XBL Wednesday: Minesweeper and Sudoku (for FREE!)

It's Wednesday and do you know what that means? New Xbox Live games for Windows Phone!

This week’s new Xbox Live games are Minesweeper and Sudoku by Microsoft Game Studios. This week is a special treat for all of you Xbox Live gamers, as both of these titles are 100% FREE to download. Not only do you not spend a penny of your hard-earned moolah, you're also getting some free Achievements and GamerScore points out of it. Icing on the cake. These two join Flowerz as the only free Xbox Live-enabled games, so let's hope this trend continues Here is the official description of the Minesweeper:

Minesweeper, the classic puzzle game, is now available on the Windows Phone! The goal is to clear random minefields using flags to safely mark potential mines. One wrong move will detonate the entire board. Sweep your way through Classic and Speed modes, each with as many as 4 different levels of difficulty. Play your way through and earn powerups to help you navigate the board and unlock achievements for your LIVE account.

Here is the official description of Sudoku:

You’ve seen Sudoku in the newspaper - now bring it to your Windows Phone! Sudoku, a numbers based logic game comes with Classic and Lightning modes containing hours of entertainment. With the addition of powerups and LIVE achievements you will have new and innovative ways to show off your impressive intellect. Put your brain to the test with Sudoku!

Minesweeper and Sudoku are available in the Marketplace for $FREE.99.

Click on the tile below to get the game (opens Zune).

	Minesweeper Microsoft Game Studios FREE Version 1.0
	Sudoku Microsoft Game Studios FREE Version 1.0

XBL Deal of the Week: Pro Evolution Soccer 2011

Xbox Live Deal of the Week gets you gaming on the cheap. Every Wednesday an Xbox Live game goes on sale and the discount stays in effect until the new Deal is released.

This week's Deal is PES 2011 - Pro Evolution Soccer by Konami Digital Entertainment. PES has a legacy around the globe as one of gaming's top soccer/football franchises, and a lot of people agree the game has stood up well in its transition to Windows Phone. PES 2011 got great reviews from critics when it first released in February and since then user reviews have held up at a solid 4 stars. You could do a lot worse for $2.99 if you as us. Here's the official description of the game:

The unrivalled and award-winning football simulation is entering its first season on Windows Phone 7!Immerse yourself in unprecedented football atmosphere and the true PES experience with PES 2011.

Features:
- Unrivalled realism: Experience incredible gameplay and focus on tactics, goals and winning trophies while competing against the most advanced team and player AI on the market. Striking animations such as referee cut-scenes or goal celebrations and technical moves (diving header, bicycle kick, and more) will make you feel the beauty of the game.
- Exclusive UEFA Club Competitions: PES 2011 includes many of the best European club teams in the officially licensed UEFA Champions League™ and UEFA Europa League™ modes.
- Online connectivity: Prove your skills and unlock the various Xbox LIVE achievements, compare yourself to your friends, make it to the top of the leaderboards and become the world’s greatest PES player
- Outstanding Accessibility for Beginners and Experts: The uniquely designed true flowTM control system provides instant access for players of all levels by utilising the accelerometer and AI-supported touch controls. More advanced players are presented with unlimited freedom of play by being able to master classic console-style controls with virtual pad and buttons.
- Stunning graphics: Detailed stadiums, pitches and weather effects provide the perfect visual environment for exciting matches

PES 2011 – the unrivalled football experience on Windows Phone 7!

Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 has dropped from $4.99 to $2.99 for the rest of the week. The standard free trial is also available.

Click on the tile below to get the game (opens Zune).

Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 Konami Digital Entertainment $2.99 + Trial Version 1.1

Xbox Live announcement for Windows Phone teased, what could it be?

We could go on and on about how Xbox Live has disappointed us in the past, but lately the XBL crew at Microsoft have made up for it with plenty of great games and weekly deals on games they probably shouldn't have charged much for in the first place. Still, we yearn for Microsoft to really deliver the AAA gaming experience the Xbox Live brand is supposed to represent.

