We mentioned the release of the new Windows Phone game World of Rabbit - The Crossing over the weekend and it made a nice first impression. The game is the sequel to the popular World of Rabbit - The Dig that landed in the Windows Phone Store a couple of years ago and shares the same entertaining game play, colorful graphics and animations as the original.

Where The Dig was more of a time management game, The Crossing takes on more of an arcade style of game play. The rabbits will take to the high seas to visit the ancient rabbit islands to collect forgotten artifacts. Sounds easy enough but the seas are infested with annoying robots that are dead set on destroying the rabbits and their ship.

Available for low memory devices, World of Rabbit - The Crossing is a nice follow-up game to the original. Plus you have the bonus features of unlockable 3D printable toys (for those with a 3D printer lying around) and World of Rabbit wallpapers.

Rabbits take the high sea

World of Rabbit - The Crossing shares the originals colorful graphics and devilishly animated rabbits. The main menu has options to launch game play, visit the game's store to pick up those 3D toys and wallpapers and access the game's settings.

Settings cover the basics such as music volume, sound effects on/off, vibration on/off and links to the game's Facebook and Twitter pages and credits. Quick note about the settings and menus for World of Rabbit - The Crossing is that the neon green can be a bit overbearing. If you stare at the screen too long, you may start to see spots.

Game play is spread out across five islands. The first is a training island that will walk you through game mechanics with the other four are progressively unlocked.

Simple, yet challenging game play

You begin each level of play at your homeport with a number of rabbits on board your ship. The rabbits will row the boat out of port and out on to open seas to head to the ancient rabbit island.

As you leave the safety of your harbor, robot insects, fish and other monsters will attack your ship. Your defense is to swipe at the screen (much like you would with Fruit Ninja) and hack the robots to pieces. Some robots shatter with one swipe while others take multiple hits to go down.

You also have green lanterns you need to collect as you sail across the sea. To be honest, I can only guess that these green boxes go towards your experience levels and unlocking additional island levels. Without a dedicated help section, this is only a guess.

You'll see markers at the halfway point of your journey and as you approach the island. Once you place the island marker, the robots will stop their attack allowing you to concentrate on collecting the artifacts.

To do so, you will have to spin a wheel of chance to collect your prize/artifact. Prizes range from larger green canisters to sacred carrots. The sacred carrots can be used to unlock those 3D toys and wallpapers in the game store. If you are impatient and want to unlock these bonus items sooner, you can buy sacred carrots through in-app purchases ($.99 to $1.99). You can also make a donation to the developers through the in-app purchase menu ($.99) if you see fit.

The only nit I have with game play is that there is an assortment of artifacts on the spinning wheel and without a dedicated help section, it's hard to figure out what is what. It appears that other than the green glowing boxes and sacred carrots, the other items are character attributes (eye styles, mouth styles, etc.). You can try to match up an icon with a game store listing but it basically takes landing on an item to uncover the mystery of what it is.

The game pace does pick up quickly and the robot attacks can be rather aggressive. Don't be shocked if you have to defend fore and aft sections of your boat at the same time. There is one level that is particularly challenging called No Mistakes where you can't sustain a single robot hit.

You also have some levels of play where the attacks come primarily from beneath the surface of the water. It can be challenging keeping pace with the robot fish as they break the surface to attack your ship.

Overall Impression

World of Rabbit - The Crossing is a fast paced, fun game for Windows Phone. It follows suit with the original World of Rabbit installment with appealing graphics, challenging game play and an addictive quality that keeps the game interesting.

Game mechanics are simple but you will need to be careful that your swipes don't extend far enough to trigger the Windows Phone buttons. I also wouldn't mind seeing bonus weapons that can be collected or purchased with your sacred carrots to help give you a fighting chance at success.

I do like the bonus lockscreen wallpapers and 3D toys but not everyone has access to a 3D printer so not everyone may share the attraction for half these bonus items.

All in all, I liked World of Rabbit - The Crossing. It is a nice sequel and addition to the Windows Phone gaming library.

• World of Rabbit - The Crossing - Windows Phone 8 - Free - Store Link

Iaculator is an arcade space-shooter Windows Phone game that takes elements from classic games such as Asteroids and Galaga to create a mildly entertaining time waster of a game where you are tasked with destroying everything in sight.

The game has potential but the pace of the game drags at times to the point of being too easy. Iaculator isn't a total wash with nice graphics, the ability to use points earned to upgrade your ship and a decent range of weapons to deploy.

Available for low-memory devices, Iaculator Free Space Shooter isn't a bad gaming option to have in your Windows Phone library. It just could use a little fine-tuning.

Menus, we don't need no stinking menus

Iaculator is the first Windows Phone game in recent memory that launches directly into game play. You do have a few menu buttons, such as the settings button (second button to the left), but not a dedicated opening menu.

Along with the settings buttons, across the top of the gaming screen you will find a pause button, your life counter, level indicator, weapons menu and score.

Iaculator has two control options in the settings menu. You can use your Windows Phone tilt sensors to steer your ship or you can tap/hold the screen to move the ship around. Fire controls are simple, tap the screen to shoot. Since your tapping the screen to fire your ship's weapons, I found it easier to disable the tilt sensor controls and go with the touch to move method.

