Android Apps Games

LightUp Android app Review

Description:

In the LightUp Android app you will have to light up the entire board only moving one square at a time.

Features:

• LightUp is an ingenious little puzzle gaming app that is brought to you by the same developers that created the Cestos app for the Android
• In LightUp, you are simply trying to turn all of the white tiles into blue tiles.  It seems like it would be super easy to do but you will soon find out that it takes some real skill to be able to do it
• You will start on one square and then you will have to work your way around the board a single tile at a time in order to light up the entire board and complete the level
• There is a lite version that you can download for free or you can get the full version which has tons of features for you to be able to enjoy
• There are over 125 levels that are all unique and offer some very interesting twist, turns, and challenges
• You will also get to hear some cool music that was created by Protonk and you will have hours that you can spend on trying to finish these brain twisters
• There are also two different playing modes;  The multi mode with allows you to try and beat the puzzle from two different starting points and also the Backtrack mode where you will have to finish the puzzle in a certain amount of moves

Conclusion:

You can never have too many little puzzle games on your phone.  They seem to be the best time wasters and you don’t have to commit hours and hours to try and beat an entire storyline.  This app does exactly what it says it will do and it offers a few minutes of mind boggling fun here and there.  The great thing about this app is that it is very simple to pick up and play but can be very difficult to master.  In this game you will have you try and light up the entire board by only pressing one block at a time.  Just remember that if you make a single wrong turn you will have to start over on the board.  The key is to do it as fast as you can without messing up. The graphics in the game are very simple as well and the backdrops of the game always seem to feature some starry sky.  This game is actually very addicting to play and can be a great one to add to your arsenal of favorite time wasters.

This is a fun little puzzle game for the Android.  This app has been rated 4.1 out of a 5 star rating system and you can either try out the app for free or you can download the full version for $3.99 off of the Android app Market.

Tank Ace 1944 Android app Review

Description:

In the Tank Ace 1944 app you will be able to control a big military tank as you go around around destroy your enemies and try to take over the capitol.

Features:

• In this game you will be able to take command of a tank during the World War II era and try and kill all of your enemy tanks in order to advance and try to ultimately overthrow the capitol of the enemy
• You can play as one of three different groups.  You can either be the allied forces, the soviet forces, or the German forces
• The different tanks that you can play as include the Sherman, the Tiger, and also the T34 Tank.  All of these have big turrets that are movable as well as a cannon to fire from
• While you are playing you will have to capture enemy trucks and convoys that have extra armor, fuel, and ammunition otherwise you will never have enough to kill your enemies
• You can also destroy huge parts of the level.  The entire game is in three dimensions which is a pretty cool feature
• There are also three different difficulty levels that you can play in to be able to match your skill set

Conclusion:

This game is an action packed old school three dimensional war game where you get to control a big tank and blow stuff up.  Although the premise of the game sounds pretty cool, this game kind of fails to deliver any kind of lasting effect on anyone that plays it.  The main gripes with this app are that the controls are all on-screen and they can get quite cumbersome.  You will find yourself spending a great amount of time trying to get used to them.  Also, the missions in the game are all but impossible because of how they are set up.  Some levels you have like seven different tanks to kill but you are only given four rounds to do it with.  Sometimes this limited ammunition will just fire off at random even though you didn’t shoot it.  Also, you have a huge disadvantage over other tanks because they can climb over mountains while you can barely get up a hill.  There is also a page turn effect that happens when terrain gets in the way of the camera on the screen.  There are just a lot of poorly done features in this game that could have been polished and fixed to make this a much better action game for people who enjoy this genre.

This app has been rated by multiple Android users and has been given a rating of 3.2 out of 5 stars by critics.  The app can be downloaded for free off of the Android app market or you can upgrade to the pro version which costs $4.99.

CubicMan Android app Review

Description:

In the CubicMan Android app Review you will have to use your wits and smarts to be able to get your magical stone to roll across the board, dodging obstacles and staying away from the edge the board until you finally get it to it’s destination in a small 1 x 1 cube made specifically for it.  A challenging little puzzler that you will enjoy.

