Review of Mobile Games Worth Looking Forward to in 2014

Classic game, novel, and film IPs, due to their early accumulation of popularity and reputation, still hold significant influence after being adapted into mobile games. A good IP provides advantages in user accumulation for mobile games through attention, anticipation, and word-of-mouth among the player base, but there are also works that fall far below expectations. So where have the good mobile games gone? Today, let's take a look at the highly anticipated IP mobile game masterpieces of 2014.

Recasting a 90s Classic: New Angel Empire

Last year, media reported that Softstar had licensed "Angel Empire" to Shanghai Halyun Network to develop a mobile game version. This year, Changyou prominently announced that it would be acting as the agent for Halyun's "New Angel Empire," positioning it as their flagship S-level mobile game for 2014. This shows the high expectations placed on the collaboratively developed "New Angel Empire."

Among the older generation of players, no one is unfamiliar with the game "Angel Empire," whose classic status is evident. The game, with its all-female world as a tradition of the series, saw many young male fans forming powerful harem groups. However, it was far from the vulgar, lust-driven games of today; it had the kind of innocent charm reminiscent of first love. Back then, “yuri” was just a pure and upright flower...

As the character concept art and scene artwork of "New Angel Empire" are gradually revealed, it becomes clear that the game not only retains the original style but also features more refined character visuals. After all, the aesthetics and technology of the 90s can't compare with today's standards. The revamped "New Angel Empire" is undoubtedly one of the most anticipated mobile game releases of the year.

Household Name Browed Naughty Kid: Crayon Shin-chan

"Miss, do you like green peppers?" Everyone knows the browed mischievous kid, Shinnosuke Nohara! "Crayon Shin-chan" has many fans and is indeed a high-quality IP for mobile game adaptations, with wide recognition and a user base spanning various age groups. Rumor has it that Tencent has acquired the exclusive distribution rights in China for a card mobile game adaptation of "Crayon Shin-chan," developed by a top Korean game company. If true, players could experience this internationally recognized IP adaptation on mobile in 2014.

The mobile version of "Crayon Shin-chan" faithfully reproduces all the characters from the original work, allowing players to enjoy the game through adventure-based gameplay. The game focuses on a nurturing system and adds features such as character levels, production skills, and a new concept of attack and defense battle systems.This mobile game has received high praise among Korean players. Will it once again spark a craze domestically?
Professor Turned Cat Arrives: The Cat Version of 'My Love From the Star'
The competition among mobile games is becoming increasingly fierce, and the battlefield for IPs is continuously expanding. After games and anime, it has already extended to film and television works. 'My Love From the Star' not only propelled Kim Soo-hyun to become Korea's number one male star but also turned elements related to the series, such as Professor Do and Cheon Song-yi, into market hype points, for example, the Professor Do version of 'Flappy Bird.' The impact of the series' IP on users can be imagined.
Earlier this year, Korean company YuMeiDe secured the trademark rights for 'My Love From the Star: The Cat Version.' According to the trademark description, this is a mobile game with accompanying PC software, and the main character is a cat from outer space. Although the game's type is not yet known, judging from the rapid development progress, it is likely to be a light running game. Based on the mobile game development cycle, if all goes smoothly, the mobile game 'My Love From the Star: The Cat Version' could officially launch this year, making it worth looking forward to!
Flagship Work Recreated as Mobile Game: Swordsman Love
'Swordsman Love' is the first Chinese martial arts RPG game produced by West Mountain Studio, which has since continuously released sequels, eventually expanding into a series of online and browser games. Back in the day, this game was a flagship of domestic RPG games, and the subsequent online game series also gained numerous loyal fans. Even today, 'Swordsman Online 3' remains extremely popular, famously having the largest number of female players among large-scale online games. Recently, news surfaced that West Mountain Studio will launch their flagship mobile game 'Swordsman Love,' with testing expected in the first half of this year.
After a rough trial of the game, the review described it as follows: 'Swordsman Love' truly lives up to being a classic mobile game, exhibiting strong Chinese-style elements everywhere; faithfully recreating the game's atmosphere, the main characters have rich and exciting attack moves, magical effects are dazzling, battles are thrilling, and players can clearly see their levels, the damage dealt by both sides, magic usage, and other details. Regardless of the game's quality, the IP alone is a must-play reason.
Sports Star Effect: NBA Dream Team
Although the mobile game 'NBA Dream Team' has been available for download and online for some time, there is no denying that it remains one of 2014's most anticipated IP blockbuster games.Just having so many NBA stars makes it feel worth the ticket, not to mention DeNA inviting McGrady to his China tour — offline interactive gatherings, shooting promotional videos, and other marketing methods that make fans scream.
In "NBA Dream Team," players take on a coach-like role, using card decks to represent basketball competitions. The most exciting part is being able to create combinations in the game that would be impossible in real life!
Of course, these five games are just a portion of the currently most-discussed mobile game adaptations of classic IPs. Mobile games adapted from excellent IPs have always been quite popular among players. From early exposure to official launch, expectations are very high. Will the games we recommend today also perform well? Let's wait and see together.