Oponki is a simple Windows Phone game that will challenge your reactions. The game's layout is uncomplicated and calls upon you to tap the left or right side of your Windows Phone screen bases on a series of instructions that will vary from level to level.

Oponki is an easy game to pick up but don' let the plain appearance fool you. It won't take long before you find yourself tapping left when you should be tapping right or see the game timer run out before you figure out which side of the screen to tap. If you're looking for a way to test out your reflexes, Oponki is a Windows Phone game worth trying.

Game Layout

Oponki's main menu includes options to play the game, view your local leaderboard launch the game's tutorial and view the about screen.

Game play with Oponki calls upon you to tap the left or right side of the screen depending on the color of the screen or text (as well as the position of text) that will appear during each level of play. The conditions of each level will appear prior to the start of each level.

For example, you will be directed to tap the left side of the screen when the background color is dark green or red. Any other condition will require you to tap the right side of the screen. Tap the correct side of the screen and you'll earn points and advance through the level.

As you advance through the levels, the conditions become more numerous and more challenging to remember.

Now don't think you have all day to decide which side of the screen to tap. A timer is displayed in the lower right corner of the screen that affords you about five seconds to make your decision.

Tap the wrong side of the screen or let time run out and you will lose a life and will have to start the level from the beginning. Lose all three lives and the game ends.

Game Play

Oponki's game play starts out easy with only two background colors to remember to tap the left side of the screen when they appear. After about the third level things pick up and you can expect to see text conditions thrown into the mix. Eventually, more than two conditions will be put into play.

You will start each game of Oponki at the first level and progress as far as your reactions will allow. Each level has six screens you have to navigate through and as far as I can tell, there is no limit to the number of levels with Oponki.

Overall Impression

Oponki doesn't have many bells and whistles but is a fun, challenging game for Windows Phone. The game will test your memory, reactions and powers of observation. The timer element adds a sense of urgency to digesting what you see and deciding which side of the screen to tap.

Text conditions can add to the challenge of the game as well. You may be required to tap left when the text is blue in color but it may read "right". The urge to tap right instead of left will sneak up on you and cost a life if you aren't careful.

All in all, Oponki is a nice addition to the Windows Phone gaming library and an entertaining way to test your reflexes.

• Oponki - Windows Phone 8 and 7.x - Free - Store Link

Homefront: The Revolution has today been announced for PC, Xbox One and the Playstation 4 with an estimated release of 2015. You may recall the title of the game, which was published by THQ back in 2011, but received a rather severe negative reception from both critics and the fan base. Deep Silver has since picked up the IP from THQ and worked on a new installment in the series, titled The Revolution.

Deep Silver has fired up some screenshots and the below trailer, which itself looks pretty awesome. With Homefront: The Revolution, we're looking at an open world game with four player co-op, set in Philadelphia. Utilizing tech found in the Crytek engine, players will be able to immerse themselves in a dynamic environment, lifelike expressions on non-playable characters and simply a more realistic experience.

Look out for more information as we draw closer to its 2015 launch. Who's stoked for the upcoming revolution?

Source: TechnoBuffalo

Microsoft has officially announced plans to release the racing game sequel Forza Horizon 2 for the Xbox One and Xbox 360 consoles for release sometime this fall. The story was originally broken by IGN, but at the moment there are only a few details on the game itself. It does confirm that Forza Horizon 2, a sequel to the 2012 Xbox 360 racing title, will once again be a collaboration with Microsoft's in-house team at Turn 10 Studios with the UK-based Playground Games.

IGN says that Forza Horizon 2 will have hundreds of cars to drive, but only one specific vehicle was mentioned: the 2015 Lamborghini Huracán. The game itself will feature drivers racing across southern Europe and there will also be a weather system to contend with in the sequel. The Drivatar feature in Forza Motorsport 5, which allowed gamers to have their AI driven counterparts race against real players, will also make an appearance in Forza Horizon 2.

The news comes just one week before Microsoft's big E3 2014 media briefing in Los Angeles on June 9. WPCentral team members will be front and center at the Galen Center in LA for the event, which should be full of major Xbox One and Xbox 360 game announcements from both first and third party developers. Of course, they will also be attending E3 itself, which is being held in the LA Convention Center June 10-12.

What do you think about what's been revealed for Forza Horizon 2 and are you excited about the prospect of many more game announcements to come from Microsoft?

Source: IGN

Developer NetherRealm and publisher Warner Bros. Interactive announced today that Mortal Kombat X, the latest game in the long running bloody fighting game series, will be coming out for Microsoft's Xbox One and Xbox 360 consoles, along with the PC and Sony's PS3 and PS4, sometime in 2015.

Today's announcement was accompanied by an appropriately violent trailer, which features Mortal Kombat's two most famous characters, Scorpion and Sub-Zero, battling it out with typically graphic results. The trailer appears to be using Mortal Kombat X's all new graphics engine and it looks extremely impressive.

Warner Bros. Interactive says that long time fans of the fighting game franchise can expect to see new characters and new game modes with this new addition to the series. In addition, Mortal Kombat X will include a way for players to choose from multiple versions of the same character that is supposed to affect both their strategy and fighting styles. Exactly how this new gameplay system will work has yet to be revealed.

Even though Mortal Kombat X isn't due for release until 2015, the game will be shown during next week's E3 2014 trade show in Los Angeles. WPCentral will have a team ready to check out all there is to see at E3 that's related to the Xbox One and Xbox 360 so stay tuned for all our coverage.

