chillingo

Nokia rolls Monopoly Millionaire and DaVinci Pinball onto Xbox Windows Phone

By Paul Acevedo, Tuesday, Apr 23, 2013 at 4:37 am

It’s been a few weeks since Nokia published a batch of exclusive Xbox Windows Phone games: the fine Vampire Rush and much less fine Storm in a Teacup. Since then, former Nokia exclusives Risk and Connect 4 became available to all Windows Phone users, knocking the number of Nokia exclusives down by two.

Clearly Nokia believes we Lumia owners need lots of stuff to brag about beyond the generally beautiful looks of our phones, and so they’ve just thrown a couple more exclusives our way in order to balance things out. Today we get DaVinci Pinball from Chillingo and Monopoly Millionaire from EA.

Both games are interesting in their own ways, but Monopoly Millionaire especially so because it’s the first Nokia exclusive Xbox game that requires Windows Phone 8 (and 1 GB of RAM). Could this mean we’ll start seeing more EA games that take advantage of Windows Phone 8’s increased horsepower? I hope so! Check out our impressions of both titles after the break.

Vampire Rush Review: High stakes tower defense action on Windows Phone

Games

By Paul Acevedo, Wednesday, Apr 10, 2013 at 10:10 am

Tower defense is one of my favorite genres because of its versatility. There are so many variations between TD games, from the wholesome simplicity geoDefense to the undying awesomeness of Plants vs. Zombies. Sometimes developers even combine tower defense with action games, allowing players to run around the field attacking enemies in addition to the strategic planting of towers. Zombie Attack 2 did just that a couple of years ago, although somehow the game still ended up a big, stinking pile of boring.

Vampire Rush, the latest Nokia exclusive Xbox game for Windows Phone 7 and 8 comes from Chillingo and Lithuanian developer A-Steroids. While it doesn’t quite achieve its full potential, Vampire Rush does manage to provide the right blend of strategy and excitement that Zombie Attack 2 so woefully lacked. Read on for our full review!

Video: Chillingo announces Contre Jour and more Xbox games coming to Windows 8

Games

By Paul Acevedo, Sunday, Apr 7, 2013 at 11:01 am

Of all the offsite meetings we engaged in during GDC, the most pleasant place to visit was probably Electronic Arts’ suite at the St. Regis Hotel. Within that cozy location, Android Central’s Simon Sage and I met with Dan Tausney, PR Manager of Chillingo. As you might remember from our article about their most recent Windows Phone releases, Chillingo is the arm of EA responsible for publishing indie games from all over the world. They’ve been a major Windows Phone supporter and will soon be doing the same for Windows 8 as well.

Check out our hands-on footage with Contre Jour for Windows 8, see your favorite mobile Games Editor in action on video, and learn about Chillingo’s future Windows 8 plans after the break!

Glass half full: Nokia brings Xbox games Vampire Rush and Storm in a Teacup to Windows Phone

By Paul Acevedo, Wednesday, Apr 3, 2013 at 3:51 am

Ah, Chillingo. Where would Lumia owning gamers be without you? Just a couple of weeks ago, the indie-focused arm of Electronic Arts published a pair of new Nokia exclusive Xbox games: Dream Track Nation and Tiny Plane. Those ports are a little rough, but the developer PowPowGames already has patches on the way. Besides, more Xbox games is always a good thing, especially after that drought we suffered at the beginning of the year.

Now Chillingo is back with two new Nokia exclusives for Windows Phone 7 and 8, each coming from a different developer. First up is the creatively named Storm in a Teacup from Cobra (makers of iBomber Defense), followed by Vampire Rush from Lithuanian developer A-Steroids. One game will be a hit, while the other seriously needs some work. Make your guesses about which is which and then head past the break to find out the answer!

Chillingo delivers new Nokia exclusives for Xbox Windows Phone: Dream Track Nation and Tiny Plane

By Paul Acevedo, Friday, Mar 22, 2013 at 1:11 pm

Windows Phone 8 has received so much Xbox game love this week (in the form of The Dark Knight Rises and Shark Dash) that Windows Phone 7 owners were surely feeling left out. I mean, they should all be busy with Galactic Reign, but that’s another story.

Apparently someone at Nokia saw the lack of releases for the legacy OS and said, “No! This should not be.” To that end, Nokia and Chillingo have just published two Nokia-exclusive Xbox Windows Phone 7 games: Dream Track Nation and Tiny Plane. Both games look like great casual titles to keep Nokia owners busy.

iBomber Defense returns to Windows Phone 8 but still crashes lots

Games

By Paul Acevedo, Tuesday, Feb 19, 2013 at 12:02 pm

A while back, Babel Rising was pulled from Windows Phone 8 due to the tiny problem of crashing on start up. It briefly returned to Windows Phone 8 despite still being incompatible. Well, today seems like déjà vu because another partially delisted game is back in semi-working order: the Nokia exclusive tower iBomber Defense from Chillingo and Cobra Mobile.

