It's a fair cop - I'm whiling away the time to Christmas and Lumia Denim/Camera 5 arriving by play-testing the latest games for Windows Phone. But then the chances are that you're on a bit of a wind down to the holidays too, so why not have a crack at a game? Mini Golf Club is somewhat minimalist and, by default, ad-strewn, but zap these with an in-app purchase and you've got six 9-hole courses of gradually increasing crazy golf intensity...
If there's a guaranteed way to engage my interest in a game, it's titling it something like 'Strike Wing: Raptor Rising'. It turns out that this is a space-based combat flight simulator, that it's cross-platform, and that it's unbelievably beautifully rendered. Often in real time.
Outrageously (way beyond fashionably) late to the party, Candy Crush Saga has arrived on Windows Phone. Trailed by legendary tales from friends and colleagues on iOS and Android who have had their lives ruined by getting addicted to this 'delicious puzzle adventure'. It's freemium, of course, so let's see how it balances out on Windows Phone. Whatever happens, it's another of the high profile apps and games that was apparently missing and is now present and correct, so colour me happy(ish) and time to unwrap another celebratory candy...
My usual confession before reviewing football games is that I'm not really into football - I mean, I take a casual interest in world level games and kick a ball around in the park, but I'm not a super-fan. And yet Stickman Soccer is.... fantastic, it's perfect. It's utterly believable in the way players move and slide and shoot... The best football game ever on mobile? This has to be a contender. Heck, it's a contender for the best game, full stop...
File this game as something of a guilty pleasure - the idea here, in this recently updated driving game, is that you're in a police car, chasing down the bad guys, and the way to take them out is to check with your superiors, then phone ahead and arrange roadblocks to drive as fast as possible and crash into them as heavily as possible. Yep. Cue the scream of tortured tyres and torn metal. So not that realistic but enormous fun!
It's fast, it's glossy, it's polished 3D... and it's very, very wet. Released earlier today, I've put on my futuristic competition wetsuit and headed out to see if the new Riptide GP2 is worth its purchase price (summary: it is, but the price isn't the whole story!) It's by the people who brought me Beach Buggy Racing a few days ago, though, so I'm hugely optimistic.
Ever fancied driving a huge articulated lorry? Or being a manic 'white van man'? Or being an army delivery driver with fragile nuclear weapons in the back? These are typical scenarios in this, Delivery Simulator - it's also immaculately programmed and presented (exclusively on Windows Phone?), is well pitched in terms of difficulty and is also great, great fun!
Build up your own base, be recruited by the Empire or fight for the Rebellion, create a stronghold and an unstoppable army, Star Wars Commander promises all of that - strictly speaking it delivers. It's just that the pace is glacial, the game is boring, and the ideas are unoriginal. This title relies far too much on the franchise rather than solid gameplay.
If you're a fan of smartphones - or at least enough of a fan to be reading this - then the chances are that you like gadgets too, specifically radio-controlled gadgets. In a pretty good simulation, in 'Helidroid 3 : RC 3D Helicopter' you're effectively left to play at home (with swimming pool, too!) and no interruptions, with three r/c helicopters and a variety of challenging 'missions' to accomplish. Easy to get started with, hard to master (in terms of time and stars), my only complaint here is that I'd like to see more variety and more missions.
Hypernaut is a fast-paced arcade game the has no strategy, no tactical planing, no depth, and no hidden secrets. All you have to do is go as far as you can, as fast as you can, and not crash into anything. Put aside your critical faculties, and get ready for a blast of action!
