Escapa is a simple, straightforward Windows Phone 8 game that isn't without challenge. The goal is to guide a little red square around the playing field, avoiding contact with the blue objects and the playing field borders. Sounds easy enough but those pesky blue boxes are persistent and room to maneuver can get tight.
Escapa has a level generator that reportedly can generate four billion levels of play giving you plenty of gaming. You can test your avoidance skills up against the clock or play on-line against other Escapa players to see who can rack up the best score.
Graphics are simple, game play direct and overall Escapa isn't a bad game to pass the time with.
With Escapa you'll need to log in with your Windows Live account and create a user name for the leaderboard. From there you have two choices... play Escapa Classic or choose a random level of play. Escapa Classic is a local game without any online competition.
The Random Level option will let you generate a random level (here's where the 4 billion levels come into play, compete for the best scores on levels being played right now, play the level of the day, or choose from the top fifty levels.
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Regardless of your gaming choice, the playing board has a red dot that you control by touch and an assortment of blue blocks. Once you tap the red dot, the game begins and you have to move the red dot about the board avoiding not only the blue blocks but also the border. Once you make contact, the games over. Your score boils down to how long you survive before getting hit or running into the border.
Online play is against other players but instead of real-time, head to head action, you are competing against others on the same game level for the best score.
Escapa is a fun game but it's easy for your finger to get in the way. The only way to avoid that is to make the playing board larger but with more real estate on the board, that might water down the game's challenge. Escapa doesn't have many bells and whistles but it is a fun game choice to pass the time with.
Escapa is a free game for your Windows Phone 8 device. The free version lacks the online play and to unlock those features, you'll have to pay $.99 through an in-game purchase. You can find Escapa here in the Windows Phone Store.
The popular game Fruit Ninja, which has taken the Kinect and Xbox 360 by storm, has not had an update in so long we though the game was dead. More specifically, the previous version had not been updated to support Windows Phone 8’s HD graphics or other advanced features like rapid resume, making the super fun game less exciting.
Seemingly out of nowhere, Halfbrick Studios has just published a new 1.0 version for Windows Phone 8 devices, which includes the aforementioned additions. That’s the good news, because truly Fruit Ninja is one of the best quick-play arcade games for mobile these days, even if it’s a few years old. The bad news is you’ll have to plonk down another $0.99 for the game, even if you have previously purchased it.
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We suppose paying a combined $2 for both versions of an Xbox LIVE title with very high replay value is a fair gesture, though clearly by some of the tips we’ve received, it makes some of you peevish (either that or only cheapskates tend to tip us, which raises all sorts of fascinating socio-economic questions!). Regardless, we’re actually “ok” with the re-purchase because as we said before, super high replay ability. Plus, for you Achievement hounds out there, you get to relive the experience again.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view. New in-app purchase options
We’re just excited that Fruit Ninja is back on our modern 2013 hardware and while it evidently still lacks multitouch support, we’ll take the other benefits that this updated version brings. No formal changelog was given, though we have noticed it now includes ‘Gutsu’s Cart’, a place where you can “buy” cheats and shortcuts in the game, which means yes, this supports in-app purchases (it’s all the rage these days). Like always, you don’t need to buy those things, though it does make the game a little more interesting if you do (and it gives Halfbrick some more revenue).
Pick up the new version of Fruit Ninja for Windows Phone 8 here in the Store. All devices (incl. 512MB). $0.99/27MB.
A couple of days ago we promised you lots of gaming coverage from the Casual Connect event in San Francisco. Well, my schedule has been overstuffed with meetings (including some I didn’t list in the previous article!), but we’re going to start getting some of those articles up today. First up is our video interview with Sam Wong from the Voxel Agents, an indie game studio located in Melbourne (pronounced “Mel-bin” for some reason), Australia.
The Voxel Agents have created a surprisingly clever and unique puzzle game called Puzzle Retreat. I say surprising because there are so many puzzle games out there, it seems like every possible concept has been done to death. So if I’m interested in a puzzler, it might possibly be a game worth noticing. Making Puzzle Retreat even more worthy of notice, the game is coming to Windows Phone 8 later this year!
Puzzle Retreat’s gameplay concept is deceptively simple. Each level has a hand-crafted pattern of empty holes that the player must fill with Play-Doh, I mean blocks. It takes no time at all to learn the controls; just touch a block and slide it up, down, left, or right. Once the block lands in a hole, it can’t be removed. Successfully fill all the holes and you win the level.
Things get more complicated before long though. Players will encounter blocks that split into multiple pieces when moved, allowing them to fill up a whole line of holes. Fire blocks will melt ice blocks; arrow blocks will change the direction of blocks that pass over them; and lots more. The most recent level pack introduces bonsai seedlings that grow into full mini-trees when watered by ice blocks. Other blocks can’t pass through trees, so you’ll need to think carefully before allowing one to mature.
Iterative design
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A puzzle game doesn’t end up playing as intuitively or cleverly as Puzzle Retreat just by chance. As Sam explains in the video, the Voxel Agents took a uniquely iterative approach to the game’s design. They spent about six months prototyping designs, making radical changes until they found one that really worked.
To further polish the game, they braved the rampant herds of kangaroos and dingos I imagine populate every cranny of Australia in order to take to the streets and get random local players to test Puzzle Retreat. The feedback from these street-level tests allowed the Voxel Agents to polish and hone the game that we’ll soon be playing on our phones.
Now that’s gonna be a puzzler!
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Sam and his team plan to release Puzzle Retreat on Windows Phone 8 by the end of the year (a Windows 8 version is possible as well). Check out the video to learn what convinced them to jump onboard the mobile Windows ecosystem.
The game will launch with 60 free puzzles for players to enjoy. Additional level packs will cost 99 cents each. Puzzle fans won’t want to miss it. We’ll have more Puzzle Retreat news in the months to come, so stay tuned!
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view. Windows Phone Central Game Roundup: New and Rising Games
We're turning the spotlight on to a few New and Rising Games from over in the Windows Phone Store in this week's roundup.
These are games that have caught the attention of Microsoft and Windows Phone users, earning them the distinction in the Windows Phone Store. This week we take a look at two racing games, a destroy the zombies game and a game that will test your concentration and patience.
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Prison Break Rush (free): Sometimes the simplest games can be the most challenging. Prison Break Rush definitely meets the criteria of a simple game but it will test your concentration, reflexes and patience.
You play the role of a prisoner set on escaping. You have a "To Do" list that must be completed before you can break out. You have fourteen days to complete your list and escape.
Game play to accomplish each task has you tapping and holding the screen while the prison guard is not in sight. A red progress bar rests above the cell door and when you've held the screen long enough, you advance to the next task. However, if the guard comes into sight while you're holding the screen, you lose a day. Lose all fourteen days and you're stuck in prison.
