Hello everyone, and welcome to the week! It’s time once again for our look back at the noteworthy updates of the last seven days. Some big names in this week’s round-up, with a general theme that I would characterize as nostalgic. Not every game update fits that theme, but that’s what I’m going with. Of course, you can keep an eye out for updates yourself by participating in the TouchArcade forums. This weekly summary is just here to fill you in on the things you might have missed. Let’s go for it!
Horizon Chase, Free
Sometimes I like to keep you all guessing by handing out the coveted UMMSotW award early in the list, and that’s what I’m doing this week. Horizon Chase is a game that come back to again and again, and it has a whopping new expansion pack that is well worth your five dollars. Senna Forever celebrates the legendary Brazilian driver Ayrton Senna, who shattered records and racked up wins until his tragic death in an accident in 1994. This expansion gives you a new first-person view option, new mini-goals called Senna’s Marks in every Career Mode race, a new Race Strategy option, fifteen new tracks based on real circuits, five chapters in Career Mode with more than forty races, a whole mess of new cars, and more. It feels like a proper sequel, and I’d recommend it to any fan of Horizon Chase.
Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls,
If any game series ought to be celebrating Halloween, it’s surely Castlevania. I mean, you could argue that it celebrates Halloween all year round, but that just means it has to try a little harder at this time of the year. The Halloween update for Grimoire of Souls is tied into the introduction of a new mode called Season Order. Work your way through various stratums, completing quests and defeating challenging enemies. Your gear is locked in and you won’t heal HP/MP between stratums, so it can be tough to complete the whole thing. Playing it will earn you coins that you can exchange for lots of goodies, including new Halloween skins. Throw in some bug fixes, balance tweaks, and performance adjustments, and that’s the lot.
Contra Returns, Free
Konami’s other classic franchise gets an update of its own, and it’s an odd one. It’s no secret that the commandos in Contra were at least in part based on Arnold Schwarzenegger, so it’s a bit strange to see The Terminator itself featuring in a Contra game. Gather your Legion members and battle a new AI NET boss and its robot army to save the world from its machinations. Try out some new modes and gameplay variations, take on the Halloween boss Turkeynator, and do your best to acquire new heroes like the S-Grade Terminator, S-Grade John Connor, and more. There are more goodies in here, but I’ll leave it at that for now.
Super Cat Tales 2, Free
Well, this was an unexpected game to see in my list of updates. A welcome one, mind you. It adds a new Halloween-themed mini-game, with a castle you have to defend against hordes of shambling undead. This happens a lot in video games, even video games about cats. There are three weapons to use, and the whole affair provides a nice little distraction from the platforming fun of the standard game.
Transformers: Earth Wars, Free
When I was a kid, in the times when game consoles were on a break, I would often blow my big Christmas present ask on some fancy Transformers set or GI Joe vehicle. In 1985, that present was Omega Supreme. How could you one-up that big boy? That answer came in 1986, with Metroplex. A Transformer who was a whole dang city! Amazing! I loved that toy a lot, and now the Titan arrives in Earth Wars along with his Decepticon counterpart Trypticon. They tie in to the new Titan Assault mode, so you’ll definitely want to add one of these fellas to your team. They have their own Titan Tech tree that you’ll have to invest in to beef them up. Well, that’s the game, isn’t it?
Injustice 2, Free
To celebrate Wonder Woman’s 80th anniversary, Classic Wonder Woman has been added to Injustice 2. Like the other Classic characters, she’s based on her original appearance and has a cool cel-shaded style. She’s available through the new Wonder Pass, giving you a 1-star Classic Wonder Woman that can be upgraded to 3-stars. Round out your team with Classic Batman and Classic Superman and you’ll find new synergies and improved abilities. There’s also a new Solo Raid coming soon, so get ready.
Disney Heroes: Battle Mode, Free
The updates for this game are all about seeing which obscure characters get slipped into the roster. Sadly, we’ve only got one this time and I don’t know that he’s terribly obscure. It’s none other than the Disney version of Hercules’ pop, Zeus! He’s an altogether much nicer dude in the Disney movies than he tended to be in the original mythology, so expect more zappy-zappy and less indiscriminate philandering. There’s also a refresh here for Basil of Baker Street from The Great Mouse Detective.
Homescapes, Free
The dream is dead, friends. Austin lost out on the last Super Smash Bros. Ultimate roster spot to some nobody weirdo with spikey hair. He gave it a good effort, though. Clearly, they feared trying to balance Austin’s phenomenal powers. He is still the master of his own universe, at least. And what is going on in that universe? Halloween. Get those decorations while you can. There’s also an event about Austin setting up a house for a homeless cat family? What a guy. The new puzzle element is the Jelly Packet, requiring you to make matches to open them up. All this, plus some other events and story bits to try your hand at.
Sonic Racing,
I really didn’t expect much new content to hit this game after the last drop, but we’ve got a rather impressive update here. It adds Classic Sonic to the roster complete with a classic car. Along with him comes three new Green Hill Zone tracks to race on plus a new music track to enjoy. There are new daily character unlocks, and the driving controls have been tweaked to attempt to improve them. Regular events are going to be a part of the show from here on out, so keep your eyes peeled.
Solitaire Stories,
We’ll finish things up by taking a look at the newest version of Solitaire Stories, a game that gives you exactly what it says on the tin. To that end, you’ve got two new stories to play. One is called Boardgames & Brimstone, which is very promising, and the other is Tommy Four Hooves, which really could be about anything. Probably a horse, but really, anything is possible. There’s a new feature that allows you to set the difficulty for stories, and some nice adjustments to the UI. As you might expect, there are also some bug fixes here. There are always bug fixes, even if I don’t say so.
That about wraps it up for last week’s significant updates. I’m sure I’ve missed some, though, so please feel free to comment below and let everyone know if you think something should be mentioned. As usual, major updates will likely get their own news stories throughout this week, and I’ll be back next Monday to summarize and fill in the blanks. Have a great week!