If you are looking for a fast-paced alien shoot ‘em game for your Windows Phone 8 device, Star Warfare: Alien Invasion may be just what you’re looking for. The game calls upon you play the role of a soldier pitted against wave after wave of alien invaders.

Game play positions you over the shoulder of your character with virtual joysticks controlling movement and weapons fire. Star Warfare: Alien Invasion has a single player mode along with an online multiplayer mode.

The game reminds me a little of the movie Starship Troopers and in the short time we have had to tinker with Star Warfare: Alien Invasion it makes a nice first impression with attractive graphics and challenging game play. Star Warfare: Alien Invasion has been a popular gaming title over on iOS and is should share the same success here on the Windows Phone 8 platform.

Star Warfare: Alien Invasion Levels

Key features of Star Warfare: Alien Invasion includes:

• Forty-two levels of play that span seven maps
• Thirty-six weapons that can be upgraded eight times
• Nine space suits, each with special attributes
• Console-quality boss battles
• Multiplayer mode support up to three players over Wi-Fi or 3G

Star Warfare: Alien Invasion Game Store

You control your character with two virtual joysticks that rest at the bottom corners of the gaming screen. The left joystick controls movement while the right controls your weapons. To change your view, just swipe at the middle of the screen in the direction you want your camera view to shift.

Star Warfare: Alien Invasion Game Screen

Aliens are rather aggressive and enjoy attacking you from your blind side. It is easy to find yourself constantly moving to avoid these blind side attacks or at least minimizing the damage inflicted.

Overall, Star Warfare: Alien Invasion comes across as a fast paced, challenging Windows Phone 8 game. There are plenty of aliens to splatter, weapons to choose from and environments to conquer. Star Warfare: Alien Invasion is a free game for Windows Phone 8. It will install and play on low memory Windows Phones such as the Nokia Lumia 520.

You can pick up your copy of Star Warfare: Alien Invasion here in the Windows Phone Store.

Thanks, KrisJoeEll, for the tip!

A few days ago, we highlighted three children’s games for Windows Phone that two-man indie developer TegTap brought along to Apps World. All great games for kids, but older gamers in our audience will naturally crave a more substantial gameplay experience. Luckily TegTap is poised to bring just such a game to Windows Phone 8 in the next few weeks…

We’re pleased to bring you this exclusive first look at the Windows Phone version of Solar Warfare (not to be confused with Star Warfare!) from TegTap. A 3D sci-fi shooter with expansive levels, gigantic bosses, and lots of ship upgrades to unlock, Solar Warfare is poised to take shoot-em-up fans by storm. It will even feature MOGA controller support shortly after launch. Head past the break for our hands-on video and preview!

Solar avenger

In Solar Warfare, players must pilot a lone ship against the alien armada that destroyed their homeworld. Like most shoot-em-ups, the focus is more on action than story – but it’s always good to know why you’re blowing everybody up.

The controls for your ship are fluid and easy to grasp. Tilt the device in any direction to aim, and then hold anywhere on the right side of the screen to fire rapid shots. A button at the bottom-right corner fires powerful homing missiles that must be purchased from the shop.

The ship automatically flies forward by default. You can also speed it up by holding the thruster button at the bottom-left corner of the screen, hopefully zooming past incoming fire, and even stop the ship’s forward momentum by pressing and holding anywhere else on the left side of the screen. The ability to stop in place provides a greater degree of control than you’d usually get in games like this, and makes aiming easier too.

After scouring a planet’s surface of enemies, players will complete a level and receive ratings for their performance. You can also visit the shop then and spend the currency collected during the level. The shop sells weapon and shield upgrades, plus missiles and extra lives that will make it easier to complete future missions.

Sights set on Windows Phone

We saw Solar Warfare running on a Nokia Lumia 810, where it generally maintained 60 frames per second during gameplay. TegTap has also tested the game on the entry-level Lumia 520 handset, on which it performed very well. Devices with 512 MB of RAM don’t usually get a lot of 3D games, so it’s cool that Solar Warfare will run on them at launch.

The Android version of Solar Warfare is MOGA controller compatible, so naturally we wondered if that would apply to the Windows phone game as well. Troy Tegeder, studio president does plan to add MOGA support to our game, though not until the first title update. Still, it’s always great to see more games supporting physical controllers!

Solar Warfare should arrive on Windows Phone in late February or early March. The Windows Phone version will not be free to play, which should be good news to gamers who dislike In-App Purchases. We’ll let you know as soon as it’s available. As for the Windows 8 version promised a while back, that should still arrive later in the year.

If there is one game that just about everyone seems to be champing at the bit to play on Xbox One, it’s Titanfall. So when the signups for the public beta went live a few days ago, people were clamoring to get in. But if you didn’t happen to be one of the lucky ones to get a beta code, don’t fret. Xbox Live’s Major Nelson, aka Larry Hryb,  has just announced that Microsoft will be making the Titanfall beta available to all Xbox One owners.

You heard that right. Starting today, you can head to the “New Game Demos” section of the Game Store, or simply say, “Xbox Bing,” then “Show me new game demos.”

Major Nelson was sure to set expectations by letting users know it may take some time before the beta shows up for some users. If you don’t see it yet, just sit tight. It will be there soon.

If you’re like us and just cannot contain yourself while you wait, check out these Titanfall videos.

Source: Microsoft; Thanks, Kyle M. and Yodani Q., for the tips!