Graphics are simple, game play uniquely challenging, and Prison Break Rush is worth a try. You'll be surprised that glancing away from the screen for just a second can be enough to allow the guards to catch you in the act.
Prison Break Rush is a free game for Windows Phone 8 and 7.x devices. You can find Prison Break Rush here in the Windows Phone Store.
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AE 3D Moto - The Lost City (free): AE 3D Moto - The Lost City is a fast paced motorcycle racing game that pits you against the world.
You steer your motorcycle by tilting your Windows Phone left or right and tap the screen to hit the accelerator. The goal is to dodge traffic and collect coins, gems, puzzle pieces and other bonus items along the way. The further you go, the faster you get and the more congested traffic becomes.
AE 3D Moto - The Lost City has four motorcycles to race and your coins and gems collected can be used to upgrade your motorcycle fleet. If you need to get a jump on things, you can always buy coins or gems through in-app purchases.
Graphics have a bit of pop, game play can get rather challenging and overall AE 3D Moto - The Lost City is a nice Windows Phone game to pass the time with.
AE 3D Moto - The Lost City is a free game for your Windows Phone 7.x and 8 device. You can pick it up here in the Windows Phone Store.
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Blondies Killing Zombies (free): With Blondies Killing Zombies you have a physics-based, 2D motorcycle game where you race to escape the city and avoid the zombie onslaught. Your motorcycle riders are all female, who are apparently immune from the zombie plague.
On screen controls provide breaking, acceleration, and balance for your motorcycle rider. As you navigate through the various levels of the game, you have to keep your balance on the motorcycle and run over the zombies. A portal drops you into the level of play and you have to survive racing the track to make it to the portal that will let you exit the level.
The game has a selection of female motorcycle riders and motorcycles that become unlocked as you progress through the game. The game includes a built-in track editor with the ability to share your tracks as well as download other user-created tracks.
Blondies Killing Zombies has an odd sort of appeal that keeps you coming back for more zombie destruction. Blondies Killing Zombies is a free game for your Windows Phone 7.x and 8 devices that you can find here in the Windows Phone Store.
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Starship Racers (trial/$.99): Starship Racers is a racing game for your Windows Phone with a bit of a combat twist. It's not a demolition derby styled racing game but you can blast your competition with laser cannons.
You control your racer with tilt steering or an on-screen D-pad, with acceleration and weapons control done through on-screen controls. Starship Racers has six starship models that are progressively unlocked and can be customized prior to each race. there are six race tracks that are also progressively unlocked as you play Starship Racers.
As you complete the races, you earn cash that can be used with the starship upgrades/customizations. Obviously, the goal is to win each race. Your results are compiled on an online leaderboard.
Gaming controls are nicely responsive in using the tilt controls but the D-Pad controls feel a little cumbersome. Graphics and animations have a Tron like feel (okay... maybe that's a reach) and aren't too shabby. Overall, Starship Racers comes across as an appealing Windows Phone racing game.
There is a trial version available for Starship Racers that limits you to one starship style and two tracks. The full version is running $.99 and you can find Starship Racers here in the Windows Phone Store.
The New and Rising Game category is full of hidden gems and hit titles just lying in wait. We picked out four games that have potential and are easily worth trying.
If you've run across a new and rising gaming title that you'd recommend, sound off in the comments below.
Yesterday we brought you the news from Casual Connect that Puzzle Retreat would be coming to Windows Phone 8 this year. Now let’s follow up by discussing a Windows 8-specific game. This one comes from Game House, who we didn’t expect to have a mobile Windows presence at the show.
Imagine my surprise when I stopped by their booth and saw the Windows 8 version of Delicious: Emily’s Wonder Wedding running on a big and beautiful touch-screen monitor right at the front of their booth. Ruby Urlings, the game's producer was even on-hand to demonstrate its story and gameplay for us on video. Give it a watch (and read the history of Delicious on mobile Windows platforms) after the break!
Series herstory
Emily’s Wonder Wedding is the seventh installment in the long-running Delicious series of time management games. It follows Emily’s True Love for Windows 8 (which debuted at GDC in March) and Emily’s Taste of Fame (the fourth entry) for Windows Phone. An eight installment – Delicious: Emily’s Honeymoon Cruise is already in development, and hopefully will come to Windows 8 as well.
The series has always revolved around protagonist Emily’s adventures as a restaurateur. What separates Delicious from other time management games is its lighthearted and well-developed narrative. The events from one game influence the story of the next, and numerous characters like Emily’s sister Angela and her fiancé Patrick show up in multiple games. In fact, Patrick debuted in Emily’s True Love, so Windows 8 players can follow the couple’s relationship from its inception if they buy both games.
Working overtime
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The game starts with a soap opera-like introductory sequence in which Patrick has apparently left Emily at the alter on the day of their big wedding. We then flash back two months to a happier time. Emily runs a thriving restaurant while Patrick sells flowers nearby.
The player serve both groups of customers, preparing their food or floral arrangements, cashiering their purchases, and cleaning up when they leave. It’s standard time management stuff – you’ll need to juggle the needs of multiple customers at once, prioritizing who to help and trying to keep everyone happy. Check out several customers in a row to score a combo bonus.
Mouse in the house
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Adding a wrinkle to the gameplay, mice also pop up in the restaurant from time to time. Tap the unwanted rodents to send them to mouse hell, a place filled with gigantic, superfast cats and terrifying blade-riddled mouse traps. Err, that's not right. Knowing the series’ cheerful demeanor, the mice probably get released safely into the wild or to lucrative careers running through mazes.
The mice pop up in greater numbers in one of the game’s new mini challenges. Each of the 25 episodes (levels) throws in a mini-challenge for variety. In the episode Ruby showed us, Emily basically had to play whack-a-mouse with hordes of meeses while still serving her cheerfully oblivious customers.
A key game for Game House and Windows 8
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The two latest Delicious games are Game House’s way of testing the waters for Windows 8. If the titles do well, we can expect not only the next Delicious sequel but also future Game House titles. Time management fans should grab one or both games to help ensure the publisher stays onboard with Microsoft’s tablet and PC operating system. Maybe Emily will even return to Windows Phone again someday!
Delicious: Emily’s True Love – Windows 8 and RT – 174 MB – $6.99 – Store Link
Delicious: Emily’s Wonder Wedding – Windows 8 and RT – 230 MB – $6.99 – Store Link
If our last Casual Connect game preview Delicious: Emily’s Weddingwas a little too feminine for you (shame!), then perhaps a space shooter will be more to your tastes. TegTap, a two man indie gaming studio is currently preparing to bring its most successful game Solar Warfare to Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8. It’s built with the Unity game engine, which should hopefully make for an easy dual platform release.
We met with CEO and game designer Troy Tegeder to discuss Solar Warfare’s development process, gameplay, and his future plans for mobile Windows platforms. We also demoed the Windows PC version of the game using the new Leap Motion controller. The Windows 8 game will support Leap Motion as well.
