Games

Windows Phone 8 gamers are currently enjoying this week’s new Xbox title, the delightfully free and also just plain delightful Jetpack Joyride. But you can never have too many games, especially when you’re addicted to Xbox Achievements. Your mouth gets dry, the shakes start to set in, and only a new game will keep you from eating a family sized bag of Whoppers (wrapper and all) in your delirium.

Enter the Xbox Red Stripe Deal of the Week, only too eager to ease the pain! The latest weekly sale title is BulletAsylum from UberGeekGames. Normally priced at $2.99, it’s now discounted to 99 cents. BulletAsylum previously went on sale for $1.99 once in May 2012, so this is a better deal… Probably what the game should always have cost, in fact.

The new non-Xbox Red Stripe Deals are indie game Chicken Invaders 3 from Betacom and popular instant messaging app IM+ Pro. Both cost only a dollar this week, which is an especially good deal for the normally $5 IM+ Pro. Read on for more details, screenshots, and download links!

The last two weeks have been full of great news for Xbox Windows Phone gamers. Last week we got the stunning Rayman Jungle Run, yesterday Microsoft announced Halo: Spartan Assault, and today doesn’t disappoint either. No, Gameloft didn’t suddenly release N.O.V.A. 3. But an equally requested title has just popped up…

Halfbrick Studio’s Jetpack Joyride is finally – FINALLY available on Windows Phone 8. It runs on devices with 512 MB of RAM. And it’s free! Are you ready for an endless runner that involves a lot more flying than running? Of course you are.

There are numerous games available for Windows Phone, but the store feels as though it falls short when it comes to classic RPGs (role playing games), especially when compared against other mobile platforms. That said, the collection is slowly improving and to add to the list is Hero Gladiator. It's a unique title (available on Android and iOS) that takes advantage of multiple elements that make a strong adventure game. Loads of items, party management, character progression, intense boss battles and more.

Earlier today, Microsoft officially announced Halo: Spartan Assault for Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8. Just knowing that a real Halo game is coming to Windows platforms with Xbox Achievements is pretty much the best gaming news we could have hoped for this year. But of course, Halo fans will want to know more about Spartan Assault. Our fact-filled announcement article was just the top of the iceberg.

We actually attended a top-secret reveal event just a few weeks ago, where we interviewed several members of 343 Industries, Microsoft’s Halo-focused development company. Head past the break for the full video interview, Spartan Assault In-App Purchase (IAP) details, Windows 8 Xbox controller news, and everything else we couldn’t fit in the reveal article!

Earlier last month, Daniel discussed the rise of Windows Phone and how the platform is now legitimate. The main proof was the slew of big apps that have been hitting the store for the first time or getting major updates. New apps like Tumblr, Hulu, and Pandora are helping tip the scales in favor of Windows Phone and its users. Want some more proof? Popular indie game Terraria is coming to Windows Phone later this summer.

Namco Bandai has put two of its Xbox for Windows Phone titles on sale, PAC-MAN and PAC-MAN CE DX. As the name suggests, they're faithful ports of the vintage arcade game from the 80s where players control a character who enjoys eating yellow dots. The famous ghosts Inky, Pinky, Blinky and Clyde attempt to prevent the dots from being gobbled up. The gameplay is both addictive and humorous and has been tried and tested as a definite purchase.

Both titles have been available on Windows Phone for some time now, but it's good to see them made more affordable.

Drag Racing is a outstanding Windows Phone 8 game where you can race over fifty different cars down a 1/4 or 1/2 mile strip. You can race against the computer or other Drag Racing players (randomly chosen) in various racing modes.

The game was update the other day to version 1.0.0.7 and adds a Friends option to the race menu where you can go head to head against specific members.

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.

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!

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.