Xbox Live for Windows Phone Archive

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Windows Phone Deal of the Week : Glow Artisan, Tentacles Reduced

By
Dario
– March 21, 2012

If you want to flex that brain power of yours just head on over to the Windows Phone Marketplace. This week’s Deal of the Week comes in the way of Glow Artisan. The addicting puzzler is being promoted for $1.99 saving you a buck in the process. In Glow Artisan you must unlock a picture based on colors, shuffling lines of different colors in order to create a pattern discerning a particular item like a rose, or a heart. It’s a brain teaser to say the least.

Which should last you a long time. There are about 80 puzzles waiting to be solved ranging from easy pickin’s to phone flinging tough.

On a separate note, Tentacles is being reduced in price, a permanent one at that. You can now get the tentacle, sticking action game for $2.99. Visually impressive, Tentacles puts you in the roll of a microbial bacteria trying to navigate the internal workings of a doctor’s body. Avoiding dangerous obstacles and gathering orbs is the main attraction here, but the challenge is there to keep you busy (enough that there was an update to make the game easier).

Ready for some gaming? Let us know how you like these week’s offerings. Comment below and don’t forget to Like Us on Facebook and follows us on Twitter.

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PES 2012 is the Xbox Live Game of the Week

By
Dario
– March 21, 2012

If you fancy a little game of futbol, head on over to the Windows Phone marketplace where you will find Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 up for grabs. The game features the best teams from around Europe and has licensed the UEFA Champions League and Europa League tournaments.

The game comes with achievements and will set you back $4.99. This version also replaces last year’s edition. PES 2011 is no longer available in the marketplace, so a fair warning before deleting that version off your phone.

As always a trial is available should you wish to check out the game before plopping down $5.

The game is available now.

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Toy Soldiers:Boot Camp out now on WP7

By
Cristian Reyes
– February 29, 2012

A new game has just hit the Windows Phone Marketplace complete with Xbox Live achievements. This week we are presented with Toy Soldiers Boot Camp a tower defense type of game. Toy Soldiers is a IP owned by Microsoft and has had several successful console releases on the Xbox Live Arcade. Toy Soldiers Boot Camp is based of the previous game in the series Toy Soldiers Cold War. The portable version of the game will mainly focus around the mini games from the Cold War title such as Fly Swatter,Thread the Needle, and Cardboard theater. To get a better understanding of the game modes take a look at the videos below. Get Toy Soldiers Boot Camp today for only 2.99

 

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Must Have Games February

By
Cristian Reyes
– February 6, 2012
Need For Speed
Bullet Asylum
Chikens Cant fly
Splinter Cell
Toy Soldiers

Here are the Must Have Games for the month of February.

  • Need for Speed:Hot Pursuit- Available now – $4.99
  • Bullet Asylum-Feb 8 – $2.99
  • Chickens Can’t Fly-Feb 15– $2.99
  • Splinter Cell Conviction-Feb 22– $4.99
  • Toy Soldiers:Boot Camp-Feb 29– $2.99
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Windows Phone App Showcase : Wheel of Wealth

By
Dario
– January 15, 2012

When Alpha Jax hit the Microsoft marketplace in the early stages of the mobile OS, people were smitten by its clean, friendly user interface, its ease of use, and the fact that it was a Scrabble clone with a heavy dose of quality thrown into it. Even though it borrowed heavily from the formula of that Hasbro classic board game, it made it into its own by creating a great feature set that elevated it above rip-off status. With that sort of pedigree established as something to strive for by other developers looking to create apps that mimic the game play of classic board games, it’s no wonder that a good app that can tap into that nostalgia and create a compelling gaming experience is an enticing proposition for devs out there.

With that in mind, Shantek Studios’ Wheel of Wealth is a perfect example of an app implementing that compelling experience based on a classic game show that most of us grew up with when watching prime time television.

