Gameloft

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Sci-fi gaming hit N.O.V.A. 3 headed to Windows Phone 8 this week [Updated]

By Paul Acevedo, Monday, May 6, 2013 at 6:26 pm

Update: Gameloft could not confirm the May 8th release date and the game hasn't shown up, so our source looks to have been incorrect. Sorry for getting everybody's hopes up. Ubisoft's Monster Burner is this week's actual Xbox release.

Gameloft announced 12 killer Xbox games for Windows Phone 8 back in October of last year (and later amended the list). Those titles starting rolling out with Asphalt 7 in February. With Ice Age Village appearing at the end of April, we’re up to seven out of 12 games so far. Not a bad two months of releases, but the most anticipated game (among our readers, anyway), N.O.V.A. 3 had yet to appear.

That changes this Wednesday when Gameloft’s N.O.V.A. 3 finally debuts. A first-person shooter based on the Halo series. N.O.V.A. 3 is the closest thing Windows Phone will have to a proper Halo title unless Microsoft ever has a change of heart. Like Modern Combat 4, this one will require 1 GB of RAM and lots of storage space, so some devices like the Lumia 520 and 620 won’t be able to run it.

Ice Age Village Review: Build a happy home on Windows Phone

Games

By Paul Acevedo, Wednesday, May 1, 2013 at 11:45 am

Windows Phone 8 got its first proper taste of Xbox-enabled freemium games when Gameloft’s Real Soccer 2013 debuted earlier this year. But that game reached for players’ wallets so deeply and so often that we could barely enjoy it. Now Gameloft gives us another freemium game, the social city builder Ice Age Village. Don’t let Real Soccer 2013 or Glu Mobile’s Bug Village sour your feelings toward this one; it is less buggy than its genre predecessor and even players who choose not to spend any real currency can have a good time.

Ice Age Village's social features don't work on Windows Phone just yet [Updated]

By Paul Acevedo, Thursday, Apr 25, 2013 at 8:40 pm

Gameloft’s Ice Age Village just launched for Xbox Windows Phone 8 yesterday. If you enjoy the town-building genre or the Ice Age movies, it’s a fun and addictive game. It’s also worlds better than Bug Village, so don’t let that early Windows Phone 7 misfire put you off from trying the game.

All that said, we have some good news and bad news to share with you now. This article covers the bad news. One of Ice Age Village’s advancements over Bug Village, its social integration is just about completely broken at launch. Read on to learn about the kinks in the works and whether we can expect Gameloft to take care of the situation

Gameloft brings Ice Age Village to Xbox Windows Phone 8 for free!

By Paul Acevedo, Wednesday, Apr 24, 2013 at 2:49 pm

We’ve just settled in with two strong Nokia exclusive Windows Phone releases this week, but avid gamers and non-Nokia owners are already hungry for more. Hey! Why don’t you go order a pizza from your Xbox 360 if you’re so hungry?

Well, assuming we’ve all had a nice lunch/dinner/second breakfast, it’s time for a new Xbox game from our good friends at Gameloft. This week’s release is Ice Age Village, one of the more casual-friendly titles that Gameloft announced for Windows Phone 8 last year. Whether or not the theme appeals to you, Ice Age Village happens to be free-to-play, so we all might as well put down our vegetable peelers and give it a try.

Modern Combat 4 Review: Big-screen shooting on Windows Phone 8

Games

By Paul Acevedo, Wednesday, Apr 17, 2013 at 12:09 pm

The era of Gameloft Windows Phone 8 support is in full swing. Already the prolific publisher has graced us with an amazing racer (Asphalt 7), two less amazing but still decent open world games (Amazing Spider-Man and Dark Knight Rises), and a surprisingly enjoyable physics puzzler (Shark Dash). It’s almost like they’re single-handedly keeping the Xbox brand alive on Windows Phone.

