lundi 29 février 2016

30 Days later — a Marvel: Contest of Champions for Android follow-up

Marvel walks a fun line with their psuedo-fighter, and it keeps you coming back for more.

When I initially sat down to write about Marvel: Contest of Champions I hadn't been playing for particularly long but I was already hooked. The access to a gorgeous and easy to play fighting game was the first draw, but I'm also a major Marvel fangirl. So, 30 days later, these are my thoughts on whether this game will keep you enjoying it after the first few days.

The first big question was whether this game was enjoyable even without In-App Purchases (or IAP for short). While Marvel: Contest of Champions does have some IAP, it's not a game that requires you to constantly purchase new booster packs in order to enjoy the experience. After a full month of grinding and playing in Versus modes, I never wound up spending any cash to pick up in game boosts. That's because this game finds a really good way to reward you with in-game items if you're able to rely on some basic skills to win fights. Between the various modes of play you'll quickly and easily earn just about everything that you need to keep moving forward. IAPs in this game are largely about shortcuts, making ti so you can avoid things that feel like grinding.

Purchasing more units would make it easier to snag those high level crystals and thus higher level champions, but I never found it was necessary in order to succeed. In fact I was only ever even reminded of those IAPs when I tried to grab a crystal that I just didn't have the units for. Is it slower going this way? Absolutely. I grind through each level until I've gotten a completion award for it. By doing that my ISO-8 is always overflowing, and it's easy to stay on top of character upgrades. The biggest bottleneck that I ran into was when I desperately needed catalysts but was unable to find them anywhere. Once you get used to jumping between campaign quests, battle quests, and versus modes — and grabbing the different loot that you get from each of these, you won't really need to spend your hard earned money.

While an easy way to share the game — and hook my friends — never really showed up, it was easy to play across multiple devices. Depending on the day I was playing on one of three different phones, plus a tablet and the game synced perfectly across all of these without any issues. If I switched from one to another, the game would just reload itself and I was good to go. It means you need an internet connection, but that's a reasonable trade-off for what you're getting in this situation.

After I got a variant Deadpool this way, I make sure to check on my mail every day when I open up the game.

I play Marvel: Contest of Champions for an hour or two each day at most — spread out across the entire day of course — and there is still a ton of content that I've barely touched. The battle quests are timed, so every week or so there is a new one to play through. These have proven to be an excellent distraction from the main campaign and the surest way to pick up gold and loot each day. The battle quests are also occasionally themed, like Deadpool for Valentine's Day. Each battle quest event is also accompanied by a specific crystal that you can buy for the chance of an awesome special character. These have kept me distracted enough that I'm still not even close to finishing the campaign missions.

One of the things that I didn't check often enough when I got started was the mail being sent to me by the game team. For the most part it's just info about current events, new features being added, and special events going on. However, every now and then they will also send you some sweet perks. These include everything from high level ISO-8 and catalysts, to 2-Star champions. After I got a variant Deadpool this way, I make sure to check on my mail every day when I open up the game.

I still don't really interact much with the other people in my Alliance, but that's because I prefer my gaming to be a solitary experience. Thankfully it isn't held against me, and I can still rack up Alliance points with a tap. I've gotten tons of rewards for Alliance missions that I didn't even realize I was accumulating points towards, which is always awesome. Checking in just once a day and helping people requesting aid has gotten me several Alliance crystals as well. There are still new Alliance modes out on the horizon too, and they look pretty interesting as well. Especially since a huge update dropped today adding Alliance Wars to the Alliance quest tab.

All in all, after a month's worth of play I'm still really enjoying the game. The regular tweaks on content mean that it hasn't gotten boring at all, and since I'm cool with grinding through a game I haven't devolved to picking up units in the game. There are plenty of free games out there that I enjoy and return to on a regular basis, and Marvel: Contest of Champions has definitely joined those ranks. It's different than a console fighting game, but that's what makes it more enjoyable on a mobile platform.












via Android Central - Android Forums, News, Reviews, Help and Android Wallpapers http://ift.tt/1OJRdI5

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HTC Vive pre-orders just went live

HTC-Vive-2

Frothing at the mouth for a killer VR experience? Have $800 burning a hole in your pocket? Have we got news for you! Today HTC launched pre-orders for their Vive virtual reality headset. The pack comes with three games including Google's jaw-dropping Tilt Brush, which is a 3D painting program. You'll also get all you need to transform a room into your house into a VR den of the future: wireless lightboxes, two wireless controllers, and all the components necessary to jack yourself Matrix-style into your ferociously specced computer. All this for the low, low price of $800.

Did I saw low? Yeowch! That price tag might be a bit painful, but this is some top of the line consumer grade VR equipment, and of all the gadgets we've tried in the field, it's handedly one of the best. Still, it's better than the $1500 sticker the product was once rumored to have. Unfortunately, it looks like only US residents are eligible for pre-orders so far, but we can cross our fingers that they will expand to other regions in the near future.

HTC-Vive-3See also: We tested the HTC Vive Pre – here are our reactions1

HTC is working hand in hand with Valve for this release, so you can use Steam's Vive-readiness utility to see if your computer can handle high quality VR. To get in on the action and rid yourself 800 pesky dollars, head over to HTC's dedicated Vive page and pre-order your headset today!

