Windows Phone 8 gamers who held out hope that N.O.V.A. 3 would be released in May will be disappointed to know that Gameloft’s sci-fi FPS definitely won’t make it out of the gate this month. We understand it's still undergoing Xbox Live certification and will release as soon as it passes. But it’s not all bad news. We do get a high-profile Xbox release for Windows Phone 8 today – this one from Ubisoft rather than Gameloft. Yep, the awesome platformer/runner Rayman Jungle Run launches later today!
Ubisoft quietly announced Rayman Jungle Run was announced back in February alongside the pretty good Monster Burner and probably much less enjoyable Rabbids Go Phone Again. Since Monster Burner came along at the beginning of the month as a Windows Phone 7 game, most of us expected Jungle Run and Rabbids to run on Windows Phone 7 as well. But nope, Jungle Run will be a Windows Phone 8 game, probably because it already came to Windows 8, making for an easy port.
Check out the Windows Phone 8 trailer after the break!
Legs and arms are overrated
Rayman Jungle Run is a platformer based on Ubisoft’s phenomenal Rayman Origins console game. It plays like an endless runner in that Rayman run automatically, so players only need to use a single finger to control his jumping and other moves. No virtual stick here! But unlike endless runners, the game is broken up into distinct level sets. Your goal is to not only complete every level but also collect as many Lums (floating collectibles) as possible while doing so. Get them all to receive a tooth. Once you get enough teeth you'll unlock super tough Land of the Dead levels.
Rayman starts out with only one ability: jumping, which you make him do by tapping the screen. Subsequent worlds give Rayman new moves like floating, running up walls, and punching. Punching actually introduces an on-screen button, but that doesn’t overcomplicate the game. Later level get more challenging as well, thanks to hazards like spiked vines and enemies.
Five worlds of fun
The iOS version of Rayman Jungle Run received an update last month that added 20 new levels to the game. Considering that the Windows 8 version still hasn’t gotten that update yet, and Xbox games spend several months in certification before release, the new levels won't be included when the Windows Phone game shows up today.
But Jungle Run will launch with five worlds containing 50 levels and some challenging Achievements (a couple of the Windows 8 game are nearly impossible), so you’ll still get your money’s worth even before the update comes along. Let's hope that all four playable characters (Rayman, Dark Rayman, Globox, and Globox Rayman) will be included for free, just like the Windows 8 game.
Rayman Jungle Run costs $2.99 on iOS. It will cost either that much or $4.99 on Windows Phone 8. We’ll know in a few hours.
Reader comments
Get ready for Rayman Jungle Run, coming to Xbox Windows Phone 8 later today
The game is live in the uk store but has no try option???
Same here in Canada.
Honestly, if I don't know too much about the game and there is no trial to give me a feel for it, I usually let it pass.
This is the funnest game i have played on windows phone... and i dont give a damn about Rayman. Pick it up if you havent already.
So far, so good! A fun little game. Looks like these achievements will give you hours of playtime!
I know mass effect that was released recently only cost 69p on ios. But it costs £5.49
It costs $4.99 on iOS versus $6.99 on WP8. The price you mention was a sale price.
I want Jetpack Joyride!
http://www.windowsphone.com/s?appid=1606dde2-c705-48b6-b6bc-ec0addc576ba. £2.29 no free trial
so is this another nokia exclusive? or will it also be availabe for the 8x?
We'd mention in the article if it was a Nokia exclusive. It's a general WP8 release.
I searched on my phone, sorry!
No worries, we found it.
£2:29 here in uk
It's in the store now, just searched Rayman Jungle.
Link please!
http://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/store/app/rayman-jungle-run/1606dde2-c705-48b6-b6bc-ec0addc576ba
MS would be suck if they dont release this game for WP7 users.
WP8 and WP7 are so distinct. Their games are like an Xbox and a Gameboy despite of the small difference in Ram.
Microsoft didn't make this game, Ubisoft did. And WP7 and WP8 have major differences beyond RAM. The kernel is completely different, so WP7 could never run WP8 games. WP8 hardware is also far more powerful than WP7. The best thing you can do is to upgrade to WP8 when you have the chance instead of feeling resentment towards WP8 games and apps.
Don't forget to mention you should switch to Nokia wp8 or you'll miss out on half of the games
True that!
Have it on surface. Not my cup of tea. I like coffee anyways.
And I'm still here waiting for Jetpack Joyride. Microsoft, you did everything right except the long Xbox certification.
+10000000
If this is the game I think it is, I've got it on my Surface RT, and LOVE it!
Its the same one :-) Playing Rayman Jungle Run on my Surface only made me want to play Rayman Origins on it with an Xbox controller.
Awesome news but let's just hope it's going to be released for ALL Windows Phone 8 devices regardless of RAM. I don't know...I've got a bad feeling about this...
Smh all these games been out for almost a year and finally coming to WP8! Then the next versions from Gameloft will be released on IOS and Android while we wait yet another year or so to play the same exact game. #GladIHaveAnIpod
Have heart :-) Things have been improving pretty steadily. When the rest of the WP7 users transition to WP8 and the market share overall grows a little bit, we should see new releases sooner. I was pretty pessimistic a few months ago, however there are so many great developments and quality apps releasing. It can only get better. Look at it this way- Android has plus 70% market share around the world yet still gets iOS hand-me-downs and many fewer quality apps. Nokia won't let us down.
Yes! Origins was awesome. This may be the first non $0.99 game I buy.
I'm buying the crap out of this game. Loved it on my nexus 7, surface and now N822 :-)
Edit- On a side note- can't wait to replace my nexus 7 tablet with an windows 8 of similar size. 7-8 inch tablets are better for gaming imo.
+1
Amazing!