In the meantime, what do you think about the new Mortal Kombat X announcement and the trailer? Are you excited about the prospect of executing new fatalities?

Source: Warner Bros Interactive

Ice Rage: Hockey is a relatively new game for Windows Phone 8 that puts you on the ice for a two-on-two hockey shoot-outl. The keeper is controlled automatically and you control the player to out-score and flatten your opponent on the ice or smash them into the glass.

While you can knock your opponent around a good bit, with Ice Rage: Hockey you do have to score a few hockey goals to win. Unlike another recent hockey game released in the Windows Phone Store, Hockey Fight.

Ice Rage: Hockey has been well received over on the Android platform and in playing the game for a short time, it should do well on the Windows Phone 8 platform.

Ice Rage: Hockey has three single player gaming modes (Quick Match, Tournament and Rage-off) as well as two multiplayer modes (Quick Match and Rage-off). The multi-player mode can get a little cramped in that you are playing at the same time, from the same device. The game is full of charismatic characters to choose from that include an Enviro-Bear, Santa, a Zombie looking creature and a Lumberjack.

Graphics and animations are well done, game play comes across as challenging and overall, Ice Rage: Hockey comes across as an entertaining gaming title for Windows Phone 8. There is a trial version available with the full version running $1.99. Ice Rage: Hockey does have a few in-app purchases to unlock characters as well.

We'll take Ice Rage: Hockey out for a test drive over the next few days and in the meantime, you can check the Windows Phone game through the following Store link.

• Ice Rage: Hockey - Windows Phone 8 - trial version/$1.99 - Store Link

Thanks, Dadstar0410, for the tip!

We love when hit games come to Windows Phone. BADLAND is a very popular atmospheric side-scroller that comes to Windows Phone from the world of iOS, Android and BlackBerry. BADLAND has won numerous awards since launching, including an Apple design award in 2013. Let’s check out what the hype is all about with this new game for Windows Phone.

Neat trailer above, right? BADLAND features both a single-player campaign and multiplayer components. Here’s what you get with the Windows Phone version of BADLAND:

• Single-player campaign with 80 truly unique levels / Additional level pack with 10 extra challenging levels available as a try-before-buy In-App Purchase
• Multiplayer mode for up to four players playing with the same device in 23 levels and more coming in updates
• Co-operative mode for up to four players / Survive the modified single player campaign together with your friends
• Intuitive one-touch controls combined with innovative level design
• Highly immersive audio-visual gaming experience
• More levels and content coming in updates

BADLAND comes in at an 87 MB download and is available for devices with 512 MB of RAM (Hello Lumia 520). You can trial the game and get a few levels and then pay $3.99 to unlock the full game.

We’ll have a hands-on video shortly, but take the game for a spin in the meantime and let us know what you think!

• Download BADLAND for Windows Phone

Thanks for the tip Daniel!

Slots Club is a Windows Phone 8 game that has you tackling six different slots with over forty paying lines. The machines are nicely animated, aren't impossible to win at and each themed slot machine has a bonus game to keep game play from growing stale.

The Slots Club title has enjoyed decent success as an online game over on Facebook and in play the Windows Phone version, it should have similar success as a mobile gaming option.

Gaming Layout

When you first launch Slots Club you will have the option to sign into the game with your Facebook account or play the game as a guest. The Facebook integration is a nice touch to let your gaming online transfer to your Windows Phone game. The downside to things is that this feature isn't active yet so all you can do is play as a guest.

Once you resign yourself to play as a guest, Slots Club will send you to the game's main menu where you can name your poison.

Slots Club currently has six slot machines that progressively unlock as you advance in experience. As you play Slots Club, you will earn experience with every pull of the lever and as you move up in experience levels additional paying lines and betting limits become available.

The six slot themes include:

• Grimm's Forest: Full of characters from the Brothers Grimm fairy tales
• Golden Guns: A wild west themed slots
• Lucky Farm: A farm theme that would make Old McDonald proud
• Medieval Crown: A royal theme full of knights, queens and kings
• Arabian Nights: Aladdin, magic lamps and flying carpets fill this slot theme
• Pirate's Jackpot: Adventure on the high sea in search for a jackpot treasure chest that is continually growing

Along with your slot's options along the top of the main menu you will find your coin count and experience levels. You begin the game with $500 and if you come across bad times, you can buy coins through in-app purchase.

A menu button sits in the upper right corner where you can mute the sound effects and music as well as view the about screen, rate the game, log out of your Facebook account and view the game's support page.

One last feature on Slots Club's main page is a bonus safe where you can collect bonus cash. Once the Facebook integration is in place, you can add friends to the bonus safe and as they win at Slots Club, funds are generated in your bonus safe that you can collect.

Until the Facebook integration comes into play, you have a fictional friend who will help generate bonus cash.

Game Play

Game play isn't much different from your typical game of slots. You will still have your cash and experience levels displayed across the top of the screen and your bonus safe sitting at the left of the screen.

Across the bottom of the screen is where you will set your bets, the number of lines you will be betting on, a button to view the pay table, a button to bet the maximum number of lines and a spin button.

Along with the character tiles you are trying to line up, Slots Club also has wild card tiles, bonus tiles and free spin tiles. Collect three of the bonus tiles and you will be to play the bonus game for that slot machine. These bonus games gives Slots Club a bit of variety and gives you an opportunity to earn some bonus cash along the way.

