Friday, September 5, 2014

The best free Android games

Did you just pick up a new Android device? Maybe you’re looking for a new, cheap way to kill time? You’re in luck - we’ve got some games here that look and play great on the big and small screen alike, and they’re all available for the low, low price of free.
It’s worth keeping in mind that just about all of these employ in-app purchases of some kind or another. We know there are plenty of you that would willingly pay up front for a quality game, but there are plenty of good free games out there too. We’re trying to avoid “lite” games, since you won’t get a lot of replay value by only having the first couple of levels and being pestered to upgrade (pay) for the rest. That said, if the freemium model is a dealbreaker, this probably isn’t the round-up for you. Developers gotta eat.
Without further ado, here’s our list of the best free Android games. Don’t be shy to sing out in the comments with your favorite free games for Android.

Asphalt 8: Airborne

Asphalt 8: Airborne is our favorite racing game on mobile right now. It skips all pretensions of realism and provides an over-the-top, high-octane game with all the fixings. Players can work their way through the career mode, unlock new rides, upgrade the ones they have, or take the competition online in staggered or live multiplayer. The usual race modes are there, plus a new Infected one where players have to tag other racers before succumbing to an explosive virus.
The incredibly polished graphics and outstanding soundtrack make Asphalt 8 an adrenaline trip you won’t soon forget.
Download Asphalt 8: Airborne now for free

Dumb Ways to Die

In Dumb Ways to Die, players have to successfully get through a gauntlet of simple mini-games for as long as possible, though they progressively grow more difficult. These can range from shooing piranhas away from your crotch, swatting bugs, and holding onto balloons so you don't dive onto the tracks. You get three failures before it’s game over. The art style fantastically morbid - cute little characters are constantly getting maimed in new and exciting ways. As you play, you unlock more of the victims/idiots for your collection. The best part about this game is that it's actually a kind of public service warning by the Melbourne transit association to make sure people don't do stupid things near the tracks. There's even a music video. Well-played, Australia. Well-played.
For a dark-but-cute test of reflexes, Dumb Ways to Die is fantastic.
Download Dumb Ways to Die now for free

Dead Trigger 2

Dead Trigger 2 brings rootin’-tootin’ first-person-shootin’ back to the zombie apocalypse. Despite the altogether realistic visuals, Dead Trigger 2 remains chock-full of tongue-in-cheek humor. Controls use a fast and natural auto-fire mechanism which keeps the focus on moving and aiming. More notably, there’s a robust hideout and crafting system where you get various assistants to build stuff for you, though it takes time. There is a premium currency in place, but it’s used almost exclusively to speed up building times; all weapons can be created and upgraded using the currency you earn throughout gameplay. Regular events bring players to new parts of the world, with collective rewards if goals are met.
If you’re looking for a high-quality shooter, you’ll have a hard time finding something better than Dead Trigger 2.
Download Dead Trigger 2 now for free

Dots

Dots is a light, casual, and addictive puzzle game where players need to line up same-colored dots as quickly as possible. You’ve got a limited number of time or moves to gather up these dots by matching them, get bonuses for tracing closed loops, and once you run out, the dots you’ve gathered can be spent on consumable power-ups. There’s also a local multiplayer mode if you want to see how your friends stack up.
Dots is fun, sharply designed and highly accessible - give it a shot!
Download Dots now for free

Dungeon Hunter 4

Dungeon Hunter 4 is a fast-paced action-RPG that plays like butter. Players hack and slash their way through an extensive single-player campaign, gather loot and gear, level up their abilities, and eventually take the fight into online multiplayer, both co-operatively and competitively. The graphics, particularly during boss battles, are sure to suck you into the world. For those that get particularly enamored, there’s a premium currency available if you want to pick up the swankiest gear.
Dungeon Hunter 4 brings some of the best action-RPG gameplay you’ll find out there.
Download Dungeon Hunter 4 now for free

Galaxy on Fire 2

Galaxy on Fire 2 is a sci-fi RPG that has players blasting through a beautifully-rendered universe. Quests range from hunting down space pirates to mining asteroids and everything in between. There’s plenty of trading to do, and you can always upgrade your ship and buy new rides with the riches you amass. There’s a rich storyline to enjoy, and expansions available through in-app purchases.
Galaxy on Fire 2 is a rich, exciting, wide-open RPG perfect for sci-fi fans.
Download Galaxy on Fire 2 now for free

Plague Inc.

Plague Inc. is a rather dark global virus simulation game. Players gently guide a disease from a modest cough to a deadly worldwide pandemic by evolving it with new symptoms, means of transmission, and resistances. Over time, players unlock new disease types with their own unique traits. World events also randomly pop up every game, forcing you to change your evolution path. With an in-app purchase, you can get rid of ads and add a fast-forward option, or shortcut to new virus types.
As morbid as it may be, the Plague Inc.’s gameplay is truly infectious.
Download Plague Inc. now for free

Plants vs. Zombies 2

Plants vs. Zombies is a venerable mobile franchise for a good reason. The bizarre premise of protecting your back lawn from hordes of undead with sunflowers and peas is certainly part of that, but there’s a lot of tactical thinking in terms of plant choices before the attack begins, and placement. In Plants vs. Zombies 2, you’re taken back in time to defend against zombies dressed in era garb, and try out all sorts of new mechanics. The zombies are getting smarter, and challenge your reaction speed in a number of ways, though you also have a whole new complement of plants to use. Stages also have new terrain features to keep every round fresh. Plant food can be collected to super-charge any plant and gesture-based special abilities can make short work of a wave when things get especially hairy.
All in all, Plants vs. Zombies 2 presents deep strategic gameplay in a fun, colorful package.
Download Plants vs. Zombies 2 now for free

