SongArc has long been one of our favorite games for Windows Phone, let alone our favorite music game, and now they're giving loyal players like yourself to help shape the game's future by joining in on a beta for the next version. The next verison of SongArc is promised to be "the biggest update ever". Version 2.0 of SongArc, a substantial update on its own, landed in December, so we're really looking forward to whatever developer András Velvárt is cooking up for this next update.

A feature of the next version of SongArc was teased this morning through their Twitter account, showing a new Collection choice that will show "all the sheets you ever purchased" in the game. That's just one of what we imagine are several new features that beta testers will help to, well, test.

Those interested in joining the beta test program should fill out this survey on OneDrive so that they can be enrolled. There's no indication of when the beta testing program will begin or how long it will last, but we're looking forward to whatever is being cooked up for the next version.

Of course, if you can't wait you can always check out the current version 2.0 of SongArc in the Windows Phone Store.

Source: @SongArcGame; Via: The Snoozing Robot; Thanks to Romer R. for the tip!

Windows Phone Central Game Roundup: Car Racing Games

While there are plenty of games in the Windows Phone Store, racing games can be some of the more enjoyable genres available. Some are so intense you can feel the g-forces pulling at you as you take on a sharp curve or get sideswiped by a competitor.

This week’s Windows Phone Central roundup focuses on the top racing games that places you behind the wheel of a car. These games have you taking on drag strips, road courses and dirt tracks. They are great gaming titles to choose from for those times you have a little time to kill but strong enough if you want to pursue a racing career.

Paper Racer (trial/$1.99)

Paper Racer is an entertaining race game on the small scale. Racing is done from overhead and you have the ability to create your own race car (in a manner of speaking).

The game has sixteen race courses, an online leader board and three gaming modes that includes an online multiplayer race. Graphics are nicely done with doodle flair. The only drawback, which is typical of many of our Windows Phone racing games, is that the controls take a bit of time to get used to. The courses are open style (very few walls) so do not be surprised if you drift off the course while attempting a turn and find yourself in no-man’s land.

Along with the multiplayer games, Paper Racer has a career mode where you compete against a full field of racers to unlock the sixteen race courses. You also have a time trial game that is basically a quick race where you race against the clock to improve your position on the Global leaderboard.

Creating a car is a unique touch where you can doodle your own car, photograph it with your Windows Phone and import the drawing into the game.

Now to the controls, from the main menu Paper Racer has two styles of controls. The default control layout has a gas/brake pedals in the lower right corner and steering arrows in the lower left corner. The other two options will create a joystick that controls both acceleration and steering that can be positioned in the left or right corner. The joystick is the more challenging of the two control methods.

Paper Racer is not just a friendly day at the racetrack. You can cut off your opponents, crash into your opponents sending them off the track and collide with objects sending them into your opponents.

While Paper Racer takes a little time on the track to get a feel for your car, it is an entertaining and challenging option for your Windows Phone 8 device (including the low memory devices).

There is a free trial version available for Paper Racer while the full version is currently running $1.99. You can find Paper Racer here in the Windows Phone Store.

Asphalt 8: Airborne (free)

Asphalt 8: Airborne is a staple title when discussing the top Windows Phone racing games simply because it is such a good game. Graphics are top notch, controls are responsive to the touch, game play challenging enough to keep things from growing stale and there is plenty of gaming with the career and multiplayer modes.

All of the Asphalt series of racing games are nicely done but there is something about Asphalt 8 that hooks you. The slow motion impacts look cool, you find yourself leaning into the curves and when you hit the turbo boosts don’t be surprised if you lean back in your chair out of reflex.

The racing controls are simple and straightforward. Acceleration is automatic or manual and you can steer with on-screen controls or use your Windows Phone tilt sensors (recommended). I prefer the automatic acceleration to allow you to concentrate on the road and stunt ramps better. Oh, you also have a turbo boost available to give your car a little more “get-up and go”.

As you complete races, you will earn winnings that can be used in the garage to upgrade your car or buy new cars. While Asphalt 8: Airborne is a free game for Windows Phone 8, there is plenty of in-app purchase opportunities for credit packs and car packs.

All totaled, if you are looking for an exciting racing game there is no reason not to try Asphalt 8: Airborne. It is available for Windows Phone 8 and you can pick up your copy of Asphalt 8: Airborne here in the Windows Phone Store.

While the Windows Phone gaming experience is very good with Asphalt 8, there is a Windows 8 version (free) available here in the Windows Store that is a real joy to play on a tablet. I just wish your gaming progress was shared between devices.

Uber Racer (trial/$1.29)

Uber Racer has enjoyed decent success over on iOS and has recently joined the Windows Phone 8 lineup. This racing game is a little more grungy than the others with almost a Mad Max feel to things.

The storyline has you playing in world where humanity is running low on natural resources where you race to get the last drops of oil. Uber Racer has four races modes along with a career mode, all of which will keep you busy for some time. The ten racing environments have detailed graphics that matches the apocalyptic mood of the game rather nicely.

When you launch Uber Racer, you will be greeted with a 3D menu with options to access the game’s settings, launch your career, visit the garage and play a quick race. There are four quick racing modes that include a time trial, elimination, one vs. one and race.

As you complete races, you’ll earn funds that can be used to buy new cars or upgrade your existing racer. There are fifteen cars available that range from buggies to dirt track racers to trucks.

Game play is about as simple as it can get. Touch the screen anywhere to accelerate and you can choose between tilt steering or touch steering (left side turns left, right side turns right). You do have a brake pedal but you will rarely use it. Personally, I think the tilt steering is the best.

Courses often have multiple paths to follow and there is a slight demolition derby feel to the race. If an opponent looks like they are going to pass you, side swipe them and knock ‘em off course.

Uber Racer is a well drawn up Windows Phone 8 game that has plenty of challenges to conquer. There is a free trial version available with the full version of Uber Racer running $1.29. The game is available for Windows Phone 8 (showing available on my Lumia 520 as well) and you can pick up your copy of Uber Racer here in the Windows Phone Store.

Additionally, there is a Windows 8 version that goes by the handle Uber Racer-Sandstorm. This version of the game lacks a trial version with the full version running $1.29. You can find Uber Racer-Sandstorm here in the Windows Store.

Hot Rod Racers (free)

If the round track is not your cup of tea and you prefer the straight tracks, Hot Rod Racers is a Windows Phone 8 game well worth trying. You compete against other street racers and earn coins to upgrade and customize your cars to keep the competition in your rear view mirror.

Game play spans thirteen episodes with head to head racing challenges as well as time trials, obstacle courses and more. You play viewing your race car from behind and are tasked with shifting gears at the right moment to maintain your acceleration.

The added bonus to Hot Rod Racers is that you can control your left/right steering to cut off an opponent as they try to pass you or bump them in the rear to cause them to spin out. Just be careful because your opponent can do the same to you.

Hot Rod Racers is a free game, available for Windows Phone 8 devices (that includes the low-memory devices). You can pick up your copy of Hot Rod Racers here in the Windows Phone Store.

Feeling a need for speed?

So which one of these racing titles fills the need for speed the best? While I like the graphics with Paper Racer, the controls tend to hold this game back for me. Try as I may, I could never get a handle on steering the little paper race cars without crashing into something.

Hot Rod Racers is simply a fun game to play. Graphics are outstanding, controls simple and you have the added bonus of side swiping or cutting off your opponent as they try to pass you. Uber Racer is another well drawn up racing game but with more of a grunge or dirt track feel to it. It does take a little time to get used to the steering but it is a strong contender.