Blasting everything in sight

The goal of the game is to blast everything into tiny particles of dust without having the same done to you. Game play is level based that either has you facing a fleet of enemy space ships or dodging and blasting your way through an asteroid field.

As you earn points, the opportunity to upgrade your ship will become available. The star that sits next to your score display will flash which means you've earned enough points to upgrade your ship. This upgrade typically means you get more fire power.

Speaking of which, every now and then a crystal cube will drift down the screen that will give you a weapons boost. This is often a limited boost that will add an ammo count at the top of the screen next to your weapons button. The boosts range from more powerful missiles to a flame thrower to an ice thrower.

Should you lose all your lives, Iaculator will remember your level and restart the game at that point. Should you ever want to replay a level, just tap the level indicator to pull up the gaming level map.

Overall Impression

Iaculator has a lot going for it. Nice graphics, decent game play, easy mechanics and ship upgrades. It's not a bad time waster of a game but a few things hold this game back a little.

For starters, it needs a menu. While I like jumping straight into game play, it's a pain to have to tap all the menu buttons from the game screen. There are a few lulls in the action where you can do this safely but more times than not, you'll lose a life while trying to tap a menu button. Fortunately, if you can get your finger to the pause button you can toggle around the menu buttons while the game is paused.

Maybe keep the launch straight to game play approach but when you pause the game a full menu pops up?

Next up, give the enemy ships a little boost in energy. While the asteroids will come at you fast and hard, the enemy ships will at times slowly meander down the screen shooting every once in a while. It is as if the enemy pilot is sitting back in his Captain's chair just chillin' as he navigates across the vast voids of space.

Last suggestion is give the game some boss ships. While having game play levels is nice how about upping the ante every 3 or 5 levels with a bad-ass boss ship? Something that takes more than one shot to destroy?

Don't get me wrong, while Iaculator has plenty of room for growth as is the game isn't all that bad. It's just after level 14 or 15, it starts to get a little on the stale side and you find yourself intentionally flying into an asteroid to break the monotony.

Iaculator is worth trying and the game has potential. Hopefully, we'll see an update give it a little more gusto.

• Iaculator Free Space Shooter – Windows Phone 8 – Free – Store Link

Developer Respawn Entertainment has revealed some of the details for the third DLC pack for Microsoft's Xbox One and Xbox 360 first person shooter Titanfall, called IMC Rising.

There will be three new maps added as part of the DLC pack. Their names will be Backwater, Zone 18 and and Sandtrap but specific details about their locations and design have yet to be announced. There's also not a specific release date yet. The DLC pack will have a price tag of $9.99 and is included in the $24.99 Titanfall Season Pass, which offers users access to all three DLC packs at a discount.

Are you still playing Titanfall on the Xbox One or Xbox 360 and if so will you be buying and downloading the IMC Rising map pack when it is released?

Source: Titanfall website

Microsoft's Xbox leader Phil Spencer confirmed in a new interview today that Rise of the Tomb Raider, announced on Tuesday as an "exclusive" for the Xbox One in the holiday time period of 2015, will also be coming to the Xbox 360 and that the company's agreement with the game's publisher Square Enix "has a duration."

Speaking to Eurogamer, Spencer didn't state how long the exclusivity deal would last, saying:

"It's not because I'm trying to be a headfake on anybody. It's a deal between us and the partner. People ask me how much did we pay. There are certain things I'm just not going to talk about because it's a business deal between us and then. Obviously the deal does have a duration. I didn't buy the IP in perpetuity."

That would certainly seem to confirm that at some point, perhaps in 2016, Rise of the Tomb Raider will show up on other platforms like the PlayStation 4 or the PC. What do you think of this deal to bring the game first to Xbox consoles?

Source: Eurogamer

Good news and bad news, folks. The good news is Tentacles: Enter the Mind, a game that has been on Windows 8.1 for some time is also on Windows Phone. Even better, the game is an Xbox LIVE title with Leaderboards, Achievements, and Highscore. Because the game is a universal app, you also get one of the first instances of cloud saves and being able to continue your game on multiple devices. All of that is filed under 'awesome'.

The bad news is like the Windows 8.1 game, the Windows Phone variant, for some odd reason is region restricted. If we hazard a guess, Press Play and Microsoft are easing out this game to see how all of those cloud saves and newfangled universal features handle in the real world. In addition, they were also likely waiting for the Phone counterpart to launch to 'go big.'

Regarding the availability, all we know is Tentacles: Enter the Mind is not available in the US, but it is available in Denmark (where Press Play is headquartered, natch). Since the Store does not designate which regions, we leave the testing for availability up to you, so make sure you note your country in comments if you succeed. The game was announced back in May.

Back to the game itself, which you can see in the above trailer, you get the usual wacky mad-scientist story from the original Tentacles game:

"Play as the adorable and fantastical creature, Lemmy, and tap or click your way through the layers of Dr. Phluff's outrageously bizarre mind. Dispatch enemies, collect eyes and secret eggs, gain powers and abilities, and play against your friends. And when you get to the end: survive as long as you can. The Doctor has gone mad from the creatures and only you and Lemmy can save him!"

Sounds good to us. The original Tentacles (review) became a slow-burning hit on Windows Phone, but it disappeared from Windows Phone 8 due to resolution-compatibility issues that so far are unresolved.