Fortunately it looks like some kind of gaming-related announcement is in the works. @PlayXBLA, an official Xbox Live-related Twitter account teased "pretty cool Windows Phone game news" that was supposed to come out today. Well for about half of the United States, the day is already done so it looks like the announcement has been slightly delayed, but the tweet hasn't been deleted so that's a good sign.

We have a feeling Microsoft is prepping another gaming program for the titles announced at E3 a few months ago (similar to Must Have Games). Or Microsoft will finally talk about Xbox Live multiplayer gaming for Mango. What do you think it could be?

Source: Twitter (@PlayXBLA)

GameHouse announces five Xbox Live games in the works

We complain about Xbox Live quite a bit, but one thing that's remained pretty consistent is the release-after-release schedule Microsoft has managed to maintain every single week since launch. That's no easy feat and we imagine the Xbox Live crew at Redmond could use a holiday, but GameHouse is being cruel and just can't do that for them. WPCentral interviewed the developer of Doodle Jump and Sally's Salon, and in the process got a pretty good scoop out of it. GameHouse is planning an additional five Xbox Live games to be released for Windows Phone in the future, which would probably make them the most prevalent developer in the Marketplace. Here are the goods WPCentral was able to squeeze out of them:

• Collapse!: GameHouse’s very first PC game comes to Windows Phone. It’s a match-three puzzler in which a stack of blocks rises from the bottom of the screen. Players frantically tap groups of three of more colored blocks in order to eliminate them. Customizable characters, multiple gameplay modes, and bosses make for a full-featured package.
• Delicious!: Like GameHouse’s Sally’s Salon Luxury Edition, Delicious! is a time management game. Players control Emily as she serves customers at a variety of food venues. Each location features unique minigames, keeping the gameplay fresh and tasty.
• TextTwist 2: A word jumble game in which gamers receive a selection of letters and try to find all possible words that those letters can spell.
• Cake Mania Main Street: A time management game with four totally distinct locations: a bakery, a flower shop, a fast food joint, and a sushi house. Wacky problem customers like vampires and pirates keep the pressure on.
• NCIS: The Game from the TV show: Help the cast of the popular crime drama solve several different cases by completing various minigames. This looks a bit like Women’s Murder Club, but with a stronger focus on story and more gameplay variety.

Not a bad bunch, right? We're especially intrigued by Collapse! and TestTwist 2. Those of you who consider yourselves 'real gamers' may wince at the sight of casual titles, but Microsoft is aiming to satisfy everybody so put your bias aside and you may find one of these games more enjoyable than you may have thought. Unfortunately no timeline was given for when we can expect to see any of these games, but we're assuming these may be sprinkled into the mix for this Fall's lineup. For more about GameHouse, check out WPCentral's interview of Ken Murphy.

Source: WPCentral

XBL Wednesday: Cro-Mag Rally

It's Wednesday and do you know what that means? New Xbox Live games for Windows Phone!

This week’s new Xbox Live game is Cro-Mag Rally by Pangea Software. For those who don't know, this prehistoric kart racing game has been around for a long time now. Since its debut in 1998 on the Mac the game has become quite popular and is now making the transition to Microsoft's newest platform. Here is the official description of the game:

Cro-Mag Rally is the wildest racing 3D game since man invented the wheel! You are a speed-hungry caveman named Brog who races through the Stone, Bronze, and Iron Ages in primitive vehicles with primitive weapons! By far the most entertaining and original game for Windows Phone 7!

Cro-Mag Rally is available in the Marketplace for $2.99 along with the standard free trial.

Click on the tile below to get the game (opens Zune).

Cro-Mag Rally Pangea Software $2.99 + Trial Version 1.0

XBL Deal of the Week: ilomilo

Xbox Live Deal of the Week gets you gaming on the cheap. Every Wednesday an Xbox Live game goes on sale and the discount stays in effect until the new Deal is released.