During my recent trip to Apps World, I dug up a few games like Solar Warfare and Revel that will make their way to Windows Phone before long. Naturally I kept asking the indie developers in attendance about future Windows Phone and Windows support.

Of those developers I spoke with, the makers of Puzzle Raiders and Pata Pata were especially interested in bringing their games to Windows Phone. Puzzle Raiders is a clever match-3 puzzle game with actual controllable characters, while Pata Pata mixes a simple board game with African themes. Learn about both games and their current stages of development after the break.

Puzzle Raiders

The mobile market is filled with match-3 puzzle games in the style of Bejeweled and Candy Crush Saga, so any new match-3 puzzler needs a good hook in order to stand out from the crowd. Indie developer Shiny Shoe’s hook for Puzzle Raiders centers around the game’s titular Puzzle Raiders, a group of treasure hunting explorers.

The raiders actually move around and interact with the environment while players match items and solve puzzles. Your goal is to clear a path for your character from one side of the screen to the other by making matches. You only have a limited number of matches with which to reach the level exit, so careful play becomes important. Run out of lives and it will take time for them to recharge, as with Frozen Free Fall and Candy Crush.

Sometimes the level’s path is blocked not by sand that must be cleared away but by enemies like mummies. Instead of making matches with the enemies themselves, it takes adjacent matches to hurt the bad guys.

Players have a few more tools to destroy enemies and obstacles, including items purchased form the shop. Drop a bomb or a barrel of monkeys onto the playing field and the tide will turn in your favor. The heroic raiders can also unleash attacks of their own after making enough matches. Charge up the whip to take out a foe Indiana Jones-style.

Shiny Shot still has to finish up the Android version of Puzzle Raiders before moving on to other mobile platforms. As CEO Mark Cooke explains in our video, they’re quite eager to make Windows Phone one of those platforms. All they need is an actual Windows Phone to test it with… How about it, Microsoft? We could always use another good puzzle game like Puzzle Raiders.

Pata Pata

This one comes from Saintoon, an indie developer from Zimbabwe, Africa. Pata Pata is a simple board game in which up to four players take turns rolling dice and moving up the game board. Roll a six to get a free turn.

Squares with pictures represent different aspects of Africa, such as tourist destinations and wildlife. Some are beneficial and will move players up on the board. Others, such as the space representing elephant poaching will cause the player to drop behind.

Graphically, Pata Pata falls on the simplistic side of things. But it does have some cool African influences, such as the player pieces based on cave paintings and traditional African music. It’s a free game on iOS with no In-App Purchases in sight – just the goal of teaching players a few things about Africa.

Pata Pata is already available on iOS. Saintoon plans to release Pata Pata on Windows Phone and Windows 8 after they complete the upcoming Android port.

Did you get any kisses on Valentine’s Day? If you’re looking for more, there’s a new game on Windows Phone that’s all about kissing. You play as a giraffe walking through the meadows, trying to kiss as many other giraffes as you can. Try not to break anyone’s heart!

Head past the break to watch our hands on video and gameplay.

Paramour looks completely different from Flappy Bird, but the gameplay feels similar. The giraffe is moving from left to right and you control how high to raise its neck. Tap or hold the screen to go higher. Let go of the screen to lower the neck. Your giraffe will kiss the other giraffes if their heads are around the same level.

The longer you make a Kiss Chain, the more points you get! If you miss a kissing opportunity, a giraffe’s heart will be broken. You’re allowed to break three hearts until it’s game over. At the end, the game shows your current score and high score. You can quickly try again or click the share button to let everyone know about your score. The status update looks like this:

Hey! I just made 25,500 points on #Paramour for #WindowsPhone ! #DasDonkey

It also includes a link to the developer’s Facebook page, DasDonkey.

The graphics on Paramour look great, but the music background makes us a little sleepy. We’d prefer something a little more upbeat. This is a great game to have if you have kids playing with your Windows Phone device. We also think it’s a good time-waster.

Paramour is a free download from the Windows Phone Store, but ads are displayed while you’re playing. We don’t see any in-app purchases available to remove these ads. Check out Paramour and let us know what you think in the comments!

Last Thursday, Rockstar Games teased us by releasing Grant Theft Auto: San Andreas to the Windows Store, only to disappoint in not having the game available for actual purchase. But where there is smoke, there is fire and this morning, GTA: San Andreas is a go!

Head to the Windows Store on your Surface or Windows 8 PC and you can find the game waiting and ready to be purchased for $6.99. That’s on top of the $6.99 you may have already spent for the Windows Phone version released a few weeks ago. That’s not cheap, but if you’re a fan, it’s a no brainer.

To be honest, we’re glad we didn’t purchase it on the phone because we’re much more likely to do this on our tablet. The game does look good and Rockstar have optimized the game for mobile, including

• Remastered, high-resolution graphics built specifically for mobile including lighting enhancements, an enriched color palette and improved character models.
• Dual analog stick controls for full camera and movement control.
• Three different control schemes and customizable controls with contextual options to display buttons only when you need them.
• Tailor your visual experience with adjustable graphic settings

We’re downloading the nearly 2 GB game right now, so make sure you have some time - and hard drive space - to spare.

Note: we're updating an earlier story this morning due to wider availability 

Pick up GTA: San Andreas for Windows 8 and RT here in the Windows Store. $6.99, no trial.

Thanks, Fabio C., for the tip!