Head past the break for our exclusive video showing just how precise Solar Warfare’s motion controls really are!
Space avenger
Solar Warfare is not a story intensive game, but it does begin with a cinematic that sets up the action. An alien armada has invaded a peaceful planet and wiped out the population. The player somehow survives the attack and must seek vengeance for the loss of his or her homeworld. It’s too late to give peace a chance!
360 degree freedom
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In this sci-fi shooter, players pilot a starship across expansive 3D levels. Your ship can equip a variety of laser-type weapons as well as limited use homing missiles. You’ll purchase missiles, new weapons, and upgrades with coins collected throughout each level. Upgrades unlock permanently, whereas missiles and extra lives are consumable.
Instead of flying forward on invisible rails like the original Starfox, Solar Warfare gives gamers full 360 degree control of the ship. You can fly past enemies and attack them from behind, adjust your speed, and even come to a full stop in order to focus on a target. Each area culminates in a dramatic boss encounter, and then you’re on to the next level – or you can replay previous ones to earn more coins.
Far out control options
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The Windows Phone version of Solar Warfare will use touch screen controls and possibly the MOGA Pro controller. On Windows 8, mouse and keyboard controls and Xbox 360 controller support are planned. But the really exciting control option is something we haven’t seen in a Windows 8 game before…
The Leap Motion controller is a motion control solution that initially resembles the Kinect. But this device actually sits on your desk facing up, following hand and arm movement above it. The Leap Motion allows for much greater precision than the original Kinect, as it can detect millimeter movements and individual finger position with ease.
Playing via twists of the hand and fingers looks like a fresh way to play, though surely more fatiguing than mouse, touch, or physical controller. The Leap Motion costs a relatively low $79.99 and you can get it at the Leap Motion Store.
The aliens’ days are numbered
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The Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 versions of Solar Warfare are due out later this year. As long as the touch controls end up anywhere near as usable as the Leap Motion controls, the game should be a blast on phones and tablets. Solar Warfare will cost $4.99 on Windows 8 and $1.99 on Windows Phone 8.
Next up in our Casual Connect USA gaming coverage are two titles from an established Windows Phone developer. Earlier this year, Handy Games (one of Germany’s largest mobile game studios) jumped onto our platform with two impressive Windows Phone 8 titles: Epic Battle Dude– a “one-dimensional“ casual RPG and Aces of Luftwaffe– a vertically-scrolling shoot-em-up. Both are great games (especially Aces) and both are free to play.
So what does the studio have in store for us next? Quite a lot, it turns out. Christopher Kassulke, CEO and owner of Handy Games revealed to us the next two games in the pipeline for Windows Phone 8: 1941: Frozen Front and Townsmen. We were in town for a casual games conference, but both games looked deeper and more fully featured than the average casual title. Get the full scoop in our video after the break!
1941: Frozen Front
Windows Phone already has a handful of quality strategy titles, including Armed! and Great Big War Game. But we don’t have a historical themed hex- and turn-based strategy game just yet. Frozen Front takes place in the early days of World War II, though it uses the war as a jumping off point rather than focusing on specific battles gone by.
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Players begin each mission with a variety of units: infantry, tanks, artillery, planes, and more. You’ll move each unit across the map’s hex grid, uncovering the fog of war as you search for the enemy. Each unit gets one attack per turn, so you’ll need to consider whether it will survive an attack (the game tells you how much damage both sides will take) before assaulting an enemy unit.
Killing enemies gets you gold which can then be spent on new units and more. Complete missions skillfully to earn a gold bonus too. Or you can buy gold as an In-App Purchase (IAP); all of Handy Game’s titles are free to play. And you never have to buy gold if you don’t want to. Strategy fans can complete the entire game without making a purchase.
1941: Frozen Front will also support pass-and-play multiplayer at launch. Online multiplayer might be added in a future update
Townsmen
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This one is the seventh installment in the long-running Townsmen series of city building games. Don’t confuse it with games like Ice Age Village. Townsmen has much more in common with the Settlers or Sim City games.
Players will create a small medieval town and control all aspects of its growth and infrastructure. Build homes for villagers, places for them to work, and roads to connect everything together. The game operates on a seasonal cycle. Corn won’t grow in the winter, so you’ll need to stockpile it earlier in the year. Homes and buildings require repairs otherwise they might catch on fire. If your citizens aren’t happy, they won’t pay their taxes. Then how will you build and expand your town?
Buildings do take time to create and produce resources, which creates an incentive to check in with the game throughout the day. You can hurry things along by spending Prestige Points you earn or buy via IAP. But Townsmen is a game you’re meant to play for long periods of time instead of just collecting resources and running, so it will be quite a bit more engaging than Farmville-style games.
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1941: Frozen Front and Townsmen will both be free to play when they arrive on Windows Phone 8 later this year. In the meantime, here are links for the first two titles from Handy Games:
Aces of the Luftwaffe– Windows Phone 8 – 41 MB – Free – Store Link
Epic Battle Dude– Windows Phone 8 – 38 MB – Free – Store Link
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
At Casual Connect USA last week, I didn’t just interview big mobile studios like Handy Games and Game House. I also spoke to smaller gaming studios on the verge of releasing Windows Phone and Windows 8 games.
Take Sic’em Studios, for instance. They may not be a gaming giant, but they have sizable plans for mobile Windows platforms. Steven White, a former QA Lead at BioWare, is the owner and programmer at Sic’em. His studio will be releasing two games on Windows Phone 8 this year: Rambledam’s Escape and Detonation. See them on video after the break!
Rambledam’s Escape
This little game stars a character called Professor Jim Bob Joe Mortici Rambledam, or Rambledam for short. The Prof has accidentally unleashed a tainted moonshine that turns its consumers into zombies onto fair Aardvark City. Before long, the city dam breaks and Rambledam is forced to swim for his life amid the chaos.
Rambledam’s Escape is an endless swimming game. Basically, it plays a lot like Jetpack Joyride but underwater. The goal is to swim as far as you can while avoiding death by “zombie-pedos,” jugs of moonshine, mines, and zappers.
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The other long term goal is to collect as much money as possible. Cogs act as the currency instead of coins. Pick them up in the water or complete missions for cog bonuses. The cogs can then be spent on power-ups in the shop. Sic’em also plans to add new things to spend them on in the future.
I’m not crazy about the simplistic art style in Rambledam’s Escape, but the gameplay looks pretty addicting. It has a unique sense of humor, which also counts for something.
Rambledam’s Escape will cost 99 cents when it launches on Windows Phone 8 later this year.
Detonation
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Now here’s a game whose art I can get behind. Detonation utilizes a fine retro style that resembles classic games like Golgo 13 and Elevator Action. The theme is fairly serious too, as players control a bomb robot sent in to aid SWAT teams as they battle terrorists. Sic’em still slips in some humor though, like a tip screen dedicated to their favorite animal: the aardvark.