The games include a frog tapping game where you have to avoid tapping the frog that is actually a Prince in disguise to a wild west shoot out.

Overall Impression

Slots Club isn't your run of the mill Windows Phone game of slots. There is enough variety in the various slot themes to give the game appeal, the graphics are nicely drawn up and the bonus games keeps things from growing old too quickly. Should Facebook integration ever come to light the game will have a slightly universal feel to it with gaming experience carrying over from the online and mobile versions.

The game is free with in-app purchase opportunities to buy more cash to gamble with. If you aren't a fan of the IAP and run out of cash, you can always give the game a rest and let the bonus safe replenish your bank account.

While Slots Club may not be your run of the mill Windows Phone slots game, it is an entertaining game to pass the time and well worth a try.

• Slots Club - Windows Phone 8 - Free - Store Link

One of the biggest names in free-to-play mobile games, Kabam, has announced a new agreement with Microsoft that will bring many of its titles to the growing body of Windows Phone games and Windows 8 games. One of their most popular casual games is The Hobbit: Kingdoms of Middle-earth. In addition any future games from Kabam will be launched for Windows platforms around the same time as their iOS and Android counterparts.

Kabam will be offering titles such as Fast & Furious 6: The Game, Dragons of Atlantis: Heirs of the Dragon and The Hobbit: Kingdoms of Middle-earth to Microsoft's mobile platforms over the course of the next year, but specific release time frames were not revealed. Financial terms of the partnership between the two companies were also not disclosed. Kabam was one of the many mobile game publishers mentioned in a recent editorial on WPCentral that had not been supportive of Windows Phone in the past. This change of heart could be the first of many such announcements to come.

In a statement, Kabam Senior Vice President of Business Development Mike DeLaet noted the rise of Windows Phone as one of the reasons why the company is making a bigger push to offer games on Microsoft's platforms. He stated:

Kabam is eager to take advantage of the increasing popularity of Windows devices. By combining unique Microsoft technologies and merchandising opportunities with our robust games, Kabam and Microsoft will drive new types of innovation that will attract new gamers globally.

Steven Guggenheimer, Microsoft's corporate vice president and chief evangelist, is also quoted as saying:

Bringing its existing franchise games as well as future hit titles makes the Windows ecosystem even more robust. In return Kabam will enjoy unmatched monetization opportunities, such as our industry-leading 61 carrier billing connections in 36 markets.

Are you excited that Kabam's popular games will finally be coming en masse to Windows Phone and Windows 8 tablets?

Source: Kabam

Windows PC gamers who have been waiting for official Xbox One controller drivers can finally have that access. Microsoft has now released official 32-bit and 64-bit x86 Windows drivers for the controller.

Microsoft has been promising this support for some time. Indeed, a third party programmer was clearly getting impatient with the wait and in March he released a software hack that enabled the controller to work on Windows.

However, these newly released drivers come with the full support of Microsoft. According to Xbox Live's director of programming Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb:

The new PC drivers will enable the Xbox One controller to be used with any game that featured gamepad support for the Xbox 360 controller. Simply download the drivers, connect your Xbox One controller to your computer through a micro USB cable and you'll be gaming in no time.

This driver release is actually something that Microsoft is offering a bit early to hardcore PC gamers. The same software will be included in a future automatic update to Windows.

Keep in mind these Xbox One controller drivers are for the x86 versions of Windows that run on Intel and AMD processors. The drivers do not support Windows RT, which means that owners of Microsoft's Surface RT and Surface 2 are currently out of luck. There's no word when, or if, Microsoft will offer similar drivers for Windows RT. There's also no word if there will be any future support for the controller's wireless features for Windows.

Source: 32-bit and 64-bit drivers via Major Nelson

Remember those fantastic goals you've seen on TV that you wish you could recreate? Now you can with this latest Windows Phone game from aptly titled First Touch Publishing. The game, Score! World Goals, puts players in charge of netting those classic football goals from around the world. Your fingers are in control of famous goals, but do you have the skill to get past the opposition's defense?

It's an interesting concept, mixing puzzle gameplay with sport. Players are rated with up to three stars per level, and there are a variety of levels spanning multiple difficulty settings. These levels are packed nicely in different packages, the first covering great goals from the year of 2010. Other packages (unlocked through playing the game) span multiple categories, including international decades 1990s, international goals: road to Brazil and more.

Each pack of levels can be purchased using in-game money, earned by completing levels successfully. If you'd rather skip the beat and get started in your favourite decade, funds can be added through in-game purchases, ranging from $1.99 up to $45.99, so be aware when adding some extra coins to your account. That said, it's a superb game and well worth the investment if you're having a blast. Do note that the game is free to download.

The game provides a wide array of matches to player through with multiple challenges to overcome. These include passing, crossing and shooting using multiple swipe gestures. Rendered in 3D, the opposition will react to how you decide to play the ball, which makes it satisfying to battle through. In fact, the graphics will come as a surprise to many, especially on 1080p displays. A neat feature of the game is the constant stream of updated content, which is promised to be released.

Advertising can be disabled by purchasing a coin pack. We recommend the game if you're a football fan or simply enjoy puzzle games. This title works on hardware with 512MB of RAM.

• Download Score! World Goals (free - 37MB)

Slingcat is a Windows Phone game where you play the role of a cat, which bears the same name, who is on a mission to find buried treasure. Armed with only a bow, Slingcat faces an assortment of dangers during his quest for treasure that include charging bulls, canaries armed with boulders, bomb dropping vultures and more.

