For those of you that have been keeping up with the various Storage Shed expansion missions in FrontierVille, you'll be happy to learn that the third and final mission in this trio has been released.
Appropriately, the mission is called "Storage Space III," and for those that have completed Storage Space I and II, released over the past two weeks, this will give you the chance to earn your final five free additional storage shed slots, so that you can store more items from your Frontier. This is a timed mission, only being available for three days once you accept it. To be clear, you have all the way up until January 7 to accept this quest, but once you do, you only have three days to complete it.
There are three tasks in this mission, and they will prove to be quite a challenge for those players with no debris or crops on their land:
Clobber 5 Groundhogs
Clobber 10 Snakes
Collect 10 Crowbars
You'll need to draw Snakes out on your land by clearing rocks, thorns, or skulls, and you can bring out Groundhogs by harvesting crops. As for the Crowbars, you'll be able to ask your friends to help you by posting a general wall post to your news feed so that you friends can send you a crowbar. This is a "Give one, get one" situation, so everyone that decides to help you will receive a Crowbar in return (and vice versa).
The rewards for this new mission are the aforementioned five free slots in your Storage Shed, along with 400 experience points and 750 coins - not a bad deal, if you can manage to lure out 15 varmints in a three day time.
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Friday, January 13, 2012
FarmVille: Free Gifts page updated with six new Holiday items, including trees
If you're in the giving mood this holiday season, why not send your FarmVille neighbors some interesting new themed items from the game's free gifts page? There are six holiday items now available to send, with four of them being new to the game, and two being a return from last year's Holiday celebration.
One of the returning items is the Snowflake Pole, and it is the only item of the six that is available to send through traditional means, meaning that you can stay right on Facebook and send it to your friends. The other item, the Giant Lollipop I, is a FarmVille.com exclusive, meaning that you'll have to head over to FarmVille.com and gift them to your Facebook friends from there (the process is the exact same, but you'll just need to be on FarmVille.com to do it).
As for the other, new items, there is a Gold Nutcracker (a redesigned version from last year's Gold Nutcracker, so it technically is a new item), a Red Hanging Bell, and a Holiday Tree that all must also be sent from FarmVille.com, and a White Xmas Tree that is only available to send from the FarmVille app on iPhone/iPad.
The Holiday Tree is especially interesting as it is a real, growing tree, that grows silver and gold ornaments and garland, can be harvested, and can presumably be mastered (as we saw with the then unreleased Mastery Sign in a recent FarmVille Sneak Peek). You'll only be able to send the tree to your friends by logging into FarmVille on your iPhone/iPad and heading to the free gifts menu within the app.
Keep in mind though, that no matter where you are sending your gifts from, you'll still only be able to send one gift to a particular friend everyday, so plan your gifting ahead of time if you want to outfit your friends with all of these items before they're gone.
One of the returning items is the Snowflake Pole, and it is the only item of the six that is available to send through traditional means, meaning that you can stay right on Facebook and send it to your friends. The other item, the Giant Lollipop I, is a FarmVille.com exclusive, meaning that you'll have to head over to FarmVille.com and gift them to your Facebook friends from there (the process is the exact same, but you'll just need to be on FarmVille.com to do it).
As for the other, new items, there is a Gold Nutcracker (a redesigned version from last year's Gold Nutcracker, so it technically is a new item), a Red Hanging Bell, and a Holiday Tree that all must also be sent from FarmVille.com, and a White Xmas Tree that is only available to send from the FarmVille app on iPhone/iPad.
The Holiday Tree is especially interesting as it is a real, growing tree, that grows silver and gold ornaments and garland, can be harvested, and can presumably be mastered (as we saw with the then unreleased Mastery Sign in a recent FarmVille Sneak Peek). You'll only be able to send the tree to your friends by logging into FarmVille on your iPhone/iPad and heading to the free gifts menu within the app.
Keep in mind though, that no matter where you are sending your gifts from, you'll still only be able to send one gift to a particular friend everyday, so plan your gifting ahead of time if you want to outfit your friends with all of these items before they're gone.
FarmVille Balloon Crop now in store, but unavailable to grow [UPDATE: Now available]
UPDATE: The Balloons Crop has been officially "released" as part of the New Year's Ball Drop / Party Barn event. You'll need to unlock access to planting the crop after having 10 of your friends accept your invitation to your party. Find out all of the details about this new event by clicking on this link.
If you've been looking forward to planting some of the cheerful and colorful Balloon crop seeds in FarmVille as much as we have, you'll be happy to hear that the Balloon Crop has now been spotted in the wild, via an in-game store listing that is now available for players to look at. However, that's all you can do with the crop at the moment, as it is "Locked."
The reasoning for the locked status is that a "License is needed." We'll be sure to let you know how to obtain said license as soon as we can, but in the meantime, let's take a look at the announced stats for this new crop. First, it's cheap, available to grow for just 15 coins per square. It grows for 16 hours, and you'll be able to harvest each square of ready balloons for a return of 126 coins per square.
This looks to be a fairly good crop for lower level players to jump into planting, not only due to its low price, but due to the fact that you'll gain 2 experience points for each and every square of the Balloons that you plant, which might allow some players to level up before all is said and done. Finally, the Balloons Crop can be mastered, with the first star or mastery coming after harvesting just 80 balloons.
When will the Balloons Crop be available to grow? That much is still up in the air, but we'll be sure to let you know when it unlocks, or what you'll need to do in order to unlock it, as more information becomes available.
If you've been looking forward to planting some of the cheerful and colorful Balloon crop seeds in FarmVille as much as we have, you'll be happy to hear that the Balloon Crop has now been spotted in the wild, via an in-game store listing that is now available for players to look at. However, that's all you can do with the crop at the moment, as it is "Locked."
The reasoning for the locked status is that a "License is needed." We'll be sure to let you know how to obtain said license as soon as we can, but in the meantime, let's take a look at the announced stats for this new crop. First, it's cheap, available to grow for just 15 coins per square. It grows for 16 hours, and you'll be able to harvest each square of ready balloons for a return of 126 coins per square.
This looks to be a fairly good crop for lower level players to jump into planting, not only due to its low price, but due to the fact that you'll gain 2 experience points for each and every square of the Balloons that you plant, which might allow some players to level up before all is said and done. Finally, the Balloons Crop can be mastered, with the first star or mastery coming after harvesting just 80 balloons.
When will the Balloons Crop be available to grow? That much is still up in the air, but we'll be sure to let you know when it unlocks, or what you'll need to do in order to unlock it, as more information becomes available.
FarmVille Party Barn / New Year's Ball Drop Event: Everything you need to know
We've known about the upcoming New Year's Party in FarmVille for a few weeks now, but users everywhere have now started to see the New Year's Ball event kick off in the game, with the launch of the Party Barn in the store. While some users have been given the base of the Party Barn for free, others (even after refreshing) have had to resort to purchasing the base for 5,000 coins. Regardless of how you get it onto your farm, it can be upgraded with ingredients to turn into something truly spectacular.
This is another collection event, that is sure to end the year on a high-note with users, thanks to the prizes available via this event, and we have all of the information you need about this year-ending party behind the break.
First things first, if you're like me, and have an overwhelming number of Winter Holiday decorations flooding your farm, leaving you with little free space, you'll need to do some serious reorganization in order to even fit the Party Barn on your land, as it is simply massive.
Once placed, you'll be shown a menu that details all of the aspects of this new event. First and foremost, while this is a collection event in the most basic sense of the word, you'll be collecting friend RSVPs, rather than any actual item. You'll need to invite your friends to your in-game New Year's Ball Drop party, and the more friends that accept your invite, the bigger your party becomes, and the better the rewards that you'll unlock.
As of right now, there are four prizes to unlock for both girl and boy players, but the avatar clothing item therein is different depending on the gender of your in-game avatar. For both genders, three of the prizes are the Fireworks Finale (presumably a one time fireworks show that you can put on, on your farm), an unlock of the Balloons Crop, and a Disco Pony. However, for girl avatars, you'll also be able to unlock a fancy black Party Dress for your avatar, while boys will unlock the black Party Tuxedo for the same amount of "Guests."
You'll earn the Fireworks Finale after 5 guests have been added to your party. 10 Guests unlocks the Balloons Crop, which we told you about earlier this evening (16 hour crop that rewards 2 XP when planted for 15 coins per square; harvestable for 126 coins per square), 20 guests unlocks the avatar clothing item for your specific gender, and reaching the full 40 guest capacity unlocks the Disco Pony, an animal that we told you about recently in a FarmVille Sneak Peek.
To invite guests to your party, you'll need to click on the "Invite" button within the Party Barn menu. This will take you to a menu like the one seen below, where you'll be shown a list of all of your Facebook friends, with each friend having a "Share" button underneath their profile picture. Clicking on the Share button for a particular friend allows you to post an individual invite to that user's wall. If you haven't turned on automatic wall posting within the game (Zynga suggests that you do, but this is entirely voluntary for this event), you'll need to approve each wall post as it goes onto your friends' walls, but automatic posting will speed this process up considerably.
While you're waiting for your "guests to arrive" - their avatars will appear next to your barn, but can be removed by simply clicking on them to clear space, and they will then show up inside your barn on the dance floor - you can take a few moments to upgrade your Party Barn using the standard three ingredients: 8 Wooden Boards, 8 Nails, and 8 Bricks. You can either buy them for 1 Farm Cash each from the store, or you can ask your friends to send them to you via individual gift requests.
Of course, once the barn has been completed, it will be transformed from a simple red barn to a neon, flashing 2011 Party Barn, complete with large crystal ball perched atop a pole from the top of the barn, as seen at the top of this post. Once the party ends at the beginning of the new year, you won't be able to invite anymore of your friends to the party (meaning you won't be able to add more guests to redeem more items), but you will be able to re-watch the ball drop, or purchase prizes you already have enough guests for. In addition, the Party Barn will thankfully be storable.
And there you have it! A complete run-down on FarmVille's last big blowout of 2010. Remember to head into your own game to get the party started!
This is another collection event, that is sure to end the year on a high-note with users, thanks to the prizes available via this event, and we have all of the information you need about this year-ending party behind the break.
First things first, if you're like me, and have an overwhelming number of Winter Holiday decorations flooding your farm, leaving you with little free space, you'll need to do some serious reorganization in order to even fit the Party Barn on your land, as it is simply massive.
Once placed, you'll be shown a menu that details all of the aspects of this new event. First and foremost, while this is a collection event in the most basic sense of the word, you'll be collecting friend RSVPs, rather than any actual item. You'll need to invite your friends to your in-game New Year's Ball Drop party, and the more friends that accept your invite, the bigger your party becomes, and the better the rewards that you'll unlock.