Detonation is essentially a maze game. Players have to navigate their bomb through buildings and other structures without hitting any girders. The bomb line uses realistic physics, so it will swing around if you move it too fast.
The buildings your robot bomb carrier navigates are filled with good and bad guys alike. Touch a SWAT team member to gain extra time. But touching despicable terrorists takes your time away, so watch out for those losers.
Detonation will cost 99 cents when it arrives on Windows Phone 8. The upcoming sequel will follow at a similar price point.
Big plans for Windows platforms
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Of all the developers we spoke to at Casual Connect, Sic’em Games was the only one other than Arkadium (Taptiles) who is actually interested in releasing its games as Xbox Live titles.
Rambledam’s Escape and Detonation have online leaderboards and achievements anyway, so why not incorporate Xbox Live? But these games are still in development and Sic’em hasn’t applied for Xbox Live status yet, so we’ll have to see what happens.
Either way, both games should arrive on Windows 8 sometime after the Windows Phone 8 versions.
FlyNet is a speed oriented puzzle game for you Windows Phone. It is a game where you build webs to capture flying bugs then spin your web around them and gobble them up.
Sound simple, right? Except you only have so many bugs you can let escape your grasp. Your webs will weaken after each capture and some bugs will simply bust outta the web. Either way it's a constant battle to keep your webs built up and not let the bugs escape.
FlyNet has sixteen levels that progressively get more challenging with more webs to maintain and more bugs to coral. It's a buggy of a game for your Windows Phone and a nice time waster.
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The game screen has a series of hexagons that stretch across the screen. You tap on a hex to have your spider build a web on it. As the bugs fly across the screen they get caught in the web. When caught, you tap on the bug to get your spider to wrap them up and poison them for dining. Once your bug is ready for consumption, tap the bug again to eat it. After each meal your web will weaken and if you wait too long the bug will break free, destroying your web. Either way you'll need to send your spider to rebuild things.
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In the upper right corner is the counter on how many bugs you can let escape (typically 3-5 depending on the level). If too many escape, the game's over. Each level has a set number of bugs to deal with but there's no way to see how far you're progressing (how many bugs are left) in the level of play.
As you consume your bugs, you'll earn spider energy that will eventually unlock bonuses that will increase your spider's speed, build super webs, slow the flies down and more.
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Additionally, as you advance through the levels your spider will enhance speed, poison and web creation skills.
Overall, FlyNet has nice graphics and challenging game play. The pace of the game will keep you on your toes to make sure you capture all your bugs and advance to the next level. It would be nice to have a way of determining how far you have to go to complete a level but that kinda adds to the challenge. You never know which bug is the last.
There is a free trial version available for FlyNet with the full version running $.99. It is compatible with Windows Phone 8 and 7.x devices and you can find FlyNet here in the Windows Phone Store.
Next up in our coverage of Casual Connect USA is an interview regarding one of our favorite Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 games: Royal Revolt. The game comes from a collaboration between two German studios, Flare Games and Keen Games.
During last week’s event, we spoke with Georg Broxtermann, the Co-founder and Director of Business Development at Flare. He revealed how Royal Revolt came to mobile Windows platforms, some very encouraging performance numbers, and what we can expect from Flare Games in the future. See the video after the break!
Reverse Tower defense
Royal Revolt tells the story of a young man who returns from magic training to find that his father has died and his wicked aunts and uncles have taken over the kingdom. To get back what is yours, you’ll have to attack the stolen castles and towers instead of defending them. Hopefully the little prince has enough money left when it’s all over to rebuild everything!
Players directly control the prince by touching anywhere on the screen; Windows 8 users also have the option to use the mouse. Approach an enemy and the prince will attack automatically, making combat fun and easy.
You’ll face hordes of foes and dangerous defenses, so you’re also going to need an army of your own. Just tap the buttons at the bottom left corner of the screen to summon soldiers, archers, and more types of troops. At the bottom right are your spell buttons. These allow you to heel your troops, blast enemies, and more.
The prince, his troops, and magic spells are all fully upgradable. Spend coins earned from completing levels or gems bought via In-App Purchase (IAP) to make those improvements. Royal Revolt is free to play on all platforms.
Successful revolt
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At Casual Connect, Flare Games announced some impressive performance figures for Royal Revolt on mobile Windows platforms. The Windows Phone game has been downloaded over 750,000 times, and the Windows 8 version (which released later) over 500,000 times. That’s more than a million Microsoft fans enjoying the game. Georg tells us that IAPs are quite strong on both platforms as well.
The strong sales result not just from the Royal Revolt’s high quality, but also the promotion Microsoft has given the game. By featuring it prominently on the Windows store, they’ve made it easy for players to notice and download the game.
Microsoft Germany also played a part in convincing Flare Games to port the game to Windows Phone in the first place. We heard a similar story from Handy Games (also a German developer), which seems to indicate that Microsoft Germany is working hard to get local developers onboard with Windows Phone. The only thing they’re not doing (sadly) is convincing these developers to publish their games with Xbox branding… But that’s a trend we’ve known for some time now.
More from Flare in the future
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The most important thing is that strong developers like Flare Games are supporting both Windows Phone and Windows 8. Considering the success of Royal Revolt, it should come as no surprise that Flare and Keen plan to release the in-development Royal Revolt 2 on our platforms in the future. Flare’s most recent iOS release Throne Wars (a multiplayer strategy game with MMO elements) is also a contender for mobile Windows platform as well.
In the meantime, the best way to ensure we see more games from Flare is to grab Royal Revolt. If you like it well enough, let them know by buying a few gems in-game.
Royal Revolt– Windows Phone 8 – 284 MB – Free – Store Link
Royal Revolt– Windows 8 – 306 MB – Free – Store Link
Casual Connect presented some great opportunities to get to know Windows Phone game publishers. One of those publishers is Game Insight, makers of our own Rich Edmonds’ favorite Windows Phone 8/Windows 8 game My Country.
Game Insight has also recently published Rule the Kingdom, an exciting RPG/city building hybrid game for both Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8. And they have more games in the works for both platforms! Get the full scoop (and our video interview with Game Insight’s PR director John Kopp) after the break.
My Country
Are Farmville-style city building games too simple for you? My Country is a full-fledged city (and country) management simulator, not unlike Sim City on PC. You’ll start by choosing a base of operations, then it’s time to build a taxi company so people can get around in your city. Fun fact: taxis are not very common in my state of Texas because most people own cars.
Starting a taxi company and other kinds of businesses isn’t as simple a task as you might expect. You’ll have to upgrade the city’s housing and collect several items before you can hire a taxi driver. Once everything’s ready, you can finally negotiate a contract and get some taxis on the road. Contracts last for set periods of time. If you want to upgrade the individual business, you’ll need to do so after its contract expires.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view. Windows 8 version
The overall goal of the game is to grow your nation and level up as much as possible. Tasks and ventures (missions) you complete will reward you with money and XP. Take in enough XP to level up and you’ll unlock new buildings and features with which to expand your city. My Country is actually super deep and complex, but it eases players in with helpful tutorials.
