Powered by the cutting edge Tegra X1 mobile processor and able to grace your big TV with ultra-crisp 4K video as well as 7.1 surround sound, NVIDIA’s SHIELD Android TV, available now from $199, is the ultimate set-top box that also boasts some mighty gaming skills. It can stream HD games direct from NVIDIA’s GRID service or from your own PC via GameStream, it’s perfect for experiencing the vast range of Android games on Google Play at maximum quality, and it also boasts an ever-expanding range of new and classic titles remastered for SHIELD. There are nine new games for all tastes out now; find out what’s new and available to download on Google Play now.
Half-Life 2 Episode 2 ($7.99)
Thanks to Half-Life 3’s latest non-appearance at E3, Episode 2 is still the latest helping in the Half-Life series, and it’s as good a way to go out as any. Taking the action out of City 17 and into more open, rural areas (not to mention a few underground ventures along the way), it’s a classic mix of guns and puzzles with a few epic set pieces along the way.
Exiles ($6.99)
A colony on a distant planet, a corrupt government and a lethal virus all add up to create a compelling RPG in the form of Exiles. As an Elite Enforcer you’re out to uncover a shadowy conspiracy to enslave the colonists, in this 3D sci-fi RPG with looks to match its sinister storyline. There’s a massive open world to explore, packed with underground temples, caves and alien hives, along with plenty of aliens and killer robots, plus all the weapons and items you’ll need to battle them.
Frozen Synapse Prime ($4.99)
If you prefer your gaming to be a little more tactical, Frozen Synapse Prime has you covered. Set across over 40 procedurally-generated levels, this insanely polished turn-based strategy game puts you in charge of a squad of soldiers out to liberate a futuristic city. Taking command of a crew of shotgunners, machine-gunners, snipers and grenadiers, you issue orders through an amazingly detailed command interface, fine-tuning your strategy and testing out approaches as you go.
Q.U.B.E. Director’s Cut ($9.99)
Part puzzle game, part psychological thriller, Q.U.B.E Director’s Cut sends you into space as a lone amnesiac astronaut tasked with disabling a mysterious alien structure that’s on a collision course with Earth. Guided by transmissions from the International Space Station, you progress through the giant alien cube by tackling a series of increasingly complex block-based puzzles until a second voice starts coming through, making you question whether you’re even in space at all. Are you really saving the world or are you just a lab rat in an underground maze? The only way to find out is to keep moving forward.
Beatbuddy ($6.99)
Tough to explain but easy to pick up and play, Beatbuddy is a beautiful game of underwater exploration where the soundtrack plays a vital role in the action; everything in its six-hand-drawn worlds moves in time to the beat, and to get anywhere you’ll have to do the same. Controlling Beat, you’re out to defeat the evil Prince Maestro and rescue your sister, Melody, in a clever blend of platforms and puzzles where timing your moves to match the music is the key to success.
Brawl ($15.00)
There are few greater pleasures in life than dropping bombs in a maze in the hope of blowing up your friends, and if you love your action in a Bomberman style then Brawl is going to be right up your alley. Its RPG stylings – complete with a sinister world called The Emporium and a cast of dark and twisted characters – might put you off the scent, but at its core Brawl is properly old-school arcade fun. It has a full campaign mode for your single-player needs, but you know that what it really wants you to do is get together with some chums for some explosive deathmatch larks.
Never Alone
Weaving an imaginative storyline based on Alaskan native folklore, Never Alone is a charming platforming adventure that casts players as a young Iñupiaq girl named Nuna and her fox companion, who each have their own skills and abilities. At any time in Never Alone, players can switch back and forth between Nuna and the fox to solve puzzles and progress in the game. Never Alone is also a great co-op experience on NVIDIA SHIELD Android TV as a second player can join in at any time to become the companion character.
Burn Zombie Burn ($3.50)
Give us a top-down twin-stick shooter featuring a horde of lumbering undead and plentiful supplies of weaponry and we’re more than happy, but Burn Zombie Burn features an excellent risk vs. reward twist that turns the fun up to the maximum. Playing as big-chinned hero Bruce who naturally has to protect the lovely Daisy from an indefatigable army of darkness, you’ll quickly learn that the way to raise your destructive game and score loads of extra points is to set those zombies on fire, making them faster and angrier while ramping up the score multiplier and making them drop better weapons.
Funk of Titans ($4.99)
If you’re a fan of classic 16-bit platformers such as Aladdin, Earthworm Jim and Cool Spot then you owe it to yourself to give Funk of Titans a spin. Sporting a ludicrous storyline in which funk-obsessed Zeus sends out his muscle-bound son Perseus to rid the ancient world of pop, rock and rap, it’s the perfect excuse for a brightly colored and beautifully animated hunk of deliciously old-school platform action, with plenty of coins to collect, ropes to swing from and giant Titans to battle at the end of each level. Get your groove on!
