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Gunstringer, Hydro Thunder, and Angry Birds among first wave of Windows 8 games

Coming to a Windows 8 tablet near you

Gunstringer, Hydro Thunder, and Angry Birds among first wave of Windows 8 games
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Microsoft has revealed the first batch of Windows 8 games, which will be heading to Windows 8 tablets from October 26th.

Boot up your snazzy new Microsoft Surface this October, tap over to the pre-installed Windows 8 Xbox Games app, and you'll find some of the following games.

We've picked out some interesting new games below.

Scroll down to the bottom for the complete list of games that will soon hit tablets (and PCs and laptops) running Windows 8.

Gunstringer: Dead Man Running

gunstringer

We first saw The Gunstringer on Kinect, as a Wild West shootout game from Twisted Pixel. On Windows 8 tablets, it has been reborn as a freemium Temple Run-style endless-runner.

You'll race across a treacherous desert to hunt down and banish five villains to the underworld. Along the way, you'll scoop up Gold Coins which can be used to buy new kit, weapons, and power-ups to help you in your quest.

It has asynchronous multiplayer challenges, downloadable content, a proper story mode with finite levels, and your classic endless-runner mode.

Hydro Thunder Hurricane

hydro

Hydro Thunder Hurricane is a rocket-powered speedboat racer, which was first seen on Xbox Live Arcade. It's got dynamic splishy-splashy water, and 11 ever-changing tracks that feature tsunamis and other such hazards.

There are single-player races and championships, plus new Ringmaster and Gauntlet modes. You won't find an actual multiplayer mode, but you can compare times on the Xbox Live leaderboards.

Reckless Racing Ultimate

reckless

Pegged as the ultimate edition of smartphone racer Reckless Racing, this one has even more cars and trucks, more single-player and multiplayer events, and loads more tracks to race on.

If it's anything like Reckless Racing 2, though, getting to grips with the physics-led handling will be a tricky prospect.

Like numbers? This game's got 24 customisable cars and trucks; 20 Career mode cups; 50 Arcade challenges; and 150 individual and customisable events. That's a lot of numbers.

Rocket Riot 3D

rocket

Just like the iOS and XBLA games of the same name, this is a barmy head-to-head brawler, featuring jetpacks and rockets.

Best of all, the pixellated backgrounds are completely destructible, so your explosives will literally tear chunks out of walls and ceilings.

The game has got a ridiculously large roster of characters, including zombies, robots, bananas, pirates, and moose. Mooses? Mice? It also has over 100 missions to play through (24 of which are exclusive to Windows 8) and multiplayer.

And the rest...
  • Elements II Special Edition
  • Andera: Episode 1, 2, and 3
  • Microsoft Mahjong
  • Microsoft Minesweeper
  • Microsoft Solitaire Collection
  • Pinball FX 2
  • Taptiles
  • Toy Soldiers: Cold War
  • Wordament
  • Shuffle Party
  • Skulls of the Shogun
  • Ilomilo
  • Kinectimals Unleashed
  • A World of Keflings
  • Team Crossword
  • The Harvest HD
  • Zombies!!!
  • Big Buck Hunter Pro
  • Collateral Damage
  • Crash Course Go
  • Disney Fairies
  • Dragon's Lair
  • Field & Stream Fishing
  • Angry Birds
  • Angry Birds Space
  • BlazBlue Calamity Trigger
  • Cut the Rope
  • Fruit Ninja
  • Gravity Guy
  • iStunt 2
  • Jetpack Joyride
  • Monster Island
  • Pac-Man Championship Edition DX
  • Shark Dash

Windows 8 launches on October 26th, which is the same day that Microsoft Surface tablets will hit shops.

Mark Brown
Mark Brown
Mark Brown is editor at large of Pocket Gamer