As of right now, there are four prizes to unlock for both girl and boy players, but the avatar clothing item therein is different depending on the gender of your in-game avatar. For both genders, three of the prizes are the Fireworks Finale (presumably a one time fireworks show that you can put on, on your farm), an unlock of the Balloons Crop, and a Disco Pony. However, for girl avatars, you'll also be able to unlock a fancy black Party Dress for your avatar, while boys will unlock the black Party Tuxedo for the same amount of "Guests."
You'll earn the Fireworks Finale after 5 guests have been added to your party. 10 Guests unlocks the Balloons Crop, which we told you about earlier this evening (16 hour crop that rewards 2 XP when planted for 15 coins per square; harvestable for 126 coins per square), 20 guests unlocks the avatar clothing item for your specific gender, and reaching the full 40 guest capacity unlocks the Disco Pony, an animal that we told you about recently in a FarmVille Sneak Peek.
To invite guests to your party, you'll need to click on the "Invite" button within the Party Barn menu. This will take you to a menu like the one seen below, where you'll be shown a list of all of your Facebook friends, with each friend having a "Share" button underneath their profile picture. Clicking on the Share button for a particular friend allows you to post an individual invite to that user's wall. If you haven't turned on automatic wall posting within the game (Zynga suggests that you do, but this is entirely voluntary for this event), you'll need to approve each wall post as it goes onto your friends' walls, but automatic posting will speed this process up considerably.
While you're waiting for your "guests to arrive" - their avatars will appear next to your barn, but can be removed by simply clicking on them to clear space, and they will then show up inside your barn on the dance floor - you can take a few moments to upgrade your Party Barn using the standard three ingredients: 8 Wooden Boards, 8 Nails, and 8 Bricks. You can either buy them for 1 Farm Cash each from the store, or you can ask your friends to send them to you via individual gift requests.
Of course, once the barn has been completed, it will be transformed from a simple red barn to a neon, flashing 2011 Party Barn, complete with large crystal ball perched atop a pole from the top of the barn, as seen at the top of this post. Once the party ends at the beginning of the new year, you won't be able to invite anymore of your friends to the party (meaning you won't be able to add more guests to redeem more items), but you will be able to re-watch the ball drop, or purchase prizes you already have enough guests for. In addition, the Party Barn will thankfully be storable.
And there you have it! A complete run-down on FarmVille's last big blowout of 2010. Remember to head into your own game to get the party started!
New FarmVille Limited Edition Crop: White Poinsettia (requires seed packets)
As part of tonight's FarmVille update, we see the release of a new limited edition crop in the game that flower-lovers will definitely appreciate. The crop is the White Poinsettia, and just like the regular Poinsettia before it, it is a limited time offering that you'll need to be fast to plant and harvest if you want a chance at full mastery.
The White Poinsettias are a crop just like the Black Roses from Halloween, that must be collected in seed packets before they can be planted. You can click on the "Get" button next to the White Poinsettia crop in the store in order to "Ask for more" seed packets, with this allowing you to post a general request to your wall for your friends to see. Since this might be looked over by many players, you might try asking some of your closest neighbors personally to send you some (they are available to send in packets of 20 from the game's free gifts page).
Once you have packets of seeds, you'll be able to plant them and harvest them 16 hours later. You'll get 200 coins for each harvest, and you'll earn 2 experience points for each seed that you plant. As with other crops, the White Poinsettia can be mastered, with the first star of mastery coming at 250 harvests.
The White Poinsettias are a crop just like the Black Roses from Halloween, that must be collected in seed packets before they can be planted. You can click on the "Get" button next to the White Poinsettia crop in the store in order to "Ask for more" seed packets, with this allowing you to post a general request to your wall for your friends to see. Since this might be looked over by many players, you might try asking some of your closest neighbors personally to send you some (they are available to send in packets of 20 from the game's free gifts page).
Once you have packets of seeds, you'll be able to plant them and harvest them 16 hours later. You'll get 200 coins for each harvest, and you'll earn 2 experience points for each seed that you plant. As with other crops, the White Poinsettia can be mastered, with the first star of mastery coming at 250 harvests.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Russian Little Helper maker Pixonic sets sights on Facebook, iPhones
Sure, Zynga has created some of the most popular social games around, but it has also created its own competition. (See: EA, Disney, Wooga.) Elena Masolova, the 27-year-old founder and CEO of Russian social (and mobile) game developer and publisher Pixonic, was inspired by the company's success in founding her own game company. Since its creation in 2009, the company has created 40 games for local and European networks, but has big plans for its global expansion.
Ahead of opening its third (and first international) office in San Francisco, Pixonic published Little Helper (pictured below) for iPhone and iPad. First released on Russian and European social networks, Little Helper is the mobile version of a simulator game similar to Pet Society, but with heavy Russian themes. Despite the visible cultural influences, Little Helper hit the U.S. top 10 free games chart in September, hopefully setting a precedent for future releases.
Pixonic is also slowly making headway on Facebook with The Island: Castaway, a farming-type social game that proved largely successful on local Russian networks. While it's unfortunately not doing so well on Facebook at the moment, according to AppData, Masolova looks to make a splash in the U.S. and around the globe the old-fashioned way.
Little Helper
"I don't think there's some secret sauce--you just need to make high-quality games that promote themselves," Masolova tells us. "Second, you need to be very numbers-oriented in marketing. I think it's a numbers game, and you need to look at the numbers constantly. The goal by the end of the year is to launch several high-quality games on Facebook."
The Russian game creator and publisher also looks to bring six of its most popular social games to iOS and Android devices, likely in the same vein as Little Helper, which was developed for Pixonic by MobyTail. However, Masolova says that the company has its 46 plus employees working on three mobile games from scratch. Despite coming into the Facebook and mobile games space just as the big players begin to exert their dominance, Masolova is confident that Pixonic will succeed.
"For the first three months of the company's existence, we were focused on Russian markets in social networks," Masolova says. "I think for the time it was the right decision, but now we can move to Facebook and other networks and feel very comfortable there."
Ahead of opening its third (and first international) office in San Francisco, Pixonic published Little Helper (pictured below) for iPhone and iPad. First released on Russian and European social networks, Little Helper is the mobile version of a simulator game similar to Pet Society, but with heavy Russian themes. Despite the visible cultural influences, Little Helper hit the U.S. top 10 free games chart in September, hopefully setting a precedent for future releases.
Pixonic is also slowly making headway on Facebook with The Island: Castaway, a farming-type social game that proved largely successful on local Russian networks. While it's unfortunately not doing so well on Facebook at the moment, according to AppData, Masolova looks to make a splash in the U.S. and around the globe the old-fashioned way.
Little Helper
"I don't think there's some secret sauce--you just need to make high-quality games that promote themselves," Masolova tells us. "Second, you need to be very numbers-oriented in marketing. I think it's a numbers game, and you need to look at the numbers constantly. The goal by the end of the year is to launch several high-quality games on Facebook."
The Russian game creator and publisher also looks to bring six of its most popular social games to iOS and Android devices, likely in the same vein as Little Helper, which was developed for Pixonic by MobyTail. However, Masolova says that the company has its 46 plus employees working on three mobile games from scratch. Despite coming into the Facebook and mobile games space just as the big players begin to exert their dominance, Masolova is confident that Pixonic will succeed.
"For the first three months of the company's existence, we were focused on Russian markets in social networks," Masolova says. "I think for the time it was the right decision, but now we can move to Facebook and other networks and feel very comfortable there."
Island Paradise makes Turkey a bit more tropical through Peak Games
And in directly related news, productivity levels of Turkish businesses plummet by as much as 90 percent. Social game developer Meteor Games announced that its hit Island Paradise is now available in Turkish on Facebook, thanks to a deal with Peak Games. The Istanbul-based company will make the game available through Ciftlik Adasi, which appears to be a full Turkish localization.
According to its Facebook page, Ciftlik Adasi--the Turkish Island Paradise that translates roughly to Farm Island--has already garnered over 123,000 thousand players since its launch on Sept. 30. And it makes sense: Turkey is the fourth-largest region for Facebook with over 30 million users.
And with just over 634,000 monthly Island Paradise players on Facebook, Meteor Games is playing it smart by expanding into new territories to boost its player base. The Beverly Hills, Calif.-based social game creator likens itself to the Nintendo of the Facebook game world, and scale is one approach to take in order to make good on that comparison.
Peak Games however, has reportedly amassed over 16 million monthly players across its games by making the international rounds with big time western developers like RockYou and now Meteor Games. Facebook games are growing beyond the scope of the U.S. and Western Europe, but we can only hope that will make for more culturally diverse social games.
According to its Facebook page, Ciftlik Adasi--the Turkish Island Paradise that translates roughly to Farm Island--has already garnered over 123,000 thousand players since its launch on Sept. 30. And it makes sense: Turkey is the fourth-largest region for Facebook with over 30 million users.
And with just over 634,000 monthly Island Paradise players on Facebook, Meteor Games is playing it smart by expanding into new territories to boost its player base. The Beverly Hills, Calif.-based social game creator likens itself to the Nintendo of the Facebook game world, and scale is one approach to take in order to make good on that comparison.
Peak Games however, has reportedly amassed over 16 million monthly players across its games by making the international rounds with big time western developers like RockYou and now Meteor Games. Facebook games are growing beyond the scope of the U.S. and Western Europe, but we can only hope that will make for more culturally diverse social games.
The Sims Social yanked millions of Zynga players, Raptr report suggests
With over 66 million monthly players, we all know that The Sims Social is killing it. But EA and Playfish's flagship social game might be killing more than just it --the game is rapidly killing off Zynga's player base, if you ask Raptr. The 10 million-strong social network for gamers has issued another report based on the data it gathers from its users, and it doesn't look pretty.
Well, it's not looking pretty for Zynga, at least. Raptr found that a whopping 50 percent of The Sims Social players are also playing Zynga's games. More importantly, play time for both FarmVille and Empires & Allies has dropped 25 percent since EA launched its secret weapon, while CityVille dipped just 10 percent in play time. The latter is thanks to a number of promotions and major content additions like the recent Enrique Iglesias event and the ongoing Governor's Run goals.
Still, that means 33 million Zynga fans are playing both The Sims Social and the top Zynga games. (Keep in mind, this study was conducted before Adventure World surpassed FarmVille.) So, how did EA do it? Well, aside from attracting a swath of Zynga game players, the company marketed heavily to its existing social game players and even the 10 million remaining The Sims 3 fans on the PC. As a result, The Sims Social has effectively cannibalized EA's own player base, according to Raptr.
Raptr Report The Sims Social
As for how EA can strike gold again on Facebook, Raptr suggests the company looks at its most recent buy: PopCap. According to the study, social versions of the publisher's core franchises like Dragon Age Legends didn't do so hot. (Who woulda' thunk it?) But the social network finds that anywhere from around 58 to 75 percent of those who enjoy PopCap casual games also play social games.
