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?
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Thursday, January 5, 2012
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?
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
DeNA partners with Docomo, prepares for Japanese social game coup
DeNA, the massive Japanese mobile social game company, has taken another step toward its imminent invasion of the western world of social games in a partnership with Docomo. You know, the company that bought American mobile game developer Ngmoco for over $400 million last year? That massive company.
Docomo is a Japanese phone manufacturer that will link its 6 million smartphone and feature phone users in Japan with DeNA's Mobage social gaming platform through i-mode. The oddly-named feature is found on all Docomo phones, and it will provide users a direct link to DeNA's list of games by as early as May.
Not to mention that a dedicated Mobage application will be pre-installed into several Docomo phones sometime in the future. According to a statement, Docomoco users will have exclusive early access to new content and easier billing for micro-transactions. Of course, the two plan to bring the model to Europe and the rest of Asia through mobile phone operators and game developers.
However, we're going to assume that if this strategy does well in Europe, DeNA will stake its claim in the US as well. Whether this is enough to combat Zynga has yet to be seen, but know that the Far East has burst onto the scene with guns a' blazin'.
[Image Credit: Random Acts of Media]
Do you think DeNA has a chance of getting into the Western world of social gaming? How will Zynga fare against the Eastern juggernaut, if it gets that far?
Docomo is a Japanese phone manufacturer that will link its 6 million smartphone and feature phone users in Japan with DeNA's Mobage social gaming platform through i-mode. The oddly-named feature is found on all Docomo phones, and it will provide users a direct link to DeNA's list of games by as early as May.
Not to mention that a dedicated Mobage application will be pre-installed into several Docomo phones sometime in the future. According to a statement, Docomoco users will have exclusive early access to new content and easier billing for micro-transactions. Of course, the two plan to bring the model to Europe and the rest of Asia through mobile phone operators and game developers.
However, we're going to assume that if this strategy does well in Europe, DeNA will stake its claim in the US as well. Whether this is enough to combat Zynga has yet to be seen, but know that the Far East has burst onto the scene with guns a' blazin'.
[Image Credit: Random Acts of Media]
Do you think DeNA has a chance of getting into the Western world of social gaming? How will Zynga fare against the Eastern juggernaut, if it gets that far?
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