What are your thoughts of the HTC Vive? Have you demoed it anywhere before? What was your experience like? Will you be shelling out $800 for this cutting edge device? Let us know in the comments below!

Google cardboard best vr appsNext: 7 best Google Cardboard VR apps and games5


via Android Authority http://ift.tt/1TiKiOj

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Under Armour's SpeedForm Gemini 2 RE connected running shoes now on sale

Under Armour's SpeedForm Gemini 2 RE running shoes, which sport a bit of connected gadget smarts, are now on sale direct from Under Armour. For the curious, the SpeedForm Gemini 2 RE running shoes can track your runs and then upload the recorded data to the dedicated Map My Run app. The goal is to help you get extremely accurate run data so you can more efficiently tweak your training and hit your goals.

The Map My Run companion app has also been updated for the SpeedForm Gemini 2 RE launch, adding support for the shoes along with a new feature: Dynamic Training Plans. Under Armour says that Dynamic Training Plans will use your workout data to create a personal training plan and will automatically readjust to account for any changes in per formance.

If you're interested, be sure to check out our full review of the Under Armour SpeedForm Gemini 2 RE running shoes. Otherwise, you can hit up the link below to grab a pair for $150 from Under Armour.

See at Under Armour












via Android Central - Android Forums, News, Reviews, Help and Android Wallpapers http://ift.tt/1oKqq9v

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Leaked screenshot of Android N show new notifications shade and quick settings panel

com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F02%2Fnexus2cee_Notifications-728x655

The notifications shade is no stranger to change, and it seems to undergo tweaks and modifications with just about every major update to Android. In a leaked image discovered by Android Police, we get our first glimpse at what changes it can expect when Android N rolls around.

As you can see, the notifications shade looks like it'll provide quite a bit more info per notifications, and the height of each notification has been stretched to accommodate this. In Lollipop, notifications on the shade have a card-like feel with gaps of negative space between each one. N looks like it's filling up these gaps. While both have a very sleek, Material Design look, N opts for a lengthy sheet of contiguous paper over the card layout. We assume they will still be swipe-able.

Andy-Android-2See also: (Update: no app drawer) Android N features: everything confirmed, rumored and expected155

Moreover, the quick settings panel seems to be one tap quicker than it is on Lollipop. What appear to be quick toggle buttons ride atop the shade so that major tools and services, like wifi connectivity and your flashlight, can be accessed immediately rather than in a larger pull-down menu. It seems that the full quick options menu is available if you pull down once more, but this is a way to provide valuable utility to a part of the screen that wasn't used this efficiently before.

Granted, this is a very early shot of Android N, and we wouldn't be surprised at all to see this tossed out, revamped, or overhauled completely by the time the Android version officially starts hitting devices. Nevertheless, it's a tasty peek into what Google is currently cooking up with the operating system's ongoing evolution.

What do you think of N's new notifications shade and quick settings panel? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Android Logo Mascot Lollipop Nexus Event-3See also: Android N settings will add hamburger menu for easier navigation between sub-menus38


via Android Authority http://ift.tt/1oKpHVN

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Enter now for a shot at the new Samsung Galaxy S7!

Here we go! Samsung has announced their latest edition, the Galaxy S7. We just wrapped up a contest giving one of our awesome Android Central readers a free S7 (winner will be announced soon!) and thought it would be fun to go ahead and give away another S7 to a second reader! Keep reading for all the information you need to get yourself entered in this giveaway!

How to Enter: PLEASE NOTE, LEAVING A COMMENT DOES NOT ENTER YOU INTO THE CONTEST. Head down to the widget at the bottom of this page. There are multiple ways to enter, each with varying point values. For example, you can submit a photo to show us how excited you are for the S7 to gain 20 entries instantly! It's easy, just hit the option then upload from Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or your compute r. You can also answer a simple question for 10 entries, comment on a specific thread in the forums for 10 entries, and follow us on various social media channels for even more entries. Complete all of the tasks for maximum entries and your best shot at winning!

The giveaway is open until March 8th, and winners will be announced on the blog shortly after the close date.

The Prize: One super lucky Android Central reader will take home a brand new Samsung Galaxy S7!

Please note that service is not included with the phone. Also, in the event that the winner resides outside of the United States, the prize maybe be subject to duties and taxes, which are the responsibility of the winner.

Good luck everybody!

Win a brand new Samsung Galaxy S7 from Android Central!












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[Update: Rolling Out March 1st, For Real This Time] Verizon Is Rolling Out Marshmallow To The Droid Turbo 2

DROIDTurbo2

Verizon's Droid phones have traditionally been slow on updates, which isn't surprising for Verizon. Still, you have to wonder what's up when the hardware is sometimes very similar to the current gen Moto X. At any rate, Verizon has finally started rolling out Marshmallow to the Droid Turbo 2 (a few months after the Moto X Pure). That means lots of new features to play with.

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[Update: Rolling Out March 1st, For Real This Time] Verizon Is Rolling Out Marshmallow To The Droid Turbo 2 was written by the awesome team at Android Police.





via Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets http://ift.tt/1KZLcMA

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