Gameloft is one of the biggest and oldest video game developer and publisher that focuses primarily on mobile platforms. So when they launch a game for both Windows Phone and Windows 8 we take notice. New to both the Windows Phone Store and Windows Store is Total Conquest. Let’s check out the latest game from Gameloft.

You’re probably wondering what kind of game Total Conquest is. Well, it’s a strategy game that first launched on Android and iOS a few months back. Now we’ve got it on both your PC and phone.

BUILD A MIGHTY ROMAN PROVINCE

• Build and manage your own unique city-state
• Defend your city with Towers, Traps, Walls, Gates and garrisoned units

FIGHT EPIC BATTLES

• Hire, train and upgrade 10 different unit types, each with a specific role
• Take on a challenging solo campaign to master the art of war games
• Battle players from around the world and lead your army to victory

FORGE AN UNSTOPPABLE LEGION

• Create or join a Legion of powerful players and get reinforcements from the other members
• Coordinate with your allies to win Legion Wars
• Fight to increase your Legion ranking and earn great rewards

We just downloaded the game on our Surface Pro, Lumia 1520 and Lumia 925. It runs great on all devices so far and looks like a fun game. We’ve played the first few rounds and really dig the feel and flow of the game. It reminds us a bit of Age of Empires and other strategy games. You’ll be deploying various units and building buildings in the game. It’s fun so far and we’ll have a review up in a few days. In the meantime check it out yourself, it’s a free game.

Grab Total Conquest in the Windows Phone Store (QR code below) for free. Download size clocks in at 158MB for phone and works on 512MB devices. The Windows 8 version comes in at 186.6MB. You can get it for Windows 8 in the Windows Store, also for free.

Thanks for the tip Guilherme!

If you are a fan of the movie Toy Story, we have some good news.  Toy Story: Smash It! has landed in the Windows Phone Store.  The game has been available on Windows 8 for a little while and it is nice to see it come to the small screen.

The Windows Phone 8 game is a physics-based puzzle game where you must guide Buzz Lightyear through ninety challenging levels.  Armed with bouncing-balls, Buzz must take out all the targets in each level.

The ninety levels of game play are spread across six episodes, each with fantastic animations and graphics.  Tutorial pop-ups will appear as you enter a level with uncharted tasks to guide you through the new features.

Game play takes on a brick breaker feel to it in that Buzz needs to nail targets that will toppled alien fortresses and knock down the little green aliens.  Buzz is only armed with a limited number of bouncing balls in each level and the fewer balls it takes to knock down the aliens, the higher your score.

As you progress through the game, the levels become more challenging.  You will find stronger fortresses to knock down, obstacles to throw your bouncing ball through and power-ups to give you a fighting chance.

We have only played a few levels and Toy Story: Smash It! makes a nice first impression.  It comes across as an entertaining, addictive, fun Windows Phone game.

The only downside to the game so far is that it lacks a trial version.  The full version of Toy Story: Smash It! is currently running $1.99 and is available for Windows Phone 8.

You can find your copy of Toy Story: Smash It! here in the Windows Phone Store.  The Windows 8 version of Toy Story: Smash It! is currently running $4.99 (no trial) and can be found here in the Windows Store.

Thanks, Isaac, for the tip!

Skiing Fred is an action packed skiing game for Windows Phone 8 that has you try to navigate down a trap riddled ski slope, keeping one step ahead of the Grim Reaper.

It is the first of the Fred series of games to land in the Windows Phone Store.  The Fred series of games have seen a nice amount of success over on iOS and Android.  Based on the short time we have spent with Skiing Fred, it should have similar success here.

Skiing Fred's Main Menu

Skiing Fred is an action sports game that takes Fred down the slippery slopes, collecting gold coins, avoiding a wide assortment of death traps and enduring a vast range of weather conditions.

The main menu offers options to play the survival mode, challenge a friend online, visit the game’s shop to buy upgrades, boosts and avatars, enter cheats, and access the game’s settings that cover turning on/off the gore, adjust the sound, and adjust the video quality.

Quick note on video quality is that while you have a high, medium and low setting, the low setting works out rather nice.  The high end will let you see the individual snowflakes as they fall but also is more demanding on system resources.

Skiing Fred and His Downhill Run

Game play has you controlling Fred’s movement with your Windows Phone tilt sensors, tapping the left side of the screen to slow down, tapping the right side to jump and tap/holding the right side of the screen to speed up.  A double tap of the right screen will let Fred perform a few mid-air stunts for added height.

Scoring is displayed at the top of the screen, as is your coin count and bonus meters.

Along the downhill journey, you will have to maneuver Fred around a wide assortment of death traps that include spiked rocks, saw blades, and lava pits.  To add to the challenge, the weather conditions will change as you advance through the game to add apocalyptic meteor showers to dodge and blinding blizzards to navigate through.

Catching a Ride On Your Friendly Pterodactyl

At some point the Grimmy Reaper will make an appearance and Fred will have to out run him to continue his ski run.  You also have a Pterodactyl that appears throughout the game that will swoop down, snatch Fred up and carry him down the course.  The Pterodactyl is controls much like Fred with your Windows Phone tilt sensor steering it as it soars down the course.

As Fred dodges the dangers, he can take out wandering penguins and collect gold coins.  The penguins add bonus points to your score and the gold coins can be used in the game’s store to buy upgrades, boost and avatar characters to swap Fred out with.

Skiing Fred's Game Shop

The goal is to make it as far as possible before you crash and burn (or get impaled by one of those spikey things).  The further you go, the more points you earn.  Skiing Fred also has several missions that you have to complete as well.  These range from buying a bonus item in the Shop to taking out a certain amount of penguins.

Overall, Skiing Fred is a fun game for Windows Phone 8.  Graphics are well done, animations add to the gaming experience and the game itself is rather challenging.  While I liked the game, it could use a little fine-tuning.  Nothing detrimental but just a few tweaks that would improve the overall gaming experience.

Load times were noticeably longer (lowering the graphic quality helps) and instability issues were present that caused the game to crash from time to time.  The crashes weren't to the level that it will drive you crazy but noticeable.

While the game does have a tutorial that walks you through the gaming controls, Skiing Fred lacks a help section.  A help section would come in handy to explain the online play, what some of the gauges on the gaming screen mean or how the Survival Mode differs from the main gaming mode.  

You also have an intro scene that you have to deal with every time you play the game.  There needs to be a setting to disable it at some point.

While there is room for improvement, Skiing Fred is a welcome addition to the Windows Phone 8 gaming library.  Think of it as Minion Rush on a snowboard just without the quirky sound effects.

Skiing Fred is a free game available for Windows Phone 8 with a few in-app purchase opportunities through the game’s shop.  It does require 1GB of RAM so it will not run on low-memory devices such as the Nokia Lumia 520.

You can find Skiing Fred here in the Windows Phone Store.

