On Friday, Future Publishing, the British media company behind some of the best gaming magazines in both Europe and the US (Edge, PC Gamer, Max PC and the Official Xbox and Playstation mags), announced that its CEO Stevie Spring and CFO John Bowman have stepped down. The move was not unexpected -- rumors of corporate restructuring have been doing the rounds since July, and the company's stock has taken a serious beating over the last few months. Reuters reported that the media company's board has named Mark Wood as the new CEO and Graham Harding as the finance chief.
"The recent restructuring which positions the company for its digital future has allowed the Board this opportunity to achieve substantial savings by eliminating an entire tier of corporate overhead," Future said in a statement. According to a Reuter's report, the company's stock has dropped sixty percent on the year.
What this means for the American publications under Future umbrella remains to be seen. Video game magazines like The Official Xbox Magazine, Playstation: The Magazine, Nintendo Power, and PC Gamer have been industry icons for years, but Future's July statement revealed the company is heading to a "primarily digital model" for its U.S. businesses. Additionally, a reorganization of Future's UK business will likely lead to layoffs and cash cutting measures.
As a former Future US staffer myself, I can't help but feel for my former colleagues and hope that the next year treats them better.
Great Site to earn Money Online
Saturday, October 29, 2011
10 Creepy Mobile Games
Be sure to also read: The 10 Best PS3 Games, The 15 Best PSN Games, The 10 Best Xbox 360 Games, The 15 Best XBLA Games, The 10 Best Wii Games, The 30 Best PC Games, The 6 Best Free Steam Games, The 15 Best iPhone Games, The 15 Best iPad Games, The 10 Best 3DS Games, The 31 Best DS Games, The 10 Best PSP Games, The 15 Best Android Games, and The 15 Best Free Android Games.
10 Creepy Mobile Games
Halloween is just around the corner, and what better way to gear up for the holiday by playing creepy games on your phone or tablet? Admittedly there aren't a ton of legitimately scary horror-themed iOS and Android games, but here are 10 (in no particular order) that will at least make you think twice about turning off the lights.
10 Creepy Mobile Games
Halloween is just around the corner, and what better way to gear up for the holiday by playing creepy games on your phone or tablet? Admittedly there aren't a ton of legitimately scary horror-themed iOS and Android games, but here are 10 (in no particular order) that will at least make you think twice about turning off the lights.
UPDATE: Want to Win a Copy of Fruit Ninja Kinect? (Winners Announced!)
UPDATE: Enough talk -- let's hand out some sweet, sweet prizes. Courtesy of random-number-selector-gadget-thingy Random.org, our winners are:
Facebook winners:
Bill Putman
Lisa Sassone
Kellen Casey
GamePro.com winners:
heatherspeaks493
The12P
Bipple
Htial
Twitter winners:
@SirKhalid
@8bitPOPE
@BritishBryn
Thanks to everyone for entering, and congrats to our winners! Sit tight -- codes will be sent out shortly!
Original text: The fine folks at Halfbrick have hooked us up with a set of ten download codes for copies of their awesome motion-controlled hack-'n-slash arcade game, Fruit Ninja Kinect, as well as redeem codes for all three DLC packs that've been released for it so far. That means the Storm Season, Space Capsule, and Art Box packs, and a copy of the complete game. Want to get in on the frenzied fruit-felling action? Here's how!
Via GamePro: Leave one comment on this article, and you'll be entered into the drawing.
Via Twitter: Make sure you're following @GamePro, then shoot us a tweet mentioning @GamePro and #FruitNinja.
Via Facebook: "Like" the GamePro Facebook page, then comment on our following contest post on Facebook.
Facebook winners:
Bill Putman
Lisa Sassone
Kellen Casey
GamePro.com winners:
heatherspeaks493
The12P
Bipple
Htial
Twitter winners:
@SirKhalid
@8bitPOPE
@BritishBryn
Thanks to everyone for entering, and congrats to our winners! Sit tight -- codes will be sent out shortly!
Original text: The fine folks at Halfbrick have hooked us up with a set of ten download codes for copies of their awesome motion-controlled hack-'n-slash arcade game, Fruit Ninja Kinect, as well as redeem codes for all three DLC packs that've been released for it so far. That means the Storm Season, Space Capsule, and Art Box packs, and a copy of the complete game. Want to get in on the frenzied fruit-felling action? Here's how!
Via GamePro: Leave one comment on this article, and you'll be entered into the drawing.
Via Twitter: Make sure you're following @GamePro, then shoot us a tweet mentioning @GamePro and #FruitNinja.
Via Facebook: "Like" the GamePro Facebook page, then comment on our following contest post on Facebook.
Big Metal Gear Solid: Rising Reveal in November?
A huge exclamation point appears on the very last page of the latest issue of the Official PlayStation Magazine UK. The image bears a striking resemblance to the iconic symbol from Konami's popular stealth series, Metal Gear Solid.
It's been a long time since we've last heard a peep out of Kojima or Konami about the next game in the franchise. And some suggest that this is in fact hinting at some sort of big announcement about Metal Gear: Rising.
It's been a long time since we've last heard a peep out of Kojima or Konami about the next game in the franchise. And some suggest that this is in fact hinting at some sort of big announcement about Metal Gear: Rising.
Win a Free Tribes: Ascend Beta Key
If you're not familiar with Tribes: Ascend, then watch the trailer above to get a feel for the multiplayer, sci-fi, FPS action. But you know what's better than just watching? Getting to try it out yourself.
The development team's been accepting limited beta invites through their homepage for some time now, but we're going to help you jump right to the front of the line. If you want to snag a code, just leave a comment on this story with a short message explaining why you want to play. It's just that easy.
But what if you want to enter, but don't want to leave a comment? We have you covered with two other options!
Follow us on Twitter and write a post using the hashtag: #GameProTribesBeta
Comment on this story's Facebook post saying you want a code! (And make sure your settings allow non-friends to message you. You'll receive the code from GamePro Contest).
We'll be running the contest all weekend until we run out of codes so enter now to ensure yourself a spot!
The development team's been accepting limited beta invites through their homepage for some time now, but we're going to help you jump right to the front of the line. If you want to snag a code, just leave a comment on this story with a short message explaining why you want to play. It's just that easy.
But what if you want to enter, but don't want to leave a comment? We have you covered with two other options!
Follow us on Twitter and write a post using the hashtag: #GameProTribesBeta
Comment on this story's Facebook post saying you want a code! (And make sure your settings allow non-friends to message you. You'll receive the code from GamePro Contest).
We'll be running the contest all weekend until we run out of codes so enter now to ensure yourself a spot!
Monday, October 24, 2011
Exploring The Secret World’s Most Mysterious Secret Society
Of the three secret societies vying for domination of the world’s hidden side in Funcom’s upcoming supernatural MMO The Secret World, none are quite so secret as the Dragon, orchestrating change through the stealthy generation of chaos.
While the Illuminati make a mad grab for power and the Templar strike out at the world’s hidden evils with the subtlety of a charging elephant, the Seoul-based Dragon wait patiently for the right time to strike, using intelligence and subterfuge to reach their ultimate goal. Where the other societies might favour direct strikes to weaken their enemies, the Dragon would rather use deception and misinformation to get the others to weaken themselves. Why waste valuable resources when a single misplaced word or seeded secret can do the job for you?
It’s Dragon week for The Secret World, with new information, assets, and other odds and ends about these shadowy manipulators appearing on the game’s website each day. There’s a test there that places visitors in one of the three societies, so maybe you’ll find subtlety your strong point, like I did.
Don’t worry, Templar and Illuminati members. We’ll let you have your turn. For now, feel free to look through our gallery and admire how powerful we are.
While the Illuminati make a mad grab for power and the Templar strike out at the world’s hidden evils with the subtlety of a charging elephant, the Seoul-based Dragon wait patiently for the right time to strike, using intelligence and subterfuge to reach their ultimate goal. Where the other societies might favour direct strikes to weaken their enemies, the Dragon would rather use deception and misinformation to get the others to weaken themselves. Why waste valuable resources when a single misplaced word or seeded secret can do the job for you?
It’s Dragon week for The Secret World, with new information, assets, and other odds and ends about these shadowy manipulators appearing on the game’s website each day. There’s a test there that places visitors in one of the three societies, so maybe you’ll find subtlety your strong point, like I did.
Don’t worry, Templar and Illuminati members. We’ll let you have your turn. For now, feel free to look through our gallery and admire how powerful we are.
So What Makes Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 So Ultimate?
One might ask, does Capcom really need to revisit the work of Marvel vs Capcom 3, which came out in February, in the form of Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3, due out next month? Capcom special consultant Seth Killian justifies the new title by saying that the development team’s gone back under the hood and re-balanced all of the characters, so that it is essentially like an all-new game.
Most fans know that Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 will be adding 12 new characters to the roster, including fan-favorites like Strider Hryu on the Capcom side and Hawkeye on the Marvel side. Capcom revealed that all the game’s characters will also be playable in up to six alternate looks for each. So with Spider-Man, the alternats will be Spider-Armor 2.0, Big Time from the Dan Slott storylines, and the mostly white FF Spidey from Jonathan Hickman’s series. (No Miles Morales?!) As for Felicia from Darkstalkers, her classic look got contrasted by her Puzzle Fighter interpretation as well as various palette variations from her appearance in other Capcom games.
You’ll also get reversible package art, with a choice of a drawing from Mark Brooks (Marvel) or Shinkiro (Capcom) and new backgrounds as well. Marvel New York gets further represented in the City That Never Sleeps, all the signage is a reference to people, places or thing in the Marvel Universe like the Coffee Bean café where Peter Parker hangs out or the law offices of Nelson & Murdock. There’s also the Days of Future Past background, which references the alternate future from the Chris Claremont/John Byrne run on Uncanny X-Men. The destroyed landscape has giant Sentinels looming in the background, along with the iconic Wanted poster with Marvel vs. Capcom 2 characters who didn’t make it into MvC3.
At the weekend’s Marvel Games panel Killian also revealed that Galactus will be playable in UMvC3, albeit in his own separate mode which spans eight levels. There’s also the strategic Heroes and Heralds Mode, which I detailed here, on top of all of that. To sum up: New characters. New balancing. New modes. New art. Is all of this worth it, readers? Even if it’s $US40 instead of $US60?
Most fans know that Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 will be adding 12 new characters to the roster, including fan-favorites like Strider Hryu on the Capcom side and Hawkeye on the Marvel side. Capcom revealed that all the game’s characters will also be playable in up to six alternate looks for each. So with Spider-Man, the alternats will be Spider-Armor 2.0, Big Time from the Dan Slott storylines, and the mostly white FF Spidey from Jonathan Hickman’s series. (No Miles Morales?!) As for Felicia from Darkstalkers, her classic look got contrasted by her Puzzle Fighter interpretation as well as various palette variations from her appearance in other Capcom games.
You’ll also get reversible package art, with a choice of a drawing from Mark Brooks (Marvel) or Shinkiro (Capcom) and new backgrounds as well. Marvel New York gets further represented in the City That Never Sleeps, all the signage is a reference to people, places or thing in the Marvel Universe like the Coffee Bean café where Peter Parker hangs out or the law offices of Nelson & Murdock. There’s also the Days of Future Past background, which references the alternate future from the Chris Claremont/John Byrne run on Uncanny X-Men. The destroyed landscape has giant Sentinels looming in the background, along with the iconic Wanted poster with Marvel vs. Capcom 2 characters who didn’t make it into MvC3.
At the weekend’s Marvel Games panel Killian also revealed that Galactus will be playable in UMvC3, albeit in his own separate mode which spans eight levels. There’s also the strategic Heroes and Heralds Mode, which I detailed here, on top of all of that. To sum up: New characters. New balancing. New modes. New art. Is all of this worth it, readers? Even if it’s $US40 instead of $US60?
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Remember This? [Update]
You guys. I knew I’ve been taking it too easy. Yesterday’s Remember This was solved in minutes. So today I’m cranking things up a tiny notch. I still sort of expect this to be solved quickly, but if you’re struggling, I’ll post up a second part of the screen in the afternoon.
PlayStation 4 Game Development Is Underway
While Sony hasn’t yet officially announced the PS4, no doubt it’s coming. The PlayStation 3 will get a successor. According to a “trusted source”, work has started on PlayStation 4 games.
Website Develop reported that “various game projects are at very early stages”. Apparently, Sony’s in-house studios are starting development first, which makes obvious sense.
It seems like Sony is just starting on the PS4, and the console appears to be a few years out. We probably won’t see anything until 2013, at the earliest. Next year, Sony will most likely focus on the PS Vita.
This past May, a senior Sony executive said work had begun on a future platform — a comment Sony later said referred to the Vita.
According to one report, the next PlayStation will have Kinect-style motion controls.
In Februrary, Sony exec Kaz Hirai indicated that Sony was not yet working on the PS4.
Kotaku is following up with Sony and will update this post should the company comment.
