Games

Aces of the Luftwaffe for Windows Phone 8, our latest favorite game

Games

By George Ponder, Thursday, May 30, 2013 at 8:39 am

Aces of the Luftwaffe is a relatively new game for Windows Phone 8 and is quickly becoming one of our favorites. Aces is an arcade styled game with an RPG touch.

To say Aces of the Luftwaffe is a fast paced game may be an understatement. If you blink you'll be over run with enemy planes. Game play is challenging enough to avoid getting stale and graphics/animations are just ducky. If you're an arcade game junky or just looking for a fun game to pass the time with, Aces of the Luftwaffe is definitely worth checking out.

Rabbids Go Phone brings hijinks to Windows Phone 7, won't run on 8

Games

By Paul Acevedo, Wednesday, May 29, 2013 at 5:33 pm

Today’s Xbox Windows Phone 8 release, Rayman Jungle Run might have left gamers who are stuck with Windows Phone 7 feeling left out in the cold. Hey, things aren’t as grim as they seem, old phone users! As it turns out, a second Xbox game came out today: Rabbids Go Phone. That’s right, two Ubisoft games in one day!

Rabbids Go Phone might make Windows Phone 7 users smile, but not the rest of us. For reasons unknown to science, Rabbids won’t run on Windows Phone 8. Considering that Microsoft’s new mobile OS has been available since November last year, it’s pretty silly to release an incompatible game at this point in time. Especially a really simplistic game like Rabbids.

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Get Rayman Jungle Run on Windows Phone 8 now, before those Lums get away

Games

By Paul Acevedo, Wednesday, May 29, 2013 at 2:25 pm

This morning we reported that Ubisoft’s Rayman Jungle Run would soon launch on Windows Phone 8. Ubisoft first announced it back in February and released a nice Windows 8 version in March. Thus the Windows Phone 8 port was only a matter of time…

And here we are! Rayman Jungle Run is now available on Windows Phone 8. What’s more, it runs on devices with 512 MB of RAM, unlike last week’s Nokia-exclusive EA releases. With a highly manageable 49 MB download size, anyone who rocks a Windows Phone 8 handset should be able to enjoy this excellent entry in the Rayman series.

NBA Jam Review: Catching Windows Phone on fire!

Games

By Paul Acevedo, Wednesday, May 29, 2013 at 12:14 pm

Way back in the eighties and nineties, Midway, the developer most remembered for creating the Mortal Kombat series also introduced a couple of sports series into arcades. First came Arch Rivals (basketball) in 1989 and then High Impact (American football) in 1990. Both games enjoyed some popularity, but it was their league-licensed sequels that really caught on fire: NBA Jam in 1993 and NFL Blitz in 1997.

NBA Jam became a staple of the 16-bit era (right alongside Mortal Kombat), thanks in part to a bevy of home console ports. The series had largely died out by the mid-2000s, shortly before Midway itself went bankrupt. Jam could have ended there, but Electronic Arts (in what some would call a rare act of benevolence) rescued the license in 2010 and published a new version for home consoles, followed by an even better XBLA sequel, NBA Jam: On Fire Edition.

Get ready for Rayman Jungle Run, coming to Xbox Windows Phone 8 later today

Games

By Paul Acevedo, Wednesday, May 29, 2013 at 10:18 am

Windows Phone 8 gamers who held out hope that N.O.V.A. 3 would be released in May will be disappointed to know that Gameloft’s sci-fi FPS definitely won’t make it out of the gate this month. We understand it's still undergoing Xbox Live certification and will release as soon as it passes. But it’s not all bad news. We do get a high-profile Xbox release for Windows Phone 8 today – this one from Ubisoft rather than Gameloft. Yep, the awesome platformer/runner Rayman Jungle Run launches later today!

Blocky Blaine: Out West, a physics Windows Phone 8 game that has potential

Games

By George Ponder, Wednesday, May 29, 2013 at 8:38 am

When you first look at Block Blaine: Out West's listing in the Windows Phone Store, you may say "pass" and move on to the next title. First impressions give this Windows Phone 8 game a feel that a little polishing (mainly with graphics) wouldn't hurt. While the Block Blaine has a rough appearance, the game concept isn't too shabby.

The block graphics could use a little work and the main character, Blocky Blaine, could use a little facial expressions. But move past the rough appearance and the physics based game has potential.

Vampire Rush Windows Phone update repairs an Xbox Achievement, but problems linger

Games

By Paul Acevedo, Tuesday, May 28, 2013 at 1:17 pm

When Vampire Rush debuted as a Nokia-exclusive Xbox Windows Phone game at the beginning of April, it won my heart with its mixture of action and tower defense gameplay, humor, and a distinct lack of sparkles. But it did suffer from a couple of broken Achievements as well as a conspicuous lack of the iOS version’s Survival mode. The developers promised a patch, and so I didn’t stress over those issues too harshly in our review.