Gameplay is a combination of a platfomer styled game and an action shooter. This combination of game play styles helps add to the games appeal and will definitely keep you on your toes. Animations are nicely drawn-up, game play challenging and Slingcat makes for an enjoyable gaming option for Windows Phone 8.

Game Layout

When you first launch Slingcat, an animated short story will play that presents you with the game's back-story. If you do not particularly care for back-stories, you can skip ahead to game play.

Slingcat's menu is somewhat on the minimal side and has your treasure map laid out across the screen. Levels of play are charted out as you complete them and three control buttons rest on the right side of the menu that give you access to the gaming options, the game's help screen and to purchase the full version should you be playing the trial version.

Game options cover music and sound effects levels and launching the game's tutorial. The first level of play with Slingcat will walk you through game play but if you need a refresher, the tutorial does a nice job of covering game play through a series of still and animated images.

Game Play

Game play involves two challenges. The first is navigating through the dangers of the level that are presented in platform fashion. Slingcat's forward motion is automatic and you can make the cat jump over obstacles and over pitfalls by tapping the screen. A double tap will have the cat jump higher. If need be you can elevate Slingcat even higher by jumping off the canaries that fly by or jumping off the backsides (in trampoline style) of stationary bulls.

Along the way, you will need Slingcat to collect coins that will in turn build up the number of arrows in your quiver. You will also need to avoid getting hit by canaries, bulls, scorpions and other dangers with the goal of reaching a safe at the end of the run. If Slingcat is hit by the various dangers he will drop coins and lessen your arrow count. If Slingcat is hit too many times or misses a jump, the game ends and you'll have to start the level from the start.

Here is where the second challenge begins. Slingcat must use his bow to bust open the safe for bonus coins/treasure and defeat an armada of enemies. You fire your bow by tapping/holding the screen and adjust the cat's aim by sliding your finger up or down. To fire the arrow, release your hold on the screen.

You have a limited number of arrows in your quiver (again, the more coins you collect the more arrows you'll end up with) so you will need to place your shots carefully. The canaries are armed with rocks and which will fall as you hit the bird with your arrow. Take out a canary flying high in the formation, which rock will take out additional canaries as it falls. This is a good tactic when you are running low on arrows.

Defeat all the enemies, crack open the safe before you run out of arrows and the next level in the adventure becomes available.

The levels do become more challenging as you work your way across the treasure map. The obstacle course becomes more difficult to maneuver around, the pace of the game increases and you'll face more aggressive enemies as you try to crack the safe. Larger canaries will appear that require multiple hits with the arrow, vultures appear that will drop bombs and rabbits will appear out of foxholes. To make it a fair fight, Slingcat can collect bonus arrows such as sharks that devour multiple targets and a bazooka bow that shoots multiple arrows.

Overall Impression

Slingcat is a fast paced, challenging Windows Phone game. The animations are well presented and the two gaming challenges adds to Slingshot's appeal.

My only nit with the game is that I would have liked to have seen some sort of aiming assistance with the arrows. Something along the lines of a trajectory line to help get you in the ballpark as to where your arrows are going. Not having such a tool does make the game more challenging in that it will take a few shots to get your aim dialed in just right. With a limited number of arrows, you'll need to avoid wasting arrows trying to gauge your aim.

All in all, Slingcat is a fun Windows Phone game and an entertaining option to pass the time with.

• Slingcat - Windows Phone 8 - Trial / $2.49 - Store Link

Duckie Deck is a Polish game developer focused on creative development in toddlers and preschoolers and their educational games have been played by over eight million kids.

The company’s new game, Sandwich Chef, enables kids to transform their sandwiches into works of art, using healthy ingredients stacked on top of slices of bread. The final effect is a wholesome, balanced meal that delights the eye and builds an appetite.

While Sandwich Chef is geared towards kids as young as 3 years old, it can be enjoyed at any age and even played collaboratively with a family member. It’s awkward, but even I ended up spending quite some time with the game creating sandwiches and ended up heading to the kitchen to fix a real one for myself.

The game encourages kids to play with their food, composing fun shapes using healthy ingredients. They need to decorate their sandwich with funny faces and playful shapes unleashing their culinary creativity or fascinating the picky eater in him or her. Once the sandwich is made, devour the snack and start all over again.

The game features colorful graphics, dynamic elements, and playful sound effects making the app easy to use and engaging for young minds. The game is completely safe, ad-free with no in-app purchases, so you can leave your Windows Phone device with your kid without a worry.

Download the Duckie Deck Sandwich Chef game for free for Windows Phone 8 devices from the Windows Phone Store. It’s a fun game for kids helping them to learn and develop their motor skills and coordination. Give it a whirl, and let us know if your kids like it.

Microsoft will officially start selling the Xbox One without its Kinect add-on for $399 next week in retail stores, and as expected, it has launched a new TV campaign to let the world know about the cheaper console.

The 30 second spot breaks out the celebrity card as Breaking Bad's Aaron Paul is seen spending some of his precious down time on a couch playing the Xbox One version of Titanfall. He demonstrates how the Xbox One can snap a TV show to the side while the user plays a game on the main screen. It also shows how Paul can use the now optional Kinect to say "Xbox, record that" so that memorable gameplay moments can be saved and watched later.

