The official Star Wars Twitter profile has announced that a new game will be launching on not only Android and iOS, but Windows 8 and Windows Phone too – Star Wars: Assault Team. Prepare those blasters as Disney will be releasing a brand new experience for you to travel to a galaxy far, far away.

So just what is Star Wars: Assault Team? We're not entirely sure, but according to the screenshot teased by the social team on Twitter, we could well be looking at a strategic card game. It's interesting to note that we're likely to see a simultaneous cross-platform launch, something previously unheard of when it came to Windows Phone.

We'll hopefully have more details in the coming weeks as to exactly what Star Wars fans can expect to see in this latest mobile title. For now, consider yourself teased with the above and stay tuned for updates on our part should we learn anything else.

Source: Twitter (@starwars)

Last month, Russian publisher Game Insight’s popular city building game 2020: My Country launched on Windows 8. The game did not run on Windows RT at that time, nor was the Windows Phone 8 version ready. Optimizing for ARM-based hardware takes a little more time, and Game Insight wanted to get the lead version out in the wild in the meantime.

One month later, 2020: My Country has arrived on Windows Phone 8! And the Windows RT version is now available as well. If you enjoy free to play town-building games, the sequel to the original My Country is definitely worth a try. Read on for impressions and Store links!

Build the city of the future on your phone

The Windows Phone 8 version of 2020: My Country plays just like its bigger brother. You’ll start out with a tiny city on the cusp of major growth. Erect buildings, hire professionals to work at those buildings, and complete missions to unlock new things to build. Like other free to play city builders, it’s a time-based game; everything takes real time to complete. That works well on the phone, since you can check in when you have a few minutes throughout the day.

The phone version, like the RT game, understandably runs a bit slower than the Windows 8 game. You can’t pan around quite as fast, but it’s not a big deal. The UI actually fits the phone screen a lot better than the Windows 8 version does when running on a high resolution monitor.

2020 doesn’t support cloud saving on any platforms, so Windows Phone and 8/RT players can’t share save data yet. But fear not! Game Insight plans to incorporate cloud saves at some point in the future.

Lonely Island

Since the Windows Phone 8 version of 2020 popped up, users have noticed that the Friends feature is down. Try to access it and you’ll receive a message telling you to check your internet connection.

You get access to the Friends menu upon reaching level 6 in the game and completing a specific mission. Ordinarily, it would allow players to send gifts to friends and visit their cities. Helping friends gets you Reputation stars. Acquire enough rep and you’ll unlock a few exclusive monuments for your town. Honestly, the rewards for friendly interaction aren’t very compelling. Still, it’s always fun to see how your fellow players’ countries fare.

As it turns out, the Friends connection issues don’t only apply to the Windows Phone 8 game. The Windows 8 and RT versions are experiencing the same issues right now. That means the problem is coming from Game Insight’s servers. The publisher is aware of the problem and hopes to get 2020’s social server back up soon.

Head on over to My Country

2020: My Country is one of the best free to play city building games in town. The genre is not for everyone. Waiting for energy refills or tasks to complete can be a drag. But with the right temperament, games like this can be a lot of fun. Learn more about 2020 in our full review.

• 2020: My Country– Windows Phone 8 – 41 MB – Free – Store Link
• 2020: My Country– Windows 8 and RT – 94 MB – Free – Store Link

Are you a huge fan of first person shooter games? If so, and you own a Windows Phone, you may want to check out Pixel Gun 3D. This multiplayer game is already available on both iOS and Android, but the developer also launched the title on Microsoft's mobile platform earlier this month. The interesting part about Pixel Gun 3D is how it's inspired by popular Java game Minecraft.

Before you get started, players are able to choose their own skin, set up their favourite nickname and then it's time to enter some rather intense multiplayer games. There are a variety of premade skins available to choose from, anything from the famous Minecraft creeper to the female nurse costume - it's clear to see solid Minecraft references throughout the game, including text, world design and more, but this isn't a negative, especially if you're a fan of the block building game. Now that you've customised your character to your liking, it's time to get stuck into some action.

There are numerous options to choose from, depending on how you wish to proceed and what frame of mind you're currently in. Currently in Pixel Gun 3D, there are Survival, Deathmatch and Co-operative modes. Covering each mode, you can have up to 10 people competing against one another online in a variety of maps and survival mode tasks players with fighting off hordes of enemies. There are multiple weapons present, anything from heavy axes to laser rifles. Players can set up matches how they wish, choosing maps and more. Creating your own "servers" is simple enough too.

Choose maps you want to use, enter a match (or server) name, select how many players and configure general goals to win. For added protection and just in case you already have a group of friends ready to play, a password can be set to keep unwanted folk out. Both Boss Battle and LAN support are under development, which should open up new possibilities for players.

An in-game store is available should you wish to purchase the currency used for further customising your character with skin unlocks or possibly some unusual weaponry. 

As always, FPS games on mobile devices without physical trigger buttons and thumbsticks can prove difficult to nail in development, but the movement and controls in Pixel Gun 3D aren't too bad. The left thumb controls movement, while the right hand is tasked with both looking around and shooting, reloading, switching weapons and more. It works. While sometimes it can prove frustrating and seem difficult at first, it's not a bad layout and execution.

You can download Pixel Gun 3D from the Windows Phone Store for $0.99. Unfortunately, there's no trial available and you need at least 1 GB of RAM. That said, we recommend the download, it's a fun game. Thanks, TB_Studio, for the tip!

Pop The Dots is a puzzle game for Windows Phone that has you connecting dots of the same color to reach a scoring goal within a set number of moves or under a time limit.

Pop The Dots has over fifty free levels with the option to unlock more levels through an in-app purchase.  The puzzle game has a casual feel to it and Pop The Dots isn’t a bad choice to pass the time with.

Pop The Dots Main Menus and Level Objective

The main menu with Pop The Dots has options to jump into the game, access the game’s settings (sound on/off) and unlock the full range of levels via in-app purchase ($2.49).  The purchase will also eliminate the ad-support.

Depending on the gaming level, you will have to achieve a predetermined score in a set number of moves or set time limit.  You also have levels that challenge you to collect set numbers of the colored dots within a move or time limit.  Game play is the same regardless of the challenge.

Pop The Dots Game Screens

You have a series of dots on the screen where you must connect the same colored dots to remove them from play and earn points.  Dots must be adjacent and can be connected by dragging your finger horizontally, vertically and diagonally dot to dot.  The only limitation is you cannot move back over an existing connection.

Once connected, the dots disappear, points are earned (or credited to your dot count) and new dots are added from the top of the screen.

While Pop The Dot isn’t a complicated game to play, meeting the challenge for each level gets more intense the further you advance through the game.  It is a fun game and I like the variety of challenges scattered about the gaming levels.  Pop The Dot is a nice gaming choice when you need a little help passing the time.

Pop The Dot is a free, ad-supported game available for Windows Phone 8 and 7.x devices.  You can get rid of the ads and unlock all the gaming levels through a $2.49 in-app purchase.  You can find your copy of Pop The Dots here in the Windows Phone Store.

