So how do you start a review about yet another title in the 'Tower Defense' genre? Well you could point out just how similar all these games are, how they need a careful balance of resources and enemies to attack during each level, how everything should build on previous lessons learned on these levels, and there needs to be a strong visual design to make the title stand out. Or you could mention all of the above, and point out that Radiant Defense does it all.
Miniclip have a strong catalogue of Xbox Live titles and, if you look at the titles, there are certain things Miniclip like to do. They like to have a very simple game mechanic, they like to have a generous demo mode, they like to provide a few different ways of playing, and they like to provide a huge number of levels. But with Fling, there's a feeling that Miniclip are going through the motions, and that as a gamer I've done this all before.
New this month in the Windows Marketplace is Cyclocomp, a tracking application aimed at cyclists - but joggers, runners, and other mobile fitness fans could find some value in here. It's a nice piece of code, that does the job of tracking where you cycle and for how long, but it's missing a few tricks in terms of functionality, and I'm struggling to find enough confidence in the application to commit to it.
Final Fantasy is a big name in gaming. It's one of the leading role playing game (RPG) franchises, which has been releasing new titles for the last twenty five years. With fourteen titles in the 'main' line and countless other compilations, spin-offs and off-shoots, the basic style of Final Fantasy is known the world over. Does the Xbox Live version of the game match up to the expectations?
The Nokia Lumia 800 was a landmark device. While there were many Windows Phone 7 devices before it, it was Nokia's first product after the partnership with Microsoft, and its unibody design was the first Windows Phone 7 device to really capture the attention of the technology press. As such, our in-depth review series has examined all aspects of the device, and has in some ways been as much a review of Windows Phone 7 as it has been the Lumia 800 itself. We now pull everything together to summarise each review section and close by each member of the AAWP team passing verdict.
Nokia is justifiably proud of its green credentials throughout the company, and its latest Windows Phone exclusive, Climate Mission 3D, wants to make sure that smartphone users are also aware of what they can do as individuals. But like any good lesson, it's far better to hide the education inside a game.
Seriously, Battleship? A flagship (pun intended) title on Xbox Live, in the three dollar price band? That game where you call out co-ordinates to see if your opponent has a ship there? Well, if they can turn it into a film, they can turn it into an Xbox Live premium title. But is it any good?
To be honest I'm not sure how I feel about MonstaFish. It's a collection of five mini-games (two of which are available in limited form in the trial version), and none of them would really stand alone as quality titles, even at the 99c/79p minimum level in the Marketplace. So bundling them together makes sense, even more so when the title itself pops up at the same 79p mark.
Look at that title. It has everything you need to get everyone interested. It mentions pirates and it mentions cats. Throw in one of the cutest possible icons, and you have a winner before people start playing the game. When they do, they're going to get an overload of cuteness.
Following our review of the Picture Hub on the Nokia Lumia 800 (and other Windows Phone 7 devices), we now turn our attention to the Music + Video Hub. This is where Windows Phone 7 collates all of its multimedia content. This mostly accounts for the music, videos, and podcasts, synchronised via the Zune desktop application, but you'll also find all of your related applications, such as streaming content - including our own AAWP application. Read on as we get in-depth with the Music + Video Hub and take you on a tour of what Windows Phone 7 Mango and the Nokia Lumia 800 have to offer for your multimedia needs.
