The Simpsons Tapped Out goes live on Google Play

The Simpsons Tapped Out goes live on Google Play

Home » Articles » The Simpsons Tapped Out goes live on Google Play

That didn’t take long. A few days ago we told you about The Simpson Tapped out going live in some regions, and tonight it looks like it’s officially out in the US and other parts of the world. Ready to build your own Springfield?

For those of you not familiar with the game you basically get you build your own version of Springfield complete with all the landmarks and characters you know and love from the series. The controls are that of your typical building game so if you’ve played one of the thousands out there you’ll have no trouble picking up The Simpsons Tapped Out and getting down to business. There seems to be a lot to do, but it’s a time-based game so I’ve not gotten too deep into things yet.

The Simpsons Tapped Out is full of humor straight from The Simpsons and there are a lot of jokes made about mobile gaming and even the evilness of in-app currency… nice touch. That being said, donuts are the featured form of rare currency in the game and you’ll probably buy a lot of them as the game is a blast if you love the Simpsons. You can check out EA’s The Simpsons Tapped Out for free on Google Play.

The Simpsons Tapped Out

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Tags: android game, building game, ea, The Simpsons, The Simpsons Tapped Out

Games You should be Playing: Shapes & Sound The Shape Shooter

Games You should be Playing: Shapes & Sound The Shape Shooter

Home » Articles » Games You should be Playing: Shapes & Sound The Shape Shooter

It’s always refreshing to see something new on Android and Shapes & Sound: The Shape Shooter is just that. It may have an awkward name, but the game is awesome and it’s one of the coolest minimalistic shooters you’re likely to play.

Shapes & Sound: The Shape Shooter is an oddball of a game, and I mean that in the nicest way. It’s a stationary shooter of sorts that has you shoot shapes at other shapes as they come towards you. You’ll want to absorb like shapes, but shoot any shapes that aren’t like yours. Sounds simple no? The kicker is that you can swipe the screen to switch “your” shape from a circle to a square or triangle which makes things much more interesting and a whole lotta’ fun. Shapes & Sound has no need for hundreds of levels or fancy extras, but you will get a highscore table and some achievements to shoot for.

I’d been hearing about Shapes & Sound: The Shape Shooter since was released late last month and boy am I glad I finally got around to trying it. It’s as cool as the other side of the pillow and it’s one of the more unique games you’ll find in the labyrinth known as Google Play. I could have described the game in more detail, but I really want you to be just as surprised as I was when I first fired up the game. There’s no free version available at this time, but the game is a steal at only $ 0.99. You can pick up ARRG Studios Shapes & Sound: The Shape Shooter on Google Play or the Amazon App store.

Shapes & Sound: The Shape Shooter

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Tags: action arcade, android game, ARRG Studios, indie, Shapes & Sound: The Shape Shooter, The Shape Shooter

January distribution numbers are in, modern Android usage on the rise

January distribution numbers are in, modern Android usage on the rise

The latest platform distribution numbers for January 2013 have been made available by Google, and modern Android is making up ground in the race to take the biggest piece of the pie. For now, Gingerbread is dominating the usage charts, but Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean are coming up quick.

According to the latest platform distribution numbers from Google, Gingerbread, Android 2.3, while still maintaining the largest usage numbers, is slipping. Modern Android, 4.0, 4.1 and 4.2, is there to pick up the slack.

The numbers from Google show Gingerbread with a total of 45.6 percent of distribution. ICS and Jelly Bean now hold a combined 42.6 percent. With a difference of only 3 percent, there’s good reason to believe that by the end of summer, modern Android will have well eclipsed anything below 4.x.

Android distribution has been a target of attack from naysayers since the very beginning. For right now, it appears Google is headed in the right direction. If Google releases Key Lime Pie at I/O this May though, we could see things take a turn for the worse.

Phosphor Games Studio launches Project Awakened on Kickstarter

Phosphor Games Studio launches Project Awakened on Kickstarter

Home » Articles » Phosphor Games Studio launches Project Awakened on Kickstarter

We’ve covered a few of Phosphor Games Android titles in the past, and a few days ago I noticed an interesting Kickstarter of theirs called Project Awakened. While Project Awakened is only a PC based concept at the moment, it’s one of the more interesting and ambitious gaming concepts we’ve seen in quite some time.

Project Awakened is a game that lets you create the video character of your dreams. While it may not sound “earth shattering” it is as they mean it in the most literal sense. The game doesn’t use the old skill-tree or class system; instead it features a modular setup that allows you to mix & match powers and skills in unique ways. Sure you’ll be able to make Pirates, Soldiers, and Ninjas, but what about a hero that spontaneously combusts or a heroine that’s invisible and uses charm to have others do her bidding? Those are a just a few possibilities the developers have thrown out there, and they are two combinations I bet you’ve never thought of before. See the potential?