ReFocus Labs has announced the availability of the Windows Phone 8 game Pastry Push.  The game launches simultaneously with a Blackberry 10 version with iOS and Android versions due in February.

Pastry Push is a 3D physics based game where you are charged with feeding Moko, a monster with a vicious sweet tooth.  You swipe and slide pastries through a maze of hurdles, trying to feed Moko in the shortest number of moves possible.

Pastry Push Main Menu and Gaming Screens

With each level, you are presented with a checkerboard playing field.  You will need to swipe the pastry along the checkerboard until it reaches Moko.  The pastry will slide along the board until it hits an object or reaches the edge of the screen.  Some levels include golden cherries that must be collected before you can advance to the next level.

To add to the game’s challenge, some levels have flamethrowers, portals and fans the will need to negotiate around.

The 81 levels are spread across three seasons and in just playing Pastry Push for a short time, it comes across as an entertaining casual game for our Windows Phone.  There is a trial version available for Pastry Push with the full version running $.99.

The game is available for Windows Phone 8 devices and you can find your copy of Pastry Push here in the Windows Phone Store.

Ever think if you led the Roman Empire back in 753 B.C. things would have been different?  Well now is your chance with the new Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 game Roman Empire.

It is a strategy-based game where you are the new Caesar in command of the Empire.  Your goal, conquer Europe.  Game play is simple but challenging and if you like strategy games, Roman Empire is worth a try.

Roman Empire Campaign Map

Game play with Roman Empire centers around a European map.  You start with Rome being a small village where you send your troops out to conquer neighboring villages and cities.  As you conquer these areas, your troop strength grows and your Empire expands.  There are plenty of tutorial pop-up windows appearing throughout the game to give you strategy hints and game play instructions.

Troop movement is done by tapping/dragging from city to city.  You move troops to attack locations and re-enforce/defend existing cities in your Empire.  As you progress through the game, you will find neighboring cities take exception to your efforts to conquer the world and attack you.

Roman Empire Battle Screen

The game plays in campaign (or level) style with each campaign representing a section of the map to conquer.  Game pace has a little zip to it because if you dilly-dally in conquering your enemies, they muster enough strength to defeat your armies.  Your progress is saved from the last successful campaign.

In just tinkering with Roman Empire for a short bit this morning, it comes across as a fun game for our Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 devices.  My only nit with the game is that the text size is awfully small and difficult to read from the smaller Windows Phone.  You may find the game more enjoyable from the larger screen of a Windows 8 tablet or laptop/desktop.

Roman Empire is a free game for Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8.  You can find the Windows Phone 8 version of Roman Empire here in the Windows Phone Store.  The Windows 8 version can be picked up here in the Windows Store.

Thanks, Jacek, for the tip!

It’s another week with no new Xbox Windows Phone game. Things could be worse – most of us are probably too busy with Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (and maybe even Throne Wars) to feel Achievement pangs. But a little Xbox Red Stripe Deal action can’t hurt either. This week’s deal is Carcassonne from Exozet Games for 99 cents. Carcassonne was part of a Black Friday sale in 2012 but has never been a Red Stripe Deal before.

The remaining Red Stripe Deals offer some fine gaming choices as well. There’s Action Bowl 2 from Atomic Bullfrog, Duudlefrom Visiarc, and Mini Dash from PlayCreek – all for 99 cents. Artifex Mundi’s high quality hidden object game Dark Arcana: the Carnival rings up at $1.49, and the handy app Lock Widgets from Windows Phone Hacker is 99 cents too. Descriptions and Store links after the break!

Carcassonne (Windows Phone 7 and 8)

Regular price: $2.99 Sale price: $.99 Download size: 45 MB Store Link

Carcassonne is a board game in which players take turns placing land tiles, trying to build cities, complete roads, and score the most points. Once the tiles run out, everyone’s score gets calculated and the winner emerges triumphant. The core game itself has been translated accurately to Windows Phone and can be very fun.

One big problem though: Carcassonne’s online mode is fairly buggy and unintuitive, nullifying what could be a great selling point. You can still engage in local multiplayer (which would actually be pretty cool on a large device like the Lumia 1520, I bet). But mostly you’ll end up playing against the computer in single-player. Also, a couple of the Achievements will take over 100 hours of grinding.

The multiplayer and Achievement issues always lingered on my mind. A while back, I actually interviewed developer Exozet games in person in order to get to the bottom of them. Check out the revealing interview and don’t miss our full review.

Action Bowl 2 (Windows Phone 8)

Regular price: $1.99 Sale price: $.99 Download size: 46 MB Store Link

This game is really called Action Bowling 2, but the publisher lists it as Action Bowl 2 in the Store for some reason, and thus so shall we refer to it. Sure it sounds like an American football game, but Action Bowl 2 is all bowling, all the time. You don’t get to kick a bowling ball between goal posts or anything fancy like that.

The game features 3D graphics, realistic physics, pass-and-play multiplayer, and a variety of lanes and balls. It’s a bit on the homely side, especially the menu font. I could forgive the game’s looks much easier if it let us tackle the player with the ball, but no such luck.

Dark Arcana: The Carnival (Windows Phone 8)

Regular price: $2.99 Sale price: $1.49 Download size: 252 MB Store Link

Polish developer and publisher Artifex Mundi is well-known for its hidden object puzzle adventure (HOPA) games.  Dark Arcana is one such game, blending the adventure genre’s tradition of well-written stories and mystery with puzzle solving and the occasional hidden object scenes.

The story of this one involves a search for a missing woman. She has disappeared into a carnival’s Hall of Mirrors, which actually leads to a dark dimension. Carnivals are spooky places at night, providing Dark Arcana with plenty of atmosphere. We haven’t reviewed this one, but check out our review of Artifex Mundi’s Nightmares from the Deep for a better idea of what to expect.

Duudle (Windows Phone 7 and 8)

Regular price: $1.99 Sale price: $.99 Download size: 4 MB Store Link

Windows Phone doesn’t have an official Pictionary game, but dude! I hear Duudle is the next best thing. Play online games with 3-10 players, taking turns drawing pictures and trying to guess what everyone else’s pictures are. Duudle supports asynchronous play across Windows Phone and Android, so it shouldn’t be hard to find people to play with.

Features:

• SINGLE-PLAYER with Leaderboard - Unlimited Duudle Action
• MULTI-PLAYER (3-10 PLAYERS): Play with Friends on Windows Phone 7 and Android (iPhone/iPad coming).
• REPLAY & SHARE DUUDLES: We save all Duudles. Some Duudles will be fun and hilarious. Duudles can be replayed so that you can show them. 
• PUSH NOTIFICATIONS: Know when you have Duudle actions! Pin Duudle to the start screen and the Live Tile will let notify you.
• MULTI-LINGUAL APP & DICTIONARIES: Dictionaries: English, French and Swedish (more to come soon)

Mini Dash (Windows Phone 8)

Regular price: $1.99 Sale price: $.99 Download size: MB Store Link

From the makers of Death Worm comes this charming platformer – that’s right, it’s not an endless runner. Mini Dash stars a little bee guy who is totally not one of the Cheetos from Despicable Me. It features simple platforming controls – just left and right movement and a jump button. If you like touch-screen platformers, this is probably one of the better ones.

