Welcome to the roundup of the best new Android applications, games, and live wallpapers that went live in the Play Store 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 widgets, which include ratings and pricing info.Looking for the previous roundup editions? Find them here.
Featured App
Today's roundup is presented by Stock Tracker - Stock Prices from Handy Apps. This app helps you to keep an eye on the stocks that you're interested in, especially if you're looking to buy or sell at specific market conditions. You can set up lists of stocks to watch, and be alerted when certain stocks reach high or low prices with notifications. Widgets are available for your home screen, and the app even integrates RSS news feeds from major companies. If you've already purchased stock, you can set up your portfolio and record your buying and selling manually. Stock Tracker - Stock Prices is a free download for Android 2.2 or later.
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Enhance your stock tracking experience with Stock Tracker - a free, simple yet comprehensive stock price tracking and portfolio management application designed for Android. Easily search for stocks via stock ticker symbols or company names, add them to your trading portfolios and start monitoring your stock quotes and portfolio performance! Create watchlists to monitor stocks in the stock market that you do not own but are interested to either buy or short sell. Stock price alerts can also be created so that whenever your stock hit specific price targets, you will receive a timely notification.
Games
QuizUp
Android Police coverage: [New Game] Popular Head-To-Head Trivia Game QuizUp Lands On Android
QuizUp is one of those tempest in a teapot successes that's been sweeping the social gaming landscape. It's incredibly simple: just pick a category and you'll be entered into a quiz with a random stranger. Answer the questions correctly and you'll get points, answer them faster and you'll get more points. The winner gets experience (and so does the loser, just less of it) and the only real objective is to "level up." The biggest draw is an incredibly broad range of topics and solid integration with Facebook and Google+. There are a few in-app purchases, but they're only fairly pointless XP boosters.
Join over 10 million people who play and love QuizUp. Challenge your friends and connect with other players around the world in the largest real-time trivia game ever. Go head to head with over 200,000 questions in over 400 topics, ranging from your favorite TV shows and books to sports and music. New topics are added every week so QuizUp will surely test your knowledge while keeping you entertained for hours on end.
Mount & Blade: Warband
Android Police coverage: [New Game] Strategy Sleeper Hit Mount & Blade: Warband Comes To Android As A Tegra 4 Exclusive
Mount & Blade is a testament to the concept that PC games can be made to work with mobile hardware. As long as it's the right hardware, of course, and in this case that means the NVIDIA SHIELD. Those of you who have one can pay the steep entry fee for a deep medieval RPG that's equal parts combat and strategy. In addition to navigating the complex politics of a fractured empire, you'll have to recruit and improve your own army, then join them on the battlefield.
Medieval Action RPG Strategy game Mount&Blade Warband is now available on the NVIDIA SHIELD and selected Tegra 4 devices. This is a fully featured port of the PC version. Gamepad required. Calradia is a land at war, offering great riches and even greater dangers to adventurers and mercenaries that flock to shed their blood on its soil. With courage and a strong sword, an unknown stranger can make a name as a warrior or forge their legacy as a ruler.
Rochard
Android Police coverage: [New Game] Rochard Finally Makes Its Way To The Play Store As A Tegra 4 Exclusive
Rochard is yet another console pilgrim that's exclusive to Tegra devices (not to mention you'll need a gamepad). It's a Metroid-style platformer with plenty of weapons and enemies, but the combat takes a back seat to the puzzles, which rely heavily on the low-gravity space setting. There's an endearing little story in there too, with a solid 3-5 hours of combined narrative and gameplay accented by full voice acting.
Grab a G-Lifter - your new best friend. Use it to change gravity at will, manipulate the environment, and throw huge crates at your enemies. Join the amazing exploits of astro-miner John Rochard and embark on a gravity-bending journey across the Solar System. Rochard is an award-winning side-scroller featuring hours of mind-blowing gravity gameplay, puzzle-solving and action. Narrated in a humorous cartoony style, Rochard tells a thrilling story of villains, a damsel in distress and a mysterious alien civilization.
