SoundCloud Application Review

SoundCloud, an amazing online music collection, has made the move to the Android Market. Both new and old artists utilize SoundCloud to put their songs out for people to listen to and download. The mobile application acts as music streamer and will let you play any song you can find on SoundCloud. And that's a lot of songs. The app is great for anyone who doesn't have space on their phone for their own music, or doesn't have music to put on their phone.

Overall: 45/50

Alchemy Review

Alchemy is a game featured on the Android Marketplace (different versions on the Apple App Store). The developer is "Andrey 'Zed' Zaikin" and there is a premium version which offers hints and undos, both of which won't be THAT useful, so the $5 premium version isn't worth it in my opinion. The simplest explanation of Alchemy is... well you do alchemy. You start out with four basic elements, put them together to make more elements, and eventually you've over 200 different objects you've created. The concept is very, very intuitive and innovative, but the execution of said concept is... well, please read on.

Overall: 34/40 or 42.5/50

Bow Man Review

Bow Man is one of those games that was created to amuse you for very short amounts of time, very infrequently. The game itself is fun and all, but its hard to stay interested. The highest point about the game is probably the two player mode, which allows you to shoot your friends in the vitals and make them bleed all over.

Overall: 34/50

Atomic Bomber Review

Atomic Bomber is one of those games that looks lame, but is addicting once you start playing... somewhat like Minecraft. You take control of a fighter/bomber that is defending Europe from a Soviet attack. The more enemies you kill, the more points you get! Anyway, this game is available on the Android Marketplace for free. There is a full version that costs $1.59, and that will let you keep upgrades when you die and will give you an onscreen joystick. On with the detailed review!

Overall: 41/50

Newegg Mobile Review

Newegg, the home for all the cheapest computer parts, has now infected us with an app for our Android or iPhone. With Newegg as a resource that every computer builder should use, we've now got every resource the website has at our fingertips. When their dwindling supply of processors goes on sale, you can order directly from your phone. What more could a nerd want?

CraigsNotifica Review

Craigslist is a huge thing nowadays. It's like a virtual garage; the second most popular on the web (first is eBay). With Craigslist, you can sell and buy stuff with people near you. Proving somewhat useful, it has gained popularity over the years and is now a pretty busy place in most regions. The Android application CraigsNotifica, or whatever its real name is*, makes everything available to you on the go, so you can sell your junk and also be the first to call on the free HDTV.

*When opened, the name is displayed as CraigsNotifica. In the market, the name is Craigslist and is published by Notification. The adopted name seems to be CraigsNotifica, which is what I will use.

The Best Android Web Browser

Here we have all out war. Several different developers have released web browsers that are far different from the stock one. Which one is the best you ask? Well, that is exactly what I am going to tell you.

Hyperactive Ninja Review

Hyperactive Ninja, developed by Ninja Coders (the same dev for Minecraft Canary), is an action packed, 2D scrolling game for Android phones. In this generally simple game, you play as a coffee-addicted ninja named Kohimaru. Your mission is simple: to retrieve the world's coffee stolen by the Evil Shogun, who plans to use the power of the caffeine to take over the world. This is certainly an interesting plot, and I must admit makes for some gameplay that is nearly as addicting as coffee.

Overall: 44/50

Gameplay: 8/10
Hyperactive Ninja plays very smoothly and simply, which makes for a very easy to play game. Kohimaru, all jacked up on coffee, is constantly running. Your job is to make him jump by tapping the screen. It doesn't sound all that interesting, but with levels intricately set up with enemies, spikes, and fire, there is some strategy involved. Not only the dangers, you have a limited supply of caffeine which acts as energy. If that bar at the bottom runs out, you're finished. There is, however, a remedy for your energy going to waste. Remember all that stolen coffee you are supposed to be retrieving? Well those cups of coffee are scattered around and they also act as a small refill for your caffeine meter as well as some extra points. Your objective is to reach the door at the end of the level by wall jumping and attacking enemies from behind (and only behind!) before you run out of energy or get killed. All in all, it makes for interesting, fun gameplay.

Playability: 9/10
Really, all you have to do is tap the screen. It doesn't get much easier than that. The only real problem that I have with it is that the most comfortable place to tap the screen is usually right where you need to see. Other than that, there are absolutely no problems.

Entertainment: 8/10
No doubt, Hyperactive Ninja is a very fun game, but there are some times where it just gets too frustrating. Granted these times are more or less rare. Even though most good games are frustrating at some point, this one is different in that you feel like quitting instead of inflicting revenge on the level by beating it. This mostly happens with boss fights and the occasional hard level. Once you beat it, it feels too easy and unaccomplished. The only other frustrating thing is how long it takes for the beginning of each level, which replays every time you die. Mostly though, the game is very entertaining and will keep you interested for quite a while. There are a total of nine chapters to play through, featuring several enemy types and bosses. Plus, with your previous times and scores to constantly beat, achievements, and the connectedness to Scoreloop, the fun virtually never ends.