Website Develop reported that “various game projects are at very early stages”. Apparently, Sony’s in-house studios are starting development first, which makes obvious sense.
It seems like Sony is just starting on the PS4, and the console appears to be a few years out. We probably won’t see anything until 2013, at the earliest. Next year, Sony will most likely focus on the PS Vita.
This past May, a senior Sony executive said work had begun on a future platform — a comment Sony later said referred to the Vita.
According to one report, the next PlayStation will have Kinect-style motion controls.
In Februrary, Sony exec Kaz Hirai indicated that Sony was not yet working on the PS4.
Kotaku is following up with Sony and will update this post should the company comment.
Where Are They Now? Diseases That Killed You In Oregon Trail
These are five words familiar to anyone who has attempted to caulk a wagon and ford rivers en route to the Willamette Valley. Oregon Trail not only taught generations of kids about Western migration in 19th-century America, it also familiarised them with various strange-sounding diseases. Let’s catch up with some of those diseases and find out if they’re just as nasty today.
Everyone Has Cholera
Then: The number one killer of the actual Oregon Trail, cholera is an infection of the intestines caused by ingesting the bacteria Vibrio cholerae. Spread through contaminated food or water, cholera released an enterotoxin that effectively flooded the intestines with excess water. This led to continual watery diarrhoea, causing severe dehydration and often death. The worst outbreaks occurred on the Oregon Trail in 1849, 1850 and 1852. The only available treatment in the game was a medicine known as laudanum-understood today to be pure opium.
Now: According to the centres for Disease Control, cholera remains a global pandemic. Though there is still no vaccine for the disease (in the US), it can be treated with a regiment of fluids and electrolytes, as well as antibiotics. The best defence remains stringent sanitation regulations, a luury afforded primarily to industrialized countries. The World Health organisation has recorded recent outbreaks in Democratic Republic of Congo (July 2011), Haiti (November 2010, October 2010), Pakistan (October 2010) and a severe outbreak in Zimbabwe (June 2009, March 2009, February 2009, January 2009, December 2008).
Joseph Has Diphtheria
Then: Caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae, diphtheria is an airborne bacterial disease. It usually showed up first in the nose and throat, but could also surface as skin lesions. A grey, fibrous material would grow over airways, causing difficulty breathing and sometimes uncontrollable drooling, as well as a deep cough and chills. Diphtheria was most common on the trail during the winter months.
Now: Routine childhood immunizations have nearly erased diphtheria in the US. According to the US National Library of Medicine, there are less than five cases here a year. Though it is still a problem in crowded nations with poor hygiene, diphtheria is now rarely fatal.
You Have Dysentery
Then: Dysentery, aka shigellosis, was not as widespread on the trails as its peer cholera. During the 19th century, dysentery was a bigger problem on the Civil War battlefields. Like cholera, dysentery spread via contaminated water and food, thriving in hot and humid weather. Unlike cholera, dysentery lived in the colon and caused bloody, loose excrement. The rise of dysentery in the 1800s was partially due to infected warm cow’s milk, an ideal incubator for shigellosis.
Now: Dysentery is still a major threat to the developing world. Not only is there no effective vaccine, recent strains are increasingly resistant to antibiotics-the only proven line of defence in tandem with fluids. It is estimated by the WHO that 80 million people contract dysentery annually. An outbreak was detected in Japan this past August.
Sally Has Measles
Then: Evolved from the rinderpest virus, the highly contagious measles ravaged the United States in the 19th century. It was not measles, but complications like bronchitis and pneumonia that made it life threatening. Measles was spread through contaminated droplets-coughing, sneezing, wiping one’s nose and then touching anything. It caused nasty rashes, fever and conjunctivitis.
Now: A vaccine was discovered in the mid-20th century, virtually eradicating measles from the developed world. It is now part of the trifecta inoculation MMR (Measles-Mumps-Rubella) most American children receive in infancy and again at age 6. Though relatively contained, measles is still endemic. In 2009, there was an outbreak in Johannesburg and other parts of South Africa. New Zealand saw a small spike in August 2011, with nearly 100 cases popping up in Auckland.
Mary Has Died of Typhoid Fever
Then: Unfamiliar with the virtues of boiling water first, Oregon Trail pioneers contracted typhoid like many other diseases-from contaminated water. Caused by Salmonella Typhi, Typhoid was spread when an infected person “shed” the bacteria. Sparing you the grisly details, let’s just say the bacteria lived in a person’s blood and intestines. The major symptom was high fever, followed by weakness and loss of appetite. In the warmer months, typhoid was a real killer.
Now: Still a killer, though not in the Western world. The CDC says it’s preventable with good sanitation and antibiotics, but even Westerners are not immune when travelling in developing countries. The CDC strongly recommends anyone planning travel to a ‘non-industrialised’ nation get vaccinated-and avoid any tap water or food cooked in unclean water.
Laura Turner Garrison is a writer at Mental_Floss, where knowledge junkies get their fix.
Republished with permission.
Everyone Has Cholera
Then: The number one killer of the actual Oregon Trail, cholera is an infection of the intestines caused by ingesting the bacteria Vibrio cholerae. Spread through contaminated food or water, cholera released an enterotoxin that effectively flooded the intestines with excess water. This led to continual watery diarrhoea, causing severe dehydration and often death. The worst outbreaks occurred on the Oregon Trail in 1849, 1850 and 1852. The only available treatment in the game was a medicine known as laudanum-understood today to be pure opium.
Now: According to the centres for Disease Control, cholera remains a global pandemic. Though there is still no vaccine for the disease (in the US), it can be treated with a regiment of fluids and electrolytes, as well as antibiotics. The best defence remains stringent sanitation regulations, a luury afforded primarily to industrialized countries. The World Health organisation has recorded recent outbreaks in Democratic Republic of Congo (July 2011), Haiti (November 2010, October 2010), Pakistan (October 2010) and a severe outbreak in Zimbabwe (June 2009, March 2009, February 2009, January 2009, December 2008).
Joseph Has Diphtheria
Then: Caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae, diphtheria is an airborne bacterial disease. It usually showed up first in the nose and throat, but could also surface as skin lesions. A grey, fibrous material would grow over airways, causing difficulty breathing and sometimes uncontrollable drooling, as well as a deep cough and chills. Diphtheria was most common on the trail during the winter months.
Now: Routine childhood immunizations have nearly erased diphtheria in the US. According to the US National Library of Medicine, there are less than five cases here a year. Though it is still a problem in crowded nations with poor hygiene, diphtheria is now rarely fatal.
You Have Dysentery
Then: Dysentery, aka shigellosis, was not as widespread on the trails as its peer cholera. During the 19th century, dysentery was a bigger problem on the Civil War battlefields. Like cholera, dysentery spread via contaminated water and food, thriving in hot and humid weather. Unlike cholera, dysentery lived in the colon and caused bloody, loose excrement. The rise of dysentery in the 1800s was partially due to infected warm cow’s milk, an ideal incubator for shigellosis.
Now: Dysentery is still a major threat to the developing world. Not only is there no effective vaccine, recent strains are increasingly resistant to antibiotics-the only proven line of defence in tandem with fluids. It is estimated by the WHO that 80 million people contract dysentery annually. An outbreak was detected in Japan this past August.
Sally Has Measles
Then: Evolved from the rinderpest virus, the highly contagious measles ravaged the United States in the 19th century. It was not measles, but complications like bronchitis and pneumonia that made it life threatening. Measles was spread through contaminated droplets-coughing, sneezing, wiping one’s nose and then touching anything. It caused nasty rashes, fever and conjunctivitis.
Now: A vaccine was discovered in the mid-20th century, virtually eradicating measles from the developed world. It is now part of the trifecta inoculation MMR (Measles-Mumps-Rubella) most American children receive in infancy and again at age 6. Though relatively contained, measles is still endemic. In 2009, there was an outbreak in Johannesburg and other parts of South Africa. New Zealand saw a small spike in August 2011, with nearly 100 cases popping up in Auckland.
Mary Has Died of Typhoid Fever
Then: Unfamiliar with the virtues of boiling water first, Oregon Trail pioneers contracted typhoid like many other diseases-from contaminated water. Caused by Salmonella Typhi, Typhoid was spread when an infected person “shed” the bacteria. Sparing you the grisly details, let’s just say the bacteria lived in a person’s blood and intestines. The major symptom was high fever, followed by weakness and loss of appetite. In the warmer months, typhoid was a real killer.
Now: Still a killer, though not in the Western world. The CDC says it’s preventable with good sanitation and antibiotics, but even Westerners are not immune when travelling in developing countries. The CDC strongly recommends anyone planning travel to a ‘non-industrialised’ nation get vaccinated-and avoid any tap water or food cooked in unclean water.
Laura Turner Garrison is a writer at Mental_Floss, where knowledge junkies get their fix.
Republished with permission.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
BlizzCon 2011: Heart of the Swarm Beta Coming Soon, Trailer Released
Blizzard also gave some insight into how StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm's single-player campaign will progress, and specifically how Zerg units will evolve. According to PC Gamer, the BlizzCon panel gave an example of a lowly Zergling, and its two separate split options at a particular point in the campaign. One evolutionary option allowed the Zergling to grow tiny wings, while the other divided the Zergling into three smaller creatures, called Swarmlings.
On the subject of the upcoming Heart of the Swarm beta, lead producer Chris Sigaty promised that "we're coming up to it pretty quickly. I don't have a specific date, but certainly months – not years or anything like that." Another crystal-clear release date. Cheers, Blizzard.
On the subject of the upcoming Heart of the Swarm beta, lead producer Chris Sigaty promised that "we're coming up to it pretty quickly. I don't have a specific date, but certainly months – not years or anything like that." Another crystal-clear release date. Cheers, Blizzard.
News BlizzCon 2011: Heart of the Swarm Beta Coming Soon, Trailer Released
Today's BlizzCon (Blizzard Convention) didn't just focus on World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria and Diablo III - there was also information about a little game called StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. According to Blizzard, the next installment of StarCraft II's storyline will be entering a beta test within months, and fans can expect a horde of new units.
The official BlizzCon website has a list of the new units, as well as an explanation of their abilities. Of course, you may just want to actually watch the new units in action, and if that's the case, then forget reading mere words, just look at this new trailer:
The official BlizzCon website has a list of the new units, as well as an explanation of their abilities. Of course, you may just want to actually watch the new units in action, and if that's the case, then forget reading mere words, just look at this new trailer:
Friday, October 21, 2011
Should I give Mass Effect 2 Another Chance?
Here is the story. I am a PS3 owner who was pretty excited downloading the demo of Mass Effect 2. I booted it up and I started to play through it but for some reason, it didnt wow me like I thought it would. Bioware games have scored some points with me in the past but there were some elements to this game that I didnt like.
The biggest gripe was with the cut scenes. They are pretty long and I cant seem to skip over them. I had to wait quite a while after the initial cut scene just to customize my character. Maybe this wouldnt be so bad if we had those Heavy Rain QT events in each cut scene. The more I think about it, the more I want games like to or any game with long scenes to have that Heavy Rain element to it. Just sitting and watching a long scene without having any control over it feels pretty outdated since Heavy Rain came out.
Another issue I had was with the speech scenes. The voice acting is very good but the facial animation is very stiff. The people rarely blink and they just feel lifeless all together. Another odd thing was that I could activate the same speech choice many times and that would kill the immersion.
I did enjoy the gameplay when I finally got to do some gunfighting. Not enough games have laser guns in them. The small problem with the mission structure. They basically just tell me "go right" and from there im pretty lost. A little arrow pointing me to the destination would help so I wont wander aimlessly.
The last complaint may sound a bit shallow but Miranda's face is just painful to look at. It wouldnt be so bad if she wasnt made to be sexy but they missed the mark with that. Her chin and overall facial structure is just manish. Its like they started with a good face but then then hit liquify in photo shop and screwed it all up.
So am I being too critical? Mass effect was pretty highly rated and I had high hopes for it but maybe I hyped myself up for it too much. Should I give it a chance and get the full game? Does the demo not do the game justice?
The biggest gripe was with the cut scenes. They are pretty long and I cant seem to skip over them. I had to wait quite a while after the initial cut scene just to customize my character. Maybe this wouldnt be so bad if we had those Heavy Rain QT events in each cut scene. The more I think about it, the more I want games like to or any game with long scenes to have that Heavy Rain element to it. Just sitting and watching a long scene without having any control over it feels pretty outdated since Heavy Rain came out.
Another issue I had was with the speech scenes. The voice acting is very good but the facial animation is very stiff. The people rarely blink and they just feel lifeless all together. Another odd thing was that I could activate the same speech choice many times and that would kill the immersion.
I did enjoy the gameplay when I finally got to do some gunfighting. Not enough games have laser guns in them. The small problem with the mission structure. They basically just tell me "go right" and from there im pretty lost. A little arrow pointing me to the destination would help so I wont wander aimlessly.