Broken Sword : Serpent's Curse
Android Police coverage: [New Game] Kickstarter-Funded Broken Sword: Serpent's Curse Hits The Play Store
Broken Sword is one of the classic adventure series that feels a little lost in the modern world. But after a successful Kickstarter campaign, a brand new sequel has been produced and (eventually) released on the Play Store. The hand-drawn animation that made the originals so popular have been replaced with more modern 3D models, but the usual item hunting and inventory puzzles return. English, German, and French speakers get a full voice-over, while Spanish, Italian, and Russian players will have to make do with subtitles.
Shots ring out from a gallery… a robbery… a murder… and the beginning of another epic, original Broken Sword adventure. From multi-award winning Revolution comes the latest mystery in this much loved adventure-puzzle series. Playing as intrepid American George Stobbart and sassy French journalist Nico Collard, you find yourself on the trail of a stolen painting – and a murderous conspiracy. A conspiracy whose roots lie in mysteries older than the written word...
Mines of Mars
Android Police coverage: [New Game] Crescent Moon Games' Steam-Greenlit 'Mines Of Mars' Is Now Out For Android
Hey, look, a Steam game that isn't limited to Tegra devices! Mines of Mars is a procedural mix between the craft-happy mechanics of Terraria and more conventional action-platformers. You're a down-on-your-luck miner who's just trying to get by... which requires massive amounts of resources and no small number of guns and bullets. The levels are procedural, so each time you get your ass to Mars you'll find it subtly different. Developer Crescent Moon is promising co-op play in a future update.
Some suspected that Mars once harbored life. There was a reason that it wasn't ever found. Mines of Mars is a procedural atmospheric mining game that is inspired by games like Metroid and Motherload. It is also a story based adventure game with dark secrets, great weapons, tons of different items, and a gorgeous world to explore. The world of MoM is procedurally created, so that every time you play it, it will be a little different. There are tons of different enemies, dark corridors, and a large variety of fauna and ambient creatures.
Smash Hit
Android Police coverage: [New Game] Mediocre's Smash Hit Arrives In Google Play, Frees Your Inner Vandal
Smash Hit is a game that The Incredible Hulk could probably appreciate. You fly through an abstract tunnel with various intricate and beautiful geometrical shapes zooming in and out of your field of vision. It's a surreal and ethereal journey, thanks in part to the soothing music. So naturally the point of the game it to smash, crack, break, and pulverize everything you can by means of shooting steel balls at it. Yup, makes perfect sense.
Take a surreal journey through an otherworldly dimension, move in harmony with sound and music and smash everything in your path! This experience requires focus, concentration, and timing to not only travel as far as you can, but also break the beautiful glass objects that stand in your way. Smash your way through a beautiful futuristic dimension, smashing obstacles and targets in your path and experiencing the best destruction physics on mobile devices.
Royal Revolt 2
Android Police coverage: [New Game] Royal Revolt 2 Assaults Google Play With New Multiplayer And Map Editing Modes
The first Royal Revolt was a competent little action-RPG, and now the sequel adds online multiplayer and a map editor. You'll still need to mix up some standard swordplay with base defense, but now you can go head-to-head against other kings. (The trailer is like an adorably cute version of Game of Thrones.) Graphics are impressive, but as is usually the case with sequels, the developers seem to have laid a heavier hand on the "freemium" button.
Royal Revolt is back with more fun, even more battles and a lot more action. Defend your castle and build a deadly maze for your enemies. Explore and conquer the kingdoms of your friends and foes in this brilliant sequel. Overthrow the royals on your way to the top, but be aware of your own enemies, your Highness - there’s a royal revolt going on. You have come a long way to find that you are not the only lord with a claim to the throne. Find a castle from where you will build your forces, and battle to prove to the World who the true king really is.
Not So Fast
Android Police coverage: [New Game] Turn The Tables On A Tired Genre And Smash Some Endless Runners In Not So Fast
We've seen innumerable endless runners in the last few years, but this is the first time I've seen the concept completely flipped. You're a malicious master who's had too much Flappy Bird, and it's your job to completely wreck those annoying runners by placing all kinds of nasty obstacles in their way. As you advance and crush literally hundreds of those little buggers, you'll unlock devious new ways to destroy them.
Rid your land of the dastardly and conniving blockish runners. Use the various abilities you unlock to destroy each wave of running, jumping, and sliding foes.