For me, the strongest choice for those looking for a quality racing game is Asphalt 8: Airborne. The graphic quality is outstanding, the game controls nice and responsive and the stunts you can pull while traveling way too fast will keep you at the edge of your chair. My only wish is that your progress would carry over to the Windows 8 version.

Asides from these four quality gaming choices, here is a small collection of racing games that are also worth consideration.

• Angry Birds Go! (free): While not your traditional racing game, Angry Birds Go! is a fun game to pass the time with. You may not be racing hot rods but the go-karts the birds and pigs race do the job rather nicely. The only downside is that some of the in-app purchase opportunities may make your jaw drop.(Store Link)
• Drag Racing (free): While Hot Rod Racers has you drag racing cars from a ‘behind the car’ view; Drag Racing approaches things from a side view. Add the ability to fine-tune your car’s engine performance and competition that will keep you on your toes and Drag Racing is a fun game for Windows Phone 8. (Store Link)
• 3D Brutal Chase (free): Race through the streets as a law enforcement officer in pursuit of the bad guy. (Store Link)
• Traffic Racer ($.99): Traffic Racer is an endless racing game that calls upon you to race through highway traffic, earn cash, upgrade your cars and buy new ones. Graphics are well presented and while not your typical street racing game, it’ll do just nicely. (Store Link)

I know we have probably missed one or two popular Windows Phone racing games this week. There is nothing nefarious about it, just so many quality titles it is hard to keep track of them all. If we have overlooked your favorite racing title, feel free to toss out your recommendation in the comments below.

Just this morning we listed Asphalt 8: Airborne as one of Windows Phone’s top racing games. Well, it just got better as today Gameloft has launched a major update for Asphalt 8 on both Windows Phone and Windows 8 and RT.

The new update adds a brand new location with six track variations, new racing events, lots of new sports cars, and music from bands who unfortunately aren’t Bad Religion or The Offspring. And remember, Asphalt 8 has been free to play on Windows platforms since January, so nobody needs to miss out on the arcade-style racing action. Head past the break for full details!

Asphalt 8 Year of the Horse update details

• We're celebrating the Year of the Horse by adding some horsepower to the game with a whole new Asian-inspired racing location! Discover the Great Wall with your McLaren P1, Ferrari Testarossa or any of the other new dream cars!
• Explore the Far East: Race through the gorgeous new Asian-inspired location, the Great Wall, which will provide 6 new tracks like you've never seen before -- but don’t get distracted by the beauty of the scenery or you might fall off the edge.
• New cars coming: Stay tuned as we'll regularly release amazing new cars, including the unique 2014 McLaren P1, along with the iconic Ferrari Testarossa, and the powerful Dodge Challenger! More of a cross-country racing fan? The mighty 2014 Ford F-150 is there for you too!
• Immersion at its finest: Get hyped for the ride of your life with a new soundtrack and way more to discover! New songs come from The Crystal Method, Band of Skulls, and Silversun pickups.
• Overall bug fixes and optimizations.
• Multiplayer matchmaking improvements.
• Leaderboard changes: inactive players drop off the global leaderboard after two weeks.

Neck and neck

Today’s update brings the Windows versions of Asphalt 8 totally in line with the Android version of the game. The iOS version, however retains one exclusive feature that didn’t make the cut on Windows platforms or Android:

• Twitch integration: Connect with the Asphalt community on Twitch.tv to broadcast your gameplay online, share your biggest stunts, or take a look at your rivals’ skills. Think you’re the best driver? Prove it with Twitch!

Twitch streaming relies on SDK support from Twitch.tv itself, so we shouldn’t expect to see it in Windows Phone and Windows 8 games until Twitch adds SDK support to our platforms of choice.

Asphalt 8 is an intense and beautiful racer, though of course the change to free to play also brought a bump in difficulty. Get it now and start earning those new cars! Remember, Windows Phone games need up to four times more free space than the game’s download size in order to install. Good thing the Windows Phone 8.1 developer preview added SD card support!

• Asphalt 8 – Windows Phone 8 – 946 MB – Free – Store Link
• Asphalt 8 – Windows 8 and RT – 1.5 GB – Free – Store Link

Thanks to Taras Buria for the tip!

It's a busy Friday in the world of Microsoft. We've just covered the finalization of Microsoft's acquisition of Nokia, but developers have also been busy pushing out updates to the Windows Phone Store. Today we'll be checking out what's new in Pepper, WeChat, among other apps.

Pepper

Pepper is a sweet app for music fans, available on both Windows Phone and Windows 8. The app for the mobile platform has just been bumped to version 1.7.8, introducing some new features to take advantage of Windows Phone 8.1, as well as some other bits and pieces.

Here's the full change log:

• Support for transparent tile in wp8.1 - Settings -> Device -> Tile
• Support for the UK app challenge.
• Support for links to instagram, pinterest, tumblr and bandcamp have been added to artist, venue and promoter profiles.

As well as the above list, there are also a handful of bug fixes included, mainly covering database synchronization and optimizing some features. Currently, Pepper supports the UK and the US.

• Download Pepper (3MB – free)

WeChat

WeChat is a popular communication and social networking app available for both Windows Phone 7 and 8. The service is generally seen to be more popular in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Southeast Asia and India, though boasts over 300 million users spread around the globe. Today, the Windows Phone app has been updated with some changes.

Here's what is new in version 5.1.3:

• Specify your exact location while sharing location data
• Be notified when you're mentioned in a group chat
• Save video message to your device

We recommend you check out WeChat if you're looking for a new messaging service to use.

• Download WeChat (25MB – free)

eBay

Wait, eBay has been updated again? That's right, folks. We covered a rather large bump to the official Windows Phone app only yesterday, but already we've seen a minor release be published to the store just hours later.

Here's what is new in version 1.21.0.0:

• Improved notifications
• Fixed a problem with special characters in passwords
• Other bug fixes

We'd strongly urge everyone to update if you haven't set everything up to auto-download.

• Download eBay (2MB – free)

Odds and ends

It's not just the major updates we cover in these roundups. Be sure to check out the following minor releases:

• 6sec (2.0.1.0)
• Baconit (3.0.0.215)
• Clock Hub (1.2.0.22)
• OneShot (4.0.1.0)
• Poki (1.1.5.0)

Head on over to our forum to share what updates you've discovered.

WMW? XYY is the latest installment to the Where’s My Water? series of Windows Phone games from Disney Mobile. It features the Chinese TV cartoon character XYY who is on a medieval adventure through China. Game play has you solving puzzles to help XYY find his way through an underground city and save his friends.

The game also features the Big Bad Wolf, who has his own series of puzzles to solve. Where previous installments of the Where’s My Water series involved physic based puzzles featuring water mechanics, WMW? XYY adds oil and fire mechanics to the mix. While WMW? XYY is an appealing gaming title with nice graphics and mildly challenging puzzles, the game may come across as too easy for some.

WMW? XYY Layout

The game layout for WMW? XYY isn’t much different from the other Where’s My Water? games. The opening screen has options to start the game, access WMW? XYY’s settings and visit the game’s store for in-app purchases for coins that can be used to buy power-ups during game play. Settings cover sound effects/music levels and language selection.

WMW? XYY has two gaming options. You can help XYY navigate his way through underground tunnels or help the Big Bad Wolf capture the sheep. WMW? XYY has over eighty levels of physic-based puzzles between the two gaming options.

Game Play

Game play calls on you to tunnel paths for various substances to reach either XYY or the Big Bad Wolf. XYY relies on water to extinguish fire walls that block his path through the underground. The Big Bad Wolf needs oil to power his underground tunnel-drilling machine.

