Clash Royale
I have a tendency to browse the app store every Thursday when it updates and grab at least one game to try. Some weeks nothing catches my eye but most weeks there's at least one game that looks interesting enough to try out. Clash Royale is the latest of these. It pitches itself as real time strategy in a compact package where matches last around 2 minutes. That's all I needed to know to try it. I loved my first couple hours with the game. I was playing these short little real time strategy battles, getting new cards that contain abilities or units, and customizing my deck for the next match. The core of this game is solid and fun. But then the F2P mechanics reared their ugly head. The main progression in the game is done through opening chests to get new units and abilities or getting duplicates of ones you already have which will allow you to upgrade. But, once you're out of "gems" you can only open chests in real time. This me...