From part of the design team that brought you Panzer Dragoon on the Sega Saturn comes a little Xbox Live title with heavy echoes of the 1995 classic. Crimson Dragon: Side Story is a shoot-em-up, viewed from the side, that tells the story of the Crimson Scale disease on the planet Draco. B-movie plot aside, this is a damn fine little arcade number, and potentially one of the best action games on Xbox Live.
The phone case is an oft-overlooked item these days. There was a time when having a phone in a leather case clipped to one's belt was the norm, not so much these days as thin touch slabs tend to casually slip into our pockets or bags. That hasn't deterred manufacturers like Noreve who claim to make 'haute couture' for mobile phones. We give its cases for the Lumia 800 and 900 the catwalk treatment.
If I was to break down what I use my smartphone for, I suspect that the media player (specifically for music and audio podcasts) would be a big part of Windows Phone and of the devices and Operating Systems I've used before. Those historical handsets all had third-party applications that would link my musical listening to the popular Last.FM music service. I've not yet found something suitable for Windows Phone... will MetroScrobbler be the app to change that?
Listen carefully to Windows Phone gamers, and you might hear them cursing Johnny Stevens under their breath. He's coded a version of Tetravex for Microsoft's smartphone and it's a frustrating puzzle game that rewards careful planning and thought. There may be many versions of the game out there, but this is one version I particularly like.
Both Steve and I went "oooh!" when we saw that Galaga had been released over Xbox Live last week, but I managed to get first dibs on the review. Which is a shame, because after that one moment of interest and excitement, it was downhill from that moment on for Namco's attempt at a 21st century arcade shooter.
Ximad have a nice isometric maze game here in Braincube. Although when I say maze game, it has a decent amount of puzzling involved as well. Ideally suited to touch screens, Braincube is a challenging game to win, but it's very simple to play.
Released late last week, I wanted to take some time and have a closer look at PayPal's application for Windows Phone. It opens strongly, with some introductory screens promising the app is convenient, secure, trusted, and that the PayPal team will be there for you 24/7 to help you. Is it? Let's find out.
Little blue fluffy creatures, all across the land, who you must shepherd to the next level? It can only be a 'cute' puzzle game for the weekend. It's called Not Without You, and it is one of the more enjoyable forms of frustration available to mobile gamers.
Let's run this week's Xbox Live game a day early (as I suspect we might be a bit busy with other things tomorrow). Roll in the Hole, from Chillingo, hands you a Panda called Po-po, with a lust for lollipops. Can you help him roll around the 80 levels and finish up guiding him to the exit hole each time with his snacks?
Sophie Cam is the latest image manipulation app to be downloaded onto my Windows Phone. As the rest of the All About team will tell you, my photography skills are pretty much non-existent, but while I can't get the crisp clear shots needed for publication, I do like playing around with apps like this. So, how much have I enjoyed Sophie Cam?