Along with the oil and water you need to supply the game’s main characters, you will also have to deal with a fire element and vines. Water will cause the vines to grow while fire will burn it away and oil turns it solid. Fire streams that block your paths can be pushed back by water or you can extend the fires reach with the oil.

You dig your paths by tracing your finger across the screen. Where you drag your finger, a path will be dug.

The gaming screen layout has your character positioned somewhere on the screen with various pipes, gates and obstacles you will need to navigate around. At the top of the gaming screen you will find a series of buttons to the top right of the screen. The buttons include:

• Game Hint Button: If you get stuck and need a push in the right direction, you can use the coins you earn by completing the puzzles to buy hints. Hints appear as colored lines showing you where to dig a tunnel.
• Power-up Button: Here’s where you can buy one of three power-ups to help you survive the puzzle. Each character has their own set of power-ups that range from a vacuum power-up to help guide your oil to an absorber to soak up the fire.
• Reset Button
• Pause Button

As you guide your water and oil through the puzzle, you have the opportunity to collect bells and lanterns by running your oil and water across them. The more bells and lanterns you collect, the better your score for the puzzle. There are also bonus items that are scattered throughout the game that you can unearth.

There is one unique feature of the Big Bad Wolf puzzles in that you have a trigger (yellow glowing lamp) that when hit with oil, reverses gravity. You will need to time this trigger just right to send the oil in the right direction. This feature helps add to the challenge of the game.

Overall Impression

For the most part the Where’s My Water? series of games are entertaining, nicely presented Windows Phone games. They are challenging, un-complicated games that are nice choices when you have a few minutes to pass.

While WMW? XYY doesn’t fall far from the tree, I found the gaming levels to be a little on the easy side (and by no means am I a puzzle solving prodigy). The puzzles did become more challenging the further you progressed in the game, but the levels didn’t seem to become very difficult to solve. WMW? XYY isn’t a boring game and does have some entertainment value, but it may be better suited for your Windows Phone Kid’s Corner than your main gaming library.

While the game isn’t as challenging as the other Where’s My Water? games, the biggest drawback to WMW? XYY is the lack of a trial version. The full version is currently running $.99 and while not too expensive, a trial version would have been nice get a taste of things.

WMW? XYY is available for Windows Phone 8 devices and you can find WMW? XYY here in the Windows Phone Store.

It may sound clich'e but kids are vital to our future and thus we need to utilize modern technology to ensure they're ready for education. This is where Windows Phone can come into play with multiple learning apps and games available on the store for download. It's not always just about learning new skills and preparing for school, kids also need forms of entertainment.

We've compiled a short list of apps we believe are worth checking out should you have children and the best part about this collection is no single choice is the best. Try to choose a number of apps and games to help provide variety and see which one(s) your toddler takes to.

Pre School Essentials

While there are numerous skills toddlers need to master as they grow, Pre School Essentials really nails these on the head with content specifically tailored to the early learning of children. To help provide your child a head start in life, the app sports interactive experiences that covers the following:

• ABC Letters and Phonetics
• Numbers and Counting
• Colors
• Shape puzzles
• Tracing

It's worth noting that while the app itself is listed for "free", you're required to purchase games you wish your toddler to enjoy. It's a small issue we'll overlook as this is a highly rated Windows Phone title.

• Pre School Essentials (21MB – free)

Toddler Counting

Toddler Counting does exactly what it says in the title. It's an interesting app that aids a child's learning through a motherly voice. It's perfect should you wish to set your toddler on the correct path to learn to read and write. Utilizing the touch screen, kids can learn to write on-screen and enjoy the overall experience.

There's also the option to learn to count, working out just how many objects are displayed on-screen and more. The only issue with the app is the number of advertisements included. This can lead to the child being distracted by what's displayed alongside the learning material.

• Toddler Counting (2MB – free)

Kids Play & Learn

Now this is an interesting option for toddlers. Kids Play & Learn keeps things thresh with new colorful, yet educational, games added regularly for kids aged between 2 and 10. Toddlers learn about different colors, shapes and more advanced topics like counting, opposites, numbers, sounds and even simple math.

There are even concentration tests with jigsaw puzzles covering various difficulties. There are 8 categories, 55 games and 877 levels in total. Not a bad collection. The developer urges parents to get in touch with new game ideas, so don't hesitate to utilize the provided email address to help add new resources for others to enjoy.

• Kids Play & Learn (17MB – free)

ABC Letters and Phonics for Pre School Kids

This is a simple app which is also available for both iOS and Android (and reports over 1 million downloads cross-platform). Five skills are covered in ABC Letters and Phonics, including:

• ABC Letters and Phonetics
• Numbers and Counting
• Colors
• Shape puzzles
• Tracing

These games encourage active participation, early problem solving and vocabulary growth, whilst being fun. Just like Pre School Essentials above, which also has one free activity, additional activities can be purchased within the app.

• ABC Letters and Phonics for Pre School Kids (20MB – free)

Phonics

The official Ladybird solution for kids is available on Windows Phone too. Phonics brings 12 motivating levels for kids to play through, perfect for supporting their synthetic phonics learning at school. Parents can even choose to unlock levels at any time. It's an entertaining app for all toddlers to enjoy.

To help make it as perfect as possible, Phonics has been tested in schools with children who are currently being taught Phonics in both Reception and Year 1 (UK). Playing through levels will see kids learn, blend, segment and practice the 44 sounds of the English language. Completing each activity will earn a star.

Ladybird's I'm Ready for Phonics is a solid way to support your child's phonics learning in a comprehensive and user-friendly way, without worrying that you are deviating from work done in school.

• Phonics (67MB – $3.99)

'Tim the Fox

Tim the Fox helps children learn how to dress for weather, distinguish between edible and non-edible foods, count to ten and construct some awesome puzzles. Tim the Fox will help kids with the following:

• Memory training
• Logic training
• Counting skills
• Bright and funny graphics
• Fascinating and useful playtime

There are multiple mini-games available, tasking toddlers with dressing the fox, feeding the fox and even gather and counting harvested fruit.

• Tim the Fox (26MB – $1.99)

Playtime

If your toddler is a fan of CBeebies, the Playtime app for Windows Phone is a superb choice with all the channel's favourites and games for kids, including Andy's Dinosaur Adventure. There's a focus on creating an entertaining experience for young ones with upcoming updates planned in the pipeline.

Kids who enjoy content offered will develop reading and writing skills, listening, observation, movement development, creative skills and knowledge about the world around them as well as having fun and developing confidence for all children, including those with special needs with Mr Tumble and his friends.

• Playtime (177MB – free)

So there are some of our picks from the Windows Phone Store, but what about apps and games you've come across as parents? Let us know some of the apps you have installed for your kids in the comments below.

Not too many major apps launch on the weekends, which is why we take the opportunity to go over the new apps that launched this past week. It’s the perfect chance to make sure you don’t miss out on any cool new Windows Phone apps. This week’s app highlights has us looking at various new wares from the Windows Phone Store like Project Tripod, Divvy for YNAB, Microsoft Remote Desktop Preview and more!