Graphics: 9/10
For an application on the Android Market, the graphics are one of the best features of this game. The characters are cute enough and the effects are very Mario-esque. Some of the colors are kind of bland and some wooden path blocking things are hard to see, but these aren't very notable problems, and perhaps it is just my eyes. One of my favorite things in the game is the implementation of the directions and tips that are placed in the actual level. For example, on one of the early levels pasted into wall is: "You'll hate spikes soon :)". Little effects like these are something that makes the game more enjoyable and charming.

Sound: 10/10
By far, the sound is my favorite thing about this game. Nice, 8-Bit sound effects mixed with the extensive, 30 song, 8-Bit soundtrack that perfectly fits the frantic action of the game. There isn't a whole lot more to it other than that the sound is perfect for the game.

Overall: 44/50
Hyperactive Ninja is an overall a very good game with very few flaws, but flaws nonetheless. Even though there are some hiccups in the game itself, almost everything about it is flawless. For nearly one dollar, Hyperactive Ninja is worth the money no matter what kind of a gamer you are. If you are short the money, you do at least have the free trial which gives you the first four chapters (out of nine). The Ninja Coders team is proving to be very good developers and I am looking forward to some of their upcoming releases. Thanks for reading and don't forget to subscribe.

Minecraft Character Widget for Android

I found a sweet little widget available on Android enabled devices. If you are a Minecraft fan and have some extra space on your homescreen, don't pass up this free widget. It's really simple, it cycles through pictures of characters and mobs from Minecraft. When set up, you can set how long you want each picture to last. My screenshot to the left shows four of the characters featured, but there are plenty more Also, when you tap on the picture a little menu pops up that will let you stop the cycle or skip forward (bottom right widget).It doesn't really do a whole lot, but it will definitely show your Minecraft patronage.

Minecraft Canary Review

I've stumbled across an amazing application, available on both the Android Marketplace and the iPod App Store. It is called Minecraft Canary and and it has several pretty useful functions. Now, I will also use this as an opportunity mark the starting point for my application reviews. See the separate page (at the top of the blog) I have created for a more detailed explanation about the grading system.

Minecraft Canary, developed by Ninja Coders, is an application designed to help you out with Minecraft. Complete lists of recipes, relevant information for use the game, and the day and night cycle timer are just a few of the useful things this app has to offer.


Overall: 42/50

Functionality: 9/10
From the very beginning, this app is simple enough. After the Ninja Coders screen, a main menu appears and contains 4 options: Canary, Workshop, Links, and Game Info. Firstly, the Canary acts a timer for your day/night cycle in the game. You start the timer when dawn or dusk starts and it displays how much time until the next change. It is somewhat confusing at first, but it quickly begins making sense after screwing with it for a while. Next, the Workshop section contains a list of all of the recipes. You can view them all at once, or only view certain categories. Occasionally, I found myself not knowing which category to look under, but I don't see that as a fault of the app. Every recipe is complete with a picture showing exactly how to craft everything. The Links section is the most useless. Here you will find links to sites like Notch's Blog/Twitter, the Official Minecraft Forums, and the Ninja Coders website. Easy enough, but generally useless. The Game Info section is more interesting than one would expect. It contains information on several catergories, as well as tips for in the game. All in all, if you are a Minecraft player, this app is definitely worth the price of FREE (with ads) or 99 cents without adds.

User-Friendliness: 10/10
It truly looks like an official Minecraft app. Everything is done with the Minecraft font and the background is the same as the game's. Everything is simple and almost always right where you would expect it to be. From the simple main menu (see picture to the right) to the easy sub-menus, this app makes it easy for anyone to use as long as they know how to tap the screen.

Entertainment: 7/10
This app certainly makes Minecraft more interesting after you learn of the formulas and the mobs and how everything works. The Canary will also keep you on track so you won't be left out alone at night time. A nice improvement however might be to add videos that explain the more complex ideas like track circuitry and such. The works very well, but after the first time, you will only go to when you need help.

Usefulness: 10/10
This app was designed to help you out in Minecraft. No doubt, this is exactly what it does, and it does it well. Very well. There is nothing that gets in the way of it so long as you know what you are looking for.

Span of Use: 6/10
Probably the biggest problem with this app... Once you know all of the recipes and have read all of the info, the only thing it really leaves is the Canary. Even then, once you craft a watch in game the Canary becomes generally useless. Of course, it is useful to keep around in case you forget a recipe or just want to re-read some neat information about the game.

Overall: 42/50
This app is great if you are a beginner. It could also be useful for a veteran that wants to learn more about the game on a deeper level or just wants to see how many minutes until sundown. The biggest problem is that this app loses its value over time. Besides that, I do believe this is the best Minecraft application out there, so the free version is definitely worth it. As Minecraft develops however, I expect this application will as well, so buying it would be smart as well (not that it makes a huge difference).