We all enjoy a puzzle game here and there to test the mind and Link is a sweet title for your Windows Phone. The game itself is currently available for nothing at all, a welcomed drop from the usual $0.99 price tag. If you've never tried to connect the dots on your smartphone, now is the perfect chance to give it go and see how you get on.

The concept is simple, but Link is entertaining without many bells and whistles. Players are tasked with shifting tiles horizontally and vertically to create the connection. Sounds simple enough, but keep in mind, as you shift one tile, the other tiles in play are effected. Some puzzles can be solved in a few moves while others are more involved and require strategic thinking.

You can download Link from the Windows Phone Store for free (usually $.99) by hitting the link or using the QR code below (Windows Phone 7 and 8). Note that this is a limited time offer and appears to be region restricted.

Battle for Homeland Mad Animals is a tower defense game for Windows Phone 8 that pits you against a hungry pack of zombies. Sounds like your typical Zombie genre game, right? The twist with Battle for Homeland Mad Animals is that you aren't battling humans who have been turned into zombies, instead you face a wide variety of animals who are now the walking dead.

Yep. You are battling zombie cows, elephants, giraffes, bats, sheep, zebras and other animals. You even have zombie Unicorns coming after your brain. The animals are attacking various villages and you are society’s last line of defense. Armed with a wide variety of weapons, you fend off the Zombie invasion wave after wave.

Battle for Homeland Mad Animals has decent graphics, challenging game play and is a rather entertaining tower defense game for Windows Phone 8.

Game Setup

The main page for Battle for Homeland Mad Animals is laid out simple and straightforward. You have button controls in the upper right corner to view your gaming achievements, access settings (sound/music on or off) and visit the game’s store for in-app purchases.

Battle for Homeland Mad Animals Main Menu

To jump into game play, just tap the “Start” button at the bottom of the main page. Battle for Homeland Mad Animals has twenty-four villages that contain multiple levels of play, to defend that are progressively unlocked. Each level is re-playable and has three difficulty levels to choose from (normal, nightmare and hell).

Battle for Homeland Mad Animals Weapons Depot

Prior to the start of each level you will visit the Battle for Homeland Mad Animals’ Store where you can choose which of the weapons in your arsenal you will use for that level and purchase/upgrade your bomb supply. There are over fifteen different main weapons that become available for purchase as you progress through game.

Game Play

The game screen for Battle for Homeland Mad Animals has your health meter in the upper left corner, your zombie wave meter in the top center and your gold count in the top right corner.

Battle for Homeland Mad Animals Gaming Screen

At the bottom center of the screen is your main weapon and to the right of the turret are you bombing option. On either side of your main weapon are directional arrows that will let you swap out weapons during game play. Finally, in the lower left corner of the screen you will find you score.

The game screen is a series of paths and streets that the zombie animals will follow to get to your stronghold. To fire your main weapon, just tap/hold on the screen. Where you tap is the direction the weapon will fire. To strafe your enemy, just drag your finger across the area that you wish to annihilate.

Battle for Homeland Mad Animals Bomb Purchase Menu

As the zombie incursion grows you can use your bombs to help keep pace with the animals. Tap a bomb icon and a targeting symbol will appear that you drag to the part of the screen you wish to bomb. Your bombing choices include:

• Fire Bomb that will rain down a shower of fireballs on to the zombies
• Freeze Bomb that will freeze the zombies, making them sitting ducks for your main weapon
• Nuclear Bomb that will wipe out everything on the screen

Zombies attack in waves and will travel at different speeds. Some animals will require multiple hits before they go down as well. If the zombie animals reach your fortifications they will work towards destroying things. If they breach your fortifications, game over.

Battle for Homeland Mad Animals

In addition to the different speeds these animals travel, some will carry bombs that will inflict more damage to your stronghold. On the plus side, if you shoot the zombies carrying the bombs, they take out other zombies that are in the area when their bombs explode prematurely.

Once you have destroyed all the zombie animals for a particular level, you will transition to a scoring summary, which will not how many gold coins you have earned. Coins that in turn can be used in the gaming store to unlock additional weapons and buy more bombs.

Overall Impression

Battle for Homeland Mad Animals is an entertaining tower defense game for Windows Phone 8. Graphics are nice, game play challenging and dealing with zombie animals offers a unique zombie hunting experience.

Battle for Homeland Mad Animals Nuclear Option

I liked the variety of environments you defend and the variety of animals keeps things interesting. There are situations where you can see the animals approaching but won’t get a clear shot at them immediately. Some animals move faster or require multiple hits before they are eliminated. All these factors require you to manage your defenses, giving Battle for Homeland Mad Animals a bit of a strategy feel to it.

Battle for Homeland Mad Animals is a free game that is available for Windows Phone 8. You can find your copy of Battle for Homeland Mad Animals here in the Windows Phone Store.

There are lots of ways to discover new games for Windows Phone. We often rely just as much on our readers as we do developers and publishers to find interesting games to write about. There’s always a gaming discussion going on in the Windows Phone Central gaming forum, where loyal reader John Lompard has created a thread dedicated to newly released Windows Phone games.

John’s initial discoveries include a very cool endless runner called Pocket Avenger from Pine Entertainment, which I’ve really gotten into after a short play session. Play as a survivor of the zombie apocalypse who must run, jump, and kill hordes of zombies in order to stay alive. Did I mention the game is free to play and prettier than your average zombie?

