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This Week at 148Apps:June 22-26, 2015
June's Summer Journey Continues With 148Apps
How do you know what apps are worth your time and money? Just look to the review team at 148Apps. We sort through the chaos and find the apps you're looking for. The ones we love become Editor’s Choice, standing out above the many good apps and games with something just a little bit more to offer. Take a look at what we've been up to this week, and find even more in our Reviews Archive.
LightRunner Armband
The LightRunner armband is about what you’d expect from a typical armband meant for running - at least I think, but I’m hardly an expert on running equipment - but it does offer a couple of useful features that could give it an edge. Mostly because of how it uses a protective layer to guard your iPhone or iPod from scratches while still letting you use the touch screen, and because it can light up to make nighttime jogs a bit safer. It’s a pretty well-constructed band that keeps your device secure while also allowing access to the headphone jack if you need it. I feel it’s a bit on the bulky side, but seeing as it’s meant to fit 11 different kinds of smartphones (from the iPhone 5 to the Moto X) I’m not sure there’s much they could’ve trimmed off. It might take some getting used to, but it works. --Rob Rich
Fallout Shelter
In preparation for Fallout 4's release this fall, Bethesda announced thatr they had also been working on a mobile title named Fallout Shelter. It's largely a management tapper like Tiny Tower, though it feels distinctly more like a Fallout wasteland scenario and less like a knockoff free-to-play experience. Fallout Shelter may not be for everyone, and it may seem like it misses a few opportunities, but it's a very interesting experience.Fallout Shelter lets players see what it would be like to be the overseer of a vault in the Fallout universe. Essentially this just means they're in charge of building a vault that provides safety and happiness for the dwellers within it. Much like Tiny Tower, players can expect to build additional rooms, match dwellers with jobs that make them happy, and collect resources.--Campbell Bird
Papaly Bookmark Manager
On the surface, Papaly Bookmark Manager sounds like something that isn’t really needed in a world of Instapaper and Pocket. In reality, it’s a very different kind of thing.It’s a way of organizing your links, but it also means that you can easily share them, according to subject, with other users. In that respect, it’s almost like a community. You can opt to simply import your links from social media and keep them safe, but you can also view many other selections. There’s a category devoted to gaming sites, for instance, as well as news sources.--Jennifer Allen
Her Story
At first glance, Her Story doesn't seem like much. It emulates the look and feel of seaching a police database from 1994 on an old Windows desktop - down to the horror of that teal background and ugly interface. There are only six things to click on and no real action to speak of. And yet, there is something strikingly compelling about it all. Sam Barlow, creator of Silent Hill: Shattered Memories and Aisle, has brought his storytelling expertise to this interactive narrative. The entire game revolves around searching through clips of several videos of the police speaking with someone named Hannah Smith. --Jessica Fisher
Piloteer
I had my first experience with Whitaker Trebella’s Piloteer several months ago during GDC, and my opinion hasn’t changed much (read: at all) since then. It’s still super-awkward to control, it’s still incredibly difficult, and it’s still ridiculously fun.You control a nameless (but you get to name her so I guess she’s technically not nameless) inventor who’s just made the world’s first jetpack. Since she presumably doesn’t have the same knack for PR as she does for tinkering, she’s going to have to pull off some impressive stunts in order to convince the rest of the world that she’s on to something. This is, of course, much easier said than done. --Rob Rich
Other 148Apps Network Sites
If you are looking for the best reviews of Android apps, just head right over to AndroidRundown. Here are just some of the reviews served up this week:
AndroidRundown
EA Sports UFC
If anyone should try to tackle a sports sim, it should be EA Sports. And tackle fighting it did with EA SPORTS UFC.Somehow, the tutorial is quite enjoyable on it’s own. It’s of the hands-on variety, so one is able to learn while doing with visual cues that help folks to understand the control system — which incorporates gestures and swipes to control the basics. With said tutorial we see attacks and special attacks, defensive maneuvers, take-downs and even submissions. The controls require dexterity and a keen eye, as there are times a very precise tap is needed. The teaching tool also doesn’t clear until one is able to execute the moves proficiently.--Tre Lawrence
Spider Square
We did wonder just what Spider Square is all about. What better way to find out than to, well, play it?Graphically, it looks like a basic affair; the game uses bright splotches of pastels, and is presented in 2D form. The animations are crisp, and as we see when we get into the action, the colors do frame the gameplay quite well.When we say “simple” with regards to the gameplay, we mean just that. The idea is so easy to grasp, the game barely needs a formal tutorial. It’s an arcade game that is delightfully cloaked as a platformer. The action “moves” from left to right, and the main concept is to get a square, uh, spider(?) to keep moving rightwards (forward) for as long as possible. The main tool is a rope, and the cube moves by swinging from said rope attached to the roof of the playing area. The kicker is that the cube can’t touch the floor or ceiling.--Tre Lawrence
Alphabetty Saga
Yes, Alphabetty Saga is a word game, but clearly wants folks to know it is more than simply that; it packs in elements across the board, from Scrabble, word search, matching, and even a lit bit of Tetris-y gravity play… and then some. It does a lot, which helps it come out the gate strong.At first glance, it’s easy to see developer King’s handprint on the visuals. The game employs bright colors and graphics that lean towards the whimsical without necessarily stumbling into the cartoonish. As a word game, it relies heavily on tiles, but the developer isn’t so jaded as to forget splashing character into the background. It’s a vivid presentation, and it mostly works in the plying area, which usually consists of random word tiles.--Tre Lawrence
All this, plus news, game guides and even more reviews than we can share here!
