The folks at Blizzard held their panel at Pax East this morning, and they had a few cool announcements to make. One of the announcements pertained to none other than Hearthstone, the addictive collectible card game based on the World of Warcraft universe that launched on Android tablets late last year.
The latest content for the game is another adventure not unlike Curse of Naxxramas. It’s dubbed Blackrock Mountain, and it follows the theme of a never-ending battle in the depths of a molten core between two fiery entities — Ragnaros the Firelord, and the dragon Nefarious — to determine who will maintain control of the mountain once and for all.
The expansion adds 31 new cards to be earned through a total of 5 wings (released weekly) and 17 bosses. It’ll cost 700 gold or .99 per wing, or you can opt to pre-order the entire bundle of wings for .99 (which you’ll be able to do starting March 19th). Unfortunately the first wing doesn’t seem to be free so you’ll have to spend something in order to go along for the ride.
Blizzard has already previewed five of the new cards ahead of the update’s April landing date:
Beyond that, they’ve given us an early look at the three card backs they’ll be offering to commemorate the launch. On the far left you’ll see the standard card back for reaching rank 20 in the March season of play, the middle cardback is earned by defeating the Heroic (overpowered) versions of each Blackrock boss, and the far right cardback is earned by pre-ordering the game.
There was one other bit of news Blizzard had to share before they peaced out: the phone version is still in the works, and it’s coming along quite well. While it’s been possible to get Hearthstone loaded up onto an Android phone through the use of tricks, it doesn’t do anything to make a user interface that’s suitable for phones.
Thankfully Blizzard has come up with a way to squeeze everything you need into these small-sized devices so you can get the same Hearthstone experience without needing to tote a hefty tablet everywhere. They’ve also confirmed that phone users will be able to play PC and tablet users in cross-platform and cross-device fashion (which also means your decks, cards, gold and dust are all the same no matter which device you decide to play on).
That’s all we know about the phone version right now. Blizzard said it’s still in alpha stages, but they’re working incredibly hard to get it ready for release. As for Blackrock Mountain, look forward to that at some point in April.
NVIDIA has just taken the wraps off an exciting product that hopes to transform the NVIDIA Shield from a mobile gaming device into the centerpiece of your living room entertainment with the NVIDIA Shield Android TV. It’s the world’s first Android TV console and it joins the Shield Portable and Shield Tablet as “the central member of the SHIELD family of devices” … I guess it completes the triforce.
Combined with “Grid” – what NVIDIA says is thousands of gaming super computers in the cloud, built to stream you the planet’s most elite games- NVIDIA themselves claim their product is the “Netflix for gaming”. If they can achieve that status, the NVIDIA Shield will be nothing short of a blockbuster success, but they’ve got a few small hurdles on the way… including Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo.
It’s an ambitious goal, but I think there are two important things to remember here:
If this is the direction gaming is headed, NVIDIA is way ahead of the curve
NVIDIA knows gaming like the back of their controller
The new NVIDIA Shield Android TV console will go on sale in May for 9. You’ll get the console, one controller, and access to all of your Google Play Store content with optional accessories for purchase including gaming controllers, remote control for the TV, and a stand to make the NVIDIA Shield stand vertically.
Although not many households have them yet it’s important to note that the NVIDIA Shield Android TV is able to play 4K TV content. That’s pretty impressive for a little 9 box. And all those console quality games available via The Grid? Shield can stream them at 1080p and 60fps frames a second. It’ll be interesting to see how this balance between the Grid and games found on the Google Play Store is struck.
NVIDIA Shield Specs:
NVIDIA Tegra X1 processor
256-core Maxwell GPU
3GB RAM
4K Ultra-HD Ready with 4K playback and capture up to 60 fps
7.1 and 5.1 surround sound pass through over HDMI
16GB Storage
1 Gigabit Ethernet
802.11ac 2×2 MIMO 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi
Bluetooth 4.1/BLE
HDMI 2.0
Two USB 3.0 ports
Micro-USB 2.0
MicroSD slot
IR Receiver
Weight – 23oz / 654g
Height: 5.1in / 130mm
Width: 8.3in / 210mm
Depth: 1.0in / 25mm
One of the most exciting features I see above doesn’t relate to gaming at all… it’s finally an Android TV that has an ethernet port! Yay!
Press Release
NVIDIA Launches Its First Living-Room Entertainment Device
New SHIELD Android TV Console Brings 4K Entertainment to Every Home – Harnessing Tegra X1, Android TV OS and GRID Game-Streaming Service
SAN FRANCISCO—Game Developers Conference—March 3, 2015—NVIDIA today introduced NVIDIA® SHIELD™, the world’s first Android™ TV console, which delivers video, music, apps and amazing games to the home.
Built on Android TV, SHIELD can play top-quality 4K video content, includes one-click access to Google Voice Search and provides the richness of Android’s app ecosystem.
SHIELD is a sleek device that comes loaded with cutting-edge NVIDIA technologies, including the recently launched NVIDIA® Tegra® X1 processor.