The official website touts the game for Windows 8 and it coming to "various Windows devices early summer 2014." It appears this new Tentacles is exclusive to Windows and Windows Phone initially, which is always a nice nod.

Try to your luck and download Tentacles: Enter the Mind for Windows and Windows Phone. The game is entirely free with optional in-app purchases. Thanks, Elan G., for the tip and Bharat for 512 MB testing!

We will, of course, report when the game goes global, which should be soon.

• Download Tentacles: Enter the Mind for Windows Phone 8 (region restricted)
• Download Tentacles: Enter the Mind for Windows 8.1 (region restricted)

Rovio has finally updated the Windows Phone 8/8.1 version of their hit arcade game Angry Birds Space, adding 50 new levels (40 regular ones and 10 bonus levels) to the game over a month after the iOS and Android versions received the same update:

Here's a quick look at the change log, which is supposed to be the largest update ever for the game:

• 40 NEW LEVELS! There are two parts, each with 20 interstellar levels! Unlock Part 2 by getting all the stars in Part 1, or with an in-app purchase!
• FIND NASA SPACECRAFT! Unlock 4 bonus levels by finding cool NASA research spacecraft – the Orion Crew Vehicle, OSIRIS-REx, Deep Impact and Dawn.
• 6 BONUS LEVELS! Each part has three bonus levels! But you'll have to get three stars and a feather on each level to unlock them all – are you up to the challenge?
• SEND IN THE MIGHTY BUZZARD! Buzz Aldrin, the legendary astronaut and moonwalker, is at hand to save the day if things get tough!
• ASTEROID SHOWER! Navigate burning, freezing and radioactive space rocks – and look out for some strange things happening to those pigs!
• GAS TANKS AND BATTERIES! The pigs have kitted out their structures and contraptions with some unstable energy cells – try giving them a nudge!

What do you think of this new update for Angry Birds Space?

Thanks to Windows Phone Scoops for the tip!

• Download Angry Birds Space for Windows Phone from the Windows Phone Store - 99 cents

Fans of the comic book version of The Walking Dead should be happy to learn that developer Overkill, the creators of the Payday series of first person shooters, are now planning to make a co-op shooter based on the mega-popular zombie franchise.

Details about the game itself are scarce at the moment, but Overkill plans to offer fans "new characters and storylines" to explore in this game. It will also use an updated next-generation version of the Diesel graphics engine make by Overkill's parent company Starbreeze Studios.

The game won't be out until sometime in 2016, but fans of Payday 2 will be able to download a free "Lucille" baseball bat from The Walking Dead as a DLC pack. No platforms have been announced yet but we would speculate that since Payday 2 is due for release on the Xbox One soon, it's more than possible that this new Walking Dead game will come to Microsoft's console as well, along with a PC and PS4 version.

What do you think about the prospects of this new Walking Dead game?

Source: Starbreeze Studios

Two Xbox games on Windows Phone in one day? Earlier we saw Tentacles: Enter the Mind drop onto Windows Phone with a limited release. Now we're looking at Assassin's Creed: Pirates for Windows Phone launching with some Xbox support. Let's play!

AC Pirates is a new game in the Windows Phone Store with Xbox support. It comes to us from Ubisoft, who recently gave us another game with Xbox - Hungry Shark Evolution.

Here's the game description for AC Pirates:

"Become one of the most feared pirates of the Caribbean in this exclusive Assassin's Creed adventure on smartphones and tablets! Play as Alonzo Batilla, a young and ambitious captain, a pirate eager to take on the fiercest of enemies… Break all the rules, challenge empires and make your own fortune!"

We're downloading the game now and will get a hands-on/impression up soon. In the meantime you're going to have to commit to this game if you really want it. It goes for $4.49 and doesn't include a trial.

• Download AC Pirates for Windows Phone

Thanks for the tip Mark T!

Tentacles: Enter the Mind was released for Windows Phone. Like the Windows 8.1 release, it's limited to specific regions until wider availability coincides with an official launch. On Windows Phone you can grab Tentacles: Enter the Mind by switching up your region to Denmark.

Did you watch the trailer above? Now you're itching to play the game on your Windows Phone. Just switch your region to Denmark, restart the phone and you'll be able to install Tentacles: Enter the Mind. Here's that sentence in bullet form for you skimmers:

• Go to settings
• Scroll to and tap region
• Change country/region to Denmark
• Tap 'restart phone' in region setting after selecting Denmark
• Download Tentacles: Enter the Mind
• Change region back to your original location

That's it. A few taps and a few minutes and you can enjoy Microsoft's latest Windows Phone game with Xbox support. Tentacles: Enter the Mind is a free game for Windows Phone with optional in-app purchases. There is 512 MB support available as well!

• Download Tentacles: Enter the Mind for Windows Phone

Major Mayhem is now available for Windows Phone. This is a fun shooter that's been available on Windows 8.1 and joined the Windows Phone Store a few days ago. But before that it became really popular on Android and iOS. Let's go ahead and check it out on Windows Phone.

Major Mayhem drops onto Windows Phone and brings the following features:

• 48 levels of non-stop action
• Battle your way past hordes of enemies in three picturesque environments: Tropics, Metropolis and Desert
• 100 Achievements to earn and collect!
• 150 Mission objectives (mini achievements). For extended gameplay.
• 20 different weapons to unleash hell with!
• Heaps of costumes and hats for the Major.