Need another game to waste time? Check out Retro Runners. It’s an endless runner game with a nostalgic 8-bit style. Get as far as you can while dodging obstacles, enemies, collecting coins and special items.

Developed by two Brazilian guys, Retro Runners is also available on iOS, Android, and Blackberry. Head past the break to watch the official trailer video.

The controls are easy. Swiping on the left side of the screen switches tracks, while swiping up on the right side makes you jump into the air.

You have to avoid tripping on hurdles, falling into water pits, and bumping into other runners. You also need to pick up water bottles to keep your health bar filled up. It slowly depletes as you keep running, so make sure to look out for people on the sidelines handing them out. There are also photographers on the side that use flash. If you’re too close, you’ll be blinded for a few seconds.

There are special items along the way. Hitting a mushroom shrinks your runner, so you can just run under the hurdles. There’s also an item that doubles the coins you collect for a short time.

Collect coins along the way so you can buy extra lives or characters at the shop. There are 11 characters available and some of them have special abilities. For example, Alfred the skeleton has infinite energy and The Running Dead can eat people to regain energy.  Unlocking them requires a lot of coins, though. If you’re impatient, you can unlock the characters with real money. The Running Dead costs $4.99. Other characters without extra abilities cost much less.

Similar to other endless runner games, it gets tougher the further you go. You’ll start seeing other runners going in your direction and don’t be surprised to see trucks heading towards you.

Retro Runners is a free download at the Windows Phone Store with the addition of in-app purchases. Check it out and let us know what you think in the comments!

Thanks for the tip, Loren B.!

Smart Challenge is a brain twisting puzzle game for your Windows Phone that tests you deductive powers, reflexes, and powers of observation. 

You are presented with a series of brain twister styled questions and tasks where the answer may not be as obvious as it appears.  For example, on the main menu there is an arrow labeled “star” and you are directed to “press start to continue”.  Your reflex is to tap the arrow but to continue you need tap the word “start”.

Smart Challenges has three levels of play that are progressively unlocked and you might be surprised how challenging the simplest of tasks can be.

Settings are accessible from the gaming levels page and covers language support (English or Italian), audio on/off and a game reset button.  You also can access the help screen, about screen and credits screen from the gaming levels page.

Game play is not very difficult with Smart Challenge in that you are presented with a collection of puzzles or challenges that you must solve.  Some are very straight forwards such as tap the button ten times but the counter only goes to nine.  Some ask you to tap on a set of colored numbers in a specific sequence but as you tap on the numbers, they are re-arranged on the screen.  Then the next question asks you to multiple the same numbers but only the blue numbers.

Smart Challenge will test your memory, powers of observation, deductive reasoning and reaction speed much as we see with similar games such as Stupid Test.

It is a fun game to pass the time with and has its fair share of challenges.  What I am not too keen on is that if you miss one question, you fail the level and have to start back at the beginning of the level.  It can be rather frustrating to advance through a level, miss a difficult challenge and find yourself starting back at square one.  I would not mind seeing a “three-strike” set-up where you return to last correctly answered challenge but on the third failed challenge, you return to the beginning of the level.

Smart Challenge can be a puzzling with plenty of “uh-duh” moments.  It reminds us that no matter how obvious the answer, your mind can easily overlook it.

Smart Challenge is a free, ad-supported game that is available for both Windows Phone 8 and 7.x devices.  You can pick up your copy of Smart Challenge here in the Windows Phone Store.

Dark Lands is an impressive, addictive, quality Windows Phone game and if you have been on the fence about picking up this game title, MyAppFree has a deal for you.

The fantasy game is a free app title, regularly priced at $.99, for today only through the MyAppFree partnership.  Dark Lands is a 2D runner that features fantastic graphics, challenging game play and a RPG feel to it with various character ability and equipment upgrades.

For those not familiar with Dark Lands, you race your character through a wide range of deadly obstacles while battling various ogres, goblins, and other dangerous creatures.  It is one of the many quality Windows Phone titles being generated from the Microsoft/Nokia sponsored AppCampus.

You can pick up your copy of Dark Lands here in the Windows Phone Store.  It is available for both Windows Phone 8 and 7.x devices and the free deal is slated to run from now until midnight tomorrow, December 27, 2013.

Let’s get this out of the way: endless runners are the new weather apps, the new puzzler fad in mobile gaming. They’re free, have great 3D graphics and more importantly, you can play them in under a few minutes. That’s why they’re popular and that’s why we love ‘em. It’s futile to resist (and fruitless to complain).

Space Heads is a new game available for Windows Phone 8 developed by Unity Studios, and yes, even the 512 MB crowd can get in on the action. Take that, Subway Surfers and Temple Run 2.  So why is this game worth your time? We’ll tell you.

Space Heads is described as a “manga-inspired spaceship runner”. It’s actually inspired by the Japanese anime film ‘Tekkonkinkurîto’, which is kind of neat, we have to admit. But here’s why WE like it:

• More dimensions for moving up and down and side-flipping, instead of just right, left, center
• Really good electronica music reminiscent of Daft Punk (think ‘Tron Legacy’)
• Impressive graphics as it’s powered by the Unity gaming engine
• Facebook integration to compare scores against friends

In short, Space Heads brings something new to the table. It’s not even so much a ‘runner’ since you’re in a ship, blasting through tunnels. There are even black holes that take you on special gem/coin runs, which gives a nice mini-game feel to it. 

The ability to move up and down and flip the ship on the side in addition to moving left-right-center, brings on an extra challenge. It can be a little tough at first, since your brain has to think in more dimensions than typical endless-runners, but that’s the fun in it—it’s different. We also dig the thumping tunes, which match nicely with the game’s theme.

The game is free and yes, there are optional in-app purchases for “boost” options. We actually like the boosts as they blend nicely with the game’s style.

Check out our quick video above to see the game in action, but seeing as this is free and all Windows Phone 8 devices can participate, we think you should just download it and try it for yourself. What do you have to lose?

Pick up Space Heads here to the Store or scan the QR code below. All Windows Phone 8 devices. Free (optional IAP).

Via: WPScoops

The WPCentral team will be in Las Vegas soon to cover CES. If there’s some free time, we might head over to the slot machines. If you can’t make it to the casinos, perhaps a new game for Windows Phone 8 is close enough. Caesars Slots, which has just arrived at the Windows Phone Store, features some of the slot games found in their casinos.

When you first open the game, it asks you to connect with your Facebook account. There’s a good incentive, too. They’ll give you $25,000 in play money if you use Facebook. Connecting with Facebook also lets you merge your web and mobile accounts for one big balance, send and receive free gifts, and keep track of your progress on the leaderboard.

There are a variety of games including fan favorites like Pink Panther, Cleopatra’s Quest and Invasion from Outerspace. The music and the gameplay can be repetitive, but what more can you expect from slots games? There are bonus games and mini-games to keep things exciting. They turn up on some of your spins.