Now Gameloft follows up with Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour, the second Windows Phone title with real-time online multiplayer and the platform’s only first-person shooter so far (until N.O.V.A. 3 comes along). FPS games on the phone are new for many of us - including me. Read on to find out how well Modern Combat 4 works as both a single-player and multiplayer game!

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Modern Combat 4 is live and ready for duty on Xbox Windows Phone 8

By Paul Acevedo, Wednesday, Apr 10, 2013 at 1:35 pm

Earlier this week, Windows Phone Central broke the news that Gameloft’s Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour would be arriving on Windows Phone 8 today. The wait has been hard, but now Modern Combat 4 is finally here! Not only is it the first First-Person Shooter in the Xbox Windows Phone lineup, but it’s the next best thing to having Call of Duty on your phone.

Modern Combat 4 packs both a full single-player campaign and a robust online multiplayer mode for up to 12 players. Not surprisingly, that means you’ll need a Windows Phone 8 device with 1 GB of RAM and plenty of storage space in order to play it. Head past the break for more details and the all-essential Windows Phone Store link!

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Exclusive first look at Modern Combat 4 for Xbox Windows Phone 8

By Paul Acevedo, Monday, Apr 8, 2013 at 9:35 am

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!

Shark Dash Review for Windows Phone 8: Chomping up Achievements

Games

By Paul Acevedo, Wednesday, Apr 3, 2013 at 2:41 pm

Gameloft has made quite a name for itself as a prolific publisher of core games for smartphones. When we say core games, we mean titles that provide a meatier, more console-like experience than typical mobile games. In fact, most of Gameloft’s lineup consists either of licensed games or clones of popular console games. N.O.V.A. 3 is a Halo clone; Modern Combat 4 replicates Call of Duty, etc. That’s why so many of us love Gameloft – they give us the mobile games that other developers refuse to create.

Still, Gameloft is a big company and it can afford to produce all kinds of games – even a few casual ones – without diminishing its reputation. One such game is Shark Dash for Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8. No, the world wasn’t exactly crying out for another physics puzzle game. But Shark Dash is just fresh, charming, and affordable enough to make it worth a look. And who can say no to easy Achievements?

Amazing Spider-Man Review: Web slinging action for Windows Phone 8

Games

By Paul Acevedo, Wednesday, Mar 27, 2013 at 9:37 am

While Activision’s console Amazing Spider-Man game which takes place after the events of the 2012 movie, Gameloft’s Xbox Windows Phone 8 game very loosely adapts the film’s actual narrative. It seems like Gameloft had access to a brief synopsis for the movie and had to fill in the rest of the story with original material though. While the story eventually builds to a confrontation with the Lizard after he has released a harmful gas into New York’s skyline, the preceding plot centers around Spider-Man’s efforts to thwart a gang of terrorists created for the game.

The story scenes are fully voiced, but unfortunately the actors are fairly crap on the whole. Spider-Man’s voice actor in particular is seriously miscast. Not only doesn’t he sound anything like Andrew Garfield, he never sounds heroic and just plain can’t act. Also, nobody’s mouth moves when they’re speaking, which makes the occasional close up dialogue exchange look super awkward. But this is a mobile title (that was originally rushed to coincide with the release of the movie), so we have to cut it some slack.

Shark Dash makes a splash on Xbox Windows Phone 8

By Paul Acevedo, Wednesday, Mar 20, 2013 at 1:19 pm

Following on the heels of The Dark Knight Rises, we have a second Xbox Windows Phone 8 release from Gameloft today. This one leaves the urban streets behind for a much brighter setting: nice, happy bathtubs. Yep, Shark Dash is now available and it only costs a dollar. Dare you dip your toes into these waters?

