In my very first App roundup back in December, I looked at some of the Xbox games from the Windows Store. It’s been about six months since that first post, so when I sat down to write a post this week, it seemed like a good time to share more Xbox games I’ve been enjoying recently.
Bejeweled LIVE
Bejeweled is hands-down one of my favorite games of all time. From the very first time I matched three like-colored gems and set off a cascading chain reaction, I was completely hooked. So when Bejeweled LIVE became available in the Windows Store, getting it was a no-brainer. This game features three different modes:
- Classic is the straightforward game of matching three or more gems before running out of time or moves.
- Diamond Mine has you match gems as you dig downward, collecting artifacts, gold, and diamonds along the way.
- Butterflies has you free butterflies from the board when you match them with two or more gems of the same color.
At first glance Butterflies seemed pretty easy, but I quickly realized that the butterflies don’t stay in one place. After each move, they slowly flutter their way up toward the web of a hungry spider. This game has me (a self-proclaimed gem-matching expert) completely flustered and completely hooked once again.
Crash Course Go!
Crash Course Go! is a wacky obstacle course where you leap from one platform to another suspended high over a pool of water. After signing in to the game, my Xbox LIVE avatar takes center stage as I run, jump, and climb my way through the course as quickly as possible. But with ropes swinging over huge gaps, moving platforms, and swinging mallets, a single miscalculated jump ends with my on-screen likeness splashing into the water below.
Although it’s pretty fun to watch my avatar flail through the air when I mess up (especially after he’s been hit by a mallet), I must admit that this game wreaks havoc on my nerves because one misstep can ruin a perfect run. This is probably the closest thing I’ll ever get to competing on a TV game show, and if my performance in this game is any indication, that’s probably a good thing.
I installed Monsters Love Candy a few days ago while looking for some kid-friendly games that my niece and nephew could enjoy on my Surface. It’s a puzzle game featuring (what else?) monsters waiting for me to satisfy their sweet tooth. Simply drawing a line through as many of the same types of candy at once clears them from the board and drops them into the monsters’ waiting mouths. I’m not limited to just horizontal or vertical lines, but can also go diagonally, which can make for some pretty cool combos.
With every level cleared, the candy starts to take effect and the monsters start to suffer from tummy aches and cavities (just kidding). Actually, after each level is cleared, the monsters start transforming into different creatures. There are about 170 unique monsters in the game. Although I’ve only seen two, I’m sure as soon as my niece and nephew get their hands on this game they’ll set out to unlock every single one.
If you’ve ever worked on a crossword with a friend and felt an immense sense of accomplishment and camaraderie after completing it, you might want to try Team Crossword. On the other hand, if you’re immensely competitive like me and only work on crosswords with friends so you can see who is smarter, well, you also might want to try Team Crossword.
As the name suggests, you team up with other people to complete crossword puzzles. As you enter correct answers, you earn individual points that go toward the overall team score, in an effort to make it onto the leaderboard. Unique power-ups are in the game as well, like boosting the score of certain words or hiding hints from your friend. I just started playing this game, but I really like that I don’t have to be online to play and that a new puzzle becomes available daily. If you’re looking for a fun crossword game to play with (or against) your friends, you’ll definitely want to check this one out.
In my first post I told you about playing Angry Birds Star Wars. I thought it was fitting to mention it again, since it was recently updated with new levels, including the frozen planet of Hoth, the floating Cloud City, and the Boba Fett Missions (you’ll need to unlock this level by collecting the hidden jetpacks scattered throughout the different levels in the game). If you already own this game and haven’t installed the update yet, sign in to the Windows Store and tap or click Updates in the upper-right corner of the screen to get it.
Hopefully it doesn’t take me another six months to write another post about Xbox games, but in the meantime, leave a comment and let me know which games you’re enjoying!
Note: Some games might not be available in all countries or regions.