Buildings and tasks take time to complete. If you don’t want to wait, you can always hurry it along by spending some currency. Two currency types are available: game dollars and country bucks. Like most free to play games, players can also enjoy the game without spending anything.
My Country – Windows Phone 8 – 37 MB – Free – Store Link
My Country – Windows 8 – 76 MB – Free – Store Link
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Rule the Kingdom
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view. Windows 8 version
Managing a city is all well and good, but some of us also want to do some adventuring. Rule the Kingdom should keep us busy with its mix of city building and RPG gameplay. You play as a male or female amnesiac who stumbles into a troubled town and ends up as its protector. That’s my kind of amnesia.
The city building portion of the gameplay is not as complex as My Country, but still engaging. As you create various types of businesses like a bakery and farm, characters with actual names and personalities move in to operate them. Your character actually moves around the town to talk to everybody, providing a more personal level of engagement than many god-type games.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view. Windows Phone 8 version
Being that Rule the Kingdom is also an RPG, it has the standard fixings like character customization and equipment. You can go on quests, explore new areas, and do battle with villains and monsters. The combat is straightforward enough; choose to attack, defend, or cast spells as your party engages the enemy.
Rule the Kingdom has an appealing nineties-era computer RPG vibe to it. Some of the production values such as character animation and artwork (look at that hideous wannabe Prince of Persia on the live tile!) lean towards the budget end of the spectrum. But otherwise it feels like a full RPG experience with a little town building thrown in for good measure.
Rule the Kingdom – Windows Phone 8 – 74 MB – Free – Store Link
Rule the Kingdom – Windows 8 – 86 MB – Free – Store Link
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Insight into the future
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view. We stopped by Game Insight's San Francisco office, where they have a marvelous pool table.
Check out the video for the full skinny on Game Insight’s Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 plans, but here are a few highlights. For one, the publisher will be updating its existing Windows 8 games to make them look better on high resolution screens. Their current user interfaces and text look very small at the 1080P resolution used by the Surface Pro, as you can tell in this article’s screenshots. Soon the games will be updated with more properly scaled UIs.
We also learned that Game Insight has multiple games in development for Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 right now. The only one we can officially announce right now is a sequel to their first release: My Country 2020. We’ll have more details as it draws closer to release.
Years ago on the Zune HD we had a popular game called AudioSurf. It was at the time one of the first mobile music/rhythm games that allowed you to interact with your Zune’s music in no other way. Fast forward to 2013 and while we don’t have that game, we may have something even better coming: SongArc.
SongArc is a forthcoming, brand new title from two well-known developers: Turtle Games, who make the popular game Rum Run and András Velvárt, who is the mind behind SurfCube 3D Browser. It’s yet another genius creation from the AppCampus Project (a joint venture between Microsoft, Aalto University and Nokia) and it should be coming out in the next month.
From the description of the game (and revealed in the above teaser video):
“SongArc is a music / rhythm game for Windows Phone, with a revolutionary gameplay that lets you get intimately close to the music and feel as if you were playing a real instrument. It allows you to play with any songs you have on your phone. If one of these songs doesn’t have a Sheet for it yet, you can create your own, and even share it with others to play with."
We’re really quite excited about the potential of this game, as Windows Phone needs a hit title that allows you to access your music library and engage in rapid thumb pressing akin to the standard Dance Dance Revolution.
We’ll of course bring your more on SongArc as it nears release, but in the meantime you can follow the project yourself on Twitter (@SongArcGame) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/songarcgame).
In the Windows Phone and Windows 8 emulation scene, a developer named M.k has largely been the star of the show. Starting in January of this year, he produced no less than three awesome emulators for mobile Microsoft platforms: Snes8x (Super Nintendo), VBA8 (GameBoy Advance), and VGBC8 (GameBoy Color). M.k updated his emulators regularly, and had promised to bring MOGA Pro Controller support to the Windows Phone 8 versions in a future update.
Yesterday our hopes for a controller-fied emulation future came to an abrupt halt when all three of M.k’s emulators disappeared from the Windows Phone Store. This prompted speculation that Microsoft had finally started cracking down on emulators, a somewhat controversial type of app.
Many gamers love playing classic games via emulation, but others lump the practice in with piracy. Microsoft has historically allowed emulators to be sold on the Store, which means there is no debate as far as we’re concerned. Could Microsoft have changed its policy towards emulation apps though?
Good news, bad news
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view. VBA8
The good news is that Microsoft is not banning emulators from the Windows Phone and Windows 8 Stores. You can still purchase emulation apps from several different developers.
Now for the bad news. M.k voluntarily pulled his own apps from the Windows Phone Store. In fact, he has chosen not to renew his developer account; hence the apps had to be removed. M.k assures us that the decision is not a financial one – developer accounts aren’t all that expensive at $99.
Instead, the decision was personal in nature. For whatever reason, M.k no longer wishes to produce new apps or support his existing ones. I wish I could go into more detail, but (as his nondescript developer name implies) he’s a very private person.
M.k did explain that he still likes the Windows Phone and Windows 8 platforms and might return to developing for them someday. Just don’t expect it to be anytime soon. If you previously bought Snes8x, VBA8, or VGBC8, be careful not to delete them! Once an app gets delisted, it can no longer be redownloaded.
Don’t lose hope, retro gamers
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view. EmiPSX
Our platforms’ most prolific emulator developer might have walked away, but Windows Phone emulation fans can still find hope in the next generation of emulator developers. M.k himself recommends two of these developers’ upcoming projects:
Samuel Blanchard, maker of Blue Tomato (Sega Master System) and Purple Cherry (GameBoy Color) is working on his own GameBoy Advance emulator. As he explains in our interview, the new emulator is still a long way off because he doesn’t get to work on it very often. But Samuel has a reputation for quality, so it should be worth the wait.
Andre Botelho is another promising developer. He’s got a Playstation One emulator in the works for Windows Phone 8 called EmiPSX (pictured above). Just imagine playing Final Fantasy VII, Dragon Quest VII or Resident Evil on your phone! EmiPSX is currently in beta status and should officially appear on the Store later his year.
Drawtopia is a Windows Phone puzzle game where you draw the solution. It is a physics based game where you have to draw a path for balls to travel from point A to point B.
Drawtopia has forty levels of play with a nasty variety of traps and mechanics that you have to avoid or use on your behalf. Drawtopia is a fun game that will not only challenge your powers of deduction but also you drawing skills.
The forty levels of play in Drawtopia are scattered about five rooms. The first few levels of the first room, the Red Room, are more or less tutorial levels. Even after you complete the first few levels, the game will toss up hints and tips throughout the game. Again, the object is to create a pathway to guide your ball from the starting point to the exit point or Point A to Point B if you prefer.
