Welcome to the weekly roundup of the best new Android applications, games, and live wallpapers that went live in the Market or were spotted by us in the previous 2 weeks or so.
This edition focuses only on new games. The app roundup is coming up soon.
Featured App
Majesty: Northern Expansion by HeroCraft
Today's roundup is sponsored by Majesty: Northern Expansion, a sequel to the very popular and beloved Majesty: Fantasy Kingdom Sim. The original Majesty, which is currently rated an admirable 4.4/5 in the Android Market, was an interesting combination of RPG and RTS featuring what HeroCraft is calling "indirect control" - heroes and various characters that are under your control live their own lives and do whatever they want, and you have to tempt them to do what you want with various rewards.
The Northern Expansion adds new missions in a new location (Northern Lands), new monsters, spells, heroes, and buildings along with improved graphics and changeable weather.
You can download the lite version here or hit up the widget below for the full version.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=FapIPeFhrFs
Games
Counter-Strike Portable
Thanks to XDA developer TiP@H, a mobile version of the game (called Counter-Strike Portable - no technical or official relation to the original Valve title) has been ported to Android in a pre-release test form. Online multiplayer is fully present (though it appears limited to some weird Matrix map with Zombie mode?), and there's a single-player version with 'bot' enemies and allies that you can download as well.
Hit up this XDA thread to download it.
Whale Trail
I was trying to come up with a description for this game, and I'm just going to summarize every aspect of it with one word: adorable. Adorable clouds, adorable whale, adorable rainbow poop trail - everything is adorable in this game.
Willow the Whale has leapt high into the sky to escape the clutches of the evil Baron Von Barry. Help him fly through the magical world of Rainbow Land, collect Blubbles, loop the loop, smash grumpy Thunder Bros and meet friends along the way. Choose how you want to play: sit back and explore endless Classic Mode or unlock stars in bite-size Challenge Levels.
Osmos Demo
Android Police hands-on: [Hands-On] Osmos HD Floats On Over To The Android Market Bringing Unique Captivating Gameplay Along With It
Apparently, Osmos is kind of a big deal on other platforms (I never played it before), so its advent to Android was welcomed by the Android peeps quite profusely. Check out the free demo or get the full HD version here.
Absorb or be absorbed! Enter the Darwinian world of a galactic mote. To survive, absorb smaller organisms and grow—but beware of larger predators! Winner of multiple "Game of the Year" awards, Osmos features unique physics-based play, stellar graphics, and a hypnotic soundtrack of ambient electronica. Ready to evolve?
Doptrix
Android Police coverage: [New Game] Doptrix Puts An Awesome "Twist" On Classic Tetris Gameplay
This addictive puzzle game turns classic Tetris upside down and inside out. Rotate and flip the game board, think in many dimensions and challenge your brain, not the clock.
In Classic mode you'll find familiar Tetris® shapes that can be moved left or right. Creativity and ingenuity are elemental to high results. Alternative mode features simple shapes, but this doesn't mean this game will be easy. You can't move shapes in this mode, therefore, it is essential that you carefully plan your play several moves ahead. And the most interesting mode is the distinctive Puzzle mode, where you should solve, well.. puzzles. There are currently 10 puzzles and some of them are quite hard to crack. Why don't you try and solve them all?
Bomberman Online
Android Police review: [Review] Though It's Still Being Polished, Bomberman Online Adds Online Multiplayer To An Addictive Classic
Bomberman has always been one of my all-time favorites, mostly due to the fun level its multiplayer brings to the table, so when I saw Bomberman Online appear in the Market last week, I had to jump on it. I and over 500k other people, apparently - I've never seen a game being downloaded at this rate before.
Long story short, Bomberman Online was made as a school project from scratch using libGDX by some clearly talented folks. It lasted in the Market for 1-2 weeks tops, but was then catapulted out of it for unknown reasons (most likely trademark). Thankfully, you can still grab the APK from our review post here and anxiously await updates from the developers regarding the game's future.
Half Breed
Android Police hands-on: [Hands-On] Half Breed Is A Fun Alien Shooter That Has Great Potential, But Could Definitely Use Some Work
You had me at "BFR (Big F’in Ray)" (from the special powers list).