New

Project Tripod– This is a clever new app from the AppCampus program that promises to showcase the changes between photos over time. Project Tripod is a new app that’s exclusive to Windows Phone. With the app you’re able to create perfectly align photos of the same object at different points in time. You can then create timelapses and more with the app. Download Project Tripod from the Windows Phone Store. (Free/Subscription)

Microsoft Remote Desktop Preview– It only took a few years, but Microsoft has finally released a Remote Desktop app for Windows Phone. With Microsoft Remote Desktop Preview and Windows Phone 8.1 you’ll be able to control and tap into any PC you want. Download Microsoft Remote Desktop Preview from the Windows Phone Store. (Free)

Diagnostics– Looking to make Windows Phone even better? Send Microsoft detailed diagnostics using the official Diagnostics app for Windows Phone 8.1. The app will allow you to create detailed diagnostics for any errors or bugs you encounter. Download Diagnostics from the Windows Phone Store. (Free)

Divvy for YNAB– You need a budget, in fact everyone really needs a budget. While some of you business majors might get by fine with Excel, there are millions of folks who might need a little extra help. You Need a Budget (YNAB) is a desktop app for PC and Mac that has helped thousands get back on track with their finances. Divvy for YNAB is a beautiful new third-party app for Windows Phone that gives you read-only access to your finances and budgets! Download Divvy for YNAB from the Windows Phone Store. (Free/In-app purchases)

Youmigo– Here’s another app joining Windows Phone from the AppCampus program this week. The app is called Youmigo and it’s an international culture exchange that connects you with people all over the globe. Use Youmigo to find and connect with people anywhere on this planet. Download Youmigo from the Windows Phone Store. (Free)

TimeMe Tile– Folks on Windows Phone 8.1 are loving the transparent Live tiles and other new features. Want to pin a gigantic Live tile to your Start screen that tells you the time, date, weather and more? Then download TimeMe Tile from the Windows Phone Store. (Free)

Updated

OneDrive– This week OneDrive picked up a gigantic update. Version 1.4 of the app is now live in the Store and brings features like support for large screened phones, the ability to upload multiple photos at once, a new immersive view for viewing photos and much more! Download OneDrive from the Windows Phone Store. (Free)

eBay– It took eBay long enough, but they finally have updated their Windows Phone app. We were promised an update in January that was due to hit last month. Anyways, head to the Store and you’ll now find eBay at version 1.5.0.12. The update brings a complete redesign of the app with various new features. Download eBay from the Windows Phone Store. (Free)

Xbox Music– Rocking Windows Phone 8.1? Then you’ve probably been fairly disappointed with Xbox Music since upgrading and losing the music + video hub. The recent update to Xbox Music makes the transition a little better. Version 2.5.2842.0 of Xbox Music is sitting in the Store and promises general performance improvements, bug fixes, improved integration with Cortana and much more! Download Xbox Music from the Windows Phone Store. (Free)

Baconit– Your favorite Reddit client for Windows Phone picked up a major update this week. Baconit now sits at version 3.0 and brings a new start experience, UI tweaks, performance improvements and much more. Download Baconit from the Windows Phone Store. (Free)

Games

Rabbids Big Bang– While not a new app, Rabbids Big Bang is now available for free in the Windows Phone Store. The physics puzzle game is highly addictive and worth downloading! Grab it from the Windows Phone Store. (Free)

Have any favorite apps or games from this past week? Promote them below!

Splemy is a relatively new Windows Phone 8 game that is wonderfully animated, full of challenging levels and a fun game to pass the time with. The story line has you helping Splemy, an odd little character, journey through seventy-five levels of play to find his creator.

Along the way you'll have to navigate through, around and over mysterious caves, mushroom forests and an abandoned factory. Splemy's journey isn't a cake walk by any stretch with plenty of dangers to avoid.  Each level has goals for the number of moves, number of critters you collect and the time it takes you to go from start to finish. Splemy will test your aim with a slingshot, your skills at strategy and speed.

Splemy is an odd little game for Windows Phone 8 but in a good way.

Born from Primordial Soup

Splemy's main menu has options to jump into game play, access the game's settings and options to visit the developer's Facebook, Twitter or YouTube pages. Settings cover sound and music levels, a help section, and an about screen.

Game play is spread out across three chapters that hold seventy-five levels that are progressively unlocked. Prior to starting the first level, you'll need to view the cinematic intro (tap the screen to fast-forward through it) that reveals Splemy was created from primordial soup and must find his way to his creator.

Splemy reminds me of a dirty tennis ball and to navigate him through each level, you will slingshot him around. Just tap/hold on Splemy and pull back to aim and launch Splemy.

Each level has a set of goals that will be used to base your scoring off on and will be displayed on the left side of the gaming screen. These goals include:

• Number of moves to reach the finish line
• Number of little Splemies you need to collect
• The time limit to reach the finish line

You also have a blue Splemy looking creature you have to collect for bonus points.

Game Play

Game play with Splemy is simple, yet challenging. The first few levels are a little on the easy side to let you get used to gaming mechanics. As you shoot Splemy and hit the little Splemies (?) they latch on for the ride.

The yellow ooze can be used to stick Splemy to the side of walls you will need to scale or slow you down if you land in a puddle. You also have mushrooms that act as a trampoline to send Splemy upwards, fans to keep him airborne and portals to bounce Splemy from one area to another.

Dangers include spikey cave floors, floating spiked boulder type creatures, sharp crystal formations and more. If Splemy hits any of these dangers, you'll lose your collected little Splemies and eventually fail the level if you are hit too many times.

Once you reach the finish line, marked with a yellow flag and a bunch of little Splemies jumping up and down, your score will be generated and you will be able to advance to the next level. Levels are re-playable to let you improve your score.

Overall Impression

Splemy is a fun gaming option, well worth considering for your Windows Phone 8 device. Game play is simple to pick up but each level is challenging enough to give the game a little grit. That is, Splemy isn't too easy that you'll get bored. Graphics are well done from the dark caverns you have to navigate through to the facial expressions these little creatures have. All in all, Splemy is well worth trying.

There is a free trial version available for Splemy that lets you play the first eight levels. The full version of Splemy is currently running $1.99 and it is available for Windows Phone 8 devices. You can find Splemy here in the Windows Phone Store.

Lots of readers rely on Windows Phone Central to learn about new Windows Phone games, but how does our staff discover games to share with the folks at home? My favorite method is by checking the “Newly discovered games thread” in our forums. Dedicated readers like “John Lampard” and Mohamed Ashid post a never-ending stream of Store links for new games.

One of the games our forum boys recently shared actually surprised me quite a bit. Jelly Smash is a match-3 puzzle game from AceViral.com, makers of Angry Gran Run. At first glance, I pegged Jelly Smash as another Candy Crush Saga clone to throw on the pile. But the more I played this one, the more I realized how well it stands on its own. It also happens to be exclusive to Windows Phone and Windows 8 and RT, which adds a few extra cool points in my book.

Gran’s journey

Speaking of Angry Gran, the character pops up on Jelly Smash’s title screen, diving into a pile of candy… or jellies… or whatever. It’s cool to see her here, but she doesn’t seem to show up anywhere else in the game. If you’re going to bother splashing a character all over the title screen, you might as well stick her in the menus and other areas too. Just look at Frozen Free Fall. Games like this really benefit from a little personality.

Anyway, the concept of Jelly Smash is simple. Players progress through more than fifty unique levels, completing each level’s goal and trying to earn high star ratings. Jelly Smash outdoes the average mobile game by offering more than just three stars to earn. Levels in this game go to FOUR, Spinal Tap-style. Naturally you can connect to Facebook in order to compete against friends and family. Friends can also send lives to each other.

Smashing the candy in style

To start out with, the goal in Jelly Smash is just to reach a target score in a specific amount of moves. Fail to complete the goal and you lose a life. Naturally, lives are finite but slowly recharge over time.

What’s cool about Jelly Smash is how it gradually increases in complexity with each new level. Each of the early levels teaches a new mechanic that makes this more than just an average match-3 game. For instance: match four and you’ll get a glowing jelly that explodes horizontally or vertically when matched, taking out a whole line of pieces.