This is by far one of my favorite games to play on my Surface.
Awesome! I love Rayman Origins, hope this captures that same magic.
Love rayman buying asap
Really just hope gameloft focuses on game updates such as asphalt 7 and optimization for mc4, cuz the frame rates are just unacceptable :( my iTouch 4 can get higher FPS than my Lumia 920
Have been looking for a top quality performer for my phone. Bought SONIC CD and Earthworm Jim. Both disappointed due to their difficult controls. This shouldn't have that problem
Eh, Rayman's cool I guess. I'm starting not to want NOVA 3 anymore...
Lol ¬_¬
games take months getting certification? I didn't realise it was that long...
Xbox games take that long to certify, but not indie games.
Can't they try 5 months cause 7 us kinda a,over kill :|
We obviously have no say in the matter. But you can read our How Microsoft can save Xbox games for Windows Phone series to learn a lot more about the certification process and other problems facing the platform.
Game looks awesome, can't wait to grab it once I upgrade!
Rayman will be available for 2.99$/2.99€, the update will be publish later in june according to monwindowsphone.com
Rayman cost 2.50€ at the Windows 8 store so I doubt it is more expensive on the phone
Sweet.
Lol 7 months of certification typical Microsoft no vision xD
Whimsical. I love it. BRING IT!
Paul how long is that certification gonna take holy shite :/ Microsoft should really fix that system -.-
Paul please reply
It varies by the game and how many problems the certification team discovers. I expect NOVA 3 will come out in June, but we can't tell until it passes.
Certification is a joke. It delays games and probably 40% of games have broken achievements. Do you know what they actually do to certify a game? It looks like the certification team just twiddles their thumbs.
There are more than 150 Xbox WP games - I don't think even 10 percent have broken Achievements. But it does suck that they let those problems through.
I believe do to the way it works with achievements and response across different devices is why some titles take longer than others
Why are games for the windows store more expensive than the IOS store? For instance take gravity guy 2, it is $0.99 on IOS, and $2.99 on the windows store. That is not fair and it should equally prices among all os's.
Xbox Live certification ain't cheap, and it comes with achievements.
If they didn't go through all that, it would be cheaper.
All games should have a non XBL game version, for those who are happy to pay less. IMO, XBL integration is 100% pointless
Since Xbox features act as a major selling point that many people care about, you certainly can't call those features pointless. They just don't appeal to you.
It will be available fr 512 ram devices?
I have only purchased games with Xbox live achievements.
hmmm, the Angry Birds series and even Amazing Alex are 0.99$ (except the Windows 8 versions of AB: Space and Star Wars) on all platforms (WP7/8, iOS and Android (or free for Android if you install the ad-free version manually) and they are all XBL enabled for the Win8/WP8 versions (except WP7 for AB), have achievements and leaderboards.
The 2 Cut the Ropes games are also 0.99$ on all platforms so the XBL certification and achievements are not the main reasons to change the price for WP7/8 compared to the other versions. Check some of the old Gameloft games, they sell them for 3-4 or even 5$ on WP7/8 and have broken achievement(s) (example Let's Golf 2) and they are not fixed yet (and probably they will never be), so for the price of the game, they should at least give us a glitch free game or at least fix it with updates.
Read the post - it's xbox live certification and the whole xbox thing.. But yeah, I don't mind spending a bit more for achievements and leaderboards :)
Companies price games higher on WP because the market is much smaller. Since there are so few WP users compared to iOS, it's tough for a game to make a profit at 99 cents.
because the market is smaller the the price is higher - that makes no sense :) that is not how prices are done in a market
Like it or not, it does make sense. Sell one million games at 99 cents and you have a million bucks. Sell 333,333 games at $3 and you make the same amount. Selling games at higher prices helps make up for Windows Phone's smaller addressable market.
I'm guessing you're referring to supply vs demand? Don't think it really applies here, because once the game was developed the supply is not limited, it'll always match the demand. I think what Paul is referring to, for a developper to commit resources to developing an app or a game they have some sort of a budget and some sort of a profit expectation to make it worth while, and if there are less users in the the particular market the price has to be higher for them to make the budgeted profit.
gravity guy 2 , no on Ios store that exclusive for WP
It launched on iOS on May 16.
Am I the only one who thinks that they should charge more than 2.99 or 4.99. At those prices, it's a steal. 6.99 to 9.99 sound about right. Oh, and pigs can fly.
It's all about the marketplace. The iOS userbase is larger than Windows Phone's by several orders of magnitude. It's nearly a guarantee that a decent game by a known developer is going to sell very well, especially if it garners front page promotion on the App Store. Part of the problem is that Microsoft doesn't do nearly as good a job of promoting new and compelling games as does Apple.
Of course, the price point of most games on Windows Phone makes them an instant turn off for many. But they're trying to strike a balance between desirability and compensating for the smaller market. Windows Phone has the advantage that in many cases a free trial is available. Apple has banked in the $1 impulse buys. And that's likely the second problem here, that developers aren't in full control of pricing. From what I know, Microsoft sets a lot of conditions, particular on Xbox Live games, so they're probably demanding that price point.
As for Xbox Live integration, I think it's an irrelevant factor considering that nearly all iOS games integrate into Game Center. The functionality is nearly identical and, in fact, it's arguably more robust on OSX as all game performance is one convenient location.
Nicely said on the market stuff.
Game Center is nice, but Xbox Live features tie into the existing Xbox Live profiles that Xbox, Xbox 360, Windows 8, Games for Windows Live, and soon Xbox One users already have. The persistence of the profile between platforms and easy sharability of Xbox Live Achievements/profiles (through these platforms or via the web) is what puts them in a league above Game Center or other styles of Achievements.