The last complaint may sound a bit shallow but Miranda's face is just painful to look at. It wouldnt be so bad if she wasnt made to be sexy but they missed the mark with that. Her chin and overall facial structure is just manish. Its like they started with a good face but then then hit liquify in photo shop and screwed it all up.
So am I being too critical? Mass effect was pretty highly rated and I had high hopes for it but maybe I hyped myself up for it too much. Should I give it a chance and get the full game? Does the demo not do the game justice?
GT5 is not a racing simulator
I want to make it clear, I am a long time GT fan, and have been following the series since the PS1 days when it first came out. I have bought every single GT game, and GT5 is by far my favorite of the 7 I own. I feel extra close to the GT series because I myself am a race car driver, however only manage to race on my free time. I also wish to make it clear I do not want to start an argument, but am simply stating my opinion on the series, particularly on GT5, and how it has made some claims I don’t feel it lives up too.
Many have claimed that GT5 is the most realistic driving simulator available, which I would have to greatly disagree, and I have a few reasons behind this, mostly relating to the experience beyond getting the fastest lap time, which is only 10% of what real racing involves.
First off, when I am racing in real life, people do not ram into my car when I spin out on a straight away. I am not simply talking about me spinning out right in front of them, as that’s understandable, but when a driver has had 10+ seconds to avoid me, yet still hits me, something’s wrong. Even a female Asian driver can do that.
Now I understand that the AI does improve, however even after level 20 they still made the same moves, just less often. Now, why would the AI be so stupid at the beginning? This is a very poor design decision that PD needs to look into. Made the AI get slower lap times, but don’t make them stupid.
Next I would like to bring up damage, which simple sucks in GT5. Now I understand, some cars have better damage modeling than others, but when you’re going to call a game simulator, I expect my car to be totaled after going 250mph into a wall. If not totaled, at least squish the front end more than the little dents and nicks I see.
Speaking of going really fast, sense when could the Veyron go 270+ mph? This is something I thought GT had right, the feeling of the cars and the cars matching their real life counterparts, but I was sadly wrong. The actual top speed of the Veyron is 253.81 mph, yet I easily got mine going 272, and could have gone higher if I tried.
When it comes to passing, crashing, and more, you start to realize that GT5 is not a simulator, and has made many changes to simply be more fun, which who said that was a bad thing? Just stop calling it the definitive racing simulator; because it’s not, it’s a game. Now go and have fun, and if you want the true simulator, go outside.
Many have claimed that GT5 is the most realistic driving simulator available, which I would have to greatly disagree, and I have a few reasons behind this, mostly relating to the experience beyond getting the fastest lap time, which is only 10% of what real racing involves.
First off, when I am racing in real life, people do not ram into my car when I spin out on a straight away. I am not simply talking about me spinning out right in front of them, as that’s understandable, but when a driver has had 10+ seconds to avoid me, yet still hits me, something’s wrong. Even a female Asian driver can do that.
Now I understand that the AI does improve, however even after level 20 they still made the same moves, just less often. Now, why would the AI be so stupid at the beginning? This is a very poor design decision that PD needs to look into. Made the AI get slower lap times, but don’t make them stupid.
Next I would like to bring up damage, which simple sucks in GT5. Now I understand, some cars have better damage modeling than others, but when you’re going to call a game simulator, I expect my car to be totaled after going 250mph into a wall. If not totaled, at least squish the front end more than the little dents and nicks I see.
Speaking of going really fast, sense when could the Veyron go 270+ mph? This is something I thought GT had right, the feeling of the cars and the cars matching their real life counterparts, but I was sadly wrong. The actual top speed of the Veyron is 253.81 mph, yet I easily got mine going 272, and could have gone higher if I tried.
When it comes to passing, crashing, and more, you start to realize that GT5 is not a simulator, and has made many changes to simply be more fun, which who said that was a bad thing? Just stop calling it the definitive racing simulator; because it’s not, it’s a game. Now go and have fun, and if you want the true simulator, go outside.
Hitman 5 News & Discussion
Thoughts and ideas for upcoming Hitman 5 by IO Interactive. Going over all prior news and discussing what to expect and what they can do to improve the game. Part 1 of 2
Split-screeners are EVIL...
Oh split-screeners, how you persist to bestow your ignorant yet vexatious attitude towards the activity we have all adopted as our domestic pass-time and personal avocation. You guys suck.
OK, so no more class or formality, but you still have to agree to some extent that split-screen players tend to bring a certain… how to say… doucheyness. Yes, I mean only the ones in black ops, the ones you probably know as “gay kids.” To convey how they prompted me to write this article, let me take you back to one of my first games of zombies. Me and one other friend were looking for a four-man team, so we decided to look for randomers, before remembering how black ops had split-screen players. We were surprised when the other two players were the same player, but we thought nothing more of it. On FIVE, they spent the entirety of the starting room rounds dolphin diving into the quick revive machine, then died by getting cornered by no less than ONE zombie, and my generous (lol) attempts to revive him proved needless as he squirmed “jokingly” around the floor while I was missing the revive button because of his movements. I was pretty sure him and his partner in real life were yucking it up on the couch as I tried to save his ass, but then on insta-kill he still couldn’t protect me while zombies crept oh so slowly towards my occupied medic, Nixon. Me and my friend thought nothing of it, just some fun, right? RIGHT???
Game after game, nothing but split-screening noobs: not allowing revives, blocking doorways, moving the elevator, leaving games when ONE of the doesn’t get revived even in the starting rounds, failing to MOVE in the game, not buying doors, silently mocking you and ditching you in the teleporter, leaving you to face the music – this wasn’t just a little fun, it was a REVOLUTION. Me and my mates can take a joke, but it is obvious that this pattern only occurs whenever split-screeners wriggle their way into our game. It isn’t just zombies – they haunt the multiplayer servers as well. What especially grinds my nuts is when they invade one in the chamber, because you know what? They don’t play: they just sit and camp with their buddy clone and pick off the rest of us, then the second player lets himself die so the account host wins. Why allow split-screeners in wager matches, they just cheat all the time like their mothers!! I’m sure that one time or another, at least ONE pair of devilish twosomes have broken into your game and messed it up. I wouldn’t mind if it was one or two sets, but EVERY single split-screening couple I have encountered has screwed me over! Now, I can understand having a friend or little brother over, and wanting a little harmless action quickly with black ops in the split-screen option, and I doubt that these types that OCCASIONALLY use it are the retards who mess up our games. It is ALWAYS the idiots who host the game, clearly can’t afford an internet connection because of the fact that they HAVE to share a screen, and therefore lag out ending the game – but OF COURSE not before they find an opportunity to engage in the act of the usual 10-year-old raging Justin Bieber queens with high-pitched mics: to annoy you.
I’m not saying this to aggravate you off: I’m saying this to help you. I caution you – if you EVER come into a game with any split-screeners, do what me and all my friends do, and LEAVE. It seriously isn’t worth the trouble, don’t give them the satisfaction ;)
OK, so no more class or formality, but you still have to agree to some extent that split-screen players tend to bring a certain… how to say… doucheyness. Yes, I mean only the ones in black ops, the ones you probably know as “gay kids.” To convey how they prompted me to write this article, let me take you back to one of my first games of zombies. Me and one other friend were looking for a four-man team, so we decided to look for randomers, before remembering how black ops had split-screen players. We were surprised when the other two players were the same player, but we thought nothing more of it. On FIVE, they spent the entirety of the starting room rounds dolphin diving into the quick revive machine, then died by getting cornered by no less than ONE zombie, and my generous (lol) attempts to revive him proved needless as he squirmed “jokingly” around the floor while I was missing the revive button because of his movements. I was pretty sure him and his partner in real life were yucking it up on the couch as I tried to save his ass, but then on insta-kill he still couldn’t protect me while zombies crept oh so slowly towards my occupied medic, Nixon. Me and my friend thought nothing of it, just some fun, right? RIGHT???
Game after game, nothing but split-screening noobs: not allowing revives, blocking doorways, moving the elevator, leaving games when ONE of the doesn’t get revived even in the starting rounds, failing to MOVE in the game, not buying doors, silently mocking you and ditching you in the teleporter, leaving you to face the music – this wasn’t just a little fun, it was a REVOLUTION. Me and my mates can take a joke, but it is obvious that this pattern only occurs whenever split-screeners wriggle their way into our game. It isn’t just zombies – they haunt the multiplayer servers as well. What especially grinds my nuts is when they invade one in the chamber, because you know what? They don’t play: they just sit and camp with their buddy clone and pick off the rest of us, then the second player lets himself die so the account host wins. Why allow split-screeners in wager matches, they just cheat all the time like their mothers!! I’m sure that one time or another, at least ONE pair of devilish twosomes have broken into your game and messed it up. I wouldn’t mind if it was one or two sets, but EVERY single split-screening couple I have encountered has screwed me over! Now, I can understand having a friend or little brother over, and wanting a little harmless action quickly with black ops in the split-screen option, and I doubt that these types that OCCASIONALLY use it are the retards who mess up our games. It is ALWAYS the idiots who host the game, clearly can’t afford an internet connection because of the fact that they HAVE to share a screen, and therefore lag out ending the game – but OF COURSE not before they find an opportunity to engage in the act of the usual 10-year-old raging Justin Bieber queens with high-pitched mics: to annoy you.
I’m not saying this to aggravate you off: I’m saying this to help you. I caution you – if you EVER come into a game with any split-screeners, do what me and all my friends do, and LEAVE. It seriously isn’t worth the trouble, don’t give them the satisfaction ;)
Thursday, October 20, 2011
N4G April Contest Details
Well, I decided to go with timeliness and risk you all thinking this was another April Fools! Best if you know what you're going after this month, right?
LOYAL READER LOTTERY:
Visit N4G at least once during every 24 hour period during the month of April and be entered into our Loyal Reader Lottery! If you want to keep track you can follow along with your Daily Visit score*, so if you want to keep track and make sure you've logged in during a 24 hour period check this score on your profile!
Prize: Nintendo 3DS
CONTRIBUTOR CONTEST:
Submit news and get a top 5 News ranking in April and you can win up to $250. The prizes are:
1st. $250
2nd. $150
3rd. $50
4th. $50
5th. $50
FORUM LOTTERY: Post on the forums during the month of April! One winner will be chosen and will receive...
A 1-year subscription to GameFly! (2 games out at a time - subscription valued at over $200)
_____________________
NOTE: Winners of the March Contributor Contest, Loyal Reader Lottery and Forum Lottery will be announced shortly.
*Just a note: I'm sorry the Daily Visit score isn't more 'every day' instead of its current 'every 24h1m', but that is just the front end tracking for you guys and when we run the lotto we pull from a more accurate list. So for those of you visiting every day diligently but not triggering the Daily Visit score reward, don't stress about it!
- Contests are NOT limited to the US/NA.
- You have to be willing to provide a valid mailing address as these are physical prizes. At the end of the month winners will be contacted on N4G via PM.
More Info on the Forum Lottery (what follows only applies to the Forum Lottery):
What it is-a monthly lottery contest where the winner(s) will receive various prizes.
How it works- Using a random generator engine we will at the end of each month choose a forum, active thread and a winner.
The finer details:
-Single post wonders, spammers, rude or offensive remarks all result in a DQ.
-The sub-forums located in the N4G related block (Announcements & Rules, contributor, etc) will not be eligible to win, nor will comments made within the Randomicity thread.
-You can only win the Forum Lottery once every six months.
LOYAL READER LOTTERY:
Visit N4G at least once during every 24 hour period during the month of April and be entered into our Loyal Reader Lottery! If you want to keep track you can follow along with your Daily Visit score*, so if you want to keep track and make sure you've logged in during a 24 hour period check this score on your profile!
Prize: Nintendo 3DS
CONTRIBUTOR CONTEST:
Submit news and get a top 5 News ranking in April and you can win up to $250. The prizes are:
1st. $250
2nd. $150
3rd. $50
4th. $50
5th. $50
FORUM LOTTERY: Post on the forums during the month of April! One winner will be chosen and will receive...
A 1-year subscription to GameFly! (2 games out at a time - subscription valued at over $200)
_____________________
NOTE: Winners of the March Contributor Contest, Loyal Reader Lottery and Forum Lottery will be announced shortly.
*Just a note: I'm sorry the Daily Visit score isn't more 'every day' instead of its current 'every 24h1m', but that is just the front end tracking for you guys and when we run the lotto we pull from a more accurate list. So for those of you visiting every day diligently but not triggering the Daily Visit score reward, don't stress about it!
- Contests are NOT limited to the US/NA.
- You have to be willing to provide a valid mailing address as these are physical prizes. At the end of the month winners will be contacted on N4G via PM.
More Info on the Forum Lottery (what follows only applies to the Forum Lottery):
What it is-a monthly lottery contest where the winner(s) will receive various prizes.
How it works- Using a random generator engine we will at the end of each month choose a forum, active thread and a winner.
The finer details:
-Single post wonders, spammers, rude or offensive remarks all result in a DQ.