Make a t-shape of jellies and you get a special jelly that explodes diagonally, which really mixes things up. Or create a square out of four like-colored jellies to build a bomb that explodes radially. Finally, 5-in-a-row forms a rainbow jelly that destroys all jellies of one color.

The variety of special pieces you can make would be impressive enough, but the chain reactions make things even better. It’s not unusual to create huge cascades of jellies exploding in all directions. The chaos of combos looks so impressive; the developers should add an instant replay feature.

More mechanics

Jelly Smash doesn’t just rely on score goals to create a challenge. Levels often feature unique obstacles like snow and gates. Spaces with snow much have a match cleared within them before the snow will disappear. Since the number of moves you have per level is limited, it can take a little planning (or luck) to clear all the snow away.

Other levels have spaces containing red and green gates. You have to make matches next to a gate in order to unlock it. Successfully unlock all of the gates in a level and you switch to a completely different area within the level. It makes for a nicely varied experience.

In-App Purchases

Besides the obvious ability to buy extra lives when you run out, Jelly Smash also offers premium powers as in-app purchases. To start with, you can buy six extra moves within a stage for 99 cents. Eventually you’ll unlock the power to rewind time and take a move back; the ability to remove any one jelly on the board; and the power to swap any two jellies around.

I’m not crazy about premium powers and what they do to game balance. But they are pretty common in games like this. Players who don’t want to spend anything can either muscle through tough levels by retrying until they win, or walk away when the going gets too rough.

Overall Impression

Jelly Smash is one of the better match-3 games in the mobile Windows lineup. The clever mechanics and spectacular chain reactions it brings to the table definitely give it an edge. I do wish for a little more personality, and the music could be better. Still, the game is plenty of fun as-is.

It would be best for Microsoft and King.com to reach an agreement and bring Candy Crush Saga over before Candy Crush passes from memory. But until that happens, at least puzzle fans have several strong alternatives like this to keep them busy.

• Jelly Smash – Windows Phone 8 – 20 MB – Free – Store Link
• Jelly Smash – Windows 8 and RT – 19 MB – Free – Store Link

Turret Commander is a fast-paced air combat game for Windows Phone 8 that places you behind the turret gun of a B-17 Flying Fortress.

You are tasked, as one can imagine, with defending the B-17 from enemy aircraft intent on ending your flight early. Graphics are well done, game play challenging and with an endless gaming mode on top of over twenty mission flights, Turret Commander makes a nice first impression.

Game Layout

The main menu for Turret Commander is brief with options to access the game's settings, work your way through the various flight missions, play the endless game and view additional apps from the developer.

Settings cover your turret control options (touch or tilt), touch sensitivity, sound/music on or off, hide the enemy health levels, and changing your favorite girl photo.

The mission menu has your mission objective center screen along with an option to upgrade your weapons and ammunition with the cash you earn playing the game. Missions are progressively unlocked and typically have you shooting down a set number of enemy planes under time or taking out a particular type of aircraft.

The endless gaming mode is just that, endless game play. Prior to jumping into the action, you will have an opportunity to visit the armory and upgrade your weapons and ammo.

Game Play

Game play is simple, shoot down the enemy aircraft before they shoot you down. The game screen has your radar displayed in the upper left corner of the screen. Enemy planes attacking your position are red blips, planes pursuing you to attack are yellow blips.

At the top center you will find your enemy kill count and game timer (if applicable) with your weapons condition displayed in the upper right corner. You will need to pace your rate of fire or your machine gun will overheat and become inoperable while the weapon cools down. This cool down takes a few seconds but leaves you vulnerable to enemy attack.

Turret movement controls are done by touching the left lower quarter of the screen or by using your tilt sensors. If controlled by touch, you will need to swipe at this area to move your turret and line up your shots. Tilt controls are a little more responsive but both methods seemed a little sluggish. Fortunately, you can increase the sensitivity of the movement in the game's settings to add a little speed to things.

Fire control rests in the lower right quarter of the screen. Just tap this area to let loose with your twin guns. 

The other gaming controls present are a repair button on the left side of the screen to keep your Flying Fortress in the air and a missile launch button on the right.

With either the missions or endless game, the enemy planes come in fast and hot. You can take them out as they strafe your plane or as they fly away to prepare for another pass. Turret Commander does a rather nice job of simulating the combat action from needing to lead a moving target with your guns to the time it takes for your rounds to impact targets at a distance.

As you complete missions, a scoring summary will be generated noting your enemy kills, time to complete the mission, overall score, experience earned and coins earned. The coins can be used to upgrade your weapons and as you gain experience, you'll move up in rank.

Game play does have a semi-realistic feel to it. Granted B-17 turrets didn't launch missile but for those distance shots, it does take a few seconds for your rounds to reach the enemy. Even the turret movements feel somewhat authentic.

Overall Impression

Turret Commander is a fun air combat game for Windows Phone 8. Graphics are well done, game play challenging and with the two gaming modes Turret Commander won't go stale too quickly. The one down side to game play is a software bug.

Every now and then, when transitioning around the game programming code will appear on the left side of the screen. This will prevent you from access the gaming screens and will require a reboot of the game to get back on track.

There are also some buttons on the mission menu that appear to be for your achievements and change your favorite girl photo but they are non-responsive. These bugs aren't necessarily a deal killer but can be frustrating and hopefully an update to the game can solve them.

Overall, Turret Commander is an entertaining, nicely drawn up gaming option to consider if you are looking to shoot a few enemy planes out of the sky.

Turret Commander is a free, ad-supported game that is available for Windows Phone 8. You can find your copy of Turret Commander here in the Windows Phone Store.

Although Gameloft dropped some details on Modern Combat 5: Blackout back in June for Android and iOS, we've still not seen release of the game as of yet. Don't fret though, Gameloft is still working on things and have once again let it be known the game is well on its way to release and have now dropped the full title and story details behind the game.

Modern Combat 5: Blackout will once again take fans on an adventure across the globe, as the player engages in special counter-terrorism operations with the latest and most technologically advanced combat weaponry. The single-player campaign for MC5: Blackout consists of compact and dynamic missions that ratchet up the suspense of each action-packed moments. The development team wanted players to experience the story in a more intense and diverse way than ever before.

The story will indeed begin in Venice, Italy where Phoenix, the main character of the game, is sent on a special operation to secure a transport of WMDs from a particularly well-armed terrorist group. From there the plot will take gamers on a globe-trotting adventure, including a particularly harrowing sequence in Tokyo where Phoenix has to fight amidst total anarchy while trying to convince his allies to accept an uncomfortable secret. By the end, players will have experienced a range of visually-stunning settings, and thrilling action-packed combat sequences.

Sounds promising and from the previous videos, it looks pretty good. Needless to say though, we're at the mercy of Gameloft for a release date, pricing details and whether or not it will make its way to Windows Phone like Modern Combat 4 did but it sounds like we're getting closer.