Microsoft has also released a longer clip which shows Paul just playing Titanfall and getting coached by a member of the game's development team at Respawn Entertainment during the filming of the commercial. The clip ends with Paul chatting with the executives at Respawn on the Xbox One's Skype app. Unfortunately, his famous phrase as Breaking Bad's Jesse Pinkman never comes up, which is a shame.

What do you think of this new TV commercial and do you think the combination of Paul and the lower price will make people pick up the Xbox One?

Source: Xbox on YouTube

E3 time is here again, loyal readers. The Electronic Entertainment Expo is the single largest gaming event of the year. E3 2014 takes place from June 10-12 (plus press conferences on Monday) at the Los Angeles Convention Center and is open only to members of the gaming industry.

During E3, all of the major console gaming developers and publishers crowd into the Convention Center and exhibit a selection of their latest and upcoming games for attendees to watch and play. Many new games will be announced, while others that we already know about will be revealed in action for the first time. Check out last year’s E3 2013 stories to get an idea of what goes down.

The very largest publishers and platform holders also hold press conferences on Monday, just before the show opens. Microsoft’s annual Media Briefing runs from 9:30-11am PDT. This is when the big MS will reveal the new shape of its gaming plans for the Xbox One. Windows Phone Central will be there and live blogging from the briefing, so make sure you check back with us Monday morning!

What should you expect in the way of Microsoft and Xbox news from E3 2014? Read on for our predictions!

Windows Phone and Windows 8: expect a shunning

Last year, Windows Phone and Windows 8 were almost completely absent from E3. Nowhere did they come up during Microsoft’s media briefing, nor did Microsoft announce even one new game for either platform during the show. But they did dedicate a small section of their massive booth to the Windows Phone version of Halo: Spartan Assault, which had only been announced a short time before the show.

This year, I expect things to be even direr for Windows Phone and its tablet/PC cousin. Let’s just say the odds are 100-to-1 against Microsoft mentioning either mobile platform during the Media Briefing. The Xbox console folks have never had any interest in Windows Phone, so they’re certainly not going to waste a moment of their press conference spotlight on non-existing mobile gaming plans. Microsoft doesn’t even have any big Windows Phone games in development that we know of, so any booth presence would likely be limited to a few phones and tablets running old games off in the corner.

Then again, Phil Spencer is the new boss of the Xbox division. He has made vague comments hinting at more connectivity between all of Microsoft’s platforms. It’s still a longshot, but Microsoft *could* decide that Xbox games are coming back to Windows Phone. And they *could* announce that bombshell at E3. But don’t hold your breath, mobile Achievement junkies.

Xbox 360: Don't count it out yet

The Xbox 360 has been Microsoft’s most successful console ever, dominating the US market and putting up a good fight worldwide. Even though the Xbox One is now the cool kid on the block, don’t expect its older brother to sit E3 out. There will be numerous 360 games on the show floor, including both retail and downloadable titles. I’d say the number of big titles will drop by 25-50 percent compared to last year, but the B-tier and indie stuff will round things out well enough.

If Microsoft is going to announce a price drop for the 360 (possibly as low as $129.99 for the core system), the Media briefing would be a good time to do it. Then again, they might choose to hold off on such an announcement in order to keep the spotlight on the Xbox One. Having just announced Forza Horizons 2 for both Xbox One and 360 prior to the show, Microsoft might just have another exclusive title in development for both consoles at once. Third-party franchises aimed at both One and 360 are also very likely to appear during the press conference.

Xbox One: TV, TV, TV… Just kidding!

Last year’s press conference went badly for Microsoft. For one, Don Mattrick was part of the conference. Besides that, news that the Xbox One would launch at $100 higher than the Playstation 4 - as well as discussion regarding Microsoft’s strange DRM plans and online requirement plans - completely dominated the conversation among gamers. Disapproval of those plans was so rampant that Microsoft abandoned them less than two weeks after the show. And Mattrick left shortly after that, for the good of all.

Now that the more gaming-focused Phil Spencer leads the Xbox division, we can expect a much different more exciting presentation at this year’s event. Microsoft has already dropped the news of the $399 Kinect-less Xbox One package in advance of E3, just to get that discussion out of the way. It’s all games from here (maybe just a blip about the Halo TV series though).

Earlier this year, somebody leaked a big list of Microsoft’s Xbox One plans. Several items from the leak have proven true already, so it’s safe to expect most of the remaining unconfirmed points from the list to rear their heads during E3.

For example, everybody and his brother knows that a collection of classic Halo games is coming to the One this year. Phil Spencer even spoke hypothetically about the rumored Halo 2 remake. The collection – which is said to either include Halo 1-4 or Halo 2-4 in a single package – still hasn’t been officially confirmed by Microsoft, however. So the Media Briefing is the likeliest place for the official announcement. We’ll probably see the new Halo 2 in action (maybe not the other titles in the collection) and learn some of its multiplayer details.

The leak list also made mention of multiple special Xbox One consoles: a white console, a console with a 1 TB hard drive, and a Titanfall console. Well, we know Microsoft decided against releasing the Titanfall system. But a white console and a larger hard drive are very likely to happen. If either system (or one system with both features) is mentioned during the press conference, smart money says it will be bundled with the Kinect. Having just announced the cheaper Kinect-free console, Microsoft will want to incentivize purchase of the more expensive bundle.