-The sub-forums located in the N4G related block (Announcements & Rules, contributor, etc) will not be eligible to win, nor will comments made within the Randomicity thread.
-You can only win the Forum Lottery once every six months.
Video Game Warzone Review (The BitBag.com)
Being a listener of various podcasts including sports, movies and video games there is only a few that I would apply to "must listen to next weeks" status. The Video Game Warzone is one of them.
Presented by Torrence Davis & Gerrard Williams (HipHopGamer) as part of The Bitbag.com, Warzone is a weekly podcast regarding the weeks issues in the world of video games and heated debates can endure if the topic is strong enough to support it. One of the key positives to Warzone is the length, if the episode is good you will be grateful for three plus hour worth of discussion with many other video game podcasts focusing on a one hour set.
Another element is that the show is live, with a certain number of regular contributors with a audience behind the scenes, sometimes allowed on air to ask a question or make a point. The template of the show is promising but not without its frustrations. One example is when the show is good, it's really good, the downside is that when it seems bad it feels more like frustration than awfulness. Let me elaborate:
The show has a habit of not officially starting until around ten - fifteen minutes into it, inane discussion about when the programme is starting or discussing something going on at work or with friends. Just let the intended audience hear the actual show please.
When a discussion or debate is allowed to breathe the show is very entertaining, points are made and counter points and makes interesting listening. Sadly, especially of late, interesting topics are suddenly cut short by something irrelevant or irritating, there is one particular co-host who's name escapes me at the moment (forgive me) that cannot help himself in regards to interrupting with sarcastic comments, always stopping the host moving the show along with either jokes under his breath or a sarcastic remark, after a while it becomes frustrating that the shows flow is becoming stagnant.
Another flaw is at times debates are just cut short by something an audience member has stated either via private message or the shows chat lobby that is usually off topic, for whatever reason a debate is forgotten about and the shows hosts/co-hosts fail to get the show back on track for a long period of time.
The Video Game Warzone is more about potential at the moment, it has interesting hosts and co-hosts, the potential is worth a listen no question, when it's cooking it really does provide some quality entertainment although the constant frustrations, my main ones stated above harper the podcast from being a true classic although it should be said these guys are not a ign or g4 and do this in their spare time without the cash to go with it so massive respect should be handed out for enthusiasm alone. If the current problems are ironed out I'm sure Video Game Warzone can go on to be a massive hit and give these guys a chance to progress in a industry they care a lot about.
Presented by Torrence Davis & Gerrard Williams (HipHopGamer) as part of The Bitbag.com, Warzone is a weekly podcast regarding the weeks issues in the world of video games and heated debates can endure if the topic is strong enough to support it. One of the key positives to Warzone is the length, if the episode is good you will be grateful for three plus hour worth of discussion with many other video game podcasts focusing on a one hour set.
Another element is that the show is live, with a certain number of regular contributors with a audience behind the scenes, sometimes allowed on air to ask a question or make a point. The template of the show is promising but not without its frustrations. One example is when the show is good, it's really good, the downside is that when it seems bad it feels more like frustration than awfulness. Let me elaborate:
The show has a habit of not officially starting until around ten - fifteen minutes into it, inane discussion about when the programme is starting or discussing something going on at work or with friends. Just let the intended audience hear the actual show please.
When a discussion or debate is allowed to breathe the show is very entertaining, points are made and counter points and makes interesting listening. Sadly, especially of late, interesting topics are suddenly cut short by something irrelevant or irritating, there is one particular co-host who's name escapes me at the moment (forgive me) that cannot help himself in regards to interrupting with sarcastic comments, always stopping the host moving the show along with either jokes under his breath or a sarcastic remark, after a while it becomes frustrating that the shows flow is becoming stagnant.
Another flaw is at times debates are just cut short by something an audience member has stated either via private message or the shows chat lobby that is usually off topic, for whatever reason a debate is forgotten about and the shows hosts/co-hosts fail to get the show back on track for a long period of time.
The Video Game Warzone is more about potential at the moment, it has interesting hosts and co-hosts, the potential is worth a listen no question, when it's cooking it really does provide some quality entertainment although the constant frustrations, my main ones stated above harper the podcast from being a true classic although it should be said these guys are not a ign or g4 and do this in their spare time without the cash to go with it so massive respect should be handed out for enthusiasm alone. If the current problems are ironed out I'm sure Video Game Warzone can go on to be a massive hit and give these guys a chance to progress in a industry they care a lot about.
Give us a break MK
So What's going on with Publisher's these days? Everybody's trying to win over a buck from the little guy. This segment isn't focusing on all the publishers though, just one. Warner Bros. You know, I happen to be a big fan of the Mortal Kombat series for many, many years. Yes they got a little sucky for a while but when your a devoted fan you just gotta stick with it. Midway bit the dust, Warner Bros Picked up the slack and everything looked on the up and up; Until the pre-orders came out. Now I didnt know all the detailsat first, but after pre-ordering at Gamestop and finding out Best Buy,and Amazon deals, I just lost it. (Gamestop you get original scorpion, Best Buy you get sub zero, Amazon you get reptile all with original fatalities.) Warner bros isn't all to blame though, as I'm sure these respective retailers shelled out a lot of cash for these exclusives, but come on man why should we have to choose? It's just not right. But hey I'm the dumb*** who got sucked in it anyway, guess they just know how to play the field. And yes lets not talk about the latest news that Warner Bros May or may not be starting the online pass. I mean it was O.K. when it was EA, I'm a fighting game junkie by choice so as long as it wasn't Capcom, Tecmo, or Namco Bandia, then I was cool. But now everything is haywire. Well just had to get that off my chest
Is it spidey's turn for glory?
With the reveal of spiderman: edge of time is it finally time for spiderman to take off? First off I'm a huge Marvel fan, but as far as marvel hero's having a good game MEHHHH. Wolverine's game was pretty well received and I enjoyed it alot but lets face it thats pretty much it. Batman already has the crown for best comic adaptation, so where does that leave us? Before Shattered Dimensions the spiderman franchise was kind of in a slump, repetitive and boring. Shattered Dimensions opened us up alittle but still wanting more. It leaves us wondering how the new game will tack up. I've read the details for Edge of Time and I'm a little skeptical, but hoping still. The switch from a sandbox style game to a more linear approach was a good idea I think. This game, from the look of it will still follow that same formula giving us a fresh take on spidey: again. Please give us more action specifically targeting what spidey does best. Wall crawling, fast paced beat'em up sequences, and more use of his web techniques in unique ways. Don't Forget FIX THE DAMN CAMERA WHEN WALL CRAWLING. And be able to wall crawl anywhere. Only time will tell with more details and gameplay footage if Spidey has was it takes to take Marvel comics to the level DC comics has achieved. Im keeping my finger's crossed. COME ON SPIDEY YOU CAN DO IT. Also We have Thor and Captain America to fall back on. More Captain America though LMAO
Saturday, October 15, 2011
BBCW launches CBeebies games app
Games based on popular CBeebies Games series Charlie & Lola, Teletubbies, 3rd & Bird and Numberjacks are available through a new app launched by BBC Worldwide.
CBeebies On The Go is available for free on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad to pre-school children in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka and South Korea.
Developed by Tag Apps, it includes matching pairs picture games for the Teletubbies and Charlie & Lola, a Kerwhizz jigsaw game and a 3rd & Bird tap-the-fruit challenge. It also holds a number of short video clips from popular shows.
Director of CBeebies investment at BBCW, Henrietta Hurford-Jones, said the team had “worked hard to build a product that upholds the core values of learning through play”.
She added: “This new kids’ app is a first for the Channels business, so the learnings from this pilot phase will help shape any future plans to roll CBeebies Games On The Go out to new territories and different devices.”
More than 53m homes have access to the CBeebies channel worldwide.
CBeebies On The Go is available for free on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad to pre-school children in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka and South Korea.
Developed by Tag Apps, it includes matching pairs picture games for the Teletubbies and Charlie & Lola, a Kerwhizz jigsaw game and a 3rd & Bird tap-the-fruit challenge. It also holds a number of short video clips from popular shows.
Director of CBeebies investment at BBCW, Henrietta Hurford-Jones, said the team had “worked hard to build a product that upholds the core values of learning through play”.
She added: “This new kids’ app is a first for the Channels business, so the learnings from this pilot phase will help shape any future plans to roll CBeebies Games On The Go out to new territories and different devices.”
More than 53m homes have access to the CBeebies channel worldwide.
July Contest Details
Welcome to July, and happy leftover fireworks weekend for those of you in the U.S. and Canada! Here are the contests for July:
LOYAL READER LOTTERY:
Visit N4G at least once during every 24 hour period during the month of July and be entered into our Loyal Reader Lottery! If you want to keep track you can follow along with your Daily Visit score*, so if you want to make sure you've logged in during a 24 hour period check this score on your profile!
Prizes: FOUR winners will be drawn and receive $75 Amazon Gift Cards!
BEST USER BLOG: You must post a User Blog in the month of July! The top User Blog as voted by staff and the ten most active members of the month wins! There's no limit to how many wonderful User Blogs you can write and enter, anything you author here on N4G during the month of July will be eligible.
Prize: Gamefly 12-month subscription (1 game out at a time)
CONTRIBUTOR CONTEST: Submit news and get a top 2 News ranking in July and you can win up to three games!
The prizes are:
1st: 3 Games of Choice (standard edition)
2nd: 2 Games of Choice (standard edition)
FORUM LOTTERY:
Post on the forums during the month of July! One big winner will be chosen at random and will receive: Sony MDR-DS3000 Wireless Digital Surround Headphones
_____________________
*Just a note: I'm sorry the Daily Visit score isn't more 'every day' instead of its current 'every 24h1m', but that is just the front end tracking for you guys and when we run the lotto we pull from a more accurate list. So for those of you visiting every day diligently but not triggering the Daily Visit score reward, don't stress about it!
- Contests are NOT limited to the US/NA.
- You have to be willing to provide a valid mailing address as these are physical prizes. At the end of the month winners will be contacted on N4G via PM or Contest Ticket.
More Info on the Forum Lottery (what follows ONLY applies to the Forum Lottery):
What it is -a monthly lottery contest where the winner(s) will receive various prizes.
How it works -Using a random generator engine we choose a forum, active thread and a winner. The finer details:
-Single post wonders, spammers, rude or offensive remarks all result in a DQ.
-The sub-forums located in the N4G related block (Announcements & Rules, contributor, etc) will not be eligible to win, nor will comments made within the Randomicity thread.
-You can only win the Forum Lottery once every six months.
__________________
As always, let me know if you have any questions!
LOYAL READER LOTTERY:
Visit N4G at least once during every 24 hour period during the month of July and be entered into our Loyal Reader Lottery! If you want to keep track you can follow along with your Daily Visit score*, so if you want to make sure you've logged in during a 24 hour period check this score on your profile!
Prizes: FOUR winners will be drawn and receive $75 Amazon Gift Cards!
BEST USER BLOG: You must post a User Blog in the month of July! The top User Blog as voted by staff and the ten most active members of the month wins! There's no limit to how many wonderful User Blogs you can write and enter, anything you author here on N4G during the month of July will be eligible.
Prize: Gamefly 12-month subscription (1 game out at a time)
CONTRIBUTOR CONTEST: Submit news and get a top 2 News ranking in July and you can win up to three games!
The prizes are:
1st: 3 Games of Choice (standard edition)
2nd: 2 Games of Choice (standard edition)
FORUM LOTTERY:
Post on the forums during the month of July! One big winner will be chosen at random and will receive: Sony MDR-DS3000 Wireless Digital Surround Headphones
_____________________
*Just a note: I'm sorry the Daily Visit score isn't more 'every day' instead of its current 'every 24h1m', but that is just the front end tracking for you guys and when we run the lotto we pull from a more accurate list. So for those of you visiting every day diligently but not triggering the Daily Visit score reward, don't stress about it!
- Contests are NOT limited to the US/NA.
- You have to be willing to provide a valid mailing address as these are physical prizes. At the end of the month winners will be contacted on N4G via PM or Contest Ticket.
More Info on the Forum Lottery (what follows ONLY applies to the Forum Lottery):
What it is -a monthly lottery contest where the winner(s) will receive various prizes.
How it works -Using a random generator engine we choose a forum, active thread and a winner. The finer details:
-Single post wonders, spammers, rude or offensive remarks all result in a DQ.
-The sub-forums located in the N4G related block (Announcements & Rules, contributor, etc) will not be eligible to win, nor will comments made within the Randomicity thread.
-You can only win the Forum Lottery once every six months.
__________________
As always, let me know if you have any questions!
Pooling Reviews - A simple solution to a complex issue
Today I’m going to write about reviews, the problems with them and a simple solution. I believe that there are many issues with today’s reviews and that this could be rectified by pooling reviews. I’m not talking about how Metacritic.com does it; I’m talking about each site/magazine pooling reviews from multiple people on their site or in the magazine.