In other words, EA is sitting on the weapons cache of a lifetime, but after Zynga Unleashed, it's clear that Zynga plans to return fire. Find the full report from Raptr right here in PDF form.
Well, it's not looking pretty for Zynga, at least. Raptr found that a whopping 50 percent of The Sims Social players are also playing Zynga's games. More importantly, play time for both FarmVille and Empires & Allies has dropped 25 percent since EA launched its secret weapon, while CityVille dipped just 10 percent in play time. The latter is thanks to a number of promotions and major content additions like the recent Enrique Iglesias event and the ongoing Governor's Run goals.
Still, that means 33 million Zynga fans are playing both The Sims Social and the top Zynga games. (Keep in mind, this study was conducted before Adventure World surpassed FarmVille.) So, how did EA do it? Well, aside from attracting a swath of Zynga game players, the company marketed heavily to its existing social game players and even the 10 million remaining The Sims 3 fans on the PC. As a result, The Sims Social has effectively cannibalized EA's own player base, according to Raptr.
Raptr Report The Sims Social
As for how EA can strike gold again on Facebook, Raptr suggests the company looks at its most recent buy: PopCap. According to the study, social versions of the publisher's core franchises like Dragon Age Legends didn't do so hot. (Who woulda' thunk it?) But the social network finds that anywhere from around 58 to 75 percent of those who enjoy PopCap casual games also play social games.
In other words, EA is sitting on the weapons cache of a lifetime, but after Zynga Unleashed, it's clear that Zynga plans to return fire. Find the full report from Raptr right here in PDF form.
Google engineer rant suggests Google+ Games was an afterthought
Believe it or not, some people aren't very happy with Google+. Take Steve Yegge, a Google engineer who accidentally posted what was meant to be an internal rant to fellow Google employees to his over 2,000 followers on the new social network. Reposted by many of his followers, the 5,000 plus-word diatribe hits every gory to explain Yegge's beef with Google+.
And that includes Google+ Games. Frankly, Yegge seems to think that the games portion of Google's second attempt at a social network is, well, uninspired. "Our Google+ team took a look at the aftermarket and said: 'Gosh, it looks like we need some games. Let's go contract someone to, um, write some games for us,'" Yegge wrote. "Do you begin to see how incredibly wrong that thinking is now? The problem is that we are trying to predict what people want and deliver it for them."
While that last quip seems to contradict his previous comment on Google+ Games, his message is clear. Yegge thinks Games were an afterthought for Google, which he seems to think is why the search giant enlisted the help of major social game developers like Zynga, PopCap and Kabam to release their existing games on the platform. Yegge has since publicly apologized for accidentally posting the essay rant.
Most recently, Zynga launched its brand new Mafia Wars 2 on Google+ Games. And before that, Google updated the platform with features that, while impressive, have been considered fundamental to Facebook games for some time. Recent estimates put the number of Google+ users at around 43 million, but how many of those are playing games is still unknown. And with sentiments such as this flying around, we imagine much work needs to be done for Google+ Games to be considered a viable alternative to Facebook gaming. If you have about 30 minutes, you can read Yegge's rant in full right here.
And that includes Google+ Games. Frankly, Yegge seems to think that the games portion of Google's second attempt at a social network is, well, uninspired. "Our Google+ team took a look at the aftermarket and said: 'Gosh, it looks like we need some games. Let's go contract someone to, um, write some games for us,'" Yegge wrote. "Do you begin to see how incredibly wrong that thinking is now? The problem is that we are trying to predict what people want and deliver it for them."
While that last quip seems to contradict his previous comment on Google+ Games, his message is clear. Yegge thinks Games were an afterthought for Google, which he seems to think is why the search giant enlisted the help of major social game developers like Zynga, PopCap and Kabam to release their existing games on the platform. Yegge has since publicly apologized for accidentally posting the essay rant.
Most recently, Zynga launched its brand new Mafia Wars 2 on Google+ Games. And before that, Google updated the platform with features that, while impressive, have been considered fundamental to Facebook games for some time. Recent estimates put the number of Google+ users at around 43 million, but how many of those are playing games is still unknown. And with sentiments such as this flying around, we imagine much work needs to be done for Google+ Games to be considered a viable alternative to Facebook gaming. If you have about 30 minutes, you can read Yegge's rant in full right here.
PopCap to set fire to iPhone, iPad this winter with Popcorn Dragon
Look, PopCap, first you give us a lust for diamonds, and now you're just making us downright hungry. Bejeweled Blitz maker PopCap Games just announced Popcorn Dragon during an EA event in New York City. The game will have players shoot fireballs at flying popcorn kernels by touching the screen, and that adorable dragon will try to eat it all, according to Joystiq.
Popcorn Dragon has no specific release date nor were any other platforms mentioned during the game's reveal. Adding to the mystery, PopCap has yet to reveal a price, though we doubt it will stray far from the coveted $.99 price point. Actually, the EA-owned studio has become quite the fan of microtransactions as of late, so "free" is certainly a possibility.
Popcorn Dragon logo
But back to the game: It looks as if players will feed their miniature dragon across several movie scenes, earning stars and bumping up the infamous score multiplier for quick, accurate fireball shots. Players will be able to buy upgrades with "Tickets," reinforcing the assumption that microtransactions will be a major component to Popcorn. Well, that and growing that cute little whelp's tail. Now, where in the world is the Pop Secret?
Popcorn Dragon has no specific release date nor were any other platforms mentioned during the game's reveal. Adding to the mystery, PopCap has yet to reveal a price, though we doubt it will stray far from the coveted $.99 price point. Actually, the EA-owned studio has become quite the fan of microtransactions as of late, so "free" is certainly a possibility.
Popcorn Dragon logo
But back to the game: It looks as if players will feed their miniature dragon across several movie scenes, earning stars and bumping up the infamous score multiplier for quick, accurate fireball shots. Players will be able to buy upgrades with "Tickets," reinforcing the assumption that microtransactions will be a major component to Popcorn. Well, that and growing that cute little whelp's tail. Now, where in the world is the Pop Secret?
Burnout Crash comes to iOS this fall with help from David Hasselhoff [Interview]
Earlier this year, Criterion Games and Electronic Arts released Burnout Crash for XBLA on Xbox 360 and PSN on PlayStation 3. The game takes auto destruction to a new level with plenty of gameplay modes and speed. The game allows you to send cars crashing into one another, detonating massive explosions with the press of a button. Boss vehicles like limos, pizza trucks and ice cream trucks are thrown into the works, with the game still looks to retain a fast-paced environment. While console gamers have already been able to get their fill of this arcade title, mobile gamers will finally be able to do so this holiday season.
Burnout Crash will be launching on iOS this fall, for iPad and iPhone 4. The game has 18 traffic junctions (settings), three different gameplay modes and an '80s inspired soundtrack featuring songs by Vanilla Ice and Gloria Estefan. The game will feature Autolog technology, bringing a major social edge to the experience, as users will be able to connect with others and compare their stats across the game's different modes. You'll also be able to challenge friends directly via "Autolog Challenges," for some head-to-head fun.
While the mobile version of the game has just now been officially announced, the console versions of the game already come with some pretty heavy backing and publicity, thanks to a partnership with the Knight Rider himself–David Hasselhoff. David has been featured in three commercials for the game, each one funnier and crazier than the last, and we were lucky enough to get to speak to David about his experience creating them, and his thoughts on Burnout Crash in general.
We asked David what it was about Burnout Crash that made him want to partner up with EA, and he could answer in a single word: "Explosions." Going into more detail, the Hoff told us that he "love[s] to blow things up," and that even as a child, he was all about the stunts and explosions. He told us of a go-kart he had as a child that he would send off of makeshift ramps, and that his role as Michael Knight in Knight Rider, it was fitting because "Knight Rider had tons of explosions" as well, so these explosions really "drew him" into the game.
But aside from explosions, what else makes Burnout Crash great? According to David, the game is simply "fun and funny," and that it makes you "use your brain to figure things out." With each level in some of the game's modes (both on iPhone and console) allowing you to earn higher and higher scores so long as you keep the explosions going, we suppose he's right.
While the ideas for the three commercials weren't David's, he says that he did ad-lib in the phrases of his "Chicken Man" and "Cheerleader" personas. "I said the things like 'Eat my pom poms' and 'Time to get plucked.'" At first, EA wanted him to dress as a female cheerleader for the second video in the series, but after dressing as a woman in The Producers on stage, he said he would rather stick to the male outfit this time around, "especially after putting on the wig." This isn't to say that David doesn't know how to have a good time. He says he loves "self-effacing humor that the kids will love or relate to." "If you can stay relevant with the kids, then you'll last forever," Hasselhoff tells us.
We asked David what he thought about Burnout Crash coming to iPhone, and he instantly unleashed his excitement. Apparently, the Hoff has become quite the mobile gamer. He says people are often shocked when he tells them "I'm going on a 21 hour flight around the world." They wonder how he can remain sane while being isolated for so long, but he says he thrives on it. "I love it. It lets me catch up with television shows." He also spends some of that time gaming on his iPhone.
"I wasn't always a big mobile gamer," he says, but that a happy accident got him into it. "I needed a roadie, so my 25-year old nephew has started traveling with me. He accidentally loaded all of his games onto my iPhone." He says that it's funny when he's surrounded by people on a plane, and here are these "two grown men are playing with rollercoasters, going ooh!"
We here at Games.com love what the united front of Hasselhoff and EA have been able to put together, so make sure to check out one of David's commercials below, and keep checking back with us as we bring you more details about Burnout Crash on iPhone in the future.
Burnout Crash will be launching on iOS this fall, for iPad and iPhone 4. The game has 18 traffic junctions (settings), three different gameplay modes and an '80s inspired soundtrack featuring songs by Vanilla Ice and Gloria Estefan. The game will feature Autolog technology, bringing a major social edge to the experience, as users will be able to connect with others and compare their stats across the game's different modes. You'll also be able to challenge friends directly via "Autolog Challenges," for some head-to-head fun.
While the mobile version of the game has just now been officially announced, the console versions of the game already come with some pretty heavy backing and publicity, thanks to a partnership with the Knight Rider himself–David Hasselhoff. David has been featured in three commercials for the game, each one funnier and crazier than the last, and we were lucky enough to get to speak to David about his experience creating them, and his thoughts on Burnout Crash in general.
We asked David what it was about Burnout Crash that made him want to partner up with EA, and he could answer in a single word: "Explosions." Going into more detail, the Hoff told us that he "love[s] to blow things up," and that even as a child, he was all about the stunts and explosions. He told us of a go-kart he had as a child that he would send off of makeshift ramps, and that his role as Michael Knight in Knight Rider, it was fitting because "Knight Rider had tons of explosions" as well, so these explosions really "drew him" into the game.