Other games we expect to see during the press conference:

• Halo 5– maybe a glimpse of gameplay, maybe just a longer teaser
• Forza Horizons 2– just announced and coming this year
• Fable Legends – not coming this year, so probably just a tease

Possible but less likely:

• Gears of War – not coming this year, so maybe just a tease
• Crackdown 3 – still not confirmed anywhere, but everyone knows it’s coming
• Phantom Dust – A remake or sequel to the original Xbox classic is almost certainly in development. Will Microsoft announce it at E3? If they have anything ready to show, yes!
• VooDoo Vince – Is Phil Spencer hinting at a revival of this original Xbox franchise?
• Unannounced big-name exclusive – Rumor has it that Microsoft has secured a compelling new exclusive title for the One. If the rumor pans out, this exclusive will be part of an established franchise. What could it be?

Windows Phone Central at E3

You can always count on us to show up at E3 and bring you exclusive coverage. Tune in Monday morning, June 9th for our live blog of the Microsoft Media Briefing, and check back throughout the week for additional news and videos from the show floor!

A new teaser trailer has been released for Forza Horizon 2. It's a short video, and features what appears to be in-game footage of the 2015 Lamborghini Huracán, showing details of the car before we watch it speed off down the track. The video closes with a reminder to watch Micosoft's E3 2014 Media Briefing, which will happen on Monday, June 9 at 9:30 am Pacific.

Forza Horizon 2 was revealed earlier this week. There are still few details available about the game. Developed by Turn 10 Studios and Playground Games, Forza Horizon is a sequel to the 2012 arcade racing game for Xbox 360. Forza Horizon 2 is expected to arrive this fall on the Xbox One and Xbox 360.

What do you think of the teaser, and are you excited for Forza Horizon 2? Let us know below in the comments.

Source: IGN on YouTube

Thanks to Kittanan J. for the tip!

With just a few more days until the big E3 2014 video game trade show begins, the folks at mobile publisher Gameloft have released the first teaser trailer for Modern Combat 5: Blackout, the next installment for one of their most popular franchises.

The trailer itself has all of the first person modern military shooting action players of the Modern Combat series have come to expect from Gameloft. The brief teaser shows what looks like a campaign mission set in the canal-filled city of Venice, Italy. That means players can expect to shoot enemy helicopters while sitting on a speeding boat surrounded by buildings that are centuries old.

There's not really anything else that's revealed in this teaser, other than the game is "coming soon" for Android, iOS and Windows platforms. It's likely that a longer trailer will be released by Gameloft when E3 2014 begins next week in Los Angeles. Gameloft released some brief story details about Modern Combat 5 back in April, where the main character will have to track a terrorist group in a worldwide campaign that also includes a stop in Tokyo.

Are you a fan of the Modern Combat series and does this teaser for the fifth installment get you pumped up for the game's eventual release?

Source: Modern Combat 5 on YouTube

Mobile gaming giant Gameloft has been quite successful with its mobile games based on Marvel film properties, including Captain America: The Winter Soldier, The Amazing Spider-Man 1 and 2, and Iron Man 3.  It also happens to have published Despicable Me: Minion Rush, one of the better 3D endless runners out there. So what happens when we combine both things?

Spider-Man Unlimited, it turns out. Gameloft has just announced that Spider-Man Unlimited will be coming to iOS, Android, and Windows Phone this September. Based on the Spider-Man comics universe instead of films (and named after an older cartoon series), the new game looks both action-packed and filled with costumes and villains from Spider-Man lore. Check out the announcement trailer, high resolution screenshots, and our analysis after the break!

Endless slinger?

The first question you have to ask about a Spider-Man endless runner: doesn’t Spidey do more web slinging than running? Sure he does, and he’ll be doing plenty of both in Spider-Man Unlimited. So far we’ve seen Spidey running across New York city rooftops, battling jetpack-equipped foes, and collecting yellow vials that probably serve as the game’s soft currency (i.e. coins). It’s too early to say what the vials contain, but probably not Mountain Dew.

Spider-Man will also sling through the city and iconic locations such as the Daily Bugle building. Some of the web slinging in the trailer appears to be cinematic in nature, probably along the lines of the jumping tricks that break up level segments in Sega’s Sonic Dash. But at other times, players definitely control the webhead as he moves through the air from a behind-the-back perspective. Spider-Man will have to dodge lasers and other obstacles during these segments as he chases after foes like the Green Goblin.

Unlimited definitely has a combat mechanic. Our hero will have to punch a variety of goons who work for the game’s mysterious primary foe. And he’ll do battle with several famous supervillains, including the Green Goblin, The Vulture, and (ugh) Electro. The superheroic combat and boss battles should help Spider-Man Unlimited appeal to core gamers and comic fans.

Spidey suits and villains galore

Another exciting aspect of Unlimited is that it won’t be based on a film like most of Gameloft’s recent Marvel and DC-licensed games. Not that Amazing Spider-Man 2 was restricted to using elements from the film of the same name (Venom appears in the game for instance), but the new game really embraces Spidey’s comic book origins.

The plot involves a dimensional rift opened by the malevolent Sinister Six. Instead of simply equipping different Spidey suits from throughout the character’s history, these different versions of Spider-man actually meet up with each other. We see traditional Spider-Man shaking hands with stealth suit Spider-Man, with several more Spider-Men showing up to help out with the fight. I caught the Iron Spider, Cosmic Spider-Man, Bag Man, and Ben Reilly. Do you guys recognize the rest of the team? In total, Gameloft promises 23 Spider-men for fans to collect and upgrade – the most any game has ever offered!