The premise is simple, and for the most part, it sticks to the formula to a T. If you’ve never experienced the soothing tones of host Pat Sajak and the flipping acumen of Vanna White here is a brief recap. Playing with up to two other players, one must spin a wheel and hope to land on one of the numerical slots that will allow you to guess a letter that might be contained within the word, phrase or name on the board. Guess correctly and you’ll win the monetary value of that slot and allow you to continue guessing or try to solve the word puzzle. Win a round and advance to the next round with $30,000 and the extra winnings in hand. If you guess incorrectly or land on a ‘bankrupt’ or ‘lose a turn’ slot, the chance to guess goes to the next player. Player with the most money at the end of three rounds wins.

That’s the gist of it. It’s not overly complicated, but the fact that you have to slowly build up enough information through the letters gathered to obtain a feasible answer is the real draw here. It not only tests your deduction prowess but also your knowledge of different topics in current pop culture, entertainment and food to name a few.

Wheel of Wealth throws in some specific categories that you’d never find in the television program. Categories like video game titles and geek-centric puzzles (with plenty of eye-rolling Twilight references in the mix as well) you’ll find something in there that will have your inner geek squeaking with glee.

The game features a nice set of features to compliment the gameplay. Things like game chat, leaderboards, pass-the-phone play, and the ability to play against the computer really add the depth that places Wheel of Wealth above the true knock-offs of the marketplace world. One must compliment the developers for also updating the app consistently and with newer and richer features.

The app has already amassed 11,000+ downloads, and the newly established weekly and monthly leaderboards adds a competitive edge to the proceedings. The game is free with ad support, and it benefits from this as there are plenty of games to go around. Wheel of Wealth impresses and gives Windows Phone users a good game to test their trivial knowledge, as well as give a competitive game to challenge some of the more established players in the player pool.

You can download Wheel of Wealth in the Zune Marketplace now.

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Angry Birds Review

By
Dario
– July 1, 2011

Angry Birds Review

Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Price: $2.99

It’s time for a little confession. I’ve never played Angry Birds before. In the two years since Rovio released it’s mobile juggernaut, I have not been the cause for one of the 250 million downloads that the series has achieved. Yet, I’ve not been spared the litany of media coverage and advertisements for the game. Truly, this is one of the first mega hits for a burgeoning mobile gaming platform that will undoubtedly be remembered as a classic in future years. It started on iOS, but its popularity has proliferated onto the Android, tablet, DS and PSP market.

But not on WP7 (and curiously enough, not on Xbox360 either)…that is, until now. It’s another title Microsoft can scratch off its list of missing apps on the Zune Marketplace, one that from the early stages of the OS’s existence, almost didn’t happen. Today, though, Angry Birds launched on a spanking new OS to ultimately increase its popularity once more.

So given the chance, I jumped on to see how well this two year old game stacks up with the hype behind it. Needless to say, this review isn’t for the gamers out there familiar with the game. Like I said, Angry Birds has spread its wings amongst everyone, it’s the Tetris of the new millennium. No, this review is for those of us that happened to miss the phenomenon on its first go around, or if you happened to live in North Korea for the past two years. But it’s also a review that pits what the game really is, and what it seems to be after all the adulation and blandishment it has received.

Windows Phone finally has Angry Birds, and now it’s time for the masses, once more, to revel in its wake.

Gameplay

Angry Birds is wickedly simple to learn, yet its not in the nuances of control that makes it a challenging and fun experience. Its addictiveness comes from its level design, and a heavy emphasis on chain reactions, and figuring which bird can do the job of starting said chain reaction to let the next bird take it from there. At the start of a level, one has a predetermined amount of birds at their disposal to try and destroy the green pig’s fortifications (I’ll spare you the reasoning behind this fowl and swine conflict, it’s all window dressing to give meaning to the proceedings). You also have a slingshot to fling the many variety of birds that you’ll have to use, but the caveat is that you can’t choose what bird goes in what order–you’ll have to use the birds given to you and the order that they provide. Which you’ll have to figure what part of the fortification you’ll go after first. Each fortified building or structure is made up of different elements. Some parts are made of stone, while others are made of ice and wood. The hodgepodge of materials to bust up present their own types of challenges to work around. In order to succeed, you must find a chink in the armor, and see where to fling your birds to exploit that deficiency. Ice and wood are easily breached, but the tougher stone slabs will take a couple of beatings before they fall, depending on the bird being thrown.