This week's Deal is ilomilo by SouthEnd Entertainment. This game was one of the most hyped before its release shortly after the launch of Windows Phone 7, and it turned out to be a phenomenal game. Rich graphics, a quirky art style, and deceivingly hard gameplay. This one is undeniably an awesome deal that I know many may have been waiting for before taking the plunge. Here's the official description of the game:

Help reunite ilo and milo with a new update that include 23 additional levels, 2 new environment settings and 2 new cubes!


ilomilo is a puzzle game where the player controls two friends named ilo and milo. The two friends always seem to get separated from each other in the surrealistic and ever changing world they inhabit. ilomilo presents puzzles where the player will have to use a great deal of three dimensional thinking to succeed. The world of ilomilo is made of cubes, and ilo and milo can walk any side of the cubes, as well as move cubes around. The player controls both ilo and milo, and will have to make them cooperate to unite them.

ilomilo has dropped from $4.99 to $2.99 for the rest of the week. The standard free trial is also available.

Click on the tile below to get the game (opens Zune).

ilomilo SouthEnd Entertainment $2.99 + Trial Version 1.1

Angry Birds gets updated with 90 more levels, we're a little less Angry now

We recently went on a little rant a few weeks back about how Angry Birds for Windows Phone has less content than other platforms. Comparing the most current 1.6.1 version of the game versus the  1.4.2 version, the Windows Phone port lacks about 105 levels. Rovio and Innogiant Ltd. didn't tell us anything about the state of future updates, so we were worried Windows Phone would get left high and dry.

Well funny story: Rovio just updated the port to v1.1 and makes up for about 90 of those missing levels. Not bad! In terms of Angry Birds versions, we've jumped up from 1.4.2 to 1.5.3 which is pretty big. Yeah, we're still missing the other 15 but at least we're catching up at a decent pace!

If you haven't tried the game yet, we highly recommend you read our review. Then see the game or the update for yourself by clicking on the tile below.

Via: WPCentral

Angry Birds Rovio $2.99 + Trial Version 1.0

XBL Wednesday: Sally's Salon: Luxury Edition

It's Wednesday and do you know what that means? New Xbox Live games for Windows Phone!

This week’s new Xbox Live game is Sally's Salon: Luxury Edition by GameHouse. Looks like the exclusive titles are over and now we're back to hand-me-downs from other platforms. The Diner Dash-esque has definitely been on more than one platform and certainly hasn't been limited to smartphones. However, this Windows Phone port is two dollars more expensive than its iOS counterpart so you may want to get the trial first. Here is the official description of the game:

Enjoy the ultimate makeover of Sally’s Salon in the brand new Luxury Edition of the hit time management game for high-end devices. Sally’s Salon has just received its very own makeover and is ready to dazzle you with classic fun and fresh surprises. Enjoy fantastic features new to mobile, including 5 additional locations with exciting challenges, more customer types, extra trophies, upgraded graphics, enhanced visual effects and more! Join Sally in this fabulous fight to beautify little old ladies, punk rockers and impatient celebrities with the hairstyles they want. From humble shopping mall beginnings to superstar status in Hollywood, you’ll help her wash, dye, cut, style and much more! Use your earnings to hire helpful employees, purchase salon upgrades and to keep clients happy with soothing accessories. Can you be a cut above in this fashionably fun mobile game?

Sally's Salon: Luxury Edition is available in the Marketplace for $4.99 along with the standard free trial.

Click on the tile below to get the game (opens Zune).

Sally's Salon: Luxury Edition GameHouse $4.99 + Trial Version 1.0

XBL Deal of the Week: Parachute Panic

Xbox Live Deal of the Week gets you gaming on the cheap. Every Wednesday an Xbox Live game goes on sale and the discount stays in effect until the new Deal is released.

