Windows Phone Store Collections: AppCampus Showcase

Windows Phone Central Game Roundup: AppCampus Showcase

For those not familiar, the AppCampus project is a collaborative try between Microsoft, Nokia and Aalto University to help build new content for the Windows Phone platform. It is a great resource for developers to tap into as they strive to develop new apps and games for the Windows Phone Shop.

The AppCampus has helped produce titles such as Dark Lands, Foundbite, Project Tripod and SongArc.

The AppCampus Showcase is one of the many Windows Telephone Store Collections and highlights a large choice of Windows Phone titles developed through the AppCampus initiative. The Collection features over fifty apps and games produced with the help of the AppCampus and nosotros've pluck a few games to highlight in this week'due south Windows Phone Fundamental Roundup.

To avoid repetition, all the gaming titles in this calendar week'southward round are available for low-memory devices.

Pocket Sheep

Pocket Sheep is an arcade game where players are tasked with helping a herd of sheep navigate through a maze, ultimately arriving at a lush, green pasture ripe for grazing. While the gaming concept sounds easy, guiding the sheep around the twists and turns is a lot like herding cats out of your living room.

Game mechanics are rather elementary. You tap and concur the screen to scoot the sheep along. The game does back up multi-bear upon so if a sheep strays from the herd you can gather it with a second finger. You lot may feel as though you are playing a game of pocket twister just after a few failed attempts, you get the hang of having your fingers multi-task. You'll as well find yourself spinning your Windows Phone effectually often to become the best angle of arroyo to push the sheep in one direction or another.

What exercise I like near Pocket Sheep? The graphics are well drawn up with, dare I say, a sure level of cuteness. But don't let the sheep's cuteness fool you. The mazes can become interesting with moving bridges, volcanoes and other dangers to overcome. Some of the levels take on more of a puzzle game feel with all of the moving parts and such. Information technology is a simple, attractive, yet challenging game.

What I don't like? Pocket Sheep has thirty levels of play and ninety collectable cards to earn (achievements). While the game may not be everyone'south loving cup of tea, the only existent downside to the game is that it needs more gaming levels.

At that place are a few nits nearly the pop-upward ad banners, that can get a piffling annoying, only I've seen worse. I would have preferred the ads express to the chief menu and game level maps just every bit is they are not too imposing. Plus they help keep the game a costless offering.

Pocket Sheep has a iv.5 Star rating over in the Windows Telephone Store, a rating that we won't dispute. It is an enjoyable Windows Telephone game that fits in nicely with the Kid'south Corner likewise every bit your main gaming library.

• Pocket Sheep – Windows Telephone 8.x – 23MB – Free – Store Link

Dino Tribes

Dino Tribes is a prehistoric match three game where y'all are tasked with creating matches of iii or more of the same dinosaur character. Instead of creating the matches in the traditional swapping out adjacent puzzle pieces fashion, Dino Tribes has a line sliding mechanic. Y'all slide consummate columns and rows to create the matches.

Game play is spread out across multiple levels and there is a daily claiming bachelor. Each gaming level has a scoring target to reach in a ready number of moves. Ability-ups are available when yous create matches of four or more than. You as well have a game store where y'all can purchase upgrades, boosts and power-ups with the gold you lot earn during game play.

What practice I like well-nigh Dino Tribes? I do think the sliding mechanics aid Dino Tribes stand out a fleck from other match three styled games. Another feature that helps Dino Tribes stand out is back up for Nokia Mix Radio. If you have Mix Radio installed on your phone, you can stream your favorite tunes while you play Dino Tribes.

What I don't similar? If you tin can get by the fact that Dino Tribes is another match 3 styled game, information technology's really not a bad selection of games. Simply what hurts the game is its instability.

Some have reported the game wipes out your gaming progress simply the consequence I feel was the game locking up. It seemed to happen about when I launched the daily challenges and while this was easily cleared with a restart of the game, information technology was somewhat frustrating.

I imagine the instability is the master reason behind the three.5 Star rating in the Windows Phone Store and if the developer could fe out these bug, I could see the game garnering a 4 Star, mayhap a 4.5 Star, rating.

• Dino Tribes – Windows Phone 8.ten – 73MB – Gratuitous – Store Link

Permia Duels

Permia Duels is an online combat game that is reminiscent of the fantasy board games or possible the old battle card games of days gone by. The duels take place in the fantasy state of Permia and are played out on a hexagonal grid. You have deck of cards that stand for your fantasy units that can exist trained and promoted to increase their strengths.

Permia Duels does have a lengthy tutorial when you first launch game play. While long winded, the tutorial does do a skilful chore of covering game mechanics.

