Five to Try: Beat up Batman in Arkham Underworld, or force a smile with FaceApp

BY GreenBot Staff

Published 17 Feb 2017

If you’re on the prowl for new updated Android apps games that are worth a look, we’ve got you covered with our latest Five to Try column. FaceApp is this week’s biggest app debut, using the immense power of cloud computing to… put a silly but (sometimes) realistic grin on nearly any picture? True story!

Elsewhere, Batman: Arkham Underworld flips the script by putting you in control of the Dark Knight’s worst enemies, while the huge new kémon Go update adds 80+ monsters along with other tweaks enhancements. EasilyDo’s new Email app is also worth checking out for on-the-go power-emailers, while puzzler unrded is sure to prod your brain with its tricky, typography-based challenges.

FaceApp

fivetotry feb17 faceapp reless b

I look terrifying, but that Trump photo takes on a whole new tone with Melania’s faux grin.

In a time where “fake news” accusations are always flung around, one app is making it easier to produce fake photos in a matter of seconds. Fresh off of its buzzy iOS release, FaceApp is now available on Android, it allows you to take a selfie (or load a saved photo), send it to the cloud, pop a realistic smile onto someone’s mug. Turn that frown upside down, whether your subject wants you to or not.

Kind of creepy, right? en FaceApp works well, the results are surprisingly on point. Boosted by cloud computing, the app pastes someone else’s smiling lips into the image, adjusts the cheeks wrinkles around the eyes, delivers a realistic result. en it doesn’t work as well, which is actually pretty common, the results can be horrifying (see me, above); that’s especially true with some of the other filters included with the app. But as a freebie gimmick app, it’s well worth tossing in a few photos to see what kinds of goofs you can turn out.

Batman: Arkham Underworld

fivetotry feb17 arkhamunderworld rner Bros.

Control The Riddler other foes in this anti-Batman game.

Find The go Batman Movie too upbeat silly? Maybe Batman: Arkham Underworld will be more your speed. Not only does it depict a grittier, comic-inspired take on the Caped Crusader, but it also puts you in charge of the opposition. Instead of playing as the Dark Knight himself, you’ll comm famous Batman villains their goons to take over Gotham City.

Arkham Underworld takes the form of a top-down action game management sim, wherein you’ll point units towards enemies objectives watch them complete their tasks. It’s largely hs-off, but there’s strategy in how you approach each battle, as well as which units you send out. Between missions, you’ll build up your base, enlist new villains—like Bane Catwoman— gradually unlock new abilities. It seems a little flat compared to the action-packed Arkham games on console , plus the huge in-app purchases (up to $200) for currency are off-putting. But if you love the world of Batman, give it a try. 

kémon Go

fivetotry feb17 pokemongo2 Niantic

New monsters! New monsters! so, the capture UI now allows easier access for swapping ké Balls berries.

Surely anyone who is remotely interested in kémon Go has tried the app by now, considering the one billion-plus installs since last summer, but how many of you are still playing? The location-based experience’s limited gameplay early hitches drove many players away, but Niantic The kémon Company have just unleashed the biggest update yet— it may be enough to entice lapsed fans back in.

This week’s update adds more than 80 new second-generation kémon, which means we finally have loads of new monsters (like Chikorita Totodile) to capture in the world. It also adds new types of berries for use during captures, gender variations for kémon, new types of evolutions for existing monsters, greater avatar customization options, fresh tweaks animations. It’s surely the most important upgrade that kémon Go has seen since launch, offers a compelling new reason to get back on the hunt.

Email by EasilyDo

fivetotry feb17 emaileasilydo EasilyDo

It’s email—it doesn’t look exciting, but EasilyDo’s app might save you time hassle.

If you spend ample time reading, writing, deleting emails on your phone, then you’re probably well aware of whatever hang-ups plague your current client of choice. oking for something new? EasilyDo’s Email app just made the leap over to Android, it’s designed for speed, convenience, customization, giving you more control over your inbox without it feeling overloaded. 

pping between boxes messages feels zippy all around, plus EasilyDo’s A.I. tech from its Smart Assistant app pops up here with things like real-time package delivery notifications, as well as travel alerts based on your messages. It also puts a big “Unsubscribe” button front center when dealing with junk, can manage receipts invoices that come in. You can customize what the varying swipe comms do in your inbox, as well, Nougat users get some extra customization perks too. And EasilyDo’s Email app is flexible, taking Gmail, Hotmail, Office Outlook 365, IMA iCloud, other types of accounts.

unrded

fivetotry feb17 unworded to Studio

Each jumble of symbols must be rearranged into a solution.

unrded ($4) might not be the puzzler you’d expect from something built around typography: it’s not a word game, but rather one in which you’ll use the letters symbols to create real-world objects. You’ll build an umbrella from a hful of symbols, for example, use it to shield an injured man from falling rain (made up of letters, naturally). Or you’ll build a boat or a planter using the same kind of parts.

y are you doing this, you might ask? unrded spins a tale of a writer who finds his mind a mess after a serious accident, so as he contemplates his own stories, you’ll build solutions from letters symbols to continue narrative threads repair his brain. This inventive indie game is artistic can be perplexing, but it’s a calm intriguing brain-teaser that thankfully also lets you skip ahead if you’re totally confused by a puzzle.