We’ve got another great lineup of apps for your enjoyment this week. It’s the first day of September and these apps will help you start it off right. In this batch there are a few great games, an app to manage your fantasy football team and one to keep your phone secure when you’re out of the house. Give these picks a try and while you’re on an app downloading spree, go ahead and check out the “End of Summer Sale” in the Google Play Store.
Simon Sage – Eternity Warriors 2
Eternity Warriors 2 is a free-to-play hack-and-slash action RPG from Glu. Players work their way through short, monster-filled levels, gather up loot, upgrade skills, and generally wreck havoc. There’s online multiplayer support so you can get chopping with someone else online. There are in-app purchases involved, as with any other Glu title, but they remain entirely optional. There aren’t any classes to pick from, but who isn’t happy being a big, burly barbarian covered in spikes, wielding a ridiculously oversized weapons?
Download: Eternity Warriors 2 (Free)
Chris Parsons – Chicken Bandit
A new twist on an old story. You’re a cowboy, you ride a chicken. Your mission is to rob trains and kill bad dudes. Yes, it’s as nutty as it sounds but it’s awesome. The side scrolling action is great, you get a wide variety of weapons and the interaction is pretty awesome. There isn’t really any on screen controls so you’ll be moving back and forth, swiping up and down and tapping away as you ride your chicken across the wild, wild west. I know, $3.00 is a bit up there for some folks so before you drop the coin — try out the free demo with game tutorials.
Download: Chicken Bandit ($3.00)
Sean Brunett – ESPN Fantasy Football
So the NFL officially kicks off this week and that means this is one of the most popular weekends for fantasy football drafts. We featured some football apps recently, but I wanted to promote them again since the season is right around the corner. I play most of my fantasy football on ESPN and they have really done a great job with their official app. With the app, you can track your team live, manage your roster, propose trades, receive push notifications and browse the latest fantasy analysis. You can also manage multiple teams, so if you’re in more than one league, that feature comes in handy. If you play your fantasy football on ESPN, this is a must have app and much needed if you plan on winning your leagues this year!
Download: ESPN Fantasy Football (Free)
Andrew Martonik – Unlock With WiFi
We’ve all been hearing more and more about device security lately. From more secure account passwords to full device encryption, there are a lot of ways to keep your sensitive data out of the hands of bad guys. Most of us want the security of having a passcode on our device, but with how often the phone is used every day, it gets to be a hassle. Unlock With WiFi should alleviate some of the frustration of using a passcode on your phone.
The premise is pretty simple. When you’re at home on your (hopefully trusted and secure) WiFi, your phone will have a simple slide to unlock. Once you leave the house — where your phone is most vulnerable to being stolen — you’ll have to enter your PIN to unlock. It’s a great balance of security and ease of use. The only downside I can see right now is that the app only allows unlocking with a PIN and not a pattern or password, but a PIN will keep the phone safe regardless. A great app like this will give you one less reason to consider going out without device security.
Download: Unlock With WiFi ($2.49)
Jerry Hildenbrand – Granny Smith
I said it before, I’ll say it again — this is likely the best dollar you’ll spend this week. The big game news for the past week might have been Horn, but I’m getting more enjoyment from Granny Smith. The simple, yet addictive gameplay has me hooked, and I’m loving every minute of it. I’ll blame the controls for my addiction, they’re perfect for fun gameplay on a 4-inch screen — which is why I’ve installed Granny Smith on every device I have here. Give it a look!
Download: Granny Smith ($0.99)