games

Monkeying around with Chimpact for Windows Phone 8

Games

By George Ponder, Saturday, Jan 19, 2013 at 10:06 am

Looking for a fun game for your Windows Phone 8 device? You may want to give Chimpact a try.

Chimpact is a jumper game of sorts where you have to navigate your chimp up the screen by launching him from hammock to hammock. Graphics are great, game play challenging and Chimpact is a enjoyable way to pass the time.

Captain Pirate: A steady finger can lead you to buried treasure

Games

By George Ponder, Friday, Jan 18, 2013 at 3:34 pm

Captain Pirate is an odd little game for your Windows Phone. Odd not so much in a bad way but remember the old board game Operation? Where you had to have a steady hand to extract game pieces (body parts of sorts) from a cartoon character? Touch the edge of the game board as you extract the game piece and you lose.

Captain Pirate reminds me of that game.... well, in a way.

With Captain Pirate, the goal is to maneuver a pirate's hook to buried treasure, avoiding dangers and collecting gold coins along the way. Touch/bump into any of the dangers and you lose a life. Lose three lives and the game's over. Captain Pirate is a decent game for your Windows Phone but probably more appealing to the younger (much younger) crowd.

A quick look at New+Rising games for your Windows Phone

Games

By George Ponder, Friday, Jan 18, 2013 at 9:30 am

Windows Phone Central's Roundup of New+Rising Games

Sure... you can use your Windows Phone for checking email, making phone calls, taking pictures, and other productive activities. But it's also a great device to play games on.

Couldn't really come up with a good theme for this week's Windows Phone Central Roundup so I decided to pick a few games from the New+Rising list over at the Windows Phone Store.

No rhyme or reason as to which titles made it to the roundup and if you've stumbled across a new Windows Phone game you'd like to recommend, sound off in the comments.

Microsoft announces WSOP: Full House Pro for XBLA and Windows 8 but not Windows Phone

By Paul Acevedo, Thursday, Jan 17, 2013 at 7:02 pm

We dished out praises like crazy to the original Full House Poker game for Windows Phone. It was the first Windows Phone 7 game to have proper avatar support and is still the only one, really. A picture of the user’s avatar on their stats screen like AlphaJax and Wordament have doesn’t really count; users want to play games as their avatars.

Wheel of Wealth updated, bankruptcy no longer wipes you out completely

Games

By George Ponder, Thursday, Jan 17, 2013 at 1:26 pm

Wheel of Wealth is a popular, turn based (both local and online) Windows Phone game that is modeled after the Wheel of Fortune games. You spin the wheel of wealth to determine your earnings for guessing the correct letters in a word puzzle. You play against up to two opponents,or against the phone, in a three round game.

Wheel of Wealth was recently updated to version 2.6 to resolve a nasty bug that crashed the game when you went bankrupt. You can still lose all your money but that should be all that is lost. The update also fixes a few other bugs and throws in a few performance tweaks for good measure.

The Path of Kara, a puzzle smorgasbord for your Windows Phone

Games

By George Ponder, Thursday, Jan 17, 2013 at 8:59 am

The Path of Kara is an outstanding puzzle game for your Windows Phone that is wonderfully drawn out and full of challenges. The game has you helping Kara, a young Shaman, on her quest to save her island home. In the process you have to solve a healthy selection of puzzles.

The game has over seventy levels of story driven game play, plenty of bonus items to help you along the way. The Path of Kara is a great addition for your Windows Phone gaming library and an addictive way to pass the time.

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!

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After four weeks with no new Xbox games for Windows Phone, we may have the actual cause

By Paul Acevedo, Wednesday, Jan 16, 2013 at 3:03 pm

Last week, Windows Phone received no new Xbox game for the third week in a row. Our detailed editorial posited several theories to explain the prolonged release drought, and many readers chimed in with their own theories. This week marks the fourth consecutive dry week, and the sixth within the last two months. Microsoft has informed us there won’t be a new Xbox game or Deal of the Week once more.

Why another dry week, you ask? An Xbox game developer has come forward with information supporting one of our theories… And no, it isn’t the best news.

Indie Windows Phone RPG Doom & Destiny not only impresses, it's currently free

Games

By Paul Acevedo, Wednesday, Jan 16, 2013 at 12:08 pm

In our ‘Best Xbox games of 2012’ feature, I named the sole Xbox-branded RPG Final Fantasy as one of the year’s finest. This year we have the very RPG-like strategy game Skulls of the Shogun to look forward to, but another Xbox RPG seems unlikely at present. Thankfully an indie developer has come along to fill the void with Doom & Destiny from HeartBit Interactive. Previously available as an Xbox Live Indie Game on 360, Windows Phone gamers can take the game with them on the go…. And for free (at the moment)!