Stop the zombie menace

Endless runners usually star doomed protagonists with no hopes of survival. Pocket Avenger plays like a 2D endless runner, but it has actual levels so you’re not just running till you get tired and die. Select from four survivors and prepare to make your stand.

The hero can even fight back against his zombie aggressors with guns, chainsaws, and other weapons. Weapons fire automatically, so you’re free to tap the screen to jump or switch between weapons and items.

Pocket Avenger looks and plays great, with multiple layers of parallax scrolling and tons of characters on-screen at once. Other features include over 200 levels, weekly tournaments and social features, and cloud save support.

The game requires a Facebook account, but you conspiracy theorists out there can always make a fake one for occasions like this. That Facebook integration enables cross-platform cloud saves, which is definitely worth the price of admission in my book.

• Pocket Avenger– Windows Phone 8 (including low-memory devices) – 82 MB – Free – Store Link

More fresh game recommendations

While Pocket Avenger is the clear winner of the initial recommendations in John’s forum thread, it also lists several more interesting games that have just arrived on Windows Phone. Check out the “Just Released Games” forum thread, and be sure to leave your own suggestions whenever you discover a cool game that’s just come out.

]Sometime things don’t make a whole lot of sense in life. Like this game I’m about to tell you all about. Fall Out Boy, that post-punk band from my high school years, has apparently made a video game for Windows Phone. And to top it all out, it’s a Flappy Bird clone. Yeah.

Head into the Windows Phone Store and you’ll find a game called Fall Out Bird. It takes the gameplay from Flappy Bird, but you’re controlling the floating head of a member of Fall Out Boy. That’s in place of controlling a bird through the impossible obstacle course. You’ll also have music from Fall Out Boy playing in the background. Because the gameplay itself doesn’t cause enough frustration.

Thankfully the game isn’t anywhere near as hard as Flappy Bird. You’ll be able to make it past a handful of guitar pillars if you focus hard enough. Wanting to run the game on your Lumia 520 or other 512MB devices? You can since it supports 512MB devices.

Bonus. You can win a signed CD from Fall Out Boy’s latest album if you play the game and send a screenshot of your high score to the comment section of the Nokia Conversations post linked below.

The game is free and ad-supported. You can grab it in the Windows Phone Store.

Source: Nokia Conversations

It was nearly a week ago when Rayman Fiesta run showed up for Windows Phone…in India.  Users who tried to download the game elsewhere were greeted with an error message, noting that it was not available in their region.

Luckily for us, it is now live, at least here in the US and UK and we’re guessing your region too. The game runs for $2.49 and there is no Trial listed. Lame! We’re buying it anyway, because it’s Rayman. Those games have always been awesome, so we’re taking a leap a faith here.

Plus, Xbox Live, baby.

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’ll look to maybe to a hands on video a bit later, it’s getting dark here now. If like us, you just want the link, then head here to the Store. There is no trial, so you’ll be parting with $2.49. And yes, this does work with 512 MB devices, so all of you Lumia 520 owners can join in as well.  The game is 81 MB in size. Windows Phone 8 only.

Thanks, @Micro_666, for the tip!

Run, Jump, Smash! landed in the Windows Store last month and the Windows Phone 8 version was released this past weekend as the abbreviated title RJS! The game is an endless runner where you guide a team of Marvel Comics superheroes across an obstacle course filled with obstacles and enemy minions.

Your goal is to advance far enough to fight super villains such as Loki. Superheroes can be upgraded or additional characters unlocked with the coins you collect as you run through the game. Graphics are rather nice, game play challenging and possibly the only downside to RJS! is the lack of a trial version.

Assembling Your Avenger Team

When you first launch RJS! you will have the option to sign into your Facebook account to participate in the online leaderboards. From there you will need to assemble your team of four superheroes.

RJS! Superhero Line-up

This is an easy task to begin with, in that you only have four superheroes available, Captain America, The Hulk, Ironman and The Black Widow. Additional superheroes can be unlocked with the coins you earn during game play. Additional superheroes include Thor, Hawkeye, Captain Marvel and Spiderman.

You will have to choose your S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent with your choices being Nick Fury or Maria Hill. The S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent is your core player for the game. As your guide the Agent across the playing field they will come across superhero tokens, that when collected will release one of your superheroes. The superhero will run the course for a short time and then the S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent will return to the game. There is a meter just below the Special Attack bar on the game screen that will reflect how much time you have with the superhero. You will also see a countdown bubble appear as the transition back to the S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent approaches.

RJS! Avenger Upgrade

Prior to jumping into game play, you have a few options to consider in assembling your team of Avengers. First up, you can upgrade each superhero with the coins you earn during game play. Each upgrade will give your superhero a new set of skill enhancements that will improve their abilities to run, jump and smash.

Next up, you have the option to buy enhancements with your coins to give your superheroes an added boost during game play. These enhancements include shields, wings to fly you across a portion of the playing field, and strength charms.

RJS! Help Section

Once you have upgraded, unlocked and enhanced your Avengers you will be ready to jump into game play. If you have any questions on game play or what an icon/token stands for, RJS! has a nice help section that is accessible from the main pages (the '?' button in the upper right corner).

Hulk Smash!

RJS! game play does require a data connection (Wi-Fi or 3G) and does take a few seconds to load. However, while the requirement of being tethered to a data connection feels restricted the game seems to randomly generate each gaming session. That is no two runs are the same.

RJS! Game Load Screen

You will see similarities but where you ran into a flaming obstacle on one run, you might find an evil minion in the same spot during the next run. A nice touch keeps you on your toes.