Dehumanize Your Friends!
Android Police coverage: [New Game] Cast Against Civility Adapts Popular NSFW Game 'Cards Against Humanity' Into A Chromecast Experience
If you're a fan of the somewhat naughty party game Cards Against Humanity, you'll want to check out this TV-powered version. (Note: this game was called "Casts Against Civility" at launch, but had to change its name after a bit of legal trouble.) Connect two or more phones or tablets to a Chromecast and you can play this foul-mouthed adaptation of Mad Libs against your friends, possibly learning more than you wanted to in the process.
Dehumanize Your Friends. is a basic party game for horrible people. The objective of the game is to respond to a question or statement that has had a certain word or phrase removed by playing one of the cards in your hand that contains a different random word or phrase. The idea is to make the worst combination possible, something that would make your mother want to never speak to you again.
FRONTLINE COMMANDO 2
Android Police coverage: [New Game] Glu's Frontline Commando 2 Mixes Cover-Based Shooting With Squad Management And The Usual IAP Grind
Glue has released a couple of variants of its cover-based shooter so far, but this is the first true sequel, and it shows. In Frontline Commando 2 the graphics and weapons get an upgrade, but more importantly, you now have squadmates that you can recruit and deploy to help tackle the tougher enemies. The mechanics of the game keep the focus on shooting, so you don't have FPS-style movement to worry about... but you still have to contend with Glu's typical in-app purchase overload.
Let the bullets fly in the sequel to the popular third-person shooter, Frontline Commando. Betrayed and left for dead on the battlefield, you must build your team of mercenaries and exact a war of revenge against your enemies. Recruit and train soldiers and lead the ultimate war team to the battlefield. Choose from 65 possible unique squad members, from sharpshooters to medics. Lead your squad to victory through 40 unique missions and 13 elite challenges, including online PVP.
Top Gear : Race the Stig
Android Police coverage: [New Game] Top Gear: Race The Stig Speeds Into The Play Store, But It Doesn't Actually Involve Much Racing
Can you beat Top Gear's legendary mystery man The Stig? Probably not, but you can pretend to in this licensed endless runner/racer. It's lane-based, so those hoping for a real challenge probably won't find much to occupy their time, but die-hard fans of the British TV show might get a few kicks out of it. (Or maybe not - those super-deformed cars don't exactly scream authenticity.) Naturally it's free with in-app purchases.
Think you’ve got what it takes to race The Stig and win? Dodge traffic, jump caravans and speed through famous Top Gear locations in an epic race that will push you to your limits as you go head-to-head with The Stig. The white coated Top Gear producers have challenged you to drive against Top Gear’s very own tame racing driver.
Sorcery!
Sorcery is an interesting take on ye olde Choose Your Own Adventure and tabletop RPG-style gaming. It's presented as a textual narrative, but your player is represented as a miniature figurine. Combat is turn-based and stat driven, but you'll also have to pay attention to the constantly-updating text, which makes Sorcery more immersive than most RPGs (where combat and story are kept notably separate). There's a lot of talent on display here, which is likely why it's done well on iOS. Unfortunately this is only one (expensive) episode of a larger story - the developer says later episodes are forthcoming.
The app uses inklewriter technology to tell your journey in real-time, shaping the story around your choices. The text itself changes based on how you play and what you do, and in combat, the action is described on the fly based on how you play. Featuring original illustrations by John Blanche, new character art by Eddie Sharam (DC Comics), an interactive map by Mike Schley (Wizards of the Coast).
Blood 'n Guns
There's been a refreshing downturn in zombie games as of late - maybe all those developers are busy churning out Flappy Bird clones. That said, it's nice to see a top-down shooter done in the old "bullet hell" style, albeit with a lot more gore than Nintendo ever allowed. True to its name, there are plenty of guns and various power-ups to be found in the nearly endless 2D landscape. Blood 'n Guns is free, with a single in-app purchase to remove the ads.
The only IAP in this game removes ads, it is the full game. BloodnGuns is a zombie shooter with a large arsenal of weaponry and power ups to chose from. Deal with an endless horde of zombies attacking you on screen at the same time, dynamically generated backgrounds to litter with dead zombies and 12 survival game play modes will keep you challenged indefinitely. We are currently developing harder game modes and a bunch of other stuff.
