Best Windows apps this week
One-hundred and seventy-five in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps and games released for Windows 8.x and Windows 10 in the past seven days.
This week saw the release of several great applications and games including Quantum Break, a Windows 10 exclusive game (also available on Xbox One).
App of the week is Lego Juniors, a free app for children to use Lego to build and drive vehicles.
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.
Discounts This Week
The following discounts are provided by Red Stripe Deals, a weekly changing list of offers, and the Deals Hub application.
Here is this week's selection:
- Daddy was a thief, an action game for $0.99
- File cards: Modern file manager suite, for $1.49
- Sparkle 2, a Zuma-like puzzle game for $2.99
- Media Player Gold, for $5.99
- Abyss, an exploration game for $1.49
- Doodle Tanks, a puzzle game for $1.49
App of the week
The Lego application introduces children age 4 to 7 to Lego. It is part construction game in which you create drivers and vehicles from Lego pieces, and part (basic) racing game, in which you take your newly created ride for a test drive.
You collect Lego pieces while you ride your vehicle and get access to new pieces once you have collected a certain amount. This can be new car parts or new character outfits that you can use in the construction part of the game.
Additionally, you unlock new scenes at the end of each ride that you may encounter during future rides.
It is refreshing that the app comes without in-app purchases or advertisements.
Other apps
The new UWP application enables you to find hotels, make reservations, and check in or out using the application.
You can create a new account and, once you have done so, check the reservation status, look up support hotlines, or find out more about individual hotels.
You can pin hotels to the Start menu, get a map, and call individual hotels.
This official Microsoft application can be installed already but it may not provide any functionality whatsoever currently (it may display 'Coming soon' on start).
It is a new to-do application for Windows 10 that is simple and easy to use.
This is a Frogger-like game in which you try to cross roads using Disney characters.
You can collect coins scattered around the level and may unlock new characters while you are playing the game.
The game is more advanced than Frogger though, as you will not only encounter obstacles on roads, but also some that advance on you directly.
Suto Stream is a universal unofficial Twitch.tv client. It displays top games on start, and a search to find games or channels not listed on the frontpage.
A click on a channel starts playback right away. The app provides you with options to change the stream quality, and to turn off chat.
The game downloads quite a bit of data on start without revealing how much. If you check later on, you will find out that its total installation size is more than 2.2 Gigabytes.
It is a tactical free to play game set in the Avengers universe. You control up to three characters, including Captain America, Thor, Black Widow or The Hulk against enemy cannon fodder and bosses.
Combat is turn-based, and some actions cost character specific action points, for instance Rage if you control the Hulk or Ammo if guns are used by a character.
Characters level up as you play the game, and you find items and other stuff as well. The game makes heavy use of free to play mechanics such as energy that replenishes over time (you need energy to play the game), premium currency to buy new heroes and abilities, and more.
Bandsaround Concerts ($0.99, free trial available)
This is an unofficial Bandsintown application that provides you with a list of concerts in your local area.
Search for artists and bands, track them, and pin pages to the start menu for quick access.
Tibetan Quest is an adventure game in which you journey to the city of Shangri-La to find your missing niece.
The free version of the game is limited, but you can unlock the full version of the game from within.
The adventure game itself falls into the hidden object type where in which you complete mini games to advance.
Send Anywhere is a cloud-based file transfer service that you can use to send files from one device to another.
Unlike the majority of services out there, it does not require that you create an account first before you can start using the service.
To send files add them using the application. This generates a six digit security key that is valid for 10 minutes or 24 hours. To receive the files, enter the security code using the app and the file download will start immediately thereafter.
Gem Well is a free puzzle game in which you throw coins into a well to gain points. The number of coins you can throw is limited, and you need to get a certain number of points by hitting the right spots in each level to proceed.
Notable updates
- The official Dailymotion application got support for video casting in version 6.1.39.0.
- Fhotoroom, a popular image editor is out of beta and released as a UWP app.
- Todoist application (official) is out of beta.
- Windows Camera support for pause and resume in video mode added.
- Word Mobile supports RTF files with the latest update. Another new feature provides you with options to insert images from the camera directly.