Click the spin button to play. When the reels have stopped spinning, the sequence and combination of the paylines are compared with the combinations found in the payout table. If there are any matching combinations, the player wins. You start with 12 paylines, but there are 18 more that get unlocked as you increase level.

You gain levels by the amount you bet and get 1 point for every 100 coins you gamble with. Gaining levels lets you unlock new slot machines, gambling limits, and more.

Caesar Slots is a free download at the Windows Phone Store, but there are in-app purchases available if you run out of coins. Have a gambling bug? Try out this game and let us know what you think in the comments.

Thanks for the tip, J2theL101!

On the whole, it’s been a rough year for Xbox games on Windows Phone. Most weeks go by without new releases, and several publishers like Gameloft have stopped publishing their games as Xbox titles. And yet, a couple of new Xbox releases have turned up in the last few weeks: Temple Run 2 and Rabbids Big Bang.

Today another Xbox Windows Phone game showed up out of the blue as something of a late Christmas present for Xbox fans: Final Fantasy III from Square-Enix. This makes the third Japanese role-playing game the publisher has released on Windows Phone, following the first Final Fantasy and Chaos Rings. Final Fantasy III runs on both Windows Phone 7 and 8, but it carries a hefty price tag… Check out our hands on video, impressions, and Store link after the break!

A world reborn

Final Fantasy III first appeared on the Famicom, the Japanese version of the Nintendo Entertainment System. Although the NES game never made it to America, Square-Enix did bring the 3D remake for the Nintendo DS to our shores in 2006. The remake boasts a slightly improved story and cinematics, new dungeons, gameplay tweaks, and other features.

The DS version of Final Fantasy III was the basis of the iOS game, which has now been ported to Windows Phone. Being a Windows Phone 7 game, Final Fantasy III doesn’t take advantage of higher Windows Phone 8 screen resolutions. But it does take up the whole screen, at least! And it still looks just as good as the DS game, with cute polygonal characters and colorful 3D environments.

Both modern and old-school

You’ll remember that the first Final Fantasy had only a threadbare storyline, with the player’s party having no personalities of their own. In Final Fantasy III, your party will include four distinct characters who actually do a little talking (via text) in the story scenes.

Their quest: to recover the four elemental crystals and heal the land. Don’t expect a riveting fantasy tale – that wouldn’t come until Final Fantasy IV for the Super Nintendo. But this one still feels more modern and engrossing than the previous Windows Phone entry.

Final Fantasy III adds one major gameplay system that would reappear in several subsequent sequels and spin-offs such as Final Fantasy Tactics: a job system. Jobs are like classes, and include such roles as Warrior, Thief, Summoner, White, Black, and Red Mage, Ninja, and more.

Each party member starts out as a freelancer, but they can freely change to new jobs as the story progresses. This gives players a lot of freedom – no need to pick a party and live your decision for the rest of the game this time out.

Playing on the go

Final Fantasy III has been optimized for mobile play much more than the first game. A virtual thumbstick appears wherever you touch the screen, much like in Chaos Rings. During battle, players can select menu options like always or simply tap enemies directly to attack them. That’s so much more convenient than before!

The save game system didn’t receive quite as much mobile love as the control and menu systems, however. In the overworld and towns, you can access the menu and save at any time. But there is no real saving once you step into a dungeon. You can make a temporary quick save there, but the save disappears after you resume from it. Die inside a dungeon and you’ll have to restart the dungeon from the beginning.

A costly fantasy

Square-Enix is known for pricing its mobile games much higher than other publishers, a trend they continue on Windows Phone. Up until now, their Chaos Rings was the most expensive Xbox Windows Phone game at $9.99. Final Fantasy III rings up a bit higher: $15.99. That’s a lot for a mobile game, but it is the regular price of the iOS version. Considering that Final Fantasy III sold for $29.99 on DS, paying about half of that for the mobile version doesn’t seem so bad.

Expensive or not, role-playing fans won’t want to miss Final Fantasy III. Remember, you’ll need at least four times as much storage space as the game’s file size in order to download it – so about 2 gigabytes in this case. We’ll have an Achievement Guide later today, followed by a full review in January!

• Final Fantasy III– Windows Phone 7 and 8 – 451 MB - $15.99 – Store Link

Thanks to Hengxiang32401 for the tip!

Windows Phone Central Gaming Roundup: Endless Runners

Endless Runner games, also know to some as Infinite Runner games, are a fantastic way to pass the time with and there are plenty to choose from in the Windows Phone Store.  You know the games, the ones where the gaming character runs, jumps, dodges, and tumbles through various obstacles and dangers.  You run as far as possible before you eventually take a wrong turn, jump a little too late, or otherwise find your character stumble to their fate.

While this genre of games seems to be multiplying faster than weather apps, we shine the light on four of the top rated endless runners that are available in the Windows Phone Store for this week's roundup.  All four titles were highly anticipated titles that are drawn-up nicely and would be a great addition to your Windows Phone gaming library.

Minion Rush (free)

The hit movie Despicable Me spawned a collection of humorous characters called minions who are the little yellow sidekicks for the movies main character, Gru.  The minion’s high-pitched giggles and comedic antics easily brings a smile to everyone’s face.  As one would guess,  Minion Rush is a Windows Phone 8 game featuring these little yellow fellows.

Minion Rush Main Menu and Costume Shop

Minion Rush is a wonderfully animated game where you have to race your little minion down the halls of a Gru’s scientific lab, through the neighborhood streets and El Macho’s lair.  Along the way these little guys collect bananas that can be used in the game’s shop to buy upgrades, boost and costumes.

Dangers range from school buses, bombs, fire hydrants, road signs, and passenger cars.  Bonus items are available that will turn your minion into a Mega Minion where he stomps the little minions, shield your minion from dangers, place him on a rocket to zip through the course, and more.

Minion Rush Gru's Lab, Rocket Launch and Residential Scenes

Minion Rush also has a few boss fights where you duck and dodge attacks from various characters from the Despicable Me movie.  There are also side missions/goals that you can strive for that allows the game to go beyond just seeing how far you can run.

Game play is accomplished by a series of screen swipes and dynamic camera angles follow your character through thick and thin.  The only thing missing is a few downloadable minion ringtones.

Minion Rush is a great gaming option for passing short bits of time or when you have a little longer gaming time to burn.  It is a free game available for Windows Phone 8 (including the low-memory devices such as the Nokia Lumia 520).  There are a few in-app purchases available to build up your banana and token stash that you can spend in the game shop.

You can find Minion Rush here in the Windows Phone Store.

Temple Run 2 (free)

Temple Run 2 is the latest edition of the Temple Run gaming series.  You have the original Temple Run, Temple Run Oz and Temple Run Brave.  The latter two are based on the movies that share the same name.  Temple Run 2, unlike the other titles, is an Xbox Windows Phone gaming title, which lends itself to Xbox Live achievements and leaderboards.