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Sounds simple enough? Right, but here's the catch. Along the way you have shimmering stars that you'll need to collect for bonus points, maneuver around obstacles and avoid spikey dangers. There are pin wheels that will knock your ball about and spikes that... well... that will just ruin your day.
You draw your lines by tapping and dragging your finger across the screen. These lines will create paths to guide your ball to collect the stars, avoid the dangers and obstacles and eventually make it to the exit which will advance you to the next level. The spinning wheels that you encounter will help by pushing your ball along (good for when you have to draw uphill paths) but can also bounce it backwards off the track.
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Another aspect of Drawtopia's challenge is that you have limited ink to draw your platforms/path/tracks. At the top of the screen is the your ink supply meter. As you draw, that meter slowly depletes.
Once you have everything drawn up just tap the play button at the bottom left of the screen to release your ball. If you over draw your lines, send your ball off the screen into the dark abyss or just generally screw up there's a reset button next to the play button.
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Drawtopia has a simplistic feel to it but once you get into the game you realize that there's more to it. Drawtopia is a fun, slightly addictive, challenging game for your Windows Phone. Drawtopia's only drawback may be that there's only forty levels.
Drawtopia is a free, ad-supported game for your Windows Phone 7.x and 8 devices that you can find here in the Windows Phone Store.
When Windows Phone launched with Xbox-branded games, many Xbox 360 fans picked up the platform in hopes of Xbox 360/XBLA-style experiences. Well, there are several Xbox Windows Phone games worthy of being released on consoles, but for the most part, they tend to be pick-up-and-play casual games.
It wasn’t until the advent of Windows Phone 8 and Gameloft’s increased support for it that we started getting more serious and complex games in the mobile Xbox lineup. The largest and most fully featured of those games is undoubtedly Order & Chaos Online. Can a massively multiplayer online RPG (MMORPG) like this work on less than massive smartphones? Read on to find out.
Take on an alter ego
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You can have up to three separate characters (or five with an In-App Purchase), though even just a single character will take countless hours to “max out.” Choose from five races and four classes, each of which can specialize in two subclasses. The two most important types for completing dungeons are Warrior “Tanks” and Monk “Healers.” Learn a bit more about races and classes here.
After creating a character you’ll run through a brief tutorial and then set out to explore a massive online world. Role-playing games typically have intricate stories, but MMOs necessarily reduce the focus on narrative. Order & Chaos’s story comes via text delivered mostly before and after completing quests. Each new city or area you visit will have its own tales that unfold. You don’t get an overarching story, but there’s no real need when you’re supposed to be partying up and socializing with friends and new people.
Party time
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Now, you COULD play through everything except for high-level dungeons all by your lonesome; you’ll have an experience very similar to Oblivion and Skyrim. But you’d also be missing out on the inherent social appeal of an MMO.
This game is one gigantic shared adventure, and there are many obvious benefits to interacting with your fellow players. Don’t understand how something works? Can’t figure out what to do in a quest? Instead of searching online, it’s often faster and easier just to ask other players. In my experience, the general North American community has been quite helpful. You can always mute anyone who rubs you the wrong way – I’ve only done so twice so far.
Forming a team of 2-4 players also makes things much easier. Escort missions or quests that involve higher level enemies can be tough to survive on your own. Bring a friend along (or recruit someone new in chat) and you should have much less trouble. Teammates share XP from kills and some items dropped as well. Distribution of the more valuable loot depends on the team settings; I tend to let items go to whichever player can actually use them.
Dungeons and dragons
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You’ll especially want to party up when taking on instanced dungeons. The first dungeon (Knahswahs Prison) becomes available around level 20. Dungeons contain packs of high-level monsters and multiple bosses to battle. Without a balanced group of four party members, you’re certain to be overwhelmed by the enemies.
Given the steep challenge of the dungeons, it’s super satisfying when your team finally clears one. But I found that by the time my character was actually strong enough to be a real help in the Prison (closer to level 30 than 20), the gear I could get from the dungeon’s loot was no longer of use. Taking a dungeon on at a low level could be profitable though, provided you have one or more higher level players to get the team through.
Dungeons are also held back slightly by the game’s experience system. You don’t gain XP from killing enemies that are more than 5 levels below your own, much to my chagrin. So running dungeons for XP isn’t practical either. Still, people are constantly looking for dungeon help in the global chat. I bet they do it for the challenge and the shared goal more than anything.
Chatting it up
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Order & Chaos offers a global chat channel in which anyone can converse, ask for help, or form a team. You can also switch your chat messages to local (just the map you occupy), team, or guild, as well as sending whispers (private messages). Chatting via touch screen keyboard (though not as convenient as voice chat) is such a breath of fresh air given how most multiplayer Xbox Windows Phone games like UNO & Friends and Asphalt 7 don’t offer any way for players to communicate.
That said, Order & Chaos’s chat feature could be better. Type a long message and the text goes off-screen so that you can’t see much of what you’re typing. And tapping anywhere outside of the keyboard sends the message as-is, often in an incomplete state. The game really should allow users to resume a message without sending it.
Guilds
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Speaking of chat and community, Order & Chaos players will probably want to join a guild. This game’s guilds don’t involve much of an energy investment; there’s no guild bank, guild wars, or things like that. Being part of a guild just gives you access to the guild’s private chat channel. Stick with a guild and you can get to know the other members, ask them for help, and help them when they need it.
WPCentral actually has its own guild made up of loyal readers and newcomers alike. If you’re playing on the North American server, you should join up! Just add my character EastWind to your in-game friends list. Then when you see me online, send a whisper and ask for an invite. The guild also has an official forum thread; feel free to stop by and talk.
Big, beautiful, and buggy
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Considering what a large game this is, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that it suffers from a fair number of bugs. The most frustrating kind is when certain quests glitch and become impossible for anyone to complete. And in fact the second dungeon Relic’s Key (pictured above) is currently bugged. One of the bosses causes the game to crash for the entire party, making the dungeon unbeatable. The game also just crashes at random times. Hopefully Gameloft fixes these problems in an update.
Achievements
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Speaking of bugs, Gameloft games on Windows Phone often suffer from broken Achievements. Thankfully Order & Chaos’s Achievements all work just fine. They’re also quite reasonable in difficulty, though time consuming. Naturally.
Surprisingly, there are no Achievements for completing dungeons. A few involve finding loot of high rarity – I still haven’t come across an epic level item at level 30. The game awards an Achievement for every 10 experience levels, all the way up to the current maximum level of 60. Getting there will take dozens of hours, though a handful of dedicated players have already accomplished it in just a few short weeks.
Check out Part 1 and Part 2 of our Beginner’s Guide for lots of helpful gameplay advice. The guide also describes lots of gameplay aspects like mounts, pets, and crafting that couldn’t fit into this review.