The Windows Phone version has been out for a few days and has already been met positively. It's a free game that looks great and runs on all Windows Phone hardware (512 MB support). What's not to like? We'll have a proper hands-on/review soon, but for take it for a spin and let us know what you think!

• Download Major Mayhem for Windows Phone
• Download Major Mayhem for Windows

Thanks for the tip Mohamed A!

Pinball FX2 is now available for Xbox One. As you know, Pinball FX2 is one of our favorite pinball video games. It's developed and published by Zen Studios for Xbox 360, Windows desktop, Windows 8 and now Xbox One for free!

Pinball FX2 can be yours for free from the Xbox Store. You can look forward to tables from Star Wars, Marvel, Plants vs. Zombies, and more! The game is free, but you can pay to unlock more tables.

Here are some of the features you'll get with the Xbox One version:

• 1080p Full HD resolution at 60 frames per second
• Split-screen multiplayer
• Hotseat multiplayer
• Compete against other players on all tables to achieve the highest Super Score
• Team up with your friends to increase your Wizard Score
• Table statistics
• Local High Scores and Online Scoreboards
• In-game challenges
• Operators menu with detailed settings
• Achievements for each table

Anyone going to take Pinball FX2 for a spin on their Xbox One? Let us know!

• Download Pinball FX2 for Xbox One

Thanks for the tip Andy D!

EmojiHunt is a match-three styled game for Windows Phone that, as you would guess, calls on you to find matches of three or more of the same styled emoji.

The game has forty-eight levels of play, each requiring you to hunt down particular sets of emoji before time runs out. While the game premise sounds easy, you might be surprised how hard it is to identify matching emoji.

Available for 512MB devices, EmojiHunt is a colorful, challenging match-three styled game that isn't a bad time waster.

Simple layout, challenging game play

The main menu for EmojiHunt is brief with options to play the game, send feedback to the developer and remove the ads through a $.99 in-app purchase. You can also mute the sounds and music as well.

Game play is spread across forty-eight levels that are progressively unlocked. Each level will require you to create matches to remove a particular number of an emoji or other character from the board. You'll need to meet this quota before the timer strikes zero.

Matches are created in your traditional match-three fashion by swapping adjacent emoji styles or other characters to create a grouping of three of more of the same styled figure. The playing board is 8 x 8 and filled with all sorts of emoji faces, ghosts, Santa Clauses, queens and more.

At the top of the playing board you will find the type and number of characters you need to remove from the playing board. Your score and timer sits in the upper right corner with your current level displayed in the upper left corner. An ad-banner sits nicely out of the way at the bottom of the screen. However, in between levels you will be slapped upside the head by a full-page ad.

While the goal sounds simple, it was surprisingly difficult to pick out the one or two emoji styles to create the matches from. After staring at them for a while, the emoji begin to blend together, making it tough to distinguish one from another and adds to the challenge of the game. The game actually gets easier when you advance to higher gaming levels and find emoji of different colors thrown into the mix.

Overall Impression

While at times I felt as though I was going cross-eyed picking out a smiling emoji from a squinty faced emoji, I did find EmojiHunt to be an entertaining game to help pass the time. I don't know if it is strong enough to be a daily driver but something worth visiting every now and then.

The one thing that was missing from EmojiHunt that you often find with other match-three styled games is bonus items, items that would clear rows or sections of characters when used in a match. Then again, that might make the game too easy.

Forty-eight levels of play will tide you over for a short time and hopefully the developer will add more to the mix before too long. If not, the game could be short lived for those with an eagle eye and can pick out emoji styles at a glance.

Overall, EmojiHunt is a decent match-three styled game to add to your Windows Phone gaming library.

• EmojiHunt – Windows Phone 8 – Free – Store Link

Geometry Dash, the popular rhythm-based action platformer game from developer RobTop Games that launched on Windows Phone in June, just got a new and very large content update in the Windows Phone Store.

Here's a quick look at the change log for the 1.8 update:

• New level "Hexagon Force"!
• New dual character game mode!
• New slope ground objects!
• Ability to create 2-player levels (playing on same device)
• Lots of new art and effects
• New achievements to complete!
• New unlockable icons, ships, gravity balls and UFOs
• New colors
• Performance improvements
• Huge changes in the editor. Playtest your levels in-editor, free move objects, flip & rotate groups, + more!
• Bugfixes and tweaks

What do you think of this rather extensive update for Geometry Dash? Thanks to Usama for the tip!

• Download Geometry Dash for Windows Phone in the Windows Phone Store - $1.99

Dark Lands is a wonderfully animated endless runner game for your Windows Phone. The game not only challenges you to see how far you can run but also how long you can survive attacks from a wide range of enemies that includes goblins, orcs and skeletons. You also have much tougher bosses to battle scattered throughout your endless run.

The game was updated today, bringing Dark Lands to version 1.2.1, which brings a host of performance improvements, new enemies and a new story based gaming mode with forty challenging levels of game play.

Additional features with the version 1.2.1 update include:

• Two new worlds added to the mix
• A new boss to battle with four new enemies to deal with
• New weapons and armor added to the gaming store
• Improved performance from 30fps to 60fps on most devices

The downside to the update is that due to technical issues, it is not available for Windows Phone 7.x devices. The Windows Phone 7.x version of the game will still be available but won't receive future updates.

