Best Windows apps this week
One-hundred and thirty-two in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps and games released for Windows in the past seven days.
Microsoft revealed plans this week to improve the Windows Store user experience by enforcing new policies to remove low-quality apps from the store. It is however, not the first time Microsoft promised to improve the quality of its Store and it remains to be seen if the new attempt will have a positive effect on user experience.
The games category is still number one in terms of new arrivals in store this week.
As always, if I missed an app or game that has been released this week that you believe is particularly good, let me know in the comments below or notify me via email instead.
The following applications and games are discounted by at least 50 percent this week.
- Assassin's Creed Pirates, spin-off of the popular game franchise for $1.99
- Jaggy Race, a physics-based racing game for $0.99
- Myth Defense, a tower defense game for $1.49
- Mega Run, an action-based platform game for $0.99
- CleverToDo, a task management application for $4.49
- BackTrainer, a fitness app designed to prevent lower-back and neck pain for $1.99
App of the week
Overkill is an on rails shoot 'em up game in which you fight against hordes of enemy soldiers.
While the main game seems rather repetitive at first, it offers some variety when it comes to levels and the types of enemies that you face.
For instance, you will encounter bosses every now and then which are tough to beat, or you will need to avoid sniper fire by slicing through objects on the screen while you are running.
In addition to all that, you may buy new weapons and armor, upgrade existing equipment, level up and play various missions in the game to earn stars which unlock additional areas in the game.
Controls are not great if you don't use touch devices. While the game is playable with mouse and keyboard, it feels rather awkward to aim using the right mouse button and not the mouse itself.
The game supports premium currency which you can buy in-game to unlock weapons and power ups more quickly or at all.
Other apps
Browse and shop Tesco Ireland products online. The app ships with a selection of nice-to-have features such as barcode scanning, a comprehensive search application and supports Tesco services such as click and collect, access to "my usuals", or the booking of delivery slots.
Bloons TD5 ($9.99, no free trial)
Bloons TD5 is a tower defense game in which you place monkeys on a map that use all kinds of weapons to destroy balloons.
It is a child-friendly game that will keep fans of the genre entertained for a long while thanks to the sheer number of levels and different monkeys that you can unlock and place in the game.
According to the feature listing, it offers more than 40 maps, 21 different towers, more than 250 missions and three different game modes.
The price seems a bit on the high side though considering that you can play Bloons TD5 for free on the Internet.
Machineers ($8.99, no free trial)
Machineers is a beautiful puzzle game in which you are tasked with fixing machines such as a pong arcade game or a sparkling fountain using mechanical parts like wires or gears.
Each puzzle introduces game mechanics which assist you in repairing the machines but also when you start to play around in the vehicle workshop, a sandbox of sorts.
The episodic game features beautiful graphics. Only two of the five planned episodes are currently available though.
Acronis Access Advanced is a business product that promises efficient access to files across mobile devices and desktop systems.
The app works only in combination with an Acronis Access account. It displays local and network files that you can access on your Windows device using the application.
The service itself supports a variety of file storing solutions including Windows server, SharePoint, Acronis Access servers, and NAS devices.
This is a classic arcade game in which you try to beat the competition in dynamite fishing contests.
Game mechanics are easy to learn: control your boat with the cursor keys and use the left mouse button to throw dynamite.
What makes the game interesting is that it features upgrades, power ups, various competitions and special weapons which will keep you entertained, at least for a while.
Little Big Totems is a crazy dexterity game in which you need to place blocks of different sizes and shapes on top of each other to create a perfectly balanced totem.
What sounds easy at first becomes difficult quickly as you have to place blocks perfectly to avoid everything falling apart quickly.