The movie may be a few weeks old at this point, but we’re still happy to see Captain America: TWS come to Windows Phone. Gameloft has just released this new game for Windows Phone 8 and Windows Phone 8.1. Play as Captain America and lead a S.H.I.E.L.D. Strike Team that’ll save the world.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier came to theaters globally earlier this month, but today he’s coming to a Windows Phone near you. Here’s what you get with Captain America: TWS on Windows Phone:

INTENSE COMBAT ACTION WITH LOTS OF TACTICAL OPTIONS

• Lead your Strike Team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents
• Battle your way through various enemy types using force or guile
• Make clever use of your indestructible shield and skills as a Super-Soldier and an Avenger
• Call on The Avengers for support

100% MARVEL EXPERIENCE

• An absorbing original story co-written by Marvel Comics writer Christos Gage
• Face off against iconic villains such as King Cobra, Taskmaster, Puff Adder, the Winter Soldier and more
• Art and graphics inspired directly by the comics

PLAY WITH YOUR FRIENDS

• Asynchronous multiplayer: Join a Clan and battle rival players!
• Climb the league leaderboards
• Earn cool rewards in Limited-Time Events

MANAGE YOUR BASE AND GROW IN POWER

• Enhance your agents and weapons for optimal performance in the field
• Learn new fighting techniques to supercharge Cap’s attacks
• Unlock and upgrade Captain America’s suits
• Research skills and items that help you advance faster

We’ve spent a few minutes ‘playing’ with the game. So far it’s not looking too promising. You require an internet connection to play Captain America: TWS. That’s not in itself bad, but we’re getting some crashes early on. We might not be alone either, early reviews for the app in the Windows Phone Store show the game averaging two stars.

The game itself is pretty fun, we're hoping for a quick update to address the stability issues. Give the demo a try and let us know how it works out for you. 

Captain America: TWS will give you the first two levels free, but then you’ll need to pony up $0.99 to play more. It does work on 512 MB devices. Download it from the Windows Phone Store.

Thanks for the tip Lance_WPCentral!

Bowling Western is a relatively new Windows Phone 8 game that puts an old west twist to the sport of bowling. From the cactus in the background to the wooden bowling pins, one can only imagine that your bowling shoes are fitted with spurs.

Bowling Western has nice graphics, decent animations and has single and multiplayer gaming options. The Windows Phone 8 game could use a little fine-tuning but as is, Bowling Western makes a decent first impression.

The main menu for Bowling Western offers up options to jump into game play, view the online leaderboards, and view other games from the developer. You won't find any settings for Bowling Western to mute the sound/music or set the screen sensitivity. It would be nice if you could mute the sound/music but you always have your main Windows Phone volume to keep things quiet.

Game play supports single play or multiplayer games for up to four players in pass-n-play style. Prior to the game, you will need to enter your player initials and pick out your bowling ball. Bowling Western has fifteen ball styles that range from your traditional black bowling ball to a beach ball styled ball.

The game screen for Bowling Western has your score sheet running across the bottom of the screen and an ad-banner running across the top. You are positioned behind your bowling ball and can align your shot up by tapping/sliding the ball from side to side. To roll your ball, just slide up at the ball. It's not so much about the speed of the swipe but the smoothness. You can swipe at a slight curve to put a little action on your throw or simply rely on more straight approach.

Bowling Western's game play follows suit with your typical game of bowling. Camera angles will shift to show your ball's impact on the pins and a replay of your roll. You can skip all this by tapping the "skip" button at the bottom of the screen. I could not help but think it would have been better to just tap the screen to skip the animations.

Bowling Western is a decent Windows Phone bowling game but seemed a little lacking and could use a little fine-tuning. I liked the choices of bowling balls but the same bowling alley does get a little old after a few games. I wouldn't mind a similar set-up to Shuffle Party where you earn cash with your scores that can be used to unlock additional lane styles.

The fine-tuning mainly deals with getting rid of the "skip" button to advance through the animations and just tap the screen to do so and adjust the swipe sensitivity. While a slow and steady swipe is the best, I still had issues where the swipe wasn't registered or the ball went way left or right when the swipe was straight.

Overall, Bowling Western has potential but I wouldn't look to score a perfect 300 with the game. Bowling Western is a free, ad-supported game that is available for Windows Phone 8. You can find Bowling Western here in the Windows Phone Store. 

Yatzy is a popular dice game and while it’s most popular in the Scandinavian countries, the variants of the game are popular in various regions of the world.

Yatzy for Windows Phone is a fun and addictive game, and judging from the reviews on the Windows Phone Store, it’s obvious that the game is quite popular as well. Partnering with the awesome folks at myAppFree, the developer has made Yatzy free till tomorrow.

The game is pretty accommodating even if you don’t know much about the classic game. You start the journey as a Newbie, and advance to higher levels with little luck while using your skills. You can select from your favorite game configuration - Yatzy (Scandinavian - 5 dice), Maxi Yatzy (6 dice), and American Yatzy (5 dice).

The game allows you to play online against the best opponents from around the world and your buddies or in a bet mode taking risks to win more.  It also supports multi-tabling for up to four games at any given time. The game maintains a history of all past games and statistics and allows you to share your results on your social networks.

The online mode is quite engaging and you can search for your friends who are already playing Yatzy Ultimate and send them buddy requests. When you fire up the game, see who’s online from your buddy list and invite them to play with you.

Since the game otherwise goes for $0.99, it’s ad-free, however, you can grab it for free till tomorrow – that’s 12:00 noon on May 1 (UTC+1 London time). Download Yatzy for Windows Phone 7.x and Windows Phone 8 devices from the Windows Phone Store.

Whether you're playing alone, with friends on the same device taking turns, or taking on opponents online, Yatzy is an addictive game and with interesting graphics and sound effects, it’s a game I would recommend even if you were paying for it.

We’re back with the second installment of our new monthly feature, the best Windows Phone games of the month. Every month we’ll look at a collection of the newly released Windows Phone games that stand out from the crowd. The titles we choose will range in genre and production value. Anything goes as long as it’s fun, original (not using someone else’s IP without permission), and freshly launched.

Windows Phone didn’t see a single new Xbox release this month. The last one, Hexic, arrived in late March. But we did get an awesome arsenal of new games to play. Strategy fans got two strong games to play - King’s Bounty: Legions and Braveland. Casual gamers received their due with the hidden object adventure Enigmatis 2 and addictive puzzler Jelly Smash. And RPG/card game fans will be busy with Magic Realms for a long time.

Quick impressions and Store links after the break!

Jelly Smash

Since publisher King stubbornly refuses to release Candy Crush Saga on Windows Phone, puzzle fans have to make due with clones like AceViral’s Jelly Smash. Luckily it’s really good!

What’s cool about Jelly Smash is how it gradually increases in complexity with each new level. Each of the early levels teaches a new mechanic that makes this more than just an average match-3 game. For instance: match four and you’ll get a glowing jelly that explodes horizontally or vertically when matched, taking out a whole line of pieces.

Make a t-shape of jellies and you get a special jelly that explodes diagonally, which really mixes things up. Or create a square out of four like-colored jellies to build a bomb that explodes radially. Finally, 5-in-a-row forms a rainbow jelly that destroys all jellies of one color.

The first 35 levels of Jelly Smash are free, after which players can choose to make an in-app purchase to unlock the rest. If you like the game and want to support the developers,  pony up and get those extra levels.

• Jelly Smash – Windows Phone 8 – 20 MB – Free – Store Link
• Jelly Smash – Windows 8 and RT – 19 MB – Free – Store Link

Enigmatis 2: The Mists of Ravenwood

Artifex Mundi makes the best hidden object puzzle adventure (HOPA) games in the world, and they even release them first on Windows platforms. Enigmatis 2 is another fine HOPA title starring a detective on a quest to stop the evil preacher from the first game.

While investigating the mysterious Ravenwood Park, you’ll encounter numerous puzzles and 25 minigames. Some of the items our heroine finds get marked as evidence and added to the evidence table. Discover enough clues and you’ll be able to draw conclusions that advance the story.

As our heroine progresses through this tale of mystery, she’ll encounter 19 hidden object scenes. These scenes are more complex and involved than in many HOPA titles. You’ll have to interact with objects multiple times, combining and fiddling with them as you find new tools scattered throughout the scene. The addition of mild puzzle elements give these scenes a unique flavor.