That said, this sort of gameplay can lead to a lot of trial-and-error, repetitive play. In order to get at all the green pigs in each level, you have to work through their fortified locations, but having that task can be tough considering the possibilities and options of your attack. It makes for some interesting situations, and it comes down to some small amount of planning if you want to avoid that sort of trial-and-error approach. Looking at the structure in front of you and assessing what part to attack first with the first bird in your hands will make it a more cerebral, and ultimately, satisfying experience. What adds more to the experience is the sheer inventive level designs that you’ll have to overcome to beat the game. I have to give props to Rovio in creating a magnificent, Rube Goldberg-esque, set of levels to play. The first initial levels are your basic forays to get you in-tune with the birds abilities. Those first levels wont impress you, and to be honest, pale greatly to the sort of mad scientist contraptions you’ll encounter in later stages. They’re fantastic, and really add to that element of surprise and eagerness to move on to the next level. Setting explosions in motion that create chain reactions of destruction is ultimately satisfying and never gets old. It brings the eight-year-old in all of us that loved to knock down the wood block castles of our own making.

In short, Angry Birds succeeds best when it’s about solving the puzzle of the structure to knock down. Taking an approach of discovery to find the right path of destruction is what really makes the game tick, and I can see why it’s such an instant favorite to gamers out there. It’s a simple formula that yields great challenges. In the grand scheme of gaming things, you can’t beat that.

Graphics, Music, Presentation

While Angry Birds’ level design is king, it’s complemented well by its visual appeal and presentation. Graphically, it’s not pushing the boundaries of the hardware, nor does it have to. Instead of flash and glamor, you have a cartoon style that borders on simplistic, and actually gives the visuals a Saturday morning cartoon feel. It certainly makes it easy to get in to, being so aesthetically friendly. It serves it well, though, as the visuals keep the framerate silky smooth with nary a slowdown. When the birds go crashing into walls and causing a ruckus, sending shrapnel of bits and pieces around, everything is presented so cleanly that it makes it even more enjoyable to replay some of the more, explosive levels.

What helps too is the quickness of load times. You can be in and playing within seconds, which is saying a lot considering some of the load times present in other games. One of the best things about playing this, is that you can literally start a level over in just a second if you happen to mess up. That swift restart helps to keep you engaged, and you don’t have to sit there and wait for a level to load to pull you out of the moment. Kudos to Rovio for achieving this.

Another layer that adds to the feel of the game is the sound effects. Birds cluck, screech, and chirp in flight and on impact, while the pigs oink in defiance. These little things add a small amount of humor, and just enough lively chatter to make the game experience complete.

Achievements, Extras, Etc.

The icing on the cake comes in the form of Golden Eggs. These are hidden eggs that must be found throughout the 165 levels available in the game. I won’t divulge what you get for these eggs, but it’s an added extra that makes it worth it for the watchful eye.

Achievements wise, definitely the hardest is the Episode – 3 Total Destruction achievement. To obtain this cheevo, you must have three stars in all the episode’s levels. Tough task to accomplish, but it will definitely add more replay value to the game.

In Closing…

As a first time player of Angry Birds, I can safely say that the hype is well deserved. Birds does a wonderful job of creating an addictive experience, and one that makes it hard to put the game away. Each new level gets better than the last, and each new bird you encounter wrinkles the formula just enough to add a new layer to the puzzle. And with over 160+ levels to try and obtain three stars on each level, you can have a huge amount of replay value and sink in plenty of hours. At this price, it can’t be beat.

Time will tell how Microsoft handles the other missing updates that were either free or at a low price for Angry Birds. However, for $2.99 and the amount of content available, this title is well worth the asking price, and another feather in Microsoft’s cap.

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Plants vs. Zombies Review

By
Dario
– June 23, 2011

Publisher: PopCap Games
Price: $4.99

As tower defense games go, there are a dime a dozen. The real treat is finding one amongst the throng that does the genre justice, either by an intriguing game mechanism, a flashy visual style, or in the better games, a little bit of both. In recent history, PopCap Games’ Plants vs. Zombies has taken the banner as one of the best tower defense games. It’s visual presentation is superb, it’s game mechanic addicting. It has zombies. All of that and a layer of charm that wins you over. PvZ is a huge reason to feel good about gaming this week on WP7. Microsoft might be giving a huge amount of hype about next week’s release of Angry Birds, but in my opinion, the best game of summer has just arrived.