First Strike
This game illustrates the futility of nuclear war... by putting you in charge of a nuclear war. You control a world power in a simplified version of Risk, and by simplified, I mean that all the armies are replaced with intercontinental nukes. That said, the presentation is slick, even if the mechanics themselves are pretty simple. Here's the twist: the point is to show the pointlessness of the mutually assured destruction rhetoric. A portion of sales go to ICAN and Green Cross Switzerland.
Pick one of the big nuclear players – from known Superpowers to an upstart hellraiser like North Korea – and plan your strategy wisely: Limited but clever options let you as the leader of your superpower steer your nation’s fate: Expand to other countries, build bombs or debuild in order to restructure your arsenal. Or use research to widen your options, such as: Ability to act quicker and build bigger bombs, better recon on your enemies actions, automated self-defense-sequences and many more.
Threes!
Threes is another game in the same vein of Even. You start with two tiles, adding one and two to make three, at which point more tiles will spawn. You move sections of the board around to combine more tiles, but they'll only combine in multiples of three. As the numbers grow, the game gets more complex and challenging. Though it's possible to lose, it's also possible for a single board to continue indefinitely.
Threes is tiny puzzle that grows on you. 33.3333333333% OFF FOR A LIMITED TIME. Explore our little game’s deep challenge and grow your mind beyond imagination. Optimized for Android and human brains.
³ Endless challenge from one simple game mode
³ An endearing cast of characters
³ A heart-warming soundtrack
³ No IAP - Threes is a complete experience the moment you download it
Even
Even is one of those incredibly simple puzzle games that seems to get under your skin. The mechanics are basic: move each tile one at a time, but only on to numbers of equal value. As your numbers grow and your game progresses, you'll find your paths blocked, until there are no moves left. Bombs add an element of chaos, but clever players can either neutralize them or use them to keep the game going.
Even is a simple numbers matching game. Or is it? There are only two rules: swipe to move the numbers on the board and keep combining same numbers to get more points. How long can you go before the board fills up? While the game play is simple, the strategy is anything but. Speed play for a minute or spend 20 minutes strategizing every move, either way Even is going to grow on you and leave you addicted.
oO
No, "oO" isn't some kind of emoticon for a disbelieving cartoon. It's a radial twitch game powered by a single button: tap the screen to move your circular avatar from the outside of a loop to the inside. Things get very hard very fast as you're tasked with jumping from circle to circle, avoiding an ever-growing array of moving, running, and spinning spikes. This is one of those super-simple games that will have you begging (and screaming, and possibly cursing) for more.
oO is a minimalist "dodge-em-up" arcade game.
Inspired by Pivvot and Super Hexagon.
Made by @targaciej
Music by @WasiakWojciech
Deadlings
Zombie games have to work extra hard to get over my cynicism, but a platformer with a premise like "depressed Grim Reaper creates dead minions to keep him company" is pretty much irresistible. You play as a series of zombies trying to get through Death's factory, which as you might expect, is not exactly up to OSHA standards. Different zombies have different abilities, and you'll have to make use of all of them to get past all 100 levels.
Death is lonely. He has zero friends on his FaceTome account and no one to hang out with. So, in order to feel better, he begins “Project Deadlings”. Death buys a factory where he can build his laboratory and begin training a massive army of zombie minions. As the army of Deadlings grows, the mazes of the laboratory become deadlier, loaded with puzzles and death-defying traps.
Save the Furries
Let me save you some worry: Save the Furries has nothing to do with the mildly creepy anthro subculture. Your job is to protect tiny green creatures as they bumble across levels full of Acme-branded danger, using various physics-based tools and environmental elements to move hazards out of their paths. If that's not enough, there are plenty of indigenous creatures ready to make a snack out of your little green wards.
Help Save the Furries across 50 levels in this puzzle-adventure. Furries are cute green aliens that love to visit strange planets and then stroll about oblivious to the dangers around them. Tap and swipe pinballs, ropes, logs, crates, carts, switches, fans and all sorts of other items to help create a safe path to the exit. Make sure you keep the Furries safe from strange galactic creatures, spikey pits, huge explosions, giant drops and the evil Furax.