This week's Deal is Parachute Panic by FDG Entertainment. The game was released a little while back and was revered for its unique hand-drawn graphical style and addictive gameplay. That praise has held up with the game staying at a strong 4-star rating in the Marketplace from user reviews. Parachute Panic was already quite cheap before at $2.99 so an extra buck off the total is a nice bonus. Here's the official description of the game:

In this unique casual game, you must help an army of parachutists land safely in the boats. Beware the imminent dangers, such as the rotor blades of passing helicopters, sharks, thunder clouds and UFOs. The game contains beautiful hand-drawn graphics that give the game a stunning and distinctive look. There are also some comic animations when, for example, one of the skydivers breathes his last breath in a failed encounter with the enemy. Catchy acapella music and awesome sound effects enhance the game world. We had lots of fun creating this game and hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Parachute Panic has dropped from $2.99 to $1.99 for the rest of the week. The standard free trial is also available.

Click on the tile below to get the game (opens Zune).

Parachute Panic FDG Entertainment $1.99 + Trial Version 1.0

Crackdown 2: Project Sunburst bites the dust, early adopters outraged

Oh Crackdown 2: Project Sunburst, we hardly knew ye! Well we don't think we'll be getting any alone time with it anymore. The innovative but troubled Xbox Live game was originally pulled from the Marketplace due to bugs and complaints, but now the dev team has come out and said they've decided to end the project altogether. They are offering anyone who bought Project Sunburst in the last 60 days a refund, but apparently a lot of gamers who bought the game earlier are more than a little upset with this move.

According to users posting their opinions on the Facebook wall of the developer, the servers that host the game have been turned off along with the game being pulled, which means that anyone trying to play the game (whether they bought it earlier or more recently) won't be able to because it's an online-only title. Others say the gamae has been broken from its launch with broken Achievements and other bugs. Here's a few of the comments:

I think everyone should get a refund since it was broken since day one. You couldn't get all the achievements even if you wanted to.

Why are only people how bought it 60 days ago getting a refund, no one can use it anymore because there is no server. Refund everyone or put the game back up, the bug was nothing!

 i want my money back! i even cannot play the game anymore. i bought the game in april 2011 .... fu microsoft...

The game is literally dead space on their phone and the developer has yet to say exactly why they decided to cancel the game. We're planning to contact the team to verify whether the server shutdown is true or not, but if it is then not outright refunding everyone or at least keeping a smaller server up for those to play the game on is highly questionable.

Via: WPCentral
Source: Facebook (Cracldown 2: Project Sunburst)

Xbox Live Wednesday: Tentacles

It's Wednesday and do you know what that means? New Xbox Live games for Windows Phone!

This week’s new Xbox Live game is Tentacles by Press Play. For those who don't remember, this game was actually announced at this year's E3 alongside a slew of other games (which included last week's Beards & Beaks). Another thing worth pointing out is that Tentacles is 100% exclusive to Windows Phone! Just make a sandwich while it's downloading: the game is an enormous 158 MB. Here is the official description of the game:

Tap the screen in Tentacles and experience 40 finger breaking levels, amazing boss fights and marvel at the truly ground breaking and intuitive gameplay.

Think fast, move smart, keep eating. Enemies stand in your way and you must rip out their eyeballs as you attempt to defeat mad scientist Dr. Phluff. Where will this final battle take place? Have a guess. Nope, not even close!!

Dr. Phluff has always meddled with the order of nature and this time he sought to create the cutest animal ever conceived. He failed. In a disastrous but not entirely unexpected turn of events his experiment was a catastrophe and he created a being of darkness. Black, heartless and with zero desire to be nice, kind, or worse of all cute. Yes, he created YOU! A slimy black blob with three tentacles, a claw, and a never ending appetite for eyeballs.

Tentacles is a completely new take on the platform genre. Use your tentacles to make your way through Dr. Phluff. Yes, that’s right, you’re actually inside him. It is a ghoulish and ghastly world inhabited by other genetically modified monsters created by Dr. Phluff’s experiments. Guess what, they’re all hungry and you just made the menu. Use your tentacle skills to outrun Dr. Phluff’s acid attacks and face off against bad-ass creatures in awesome boss battles.

