genrae you are supposed to be focusing on or the platform you are supposed to be writing about...

[biffpow]

Nor are they games that all came out in April.

Not that I want a second article on how almost-awesome the Pathfinder Card Game app is....

[Snotty128]

I think you guys are being a little harsh here. Of the 5 games only Fez is outside the normal scope of the site, but it is also a very highly regarded game for special reasons I wont go into here, but could easily be researched if you dont want to play the game and discover for yourself.

The other games include -

A text adventure, the same genre as site favourite 80 days.
A literal elite clone, a game from the same generation as a lot of other favourite genre defining games.
A board game that released a new map recently
And a very exciting looking builder game from a well regarded strategy dev

Theres no CoDs here, no clash of clones. These guys are all playing the same kind of games I would play. Thats enough typing from me, Im off to crash my wireframe spaceship into the side of a spacestation docking port

[Alex Connolly]

Imagine if they found out I bounced off Warbits. Guts for garters.

Does a taking of the temperature need to be touch-exclusive or time-sensitive?

[rinelk]

I have to say that I don't totally get the point on this column. You've got a site devoted to a certain type of game (though that pool is expanding a bit) on mobile platforms but in a column on the best of the month, you don't really focus on either the genrae you are supposed to be focusing on or the platform you are supposed to be writing about...

Part of the reason I think people are willing to report on games we're playing which are outside the focus of PT is that, often, other games shape our context as reviewers. I've played over a month of Destiny, for example, and it seems sort of weird to me not to acknowledge that somewhere, because it's had a huge impact on my perception of design (which might be part of why I'm leaning toward Overwatch over Battleborn, despite having quite enjoyed Borderlands 1 and 2--Destiny is the more recent influence on me). But none of those are in our wheelhouse, so I don't really get into it here. So, if a reviewer has been playing a game which they reasonably expect to have an outsize influence on their perception of the sorts of strategy titles on which they'll be reporting, that could be useful context for readers.

The other big part of it, of course, is that we've been revving up for the arrival of StrategyGamer for a while, and it's kind of tough to contain all of that excitement. We think a lot of PT readers will be SG readers, and we're already thinking about serving those interests.

[TannerH]

Seconding the excitement for SG. Stephen's Sausage Roll is amazing and there's no place for it here right now.

To be honest, there hasn't been much lately in the way of releases for the "Tactics" half of the site. (See: the recent Out Tonight posts) I don't think the scene is dying or anything; we're just in a natural release lull. I see these posts as a way to stir up discussion on some games that might not get a full post or review otherwise. Older games are still worth talking about!

I guess it's for the best that I forgot to submit my entry, which probably would have been Stephen's Sausage Roll, Miitomo or Imbroglio, which isn't even out yet. Warbits would've made an appearance, too, except the dreaded GameCenter bug prevents me from playing the multiplayer.

[geigerm]

Imagine if they found out I bounced off Warbits. Guts for garters.

Does a taking of the temperature need to be touch-exclusive or time-sensitive?

You bounced off Warbits?!?!?!? How are you still allowed to write for PT????

More seriously ... no, I don't think a column like this needs to be touch-exclusive or time-sensitive ... but then the name "Pocket Tactics' Games of the Month: April 2016" is a bit of a misnomer. You're not necessarily talking about mobile games, and you're not necessarily talking about games released in April, so "What We Played: April 2016" might be more accurate.

I personally don't mind that the scope of the column has widened a bit, but I can understand why others might. And, frankly, reading about the excitement around Strategy Gamer makes me wonder a bit if PT is going to fall by the wayside once SG launches. I sincerely hope not--while the site certainly went through a rough patch, I feel like it's regaining its footing.

[Mirefox]

I didn't mean to sound harsh, so apologies if I did. I like to hear about what others are playing and what might be worth looking in to myself. I suppose it is just the title that throws me a bit. If I go to ESPN and watch the top 10 hockey plays of the week, I expect hockey plays from that week; likewise, when I'm on Pocket Tactics and see a "games of the month" post, it just seems like it should be the best mobile games of the month. Even a re-title like "Games We Are Currently Enjoying" would make a big difference, at least in my mind.