GAMES: THE PHONE POWER AND THE GLORY
THE smartphone, we’re told, is a hundred thousand times more powerful than the computer that sent Neil Armstrong to the moon.
But what if you’re not fussed about extraterrestrial travel? What if you just want to play the biggest games of yesteryear while on the way to work?
Thankfully, smartphones are well capable of that, too. Total War: Medieval II (£11.99), which melted my PC in 2006, has been translated to Apple and Android devices.
All of the original game’s modes are here, from its tactical battles, in which you direct your troops around a sodden field in Pomerania, to its detailed campaigns, in which you extend your influence throughout the Middle Ages.
There are times when you might wish for the precision of a mouse and keyboard. But, on the whole, it’s just wowing to see Medieval II functioning in your hand — and functioning so well.
Rocket League Sideswipe (iOS, Android, free) takes a different approach. Rather than translate the original to smartphones, it refashions it. The result is a more two-dimensional experience, with your car facing off against opponents’ in matches of vehicular football, but it’s perfectly suited to touchscreens.
The Oregon Trail (iOS, included with Apple Arcade) commandeers the basic framework of a 50-yearold, educational game, intended to convey the struggle of a wagon train headed out West, and layers it with prettier graphics. It’s enjoyable enough. And Gibbon: Beyond The Trees (also iOS and included with Apple Arcade) realises that long-limbed apes are perfect for games: tap the screen to grab a branch, then let go to fly through the air. Perhaps you’ll be able to swing to the moon.