Gameloft this week released the next installment in its Call of Duty-like Modern Combat series for mobile devices. That's no surprise, of course. But there's some good news for Windows users, in particular. Modern Combat 5: Blackout is available for both
Windows 8.1 and
Windows Phone 8/8.1, and was made so simultaneously with the release on other platforms, which is a first. And better still, you only have to buy it once: If you get the game on Windows, you own it on Phone too, and vice versa.
A couple of notes about what should be a fairly obvious development. Some good, some bad.
Modern Combat 5 is the first game in this series to ship on both Windows 8.x and Windows Phone 8.x.
Modern Combat 4 was made available on Windows Phone 8+ only.The series originated on iOS, as a way to bring a Call of Duty-type shooter to that touch-based mobile platform. I find the game controls on touch-based shooters to be difficult to use, but they're obviously popular.
The game costs $6.99, just like its predecessor. That's a lot of money, but if you do use both Windows 8.x (including the ARM-based Windows RT 8.1) and Windows Phone 8.x, you only have to pay once, as Modern Combat 5: Blackout is cross-licensed across both Windows platforms. (It's not a "real" universal app. But if buy it once you own it on both platforms.) Further justifying the cost, Modern Combat 5: Blackout is a pretty serious game, with different player classes, online multiplayer matches, story and spec-ops missions and a high-end user experience. This isn't a sad little endlessly scrolling mobile game. It's a big production.
Then You can Download. Enjoy it!