Overall Impression
Casual games are a perfect fit for smartphones since you can play them for a few minutes at a time throughout your day. But sometimes you crave a longer, more interesting experience.
Order & Chaos Online is just the right game for when you have 30 minutes or an hour to kill. MMORPGs are time consuming games and typically played on PCs. But because this is a phone game, you have way more opportunities to play it than a PC game. You can literally play it anywhere; that’s the beauty of phone gaming. You’ll have to plug in your charger if you play for very long, but that’s a small price to pay for the fun this game offers.
In this reviewer’s opinion, Order & Chaos Online is the single best game for Windows Phone. Will you fall in love with it as well? The demo lets you play the first seven levels for free, so try it and see!
Order & Chaos Online– Windows Phone 8 with 1 GB RAM – 1012 MB - $6.99 – Store Link
Godville may be one of the more unique games available for your Windows Phone 8 devices. It is labeled a Zero Player Game (ZPG) that has the elements of a Role Playing Game (RPG) but not the hassle of having to deal with waiting for other players to take a turn, manage level ups, and all the other work involved in playing such games.
With Godville you play the role of the local god and the hardest task is probably finding a name for your hero, who does all the heavy lifting.
Sure there are a few interactions you can have with your hero but for the most part, Godville is a sit back, relax and do very little type game. Godville is an acquired taste and it takes a little time to get a handle on, but if you give it a try Godville may surprise you.
When you first launch Godville you are tasked with naming your god and hero, as well as choosing their gender. You'll get a confirmation if the name is available as you type it in and while this is basically a solo game, the Godville network generating things likely can't have duplicate names. The game has been available over on iOS and Android so finding a name not already in use, may be the hardest part of Godville.
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Once you have the names in order Godville has a handful of main pages where you can monitor your hero's progress. You have...
Diary Page: This is your hero's journal where all their thoughts and actions are recorded. The page also lists the milestone level and any progress the hero is making.
Hero Page: This page lists all your hero's statistics such as age, personality, aura, monsters killed, etc.
Stuff Page: Your hero's inventory.
Friends Page: If you know of anyone playing Godville, you can invite their hero over for a play date.
Pantheons Page: Once your hero makes it to level 7 pantheons become available and here is where your's will be listed.
Menu Page: Here is where you will find the game's settings, help section, access to the Godwiki page and the ideabox. Settings cover notifications and account settings (password, email, timezone, etc.).
At the top of the screen, throughout the various pages, you will have your hero's health stats, gold and a progress update (the question mark). At the bottom of the screen are button controls to bless your hero, speak to your hero through the voice of god (they don't always listen), and smite your hero. These actions are limited during the day but as you progress through the game a restore button will appear where you can re-charge your godly powers.
You can interact as much or as little as you want with your hero. The diary entries can be rather humorous on their own but if you want to stir things up, you can. If you're away from your Windows Phone, you can also access your hero only at Godville's website.
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Godville does take a little time to get used to and discover all the ins and outs of the game. The one nice thing about Godville is that you really don't have to do anything. Your hero does all the heavy lifting and it's hard for you to screw anything up (unless you want to). There is a "How to be a god for dummies" guide in the FAQ part of the Help Section that can be useful in grasping the concept the game.
Overall, the text based game Godville won't appeal to everyone but as a free game, it's really worth trying. Give it a day or two to run it's course and it's not like you've got to give it much attention. I've gotta admit the game's grown on me just a little and I found myself returning to the game just to see what my hero was up to.
Godville is a free game for your Windows Phone 8 devices that you can find here in the Windows Phone Store.
Since we had no new Xbox Windows Phone release this week, the Xbox Red Stripe Deal is left to pick up the slack. And for once, it doesn’t disappoint! Yes, this week a game that HAS NEVER BEEN ON SALE BEFORE goes on sale. That doesn’t happen too often. What’s more, it’s one of the best games available!
Yes, Rayman Jungle Run from Ubisoft is the Xbox game on sale this week. What Windows Phone 8 gamer could resist it for only 99 cents? Rounding out the Red Stripe Deals are an indie game called 2150 A.D. from Lumosoft for 99 cents and the Twitter app Rowi from Hidden Pineapple for $1.49. Descriptions and Store links after the break.
Rayman Jungle Run (Windows Phone 8)
Regular price: $2.99 Sale price: $.99 Download size: 49 MB Store Link
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Rayman Jungle Run is a platformer based on Ubisoft’s phenomenal Rayman Origins console game. It plays like an endless runner in that Rayman run automatically, so players only need to use a single finger to control his jumping and other moves.
Unlike endless runners, the game is broken up into distinct level sets. Your goal is to not only complete every level but also collect as many Lums (floating collectibles) as possible while doing so. Get them all to receive a tooth. Once you get enough teeth you'll unlock super tough Land of the Dead levels.
Jungle Run is one of the most gorgeous games on Windows Phone, with incredibly lush and detailed backgrounds and expertly drawn characters. It includes 50 highly replayable levels and some frustrating Achievements. Look past a couple of Achievements you’ll never get and it’s one easy game to love. See our review for more details.
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2150 A.D. (Windows Phone 7 and 8)
Regular price: $1.99 Sale price: $.99 Download size: 14 MB Store Link
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Fans of Asteroidsand/or sci-fi shooters might want to give 2150 a look. Players pilot a small ship across a space field dotted with invading ships and crystals. This is not a twin-stick shooter – your weapons only fire forward, so steering is important.
Levels have varying goals, such as collecting crystals and ferrying them back to base. Between levels you can upgrade various parts of your ship. The title screen and UI are a little rough, but the solid gameplay and in-game graphics make up for it.
2150 A.D. is also available in a free ad-supported version. The ads aren’t incorporated too organically; they actually cover up some of the UI. But it’s a good way to try the game before deciding on a purchase. QR tag below links to the paid version.
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Rowi (Windows Phone 7 and 8)
Regular price: $2.99 Sale price: $1.49 Download size: 3 MB Store Link
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I bet you woke up this morning and thought, “I need another $%#^$&$ Twitter app on my phone.” Well then, this deal’s for you!
Rowi actually has some nice features, such as:
Tweet with photos, location and username auto-completion
Edit your photos before tweeting them or uploading new profile image using Aviary
Various settings around photo upload services and reading styles
Use multiple accounts and ability to "tweet as"
Save for Later using Readability, Instapaper and Pocket
Use Readability for better web site browsing
Easy access to actions on tweets via easy to use context menu
Share via e-mail or text
Translate tweets with Bing
Built-in TweetMarker support so last read tweets sync with your favorite Twitter apps
Configure your home screen with search, retweets, favorites, etc.
Configurable push notifications on your live tile and toast notifications for mentions and messages
When we reviewed indie brick breaking game Inflexiball a couple of months ago, our resident Brazilian reader Guilherme quickly noticed that the game was not available in the Brazilian Windows Phone Store. We gave publisher Renatus Media a shout to find out why the game skipped over good ol’ Brazil. No, it wasn’t due to riots or Angry Birds attacks!