Temple Run 2's Main Screen and Menu Options

Once again, you are tasked with running, jumping, sliding and turning to escape the temple with the cursed idol with Temple Run 2.  All while a giant ape-like monster is chasing you.  Movement is accomplished by a series of screen swipes and the pace of the game has a little zip to it.

Stumble and a monstrous creature that is chasing you will tear you from limb to limb.  Misjudge a jump, turn left when you should turn right, or blink at the wrong time your character will meet his doom as well.

As with the other infinite running games, as you race to safety you can collect coins (Minions collect bananas) that can be used in the game’s shop to purchase upgrades, boost, and unlock additional characters.

Temple Run 2 Game Screen and Scoring Summary

The only downside (and it is a small one) to Temple Run 2 is that it takes noticeably longer to load than the other Temple Run games.  It isn’t all bad though.  The longer load time gives you a few seconds to clear your mind and get ready for the run.

Of the four games in this week’s roundup, Temple Run 2 might be the least forgiving.  Barely miss a turn, jump or slide and that hairy beast could catch you.  While all of the endless runner games in this week's roundup has a quick pace, Temple Run 2 feels as though it has a little more pep to it.  The slightest glance away from the screen could find your character missing a turn or running off a cliff.

Graphics and animations are very respectable, game play challenging and Temple Run 2 shares the previous versions addictive quality.  Temple Run 2, like the original, is a free game.  It is available for Windows Phone 8 devices and you can pick up your copy here in the Windows Phone Store.

Temple Run 2 is currently not available for low-memory devices such as the Nokia Lumia 520.

Rail Rush (free)

Rail Rush is an infinite runner that relies on your ability to steer a run-away mine cart instead of your foot speed.  The Windows Phone 8 game is currently an exclusive to Lumia Windows Phones and was recently updated to add a Christmas theme into the mix.

Rail Rush places you in a runaway mine cart that is racing through an endless mine shaft.  You have to steer your cart from side to side, duck inside it, and lean the cart to one side or the other to avoid various dangers.

Rail Rush Main Menu and Gaming Options

The game includes six different worlds that include hidden levels.  Rail Rush includes two worlds, the Christmas themed world and a Halloween themed world free.  Two additional worlds are available through in-app purchases ($1.49 each).

Controlling your mine car is accomplished by a series of screen swipes and by leaning your Windows Phone left or right.  Leaning your phone allows your miner to reach out and collect gems and gold nuggets that can be spent in the game’s shop.  You can buy additional heroes, cart boost/upgrades, and other bonus items from the shop.  In-app purchases are available as well to buy nuggets and some bonus items.

Rail Rush Worlds Menu and Game Play

The further you travel down the mine, the faster the pace becomes.  You really need to stay on your toes to avoid hitting turn styles, barricades, or simply miss that the track runs out.

Rail Rush is a fun game to pass short bit of time with and does have an addictive quality that helps the game last a little bit longer if needed.  It is a nice change of pace from similar games that have you running all over the place.

Rail Rush is a free game and is currently an exclusive to the Nokia Lumia Windows Phone lineup (it will play on the low-memory devices).  You can find Rail Rush here in the Nokia Collection of the Windows Phone Store.

Subway Surfers (free)

Subway Surfers has seen its fair share of success over on iOS and Android platforms.  After much anticipation, the infinite runner game landed in the Windows Phone Store just a few weeks ago.

The game has your racing through the train stations of London.  The developers even added a Christmas theme to the game with holiday decorations and instead of running from the grumpy train inspector you are running from Santa.

Subway Surfers Main Menu and Surfer Shop

As you duck, dodge and race along the train tracks you can collect coins that can be used in the game’s shop to purchase upgrades, boosts, gear and unlock additional subway surfing characters.

Along with running around the various obstacles, you can tap the screen at times to activate your hover board and zip between the trains.  Bonus items will line the tracks to help your surfer survive the run such as jet packs, pogo sticks, and bouncy shoes.  However, if you stumble ever so slightly the inspector (or Santa) will catch you.  Even if you successfully out run the inspector, misjudging a jump or a dodge can send you head first into a train, which is never good.

Subway Surfers Game Screens

Subway Surfers also includes a collection of side-missions to help keep the game fresh.  Missions such as collecting a certain amount of coins in a run, jump a certain number of times in a run, etc.

All totaled, Subway Surfers is another quality gaming option for your Windows Phone and the Windows Phone version should share just as much success as the other versions have experienced.

Subway Surfers is a free game, available for Windows Phone 8 devices.  You do have a few in-app purchases for coins and keys bundles to give you a head start in buying boosts, gear and other items from the game’s shop.

You can find Subway Surfers here in the Windows Phone Store.  Subway Surfers is currently not available for low-memory devices such as the Nokia Lumia 520.

What is the best gaming option?

What is the best gaming option?  It is a coin toss.  All four gaming titles are highly rated and rightfully so. 

The Temple Run series gives Windows Phone gamers the option to choose a themed version of the game or stick with the standard version.  Either way, game play is challenging, entertaining and addictive.

Rail Rush gives you the option of racing through various worlds that can keep the game’s scenery from getting old.  While you are not running through the mine, piloting your mining cart can be just as challenging.  Some may say more challenging.

It is hard to find anything wrong with Minion Rush or Subway Surfers as well.  Both games have outstanding graphics and animations, game play is challenging, and there are plenty of side missions/goals to keep the game from growing stale.

These four gaming titles are a small sampling of the infinite or endless running games available in the Windows Phone Store.  If we have missed your favorite, sound off below in the comments and share your favorite running game.

When the first Final Fantasy arrived on Windows Phone, all of its Achievements were secret and thus couldn’t be viewed by players. We quickly posted a Mini-Achievement Guide to help get players on-track.

Now Final Fantasy III has appeared on Windows Phone, once again with Xbox Achievements. This time, the Achievements aren’t secret. But they do require plenty of time and effort to unlock. You just might need a guide! And wouldn’t you know it? Windows Phone Central is proud to present our latest Achievement Guide, filled with tips and resources for dedicated RPG players and Achievement hunters.

Progression

Cloud of Darkness

• Gone adventuring with the Wind: Defeat Djinn and obtain the Wind Crystal.
• Some Like It Hot: Defeat Salamander and obtain the Fire Crystal.
• Release the Kraken: Defeat Kraken and obtain the Water Crystal.
• Quieting the Tremors: Defeat the Titan and obtain the Earth Crystal.
• Warriors of Light: Defeat the Cloud of Darkness.

You’ll fight the Cloud of Darkness immediately after defeating Xande in the Crystal Tower. But you can’t beat it that first time. Just lost right away, triggering a cut scene. You’ll then proceed to the final area, the World of Darkness. The Cloud is the final boss there.

