As we wave goodbye to July this weekend, why not say hello to a few new Android apps and games? Prisma is this week’s standout release, for sure, bringing the art-inspired photo filter app to Android phones just a couple weeks after its buzzy iOS debut. You’ve probably seen a bunch of the results all over Instagram of late, and now you can add some to your own feed.Also new this week is the rebranded Here WeGo, formerly Here Maps, which brings some fresh features with the tweaked name. And if you’re looking for games to dig into this weekend, Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens offers silly, accessible action, while Snakebird is a tricky-but-cute brainteaser and ReRunners turns the runner genre into a proper competitive sport. Turn a cool cat into modern art with a tap. Prisma might be the second coolest mobile app of the last few weeks, following Pokémon Go, of course—and luckily, we didn’t have to wait long for the Android release. After blowing up on iOS this month, Prisma is here to transform your pictures into fabulous works of art using an array of dazzling and surprisingly effective filters.
It’s certainly not the first app of its kind, but the results can be astounding: thanks to a little cloud-computing magic, you can tap a button and turn a picture of your cat or lunch into a painting inspired by one of several classical art periods. Server issues due to heavy demand have caused some early delays, but the makers say they’re scaling rapidly to ease those hitches… plus, the app will support videos in the near future. Relive the events of the film (and more) with fake plastic bricks. The licensed Lego game series has jumped from Indiana Jones to Harry Potter and Jurassic World over the years, but now it’s back to where it started with Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens. As ever, the goal is to smash your way through the colorful stages as one of loads of playable characters, solving light puzzles and collecting heaps of bolts along the way. And not only does The Force Awakens include the entire story scenario from the film, but it also has bonus missions that deliver story details not seen in the flick, along with other extra content.
You’ll get the first mission free with the initial download, then you can spend $7 to get the full Force Awakens campaign or $10 to get the campaign and all the extra goodies too. It’s still a mapping app, but Here WeGo brings some new features. Google Maps has Android mapping in a stranglehold, and rightfully so: it’s excellent and comprehensive. However, if you’re seeking an alternative, then Here Maps has arguably been the best option since early last year—and now it’s been rebranded and lightly rebooted with the release of Here WeGo. Here WeGo still has the perks of the previous app, including 3D maps for malls and airports, as well as offline maps, but now it’s been reformed to focus on getting you where you need to go. Simply input your destination and a single screen will show you all of the different transportation options there, with delay and cost info included. Here WeGo is also gradually implementing car sharing services, and includes elevation info for cyclists.
Google Maps remains the gold standard, but Here WeGo shows that the competition is improving, as well. Every stage is vibrant and sweet, yet most are also super tough. It’s mind-boggling that a game this adorable can be so difficult. Snakebird puts up a cute and cuddly face, but these colorful creatures aren’t messing around: guiding them to the goal in each stage is no small feat after the first few stages. You’ll need to eat all the fruit in sight and then point one or more of them to the portal out, but getting there safely is a challenge. You’ll contend with inconveniently-placed spikes, barriers, and the ever-present problem of gravity as you wind your Snakebirds around each stage, and finding the precise path out is rarely as easy as it initially seems. The free download comes with a handful of levels, with the full game sold within for a $4.71 in-app purchase. It’s well worth it if you love racking your brain on tricky conundrums. Sprint around barriers to trounce the online competition.
We’ve all played endless runner games in which the goal is simply to survive for as long as possible, but ReRunners finds a new angle for the genre: a competitive one. Rather than race only against failure, your goal here is to race against other online players to finish the fastest in each multi-tiered, obstacle-laden course. It’s asymmetric in design, which means you’ll race A.I. versions of other players based on their best times (rather than racing live opponents in real-time), but the sense of competition remains strong and gives ReRunners a unique edge. The menus can be a bit dense and confusing, but the pixel graphics are great and weird, too, and this freebie is a lot of fun. To comment on this article and other Greenbot content, visit our Facebook page or our Twitter feed.Black Widow's belt buckle is done wrong here (see the box). Serves me right, I suppose, for not re-checking the build before going through the nearly 2-hour production process. Too small of a thing to warrant a scratch re-shoot, re-edit, re-render, and re-publish.
I'm taking another step to try to avoid this sort of mistake. Video: LEGO BrickHeadz Capt. America & Black Widow review! Another little masterpiece (in my opinion) of durable playable, easy-to-follow real world-inspired LEGO building. It's easy to imagine something looking more realistic. Actually making it happen with genuine LEGO parts, built to even a fraction of the constraints of a sellable mass-market product? I'd like to see it! Video: LEGO Speed Champions Mercedes-AMG GT3 review! The number of parts they brought over to this color! I continue to be a strong fan of the Elves line, but even at that, this set surpassed my expectations at every turn. The dragon is sufficiently strong & stable, but has excellent posing possibilities, and even the tiny terrain side-build is meaningful. Video: LEGO Elves The Goblin King's Evil Dragon review 🐲 41183 This is not a MOC, it's just a mod. A nearly 5-hour, hair-pulling mod that had me several times checking Bricklink and Brickset to confirm whether certain needed parts were ever even made in the needed colors. I
t all looked so simple & obvious, until I started the actual work. Fortunately I'm no stranger to this phenomenon. Video: LEGO Speed Champions Ford GT street mod It's The Hoff & K.I.T.T. in official LEGO form, but yet, I don't feel excited about it like I was for E.T., the A-Team, and even Gremlins. I fear this lil' set doesn't capture enough of the essence of either character. Video: LEGO Dimensions Knight Rider Fun Pack toys review! 7 Wait, didn't I say I was done with LEGO Batman Movie sets for "now" a week or so ago? Shis was sent via economy shipping, so it's been off my radar for awhile. S Video: LEGO Batman Movie Accessory Set review! 8 Just like that, another theme bites the dust; review queue-wise, that is. This is the last 2017 LEGO Minecraft set so far, with of course more to come later in the year (the Ocean Monument coming the soonest). Video: LEGO Minecraft The Witch Hut review! 2 Happy Easter everyone! Wait, what's that? More than a month too soon? S