Not two months later, that patch has arrived. Unfortunately though, applying the update seems to break the game. It crashes on start-up and becomes unplayable. There is a workaround, however: delete the game and reinstall it. You’ll get the updated version, properly working and with some choice improvements.

Score big, unlock secret teams in NBA Jam with our Windows Phone Achievement Guide

By Paul Acevedo, Monday, May 27, 2013 at 10:25 am

Hey Xbox game fans, Windows Phone Central is back with another exclusive and professional-quality Achievement guide. This time we tackle the Windows Phone version of NBA Jam from EA Sports. Whether you’re a Jam veteran or new to the series, our guide will help you knock the game’s Achievements out as quickly and easily as possible, though it’ll still take just over 30 hours to unlock the final one.

Earning NBA Jam’s Achievements also unlocks a variety of characters, but several of the game’s most outlandish characters can only be accessed via secret codes. We’ve got those for you too, right after the break. Boom shaka laka!

Card Arcade, a nice collection of card games for young and old

Games

By George Ponder, Monday, May 27, 2013 at 8:40 am

There's a new card game in the Windows Phone Store. Card Arcade is a collection of four card games that include Old Maid, Go Fish, Memory, and Blackjack. Memory is a matching game where the cards are faced down and you have to find all the pairs. It's a nice cross section of games that will appeal to younger players as well as old.

Game stats are gathered and coins awarded for trophies earned that can be used to unlock gaming content. Card Arcade is a fairly basic card game with a relaxed pace, nice graphics and decent game play.

Greed City developers boost game's performance, publish new trailer

Games

By Paul Acevedo, Friday, May 24, 2013 at 7:10 pm

Greed City, the Windows Phone 8 exclusive location-based game from Torchbear creator Lighthouse Game Studio, seems to be growing almost as fast as a real city. Since we first reported on the game in April, the number of players has jumped exponentially. That surge in players and the businesses they create was slowing down the game (which requires internet connectivity) in a big way.

Thankfully, Lighthouse has just published a major update that increases the speed of checking in to businesses and leaving comments on news feed items tenfold. You can now boot the game up, check in to your businesses, and get on with your day quickly and free of hassle once more.

That’s not all, though. The update adds more than a dozen changes and fixes that each make Greed City just a bit sweeter. And to celebrate the update’s arrival, Lighthouse has released a snazzy new trailer extoling the game’s virtues. See the video and more update details after the break!

Puzzle Quest 2 headlines this week's Windows Phone Red Stripe Deals

By Paul Acevedo, Thursday, May 23, 2013 at 12:20 pm

For Xbox fans, the best part of the weekly Red Stripe Deals promotion is undoubtedly the Xbox Red Stripe Deal. Each week, one game with juicy Achievements drops its price - often as low as 99 cents. The sale price depends on the starting price though.

Case in point: Puzzle Quest 2 from Namco Bandai usually sells for a crazy $6.99, but this week it costs only $2.99. The puzzle RPG previously went on sale for five bucks way back in March 2012. Three dollars might not be as sweet as 99 cents, but it’s certainly an improvement.

Also on sale this week are Drift Mania Championship 2 (only for Windows Phone 8), the indie racing game and a musical app called Synthpling. We’ve got descriptions, screenshots and Store links after the break.

Bejeweled Live+ Review: The puzzle king returns to Windows Phone

Games

By Paul Acevedo, Thursday, May 23, 2013 at 10:35 am

You might not know this, but Microsoft and Bejeweled go way back. PopCap created the very first version in Flash in 2001, originally calling it Diamond Mine. When Microsoft hosted the game at its MSN gaming site, the two parties agreed to change the title to Bejeweled, a name that has now become synonymous with the match-3 puzzle genre.

Windows Phone 7 launched with Bejeweled Live, a decent but overpriced ($5!) port of the game with only three game modes. Considering that Bejeweled on iPhone and iPad each include five modes for only one dollar, the original Bejeweled Live has always represented a poor value proposition.

Thankfully, PopCap has finally made good with Bejeweled Live+, essentially a port of the iOS version. A timed Nokia exclusive, it has a two dollar markup on Windows Phone 7 and 8. But three dollars doesn’t sting too badly when we’re talking about the finest pure puzzle game on the platform.

Register for the Canadian Ottawa International Game Conference and save 50%

Games

By Rich Edmonds, Wednesday, May 22, 2013 at 6:53 pm

The Ottawa International Game Conference kicks off in a week's time. The conference, which lasts for three days, will take place on May 29th - 31st and features new innovations and trends in the gaming industry in Canada. Numerous speakers all across the board will be present to relay knowledge and expertise.