Team Spider-Man will have three “narrative-driven issues” to play through, so perhaps Unlimited really will have more story than the average endless running game. Although Gameloft hasn’t revealed the full Sinister Six roster just yet, we do know that multiple versions of each villain will enter the fray. Green Goblin shows up in his traditional comic costume (which looks better than designs used in either of the movie series), and The Vulture in his newer red and black outfit. But the trailer teases color variants for both criminals as well.

Spider-Man Unlimited is due out in early September 2014 for iPhone, iPad, Android, and Windows Phone. The Windows Phone versions of Gameloft titles have been arriving about a month after other platforms, so we’ll see how that goes. Mobile Nations will have more Spider-Man Unlimited coverage during E3 next week!

Every game can't be a comic book-inspired dash through the streets and rooftops of New York City. Sometimes you just want to relax with a nice puzzle game to relax with on your phone. Or maybe a really hard puzzle game – I'm not here to judge you guys.

That's what Slovenian indie developer Dawn of Play has given us with their first Windows Phone game, Dream of Pixels. You can describe Dream of Pixels as a "reverse Tetris" game, given that it involves pulling apart a pile of blocks into Tetris-shaped pieces. But the game play really is quite fresh and challenging. Plus it's one of the loveliest puzzle games you'll come across, with a sharp 3D engine and gorgeous use of colors. Check out our impressions and hands-on video after the break!

Upside down and topsy-turvy

As I just mentioned, the basic concept of Dream of Pixels is that players must take apart a large mass of blocks found at the top of the screen. It's like the morning after Tetris; somebody has to clean up the mess!

Thing is, you can't just tap away at the block pile and hope for the best. There are rules to this demolition project. First of all, you're looking for a specific Tetromino (piece) to pull out of the stack. You can usually remove that shape from several points within the block mass, and even press and hold to rotate the shape you're going to remove.

If you just pull blocks off willy-nilly (as I did in our video, whoops) the stack will be left with lots of random floating blocks. Players can't interact with disconnected blocks, and they will cause the game to end if you let them touch the bottom of the screen. Luckily, clearing the lines between the stack and the floaters will cause those floaters to return to the stack. Then you can clear them right, gosh darn it.

But wait, there's more! From time to time a white shape will appear within the stack. You could just ignore it and just pull it apart bit-by-bit as you work through the target shapes. But take the time to separate the surrounding blocks from the white piece without destroying it and you'll get four times the points, so some careful clearing is usually the way to go.

Also, pieces usually must have a clear path below them in order to be removed from the stack. This varies by game mode, though.

Plenty of game modes

Dream of Pixels starts out with a tutorial that I found slightly tough to follow. Chalk it up either to the distraction of shooting a video, or to the tutorial needing a little more explanatory text than what's there.

The main game offers six modes of play. Only three are available by default – the rest will unlock when certain conditions have been met.

• Classic: Try to survive and score as many points as you can. The level increases as you clear enough lines, making the block stack move faster.
• Puzzle: Take on 120 hand-crafted puzzles without the pressure of time! Instead of a big mass of blocks, the blocks actually make some fun and interesting shapes such as the Windows logo, a Pong scene, and a music note. Even the puzzle names are clever. The Puzzle mode is my favorite part of the game.
• FreeFall: Works like classic, except pieces don't need a clear path to the bottom in order to be removed from the stack. They just fall into the background.
• Pro: Unlocks after reaching Level 9 in Classic.
• Nightmare: Merge isolated blocks with the main cloud of blocks 100 times to unlock.
• Shattered Dream: Detach 42 white pieces to unlock this mode.

Besides offering a lot of things to do, Dream of Pixels is super pretty and features some catchy trance music to entertain the ears. The only thing the game really lacks is online leaderboards. Comparing scores with random players or friends would add a nice competitive element and additional replay value.

Like I said, Dream of Pixels is not an easy game. Even though it's based on a familiar puzzle game concept, the implementation is so different that your Tetris skills won't necessarily pay the bills. But if you like a puzzle challenge, you'll want to pick this one up. And there is a trial!

• Dream of Pixels – Windows Phone 8 – 66 MB – $2.99 – Store Link

Commando Jack is a tower defense game for Windows Phone 8 that has you battling wave after wave of alien invaders. While game play isn't much different than other tower defense game, Commando Jack steps out slightly by letting you jump inside a defensive turret for a first person perspective on things.

The game has plenty of weapons upgrades, a wide range of enemies to defeat and several global venues to defend. Graphics are nicely drawn up and with plenty of gaming variations and difficulties, Commando Jack will keep you on your toes. Commando Jack has been well received over on iOS and should see similar success here on the Windows Phone platform.

Game Layout

When you first launch Commando Jack, the game sends you straight into game play where the first two levels serve as tutorial guide. These levels aren't very challenging, being designed to guide you through game play. The game isn't difficult to pick up but pay attention to the tutorial because asides from re-playing these levels, there isn't an independent help section available to refresh your memory with.

One quick side note on load times with Commando Jack is that they can take a while to complete (painfully so on low-memory devices such as the Lumia 520). Sometimes the delay is such that you will think the game has frozen up. Game play, on the other hand, ran smoothly and I did not experience the random crashes that have been noted in the Windows Phone Store reviews for Commando Jack.