Your first game will begin with a series of tutorials to get you accustom to game play. The game screen has two control buttons at the bottom of the screen, one to jump your character the other to fire their weapon/activate their super power.

RJS! Tutorial Windows

Across the top of the screen you will find your Special Power meter, any enhancements you have purchased, and your score.

Each gaming session begins with your S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent running across the deck of an aircraft carrier. Coins are scattered about the screen that can be collected for points. The more points, the more coins you earn at the end of the game.

The goal is to run your team as far as you can, eventually battling Loki. You will need to jump over various obstacles such as flames, breaks in the road, electric fields and battle evil minions. As you run across the Avenger tokens, the S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent is temporarily replaced by that Avenger.

Additional tokens are present throughout the game that will increase your Special Attack meter, make collecting coins easier by magnetizing your character to attract the coins, providing a shield around your character and more. Once the Special Attack meter is full, you can swipe across the screen to unleash the special attack power of whichever superhero is in play at the time. The special attack basically wipes out everything on the screen.

Should your superhero stumble before the natural transition back to the S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent, you will see Nick Fury or Maria Hill return to action ahead of schedule. If your S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent hits an obstacle or is taken out by a minion, the game ends.

RJS! Captain America vs. Minion

A gaming summary will appear, coins awarded and you will return to the main set of menus where you can upgrade superheroes, unlock additional heroes, buy enhancements and jump back into game play.

Good, Bad or Ugly?

I have to admit, RJS! has grown on me. It was a little disappointing that the superheroes didn’t get more game time but the more I played RJS!, the game developed an addictive quality about it.

RJS! Black Widow in Action

Graphics are rather nice, game play challenging and the randomness of your runs keeps the game from growing stale. I do think the cost of unlocking the additional superheroes is a little on the high side (100,000 coins to unlock Spiderman!) but you can buy gems through in-app purchase that can be converted to coins to get a jump on things.

I am still on the fence about requiring a data connection to play the game. If my suspicions are correct it does allow game play to have a bit of variety and should minimize the amount of storage needed on your Windows Phone (core game is 34MB). Still, an offline option would not hurt.

RJS! Mystery Window

I did experience a few mystery windows yesterday when playing RJS! There was no dialog in the window and even with the mystery windows popping up, I was able to eventually make it to the game. If you try to play the game without a data connection, you will get a similar window but with a warning that a data connection is required. Our best guess is these mystery windows are the result of the server driving the game experiencing technical difficulties.

While the RJS! gaming experience was enjoyable, I think the biggest hurdle RJS! will have is the lack of a trial version. I feel RJS! is an entertaining game for Windows Phone 8 but not everyone will share this view. RJS! would be more attractive if it had a trial version that would let you play the game for a few times before requiring a purchase to continue.

RJS! does have a casual feel to its game play but challenging enough to keep you interested. It’s an appealing gaming title for Windows Phone 8 and a fun way to pass the time with.

Again, the Windows Phone 8 game lacks a trial version and is currently running $1.49. You can find RJS! here in the Windows Phone Store. RJS! is not available for low-memory devices such as the Nokia Lumia 520.

Additionally, if you prefer to play on a larger screen Run, Jump, Smash! is available for Windows 8. The Windows 8 version is also running $1.49 (no trial either) and you can find Run, Jump, Smash! here in the Windows Store.

As Windows Phone gamers either enjoy or wait patiently for Rayman Fiesta Run (which briefly launched worldwide yesterday only to be quickly pulled), they’re bound to crave even more Rayman. Well, if you have an Xbox One you’re in luck! The improved for next-gen Rayman Legends has just launched on Xbox One at the affordable price of $39.99. It has been available on Xbox 360 since September last year.

Hungry for more console releases? Capcom and Double Helix’s reboot of Strider debuts today as a downloadable title for Xbox One and 360. And Xbox 360 gamers can pick up Earth Defense Force: 2025 from D3 Publisher and Sandlot today in the US and Friday in Europe. Head past the break for a quick rundown of why you should be excited for these games!

Rayman Legends

Rayman Origins was a sleeper hit when it appeared on consoles back in 2011. It brought classic limbless platforming hero Rayman back into the light with a mixture of breathtakingly beautiful 2D worlds, challenging level design, and delightful 4-player local co-op.

Now Xbox One gamers can enjoy the sequel: Rayman Legends. Everything we loved about Rayman Origins (and the popular mobile version Rayman Jungle Run) returns in Legends. Rayman’s world is more beautiful than ever on Xbox One, running at native 1080P. Rayman and his friends can run, jump, and punch together through more than 60 all-new levels. New epic boss fights cap off each world. The Xbox One version also features two new playable characters and faster load times.

If you’re aching for a local multiplayer game on Xbox One (and something to play with that extra Titanfall controller that comes out next month), look no further than Rayman Legends.

• Rayman Legends – Xbox One – 4.3 GB - $39.99 – Amazon Link– Xbox.com Link

Earth Defense Force: 2025

Would you believe me if I told you this is my most anticipated game of the year? I’m writing from San Francisco, and I can’t wait to get home in a few days and play my preordered copy.

Earth Defense Force is a niche series of third-person shooters that started life on Playstation 2. The game most of us are probably familiar with is EDF: Insect Armageddon, which is a shame. That entry came from a different developer and lacked the series’ magic. EDF: 2025 brings it back, in a big way.

