Apple Arcade Is Better than Dr. Mac Expected

It seems the older I get, the less I enjoy video games. There was a time (long ago) when I could entertain myself for hours (or days) with a stack of quarters at any nearby arcade. In the 80s and 90s, I wasted countless hours playing Myth and Myth II on my Mac or Rock Band on my son’s Xbox.

But, around the turn of the century, I realized that clicking, typing, and swearing furiously alone in a dark room wasn’t the best use of my time. And so, for the past two decades, I’ve devoted very little time and energy to gaming on any platform.

Disinterested in 2019

So, when Apple launched its Apple Arcade video game subscription service in 2019, I wasn’t interested in paying $4.99 for video games, so I ignored it. But, when Apple introduced its Apple One bundle last month with up to six Apple services (Apple Music, Apple TV +, Apple Arcade, Apple News +, Apple Fitness, and iCloud) for one low price, I signed up immediately.

Better Than I Expected in 2021

So, since I now have an Arcade subscription for free, I’ve been checking out Arcade games and enjoying them more than I thought I would.

I really like that many (if not most) of the games are available on all my devices. For example, I can start playing a game on my iPhone, then pick up where I left off on my Mac, AppleTV, or iPad. That’s kind of cool.

I have also enjoyed playing games on my AppleTV using a Bluetooth game controller with dual joysticks and multiple buttons, triggers, and keypads. You can use some Xbox and PlayStation controllers, but since I have neither, I bought a GameSir T4 Pro Wireless Game Controller for $35.99 from Amazon.com, which works flawlessly.

Finally, I love that iOS 14 creates an Arcade folder in its App Library, making it easy to find the Arcade games I’ve downloaded to my iPhone (28 so far).

To peruse the Arcade offerings (over 100 games with new titles added almost every week), open the App Store on your iDevice, Mac, or AppleTV and select the Arcade tab.

Games Worth Playing More than Once

Here are some of the games I liked enough to play more than once:

• Zombie Rollerz: Pinball Heroes is a goofy combination of classic pinball and tower defense games.
• Warp Drive – Teleport Racing is a race car game with a new twist: find a shortcut or hidden route, and you can teleport instantly to another part of the track.
• Marble It Up: Mayhem is a beautiful marble maze game with camera control and superb physics.

  

• What the Golf? is a wacky take on miniature golf.

One more thing: Apple is offering three free months of Arcade for a limited time when you buy a new iPhone, iPad, Mac, iPod touch, or Apple TV. So why not visit Apple.com and start your one-month (or three month) free trial today?