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'GTA: San Andreas' on Xbox 360 looks a lot like the Android version
Let's say that nostalgia got the better of you and you downloaded the refreshed GTA: San Andreas on Xbox 360 to replay a few missions ahead of GTA:V's new-gen re-release. You know, the tale of the Grove Street Families that now supports 720p resolution and achievements. Well, the tech-minded folks at Digital Foundry have done some digging and found that the HD version actually bears more than a passing resemblance to the game's recent Android offering, as opposed to, say, a port of the original PC release. What you get here has better draw distance than the one on Google's mobile OS, but, for the most part, little else in the way of enhancements. Instead, there's apparently quite a bit of stuttering in-game, there are visual effects missing that even the PlayStation 2 release had too, in addition to cutscenes where audio drops out completely.
'SimCity BuildIt' lets Canadians play urban planner before anyone else
While Canada is the brunt of countless jokes, it seems like our friendly neighbors to the north have the last laugh this time. At least when it comes to playing SimCity on the go, that is. The folks at EA have recently soft-launched SimCity BuildIt on Android, and like so many other mobile games it won't cost a dime to download. Of course, once you start shelling out for in-app purchases that'll change in an instant. Why the lack of fanfare? Well, the last game in the series didn't fare so well at the outset or for awhile afterward, so that might have something to do with it. Android Community says that despite expectations, however, it isn't a mobile port of the PC title. Instead, it's apparently more along the lines of a typical Android city builder, just with a SimCity coat of paint. We've embedded a gameplay video after the break so you can judge for yourself.
Local multiplayer is coming to Android games
Ever wish that you could just whip out your Android device and harass a passer-by to play games with you? It's the sort of thing that Nintendo 3DS users, for example, have been using thanks to that company's StreetPass feature, but, until now, hasn't been available on Google's smartphones. Now, however, the company has an added an update to its games infrastructure that enables "ambient, real-time" games with more than one user - so long that the game relies upon Google's home-grown multiplayer backend. Still, maybe don't sprint into the street and start challenging people to a duel, because they might get the wrong idea.
Send Me To Heaven gamifies wanton smartphone recklessness (video)
Like to tempt fate? Then you might want to check out Send Me To Heaven, the Android app that uses your phone's accelerometers to track how high it travels when thrown upward. Assuming you don't fumble your handset on its return trip, its distance will join that of other daredevils on the game's leaderboards. That's all there is to it. Really. According to Kotaku, Apple pulled the game from iTunes because it encourages "behavior that could result in damage to the user's device." We've reached out to developer Carrot Pop for comment on Apple's actions and will update this post if we hear back. In the meantime, do you feel lucky? Update: Carrot Pop's Petr Svarovsky emailed us back saying that Apple initially rejected the app a year ago, and that at the time he "thought people would be careful not to break their expensive iPhones."
Gameloft announces its first Unreal Engine game, you figure out what it is
Parisian gaming company Gameloft has pulled the wraps off its first Unreal Engine Android game, but is being rather coy about what it actually is. The teaser image -- which was released on the company's Facebook page -- reveals little more than a bloody sword and skull along with a cryptic message, saying that a clue was hidden in the artwork. Viewers were also invited to vote for the next hint, which will either be another image or a YouTube teaser trailer. Whether the macabre-looking game itself will create as much suspense as its marketing tease remains to be seen. Update: Some sources have reported the platform as Android, but that has not been officially announced.
Gameloft fends off winter blues with dollar sale on Android Market
The French game publisher already sprinkled 99¢ allspice on its iOS and Amazon Appstore titles, plus a two-for-one deal on the Xperia Play, but soon it'll bring that volume-not-margin recipe to the Android Market too. Almost all of its paid titles will reportedly go for less than a dollar between December 26th and January 5th, so if you're about to click 'Buy' on a premium purchase like Asphalt 6: Adrenalin, 9mm or The Adventures of Tintin, then it might be worth relaxing your trigger finger. The notable exception is Modern Combat 3: Fallen Nation, which will apparently only be discounted for a single day sometime around New Year's Weekend -- though hopefully not while you're still preoccupied with running around in yesterday's clothes and hugging random strangers.
Vestel, Exent bring Android games to TVs, with 'all-you-can-eat' subscription service
Just last week Vestel was busy showing of its BitTorrent Certified Television, and now the company's teaming up with Exent to deliver Android games to your boob tube -- and it's doing so by playing off your love of a bottomless buffet. Described as "the world's first all-you-can-eat Android TV game subscription service," GameTanium allows users of Vestel's Smart Box set-top box to access a suite of TV-optimized games in the comfort of their living rooms, using their Android phones as controllers. What's more, the service lets them switch between their PC, cellphone, tablet or TV without ever losing their place in a game. The service will be debuted at this week's IBC, but if this announcement has left you hungry for more, there's always the Golden Corral. Full PR awaits you and your belly after the break.
