Right then, Temple Run Brave. The easiest way to review this would be quite cynical - just cut and paste the original review of Temple Run (which you can read here) and add in a paragraph about the new 'archery' section you can romp through. Then I would need to talk about why there's an archery section, why there's a different character, and we're back at a full review. So let's just go with that.
The Role Playing Game genre (RPG) doesn't have a huge number of titles on Windows Phone, so when a new one comes along, it not only has the expectations of the gamers on the platform to satisfy, but RPG's have a long history and any new title will be measured against it. I get the feeling that Doom & Destiny is counting on that.
Rayman never gets the credit he deserves. While Mario built up Nintendo to great heights, as Sonic the Hedgehog saves the Sega Genesis/Megadrive, Rayman has never been a saviour of anything in the real world. Like a disowned samurai warrior, he wanders from platform to platform, with a loyal following of players and publishers, but never quite breaking through to the big time. Will this Xbox Live title change that?
This looks rather familiar... A bundle of balls, stuck to the top of the gameplay area in a hex grid slowly moving to the bottom, and the player throwing balls up to match colours and make them disappear? Yes, it's another Puzzle Bobble / Bust-a-move clone, but hold on a minute. That might be the starting point for Magnet Balls, but there's a new twist on an old classic that works.
There are three laps of the Montpelier circuit facing you. You've got a fully charged smartphone battery, half a pack of chewing gum, the lights are out, and are wearing an ironic Family Guy t-shirt. It's time to hit Real Racing 2 on Windows Phone!
I'm torn really - Tiger Woods 12 brings the maturity of EA's golf engine and its general expertise to Windows Phone (or at least, the higher specified Nokias), and I'm very glad to see it on my smartphone, fully paid up and always available. The depth of gameplay is all here, the skill required is high and I feel churlish in complaining. Yet somehow there's not quite the same satisfaction here as there should be, with the graphics distinctly closer to 'workmanlike' than 'stunning'. Don't be too put off though, there's a lot of golf here for a pocket money price and Tiger Woods 12 still gets a hearty 'recommended' from us.
Here's a nice bit of 'single screen tactical action' for the weekend. Tiny Space puts you in control of one of three space stations, all with the goal of eliminating the other two. At your disposal is a constantly (but slowly) replenishing fleet of space fighters to attack the other stations. But if you attack too hard, you'll leave your station undefended.
Catch a falling ball and put it in your pocket, never let it - well, never let it touch a different colour. That's Spin Out for you, an arcade collection game from Random Salad Games that has a lot of promise.
Monster Burner could call itself a puzzle game. It could also call itself an arcade game. Or a coin collection freemium title. What is for sure is that it's a fast moving and addictive game that has a lot going for it. It's well suited to a mobile touchscreen, plays quickly, but is let down by some pricing decisions.
Sometimes you come across an application or game that's a triumph of form over function - the pinball simulation here is one such, looking a million dollars but ultimately far less satisfying than other pinball titles on Windows Phone. DaVinci Pinball's heart (and face) is in the right place, with visuals that are often stunning, with a table design that beggars belief and audio that adds centuries of atmosphere, yet the playability of the pinball game itself is fatally flawed and, it has to be said, buggy.
