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Best iPhone Game Updates: ‘Pokemon GO’, ‘P1 Select’, ‘Homescapes’, ‘Star Traders: Frontiers’, and More

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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. Lots of good games got updates this week, and also some bad ones. This is the way of life and there’s not much you or I can do about it on an individual basis. So we instead act as observers, merely checking the updates and putting them into easily digestible lists that can be enjoyed while splitting attention with another task of some sort. Here is one such list. Of course, you can keep an eye out for updates yourself using AppShopper or 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!

ANOTHER EDEN, Free This isn’t one of the usual big updates that Another Eden gets, though one of those is just over the horizon. No, this one is mostly about fixing issues such as some writing mistakes and a character not appearing on the field. But it does add a re-encounter with Two Knights and the Holy Sword, so that’s something. Anyway, the next big update is going to add some new content to the main story, so look forward to that.

P1 Select, $3.99 P1 Select got two updates last week that add up to one nice little paragraph of update notes. The most notable change was adding an optional one-finger control method to the game, which I certainly appreciate. That update also added a mute option, which is always handy. The second update made a tweak to Bounch and moved the start button on the hero select screen to a different location so that you don’t accidentally hit it. You’ll definitely want to give this game a try if you haven’t already. It’s very fun.

Galaga Wars, Free It’s super weird, the timing of this. I’ve been in one of my Galaga moods lately, probably because I’m approaching a milestone birthday and Galaga was such an important game in my formative years. So after not touching Galaga Wars in ages, I fired it up a couple of weeks ago. A few days later, the game gets its first update in two years. STOP WATCHING ME, DEVELOPERS! This update allows you to demonstrate your Galactic Dancing skills as the Blast Fighter from Galaga 88 joins the roster of playable ships. Naturally, the only way to get it is to pay, but with Blast Fighter taking up that slot, the Katamari Damacy ship can now be earned with tokens. Let’s hope this gets at least one more update so that the Blast Fighter will be bumped into the token category.

Subway Surfers, Free Another month, another location for the kids from Subway Surfers to travel to. This time they’re headed to Bali, where they’ll surf the rails among ancient temples, jungles, and bustling marketplaces. Watch out for new character Mei, the surfer, and pick up all the flowers you can to unlock some nice rewards. The summer sale is still going on until the end of August, so feel free to stock up on whatever imaginary items that you think you need while the getting is good.

Vainglory, Free It’s a Vainglory update, and you know what that means. Yes, a new playable character has arrived. Miho is quick on her feet and swift with her sword, making for a speedy and potent new hero. This update also features a few new skins. Miho gets a rare Twilight skin, Kestrel gets an epic Wu Xing Forest skin, and Lance gets a legendary Poseidon skin. This update also includes new level expansion and level-up rewards, returning summer skins, and some sales on heroes, keys, and talents. Summer: it’s apparently about sales?

Star Traders: Frontiers, $6.99 Yeah, I know. The last update for this game wasn’t that long ago. But that’s how the Trese Brothers work, friends. And so in this update we get a new unlockable ship in the form of the Pallas Freighter, some enhanced cargo delivery missions, some adjustments to XP balancing, eight new barks, and a bunch of fixes and other balance tweaks. Definitely some good stuff that makes a fantastic game just that little bit better. The Trese Brothers are probably running out of room on their mantle for these, but I’m giving them another coveted UMMSotW award anyway.

Pokémon GO, Free I don’t usually include Pokemon GO in these articles because Niantic isn’t typically very detailed with its update notes. But this one is pretty good, so let’s go ahead and do it up. You can now take on Team GO Rocket Grunts in battles, and they may leave behind mysterious Shadow Pokemon that you can catch. But what can you do with them? Hm. The new appraisal tool gives you even more information when you appraise a Pokemon, which is certainly worthy of praise. Finally, there are some new battle mini-games. No idea what’s up with those, but I suppose I have to leave some things to the imagination.

Homescapes, Free Yay, it’s Austin! Glad we finally got rid of that icon that apes that other game and have Austin’s cheerful face greeting us again. This update adds some content related to Olivia and William’s wedding anniversary, which sees you collecting stickers by beating levels and trading them in for garden decorations. Get them all and you’ll get a wedding carriage. Another bit of the story has been added as well, with Austin having some house guests. Robbie and his daughter Chloe are sure to break up Austin’s usual routine of dusting and brokering world peace. The new gameplay gimmick is potted flowers that need to be grown to remove them from the field.

Fortnite, Free We’ve got a real barn-burner here, folks. Yes, in this colossal update for Fortnite, we’ve got… one new weapon! It’s the Tactical Shotgun, and it’s useful for dealing with any problems that get in your face. Also in this update: new edit settings! Yes, you can now choose between touch and virtual buttons for your structure editing pleasure. And… that’s about it. But it’s Fortnite, so it’s included here. That’s just the way things go sometimes, friends.

Guns of Glory: Lost Island, Free Okay, I guess Guns of Glory is now called Guns of Glory MMO Empire War now, which is pretty weird but I guess will help game the search results or something. Good luck, everyone. So, in this update we’ve got some new event called Festival Fever, some new Pirate Chest that gives you rewards, some new discount packages in the Event Center, and a new accolade that gives you some special benefits if you manage to unlock it. Throw in a few other optimizations, bug fixes, and tweaks, and that’s pretty much the ball game.

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!

  • Subway Surfers

    DASH as fast as you can! DODGE the oncoming trains! Help Jake, Tricky & Fresh escape from the grumpy Guard and his dog.…
    TA Rating:
    Free
    Buy Now
  • Vainglory

    Vainglory is an award-winning free-to-play cross-platform MOBA with the strategic depth and mechanical skill that you’…
    TA Rating:
    Free
    Buy Now
  • Galaga Wars

    The galaxy is calling for you, it needs to be saved from waves of aliens. Jump in your ship and head to space. The survi…
    TA Rating:
    Free
    Buy Now
  • Pokémon GO

    NEW! Now you can battle other Pokémon GO trainers online! Try the GO Battle League today. Join Trainers across the glo…
    TA Rating:
    Free
    Buy Now
  • Homescapes

    Welcome to Homescapes, the most heartwarming game from Playrix's Scapesâ„¢ series! Solve match-3 puzzles to restore a wo…
    Free
    Buy Now
  • Fortnite

    Fortnite supports: iPhone 6S/6S Plus and newer; iPad Pro 1st gen and newer; iPad Air 2 and newer; iPad Mini 4 and newer.…
    TA Rating:
    Free
    Buy Now
  • Guns of Glory: Lost Island

    Build your expedition team to seek the secret behind lost civilizations! Hold the torch high! This could be the greatest…
    Free
    Buy Now
  • ANOTHER EDEN

    Embark on a journey beyond time and space. To save our lost future. Before the darkness of time falls upon us all... Sc…
    Free
    Buy Now
  • Star Traders: Frontiers

    You are the captain of a starship venturing through a massive open universe. Customize your crew and take command at the…
    $6.99
    Buy Now
  • P1 Select

    New mini roguelike "broughlike" game. Explore 9 randomly generated levels, avoid fierce monsters, collect magical rings…
    TA Rating:
    $3.99
    Buy Now