Enigmatis 2 is free to download, but you can only go so far before you’re asked to purchase the full game. If you like the genre, it’s well worth the purchase.

• Enigmatis: The Mists of Ravenwood – Windows Phone 8 – 312 MB – $2.99 – Store Link
• Enigmatis: The Mists of Ravenwood – Windows 8 and RT – 692 MB – $4.99 – Store Link

Braveland

If you like strategy games but don’t feel the need to compete in player-versus-player combat, Braveland from Tortuga Team could be for you. Play as the survivor of a village raid who decides to form an army and take revenge on his attackers. You’ll move around on a map, meet new characters, and engage in a well-written story as you progress.

Just like King’s Bounty, battles take place on a hex-based grid. The main character doesn’t join in battles himself; he just directs the combat. Simply move your units within range of the enemies and tap them to attack. The battles move at a quick pace and look great thanks to the game’s cutesy RPG-inspired art style.

Another plus for fans of old-school strategy: Braveland is a paid game. Just buy it once and work your way through the lengthy campaign without fear of excessive in-app purchases.

• Braveland – Windows Phone 8 – 174 MB – $2.99 – Store Link

King’s Bounty: Legions

King’s Bounty: Legions is the mobile version of the venerable turn-based strategy series. Well, not just mobile. Legions supports cloud saves and cross-platform multiplayer via Facebook! You can start playing on Windows Phone and then pick up where you left off on Steam, Facebook, iOS, and Android. Talk about a true multiplatform experience!

Battles take place on a hex grid, much like the Heroes of Might and Magic series that shares lineage with this one. You command several units in battle, each one taking his or her turn before the enemies begin their turns.

To attack your foes, either tap the enemy for a normal attack or select a special ability from the list at the bottom of the screen. After confirming the attack or move, your unit will carry it out. Players get several types of units to command, including swordsmen, mages, and archers. It’s simple and easy to learn, but filled with strategic possibilities.

Legions offers hundreds of single-player quests and battles. Players can also form clans and engage in player-versus-player battles, providing an endless array of strategic challenges. The game is free to play and requires 1 GB of RAM on Windows Phone.

• King’s Bounty: Legions – Windows Phone 8 with 1 GB of RAM – 231 MB – Free – Store Link
• King’s Bounty: Legions – Steam – 789 MB – Free – Store Link

Magic Realms

And now for my favorite Windows Phone game of the month: Magic Realms from Mobote Games. You wouldn’t know from the title, but Magic Realms is a port of an iOS and Android collectible card game called Elemental Kingdoms.

Think of Magic Realms as a more story-focused version of Magic: The Gathering. As you progress through each level, you’ll encounter RPG-style story scenes and unlock new cards.  The individual levels are highly replayable since each one has three separate difficulties to complete.

Magic Realms has a simple but great combat system that takes no time at all to learn. Every round, players draw a random card from the deck, which then moves to the preparation zone. Cards in the preparation zone have a wait timer. Once the timer counts down to zero, players can select the card and move it to the battlefield.

Cards have HP and Attack attributes. They automatically attack cards lying directly across from them. If there is no card across from the attacking card, it attacks the opponent’s Hero instead. Deplete the enemy Hero’s health to win the battle.

On top of the single-player campaign, Magic Realms offers online PVP battles, clan support, and global chat. It’s a truly massive game that card fans will love. It’s free to play, but if you can live with the usual waiting-for-energy mechanic then you’ll do fine.

We’ll be back with a full review soon… I just need to finish a few hundred more card battles!

• Magic Realms – Windows Phone 8 – 62 MB – Free – Store Link

How do you like my picks, awesome readers? Leave a comment and tell us your favorite games of April!

No new retail games hit the Xbox consoles last week, although Defense Technica and Dustforce did quietly slip onto XBLA. But this week we have a major retail release and a highly-anticipated downloadable title, each hitting both the Xbox 360 and Xbox One simultaneously!

The big disc game is The Amazing Spider-Man 2 from Activision. Well, you can buy it on disc for 360. The Xbox One version is download-only because the retail release hit a last-minute delay. And on the purely downloadable front, Ubisoft has just published a beautiful platformer-RPG known as Child of Light. Read on for more details and our exclusive Amazing Spider-man 2 gameplay video!

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Not to be confused with Gameloft’s upcoming adaptation of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, this is a completely separate game from Beenox and Activision. Both games share broadly similar gameplay, though.

If you played the previous Amazing Spider-Man game based on the movie of the same name, you have a good idea of what to expect from the sequel. The console game develops a unique story in which Peter Parker continues to search for his uncle Ben’s killer. His trail will lead to multiple classic villains including the Kingpin of crime, a character not seen in the films.

Amazing Spider-Man 2 is an open-world game. Spidey can swing all over the city, just like the first Windows Phone game. But now players have control of each arm during web swinging, providing a lot of control over Spidey’s movements and momentum.

The combat is fast and intuitive. You can punch and dodge or mix things up by shooting web balls, zipping towards the enemy, or pulling the bad guy towards you. Impressive combos pop out with ease. Beating bad guys earns experience for the various suits Spidey can wear, providing a fun sense of progression and customization.

The Xbox One version is a relatively small download of 10 GBs. Not surprisingly, it doesn’t look all that much better than the 360 game. But Spidey himself has a very detailed character model, at least. If you’re rocking an Xbox One and don’t mind the plain-ish graphics and lengthy load times, you’ll probably have a good time. Stay tuned for our full review!

• Amazing Spider-Man 2 – Xbox One – 9.9 GB – $59.99 – Amazon Preorder Link– Xbox.com Store Link (US account required)
• Amazing Spider-Man 2 – Xbox 360 – 6.5 GB – $49.99 – Amazon Link– Xbox.com Store Link

Child of Light

This unique role-playing game from the creators of Far Cry 3 tells the story of a princess named Aurora who falls asleep one night and awakens in the mystical land of Lemuria. Child of Light’s fairy tale-inspired story comes to life via beautiful illustrations and poetic rhyming dialogue. Word on the street is the actual narrative is uninspired, but at least the developers put a lot of effort into its presentation.

Child of Light’s gameplay takes place entirely in jaw-droppingly gorgeous 2D, much like the recent Rayman games. Aurora will explore a vast world filled with distinct regions. The cool part of the exploration is that the heroine can fly around at will.

Whenever Aurora and her NPC partners encounter enemies, JRPG-style battles commence. Heroes and enemies take turns dealing physical damage or performing magical attacks, not unlike the Final Fantasy games. A timing meter at the bottom helps keep track of everyone’s turns, and you can even stun enemies to set them back on the meter. The combat is actually super deep and has received widespread praise from critics so far.

The Xbox One is quickly building an impressive library of downloadable games like Child of Light. And fortunately for previous gen gamers, this one made it to the Xbox 360 too.

• Child of Light – Xbox One – 2.3 GB – $14.99 – Xbox.com Store Link
• Child of Light – Xbox 360 – 1.5 GB – $14.99 – Xbox.com Store Link

Raining Blobs is a relatively new Windows Phone arcade game that has a bit of a Tetris styled flair to it. You have to group blobs of color together as they fall from the top of the screen and clear them by adding two of the same colored blobs that have stars.

Raining Blobs has five gaming modes, plenty of challenges and is colorfully animated. The controls are a little cumbersome to begin with but you do get used to them the more you play. There is a slight addictive quality to the game and if you're looking for a casual game that has a little challenge to pass the time with, Raining Blobs is worth a try.