SHIELD is also the gateway to the NVIDIA GRID™ game-streaming service. Powered by GeForce® GTX™ supercomputers in the cloud, GRID delivers an on-demand “Netflix for games” experience at up to 1080p resolution at 60 frames per second.
“SHIELD will change the way we enjoy digital entertainment at home,” said Jen-Hsun Huang, president and CEO of NVIDIA. “It’s an incredibly powerful, efficient and advanced living room entertainment device. It’s the best Android TV experience. And it can transform into a serious gaming machine. It’s made to game.”
Made to Game SHIELD – sold with the SHIELD controller made for serious gaming – is a single platform with access to a wealth of great games.
First, 50+ Android titles optimized for SHIELD will be available for download, including AAA titles like Crysis 3, Doom 3®: BFG Edition™ and Borderlands: TPS. These can be played at blistering speed, thanks to SHIELD’s Tegra X1 processor, with its 256-core Maxwell™ architecture GPU and 64-bit CPU.
Second, favorite AAA titles, including console games, can be streamed using the GRID on-demand game-streaming service. GRID will include with its subscription price access to 50 titles, such as Batman: Arkham Origins, GRID 2 and Metro: Last Light Redux, with additional titles added each week.
Third, the GRID service can be used to purchase and stream new release AAA titles – including Batman: Arkham Knight and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt coming later this year.
Broad Developer Support Some of the world’s leading game developers and publishers have embraced SHIELD and the GRID service.
“The incredible processing power of Tegra X1 enables us to bring Doom 3: BFG to Android and we’re excited by the possibilities that GRID is bringing to gaming.” – Tim Willits, studio director, id Software
“Tegra X1’s enormous processing capabilities running on Android TV gives us access to a much broader audience, and we’re delighted to partner with NVIDIA to explore a variety of exciting possibilities for SHIELD, including the remastering of the survival horror classic, Resident Evil 5.” – Jun Takeuchi, managing corporate officer, CAPCOM
“SHIELD is definitely made to game and thanks to Tegra X1 we have The Witcher: Battle Arena playing natively on SHIELD. With GRID, we’ll be able to bring new hit games to fans immediately.” – Benjamin Lee, The Witcher: Battle Arena lead producer, CDPROJEKT
Pricing and Availability SHIELD will be available in May, starting at 9 with a controller. Optional accessories include additional controllers, a remote control and a stand enabling the device to stand vertically.
SHIELD is the central member of the SHIELD family of devices, complementing the SHIELD tablet, the ultimate tablet for gamers; and the SHIELD portable, the ultimate portable gaming device. More information is available at http://shield.nvidia.com.
PlayStation Mobile is coming to an end, folks. It was an exciting journey that brought one of gaming’s most iconic and exciting brands to those who prefer to game on their smartphones an tablets. Alongside a handful of PlayStation 1 classics, Sony used PlayStation Mobile as a driving platform for great mobile independent games that embody everything the PlayStation brand stands for.
So here are the quick details:
Distribution of games and in-app purchases will cease on July 15th, meaning no new purchases can be made after that point.
Games you’ve already bought can continue to be downloaded and accessed through September 10th.
Games can be played after September 10th, but only if you activate your device.
So how do you activate your device? Simply open up the PlayStation Mobile app and launch any purchased content between April 10, 2015 and September 10, 2015. The activation / authentication process was always done each time you opened a game and has never been a permanent solution so you’ll want to make sure you get this done.
It’s a sad day, but Sony feels like there isn’t much more reason for them to continue down this road (especially with how nice Android’s library of games has gotten). Get everything taken care of on your end before it’s too late.
We amass a lot of information on our smartphones — photos, apps, contacts, and more — and one of the biggest pain points of buying a new phone is getting all of that data from one device to the other. It’s particularly frustrating for those changing platforms, moving from an iPhone or even an antiquated flip phone to Android. If you gave up hope because the task seemed to daunting, download Samsung Smart Switch now and effortlessly transfer your data regardless of platform.
With the Galaxy S6 Samsung has done their best to slim down the notoriously bloated TouchWiz interface that comes standard on Galaxy devices, but the user interface remains divisive among Android users. If you aren’t a big fan of Samsung’s candy-coated UI, the Google Now Launcher is your best option for returning to an Android look and feel that is closer to Google’s stock design. An added bonus is easy access to your Google Now cards by swiping to the far right.
Like Samsung’s TouchWiz interface, if you aren’t happy with the keyboard options that come stock with the Galaxy S6 we recommend checking out Fleksy. A somewhat minimalist keyboard at its base, Fleksy is fully customizable through extensions and features support for animated GIFs, emojis, hot keys, and more. Above all it’s a super accurate keyboard that is only limited by how fast your thumbs can fly.
If you checked out our Samsung Galaxy S6 review, you will know that we found its camera to be perhaps the best to ever feature on a smartphone. Take it to the next level with Snapped, an app that offers powerful photo editing and manipulation tools to touch up photos or turn them into works of art. A detailed edit history dubbed Stacks means your original photo is only a few taps away giving you freedom to experiment with your photos as you see fit.