Features:

• This is a fun gaming app for the Android that will stretch your brain and make you work hard to figure out the puzzles that are placed in front of you in each and every level that you play in
• In CubicMan you will have to learn how to control a magic stone that is rolling on a board.   You will need to make sure that this stone goes through specific terrains and eventually makes it to it’s final destination on the board
• There will be many obstacles in the way as you try and move your magical stone from point A to point B.  Some of these different obstacles include things like traps, bridges that move, switches that go on and off in an odd-even fashion, and even switches that are unidirectional
• You will constantly be searching for the best way to get your stone to reach the end of the board without having to get stuck or stopped by all of the obstacles in the way
• The graphics in this game are entirely in 3D and you will take a top view as far as gameplay goes.  The visuals are pretty impressive for an Android app game
• This level has a ton of replay value.  There are over 100 different levels that you will have to figure out in order to complete the game in its fulness
• This puzzle game is very similar to Nintaii and you will have to make sure that you flip and roll it enough so that the vertical side fits into the corresponding hole
• If you are not careful you may see your magical stone go flipping off of the board because of a wrong move on your part
• You can pan and zoom on the board using hte on screen controls that are provide for you

Conclusion:

This is a pretty challenging puzzle game for the Android and offers some unique and fun boards for you to play on.  There are only a few gripes with it.  First of all it is pretty hard to pan over the 3D environment because you have to use the on screen controls to do so.  Other than that though, it is a solid 3D puzzler for the Android.

This app has been rated 4.1 out of 5 stars by multiple users and it currently has a free download available on the market, or you can download the full version for $2.99 if you decide that you really like the game.

Raging Thunder Android App Game Review

Description:

There are a lot of different racing games out there to choose from, so you want to try and get one that has the right mix of graphics, gameplay, and challenging competition.  Everyone knows that Android apps have not previously been known for their racing game genre.  The Raging Thunder Android app, however, is the exception.  It brings a truly impressive 3D racing game to the Android system and lets you get behind the fastest cars in the industry.  This game is fast-paced and is sure to burn some virtual rubber.   You have all kinds of cars you can choose, from the muscle cars of America to the impressive imports of other countries.  You can battle against CPU opponents, or against time itself.  You can replay different courses as you unlock them and try to beat your fastest time again and again.

One thing to note it that this current version of the game does not support the Motorola Droid, or the HTC Tattoo.  The developers are working to update the game so that it can work on these phones as well but it will still be a little while before that happens.

All in all, this is a pretty incredible 3D racing game.  You will enjoy the incredibly fast turns and the lightning bolt acceleration boosts you can pick up along the way.  Get into gear and download Raging Thunder today!

Features:

• An intense and fun 3D gaming experience for an Android racing game
• Makes full use of the accelerometer so you can turn and tilt your phone to get your car to make turns
• Can collect a variety of different items throughout the race including small lightning bolts that will give you a quick burst of speed
• Can also collect skulls that allow you to distract and destroy other racers that are competing against you
• Many other features available by tapping the right and left screens
• Many different modes of racing including Single or Multiplayer
• Can also access the Arcade, Championship, Time Attack, Quick Race, and local races through the Polarbit Network

Conclusion:

Polarbit really outdid itself with this gaming app.  Bringing the first real 3D racing experience to the Android system is no small feat.  They nailed it and even complemented it with smooth gameplay and interface features.  The only downside to this app is there aren’t a lot of extra features available.  Also the network is not big enough to support online multi-play.  For now you will just have to stick to the network multiplayer options that are available.

Voted 4.2 out of 5 stars by Android app users and currently has a free trial download.

Air Hockey App Game Review

Description:

The Air Hockey Android app does a great job of utilizing the touchscreen capabilities of the Droid.  The basic gameplay is pretty self explanatory.  You use your finger to guide the Hockey stick and block the pucks from coming into your goal.  You also are trying to hit the pucks into your opponents goal on the other side of the phone.  One of the nice things about this game is just how simple it is.  Anyone can pick up the game and start playing it.  There are no detailed instructions that need to be followed, or intricate gameplay factors that would make the game difficult.  Just pick up the phone, download the app, and get started.

Air Hockey for Android has a few great features for those that download it.  First of all there are a bunch of different levels you can play.  This gives you a variety of different backgrounds and also a list of new challenges to conquer.  For instance, one of the challenges is to hit the puck without hitting the green ones, all before time runs out.   These new challenges add more difficulty to the game for those more experienced players, and also add some much needed twists.

You can download a free demo and have it on your phone in a matter of seconds.  With a free demo you have got nothing to lose by trying out and seeing if you actually like it.  But if you have any bit of childish innocence left in you then you will see the advantages to having Air Hockey on your mobile phone

Features:

• You can have up to six pucks in the game at a time
• Variety of backgrounds and pucks
• Different modes and challenges to keep you interested
• There are timed modes and also those that are not timed

Conclusion:

This is a quality app.  Easy to use, and fun to play.  The only problems with is are that it takes a little while to get going, and the inertia that is associated with the pucks is not very realistic.  Also when there is an off-whit background, it is very hard to see the white pucks on the top of it.  Other than this, there are some fun features and challenging modes to keep you interested and wanting to play again.