Eureka dungeon

Eureka entrance

• Glutton for Arms: Obtain every weapon in Eureka, the Forbidden Land.

The entrance to this optional dungeon can be found at the bottom floor of the Crystal Tower, near the end of the game. You’ll see the door immediately after entering the Tower, straight ahead from the Tower’s entrance.

To open the door and enter the Forbidden Land, you’ll need the Eureka Key. It can be obtained during normal progression after defeating a powerful pair of NPCs (Doga and Unei) within Doga’s Grotto. The elderly pair also provides the Syrcus Key, which you need to enter the Crystal Tower. See this article for more information about Eureka.

Money

• For a Rainy Day: Save up 50,000 gil.
• Who wants to be a Gillionaire?: Save up 500,000 gil.

Earning gil won’t be a problem if you seek out the hidden dungeons and raise your characters’ job classes to 99. You can also farm gil by encountering an enemy like the Greater Demon who summons other monsters. Don’t kill the summoner, just the summoned monsters. You’ll rack up lots of gil by the time you decide to finish off the summoner.

What do you do with all that gil? Why, it can be spent on Shurikens– the Ninja class’s most powerful throwable item. One of the Shops in Eureka sells Shurikens for 65,500 gil apiece.

Summons

Bahamut

• My Little Esper: Obtain a summonable creature.
• No Such Thing as Too Many: Obtain all the summonable creatures.

The Evoker, Summoner, and Sage classes can summon creatures called espers during battle. The actual spell cast varies by character class. New espers can be bought or found by defeating certain bosses. There are eight espers to find:

• Chocobo
• Shiva
• Ramuh
• Ifrit
• Titan: This boss guards the Earth Crystal.
• Odin: Encountered underwater in the Saronia Catacombs.
• Leviathan: Encountered at Lake Dohr.
• Bahamut: First encountered early in the game, Bahamut can only be defeated in the optional Bahamut’s Lair dungeon.

Treasure chests

• Nose for Treasure: Open 50% of all treasure chests.
• I, My, Me, Mine: Open every treasure chest.

Finding all of the treasure chests could be one of the hardest Achievements in the game. You’ll have to visit every location, including optional dungeons like Eureka and ???.

The best way to make sure you don’t miss any chests is by using a walkthrough that points them out. GameFAQs also has maps of the various dungeons that should be helpful.

Bestiary

• Collecting is Half the Battle: Complete 50% of the Bestiary.
• Filling Up the Grotesquerie: Complete the entire Bestiary.

There are 226 monsters in the game (including bosses). You’ll have to visit every single dungeon, including Eureka and the ??? Dungeon in order to find them all.

Luckily you can check your progress by viewing the in-game Bestiary. You can view it by talking to the bestiary Moogles in the town of Gysahl or on the Invincible airship. Check this page for a complete Bestiary list and links to monster locations.

Legendary Smith and ??? Dungeon

• One Sword to Slay Them All: Obtain the Ultima Weapon from the Legendary Smith.
• Steely Resolve: Defeat Iron Giant.

During normal progression, players will first meet the Legendary Smith during a quest to restore Princess Sara’s pendant. Upon bringing Orichalcum to the Smith, your final reward for this quest chain will be the Ultima Weapon.

Afterward, the Legendary Smith randomly appears in 10 specific places. Talk to her when one of your characters has reached a job level of 99 and she will provide that class’s unique Job Master item.

Iron Giant

The Iron Giant is a boss enemy who only appears in the optional ??? Dungeon. You’ll need to have received all four letters from the Four Old Men and Prince Alus in order to unlock the dungeon.

Getting those letters in the mobile version involves a complicated series of steps that differs from the DS game:

• One character must reach level 99 and receive a Job Master Item from the Legendary Smith
• Defeat all bosses in Eureka
• Open approximately 80% of the treasure chests in the game
• Complete all optional dungeons and obtain every summonable boss monster

After completing those requirements and receiving the necessary letters through Mognet, hop into the Nautilus airship. Look for a shadow in the water halfway between the Floating Continent and the Dalg continent to the east.

Defeating the Iron Giant is no easy task. You’ll want to have everyone leveled up into the nineties before attempting it. Put all four characters in the back row and equip them with two shields instead of weapons. Then attack with magic spells until he cries “Superman” and plummets back to the Earth. Something like that!

Jobs

• When I Grow Up I Want to Be…: Attain level 99 with any job.
• Jack of All Trades: Attain level 99 with all jobs.

Characters start out as Freelancers. After obtaining the Wind Crystal, six more classes unlock. The fire, Water, and Earth Crystals also unlock new jobs. There are 22 normal jobs and one hidden job: Onion Knight. The Onion Knight gets the highest stats in the game, but only at job level 92 and above.

To unlock the Onion Knight, you’ll need to complete 25% of the Bestiary. The NPC Topapa will then send a letter informing you that three children have been kidnapped. Rescue them in the Altar Cave (the first area of the game) and you’ll gain access to the hidden job.

Job level is separate from a character’s overall level. Attacking, defending, and performing other actions during battle earns an invisible stat called Job Points. When a character accumulates 100 Job Points, he or she will gain one level in that job.

With most jobs, the number of Job Points earned from battle decreases by 10-60 percent after reaching level 14 in that job. The exceptions are Freelancer and Scholar, which gain JP at the same rate all the way up to level 99 (thank goodness).

Players can switch a character’s job at any time. However, the character will enter the Job Adjustment Phase after making the switch. His or her stats will be reduced by about 12.5 percent during this time, which lasts from 2-10 battles. After the phase ends, the character will switch to the new job. Read this guide for more job info.

More Resources

I’ve linked to several helpful pages within the guide. Here are a few more websites with useful Final Fantasy III information:

• Final Fantasy III at Wikia
• List of locations
• GameFAQs guides and maps
• Final Fantasy III at Strategy Wiki

We hope this guide has helped! Stay tuned, and we’ll either update with a treasure chest guide or create our own.

• Final Fantasy III– Windows Phone 7 and 8 – 451 MB - $15.99 – Store Link

Back at the end of November, Rockstar Games announced that Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was headed to iOS, Android and Windows Phone in the near future. The revamped popular game going mobile was a big deal, as anything GTA these days rakes in the money.

Since that announcement, we’ve seen San Andreas arrive of iOS and Android, though Windows Phone is still MIA. Some of you have perceived this when making off-topic comments on our articles, in some strange voodoo ritual on our site.

The good news is that GTA: San Andreas is still coming. The bad news is that’s about all we can say on the matter. On the official site for Rockstar Games, they have left a pinned comment on the top of the article that keeps it short and simple:

“Hey guys, it's great to see so much excitement for the release of San Andreas on mobile. Please note that it's also currently available for Android, and please stay tuned for the Windows Phones version release coming soon.”