The only thing better than having a Galaxy S6 in your pocket is having access to it from your computer, and AirDroid is the tool to do it. AirDroid seamlessly pairs you phone with your PC or Mac over your wireless network to allow you to send and receive SMS messages, transfer files, view notifications, or mirror your devices display and access apps all from your computer.
Echo takes your Galaxy S6’s notifications to the next level with a sleek lockscreen look that provides quick access to incoming messages, calls, and other alerts. This handy little app conveniently organizes notifications to clean up the clutter and allows you to snooze selected items so you can stay focused. Throw in a pinch of customization and its no wonder Echo has been dubbed the best lockscreen replacement by many.
The Galaxy S6 is a powerful device for power users, and Tasker’s automation capabilities make the perfect companion. Hundreds of possible actions can be linked to triggers like time and location to automate everything from silencing your phone while you sleep to sending a text message when you ignore a call, and it can do a whole lot more than that.
With so many options out there for streaming music and video it would be easy to write off Samsung’s own offerings as mere bloatware designed to lock you into the Galaxy ecosystem, but Milk Music and Milk Video in actuality represent compelling options for S6 owners looking to satiate their need for entertainment. With unique interfaces aimed at discovery, you’re sure to discover a new artist, song, or video almost every time you open either app.
What’s the easiest way to stay up to date on Galaxy S6 news, tips, tricks, and more? The Phandroid News app, of course. It’s everything you love about Phandroid in a handy little package designed to work natively with your Android smartphone.
No two users will want exactly the same thing out of their Galaxy S6, so you might find yourself passing on some of the apps listed above. That’s OK! Here are some more helpful links showcasing more of our favorite Android apps for everyone.
For fans of racing games, it’s hard to find a better Android entry than the latest in the popular Asphalt series. Asphalt 8: Airborne features sizzling 3D graphics that really showcase the Galaxy S6’s powerful hardware and display, but you will quickly crave the fast-paced gameplay complete with aerial stunts (hence the “Airborne” subtitle).
House of Cards viewers may have spotted Monument Valley make a brief cameo on fictional US president Frank Underwood’s tablet in the show’s most recent season, but we have been singing this game’s praises since it first launched in 2014. A puzzle/platformer that looks like an MC Escher sketch mashed up with Adventure Time, the gameplay is as addictive as it is beautiful. The Galaxy S6’s vibrant Super AMOLED display only makes it more apparent.
The endless runner genre has seen an explosion in popularity on mobile devices, and there is perhaps no finer example for Android devices than Subway Surfers. With vivid graphics that really pop on the Galaxy S6’s display, this one is easy to get into. Mastering it is a whole different story.
Badland is oddly gorgeous as its shapeshifting protagonist travels through a bleak, almost sinister world. While it appears on the surface to be a standard platformer, this is one game where you can only get a true sense of gameplay by picking it up and working your way through each level. And it will take work, but it’s well worth it.
Crossy Road takes classic Frogger-style gameplay and updates it for the mobile era, bringing us a game that gives us much more than its premise might suggest. The graphics and name might make Crossy Road easy to right off as just another title trying to leach off of the Flappy Bird craze of 2014, and while it is in the same way addictively simple Crossy Road is an entirely different beast.
Sky Force is an original when it comes to mobile games, its first iteration debuting 10 years ago when the makers of the Samsung Galaxy S6 could only dream of the future potential of smartphones. The game returns in a big way a decade later with amped-up gameplay and arcade-quality graphics, making this space shooter a must-have.
This music maker turns playing the piano into something akin to the popular Guitar Hero franchise of games, tasking players with tapping on a series of falling dots to play any number of songs from a large library of available music, from classical etudes to modern pop.
There is a certain beauty in simplicity, but there can also be maddening frustration. See Dots as an example of this. A minimalist puzzler, you’ll be glad your Galaxy S6 has Gorilla Glass protection when you go throwing it at the wall should the objective of clearing the dots prove too difficult.
When you grow tired of the above (which won’t be anytime soon), we’ve got even more hot takes on our favorite games for you to check out. These should keep you busy a while.
OnePlus really threw us for a loop. They’ve been teasing a “game-changing” announcement for a couple of weeks now. “Start a new game.” “For the fun of it.” “You’re in control.” They even used a photo of a pair of hands seemingly holding an invisible gaming controller for that last one.
Surely this can be nothing other than a gaming console, right? Wrong — well, wrong according to OnePlus’s Carl Pei, anyway. The company nonchalantly confirmed in an Ask Me Anything session on reddit that they’d be revealing a gaming drone dubbed the DR-1. Carl Pei even posted a convincing branding image for the thing:
But even though this information is coming from the horse’s mouth, we’re going to take this one with a grain of salt for a few different reasons.
We’re dangerously close to April Fools day.
We’ve never seen a company tease an announcement and then “leak” their own information.
It’s OnePlus.
It’s OnePlus.