Voted 3.7 out of 5 stars by Android app users and currently has a free demo.

Word Mix Andoid App Game Review

Description:

This is a classic mix up word game.  The Word Mix Android app is pretty basic and easy to pick up and play.  The point of the game is to guess each six letter word that is presented to move up a level.  As you guess all of the different words that can be created from the letters you will get points for how fast that you do it.  Some of the levels are actually pretty hard but try not to use the hints if you can help it.  This is just like many of the other word mix-up Android apps like TextTwist and WordWarp.

The game offers a lot of variety and over 5000 different word puzzles.  You can play in timed games, or do untimed and just see if you have what it takes to get all of the word combinations.   Once you guess the words, or if they are just given to you, you can actually click on the words and see their definitions so you can start impressing your friends by using them in daily conversation.

The user interface is extremely easy to use, and this is just a solid word game for the puzzle app lover.  Word games are great because they stretch you mentally and help you to expand your vocabulary.  After a few hours of playing Word Mix, you will find yourself using some of the words you created throughout the day.

Features:

• Has over 5,000 different word puzzles to choose from as you go throughout the game
• Use 3 to 6 letter word combinations to find all of the words that can be created
• Can do timed puzzles as well as those that are not timed
• You can choose the mix feature to switch up the letters and possibly give you a better idea of what words can be created
• Use the “guess” button to submit a word on the list
• You can also use “hint” to get some info on the remaining words
• Connected to dictionary.com so you can look up definitions of the words once the game is over
• Easy to use controls, and very smooth

Conclusion:

Not a bad app, but not spectacular either.  It does just what it says it will do, but is really lacking in features.  If you love word games then you will likely get some satisfaction from playing it but with a lack of features the replay value just isn’t there.

Voted 4 out of 5 stars by Android app users and currently costs $0.99.

FRG Android App Game Review

Description:

FRG is an Android app game that centers around a robot hero and his journey to defeat enemy forces.  In FRG you will control your robot and take him through many different levels and terrains to destroy the evil robots that have invaded.  Your goal is to hunt down as many enemy robots you can and kill as many as possible.  The more that you kill, the higher your score will be.  Keep in mind that these enemy hordes will also be hunting you.  The quicker you can kill them, and the more efficiently you do it, the better chance you have of surviving.  As you go throughout the leves you will unlock different kinds of weapons, some more powerful than others.  You can also unlock other robots and upgrades for your suit.  The levels get harder as you go on, and it will continue to challenge you through the entire game.

Depending on how well you play, you can win achievements to get some serious upgrades for your own robot.  These upgrades will help you as you struggle to survive each mission.  As you get high scores you can post them on the Online Leaderboards and strut your stuff.

FRG is one of those Android apps that is extremely addicting and fun.  You will be challenged as you advance in the game, and struggle to kill all the enemies.  The graphics are simple but smooth.  The entire game takes place with an aerial view and follows you around as you hunt down the enemy.  The app makes good usage of sound effects, vibration, and even the accelerometer.  The accelerometer can be toggled on or off, depending on your own personal preferences.

Features:

• Aerial view for optimal baddie blasting
• Weapon upgrades as you advance in the levels
• Achieve certain goals to upgrade your own robot
• Different difficulty settings to keep it interesting and challenging
• Online Leaderboards to post high scores and see global rankings
• Uses the accelerometer as well as the vibration function

Conclusion:

This is a simple game, but is very fun to play.  The aerial view  gives it an old school feel to it, and there are enough bad guys around to give any gamer a run for their money.  The Online Leaderboards is a nice touch to keep it competitive and new to gamers all over the world.  Has gained good reviews from other users, and seems to have some good replay value.

Voted 4 stars by Android app users and can currently be downloaded for $3.00.

LightUp Android App Game Review

Description:

This may seem like a very simple puzzle game, but as you get into it you will see that it can be quite the brain buster.  The Lightup Android app is one of the premier puzzle Android apps, and is addicting and challenging to play.  The main goal of the game is to turn all of the tiles blue by moving over them one square at a time.  The key to the game is to plan out your route before you go, otherwise you may make a wrong turn and ruin the entire puzzle.  Since you can only hit each tile once, you have to pick the perfect path or you will suffer defeat.  This is a great game of strategy and mind power to be able to find the correct routes through each of the many puzzles.

The full version of LightUp has over 125 different levels to choose from which will keep you busy for hours and hours.  There is great background music (supplied by ProtonK) and a great gameplay scheme that is easy to follow and fun to play.  The graphics in the game are simple, but effective.  It usually centers around a multitude of blocks with a starry sky in the background.  While LightUp doesn’t make use of the accelerometer, it does have great sound effects and uses the vibration function.

