If you're going to be supporting app development on Android (and you should), you might as well pay for the best content you can. That's what the Google Play App Roundup is all about. This is where you can come every week to find out what's new and cool on Android. Just follow the links to the Play Store.

You may not be a great composer, but you can probably put together a neat little tune with NOISE, a new music creation app from Roli. They make the Blocks modular music pads, and now you can use your phone to do some of the same things. This app is still in the early stages, so it's a little unstable and not all phones will work. That said, it's already a really neat experience.

There's a quick tutorial when you first open NOISE, which you ought to pay attention to. There's very little in the way of instruction within the app itself. The gist is that you have four sets of loops for each project. One is for rhythmic sounds and the other three are for the melody. Each square in the song view is a loop, which you can tap to queue up during playback. It's a little confusing, but I found it informative to play around with the pre-made sample track included with the app.

The song view is where all your loops live (you can have up to won from each line playing at a time). You can swipe down to the instrument view to make new loops. Simply tap a square to select it, then pick an instrument. All the instruments come in the form of digital touch pads, and there are a few dozen of them in the app. You can tap on the pads to produce sounds for the loop, or just drag across them. There's also a number of other effects and ways to control the nature of the sound, all of which are admittedly beyond me.

My first attempts at making songs in NOISE are… not impressive. If you've got a better sense of rhythm than I do, the app has the tools to make some cool stuff. It gives you a 4-beat count before you start recording a loop, and you can even keep a "click" going in the background to keep you on the beat. Should you own any Blocks device, you can even connect them to the app via Bluetooth.

Eventually, your creations in NOISE will be exportable to the noise.fm community. The app has a little way to go before it's ready for prime time, though. Right now, you'll need a device with robust audio processing capabilities like the Pixel, Galaxy S8 or LG G6. it's completely free if you want to give it a shot.

The original Lode Runner has been hailed as one of the finest platforming games to come along in the early years of computer gaming. There have been a number of ports and adaptations over the years, including Lode Runner Classic on Android. Now, developer Nexon has launched Lode Runner 1, an updated take on this title. Surprisingly, it's completely free with no in-app purchases. Yeah, I'm as shocked as you are.

The basic gameplay mechanics of Lode Runner are intact here. Each level consists of platforms, ladders, and railings. You cannot jump, but you do have a blaster that can excavate a hole in the ground immediately to your left or right. This allows you to drop down a level, or more frequently trap a guard bot that wants to stop you from stealing the gold.

Only after you've collected all the gold will the exit door open up. That means carefully navigating the level to avoid all the bots, which will become active the moment you pick up that first piece of gold. Luckily, a guard bot stuck in a hold you've drilled in the ground makes a fine bridge. The bots also pick up gold themselves, but they drop it when trapped. So, you may have to lure bots into a spot where you can lay a trap and snatch the gold.

The controls in Lode Runner have always been simple, which makes it a great game to play on mobile. There's a d-pad on the left to control your left/right movement and movement up and down ladders. Over on the right are buttons to fire your laser to the left or right.

Lode Runner 1 apparently comes with a whopping 300 levels, so there's plenty of gameplay here. It does start off rather slow—there aren't even any bots to avoid until about 10 levels in. You can think of it as a sort of extended tutorial. There's also a level editor to make your own custom maps. The visual style is much more modern than the "classic" version of the game with vibrant colors and clean, simplified sprites.

I'm actually surprised this game is free. I would not have been surprised to see it priced at two or three bucks. If you've got any interest in casual platformers, you should install Lode Runner 1.

You've heard of dual-stick shooters, but what about a No Stick Shooter? The control scheme in No Stock Shooter is probably not as innovative as the developers would have you believe, but that doesn't mean it isn't a fun game. On the contrary, it's a really cool arcade-style shooter.

The basic premise here is that you tap and drag to shoot in No Stick Shooter. The goal it to take out all the incoming projectiles before they impact your defense turret. It's essentially a modern take on retro shooters like Missile Command. Your defense turret has a shield that can take nine hits before going down. Then, the turret has three hit points of its own. If you're destroyed, you have to replay the level.

As for the levels, there are only 30 of them. I wish there were more, but it'll take you longer than you think to beat this game. No Stick Shooter takes a brute force approach to difficulty. There are just so many things to shoot. There are also different types of things, most of which are more susceptible to one weapon or another. The weapon switcher is on the left side of the screen, and each one has a battery level you need to watch. Fire too much, and you slip into low-power mode until the weapon gets a break to recharge. Low-power mode is good enough to take out the weaker enemies, but it'll hardly dent the stronger ones.

The variety of enemies and the way your weapons affect them is the best part of the game. You often have to switch between several weapons in short order to keep everything at bay. The color coding of the enemies is also smart as it helps you remember which weapon type is best. Later levels also add in the concept of civilians, which you must avoid shooting so they can reach the safety of your shield.

Many of the enemies are just wireframes, but there are enough lighting effects and explosions to make up for that. It looks nice overall, and the design of the bosses is neat. I mean, they're wireframes too, but they're very big wireframes.

No Stick Shooter will cost you $1.99 in the Play Store, and there are no in-app purchases. It's a solid buy if you want a fast-paced shooter.