Those last couple of points weren’t duplicated in err — this company’s marketing tactics have been questionable since their conception, and we wouldn’t put anything past them. We’re electing to wait until that April-scheduled announcement before we put all our eggs into the “drone” basket, but this is the story they’re dishing out in the interim. You guys believe them?
Amazon is celebrating the 4th birthday of their Appstore by giving away a bundle of apps and games for free. There are 34 titles to be had, and the value of it all when normally priced comes out to be about 5.
You might not need to download all 34 depending on your tastes, but there are some pretty good gems here worth checking out. Five Nights at Freddy’s a pretty nice horror game, World of Goo is one of the best and most fun puzzle games out there, and Cut the Rope is always good for quick fun.
It’s always made sense to pre-order books, movies and TV shows on digital marketplaces, but why hasn’t anyone ever thought to allow users to pre-register for apps and games? Well, Google has. The company has recently implemented a new feature that’ll let you sign up to be notified when an app or game is available for download on Google Play.
The first known Google Play listing to be using the feature is Glu’s Terminator Genisys: Revolution game. We can see developers using pre-register listings to help promote their apps and games ahead of launch and give users a landing page to learn more about what’s coming ahead of its actual arrival.
And with a notification as soon as the app or game goes live users won’t have to worry about forgetting to download it once it’s available. It’s a neat feature that we hope more developers will take advantage of down the line. Give it a try at Terminator’s Google Play listing right here (especially if you’re actually a Terminator fan, because the game is looking kind of awesome).
Facebook Messenger officially became its own platform back in March, so we knew the social network geniuses over at Facebook were brainstorming new ways they could add more exciting features into the service. Right now the in-app apps (app-ception) are mostly related to chat like functions, things like adding GIFs, stickers, or video clips — things that enhance conversations.
We thought it was a great idea, even if we weren’t crazy about the idea of the app becoming more bloated than it already is. As reported by The Information, apparently adoption of these new Messenger apps hasn’t lived up to what Facebook (or developers) had hoped. Now it seems the company will look towards gaming to help pour some fuel on the fire and create added interest.
It makes sense too. Just look at all the casual games out there (Words with Friends, or Evil Apples). These are all games that heavily rely on social aspects to connect gamers with each other. Tapping into that could mean added revenue for developers looking to publish titles on Messenger. While the options are nearly endless, these games could face the same pitfalls as current Messenger apps which developers say are having trouble gaining exposure.
Perhaps a stand-alone Messenger app store is in our future?
It’s May 4th, and you know what that means — it’s Star Wars day! With the most recent Star Wars convention long packed up and a film on the way later this year, there hasn’t been a better time to be a Star Wars fan this generation.
But if trailers and panels and all sorts of promotional happenings isn’t whetting your appetite as we await the first film in a new trilogy, perhaps some games will. We’ve put together a quick list of the 5 best Star Wars games for Android to play as you celebrate your fandom on this glorious day. Check them out and go have some fun!
5. Angry Birds: Star Wars
It’s Angry Birds as you know and love, except the birds and pigs are all Star Wars characters and they continue their battle in galactic space. Awesome Force powers can be dished out to help you achieve your goal of knocking down the pigs’ defenses, too.
This collectible card game allows you to stack up on companions to help take out the evil Empire. Use support cards to upgrade characters such as Yoda, R2D2 and Chewbacca. Some cards are more rare than others, and you can trade them with your friends to help complete your collection. You can also fight against your friends to see whose team and strategy is the most sound.
You’re a rebel looking to do your part to dismantle the Empire. You play the role of Ezra Bridger as he goes from camp to camp trying to destroy as much of their operations as possible. You’ll be able to build a base that gives you boosts and bonuses, and you’ll also have the chance to drive an AT-DP (yes, the awesome giant robots the Empire uses to bring about destruction) to take out a mass legion of Stormtroopers in one go.
Because LEGO + Star Wars = awesome. There are two mobile-specific games to sink your teeth into, both of which follow the chronicles of Yoda. The original lets you quest with either Yoda or Count Dooku, while the sequel features Yoda and the master manipulator known as Darth Vader.
The other collection of LEGO Star Wars games — the ones that originally launched on console — was recently reworked for a mobile launch. It’s available for .99 and lets you take on dozens of characters (and features over 100 in total) as you battle through the events of all 6 Star Wars films. Not a bad deal at all.
This is probably the best Star Wars experience you’re going to get on mobile. It’s a classic RPG that got its start on PC and Console, and the full game is available to play anywhere you can haul a smartphone or tablet. You play as a Jedi who is stuck in a conflict between the Republic and the dark side of the Sith lord.
The irony? The actual conflict is internal: will you stick to your guns in protecting the Republic and living up to the honorable Jedi code, or will you fall victim to the benefits of being part of the world’s problem? That’s something only you can decide after hours of gameplay for just .99.
There are also themes, books and other cool apps that you can check out, all of which can be discovered with a simple search for “Star Wars” over at Google Play. Check it out, and let us know what you’ll be doing to celebrate Star Wars day!