Celebrate Wiff Waff's Birthday With a Sale on Table Tennis Touch
Last year, Yakuto gave us the gift of Table Tennis Touch. The studio has since been overwhelmed at how popular the game has become. So, for their 1 year anniversary and their mascot Wiff Waff's birthday, they are offering Table Tennis Touch for 75% off the regular price.
Celebrate the Playoffs with NBA 2K15's Big Sale
It's Playoffs time in the NBA, and 2K is celebrating with a limited time sale on NBA 2K15.
How Could Hockey Get Cuter? With the Bunnies of Bob and Bobek: Ice Hockey
Join popular Czech cartoon characters Bob and Bobek on the ice in the Hockey World Championship of 2015.
Watch This Homerun Slides into Home on the Apple Watch
Eyes Wide Games has launched their one-touch baseball game,Watch This Homerun, for the Apple Watch.
Use Batting Average and the Apple Watch to Get Insights on Your Baseball Statistics
Batting Average, by Pixolini, is designed to help you manage your statistics. Every time you go to bat, you can use your Apple Watch to track yourswings, strikes, and hits.
Wrassling Review
Watch This Homerun is Batting for the Apple Watch
Eyes Wide Games'Watch This Homerunis purportedly the first sports game coming to the Apple Watch, where you'll be up to bat as the pitcher tries to out-manuever you with fastballs, curveballs, and changeups. Using one-touch controls you can try to hit as many homeruns as possible. The game has a progression-based League system meant to make you really feel like you're a part of the team. You'll be able to track your achievements and progress on the leader boards, as well as compare your stats with friends to find out who the best batter is.
“We’ve seen where Apple Watch is going, and it’s clear that giving sports fans and gamers fast and easy ways to plug into their favorite pastimes anytime will be a defining feature of the platform,” said Eyes Wide Games CEO Stephen Griffin, in a press release. “With Watch This Homerun, we’re distilling the complete baseball experience down to its greatest hits in a form players can enjoy in just 10-15 seconds on the go.”
You'll be able to get ahold of Watch This Homerun later this month for the Apple Watch.
WWE 2K Review
Football Manager Classic 2015 has Hit the App Store
SEGA has released the new Football Manager Classic 2015, which has been streamlined and redesigned to work on newer tablets. You'll be able to manage to a selection of 117 leagues from 51 nations, get to decide who you sign from the over 150,000 players from around the world, work on their training, decide which players get benched, select the tactics your team will use, and more as your guide your chosen team to the win. There is also a challenge mode that will test your skills with a variety of handicaps.
“Getting a full game mode from the home computer version of Football Manager onto tablets has been a dream of ours for a couple of years,” says Miles Jacobson, Studio Director for Sports Interactive, in a press release. “Finally there are some devices powerful enough to allow us to do this and we’re delighted to bring the most sophisticated football management experience to tablets to date.”
You can start your manager career by downloading Football Manager Classic 2015 for $19.99.
Stick Cricket 2 Review
Grudgeball: Enter the Chaosphere Review
The ESPN SportsCenter App Gets a New Look, a New Name, and Additional Device Support
An update has arrived for ESPN's iOS app (Formerly 'ESPN SportsCenter'), bringing in further device support, a redesign, and the introduction of ESPN Now.
The app now takes advantage of the bigger iPad screen, with scores and news displayed at the same time. iPhone 6 and 6 Plus owners will also be happy to hear that the app has been adapted to make full use of their bigger displays. The addition of ESPN Now, meanwhile, allows users to swipe to the right to access photos, videos, and social media content from ESPN. The cricket fans out there (insert obligatory 'C'mon England!' comment here) will also find that support for the upcoming Cricket World Cup has been added, bringing in video clips and scores from the 50 over contest to the app.
The updated ESPN app is available to download now for free.