Features:

• TONS OF LEVELS: 3 huge worlds packed with challenges in either ‘Hard’ or ‘Easy’ flavours
• I LOVE VIDEOGAMES: Mini Dash is a love letter to the golden age of videogames with a whole world of ‘retro’ themed bonus levels but totally fresh gameplay
• COLLECT EM’ALL: Collect the mushrooms and purchase new characters like ‘Stickman’, ‘Superstar’ and ‘Zombie Boy’ as well as power-ups and unlocks
• MISSIONS IMPOSSIBLE: From warming up in Boot Camp to becoming an ‘Epic Gamer’, Mini Dash is packed full of missions that will keep you coming back for more!

Lock Widgets (Windows Phone 8)

Regular price: $1.99 Sale price: $.99 Download size: 1 MB Store Link

We all want more stuff on our phones’ lock screens; that’s a fact of life. To really get the most information and numbers and stuff on there, you’ve got to go to apps like Lock Widgets. This one displays the day’s weather, the next day’s forecast, and battery information on the lock screen. The latter is unusual among lock screen apps, so battery fiends will want to give Lock Widgets a look.

Windows Phone Central Roundup: Minion Apps and Games

Tough week down South dealing with the snowpocalypse so we are taking a lighthearted approach to this week’s Windows Phone Central Roundup by focusing on Minions.

For those not familiar, Minions are little yellow sidekicks of the evil scientist Gru from the popular Despicable Me movies.  They are a collection of lively little fellows whose giggles and antics will bring a smile to your face.

There are a handful of Minion oriented apps and games in the Windows Phone Store and we picked four that stood out.  Some are fairly simple in design and concept while others are rather appealing titles.

Minions Factory (free)

Minions Factory is a nice collection of lockscreen wallpapers and ringtones that are Minion oriented.  You also have the ability to create your own Minion and save them as a wallpaper image.

Minions Factory Menu and Create Screens

Minions Factory is listed as a game so you will have to go to your Games Hub to launch it.  From the opening screen the user interface is simple, just tap the “Start Game” button and choose where you want to go.  Your options are to create a Minion, visit the soundboard or view the lockscreen options.

Minion customization lets you choose the Minion’s hairstyle, eyewear and mouth.  Once created you can name you Minion, save it to your Pictures Hub and share it with friends.  The soundboard has twenty-six sound bites that can be saved to your Windows Phone and used as a ringtone or alert tone.

Minions Factory Sound and Wallpaper Screens

The lockscreen wallpaper collection includes six Minion images that can be saved to your Windows Phone Pictures Hub and set as your lockscreen image.

Minions Factory is a nice collection of ringtones and wallpapers.  If you are a Minion fan, it should be on your short list of apps.  It is a free app, available for Windows Phone 8 devices and you can find Minions Factory here in the Windows Phone Store.

Minion Rush (free)

Minion Rush is the heavy weight title in this week’s roundup.  Minion Rush has fantastic graphics, entertaining game play and just an overall fun gaming title.

For those not familiar, Minion Rush is an endless runner game where you play the role of a Minion who has to duck, dodge and jump over obstacles as they run through Gru’s laboratory, Gru’s neighborhood and El Macho’s Lair.  As you avoid running into things, you collect bananas that can be used to upgrade your Minion and power-ups.

Minion Rush Menu, Game Screen and Store

You do have some in-game Boss battles and specialty items that will give your Minion a performance boost (ride Fluffy the Unicorn, jump on a rocket, or become a Mega-Minion giant).

Again, animations are great and game play challenging.  Minion Rush also has flexibility to satisfy brief gaming spurts or longer gaming sessions.  It is a free game with in-app purchase opportunities (buying bananas and tokens to use in the Store).

Minion Rush is available for Windows Phone 8 and you can find it here in the Windows Phone Store.

Minions Ringtone (free)

While Minion Rush is the heavyweight of the group, Minion Ringtone is probably the lightweight of the bunch.  Still, the collection of ringtones with Minions Ringtone has a certain appeal.

The app has twenty-one Minion styled ringtones ranging from a text message alert to the banana song.  There is even a Christmas Minion tone for the Holiday Season.

Minions Ringtone

The Minion Ringtone interface is about as simple as it can get.  Just tap the play arrow on the ringtone banner to preview the tone and add it to your Windows Phone ringtone library.  It is an easy way to liven up your ringtones and alerts.

Minions Ringtone is a free app that is available for Windows Phone 8 and 7.x devices.  You can find Minions Ringtone here in the Windows Phone Store.

Minions Jump (free)

Minions Jump is a Windows Phone game for the endless jumper fans in the crowd.  The platform game has four playable Minions whose goal is to jump from platform to platform in hopes of reaching the moon.

You control your Minion by tilting your Windows Phone left or right.  One missed platform, your Minion will fall from the sky, and the game ends.  The higher you go, the greater your score and to give your points total a boost, you can collect bananas along the way.  The game also has Evil Minions floating about that will also ruin your day.

Minions Jump Menu, Minion Choice and Game Screens

Minions Jump is a decent game for your Windows Phone.  The further you jump the more challenging the game becomes.  If you are a fan of the Minions and are looking for a fun game to pass the time with Minions Jump is worth a try.

Minions Jump is a free game that is available for Windows Phone 8 and 7.x devices.  You can find your copy of Minions Jump here in the Windows Phone Store.

Stand Outs?

The obvious stand out in this week’s roundup has to be Minion Rush.  Game play is entertaining and the graphics/animations are well done.  It is hard to go wrong with Minion Rush.  Minions Jump is not a bad option but lacks the game play options and challenges of Minion Rush.

After Minion Rush, Minions Factory stands out for its wide range of offerings.  There are other apps that offer lockscreen wallpapers and ringtones separately but Minions Factory is a one-stop shop (plus you can build your own Minion).  Minions Ringtone is a nice collection of ringtones but without wallpaper images, it takes a back seat to Minions Factory.

Now it is your turn.  Did we overlook your favorite Minion game or app?  Is there a Minion app or game not available that you would like to see come to Windows Phone or has the Minion fascination already become yesterday’s news?  Feel free to sound off in the comments below with your thoughts on the subject.

File these under hopeful thinking, but Windows Phone users may be in a treat for new apps and games for their devices.

First up is Wunderlist, the popular task management service available on iOS, Android and elsewhere. True fact, it came out on Windows Phone nearly two years ago. You can't download it any longer as it was unpublished. The app was largely ignored, and was rife with bad reviews.

At least according to their product support team, they’re working on a new version, presumably optimized for Windows Phone 8. No word on an ETA, status or even if they are 100% doing it, so for now, file this under fingers-crossed.