Amazon is putting up another bundle of paid apps and games for free. This sale brings 0 worth of the digital content for absolutely no cost to you, save for the time to download them.
Highlights of this particular sale include the first episode of Game of Thrones, Five Nights at Freddy’s 3, Angry Birds Seasons HD and Fleksy keyboard. Here’s the entire list for you to consider:
Angry Bird Seasons (ad-free)
Daily Expense Manager Pro
Peppy Pals Beach
Photo Studio Pro
Deep Sleep with Andrew Johnson
Fleksy Keyboard
Language Coach
G-Stomper VA-Beast Synthesizer
Mini Golf Mundo
Mirroring360 – AirPlay Receiver
My Weekly Budget
Toca Kitchen
Xtralogic Remote Desktop Client
Perfectly Clear
Alarm Clock Xtreme + Timer
Grudgeball: Enter the Chaosphere
ShutterFolio
Super Why ABC Adventures: Alphabet
Genius Scan+
AVG Antivirus Pro Android Security
Empress of the Deep: The Darkest Secret
Sago Mini Space Explorer
PicShop Photo Editor
Smart Office 2
Cooking Dash Deluxe
True Booster Speed Cleaner
Sorcery! 3
Royal Envoy
Star Traders 4X Empires Elite
Time Mysteries 2: The Ancient Spectres
Bloons TD 5
Angry Birds Seasons HD
Five Nights at Freddy’s 3
Rebuild
Highrise Word Heroes+
Star Command
Bike Race Pro
Game of Thrones
You can find all the downloads over at Amazon right here so be sure and take advantage if any of these appeal to you (and if you don’t mind getting your apps from anywhere other than Google Play).
Nintendo announced in their most recent earnings call that they have a plan to launch 5 new games for “smart devices” by Spring of 2017. The first title is slated to launch this year, with others sure to be littered throughout 2016 and the early parts of 2017.
Nintendo didn’t confirm any platforms they’d be targeting, but we imagine Android won’t be left out of the fun. It’s the biggest smartphone operating system by market share, after all, and if there plans were exclusive to Apple it’s likely they would have mentioned so.
So what’s coming? Early murmurings tell us not to expect direct ports of existing Nintendo games, and there’s no guarantee anything they’re planning will take their cue from existing intellectual properties, either. Whatever the case is, Nintendo says they’re expecting to promote each game strongly and support them like the “hits” they want them to be.
The one thing we do know is that there’s no need to worry that Nintendo will be bringing some heat. The company’s track record for producing and developing quality games is near flawless, and considering they’re one of the few console makers who have their attention focused exclusively on games there’s no reason to believe they won’t do much of the same for their mobile efforts. We’re likely to hear more at E3 2015 next month, which our friends from Wii U Daily, PS4 Daily and Xbox One Daily will be attending in full force.
It’s been a minute since we last saw an Android-focused Humble Bundle (it’s only been a few weeks). But if you were looking to snag a few great games on the cheap — all while helping charity — here’s the current lineup for Humble Mobile Bundle 13.
By now you know the drill, pay what you want for a bundle of 3 solid Android titles and you can choose how much of the money goes to the developer and/or charity. If you pay more than the average (currently sitting around the .80 mark), you unlock an additional 3 games with even more to follow later on in the week.
With well over off content here, it’s great deal and helps keep your Android gaming library full of awesome titles. Grab these titles and more at the link down below.
I love simple games and I love Material Design. So when I first discovered a game called Bing Bong I was very excited. It combined simple and addictive gameplay with a Material-esque design. Then I found out that the same developer had made other games with the same style. The three games can stand on their own, but together they make for an addictive combination. Let’s take a look.
Bing Bong
I’m not sure which game came first, but Bing Bong is the one I played first. In this game you control a green dot that is constantly going up and down across a street of traffic. Each time you successfully get to the other side you earn a point. You have to avoid blocks of varying sizes to cross the street. The green dot is constantly moving, but you can slow it down by pressing your finger on the screen.
The game becomes all about timing. Will you be able to make it past that block at full speed? If you slow down now will that make you hit the next block? You’re constantly adjusting your speed to perfectly cross the street unharmed. It’s easy at first, but gets difficult quickly.
Righty Tighty
In Righty Tighty you play as a red dot. Your goal is to collect the white dots and bring them to the goal. The red dot is constantly moving, but every time you tap the screen it will make a right turn. Like in Bing Bong, there are blocks of varying sizes constantly crossing your path. Also, the red dot is constantly growing, which makes it increasingly more difficult to avoid obstacles. You have to return a white dot to the goal to reset your size.
Pivot
The simplest of the three games is Pivot. You play as a blue dot this time, but you still have to collect white dots to earn points. The blue dot is constantly moving in a circular path. Tap your finger on the screen to go in the opposite direction. There are no goals this time. You get a point for simply collecting a white dot. Blocks of varying sizes are still trying to get in your way, and the wall is also an obstacle.
***
I like these games a lot because they feel like a family. Each one has its unique aspects, but they all share the same basic foundation. They’re beautifully simple, yet extremely addictive. The developer has done a great job with the little details, like how the music intensifies the longer you survive in Bing Bong.