So let’s start off by asking what’s so wrong with the way reviews are done now and why do they need fixin’? Reviews are an opinion of an individual person. That person is generally supposed to go at the game in a non-biased way and look at it objectively. That is impossible. Everyone has a bias, it may not be strong but it’s there. There is no one out there that can honestly say they like all genres equally and the same. They can try to be objective, but the sub-conscious feelings can not be disposed of, they are sub-conscious and not on purpose (for the most part). So some people out there would say to have a person who is fond of that genre review the game. That’s not fair or un-biased either. They would be looking at the game in a more positive way, but that is not fair to us, the consumer looking for a true review. No one wants to feel placated, like the reviewer is praising the game because that’s what we want. In the same respect we would not want someone to unjustifiably crush our game with a bad review because they didn’t understand or appreciated the whole thing.
Another issue with reviews of today is the increasing feeling of low credibility of the reviews and reviewers. Reviewers are being called out on inadequacies of their review now more than ever. Whether it is because they don’t appreciate the genre (Dynasty Warriors), want to appeal to the larger market (COD), or for any other reason. Sometimes they are un-justified, but often there are some truths to the complaints. Is it because the ever increasing scrutiny of the internet? Is it because we are allowing the flawed opinions skate through as if they were true? Or is it something else? It’s hard to say really, but probably a little of everything becomes fuel for this slow burning fire.
Some might be quick to point out that sites and magazines that do reviews often have a second opinion of the game or review just a portion at a time. That is good for us as the consumer, but no so much for the people who make the game. Metacritic only allots one review slot per site, so that second review or second half doesn’t even get counted on their aggregated score. For those who say Metacritic doesn’t matter, while it may not reflect the opinions of most, it does have its importance. Often a developers pay is determined by how well a game scores, and Metacritic is the fairest way to determine how it scored as it pools the reviews of many into one single number. So a developer’s livelihood is sometimes dependent on how well the gaming journalist community feels about their game. So I ask, don’t we owe it to ourselves and these developers to make sure the reviews making it to Metacritic and to the consumers to be are fair, unbiased, and truly represent the game as a whole package?
So I propose that gaming sites and magazines start pooling reviews of three or more people from their establishment and combine them into a larger, more accurate review. It’s really the fairest way to really get the best opinion of the game. Instead of having reviews that swing in a poor direction or an overly positive one, we would have a more balanced and true review that gives us multiple opinions rolled into one convenient location. This would also help alleviate the problems with Metacritic scores as well as the score given to each game would be inherently more accurate reflection of the experience. Reviews have basically been going on the same way since movies first game out and not much has changed. Isn’t it time for an overhaul of how things are done? It seems, to me at least, that the gaming community would welcome such change with open arms. This could possibly help sites losing credibility regain some too.
That is obviously my opinion on the matter. Let me know in the comments below how you feel about this subject. Maybe there are some inadequacies in my review of the reviewers. Lets keep it clean though.
So let’s start off by asking what’s so wrong with the way reviews are done now and why do they need fixin’? Reviews are an opinion of an individual person. That person is generally supposed to go at the game in a non-biased way and look at it objectively. That is impossible. Everyone has a bias, it may not be strong but it’s there. There is no one out there that can honestly say they like all genres equally and the same. They can try to be objective, but the sub-conscious feelings can not be disposed of, they are sub-conscious and not on purpose (for the most part). So some people out there would say to have a person who is fond of that genre review the game. That’s not fair or un-biased either. They would be looking at the game in a more positive way, but that is not fair to us, the consumer looking for a true review. No one wants to feel placated, like the reviewer is praising the game because that’s what we want. In the same respect we would not want someone to unjustifiably crush our game with a bad review because they didn’t understand or appreciated the whole thing.
Another issue with reviews of today is the increasing feeling of low credibility of the reviews and reviewers. Reviewers are being called out on inadequacies of their review now more than ever. Whether it is because they don’t appreciate the genre (Dynasty Warriors), want to appeal to the larger market (COD), or for any other reason. Sometimes they are un-justified, but often there are some truths to the complaints. Is it because the ever increasing scrutiny of the internet? Is it because we are allowing the flawed opinions skate through as if they were true? Or is it something else? It’s hard to say really, but probably a little of everything becomes fuel for this slow burning fire.
Some might be quick to point out that sites and magazines that do reviews often have a second opinion of the game or review just a portion at a time. That is good for us as the consumer, but no so much for the people who make the game. Metacritic only allots one review slot per site, so that second review or second half doesn’t even get counted on their aggregated score. For those who say Metacritic doesn’t matter, while it may not reflect the opinions of most, it does have its importance. Often a developers pay is determined by how well a game scores, and Metacritic is the fairest way to determine how it scored as it pools the reviews of many into one single number. So a developer’s livelihood is sometimes dependent on how well the gaming journalist community feels about their game. So I ask, don’t we owe it to ourselves and these developers to make sure the reviews making it to Metacritic and to the consumers to be are fair, unbiased, and truly represent the game as a whole package?
So I propose that gaming sites and magazines start pooling reviews of three or more people from their establishment and combine them into a larger, more accurate review. It’s really the fairest way to really get the best opinion of the game. Instead of having reviews that swing in a poor direction or an overly positive one, we would have a more balanced and true review that gives us multiple opinions rolled into one convenient location. This would also help alleviate the problems with Metacritic scores as well as the score given to each game would be inherently more accurate reflection of the experience. Reviews have basically been going on the same way since movies first game out and not much has changed. Isn’t it time for an overhaul of how things are done? It seems, to me at least, that the gaming community would welcome such change with open arms. This could possibly help sites losing credibility regain some too.
That is obviously my opinion on the matter. Let me know in the comments below how you feel about this subject. Maybe there are some inadequacies in my review of the reviewers. Lets keep it clean though.
Why (I think) Battlefield 3 Multiplayer Will Suck
I'm sure many of you are looking forward to BF3 and think it will be awesome. I'm sure many of you are also console players and did not get the oppurtunity to play Battlefield 2/2142 in their prime. Well I am here to express my OPINION on why Battlefield 3 will be more like Bad Company 3. Of course, no one can know for sure until this October.
First off, I am disappointed to hear that the Commander feature will not be returning from BF2. The Commander feature added a more strategic way of playing and provided a true 'war' feeling.
Another disappointment is the inclusion of only 4 classes. The 6 classes in BF2 forced you to rely on teamwork more than anything. The less classes there are, the stronger each class will be individually. Look at the Bad Company series, there were only 4 classes and that made it easier for more people to disregard teamwork and play as a lone wolf. More classes equals more options and teamwork. BC2 streamlined BF2′s seven classes into just four. Rather than a simplified, four-guys-who-are-kind-of-dece nt-at-multiple-skills, let’s go back to highly focused and defined classes. Have players get a better sense of role and identity, rather than the “I can do this and that” that you feel with BC2. Which brings me to my next point.
BF3 will have 4 man squads. Which is most likely because there are only 4 classes. I am happy to see that Squad Leaders are returning, but with small squads it doesn't seem to make much a difference.
Another addition that made me sad to see was the added game mode, Team Deathmatch. Battlefield is not a game that should have TDM. It defeats the purpose of being a class based objective shooter which is based around teamwork. TDM provides no objective besides running around and killing people in recent Call of Duty fashion. No teamwork there. You might say, "Well there are other game modes, you don't have to play TDM." Very true, yes. But, I fear that this will attract more CoD-players(I'm sure that was DICE's intention), which will corrupt the Battlefield community with 'quickscopers' and 'killwhores'. The day TDM becomes the most played mode in Battlefield is the day that Battlefield dies. Mark my words.
There also seems to be too much focus on the graphics and technical features of the game. Don't get me wrong, the game looks and performs amazing(on PC at least). But 85% of the information I've heard on BF3 in the past few months is about how great the graphics look. I want to hear more about the actual features. Graphics don't make a game people.
As for console players, I feel bad. There will be smaller maps and lower player counts compared to PC. Not to mention that it will be running at 30 frames-per-second on console instead of the smoother 60 FPS. It will also only run at 720p, not 1080.
Don't get me wrong, there are some old features and some new features that I am glad to see included. The tactical reloading is a cool feature and I'm glad to see multiple firing modes returning. As well as Karkland(map), Squad Leaders and Jets returning from BF2.
In closing, I'm just not sold on this game yet. It seems there is too much hype for this game that it is blinding people. I fear it will become too much like Call of Duty. I'm sure the game will be highly praised and be a 'good' game, but will it be a good Battlefield game? I guess we will see what happens in October. Until then, good gaming.
First off, I am disappointed to hear that the Commander feature will not be returning from BF2. The Commander feature added a more strategic way of playing and provided a true 'war' feeling.
Another disappointment is the inclusion of only 4 classes. The 6 classes in BF2 forced you to rely on teamwork more than anything. The less classes there are, the stronger each class will be individually. Look at the Bad Company series, there were only 4 classes and that made it easier for more people to disregard teamwork and play as a lone wolf. More classes equals more options and teamwork. BC2 streamlined BF2′s seven classes into just four. Rather than a simplified, four-guys-who-are-kind-of-dece nt-at-multiple-skills, let’s go back to highly focused and defined classes. Have players get a better sense of role and identity, rather than the “I can do this and that” that you feel with BC2. Which brings me to my next point.
BF3 will have 4 man squads. Which is most likely because there are only 4 classes. I am happy to see that Squad Leaders are returning, but with small squads it doesn't seem to make much a difference.
Another addition that made me sad to see was the added game mode, Team Deathmatch. Battlefield is not a game that should have TDM. It defeats the purpose of being a class based objective shooter which is based around teamwork. TDM provides no objective besides running around and killing people in recent Call of Duty fashion. No teamwork there. You might say, "Well there are other game modes, you don't have to play TDM." Very true, yes. But, I fear that this will attract more CoD-players(I'm sure that was DICE's intention), which will corrupt the Battlefield community with 'quickscopers' and 'killwhores'. The day TDM becomes the most played mode in Battlefield is the day that Battlefield dies. Mark my words.
There also seems to be too much focus on the graphics and technical features of the game. Don't get me wrong, the game looks and performs amazing(on PC at least). But 85% of the information I've heard on BF3 in the past few months is about how great the graphics look. I want to hear more about the actual features. Graphics don't make a game people.
As for console players, I feel bad. There will be smaller maps and lower player counts compared to PC. Not to mention that it will be running at 30 frames-per-second on console instead of the smoother 60 FPS. It will also only run at 720p, not 1080.
Don't get me wrong, there are some old features and some new features that I am glad to see included. The tactical reloading is a cool feature and I'm glad to see multiple firing modes returning. As well as Karkland(map), Squad Leaders and Jets returning from BF2.
In closing, I'm just not sold on this game yet. It seems there is too much hype for this game that it is blinding people. I fear it will become too much like Call of Duty. I'm sure the game will be highly praised and be a 'good' game, but will it be a good Battlefield game? I guess we will see what happens in October. Until then, good gaming.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Angry Birds for PC
Finally, those birds that everybody likes has arrived on PC. After iPhone, iPad, Android and other mobile versions, also iPhone cases and toys, Angry Birds has finally arrived on the PC thanks to the Intel App Up store. It’ll work fine and dandy on laptops and netbooks and will cost you only $4.99 to download. Nice price for this lovely game.
Angry Birds is a global phenomenon in mobile gaming and the top grossing iPhone app of 2010. So if you’re not a smart-phone wielding hipster, you no longer have an excuse not to be part of this franchise.
Overall it’s pretty much an identical game play experience to the iPhone app, with some minor differences. It’s snappy, gorgeous, and it sounds amazing. On the netbook version you use a mouse or trackpad instead of touch. There is an open hand icon when the mouse is in hover state, and a closed hand icon when you are clicking or dragging. This visible clue when pulling the slingshot is a nice aid. It allows you to fine tune shots more than just observing the angle of the slingshot band.
Angry Birds for PC
Larger screen means more visibility in the game. On many levels you can see the target that can’t be seen on the iPhone. The previous shot trail is more easily seen, allowing fine tuning of your next shot. Overall the animations and physics seem to have more fluidity.
In terms of features, options, menu etc it’s pretty close to the original. On the netbook the replay level icon has been added to the game space. So you don’t need to pause first then replay. If you start off with bad shot, just click the replay icon, then you can start over. Saving a click is nice. There is a Menu button in the Pause menu that gets you back to the Start screen. There are some things not in play on the netbook version. The leader board and achievements are not available in the main menu. The Golden Eggs are there.
Angry Birds strikes an interesting balance of repetitive, simple tasks and challenging game play working for the many scenarios. So, if you liked this game on your iPhone or Android phone, you’ll sure like it on your big PC screen. If you are new player, don’t hesitate and join the fun now.
You must know and recognize the game from the Rovio, Angry Birds.
This game consists of seven birds with super abilities are different. By using slingshots, you can control the jump and the height of ill-tempered birds to tear down the building where the collection of green pork fat is shelter.