Dark Lands is a nice balance between an endless runner game, a fantasy combat game and RPG game. The update only adds to its appeal and helps take the game to a new level.

Thanks, everyone, for the tips!

• Dark Lands – Windows Phone 8 – Free – Store Link

If you like playing games against other human players, you are going to love Neon Battleground. It's an online multiplayer shooter that has just released on Windows Phone, and will be going soon to Android, iOS, and the Web. The game is simple. You pilot a ship that can fire lasers. Shoot down other ships and collect coins.

We have installed it on our Nokia Lumia 930 and we've been having a hard time putting it away. Check out our gameplay video to see if it's something you might be interested in.

The controls are very straightforward. The left side of the screen has the directional pad while the right side of the screen lets you control where to shoot the lasers. You'll have both thumbs on the screen to tactically shoot other ships while dodging other ships' lasers.

There are two ways to earn upgrades for your ship. Destroying another ship gives you XP points. These points can be used to upgrade your ship's health, fire speed, accuracy, or damage. When a ship is shot down, coins are left behind. When you collect the coins, they can be used to buy new ships or equip boosters. The boosters only last one round, but they give you some advantages over the other ships like double life, more accuracy, faster fire rate, and more. Each booster costs 300 coins.

In every round there's one nuclear booster that gives one ship double the damage. It also turns that ship red. When the ship is destroyed, the nuclear icon becomes available for the other ships to take advantage of. Keep in mind however, that being the red ship makes you a big target for everyone else.

Also placed within the arenas are shields. The shield level will decrease first before your health level. When the shield level hits zero, the health level goes down after getting shot.

The end of the round displays each player's kills and deaths along with pings. It just takes a few seconds before another round starts.

We really like Neon Battleground and we're currently addicted. We have some tips to help make you play this game better than most players. First of all, those coins are really important. Make it a priority to collect coins. Let ships kill each other and swoop in to collect! If you need XP points, it means getting credit for the kills. A great way to do this is to target ships that are already getting shot. Another tip is to master moving around enemy ships while keeping the lasers pointed at them. Even if you have a weaker weapon, you will usually win the fight if they keep missing you.

Neon Battleground is a free download from the Windows Phone Store, but there are in-app purchases available to gain more coins or XP points. For example, 500 coins cost 99 cents and double coins for one day costs $4.99. You absolutely don't have to spend real money to enjoy this game. Check it out and let us know what you think in the comments.

Cut and Hack for Windows Phone is getting a nice update today. You'll recall that Cut and Hack is a 'hacking' simulator from Android and iOS that came to Windows Phone last month. Today's update for Cut and Hack adds new features, like the new Survive mode, and includes bug fixes for low-memory devices.

Here's the full list of changes you'll find in version 1.1.0.0 of Cut and Hack on Windows Phone:

• Added a completely new Survive mode with a lot of new gameplay mechanics and progression with increasing difficulty (unlocked when reaching 12th level or for 4.000 Credits)
• Added a new and beautiful White theme of the game (all the black menu/game things turns to heavenly white :))
• Added a live tile (displays your highest score in Rush and highest time Survive mode)
• Fixed a lot of bugs (Nokia Lumia 525 problems, when playing music in background crashing, etc.)
• Lot of other improvements and tweaks

We like Cut and Hack. It's a great game to waste a few minutes when you had some time to kill. It's fairly addicting trying to best your top score. We can't wait to play the new Survive mode!

Let us know what you think of today's update below in the comments.

Cut and Hack is a free game for Windows Phone. It is ad-supported, but you can remove those advertisements with an in-app purchase. Additional in-app purchases can help you purchase multipliers and other game modifiers.

• Download Cut and Hack from the Windows Phone Store

Thanks for the tip Blake and Daniel!

We've got endless runner games, endless jumper games and now an endless surfer game. Soaper Coaster takes you to the world's longest bathtub for a challenging game where you must provide a steady supply of waves to guide a rubber duck over, under and past various bathtub hazards. You've got your common hazards such as hair dryers, frayed wires, soap dishes and then you have the not so common hazards such as enemy rubber ducks armed with laser canons.

Available for low-memory devices, the game includes upgrades for your duck to increase its awesomeness and an online leaderboard. It may take you a few tries to get used to the controls but overall Soaper Coaster isn't a bad time waster of a game.

Rub a dub dub, one duck in a tub

Soaper Coaster has no-nonsense main menu with options to start a game, mute the sound/music and launch a secondary menu. The secondary menu has options to visit the game's store, view the leaderboard, access the settings and view the gaming credits. The settings menu is somewhat redundant with controls to adjust the sound and music levels or mute them all together.

As you play Soaper Coaster you will earn gaming coins that can be used in the store to purchase power-ups for your duck. The perks include a jet pack, magnetic backpack (to attract coins), turbo boosts and more. You can also remove the ad-support with a coin purchase or a $1.49 in-app purchase.

When you are ready to jump into game play, just return to the main menu, tap/hold the screen, your duck will fall from the top of the screen and you are off to the races.

Game Play

The game mechanics with Soaper Coaster may take you a few tries to get the hang of. When you tap/hold the screen a wave will be generated in the tub. Slide your touch higher up the screen and the wave will rise accordingly. The key to success is keeping your duck above the water line and avoid the many dangers that will come your way.