The game arrived on Android only on December 20th and it arrived on iOS on December 12th. On both platforms it runs for $6.99 and reviews so far have been favorable. Unfortunately, there’s no firm date for Windows Phone and with only a few days left in 2013, there’s no telling if and when it will happen. It could be later today, it could be in early January.

For now, you’ll just have to sit submissively until Rockstar Games pushes the publish button.

Now, feel free to comment away and get it all out of your system…

Source: Rockstar Games; via NPU; Thanks, Gabriel M., for the tip

Great Ceaser’s ghost, Microsoft has finally delivered on one of the all-time time wasters: Solitaire. Not only is this collection of solitary card games now available for Windows Phone 8 devices, but it even comes with Xbox LIVE support for you achievement hunters out there.

Microsoft Solitaire Collection comes in at 42 MB and with five different games, including Klondike FreeCell, Spider, TriPeaks and Pyramid. After 20 years of playing them on various PCs, it’s great to see them finally arrive for Windows Phone 8 in late 2013.

The Microsoft Solitaire Collection has been available on Windows 8 for some time now, so we’re not too surprised to see this game make its way to our handsets. But it’s still a nice surprise, regardless.

Besides the great collection of game-types listed above, the Solitaire Collection has LIVE integration, for earning achievements, competing with your friends, submitting your scores to the leaderboards, and track your personal gameplay statistics.

The game also features Microsoft’s “Play, Pause, Resume” ability, meaning you should be able to start a game on your phone, pause it and continue playing on your Surface or Windows 8 PC. That’s kind of awesome and makes us want to start playing right now.

How about you? Anxious to get started? Pick up the Microsoft Solitaire Collection for Windows Phone 8 here in the Store or scan the QR code below. 512 MB devices are good to go too, and the game is free.

Update: Microsoft has also release Mahjong and Minesweeper (new edition) for Windows Phone 8. Read here for more info.

Thanks, Shreyas S., for the tip

Besides releasing the Solitaire Collection today for Xbox LIVE and Windows Phone 8, Microsoft is giving users Microsoft Mahjong and Microsoft Minesweeper as well.

Although Minesweeper has been out since 2012 on Windows Phone, this is a brand new edition, so pay attention for the details.

Microsoft Minesweeper 1.0

The classic timewaster that has spawned many office jokes gets a late 2013 refresh for Windows Phone 8.  According to the description:

 “Play the logic game you know and love, now with updated graphics and sound. Play with a touch of your finger to mark the locations of all the mines without uncovering any of them! Start with an Easy puzzle and work your way up to Expert.”

Like the Solitaire Collection, Minesweeper features the Play, Pause, Resume feature to allow you to save and continue the game on various devices.

What more is there to say? It’s Minesweeper for 2013. Grab it here in the Windows Phone Store or scan the QR code below. 512 MB devices supported

Microsoft Mahjong 1.0

Mahjong is a well-known game that many have been playing for years and it’s now ready for Windows Phone 8:

“Microsoft Mahjong is the classic matching game updated with beautiful imagery, intuitive controls, and all the features that fans of mahjong have come to expect.

Enjoy gorgeous graphics and relaxing sounds with three different themes to choose from. Complete multiple puzzles at three levels of difficulty—perfect for mahjong beginners and experts alike. With an improved Undo system, players have the option of rewinding to fix mistakes.”

Mahjong looks gorgeous and the audio is really well one. These aren’t just ported games, but seemingly well thought out. And with various levels, including easy, medium, hard and expert, it should keep people busy for hours. The game is Xbox LIVE ready and like the previous games, has the Play, Pause and Resume feature as well as the ability to compete with your friends.

Pick up Microsoft Mahjong for Windows Phone 8 here in the Store to get started. 512 MB devices supported.

Thanks, Guilherme, for the links

So you've got your headphones on full blast with your favourite playlist wrecking havoc on your ears, but just how knowledgeable are you when it comes to music in general? It's time to put everything you know to the test with MixMaster. The Windows Phone game makes use of Nokia's MixRadio API to bring together intuitive and addictive gameplay.

When loading up MixMaster, the game asks if you're wanting to play single player or against someone else (on another Windows Phone) via Bluetooth - you could simply take it in turns to see who gets the highest score through each round. Once you've established just how many rockers and modders will be playing, the next option determines difficulty, be it normal, hard or insane.

The objective of the game is to guess which track it is with the choice of two artworks available. You only get 30 seconds worth of sound to help you out. It may sound simple enough, but it can prove to be a challenge, especially if you're not 100 percent sure. There are a variety of mixes and genres available, and you have the choice of which you'd like to go for before the game begins.

What makes MixMaster unique is the integration with Nokia's MixRadio service. This means a strong database of music, numerous mixes and the like available, as well as options to purchase each track mid-game (just in case you find some new gems you like the sound of). That's not to mention the replayability offered through randomised mixes. 

If you can't fire up the game and get started, it's possibly because you're using a Lumia 1020, which appears to be unable to load the game past the splash screen. Download MixMaster from the Windows Phone Store for free (only supports WVGA (480x800) and WXVGA resolutions (768x1280) - requires Windows Phone 8).

Yesterday we shared with you the best apps for your Nokia Lumia 520. Why the Lumia 520 and not Windows Phone in general? Because if you have a device like the Lumia 920 or 1520 you can run practically any app in the Windows Phone Store. However, the Lumia 520 and other devices with just 512MB of RAM (think Lumia 521, Lumia 620, Lumia 720, etc) might come across certain apps and games that don’t work or don’t work too well.

The overwhelming majority of apps in the Windows Phone Store do work on all devices, including those with just 512MB of RAM. It’s when we look at games that we see the frequency of support drop a bit. All too often this year we’ve seen a highly anticipated game come to Windows Phone, but without initial support for 512MB devices. That said, here are the best games you can run on your Lumia 520.

Jetpack Joyride– Best game to get addicted

Jetpack Joyride hit Windows 8 first, then finally came to Windows Phone over the summer. The game is highly addictive, so be careful before playing in this endless adventure. It’s free and comes with Xbox Live integration, hard to beat that killer combo. Pick it up in the Windows Phone Store.

Halo: Spartan Assault– Best game for saving the universe

Is there anything better than playing Halo on Windows Phone? It’s tough to say, because Halo: Spartan Assault does an excellent job of bringing Halo from your television to your phone. Your game also syncs across the Windows 8 and Xbox One/360 versions of the game. It’s expensive for a phone game, sure, but it’s so good and performs well considering the hardware we’re working with here. Pick it up for $7.99 in the Windows Phone Store.

SongArc– Best music game

We’ve been covering SongArc over the course of its inception, beta, launch, and present success. It’s the best music game you can get for Windows Phone and it supports 512MB devices. Its success is also highly dependent on the support of the community, which is really strong. Users can make their own music sheets and put them up for other players to download and play along with. The game is free, but you can buy more coins via an in-app purchase. Those coins are currently on sale, so you better hurry and grab them and save anywhere between 50-70%. Grab it in the Windows Phone Store.