But aside from explosions, what else makes Burnout Crash great? According to David, the game is simply "fun and funny," and that it makes you "use your brain to figure things out." With each level in some of the game's modes (both on iPhone and console) allowing you to earn higher and higher scores so long as you keep the explosions going, we suppose he's right.
While the ideas for the three commercials weren't David's, he says that he did ad-lib in the phrases of his "Chicken Man" and "Cheerleader" personas. "I said the things like 'Eat my pom poms' and 'Time to get plucked.'" At first, EA wanted him to dress as a female cheerleader for the second video in the series, but after dressing as a woman in The Producers on stage, he said he would rather stick to the male outfit this time around, "especially after putting on the wig." This isn't to say that David doesn't know how to have a good time. He says he loves "self-effacing humor that the kids will love or relate to." "If you can stay relevant with the kids, then you'll last forever," Hasselhoff tells us.
We asked David what he thought about Burnout Crash coming to iPhone, and he instantly unleashed his excitement. Apparently, the Hoff has become quite the mobile gamer. He says people are often shocked when he tells them "I'm going on a 21 hour flight around the world." They wonder how he can remain sane while being isolated for so long, but he says he thrives on it. "I love it. It lets me catch up with television shows." He also spends some of that time gaming on his iPhone.
"I wasn't always a big mobile gamer," he says, but that a happy accident got him into it. "I needed a roadie, so my 25-year old nephew has started traveling with me. He accidentally loaded all of his games onto my iPhone." He says that it's funny when he's surrounded by people on a plane, and here are these "two grown men are playing with rollercoasters, going ooh!"
We here at Games.com love what the united front of Hasselhoff and EA have been able to put together, so make sure to check out one of David's commercials below, and keep checking back with us as we bring you more details about Burnout Crash on iPhone in the future.
It was ... Mafia Wars malware that infected the Air Force drone fleet?
I guess when local politicians are too busy playing CityVille to attend meetings, you really can't put this sort of thing past anyone. The U.S. Air Force has revealed new details on just what virus has infected the remote cockpits of its drone fleet, Wired reports. They're quite revealing as to what these remote crews might be up to on the job.
An anonymous defense official told the Associated Press that the malware that infected the remote cockpits' hard drives "is routinely used to steal log-in and password data from people who gamble or play games like Mafia Wars online." The official didn't explain why remote drone crews were playing Mafia Wars or gambling online while on missions overseas.
And according to Wired, insiders say that the virus has been particularly difficult to remove, forcing crew to erase and completely rebuild the infected hard drives. The Air Force said that the virus is "a credential stealer," transmitted by thumb drives. So, Air Force drone crews were either playing Mafia Wars/gambling online using military computers, or using thumb drives in said computers that had been used in outside computers with access to Mafia Wars.
But do you really think those thumb drives ever leave base? If that's the case (fat chance), then this is another issue entirely. Remotely piloted drones are on slippery enough of a slope already. Come on, people, couldn't you at least have been playing a new Zynga game, like Mafia Wars 2?
An anonymous defense official told the Associated Press that the malware that infected the remote cockpits' hard drives "is routinely used to steal log-in and password data from people who gamble or play games like Mafia Wars online." The official didn't explain why remote drone crews were playing Mafia Wars or gambling online while on missions overseas.
And according to Wired, insiders say that the virus has been particularly difficult to remove, forcing crew to erase and completely rebuild the infected hard drives. The Air Force said that the virus is "a credential stealer," transmitted by thumb drives. So, Air Force drone crews were either playing Mafia Wars/gambling online using military computers, or using thumb drives in said computers that had been used in outside computers with access to Mafia Wars.
But do you really think those thumb drives ever leave base? If that's the case (fat chance), then this is another issue entirely. Remotely piloted drones are on slippery enough of a slope already. Come on, people, couldn't you at least have been playing a new Zynga game, like Mafia Wars 2?
Ngmoco names former Mattel exec as CMO to oversee Mobage launch
DeNA and Ngmoco really want the Mobage platform to succeed in the states and elsewhere. And who can blame them: Mobile is the proverbial final frontier for games companies. This must be why Ngmoco just announced that it has hired former Mattel marketing executive Michael Staskin to oversee the company's marketing push for Mobage, DeNA's mobile social gaming network for Android devices (and soon iPhone and iPad).
Staskin most recently served as VP of marketing and communications at Milan, Italy-based gaming and lottery company Sisal SpA. At Ngmoco he will "lead all global marketing and communications efforts for the company," according to a release, and that includes things like advertising, public relations and customer acquistion. In layman's terms, it's Staskin's job to get more mobile gamers to use Mobage.
"ngmoco is poised to forever change the way people interact with content on their mobile devices," new Ngmoco CMO Staskin said in a release. "I'm excited to introduce consumers around the world to Mobage, a new way to consume, share and experience mobile entertainment."
A report by JP Morgan in Tokyo, via Serkan Toto, said there have been between 50,000 and 100,000 installs of the Mobage app for Android devices, calling that number "extremely small." So yeah, DeNA and Ngmoco could certainly use a guy like Staskin to get more players on their mobile social gaming platform. And with developers like Grasshopper Manufacture and Atakama Labs on board, perhaps Mobage has yet to "arrive."
Staskin most recently served as VP of marketing and communications at Milan, Italy-based gaming and lottery company Sisal SpA. At Ngmoco he will "lead all global marketing and communications efforts for the company," according to a release, and that includes things like advertising, public relations and customer acquistion. In layman's terms, it's Staskin's job to get more mobile gamers to use Mobage.
"ngmoco is poised to forever change the way people interact with content on their mobile devices," new Ngmoco CMO Staskin said in a release. "I'm excited to introduce consumers around the world to Mobage, a new way to consume, share and experience mobile entertainment."
A report by JP Morgan in Tokyo, via Serkan Toto, said there have been between 50,000 and 100,000 installs of the Mobage app for Android devices, calling that number "extremely small." So yeah, DeNA and Ngmoco could certainly use a guy like Staskin to get more players on their mobile social gaming platform. And with developers like Grasshopper Manufacture and Atakama Labs on board, perhaps Mobage has yet to "arrive."
Find free Android games through OpenFeint's Game Channel app
Gree and OpenFeint just opened fire on DeNA and Ngmoco's Mobage network for Android. DeNA's primary competitors abroad just announced that Game Channel has arrived on Android devices. Known on iOS devices as OpenFeint's mobile games discovery platform, Game Channel offers Android gamers a way to discover new games to play, namely free-to-play games.
Through Game Channel, OpenFeint will display games to users such as the Featured Game and Free Game of the Day, which the company says will include free in-game items, too. As for curation, OpenFeint will recognize notable free games under its Free Games That Rock category, and highlight game personally recommended by the company within Feint's Featured Picks.
The Game Channel app will also recommend games based on the seasons and other themes like holidays. Players will get to access their profiles and other social features right from within Game Channel, and OpenFeint will recommend new releases. This news comes just as OpenFeint finds itself with a new CEO, former Gree exec Naoki Aoyagi, and a new director of developer relations, Sarah Thompson.
Gree and DeNA have begun to battle for mobile social gaming supremacy vicariously through their strategic acquisitions, OpenFeint and Ngmoco, respectively. While Ngmoco is reportedly seeking more users to bolster its rather small number of Mobage users, OpenFeint reports welcoming 128 million players across all platforms. But it's also important to note the amount of developer support DeNA and Ngmoco have garnered recently. And now Zynga is heavy into mobile gaming--oy vey.
Through Game Channel, OpenFeint will display games to users such as the Featured Game and Free Game of the Day, which the company says will include free in-game items, too. As for curation, OpenFeint will recognize notable free games under its Free Games That Rock category, and highlight game personally recommended by the company within Feint's Featured Picks.
The Game Channel app will also recommend games based on the seasons and other themes like holidays. Players will get to access their profiles and other social features right from within Game Channel, and OpenFeint will recommend new releases. This news comes just as OpenFeint finds itself with a new CEO, former Gree exec Naoki Aoyagi, and a new director of developer relations, Sarah Thompson.
Gree and DeNA have begun to battle for mobile social gaming supremacy vicariously through their strategic acquisitions, OpenFeint and Ngmoco, respectively. While Ngmoco is reportedly seeking more users to bolster its rather small number of Mobage users, OpenFeint reports welcoming 128 million players across all platforms. But it's also important to note the amount of developer support DeNA and Ngmoco have garnered recently. And now Zynga is heavy into mobile gaming--oy vey.
Angry Birds maker Rovio looking at $1 billion IPO next year
Thanks to those irate, wingless birds, Rovio is worth lots and lots of money, apparently. Speaking with Bloomberg, the Angry Birds creator's CMO Peter Vesterbacka said, "We're not ready to file for an IPO tomorrow. Maybe a year from now." And speaking to the recent estimations that Rovio is worth around $1 billion, Vesterbacka all but confirmed the guesswork.
"We're happy with our valuation but we think it's probably a bit north of that," Vesterbacka said to Bloomberg. So, there you have it: Regular folks like you and I might be able to invest in the creator of Angry Birds by sometime next year. Also known as Rovio's Mighty Eagle, a play on the in-game character, Vesterbacka said that the company is "insanely profitable."
While we're not sure, we're going to make an educated guess and say that the Angry Birds' insane profitably comes from, oh, I don't know, the fact that they're everywhere? From big-time movie deals to plush toys, cookbooks, board games and stadium screen games, Rovio's flagship franchise is everywhere. And it's through this massive push that the company looks to be the first entertainment brand with 1 billion fans.
The two never seem to come up in the same conversation, but Rovio sounds more and more like Zynga every day, though with a vastly different strategy. As rumors stir of a FarmVille movie in the works (sound familiar?), Rovio toys with the idea of becoming a games publisher (again, sound familiar?). It makes one wonder if the two will ever clash. Hey, Angry Birds is supposedly in development on Facebook, after all.
"We're happy with our valuation but we think it's probably a bit north of that," Vesterbacka said to Bloomberg. So, there you have it: Regular folks like you and I might be able to invest in the creator of Angry Birds by sometime next year. Also known as Rovio's Mighty Eagle, a play on the in-game character, Vesterbacka said that the company is "insanely profitable."
While we're not sure, we're going to make an educated guess and say that the Angry Birds' insane profitably comes from, oh, I don't know, the fact that they're everywhere? From big-time movie deals to plush toys, cookbooks, board games and stadium screen games, Rovio's flagship franchise is everywhere. And it's through this massive push that the company looks to be the first entertainment brand with 1 billion fans.