Where is a funny collection of birds swelled, turned into a grumpy group of birds which destroy the kingdom of lustful pigs these cunning thieves.
Angry Birds now not only for the iPhone, Android OS, PS3 and PSP. even Angry Birds has been available in Ovi Store for Nokia. And now Angry Birds have been available for Windows XP and Windows 7
Free Angry Birds for PC
Plenty of dodgy website owners want to rip off Google and push traffic towards their sites on the bogus promise of the free version of Angry Birds for PC. This is only a scam but in fact there exists a download free Angry Birds for PC nevertheless, you will need to move quickly to take advantage of that offer
Finland games producer Rovio Mobile has produced their very 1st version of Angry Birds Game for the Apple iPhone. This particular game was immediately caught by the iPhonesters, and Rovio understood that they will become successful. That has been fine. However, Rovio needed to get going by recoding Angry Birds Games for several programs, which become easier for small companies to get done.
Several weeks went by and finally, the Nokia and Android users could get themselves the Angry Birds Game. After that, the RovioMobile switched their attentions to the huge users of the PSP or the Play Station Portable and the PS3. That has been an additional huge porting project for Rovio operations.
During that time, the PC users have been reading and hearing rumors regarding Angry Birds for PC. Ultimately, in January, Angry Birds for PC was released, and downloading is not for free. However, not everybody is willing to pay for $5 for just a game, even if they will enjoy playing with it. These days, several users have grown to be familiar of getting some thing for free, so there are many who are on the lookout for a totally free Angry Birds for PC download. It can be downloaded via Windows 7 and Windows XP and Vista, or Mac support. But downloading can only be downloaded if you have an internet connection for the process to activate successfully.
Angry Birds pc is one of the well-known games that have taken the popularity with over 200 million downloads. The availability of this game is taking place in almost all of the popular platforms. In addition to playing the game online in the browser you can now download it on your laptop and take it wherever you may go to enjoy the amazing games, enabling you to play whenever, wherever you go. Take it to your workplace or even in the park, while resting and basting under the sun. Probably launching the Angry Birds for PC the wisest and the best move the game maker ever made. This availability made for the millions of platform owners, even made the popularity of Angry Birds known to more video-gaming enthusiasts more than over.
Incoming search terms:
* angry birds for pc
* activate free angry birds for pc
* angry birds FLASH SCAM
* angry-birds-online scam
* free angry birds games full version for window xp
*
- Angry Birds PC Updated
The PC version was updated last week which we talked about in this post. This update will finally include all episodes of Ham ‘Em High and the two chapters of Mine and Dine. I’m sure this is welcome news for all the PC players who have been feeling left out. It shouldn’t have taken this long to get all the episodes out but that’s in the past now so lets just get to playing. Since all the chapters are available you also have access to all of the golden eggs. You can finally complete your collection!
As a side note because I didn’t want to do an entire post about the subject, have you all seen the Angry Birds bra? It’s available over on etsy you should go check it out. I personally don’t know anyone who would wear it but i’m sure there is someone out there who would. I don’t recommend buying this for you girlfriend or wife unless she really loves angry birds.
Angry Birds is a global phenomenon in mobile gaming and the top grossing iPhone app of 2010. So if you’re not a smart-phone wielding hipster, you no longer have an excuse not to be part of this franchise.
Overall it’s pretty much an identical game play experience to the iPhone app, with some minor differences. It’s snappy, gorgeous, and it sounds amazing. On the netbook version you use a mouse or trackpad instead of touch. There is an open hand icon when the mouse is in hover state, and a closed hand icon when you are clicking or dragging. This visible clue when pulling the slingshot is a nice aid. It allows you to fine tune shots more than just observing the angle of the slingshot band.
Angry Birds for PC
Larger screen means more visibility in the game. On many levels you can see the target that can’t be seen on the iPhone. The previous shot trail is more easily seen, allowing fine tuning of your next shot. Overall the animations and physics seem to have more fluidity.
In terms of features, options, menu etc it’s pretty close to the original. On the netbook the replay level icon has been added to the game space. So you don’t need to pause first then replay. If you start off with bad shot, just click the replay icon, then you can start over. Saving a click is nice. There is a Menu button in the Pause menu that gets you back to the Start screen. There are some things not in play on the netbook version. The leader board and achievements are not available in the main menu. The Golden Eggs are there.
Angry Birds strikes an interesting balance of repetitive, simple tasks and challenging game play working for the many scenarios. So, if you liked this game on your iPhone or Android phone, you’ll sure like it on your big PC screen. If you are new player, don’t hesitate and join the fun now.
You must know and recognize the game from the Rovio, Angry Birds.
This game consists of seven birds with super abilities are different. By using slingshots, you can control the jump and the height of ill-tempered birds to tear down the building where the collection of green pork fat is shelter.
Where is a funny collection of birds swelled, turned into a grumpy group of birds which destroy the kingdom of lustful pigs these cunning thieves.
Angry Birds now not only for the iPhone, Android OS, PS3 and PSP. even Angry Birds has been available in Ovi Store for Nokia. And now Angry Birds have been available for Windows XP and Windows 7
Free Angry Birds for PC
Plenty of dodgy website owners want to rip off Google and push traffic towards their sites on the bogus promise of the free version of Angry Birds for PC. This is only a scam but in fact there exists a download free Angry Birds for PC nevertheless, you will need to move quickly to take advantage of that offer
Finland games producer Rovio Mobile has produced their very 1st version of Angry Birds Game for the Apple iPhone. This particular game was immediately caught by the iPhonesters, and Rovio understood that they will become successful. That has been fine. However, Rovio needed to get going by recoding Angry Birds Games for several programs, which become easier for small companies to get done.
Several weeks went by and finally, the Nokia and Android users could get themselves the Angry Birds Game. After that, the RovioMobile switched their attentions to the huge users of the PSP or the Play Station Portable and the PS3. That has been an additional huge porting project for Rovio operations.
During that time, the PC users have been reading and hearing rumors regarding Angry Birds for PC. Ultimately, in January, Angry Birds for PC was released, and downloading is not for free. However, not everybody is willing to pay for $5 for just a game, even if they will enjoy playing with it. These days, several users have grown to be familiar of getting some thing for free, so there are many who are on the lookout for a totally free Angry Birds for PC download. It can be downloaded via Windows 7 and Windows XP and Vista, or Mac support. But downloading can only be downloaded if you have an internet connection for the process to activate successfully.
Angry Birds pc is one of the well-known games that have taken the popularity with over 200 million downloads. The availability of this game is taking place in almost all of the popular platforms. In addition to playing the game online in the browser you can now download it on your laptop and take it wherever you may go to enjoy the amazing games, enabling you to play whenever, wherever you go. Take it to your workplace or even in the park, while resting and basting under the sun. Probably launching the Angry Birds for PC the wisest and the best move the game maker ever made. This availability made for the millions of platform owners, even made the popularity of Angry Birds known to more video-gaming enthusiasts more than over.
Incoming search terms:
* angry birds for pc
* activate free angry birds for pc
* angry birds FLASH SCAM
* angry-birds-online scam
* free angry birds games full version for window xp
*
- Angry Birds PC Updated
The PC version was updated last week which we talked about in this post. This update will finally include all episodes of Ham ‘Em High and the two chapters of Mine and Dine. I’m sure this is welcome news for all the PC players who have been feeling left out. It shouldn’t have taken this long to get all the episodes out but that’s in the past now so lets just get to playing. Since all the chapters are available you also have access to all of the golden eggs. You can finally complete your collection!
As a side note because I didn’t want to do an entire post about the subject, have you all seen the Angry Birds bra? It’s available over on etsy you should go check it out. I personally don’t know anyone who would wear it but i’m sure there is someone out there who would. I don’t recommend buying this for you girlfriend or wife unless she really loves angry birds.
BBCW launches CBeebies games app
Games based on popular CBeebies Games series Charlie & Lola, Teletubbies, 3rd & Bird and Numberjacks are available through a new app launched by BBC Worldwide.
CBeebies On The Go is available for free on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad to pre-school children in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka and South Korea.
Developed by Tag Apps, it includes matching pairs picture games for the Teletubbies and Charlie & Lola, a Kerwhizz jigsaw game and a 3rd & Bird tap-the-fruit challenge. It also holds a number of short video clips from popular shows.
Director of CBeebies investment at BBCW, Henrietta Hurford-Jones, said the team had “worked hard to build a product that upholds the core values of learning through play”.
She added: “This new kids’ app is a first for the Channels business, so the learnings from this pilot phase will help shape any future plans to roll CBeebies Games On The Go out to new territories and different devices.”
More than 53m homes have access to the CBeebies channel worldwide.
CBeebies On The Go is available for free on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad to pre-school children in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka and South Korea.
Developed by Tag Apps, it includes matching pairs picture games for the Teletubbies and Charlie & Lola, a Kerwhizz jigsaw game and a 3rd & Bird tap-the-fruit challenge. It also holds a number of short video clips from popular shows.
Director of CBeebies investment at BBCW, Henrietta Hurford-Jones, said the team had “worked hard to build a product that upholds the core values of learning through play”.
She added: “This new kids’ app is a first for the Channels business, so the learnings from this pilot phase will help shape any future plans to roll CBeebies Games On The Go out to new territories and different devices.”
More than 53m homes have access to the CBeebies channel worldwide.
Disney-branded Facebook games coming in 2012, Playdom head says
Can we all just say, “finally?” During a panel named “The Rise of Social Games” at the f8 Facebook Developers Conference in San Francisco, Disney Interactive and Playdom head John Pleasants revealed that two to four Facebook games surrounding Disney xd brands will hit Facebook in 2012. The general topic of the panel was the fact that branded social games are taking off.
Pleasants was joined on the panel by Kabam CEO Kevin Chou, EA Interactive head Barry Cottle and Zynga CBO Owen Van Natta. Facebook director of games partnerships Sean Ryan moderated the panel with the preface that branded games will take over the Facebook platform. And he might be right: EA just released The Sims Social, Zynga will soon re-brand its new Adventure World with Indiana Jones and Kabam recently announced The Godfather: Five Families.
Playdom, which Disney acquired in July 2010 for a whopping $740 million, is ahead of the pack with two branded games on Facebook: ESPNU College Town and ESPN Sports Bar & Grill. Both games performed well, thanks to advertising through the ESPN TV network. While Disney owns the ESPN brand, notice how neither of those actually involve the insanely popular Disney characters we’ve come to love.
Honestly, we’re surprised this didn’t happen sooner. Consider this: Disney has its own cable TV channel through which it could, in theory, advertise whatever it wants. Pleasants didn’t get into why it’s taken this long for disney channel games to throw its cast of characters into Facebook games, but did reveal the power of the Disney name.
Gnome Town, which Playdom launched in the summer–and we enjoyed quite a bit–peaked at 530,000 daily players. But just plopping the Disney logo on top of the existing one made users more likely to spend in the game just through trust of the company’s name, according to Pleasants. “We think it’s an advantage, if you put game play first,” Pleasants said.
It’s comforting to hear this emphasized by these developers. (Kabam’s Chou shared the same sentiment.) Branded games on Facebook are OK in my book, but the last thing anyone wants to see is the genre become a branding machine.
Pleasants was joined on the panel by Kabam CEO Kevin Chou, EA Interactive head Barry Cottle and Zynga CBO Owen Van Natta. Facebook director of games partnerships Sean Ryan moderated the panel with the preface that branded games will take over the Facebook platform. And he might be right: EA just released The Sims Social, Zynga will soon re-brand its new Adventure World with Indiana Jones and Kabam recently announced The Godfather: Five Families.
Playdom, which Disney acquired in July 2010 for a whopping $740 million, is ahead of the pack with two branded games on Facebook: ESPNU College Town and ESPN Sports Bar & Grill. Both games performed well, thanks to advertising through the ESPN TV network. While Disney owns the ESPN brand, notice how neither of those actually involve the insanely popular Disney characters we’ve come to love.
Honestly, we’re surprised this didn’t happen sooner. Consider this: Disney has its own cable TV channel through which it could, in theory, advertise whatever it wants. Pleasants didn’t get into why it’s taken this long for disney channel games to throw its cast of characters into Facebook games, but did reveal the power of the Disney name.
Gnome Town, which Playdom launched in the summer–and we enjoyed quite a bit–peaked at 530,000 daily players. But just plopping the Disney logo on top of the existing one made users more likely to spend in the game just through trust of the company’s name, according to Pleasants. “We think it’s an advantage, if you put game play first,” Pleasants said.
It’s comforting to hear this emphasized by these developers. (Kabam’s Chou shared the same sentiment.) Branded games on Facebook are OK in my book, but the last thing anyone wants to see is the genre become a branding machine.
Phineas And Ferb 3D Game – Disney XD Games 63
New Disney Game – Phineas and Ferb
Disney released a new game. Phineas and Ferb 3D online game. Klick here to read the complete review.