As it turns out, Inflexiball didn’t release in Brazil for the same reason every other game passes over the South American nation: Brazil’s strict and somewhat confusing software ratings requirements. It just so happens that we published a guide to releasing software in Brazil a few months back. Renatus put it to use and Inflexiball has just launched there at last.
Brazilian Inflexiball fans aren’t the only ones with occasion to celebrate today. Renatus has also just released a new update to the game that doubles it length! Details and impressions after the break.
Inflexiball version 1.1 release notes
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14 new levels (15-28)
new bricks and bosses added
new quests and items
new background
The game launched with 14 levels, so this update pushes it up to 28 total levels. The new quests are basically objectives that must be completed on top of destroying all of a level’s bricks, such as collecting a specific item hidden within one of the bricks. You can beat a level but fail the quest, which is sort of the equivalent of failing to 3-star a level in other games.
The new bosses tend to be combinations of large and small steampunk aircraft. They fire shots that will cause players to lose a life if they hit their paddles. Boss levels are tricky because you still have to break an arrangement of bricks on top of dodging and attacking the bosses. You’ll probably have to retry some boss levels several times before your paddle emerges victorious.
Ball buster
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Inflexiball is a brick breaking game with steampunk elements, somewhat reminiscent of Xbox Windows Phone game IonballEX. The main difference – besides this game’s brighter visual style – is its free to play nature. Since it doesn’t cost anything outright, the developers monetize the game with an energy mechanic.
Each time you play a level, it depletes part of an energy meter. Run out of energy and you’ll need to either purchase more with the in-game gold currency or wait a while for it to refill. You can earn gold by collecting it during levels, so you’re not really forced to make In-App Purchases. My only issue with that is that failing a level and choosing to retry it still costs energy, whereas I’d prefer to spend the energy once and have as many tries as needed to beat it.
Retrying becomes an issue because Inflexiball can be surprisingly difficult at times. Bricks often appear very low on the screen and the ball moves slightly too fast in general, making it tough for players to react in time. The ball, bricks, and especially boss projectiles are also a bit smaller than necessary.
Vamos celebrar!
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Those criticisms aside, I love the game’s setting, and you can never have too many quality brick breakers. Considering that the Windows Phone version of Inflexiball has been downloaded over 10,000 times since its release, players seem to agree… And now Brazilians can get in on that action as well. Learn more at publisher Renatus Media's website.
Inflexiball– Windows Phone 8 – 44 MB – Free – Store Link
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Update
It seems that the game hasn't quite shown up in the Brazilian store yet. Hopefully this is due to the store update cycle varying for different users. Let us know when it pops up, guys!
Tomorrow, August 9, finger game Finger Party will be free to download for Windows Phone users. The deal is a collaboration between Finger Party developer MaxPirat and myAppFree, a Windows Phone app that works with developers to offer one free application per day. Like all apps downloaded through myAppFree, the Finger Party deal will last for 24 hours.
Finger Party is an agility test for your phalanges, where you must drag color-coordinated symbols to their corresponding counterparts above. The premise is simple, but the execution is much more complicated. If you think you're digits are up to it, download the full version and let your fingers do the walking through 96 increasingly more difficult levels.
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You can find out more about Finger Party and download it here (deal appears to be active already). And if you are interested in trying myAppFree to get more daily deals, as well as keeping track of everything, you can download it here (right QR code). Thanks, for the tip, Massimo!
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
We’re all pumped for the Xbox One’s impending launch. We still don’t know exactly when the console will appear in stores other than the month of November. It must be getting close at any rate because Microsoft has just released an official unboxing video as well as three accessory-specific videos.
Normally I don’t care for unboxing videos, but this one is an exception. For one: it gives us a nice look at how the Xbox one’s components relate to each other in size, not to mention the ports on the back and side of the console. All good things.
The real news however is what comes inside the box. It’s got all the stuff we expected plus one item we didn’t… a Chat Headset! And the video reveals that the Chat Headset won’t just come with the “Day One Edition” of the console. It will be included with every system. That’s a victory for communication and teamwork in Xbox One games!
Communication is key
The headset’s inclusion is big news because Microsoft had originally announced that the Xbox One would launch without one. Their reasoning was that the Kinect’s microphone would allow voice communication, making a headset pack-in unnecessary.
This rubbed gamers the wrong way for multiple reasons:
The original Kinect’s speakerphone-style communication picks up more background noise than a headset, resulting in inferior sound quality.
The Playstation 4 costs $100 less than an Xbox One and includes a headset.
Corded headsets cost Microsoft like a dollar to make (maybe two dollars this time due to the nice buttons) and yet add an immeasurable value to the online experience in games.
The Xbox 360 launched with a bundled headset and created a standard that gamers expect Microsoft to live up to with subsequent consoles.
Headsets really are an irreplaceable accessory in modern online gaming. So many games involve teamwork, whether it’s Call of Duty, Halo, or the upcoming Titanfall and Battlefield 4.
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The ability to actually communicate with each other and strategize is paramount to the team-based or cooperative experience. Yes, a team of voiceless nobodies can still win a game, but they’re at a disadvantage compared to a talkative team.
Playing with somebody who can’t talk, you might as well be playing with a bot. Socializing is half the fun in multiplayer gaming. Plus everybody hates the guy with no headset, so you don’t want to be that guy.
Closer look at the Chat Headset
Now that we’ve established the importance of having a headset when playing online, let’s look at the packed-in Chat Headset itself. The new headset has mute and volume controls built right in at the case where it connects to the controller. This allows users to make adjustments without reaching away from the controller during gameplay. So did the original Xbox 360 headset before Microsoft switched designs. But the new volume controls actually look much more attractive and easy to use.
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I’m not going to lie to you – headsets with thin cords like this one will undoubtedly have are just designed to break. The wires get bent around too much inside and break apart internally. But still, even a cheap headset’s inclusion sets the precedent that Microsoft wants online players talking to each other. And if your headset does give out, you can always replace it with the same model ($24.99) or a more durable one.
Xbox One Controller
Next up is a closer look at the Xbox One’s beautiful new controller. It closely resembles the old style but has at least three major improvements:
The d-pad is a much more responsive and accurate design.
The triggers have built-in vibration, independent from the main controller vibration.
The analog sticks have been tweaked for comfort and responsiveness.
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The Xbox One Controller will retail for $59.99.
Play and Charge Kit
Finally, the new Play And Charge Kit works much the same as the Xbox 360’s version. It’s a rechargeable battery pack that can be charged by plugging the controller into the console. The charging cord is 9 feet, and you can use the controller while charging.
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The innovation on the new model is you can charge the battery pack outside of a controller. That should be handy for people who own more battery packs than they do controllers.
The Play and Charge Kit will sell for $24.99. It will also come bundled with a controller for $74.99, a $10 savings.
