Games

Jun

[Review] Apparatus Wows Us With Little Big Planet-Like Gameplay And Creativity

Posted by Matt Demers in Applications, Apps/Games, Game Reviews, Games, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Apparatus will remind players of Playstation game Little Big Planet. The objective: get the silver ball into the blue bucket. You're given a number of pieces to play around with, like boards to fasten to each other or weights to create catapults. Pieces can be placed on one of three layers, allowing fasteners to work their magic.

Fastening pieces comes in one of two varieties: nails are "hard" connectors, giving a rigid connection. Screws, however, allow pieces to rotate independently of what they're connected to. Combining screws, circular plates and the game's engine capabilities, you can make pistons, engines and whatever else your mind comes up with.

Jun

25 Best New Android Games And Live Wallpapers From The Last 2 Weeks (5/19/11 - 6/1/11)

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Applications, Best Apps/Games/LWPs Of The Week, Games, News

Welcome to the weekly roundup of the best new Android games and live wallpapers that went live in the Market or were spotted by us in the previous 2 weeks or so.

Please wait for this page to load in full in order to see the AppBrain widgets, which include ratings and pricing info.

Looking for the previous roundup editions? Find them here:

Plants vs Zombies

Android Police coverage: PopCap’s Plants Vs Zombies Finally Reaches Android – Free Download Today On The Amazon Appstore

Plants vs Zombies needs no introduction - PopCap's infamous (from the PC world) and highly anticipated game is now on Android.

Jun

[Review] Riptide GP Proves What Tegra 2, And Android, Are Capable of Doing

Posted by Matt Demers in Apps/Games, Game Reviews, Games, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Riptide GP emerged from the Tegra zone late in May, touting amazing graphics that the Android system is now capable of pulling off. However, is it all flash and no substance?

Riptide GP comes to us from Vector Unit, the developer of Hydro Thunder Hurricane for the Xbox Live Arcade. While that game features a number of souped-up racing boats with weapon attachments, Riptide GP returns to the water for a comparatively tuned-down affair. Instead of boats with Gatling cannons, you race jet skis against AI opponents; you can pull off tricks in order to fill a boost meter, which can then be used to further a lead or recover from a costly spill.

May

PopCap's Plants Vs Zombies Finally Reaches Android - Free Download Today On The Amazon Appstore

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Applications, Games, News

The wait is over, guys - PopCap's hands down best game, Plants Vs Zombies, finally reached Android minutes ago after many months of anticipation. Normally $2.99, PvZ is available for free exclusively on the Amazon Android Appstore.

The game is a little on the heavy side - be prepared to dedicate 75MB of free space to it (though at least in CyanogenMod, all but 232KB can be moved to SD without any problems).

After a period of exclusivity, PopCap will upload it to the Android Market for everyone to use - until then, it's just us, U.S. folks. Sorry, rest of the world :( (unless you use the tricks posted in the comments that is ;)).

May

[Updated: Now With Video] SHADOWGUN Is The First Android Game Optimized For Quad-Core Devices, Looks Ridiculously Awesome

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Games, News

Android has really grown quickly in the realm of mobile gaming, especially with the influx of Tegra 2 phones and tablets. Keeping that momentum going, Madfinger (creator of Samurai 2) is currently working a new game optimized for Tegra devices called SHADOWGUN. There will be two version of this game - one for Tegra 2 devices, and one that takes advantage of NVIDIA's next-gen Tegra 3 processor, the quad-core Kal-El.

Update: Now with video (thanks, Nick!).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L12sZP22UbI

SHADOWGUN is a tactical combat game, but I don't think I can explain it any better than this:

Authored with the Unity development platform, SHADOWGUN combines tactical combat with third person harrowing action, ushering in a new visual standard for handheld gaming.

May

[Quick Look] Refraction Tests Your Brain With Over 120 Levels of Reflection Madness

Posted by Matt Demers in Game Reviews, Games, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

I'm a big fan of puzzle games on my Android. They tend to work well in a touch-controlled medium because their concepts are usually simple enough to pick up and play. Refraction is no different, and challenges players with over 120 levels of color-matching, light-bending goodness that will have even the smartest of you scratching your head for awhile.

Like every good puzzle game, Refraction starts out with a simple concept: use mirrors to guide beams of light to their corresponding beacons. It then adds another element in prisms, which allows for the splitting and combination of colors. Combining a yellow and red beam in a prism will produce orange, and running that beam back through a prism will break it back into its original components.

May

[Review] Chalk Ball Uses Your Art Skills In A Classic Game Of Keep-Up

Posted by Matt Demers in Game Reviews, Games, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

It's often the case that a game does not necessarily have to be complicated in order to achieve success, and this point is proven in Chalk Ball. The premise is simple: keep a bouncing ball aloft by drawing lines on a chalk board, all while earning points towards a high score. Drawing shapes depletes your chalk meter, which is required to be able to scribble further.

In order to replenish this meter (and your drawing abilities), you're required to hit white balls on the board which spawn at random. Hitting a ball with an already-full meter adds a white line along the bottom of the screen, giving you a free bounce if your efforts fail.

May

[Review] Hyperlight Brings Tilt-Controlled Madness to a Faster-Than-Light Level

Posted by Matt Demers in Applications, Game Reviews, Games, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

During the past couple months I've seen a growing trend in Android games that seek to emulate the style of Geometry Wars, a highly successful console and PC title. I've had the pleasure of playing both Tilt Arena and PewPew in the past, so why not throw one more into the mix?

Hyperlight brings another entry into the Geometry Wars-like genre, but with a specific control scheme: tilt controls accomplish everything in this game, and have a deeper purpose than just movement.

A Unique Control Scheme

Tilting your phone in all directions influences your movement, and moving past a certain threshold will kick your spaceship into faster-than-light (FTL) mode.

May

First Video Preview Of Minecraft For Android Surfaces Online, Fans Salivate In Anticipation

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Games, News, Videos

Last Updated: August 1st, 2012

It's no secret that Minecraft, a simple, yet amazingly addictive and immersive game, is coming to Android - we've been hearing about it for months. It's also no secret that the first version, exclusive to Xperia Play, will be unveiled at E3 in just a few weeks - the conference is scheduled for June 7th-9th.

However, what exactly the game would look and play like on a mobile Android device when it is released was unknown... until today that is, when the developer, Mojang, released the first ever video of the gameplay on the web. Minecraft fans, brace yourselves, for what you're about to see will cause uncontrollable twitches, anxiety, excessive salivation, and possibly even diarrhea.

May

[New In The Market] Robotek Brings Lasers, Explosions, and Risk-Based Mayhem To The Palm Of Your Hand

Posted by Matt Demers in Applications, Games, News

Just in case you thought today would be devoid of some kind of fun, developer Hexage decided to release its latest game, Robotek. You play as the last human holdout on a robot-conquered Earth, slowly working from one base to take liberate nodes, countries, continents, and eventually the planet back from your oppressors. Combat plays out in a strategic, turn-based style, but there's a bit of a twist to it.

You fight your robot enemies by spinning a virtual slot machine from which you gain bonuses, drone units and special attacks based on the outcome. This mechanic adds a bit of unpredictability to the game while still allowing you to plan your next move: the first tumbler moves slow enough that you can choose where it lands, but the second and third are more of a crapshoot.