The new game is available at the Disney XD discovery channel. Get ahead of the game before its officially released next week!
Disney is introducing the brand new DisneyXD game. Phineas and Ferb in: The Transport inators of Doooom!
Doofenschmitz is up to his old tricks again, and who has gone missing? Phineas! Help Ferb find his brother and try to help Agent P thwarth Doofenschmitz evil plans!
Check out this new exciting Disney XD online game before all others do at the Disney Cartoon network games website!
Check out Disney’s cartoon network to find a lot of amazing games and news. Disney offers a lot of cartoon games on their site. So head over to the Disney XD site and play the new Phineas and Ferb – The Transport-inators of Doooom! game!
Have Fun!
Disney released a new game. Phineas and Ferb 3D online game. Klick here to read the complete review.
The new game is available at the Disney XD discovery channel. Get ahead of the game before its officially released next week!
Disney is introducing the brand new DisneyXD game. Phineas and Ferb in: The Transport inators of Doooom!
Doofenschmitz is up to his old tricks again, and who has gone missing? Phineas! Help Ferb find his brother and try to help Agent P thwarth Doofenschmitz evil plans!
Check out this new exciting Disney XD online game before all others do at the Disney Cartoon network games website!
Check out Disney’s cartoon network to find a lot of amazing games and news. Disney offers a lot of cartoon games on their site. So head over to the Disney XD site and play the new Phineas and Ferb – The Transport-inators of Doooom! game!
Have Fun!
Play the Scary Maze Game With Your Friends!
Have you ever played the Scary Maze Game 8 now? If not, brotha you haven’t lived!!! This maze game is the most awesome game on earth! But in order to play it you MUST have a partner in the room with you. So go find a friend, co-hort, or even an enemy – it doesn’t matter! Then match your wits and your mouse skills with the game and see if you’re awesome enough to win the BIG prize at the end!
Official Pokemon Game Coming To Smartphones
The Pokemon Company is set to bring an official Pokemon Online game to smartphone devices, marking the first time that an official Nintendo-copyrighted app will be available on the iOS and Android.
Called Pokemon Iie Tap (rougly Pokemon: Say Tap?), the app appears to be a rhythm game where players “tap on Pokemon indigo trading cards to the beat of a song from the anime,” according to a translation by consumer video game site GamesRadar.
According to the game’s official announcement, it will be available for most iOS devices, as well as Android devices running version 2.1 of the platform.
Though this is the first iOS or Android application to carry an official Nintendo copyright, it is not the first mobile app of any kind: a Pokemon mobile phone game called Pokemate was released in Japan in 2006.
Though it is a rarity, Nintendo does have a history of releasing official games on platforms that are not its own, including a promotional Flash game to promote its Tingle character.
A release outside of Japan has not been announced.
Called Pokemon Iie Tap (rougly Pokemon: Say Tap?), the app appears to be a rhythm game where players “tap on Pokemon indigo trading cards to the beat of a song from the anime,” according to a translation by consumer video game site GamesRadar.
According to the game’s official announcement, it will be available for most iOS devices, as well as Android devices running version 2.1 of the platform.
Though this is the first iOS or Android application to carry an official Nintendo copyright, it is not the first mobile app of any kind: a Pokemon mobile phone game called Pokemate was released in Japan in 2006.
Though it is a rarity, Nintendo does have a history of releasing official games on platforms that are not its own, including a promotional Flash game to promote its Tingle character.
A release outside of Japan has not been announced.
Nick Jr., MTVN expand in Asia
Rugrats and music fans in Singapore and Malaysia will be able to tune in to “Dora the Explorer” and 24-hour music videos, docus and concerts with the launch of Viacom’s Nick Jr. and MTVN HD in the territories in coming weeks.
Nick Jr Games. will bow on Singapore’s Starhub from May 18, while MTVN HD will air on Telekom Malaysia Berhad’s HyppTV in Malaysia from June 1.
Nick Jr. will be available on the StarHub TV’s Kids Basic Upsize Group, while MTVNHD will be available to existing StarHub TV’s Entertainment Basic Group customers who are subscribed to the Basic HD Upsize group.
TM will offer the two channels a la carte to its subscribers on HyppTV, Malaysia’s newest pay TV service.
The services will roll out to the rest of the region at a date to be announced.
There may not be another Zynga game in which Energy is more important than in Adventure World. Every switch thrown, every puzzle solved and beastie whacked costs you the Facebook game juice. Players often find themselves without Energy minutes into an Expedition. But this isn't the time for whining--it's time to show you the value of upgrading your Tools and how to do it.
Tools: The Game Changer
If you noticed, each piece of debris and monster has a life bar, and normally take multiple hits with your Whip or Machete to whittle down. This, of course, quickly becomes a waste in later Expeditions purely due to the amount of obstacles in your path. But increasing the amount of damage your various Tools inflict against said baddies could considerably reduce the Energy spend in-game.
For instance, say a Snake has three hit points and is Level 5. Since monsters can hit back in this game, it could take three to five Energy before an enemy goes down. Now, imagine if you had upgraded your Whip to Level 2. Offing that Snake would take just two to four Energy with a beefier Whip. The same situation applies to Tools like the Machete.
Adventure World Tool Shop inside
And Now For Your How-To
Adventure World Tool Shop outsideUpgrading your Tools in Adventure World is simple. All you need to do is head back to Base Camp from an Expedition, and look for a makeshift hut that should already be in place in your headquarters. When you click on the Tool Shop, a window will appear featuring all the Tools you've found thus far on your journeys. Click on the Tool you wish to upgrade.
Once you click on a Tool to upgrade, you'll notice that each Tool costs Coins to upgrade. That's it--no asking friends to help you out with materials or farming certain crops for special items. Just the goods you find during your travels in search of El Dorado. However, Coins are actually quite rare in this game, so you'll need to save and spend wisely.
When you have enough Coins for an upgrade, just click on the appropriate icon to pay up. Tool upgrades are also level-locked, meaning you must reach a certain level for most Tools before being able to upgrade them using Coins. If you're feeling impatient, you could always unlock access to those higher level Tools early using Adventure Cash.
Just One Small Catch...
However, some Tool upgrades do require an extra boost: your Tool Shop. Yes, the building itself can be upgraded, too. And this time, you will need items from your friends. (Just think of how things work in CityVille.) Luckily, you only have to do this about twice to unlock access to all of the game's Tools. Then, it's back onto leveling up to access new upgrades for Coins.
Adventure World Tool Shop Upgrade
Upgraded Tools are hands-down the way to go, if you want to save precious Energy for the good stuff, that is. You know, exploring ... uncovering the secrets of El Dorado? That kind of stuff. Your wallet might thank us later.
Click here to find all of our Adventure World Tips in one spot >
[Source: Zynga]
Have you upgraded your Tools in Adventure World yet? What other Energy-saving tips might you have for your fellow adventurers? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
Nick Jr Games. will bow on Singapore’s Starhub from May 18, while MTVN HD will air on Telekom Malaysia Berhad’s HyppTV in Malaysia from June 1.
Nick Jr. will be available on the StarHub TV’s Kids Basic Upsize Group, while MTVNHD will be available to existing StarHub TV’s Entertainment Basic Group customers who are subscribed to the Basic HD Upsize group.
TM will offer the two channels a la carte to its subscribers on HyppTV, Malaysia’s newest pay TV service.
The services will roll out to the rest of the region at a date to be announced.
There may not be another Zynga game in which Energy is more important than in Adventure World. Every switch thrown, every puzzle solved and beastie whacked costs you the Facebook game juice. Players often find themselves without Energy minutes into an Expedition. But this isn't the time for whining--it's time to show you the value of upgrading your Tools and how to do it.
Tools: The Game Changer
If you noticed, each piece of debris and monster has a life bar, and normally take multiple hits with your Whip or Machete to whittle down. This, of course, quickly becomes a waste in later Expeditions purely due to the amount of obstacles in your path. But increasing the amount of damage your various Tools inflict against said baddies could considerably reduce the Energy spend in-game.
For instance, say a Snake has three hit points and is Level 5. Since monsters can hit back in this game, it could take three to five Energy before an enemy goes down. Now, imagine if you had upgraded your Whip to Level 2. Offing that Snake would take just two to four Energy with a beefier Whip. The same situation applies to Tools like the Machete.
Adventure World Tool Shop inside
And Now For Your How-To
Adventure World Tool Shop outsideUpgrading your Tools in Adventure World is simple. All you need to do is head back to Base Camp from an Expedition, and look for a makeshift hut that should already be in place in your headquarters. When you click on the Tool Shop, a window will appear featuring all the Tools you've found thus far on your journeys. Click on the Tool you wish to upgrade.
Once you click on a Tool to upgrade, you'll notice that each Tool costs Coins to upgrade. That's it--no asking friends to help you out with materials or farming certain crops for special items. Just the goods you find during your travels in search of El Dorado. However, Coins are actually quite rare in this game, so you'll need to save and spend wisely.
When you have enough Coins for an upgrade, just click on the appropriate icon to pay up. Tool upgrades are also level-locked, meaning you must reach a certain level for most Tools before being able to upgrade them using Coins. If you're feeling impatient, you could always unlock access to those higher level Tools early using Adventure Cash.
Just One Small Catch...
However, some Tool upgrades do require an extra boost: your Tool Shop. Yes, the building itself can be upgraded, too. And this time, you will need items from your friends. (Just think of how things work in CityVille.) Luckily, you only have to do this about twice to unlock access to all of the game's Tools. Then, it's back onto leveling up to access new upgrades for Coins.
Adventure World Tool Shop Upgrade
Upgraded Tools are hands-down the way to go, if you want to save precious Energy for the good stuff, that is. You know, exploring ... uncovering the secrets of El Dorado? That kind of stuff. Your wallet might thank us later.
Click here to find all of our Adventure World Tips in one spot >
[Source: Zynga]
Have you upgraded your Tools in Adventure World yet? What other Energy-saving tips might you have for your fellow adventurers? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Honor late, great Patrick Swayze in ... a Dirty Dancing Facebook game?
Remember, it's Sept. 9, not April 1, so this is for real. AllFacebook reports that a Facebook game surrounding the iconic 1987 film starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, Dirty Dancing, is in development at Toronto-based studio Social Game Universe. The game will include the tunes you all know from the hit movie, like "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" and "Hungry Eyes," as players rehearse and perform dance numbers at the Kellerman's Resort to level up.
Presented in 8-bit style visuals like the video games of the time, Dirty Dancing on Facebook will have players dancing alongside retro, digitized versions of Baby and Johnny from the movie. (I'd rather think of them as Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze in glorious 8-bit rendering, but to each his own.)
Players will then roam around the resort and drop "Romance Waves" to cause guests to fall in love and stay for awhile longer. Wait, that never happened in the movie!
Anyway, players will perform real dance moves that originated from the film, likely including Baby's infamous "maraca shaking." If any of this tickles your fancy, you can head over to the Facebook page right now and sign up for a chance at an exclusive preview of the game.
However, it looks like Social Game Universe is looking for super fans, here--you've been warned. Dirty Dancing is expected to make its Facebook game debut later this month.
Are you psyched that Dirty Dancing is getting its very own Facebook game? (Hey, anything beats that weird remake released in 2004.) What other nods to the classic movie do you hope to see in this game? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
Presented in 8-bit style visuals like the video games of the time, Dirty Dancing on Facebook will have players dancing alongside retro, digitized versions of Baby and Johnny from the movie. (I'd rather think of them as Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze in glorious 8-bit rendering, but to each his own.)
Players will then roam around the resort and drop "Romance Waves" to cause guests to fall in love and stay for awhile longer. Wait, that never happened in the movie!
Anyway, players will perform real dance moves that originated from the film, likely including Baby's infamous "maraca shaking." If any of this tickles your fancy, you can head over to the Facebook page right now and sign up for a chance at an exclusive preview of the game.
However, it looks like Social Game Universe is looking for super fans, here--you've been warned. Dirty Dancing is expected to make its Facebook game debut later this month.
Are you psyched that Dirty Dancing is getting its very own Facebook game? (Hey, anything beats that weird remake released in 2004.) What other nods to the classic movie do you hope to see in this game? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
The Sims Social beats FarmVille, attracts second most daily players
Boy, people sure do love to play god. According to Appdata, The Sims Social has surpassed Zynga's iconic FarmVille with the second most daily players of any Facebook game. Since its launch just a month ago today, EA and Playfish's ambitious social rendition of The Sims has amassed over 9.3 million daily players--that's over 1 million more than FarmVille's 8.1 million.
The Sims Social still has a way to go to the number one spot, which is, of course, held by Zynga's most popular game CityVille at just under 14 million daily players. Regardless, it's unprecedented for a game to grow this quickly in daily players, at least for a game that wasn't built by Zynga. Not to mention this is despite the hiccups the game faced along the way including days worth of downtime.