The zombies are coming and it’s up to you and your green thumb to stop the advancing hoard of undead, slowly shuffling themselves towards you for a tasty bite of your brain.

Gameplay

When it comes to Plants vs. Zombies you either fall into two camps: the ones that played it before, and the ones that are brand new to it. If you’re brand new to PvZ, I envy you. It’s always great to experience a fresh, new game for the first time, and one that has a great pedigree as this one. Previously, I’ve played PvZ in its Xbox Live iteration, so I have a little bit of knowledge and expectations of what’s to come. Even then, I still bought the darn game even though in its translation from the Xbox360 down to WP7, PvZ has lost a couple of features along the way, it’s just that good.

Not a traditional tower defense game, PvZ instead pits you on a six-lane grid which you populate with the plants that will help you ward off the undead. Each plant requires a certain amount of sunshine, a.k.a. money, that is collected either when it drops down from the sky, or is created by certain specific generating plants. As you progress through the game, you’ll unlock new plants for you to utilize against the ever changing roster of zombies out to get you. The zombies you encounter will also evolve and have different attributes that will make you think about the plant selections you choose at the beginning of each level. The real crux of the matter is that you always have limitations on which plants to choose based on the types of zombies that you’ll encounter. See, you are given a few slots to choose which plants you want to take into battle. Choosing the right plants that can eliminate the right zombies will help you achieve victory, but it’s a careful balance between the offensive type of plants versus the defensive types and the generating sunshine types. Pull too much from away from one or the other and the zombies will overtake your defenses.

Luckily, along the way you can purchase plant slots, new types of plants, or upgrades to current plants. It’s a good degree of customization that you’ll open up midway through the game, which then adds another layer to the gameplay. You’ll need all the help that you can get, though, as PvZ will slowly ramp up its difficulty as you go along. The initial stages are pretty easy, but even then a mental lapse can make it a tough going. Definitely, you’ll need to stay focused and understand that winning each stage is really about balancing your sunshine to slowly ramp up your offensive attack and strengthening your defenses. It’s a great game that never truly is unfair to you because of its difficulty, but rather it ratchets up nicely, always giving you something new to do in each level, but never punishing you into submission.

The great thing about having this game on this platform is that the style actually suits the control input. Having a touch screen makes this a much quicker and enjoyable experience. Having played the 360 version, using a controller to navigate around the screen was good, but not exactly ideal. Having a finger and moving the pieces onscreen is way better, and much more intuitive. Out of the two, I’d take this version over the 360, just on the sheer ease of use.

Graphics, Music, Presentation

Jaw dropping pretty. I have never seen a game look this good on WP7. Get the trial version and look for yourself, it makes ilomilo look a little tame. The visuals don’t disappoint and just makes this game a treat to play, and of course that PopCap charm is permeated through out the campaign. The art style is endearing and it even makes the zombies look like likeable creatures that you wouldn’t mind having in your own backyard. Add to that the whimsical music, and Crazy Dave, and you have yourself an enjoyable experience.

The combination of excellent gameplay and playful visuals keeps you playing well into the night. It’s an addictive combination, one that will surely drain many phone batteries for a few months. The only downside is that after a few levels, the combination of such creatures, plants, projectiles and effects will undoubtedly slow down the framerate.

This is where PvZ is flawed, unwanted for sure, but nevertheless there. It’s framerate can’t keep up with the massive amounts of action being thrown at the screen. It doesn’t break down mind you, but when the huge amount of enemies start swarming around in later levels, you will definitely see a dip in framerate, enough that it can totally pull you out of the goodness of it all. Luckily it isn’t present enough to not warrant a purchase of the game, but just know that in the later levels, particularly the rooftop section, you’ll notice a framerate drop.

Still, don’t be discouraged. The game is solid for the most part, and a great game at that.

Achievements, Extras, Etc.

On the achievements side, the best one to obtain is the Good Morning achievement. This challenge pits you on a day level, but you’re only allowed to fight the zombies with nighttime mushrooms and coffee beans to wake them up. It’s only 10g’s, but well the effort.