The second story is about 'Flappy Bird' made by Dong Nguyen and published by Gear Studios (see demo video above). What’s Flappy Birds? We had no idea either, but evidently it’s a retro arcade game on iOS and Android that came out nearly a year ago. But for some reason, it’s in the news right now. In fact, MSN News literally just ran a story on it 4 hours ago talking about it 'taking on Candy Crush’.

That should tell you that the game is about to become the next big thing. Even though iOS and Android people can play it today, Windows Phone users may not be left out in the cold on this one. At least according to a Tweet by the developer, Dong Nguyen, who hails from Vietnam. Advocate Twitter account @MobileEquality, who contacts devs to make apps for Windows Phone, asked Nguyen about making the game happen:

Mobile Equality–@dongatory people on @windowsphone want to rage quit games too. Please make Flappy bird for Windows Phone #mobileequality

Dong Nguyen– @mobileequality @windowsphone You'll have it.

No other details, including development status or an estimate on a release were given. So for now, we’ll still file this under expected, but not confirmed.

Just in case you want to add some pressure, there is a Twitter campaign to get this started:

We want @FlappyBird for Windows Phone #FlappyBirdWindowsPhone

Source: Twitter; Thanks, Caleb C., Keval S., and Jason M., for the tips!

Gambling is an expensive real life hobby, unless you’re great at it. Gambling games take away the risk and cost (for the most part) and just let you focus on the fun of the game and the rush of winning.

You’ll find plenty of card games on mobile Windows platforms, and even some lighter fare like Bingo. Now we have a full-fledged game devoted to scratch-off tickets (also known as scratch cards): Jet-Set Scratch-Off Gold. It comes from Chicago-based developer Babaroga, maker of Shuffle Party, Zombies!!!, and Lucky Lanes Bowling. You might not expect it, but scratch off tickets adapt surprisingly well to videogame form.

Scratch, err tap off tickets

Jet-Set Scratch-Off features 15 different scratch-off ticket games, plus a few minigames for good measure. Each ticket’s rules vary, but they generally involve finding three of the same symbol or number or finding a specific winning symbol or number in order to win. The payouts vary by card, so two wins of the same game will usually award different quantities of currency.

To scratch off part of a ticket, you simply tap the desired area (or click it with a mouse on Windows 8). A brief animation plays and then the value behind the scratched area is revealed. You don’t get the tactile sensation of scratching a silvery coating off with your nail or a coin, but the motion of tapping and the reveal of information are close enough to the real thing.

Once the card’s results are fully revealed, players can cash it in by pressing the Redeem button at the bottom of the screen. Sometimes you’ll win much more than the card cost, other times you’ll take in less than its cost – if you win at all.

One benefit of videogames based on real-life activities like this is that they often streamline the process of playing. Card games shuffle for you, Scrabble clones calculate point values, etc. Jet-Set Scratch-Off allows players to fully reveal the whole card with a single button press if they so desire. You lose the anticipation and part of the fun by doing so, but it certainly speeds the game along.

Visit exotic locales and buy tickets from them

Scratching off tickets is all well and good, but a videogame needs stakes and goals in order to maintain player interest. The overall goal is to level up. Each card you play adds a little to your experience. Acquire enough EXP and you’ll reach the next level. This gets you a little currency, and also goes towards unlocking new locations and scratch-off games.

The game starts out with only Jamaica and its three games unlocked. Play long enough and you’ll unlock Spain, Greece, India, and Japan. Each place has an attractive line-art background and unique background music to sell the idea that you’re visiting a new location. The music is actually pretty catchy, which you wouldn’t generally expect from a game in this genre. The buy-ins and payouts also increase in subsequent locations.

The various locations also have 12 hidden souvenirs to find. The souvenirs pop up randomly as prizes when fully scratching off cards. Not only does this add a collectible aspect to the game, but also a reward. Getting all 12 souvenirs from one place increases the chance of encountering Bonus Rounds in that location.

Well, that’s how it’s supposed to work. Both the Windows Phone and Windows 8 version have the same bug: the game doesn’t save souvenirs found. Every time you launch the game, all of your prized trinkets will be gone – presumably stolen by local ne’er-do-wells. Souvenirs should be a cool feature that encourage players to spend time in a location; it’s a shame that they’re broken.

Bonus rounds

Scratching tickets over and over again can get a little tiresome, to say nothing of the silver stuff that gets stuck under your fingernails. Jet-Set Scratch-Off interrupts the tedium with the occasional bonus round. These pop up randomly between normal scratch cards.

Bonus rounds cost nothing to play. They come in several varieties, with varying set-ups like every card being a winner, or Blackjack-style rules in which you try not to go over a certain point total. Whatever happens, you’ll get some free money before moving back to the regular game.

Very Important Players

Windows 8 version

A gambling game wouldn’t be much fun without money to win or lose. Players start with 600 coins and the hopes of winning big. You often will win more than you spend on the scratch cards, but you’ll also lose as well. It’s all random, since you can’t control what lies beneath your ticket.

When the money inevitably runs out, you could choose to buy more via In-App Purchase. But the IAP prices for currency are too high for them to be an attractive option. The $2 pack gets you just 200 coins, which is good for 8 cheap tickets or like two decent ones.

Luckily the game also has a VIP system by which players earn free currency over time. Play regularly to maintain VIP status. You’ll get 100 free coins every four hours, which should keep you in tickets if you remember to check back in.

As a more eye-catching IAP, you can also buy premium VIP levels. These are permanent purchases, so you won’t have to worry about their expiration. The more costly the VIP level, the higher the free coin payout every four hours. The $2 VIP level gets you 200 coins per four hours. If you like what Jet-Set Scratch-Off brings to the table, it’s a fair purchase.

Room for improvement

Babaroga’s scratch-off game does a lot right, but it also has some areas in need of more polish – such as the broken souvenir system I mentioned earlier. Another big one is the frame rate on Windows Phone. The animations for scratching off parts of a ticket are quite jerky and seem to be missing frames of animation. It’s like the developer ported the game’s code without remembering to optimize it.

Another aesthetic blemish: the on-screen text. On Windows Phone, the numbers you reveal when scratching off a card are way too small and difficult to read. I’d have thought the text a result of porting a tablet game to phone without considering the difference in screen sizes, but perhaps not. Even on Windows 8, they appear much smaller than necessary and with pixelated edges instead of smooth ones.

Jet-Set Scratch-Off lacks one big feature that most quality free to play gambling games boast: online competition! A game like this would be so much better with online leaderboards. I mean, you can’t buy anything with your winnings, so the least they could give us is a way to compete against other players.

This game does not support cloud saves, so no sharing progress between Windows Phone and Windows 8. The Settings menu does have an option to recover purchases, though. Presumably you can get your premium VIP status back if you ever have to reinstall.

