App of The Week: Temple Run 2 for Android

As the title mentions, our App of The Week for the Week of February 23rd, 2013 is Temple Run 2.  Let's be honest, if you have a Android or an iPhone, then you have probably at least heard of or even seen the original Temple Run.  The original Temple Run became somewhat of a staple of mobile gaming.  Along with the likes of Angry Birds, Jetpack Joyride, and numerous others.  Either way, the original was an awesome game (albeit, rather frustrating at times; but still awesome).

If you happened to have played the original Temple Run then you pretty much know the ropes of the gameplay.  Basic controls involve swiping the screen in order to make your runner avoid obstacles or make turns all while you are running from the likes of a crazed monkey.  As the game opens, you see a nice 3D fly in of the ornate opening of a cave where an idol hovers in the cave's opening.  You tap the screen to play, and that is when we are introduced to our runner.  Who comes running out of the cave's opening and picks up the idol and starts running.  You catch a shot of the giant monkey that is pursuing your runner.  From there the game's camera positions itself behind your runner and you start out on your high speed adventure.

What's new in Temple Run 2?

Temple Run 2 brings several new elements to the game.  All of which makes the game much more involved and in my opinion, brings a welcomed new environment to the Temple Run series.  The environments from the original game were somewhat dark and gloomy looking; which, don't get me wrong served, to set the mood of the game.  But still the newer, brighter environments just look awesome.

The environments aren't the only improvements that Imangi Studios brought to the table though.  Where the original game succeeded in guiding players through a running, jumping, and sliding crazed run while collecting coins and power-ups; the sequel also throws in zip-lines, mine cart rides, and a much larger monkey.

I have been playing the game on my Nexus 7 tablet and my Samsung Galaxy S2 phone.  And it runs so smooth it's almost ridiculous.  I have experienced virtually no lag while running this game on either of my devices.

What is the point of the game?

Run fast, and run far.  All the while, collecting coins and various power-ups that grant your runner abilites like being invincible, attracting all of the nearby coins as you run past them, or a green bubble of protection.  And at the end of the run, try to beat your high score.  There are also achievements built into the game that change as you level up

Is it worth the download?

Most certainly.  And the price is perfect: FREE.  That's right.  It doesn't cost you a dime to pick up this awesome game.  You can spend your real world cash for jewels in-game.  But spending real world money doesn't help you progress through the game.  As each level starts fresh, and each run is different.  So forget about trying to memorize the pattern as you run through the level.  But overall, this game is lush and beautiful, and is a lot of stylized fun.

Sure, the game can be downright frustrating at times.  But if there has ever been a game that makes it fun to be frustrated; then this is it.  So in short, if you are looking for a fun (and free) game to pick up then this is the app for you.

Rating: 

Visit the Google Play Store: Temple Run 2

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New Roku Streaming Set Top Box Revealed

Today, Roku has revealed it's newest product.  For those who aren't familiar with Roku, they make a sweet little set-top box that is basically like a cable box for your internet streaming needs.  There are currently several Roku devices on the market, some just stream video from different streaming services like Netflix and Hulu (and a whole bunch more).  While some of their newer offerings can also handle apps like Angry Birds.

The new Roku LT is a slightly smaller version of the Roku 2 HD.  They have stripped it of Bluetooth and microSD features (that the Roku 2 HD has); and it will output video at 720p.  They have also announced that HBO Go would be making an appearance on Roku boxes as well.  If you are a current HBO subscriber, you get free access.  They have yet to announce what the cost to new subscribers (or non-subscribers) will be.  The Roku LT will retail for $49.

For more info on Roku visit: http://www.roku.com/

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An Angry Birds Movie? Could is be a possibility?

Apparently so.  Unfortunately, it looks as though what started out as a simple game with simple, yet cartoony 2D sprites has gained enough momentum to be courted for the concept behind a movie.  I'll have to be completely honest, I loved the game.  But I don't know anyone who actively still sits around jamming out on 'Angry Birds'.  My wife and a handful of friends were all madly addicted to it when it first hit, and now she has moved on to other addictive games on her Android phone.

So what do you think, does the fame of Angry Birds warrant the brand some Hollywood love?  Personally, I would love to get my hands on the Angry Birds plush toys and be able to throw them at people for the fun of it.  But then again, I remind myself that I am 29 years old and such behavior might be frowned upon by certain individuals.  lol

Anyways, if you're looking for more info on an Angry Birds film, checkout the article over at PCMag: "Rovio: Hollywood Calling for 'Angry Birds'"

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This Week In Tech News: Videogame Stocks are Down, Teen Text Messaging, Free Angry Birds, and More!

This week in Tech News we have several interesting topics, so here we go.

- Videogame Stocks Are Down.  But Halo is freakin' breaking the bank!
During the month of September, console game sales dropped about 6% when compared to September 2009.  This was reported in the The Wall Street Journal.  Does this mean sales are going to be crap for the holiday season, which is no doubt the biggest time of the year for videogame manufactures?  Who knows, I doubt that the sales for Christmas will drop that much.  In my opinion, they will probably see a spike in purchases in games that are already on the street like 'Halo: Reach'.  Which leads me onto another topic, what is it about the 'Halo' franchise that basically turns all it touches into gold?  Halo is synonymous with the Xbox 360 in much the same way as 'World of Warcraft' is synonymous with the term 'MMO'.  Is Halo that big?  No definitely not, but considering it is a console, first-person-shooter.  It's doing extremely well.  And the hype leading up to 'Reach' was no small endeavor.   Does the game look good?  Oh yeah, it looks great.  Have I played it?  Nope, and probably won't.  Why?  Too much hype for my taste.  But it is interesting that with the console game industry worrying about stocks, 'Halo: Reach' is riding the cash cow to the bank with $3.3million sold so far (and counting) in the U.S. alone.  Something to think about anyways.

-Teen Text Messaging: that's a lot of non-verbal communication!
Text messaging has been around for years.  But suddenly there seems to be this huge wave of people hit the 'texting trend'.  Which for one, I don't understand.  Why?  Most of the texters are using something similar to a 'smart-phone' which has email access.  Why not send a longer message with less bounce backs between the two parties involved and make life easier?  Then again, I don't text either.  Nielson conducted a survey with 3,000 teens and compared with approximately 60,000 cell phone bills (that's a lot of bills).  And averaged out that the 'average' American teenager sends approximately 3,339 text messages a month.  That's a crap load of text data out the floating around the cell providers networks.  Now, if only they'd put that much attention into spelling right, and working on their education; we could raise a brighter tomorrow.  :)
source

-Those birds are freely Angry!
For those of you lucky Android users (which I personally adore the Android), rejoice!  For the 'Angry Birds' are free for you!  'Angry Birds' is the best selling title from Rovio Mobile which has sent raging success with this title on the Apple App Store.  Now they are spreading the love with the non-iOS users.  The app currently costs $.99 cents on the Apple App Store.  It is availabe on the Getjar.com site, and will also be available on the Android Marketplace.  Let's just say that they came is popular enough for Rovio's website to go belly-up when they released it for free.  Just sayin'.
http://www.csmonitor.com/Innovation/Horizons/2010/1015/Angry-Birds-available-on-Android-for-free-crashes-company-s-website

Other notable things from the week: Skype and Facebook are in bed together, ArenaNet goes live with the 'Hall of Monuments' calculator for Guild Wars fans at: http://hom.guildwars2.com/#page=welcome; oh yeah, and Windows Phone 7 is out too, anyways.  Have a great weekend!

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