Put simply, EDF: 2025 is a game in which players run around cities and other environments, blasting away at huge hordes of equally huge alien insects, robots, and UFOs. Almost every building can be destroyed and there’s no penalty for leveling the city, so you might as well do it while killing literally hundreds or thousands of enemies per mission.

EDF: 2025 also has a highly addictive mission structure and grinding system. All 85 missions of campaign can be replayed on five different difficulties, and you’ll find different weapons on each difficulty. With over 700 weapons to find (plus lots of health upgrades) spread across four highly distinct character classes, this game will keep you busy pretty much forever. It also supports 2-player split-screen and 4-player online co-op.

• Earth Defense Force: 2025– Xbox 360 – 4.82 GB – Amazon Link– Xbox.com Link

Strider

Strider started life as a 16-bit arcade game. He eventually appeared in a much-changed NES game and an official sequel for the original Playstation. Capcom fans will also recognize him from the Marvel vs. Capcom games, in which he appears as a playable character.

Now Strider is back after all these years in a retelling of the original arcade game that mixes in elements from the NES version for good measure. Take on the role of Strider Hiryu as he hacks, slashes, runs, and jumps across a futuristic Russian city on his way to defeat the evil Grandmaster.

This new Strider mixes the sword-slashing action of the original game with the exploration you’d find in modern games like Shadow Complex and the Castlevania series. Strider still has his distinctive Cypher sword, but now his sword can take on new forms for different situations. Fans of the original games needn’t worry about this entry’s lack of cred – it features remixed musical themes from both the arcade and NES games.

• Strider – Xbox One – 3.09 GB – $14.99 – Xbox.com Link
• Strider – Xbox 360 – 1.48 GB – $14.99 – Xbox.com Link

We’re still pumped for this week’s new Xbox One releases (Rayman Legends and Strider), but that doesn’t mean more Xbox game news isn’t welcome. Always look to the future, right?

That future will be brighter in May. Bethesda has officially announced that Wolfenstein: The New Order will debut on Xbox One, 360, and other consoles on May 20 in North America and May 23 in Europe. As if the impending return of Wolfenstein wasn’t news enough, preorders of The New Order (for Xbox One, 360, and other platforms) will also include beta access to the new Doom!

Wolfenstein: The New Order

The New Order is an all-new entry in the long-running Wolfsentein series of first-person shooters. This one takes place in an alternate 1960s timeline in which the Nazis won World War II using mysterious advanced technology. This game is an entirely single-player, story-based affair – refreshing in today’s multiplayer-focused FPS world.

I played The New Order at E3 and came away impressed. Check out my impressions if you’re interested.

Doom Beta Details

Doom is the current title of Doom 4, the latest game in id Software’s venerable first-person shooter series. We don’t know much about the new Doom yet, although the title implies it will be a reboot. Doom 3 was already a remake of the first Doom game, so the series is no stranger to starting fresh.

Codes to join the Doom beta will be included on an insert inside preorder copies of Wolfenstein: The New Order. That distribution system is similar to the “Day One Editions” Microsoft produced for several Xbox One launch titles. If you didn’t preorder, you were unlikely to find a Day One Edition in stores.

Players will redeem the Doom beta code from the beta website. Once the beta goes live, they will then receive instructions for downloading it via email. Actual platform specifics of the beta – such as which consoles will have access to it – have not been revealed, nor has the timeline for it. Doom still has no solid release date, so the publisher has plenty of time to announce those things down the line.

More details at Wolfenstein.com/doom.

More from Bethesda

Wolfenstein (and presumably Doom) aren’t the only games Bethesda has in the works for Xbox One. The Elder Scrolls Onlinewill launch on Microsoft’s next-gen console in June, shortly after the PC version’s April 4th release. The Elder Scrolls Online will also be available in an Imperial Edition that includes a statue, book, and special in-game content for $99.99.

Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami’s new horror game The Evil Within (pictured above) has just received a release date as well. It will come to Xbox One and 360 on August 26 in America and August 29 in Europe. The Evil Within stars a cop who becomes trapped in a nightmarish and otherworldly asylum. With a focus on true horror, it will likely be the scariest game the Xbox One sees for a long while. We’ll have more to say about The Evil Within in the months to come.

Last year, Windows Phone Central broke the news that Artifex Mundi would be bringing a puzzle platformer called Deadlings to Windows Phone and Windows 8. Artifex Mundi is most well-known for its hidden object puzzle adventure games like the Nightmares from the Deep series, making Deadlings something of a departure for the Polish publisher.

We revealed a total of three games in our interview with Artifex Mundi, including Enigmatis and Nightmares from the Deep: The Siren’s Call. Both of those games have come out on mobile Windows platforms, and now we can scratch the last game off the list as well. Deadlings has officially launched on Windows Phone and Windows 8 – before it heads to other platforms!

Death takes a holiday

Deadlings has a whimsical premise in which zombies have overrun the streets and gotten in everyone’s way. Death sees the problem as an opportunity to make some friends, so he pulls the undead minions off of the streets and puts them to work in his factory. There he aims to train them to be productive citizens instead of just complaining about games not having Xbox Achievements.

Death has a variety of Deadlings to command, with each type specializing in different actions. Bonesack can run and jump; Creep sticks to ceilings and sings Radiohead songs (maybe not the singing); Lazybrain moves slowly and carefully; and Stencher flies around by passing gas. Nasty, but that’s zombies for you.

