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On Cyber Monday I was able to pick up my first Android tablet running Honeycomb. I got the Asus Transformer from Gamestop. They had a sale going. When I first went to the site, the add to cart button was grayed out, I returned a little later and to my surprise, the tablet was available. I never got out a credit card out faster! I returned to the site later that day to find it sold out again. Within 48 hours, the tablet was in my hands.

HOLY COW! Although the Asus Transformer is not a new Android tablet, it is a game changer! All of the reviews are accurate. It is a great Android device and a joy to play with and use. Can it replace a laptop? On some avenues it definitely can, and I will be looking to see how it will. Even after a few weeks, I still have not figured it all out.

By getting the tablet via Gamestop, you get a number of per-installed games on the device. From what I can tell, all can be deleted so if you want to get rid of them you can. So what did I get?

Dead Space
Re-Load
Sonic CD
Monster Madness
Riptide GP
Cordy

Kongregate Arcade App - community of online games
GameStop App- link to their mobile site
Digital Game Informer App- link to their digital magazine

I have all the games except Monster Madness. If you were to purchase these games, it would set you back around $20. When I got my tablet, Sonic CD, Dead Space, and Re-load were not available on the Android market. Also for the larger games, the initial install was done but they let you download the majority of the game files via wi-fi.

Dead Space -a third person shooter. Very interesting story. It took me a while to get used to the controls but doable. Can be a bit scary. As they say, it is best to use your earphones.

Re-load - a target shooting game with OpenFeint achievements. It is ok.

Sonic CD-a Playstation favorite and the one my kids attacked first. It is a very well done game, graphics, controls.

Riptide GP- a very cool water game, that uses tilt control. It is fun watching my kids try to drive the jet ski with a tablet.

Cordy-a beautifully done 3D puzzle game. Am still working on all the levels.

Overall the ASUS Transformer is an awesome Android tablet for home and office. As a gaming device it is superb and well worth the investment. I know the new ASUS Prime is coming out soon the the original Transformer is not going anywhere.

If you enjoy building games, then you might want to give Virtual City a chance. In Virtual City byG5 Entertainment, you are the leader of a city and your job is to build it and you can decide how it is going to be.

The game is free to download and you can play in 6 locations before you need to purchase the game. Unlocking the game will cost you about $5 USD.

Overall the graphics and tutorial are very good. You only get 1 profile. The user interface is also nicely done and make playing the game easy and enjoyable.

The game begins in Colorado and you work in 6 cities, learning how to interact with the game and build. Each has a series of objectives you need to fulfill. As you grow, you will get units within the R&D lab to help grow your city.

As you grow, you need to take into account the environment, you population, and of course funds. From the Android Market page:

Play over 50 challenging levels, and unleash your inner mayor in Free Play mode.
● 50 Challenging Levels in 5 Settings: Colorado, California, Michigan, Montana, New York
● 18 Distinct Mission Scenarios
● More Than 50 Types of Buildings
● 25 Types of Goods to Transport and Trade
● 7 Production Chains to Master
● 16 Special Achievements to Earn
● Tens of Upgrades and Buildings to Unlock

If you are a dirt bike racer, then head over to the Android Market and pickup Trial Xtreme.

Trial Xtreme is another cool game from Galapagos.  The game is "simple", power your dirt bike through the course as fast as you can and survive!  Man I could just feel the pain my rider felt when I launched him into the air and landed face first in the track! That has got to hurt!

The game allows you to adjust the controls to either tilt the screen or use buttons to maneuver; speed and braking are done with on screen buttons. When you first open the game, you only see 1 level to do. Well levels will unlock and appear as you progress. Pack 1 has 29 levels and Pack 2 has 31.

Took quite a few crashes for me to get the hang of it. My son on the other hand, was zipping down the track in no time.

I just noticed on the Android Market page, they listed this tips:

* Cross the start line to launch the timer
* To go faster drive you rear wheel only
* Lean forward to climb up
* Lean backward when you land

Very good ones, trust me!

Each level is slightly different and definitely will challenge you. As I played, I wonder if someone in real life could do these stunts.

The game comes as a free demo or paid version.

As I was putting this post together, I found this video from the developer...something to look forward to?

The "I Spy" books have been a long time, as have the PC versions. I have always liked the hidden object games, so when I saw these two games from G5, Paranormal Agency and The Mystery of the Crystal Portal, I had to check them out.

Both games are free trials on the Android Market. Also both are huge downloads so make sure you use wifi. With Paranormal, you get to play 1 level and in Crystal Portal, you get to play 2. I was a bit disappointed that I could not play more but that is life. Both games will set you back about $3 USD for the full version.

Paranormal Agency

In this game, you need to go around town and help find things that resident ghost has taken. In each game, you are timed and have to find a certain number of objects; sometimes it gives you shapes, sometimes names, and so on.You do have hints you can use (they basically tell you where it is) and you can earn more during the game.

