videos

More Windows 8 videos, along with potential packaging have surfaced on Amazon UK product pages. The Windows 8 Pro, Windows 8 Standard - Pro, and Windows 8 Pro N upgrade editions are accompanied by fourteen videos in total, each walking the viewer through a different feature, functionality or ability in the next version of Microsoft's operating system. We're quickly drawing closer to the release date of Windows 8, as well as Windows Phone 8, and more.

Just as these new videos come to light, the batch published on YouTube, which we covered yesterday have been removed (due to copyright claims filed by Microsoft). They are included in the compiled list below (from Amazon), so it's not an issue for those of you who may have missed our earlier article. We can expect Microsoft to use these videos on television, but if not the company can always use similar style.

Microsoft themselves didn’t have as much of a presence at Casual Connect Seattle this year as we would’ve liked, but they did stage a fascinating presentation on the effects that switching to Xbox Live has had on popular free word game Wordament. We all know Xbox Live has helped Wordament become more popular, but the specific benefits and results of the switch are extremely encouraging and could have wide-ranging effects on future Windows Phone games.

Windows Phone Central has the full presentation video to share, plus a detailed summary and anaylsis. Check it out after the break.

After running part one of our interview with Patrick Wylie, the VP of Big Fish Game Studios, your friendly neighborhood gaming journalist got sidetracked a bit with health problems. Don't worry, I seem to have pulled through okay. In case you missed the interview, Big Fish - one of the leaders in casual gaming on PC - has announced both Xbox Live Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 ports of their marquee title Fairway Solitaire. The game is already a huge hit on PC, Mac, and iOS – even people who don’t normally care for Solitaire games (like me) love it.

Check out part two of our exclusive video interview after the break!

We’ve been following Shoot1UP, the vertically-scrolling shoot-em-up from Mommy’s Best Games and Microsoft Studios, for quite a while now. We first previewed the game way back in October 2011, and most recently got some hands-on time with it at E3. Thankfully Shoot1UP’s release finally draws near, as it lands this very month. Details and official trailer after the break.

Windows Phone Central visits with Signal Studios

One of the more enjoyable Xbox 360 games we played at E3 this year was Ascend: New Gods from Signal Studios. We played through an early part of the XBLA game and discussed the Windows Phone version with one of the developers. Yet many questions about the mobile version remained unanswered. Not for long though…

Signal is located in Kirkland, WA – not too far from where Casual Connect Seattle took place. After the conference wrapped up, we headed over to the studio for a tour. D.R. Albright III, the company president and creative director, also gave us a fantastic interview. View it after the break to learn just what Ascend: New Gods has in store for Windows Phone!

Lindsay Duffy (left) and Camay Wells

Windows Phone Central exclusively announced Sally’s Spa for Windows Phone a few months ago, and now we’re back with the first footage of the game running on our platform of choice.

“How?” you ask, filled with cat-like curiosity. Well, my inquisitive reader, Sally series publisher Game House had a major presence at Casual Connect Seattle, hosting not just a sizable booth but also a thumping pre-party featuring chicken and waffles, among other fine things. Aren't you dying to be a journalist now?

During the actual conference, Camay Wells, Director of Mobile Games Marketing, graciously demonstrated the game for us and showed off some of its new features. Spa-tastic video after the break! (Video link now fixed)

Ben ("The PC Guy") Rudolph has continued to take the Smoked by Windows Phone marketing campaign across the states, and he's showing no signs of easing back with more videos being published to the Windows Phone YouTube account. We previously looked at a handful of new videos being added to the account and commented on how we enjoyed the new style, so it's pleasing to see the company continuing to refine and push the platform using this successful campaign.

With the active "Dare to Live" tour in the UK, which is focusing heavily on the number of wins the platform achieves, the Smoked campaign is relaxed to put more emphasis on how Windows Phone can make participant lives easier through a series of challenges. Check out two more videos after the break.

One of the biggest highlights of E3 2012 for us has been playing Skulls of the Shogun on Windows Phone and Xbox Live Arcade and meeting two of its creators at 17-BIT. Skulls is an amazingly beautiful and accessible turn-based strategy game in development for XBLA, Windows 8, and Windows Phone. Yesterday we posted our Windows Phone impressions; today we follow up with an interview and in-depth demonstration of the XBLA game in action. (The color shifting in the interview video is due to fancy overhead lights on the show floor.)

Head past the break for more Skulls of the Shogun details and gameplay footage!

Windows Phone news at E3 2012 has been slim pickings, but that doesn’t mean we’re not turning over ever stone in our efforts to discover it. In this case, we actually turned over a skull, and out popped Skulls of the Shogun! Windows Phone Central is proud to present this exclusive first look at the mobile Xbox Live version of Skulls of the Shogun (Skulls for short) in action. We had very little time with the mobile build, but we'll follow up as soon as possible.

Skulls comes from indie developer 17-BIT and Microsoft Studios. Set in a feudal Japanese fantasy world, the game tells the story of a deceased general who rallies his troops in the afterlife. The core mechanic is a fast-paced turn-based strategic battle system. Each side starts with up to five troops, each of whom can collect resources, attack, or take strategic positions every turn. Both players (human or AI) have a powerful general character; if he bites the dust, that player loses the battle.

We weren’t able to check out the mobile Skulls’ multiplayer component, but it supports both local play and an online mode called ‘Skulls Anywhere’ which is being kept tightly under wraps for now. There’s also a good chance of connectivity with the Xbox Live Arcade version of the game, but 17-BIT couldn’t confirm one way or the other at this point.

Skulls of the Shogun comes to Windows Phone, Xbox live Arcade, and Windows 8 sometime near the launch of the Windows 8 operating system. Check back soon when we’ll have an in-depth demonstration of the XBLA version as well as a Windows Phone-centric video interview with 17-BIT!