Spaceteam

Spaceteam is a decidedly unique local multiplayer game. Players gather together with their various devices and connect over either Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. They’re then presented with ridiculously-labeled spaceship consoles, with all manner of sliders, knobs, switches, and buttons. Each player then has a message flashing telling them which control needs to be tweaked in order to save their ship from exploding. The thing is, that control could be on anybody’s device, so what ends up happening is everybody starts barking ludicrous orders at one another with straight-faced urgency. Random events can have players in a panic trying to wipe goop off their controls while going through these episodes. In-app purchases unlock new skins, panels, and crew member graphics.
Spaceteam will be one of the most fun party games you play, and thanks to cross-platform compatibility, everybody gets to give it a go.
Download Spaceteam now for free

You Don’t Know Jack

You Don’t Know Jack is an amazingly-written trivia game with a long-standing tradition of bizarre wordplay and general smart-assery. Players compete against Facebook friends for the high scores in themed episodes. Many of the questions adopt a standard multiple-choice format, but there are also Dis or Dat questions where you have to categorize terms, and the harrowing Jack Attack in the final round. The tokens earned through gameplay can unlock new hilarious parody commercials in between rounds or be spent on consumable performance enhancers. In-app purchases can get rid of ads and give you all the tokens you could want.
You Don’t Know Jack is an absolutely hilarious game, even for those of us that are way too dumb to do well with trivia titles.
Download You Don’t Know Jack now for free
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Motorola Moto E review

Key Features: 4.3-inch 960 x 540 IPS screen; Android 4.4; 5-megapixel rear camera
Manufacturer: Motorola

What is the Motorola Moto E?

The Motorola Moto E is a slightly smaller, slightly cheaper alternative to the Moto G, the highest-selling phone Motorola has ever made.

For around £80 you get a simple, pretty high-quality mobile with fewer cutbacks than you’d see in a Samsung phone of the same price, and none of the odd design choices common to lesser-known brands like Huawei and ZTE. It’s not quite as market-shaping a device as the Moto G, but it is another bargain.

Motorola Moto E – Design

The Motorola Moto E is a very simple-looking, non-showy little phone. Its body is plastic, there are no particularly attention-grabbing design quirks and it cares much more about feeling comfortable in-hand than being super-thin.

At 12.3mm thick the Moto E is a chunky little mobile, but the smooth curves of the soft touch back are a delight. It’s a fair bit softer-feeling than the Moto G too.

Other than being smaller – but tubbier – than the Moto G, the main design difference is the use of little silver bars above and below the screen. These initially appear to be decorative – they’re not buttons – but they are actually outputs for the phone’s speakers.

The top one houses the earpiece speaker, the lower one the main speaker. It’s a cunning way to incorporate a front-facing speaker output without having to make the thing absolutely tiny. More on whether it’s any good later.

Thanks to these silvery bits, the Moto E has a marginally less slick look than its bigger brother, but this is still a phone that could easily pass for something twice the price. It’s more of a looker than the obviously bargain basement Samsung Galaxy Fame (a phone that is admittedly getting on a bit). 

One of the Moto E’s big aesthetic wins is that it does not use separate soft keys. They’re built into the Android software instead. While this cuts into the available screen space, it helps give the phone a simple and pure look.

Well, that and Motorola’s refreshingly ego-free approach to hardware design. “Motorola” is not written anywhere on the phone, and there is just a small Motorola logo in a neat finger-friendly indent on the phone’s rear. Both the Moto G and Moto E have a simple design that doesn't come across as anonymous or boring: great work on Motorola’s part.

There are some very welcome finishing touches, too. The Moto E screen’s top layer is Gorilla Glass 3, a very strong toughened glass we don’t normally see in phones this cheap. And there’s a special coating to the phone’s exterior (its core part, not the battery cover) that provides some water resistance. As a result you can’t remove the battery, but it’s a compromise that makes sense for the sort of buyer the Moto E is aimed at: it’ll likely survive an accidental dunk in the bath or sink.

You only get 4GB of internal memory with the Moto E, and this becomes a serious roadblock when trying to install some data-hungry. However, there is a memory card slot under the rear cover. Still, not all games simply let you install to SD. It’s one of the phone’s more irritating compromises, making the card slot more useful for storing music and video files than anything else.


Motorola Moto E – Screen

One of the main cutbacks of the Moto E is the screen. It’s a 4.3-inch 960 x 540 pixel display, a little smaller and significantly lower-res than the Moto G’s 4.5-inch 720p screen.

Those used to high resolution phones will notice the slightly more jaggedy edges of text characters, and a lack of fine detail in games.

Is it a big sacrifice for the sake of £20 or so? Yes, but the Moto E display can still go head-to-head with phones that cost upwards of £150. At £80 it's class-leading. Many far more expensive phones than the Moto E ‘make do’ with a similar 960 x 540 pixel screen.

These include the Sony Xperia M2 (4.8 inches), the HTC Desire 601 (4.7 inches) andLG G2 Mini (4.7 inches).  All cost more than twice the price of the Motorola Moto E. It’s an eye-opener.

Image quality is good too. Colours are well-saturated among sub-£150 phones, contrast is good and viewed straight on black level is marginally better than the Moto G. Viewing angles are a bit weaker, though. There’s a bit of brightness loss at an angle, although we doubt many will try to share a screen this size anyway.

As much as there are compromises, once again Motorola has made the right choices with the Moto E display. Resolution is slightly limited but general image quality is well in excess of what we traditionally expect at the price. But, yes, the Moto G is better.
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