As for extras, you have a few mini-games, and friends leaderboards. There is a little humor along the menus and even a nice surprise in the achievements list if you’re patient enough and if you know where to look.

To be honest, the actual campaign is the star of the show, so extras aren’t really needed. There are missing features from its 360 brethren. No multiplayer and couch co-op to name a few. There is also no zen garden at all, although I don’t know how much people will miss that option.

In Closing…

It’s Plants vs. Zombies. That should be reason enough to purchase this. The game is amongst the best visually and gameplay wise, and there is enough meat in the camping that its $4.99 can be justified (yes, even though it’s only $2.99 on the iOS marketplace). The tower defense genre has been overrun with mediocrity, but luckily PvZ is here to right the ship, if only momentarily. Addictive, and charming, you cannot go wrong with PvZ, and at least for the next week, we have something to pass the time until that other must have game comes along.

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geoDefense Review

By
Dario
– June 23, 2011

Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Price: $2.99

In the last few weeks, WP7 users have been treated to some of the best tower defense games around. Mainly, with the release of Plants vs. Zombies, most people will be satisfying their tower defense fix. However, to leave the praise just to PopCap’s gem would be a disservice to Critical Thought Games’ geoDefense. The brunt of the media and adulation will go to (deservedly so) PvZ, but allow me to give geoDefense it’s deserved due praise as well. If you are looking for a traditional tower defense game, and want it to be hard as nails, look no further than geoDefense.

Gameplay

In geoDefense you have the very hard task of defending a spot from the rushing advance of enemies. These enemies will come through a pre-determined path, always in waves, and always getting a little stronger to defeat with each passing wave. At the end of this path lies the finish line, a place that once an enemy reaches, it reduces your pre-allotted lives. You start with fifteen lives in the early going, but believe me, even at the easier levels, fifteen seems like not enough. When I say to you that geoDefense is brutal, and not for the feint of heart, I may be simplifying too much. No, geoDefense is infuriatingly psychotic and harsh. It brings forth a level of difficulty that is hard to find in the swath of casual games that are the norm for this type of platform. It may even warrant phone insurance for some of the more knee-jerk reaction-ists amongst us. geoDefense will kick your butt, and it will do it with a smile.

All of this would be meaningless if you were up against an unmovable mountain for a challenge, but alas it all can be overcome with planning and thought. For all the harshness that can be found in this game, it can be directly linked to a lack of planning by the player. However, if you take the time and plan a measure of attack that will allow you to stop the enemy in its tracks, you will be rewarded with victory. It really comes down to upgrading and tower positioning. Understanding what sort of range, power, and money involved to upgrade said towers is key to creating a working strategy. And believe me, you can’t fall asleep and take it easy, keeping a watchful eye on all your towers and empty spaces is also instrumental. I’ve lost many a time because I thought I had a strong enough foundation, then just eased up on my vigilance only to see my defenses compromised and the enemy run me over.

The towers you use are useful, but they’ll need a lot of help from you for them to be effective at the end of each stage. Instead of having a multitude of towers to choose from, geoDefense gives you 5 types of towers, but each tower has a level that you can upgrade them to. As you defeat enemies, there is a small cash reward for each of them you destroy. This cash can be used to upgrade each tower to it’s maximum of seven levels. The towers are your usual types of gun turrets, missile towers, laser beams and such. As you upgrade through the levels, the guns themselves start to evolve and become more lethal in their damage given. Their range is improved, as well as the cash that you can get back if you decide to recycle the turret to free up space or money. It’s a good system that is mostly about evolving your defenses to the ever increased difficulty that each passing wave of enemy brings. Be on your guard, upgrade your towers, and repeat.

Placing towers is a simple matter too. Once you have enough money to purchase a tower, just click the tower of your choice from the menu and slide it to the location that you want. The game will limit how close you can place a tower next to another one, so be careful about tower placement. Space is a premium, and the more towers you can place in the smallest of spaces, the better you’ll be off. A little bug that I found through playing the game is that you’ll have to be careful how many fingers touch the screen when placing a tower. If you are dragging a tower onto a location and you accidentally touch a place on the screen with a loose finger, that tower will end up on that last tap of the screen. Just be careful where you touch and it will be okay.

