New Android apps worth downloading: Call of Duty ELITE and YouTube updates, Waking Mars

An update to Call of Duty ELITE, the companion app and service to the millions-selling console video gaming phenomenon, leads todays new apps. In addition, Google updated its YouTube app, adding the capability of interacting with Google TV. Lastly, the great side-scrolling title Waking Mars made the leap from Apples iOS platform over to the Android side.

Call of Duty ELITE update (Free)

Whats it about? The companion app and service to the incredibly popular Call of Duty video game franchise, this app lets you track multiplayer stats, watch videos, compare weapons and keep an eye on how your friends are performing in-game.

Whats cool? Theres a crazy amount of information in Call of Duty ELITE for fans of the franchise, so if youre into the game, you should already be using the app to help you improve, discover better ways to use weapons, and analyze your strengths and weaknesses. The app includes lots of information about the game and even lets you chance your weapon loadouts for future matches from within the app. The most recent update to Call of Duty ELITE brings in new functions to go with the recently released Call of Duty: Black Ops 2.

Whos it for? If youre a Call of Duty nut that helps the franchise set entertainment records every time a new title comes out, you definitely want this app.

Whats it like? If you need more Call of Duty on your mobile device, try Call of Duty Black Ops Zombies.

YouTube update (Free)

Whats it about? Googles YouTube app allows users to stream from the video sharing website across any Internet connection, and now contains more functionality that lets the app interact with other devices.

Whats cool? The new stuff in the most recent update concerns other devices that have YouTube apps specifically, Google TV, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. The Android YouTube app can now sync with your Google TV, so you can quickly pass videos from your phone or tablet to your TV with a single button. You can also manually pair your Xbox or Playstation to your Android device for similar functionality.

Whos it for? If you use YouTube a lot, youll get a lot of use out of the Android app. Thats going to be doubly true if you use one of the set-top devices mentioned above.

Whats it like? Sprint users will find similar capabilities from Qik Video, and you can share and view video clips from others with Klip Video Sharing.

Waking Mars ($4.99)

Whats it about? Side-scrolling platformer Waking Mars is less of an action game, and more of a game about discovery. Players take on the role of an astronaut exploring and restoring life to Martian caves in order to find his way home.

Whats cool? The puzzle-solving mechanics at work in Waking Mars are pretty interesting. Rather than destroying stuff, like you do in most games, your goal is to create using different items and abilities to help return some green to the Red Planet. Spreading plant life around the caves is key to opening new areas, and theres a huge amount of ground to cover and explore throughout the course of the game.

Whos it for? Fans of the Metroidvania genre of games, in which players explore and unlock a huge map one piece at a time, should look into Waking Mars.

Whats it like? Other titles in the Metroidvania genre of side-scrolling, exploration-heavy games include INC: The Beginning and Dark Incursion.

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