If you're new to Windows 8 gaming, as you pretty much have to be at this point, you're probably wondering about the Windows 8 Store, if it's even worth venturing onto at this point. Hobbyist PC gamers on the whole have their own back-catologue of games to venture through, but Microsoft is trying something a little more tablet-friendly on the store. The games on the Windows 8 Store are meant for a different sort of experience.
Yeah, it's pretty vacant, and most the crap on there is total throwaway, but that doesn't mean there aren't a few gems. Naturally, a couple of these are Microsoft published, they're the company with the most to gain by actually putting quality games on the marketplace. But they aren't the only ones. Indeed, the first title on this list of Windows 8 games to try out from an adorable little indie studio and it's all about making video games.
At the very least, we're saying you should check out the demos for these games with the "Try" button right next to the "Buy" button. You're going to want a touch-enabled device for the best experience in most of these games. They feature other control schemes, but they were build with touchscreens in mind
"Game Dev Tycoon" $7.99
It's a bit odd to see a laid-back, click and learn kind of adventure at the top of any lists these days, but Greenheart Games' "Game Dev Tycoon," an exclusive to the Windows 8 Store, is both undeniably charming and wildly addicting. You begin as an indie garage-developer back in the 80's when the only systems on the market were the PC and the G64, and as you grow and learn as a developer the gaming market grows with you. New consoles that kind-of, sort-of sound like the same consoles that came out in our version of the world emerge as new kinds of games do too. Your objective is to put out new games, entice critics, research up-and-coming technology and create game engines, all from the humble position of your ever-growing offices. The fact that you never see the outside world both sadly rings true and maintains a quiet sense of growing confidence. You get the sense you could conquer the entirety of the gaming world from in there.
"Rocket Riot 3D" $4.99
Where "Game Dev Tycoon" might satiate your relaxed text-based simulation needs, "Rocket Riot 3D" is the exact opposite kind of loopy, hyper-adrenaline-pushing experience. It's ridiculously simple and plain ridiculous. You float around a delightfully pixelated stage, blowing everything up with your simple-to-use rocket launcher, in most cases trying to clear a stage of its enemy combatants. The controls are simple enough. Use the left side of your screen to move, the right side to aim, letting go to shoot, though tactics change when you pick up items that pop out of the environment when you blow it to pieces.
"Rayman Jungle Run" $2.99
Ubisoft joined the Windows 8 party earlier this month with a surefire good time. "Rayman Jungle Run" found great success on iOS and Android, so it's natural for the platform-prolific publisher to bring the title over. It's just as kooky as the auto-running platformer has ever been, with the "Rayman Origins" signature animated look still fresh, the odd sounds he makes are still confusingly intriguing. The Windows 8 version even comes with 10 levels packed in that were released for extra purchase on other operating systems. Score one!
"Toy Soldiers Cold War: Touch Edition" $9.99
Like "Rocket Riot 3D," Microsoft dug into its Xbox Live Arcade catalogue to find games compatible with their touch-screen friendly new operating system, and they happily came up with the "Toy Soldiers" franchise. This is tower-defense at its most exciting and, more importantly, most immersive. Unlike most tower-defense, flash and mobile alike, "Toy Soldiers: Cold War" lets you jump into the perspective of individual units on the battlefield to take out enemy units on your own. Most of the time, that means jumping into a turret and moving down cute little green army men, just like the ones in "Toy Story," but other times you'll take control of a tank or even a Rambo rip-off.
Admittedly, the touch-screen controls take a little getting used to, especially if you've played the Xbox Live version, and never really feel quite as natural as using the Xbox controller's joysticks, but the shear depth of the gameplay and breadth of unit types make this the best option out there. It also helps that the art style, which calls on the setting of a child's room playing with his or her toys, is charming to the point of making the game almost ironic in its violent depictions. You're defending your "Toy Box" by blowing up helpless enemy forces. They just happen to be made of plastic.
"Skulls of the Shogun" $6.99
This was meant to be the Windows 8 flagship downloadable title, though the almost immediate price drop indicates it didn't sell quite as well as they'd hope. Still, it's a pretty good turned-based strategy title, with oodles of humor and an intriguing, comic book, thick black line kind of art style. Having just been killed on the field of battle, your shogun General must lead an army of dead soldiers to the brink of the afterlife, one battle at a time. Things are kept pretty simple, you've got anywhere from three to seven different unit-types (archers, soldiers, flame-throwing monks etc.) on the field at a time, though as the maps increase in complexity and the enemy becomes more aggressive, handling those units effectively makes for a compelling single-player campaign. Just don't count on a consistent multiplayer experience - the servers are pretty lifeless.
Microsoft's Minesweeper" and "Microsoft Solitaire Collection" Free
There's a reason these games simply won't disappear from Microsoft's evolving operating systems, they're amazing time-sinks, only this time you're going to have to take the extra effort to download them from the story. I have no idea why, but you should do it as soon as possible. The full games are free (some Bing ads pop up now and again), and they've been updated with modern gaming tropes such as leaderboards, achievements and stat tracking. Minesweeper even received a brand new "Adventure" mode where you play as a "Spelunky" looking adventurer trying to make his way safely through some caves, one number-marked tile at a time. Honestly, there's no reason not to download these titles. If anything, you'll get some easy achievement points out of it.