18
Apr
nexusae0_GAMES1

[APK Teardown] Google Games, Anyone? Play Services Is Getting Real-Time And Turn-Based Multiplayer, Invitations, In-Game Chat, Lobbies, Leaderboards, And Achievements!

Posted by in APK Teardown, News
Last Updated: April 20th, 2013

We've got a good one for you today. A teardown of MyGlass, yes that's right, the Google Glass companion app, has given us what looks like the entire Google Games Service feature list. You just can't make this stuff up.

The games service probably has nothing to do with Google Glass; Glass can't run complex apps. The Glass team accidentally shipped the full suite of Google Play Services with their new app, which is not normal. This included a never-before-seen backend for an extensive multiplayer gaming service, with just about every gaming feature you could possibly imagine.

Background

To understand just what has happened, and why this is not related to Glass at all, we've got to talk about "GMS." GMS originally stood for "Google Mobile Services"; they changed the name to "Google Play Services," but never changed the acronym.

28
Mar
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[New Game] Desktop Favorite Magicka Comes To Android, Plays Nice With iOS (But Not With Smartphones)

Posted by in Games, News

For the last two years, the Magicka series of indie fantasy games have lit up the Steam charts. Their mix of traditional Diablo-style gameplay and tongue-in-cheek humor has made them a favorite, and enabled such nonsensical expansions as Magicka: Vietnam (where the four elemental mages put the hurt on pinko commies). Now publisher Paradox is bringing the series to mobile, with the typically self-referential subtitle Wizards of the Square Tablet. 

The monster-fighting action takes on a slightly simplified air in this 2D, sprite-based version of the game. Your four mages fight on an XY plane with gesture and tap-based controls (a la Battleheart and its multitude of clones), using the globes at the bottom of the screen to combine elements for new spells.

06
Mar
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[New Game] Glu Mobile's Multiplayer Testosterone-Fuelled Bullet Fest, Gun Bros 2, Is Live On The Play Store

Posted by in Games, News

If you've been patiently waiting for the sequel to popular top-down shooter Gun Bros, the wait is over. After teasing the release, Glu Mobile posted the game on the Play Store earlier today, giving Android the closest thing it's going to get to Gears of War for the foreseeable future. It's a free download, compatible with Android 2.1 and up, though the more advanced 3D graphics mean that older devices may struggle to run it smoothly.

Aside from the over-the-top wackiness that's permeated the previous games and spinoffs, the big draw for the sequel is built-in multiplayer. The guns themselves het an overhaul, with a triple-modification system and plenty of new weapons.

18
Feb
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Pocket Fleet Review: White-Knuckle PVP Fun, Five Minutes At A Time

Posted by in Games, Reviews

The term "Multiplayer Online Battle Arena" (MOBA) is a relatively new way to refer to an old idea: a multiplayer, somewhat symmetrical game, in which teams of players face off against each other. It's the bread and butter of online shooters and racing games, but up to this point hasn't enjoyed much success on Android, just because mobile controls aren't well-suited to the ultra-twitchy competitions that comprise most of the genre. Developer Overdose Caffeine is trying to change that with Pocket Fleet, a free space-based MOBA.

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At its heart, Pocket Fleet is a space shooter in the vein of Asteroids. You get a single, relatively small ship, two weapons, and a 2D arena.

18
Feb
ouyathumb

Ouya Create Contest Winners Announced: Laser-Breathing Dinosaurs, 8-Bit Zombies, And Sharing Controllers

Posted by in Games, News, Roundups
Last Updated: May 13th, 2013

Last week, we took a look at the nominees for Ouya's 10-day developer competition, Create. Today, we have the winners! These game devs will receive some undisclosed amount of money (out of a pot of $45,000) and almost certainly end up on the launch version of the Ouya console. So, what are they? Well, let's break them down by category.

"Pop Your Eyes Out" Award: Pipnis

We covered this one in our roundup last week, though we're at a loss to explain how it didn't win the "Best Couch with Friends" Award. This is the game that requires two players to share a single controller.

11
Jan
kingsboutnylegionstiny

King's Bounty: Legions Comes To Android, Brings Turn-Based Fantasy Strategy Along With It

Posted by in Games, News

Turn based fantasy games have seen a bit of a resurgence recently, no doubt partly because it's easier to design a touchscreen UI where the action takes place in a menu rather than in wielding a sword. To wit: King's Bounty: Legions. This title gives players a set of characters to command in combat versus an enemy squad to conquer the game board.

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The game has some pretty strong creative ties to Heroes of Might and Magic, as the man who designed the original Might and Magic, as well as the aforementioned spin-off, also worked on the first King's Bounty.

22
Dec
battlebearstiny

Battle Bears Royale Is What Team Fortress 2 Would Be If It Were On Android And Rainbow-Colored Bears Were People

Posted by in Games, News

The hits just keep on coming. Today's delightfully twisted game is Battle Bears Royale and, just like it says on the box, this game features bears. That battle each other. With sniper rifles, machine guns, and cactuses. If you've ever played Team Fortress 2,  you'll feel right at home (though it's hard to seriously say the quality is as high as the Valve game, but what is?) with the class system.

There are seven classes of Battle Bears. Everything from the Soldier to the Heavy, Sniper to the Engineer, and one simple called "Huggable." Though that may be a bit of a misnomer, as his arms are chainsaws.

05
Dec
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[New Game] Gameloft Launches Heroes Of Order And Chaos – The First 'True' Online Battle Arena Game For Android

Posted by in Games, News

Bringing what it calls the first multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game for mobile consoles to Android, Gameloft today released Heroes of Order and Chaos to the Play Store.

The game, a spinoff of the original Order and Chaos, takes place in a "unique fantasy setting" where players will join a battle that's been raging for centuries. It pits teams of three or five players against each other in one of two maps (depending on your party size), combining non-stop arena combat with RPG elements. Players can choose from 30 unique characters, six of which will be offered for free each week.

29
Nov
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[New Game] Once More, With Feeling: Gamevil's Zenonia 5 Available Now With Global Multiplayer

Posted by in Games, News

Gamevil's Zenonia franchise has been impossible to ignore on Android, if only because there have been four relatively high-budget releases in as many years. The fifth installment of the action RPG series, subtitled "Wheel Of Destiny" in the continuing tradition of semi-meaningless JRPG convention, is available now. It's a free download for anyone running Android 2.2 or later.

Gamevil's claim that Zenonia is the "definitive action RPG" might be a little dubious, but it's certainly got its share of fans. If you haven't played any of the previous games, think of it as old-school, 2D Zelda with more RPG elements: leveling statistics, multi-character parties, and tons of loot.

29
Oct
deadzone

Shadowgun: DeadZone Updated, Now Supports All Android 3.0+ Devices, New Features, And More

Posted by in Games, News

Have you been playing Shadowgun: DeadZone? If not, you probably should - it just got quite a bit better. An update that hit the Play Store today brings support for all devices with Honeycomb and above (it was previously for Tegra 3 only), as well as a handful of other features:

What's in this version:

- Now available for Android devices with SDK 3.0 and higher!
- Unlocked Research section - you can use the research to make weapons, items and perks
- You can make money by playing the game
- You can now collect experience points (XP) and level up
- Protection for the beginners (players with RANKS 1-3).

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