Overall Impression

Before Jet-Set Scratch-Off, I had never played a lottery ticket videogame. I don’t buy them anymore, but I have enjoyed real-life scratch off cards in the past. This game does a fine job of capturing the fun of scratching those tickets. It even creates a fairly cohesive experience thanks to the leveling system and unlockable locations.

The poor frame rate, tiny text, and souvenir bug will probably rub some players the wrong way. But look past those issues (as I’m sure many casual players would) and this game might just scratch your gambling itch.

• Jet-Set Scratch-Off Gold– Windows Phone 8 – 35 MB – Free – Store Link (requires 1GB RAM)
• Jet-Set Scratch-Off Gold– Windows 8 and RT – 60 MB – Free – Store Link

It’s Saturday here in California, which means I head into the app archives from the past week to pull out the best new apps in the Windows Phone Store that you might have missed. I’ll also bring highlight any cool updates, betas, and games. It’s a fun time to sit back and make sure your Windows Phone is rocking the greatest apps available. It was actually a pretty good week. We launched our own official app on Windows 8 and some new big name apps joined the Windows Phone Store. Let’s jump in and get started.

New

Bing Travel Beta– We really love the various Bing apps on Windows 8. A few of them like, like Sports and News, have made the jump to Windows Phone, but there’s still a few more that need to come over. This week we gained two. First up is Bing Travel Beta for those suffering from an incurable case of wanderlust. The app is a great way to itch your travel bug and offers you the ability to do things like check arrivals & departures, check flight status and search for flights or hotels. The app also serves up cool destination recommendations and interesting travel articles. Grab it from the Windows Phone Store. (Free)

Bing Food & Drink Beta– Not to be left out, Food & Drink from Bing also joined Windows Phone this past week. This app gives you recipes, shopping lists, food news, cocktail recipes and much more. Basically it’s the ultimate app for foodies. Grab it from the Windows Phone Store. (Free)

Beats Music– It was originally going to launch a week and a half ago, but was delayed for Windows Phone. That’s right, Beats Music is now available for Windows Phone users. The app is more or less music streaming service MOG killed and resurrected with Beats Music branding. Say what you will about their headphones, but Beats Music is actually a pretty great service. Download the app and use the week free trial to see if you’d be interested in another streaming service. Grab it in the Windows Phone Store. (Free)

Garmin HUD–Want to feel like you’re living in a Minority Report world? Then you should grab the official Garmin HUD app for Windows Phone. Before you do, you’ll need to own a physical Garmin HUD+ device for your car. The app syncs up with the device to display pertinent information on your dashboard in your car. Grab it from the Windows Phone Store. (Free)

Windows Phone Central for Windows 8– Yes, I know this technically isn’t a Windows Phone app, but it’s so awesome. Our app is out officially on Windows 8 and it’s pretty awesome. Everything you love about Windows Phone Central can be found in that app. It’s also free and more features coming down the road with future updates. Grab it from the Windows Store. (Free)

Updated

PDF Reader– There are a few ways to read PDFs on Windows Phone, one of comes to us from Microsoft and is called PDF Reader. It also just received a new update this week. You now have the ability to open more PDF files, improved rotation support and rendering of files. PDF Reader also throws in increased stability and performance when you’re handling those big files. Pick it up from the Windows Phone Store. (Free)

SofaScore LiveScore–Try saying that without wanting to shout it. Anyways, SofaScore LiveScore is one of the best ways to keep track of various sport games around the world. It has nearly every single sport and league, so you’ll be able to check out the results for your favorite teams. The update this week adds Live tile support for specific matches, ability to search for teams, and much more.  Grab it form the Windows Phone Store. (Free)

Viber– Messaging service Viber picked up an update for its Windows Phone app this week. The app is now at version 4.0 and brings new features. You’ll now find support for the Sticker Market so you can send and receive little stickers. There’s also Viber notification sounds for incoming push notifications, more details when messages have been seen and contacts online, and the ability to hide notification content. Grab Viber in the Windows Phone Store. (Free)

Skype– We really want to love Skype, but at this point we’re mostly using the service because it’s all we have. It could be so much better, but we’re still happy to see the app pick up somewhat regular updates on Windows Phone. The latest this week revolve around general improvements, so nothing ground breaking. Grab it from the Windows Phone Store. (Free)

Nokia MixRadio– One of our favorite music services, Nokia MixRadio, picked up a new update this week. You now have the option to repeat single tracks. In addition to an improved player view when no artist image is available, lyrics staying open between tracks, improved downloading for offline mixes and more. Pick up the new MixRadio in the Windows Phone Store. (Free)

Beta

Facebook Beta– Not any new betas this week, but one of the most popular was updated this week. Facebook Beta picked up an update that didn’t include new features. It does however include performance increases and bug fixes. So you know. It’s faster. Grab it from the Windows Phone Store. (Free)

Games

Grand Theft Auto: San Andres– It finally freaking came. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is now available for Windows Phone. There’s not much else to say, just go play it. Grab GTA:SA in the Windows Phone Store, assuming your device has 1GB of RAM or more. ($6.99)

Pixel Gun 3D– Want to play a Minecraft inspired first person shooter with multiplayer on Windows Phone? Then you need to try out Pixel Gun 3D. You’ll need at least 1GB of RAM to play the game, but we’re liking what we see so far with gameplay. Grab it in the Windows Phone Store. ($0.99)

That’s all the apps and games for this week. Be sure to check out all our game coverage if you’re wanting to see what else came out this week. Don’t agree with the list above? Sound off below in what apps and games you really liked this past week!

With all the neglect we’ve seen the Xbox Windows Phone versions of multiplatform games receive, Electronic Arts’ treatment of The Sims FreePlay is nothing short of amazing. Since debuting in September of last year, FreePlay has been updated four times already. These updates contain more than simple bug fixes. They tweak the gameplay and add new content and quests to the game. Each time FreePlay receives a major update on iOS and Android, a Windows Phone update follows closely behind.

The latest Sims FreePlay to arrive adds two huge new quests: “Adulthood” and “Seniors.” By completing these quests, players can advance their teenage Sims to adulthood and even grow regular Sims into wrinkly old elderly Sims. More details and quest walkthroughs after the break!

Adulthood

Up until now, FreePlay’s Sim children could advance in age but they couldn’t become adults. Thanks to the “Adulthood” quest, it’s now possible for the little ‘uns to grow up. You must be level 19 or higher to participate in this quest. It consists of the following goals:

• Send a Sim to the Park
• Rearrange Chess Board... (8 hours)
• Hide in the Park Toilet (4 hours, but counts as completed instantly)
• Bring a second Sim to the Park
• Continue Playing Chess (4 hours)
• Ridicule another Sim (3 hours 12 minutes)
• Stare vacantly into the Park Fountain (1 day)
• Dance to Electronica (music) in the Park (5 hours)
• Have 3 Sims in the Park
• Complain to a Sim (1 minutes)
• Mock another Sim (1 day)
• Grill Em All on the BBQ (8 hours)
• Call a Sim to the Swim Centre
• Use the Slide (7 seconds)
• Drink an Energy Drink at the Swim Centre (30 minutes)
• Ridicule the Trophy Case (1 day)
• Send a Sim Home
• Watch the News (star level dependent 3-5 minutes)
• Confess to a Sim (30 minutes)
• Clean up Trash (16 hours)
• Have 5 Sims dance to a Park Stereo (5 hours but counts as completed immediately)

Complete “Adulthood” in one week after starting it to unlock the Fashion Pack for your adult Sims. These new outfits are available in the Salon or when creating a Sim.