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The Dark Knight has Risen on Xbox Windows Phone 8

By Paul Acevedo, Wednesday, Mar 20, 2013 at 12:46 pm

Was Gameloft’s The Amazing Spider-Man game too bright and cheery for you? Get ready to stalk villains from the shadows and do lots of brooding then, because there’s a Batman in town. The Dark Knight Rises for Xbox Windows Phone 8 is here! Not surprisingly, it requires phones with 1 GB of RAM, so lower memory devices like the Lumia 620 will have to remain crime-ridden for the time being.

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Gameloft bringing Dark Knight Rises and Shark Dash to Xbox Windows Phone 8 this week

By Paul Acevedo, Tuesday, Mar 19, 2013 at 9:42 am

Xbox games for Windows Phone 8 were slim pickings until Gameloft’s highly anticipated Asphalt 7 rolled out a few weeks ago. That rad racer became the first of the publisher’s 12 announced games to actually see release, followed shortly thereafter by The Amazing Spider-Man and Real Soccer 2013. That still leaves 9 more games to go, including the hotly anticipated FPS titles N.O.V.A. 3 and Modern Combat 4.

We won’t be shooting enemies this week, at least not with bullets. Batarangs, however are a different story. This Wednesday, Gameloft will release The Dark Knight Rises and Shark Dash for Windows Phone 8.

Gameloft and Nokia hype upcoming Windows Phone titles with Facebook contest

Games

By Rich Edmonds, Wednesday, Mar 13, 2013 at 10:31 am

Gameloft is running an interesting Facebook contest where those who use the social network and own an account can enter by "liking" the Nokia, Gameloft and Xbox pages, as well as answering a simple question. The prizes? Only some Microsoft Points and a Windows Phone 8 device, which looks to be the Lumia 820.

Real Soccer 2013 Review: Less soccer, more reaching for your wallet

Games

By Paul Acevedo, Wednesday, Mar 13, 2013 at 8:58 am

The first Real Soccer for Windows Phone was less than an exemplary game. Announced back in 2010 as a launch title, it didn’t show up until well into 2012. The Real Soccer we eventually got falsely advertised the inclusion of two modes (‘Enter the Legend’ and ‘Club Master’) that weren’t even in the game. And one of the Achievements (‘Man of the Match’) was tied to the absent Enter the Legend mode, making it impossible to unlock – by design! Gameloft’s otherwise solid Windows Phone port of Let’s Golf 2 also suffered from an impossible-by-design Achievement.

Yes, Gameloft and the Xbox Live certification team were awfully negligent in those days. We brought these issues up to Microsoft, but neither game was ever fixed and Real Soccer still has the same blatantly incorrect store description it launched with.

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Amazing Spider-Man and Real Soccer 2013 swing onto Xbox Windows Phone 8

By Paul Acevedo, Wednesday, Mar 6, 2013 at 12:18 pm

The recent launch of Asphalt 7: Heat on Windows Phone 8 was just the shot of vitality that Microsoft’s newest mobile OS needed. Considering the rocky start that Xbox Live releases have had this year, we might have expected a puzzle game or no release at all. Well, we needn’t fear such a bleak scenario this week either. Hot off of Asphalt 7’s heels, Gameloft will follow up today with not one, but TWO new Xbox games for Windows Phone 8. And one of them is even free! Are your minds blown yet, mobile gamers?

Yes, two of the 12 Gameloft games announced last year have popped up today: The Amazing Spider-Man and Real Soccer 2013/Real Football 2013. We haven’t put them through their paces just yet, but we do have plenty of details, screens, and pricing! Note that both titles require 1GB of RAM, so they won’t work on the Lumia 620, HTC 8S, and other low-memory devices.

Asphalt 7 Review: Bringing the heat to Windows Phone 8

Games

By Paul Acevedo, Wednesday, Mar 6, 2013 at 10:54 am

As the first non-Angry Birds Xbox game running exclusively on Windows Phone 8, Asphalt 7: Heat understandably had a lot of interest from gamers and some rather lofty expectations to live up to. Now that the downloading issues that plagued last week’s launch have been resolved, we’ve been able to step into the driver’s seat and take it for a spin. Is Asphalt 7 the best arcade-style racing game since Outrun or another trip down a one-way road in the wrong direction like its Windows Phone 7 predecessor, Asphalt 5?

