It's time for our weekly roundup of brand new and notable apps for Android smartphones and tablets. It covers apps and games, with the prices referring to the initial download: so (free) may mean (freemium) in some cases. The equivalent iOS roundup will be published later today.
There's a new structure based on feedback from readers of previous posts. The non-game apps are listed first, followed by the games. Read on for this week's Android selection (and when you've finished, check out previous Best Android apps posts).
APPS
Virgin TV Anywhere (Free)
British ISP Virgin Media's "TV Anywhere" app comes with some strings: it doesn't yet play nice with the latest version of Android – KitKat – and not all devices can use its live TV streaming features. But if you're one of the lucky ones, with one of Virgin's TiVo set-top boxes at home, you'll be able to browse the TV guide, set recordings, control the box with your touchscreen rather than a remote, and (device permitting) watch live TV over Wi-Fi.
FIFA (Free)
Footballing body FIFA is getting ready for the World Cup 2014 draw on 6 December with a new app, which will bring details of who's playing who to fans live on the day. Meanwhile, the app promises scores, results and news from 197 leagues around the world, as well as fixtures, destination guides and team profiles in the run-up to the World Cup in Brazil.
HTC FootballFeed (Free)
HTC also has a new football app this week, and it doesn't just work on the company's own smartphones and tablets. It's focused on European club competitions: the Champions League and Europa Cup, offering news, scores, group tables, lineups and push notifications to keep you posted of important changes.
Dr Panda's Home (£1.79)
Developer TribePlay has produced a succession of cutesy Dr Panda apps for children on Android, with this being the latest. The theme is... housework? Yes, housework. A house full of animals with chores to complete, from teeth-brushing to floor-mopping. Developed in Unity, its 3D visuals are a step on for the series.
Branches for Twitter (Free)
Twitter is famously not that keen on third-party apps that just mirror the main features of its official mobile clients. What does Branches have to offer that's different? Its main schtick is the way it groups tweets by the same author over a period of time into single 'branches', with a view to decluttering your feed. Worth a look.
Fiete Christmas (Free)
Just in time for the start of December comes this well-crafted advent calendar app for children, with a new interactive surprise for every day leading up to the 25th. It's a free app to promote the existing Fiete apps for kids, starring the same cartoon sailor.
SidePlayer Pro (£1.08)
This is a simple but very good idea: a widget to control the music playing on your Android device that pops up when you shake the device, letting you quickly flick between songs. Its developer is pitching it as an ideal companion for games, so you don't have to quit out when playing to change the tune.
Datanator Sync (Free)
Datanator is the latest entrant in the increasingly competitive cloud storage space: a way to store data and files in the cloud, then access them from all your devices. In this case, what's stored includes photos, contacts, documents and other multimedia files, with an option to automatically sync what's on your phone regularly, without you having to trigger the process.
Fun Town for Kids (£0.65)
An urban-themed sandbox app for children to explore, here: 14 mini-games, each based on a different location in a cartoon town. They can cook hamburgers, build bikes, match shoes and sort vegetables among other activities. It's colourful, accessible and fun.
Geography Drive Arcade (£0.61)
One more app for kids: it's a good week, perhaps because developers are preparing for millions of new Android tablets sold to parents this Christmas. This is aimed more at American children learning the geography of their country: an entertaining trivia quiz about the 50 states.
GAMES
Ridiculous Fishing (£1.99)
I've tried fishing in the real world, but it was never quite like this. Ridiculous Fishing is, well, ridiculous: you lower your bait down as far as possible while avoiding a variety of creatures, then haul it back up again catching as many as possible along the way, hurl them into the air, and blast them to bits with a shotgun. Obviously to be frowned upon in real life, but quirkily fun in a game.
Papa Pear Saga (Free)
The last word is the clue here: this is the latest mobile game from King, whose Candy Crush Saga has become a bona-fide phenomenon over the last year. Where that game was a Bejeweled-style match-three puzzler, this is essentially a rewrite of another game, Peggle. Already available on Facebook, it sees you firing balls into levels to destroy pegs – comparing your scores to friends. In-app purchases play a prominent role.
Doctor Who: Legacy (Free)
Talking of games that make their inspiration clear... The latest Doctor Who game will be instantly familiar to anyone who's played Puzzle & Dragons – one of the few mobile games to be making as much money as Candy Crush Saga. It sees you swapping colourful orbs around to attack monsters while building a team of the Doctor and his companions.
Adventure Town (Free)
Supersolid is the latest hot free-to-play game maker on mobile, following the success of its Super Penguins game earlier in the year. Super Adventure sounds like same-old same-old: build a town, harvest crops, compare with friends etc. But its twist – you have to attract heroes to defend it from monsters, while exploring the land – plus some very polished gameplay makes it a cut above the herd.
Final Fantasy IV: The After Years (£10.99)
In an apps world increasingly dominated by free-to-play games, Square Enix is standing its ground and charging a premium for remastered Final Fantasy RPGs. This is a sequel to Final Fantasy IV with a familiar mix of exploration, battles and yet more battles.
Nakama (Free)
I'm a sucker for games like Nakama: all retro pixelly graphics and... Well, that's the main selling point really, but the game is also full of character, and no little depth as you master its beat 'em up action and boss battles.
Runes of War (Free)
Something more modern here: a free-to-play "strategy builder multiplayer game" with familiar tropes of building a city, constructing an army, gathering resources and pitting your wits against players around the world.
Sonic Dash (Free)
You might be tempted to say Sega is jumping on the endless-runner bandwagon (think Temple Run) with its latest Sonic the Hedgehog mobile game, but longtime fans will know it's more of a return to gameplay seen in snippets in some of his older games. Anyway, you run, dash and spin through the game world, with power-ups (earned and/or bought) helping you along.
Boson X (£1.49)
Talking of endless-running, there's no famous character here, but Boson X is a genuinely inventive take on the genre: the most hypnotic Android game I've played this week. The plot sees you jumping "from Planck to Planck" inside a particle accelerator, with the gameplay certainly not going easy. And as the Google Play listing puts it: "no in-app purchases, superfluous power-ups, coins or XP systems - just deadly serious scientific research".
Wrath of Psychobos - Ben 10 (£1.86)
Finally, here's one more Android app for The Kids: a new game based on Cartoon Network's Ben 10 series. This one involves controlling Ben or his friend Rook as they battle their way through 31 alien-strewn levels. A satisfying mix of puzzles and combat, whatever your age.
