Xbox gamers probably have a love/hate relationship with their Gamerscore, that number gradually increasing number that’s linked to Xbox achievements. And now Microsoft is pushing that to the realm of iOS with the release of the Boggle-clone Wordament.
The free download allows iPhone gamers to log in to their Xbox Live account directly from their iPhone, and earn Xbox achievements while playing the word finding game.
The game itself offers players the chance to compete with players from around the world simultaneously, discovering connected words from a random collection of sixteen letters, arranged in a cube.
If that sounds familiar, it’s because it’s pretty much a Microsoft-endorsed clone of Boggle.
Games run for two minutes at a time, with the ability to drop in and out of games at will. Only full games played count towards your stats though.
Achieving greatness?
There are 10 Xbox achievements available, each worth 5 gamer points each. It’s not going to make the biggest difference to an Xbox Gamerscore, but it’s certainly enough for Microsoft to test the waters.
With a lukewarm response to Windows 8, and Windows Phone 8 doing little to rally consumers away from iOS or Android, Microsoft is clearly testing the waters of expanding its successful Xbox brand.
It has already released its cross-platform Smartglass application, which offers control of an Xbox using an iPad, iPhone or Android device. This is the next step for Microsoft to try and keep its Xbox brand relevant in a world where mobile gaming has become so prevalent.
If the experiment works, expect to see a lot more Microsoft games available on both iOS and Android.
Web: iTunes