I’m pleased to tell you that Asphalt 7 is not only the best racing game in the Windows Phone library, it’s one of the best games period. Head past the break to find out just how it impressed its way into my icy heart.

Gameloft alters list of upcoming Xbox Windows Phone 8 games. Pray they don’t alter it further.

Games

By Daniel Rubino, Friday, Mar 1, 2013 at 11:45 am

Gameloft seems to have scored a bid deal with Microsoft and their Xbox on Windows Phone games as we’ve seen this iteration of “twelve new games” teaser back in January (and even then it was not new).

Now, the gaming house has posted another video – same music, same style –but two games have been replaced. Instead of Texas Poker for Prizes and Fashion Icon we have Kingdoms & Lords and Six Guns added to the lineup. We’re not sure if that means 14 titles are actually coming (with some maybe exclusive to Nokia) or Gameloft was just unsure of what games they were releasing.

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Asphalt 7: Heat races onto Xbox Windows Phone 8 with realtime multiplayer

By Paul Acevedo, Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 at 12:36 pm

While Microsoft and its partners haven’t exactly announced a ton of Xbox games for Windows Phone 8 so far, the same can’t be said for Gameloft. Back in October, the mobile game publishing giant announced a whopping 12 games specifically for Windows Phone 8. These titles rely on the new mobile handsets’ extra horsepower and most would be impossible to port accurately on our beloved Windows Phone 7.

It’s been a long wait, but the first Gameloft Windows Phone 8 game is finally here: Asphalt 7, the arcade-style racing game. That’s right, a non-Angry Birds Windows Phone 8 game! Who’d have dared to imagine such a thing? In case that didn’t knock you right out of your office chair, it even has…. Real-time online multiplayer! I don’t mean asynchronous: this is the for-real deal. Ho-lee crap, I just had to fetch my socks from across the room. And did I mention Asphalt 7 is priced to sell?

Head past the break for details! We'll have a video soon too.

Old news new again: Gameloft Windows Phone teaser video and PlayXBLA Windows 8 page

By Paul Acevedo, Saturday, Jan 19, 2013 at 3:20 pm

Sometimes information come along that doesn’t exactly seem newsworthy, because we already know it. I mean, if Nokia added a webpage touting Angry Birds Space for Windows Phone to their website right this minute, would we have much reason to go shouting about it from the mountains? But not everybody hears every piece of news the first time around, so when it gets reiterated somehow, it becomes new to them.

As such, we’ve received enough tips on a couple of already-known stories lately that we might as well address them now. One: Gameloft’s got a teaser video for their upcoming lineup of Windows Phone 8 games. Two: Microsoft has dedicated a page to Xbox-branded Windows 8 games on their PlayXBLA site. Read on to find out what this all means for you, the faithful Xbox gamer.

The Oregon Trail returns to Windows Phone 8 just as Shoot 1UP leaves

Games

By Paul Acevedo, Tuesday, Dec 18, 2012 at 8:25 am

Windows Phone 8 hasn’t exactly been kind to the mobile lineup of Xbox games. To say nothing of the disheartening scarcity of WP8-specific games, more than 20 Xbox WP7 games simply aren’t available on WP8 due to incompatibility. In my opinion, Microsoft has handled these incompatibility issues quite poorly.

Still, in my original article about the mass delisting of WP8-incompatible games, I did predict that some of those games would eventually be patched and become available for WP8. Over the weekend we saw a semi-incompatible game BulletAsylum (which hadn’t actually been partially delisted like other affected titles) get patched to work properly on WP8. And now the first game from the ‘delisted’ list has appeared on WP8 as well: The Oregon Trail HD from Gameloft.