Check out our initial impressions and hands-on video after the break.

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.

Challenge your IQ with Stupid Test for Windows Phone... well maybe

Games

By George Ponder, Wednesday, Jan 16, 2013 at 9:26 am

If you have ever wanted to test your IQ, Stupid Test for Windows Phone may not give you an accurate reading but it will test your powers of observation.

Compatible across the board for Windows Phone 7.x and 8 devices, Stupid Test presents you with a series of test questions to solve. To add to the challenge, you have to find the answer before the timer at the top of the screen runs out. While Stupid Test may not be an approved method to testing your IQ, it will make you say "doh" from time to time.

Hamstas 'n Kitties lands in the Windows Phone Store

Games

By George Ponder, Friday, Jan 11, 2013 at 1:59 pm

The developers of the Windows Phone game Pirates Assault have released a new game for our Windows Phone, Hamstas 'n Kitties.

Dagari Studios has developed a rather unique game that draws a little from Tetris, a little from Bejeweled and maybe a dash from Bubble Birds. With Hamstas 'n Kitties you are presented with a playing field with assorted colored hamsters. Your goal is to create combos of three or more of the same colored hamsters. The gathering of hamsters continue with a row of the furry critters dropping from the top of the screen periodically. If the collection of hamster's reaches the top of the screen, game over.

Skulls of the Shogun coming to Windows Phone, XBLA, and Windows 8 on January 30th

By Paul Acevedo, Thursday, Jan 10, 2013 at 2:41 pm

We’re still unsure about the next couple of weeks, but the drought of Xbox game releases for Windows Phone will definitely cease by the end of the month. Microsoft has made a rare advance release date announcement for a mobile game – and it’s a good one. At long last, Skulls of the Shogun from 17-Bit and Microsoft Studios will debut on January 30^th for Windows Phone 7 and 8, Xbox Live Arcade, and Windows 8 and RT!

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.

Collapsticks: A match stick puzzle for your Windows Phone

Games

By George Ponder, Thursday, Jan 10, 2013 at 8:50 am

Collapsticks is an addictive Windows Phone game that you may find hard to put down.

The puzzle game has you collapsing stacked match sticks in an effort to drop a set number of matches off the bottom of the screen. But the fall isn't exactly straight forward and with each puzzle, the match sticks has to be dropped in a particular order. Otherwise you're stuck with too many sticks.

Graphics and animations are nice, game play challenging and the only downside may be that you'll eventually run out of levels to play. But with 120 levels, that may take some time. Collapsticks is a nice addition to the Windows Phone gaming library.

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No new Xbox game for Windows Phone again this week. Here are some possible reasons why...

By Paul Acevedo, Wednesday, Jan 9, 2013 at 12:12 pm

Things haven’t been looking too good for Xbox games on Windows Phone lately. As our readers probably know, there hasn’t been a new Xbox game released since KenKen on December 19^th. Just before that there were two more weeks with no release: one before and one after AlphaJax arrived. Nokia users have a bit more to play thanks to iBomber Defense, but that does not help everyone else. Well, this week the disturbing trend continues: Microsoft has confirmed that there will be no new Xbox Windows Phone game or Deal of the Week this week. Yikes!

Gun Bros Review: Battling bad guys and a buggy port

Games

By Paul Acevedo, Wednesday, Jan 9, 2013 at 8:37 am

Seeing as how we haven’t had a new Xbox Windows Phone game to review in a while, it’s time to set our critical eyes on older releases that haven’t been reviewed yet. Sometimes we miss a game because it’s too terrible to endure (Babel Rising 3D), but on other occasions your favorite game reviewer has just been too tied up to review every single release.

With Gun Bros 2 due to hit iOS sometime soon, I’ve been inspired to put the original Gun Bros for Windows Phone through its paces. Is Gun Bros really one of the worst Xbox games on Windows Phone or just woefully misunderstood? Read on for our final verdict!

Ultimate Cartoon Quiz, name that cartoon character

Games

By George Ponder, Tuesday, Jan 8, 2013 at 2:45 pm

Ultimate Cartoon Quiz is a trivia game for your Windows Phone that is designed much like Logoarama. With the Logoarama you're given a brand logo and you have to identify the associated product.

With Ultimate Cartoon Quiz you are given a silhouette of a cartoon character and you have to name that character. Ultimate Cartoon Quiz is a decent trivia game just a little short lived.

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?