Seniors

Complete the “Seniors” quest and your adult Sims can finally turn into senior citizens like Windows Phone Central’s own George Ponder (I kid). Just what you always wanted, right? You must be level 21 or higher to complete this quest.

• Send a Sim to the Swimming Centre
• Feed the Pigeons (2 seconds)
• Investigate Pigeons (7 minutes)
• Wait for a Senior on a Park Bench (3 minutes 20 seconds)
• Investigate THE DOOR in the Park (10 sec)
• Welcome senior Sim (Welcome future-self! 5 seconds)
• Talk to a senior (1 minute)
• Stand on the X (4 seconds)
• Complain to a Senior (1 minute)
• Warn Simanity on a Soap Box (1 day)
• Complain to a senior (1 minute)
• Be nice to future-self (1 minute)
• Search garbage for cupcake (2 hours) (Kick over the trash can first.)
• Search garbage for cupcakes of doom II (16 hours) (This can be the same trash can you just kicked over.)
• Dispose of cupcake (25 seconds) (Use the same trash can as before.)
• Send present-self to the park
• Be nice to future-self (1 minute)
• Dance with future-self (10 seconds)
• Be nice to future-self (1 minute)
• Visit the Snow Park
• Go ice skating (devoted dance, 1 day)
• Snowball fight at Snow Park (2 hours)
• Talk to the senior (1 minute)(Located in the park)
• Build the Bingo Hall on the island (36 hours) (Must be level 21)
• Partake in a 24hour Fishathon (24 hours)
• Complain to future-self (1 minute)
• Get 5 Sims together in a house
• Woohoo with a Sim (5 minutes)
• Be nice to future-self (1 minute)

Finish “Seniors” within three days of starting it to unlock the Limited Edition Exercise Bike for Seniors.

More changes

As usual, the update brings a few more changes to the game:

• “Needle and Thread” – Starting on February 3rd, players of level 23 or higher can enjoy the new hobby of sewing.
• “Bird Feeding” – Starting on February 19th, players of level 25 or higher can unlock a pet bird and participate in this new hobby.
• The Bingo Hall unlocks within the Mysterious Island after completing the Seniors quest. Glad they’re making the island more useful!
• New houses: Renovator’s Dream, Two tory Unfurnished House, and Three Story Unfurnished House
• Fashion designing no longer requires players to complete a minigame when designing clothes. Thank goodness!
• The Fashion and Dress Shop is now called the Costume and Swim Shop. The Hair Salon is now just the Salon.
• The SimTracker menu has been revamped to include the age group of each Sim.
• The Quest Tracker at the bottom of the screen displays only the number of active tasks now, not the actual goal descriptions. Select the Tracker to see your current goals.
• When a Sim fishes and gets eaten by a giant fish, it takes longer to escape from the fish. Not an improvement.
• When selecting an object to interact with, the object’s star value is now displayed above its name. Fancy!

Get your Sim on

Electronic Arts’ commitment to The Sims FreePlay on Windows Phone makes other mobile Xbox publishers (including Microsoft) look terrible by comparison. EA has grown FreePlay into not just a legitimate Sims game, but also one of the best free to play games out there.

If your phone has the memory to run it, try FreePlay today. And don’t miss our review, Achievement Guide, In-App Purchase Guide, and Teen Takeover update guide!

• The Sims FreePlay – Windows Phone 8 (1 GB of RAM) – 553 MB – Free – Store Link

Thanks to Eric DiDomenico for tipping us on the update!

Windows Phone Central has a proud tradition of providing live coverage from a variety of gaming events. We’ve brought you news and interviews from E3, Game Developer’s Conference, Casual Connect, and more. If there are Windows Phone, Windows 8, or Xbox games to be played – we’ll be there.

This week we’ll be attending a new mobile industry event for the first time: Apps World. This one takes place at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California on February 5th and 6th. Apps World is a special event for us because I’ll be judging at a contest for game developers called the Big Indie Pitch during the event. The Big Indie Pitch is open to the public if you register in advance. Head past the break for more details!

Apps World

This event is dedicated to mobile games and apps; just the kind of stuff we love to play and use on our Windows Phones. Targeted at mobile developers and exhibitors, the event consists of two days of panels, discussions, and exhibits dedicated to producing better mobile software and technology. Check out the Apps World website to learn more.

While Apps World’s workshops will be dedicated to a number of mobile topics like TV apps, HTML5, and monetization, the subject we’re most interested in is gaming. With numerous indie game developers in attendance, Apps World will be a perfect chance to learn the indie market’s attitudes towards mobile Windows platforms.

Big Indie Pitch

Big Indie Pitch 2013

Sponsored by AppFlood/Papaya Mobile and Pocket Gamer, the Big Indie Pitch is a special opportunity for indie game developers to pitch their games to the press. If we like what we see, our coverage will help those developers’ games get noticed.

30 small-sized development teams (consisting of four members or less) will have three minutes each to promote one of their games to the judges. The winning game gets pitched to the entire audience at the end of the event.

This year’s judges include:

• Paul Acevedo, Your friendly neighborhood Games Editor, Mobile Nations (Android Central, iMore, Windows Phone Central)
• Andre F. Bourque, Managing Editor, Technorati
• Steve Peterson, West Coast Editor, GamesIndustry.biz, [a]listdaily
• Jeff Scott, Editor In Chief, 148Apps
• Zoya Street, Deputy Editor, GamesBrief  
• Michael Ehrenberg, Former App Store Marketing Manager, Apple
• Martine Paris, US Editor, Pocket Gamer
• Fernando Pizarro, GM Americas, PapayaMobile

The Big Indie Pitch takes place from 2-4:30PM this Thursday, February 6th in San Francisco. For more details or a free pass, head over to EventBrite.

Stay tuned this week and next for our Apps World and Big Indie Pitch coverage. You’d better believe we’ll be asking the Big Indie Pitch contestants about the possibility of Windows Phone support!

If you lack a green thumb, take a look at the Windows Phone 8 game Flower Garden.  The game lets you grow a variety of flowers from your own back patio garden.

Fertilize your flowers and when you grow them to full bloom, you can cut them and build a lovely bouquet arrangement that can be shared with friends, family and significant others.  Flower Garden is an interesting interactive game for Windows Phone 8 but may have limited appeal.