HALF BREED is an action-packed game with awesome visuals, loads of unique weapons, a bunch of aliens, and epic boss fights. Your character is a man who seeks revenge on the people that created him as a military experiment. Half-man and half-alien, a Half Breed, use special powers to defeat enemy aliens and their bosses. Start with 3 powers and collect more as you defeat each boss guarding a new level. Collect up to 22 powers for your battles. Battle a relentless alien army that will chase, shoot, and claw at you. Destroy their spawners before the aliens overwhelm you. This gun game has non-stop action.
- EPIC BOSS FIGHTS Show the boss enemies no mercy as you defeat them and take their powers.
- UNIQUE INTUITIVE CONTROL SYSTEM Obliterate your enemies using easy-to-use twin-joysticks. Amplify the game intensity by using touch-based powers. Tap your enemies and obstacles on screen to destroy them!
- MULTIPLAYER CO-OP Kill a never-ending supply of aliens with your best friend over Wi-Fi. Watch each other’s back and fight together as one in a closed arena environment. Play among different devices.
- STUNNING VISUALS Fight in beautifully designed maps of terrain in deserts, cities, caverns, spaceships, and more. Watch out for the various obstacles that are as deadly as the aliens.
The Last Defender
The Last Defender will plunge you into the heart of modern defense. As a mercenary, you will be equipped with most sophisticated and powerful modern day weapons to protect the company's secret.
-45 campaign missions across 3 intensely detailed battle zones and multiple weather effects.
-29 challenges, each challenge has 3 difficulties.
-8 kinds of enemies including IFV, tanks, jets, choppers, airships and so on.
-7 weapons from real military forces, including LMG, HMG, Cannon, Bazooka, Chase Missile, Mortar, and PDA.
-2 kinds of ammo, basic&enhanced. Enhanced ammo has higher damage, which can help you finish the game more quickly.
-Upgrade your shield will make the game much more easier.
-Anti-Missile QTE System can help you intercept enemy's missiles.
-Call-Bomber to bomb the target area.
-Call-Airdrop can give you chances to get extra health point.
-When game failed, you can use the EXTRA-LIFE item to continue the gameplay without restart.
-Up to 31 achievements and 7 worldwide leaderboards waitting for you to explore.
-Backup savedgames to server and restore them whenever you want.
-The build-in screenshot system can help you keep the most wonderful moment to lossless images.
Dungeon Raid
Dungeon Raid is a puzzle RPG, a blend of puzzle game with roleplaying mechanics. Your mission is to trace a path through a set of matching tiles, but watch out – you may be attacked by enemies who improve as fast as you do. As you go, the object is to collect as many resources as you can, like gold and experience. Get enough points and you can buy or upgrade equipment and level up. All the while, remember to avoid those nasty enemy skull tiles and fight them off for as long as you possibly can. And don't get too greedy, or you risk being overwhelmed.
The higher you go in a Dungeon Raid game, the more strategy you’re going to need to match a greater number of tiles, grab bonuses and stay ahead of those evil adversaries. Never forget that they improve as the game continues. Keep your wits about you as you play Dungeon Raid. As you level up, there are many trade offs to consider and complimentary combinations of skills to be chosen. If you’re not used to the tense pace of the higher levels, go ahead and start on easy difficulty. That gives you the chance to play the game in a more relaxed way, and watch how powerful your avatar can become.
Super Bit Dash
Super Bit Dash is a retro inspired dashing and jumping action game with intuitive touch controls. Here are the game’s highlights:
*Openfeint achievements and leaderboards
*8-bit inspired art
*Intuitive Touch controls
*Easy to pick up and play, challenging to master
*Old School platforming action using swipes and taps - no clunky virtual d-pads.
*Two difficulty settings
*Randomly assembled levels - every time you play the game it stitches small levels together, combining the pleasure of carefully conceived level design with the surprise of randomly generated content.
*8-bit inspired soundtrack
*Unlock quirky characters
*Unlock new powerups
Attack from Outer Space!
