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?

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!

With 11.1 million daily players, it's clear why Zynga is down with mobile

CityVille creator Zynga has released 10 games across iOS and Android devices this year alone. (And that includes two varieties of CityVille and Words With Friends.) We all know that mobile is the future of gaming--and blah, blah, blah--but we still wondered why exactly Zynga has pushed mobile so hard. Well, how about the fact that it's drawn 11.1 million daily players?

That figure was revealed in the company's recently-amended filing with the US Security and Exchanges Commission, according to Inside Mobile Apps. This new number, which includes all Zynga games on mobile devices, marks pretty significant growth considering the developer had 9.9 million daily players last quarter ending September. According to IMA, Zynga's most lucrative games are still Zynga Poker and Words With Friends, but we'll chalk this growth up to the three HTML5 games the company released last month.

And while this number is certainly impressive, it's still a distant second to Rovio's Angry Birds, which is said to tout 30 million daily players across all mobile devices. It's no wonder rumors are spreading that Zynga has taken a liking to the Finnish game developer entertainment company. Just this week alone, Zynga has released CityVille Holidaytown and Dream Zoo, so you can likely expect the same crazy pace going into 2012.

[Via Columbus Examiner]

[Image Credit: Zynga]

Which of Zynga's mobile games are your favorite? Do you play more social games on your mobile device or on your computer?

In case your life somehow lacks zombies, Zombie Lane is on iOS

In 2011 alone, pop culture has provided all the training videos and simulators we'll ever need to survive the zombie apocalypse. Keeping with that lovely tradition, Millionaire City maker Digital Chocolate launched its second most popular social game, Zombie Lane, to iPhone and iPad. This mobile version looks nearly identical to its Facebook counterpart, though it is undoubtedly a visual upgrade to the original.

"Zombie Lane has been a hit game on Facebook - with 17 million cumulative users so far eliminating more than 6 billion Zombies," Digital Chocolate president Marc Metis said in a release. "Players are looking to play on their device at their convenience and on their terms, and Zombie Lane for Apple mobile devices lets them do that with the best of all the Zombie games on these platforms."
Zombie Lane on iPhone in action
However, the pocket variety of Zombie Lane looks and sounds as if it plays exactly as it does on Facebook, based on these first screen shots. Players can enlist the help of their friends through Facebook Connect and Game Center to fend off encroaching cadavers as they rebuild their homes in the midst of the zombie invasion. (Sound familiar?) With an interface that's nearly indistinguishable from the web version, we can't help but think this is the same game, but tinier and prettier.

That could be exactly what players are looking for, but between The Walking Dead, Zombie Misfits, the numerous zombie games on consoles and even Zombie Lane on Facebook we unfortunately doubt that. Perhaps the already-teased Downtown feature will provide that twist we're all clamoring for. And it's free, so what the hey?

Click here to download Zombie Lane on iPhone or iPad for Free Now >

Are you a fan of Zombie Lane for Facebook? Are you psyched to try the game on iPhone, or are you slowly coming down with zombie fatigue?

Hungry Sumo on iPhone: You'll be hungry for more games like this

Have you ever looked at a browser game and thought to yourself, "Man, I would love this game on my phone?" (Ahem, Bejeweled Blitz.) New Zealand-based Flash game developer Ninja Kiwi co-founder Chris Harris exactly that to himself after Hungry Sumo hit the web. Once featured as our Game of the Day, Hungry Sumo has been rereleased on the App Store for $.99. But don't call it a port.

No, no--this touch-based version of the delightful Flash sumo-smasher brings plenty more to the table like new levels, mini games and full Game Center support. The basic gameplay remains as you left it, but with one small change: Rather than hover over your sumos with the mouse to make them grow, you press their buoyant bellies. (It's kind of a given, but it changes the experience nevertheless.)
Gallery: Hungry Sumo on iPhone
Just like before, you'll master art of timed rice shoveling so as to not grow while touching enemy sumos, which instantly transforms your sumo into one of them. Of course, the showcase of enemies returns, like statue sumos that will--surprise--turn your sumo to stone if you touch them while munching. Another notable is the ghost sumo, which fades in and out of visibility.

New power-ups have made into the game too: Double Damage, Sushi Storm, Edamame and Zen Time. However, going after them can be quite a pain, as you have to eating while touching them to gain their benefits. Ultimately, they serve as a distraction from the task at hand. But there's something adorable about the determined face that overcomes the sumo once he eats that onigiri (Japanese rice ball) that's too cute to pass up.
Hungry Sumo Street Fatter
To break the potential monotony of tapping sumos' tummies all day, Ninja Kiwi threw in four mini games to mix things up. First, Slice-A-Sumo has players chopping flying sumos and avoiding the good guys. (Sound familiar?) Whack-A-Sumo is essentially Whack-A-Mole, but with sumos--again, watch out for the pink sumos. Sushi Sumo is an homage to pachinko in which you choose one spot to drop a sumo from in order to hit as many bonuses as possible. Finally, Street Fatter challenges players with tapping a vending machine as many times as possible in 60 seconds to feed your portly pugilist.