Penombre
Blacked-out foreground on a brooding background, stylish character design, minimal story. Yup, Pénombre has all the elements of a modern indie platformer, though its gameplay makes it an endless runner. When you get hurt, your vision is occluded as the shadows close in, making it harder and harder to avoid other obstacles. A creepy world and music combined with some atmospheric elements make this one worth a look if you're a fan of horror aesthetics. Spell attacks and creature transformations round things out.
Journey into the enchanted land of Pénombre where witches, ghosts and other creatures meet in this endless runner game. When our heroine Umbra stepped out of her house to find new spells, she never thought she'll get lost in the Petit Woods. Now, all creatures she had befriended have turned on each other as Pénombre descends onto the land. Umbra must travel across 7 kingdoms filled with treacherous traps and dangerous creatures to find her way back home.
Dracula 4 (Full)
Fans of PC adventure games will be happy to know that the Dracula series is getting another resurrection (sorry, sorry) on Android. The original 2000 pseudo-sequel to Bram Stoker's novel is in the Play Store, as are two direct sequels to that game, and now the fourth installment is upon us. You play an investigator searching for lost paintings who stumbles upon, well, you can probably guess who. Competent graphics and some surprisingly engaging puzzles are found within. Want more old-school adventure games? Check out the Anuman developer page.
The Museum sends the art restorer Ellen Cross to authenticate the painting. She would never have guessed that this mission would take her all across Europe, on the trail of the portrait of the famous prince of Wallachia, Vlad Tepes. The young woman is afflicted with a serious illness. From Budapest to Istanbul, she follows the trail of the painting and plunges into a conflict between the first vampire and the "Shadow of the Dragon"—a secret order which dreams of producing a new lineage of creatures, free from Dracula's grasp.
Qcast
The admittedly limited world of Android quiz games was thrown into turmoil yesterday with the release of the much-anticipated QuizUp, but here's an alternative for those of you who prefer face-to-face trivia. Qcast lets you control a bar-style trivia game with one Android device and a Chromecast as a monitor, with other phones and tablets connecting as game kiosks. It's a brilliant application of the technology, and it's free with no in-app purchases.
Try Qcast, a simple trivia game for you and your friends. Connect any number of devices to a Google Chromecast device to join the game (all players need to be on the same network.) The first player to reach 100 points is the winner, everyone can get the answer correct - how much the answer's worth is up to you. This is a project I started based on a simple idea I've had since the Chromecast was released. I'm open to suggestions. If you'd like to submit a question you can do so here:http://goo.gl/chro3r
GamingCast (for Chromecast)
There are a growing number of games made specifically for the Chromecast, but if all you want is a little old-school action, this app will give it to you. Currently it's got Snake, Pong, Breakout, and Tetris, in various non-copyright infringing flavors. The Pong game even lets you go at it with two players.
The first mobile gaming console using ChromeCast.Play retro games on your TV screen with your mobile device as the controller. ## This application will work only with Google's Chromecast ##
- Snake
- Pong (Multiplayer)
- Xonix
- Tetrominoes
- and more games to come...
LEGO® Technic Race
Technic Race seems to be an updated version of LEGO's Pullback Racers, which came to the Play Store six months ago. This one is more of a conventional racer, though you're still limited to lane steering only. Hit the speed boosts to sail past your opponents. You've got a choice between three "real" LEGO race cars, and like most other LEGO games on the Play Store, there are no in-app purchases.
Pull back, release and shoot forwards with ultimate speed in this fast paced, action packed lane changer, combining super sleek racing with obstacle smashing mayhem. Experience the smooth lines of the LEGO® Technic Black Champion Racer and the rugged power of the Desert Racer. Combine them for an even more action-packed play experience with the awesome double motored Race Truck, an unstoppable force to be reckoned with.
Lost Light
This here's a pretty basic matching game: tap a tile to combine it with any tiles that are immediately adjacent with the same value, raising their number to the combined value of all tiles. (Check the video.) But strangely, this thing's from Disney, and it might be as close as the company ever gets to a "zen" game. The presentation and music are soothing. The $1 (soon to be $3) price, plus IAP for more levels, is not. But at least it isn't tied to any existing, over-used Disney IP.