Tentacles is available in the Marketplace for $4.99 along with the standard free trial.

Click on the tile below to get the game (opens Zune).

Tentacles Press Play $4.99 + Trial Version 1.0

XBL Deal of the Week: The Sims 3

Xbox Live Deal of the Week gets you gaming on the cheap. Every Wednesday an Xbox Live game goes on sale and the discount stays in effect until the new Deal is released.

This week's Deal is The Sims 3 by Electronic Arts. The game is one of the oldest Xbox Live titles for Windows Phone, originally debuting in the Marketplace on October 15th, 2010. It's a mobile port of the wildly popular PC and console gaming franchise, but some don't seem to keen on the game for Windows Phone--it currently has 3 stars from user reviews. Here's the official description of the game:

SCORE WITH THE SIMS™ DESIGNED JUST FOR WINDOWS PHONE 7! Enabled for Xbox LIVE®, you can track your Sim’s achievements and look at leaderboards to see how you rank against your Simmer friends. Slyly give your Sim a competitive edge as you savor hours of entertainment with this award-winning experience of the #1 best-selling PC franchise of all time. Long live The Sims™!

ACHIEVEMENT HUNTER ALERT – XBOX LIVE ENABLED!
Use your existing Xbox LIVE Gamertag or create a new one via the Windows Phone 7 main menu to track achievements and access leaderboards for this version of The Sims™ 3.
• TRACK UP TO 18 ACHIEVEMENTS – Make your Sim the “Life of the Party,” a “Self-Helper,” or simply “Inappropriate” and score up to 200 Gamerscore points.
• ACCESS UP TO 6 WEEKLY, MONTHLY, AND LIFETIME LEADERBOARDS – See how you fare versus your friends. Who has the most money? Made the most purchases? Or made the most friends?

CREATE SIMS AND KEEP THEM SATISFIED
Make your Sim neurotic, funny, or shy. Draw from a wide array of built-in theme sets to bring your Sim to life with any appearance, clothing, and accessories you choose. Also make sure to fulfill your Sim’s basic needs like eating and sleeping to increase the activities you can do together.

EXPLORE WITH TOUCHSCREEN EASE – THE CIRCLE OF LIFE IS INFINITE
Let your Sim loose in the amazing open-world environment. Help your Sim get a job or catch some fish. See your Sim make friends or creep out every other Sim in town. Use your touchscreen to take a closer look or get a wider view of your Sim’s world.

DREAM BIG!
Unlock all 73 goals and wishes, plus finish a set of any Persona Goals to become a “Completionist” – an achievement worth 30 Gamerscore points!

The Sims 3 has dropped from a pricey $6.99 to a still pricey $4.99 for the rest of the week. The standard free trial is also available.

Click on the tile below to get the game (opens Zune).

The Sims 3 Electronic Arts $4.99 + Trial Version 1.0

Microsoft Points used for in-game transactions, Beards & Beaks the first supported title

Well here's something we overlooked when talking about the release of Beards & Beaks earlier this week. Apparently the game is the very first Xbox Live title for Windows Phone to support in-game transactions for downloadable content. That actually makes sense considering that this was the first game to be wholly developed by Microsoft Game Studios, so introducing a new feature in this game is hardly surprising.

Here's how it works in Beards & Beaks:

In Birds & Beaks, players have a number of special abilities in order to help their gnomes defend against the birds, from launch a meteor to a special leap manoeuvre. In order to use these special abilities however, players must use mushrooms from their limited supply. Players will refill this mushroom stock simply by completing a series of levels, however should their supplies run dry too early they will not be able to perform any special abilities. That is, unless they choose to purchase a new supply with Microsoft Points.

The first refill is free, beyond that players must spend 40 Microsoft Points to gain a new supply.

