The best Android games this week - Golfy Bird, Epoch 2, and Little Big Adventure
Gotta buy 'em all
Every Friday, Pocket Gamer offers hands-on impressions of the week's three best new Android games.
Golfy Bird
By Noodlecake Studios - download on Android (Free)
Believe me: I'm as sick of this Flappy trend as anyone, and my eyes immediately glaze over whenever I see a green pipe. But don't let your Flappy Bird prejudices stop you from trying this bizarre little freebie from Noodlecake.
Here, there's a golf ball with tiny wings and the same loopy flight pattern as Flappy Bird. And you've got to guide said golf ball to the hole in as few flaps as possible.
There's something about the bizarre physics and lazy momentum of the game that just feel fun to wrestle with, and getting the ball in under par actually requires some skill and forethought.
Little Big Adventure
By DotEmu - buy on Android (£2.49 / $3.99)
I'm glad DotEmu exists. These guys spend their time hunting down the rights to long-dead retro games - whether they're arcade shooters or cult classic adventures - so they can bring them back to life on Android.
DotEmu's latest resurrected artefact is 1994's weird French role-playing adventure Little Big Planet. A game about magicians, prophetic dreams, puzzles, and combat.
And while this is a largely faithful port of the PC and PlayStation original, DotEmu has tweaked the Android edition to work better on touchscreens. DotEmu has also included new hints; whipped up some tutorials; and designed a new save system and interface.
Epoch 2
By Uppercut Games - buy on iPhone and iPad (£1.39 / $2.50)
It's refreshing to play a game that is totally aware of its host platform. Where most shooters litter the screen with dodgy fake buttons, Epoch 2 delivers fast, accurate, scrappy robot-on-robot firefights with nothing but elegant taps and swipes.
It means you can concentrate on dealing with EPOCH's various foes and their different attack patterns, without worrying if your fingers are still hovering over the right area.
We gave the game a Bronze Award. We said that "Epoch 2 has learnt from some of the mistakes its predecessor made, but it hasn't really moved the template on much. There's still tinny fun to be had shooting your way through the game, but it feels like an opportunity missed."