Nokia exclusive Xbox game Blobster oozes onto Windows Phone

Games

By Paul Acevedo, Thursday, Jan 17, 2013 at 12:20 am

Just when it seems like Xbox games for Windows Phone’s darkest hour, when all hope of a new release before January 30^th has long been abandoned… Nokia once again comes to our rescue with a new exclusive Xbox for Lumia owners: Blobster from Chillingo (who we’ve barely written about today) and Divine Robot. With this surprise late-day release, there are now eleven Nokia exclusives in the Xbox lineup.

Two Xbox games from Chillingo earn their Windows Phone 8 compatibility at last

Games

By Paul Acevedo, Wednesday, Jan 16, 2013 at 8:40 pm

After today’s disappointing news of another week without a new Xbox game for Windows Phone, our gaming readers could probably use some cheering up. Well, I’m pleased to share some win-win information with you now. Not one, but two partially delisted Xbox games for Windows Phone have just become Windows Phone 8 compatible: Feed Me Oil and Parking Mania, both from Chillingo.

That brings the list of incompatible games down to 23, the lowest it has been since Microsoft’s new mobile OS debuted. Hopefully it continues to shrink in the months ahead!

Picnic Wars Review: Why can't food all just get along?

Games

By Paul Acevedo, Wednesday, Jan 16, 2013 at 11:13 am

Chillingo, Electronic Arts’ indie publishing arm, has produced many fine Windows Phone games in the last year: Contre Jour, Little Acorns, and Feed Me Oil, to new just a few. Lately though, all of Chillingo’s releases have been Nokia Windows Phone exclusives – for better or worse. Their latest such Xbox release Picnic Wars comes from Crown Adam, a tiny Swiss developer and Philippines-based Anino Games. This interesting take on food fights starts out quite strong, but ends on a lemony sour note.

Nokia exclusives: Picnic Wars now available, Spy Mouse debuts on Windows Phone 8

By Paul Acevedo, Thursday, Jan 10, 2013 at 12:42 pm

You might have noticed that yesterday’s editorial/news piece about the extended Xbox release drought Windows Phone is currently experiencing made no mention of Nokia exclusives. After all, those exclusives don’t do people who own non-Nokia devices any good. Not one Nokia Xbox game has become available for all Windows Phone devices so far, even six months after the debut of Mirror’s Edge.

Still, in times of release famine, Nokia really does seem to come through for its customers. First they published iBomber Defense back in December, and now they’ve surprised us with another new Xbox game. Picnic Wars from Chillingo is now available for all Lumia devices running Windows Phone 7 or 8. As if that news wasn’t good enough, Nokia exclusive Spy Mouse is now available on Windows Phone 8 devices.

Risk wins Windows Phone 8 compatibility, but two more Nokia Xbox games lose it

Games

By Paul Acevedo, Tuesday, Jan 8, 2013 at 12:46 pm

Every time we report on Windows Phone 8 compatibility, it’s a good news/bad news situation. The Oregon Trail gained compatibility while Shoot 1 UP lost it… Babel Rising 3D sort of became compatible (which was a mistake), and KenKen lost it for no apparent reason… Which brings us to this weekend.

Good news: Risk from Nokia and Electronic Arts is now available for Lumia phones running Windows Phone 8! On the other hand, two more games – both Nokia exclusives – have jumped ship from Windows Phon 8. Can’t win, can we?

iBomber Defense Review: WWII strategy made simple

Games

By Paul Acevedo, Friday, Dec 28, 2012 at 8:55 am

Slowly but surely, Nokia and Electronic Arts continue to pump out Nokia-exclusive Xbox Windows Phone games. These titles also include games from Chillingo, a popular mobile publisher owned by EA. The latest Chillingo-published exclusive iBomber Defense comes from Scottish developer Cobra.

Originally an iOS game, Cobra’s tower defense title has since branched out to other platforms like Steam and Windows Phone. Fans of the genre should be thankful for that, because other than some performance issues and rough Achievements, iBomber Defense is the best traditional tower defense game in the Xbox lineup.

iBomber Defense sneaks onto Xbox Windows Phone as a Nokia exclusive

By Paul Acevedo, Saturday, Dec 22, 2012 at 9:51 am

It’s always a good time to be a Nokia owner, but especially when a new exclusive app or game comes around. We’ve just received another surprise exclusive, this one turning up quite randomly on a Friday evening. A little advance notice would be nice, but it’s still good news for people with Lumias in their pockets.

The newly released Xbox Windows Phone game is iBomber Defense from Chillingo (EA) and Scottish developer Cobra Mobile. Like Jet Set Go, this one wasn’t part of the first 20 exclusive games announced by EA, so there could be even more titles included in the exclusivity deal that we don’t know about.