There's a few things that could prove troublesome for this system of in-game transaction: for one Windows Phone never really uses Microsoft Points for anything, and secondly Xbox Live games are already quite expensive despite lacking the content of other platform ports. Still, this could also turn out to be an excellent source of income for other lower-cost games in the future. We just hope Microsoft plans to support this API in others apps and games besides their own.

Via: Neowin
Source: The Electronic Theatre

Rumor: Future Microsoft OS to run phones, PCs, tablets, consoles--and may leave 'Windows' in the dust

That image you see above is Microsoft's plan for the future: one ecosystem across multiple devices. It's an extremely bold dream, and Windows Phone has undoubtedly been the catalyst for Microsoft's ambition. It's clear the even slight success Windows Phone has received has translated over to Microsoft's plans including the incredible work done on Windows 8.

However according to This is my next's Nilay Patel, Microsoft is plotting even bigger moves in the future for their post-Windows 8 operating system. Here's a quote from the article (bold emphasis ours):

What we’ve been told is that Microsoft is planning to somehow harmonize not only Windows for PCs and Windows Phone, but also the Xbox operating system sometime within the next four years — a timeframe that perfectly lines up with both the end of the Xbox 360′s 10-year lifecycle and the end of Windows 8′s expected three-year run. That would mean Microsoft’s next next OS will run on PCs, tablets, phones, and the next-gen Xbox when it hits sometime in 2015 / 2016.

Patel goes on to say his sources have also confirmed that the Windows brand may be ditched in favor of something new. That means we could be looking at a big revolutionary step forward for all of Microsoft's platforms by 2016 that may not even carry over the now 25-year old brand. We thought Windows 8 was the revolution-- instead it could be the Darwinian stepping stone to Microsoft's future. Color us excited.

Source: This is my next

Angry Birds on Windows Phone has less content than others, no timeline for updates

When we reviewed Angry Birds for Windows Phone, we noticed that the port was based on an earlier version (specifically v1.4.2). We figured this would lead to less content in the game and so we decided to try to plow through the game as quickly as possible to see when we'd hit our limit. Turns out it's fairly soon as we discovered chapters 10 and above are locked (you are greeted with the above photo once you reach that point). That also means it is missing two worlds: "Ham 'em High" and "Mine and Dine". Quick calculations of numbers give us the total of 135 levels for the Windows Phone port.

Now compare that to the latest version of Angry Birds on iOS and Android, both of which are now on version 1.6.1. How many levels do those ports have? Both top out at chapter 17 level 15 which, assuming each chapter consists of 15 each, means that iOS and Android have 105 more levels than the Windows Phone port. What's worse is that the Windows Phone port is also more expensive at $2.99, compared to $0.99 on iOS and free on Android. Even the WebOS port which is also on an older version (1.5.3) has 60 more levels than Windows Phone and it is still cheaper at $1.99.

We contacted both Rovio Mobile, the original creators of the game, as well as Innogiant Ltd. which assisted in the development of the Windows Phone version. A representative from Innogiant responded, but kindly told us to ask Rovio instead. Rovio has not responded at the time of this writing, so we really have no idea when these content updates could be pushed out.

How do you feel about Windows Phone getting the shaft with Angry Birds? Does it set the wrong precedent for future Xbox Live games or have you already spotted others guilty of the crime?

Update: Earlier today we received a response from Rovio. Here's their (non)comment on the matter:

Thank you for contacting Rovio Mobile and for your interest in Angry Birds. Unfortunately, our company policy is not to give out any information regarding updates or release dates. This is to make sure we can finalize the updates without external time pressure and because we do not want to give out release dates that we cannot guarantee we will make.

So sit tight folks, we could be waiting a while.

Sonic uses a Windows Phone, Mario stuck with a 3DS

A few weeks ago as part of the "Must Have Games" program, Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I was released. Since then it's done well based on its protagonist's recognition, but it looks like Sonic is starting to get pretty comfortable living inside Metro. Windows Phone Metro spotted the blue blur whip out a Windows Phone and rock on with some tunes as a short break from his life of fame and fortune.

