This is my kind of sports game. Completely unrealistic and over the top with fast paced gameplay and a a great sense of humor. Also, Fire. A lot of fire. I am of course referring to NBA Jam by EA Sports, the revival of the 1993 Midway arcade title of the same name. This release does a great job of preserving the spirit of the original, and its great fun. Its probably one of the greatest basketball games of all time to be honest, as long as you dont care about realism and all that.
Everything about a normal basketball game applies, only its all been simplified into a basic 2 vs. 2 match with very short-length quarters and a blatant disregard for the laws of physics. Its great fun to furiously run the ball back and forth on the court, always pulling off inhumanly high leaps and super impactful slam dunks. Getting three baskets in a row while shutting out the other team will result in fire mode, which gives you unlimited turbo and increased stats. Two control methods are available, and both work well after some practice.
You can choose to jump into random games for a quick fix, or you can enjoy a lengthy campaign mode. Three save slots are available, so up to three teams can be campaigned at any given time. As you win your way through ever increasingly challenging teams and divisions, youll likely unlock many of the games achievements. These also unlock fun features, from different kinds of balls to big head mode and more. Of course, the teams rosters have been updated to modern times, but legendary players, celebrity cameos, and playable mascots are all unlockable, along with several fun challenges. You can also play against friends via local Wi-Fi or Bluetooth multiplayer.
The graphics are well done, and they even keep the odd look of the arcade with photorealistic 2D faces on top of animated model bodies. The music and sound design is all well and good too. The hilarious courtside announcers, arguably the best part of the game, have made their triumphant return. The only real flaw lies in the stability issues this app has on various devices, though I had no issues myself. NBA Jam is available for five dollars at the time of this review. Some may find the app a bit on the pricey side, as far as apps go, but EA has managed to avoid their usual money pit business practices to deliver a simple and fun mobile version of this reboot of a classic game, with plenty of content to sift through. Boomshakala indeed, EA. Boomshakala, indeed
We start our weekly list, dear readers, with a dose of the epic. Aralon: Sword and Shadow, an open world role playing game, is the second iOS port of one of the modern classics from Crescent Moon Games, and its also a port of their second major open world RPG. Itll never really compare to something like Skyrim on the PC, but the vastness of the world plus all the customization options available are truly impressive for a mobile game. Gameplay is not too shabby, with 30 plus hours for you to enjoy, as long as you can handle some technical limitations.
One of the first big iOS games from Epic Games has finally made it to Android. Although, it isnt really a game at all. Epic Citadel is actually just an interactive tech demo, in which you dont do anything but explore a gorgeously rendered castle town environment with basic, virtual controls. There really isnt anything to talk about this game other than the lovely lighting and first-class foliage. Its free, so theres no harm in seeing just whats on display here. But does the release of this game on Android mean we might someday see Infinity Blade on the Android side of the fence? Its nice to dream.
Escape from Age of Monsters looks like something based on an existing Saturday morning cartoon show, but its really an IP created entirely for mobile gaming. The hand-drawn art is simply smashing in this more violent take on 
Whats it about? Exercise tracking app RunKeeper helps you log routes and keep track of your workouts.
Whats cool? A 3-D role-playing title along the lines of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Aralon boasts tons of content and a huge world for players to explore. With a 30-hour story, four character classes, and all the weapons and magic you could hope to enjoy in an RPG this size, Aralon is a game that will keep you busy. Like other titles in the genre, youll develop skills and decide what to specialize in as you progress your character, gather new weapons, items and armor to make yourself more powerful, and fight a whole bunch of monsters.
Whats it about? Despite its long name, Shapes & Sound: TheShapeShooter is a minimalist arcade shooter that has players fighting off enemy shapes with speed, reflexes and quick thinking.
Evzdrop is an interesting new social networking app that's seen some success on the iOS front, and is now looking to make a splash on Android. Essentially it lets you "listen" or "eavesdrop" on the collective conversation of various locations. By that, I mean that posts or "drops" are location specific, based on various restaurants, stadiums, or other entertainment venues. Anyone in the area can post about the goings-on of that area, and you can easily see what places are trending or where something interesting is happening, like if a celebrity shows up at a certain restaurant or a dancing flash mob starts somewhere. For the many groups of friends who can't decide on a place to hang out, this app is a godsend.
There have been a surprising number of financial planning apps released in recent weeks, and that trend continues with Planwise. It's a planner optimized only for tablets that tracks spending via charts, graphs, and the like. You can keep track of your bank account reserves and easily plan for big purchases or vacations, chipping away at your debt, or manage a change of employment status. There are plenty of alternatives to this app, but it's fairly well done and worth a look. If you have a tablet, it would very wise to add downloading this app to your plan for the day.
Start today with some good foodie advice from Burpple, a combination food diary and social network for finding delicious eats. The official app of theater subscription service MoviePass is next, giving you access to your account and yet another option for snagging movie tickets. Finally comes Guns 4 Hire, a top-down shooter with squad-based tactics and lots of explosions!
Whats it about? The official app of movie theater subscription service MoviePass is now available for Android devices.
Whats it about? Take on the role of a mercenary squad and take down as many bad guys as you can in Guns 4 Hire, a top-down shooter.
The background visuals often have a nice painted look to them, and the production values are generally pretty awesome. The songs consist of a lot of electronic music, from techno to J-Pop, and while those may not be your cup of tea, the songs themselves are energetic and well suited to this kind of game. There are over 18 songs currently available for play. I can also tell you that this game is much easier to play on a smaller device rather than a tablet. While I found it easier to get the timing right with such large buttons, itll be quite the stretch for your thumbs to keep up, and it can honestly wear your hands out fairly quickly.
In Plague Inc., your job is to infest of all mankind with a deadly virus. You start with one country and one virus. As this is a strategy game, your job through the game is to figure out the best way to transport, mutate, and keep your virus going. You even get to name your virus! As you play you earn DNA points which can be used to help modify the transmission, symptoms, and abilities of the virus. Plague Inc. requires a strategy similar to the classic board game Risk.
This is one of the first location-based games that I played and is a lot of fun. Parallel Mafia is based in the future, where criminal organizations run wild. Your job is to control your turf, take over other players areas and stop the Apex Agency. The virtual world the game creates is superimposed on a map of your GPS location. To be able to travel in the game you need to know a real person in that location or physically travel there and turn on the game.