The two never seem to come up in the same conversation, but Rovio sounds more and more like Zynga every day, though with a vastly different strategy. As rumors stir of a FarmVille movie in the works (sound familiar?), Rovio toys with the idea of becoming a games publisher (again, sound familiar?). It makes one wonder if the two will ever clash. Hey, Angry Birds is supposedly in development on Facebook, after all.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Has CityVille reached its peak? Falling numbers say yes
At around January 13, CityVille reached a whopping 100 million players on Facebook (it peaked at around 101 million). That's nearly half of all players, playing all Facebook games, regardless of genre or developer. At the time, the game seemed unstoppable - smashing FarmVille's record of 84 million players set in early 2010 seemed impossible, and yet CityVille had done it. However, according to the latest AppData figures, not all is as happy as it seems in the land of CityVille.
The latest figures on AppData proper have CityVille once again back under the 100 million player mark - 99 million to be exact. Sure, that's still a huge number (even if it does account for a loss of almost 2 million players), but it does show that one of the most basic principles of Facebook gaming has still held true here - longevity in games is the key; not just how many players you can pull in to try out a game in its first month on the site.
CityVille has had a huge run to the top, as players of all ages wanted to try this incredibly hyped and publicized offering from the biggest developer on the site. Even a single play session of five or ten minutes will add that user to the monthly active users total for a game, which helps explain why CityVille reached as high of a number as it did, and why the number is starting to fall.
The past 24 hours has seen CityVille lose over 550,000 mayors - almost a million have left in the last week. Just how quickly will the game's numbers plummet now that one or even two-time users have given up on the game because it just wasn't for them? Only time will tell, but we'll make sure to keep a close eye on both the falling or rising numbers of CityVille in the future.
The latest figures on AppData proper have CityVille once again back under the 100 million player mark - 99 million to be exact. Sure, that's still a huge number (even if it does account for a loss of almost 2 million players), but it does show that one of the most basic principles of Facebook gaming has still held true here - longevity in games is the key; not just how many players you can pull in to try out a game in its first month on the site.
CityVille has had a huge run to the top, as players of all ages wanted to try this incredibly hyped and publicized offering from the biggest developer on the site. Even a single play session of five or ten minutes will add that user to the monthly active users total for a game, which helps explain why CityVille reached as high of a number as it did, and why the number is starting to fall.
The past 24 hours has seen CityVille lose over 550,000 mayors - almost a million have left in the last week. Just how quickly will the game's numbers plummet now that one or even two-time users have given up on the game because it just wasn't for them? Only time will tell, but we'll make sure to keep a close eye on both the falling or rising numbers of CityVille in the future.
Trouble loading FrontierVille? Update your Flash player, says Zynga
According to several FrontierVille forum-goers and FrontierVille Info readers, the game was experiencing significant issues yesterday from playing the game effectively to loading it at all. Of course, it garnered the attention of the Zynga community team. FrontierVille forum moderator NikkiKing posted on the forums in response, "Effective 1/25/11 you will need to have the latest version of Adobe® Flash® Player installed in order to play FrontierVille."
She then provided a link a to the Adobe Flash Player download website, which you can also find here. But for Google Chrome users, don't even worry about it--Chrome updates its built-in Flash plug-ins automatically. Personally, I didn't even notice the issue because I always have my Flash player up to date, because, well, it's my job. This is certainly not the first time the game has experience Flash-related performance issues. (Though it has gotten better.) Hopefully this will solve the headaches once and for all. And from here on out, be sure to keep abreast of Flash player updates if you want a near-seamless experience on the homestead.
She then provided a link a to the Adobe Flash Player download website, which you can also find here. But for Google Chrome users, don't even worry about it--Chrome updates its built-in Flash plug-ins automatically. Personally, I didn't even notice the issue because I always have my Flash player up to date, because, well, it's my job. This is certainly not the first time the game has experience Flash-related performance issues. (Though it has gotten better.) Hopefully this will solve the headaches once and for all. And from here on out, be sure to keep abreast of Flash player updates if you want a near-seamless experience on the homestead.
Zynga leaks details on Mafia Wars Italy 6 through 8; to the Eternal City!
And away we go. Well, not just yet. Zynga has sneakily released some extremely detailed information regarding the imminent expansion to Mafia Wars Italy covering Regions 6 through 8. The names of the three regions will officially be Calabria, Citta del Vaticano and The Eternal City, respectively. A new property will be added to the Italian Villa, the Nightclub, but all we know about it is that it will have a job attached to it like the existing properties.
Across all three regions, there will be 15 Energy Jobs, four Social Jobs and eight Fight Jobs--the names of which have all been released. Expectantly, there will be three bosses to defeat known as Don Messino, Commandant Ebersold and Don Rafael Di Rossi.Of course, each region will have a powerful item to master, the first being Messino's Pistol (Ruby 175/118). The others are unknown, but one appears to have an insane 210 Attack power at Ruby Mastery.
Zynga also provided some more interesting tips like how players will need to repeat Jobs in the original regions for consumables that are needed to complete some new Jobs. Even worse, some of the Jobs that provide consumables for the new Jobs also require consumables to complete. For instance, "You will need Cooked Books (from Milano) to do the job (in Napoli) that produces Hidden Charges," Zynga says. It's not exactly exciting news, but it's good to know.
Check out all the details here. And thankfully, Zynga has provided a feedback page for both positive and negative responses, but who honestly takes the effort to provide positive feedback? (Hey, I just tell it how I see it.) Stay tuned for when Italy Regions 6 through 8 go live, because we'll be all over it.
Across all three regions, there will be 15 Energy Jobs, four Social Jobs and eight Fight Jobs--the names of which have all been released. Expectantly, there will be three bosses to defeat known as Don Messino, Commandant Ebersold and Don Rafael Di Rossi.Of course, each region will have a powerful item to master, the first being Messino's Pistol (Ruby 175/118). The others are unknown, but one appears to have an insane 210 Attack power at Ruby Mastery.
Zynga also provided some more interesting tips like how players will need to repeat Jobs in the original regions for consumables that are needed to complete some new Jobs. Even worse, some of the Jobs that provide consumables for the new Jobs also require consumables to complete. For instance, "You will need Cooked Books (from Milano) to do the job (in Napoli) that produces Hidden Charges," Zynga says. It's not exactly exciting news, but it's good to know.
Check out all the details here. And thankfully, Zynga has provided a feedback page for both positive and negative responses, but who honestly takes the effort to provide positive feedback? (Hey, I just tell it how I see it.) Stay tuned for when Italy Regions 6 through 8 go live, because we'll be all over it.
Diner Dash on Facebook: Flo and friends take on FarmVille
If you've been keeping an eye on Facebook games for the past few years, it's likely you've noticed one major thing missing in the lineup -- time management games. In particular, Diner Dash, the classic casual game where you play the multi-tasking waitress/entrepreneur Flo and singlehandedly serve dozens of customers and do it fast enough to keep everyone happy (while scoring big points).
Starting today, Diner Dash is officially up for order on Facebook, in a new freemium version of the game that combines that oh-so familiar game experience with a social gaming elements borrowed from its peers.
"We've focused on staying true to Diner Dash gameplay. There are other restaurant games on Facebook, and people compare Cafe World and Restaurant City to Diner Dash," says Playfirst CEO Mari Baker. "Those aren't time management games, they're -- more of the classic Facebook appointment gaming. It took a lot of work, what we've done here is bring true time management gameplay to Facebook and built a social wrapper around that."
Some of those social elements include having Diner Dash 'friends' who can send you gifts. Instead of playing Flo, you create a custom avatar. Every 'shift' you play in the restaurant costs energy. When it runs out, you can get more by purchasing it using Facebook Credits, waiting for it to regenerate and visiting your customizable park and clean up litter in exchange for more power. Speaking of the park, that's where you can go to spend those tips earned during your shifts, and a series of quests (along the lines of 'Buy 5 Decorations' and 'Buy 10 grass' will help guide your path. Unlike other energy-driven social games, Diner Dash on Facebook was pretty generous and I was able to play for a good chunk of time before my stamina was depleted. And, I'm happy to report the game does a stellar job at staying true to its roots, and during my early trial of the game, everything was zippy and responsive. Hopefully that will stay the same once millions of people start playing at the same time.
Like the PC version of the game, the Facebook game includes a storyline, which will also be familiar to fans of the series. Flo and the rest of the "Diner Toons," aka the other known characters in the games, continue their battle with the greedy Mr. Big, who is dumping toxic waste and other litter in the park and forcing neighborhood restaurants to close down. Your goal is to get rid of Mr. Big's garbage and keep the restaurants open. When you start the game, there are a total of five restaurants and the park -- and you'll initially have access to one for free and will have to unlock the other restaurants using Facebook Credits.The fact that you have to pay real-life cash to unlock new venues is the most disappointing part of this game -- one that I hope will change soon.
Gallery: Diner Dash on Facebook
Soon after launch, the game will continue to evolve. Lead Designer Eric Holmes says they have plans to give players ways to upgrade restaurants (which will employ a star-rating sytem), add new items in the store that can be used in the park and create a more complex questing system than what's currently in place. Holmes says they plan to add collections, and -- later on -- in-game achievements/badges.
Will Diner Dash beat FarmVille and CityVille? While I'd love to see a classic game like this rise to the top of the charts, PlayFirst has a big battle ahead. Right now, the game will be promoted in PlayFirst's other Facebook game Chocolatier: Sweet Society (which a meager 381K monthly players according to AppData), but maybe Flo and friends will serve up a new game experience that Facebook gamers can't resist.
Starting today, Diner Dash is officially up for order on Facebook, in a new freemium version of the game that combines that oh-so familiar game experience with a social gaming elements borrowed from its peers.
"We've focused on staying true to Diner Dash gameplay. There are other restaurant games on Facebook, and people compare Cafe World and Restaurant City to Diner Dash," says Playfirst CEO Mari Baker. "Those aren't time management games, they're -- more of the classic Facebook appointment gaming. It took a lot of work, what we've done here is bring true time management gameplay to Facebook and built a social wrapper around that."
Some of those social elements include having Diner Dash 'friends' who can send you gifts. Instead of playing Flo, you create a custom avatar. Every 'shift' you play in the restaurant costs energy. When it runs out, you can get more by purchasing it using Facebook Credits, waiting for it to regenerate and visiting your customizable park and clean up litter in exchange for more power. Speaking of the park, that's where you can go to spend those tips earned during your shifts, and a series of quests (along the lines of 'Buy 5 Decorations' and 'Buy 10 grass' will help guide your path. Unlike other energy-driven social games, Diner Dash on Facebook was pretty generous and I was able to play for a good chunk of time before my stamina was depleted. And, I'm happy to report the game does a stellar job at staying true to its roots, and during my early trial of the game, everything was zippy and responsive. Hopefully that will stay the same once millions of people start playing at the same time.