Connect and match your way through this captivating NEW puzzle adventure from Disney. Journey to the heart of an enchanted forest and help restore the light hidden away by the wicked Beasties. Enter the world of Lost Light to experience a brand new kind of matching game with a unique numbers twist.
• Test your wits and delight your senses in 100 levels and more coming soon.
• Discover addictive new matching gameplay.
• Put your puzzle skills to the test and conquer all 9 unique challenge types.
• Unleash 3 level-conquering power-ups to maximize matching fun.
Cristiano Ronaldo Footy
I have just enough British friends to know that "Footy" is about the same as "pick-up" and Cristiano Ronaldo is a popular soccer player. So consider this game something like Backyard Football (or futbol) - a simplified version of the game for quick, easy matches and/or young players. There are limited numbers of teams and locales, but it should be more than enough for some casual fun. Parents, watch out for that level-up IAP.
Cristiano Ronaldo Footy. - The official football game from team Ronaldo. Show off your Football skills in a spectacular 3D action football (soccer) game. There are new Leagues to climb, powerful special moves, customizable teams, and much more. Four unique football stadiums to choose from as you play your way through the leagues. Now's the time to start your career and your march to greatness to be the words best footballer of all time.
Block Legend
Match-3 puzzles, 8-bit style, and some odd modifiers make up Block Legend. You're a typical RPG hero who travels and fights via a giant Bejeweled puzzle. For some reason. There's actually a surprising amount of story crammed into the varying locations, but the real draw here (over, say, Puzzle Quest) will be the impressive 8-bit visuals, animation, and chiptune music.
Block Legend is a retro puzzle JRPG. Travel through different regions as a wide cast of characters, fighting monsters, visiting towns, and completing quests.
• Fun puzzle tile-breaking gameplay.
• Huge selection of heroes to choose from.
• Tons of monsters to fight.
• Take down powerful bosses.
• Visit multiple regions.
• Over 100 quests to complete.
• Unique adventures every play through.
• NO IAP.!.!
Pulser Free
Pulser isn't quite like anything else I've seen. On first glance it looks like another Tron-inspired minimal shooter, but the weapon (or at least the sole means of interaction) is a tiny keyboard. Your job is to "type" out nonsense words, or perhaps syllables, reducing their complexity. You'll have to quickly and correctly zap them, sometimes from multiple directions, to advance through the stages. The full game is $1.99 via in-app purchase.
Are you tired of running through the same old temples or tapping idly at your enemies? Pulser offers a new and intuitive way to play. Use our custom six character keyboard to zap the invading shapes into oblivion. Swipe or tap to type and let the laser do the rest. Pulser caters for the casual gamer, but achieving the S rank in all 60 levels will test your reactions to the limit. Simple to grasp, hard to master.
PuzzleBits
There's not much to say here: Tetris + shaped puzzle = Puzzle Bits. Move the Tetris-style blocks onto the base to make the shape, and you win. Free with ads (plus in-app purchases) and 500 levels.
A whimsical puzzly thing, with bits that go boom. Place the colorful pieces in the right spots to complete a puzzle. If you succeed, the puzzle will explode into tiny bits, which then recombine into a new challenging shape.
- 500 puzzles, with more to come.
- Hundreds of unique, brightly colored, piece shapes.
- Playful animations and soundtrack.
- Free hint option
OLO
OLO is kind of like a super-simplified version of shuffleboard or bocce ball. Bounce your circles off the other circles and get them into your opponent's endzone - that's about it. The game is designed to be played locally on opposite sides of a tablet or smartphone, using table tennis-style singles and doubles play. Online multiplayer and Google Play Games support is included. You can also pick this one up in the latest Humble Bundle.
The original finger-flicking board game, now available on Android. OLO is an addictive game of skill and strategy, a new generation social board game for all ages. Play with up to three friends or play online against anyone, anywhere. The aim is to get as many of your OLOs into your target zone. Use cunning techniques to outmaneuver your opponent and claim victory, but beware the death finger.
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.
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