All three games have Google Play Game integration for leaderboards and achievements. The games are free with very few ads (which can be disabled completely for .99). You can download all three in the Play Store. Enjoy!
The folks at Oculus are looking to fuel game development for the Samsung Gear VR. To do this, they thrown together a little contest they’re calling Mobile VR Jam 2015. The contest promised more than ,000,000 in prizes in exchange for developers’ hard work, with the top dog being awarded a 0,000 cash prize. Yeah, that can buy a lot of ramen.
More than 1,000 developers from all over the world contributed and after 4 weeks, Oculus is ready to announce their top picks. If you’re looking to try out some exciting new content on your Samsung Gear VR Innovator Edition, you came to the right place. All 27 winners have supplied a download link to their apps where they can easily be downloaded and manually installed to your Android device. Let’s take a look at the top 27 winners.
SteamCrew VR
SteamCrew VR is a unique steam punk themed game that requires 2-player co-op to pilot an underwater submarine. You’ll need to download the game on each Gear VR (hopefully you have a spare laying around) and yell out commands to the other player to avoid terrain or fire torpedoes. The title wont Oculus’ top award for VR game, netting the development team a cool 0,000. Sounds like a wicked good time.
The Night Cafe: An Immersive Tribute to Vincent van Gogh
This one won the award for best “app experience” meaning it’s not really a game, but definitely worth checking out. Basically, you traverse a world brought to life by Vincent van Gogh’s unique artistic style. It’s a lot like an acid trip without all the long terms effects. Groovy.
DRIFT is a self-proclaimed bullet simulator. Player take control of bullets as they search out their target: the elusive green man. To make things easier (or more dramatic), players can slow down time to a crawl in order to guide a bullet around obstacles. With a unique visual style, this one’s got VR written all over it.
Because not every game is all about action, Daydream Blue takes players on a relaxing fishing trip to the lake. With your pet robot by your side, you’ll catch fish, watch the clouds from your boat, or play fetch with your robot. Sounds like the perfect weekend getaway.
VR is a great medium for telling stories. Colosse brings rich storytelling to the Gear VR in something that reminds of the game Shadow of the Colossus. Users need only to direct their gaze in order to make sense of everything going on around them. Simply put, it looks fantastic. Just keep in mind this is a preview version and not the full game.
Another VR experience, Along the Trail takes users on a visual journey across past memories. It does this by connecting to social network like Facebook, allowing users to “relive” past moments — only in trippy VR kinda way.
If you’re looking for some slower paced action, Scorched Battalion has got you covered. It’s basically a VR version of the classic Scorched Earth turn-based game tank game in a table-top, WWII setting. Sound intriguing? Check out the video above to see how it works in action.
If you’re looking for something more out of your VR headset than just mindless entertainment, Neuralgia could be exactly what you’re looking for. An “asymmetrical co-op game,” you and a friend team up to make sense of clues and solve puzzles. Just don’t pull each other’s hair out.
If you’ve always wanted to experience the life of a warden, Panopticon finally makes it happen. You’ll need to keep a careful eye on inmates to ensure their captivity, and make sure no one escapes on your shift. You even get to use a whistle!
In Bazaar, players travel down canal on a magic carpet, matching colors of object with others hidden in the environment. Once an object has been cleared, it travels up to the sky where it becomes a consolation. Yeah, doesn’t make sense, but it looks like some good clean fun.
In Soundscape VR, you and an anonymous player team up for a futuristic jam session. Players are brought together using Soundscape’s online matchmaking system, or there’s always the option to simply play alone.
Speech Center is an incredibly unique VR experience that looks to help you master public speaking. It does this by putting you in a huge room full of people while a coach provides you with tips on improving your speaking skills. It’s honestly pretty genius.
What platform would be complete without a good old fashioned tower defense game. In Atop the Wizard’s Tower, players must fight back an oncoming horde of enemies — all while sitting comfortably atop their tower, out of harm’s way.
Maiden Chaos is a top-down, run n’ gun shooter set in the future. You basically control a little woman in a red jumpsuit as she blasts robots in a military compound. This one requires the Samsung Gamepad controller, so hopefully you have that handy.
Audio Arena is a music game that requires players to hit targets to the beat. You’ll need to stay on beat to clear out enemies that surround you, building up sync bonuses for combos. It’s actually pretty fun looking and the soundtrack is a nice touch.
PhaseShift is a “cinematic platformer” with twist. Players must guide Dr. Hoffman as he jumps around between dimensional portals controlled by the player’s gaze. It’s a lot like Prince of Persia but with an entirely unique take on the platforming genre. We think the retro 3D pixel art was also a nice touch as well.
If you were a fan of look-and-tap adventure games like Myst, Captain Clark Adventures is essentially a VR title in a similar vein. You’ll basically need to solve puzzles in an effort to escape the dastardly pirates that have taken you prisoner. The trailer looks pretty epic, so have a look see.