Like the PC version of the game, the Facebook game includes a storyline, which will also be familiar to fans of the series. Flo and the rest of the "Diner Toons," aka the other known characters in the games, continue their battle with the greedy Mr. Big, who is dumping toxic waste and other litter in the park and forcing neighborhood restaurants to close down. Your goal is to get rid of Mr. Big's garbage and keep the restaurants open. When you start the game, there are a total of five restaurants and the park -- and you'll initially have access to one for free and will have to unlock the other restaurants using Facebook Credits.The fact that you have to pay real-life cash to unlock new venues is the most disappointing part of this game -- one that I hope will change soon.
Gallery: Diner Dash on Facebook
Soon after launch, the game will continue to evolve. Lead Designer Eric Holmes says they have plans to give players ways to upgrade restaurants (which will employ a star-rating sytem), add new items in the store that can be used in the park and create a more complex questing system than what's currently in place. Holmes says they plan to add collections, and -- later on -- in-game achievements/badges.
Will Diner Dash beat FarmVille and CityVille? While I'd love to see a classic game like this rise to the top of the charts, PlayFirst has a big battle ahead. Right now, the game will be promoted in PlayFirst's other Facebook game Chocolatier: Sweet Society (which a meager 381K monthly players according to AppData), but maybe Flo and friends will serve up a new game experience that Facebook gamers can't resist.
Pocket God on Facebook spooks pygmies in 'Clash of the Frightened'
Well, not any more spooked than they are on a daily basis, really. We're not terribly sure why the first major update to Pocket God is titled "Episode 2: Clash of the Frightened," but we are sure of the changes it brings. Quebec-based Frima Studio brings plenty welcome changes like more solo quests for when the friends aren't around, the ability to pay for items and powers with either Pocket Change or Sacrifice Points (the game's two currencies) and the option to unlock Powers early with either currency.
The iPhone-turned-Facebook game is enjoying mild success with nearly 140 thousand monthly players and is one of the more gorgeous and inventive games I've seen on Facebook. Unfortunately, the update doesn't include my most wanted change: A completely Facebook-connected Pocket God iPhone app in vein of the FarmVille app.
There's always next time, but until then check out a full list of the exciting changes after the break.
Here's what you can expect in the first Pocket God update:
Social Quests: Combine forces with your Facebook friends to compete with rival deities across the world! Team up and take down powerful foes with a host of your favorite powers.
Taunt Your Friends: What could be better than having a shark bite the head of your boss, or frying your roommate to a crisp with a bolt of lightning? Why, rubbing it in their face afterward, of course! Tease the friends you have sacrificed with all-new power-themed taunts.
Choose Your Currency: Upgrade your godly presence any way you want. Acquire new powers, powerful items and glorious idols with either Pocket Change or Sacrifice Points, the two forms of currency in the game.
Unlock Powers Early: Can't wait to unlock exciting new powers and get the drop on your unsuspecting friends? Now you don't have to! For a little Pocket Change or Sacrifice Points, players can catch up to their friends in the game by unlocking powers early.
New Idols: New idols to represent the rival gods
More Solo Quests: Players have spoken and Frima has listened – five brand new quests, one of the most popular features in Pocket God, have been added with this update to give you plenty to stay busy!
The iPhone-turned-Facebook game is enjoying mild success with nearly 140 thousand monthly players and is one of the more gorgeous and inventive games I've seen on Facebook. Unfortunately, the update doesn't include my most wanted change: A completely Facebook-connected Pocket God iPhone app in vein of the FarmVille app.
There's always next time, but until then check out a full list of the exciting changes after the break.
Here's what you can expect in the first Pocket God update:
Social Quests: Combine forces with your Facebook friends to compete with rival deities across the world! Team up and take down powerful foes with a host of your favorite powers.
Taunt Your Friends: What could be better than having a shark bite the head of your boss, or frying your roommate to a crisp with a bolt of lightning? Why, rubbing it in their face afterward, of course! Tease the friends you have sacrificed with all-new power-themed taunts.
Choose Your Currency: Upgrade your godly presence any way you want. Acquire new powers, powerful items and glorious idols with either Pocket Change or Sacrifice Points, the two forms of currency in the game.
Unlock Powers Early: Can't wait to unlock exciting new powers and get the drop on your unsuspecting friends? Now you don't have to! For a little Pocket Change or Sacrifice Points, players can catch up to their friends in the game by unlocking powers early.
New Idols: New idols to represent the rival gods
More Solo Quests: Players have spoken and Frima has listened – five brand new quests, one of the most popular features in Pocket God, have been added with this update to give you plenty to stay busy!
Friday, January 6, 2012
FarmVille English Countryside Sneak Peek: New buildings and crops
Zynga has released a snapshot of what looks to be its biggest FarmVille release to date, the English Countryside expansion. From what we can gather in this screen shot, there will be plenty of flowers to master including pink and white daisies along with two other flowers I can't name from looks alone. (What do you want from me? I'm no real gardener!) However, what we can guess is that there will be a slew of new buildings to construct, namely a new Chicken Coop and Stable. As a side note, is it just me or do those graphics look a little sharper than standard FarmVille fare? If Zynga is at the point of releasing screen shots, we'll find out for ourselves sooner rather than later.
What else do you think lies in store for us with the English Countryside? Are you prepared to build a second farm?
What else do you think lies in store for us with the English Countryside? Are you prepared to build a second farm?
FrontierVille crops glitch not giving up Food or Coins, players report
Are your crops not giving up the goods when harvested in FrontierVille? Then just refresh the browser, according to a few folks on the FrontierVille forums like JaneTheFarmer. A disgruntled forum user named luvHI asked her fellow players, "Usually when I plant crops I get coins and food. When I planted corn for the chicken mission no coins no food anyone know anything about that?" A good amount of forum users responded, claiming that the cause of the issue is a glitch that has gone unfixed for some time.
However, luvHI mentions only planting crops and not getting coins or Food in return. This is 100 percent normal, which is why we're lead to believe that it was merely a typo based on several responses in the forum thread. According to JaneTheFarmer, all you need to do is refresh the game and harvest the crops once more, but the same issue happens to her two to three times a week.
Frankly, who has the time to do this on a regular basis when I'd most FrontierVille players are sneaking that time in on their lunch break or before bed. FrontierVille officials have yet to respond to the thread nor does this appear to be a known issue in the Bugs and Bug Reporting section. Regardless, we imagine the team will be on it shortly for A. It's been far too long and B. At least the community team is normally quick to respond.
[Image Credit: West Karana]
Have you experienced this bug in FrontierVille? What have you done to either get around it or temporarily fix it?
However, luvHI mentions only planting crops and not getting coins or Food in return. This is 100 percent normal, which is why we're lead to believe that it was merely a typo based on several responses in the forum thread. According to JaneTheFarmer, all you need to do is refresh the game and harvest the crops once more, but the same issue happens to her two to three times a week.
Frankly, who has the time to do this on a regular basis when I'd most FrontierVille players are sneaking that time in on their lunch break or before bed. FrontierVille officials have yet to respond to the thread nor does this appear to be a known issue in the Bugs and Bug Reporting section. Regardless, we imagine the team will be on it shortly for A. It's been far too long and B. At least the community team is normally quick to respond.
[Image Credit: West Karana]
Have you experienced this bug in FrontierVille? What have you done to either get around it or temporarily fix it?
Playable Angry Birds cake makes a kid's birthday seriously awesome
If you watch this video and aren't touched by the end of it, there's something wrong with the Dawww lobe in your brain. Mike, arguably the coolest British dad in the world, made his now 6-year-old son Ben a playable Angry Birds birthday cake. The video goes through the entire creation process sans the baking--kind of boring, you know? (Even the birds and pigs are iced!) The video's adorable factor goes through the roof when Ben is surprised with the most badass birthday cake in existence. He then goes on to give those pigs hell with pop's help. What, Dad, couldn't make iced cluster birds separate? What gives?
[Via Electric Pig]
What's the craziest videogame cake or craft you've seen yet?
[Via Electric Pig]
What's the craziest videogame cake or craft you've seen yet?
Zuma Blitz player scores 1.4 million points with no powers
Sure, even 2 million points in Zuma Blitz is totally possible--when you have powers. YouTube user SLiangHsu posted a video today of his arduous and impressive achievement in PopCap's ball-blasting game. With no powers at all, he scored over 1.4 million points on this week's Crossroads board. How did he do it? Frankly, he shot the balls really fast. Well, extremely rapid and accurate gap shots helped too; not to mention hitting every Chrono Ball on the field. In fact, it appears as if the player intentionally wasted his Hot Frog shots just to show off. Cocky? Absolutely. Justified? You try to score a million points with just your wits (and your wrist).
[Via PopCap]
What's the highest score you've achieved in Zuma Blitz? Do you think you can beat this guy?
[Via PopCap]
What's the highest score you've achieved in Zuma Blitz? Do you think you can beat this guy?
FarmVille: Be a Princess without a crown with new avatar dress
It seems as though Zynga might have forgotten to release a FarmVille avatar clothing item in the Fairy Tale theme last Sunday, as a new dress for girl avatars has silently appeared in the game. This item is almost identical to the Princess costume released before, but where that costume came with not only a dress and shoes, but also a tiara, this "Princess Dress" is just that - the pink dress with a nice pair of shoes.
There is a slight color difference in the bodice of these two dresses, with the solitary dress being more of an orange-shade, and you'll pay a heck of a lot less if you go for the no-crown option, as this Princess Dress costs just 30,000 coins. For the record, the Princess costume costs 100,000 coins.
It's still interesting to see that only one avatar clothing item has been released strictly for male characters (that being the Knight costume), but we'll make sure to let you know if that changes in the future. In the meantime, you have two weeks to purchase this new solo dress, while the Princess costume will leave the game in ten days.
There is a slight color difference in the bodice of these two dresses, with the solitary dress being more of an orange-shade, and you'll pay a heck of a lot less if you go for the no-crown option, as this Princess Dress costs just 30,000 coins. For the record, the Princess costume costs 100,000 coins.
It's still interesting to see that only one avatar clothing item has been released strictly for male characters (that being the Knight costume), but we'll make sure to let you know if that changes in the future. In the meantime, you have two weeks to purchase this new solo dress, while the Princess costume will leave the game in ten days.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
FrontierVille Doghouse Collection offers Goose Ready Boost as reward
While many FrontierVille players (myself included) still don't have access to the Doghouse goals that were released this evening, most everyone should already have access to the accompanying collection, called simple the "Doghouse Collection."
