Games

Earlier today Miniclip dropped the price of their Windows 8 and RT versions of iStunt 2, Gravity Guy and Monster Island to free titles.

Miniclip has now added the Windows Phone 7.x/8 versions of these games to their free offer. The free offer on the Xbox Windows Phone titles is only for a limited time only. As an added bonus, the Xbox Live game Fragger is also a freebie.

So if you've been on the fence or just want to build up your Xbox Windows Phone gaming library, now's the time to act. Head past the break for all the links and QR Codes.

Windows 8 and RT gamers recently survived a dangerous outbreak of gaming deals thanks to the Microsoft Studios Sale, which only just ended. But now, another rash of Xbox Windows 8 deals threatens players’ well being – if not their wallets. Miniclip has made three of its games free for a limited time only: iStunt 2, Monster Island, and Gravity Guy. Can your Windows 8 or RT device handle so many free games at once time? There’s only one way to find out…

These games all have In-App Purchases, so Miniclip stands to profit even when giving their titles away. But you can enjoy and complete most of them without spending a cent, except perhaps for the ultra-tough Gravity Guy.

Update: All three games plus Fragger are also free on Windows Phone this week!

Head past the break for download links and our game descriptions!

We can’t say whether there will be two Xbox Windows Phone releases this week just yet. But we can tell you – and show you – one very exciting game arriving for Windows Phone 8 on Wednesday. Originally announced back in October, Gameloft’s Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour will finally arrive this week! Not only will it be the first Xbox Windows Phone first-person shooter, but it promises even more advanced multiplayer features than we saw in Asphalt 7 earlier this year.

During my recent trip to the Game Developers Conference, I stopped by the San Francisco Gameloft office for a quick tour. Lennon Arcaro, Gameloft’s Account Director was kind enough to walk me through the opening moments of Modern Combat 4. See our world exclusive hands-on footage after the break!

Temple Run isn’t the only Windows Phone to get an update lately. A couple of Microsoft-published Xbox games were recently patched as well: AlphaJax and Galactic Reign. Do these updates fix major errors like a blank sky and missed screen swipes? Read on to find out!

Skulls of the Shogun has been an incredibly important game for Windows Phone and the Microsoft ecosystem as a whole. It’s the first Xbox Live game to cross platforms between the Xbox 360, Windows Phone, and Windows 8. It was also the Xbox Windows Phone game that ended the game drought we faced earlier this year. After so many weeks without a new game, Skulls quenched many a Windows Phone gamer’s thirst.

We had the opportunity to speak with Skulls of the Shogun developer 17-BIT twice last year, first at E3 and later Casual Connect. Of course, that was all before the game launched. Now that Skulls of the Shogun is live and in players’ hands, Windows Phone Central jumped at the opportunity to ask 17-BIT’s lead programmer Borut Pfeifer about how the game performed and what players can expect in the future.

Head past the break for the full video interview!

Graphically Asphalt 7: Heat is by far one of the most impressive games on Windows Phone. Gameplay is fun, visuals stunning, and the choice in cars should keep most gear heads happy. One big complaint about the game though is the amount of space it takes up in storage.

The game was 878M but required 4.7GB of free space. Ouch for users with limited storage – like the 8GB version of the HTC 8X. An update today knocks some of that space down.

Acedia: Indie Horror is a mystery game for your Windows Phone 7.x and 8 device that has a spooky, almost creepy, feel to it. Inspired by "Slender: The Eight Pages", Acedia is a scavenger hunt sort of a game where you are tasked with finding particular objects/relics to complete each challenge.

You navigate through what appears to be a vacant mansion where the only light is your flashlight to hunt down various relics. The 3D animations and graphics are nice and the soundtrack gives the game a suspenseful feel. As if at any second something is going to jump out of the shadows and eat your brains.

Microsoft has a new trick up their sleeve to promote apps and games in the Windows Phone Store: weekly deals. Referred to as ‘red stripe’ offerings because the apps/games have a red boarder, users can purchase these games at a heavily discounted price. It should be a great way to move more inventory, so to speak, as well as highlight some top-quality apps or games in the store.