Players will use their arsenal of Deadlings to solve over 100 puzzles. You’ll have to switch back and forth between the different undead dudes in order to complete the more complex levels. The more tasty brains your minions collect during a level, the better your rating. With so many puzzles and two different modes to play – strategy and arcade – you’ll have a tough time outliving the Deadlings.

As usual with Artifex Mundi's games, Deadlings is on sale for a special introductory price at launch. You might want to get it now before the price goes up.

• Deadlings– Windows Phone 8 – 70 MB – $1.99 – Store Link
• Deadlings– Windows 8 and RT – 169 MB – $1.99 – Store Link

Nokia has released the Windows Phone 8 game Modern Mayor to the Nokia Collection of the Windows Phone Store. Think of Sim City but with more of an ecological approach.

The story line has you leading a dying town riddled with pollution, trash piles everywhere and beaches that are covered in sludge and other debris. Your mission is to turn things around and build a thriving ecologically friendly town.

In just tinkering with Nokia’s Modern Mayor, the game comes across with a bit of appeal and should be an entertaining gaming title for our Lumia Windows Phone 8 devices.

Your first mission is to re-build your city’s town hall and from there you begin to collect taxes and start the re-building process city wide.

Nokia Modern Mayor lets you plan and re-build your town with tools to tear down the old and build up the new. You construct roads, apartments, office buildings, malls, restaurants and green spaces to help the local environment. The cleaner you build the town the greener the fields and bluer the ocean.

And with Nokia Modern Mayor, it isn’t just your town you are working to make better but in-app purchases go towards charities you select to help the real world a little better. Charities choices currently include the World Wildlife Fund and Oxfam.

Nokia Modern Mayor is a free game that is available for Lumia Windows Phone 8 devices. There are several in-app purchase opportunities with the proceeds going towards charities. You can find Nokia Modern Mayor here in the Nokia Collection of the Windows Phone Store.

The Official Tap The Frog Windows Phone game from Playfo has finally arrived in the Windows Phone Store. For those not familiar, late last year an unofficial version of Tap The Frog was released, then pulled due to copyright issues. Playfo shared with us that an official version of the popular iOS and Android game would be heading to the Windows Phone platform eventually.

While it took a while, the official version of Tap The Frog is now available for Windows Phone 8 and includes eleven mini-games that will challenge your reactions and skills of observation. Tap The Frog is a fun game to help you pass the time or when you need a longer gaming fix.

The mini-games all involve, as you would guess, frogs. The eleven mini-games include:

• Paint the Frog
• Jump the Frog
• Fly the Frog
• Pop the Frog
• Launch the Frog
• Feed the Frog
• Build with the Frog
• Treat the Frog
• Leap the Frog
• Drive the Frog
• Fight the Frog (two player game)

Each game will test your reflexes and observation skills with timed tests. For example with Paint the Frog are presented a group of frogs that are colored one of two colors. As you tap the individual frog, the color will change to the opposite color. You are tasked with tapping the frogs so they will all be one color. You have twenty seconds to unify the color for as many groups of frogs as possible.

The games are simple to pick up but challenging to master. Tap The Frog has nice, cartoonish graphics, fun game play and is well suited for extended gaming sessions or when you need a little help to pass the time. Here’s the iPhone Trailer for Tap The Frog. According to Playfo’s website, the original title for the game was Tap The Frog 2 and was eventually renamed to Tap The Frog.

There is a free trial version available for Tap The Frog, with the full version running $.99. The game does have a few in-app purchase opportunities for clocks that will extend your game timer. Tap The Frog is available for Windows Phone 8 and you can find it here in the Windows Phone Store.

Thanks, everyone, for the tip!

Looking for some new apps? But too busy to read every single post during the week? Then it’s time for another weekly roundup of the best new apps in the Windows Phone Store. We’ll take a look at what apps and games are new to the scene, which of our favorite apps picked up a worthy update and notify you of any open betas worth joining. Let’s get started.

New

Bing Health & Fitness–Looking to get fit for when the sun fully comes out? Then use Bing Health & Fitness to get that beach bod for summer. The app launched this past week and brings a ton of features to keep you healthy. You get great fitness news, health and nutrition content, health trackers, tools and more. You can even use it to record workouts. Be sure to grab Bing Health & Fitness in the Windows Phone Store.  (Free)

PressReader– Moving to a new city or country doesn’t mean you should lose access to your favorite papers from back home. PressReader is a new app for Windows Phone that allows you to browse and find newspapers from everywhere on planet Earth. You can view those newspaper in a traditional newspaper layout and pinch/zoom/scroll to read articles or you can jump into an article view for an easier reading experience. Pick up PressReader in the Windows Phone Store. (Free/In-app purchases)

Mobile World Congress 2014 –It’s time for Mobile World Congress. If you find yourself lucky enough to be physically in attendance then you’ll want to pick up this official MWC 2014 app from Nokia. Not only is it absolutely beautiful, but it’s super functional. You can use the app to view all exhibitors, speakers and agendas. View venue maps without an internet connection, personalize for favorite speakers, exhibitors and event list. Share and network using the app and NFC, and much much more. Pick it up in the Windows Phone Store. (Free)

Pin.it– We still lack an official Pinterest client on Windows Phone, but that’s ok, we have Pin.it. It’s a great app for Windows Phone that we just covered this past week. The design and layout are clean, plus you get most of the Pinterest functionality you’d want. Grab Pin.it in the Windows Phone Store. (Free)