Game Layout

Raining Blobs main menu has a bit of a cluttered feel to it with controls to mute your sound, access the leaderboard, visit the game’s Facebook and Twitter pages, view the About Screen and visit the Help Section lining the top of the screen. The game has a retro, Atari-styled soundtrack and after a while, that mute button can come in handy.

Gaming options sit at the bottom of the main menu with a Hyper Mode being available by tapping the yellow block in the center of the menu. The five gaming modes that break down as follows:

• Normal Mode: Game play follows a more leisurely pace where you advance through levels of play, trying to best the top scores
• Hard Mode: Game play picks up a bit with a quicker pace and more challenging game play.
• Hyper Mode: Described as the ultimate challenge, the Hyper Mode simply generates the blobs at a heightened pace.
• Timed Mode: You are given two minutes to see how many points you can score.
• Story Mode: Sixty levels of game play with preset puzzles you have to conquer.

Game Play

Regardless of which gaming mode you choose, game play is fairly consistent with Raining Blobs. The game has a Tetris feel to it in that you have various shaped blobs falling from the top of the screen and you have to group them together by color. When the same colored blobs are grouped, they merge into one blob.

Some of the blobs have stars and when you group two of the same colored blobs that have stars, they are removed from the screen and you earn points. The larger the blob, the more points earned.

Gaming controls line the bottom and side of the gaming screen that control the falling blob’s horizontal position and the blobs rotation. The controls are a little on the cumbersome side at first but after a few minutes of game play, you get used to them. I'm not sure if screen swipes would have been a better option.

Along the side of the gaming screen you will find a display of the next blob that is set to fall, a count of your cleared blobs and a pause button. Across the top of the gaming screen you will find your score and level of difficulty. If playing a timed game, your game timer will appear at the top of the screen as well.

Raining Blobs does have a few power-ups that show up during the course of game play that will add a star to a blob, remove a row of blobs, and remove three blobs. Black blobs are also present that will block your colored blobs from merging. The only way to clear the black blobs is by clearing the colored groups around surrounding them.

Game play will continue (depending on the game mode) when your blobs reach the top of the screen, the game timer expires or you fail to meet the goal of your current puzzle level. Game pace with all but the Story Mode will increase the further you progress in the game.

Overall Impression

Raining Blobs is a game that may be a good illustration for the old saying, "You can't judge a book by it's cover". The menu, heck even the Store Tile, gives off the impression that the game was developed with little rhyme or reason. However, if you give Raining Blobs a chance, it might change your opinion.

Game play is challenging enough to keep things interesting and once you get the hang of the controls (mainly remembering the rotation buttons) you will have a fighting chance. I wouldn't mind seeing an option to use swipe controls to maneuver your blobs and the option to change or rotate the background image.

Still, while there is room for improvement, as is Raining Blobs isn't a bad game for our Windows Phone gaming library.

There is a free trial version available with the full version running $.99. You can find Raining Blobs here in the Windows Phone Store.

Last month, we broke the news that Game Insight’s hit game Cloud Raiders would soon be making its way to Windows Phone. The game wasn’t far off at all. After enjoying a brief “open beta” period, Cloud Raiders has now been officially released into the wild for all Windows Phone 8 devices.

Cloud Raiders is exciting for multiple reasons. First, it’s the least casual title that Game Insight (a publisher known primarily for city builders) has brought to Windows Phone so far. More importantly, Cloud Raiders is the closest thing our platform has to Clash of Clans, a very popular casual strategy title on Android and iOS. Both games combine a city building component with fun strategic battles. Read on for more details!

Base building…

At the start of the game, you crash land on a floating island where you must build a base. Some of the buildings you erect will produce gold and clouds, the two soft currencies. So far, Cloud Raiders probably sounds like any other city building game – albeit with a fantasy theme.

Two things set this game apart from titles like 2020: My Country, though. For one, the city building component is far less complex. You won’t have to worry about a billion jillion types of resources or hoping to find random items needed to progress.

Second: most of the buildings in your base have a military nature. Player bases will come under attack from both AI invaders and other players. Cloud Raiders is a Player vs. Player focused game (PvP). The fun part of the base-building component is testing your layout and defenses against the attacks of your fellow raiders.

Plus raiding and clans!

The other thing you’ll do lots of at your base is produce military units like grunts, archers, and bombers. Players always need more resources for base upgrades in Cloud Raiders, so why not go out and take those resources from your fellow players? Attacking a juicy base and looting the gold and clouds inside is quite enjoyable – assuming your team can handle the base’s defenses.

Being inspired by Clash of Clans, Cloud Raiders has full clan support. Right now, joining a clan lets you share units with other clan members and engage in clan chat (global chat is coming soon). Clans have their own leaderboard rankings, providing an extra level of competition to the game.

It just so happens that Windows Phone Central has a clan of its own. After restoring the clan headquarters building on your island, request to join the WPCentral clan. You must have 250 valor (PvP ranking). I look forward to teaming up with you guys!

Cross-platform and ready for action

Much like King’s Bounty: Legions, Cloud Raiders is cross-platform right from the start on Windows Phone. Players can jump back and forth between Windows Phone, Android, and Facebook without losing any progress. Even the PvP battles and clan support are totally cross-platform. The upcoming Windows 8 and RT versions will be cross-platform too.

To access cloud saves and PvP features, you must link your account to a Facebook profile (just like King’s Bounty). Linking your account means you’ll need an internet connection in order to play, so maybe don’t link if you don’t have the internet at home. But the ability to keep your profile even if you uninstall or change devices is more than worth it in my book. Besides, how do you expect to raid other players without being online?

Cloud Raiders is free to play, with in-app purchases consisting of premium currency called gems. The only thing you really need gems for is unlocking the ability to upgrade more than one building at a time. Players can also earn gems by completing missions. In truth, this game’s free to play mechanics are some of the most balanced I’ve seen in a mobile title.

Give Cloud Raiders a try, and don’t forget to join our clan! We’ll be back with a full review soon.

• Cloud Raiders – Windows Phone 8 – 84 MB – Free – Store Link

The first trailer for the next Call of Duty instalment has been published on the official YouTube account. Featuring Kevin Spacey as the figurehead of a private military corporation, which has kicked off an attack on the US, Advanced Warfare looks to be an irresistible release for any Call of Duty (or first-person shooter) fan. The game is slated for a November 4th launch.

Spacey will likely play the part of the game's main antagonist in the storyline, questioning the loyalties of said groups of privatized armies. From improved arsenals at hand to flying drones, the next Call of Duty looks set to bring some new toys and experiences to the battlefield. What are your thoughts on the trailer?

Source: YouTube, via: The Verge

Apparently, there are more slots games on Windows Phone Store than slot machines in a Las Vegas hotel. Obviously, the good ones are only few. The new one on the block - Slots from 3rd Floor Games – is pretty good and could be addictive.

Awkwardly named ‘3rd Floor - Slots’ offers 8 unique slot machines, each with their own bonus mini-game. As you play along, you gain experience, unlock bigger wins, and climb up the leaderboard. The game also includes large jackpots and hourly rewards. Through the leaderboards, you can stack yourself up against other players online.

The game is completely free, although ad-supported. The ads though aren’t intrusive or distracting, so it’s all good. It’s a great game if you like Vegas, Slot Machines, Roulette, Blackjack, Poker, Craps, Bingo, or other casino games. The game features engaging graphics and sound effects, which should keep your interest steady. It’s a fun time-pass game, but devoid of a challenge.

Download 3^rd Floor - Slots game for free for Windows Phone 7.x and Windows Phone 8 devices from the Windows Phone Store. It also works well on Windows Phone devices with 512MB RAM. Give it a spin, and let us know how you like it.