Game play is one of numbers and strategy, taking turns to put your cards into play on the game board. Each side of the carte has a strength number and when placed adjacent to an enemy bill of fare, the higher number wins and the card is flipped to serve the victor. Battles are played out until all cards are on the table and the player with the most cards flipped is the winner.

What do I similar about Permia Duels? Game play will test your skills of strategy, much like a game of chess, while maintaining simple game mechanics. Permia Duels is i of those games that are easy to selection up but non so easy to dominate. Game time is besides on the short side, making Permia Duels a prissy choice when you simply have a few minutes to spare for a game.

What I don't I like? Permia Duels has the potential of existence an entertaining, challenging gaming network for our Windows Phone. However, the game is plagued by bugs that render the game useless at times. I ran into issues where the game locked up, graphics did not load correctly and the game crashed.

At first, I thought information technology was a connectivity upshot but even on a Wi-Fi network, I ran into problems running Permia Duels on my Lumia 925.

Permia Duels has a strong following, a four.five Star rating in the Windows Phone Store but with the instability, nosotros would knock the rating downwards a notch. It is also is a universal app that is available for the larger screen of Windows 8. If the developer can ameliorate the stability, I can see Permia Duel being a fantastic Windows Phone/Windows 8 game.

• Permia Duels – Windows Phone viii.x – 70MB – Free – Store Link
• Permia Duels – Windows 8 – 59MB – Free – Store Link

Pirates Don't Run

Endless runner games can be a fun way to pass the time with and nosotros've got plenty of endless runner games to cull from in the Windows Phone Store. Pirates Don't Run hopes to catch your eye with its pirate theme and comic volume story line.

The game has you running for your life, beingness chased by a collection of undead skeletons. As with most endless runner games, y'all control your character past a series of screen swipes with your tilt controls treatment your characters side to side movements. In that location are besides plenty of aureate coins to collect as y'all try to stay 1 step alee of the evil skeletons.

Pirates Don't Run has a gaming shop where y'all can spend those coins on power-ups and to unlock boosted pirate characters to run.

What do I like almost Pirates Don't Run? Again, I think endless runner games are fantastic time wasters and can be rather addictive. Where I like the Temple Run serial (partial to the Brave theme) it is nice to meet a pirate themed runner. The running course changes up enough to go along things fresh and the background images are well drawn up to the signal of being a little distracting.

What I don't I like? In that location are a few key elements in developing a successful endless runner game. You need expert graphics, challenging courses, useful ability-ups and responsive controls. Pirates Don't Run does a skilful job at all of these elements save one.

The swipe controls were non always responsive. Quick, short swipes didn't seem to register and at times information technology would take a second or two for the gesture to register. All of which resulted in your character meeting their fate. I did observe that longer swipes worked out best but when the pace of the game picks up, you lot may not be able to take the longer, more than distinct swipes.

All the same, I found Pirates Don't Run to exist a nice improver to the endless runner genre and the iv.five Star rating in the Windows Phone Store seems to be spot on. I'd feel more than comfy with the rating if the developer could fine melody the screen gesture though.

• Pirates Don't Run – Windows Phone eight.ten and 7.ten – 43MB – Free – Store Link

Best of the Bunch

It is a tough call to say which game in this roundup is the best of the bunch. All four titles have the potential of existence fun games to pass the time with.

Pocket Sheep is a beautiful, challenging game but may non appeal to everyone. It's not a bad time waster simply the game is a piffling one dimensional to have it height the charts. Permia Duels is a nicely drawn up board game that volition test your skills of strategy, much like a game of chess would. However, stability issues hold this game back and tin can be frustrating.

Pirates Don't Run and Dino Tribes are ii genres of games that are well represented (some may say overly represented) in the Windows Phone Store. Pirates Don't Run is a nice countless runner game that is actually simply held back by the quirky controls. Endless runner games are well suited as time wasters and if the swipes were more than responsive, Pirates Don't Run would be tops.

I like how Dino Tribes takes the match three gaming concept and puts a twist on game play. Beingness able to motion columns and rows to create the matches helps the game stand out a little merely it may make game play a little too easy. Still, it'due south an enjoyable game and with the simpler gaming mechanics it should be attractive to gamers young and old.

And so which game is the best? Information technology's a coin toss. The developers take done a skilful job of tapping into the resources of the AppCampus to deliver some nice Windows Phone games to the Store. All are free and all support depression-retention devices making them like shooting fish in a barrel to take for a examination bulldoze.

Permit us know in the comments which you prefer and let usa know what your favorite AppCampus championship is.

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Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/windows-phone-store-collections-appcampus-showcase

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