Reaching the Next Young Heart

Get your MKV’s, AVI’s and ANIME’s ready! Android developer/modder extraordinaire, CVPCS, was able to compile a working pre-Alpha version of VLC media player for Android. If you’re unfamiliar with VLC, it’s essentially a open-source (we like those words around here) media player for Windows, Mac and everything in between that allows you to play virtually any video format on your desktop. That alone should help you see the value in bringing this amazing tool to Android.

Because of the way VLC is built, it can’t (or wont) support all Android devices. Instead, it separates them according to your processor, into 2 categories: NEON and NO-NEON. How do you find out if your device is NEON? Simply use a file manager app, dig around in your system files and locate the folder /proc/cpuinfo and then take a look inside. You should see something like this:

Processor : ARMv7 Processor rev 2 (v7l)
processor : 0
BogoMIPS : 1597.74

Features : swp half thumb fastmult vfp edsp thumbee neon vfpv3
CPU implementer : 0x41
CPU architecture: 7
CPU variant : 0x1
CPU part : 0xc09
CPU revision : 2

Hardware : mapphone_CDMA
Revision : 0000
Serial : 0000000000000000

Take a look at the Features line and look for the word “neon.” If it’s there — then you have yourself a NEON device. If not — then you’ll have to use the NONEON version of VLC. Okay, let’s get to the good stuff. The download. Seeing how this is such an early pre-Alpha build of VLC for Android, CVPCS will not be providing support. If you want to try out VLC for Android still in its early stages:
NEON VLC for Android
NONEON VLC for Android

Crime Story, from the same developer that brought us the hugely popular My Country, is an epic, new and impressive game where you play the role of a young tough looking for his lost brother. You have to complete numerous tasks, fight lots of people, boost your profile and make friends in high places in this superb game that has a distinct ‘Grand Theft Auto’ feel to it. The game features cool graphics, absorbing plot and storyline, a collection of intriguing underworld characters and loads and loads of action.
Price: Free

Tested on: HTC Desire HD
Content Rating: Medium Maturity
Pros
Variety of locations to visit and explore.Intriguing plot.Interesting characters.Loads of tasks and quests.Range of weapons and other items to collect.Smooth graphics.The game is continually expanding.
Cons
There are times when you have to be patient and wait for energy to build up, unless you choose to buy it using real-life money.Occasional lapses in coherent dialogue.
Part role-playing game, part action epic; Crime Story is a massive game that will tick your boxes should you like games such as Grand Theft Auto. You take the role of a guy who’s brother has gone missing after working at a dockyard. As he saved you from a vicious dog many years ago (!), you decide you must stop at nothing to find him. You enter the game at the very dockyard your brother started working, and it’s up to you to piece together where he is. In order to progress you have to make the right friends, bust the right noses, say the right things and even get the right tattoos!
Crime Story gameplay is essentially a series of sequential quests; from slashing a truck’s tires and killing thieves to getting tattoos, mugging people and doing jobs- at least to start with. Each quest will put you a step closer to finding your lost brother, and there are numerous clues to find as you progress. The way the plot gradually unravels is incredibly gripping, and even if some of the tasks seem a bit mundane (emptying a truck or hassling someone for money), with each hint you are dragged back into a compulsion of playing the game.
As you progress through the game you have to collect a variety of items; tattoos, weapons, cash, etc. and these usually influence an important aspect of the game. So for example, early on you have to get a tattoo in order to win respect. Some of the more expensive tattoos warrant more respect from other characters so these become necessary later in the game. Characters become more powerful as you proceed too, so that little knife isn’t going to get you very far. The game allows you all manner of tasty weaponry to upgrade to so there is always something to save up for.
The characters that occupy this deep and ambitious game are a series of fairly stereotypical underworld baddies, but they seem interesting and usually have vital things to say in helping you find your sibling. Its normally a case of “I’ll tell you something about your brother if you you do something for me”, so then you have to kill someone or steal something from someone. Unlike games such as GTA, you can perform any task as long as you have the right tools, energy or cash. There’s not much skill involved, and the subsequent gameplay is relatively linear but the plot and tasks are more than immersive enough to keep you continually interested.
Another thing I found a lot of was little ‘Coming Soon’ signs. This indicates that extra features are still in development, meaning the game will only expand and get bigger. Crime Story is a free game in the Android Market, although you can invest your own real money in the game and exchange it for the in-game currency- whether it be gold coins or cash. Because of this you might regularly have to wait for your energy to build up again (1 point every 4 minutes) in order to complete certain tasks that require it. While this puts a halt to your progress, the game is still enjoyable and just makes you want to play again later.

Watch on Mobile
Crime Story is loads of fun and great to play. There is a lot of detail in here and it makes for an incredibly vibrant and rich gaming environment. Characters mill around talking to themselves and you can see what they are saying by little speech bubbles. You get a certain level of autonomy in that you can sometimes choose what order you complete some tasks in, and like GTA you can just go on a small mugging/fighting spree to raise fast cash.
Aside from the intriguing story, colorful characters and superb game engine; Crime Story is essentially a game of accumulation. Collect money, weapons, locations, clues, energy, tattoos, skills, XP and so on to achieve higher status in the game and unearth more information. While this is relatively a one-dimensional journey, there is so much to do, build upon and unlock that the game becomes compulsive to play, while retaining the huge fun factor!
Crime Story is not in the same category as Angry Birds or even something like Reckless Getaway, but it draws you back each time you recall that your energy has built up. There is the storyline too, full of twists, turns, new people to interrogate/kill/mug/bribe/talk to that it feels very addictive. It’s like reading a really good book, or watching a really good movie- you just want to see what happens next and unravel the plot. Crime Story is therefore compelling and thoroughly enjoyable.
The graphics are very good and a huge leap up from Cooper Media’s other gaming hits: Paradise Island and My Country. Colors are mostly bright and vivid; the docks have a real gritty feel to them and each other areas (such as the bar) are beautifully rendered with all manner of detail. This gives the game an incredibly opulent feel which sets it apart from a great deal of other games.
There isn’t much in the way of vibration, although I noticed your phone vibrates sometimes when your in-game phone vibrates (the phone is used throughout to provide you with tasks) so this has a nice feel to it. The sound is quick basic, fighting sounds and those that indicate how you have acquired things. The game has this menacing Mafioso music track that sounds quite cool too. I think more could be made of the sound in the game, but other quality aspects ensure you are not missing much.
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