Once you complete the tutorial levels, the game shifts to a global map where you get to battle the aliens from six regions of the World. All totaled, Commando Jack has forty-six levels of play that are progressively unlocked and re-playable. After completing the tutorials and reaching the map, a main menu will appear each time you launch Commando Jack, which will have options to start the game, view more games from the developer and view your coins/high score.

In the lower right corner of the map view is a button with an "up" arrow, which will pull up the game's settings cog. Tap the cog to view the game settings that includes aiming sensitivity, effects/music levels, access to your gaming stats, the about screen and a few turret control options.

In addition to the forty-six levels, you also have three gaming styles, four difficulty levels and two gaming modes. The gaming styles include original, mixed and elemental, which dictates the types of aliens you will face. The elemental aliens are harder to take out. The two gaming modes are campaign and endless. The campaign mode has you taking the aliens on one level at a time while the endless game continues until the aliens overtake your turret and suck your brains out.

Game Play

Again, game play is scattered about six regions of the globe that are progressively unlocked. You begin the game in London with six levels. Tap on the highlighted region, choose your difficulty, gaming mode, enemy style and then the level you would like to battle in.

Prior to the start of each level of play (after the tutorial levels that is), you will be presented with a set-up screen that has tabbed sections to show you the types of enemies you will face and upgrade opportunities for your turret, guns and ammo. The more tab that is present will provide you with the opportunity to make in-app purchases for coins.

Commando Jack has twenty-one weapons for purchase, thirty-eight upgrades and three elemental styles of weapons (useful in defeating the elemental aliens). You also have a wide range of ammo styles and bonus items that are available for IAP.

The game screen itself has your tower defense controls spread across the bottom of the screen, vital statistics in the upper left corner of the screen and a pause button in the upper right. Pausing the game will present you with a few settings options (aim sensitivity and effects/music volume levels).

As you would suspect, the main goal with Commando Jack is to destroy all the aliens before they destroy your main turret. Your turret options are to the lower right of the screen and placing a turret will cost you a few coins. Tapping the turret icon will pull up a placement grid on the battle arena. A red square will be highlighted to indicate where the aliens will start from and the best strategy is to build a maze or gauntlet of turrets that the aliens must walk through to get to the main turret.

In the event aliens survive the gauntlet or you simply want to join in on the action, you can tap the eyeball icon in the far left, lower corner of the screen to jump behind the main turret. When you do, the left side of the screen controls the turrets movement and tapping the right fires your turret. The turret gun overheats easily so be careful with your bursts. If the turret gun overheats, it will take several seconds to cool down where you can resume slaying aliens.

When you're ready to step back and manage your automatic turrets, just tap the eye icon a second time.

As you upgrade and buy more turrets, they will become available in the form of additional icons that are spread across the lower right side of the screen. In the upper left corner you will see the enemy alien in play, your health meter and your current build point level. It costs money to build turrets and as you wipe out the aliens, you earn build points. The more powerful the turret, the more build points needed.

There are additional buttons on the gaming screen will give you a boost in power for your turret, boosts in building points and adding larger turrets to the mix. While the basic game play is simple to pick-up on, it would be helpful if the developer included a help section to cover some of these features.

When you have defeated each level of alien incursions, your gaming stats will appear and based on your performance (number of aliens killed, damage inflicted on you turret, etc.) you'll be award coins that can be spent upgrading and unlocking additional weapons.

Overall Impression

Commando Jack is yet another Windows Phone tower defense gaming title, it is a nice addition to the Store's library. Graphics aren't too shabby, game play challenging and it is a nice touch to be able to jump into a turret and join the action.

Commando Jack is a free, ad-supported game for Windows Phone 8. The ads consists of ad banners on the menu screens and a full-page ad that pops up in between levels. The game screen is ad-free and while I'm not a fan of the full-page ads, Commando Jack doesn't try to beat you up with them.

I do have a couple of nits with Commando Jack. For starters, the game has a lot of variables and while the tutorial does a nice job of walking you through basic game play, the game needs a help section.

Next up, there were times my finger got in the way of placing a turret, which resulted in a bad placement. I wouldn't mind a confirmation of placement to avoid screwing things up. You can zoom into the game screen and touch scroll around the battlefield but then you lose sight of the big picture.

Last up is the load times that are unusually long for Commando Jack. Load times for Asphalt 8: Airborne (which I consider graphically intense) were shorter. While Commando Jack is available for low-memory devices, the load times tend to make the game unplayable.

Still, while I have my concerns nothing was detrimental with Commando Jack when played on a Windows Phone with at least 1GB of RAM. It is one of the more enjoyable tower defense games available and if you have a little patience, well worth a try.

• Commando Jack - Windows Phone 8 - Free - Store Link

Pixel Gun 3D is a Minecraft-inspired first-person shooter mobile game available on iOS, Android and Windows Phone. While the game has proven to be fairly popular with consumers, those with hardware sporting just 52MB of RAM were left in the dark due to lack of support. Thankfully, the developers have been listening and today we're covering a new release which brings not only 512MB RAM support, but new maps, weapons and game modes.

Here's everything in the rather large version 6.2.1.227 update:

• New game modes: Deadly Games and Flag Capture
• New map is available for action
• New weapons takes available arsenal up to 90
• New friends system to partner up with buddies more conveniently
• 512MB RAM support!

That's quite the update and it's a release we're sure many mobile gamers will warm to. Pixel Gun 3D is worth checking out if you're a big fan of first-person shooter games.

• Download Pixxel Gun 3D (free)