Source: Windows Phone Metro

Deal of the Week: Max & The Magic Marker

Xbox Live Deal of the Week gets you gaming on the cheap. Every Wednesday an Xbox Live game goes on sale and the discount stays in effect until the new Deal is released.

This week's Deal is Max & The Magic Marker. Here's the official description of the game:

Max & the Magic Marker is an award-winning physics-based puzzle platformer.

The game is for all audiences yet still challenging for the hardcore gamer.

Max plays like a classic platformer but with a twist. You have a magic marker that enables you to draw freehand in the game – everything you draw becomes real and can be interacted with in the game world. You must help Max overcome enemies, obstacles and puzzles on his journey.

Enjoy:
- Lots of puzzles with multiple solutions!
- Earn loads of achievements!
- Compete against your friends on the leaderboards!
- 15 awesome levels in 3 unique worlds!

One day Max gets a mysterious marker in the mail. The first thing he draws is a monster, but as soon as the pen leaves the paper, the monster comes to life and jumps into another drawing. It must be stopped, so Max draws himself onto the page and the chase begins.

The game has received several awards including the “Independent Games Festival 2010 (IGF) D2D Vision Award”.

Max & The Magic Marker has dropped from $4.99 to $2.99 for the rest of the week. The standard free trial is also available.

Click on the tile below to get the game (opens Zune).

Max & The Magic Marker Microsoft Game Studios $2.99 + Trial Version 1.1

Xbox Live Wednesday: Beards & Beaks

It's Wednesday and do you know what that means? New Xbox Live games for Windows Phone!

This week’s new Xbox Live game is Beards & Beaks. This is actually a landmark title as it is the first Windows Phone game to be created entirely by Microsoft Game Studios. Usually MGS has their hand in helping all of the Xbox Live titles from different developers, but this is the first time a game has been wholly their own.  Here is the official description of the game:

Gnome Town, an idyllic place of gnome mellow … suddenly overrun with murders of crows so audacious that even Hitchcock would take refuge behind a toadstool. Who knew the two could get so down and dirty in a turf war that knows no bounds? It’s a race of treasure heisting … a ballet of gnome flicking … and an all-out natural disaster of very unbecoming behavior. The powers of the Mushroom only add to the chaos … and the mystique … becoming your most reliable and “amusing” last-resort defense. If you think everything tastes like chicken and you’re fond of rubber ducks, gnomes and crows are gonna really blow your mind.

Beards & Beaks is available in the Marketplace for $2.99 along with the standard free trial.

Click on the tile below to get the game (opens Zune).

Beards & Beaks Microsoft Game Studios $2.99 + Trial Version 1.0

Say Hello to the Future of Microsoft

Microsoft kicked off their annual Worldwide Partners Conference today and at the end of CEO Steve Ballmer's keynote he presented the image you see above. Microsoft appears to have finally achieved their goal of "three screens" offering a unified Windows experience. On the left you have the completely revamped Windows 8, on the right there's the new Xbox 360 UI redesign, and in the middle is of course Windows Phone.

It's an extremely powerful image to behold and now Microsoft has finally become unified. Let's hope for the best in this new age of Microsoft.

Image Credit: Winrumors

Nielsen: Windows Phone users download games more often than iOS and Android

There's no denying Microsoft's commitment to Xbox Live on Windows Phone. The company's own Marc Whitten even admitted that Windows Phone really is their portable gaming strategy. With over 4000 games in the Marketplace (which makes it the most popular category), it's no surprise that research group Nielsen has confirmed our suspicions: Windows Phone users love to play games. According to the above graphic, users actually download games more often on Windows Phone than iOS and Android. About 70% of the users quizzed download the game, but it's only barely edging out iOS at 69% and Android at 66%. This is of course affected by the number of devices on each platform, which Apple and Google have demolished Microsoft on so far but it is still an impressive number despite the supposedly small install base.

Via: Engadget
Source: Nielsen