Turbo Racing League for Windows Phone 8, nothing slow about these snails

Games

By George Ponder, Wednesday, May 22, 2013 at 9:11 am

Turbo Racing League is a Windows Phone 8 companion game for the DreamWorks Studio movie, "Turbo". The story line behind the movie is about a garden snail who dreams of being a world class racer. Turbo Racing League has you playing the role of the snail, competing across nine different race tracks.

Turbo Racing League has fantastic graphics and animations, game play that doesn't grow stale, and enough upgrades to keep things competitive. As an added bonus, Verizon is sponsoring a $1,000,000 Shell-Out Contest. You have weekly contests to race and the ten fastest racers will earn cash prizes from a pool of $500,000. First place winners from each week will win trip to Los Angeles to compete for $500,00 in cash prizes during a grand finale event.

You can find all the fine print on the Shell-Out Contest here and head on past the break to read more on Turbo Racing League.

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Mass Effect, NBA Jam, Real Racing, Tiger Woods arrive on Windows Phone as Nokia exclusives

Games

By Paul Acevedo, Wednesday, May 22, 2013 at 6:11 am

According to our source at Microsoft, there won’t be a general Xbox Windows Phone release this week. That could be because N.O.V.A. 3 still hasn’t passed certification yet (as Gameloft has informed us) and neither has anything else, or maybe Microsoft just wants Xbox fans focused on the Xbox One this week instead of their phones.

Don’t fret, though! Non-Nokia owners just got two new Xbox Windows Phone titles to choose from: Spy Mouse and Trivial Pursuit. And Nokia owners, boy is this a good week for you…

Nokia and Electronic Arts have just released not one, two, or even three new games. That’s right, FOUR new Nokia exclusives rolled in overnight: Mass Effect: Infiltrator (requires Windows Phone 8), NBA Jam, Real Racing 2, and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12. In other words, most of the big games we’ve been looking forward to since EA and Nokia first announced their partnership!

The only bad news: Windows Phone 8 users with 512 MB RAM devices can't play any of these games, while Nokia WP7 users can. Weirdness...

Drag Racing for Windows Phone 8, burning rubber and collecting pink slips

Games

By George Ponder, Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 8:00 pm

Drag Racing is a new game for your Windows Phone 8 device that has over fifty officially licensed cars that you can race down the strip. Everything from compact sports cars to muscle cars to sedans.

Drag Racing has plenty of upgrades to enhance your cars performance that can be purchased with your race winnings. You can race against the computer or choose an online opponent to challenge. We've only messed with Drag Racing for about an hour and it comes across as a fun game for short bits of time as well as longer, marathon gaming sessions.

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Xbox One Reveal Day Wrap-Up: All you need to know

By Paul Acevedo, Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 7:00 pm

We first began reporting on the next Xbox console (codenamed Durango) earlier this year, but the new console had been rumored for quite some time now. Earlier today, Microsoft finally announced the console during the Xbox Reveal event.

The console’s final name is not Xbox Infinity as many had expected. Instead, Microsoft has named it the Xbox One. The name stems from Microsoft’s goal of this console becoming the One device you use for all of your entertainment needs. The OS is comprised of three layers: one dedicated to gaming, one based on the Windows 8 kernel, and a third layer that interfaces between the other two. It will launch sometime later this year.

You'll find everything we know about the Xbox One past the break!

Forza 5, FIFA 14, and Call of Duty: Ghosts coming to Xbox One at launch

By Paul Acevedo, Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 6:12 pm

The Xbox One should offer an exponentially better entertainment experience than our beloved but aging Xbox 360. The gaming possibilities are greater than ever before thanks to beefier hardware (16 times as much RAM, for instance) and the new Kinect. That said, Microsoft chose to reveal precious few games during the event.

Let’s see what titles they announced and what we can expect when the console launches later this year…

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Xbox One: no backwards compatibility, no constant connection required

By Sam Sabri, Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 2:27 pm

Our heads are still whirling after the announcement of the Xbox One earlier this morning. The event is over, but details are still pouring in. We’ve got two items to highlight real fast. One good, one bad.

Xbox One brings Live TV to life with new Guide and more

By Paul Acevedo, Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 2:05 pm

Just as they did with the Xbox 360, Microsoft wants the Xbox One to be the all-in-one entertainment device in your living room. But this time the console is designed around that host of functions from day “One” as opposed to having them patched in later. Of course it will play games (and boy, do they look awesome) but like a smartphone it also does so much more.

Chief among these non-gaming functions is the new live TV integration. During the Xbox One reveal, Microsoft outlined some impressive new ways to watch TV and discover video content through the new Xbox. Seriously, the Xbox One will change how you watch TV – for the better!