Overall, the game is satisfying just on the sheer amount of difficulty you’ll encounter, but undoubtedly overcome if you commit yourself. It isn’t easy, but this level of brutality is refreshing to see on a phone that usually boasts its casualness.

Graphics, Music, Presentation

It’s pretty.

That’s all you have to know. If you like the visual style of Geometry Wars and OMG: Our Manic Game, you’ll love geoDefense. The simple graphics and smooth play allow the action to run at a pretty nice framerate. The colorful explosions, lasers and overall moving, flashing things onscreen is magnificent to watch. Particles fly, and enemies fragment into thousands of pieces when they explode. There is even a cool looking wave effect after each major explosion. Definitely, screenshots do not do this games visual style justice.

As for music, there is none to speak of. The only sound you’ll hear is the constant explosions, shots fired and the mechanic female voice indicating that you’ve lost a life. It’s a dry experience, and one that would spruce it up with a techno beat in the background.

Aside from the levels at hand, which there are 36 to choose from, there isn’t much else to do in the game. You have your limited leaderboards, and your options menu. Does the game need more content? I don’t think so. If you want to master all 36 levels, you’ll need an awful lot of time to defeat the waves you’ll encounter. The difficulty is staggering, and the commitment to defeating each level will take time.

Achievements, Extras, Etc.

As stated above, there isn’t much of extras to speak about. On the achievement side, you have some pretty intense achievements if you want to complete the 200 gamerscore. The hardest achievement is Hard Owned. This requires you to defeat each level without losing a single life. It will give you 30g’s for it, but you’ll probably give up your spare time for some while. I commend you if you achieve this…you have game.

In Closing…

geoDefense is hard, sadistic even. It will pressure you into a corner and pummel you into submission. It will undoubtedly destroy a few phones in the process of playing it. However, if you give it time and some brain power, you’ll come away from it pleased and addicted. It’s the sort of game where you have to scratch that itch, even if starts to bleed a little, just because releasing that pressure will make it feel good. geoDefense will probably get lost in the shuffle of the bigger games coming out this summer. The likes of Angry Birds and Plants vs. Zombies will always sink the attention of the media when it comes to powerhouse games. However, praise has to be given to geoDefesnse because it goes the route of hardcore. It doesn’t flinch, and it stays true to its difficulty through out the entirety of its 36 levels. If you value a good deal and truly, who doesn’t, you need to download this game right now.

Brave souls, that you are, bring on geoDefense.

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OMG: Our Manic Game Review

By
Dario
– May 14, 2011

Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Price: $2.99

The Top-Down shooter; one of the oldest genres that most gamers have come to know. It’s surprising to see how well the format has moved along the console generations to the mobile scene. Although the formula hasn’t changed much in the 20-plus years its been in existence, there are a few instances where a title will dare to be ingenious enough to add a layer of creativity not seen before. Ikaruga is probably the last great shoot’em up that the genre has seen. Back in 2001 this Treasure developed game introduced the concept of light and dark attacks. It added that extra challenge that allowed players to choose how intense the game could be dictated by the flick of a button. The game was tough as nails, but you had the option to make it a hellishly good experience. Add some cool mecha designs and visually appealing graphics and it became an instant classic.

And classic is what OMG: Our Manic Game is trying to achieve on WP7. Like Ikaruga, OMG centers around a game mechanic that can dictate the difficulty of your journey towards the highest score possible. It’s a game that will require deft movements, nerves and a little bit of luck, but in the end rewards those that push the boundaries and don’t play it safe. It wont rewrite the formula and reinvigorate the genre, but for those looking for a pretty-looking, tough shooter, OMG will satisfy most.

Gameplay

OMG’s gameplay is centered around one concept: risk/reward. It’s also no coincidence that OMG feels its best when you turn up the risk factor and eschew the safe approach. To understand what I mean, one only need to know that tapping enemies will send them into manic mode and excite them into shooting a flurry of bullets at you. These extra bullets act as possible points if you manage to take the enemy you just tapped out of commission. A normal enemy that has not been touched will only throw one or two bullets your way, but one that has been tapped will go into a shooting frenzy, littering the screen with them. Of course doing that will also limit the space in which you can maneuver your ship, which may reduce your chance of escaping a barrage of projectiles coming your way.