Dangers include soap dishes, frayed electrical cords, faucets, hair dryers, enemy rubber ducks armed with laser canons, enemy sharks that fire rockets at you and more.

You also have waterfalls that will disrupt your waves which you will have to jump across. This is one of the trickier moves with Soaper Coaster and may cause the most frustration. Theoretically you'll need to raise your wave high above the water and pick it back up immediately after the waterfall at water level. This will allow your duck to jump (or drop) past the waterfall and resume its journey.

The game isn't simply about seeing how far you can send your duck down the tub. You will have clusters of coins to collect as you duck and dodge all the dangers and the game has missions or goals for you to work towards. Goals such as collecting a certain amount of coins, traveling a set distance, survive a shark attack, etc. These missions come in clusters of three and when you complete all three, you will be rewarded with extra coins or gear and your duck will climb up the ranks.

Overall Impression

Soaper Coaster joins the ranks of the dozens of endless journey games that are simple, challenging and fun games to pass the time with. Again, it may take you a few runs to get used to the mechanics of the game but the game's addictive quality keeps pulling you back in.

The biggest issue I had with Soaper Coaster is where to place my finger without it getting in the way. It has to be placed in front of the duck but too far to the right of the screen and your finger blocks the warning signs of oncoming dangers. Too close to the duck and you clutter up your view of the duck. I'm finding placing my finger about a quarter of the way in from the right works best.

Overall, Soaper Coaster is a fun game for your Windows Phone and not too shabby of a time waster.

• Soaper Coaster – Windows Phone 8 and 7.x – Free – Store Link

Windows Phone Central Roundup: Top New and Rising Games

One of the many nice features of the Windows Phone Store is the New and Rising category of games and apps. This category is showcased on the Store's main web page and is one of the handful of categories you can sort title listings by.

In a nutshell, this category will feature the newer Windows Phone titles that are riding a wave of popularity. These titles typically come out of the gate with high user ratings and a decent download rate as well.

We touch on this category from time to time with our roundups to highlight some of the titles you may have missed. This week we will touch on the top five New and Rising games. Some of which you may have already heard of, while others may be new games worth trying. Please note that this category of games is fluid. The current titles holding the top five spots may be different today simply because it takes a few days to try out these games, shoot the photos and write up the roundup.

Before we get started, let me go ahead and say that each title in this week's round-up is available for low-memory devices.

Hungry Shark Evolution

Hungry Shark Evolution is an Xbox title that has you playing the role of a hungry shark that swims the ocean eating just about everything in sight. You can dine on fish, swimmers, jet skiers, fisherman and other sea fairing creatures. However, you will have to avoid some creatures that aren't as appetizing such as electric eels, blowfish and other poisonous critters.

As you eat you grow and earn coins that can be used to upgrade your shark's abilities and power-ups to help your shark survive. Along with the poisonous creatures you'll have to avoid, you will also have to battle other sharks, submarines, shark hunting divers, harpoon boats and other odd sea creatures.

You start the adventure with the Reef Shark with four additional shark species that are progressively unlocked as you play the game. You have the Mako Shark, Hammerhead, Tiger and Great White Shark (you also have a few special shark species that are unlocked when you reach 500,000 points). And the game is more than just a devour everything in sight type game. Along with eating most everything you swim upon, there are missions available to help you earn extra coins.

Hungry Shark Evolution is also available for Windows 8 devices for those who want to terrorize the waters from the big screen. The only hitch I found playing the game on my Surface tablet was that the game screen didn't extend to full screen.

In taking Hungry Shark Evolution out for a short test drive, it comes across as an entertaining, challenging and addictive survival game with quality graphics. The arcade game mechanics were nicely responsive and overall, Hungry Shark Evolution is a nice addition to the Windows Phone gaming library.

• Hungry Shark Evolution – Windows Phone 8 – Free – Store Link
• Hungry Shark Evolution – Windows 8 – Free – Store Link

Ice Age Adventures

Ice Age Adventures is the follow-up Gameloft title to Ice Age Village and features Manny, Diego, Sid and other characters from the popular movie series. The game is a time management styled game where you help Sid, Manny and Diego explore the gaming world to rescue various animals and care for them.

To help break the monotony that can occur with time management styled games, Ice Age Adventures has a nice collection of mini-games to give things more of an up tempo pace. The mini-games include a match-three styled game and a sled racer game.

The game does a nice job of walking you through game play with plenty of narrations by Sid and arrows to help point you in the right direction. I can see Ice Age Adventures appealing to Windows Phone users young and old.

We are in the midst of a full review of the game (should be up in the coming days) but in playing it for a short bit, Ice Age Adventures comes across as an improvement from Ice Age Village. Along with being available for low-memory Windows Phones, Ice Age Adventures is also available for Windows 8 devices.

• Ice Age Adventure – Windows Phone 8 – Free – Store Link
• Ice Age Adventure – Windows 8 – Free – Store Link

Timberman by Digital Melody

We've touched on Timberman before, both the original version and 250K Games version, and it's no surprise that this title has made its way into the top five of the New and Rising list. While the 250K Games version has its appeal, there is a certain appeal with the original that pulls you in.