Flower Garden Pot View and Green Thumb Points

When you first launch Flower Garden, you are taken through a tutorial that will teach you how to water, fertilize and create flower arrangements.  The main page for the game will display a flower pot and your water meter.  In the bottom right corner of the flower pot view you'll see a "thumbs up" button that will pull up your green thumb point score.  In the bottom left corner is a grid button that will pull up your Flower Garden menu.

Flower Garden Overhead, Seed Collection and Flower Shop Screens

In tapping the grid button you will go to an overhead view of your flower pots with a menu bar running across the bottom of the screen.  The menu bar includes these tiles.

• Garden: Overhead view of your flower pots
• Bouquet: Here is where you can view, arrange and share your flower bouquets
• Seeds: A display of all your seed packets
• Flower Shop: In-app purchase opportunities for more pots, fertilizers, and seeds

To start your garden, all you need to do is find an empty pot (tapping on one from the overhead view or swiping left/right from the pot view) which will send you to your seed packet screen.  Tap on the flowers you want to grow and they are planted in the empty pot.

As with any plant, your flowers will need watering and fertilizer.  From the singular pot view, a hydration meter runs across the top of the screen.  To the right of the meter is a water drop that when pressed, will water your flowers.  You will need to tap/hold the water drop until the hydration meter moves into the green.

There will be times you need to fertilize your flowers and a leaf button can be found to the left of the hydration meter.  Tapping it will give you the option to fertilize your flowers or add color dust that will randomly change your flower’s color.

Flower Garden Pot View, Cut Flower Tool, Bouquet Screen

Once your flowers are in full bloom, you can cut them to build flower bouquets.  Just tap on the bloom and a menu will pull up that will let you cut the flower, delete the flower or empty the pot (so you can grow more flowers).  The cut flowers will be automatically arranged and accessible from the Bouquet tile on the menu bar.  If you want to custom arrange the flowers, just tap a bloom to rearrange the bouquet.  Once the arrangement is just right, you can customize the greeting card and share the flowers.

Flower Garden does grow on you the more you use it.   I can't say it's an addictive game for Windows Phone 8 but I can see it being a good addition for your Windows Phone Kids’ Corner.  Plus, Flower Garden is a neat way to create a greetings card but I won't go so far to say the virtual flowers will be as good as the real thing.

The initial app is free and includes three flower pots.  There are plenty of in-app purchase opportunities with Flower Garden such as increasing your pot count to twelve for $.99 or buying additional seed mixtures for $.99.

Flower Garden is available for Windows Phone 8 devices and you can find it here in the Windows Phone Store.

Dong Nguyen's hit-game Flappy Bird is on its way to Windows Phone, that we already know. But what we didn't know was an expected date. The developer took to Twitter to reveal that Flappy Bird has been submitted to the store and needs to be approved by Microsoft. This means the game is well on its way and it shouldn't be too long until we're able to ragequit while mobile. 

It's a significant release, simply because while it has been available on both iOS and Android for nearly a year, the game has only recently made it in the news with MSN News stating how it could take on the likes of Candy Crush. We're always seeking new apps and games to be made available for Microsoft's mobile platform and news like this only strengthens said resolve.

For now we have a small wait to endure, but Flappy Bird will be on Windows Phone soon, folks. Who's excited for its inevitable release?

Source: Twitter (@dongatory)

It's time to hop into the hot seat and fire up the engines as Hot Rod Racers from Miniclip speeds onto Windows Phone. The highly popular game has only been available on iOS and Android for a week and already Miniclip has released the Windows Phone counterpart (for Nokia Lumia hardware that is). This is a positive sign of things to come. If you're ready to commence drag racing, shift past the break for more details and store links.

The goal of Hot Rod Races is for players to win intense battles against other drivers. You're tasked with outrunning your opponent in a drag race, which will be decided on numerous factors. It's possible to crash into the competing car next to you, as well as perfecting your gear shifting to get the most out of your engine. Multiple game modes are on offer, each offering unique challenges to overcome. 

Said challenges include dodging traffic cones, jumping off ramps, racing against the clock and more. Coins can be earned through play that can then be spent on upgrading your cars to form the best racing arsenal possible. It wouldn't be much fun if you were unable to customise your vehicle, which is why Miniclip has bundled a variety of paint jobs and decals for you to choose from.

The game itself looks great on Windows Phones with the world set in a 3D urban landscape. There are 13 different episodes to race through with numerous characters to encounter, each adding to the overall experience. Hot Rod Racers will surely absorb hours of your time as you perfect your technique, beat opponents, upgrade your cars and be the best.

Since the game is free to download there are in-app purchases available. You can purchase both crowns and coins. Pricing is as expected from freemium games, so be careful unless you wish to be landed with a £43.99 coin package landing on your credit card. Hot Rod Racers is a fun little game to get involved with, though there's no Xbox Live support but we're sure this wont put off fans of racing titles.

Here's a quick look at the PC version of Hot Rod Racers (the Windows Phone game is identical):

You can grab Hot Rod Racers from the Nokia Collection on the Windows Phone Store for free (Windows Phone 8 required - 30MB - works on 512MB hardware).

via: Plaffo

It was a little over a week ago that we showed you boys and girls a new game for Windows Phone called Paper Monsters. It’s a popular game on Android and iOS, which means we’re pretty happy to see it join the platform. We spent some time playing with it and walked away very impressed. It’s a beautiful game with a superb presentation. Let’s check out the update it just picked up.

Head to the Windows Phone Store and you’ll see Paper Monsters sitting at version 1.0.0.1. Which means this isn’t a huge update with new features or anything, but it’s one our friends in Brazil, Russia and other countries will appreciate.

The game has been updated to include PEGI and ESRB ratings. This means it should be open to download in more markets.

Want to get in on the action of Paper Monsters? It’s really, really fun. Grab it for $0.99 in the Windows Phone Store. (512MB devices supported)

Thanks for the tip ME! 

The Windows Store is certainly growing and it seems that if you delve deep enough, there is always a new interesting app or game to tryout. We have played quite a few games on our Windows tablet’s such as Halo: Spartan Assault, that take full advantage of the graphic processing at hand. However, as we all know, complex graphics are not always the most important aspect. Today, we are looking at a simple, yet fun, infinite platformer – Night Lighter.

Arraybracket Limited is the company behind the small 8 MB arcade style platformer, Night Lighter. Upon checking out the Windows Store, we noticed that this is their first game for the Windows 8 platform, but they have developed numerous games in the past for Windows Phone.

The game itself is completely free to download, and we feel that is a good start; it is not exactly “full of depth”, but instead is an interesting little tidbit to pass the time. If the company did charge for the game, we probably would not purchase it for much more than 99 cents (USD).

However, let us get onto the facts of why we like the game. To start – it is simple; the graphics are simple, the gameplay is simple, and the soundtrack is simple. Be sure not to confuse the word “simple” with the word “bad”, though.

The graphics are neon style sprites that come in an array of one of three colors – red, blue, or yellow. The platforms themselves and your flame character are glowing blue, while enemies and coins glow red and yellow respectively.