Admittedly, a few of those concepts have been done before, but they at least serve to break the tedium that can result from tapping sumos for hours. And once you unlock all four in the games standard mode (every five levels you're treated to a mini game), you can play them whenever from the game's home screen--Street Fatter is particularly entertaining. Of course, each little romp is a fine source for achievements, if you're into that sort of thing.

"Now, whenever we put anything on iPhone or anywhere that's not just Flash, we make a point of adding new content that is over and above," Ninja Kiwi co-founder Chris Harris tells us. "I definitely feel that the iPhone [Ninja Sumo] is vastly superior to the Flash version."
Hungry Sumo in action
This is one of the year's biggest releases for Ninja Kiwi, and it does fit the iPhone like a glove. At the moment, this is what mobile social gaming is all about: gunning for that high score or achievement while you have a minute (and bragging to your friends about it). That said, Hungry Sumo is certainly worth your buck. But Ninja Kiwi has bigger plans for 2011, like an overhaul of its website to include Game Center-like features such as profiles and leaderboards, but the company's vision is a bit broader than that.

"Flash games have been looked upon by many as the poor cousin of the gaming industry," Harris admits. "It's where you roll out concepts and quick and dirty ideas before polishing them perhaps for something else in another environment. We've done our best certainly in a game [that] we're hopefully about to release very shortly will finally prove to the world that Flash can be more than that. When you get one of your existing IPs on your phone that you can then walk it around and show people, there's something really, really cool about that."

Click here to download Hungry Sumo for iOS Now for $.99 >

Have you ever played Hungry Sumo before on Games.com or Ninja Kiwi? What do you think of the game as a fit for mobile or Facebook (Harris says don't count it out)?

Casual gamers dump 3DS, PSP to hook up with iPhone, Android

As Facebook would say, "It's complicated." According to a survey released by research firm Cowen and Company, only 26 percent of casual gamers are playing on a Nintendo DS, 3DS or Sony PSP, GamesIndustry.biz reports. By contrast, 52 percent of those surveyed reported playing games on their phone. Granted, this is a survey, but we smell a trend ... a bittersweet one.

"Over the last five years, the penetration of dedicated handheld platforms into survey respondents self-identifying as casual gamers has declined by 29 per cent, with the vast majority of that decline occurring in the last two years," the report reads, according to GI.biz. "We believe cellphone and smartphone gaming is significantly impacting demand for dedicated handheld devices."

The report is based on a survey conducted in September across 1,300, randomly selected people throughout the US, 1,001 of which reported that they've played video games. The report resonates with not only recent surveys, but with how a lot of investors feel. Well, at least in Nintendo's case. The big N's response?

"The concept of having our core franchises on other systems really flies in the face of what we believe in, and that's because by understanding the hardware, that's how we're able to bring these great experiences forward," Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime recently told us, referring to games like Super Mario 3D Land for 3DS. At the very least, bonus points for sticking to your guns, guys.

Do you think Nintendo and Sony have a chance to regain supposedly lost ground in portable gaming? Where do you play most of your handheld games now?

Club Penguin fires a salvo of fun with Puffle Launch for iPhone [Video]

Parents, secure the iPhones and iPads. If Club Penguin isn't going to slide onto Facebook anytime soon, we'll take the next best thing: the iPhone. Puffle Launch, first released as a mini game within the kids world of Club Penguin over a year ago, launches onto iPhone tomorrow, Sept. 15. The game, which will be available for the paltry price of $.99, puts players in control of Daredevil, one of the many Puffles available in the existing Disney-owned web game.

Just like in Club Penguin, kids can fire Daredevil from a cannon, careening into obstacles and collecting Coins. Better yet, those Coins can be transferred to kids' existing Club Penguin accounts to buy new items from the web game's store. As players advance through the game's many daring and dangerous aerial courses, they will eventually have to face the Crab Boss.

According to a Club Penguin representative, Puffle Launch is already played by 150,000 kids daily, and a new Puffle is adopted every second in the kid-friendly virtual world. (That amounts to more than 20 million of the little balls of love adopted in 2011 already!) With statistics like that, color us baffled as to why Club Penguin has yet to hit Facebook, especially considering the amount of preteens that are already active on the social network.

Hopefully, this is just the beginning of Club Penguin's expansion beyond its little home on the web and onto new platforms (aside from Nintendo's stable of consoles). Check out the game's trailer below, but you might not want to show the kids just yet, unless you're willing to buy it on every iOS device in the house.


Are you excited that Club Penguin has finally made it to iOS? Where or how else would you like to see the Club Penguin franchise go? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment