Top mobile apps for Android

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Badland game: Explore the secrets of Jungle

Posted by Pawan Waghalkar , at 9:29:00 PM

You have seen the movie Avatar and you know how director James Cameron superbly shown Pandora, its lush green jungle, the never seen before creatures and the secrets hidden in the jungle and you feel like you are actually in that place. Similarly, at times we come across few games, which are so different and mystical in nature, be it their graphics, the setup or the game play.

This time I am covering one such game, Badland, presented by frogmind. Badland is a game with absolutely stunning graphics and has a jungle setup shown in it which is so mysterious but at the same time dangerous. The jungle looks really beautiful and the background sounds complete the experience of roaming around in a strange jungle.

Badland is a side scrolling game in which you control and play an unusual looking flying character. The idea is to cross the jungle which is full of unusual dangers without getting killed. Badland can be played in single player as well as multiplayer mode, I have not tried the multiplayer mode yet but I am sure it is also equally challenging.

Badland game: Launch screen

The game loads surprisingly very quickly, the game levels are divided across two days. The days are divided into four parts (isn't that obvious) namely: Dawn, Noon, Dusk and Night, and further each part has 10 levels (so, in all 80 levels). Each level has its own objectives and depending on the objectives you achieve you get eggs as your prize.

The controls are very easy, actually there is just one control, you just need to touch the screen and the character flaps enabling it to fly, you can touch the screen repeatedly to flap repeatedly or just keep your finger on the screen to achieve the same result.

Badland game: Level selection

As the level starts, the character (alas, no name given to it) is resting on the ground, and as it flaps it starts flying and move forward, because it's a physics based game, once it stops flapping it drops on the ground. As soon as the character started moving ahead there is no stopping, it should keep on moving forward because if it stops and goes out of the screen window the level ends immediately. Therefore, that's the first thing to keep in mind.

Badland game: I cloned myself

While moving forward, it acquires some abilities that are needed to cross the hurdles, as it can get bigger and heavier by touching the fruits on the way so that it can push heavier objects out of its way. Similarly it can again get in shape or even shrink in size by touching those fruits.

Badland game: Get bigger or smaller at will

Then there are powers by which it can clone itself and get a single or multiple companions. This also helps it to move forward because to cross some hurdles it needs to perform some tasks simultaneously and for that, it needs companions.

Badland game: It's my army

It's not just powers which can be picked, there are some I should say "weakness" which also has to be picked by the character which can slow it down and make its journey more difficult like it can pick a sticky weakness which makes it extremely sticky causing it to stick to anything it touches. Similarly, a bouncy weakness if acquired make the character excessively bouncy and it keeps on bouncing here and there instead of moving forward.

Badland game: It's sticky and deadly

Also, there are sharp rotating saws, pointed needles which can instantly kill the character and few time based traps which if not crossed within a short time can block the character and your game will be over.

Badland game: Trapped to dead

I strongly suggest you to install this game to actually get the feel of this stunning and highly addictive game, you will surely not regret.

Wish you happy holidays and a very Happy New Year!

How much it costs you: Not a single penny for Day 1 levels, then if you like you can buy the remaining and additional levels.

If you like this post or know any other app / game in the same category, let me know via comments section.

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Vacations: Refreshing Las Vegas, a different ball game

Posted by Pawan Waghalkar , at 7:12:00 PM

9 comments

This is happening for the first time on this blog that I am posting an off-topic post. As you might have noticed that I have not posted anything new on this blog for last three weeks, and there is a reason behind that. I was away travelling to the US of A for few official meetings and then went to Vegas for vacations :). This was my first time to Vegas so I was very excited and yes, Vegas did not disappoint me at all.

So here I am with this post, it does not cover any new Android app or game but its a trip report of Las Vegas.

Vegas trip was full of adventures and it started from the flight itself. We were at airport well on time and were eagerly waiting to board the flight but there was something unusual happening in Vegas at this time of the year, it was raining. And then the ground staff announced that the flight was delayed by more than 3 hours :(, it was the last thing we wanted to hear. Anyways, after the long wait they got the green signal and we boarded the flight. I was sitting near the window and it was evening time, when we were near to our destination, I could see it was all dark on the ground and just one road lit by vehicle's headlights heading to a place excessively lit by colorful lights. Well that's Las Vegas, a lively place in a barren dessert.

We reached our Hotel at around 11:30 PM and all we could see was, the place was heavily crowded with people all geared up for party and fun, that place was MGM Grand.

We were there for three days, our plan was to spend two days in Vegas and one day for a day tour to the Grand Canyon's West rim. So as per the plan we boarded the tour bus to Grand Canyon. The journey started at 6:30 in the morning and took around 3 hours to reach the first stop, the eagle point.

It was a cloudy day so we were not able to see the valley and the shape of an eagle as told by our guide Jerry. So we headed to our next stop that is the West rim sky walk. The sky opened up by that time and we could see the vast and simply awesome view of the Grand Canyon and the Colorado river. Grand Canyon is really "Grand" and at the same time mesmerizing. We spent around 2 hours at that point and we were served with lunch prepared by the native Hualapai people. The food was good and it was quite an experience of having lunch by the side of Grand Canyon. We really enjoyed it.

Grand Canyon: Breathtaking view of the canyon and Colorado river

Once Grand Canyon was done, we concentrated our energy to explore the Las Vegas. Walking was not an option as it is very easy to get tired especially if you are staying in MGM Grand, that place is really big. So we bought the "Deuce" bus ticket with unlimited rides for 24 hours, which is one of the most convenient and affordable option at 8 USD. We boarded the bus and then got down at all the major attractions on the Las Vegas strip. Some of the stops were: Stratosphere, Venetian, Aria, Bellagio etc. The good thing here in Vegas is you can simply walk in any Hotel or Casino and explore it, there is no restriction on the visitors.

Las Vegas: The Stratosphere tower

We particularly liked Venetian for its Venice like theme, they have emulated the canals of Venice and also there are gondolas with singing gondolier which is really a nice touch. The roof is painted like sky with clouds and due to the awesome lighting it really looks like a real sky.

Las Vegas: The Christmas decoration at Venetian

Las Vegas: The Venice canals at Venetian

We spent our day exploring all the places. Took some rest and by the evening time we were ready to go out again on the strip. The strip looks really different at night time, every place is illuminated with bright colorful lights and huge display screens. We headed straight to the Bellagio to watch the famous fountains show. And I must tell you it was awesome, everything was so synchronized the lights the music and the fountains. It was very difficult for us to leave that place, we watched 3 shows back to back and then boarded the Deuce for the Fremont Street experience.

Las Vegas: The famous fountains of Bellagio

Fremont Street is a comparatively new area which is being promoted as the next Vegas strip. And they have added some unique attractions to this place. The first thing you will notice is the roof covering the entire street, the complete roof is a giant screen and it keeps playing music videos or some random graphics, it's really an experience of the life time. There you can find lots of interesting people and performers on the street playing live band, some artists, painters and all other sort of entertainment. There are casinos, restaurants, souvenir shops too to keep you engaged.

Las Vegas: Fremont street experience

Las Vegas: It was time to bid adieu

And then the time came to say goodbye to Las Vegas and return back to our abode. Las Vegas experience was one of its kind and quite different from the places I visited earlier.

Wingsuit Lite: Now you can fly risk-free

Posted by Pawan Waghalkar , at 4:22:00 PM

4 comments

How many times looking at the flying birds you thought why we can't fly and enjoy the freedom? It must be so much fun without worrying about traffic and congestion. Sure, we have airplanes and choppers but still these are machines and they do not give the feel of actual flying. Glider comes pretty close when we talk about the feel, then someone invented the wingsuit and yes once you are into it, it is the closest of flying like a bird.

Wingsuit flying is considered as extreme sport due to the dangers associated with it and its not everyone's cup of tea, but do not worry the Android game Wingsuit Lite presented by Swipe Entertainment allows you to just do that without any associated risks and at the comfort of your home :). Wingsuit Lite is the free version of paid game Wingsuit Pro.

This game is all about flying, you play as a wingsuit flier and complete the challenges presented to you in the game. The game's 3D graphics are pretty smooth, overall it is quite a light weight game and my Nexus 7 (2012) can handle it without any hassle.

Wingsuit Lite: Launch screen

Wingsuit Lite has two levels: "Valley" and "Village" where "Village" level is locked at the start and as you play the "Valley" level and complete the objectives you can get the level unlocked.

Each level has two playing modes: "Points" and "Target" and both the modes are equally enjoyable and challenging. To unlock the next level you need to earn at-least three stars. It is quite difficult to earn three stars just by playing a single mode so try your hands on both the modes to collect the required stars.

Wingsuit Lite: Level and modes

Game Play
Game play is easy if you are not playing it for the sake of stars and just flying around to enjoy the view. But to score before you reach the end of the slope is a task. The trick is to fly closer to the ground to score quickly but again not too close else the gravitational force will make sure the player bite the dust :) and gets killed.
Controls are easy and responsive, while flying just tilt the device horizontally or vertically to turn left / right or up /down. You can also try some tricks using gestures which can be learned from the help menu, well those are just some fancy tricks and will not help in anyway to gain points / score.

Wingsuit Lite: Flying over the valley

The level starts when the player jumps from a cliff and starts flying and as he reaches the end of the valley and opens the parachute it ends. In target mode, you need to score a specific target to get stars and in points mode, players needs to pop maximum balloons floating around to get stars.

Wingsuit Lite: Medical report of the flier after the accident

Once you secure the minimum required stars the next level gets unlocked.

Wingsuit Lite: Unlocking of Village level

In Village level, you fly over a scenic village where the huts can be seen along the river banks and some small bridges over it. This level can also be played in target or points mode.

From the options menu you can choose to see the recording of your last played level and its quite interesting as you can view it from various camera angles.

There are few more levels but in the Wingsuit Lite version you have access to only two levels. You can buy the paid version to unlock all the levels.

So do not wait, download this game and get ready to fly.

Wingsuit Lite: Flying over the scenic village

How much it costs you: Not a single penny for the Lite version and 1 US $ for the paid version.

If you like this post or know any other app / game in the same category, let me know via comments.

To get notification about the new posts on this blog, do not forget to subscribe to this blog through email subscription option from the side bar.

See also:

Other such interesting games:

1. Little Galaxy: Are you ready for space travel?

2. Need For Speed - Most Wanted: Dare to challenge the most wanted

Monthly roundup: Top blog posts of October 2013

Posted by Pawan Waghalkar , at 12:32:00 PM

2 comments

Monthly roundup of the posts from the month of October 2013 on the top apps / games available on Android.

Games
1. Little Galaxy: Are you ready for space travel?
Little Galaxy developed by developer Bitmap Galaxy is an Android Arcade game set in space. In this game you play as a young boy jumping from one planet to another in his journey. Little Galaxy game is quite light weight but the 3D graphics are pretty cool and gives a realistic feel of planets and stars.

2. Prince of Persia Shadow & Flame: Return of the classic prince
Prince of Persia Shadow & Flame: Ubisoft has launched one of the classic Price of Persia title Shadow & Flame with new age stunning 3D graphics and touch screen friendly controls. You as the Price of Persia starts your adventurous and dangerous journey to save your princess from the captivity of evil Jaffar.

3. Stickman Base Jumper: Take a deep breath and jump
Stickman Base Jumper: Developed by Djinnworks is a lightweight but additive game. If you fancy of base jumping like Mr Cruise as he does in Mission Impossible series, this game gives you the opportunity to just do that.

Apps
1. Norton Mobile Security: The key to be worry free
Android being such a flexible ecosystem has its own advantages and disadvantages. The main challenge is to protect phone from malicious apps and websites. Norton Mobile Security comes to your rescue to secure your phone and does its duty wonderfully. One of the best anti-virus and complete security solution available on Android.

If you like this post or know any other app / game in the same category, let me know via comments section.
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Little Galaxy: Are you ready for space travel?

Posted by Pawan Waghalkar , at 6:47:00 PM

0 comments

Fresh from watching the Gravity 3D movie, it was simply awesome. The vastness of space and the dangers faced by the astronauts were convincingly captured in it. Well this is not a review post of the movie :) it's just that "space" is one of my area of interest.

And see, this time I have a game to share which is also related to "space". Little Galaxy by developer Bitmap Galaxy is an Android arcade game set in space. In this game you play as a young boy jumping from one planet to another in his journey.

Little Galaxy game is quite light weight but it's 3D graphics are pretty cool and gives a realistic feel of planets, stars etc., but please do not compare it with "Galaxy on Fire 2" which is simply the best but a much heavier game.

Little Galaxy: Launch screen

Game Play
The game play is pretty simple you just need to keep jumping from one planet to another. But mind you, life in space is not that simple and if you remember in Gravity movie Sandra also says "I hate space" at some point. While jumping you need to consider the gravitation force of other nearby planets or else you will be lost in space, also as the planets are rotating on their axis you need to wait for the right time before jumping. About the game controls, just press on the screen whenever you are ready to jump, that's it no other action required.

As you play the game you keep collecting points like if you spin along the planet you collect points, spins are counted also the number of planets you visited are counted. Each game level has some associated objectives, once you achieve the objectives you move to the next level.

Little Galaxy: Level objectives

Game levels have time limit associated with it, while in the game on the top left side of screen you will see darkness covering the moon, once the moon is completely eclipsed your game is over, so do not spend too much time on one planet and quickly move on to another one.

Little Galaxy: Wait for the right position to jump

Game objectives could be like scoring specific number of game points, visit number of planets, watering sun-flowers or taking specific number of spins. It is OK if you do not complete all the level objectives in one go, if you have completed only one out of three objectives, you can play the level again till all the objectives are achieved.

Little Galaxy: Take a spin

Little Galaxy: Keep a safe distance from sun

There are some special items which could be collected like magnets, if you collect three of them, points will get attracted to you or if you collect three stars you gets an extra life.

Little Galaxy: Collect the magnets

One such item is to catch the comet as seen in the below screenshot, if you catch the comet you will get some extra time to complete the level. Big jumps are also awarded with extra points.
So, go ahead play the game and see how far can you go?

Little Galaxy: Catch the comet for extra time

How much it costs you: 1 US $ approximately.

If you like this post or know any other app / game in the same category, let me know via comments.

To get notification about the new posts on this blog, do not forget to subscribe to this blog through email subscription option from the side bar.

See also:

Other games equally enjoyable by kids:

1. Clay Jam: A unique game with lots of clay and fun

Prince of Persia Shadow & Flame: Return of the classic prince

Posted by Pawan Waghalkar , at 11:16:00 AM

0 comments

There are few computer games which are very close to everyone's heart and it is not possible to let it go. I am pretty much sure that anyone who has played PC games ever has tried his hands playing "Prince of Persia" or at-least heard about it. It is one of the early DOS based games through which we learnt to fight with the enemies and came to know that computers can also be so much of fun.

Ubisoft (one of my favourite game developer) has launched one of the classic Price of Persia title Shadow & Flame with new age stunning 3D graphics and touch screen friendly controls. Through this post, I will walk you through this fantastic game which I have installed on my Nexus 7. I am sure you are going to enjoy it.

Pop Shadow & Flame: Launch Screen

Pop Shadow & Flame in total consists of four worlds as: Palace, Skull Caves, Ruined City and Red Temple that comprises of 14 levels and trust me once you finish this game you will ask for more. You as the Price of Persia starts your adventurous and dangerous journey to save your princess from the captivity of evil Jaffar from the 'Palace' world, traverse to the other worlds and in the end come back to the same world for the final showdown.

Game Play

The game play and controls are quite easy to understand, on the left side of screen slide left and right to move forward and backward, on right side of screen slide up for jump and down for crouch. As you move forward in this game you learn few new techniques of fighting and jumping.

Within the game, you collect coins, health potions and revives. Using the coins you can further buy powerful swords, tricks and also potions. These potions can help you to gain full strength or bring you back to life in case of death.

Pop Shadow & Flame: On the way to Skull caves

In this game you fight with different kinds of enemies like guards or skeletons and skulls. You also learn to use some hit combo to hit them hard and save your health and time, as there are objectives associated with each level and time is one of them.

Pop Shadow & Flame: The level objectives

As you complete a level you are presented with options like continue to next level or replay the same level. If you want to play any of the previously played levels you can choose it from the world map accessible from home screen.

Pop Shadow & Flame: In red temple

I would specially like to mention about the graphics and the locations shown in this game, it looks simply great and have a mystic feeling in it and on high resolution screen it's a treat to watch and play.

Pop Shadow & Flame: Fighting with skeletons

Pop Shadow & Flame: Beware of the falling daggers

Pop Shadow & Flame: Fighting with deadly skulls

The 13th level called 'The Dream' is a tricky level to complete as you are unsure how to move forward because the path keeps changing as you put a step ahead and also the location shown is also quite freaky. Another strange thing is, this level cannot be selected from world map but only be accessed by playing and completing level 12.

Pop Shadow & Flame: The Dream level

In the last level, killing Jaffar is quite a daunting task as he is a deadly magician, but the prince has to do it. Once Jaffar is finished, prince frees the princess and see it yourself what happens after that.

Pop Shadow & Flame: Princess and prince lived happily ever-after

Pop Shadow & Flame: Princess and prince lives happily ever-after

There is something I would like to mention here, when I was checking the credits of this game, I was in for a nice surprise, this game is developed at Ubisoft's Pune studio, the same city I belong to :).

How much it costs you: 3.5 US $

If you like this post or know any other app / game in the same category, let me know via comments section.

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Stickman Base Jumper: Take a deep breath and jump

Posted by Pawan Waghalkar , at 11:46:00 AM

2 comments

There are games which fall in the usual categories like action, racing, endless running etc. and there are some games which are different due to their uniqueness. We sometime come across such games, Stickman Base Jumper is one some refreshingly different game. If you fancy of base jumping like Mr Cruise as he does in Mission Impossible series, this game gives you the opportunity to just do that.

Stickman Base Jumper developed by Djinnworks is a lightweight but additive game. As the name suggests you play a character that jumps from some of the tallest buildings in the city. At first the graphics or the look of this game may not be that appealing but once you start playing the game I am sure you will get hooked on it.

Stickman Base Jumper: Launch screen

How to play

The game play is simple, you need to calculate the distance, jump from the building and at right time open you parachute so that you touch the ground at or near the mark within time. Sounds simple? Well it's not because there are some minor challenges which can simply get you killed :) if you miscalculate. At the start of the level, you are standing on the top of the tower, touch the screen once to step back for the run-up, touch again to start running to the edge of the building, again a touch to jump and wait for the right time to open the chute, so that you land near the mark.

Stickman Base Jumper: Select the stages

The initial game stages are simple, but as you proceed in the game, you will see various challenges like taking in to consideration the wind speed while calculating the run-up or avoiding buildings in between before reaching the destination etc.

Stickman Base Jumper: Get ready, take a deep breath

Stickman Base Jumper: Just in time

As you complete a jump you get stars and points depending on how close you landed to the flag mark and how much time was remaining at the end. You will need to earn some minimum # of stars to unlock the next stage.

Stickman Base Jumper: Mission accomplished

In few of the levels it requires you to jump at night time which is quite interesting and gives a different feeling altogether. In some levels you can jump through buildings while breaking the glass panes.