Our friends at Xbox360Achievements.org recently spent some face time with Microsoft’s Raymond Estrada, who showcased several current and upcoming Xbox live titles for them. The video is our first chance to see several of these games in motion, plus it confirms a few choice details like Pinball FX 2’s payment structure. Head past the break for a full description of each game and links to our previous coverage.
Wordament: Announced back in February, Wordament is an indie game turned Xbox Live title. Like the current indie game, the Xbox live version will be free and supported by ads. Wordament is a massively multiplayer word game in which players compete to find as many words as possible from the same field of 16 letters. Visually it’s very Metro (plain), but the multiplayer/leaderboard aspect is compelling.
geoDefense Swarm: Critical Thought’s follow-up to popular tower defense game geoDefense switches from linear paths to a hex-grid system. It still retains the series’ signature neon look and established towers though. I’m betting it will be easy to get into but have some balance issues like its predecessor.
Carcassonne: The popular board game comes to Windows Phone courtesy of German developer Exozet Games, who previously handled the Android and Blackberry ports. In Carcassonne, each player takes turns placing land tiles in an effort to build cities, roads, and cloisters. The person with the most points at the end of the game wins. The Xbox 360 version runs 800 MS Points ($10) and is a ton of fun. The Windows Phone port includes both ‘The River II’ expansion and online multiplayer, so it should be a blast as well.
Gerbil Physics: Released on March 14, Pencel games’ Gerbil Physics is a lot like Implode! but with Gerbils. Each level presents stacks of adorable, well drawn gerbils which players must then knock over with well-placed bombs. The Windows Phone version includes three times as many levels as the original, plus lots of new animations and music. Gerbil Physics is now available for $2.99.
Shoot1UP: We’ve already covered Mommy’s Best Games’ Shoot1UP several times in the past. Like Gerbil Physics, it started out as an XBLIG game before moving to mobile Xbox Live status. A vertically-scrolling 2D shoot-em-up, Shoot1UP features tons of ships on-screen and surreal art design. Check out WPCentral’s exclusive preview for more details.
Civilization Revolution: Coming this Wednesday, Sid Meier’s strategy classic will finally be available on Windows Phone! In the Civilization games, players start at the dawn of humanity and lead their civilization through the ages, including modern times and even the future. You’ll need to gather resources, build new cities, research technologies, and either war against or form alliances with neighboring countries. The mobile version of Civilization Revolution includes 16 countries to choose from, and four possible victory conditions: Technology, Economic, Cultural, and Domination (war).
PES 2012: Available since March 21, Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 is the latest version of Konami’s hit soccer series. Improvements over last year’s edition include better graphics, enhanced AI, faster loading, and the ability to save replays.
Sid Meier’s Pirates!: Announced on March 5 along with Civilization Revolution, this title allows players to take to the seas as treasure-hungry farmers, I mean, pirates. Strategic gameplay, an interesting story, sea battles, and even swashbuckling swordfights round out this rather unique game. The Xbox version is considered a classic – hopefully the Windows Phone version lives up to its forbear.
Pinball FX 2: Zen Studios’ XBLA pinball hit comes to Windows Phone! The original is known for its pretty-good physics and large number of downloadable tables. Like the XBLA version, downloading the ‘base game’ (a bunch of trial tables) is free, but you’ll need to pay for individual tables. This version supports both portrait and landscape configurations, and high scores and Wizard score (a combination of your friends’ scores) will transfer between both XBLA and WP7. The XBLA game’s Achievements are rubbish (to put it nicely), so Achievement hunters beware.
Dodonpachi Maximum: Available since March 7, Dodonpachi Maximum is already a big hit with fans of bullet hell shmups. WPCentral ‘s interview with CAVE reveals the effort and thought that went into Maximum. We’ll have a full review of the game really soon!
Source: Xbox360Achievements.org; via WMPU
