Why trust GreenbotTired of tapping the same hful of app game icons? oking for some fresh experiences for your Android phone? ok no further: our Five to Try column highlights the most exciting new releases, this week’s entry is headlined by Rockstar Games’ Bully: Anniversary ition, an open-world, Gr Theft Auto-lite take on high school shenanigans. After a decade on consoles , it comes to phones tablets at a much smaller price.
Other top debuts this week include ’s Trusted Contacts, which lets you check up on or send alerts to close friends family as needed, as well as Quartz, a unique news app that shares stories in a conversational style. And if you’re looking for something other than Bully to play, then the programming-based Human Resource Machine is a clever puzzler to consider, while Zen nball has new tables based on gaming favorites like Fallout Doom.
Bully: Anniversary ition
Yes, you’ll use your fists at times. In my’s defense, this punk stole some cy from a friend.
Back in 2006, Rockstar Games found a way to top the controversy around Gr Theft Auto by releasing a game about kids paired with a title like “Bully.” It’s kind of misleading, however: as 15-year-old my , you’re not really the bully (for the most part), but rather a kid who was discarded by his parents the system, is trying to take down cliques shady folks at his new school. In any case, it’s another gem from the GTA maker, now you can play it on Android.
Bully: Anniversary ition ($7) delivers the complete console game experience with higher-resolution textures other graphics improvements, you’ll wer the school grounds surrounding city as you attend classes, get into fistfights, complete missions, build relationships. The game’s age shows through in spots, whether it’s the abrasive dialogue or slightly clunky play mechanics, but this is a big, enticing adventure that is still worth experiencing today.
Trusted Contacts
Connect with loved ones then keep them in the loop if things seem iffy.
’s new Trusted Contacts app is designed to keep you connected with your close family friends should you need help from afar. Once paired up with a contact through the app, you can send along your location if you’re concerned about where you are or where you’re heading. And any contact can request your status at any time, as well; if you don’t respond within five minutes, your last location will automatically be sent over.
You’ll also be able to see if a contact’s phone has moved recently, or what kind of battery life it has left. ’ve seen some of these features in other apps in the past, like Motorola ert Glympse, but ’s broad reach could get a lot more people plugged into this kind of digital safety net. It seems well worth setting up keeping hy; you might actually need it someday.
Human Resource Machine
Can you code well enough to move up the corporate ladder?
arning about programming doesn’t have to be a dull experience (at least not entirely). Case in point: Human Resource Machine ($5) is an ingenious little game that appears to be about corporate monotony, but really it’s a puzzle game built around the fundamentals of coding. You’ll drag drop comms into order to solve each new challenge, with the game gradually introducing new concepts over time.
ile you won’t finish the game having learned actual coding techniques, you’ll take away a sense of the logic concepts behind assembly language programming. And even if you don’t have an interest in coding software, Human Resource Machine is still a fun little brain-teaser with a great look (courtesy of the makers of the brilliant rld of Goo) a sharp personality.
Quartz
nt to get chatty with a news bot?
Many of us get an alarming amount of our daily news from social media these days, Quartz hopes you like that kind of compact, conversational approach… because this news app essentially turns news updates into text messaging. Quartz offers up a rundown of the top stories of the day, with each presented initially as little more than an extended headline. You can then tap one of two contextual response options provided, allowing you to either see more or skip ahead to the next story.
The stories are lively, yet to-the-point: nothing spans more than just a few text bubbles, you’ll see amusing animated gifs can even reply with emoji at times. And thankfully, everything is clearly sourced—so if anything seems off, you can judge for yourself whether it’s fake news or not. Getting news from Quartz isn’t quite as fast or easy as just reading a list of headlines, but maybe the added engagement can help these stories stick with readers.
Bethesda nball
ay this year’s awesome Doom reboot… in the form of pinball.
Bethesda has emerged as one of the most reliable celebrated game publishers in recent years, now three of its biggest franchises have arrived on Android… as pinball tables. That might not sound as thrilling as getting dedicated, core Doom or The Elder Scrolls entries on your phone (we already have Fallout Shelter, of course), but there’s reason to be excited: they’re part of the great Zen nball platform.
Zen already has dozens of tables from properties like Star rs Marvel Comics, now you can download tables based on Fallout, Doom, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim within the main Zen nball app. Each table costs $2 for unlimited play, does a great job of capturing the essence of the source game within an original, digital table. Zen Studios usually releases a stalone app for each partner series, as well, so don’t be surprised if a separate Bethesda nball app also shows up soon.