However, understanding how shooters of this ilk work, you’ll soon realize that patterns are part of the genre. If you know what pattern the bullets come at you from a specific ship, you’ll know how to position yourself to gain the best vantage point to take down the enemy. Knowing where to be and which enemy to tap, is the only way to advance through to the next wave of enemies. You’ll want to advance, as well, since going through five waves unscathed will give you a boost on your laser beam’s level. The stronger beam will help you take down enemies faster, and thus you’ll be able to take down more enemies and tap them for the extra bullets and points. Just be warned that one bullet will take you out, and your laser’s level will go down to one. You have five lives to begin with on infinite mode, without the opportunity to gain any down the road so each life is precious.

Finally, you wont have to worry about different levels, as the game is played in one continuous run. The game speeds up after every two boss battles, and believe me, after two bosses, staying alive is tough. Although, it’s a shame that the boss battles don’t give much of a challenge. If Arkedo comes out with a sequel (and they should), I hope they work more on the boss battles to give them a little more oomph.

Graphics, Music, Presentation

OMG boasts some pretty slick visuals, helped in part by the retro-neon graphics. It’s colorful, fast and intricate. Explosions and bullets all display in beautiful, bright colors and the enemies when touched will animate into brighter versions of themselves. Aiding the atmosphere is the trance track that loops in the background, which is catchy enough that doesn’t become distracting or annoying. The game does experience some glitches and framerate dips. The most obvious shortcoming comes with a nasty bug that crashes the game forcing you to the Xbox Live game hub. It doesn’t occur that often and it happens sometimes on specific parts of the game, but it isn’t enough where it makes the game unplayable. You’ll hardly see the glitch, but just know it’s there. Luckily, the game does resume where you left off and you’ll continue on the wave you were on.

You’ll have two game types to sink your time on. You have Infinite Mode and 5-Minute Mode. In Infinite Mode, you have to survive wave after wave of enemy ships. You start with five lives and dwindle them down until you’re left with none. In 5-minute mode you have infinite amount of lives, but the real task is to obtain the most amount of points within the five minute time limit. Each mode has its own leaderboard, with the Infinite Mode separated by Normal, Hard and Insane difficulty leaderboards. It’s a shame that there aren’t more options with the leaderboards, as an overall leaderboard would be appreaciated, but as of now, you only have the option to see your friends on the leaderboards. If you’re the sole player and have not (sad) added any friends, then this feature is a bust. I wish most games of this sort would adopt the way Geometry Wars way of doing leaderboards. It helps the competitive nature in all of us, and it makes us invest into the game a lot longer.

Either way, OMG delivers enough to warrant multiple play-throughs. It’s a great time killer and most people will enjoy the pretty graphics. I just wished there was more to keep you there longer.

Achievements, Extras, Etc.

There isn’t much of extras as the game has been out since launch back in 2010 and there have been no significant updates to the game. On the Achievements front, there are a couple of good ones to go for, but for the most part, if you have one good run, you can obtain a good chunk of them in one play through. Even so, I believe the best of the bunch is the Annoying achievement. In this one, you have to touch every single boss in the game in the same play through. The bosses aren’t the hard part, but getting to all of them in the same sitting is the challenge here. It will give you 25 Gamer points in the end for your troubles.

In Closing…

OMG is a good experience to have on WP7. It’s one the best looking games around, and being a launch title it’s gratifying to see a polished slick game so soon out of the gates. The good thing about OMG is that it isn’t a good looking game without substance. You can have a great time with it as well. The level of challenge rest squarely on your fingers and if you want to go the distance and achieve the highest point total, you must truly push yourself to stay alive and kill the bad guys at their exited stage.

I won’t say this is a classic WP7 title that people will point to in the future. It’s a good game in its genre on this platform, but unless Arkedo comes out swinging and produces a little more depth to it’s mechanics, another game will pass it by. However, if they can build on this formula and the games beautiful visuals, OMG might be something special in the future.