Technolust transports players to a dystopian future where they take control of a security professional who must maintain order while fueling his obsession for ramen noodles and VR apps. Players do this by tracking down suspected criminals and preventing crimes before they even do them based on their AI profiles. You’ll only have a limited amount of time to do so, so you’ll need to act quick.
Polo is a 2-player, asymetical game of cat and mouse. Whoever is wearing the VR headset will take control of the mouse (Polo) while someone else uses an Android phone or tablet to control the cat (Marco). If you don’t have any friends, there’s also a single player mode where you go up against the CPU.
Wendy is definitely one of the more lighthearted titles on this list. Players basically assume the role of a witch named Wendy who must learn how to make potions and magic through a variety of puzzles. Oh, and she’s got a pretty cute cat too.
Blind Swordsman is the most graphically intense, visually impressive VR title you’ll ever see. The only problem is you’re a blind man, so you can’t really see any of it. Basically you get faced up against opponents and must use your senses to attack opponents as they near. One false move, and you’re done for.
Double Destruction is another 2-player co-op game in which communication and teamwork are vital to success. One player controls a shrunken down version of themselves who must escape a tabletop dungeon while their friend keeps enemies at bay with a lantern using their Android smartphone or tablet.
DMZ is another VR experience, but one that’s arguably more impactful thanks to being based in reality. Directed by Hayoun Kwon, DMZ is an interactive documentary on the secrets behind the Demilitirazed Zone on the North Korean border. You’ll hear a firsthand account of one soldiers memories, brought to life in virtual-reality.
Because what good is VR if it can’t actually teach us anything, NeoS: The Universe is an educational experience meant to showcase the power of scientific communication by way of VR. It’s more or less a technical demo of the things you can build in NeoS VR (formerly World of Comenius).
In House of Languages, a cute and friendly language instructor — named Mr. Woo — takes you around a room full of everyday objects in an effort to teach you a new language. English, German, and Spanish are all covered, and you must identify objects to help Mr. Woo find what he’s looking for.
An audio-visual experience, Tana Pura takes players on a journey on what happens after death, all set to music from Jonny Greenwood. Since it’s more of a passive experience, you wont have to do too much, but there are small interactions in the app making each play through slightly unique from the last.
Bouncinator is Oculus’ Community’s Choice Game winner and involves taking control of a bouncer who must inspect party goers for any dangerous objects before entering. There’s all kinds of weapons tools at your disposal, from x-ray specs, to flame throwers. Whatever you do, don’t get fired. It ain’t easy out there for a robot.
Amazon supposedly rushed to contact Nintendo and set up a deal with Nintendo to ensure their games would launch on the Amazon Appstore the same day they go up on Google Play and the Apple App Store. That’s a given, of course, as Amazon would be quite ill to not have one of the best game makers of all times have any wares in their store on day one.
The more interesting part of this rumor is that Amazon apparently learned that Nintendo was working on an Android emulator for the Nintendo NX for purposes of playing those games on the company’s new console. The emulator would likely be akin to the Android runtime found on Blackberry’s devices.
If true, this could help Nintendo tackle two issues with one stone:
It makes it easy for the mobile games they’re working on to be playable on the Nintendo NX, as they should.
It makes it easy for developers to port their games to the Nintendo NX.
These are the same issues that an Android-based NX would have tackled, but you can merely consider it two different means to one common goal. One way or another, the Nintendo NX’s chances of supporting Android games in some way, shape or form aren’t as low as we thought. Let’s hope the rumor pans out.
June is officially over, which means it’s time to take a look back at what goodies it brought. The summer months are usually a hot time for new games. June was no exception. We saw a bunch of awesome new games launch last month. If you were busy swimming and grilling you probably missed a few. We have a list of the best games to launch in June. Download a few of these to pass the time while you’re traveling on vacation or when the AC goes out.
Age of Explorers, by the History Channel, takes you back to the time when sailors took to the seas to discover new lands and map the globe. Experience this exciting era in world history and learn about these brave explorers and the incredible journeys that shaped today’s world. [Download]
Angry Birds Fight!
