Our top 10 new Windows Phones games of February
As regular readers will know, we love to feature the best of the new Windows Phone apps here on Nokia Conversations.
However, we can’t always fit everything in, and sometimes games in particular fall by the wayside – there are just so many excellent titles in the Windows Store that we struggle to find space for all our favourites. To rectify that, then – at least temporarily! – we want to share the ten games that came out during February that most impressed us. Are you ready to get your game on?
Bad Traffic
Why We Love It: Good driving, bad driving – its all a matter of perspective… Each level here presents you with a road junction – some very simple, some spaghetti-like – and a mission. You have to save (or crash) a certain number of cars in the time limit to get through, and you can speed them up or stop them to prevent (or cause) collisions. It’s kind of like being an air-traffic controller, but with more power. Lots of fun and will suit both very orderly folk of those who prefer a bit of mayhem on the streets!
Star Warfare: Alien Invasion
Why We Love It: It’s a 3D alien shoot-em-up with superb graphics. You’re a soldier defending yourself against a horde of alien enemies, and you can play on your own (singe player mode) or online with up to three others. There are a lot of levels, armour and weapons, and good hard bosses to fight. The controls are easy enough to get the hang of – the game uses a virtual joystick system – and the aliens are definitely not a doddle to kill. This is one of those games that look and feel so well crafted that it’s hard to believe you’re actually playing on a mobile phone.
Pudgy Penguin
Why We Love It: It’s a simple puzzle-slash-physics game for kids. Draw a line between an ice-floe and the penguin’s mouth that will catch the falling fish and guide them into his or her belly. It’s not complicated, but it’s very cute and we think the little ‘uns will adore it. The trial version comes with eight levels to unlock and the full version has thirty-two.
Sector Strike
Why We Love It: It’s a futuristic space shooter – always a banker! Drones are attacking your spaceship and you’ve got to beat them while using the bonuses you earn on the way to upgrade your ship. It’s a sideways scrolling game (left to right), tap and hold to fire and drag your ship around the screen to move. Spend your in-game credits on upgrades, or use real money to buy credits if you don’t have enough. It’s not the most original idea out there, but, as we say, it’s a tried and tested format: these are reliable games and this is a decent example. Give it a shot!
Tap The Frog
Why we love it: See the frog, tap the frog! Clear the screen of frogs, paint the frogs the proper colour, make your frog jump across the pond: whatever the challenge (and there are more if you for out for the paid version) you’ve got to do it as quickly as possible if you’re to get through the level. Very simple, very cute and very, very addicitive.
Deadlings
Why We Love It: It’s a puzzle game – the Windows Store’s specialty! Deadlings is a good ‘un, though: Death is trained a bunch of zombies to work in a factory and to carry on just like regular, productive folk. To complete their training, you must use them to solve a load of puzzles. There are different types of zombies with different skills and you’ll have to decide which ones will be the best to solve each new challenge. The game’s set up as a platformer – kind of like Lemmings – and there are over a hundred levels to keep you going. We love the steady stream of zombie references and jokes thrown in throughout, too. Fun and funny!
Pocket Avenger
Why We Love It: It’s a side-scrolling 2D running zombie-shooting game with pretty basic retro graphics, a load of undead enemies and obstacle to leap over and a shop where you can upgrade your kit. Unlike a regular infinite runner, this has levels and missions, so it’s not just an endurance test. Your avatar shoots automatically – you just have to jump and toggle between various weaponry. It’s harder than it sounds, though, and if you fall, the zombies will devour you – so watch your footing! The only downside is you’ll have to link it to your Facebook account if you want to save your progress.
Space Shooter X
Why we love it: It’s so retro we were bound to love it. An arcade-style vertically-scrolling sci-fi game that stars you as a gun-toting spaceship being bombarded by enemy craft? Surely that’s everybody’s idea of fun! Tap and hold your guy to fire and drag him/her around the screen to manouvre. It’s very, very fast-paced with super clear graphics and a decent enough soundtrack. A very addictive keeper.
Battle for Homeland Mad Animals
Why We Love It: It’s another zombie game! There must be something in the air this February – perhaps an anti-Valentine’s backlash! These aren’t normal zombies, though – they’re animal zombies! Cows, sheep, zebras, giraffes – they’re all after your tasty, tasty brains… Other than that, it’s more or less a tower defense game, as you try to stop the zombies overrunning a series of villages. The game has a fun cartoony vibe with very colourful graphics: plenty of fun and the kids oughta love it.
World At Arms
Why We Love It: Although it’s also a city-builder, this is a far cry from the usual suspects: here we’ve got a strategic warfare game mixed in with the town-planning. What sets it apart from the usual run of city-builders though, aside from the war simulations, is the online element: you can play en masse in multiplayer mode for the battle sections, and you can also hook up with your Facebook buddies in-game. These sorts of games are usually solitary affairs as you build up your barracks and HQs, so the social element here is a welcome one. Let’s see if this one takes hold…
That’s our top ten funtastic new games of February, but what about yours? Let us know what’s been revving your gamer engine in the comments below.