Google looks set to launch a new cloud-based gaming service at Google I/O this week, dubbed Google Play Games. How do we know? Well, screenshots that show a leaked Google Play Games app running on an Android smartphone have been published ahead of the grand unveiling, and they’re well worth getting excited about.
Carmageddon, the ultra violent racing game that first made its debut on PC back in 1997 — and was subsequently banned around the world — is now available on Android. The title made first made its appearance on mobile back in October when it landed on iOS, but fans can now pick it up in Google Play for just $1.99.
Chrome has been around for a while now, and Google has just begun showing off what it can do. The company recently released a new Chrome Experiment that transforms any website of your choice into a playable marble maze. World Wide Maze breaks down the elements of a webpage, and processes these elements to create a floating obstacle course for you to navigate a marble through — using your smartphone as a controller.
Rovio and DreamWorks Pictures have today launched The Croods, a new mobile game based on the upcoming motion picture. The free title throws you back into the Stone Age for a “pre-hysterical” adventure in which you’ll have to hunt and gather through colorful landscapes in a bid to survive.
What mood are you in? Do you feel like capturing your mood or situation in a song? Dr. Smith’s Music Factory allows you to record your moods forever in musical pieces which you can share with people everywhere. Whether you feel like Sad Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands or Shiny Happy People, Dr. Smith shares your moody blues or good vibrations All Round The World!
Angry Birds continues to be one of the most successful games available on Android and iOS, and despite already racking up more than 1 billion downloads across all platforms, it continues to be a big seller. This Christmas, the surge in Android and iOS sales saw Angry Birds downloads boosted again. In just one week, the title was downloaded more than 30 million times.
Apple’s App Store is widely considered the king of mobile marketplaces — even Android fanatics will admit that it offers a greater selection of high-quality apps and games. But it’s Google Play that’s currently seeing the most growth, according to the latest data from app analytics firm Distimo, while the App Store enjoys more than four times as much revenue.
I think it’s great that Sony has chosen to certify third-party Android handsets for PlayStation Mobile; the Japanese company could quite easily have made the gaming service exclusive to its own Xperia devices. And this morning it has welcomed another three HTC handsets to the PlayStation Mobile family, doubling the total number of HTC devices that are supported by the service.
Tablet gaming is evolving at an incredible pace. We can now play titles on our iPads and Android-powered slates that have graphics and gameplay that rival their console counterparts — and at a fraction of the cost. But I’ve always felt there’s one thing missing, and that’s physical controls.
The Archos GamePad solves that. It’s an Android tablet, on sale now in Europe, that boasts physical buttons and joysticks to provide you with an enhanced gaming experience on the go.
If you’re buying your kid(s) a Kindle tablet this Christmas, then it may be worth checking out Kindle FreeTime, a new, “all-you-can-eat” subscription service from Amazon that’s designed specifically for those aged between three and eight. It provides unlimited access to apps, books, games, movies, and TV shows that are all curated for “age-appropriateness,” with content from the likes of DC Comics, Disney, Marvel, Nickelodeon, and more.