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WP7 gaming: The Monthly Indie Five

By
Dario
– May 3, 2011

When it comes to games, Xbox Live branded titles rule the roost on Windows Phone 7. While these projects carry better graphics, presentations and overall polish, not to mention that coveted Xbox Live backing, WP7 owners would do a disservice to themselves by not looking beyond these titles.

Outside the Microsoft velvet rope, you’ll find worthy indie titles that more than do stick up to scrutiny and deliver a solid and rewarding experience. The first week of every month, Zunited looks at these titles and gives you five reasons to delve into the indie scene and eschew the fancy branding.

The Monthly Indie FIVE

AlphaJax by Kanda Holdings LLC
$2.99 or Free w/ Ad Support

A Scrabble clone, AlphaJax has become one of the best reasons to test your brain and challenge friends or unknowns with WP7 devices. It combines the addictive play of Scrabble with a great interface and feature rich presentation. Winner of the Best Mobile Application at the ONYA awards, AlphaJax allows you to play up to 50 games in queue, challenge friends or random players, keep dedicated stats, and in-game chats. It even allows you to take a screen picture of your best word point total for latter bragging.

As great as those things are, the fact that it brings online multiplayer, and it allows for toast notifications and live tile updates when it’s your turn makes it ten times better. Truly, one of the best reasons to pin this app to your start screen.

Blockbuster by Sterling Games
Free w/ Ad Support

One of the best block breaking games isn’t the Xbox title Brick Breaker Revolution 3D, but rather Sterling Games Blockbuster. Instead of your traditional brick breaking gameplay, Blockbuster gives you a twist by making every falling block an object that has to be hit into one of the four open slots on the side of the board for extra points. The fact that the ball you shoot reacts to physics based trajectories adds an extra layer of cool. You’ll soon find that juggling bricks in the air, redirecting the ball in mid-air, and using the first-time touch multipliers on untouched bricks will be the only way to get the highest points on the leaderboards.

Speaking of leaderboards, this is one of the best implementations of leaderboards out there, with personal, local, national and world leaderboards. The game comes with 30 levels to test your mettle, and more are promised from Sterling Games. Bringing it all together is the retro presentation with old-school graphics. It might not knock your socks off by its visuals, but I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Cubed by Shockfun
Free w/ Ad Support


Tetris, the biggest time sink game everyone and your grandmother has played. And if you haven’t played it, what’s wrong with you! Well if you have missed the game phenom, then try your hand at Cubed. This Tetris clone gives you the classic gameplay, but with a few added tweaks to add an extra level of strategy. Here, you play the same falling blocks game you’ve known for years, but you’re able to save one block for future use. On top of that, you can earn undo’s every time you knock off four lines at once. Undo’s allow you to rewind your last play, giving you a second chance to place the block where you want it. Simple gameplay, but with these tweaks allow for a fresh approach. The music could be better and you feel amiss with the absence of the Tetris soundtrack, but the beauty of this being on WP7 is you can add your own!

Draw A Circle by 4Bros Studio
Free w/ Ad Support

Draw A Circle is part of a series of mini-games developed by 4Bros Studio. It’s also one of those games that will bring the OCD in all of us. The simple concept is to draw the most perfect circle you can with a finger. That’s all. Shallow on paper, what turns out to be a simple distraction becomes this infatuation to create perfection. Drawing a circle freehand is not easy, and the fact that your first few tries are always going to look like disheveled, broken hula-hoops will keep you on the screen trying to better yourself. It’s a dumb game that brings tedium to brilliance. Bring a few beers and this can be a totally sad party game hit.

Steam Castle by Elbert Perez Games
Free w/ Ad Support


Created by Elbert Perez, Steam Castle is a missile defense-type game where oncoming projectiles are out to destroy your castle. There are power-ups to obtain by destroying passing crates, and you’ll need them. These power-ups help you against the oncoming hoard of projectiles in the air, and the fast-pace, frenetic attack will keep you taping away at the screen. Not an easy game in the least, so if you want a cake-walk, you might be shell-shocked with Steam Castle.

One of the best looking indie games, there are nice explosions, cool textures and silky smooth framerates. If you want a missile defense experience, Steam Castle is the way to go.

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