Updated

MetroTube– We haven’t seen an update for MetroTube since last summer, but this week the app finally picked up an update. Head to the Windows Phone Store and you’ll see version 4.1.0 waiting for you. The update brings a new UI overhaul, playback bug fixes and other improvements. Update MetroTube in the Windows Phone Store. ($0.99/Trial)

Nokia Glance– If you’re rocking a Lumia handset with the ability to display Glance screens then you’re in luck. An update to the app this week introduces the ability to select between notifications, add custom text and more. Update Glance by going to the Windows Phone Store. (Free)

OneDrive–Technically not a new app, since OneDrive is just SkyDrive updated. Either way, it happened this week with not only a branding change, but new features added to the app on Windows Phone. In OneDrive you’ll now find a new thumbnail view, improved view for shared files, the ability to share multiple items at once, ability to pin folders to the Start screen and much more. Update to OneDrive in the Windows Phone Store. (Free)

Pandora– Not a big update for Pandora this week, but nonetheless one we should cover. This week Pandora was updated to introduce ads into the app. As you know, the app was ad-free for the past year, but that wasn’t meant to be permanent. Grab it in the Windows Phone Store. (Free)

Beta

Booklet– Not happy with the official Facebook app on Windows Phone? Then join the open beta for Booklet. It’s a new app that allows you to view and browse our Facebook feed in an innovative manner. Join the beta for free in the Windows Phone Store.

Games

Tap the Frog –Looking for a fun family game? Then check out Tap the Frog. It’s the perfect game for the kiddos. Download the free trial in the Windows Phone Store and if you like the game it’s only $0.99.

Modern Mayor– Nokia just released a new game this week. Head into the Windows Phone Store and you’ll find Modern Mayer, a new game that has you turning a trashy city into the world of tomorrow. Get it in the Windows Phone Store. (Free/In-app purchases)

Have any apps or games you really liked from the past week? Share them below!

Earlier this month we told you all about a new game exclusive to Windows Phone called Vicious Attack Llama Apocalypse: Alpha (but we’ll just call it VALA: Alpha). The game was created and launched by Matt Cavanagh, aka @RogueCode, from South Africa. He’s been around the Windows Phone scene a long time making his own apps and games, while also doing work for others like MyEdit. VALA: Alpha has only been out for two weeks, but it’s picked up over 50,000 downloads. In a new blog post he shares what’s next for the game.

First off, congrats to Matt on picking up over 50,000 downloads for VALA. The game has been well received by the Windows Phone community and we’re happy for the response so far. Right now the game is completely free (no ads, no in-app purchases) and will probably remain like that for quite some time. The game is still in open development and Matt has a lot more plans for VALA down the road. Some of which he shared. Here’s what you can look forward to in VALA soon:

• MOGA controller support
• Better Llama variations with individual personalities and abilities
• Various weapons
• Power-Ups (different from the ones generated by the towers)
• Badges/Achievements which lead to unlocks
• Tons more surprises

There have been two updates to VALA since it launched. One comes out in a few days and will focusing on addressing and improving performance on devices like the Lumia 520 and Lumia 620. We’re very stoked to see VALA continue to grow on Windows Phone.

Since the game was funded through AppCampus it will remain exclusive to Windows Phone for at least three months. After that we may see it on other platforms like Windows 8.

Want to give VALA: Alpha a try? It’s completely free and available in the Windows Phone Store.

Source: RogueCode Blog

There really is not much to the Windows Phone 8 game Pudgy Penguin. It’s a puzzle game of sorts where you have to make sure Pudgy is fed enough before the clock strikes zero.

Unfortunately, the fish randomly drop from the top of the screen and it is your job to guide them to Pudgy. It isn’t a complicated game but include the time constraints, the fast pace the fish drop and a few obstacles to direct the fish around and Pudgy Penguin becomes a challenging, casual game for Windows Phone 8.

Pudgy Penguin’s main menu has three options. You can jump into game play, like the game on Facebook and visit the credits screen. Game play is spread out across multiple levels. The trial version has seven levels of play while the full version adds twenty-five more levels.

Pudgy Penguin Instructions and Game Screen

Game play calls on you to draw a line or series of lines on the screen to guide the fish dropping from the top of the screen so they can reach Pudgy. Across the top of the game screen you will find the game timer and the number of fish you need to feed Pudgy for that level. The game does have a puzzle feel to it but there isn't one solution to get you through a level. Each level can be solved several ways, as long as your lines get the fish to Pudgy before time runs out.

The first few levels are rather easy, only requiring one or two lines to direct the fish to Pudgy. Some levels you can get away with just drawing an angle to guide the fish to Pudgy while others you will have to create a series of lines to get the job done. As you progress through the levels, they become more challenging with obstacles that you have to guide the fish around and bouncy squares that will give your fish a little momentum.

Pudgy Penguin Game Play

If you draw a line in the wrong spot or extend it too far, an undo button sits in the upper right corner of the game screen to back things up. Just remember that you are playing against a clock and it may take several attempts to get everything drawn up just right.

Graphics are nice but on the basic side (not a bad thing). Game play is challenging and the pace of the game can get the best of you at times. Overall, Pudgy Penguin is a fun game for Windows Phone 8. It’s only downside may be that the game only has thirty-two levels.

There is a trial version available for Pudgy Penguin with the full version running $1.49. You can find your copy of Pudgy Penguin here in the Windows Phone Store.