The best Android games from February 2015
Sports cars, made-up sports, and armour-sporting heroes
As 2015 gets into its groove, the trickle of fine new Android games is starting to widen out into a steady stream, if not quite yet a gush.
The last 30 days or so have produced some more top efforts. Some are iOS conversions, as always, and some are simultaneous launches.
It's a varied spread, too, with sports titles mixing with RPGs and classy casual time-wasters.
Give them a try.
Motorsport ManagerBy Christian West - buy on Android
Undoubtedly one of the best sports management titles available on mobile, Motorsport Manager throws you into a fictionalised world of Formula 1-like intrigue.
It's up to you to manage a racing team, hiring staff, attracting sponsors, and setting up your car.
Crucially, it's not too complicated or fiddly for mobile play, so you can dip in and out whenever you have a spare moment. But you'll probably be playing plenty when you don't, too.
Mikey BootsBy BeaverTap Games - buy on Android
The third and latest Mikey game from BeaverTap Games has arrived on Android, courtesy of Noodlecake Studios, and it's arguably the best - or at least the most intuitive.
This time the idea is to keep Mikey in the air using his nifty rocket boots, hoovering up coins and getting to the end of each bite-sized level as quickly as possible.
At its challenging, tactile best, it's like one of those games where you have to guide a metal loop around a length of twisted wire without touching the sides.
Heavenstrike RivalsBy Square Enix - download on Android
This exciting new IP from Square Enix and Mediatonic brings polished turn-based RPG battling to the free to play mobile format.
If that last part sends shivers up your spine, then fair enough. But Heavenstrike Rivals has more than enough going for it in terms of strategic depth and downright handsome looks to warrant putting aside your misgivings for a bit.
It's got a pretty good story, too, if you're into the whole epic JRPG thing.
Yes, there's an irritating energy system that refills with time or - of course - investment, but there's no denying the sheer quality of the content on offer here.
Major Magnet: ArcadeBy PagodaWest Games - download on Android
This polished free to play game has the look and feel of a classic Sega game. It sees you swinging from magnet to magnet, gaining momentum and pinging off into the air in series of death-defying manoeuvres.
Despite its bite-sized levels, Major Magnet: Arcade offers a stiff challenge. Perfect timing is often required to nail the game's exacting requirements.
If you're up to the challenge, though, Major Magnet: Arcade is one of the better ways to spend no money this month.
ZigZagBy Ketchapp - buy on Android
There's not much to say about ZigZag, other than that it's another simple tappy-tappy game from Ketchapp.
Your ball travels along an isometric path, and you must tap at each junction to make the appropriate turn. If you don't you die.
It's simple, it's punishing - it will keep you coming back for more than is strictly healthy.
LimboBy Playdead - buy on Android
Another indie darling makes its way to Android. Limbo is a classic 2D platform-puzzler, with a hugely influential dark and dingy silhouette art style.
The story it tells is similarly grim, concerning a young lad traipsing through a murky nether-realm, avoiding insta-death traps and nightmarish creepy crawlies.
It's the stuff of nightmares, in the best way possible.
Almightree: The Last DreamerBy Chocoarts - buy on Android
Almightree is a beautiful puzzle platformer that injects a real sense of urgency into the block-shifting premise.
As you move around Almightree's world, the blocks you walk on begin to crumble. Time is of the essence as you strive to solve the game's gentle conundrums.
All of this is set off with a lovely Zelda-inspired art style, which makes the game look like a polished console game.
Grudgeball: Enter the ChaosphereBy Cartoon Network - buy on Android
Grudgeball is another solid, attractive game based on Cartoon Network's extensive brand, but you don't need to have a working knowledge of Regular Show and its characters to enjoy it.
This is a made-up-sport game that sees your team holding onto possession of the ball to build up power, then lobbing that ball at an opponent's face.
It's dodgeball on amphetamines, but with just enough tactical scope to make it interesting beyond its destructive premise.
Jolly JamBy Rovio Stars - download on Android
The latest effort from Rovio Stars doesn't appear to be particularly fresh or exciting at first glance. In fact, it looks like yet another match-three puzzler and - worse - a Candy Crush clone.
It's actually a sharp and thoughtful effort, though. Rather than simple dragging together clusters of coloured blobs, here you're drawing boxes around them, connecting separated matches and obliterating any other same-shaped fruits in between.
Jolly Jam might look familiar, then, but it's the freshest casual puzzler we've played for a while.
Active Soccer 2By The Fox Software - buy on Android
Like the first game in the series, Active Soccer 2 harks back to the days before FIFA took a stranglehold on video game footy.
It's a fast, unforgiving, arcadey, top-down experience that requires considerable dexterity and practice to master.
Okay, so it's a little ugly and even glitchy, and there are no licenses, but Active Soccer 2 plays as pure a game of soccer as you can get on Android.
Top 10 best Android games: January 2015
Top 10 best Android games: November 2014
Top 10 best Android games: October 2014
Top 10 best Android games: September 2014
Top 10 best Android games: August 2014
Top 10 best Android games: July 2014