The game really does feel as if it popped out of an arcade, as the mechanics are quite easy to learn. Run through the levels and dodge any hazards you can avoid while collecting coins and 'light fuel'. The coins will increase your points and the light fuel will keep the platform around you illuminated for running; if you run out of fuel – as the developers say, “you’ll be jumping blind”.

As you continue through various levels, the difficulty increases and you are sure to have a good time even if you need to restart, as all the levels are randomly generated and you will not be running into the same repetitive tracks.

Your controls are as simplistic as the design of the game – there is only one motion. All you need to worry about is jumping while avoiding killer sparks and aiming at the next platform. You can use the space key on your keyboard, the right-click button on your mouse or your finger on the touchscreen to control Sparky’s jumps (that is what I am naming him). Quickly press for a short jump or hold down the jump control to gain some extra airtime.

Watch our video demo below to get an idea of what Night Lighter is like!

Overall, it is not the most amazing game we have tried out, but it is still fun to play and we think you might like it also. It is free to download and there are no ads or in-app purchases to get in your way, so take it for a spin and enjoy.

You can download the game from the Windows Store by clicking here.

Have you tried out Night Lighter – what do you think?

It seems like only yesterday, but it was actually this past September that we first learned that Rayman Fiesta Run would be coming to Windows Phone. At the time, game maker Ubisoft said we’d see the game during the fall on Windows Phone, Android, and iOS. Well it’s not exactly fall anymore, more like mid-winter, but it looks like we’re finally about to get Rayman on Windows Phone. Head to the Windows Phone Store and you’ll see Rayman Fiesta Run sitting there and with a surprise.

This is of course not the first Rayman game for Windows Phone. We’ve been happily playing Rayman Jungle Run on both Windows Phone and Windows 8 for quite some time. Now we’re about to get some Rayman Fiesta Run fun on Windows Phone, but with a little twist. Xbox Live.

Here’s what we’re getting with Rayman Fiesta Run for Windows Phone:

• More than 75 new levels
• New epic bosses
• New amazing powers
• And much more

We’re very excited to play Rayman Fiesta Run and can’t wait! Unfortunately we might need to wait a little. Right now we see the game in the Windows Phone Store, but can’t download it. We’ve even tried changing to a few different regions and haven’t had any luck. The published date in the listing for the game shows as 1/16, which was nearly three weeks ago. So this could also be a beta of the game

Tomorrow is Wednesday and this is an Xbox Live game. So don’t be too surprised if the link starts working in the next few hours. Anyways. You’ve got it bookmarked to download the moment it’s available.

Rayman Fiesta Run can be found in the Windows Phone Store. No word on price yet or whether or not 512MB devices are supported. We’ll update this post once we find out. And if you have any luck downloading the game be sure to let us know your region, phone, and carrier.

Update: Comments below indicate that the game is currently available in India, but we do expect more regions to light up. The good news is that the game does support 512MB devices and will probably go for about $1.99. Thanks guys!

Thanks for the tip Guru!

Another week, another batch of Red Stripe Deals. These special offers for Windows Phone owners help save a few pennies when shopping for apps and games. This week, we have Pac-Man CE DX leading Pool Plus Friends, myBattery and more. The best part about the Red Stripe Deals is not all the apps and games included are Windows Phone 8 only.

Head past the break to see what else is on offer and for download links.

Pac-Man CE DX (Windows Phone 7 & 8)

Sale price: $2.99 Download size: 110MB Store Link

Namco Bandai's PAC-MAN CE DX is currently on sale. The faithful port of the retro arcade game from the 80s has been available on the Windows Phone Store for some time, tasking players with nabbing yellow dots on the screen. The famous ghosts Inky, Pinky, Blinky and Clyde are also included in this deal.

The title is also available for Windows Phone 7, perfect if you're still rocking vintage hardware. Oh, did we mention that Pac-Man CE DX is Xbox Live enabled? Well worth the download.

Pool Plus Friends (Windows Phone 7 & 8)

Sale price: $0.99 Download size: 2MB Store Link

Pool Plus Friends is a multiplayer pool game, hence the name. You're able to challenge online players to a friendly (no rage quitting please!) game of pool. Multiple bots and challenges allow you to practice and test your skills against a range of difficulties, as well as learn the game in general. Here are some features:

• Multiplayer Mode
• One-Player Challenges
• Push Notifications
• Easy-to-use aiming controls
• Cool graphics and user interface

Should you be a fan of the popular game, we recommend you check out Pool Plus Friends for some online fun.

Enigmatis: The Ghosts of Maple Creek (Windows Phone 8)

Sale price: $1.49 Download size: 202MB Store Link

Enigmatis: The Ghosts of Maple Creek is an addictive hidden-object puzzle adventure game. Players are tasked with finding a missing teenage girl while saving yourself in a detective story. Are you a fan of such games that immerse you into a mysterious experience? Enigmatis is a top game from Artifex Mundi.

What ancient evil lurks in the peaceful, pastoral lands of Vermont?

myBattery (Windows Phone 8)

Sale price: $0.99 Download size: 2MB Store Link

Battery usage can be a pain to keep track of, but luckily there are some apps available to help consumers out with status and values displayed on Live Tiles as well as the lock screen. myBattery is one of said apps with some awesome functionality. Here are some of the highlighted features, pulled from the store listing:

• Modern UI with animations
• Battery percentage
• Remaining charge time
• Charts: from daily to complete history log
• Settings to change chart colours
• Choose whether to see the battery image in colour or black and white
• Notifications in the screen saver
• Data backup/import
• Export data to csv file
• Low charge notifications

Whether you want to simply check the battery level of your Windows Phone or analyse usage and drain, give myBattery a shot.

Second Chance (Windows Phone 7 & 8)

Sale price: $0.99 Download size: MB Store Link

What exactly is Second Chance? It's essentially 32 games of 5 seconds, as it is brilliantly described on the Windows Phone Store. Players are able to test their brain and reflex skills in a rather frantic experience. A free version is available, but picking up the premium edition will bag you an exclusive game mode, 5 funny hats and no advertising.

Should you be after something slightly different, be sure to check out Second Chance.

Gym Builder Pro (Windows Phone 8)

Sale price: $0.99 Download size: MB Store Link

There are many of us who head to the local gym to get some training done and keep fit. As well as using multiple devices and services to help us along the way, there are some neat Windows Phone apps available, including Gym Builder (www.gymbuilder.com). The frequently updated app includes the following features:

• Huge exercise database with detailed instructions
• Create custom exercises
• Create your own workouts
• Browse exercises by multiple dimensions
• Search for exercises by title
• Modify entries to correct mistakes
• Automatically hints weight and reps based on last set
• Live tile - pin your workouts
• Metric and imperial support
• SkyDrive integration (backup and restore)
• Fully featured history browsing so you can see your progress and results including graphs
• View history on a calendar
• Exercise timer, can even configure to auto-restart after each set

Should you do any type of workout and are looking at a companion to help you through exercises and improve your life, Gym builder is worth downloading.