While the details surrounding the construction / purchase of the Doghouse are still slim (as we said, this feature is one a slow rollout), it is presumed that you'll receive these Doghouse Collection items from collecting the daily bonus from the structure, or during its building process. Here are the five items you'll need in all:
Dog Ball
Chew Toy
Chewed Shoes
Pig's Ear
Flying Disc
While you might think this would be the perfect kind of collection to reward some sort of dog-themed exclusive decorative item, the prize here is instead rather odd - a Free Goose Ready Boost and 25 XP. Whether or not you'll go through the trouble of turning in this collection then, as opposed to saving these items should they ever be needed elsewhere, will of course be up to you.
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here.
Let us know what you think of this new collection in the comments. Do you have the Doghouse feature on your farm yet? What do you think of your dog?
While the details surrounding the construction / purchase of the Doghouse are still slim (as we said, this feature is one a slow rollout), it is presumed that you'll receive these Doghouse Collection items from collecting the daily bonus from the structure, or during its building process. Here are the five items you'll need in all:
Dog Ball
Chew Toy
Chewed Shoes
Pig's Ear
Flying Disc
While you might think this would be the perfect kind of collection to reward some sort of dog-themed exclusive decorative item, the prize here is instead rather odd - a Free Goose Ready Boost and 25 XP. Whether or not you'll go through the trouble of turning in this collection then, as opposed to saving these items should they ever be needed elsewhere, will of course be up to you.
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here.
Let us know what you think of this new collection in the comments. Do you have the Doghouse feature on your farm yet? What do you think of your dog?
CityVille: Snow will melt soon, "new growth" coming
Zynga has reminded users that as Spring is now officially upon us in the real world, it too will be launching in CityVIlle in the very near future. While you can still cover your city in snow before it "melts away" for the year (read: is removed from the store), the real news here is that once the snow does leave, we'll apparently be met with new updates in our Spring-time cities.
Zynga says that "new growth" will be coming, and from the image above, we think that might mean the introduction of new flowers and other plant life being added to the plain green grass to make it more interesting. There are flower bushes, plain green bushes, solitary sprouting flowers (resembling yellow daisies), and even a new tree with budding leaves represented in the picture at the top of this post.
Does this announcement, which was accompanied by this picture, mean that all four of those things will be launching in CityVille once the snow leaves for good? Or, is this simply a coincidence, and the new items will be things like the lounge chair and umbrella? Sure, the word "growth" leads one to think of nature, but I think anything is possible at this point.
We'll make sure to let you know what becomes of Spring in CityVille, so keep checking back as thinks progress.
What do you think this "new growth" CityVille's future pertains to? Would you like to see freestanding flowers on your grassy areas, or do you like controlling where and how flowers grow in your town by purchasing them yourself?
Zynga says that "new growth" will be coming, and from the image above, we think that might mean the introduction of new flowers and other plant life being added to the plain green grass to make it more interesting. There are flower bushes, plain green bushes, solitary sprouting flowers (resembling yellow daisies), and even a new tree with budding leaves represented in the picture at the top of this post.
Does this announcement, which was accompanied by this picture, mean that all four of those things will be launching in CityVille once the snow leaves for good? Or, is this simply a coincidence, and the new items will be things like the lounge chair and umbrella? Sure, the word "growth" leads one to think of nature, but I think anything is possible at this point.
We'll make sure to let you know what becomes of Spring in CityVille, so keep checking back as thinks progress.
What do you think this "new growth" CityVille's future pertains to? Would you like to see freestanding flowers on your grassy areas, or do you like controlling where and how flowers grow in your town by purchasing them yourself?
Game of the Day: The Mystery of the Crystal Portal
The Game of the Day thinks you are ready for a bit of a mystery. The Mystery of the Crystal Portal: Embark on a brain-bending adventure that's full of unique hidden object fun. Journalist Nicole Rankwist has always been close to her archaeologist father. So when he goes missing, Nicole knows she has to find him. Join in the mystery and help Nicole find her father!
Click --> play The Mystery of the Crystal Portal
Important side note: Just by playing The Game of the Day you will be entered into a monthly drawing to win a FlipCam HD. You don't need to do anything else, just play! The more you play, the more chances you have to win. For more information on the Game of Day check out the official Game of the Day hub.
Click --> play The Mystery of the Crystal Portal
Important side note: Just by playing The Game of the Day you will be entered into a monthly drawing to win a FlipCam HD. You don't need to do anything else, just play! The more you play, the more chances you have to win. For more information on the Game of Day check out the official Game of the Day hub.
FrontierVille: Finding the Hungry Old Dog and building the Doghouse
Everything you need to know about the oncoming Doghouse Goals is right here, but how does the elderly pup find his way onto your homestead in the first place? Well, since he's old and all, he hobbles like any other Injured Critter in FrontierVille. That said, cleaning up your homestead will cause the Hungry Old Dog to appear, so clear debris and feed your pets like mad. As soon as it appears, you will have to nurse it back to health, but instead of providing it with Critter Milk you will have to feed it 10 Chunky Chow treats. Ask your friends for these like you would Critter Milk with the White Buffalo or the Black Deer. Don't stop there--this geriatric canine still needs a home.
The Doghouse
While you'll be asked to place and build the Doghouse through the relevant Goals, putting the shack together is another mission entirely. After buying it from the Market and placing the foundation, whack the building 10 times for 1 Energy and five Wood each time. Finally, the all too familiar building menu will appear. (Really? It's just a doghouse, people!) Here are the items you'll have to ask your friends for one way or another:
10 Dog Bone
10 Dog Door
10 Dog Blanket
15 Puppy Love
15 Dog Whistle
15 Dog Biscuit
The first three can be requested via the tried and true Wall Post, but for the final three you'll have to request them from your friends directly. Unless you have over 45 dedicated neighbors, this building is going to take more than a day (or two) to put together. Once it's all through, you'll have one happy, hungry Basset Hound on your homestead and another Daily Bonus to collect.
[Source and Image Credit: FrontierVille Info]
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here.
Have you seen the Hungry Old Dog appear on your homestead? What tips might you have to find the pup and build his house?
The Doghouse
While you'll be asked to place and build the Doghouse through the relevant Goals, putting the shack together is another mission entirely. After buying it from the Market and placing the foundation, whack the building 10 times for 1 Energy and five Wood each time. Finally, the all too familiar building menu will appear. (Really? It's just a doghouse, people!) Here are the items you'll have to ask your friends for one way or another:
10 Dog Bone
10 Dog Door
10 Dog Blanket
15 Puppy Love
15 Dog Whistle
15 Dog Biscuit
The first three can be requested via the tried and true Wall Post, but for the final three you'll have to request them from your friends directly. Unless you have over 45 dedicated neighbors, this building is going to take more than a day (or two) to put together. Once it's all through, you'll have one happy, hungry Basset Hound on your homestead and another Daily Bonus to collect.
[Source and Image Credit: FrontierVille Info]
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here.
Have you seen the Hungry Old Dog appear on your homestead? What tips might you have to find the pup and build his house?
FarmVille English Countryside in the Model Farm: First look in-game
What's that? You say the Model Farm in FarmVille is useful? Lies, I tell you. Lies! Well, it's true as the most recent update to the animated Farm Cash shop features items, animals and buildings from FarmVille English Countryside. This update, like all Zynga updates, is rolling out slowly to players, but thanks to FarmVille Freak we can provide you with a glimpse--albeit a stiff, inanimate glimpse. Check behind the break for a list of the items you see above by name including the English Biplane.
English Countryside Trees
Dogwood Tree
Pink Dogwood Tree
Hazelnut Tree
Chestnut Tree
English Countryside Buildings & Decoration
English Barn
Tool Shed
English Rose Arch
English Countryside Animals
Blue Cow
Red Cow
Crested Duck
Silkie Chicken
Old English Hen
English Cow
English Sheep
Clydesdale Stallion
Morgan Horse
[Image Credit: FarmVille Freak]
Check out the rest of our English Countryside coverage right here.
Have you seen this update to the Model Farm yet? What do you think of the Model Farm serving a place to give in-game sneak peeks rather than offering items for purchase?
English Countryside Trees
Dogwood Tree
Pink Dogwood Tree
Hazelnut Tree
Chestnut Tree
English Countryside Buildings & Decoration
English Barn
Tool Shed
English Rose Arch
English Countryside Animals
Blue Cow
Red Cow
Crested Duck
Silkie Chicken
Old English Hen
English Cow
English Sheep
Clydesdale Stallion
Morgan Horse
[Image Credit: FarmVille Freak]
Check out the rest of our English Countryside coverage right here.
Have you seen this update to the Model Farm yet? What do you think of the Model Farm serving a place to give in-game sneak peeks rather than offering items for purchase?
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
FarmVille Sneak Peek: Cleveland Bay Horse, Juniper, European Beech Trees
We know you're split down the middle on posting unreleased content, but frankly, spoilers don't bother us. Besides, it's not like FarmVille is Days of Our Lives, people. So, FarmVille Feed has found three new pieces on content set to make it to FarmVille "soon." The first is a Cleveland Bay Horse, a brown, stern-looking steed with determination. Oddly enough, it reigns from England and the Cleveland district of Yorkshire. Join us after the break for a look at two fine firs.
Juniper Tree and European Beech Tree
OK, so they're not firs, but rhymes are cute, no? The first, a Juniper Tree, originates largely across the Northern Hemisphere in regions from the Arctic to Africa to Central America. Second is the European Beech, a deciduous tree reigning largely in--you guessed it--Europe. Prices, of course, are unknown, but these items will likely launch this week if they're being revealed now. FarmVille Feed also guess that the items will cost between five and 10 Farm Cash and that the trees will eventually become Mystery Seedlings. Here's for hopin' on the latter.
[Image Credit: FarmVille Feed]
What do you think of these three new additions to the game? Which of the three would you buy first, and why?
Juniper Tree and European Beech Tree
OK, so they're not firs, but rhymes are cute, no? The first, a Juniper Tree, originates largely across the Northern Hemisphere in regions from the Arctic to Africa to Central America. Second is the European Beech, a deciduous tree reigning largely in--you guessed it--Europe. Prices, of course, are unknown, but these items will likely launch this week if they're being revealed now. FarmVille Feed also guess that the items will cost between five and 10 Farm Cash and that the trees will eventually become Mystery Seedlings. Here's for hopin' on the latter.
[Image Credit: FarmVille Feed]
What do you think of these three new additions to the game? Which of the three would you buy first, and why?
Final Fantasy Tactics artist launches Traveling Fairy mobile social game
With the help of Square Enix, the character artist for the Final Fantasy Tactics games on the Nintendo DS has launched a mobile social game in Japan titled Traveling Fairy. It's available only on the Mobage social network through mode-Duo, which has been home to mobile social versions of hyper-popular franchises like Shenmue and Phantasy Star. According to Siliconera, the game uses GPS technology to split Japan in 505 regions brimming with frilly fairies.