Rovio is back again, this time with the 11th Angry Birds title designed to suck the pennies out of your wallet. Angry Birds Fight! is not really a fighting game per se, with gameplay more closely mirroring those match-3/RPG games that are all the rage these days. Think more Puzzle Quest than Candy Crush. [Download]
BRAWL
If you’ve ever played Bomberman you’ll like BRAWL. It has the same sort of idea, but it’s set in a much more brutal universe. Step into the darkness of The Emporium with 8 unique characters, each with a rich backstory and a surprising plot-twist. [Download]
Brickies
Brickies is a fresh take on the classic breakout game, with fast-paced levels that will leave you thirsty for more action. Use the paddles to launch the ball and unleash a variety of power-ups upon the brickies, but don’t worry if you miss the ball. [Download]
Chronology
Chronology is an episodic puzzle platform adventure starring The Inventor and The Snail. You can try “Part I” with 3 chapters for free right now.”Part II” is available in the game as an in-app purchase, with additional parts following later. [Download]
Dragon Quest VI
Dragon Quest VI features a rich storyline that leads you through a multitude of captivating worlds as you gather allies and battle fierce monsters on a quest to defeat evil forces. DQVI has updated graphics and more than 15 character classes to choose from. [Download]
Edge Of Oblivion: Alpha Squadron 2
If you loved played the old Rogue Squadron games back in the day (who didn’t?), you’ll love this game. In Edge Of Oblivion: Alpha Squadron 2, you get the chance to jump into the cockpit of a powerful starfighter and join the galaxy’s most daring pilots as they face off against the evil Hadian Empire. [Download]
Feed Me Oil 2
In Feed Me Oil 2 the goal is to channel oil into the gaping jaws of surreal living worlds. You have to guide gallons of the stuff around a series of mind-bending mechanical designs using new and improved physics. [Download]
Final Fantasy Tactics
The classic PlayStation title Final Fantasy Tactics is now officially available on Android. War of the Lions features cell-shaded cut scenes along with new characters and jobs that weren’t in the PS One original. If you haven’t fired this up since the PS One days, now’s a great time to revisit. [Download]
FireWhip
In FireWhipe you control a whip that is on fire (thank you Captain Obvious). The goal is to spin the whip to kill the enemies, but if you spin too much you’ll burn out parts of your whip. If you spin out to full length you can crack the whip for more damage. [Download]
Geometry Wars 3
Everyone has played Geometry Wars, or something similar, at some time in their life. The next chapter in the award-winning Geometry Wars franchise has stunning, console-quality graphics as you battle through waves of enemies in this frenetic arcade shooter. [Download]
Green Ninja: Year of the Frog
In this unique King Fu action puzzler you’re a frog who is on the menu. It’s your job to escape the clutches of evil ninjas and smash your way through tons of levels. The game has easy small puzzles that eventually lead up to brain-melting challenges. [Download]
Guncat
In Guncat you are a cat with a gun (these literal titles make it easy). Grab the weapon, take down all pesky birds and boost your score until ammo runs out. Be sure to shoot down birds carrying ammo boxes or buy better guns in order to extend shooting experience. [Download]
Heroes and Castles 2
Heroes and Castles 2 is a 3rd person action-RPG, strategy, and castle defense mash-up. Choose from one of three powerful races, customize your hero, summon a massive army to fight beside you in battle, defend your castle, conquer lands, and ultimately destroy the enemy stronghold. [Download]
Into the Circle
This game is like Shuffleboard or Curling on steroids. Shoot the ball in the right direction with the right amount of force. Aiming from one circle to the other and achieve a “Perfect.” The goal is to see how many “Perfects” you can get before the game is over. [Download]
Lifeline
Lifeline is a playable, branching story of survival against all odds. You will help the character, Taylor, make life or death decisions, and face the consequences together. The game plays out in real-time. As Taylor works to stay alive, notifications deliver new messages throughout your day. [Download]
Nambers
Here’s a simple game that will give your brain a workout as you advance to the more difficult levels. Select adjacent cells with the same number and scroll them left and right to change their values. Complete levels by creating the target pattern. [Download]
Outside World
Outside World is a game that hopes to grow up and be Monument Valley. You navigate Krysten through the familiar 3D/retro landscape to find a way home. Your friendly ghost companion, Jaynie, will help you along the way. [Download]
Radical Rappelling
From the creators of Fruit Ninja and Jetpack Joyride comes a new game for adrenaline junkies. You’re rappelling down the side of a mountain to collect coins and stay alive as long as you can. It’s a lot like the aforementioned Jetpack Joyride, which is a good thing. [Download]
RBI Baseball 15
The legendary Major League Baseball franchise returns to the diamond just a few months into the season. You get over 1,000 MLB Players with detailed attributes based on hundreds of millions of data points from the MLB.com database and authentic ballparks with unique characteristics. [Download]
Sonic Runners
Sonic Runners is yet another one of those endless runner titles and has a sort of “retro” cell-shaded look to it. The game initially launched in some regions as a first test run, but in June it was finally available globally. [Download]
TransPlan
TransPlan is all about getting a payload from point A to point B with only a few simple tools and the laws of physics. Create ramps and catapults, watch objects tumble and fall, and someway, somehow reach the destination. [Download]
Vainglory
Outplay real opponents in this deep, uncompromising real-time multiplayer online battle arena game. Fight with lightning-fast controls using powerful heroes. Destroy the enemy Vain crystal and claim glory. [Download]
Xenowerk
Xenowerk is a top-down action shooter challenging your combat skills in an underground science lab. Descend deeper into the abyss and explore the tarnished levels. Armed with a flashlight as your main guidance, you’ll never know what’s lurking in the dark. [Download]
You Must Build a Boat
Like the title suggests, in this game you have to build a boat, which also includes gathering a crew. Once you have your boat you can create matches to unlock weapons and spells. Match as fast as you can to keep running. [Download]
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Did we miss any other great games from June? Which game is your favorite from this list? Let us know below!
