Matt Demers
Matt Demers is a Toronto writer that deals primarily in the area of Android, comics and other nerdy pursuits. You can find his work on Twitter and sites across the Internet.

31
Jul
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[Game Roundup] Five Noteworthy Games From July 2011

Posted by in Game Reviews, Games
Last Updated: August 2nd, 2011

Welcome to a new feature here on the site, where we'll be giving five awesome games that've been released in the past month the spotlight we feel they deserve. Below are our picks from July - enjoy!

Asteroid Tower Defense

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There seems to be no shortage of tower defense games on Android, but most seem to have common problems: either they don't take advantage of the graphics that Android is capable of, or the gameplay isn't snappy enough to avoid frustration.

Asteroid Tower Defense thankfully avoids both issues. The game's controls allow you to make precise, quick movements without adding the game itself as an enemy to overcome, and the animations are fast, furious and beautiful.

29
Jul
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[New Release] LauncherPro Dev's New Project, UberMusic, Leaves Beta

Posted by in Applications, News
Last Updated: August 2nd, 2011

Last month we had the chance to play around with LauncherPro developer Fredrico Carnales' latest app, UberMusic. I, personally, had a great amount of fun with it, as it evokes a certain "Zune" feel while remaining largely functional.

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The app's left its open beta phase and is now available on the Android market for a price of $3.49; for a music player that pulls in album art and artist data, I'd say that isn't too bad of a price.

It also looks like there's been some UI changes to the Artist and Album sorting, as well. Albums show up with their art individually, and everything looks a whole lot cleaner.

29
Jul
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[Review] GT Racing: Motor Academy Free+ Makes Me Wonder If Gameloft Is Actually Trying Anymore

Posted by in Game Reviews, Games
Last Updated: August 2nd, 2011

In their latest addition to their "games we've shamelessly ripped off from other companies" line of titles, developer Gameloft has released "GT Racing: Motor Academy Free+" to the marketplace. At its core, it is a bastardized version of Gran Turismo that has been stuffed with micropayments to specifically eliminate the charm of Gran Turismo.

I'm not going to even try and sugarcoat the fact that you're playing a completely ripped off concept: much like most of Gameloft's  other titles, there is nothing new or original here.

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GT Racing passes itself off as a "realistic" driving simulator in the same vein as the Gran Turismo or Forza series, which are known for their tight controls, realistic physics and the ability to actually have fun.

28
Jul
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[New Game Review] Roboto Brings High-Quality Cel-Shading To Android In A Fun Platformer: Who's Ready To Hoverboard?

Posted by in Game Reviews, Games

Platform games seem to be in short supply on Android. Aside from a few standouts (like Replica Island), they don't seem to be the type of game one equates with success on a mobile platform. They usually have trouble combining tight controls, fun concepts and longevity into one package.

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However, this game, Roboto, looks to change that. Coming at us from developer Fenix Fire, Roboto tells us a story about a teen robot (above, in blue) in love, who is trying to find his way to his sweetie to... do whatever robots do.

The robot traverses levels through his hoverboard, defeating enemies and bosses along the way.

28
Jul
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[Review] Wiz Kid Jr. Brings Some Magic Gameplay To An Otherwise Tired Genre

Posted by in Game Reviews, Games
Last Updated: August 2nd, 2011

I'm going to make this clear from the get-go: I'm a big fan of puzzle games. However, I'm not a fan of when developers think that throwing a new coat of paint onto an old concept constitutes something praise-worthy.

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Thankfully, Wiz Kid Jr, though unfortunately-named, is actually a pretty competent puzzler. Not content to just be a simple "match 3 or more" clone, it adds a couple features that bring some much-needed depth. In the game, you are a wizard that looks to defend his/her mana from hungry spirits. In order to gather mana, the wizard must match orbs of the same color.

26
Jul
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[Review] Spirit HD Blasts Off, Brings Some New Spins To The Horde Of 'Geometry Wars' Clones

Posted by in Game Reviews, Games
Last Updated: August 2nd, 2011

Android seems to have become infested with games that have a large amount of things in common: they all pay homage to an extremely-successful Xbox game, and have won the hearts of players the world around.

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Spirit plays a lot like Hyperlight, a game I've previously reviewed. The graphics are extremely similar in that they pay homage to Geometry Wars, and both take place on a flat, 2D plane. Spirit, however, has different mechanics that set it apart: instead of relying on twitchy tilt controls, your faster-than-light spacecraft is steered by your finger.

Lacking an on-screen joystick, I can only describe Spirit's controls as "relative." They don't require any specific positioning - instead, drawing a circle anywhere will make your ship fly in that pattern, even if it's nowhere near where your ship actually is.

26
Jul
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[Fresh Out Of The Oven] Zombie Runaway Released To The Android Market, Asks You To Save The Undead

Posted by in Game Reviews, Games
Last Updated: August 2nd, 2011

 Usually, when video games and zombies cross paths, the latter end up being our enemies. Because of their slow, plodding and plentiful nature, target practice against zombies is a fun (and scary) endeavor. However, in Com2uS' newest title, you're put in a unique position: this time, you're trying to save a zombie from his untimely death.

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In Zombie Runaway you take control of a zombie who is running away (duh) from "evil" humans. In its way are multiple gravestones, monuments and spiky barriers that can all spell doom for our unlikely hero.

These obstacles come at you from one of three lanes; you can shift left or right to dodge, or jump straight over them to continue.

25
Jul
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[Mech Monday] First Look: Death Cop And Destroy Gunners!

Posted by in Game Reviews, Games, News
Last Updated: August 2nd, 2011

Mech games are popular for a few reasons: everyone loves giant robots, and blowing things up while crushing the little guy underneath your armored boot can definitely be a satisfying sensation.

Today we have two games that are definitely worth your attention if you've enjoyed mech games in the past. More importantly, they're two different flavours of mech games: there's Death Cop for those of you who love the American-style Mechwarrior franchise, and for those who loved the fast-paced, anime style of Virtua ON or Zone of the Enders we have Destroy Gunners. Both are free on the Android market.

25
Jul
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[New Game Review] Save Toshi: A Cute Puzzler That Comes On Too Strong

Posted by in Game Reviews, Games
Last Updated: August 2nd, 2011

Save Toshi is an iOS port that comes to us from developer Nitako. In the game, you are tasked with getting pop star Toshi onto a dancefloor, as her dancing kills demons. The storyline is very "Japan," as are the voice effects that accompany each of Toshi's movements. The voice acting is actually quite annoying, but the game (mercifully) comes with an option to turn it off.

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Unless the anime aesthetic appeals to you, there's a good chance that Save Toshi won't be your cup of tea. However, there are certain things you can appreciate about this game - specifically, its new twist on an older formula.

19
Jul
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DC Comics Partners With ComiXology, Unveils Their New App

Posted by in Applications, News

A large amount of that comics market has been claimed to the app ComiXology; it's usually been the gold standard for a lot of comic-dom's digital offerings. However, as with other things, it's almost impossible to enforce a standard.

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DC Comics has partnered with ComiXology in order to produce their own digital offerings, and distribute them to their audiences. This app uses a lot of the same technologies as ComiXology's, like the Guided View, which allows for easy touch-based scrolling. Readers will be able to buy and read individual issues of comics, as well as large collections of back issues at once.

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