Android's user interface is mainly based on direct manipulation, using touch gestures that loosely correspond to real-world actions, such as swiping, tapping and pinching, to manipulate on-screen objects, along with a virtual keyboard for text input. The operating system's current design language is Google's Material Design. Android's primary app store is Google Play, with over one million Android applications, ("apps"), with top android games published and 50 billion downloads as of July 2013. In addition to touchscreen devices, Google has further developed Android for television, cars, and wristwatches, each with a specialized yet similar interface. Variants and forked versions of Android are also used on notebooks, game consoles, digital cameras, and other electronics.
There are hundreds of fantastic games available for Android, and a lot of them are available for absolutely nothing.
1. Lunar Racer
This side-on racer by the people behind Super Stickman Golf is a bit like what might happen if Tiny Wings was wrapped around an asteroid and hammered into Mario Kart.The dinky space cars zoom along, and you tilt your device to make yours spin while airborne. Virtual buttons provide a magnet (for landing more rapidly) and nitro boost, and pick-ups enable you to unsportingly fire missiles at the race leader. It's fast, frantic, playable stuff. You could say we like it so much that we're OVER THE MOON! (Sorry.)
2. Real Racing 3
Real Racing 3’s console-level
visuals look so good that we’re still amazed we can play it on our
smartphones. Throw in the easy-to-use motion-controlled steering (which
actually works and doesn’t make us want to throw our phones at the wall
in frustration) and you’ve got yourself one of the most polished racers
in the Google Play Store.
Its freemium model, which involves having to take large breaks between races unless you pay to speed things up, got plenty of criticism on its release, but once you've got a few cars in your garage it's not a big problem. Besides, it's well deserving of a little of your cash
Its freemium model, which involves having to take large breaks between races unless you pay to speed things up, got plenty of criticism on its release, but once you've got a few cars in your garage it's not a big problem. Besides, it's well deserving of a little of your cash
3. Super Stickman Golf 2
Super Stickman Golf 2’s ancestor is the same Apple II Artillery game Angry Birds has at its core, but Noodlecake’s title is a lot more fun than catapulting birds around.
It’s a larger-than-life side-on mini-golf extravaganza, with you thwacking balls about giant castles, moon bases, and metal-clad courses with a suspiciously high deadly saw-blade count. The single-player game’s fun, but SSMG 2 really comes into its own in multiplayer, whether you’re taking the more sedate turn-by-turn route or ball-smacking at speed in the frenetic race mode.
There's no FIFA-style TV-like action here; instead, you get a selection of mini-games, giving you chances to score and pass during matches and increase your skills during training. The remainder of the game is about balancing life, keeping your boss, team and partner happy, while occasionally sneaking out to the casino and buying the odd fighter jet. Hey, we said 'not entirely realistic'.
It’s a larger-than-life side-on mini-golf extravaganza, with you thwacking balls about giant castles, moon bases, and metal-clad courses with a suspiciously high deadly saw-blade count. The single-player game’s fun, but SSMG 2 really comes into its own in multiplayer, whether you’re taking the more sedate turn-by-turn route or ball-smacking at speed in the frenetic race mode.
4. New Star Soccer
New Star Soccer reimagines the beautiful game in an abstract and not entirely realistic fashion that owes a lot to ancient management games for the C64 and ZX Spectrum.There's no FIFA-style TV-like action here; instead, you get a selection of mini-games, giving you chances to score and pass during matches and increase your skills during training. The remainder of the game is about balancing life, keeping your boss, team and partner happy, while occasionally sneaking out to the casino and buying the odd fighter jet. Hey, we said 'not entirely realistic'.
5. Leap Day
A new challenge beckons daily in this
one-thumb platformer likely to have you embed devices in a wall through
sheer frustration. Your little blob pootles about, and you tap to make
it jump, threading your way through spikes and nasties to reach the top
of each tall, narrow level.
It visually echoes 1980s classics such as Bubble Bobble but has the brutal heart of Super Hexagon. On each death, you’ll swear at your thumbs (or just swear), fume a bit, and then inevitably plump for ‘one more go’.
It visually echoes 1980s classics such as Bubble Bobble but has the brutal heart of Super Hexagon. On each death, you’ll swear at your thumbs (or just swear), fume a bit, and then inevitably plump for ‘one more go’.
6. Beneath The Lighthouse
Nitrome has a habit of unleashing ostensibly ‘casual’ titles that hide a ferocious underbelly. Beneath The Lighthouse is perhaps the developer’s finest, largely through doing something different and being a perfect fit for mobile.
The conceit is the lighthouse has failed, forcing you to search the caverns beneath for your lost grandpa. Each room is a circular death trap, rotated by turning an on-screen wheel. Your rotund character then moves by way of the magic of gravity. With luck, he’ll make the exit; if not, he’ll probably be nastily impaled.
The level design is smart and rapidly becomes challenging, especially if you want to win speedrun medals. The game’s freemium nature is fair, too. You get three lives per stage, which can be refreshed by watching an ad; £3.59 removes ads and life limits forever.
The conceit is the lighthouse has failed, forcing you to search the caverns beneath for your lost grandpa. Each room is a circular death trap, rotated by turning an on-screen wheel. Your rotund character then moves by way of the magic of gravity. With luck, he’ll make the exit; if not, he’ll probably be nastily impaled.
The level design is smart and rapidly becomes challenging, especially if you want to win speedrun medals. The game’s freemium nature is fair, too. You get three lives per stage, which can be refreshed by watching an ad; £3.59 removes ads and life limits forever.
7. Pac-Man 256
This reimagining of the dot-muncher’s adventures comes from the Crossy Road developers. It dumps Pac-Man beyond the infamous level-256 glitch, which becomes an all-devouring entity, slowly consuming everything in its path.
Our yellow hero must keep moving, munching dots, avoiding ghosts, and grabbing power-ups that enable him to spew laser death from his maw. Ah, yes — that bit’s new. Pac-Man has power-ups now, and additional ones are earned the more you play.
We imagine it’s quite the surprise to any ghosts loitering about a power pellet when their face is removed by a Pac-Laser or whirling tornado sent their way
Our yellow hero must keep moving, munching dots, avoiding ghosts, and grabbing power-ups that enable him to spew laser death from his maw. Ah, yes — that bit’s new. Pac-Man has power-ups now, and additional ones are earned the more you play.
We imagine it’s quite the surprise to any ghosts loitering about a power pellet when their face is removed by a Pac-Laser or whirling tornado sent their way
8. Clash Royale
This mash-up of RTS and card
collecting has you battle opponents online in single-screen arenas.
Individual, varied units are plonked on the battlefield from your deck,
each costing elixir that refills as you fight. Wins come by clocking an
opponent’s strategy, and countering with cunning combos.
Clash Royale’s freemium, so obviously designed to mug your wallet, but canny players can progress for free; and it’s hugely compelling, so although your bank balance might be safe, your free time won’t be.
Clash Royale’s freemium, so obviously designed to mug your wallet, but canny players can progress for free; and it’s hugely compelling, so although your bank balance might be safe, your free time won’t be.
9. Plants vs Zombies 2
A popular game franchise that has veered down a somewhat controversial freemium path, Plants vs Zombies 2
is what’s known as a “tower defence” game: you build towers and
emplacements (or in this case, plant flowers, shrubs and veggies) to
fight off hordes of incoming enemies (in this case, shambling hordes of
undead). The badgering about micro-transactions can be a pain, but it
doesn’t kill off the essential brilliance of PopCap’s game.
No comments:
Post a Comment