Code RED! Mars has attacked and the destiny of our planet lies in your hands. Play as Sergeant America and fight across the USA to avenge the the Alien Menace. Attack from Outer Space! is probably the most action packed side scrolling shoot em up in the Android Market.
Ice Breaker!
This was actually one of my favorites this week - there is something addictive about blowing things up, getting better, more interesting bombs, and setting up chains of explosions for extra points. Really, it was hard to put down, and I'm not much of a gamer.
Galaxy Nexus people reported quite a bit of lag with this game, I'm not sure what the deal is, but you've been warned.
Awesome ice breaking physics puzzle game in android market. Blast the ice sculptures with bombs and enjoy the explosive excitement.
Azada
Solve the mysterious Azada and break the magical spell. Trapped in a haunted room by his great-uncle, the adventurous Titus has asked you to help release him from the magical spell. To do this, you must solve the most mysterious puzzles of Azada. Crack the series of puzzles and fill in the missing pages of the enchanted book to free Titus from his prison.
✓ Over 40 unique puzzles.
✓ 5 master-level puzzles.
✓ Multiple 'escape the room' challenges.
✓ Gorgeous graphics and atmospheric music
✓ Replay completed puzzles
✓ Integrated hint system
Road Warrior
Road Warrior is a top addicting racing and shooting game. Race against opponents and destroy them with your guns. Everything is allowed, but losing. Gain respect to be able to race against the bosses. Beat them and you will get their extremely tuned racing & killing machines.
+ Execute perfect flips to gain coins and nitro boosts.
+ Multiple car options from sedans to massive trucks.
+ Explore and discover multiple tracks. There are many paths within a single track. There's always a best strategy for each car.
+ Upgrade your car with guns and other add-ons using our car builder.
+ Precise controls and amazing physics.
+ Realistic and impressive HD graphics.
+ Super addictive.
Stay Alive
This game is a little older, but for some reason we missed it at the time. See this Reddit thread for more info and an awesome update from the author.
Super, mega, awesome fun. Are you ready to be addicted to your new favourite game? Stay Alive is a fast and furious, action packed, adrenaline fuelled ride to the stars. Will you be able to put it down? How long can you stay alive? How many bad guys can you kill? How many orbs can you collect?
Paper Glider vs. Gnomes
Prepare for battle! War has been declared in Gnome man’s land! Paper Glider must rid the world of all vulgar (and extremely rude) Gnomes. Can you flick, fly ‘n’ bomb to victory? You’ll need to be fearless, ruthless and not totally brainless to blast your way through all 63 levels of Gnome smashing mayhem. Outwit those grumpy gnomes with bombs, TNT rockets, hammer-mills, boulders, skateboards, footballs, vortexes and loads more... It’s not always obvious, but it IS always fun.
Youda Survivor
For all real strategy games fans - the most frenzied adventure yet! Can you survive on a mysterious island as well as find your way back home? Try it out in Youda Survivor. Here is your chance to become a real Robinson Crusoe. You will have to win over the hearts of the native tribe by proving that you are the one person that can save them from cunning pirates. Obtain mystical tribal items with magical powers; learn rituals which you can use to control the weather and use special machines to advance in your quest. Learn the secrets of tribal diets and boil powerful potions to make you stronger. Prove that you have what it takes to survive anywhere and under any circumstances.
● 80 Amazing levels
● 5 Extra powers: rain, wind, lightning, birds and monkeys
● 11 Exotic animals
● Fast-paced action
● Exciting adventure
● Upgrades, bonuses and awards
● Survive a deserted island
Know A Worthy New App? Let Us Know!
If you have an application in mind for the next issue of the roundup, feel free to send us an email and let us know.
Important: there are 2 requirements in order for the app to be considered, listed below.
- the app's launch date has to be no longer than 2 weeks ago
- it has to be original, ground-breaking, well-reviewed, interesting, fun, etc - the cream of the crop
Now, if and only if the above requirements have been satisfied, fire up an email to this address: oh.no.its.the@androidpolice.com.
1 sponsored placement per week is available (your app would be featured at the top and marked as sponsored) - please contact us for details.