Players will travel across Japan--hopefully not literally, for a mobile game--to collect region-specific fairies, level them up in fights against demons and take down boss demons to conquer regions and earn rare items. Thankfully, players can effectively travel to other regions without going there through a hosting system that allows players to host others in their own physical region. Think of it as position broadcasting, of sorts. Of course, the game is free to play, but features goods for sale. Even if this won't come to the US (which has not been confirmed or denied), color us excited for what it means for location-based gaming when bigwigs get involved.
[Image Credit: Siliconera]
Have had a chance to try this game somehow? What do you think of location-based gaming?
Players will travel across Japan--hopefully not literally, for a mobile game--to collect region-specific fairies, level them up in fights against demons and take down boss demons to conquer regions and earn rare items. Thankfully, players can effectively travel to other regions without going there through a hosting system that allows players to host others in their own physical region. Think of it as position broadcasting, of sorts. Of course, the game is free to play, but features goods for sale. Even if this won't come to the US (which has not been confirmed or denied), color us excited for what it means for location-based gaming when bigwigs get involved.
[Image Credit: Siliconera]
Have had a chance to try this game somehow? What do you think of location-based gaming?
America 2049 on Facebook: A dismal game about a dismal future
Professionals and supporters alike have clamored for social game developers to use the rallying powers of Facebook to create interesting interactive experiences that spur players to change the world around them. A noble cause, sure, but the struggle has always been the fun factor. Can you spur people's desire to change their abysmal environment without them knowing that they're doing it? After playing America 2049, a Facebook game by Breakthrough (a company that uses popular culture and media to raise awareness to severe social issues), it's beginning to seem as if that's impossible.
Don't worry, this isn't some bash session: America 2049 is a finely-designed game with a start-studded cast of characters like Harold Perrineau of Lost, Victor Garber from Alias, Cherry Jones of 24, Rent's Anthony Rapp, and comedian Margaret Cho. In other words, Breakthrough spent a lot of money to not only garner some notoriety for its game, but for its creation as well. America 2049 looks fantastic, and while it is just a series of menus and maps, those are damned beautiful menus and maps.
America 2049 Clue
The game starts with an immense premise: You are a new member of the Council on American Heritage and the country has collapsed. It's up to you to find out what went wrong and reclaim the American culture for good use in the future. You must follow a series of clues by commanding "operatives" to uncover spots on a map. These spots may or may not hide clues to the puzzle squares, which normally amount to word puzzles or code cracking.
Of course, these actions all consume Energy, which will replenish over time or recharged with capsules you'll find in otherwise empty squares. Unfortunately, it's all as boring as it sounds. However, playing the game for longer than a few minutes will unlock some seriously intriguing stuff. Breakthrough has created an entire alternate reality through mock news websites, blogs and even a website representing "your organization," the Council on American Heritage. Eventually you must use this crafty little alternate-reality to find answers to the games more difficult puzzles.
America 2049 Information Reward
While set almost half a century into the future, it's all a clever way to raise awareness to the scars on the face of America and other developed countries today. It most definitely is galvanizing to be reminded of societal plagues like violence, division and corruption with such a perspective albeit fictional. America 2049 is a success in its mission, but the lack of engaging gameplay might bring the excitement to change the face of America to lukewarm temperatures.
Click here to play America 2049 on Facebook Now>
Have you tried America 2049 yet? What do you think of social games built around the goal of social change?
Don't worry, this isn't some bash session: America 2049 is a finely-designed game with a start-studded cast of characters like Harold Perrineau of Lost, Victor Garber from Alias, Cherry Jones of 24, Rent's Anthony Rapp, and comedian Margaret Cho. In other words, Breakthrough spent a lot of money to not only garner some notoriety for its game, but for its creation as well. America 2049 looks fantastic, and while it is just a series of menus and maps, those are damned beautiful menus and maps.
America 2049 Clue
The game starts with an immense premise: You are a new member of the Council on American Heritage and the country has collapsed. It's up to you to find out what went wrong and reclaim the American culture for good use in the future. You must follow a series of clues by commanding "operatives" to uncover spots on a map. These spots may or may not hide clues to the puzzle squares, which normally amount to word puzzles or code cracking.
Of course, these actions all consume Energy, which will replenish over time or recharged with capsules you'll find in otherwise empty squares. Unfortunately, it's all as boring as it sounds. However, playing the game for longer than a few minutes will unlock some seriously intriguing stuff. Breakthrough has created an entire alternate reality through mock news websites, blogs and even a website representing "your organization," the Council on American Heritage. Eventually you must use this crafty little alternate-reality to find answers to the games more difficult puzzles.
America 2049 Information Reward
While set almost half a century into the future, it's all a clever way to raise awareness to the scars on the face of America and other developed countries today. It most definitely is galvanizing to be reminded of societal plagues like violence, division and corruption with such a perspective albeit fictional. America 2049 is a success in its mission, but the lack of engaging gameplay might bring the excitement to change the face of America to lukewarm temperatures.
Click here to play America 2049 on Facebook Now>
Have you tried America 2049 yet? What do you think of social games built around the goal of social change?
Zynga cashes in on online poker stats site PokerTableRatings
"And we wonder why..." the Games.com writer typed with liberal snark as he stroked his long, Pai Mei-style beard. Alright, so I don't have a flowing white beard, but it's almost a given that Zynga's most recent acquisition of PokerTableRatings has something to do with its Zynga Poker game. TechCrunch reports that the company bought MarketZero, the company behind PokerTableRatings, so that its team could work on new features for Zynga Poker.
Our guess is that this new talent will work on improved tournaments and other competitive ranking systems. (Too much of a stretch?) While MarketZero and PokerTableRatings will continue operation, this marks the 11th buyout for the social gaming megalith in just under a year. Can Zynga make 12 acquisitions in one year? We're taking bets!
[Image Credit: Marie Clare]
How do you think Zynga will put this new talent to use? What type of company do you think Zynga should pick up next?
Our guess is that this new talent will work on improved tournaments and other competitive ranking systems. (Too much of a stretch?) While MarketZero and PokerTableRatings will continue operation, this marks the 11th buyout for the social gaming megalith in just under a year. Can Zynga make 12 acquisitions in one year? We're taking bets!
[Image Credit: Marie Clare]
How do you think Zynga will put this new talent to use? What type of company do you think Zynga should pick up next?
Zynga rides Drop7, Words With Friends to iOS success; what's next?
Zynga's mobile efforts have officially been tripled in the past few months, and it's all thanks to a little developer called Area/Code. The New York-based studio, essentially gave the company one finished mobile game just by signing the paperwork, Drop7. Last week, the company rereleased the critically acclaimed game under the Zynga name in both a free and premium, ad-free version for $2.99.
This sounds familiar: Didn't Zynga do the exact same thing with Newtoy, McKinney, Texas-based studio that offered Zynga a finished, successful mobile game in Words With Friends? After connecting the dots, you can already see what Mark Pincus and his crew are up to.
While Zynga has developed some mobile games to mild reception (even FarmVille just recently hit the Top Grossing App Store charts after a Farm Cash sale), these existing properties will bring more financial success on mobile to Zynga. For instance, Words with Friends sits comfortably at Number 8 on the Top Free charts just above--wait for it--Facebook itself. Not to mention it's in the same position on the Top Paid chart. Just think of all that money falling to Zynga's pockets at little to no development cost.
The same thing is underway with Drop7, whose premium version was available for free all this weekend. While it's not yet on the charts, Zynga could very well take its newfound game to the top thanks to all the cash saved in, well, making the game. While the company is certainly capable of creating a mobile game, it looks as if the company is working another strategy to make some coin off of Apple's magic devices: ride already successful mobile properties from recently acquired companies. Sure, that will rake in the dollars, but what happens next?
Words With FriendsEven Zynga can't go on for much longer just gobbling up every popular iPhone game developer there is and rereleasing their work. There has to be a self-sustained plan, and one is plain as day. Zynga will continue to develop mobile games both internally and through its many satellites, because it has the money and exposure to do so. Both Words With Friends and Drop7 have ad-supported, free versions. Did the lightbulb go off yet? Zynga could simply just advertise and cross promote its existing and future original games through already successful games like Drop7.
Out of the company's 11 recent buyouts, both Area/Code and Newtoy have to be the most clever. While I don't get paid six figures to map out product strategies, you can bet that Zynga is already working on this idea after some suit thought it up months ago. But now Zynga has enough money and notoriety in the App Store to probably beat Angry Birds from its perch at the top. Now, it's time to bring on the original games.
[Image Credits: TipRadar and MCV]
Have you tried either Words with Friends or Drop7 yet? What do you think of Zynga's potential to dominate the mobile gaming space thanks to these games?
This sounds familiar: Didn't Zynga do the exact same thing with Newtoy, McKinney, Texas-based studio that offered Zynga a finished, successful mobile game in Words With Friends? After connecting the dots, you can already see what Mark Pincus and his crew are up to.
While Zynga has developed some mobile games to mild reception (even FarmVille just recently hit the Top Grossing App Store charts after a Farm Cash sale), these existing properties will bring more financial success on mobile to Zynga. For instance, Words with Friends sits comfortably at Number 8 on the Top Free charts just above--wait for it--Facebook itself. Not to mention it's in the same position on the Top Paid chart. Just think of all that money falling to Zynga's pockets at little to no development cost.
The same thing is underway with Drop7, whose premium version was available for free all this weekend. While it's not yet on the charts, Zynga could very well take its newfound game to the top thanks to all the cash saved in, well, making the game. While the company is certainly capable of creating a mobile game, it looks as if the company is working another strategy to make some coin off of Apple's magic devices: ride already successful mobile properties from recently acquired companies. Sure, that will rake in the dollars, but what happens next?
Words With FriendsEven Zynga can't go on for much longer just gobbling up every popular iPhone game developer there is and rereleasing their work. There has to be a self-sustained plan, and one is plain as day. Zynga will continue to develop mobile games both internally and through its many satellites, because it has the money and exposure to do so. Both Words With Friends and Drop7 have ad-supported, free versions. Did the lightbulb go off yet? Zynga could simply just advertise and cross promote its existing and future original games through already successful games like Drop7.
Out of the company's 11 recent buyouts, both Area/Code and Newtoy have to be the most clever. While I don't get paid six figures to map out product strategies, you can bet that Zynga is already working on this idea after some suit thought it up months ago. But now Zynga has enough money and notoriety in the App Store to probably beat Angry Birds from its perch at the top. Now, it's time to bring on the original games.
[Image Credits: TipRadar and MCV]
Have you tried either Words with Friends or Drop7 yet? What do you think of Zynga's potential to dominate the mobile gaming space thanks to these games?
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