Rayman Jungle Run– Best platformer

Rayman has been on the video game scene for nearly 20 years and he recently joined Windows Phone this past year. Rayman Jungle Run instantly became one of the best games in the Windows Phone Store. It features great gameplay, graphics, and music to create a really fun experience on your phone. It goes for $0.99 and is worth every penny. Pick it up in the Windows Phone Store.

Wordament– Best game to get your brain buzzing

Is there any question about how fun Wordament is? It’s been out on Window Phone for a very long time and has an interesting story. It was started by two Microsoft guys in their spare time, eventually that became their full-time gig at Microsoft as Wordament was absorbed into Microsoft Studios. Since launch its gained Xbox Live support and is available on every mobile platform. It’s free, has Xbox Live achievements, supports a handful of languages, and is super fun. You do require an internet connection to play, but it’s worth it. Grab it in the Windows Phone Store.

Rail Rush– Best endless runner

Oh yeah, time for a little controversy. You’re probably wanting Temple Run or Temple Run 2 as the best endless runner right? Well Temple Run 2 isn’t available for the Lumia 520 (yet) and Temple Run doesn’t have quite the depth and variety you can get with Rail Rush. Graphics look good and gameplay is smooth on 512MB devices. Rail Rush is also free, so that’s a nice bonus. The only downside to Rail Rush is the lack of Xbox Live and the need to use in-app purchases if you don’t feel like grinding it out to level up. Either way, it’s worth playing on your Lumia 520 so grab it in the Windows Phone Store.

Asphalt 8: Airborne– Best racing game

When it comes to mobile racing games, Asphalt is king of the hill. Gameloft is one of the biggest game developers in the mobile space and they’ve mastered the racing genre. On Windows Phone we have the 7th and 8th installment available, with the former having Xbox Live integration and the latter lacking it. So why are we picking Asphalt 8: Airborne as the best racing game? Because it’s newer with better graphics and (in our opinion) better gameplay. You really can’t go wrong with either. Asphalt 8 goes for $0.99 in the Windows Phone Store.

Reaper– Best role playing game

Picking a great role playing game is hard because they all vary wildly in graphics, gameplay, content and more. We’re going with Reaper for a few reasons. It has great graphics, gameplay, and value. It’s a free that’s really just really fun to play. There are in-app purchases, but you can decide to indulge once you encounter them. Grab Reaper in the Windows Phone Store.

Angry Birds Star Wars II– Best Angry Birds

Yeah, the category is a bit of a gimme, but it’s true. Angry Birds Star Wars II is the best Angry Birds we’ve ever played. The first mashup between Angry Birds and Star Wars was a hit, but the second installment takes it to another level. Addictive gameplay with cameos from your favorite Star Wars characters. The game is super fun and probably the best Angry Birds game yet. Grab it for $0.99 in the Windows Phone Store.

Sparkle 2– Best puzzle game

10tons makes some of the best games on Windows Phone. Sparkle 2 comes to us from them and is an excellent little puzzle game. Shoot your colored marbles to other marbles with a similar color before all the marbles reach the end. The game features a trial, but will set you back just $1.29 in the Windows Phone Store.

It’s tough to pick the top anything, especially games. Our tastes are all so different that no one list is going to satisfy everyone. Which is where the comments come in. Which games are must-haves for your Lumia 520 (or any device with 512MB of RAM)? Sound off below in the comments with your favorites! 

Name the TV Show is entertainment trivia game for your Windows Phone that challenges your knowledge of television shows based on their theme song.

The trivia game covers television series from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s with two gaming modes.  Name the TV Show will track your gaming stats and there is an online leaderboard to let you brag about your show tune knowledge.

Name the TV Show is an appealing, often challenging trivia game for your Windows Phone and is well worth a try.

The main pages for Name the TV Show has your gaming page with tiles to jump into the game and an Other Page that has access to gaming statistics, online ranking and registration to the gaming server.

Name the TV Show's Main Pages

The two gaming modes for Name the TV Show include Simple and Survival modes.  Simple presents you with ten questions and the quicker you answer the questions, the more points you can accumulate.  The Survival mode presents you with a series of questions and one wrong answer ends the game.

Game play falls in line with your typical trivia game.  A television’s theme song will play and you will be presented with a collection of potential answers.  Tap the answer you believe to match the song and the next question will appear.

Name the TV Show Game Screens

Television shows range from Miami Vice to Perry Mason to Alf.  In the Simple Mode, the question number answered incorrectly will be highlighted in red but the game lacks the ability to review your answers to see what the correct answer is for those you miss.

Name the TV Show is a surprisingly challenging trivia game for Windows Phone.  Some of the tunes may take a few seconds to trigger your memory and some of the television shows were so short lived, they may be tough to remember as well.

There is a trial version of Name the TV Show available that has a limited question pool to draw from, your scores will not be ranked and missed questions in the Simple Mode will not be highlighted.  The full version is currently running $1.99 and the game is available for both Windows Phone 8 and 7.x devices.

You can find Name the TV Show here in the Windows Phone Store.

Polish developer Artifex Mundi produces some of the finest hidden object puzzle adventure (HOPA) games in the world. Their games are especially fine because most of them end up on Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8, including the Nightmares from the Deep series.

When we interviewed Artifex Mundi at Casual Connect a few months ago, we learned that they also publish other developers’ games. That applies to their latest Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 release – 9 Clues: The Secret of Serpent Creek. Developed by Tap It Games, 9 Clues still offers an intriguing mystery story and lots of puzzles and hidden object sequences to keep gamers busy. Impressions and Store links after the break!

Snake City

9 Clues takes place in a nourish 1950s setting. As the story begins, the player receives a distressing telephone call from a good friend. Her friend had been reporting on a festival being held in the isolated coastal town of Serpent Creek.

When the player reaches the town, her friend and her friend’s assistant have both gone missing. The local townsfolk are either lethargic (as if drugged) or behaving as if they’re hiding something. And was that a humanoid reptile skulking about in the shadows?

The story comes to life with full voice acting, lending personality to the game’s characters. The animation during story sequences and pretty much everywhere else is a few cuts below what we’ve come to expect from Artifex Mundi. Even mouth movements are limited to two awkward frames of animation. The substandard character and mouth movement makes the game seem like a low-budget affair.

Unlock the mystery

Luckily, the adventure portions of the game should keep gamers happy. As with other genre entries, you’ll explore various hand-drawn environments as you look for clues. Sometimes you’ll encounter a puzzle, other times a hidden object scene. There’s no skipping the hidden object sequences in this one, but their difficulty is quite reasonable so they don’t overstay their welcome.

Seeing as how the protagonist in 9 Clues is a detective, the game appropriately features actual detective sequences as well. When the player comes across a crime scene, she will need to scour the environment for clues such as blood stains and torn items. Find all the clues to put together what happened and advance the story.