For those who may have been out of town, Timberman is an arcade styled game where you play the role of a lumberjack who much chop down and endless tree. As you chop, you must move from side to side of the tree trunk to avoid the tree's limbs. There is a game timer that you need to avoid striking zero. As you chop at the tree, time is added to the clock. Slow the chopping down too much and let the time run down, game over.

Just as we saw with the 250K Games version, the pace of the game has a little zip and can easily get the best of you. Timberman by Digital Melody will test your skills of timing, patience and speed.

Timberman by Digital Melody has twenty different characters (yes that was Lazy Bird you saw) that can be unlocked and the pixilated graphics give the game a nice retro feel. I'm not a big fan of the ad-support (banners get in the way and the full-page ad is annoying) but you can always vanquish the ads through a $.99 in-app purchase.

Timberman by Digital Melody is an addictive, time waster of a game and available for low-memory device.

• Timberman by Digital Melody – Windows Phone 8 – Free – Store Link

AE Xtreme Moto

AE Xtreme Moto is a 3D motorcycle dirt bike racing where you are faced with a wide range of obstacle courses to conquer. Courses currently include factory, city and dock district settings with additional courses listed as under construction.

The game includes a small selection of motorcycle styles that focus on speed, jumping ability and weight. You also have the ability to customize your rider with a variety of racing suits. Naturally, these additional motorcycles and suits come at a cost and as you complete courses, you'll earn money to expand your wardrobe and garage.

On-screen controls are present to control your motorcycle's balance, acceleration, and braking. There's even a save button for those times you have to put the game away in mid-course.

Graphics aren't too shabby, game play challenging enough to keep things interesting and the physic's engine does a nice job of things as well. However, I'm not sure if you can make a motorcycle jump straight up.

Nonetheless, AE Xtreme Moto is an entertaining gaming option to have in your Windows Phone library.

• AE Xtreme Moto - Windows Phone 8 - Free - Store Link

Lost Words

There are numerous quality word games in the Windows Phone Store and Lost Words hopes to join the crowd. The goal of the game is to find all the hidden letters of a given word by creating words using the discovered letters. The challenge comes into play in that you only have six attempts.

Lost Words has two gaming modes, classic and arcade with both having four levels of difficulty (kid, easy, normal and hard). The kid difficulty is designed for our younger audience with easier, shorter words to find.

Arcade mode has a few features to point you in the right direction and you are awarded three lives. Miss a word, you lose a life. Where the arcade mode has hints and letter finding features, with the classic mode you are on your own.

While the game has a tutorial that walks you through game play, there is a well hidden help section that could do a better job of things. The very brief help section is located in the game's store (tap the "?" button in the upper right corner). Even with the tutorial and help section, it may take you a few attempts to get the hang of game play. It may be best to start off playing the kids difficulty until you get used to the game mechanics.

In a nutshell, you are provided two letters of the word you are trying to find. You have six chances to use those letters in words that will hopefully identify additional letters of the hidden word. The words range from four letter words to eight letter words.

Lost Words is a challenging word game for Windows Phone that may not appeal to everyone. It's one of those games you really need to get your hands on before you can say for certain if it's a buy or bust.

• Lost Words – Windows Phone 8 – Free – Store Link

Best of the best?

Let me say up front that all five games in this week's roundup can be fun games to pass the time with.

For me, the weakest link is AE Xtreme Moto. While graphics are nicely drawn up, the game seems to be played at an angle view that gave the game a slight odd feel for me. I can live with the unusual ability to jump your bike straight up but the angle just felt uncomfortable.

Lost Words was a challenging word game but felt more like work than play at times. I do like the Kids mode and can see the game being a nice Kids Corner title.

Ice Age Adventures is a fun game but I can see it having less appeal to those who aren't a fan of the movie. It has a nice blend of time management and arcade styled game play to help the title have a little more staying power.

Timberman by Digital Melody and Hungry Shark Evolution were my two personal favorites. I will admit that while game play was addictive with Timberman, the ad banners noticeably hurts this game. I'm on the fence as to which version is better, Digital Melody or 250K Games. The retro graphics and character upgrades may be better with Digital Melody but 250K Games does a better job with the ad support.

Shark Evolution is just a fun game to play. There is plenty of challenges beneath the deep sea but for the most part, the game is mindless fun. You steer your shark around eating up just about everything that moves. I just wish your progress on the Windows Phone version carried over to the Windows 8 version (and visa versa).

There you have it, the top five New and Rising games from a few days ago. Do you agree with the Stores rankings? Which game is your favorite and what new gaming title do you think is missing? Feel free to share your thoughts and recommendations below in the comments.

Qais Quest is a nicely animated Windows Phone platform game where you play the role of Qais, a lost knight trying to find his way home.

The graphics remind me a little of the Rayman series of games and the game play is your traditional platformer style with plenty of obstacles to jump, enemies to slay and gems to collect.

Qais Quest is a fun game to pass the time with and is available for low-memory devices. If you are a fan of platformers or just looking for a nice title to add to your gaming library, Qais Quest is worth a try.

Qais Quest Menus

Qais Quest is a multi-level platformer with a rather minimalistic main menu. The main menu contains links to your settings, the game's Facebook page, a link to the developer's credits and a link to head into game play. Settings are brief with only the ability to mute the sound.