Having a game full of superheroes is only half the battle though as you‘ll need an awesome environment for them to play in. Project Awakened has that covered as well. They aim to build a rich world you can explore on your own, but still have the option to take on story-driven experiences based on your characters abilities. The environment and AI will react differently depending on your powers which means you should have a different experience when playing with new characters and abilities. There’s a storyline as well that involves the government, shady corporations, physical augmentation, and human evolution. Got your attention yet?

Project Awakened is one of the more ambitious projects I’ve seen, but Phosphor definitely has a team put together to pull it off. They’ve worked with Epic to develop the Unreal Engine 4, and have a team full of vets that have worked on titles like Mortal Kombat, Gears of War 2, Dark Meadow, and Horn just to name a few. At the time of this writing they’ve raised around $ 59,363 out of their $ 500,000 dollar goal with 28 days left to go.

The game won’t hit beta until August 2014, but as someone who loves character customization (who doesn’t?) it’s a project I’ll be backing and a concept that gamers should pay attention to. If you think the game sounds as cool as I do you can pull out your wallet, show a little love, and start daydreaming about your ideal Superhero.You can find out more about Phosphor Games Studios Project Awakened on their Kickstarter page.

Project Awakened

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Tags: action adventure, crowd funding, kickstarter, pc game, phosphor games studio, Project Awakened

Herocraft’s Catch The Candy hits Google Play

Herocraft’s Catch The Candy hits Google Play

Home » Articles » Herocraft’s Catch The Candy hits Google Play

Like candy? Everyone does, and the little monster in Herocraft’s new Android game Catch The Candy definitely loves the sweet treats. He’s purple, he’s furry, and he’s very, very hungry…

While I don’t know the name of the hero from Catch the Candy, he’s a bit of an odd one and he has a wicked little tail. That tail comes in handy though as you’ll use it to manipulate objects in the game and catch candy of course. Each level requires you to use your grappling tail to get to the candy, and as you’d expect it’s not going to be that easy. Some levels have you swing from rings like a gymnast while others test your reflexes in pinball machines or on Ferris wheels.  The games environments are very interactive and quite a bit of fun. By the numbers Catch The Candy offers up 58 levels spanning several different worlds and more cuteness than you can shake a stick at.

I haven’t had a chance to play Catch The Candy yet, but as you can see from the screens above and the trailer below it looks to be a fun little puzzler. No free version is available at this time, but you can pick up the full version of Catch The Candy for only $ 0.99 on Google Play.

Catch The Candy

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Tags: android game, casual, catch the candy, herocraft, physics game

Rumor: HTC M7 to hit AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile at launch, Verizon’s M7 gets delayed

Rumor: HTC M7 to hit AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile at launch, Verizon’s M7 gets delayed

According to one of our most trusted sources, HTC’s launch partners for the M7 include T-Mobile, Sprint and AT&T. While we have seen evidence which suggests the HTC M7 is also heading to Verizon, our source claims that big red’s launch of the flagship Android device from HTC will be delayed. The reason for the delay is unknown, but Verizon is currently backing the HTC Droid DNA with a huge marketing campaign, so we doubt they would want to push it to the side to promote a device which isn’t much different from the DNA.

There are no new details available regarding the HTC M7?s retail availability in the U.S. market, but we’re hoping we won’t have to wait too long since the device is rumored to go on sale in Europe on March 8th. HTC’s February 19th press event is only two and a half weeks away, so we suspect we’ll be getting all of the official HTC M7 launch details then.

What are your thoughts on Verizon’s delayed launch of the HTC M7? Do you think they simply want to put some distance between the M7 and the DNA or do you think they are making some tweaks of their own like they did the HTC 8X?

Studio TeraBites The Chuck smashes its way on to Google Play

Studio TeraBites The Chuck smashes its way on to Google Play

Home » Articles » Studio TeraBites The Chuck smashes its way on to Google Play

Some work hard to become a Legend, and then there’s The Chuck. The Chuck was weaned from a Honey Badger and his beard has kicked more ass than you ever will. The Chuck also doesn’t like nerds so he’s going to let watch him beat them down. We use the word “watch” because you’re pretty dense if you think The Chuck actually needs your help.

The Chuck is a fast-paced endless runner of sorts that pits someone that strongly resembles Chuck Norris against an army of nerds. The premise is about as simple as it gets; you smash nerds for juice and then smash things with your deadly dash. Nice and simple… just the way The Chuck likes it. The running part of the game is a blast, and there are a couple of Chuck mini-games along with a shop where you can upgrade The Chuck, although he doesn’t really need it. There’s definitely more than meets the eye to the game, and it’s quite a bit of fun to boot.

I stumbled across The Chuck last night…before promptly apologizing because I should have been watching where I was going. As much fun as I’ve had writing about The Chuck the game is very cool and well worth checking out, needless to say I’ll be back with a fun full review of The Chuck next week. If you want to smack down some nerds now you can pick up Studio TeraBites The Chuck for $ 0.99 on Google Play.

The Chuck

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Tags: action arcade, andorid game, chuck norris, Chuck Norris Game, Studio TeraBites, The Chuck