Best Windows apps this week
One-hundred and thirty-four in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps and games released for Windows in the past seven days.
Microsoft continues to work on Windows 10 despite the operating system's pressing July release date. The latest Insider Builds improve functionality for developers by making it easier to sideload apps.
This week saw the release of several high profile apps and games including the excellent YouTube client myTube, the unofficial game Super Mario Touch, and this week's game of the week Inside Out Thought Bubbles by Disney.
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.
- A World of Keflings, an empire-building game for $1.99
- Tennis in the Face, an action game for $0.99
- SuperPhoto, an app to add effects to photos for $1.99
- SecureWord, a password manager for $1.49
- Nextgen Reader, RSS reader for Windows for $0.99
- Space Weather, a weather application for $0.99
Best app of the week
Disney's latest game for the Windows platform is a Puzzle Bobble (Bust-a-Move) clone with an Inside Out theme attached to it.
Game mechanics are identical to the classic game as you try to clear memories (bubbles) attached to the ceiling by shooting bubbles of the same color at them. Once three or more bubbles of the same color match they are removed from the level.
Simply shoot the current (or next) ball from the bottom of the screen using a slingshot of sorts.
The game features special powers which you unlock automatically when you collect enough memories of a certain color.
Veteran Puzzle Bobble players will notice new game modes and challenges such as skill shots which require that you hit a target that is protected by rotating fans.
The game is well done and features more than 125 different levels to play through.
Other Apps
Puzzles & Pixies is a beautiful puzzle game in which you match butterflies instead of candy, jelly or chocolate.
Instead of swapping pieces, you are drawing lines between butterflies of the same color to match them.
Matched butterflies disappear and when you match five or more, pixies are added to the map which create powerful effects when collected.
A variety of challenges are available, from reaching a certain point threshold, to removing water pads on certain tiles in a level.
myTube! ($0.99, free trial available)
The YouTube client for Windows has a lot to offer. It brings the whole YouTube experience to Windows including browsing what is hot, and searching videos.
It supports 60 fps and videos up to 2160p, and ships with a couple of preferences to select default quality levels and region.
Apart from that, it enables you to watch in the background, download, and enjoy playlists even when you are not online.
Existing YouTube users can sign in to post comments and manage subscriptions.
New York City Plumber is a fast paced puzzle game in which you need to direct the flow of water from one side of the screen to the other to prevent it from overflowing.
This is done by tapping or clicking on pipes to change angles. The game makes things complicated not only with its time limit but also by blocking some pipes from being rotated.
This is a beta empire building game in which you develop your local economy to do battle with other players in the world.
The game is released as a beta and it shows in several ways, such as by not having a tutorial yet.
If you have played a similar game before you know what to do though; improve your buildings, build new ones to gather more and better resources, and hire units to defend your castle from attacks and carry out attacks against other players of the game.
Magic Secret Agent is a challenging puzzle game in which you throw a ball to teleport your agent to it.
The game is all about throwing the ball correctly to reach platforms, avoid traps and reach switches and other items in the game that you need to use or collect before you can reach the exit of a level.
There is no time limit or restriction in regards to the number of balls you can throw. That's excellent especially for gamers who don't like being pressured in games like these.
It is unlikely that an official Mario game will be released for the Windows platform anytime soon. Super Mario Touch is an unofficial game made in HTML5 that offers levels to play through and an editor to create your own levels.
The game supports touch and keyboard game play (gamepad not tested), and plays a bit too fast when you compare it to the original game on the Super Nintendo.