Try before you buy

Animation issues aside, the intriguing story and enjoyable puzzles in 9 Clues will please adventure and hidden object fans alike.

As with several of Artifex Mundi’s games, the first portion of 9 Clues is free. To play the rest, you’ll need to make an In-App Purchase. The game has a built in “restore purchase feature,” so don’t worry about losing your full game unlock if you switch devices.

To celebrate the title’s launch, the Windows Phone version is on sale for $2.99 (40 percent off its regular price of $4.99) and the Windows 8 and RT version is on sale for $4.99 ($6.99 regular price).

• 9 Clues: The Secret of Serpent Creek– Windows Phone 8 – 145 MB – Free – Store Link
• 9 Clues: The Secret of Serpent Creek– Windows 8 and RT – 206 MB – Free – Store Link

Last week, Rovio was kind enough to update all of their Angry Birds games for Windows Phone 8 with new content. This included an update for Angry Birds Star Wars II, which was supposed to bring the Windows Phone version in-line with the December 5th iOS update.

For some reason, the new “Battle of Naboo” levels did not show up for many Windows Phone users after installing the update. We’ll never know what went on there, but it hardly matters any more. Today the game received an update that corrects the issue with the previous patch. At last we can battle for Naboo like the cool kids are doing!

Version 1.2.1 Release notes

This update’s release notes are the same as the previous one since it’s just meant to get the previous new features working. Here they are again:

• Continue the fight against the Bird or Pork Side in the latest Battle of Naboo chapter with 44 new levels and 3 new free characters!
• 20 NEW PORK SIDE LEVELS! Launch an attack on Naboo’s capital city and face the Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn in the big boss fight!
• 20 NEW BIRD SIDE LEVELS! Face the enemy on the devastated battlefields of Naboo and then continue the battle in space!
• TELEPODS! A groundbreaking new way to play! Now teleport your favorite characters into the game by placing your Angry Birds Star Wars Telepods* figures on your device’s camera!
• NEW SECRET LEVELS! Find the hidden maps to unlock 4 secret levels!
• NEW FREE CHARACTERS! Play as Padme, Captain Panaka and Zam Wesell for free!

Finishing the fight (for Naboo)

If you’ve seen the Star Wars prequel films, you might be asking “Who cares about Naboo?” I mean, Naboo provided the setting for the Phantom Menace, and that movie is used to torture prisoners in some countries.

Naboo is the home of Jar Jar Binks, Boss Nass, and lots of Battle Droids. It has that big underwater city with giant carnivorous fish and you have to go through the planet’s core for some reason. It ain’t no Tatooine, is all I’m saying…

Well, the “Battle of Naboo” is the third set of levels in Angry Birds Star Wars II. More levels means more fun, so that’s why it matters.

When players first select the Episode, they’ll be prompted to choose between the Bird and Pork sides. Whichever choice you make, you’ll have to live with for a while. You’ll only have access to that side’s unique levels until you accumulate 35 stars within them.

Each side has one treasure map collectible for unhappy avian players to find. In the Bird side, you’ll spot the map on level B3-7. Playing as the Pork side, you’ll find it on level P3-6. Collect a treasure map for two secret levels, so you’ll get four secret levels in total from the Battle for Naboo maps.

For more Angry Birds Star Wars II guidance, check out the walkthrough videos at Angry Birds Nest or Arsenic17’s Achievement Guide.

• Angry Birds Star Wars II– Windows Phone 8 – 41 MB - $.99 – Store Link

Thanks to Jonathan R. for the tip!

2014 is almost upon us. With the new year comes another month of free Games with Gold titles for Xbox 360 owners. Last month we got an oldie-but-goodie retail title (Gears of War) and a decently-liked XBLA game: Shoot Many Robots. So what does Microsoft have in store for the New Year?

This month, Xbox Live Gold subscribers will first get Sleeping Dogs from Square Enix. Released in August 2012, this makes the newest retail title that the program has offered so far. Starting on January 16th, XBLA hit Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light from Eidos/Square-Enix will be the next free game. Guardian of Light is the first and only Tomb Raider game with cooperative multiplayer, and a must-play if you haven’t already got it.

More details and download links after the break!

Sleeping Dogs– Free from January 1-15

• Xbox 360 – 6 GB – Xbox.com Store Link

Ready for an open world crime game in the vein of Grand Theft Auto? Of course you are. Sleeping Dogs takes place in the city of Hong Kong. Players take on the role of Wei Shen, a police officer with experience both in the United States and Hong Kong. He returns to his homeland as an undercover cop in order to help stamp out the rising power of the criminal Triad.

Will he stay focused on the mission and clean up the streets, or become corrupted by the gang life? That’s up to the player. A unique three-prong experience system determines which side Wei Shen will eventually end up on. Be heroic and you’ll earn cop points; be a cruel killer to gain influence with the Triad. Or be helpful to the citizenry itself to gain Face. It’s truly a unique setup.

Sleeping Dogs is an open-world game, so players have the freedom to move about a realistic version of Hong Kong at will. The game’s driving system is highly playable, making it easy to get around in a hurry. It also features strong hand-to-hand combat, so beating up on punks or innocents won’t stop the fun train from rolling.

Most Games with Gold choices offer paid DLC for gamers to purchase, and Sleeping Dogs is no different. There are several smaller items to buy, but these are the main ones:

• The Year of the Snake (includes Achievements) - $6.99
• Nightmare in North Point Pack (includes Achievements) - $6.99
• The Zodiac Tournament Pack - $4.99
• The Wheels of Fury Pack - $3.99
• The Ghost Pig Pack - Free

Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light– Free from January 16-31

• Xbox 360 – 2 GB – Xbox.com Store Link

Ready for a Tomb Raider of a different color? Before 2013’s Tomb Raider rebooted the series, Guardian of Light took things in a separate and unique direction.

The story begins with Lara accidentally releasing a demon from an ancient mirror in South America. The Guardian of Light, Totec also awakens and teams up with Lara to help her stop the demon. It’s actually not much of a story, with iffy writing, cheap art, and limp voice acting, but it keeps things moving along.

Unlike the mainline Tomb Raider games, this one takes place from an isometric perspective. Players run with the left stick and aim and shoot with the right. The twin-stick shooter-style combat feels great, and even jumping works well. Then there are the puzzles…

Guardian of Light can be enjoyed solo or with a friend in local/online co-op. Each of the two characters has a unique ability. Lara gets a grappling hook with which to create tightropes for her partner. Totec can throw spears that stick into walls and create platforms for Lara to jump on. When playing in co-op, the puzzles require both players to work together in order to get ahead. In single-player, the puzzles work differently so that you don’t need a partner to solve them.

2013’s Tomb Raider is headed to the Xbox One as Tomb Raider: The Definitive Edition on January 28th. Grab Guardian of Light when it goes free and prepare with a much different (but still awesome) entry in the series.