Features:

• This game was created by the same people that brought the Cestos Android app
• Incredibly challenging puzzle board game
• Over 125 different levels to conquer before you can call yourself the puzzle master
• Slide along individual blocks to turn them all blue
• Two playing modes, Multi and Backtrack
• The Multi mode involves solving the puzzle from two different points on the board
• Backtrack involves solving the puzzle with the precise amount of moves
• Great background music and sound effects
• Good usage of the vibrating function found on the Android

Conclusion:

Overall, this is one of the most challenging puzzle game apps you will run into.  You will find yourself literally wasting hours and hours trying to beat certain levels.  Each puzzle is very unique and takes some studying and calculating in order to make a correct path.  If you love puzzle games, then LightUp is a must have.  There is enough entertainment to keep any puzzle lover happy for quite a while.  Currently only four bucks to download, it is well worth the price.

Voted 4.1 stars by Android app users and currently costs $3.99 to download.

Flight Director Android App Review

Description:

When you were a little kid did you ever want to sit in an air traffic control tower and guide the planes in and out of the airport?  Well now you can!   With the help of Google Earth, the Flight Director app allows you to use real airport maps in order to find a safe route for the incoming planes.  It is up to you to draw a route on the map to get the planes safely home.  If you pick a bad route, or are too slow, then the planes will crash and you will be responsible!

The best part about this game is that it really feels like you are guiding planes in using a satellite system.  The use of the Google Airport Maps gives it a very realistic feel and makes you feel like you are the man in charge.  The gameplay is very challenging, and will provide hours of fun and addictive entertainment.  Getting planes to their destinations has never been so fun!

The game includes Vector Graphics and Fluid Control options and is a delight to play.  It is based off of the original Flight Control game and this spin-off takes some of the original aspects and just improves on them.  The game doesn’t use the accelerometer or have background music, but it does have some incredible sound effects and good usage of the vibration functions of the phone.

Features:

• Includes real air traffic maps from Google Earth
• Very realistic, almost as if you are bringing real aircraft home with each route you draw
• You can land planes, war machines, helicopters, and many other types of aircraft
• You will have to land multiple planes at the same time, so you will need to be quick with your fingers and your wit
• Use the touchscreen to draw your routes and safely guide planes in

Conclusion:

This game offers some pros and cons.  The pros are that it is a very fun, addicting game.  As the difficulty level increases you will find yourself frantically trying to guide multiple planes into the landing pad at the same time.  This game does a good job of giving you a good challenge while not being impossible.  The major cons are that it does not have any type of background music, and sometimes the use of the aerial maps can be a bit cheesy.

Voted 3.7 stars by Android app users and currently costs $1.99.

What the Doodle!?- Android Apps Review

Description What the Doodle App:

What the Doodle!? is an Android app that gives you real-time gameplay.  This multiplayer online draw-guess game is like having Pictionary on your Android device.  There are a variety of game modes, including private games, personal face doodles, integrated voice recognition, high scores and many others.  We know you love charades, and this way you can take it anywhere.  The online multiplayer feature allows you to play with your friends, no matter where they are.  This is a great game app that provides addictive, creative fun.  What the Doodle!? was an overall winner of the second Android Developer Challenge by Google because of its creative fun that can be happily addictive. Similar to Pictionary, a word is given to you to doodle or draw.  Others try to guess your word, and then you try to guess what the other people are drawing.

Just like in Pictionary, you want your drawing to be easy to guess and you can’t write the keyword. Points are awarded if you succeed in guessing other player’s drawings, but will be deducted if the other players don’t guess your keyword.  Just like in the live game, you have the fun uncertainty of having other players involved – you never know how well the others draw and doodle or how quickly they will guess your word.  The game can help detect cheating, and will pop up an alert asking each player whether you suspect another player of cheating.  If the majority of players confirm it, the game will boot the player.  This way, you can keep the game play fair, which makes it much more fun.  What a great game app!

Features:

• Easy, addictive game play
• Creative game play
• Online, multiplayer feature
• Variety of game options
• Lots of game levels
• You can ‘Accuse’ people of cheating and boot those not playing fair.
• Ability to Clear the screen and start over on your drawing
• Simple drawing controls

Conclusion:

What the Doodle!? is a game app that is full of creative, addictive fun.  It features lots of game modes.  Because it allows for online, multiplayer games, there can be a lag-time of 5 – 10 seconds, but this is not a problem with the app – it is merely a function of the variety of connection speeds by other online players.  If you have ever enjoyed playing charades or the popular game of Pictionary, you will quickly enjoy this Android app.

This  app is rated 4 + stars by Android users and is currently FREE.