Gameloft's golf simulation credibility isn't in doubt by now, in that it has mastered the physics and graphics needed to bring the 'good walk spoiled' to smartphones. Where it all goes slightly wrong is the introduction of rabbits, rhinos, horses and... super powers to what should be, in essence, a fairly straightforward sport. Do the cute characters, animals and extras enhance phone golf for you? Your decision, but my review, below.
It's not Farmville, but Aalawar's Farm Frenzy 2 (a sequel to Farm Frenzy, which is naturally not available for Windows Phone) is almost as addictive, but without the overpowering sense of exploiting your online friends for more credits to do stuff. The cute farm graphics are there, but this is more a mix of arcade reactions and quick decisions to reach your goals than the careful planning and long waits of Farmville.
Plex feels old and new at the same time. This 3D puzzle game asks you to drop coloured tiles onto other tiles, and if the colours match (either horizontally or vertically), the tiles are destroyed. A simple principle, but once you wrap it around a globe, throw in some 3D graphics, and some very smart design, you have one of the best tile based games I've found on Windows Phone.
Twitter is all about the moment. It's all about getting you to your messages. And let's face it, sometimes the People Hub doesn't quite cut it (fx:cough, direct messages). Here's where having a phone built around applications can help out. Rowi is one of many third party Twitter clients, and I've almost settled on it as my Twitter client of choice. Only one thing lets it down, but I can look past that to a genuinely useful application. So should you.
I like puzzle games, so when there's one that feels like a nice twist on a good concept (in this case a mix of clearing a game grid and the use of Newtonian momentum) I'm all for it and jumping on the download. Bump Out certainly meets the initial requirement, but as I continued to play, something wasn't quite right.
I'm not such a keen follower of games that 'Fusion: Genesis' is on my radar. Even though I've been playing though 'Fusion: Sentient' on Xbox Live for Windows Mobile, the fact that there is another title out there in the same universe with the same death dealing robots (sorry, the Sentients), which can be moved between 'Fusion: Genesis' on the Xbox and 'Fusion: Sentient' on Windows Phone has completely passed me by. What I do know, being a bit of a gamer, is that this isometric real time strategy game is right up my dark alien infested alley.
Let's get something straightened out right at the start. This is not Nintendogs. In no way should you draw that conclusion, while you wash your cub, play ball with it, teach it tricks, earn money to buy food and drink... this is not Nintendogs. After all, in Kinectimals you're training your cubs so you can open up new areas on the island of Lemuria to explore - you've nothing like that in the puppy simulator for the DS. Oh no. Completely different....
I'm a big fan of casual games on phones - for me, sitting down for an hour's gaming on a tiny 4" screen isn't my idea of immersive fun. But I do love quick games that can while away a minute or two waiting for a bus or waiting in line..... Hooked on Darts fits right in with this game philosophy, simplifying the actual game while still keeping it fun.
For a long time, playing Chess meant you had to find someone to play against. The home computer revolution changed that and provided everyone with an opponent that could seriously challenge them (and in the process probably upset a lot of casual players with the strength of the digital grandmasters). Chess by Post, from Jeff Cole, takes another approach, returning Chess to a human v human struggle, spread around the world. Of course what the Internet means "by Post" doesn't require a letter being sent around the world, but relayed through a server, letting everyone play at their own pace.
A long time ago, Pete Cooke converted Stunt Car Racer for the ZX Spectrum (Geoff Crammond, of Grand Prix fame, did the original). That saw me take a souped up, jet boosted stunt car and drive it around a rollercoaster-like track to set the fastest time possible, balancing the car on the track, using the limited jet fuel, and positioning the car for the jumps, drawbridges, and perilous corners. Jet Car Stunts WP is exactly like that on Windows Phone - it just moves a little bit faster, with more colours, and better graphics.