On the market page, they say:

• More Than 50 Challenging Level
• Five Different Types of Hidden Object Challenges
• Seven Unique Mini-Games
• Original Storyline

I did not see all of these since I did not purchase the game.

The Mystery of the Crystal Portal

This game has more a story behind it and I think better game play. Here you are Nicole Rankwist, who is searching for her father the archaeologist, who has gone missing. To progress in the game, you need to find different items that make up the "key object". Once you have the key object, it then allows you to open doors or find other objects. I thought this was an unique way of doing things.

On the market page it says

• 7 Picturesque Settings
• 22 Levels and Mini-Games

The big problem with hidden object games is the the limited game play. Once you have solved the puzzle, there is not much more to do. Once I finished the trial versions, I tried the levels again and found them not as challenging. The only hidden object type game that I have found has great replay value is Myst--would love to see a Myst type series on Android.

If you like hidden object games, go and check them out. Tell me what you think. As I finished up this post, I just found this article from Android Police.

If you are looking for a couple of games that do not take a lot of intelligence (sorry I could not resist), you need to check out Stupid Zombies and Stupid Ninjas from Gameresort.

Both of these games are a lot of fun and have been proven time wasters.

Stupid Zombies

You job is to kill off the zombies with the least amount of ammo. Physics is your friend as you will need to figure out how to get your shots in very interesting locations. The game has 480 levels and OpenFeint leaderboards.

Stupid Ninjas

Your job here is to clean each level of ninjas. You do this by starting a chain reaction of ninja's releasing their weapons. You also need to try and collect the shuriken on each level. The game has 180 levels currently.

Both will test you, as you try to figure out the best way to finish each level. You will need to use your brains! :) Good luck.

So are you a Sudoku player? Have you found one that you really like?

I enjoy Sudoku and have been on the lookout for a fun and enjoyable version. If you search Sudoku in the market or online, there are tons of different versions. I have tried a lot of them but have not yet really found the one that stands out.

Right now, here are the ones that I like the most so far. (not in any particular order)

Sudoku Free from AI Factory - nice graphics, varying difficulty levels, 500 games, 4.5 rating in market

Andoku Sudoku from Markus Wiederkehr - is an open source game, the graphics are ok, varying difficulty levels, but the big point is that there are 10 different sudoku variants such as X-Sudoku, Hyper-Sudoku, market rating 4.7

Sudoku from Mighty Mighty Good Games - I discovered this version from my brother-in-law and his iphone. It is a simple, clean interface, you can vary the colors, 800 different games, market rating of 4.4  (They do have a number of other sudoku games that might get ported over).

So what do you think of this list? Would you include any others? Let me know, as I continue my search for the best Sudoku for Android.

With the advent of Facebook and the other social networking sites, it is natural that gaming would be a huge part of it.

Well, I recently found out about Mobage, which is a new social gaming platform from ngmoco:) and DeNA.  [Article:DeNA Launches Social Game Network on Android Worldwide]

I was excited to see this since ngmoco:) produces WeRule, a game I have been wanting to play. I first saw it on my wife's iTouch last year. Well I have started the game and really like it--a full review of WeRule will be coming in the near future.

As an FYI, in addition to Mobage, the other major gaming networks are:

OpenFeint which is available for both Android and Apple devices.I would say OpenFeint is the best known network and has a huge selection of games.

Scoreloop, which is also available for Android and Apple.

Papaya which is for Android devices and has a large number of games.

I am currently playing games on all networks. My profile name is localbiz, feel free to add me to your network. So have I missed any? What are your thoughts on social network gaming? I think it is only going to get bigger and bigger.

If you are looking for a fun but somewhat twisted game, then you need to check out Stair Dismount. We found this game when we were on vacation a few weeks back. The kids love it.

What you have to do is simply push the dummy down the stairs and you get points for all of the "damage", he takes.

Check out this preview video:

The game is free but has ton of add-ons you can purchase in-game, such as

• different dummy styles
• different locations

It is a very quick and easy game and will make you smile. Did I say you can put faces, via photos on your device on the dummies too?  LOL The game also has OpenFeint Support to share your scores. So if you take the game for a spin, let me know what you think!

Hey everyone!

I just wanted to let everyone know that the community blogs are set up for anyone who has an account here at DroidGamers to use. Feel free to post your thoughts and opinions and anything you want, within reason of course. Talking about the Android gaming scene, your opinion on games and whatever else you like. When you select the 'Post on Frontpage" option and set it to yes, it will post it to the frontpage of the blog section, not the frontpage of the site. Thought I would clear that up in case people were a bit confused. Just make sure to include an intro-text if you decide to post it to the frontpage.

You'll also be able to earn money with your blogs. As they become popular, you will be able to enter your own adsense code into your account! We will also feature a blog once a week when this gets really busy.

Enjoy! If you have any problems, don't hesitate to get in touch.