The game currently only has one world that has thirty levels of play that are spread across five environments. Gaming controls are present on the gaming levels screen to help guide your player to the correct portal (level).

Speaking of which, gaming controls follow the games minimal design. On-screen controls include a virtual joystick in the lower left corner with jump and attack buttons in the lower right corner.

Game Play

Qais Quest's game play falls in line with your typical platformer styled game. You have a series of hills to jump across, a few floating rafts to jump on to and an assortment of enemies to slash your way through.

There are also floating masks (not sure what they do) and gems to collect. Without any help section or tutorials, it appears the gems simply go towards your level score.

Qais lacks the ability to double tap the jump button for added height but can jump off walls to gain height. He can use this ability to jump from wall to wall to climb up cliffs. Levels more up the ladder will include an underwater sub, a spaceship and a run-away mine cart.

As far as combat is concerned, Qais Quest is rather docile in this department. There are bosses to defeat (some of which can be rather intense) that will present a gaming challenge but the run of the mill minion goes down with a single slash of the sword. Qais lacks a health meter but it will only take a few hits from an enemy for the knight to go down.

Overall Impressions

Qais Quest has a lot going for it. The graphics and animations are well done, game mechanics are responsive and easy to get a handle on and the platform levels are somewhat challenging.

The game does have some room for improvement but it also grows on you the more you play Qais Quest. I wouldn't mind seeing a help section or tutorial to help explain some of the finer details of game play. Game play could also use a few more power-ups to help Qais make it to the end of each level. The mask, which I'm guessing is temporary protection, is a nice touch but the game could use a few more magical items lying around.

Overall, Qais Quest is a fun title for your Windows Phone gaming library. Some may find it a little on the vanilla side and hopefully future updates will add a little meat to the bone with Qais Quest.

• Qais Quest – Windows Phone 8 – Trial/$1.29 – Store Link

Last month we reported on a new Xbox One controller design from Controller Modz, a UK-based controller modding specialist. The company basically allows users to buy authentic first-party controllers for a variety of consoles and choose to have them decorated with a variety of custom paint jobs and designs. The service doesn't come cheap, but Controller Modz promises professional-quality results.

Reading about the Controller Modz service via press release is one thing, but as a controller enthusiast I was eager to get my hands on a custom controller for review. Controller Modz offers 19 unique Xbox One designs to choose from, as well as a "Build Your Own" feature for greater customization. For this review, I went with the "Sticker Bomb" design that features a colorful combination of racing-style livery across the front of the controller.

Packaging

Controller Modz' Sticker Bomb controller is a genuine Microsoft Wireless Controller for Xbox One whose face panel has been modified with a unique design. The controller comes in the original green retail box, emblazoned with a Controller Modz sticker on the front of the box. Inside are the box's original contents: the controller (now prettied up with the user's choice of design) and 2 AA batteries.

The Sticker Bomb

Although Controller Modz offers some designs that span both the front and back of the Xbox One controller (including full-body chrome designs), the Sticker Bomb only affects the front of the controller. The shiny top portion and matte black back portion of the controller look identical to those of a stock controller. I wouldn't have minded having the Sticker Bomb design stretch across the back as well, but it still looks great with a black back.

This particular design is made up of numerous racing stickers/images overlaid across each other on top of a white background. The design I got varies a little from the one shown on the Sticker Bomb product page. Given that the assortment of stickers is placed randomly in the original design, it's kind of cool for that randomness to carry over to individual controllers.

Hydro dip design

The random pattern seems to stem from the modification process. This is no do-it-yourself paintjob. Custom Modz applies the unique artwork by hydro dipping the controller shell. According to Wikipedia, hydro dipping is also known as water transfer printing or hydrographics. The printing method allows designs to be applied to three-dimensional objects, such as controllers. The result is a beautiful and complex design that won't come off or fade over time.

Although hydro dipping sounds like the best way to apply custom designs like those offered by Custom Modz, the controller I received does betray some minor flaws. The face of the controller has several tiny pinhole-sized bumps scattered over its surface. These appear to be air bubbles or a similar type of imperfection resulting from the water transfer process. They're difficult to see unless you closely study the controller, but can be felt by running one's fingers over the controller surface.

Overall impression

The "air bubbles" in this Sticker Bomb controller wouldn't be present in a Microsoft-produced design such as the Titanfall Limited Edition controller, but otherwise the Sticker Bomb is indistinguishable from a store-bought controller. The colorful design is just what I hoped for – this controller stands out in a crowd.

Some people love for their electronics to have a uniform and plain appearance, but others will enjoy the opportunity for personal expression offered by Controller Modz' many designs. The catch is that these custom controllers don't come cheap. Each controller starts out as a retail Xbox One controller before going through the professional modification process. UK-based customers can opt to provide their own controllers in order to cut down on the price.

Assuming you don't send in a controller, the Sticker Bomb rings up at £69.99. UK customers get free shipping, while shipping to the US costs £8.00. Enter coupon code "ecko" during checkout for a ten percent discount. That brings the total to £77.99 for US customers, which equals $130.14.

If you want a truly unique looking controller and can afford the Controller Modz service, you won't be disappointed with the results. Controller Modz even offers a 14-day 100 percent satisfaction guarantee.

Controller Modz store links:

• Sticker Bomb Xbox One controller
• More Xbox One controller designs
• Build Your Own Xbox One controller design