It’s been a rough few weeks for Xbox Windows Phone games. We haven’t seen a new Xbox-branded game since UNO & Friends released at the end of July, for crying out loud. Sure, the new version of Fruit Ninja and Chaos Rings’ recent Windows Phone 8 compatibility have helped, but mobile Xbox fans still thirst for brand new games and Achievements.
Today that thirst gets quenched for a while! Like a much-needed whisky on the rocks after an afternoon showdown, Six-Guns has finally arrived on Windows Phone 8. First announced back in March, Six-Guns is one of the 15 games that Gameloft recently promised in August. It also happens to be free! See our first impressions video and more details after the break!
Windows Phone heads to the Wild West
Six-Guns starts with a stylish, fully-voiced motion-comic introduction. Our hero (or is that antihero?) Buck Crosshaw wakes up just outside of a desert town, head throbbing with hangover. You know, pretty much your friendly neighborhood Games Editor’s typical Sunday morning experience. Soon a woman’s scream beckons, and the tutorial begins…
Gameloft’s latest release is an open world action game modeled after Rockstar’s popular Red Dead Redemption console game. A virtual stick on the left controls Buck’s movement, while swiping anywhere on the right adjusts the camera. A large revolver button delivers melee blows or fires Buck’s gun. If you’ve played a console-style action game on mobile phones such as The Amazing Spider-Man then you’ll feel right at home with Six- Guns’ controls.
Slinging guns ain’t easy
This is a Wild West-themed game that spans a large world, so of course our hero needs a horse. Tapping the horse button at the top-left corner calls your trusty steed. Once you’ve accepted a quest, you can simple hop on Rainbow Dash (or whatever you call your horse) and follow the glowing waypoint markers to the mission destination.
Along the way you’ll pass a beautifully rendered landscape. Six-Guns features some excellent art designs, though the frame rate falls a bit short. It seems to run on the same engine as The AmazingSpider-Man and The Dark Knight Rises, which means it’s playable but not the smoothest game in town. I’m willing to put up with some frame rate hiccups (or what you young’uns call lag) in order to play a huge game with a cool western theme.
Get it now on phone, soon on Windows 8
The lineup of Xbox-enabled Windows Phone 8 games is looking slim for the rest of the year, so Six-Guns came not a moment too soon. The game clocks in at just under 500 megabytes, but as with all Windows Phone 8 games, you’ll need at least four times as much space (approximately two gigabytes) in order to install it.
An interesting facet of Gameloft’s August announcement that you might’ve missed is that Six-Guns will be coming to Windows 8 too! The Windows 8 version will be Xbox-enabled and free, just like this one. Gameloft hasn’t announced a specific release date for the tablet and PC game yet – hopefully it comes sooner rather than later.
Six-Guns– Windows Phone 8, including 512MB devices – 436 MB – Free – Store Link
Thanks to Mark Tepper for the super speedy tip!