Jet Set Go Review: Leaving on a jet plane...

Games

By Paul Acevedo, Wednesday, Dec 5, 2012 at 11:11 am

The Xbox Windows Phone lineup has a spotty track record with time management games. Sally’s Salon was fantastic, but then it was followed up by the less impressive (and more bug-filled) Sally’s Spa. Both titles wore their feminine themes on their sleeves, making them less appealing to certain insecure male gamers. The only male-targeted genre entry, Star Wars Cantina got itself delisted last year, depriving WP gamers of the precious Star Wars license and lots of grinding.

Thankfully Nokia, along with developer Big Stack Studios and publisher Chillingo have come along with a more gender neutral time management title: Jet Set Go (not to be confused with SEGA’s Jet Set Radio). Not only can both guys and gals appreciate the game’s travel industry theme, but it even outdoes all the previously mentioned games in variety.

Jet Set Go is a timed Nokia exclusive though, so only Lumia owners can enjoy it at present. If that includes you, read on to see whether it’s worth a buy. Everyone else can come along too and find out what you’re missing!

Turn N Run: Xbox Windows Phone Review

Games

By Paul Acevedo, Wednesday, Nov 28, 2012 at 8:33 am

Russian developer MaxNick really impressed us with its Xbox Windows Phone release of Spider Jack. For a year, it was the closest thing on our platform to Cut the Rope, and remains a quality game. MaxNick has also released a handful of indie titles such as Doodle Invasion, a quirky little game about evil aliens attacking the Earth. Now the developer returns to Xbox Live with Turn N Run, which stars a nicer alien this time. The Windows Phone port arrives only a couple of months after the iOS original – a breath of fresh air after having to wait so long for Sonic CD to show up!

Both of the previous games I enjoyed from MaxNick featured charming 2D art. Does the transition to 3D graphics and a new gameplay style result in another quirky hit? Read on to find out.

Turn N Run debuts for WP7, doesn't run well on WP8 (for now)

Games

By Paul Acevedo, Wednesday, Nov 21, 2012 at 8:30 am

As we exclusively revealed over the weekend, this week’s Xbox Windows Phone release is Turn N Run, from Russian developer MaxNick (makers of Spider Jack) and Chillingo/EA. The lighthearted puzzle game is now available on the Windows Phone Store. Turn N Run plays great and definitely has easy Achievements, but Windows Phone 8 gamers will have to wait to enjoy it...

Nokia surprises us with three new Xbox Windows Phone 7 exclusives

By Paul Acevedo, Friday, Nov 9, 2012 at 11:11 am

When Nokia announced that a Windows Phone 7-specific version of Angry Birds Star Wars was still on the way despite the availability of a WP8 version, a few readers commented that Nokia’s continued support of WP7 still seemed unlikely. Well, let’s not doubt the Finnish smartphone manufacturer too much. They’ve just released not one but three Xbox games for Windows Phone 7, one of which hadn’t been unannounced beforehand! All three games: The Game of Life, Jet Set Go, and Parking Mania are Nokia exclusives and will work on both Nokia’s WP7 and newly-released WP8 handsets.

Xbox on Windows Phone Review - Extraction: Project Outbreak

Games

By Paul Acevedo, Wednesday, Oct 10, 2012 at 9:39 am

Electronic Arts’ UK-based Chillingo label has been a terrific supporter of the Windows Phone platform. They’re primarily known for their puzzle games – including Cut the Rope, which remains conspicuously absent from WP7. Chillingo makes other kinds of games too, such as Extraction: Project Outbreak. It looks like an action game but plays like a strategy title, making for a unique experience. An excessive number of bugs and technical issues threaten to drag the Windows Phone port down like so many zombies, but the fun mostly manages to come out unscathed.

Xbox on Windows Phone Achievement Guide: Extraction

Games

By Paul Acevedo, Monday, Oct 8, 2012 at 10:20 am

Extraction: Project Outbreak differs from what we’ve come to expect from Chillingo games on Windows Phone. Besides a complete lack of cuteness, it’s also pretty tough! At first players will have to come to grips with the game’s unique controls. Then they’ll encounter a steep rise in difficulty that seems designed to encourage spending money on PDLC and/or pad the length of the game more than anything else.

Thankfully your favorite Windows Phone Central game reviewer/ninja has unlocked all 20 of Extraction’s Achievements and will now help you do the same.

Xbox on Windows Phone Review: Little Acorns

Games

By Paul Acevedo, Wednesday, Oct 3, 2012 at 9:49 am

As I’ve said on a few occasions, getting a platformer to work just right on mobile phones can be very challenging for developers. Whether they opt for touch screen controls, tilt, or even a combination of the two, the game will never feel exactly the same as it would with a physical controller. Leave it to the folks at Chillingo (and their “Team Pesky”) to create a platformer that not only feels great, but works perfectly in short doses on the go.