So, that's the power of The Sims, huh? Well, not so fast. While The Sims Social has certainly showed its might when it comes to gripping players (and keeping them there ... so far), the game is still in fourth place in terms of monthly players at just over 34.3 million. This number could grow in time naturally as daily players spread the word and through advertising, but it's nevertheless telling of the limits a Facebook game faces when it doesn't have a massive existing player base, like Zynga's games.
In other words, EA and Playfish have quite a lot of work ahead of them, if they want The Sims Social to be on top in all regards. But judging from the game's performance thus far despite its early setbacks--and in the face of the most popular Facebook games to date--perhaps Simlish could become the dominant language in Facebook gaming.
Have you been one of the over 9 million locked into The Sims Social? What do you think of the game so far? Share with us in the comments.Add Comment
The Sims Social still has a way to go to the number one spot, which is, of course, held by Zynga's most popular game CityVille at just under 14 million daily players. Regardless, it's unprecedented for a game to grow this quickly in daily players, at least for a game that wasn't built by Zynga. Not to mention this is despite the hiccups the game faced along the way including days worth of downtime.
So, that's the power of The Sims, huh? Well, not so fast. While The Sims Social has certainly showed its might when it comes to gripping players (and keeping them there ... so far), the game is still in fourth place in terms of monthly players at just over 34.3 million. This number could grow in time naturally as daily players spread the word and through advertising, but it's nevertheless telling of the limits a Facebook game faces when it doesn't have a massive existing player base, like Zynga's games.
In other words, EA and Playfish have quite a lot of work ahead of them, if they want The Sims Social to be on top in all regards. But judging from the game's performance thus far despite its early setbacks--and in the face of the most popular Facebook games to date--perhaps Simlish could become the dominant language in Facebook gaming.
Have you been one of the over 9 million locked into The Sims Social? What do you think of the game so far? Share with us in the comments.Add Comment
Zynga Mobile steals away Disney Interactive exec Adam Sussman
Just despicable: When Zynga isn't buying out companies, it's downright hiring buying out people. According to paidContent, Disney Games SVP Adam Sussman has left the company to join Zynga Mobile, which Disney confirmed to paidContent's Staci D. Kramer. Sussman joined Disney Interactive Media Group (DIMG) in January of this year, coming from EA's mobile division.
The former SVP was responsible for global publishing at Disney's games department, but paidContent believes Sussman will focus solely on mobile games while with Zynga Mobile, working under David Ko. In his move to Zynga Mobile, Sussman joins former Playdom VP of global distribution Paul LaFontaine as the second Disney Games executive to leave this week alone.
Companies like Disney, EA and similar major gaming companies have suffered several losses of high-level executives--including EA COO John Schappert (which has since been confirmed)--to Zynga and other competitors this year. Even a delayed IPO (initial public offering) can't scare high-level games industry execs away from the big red dog.
The continuous string of bad news already had analysts questioning whether Disney and Playdom could hang with its competitors months ago, and the fact that the company is having trouble holding onto its key players doesn't help today. Despite its losses, games like Gardens of Times do consistently well for Disney Playdom.
So, perhaps there is still hope for the company that it can squeeze out another hit and continue to hang with the top five Facebook game developers. You know, another hit like ... a Facebook game actually revolving around Disney characters? (Um ... duh?)
[Image Credit: Disney]
Do you think Disney Playdom can still compete with Zynga, EA and Wooga despite its losses and worried analysts? Why do you think the developer has yet to make a Facebook game using Disney characters? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
The former SVP was responsible for global publishing at Disney's games department, but paidContent believes Sussman will focus solely on mobile games while with Zynga Mobile, working under David Ko. In his move to Zynga Mobile, Sussman joins former Playdom VP of global distribution Paul LaFontaine as the second Disney Games executive to leave this week alone.
Companies like Disney, EA and similar major gaming companies have suffered several losses of high-level executives--including EA COO John Schappert (which has since been confirmed)--to Zynga and other competitors this year. Even a delayed IPO (initial public offering) can't scare high-level games industry execs away from the big red dog.
The continuous string of bad news already had analysts questioning whether Disney and Playdom could hang with its competitors months ago, and the fact that the company is having trouble holding onto its key players doesn't help today. Despite its losses, games like Gardens of Times do consistently well for Disney Playdom.
So, perhaps there is still hope for the company that it can squeeze out another hit and continue to hang with the top five Facebook game developers. You know, another hit like ... a Facebook game actually revolving around Disney characters? (Um ... duh?)
[Image Credit: Disney]
Do you think Disney Playdom can still compete with Zynga, EA and Wooga despite its losses and worried analysts? Why do you think the developer has yet to make a Facebook game using Disney characters? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Contra creator Konami welcomes over 10 million social gamers
Does this mean we'll get to blast alien scum with giant guns on Facebook anytime soon? Probably not, but Konami sounds quite proud of itself, regardless. Siliconera reports that the creator of hit franchises like Contra and Castlevania welcomed its 10 millionth social gamer just this past August, thanks to its games on smartphones and Japanese social networks like Gree.
Specifically, Konami cited games like Dragon Collection, a game available over Gree and on smartphones that has over 4 million players collecting Dragon Cards and battling their friends with them. The game has been so successful that it has been inducted into the Gree Hall of Fame for apps, and has its very own weekly manga (Japanese take on comic books) serialization.
Other social hits published by Konami include Sengoku Collection, which sounds similar to Dragon Collection only set during Japan's Warring States period, with over 2 million registered players. Another, according to Siliconera, is Professional Dream Baseball Nine, a game that has held the number 2 spot on Gree's app rankings for 17 weeks running with over 1 million players. According to Siliconera, the game is even licensed by Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball League.
This is pretty stellar news for Konami, who, like many Western game companies including EA, THQ and Ubisoft, has social gaming in its cross hairs more so than ever. In fact, Konami even recently reworked Hudson Soft, its subsidiary responsible for popular franchises like Bomberman, into a social games division for the publisher. (This 10 million players mark could include games the company has already released on Facebook like Viva Mall!.) Imagining the amount of yen being thrown at the company in games like Dragon Collection, we doubt this will be the last we hear of Konami's social soirée.
[Image Credit: Konami Digital Entertainment]
Do you think Konami was smart in focusing this much attention on social games? Which of the publishers famous franchises do you wish were interpreted for Facebook or other social platforms? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Specifically, Konami cited games like Dragon Collection, a game available over Gree and on smartphones that has over 4 million players collecting Dragon Cards and battling their friends with them. The game has been so successful that it has been inducted into the Gree Hall of Fame for apps, and has its very own weekly manga (Japanese take on comic books) serialization.
Other social hits published by Konami include Sengoku Collection, which sounds similar to Dragon Collection only set during Japan's Warring States period, with over 2 million registered players. Another, according to Siliconera, is Professional Dream Baseball Nine, a game that has held the number 2 spot on Gree's app rankings for 17 weeks running with over 1 million players. According to Siliconera, the game is even licensed by Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball League.
This is pretty stellar news for Konami, who, like many Western game companies including EA, THQ and Ubisoft, has social gaming in its cross hairs more so than ever. In fact, Konami even recently reworked Hudson Soft, its subsidiary responsible for popular franchises like Bomberman, into a social games division for the publisher. (This 10 million players mark could include games the company has already released on Facebook like Viva Mall!.) Imagining the amount of yen being thrown at the company in games like Dragon Collection, we doubt this will be the last we hear of Konami's social soirée.
[Image Credit: Konami Digital Entertainment]
Do you think Konami was smart in focusing this much attention on social games? Which of the publishers famous franchises do you wish were interpreted for Facebook or other social platforms? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
FIFA Superstars on iPhone yanked from App Store due to 'server issues'
EA is sitting pretty on Facebook at the moment, but on smartphones ... not so much. Mobile Entertainment reports that that the publisher has been forced to remove its recently-released iPhone version of Facebook soccer (football) hit FIFA Superstars from the App Store due to "server issues."
The game, released in late August, provides the 2.8 million monthly players of the Facebook version of FIFA Superstars a near-identical representation of what they're used to seeing in their browsers. However, the game suffered login issues from the get-go, it seems. Players have been unable to access the game after logging into the company's new Origin service.
"We are currently experiencing server issues with FIFA Superstars mobile that have required us to temporarily take the game down," EA told Mobile Entertainment. "This is not a data security-related issue. We are implementing a solution that will ensure users have the best gameplay experience, and will provide an update soon as to when the game will be live again."
According to Mobile Entertainment, EA stresses that this issue does not affect the Facebook version of the game, and that players can still enjoy the game there for now. (When we tried to log into the game, we didn't encounter any issues either.) It's comforting to see that EA is more vocal with the issues it has encountered in this game than it has been with social games in the past.
When its hyper popular Facebook version of The Sims, The Sims Social, suffered launch issues, the company was mum on the details for days before it released a message to its players with an explanation (and later threw them a bone). Since then, the game has enjoyed incredible growth, so hopefully FIFA Superstars for iPhone can bounce back from these hiccups just as well.
[Via Pocket Gamer]
Did you have trouble logging into FIFA Superstars for iPhone, too? What are you doing to scratch the social soccer itch while you wait for the game to return to the App Store? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
The game, released in late August, provides the 2.8 million monthly players of the Facebook version of FIFA Superstars a near-identical representation of what they're used to seeing in their browsers. However, the game suffered login issues from the get-go, it seems. Players have been unable to access the game after logging into the company's new Origin service.
"We are currently experiencing server issues with FIFA Superstars mobile that have required us to temporarily take the game down," EA told Mobile Entertainment. "This is not a data security-related issue. We are implementing a solution that will ensure users have the best gameplay experience, and will provide an update soon as to when the game will be live again."
According to Mobile Entertainment, EA stresses that this issue does not affect the Facebook version of the game, and that players can still enjoy the game there for now. (When we tried to log into the game, we didn't encounter any issues either.) It's comforting to see that EA is more vocal with the issues it has encountered in this game than it has been with social games in the past.
When its hyper popular Facebook version of The Sims, The Sims Social, suffered launch issues, the company was mum on the details for days before it released a message to its players with an explanation (and later threw them a bone). Since then, the game has enjoyed incredible growth, so hopefully FIFA Superstars for iPhone can bounce back from these hiccups just as well.
[Via Pocket Gamer]
Did you have trouble logging into FIFA Superstars for iPhone, too? What are you doing to scratch the social soccer itch while you wait for the game to return to the App Store? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Thursday, October 6, 2011
FarmVille German items start an Oktoberfest celebration
Here's one update I honestly didn't think we'd see come to FarmVille so soon. With the Halloween theme officially launching in the game earlier this week, we've seen yet another theme - German, or Oktoberfest - launch tonight as well. This theme is relatively small (so far), consisting of nothing but buildings and decorations that are re-releases of those items seen in a previous German theme. Whether or not we'll see any trees or specific animals launch as well is anyone's guess. For now, let's take a look at what's available so far.
Buildings
Festival Wheel - 38 Farm Cash
Festival Tent - 34 Farm Cash
I have to admit, even for its high price, the Festival Wheel (Ferris Wheel) is still one of the neatest looking items I can remember seeing launched in the game (it was originally available in last year's German event). This thing has it all - animation in the wheel itself and lights throughout as though it were at a real carnival. I'll tell you one thing: it will be hard for me not to personally splurge on one of these items for my own farm this year.
Decorations
German Gnome - 18 Farm Cash
Festival Carriage - 22 Farm Cash
Festival Gnome - 18 Farm Cash
Cider Stand - 120,000 coins
Festival Pavilion - 240,000 coins
Barrel Tub - 120,000 coins
Again, all of these items are re-releases of those seen in the game previously, so you'll want to take a few moments to search your storage for any of them so that you don't needlessly purchase duplicates (especially if the item costs Farm Cash).
It will be interesting to see if any other items release that are actually new to the German theme this year, but for now, you've got seven days to purchase any of these items that have come back around.
Are you happy to see these items re-released in the game's store, or did you purchase all of the items you wanted last year? Sound off in the comments.
Buildings
Festival Wheel - 38 Farm Cash
Festival Tent - 34 Farm Cash
I have to admit, even for its high price, the Festival Wheel (Ferris Wheel) is still one of the neatest looking items I can remember seeing launched in the game (it was originally available in last year's German event). This thing has it all - animation in the wheel itself and lights throughout as though it were at a real carnival. I'll tell you one thing: it will be hard for me not to personally splurge on one of these items for my own farm this year.
Decorations
German Gnome - 18 Farm Cash
Festival Carriage - 22 Farm Cash
Festival Gnome - 18 Farm Cash
Cider Stand - 120,000 coins
Festival Pavilion - 240,000 coins
Barrel Tub - 120,000 coins
Again, all of these items are re-releases of those seen in the game previously, so you'll want to take a few moments to search your storage for any of them so that you don't needlessly purchase duplicates (especially if the item costs Farm Cash).
It will be interesting to see if any other items release that are actually new to the German theme this year, but for now, you've got seven days to purchase any of these items that have come back around.
Are you happy to see these items re-released in the game's store, or did you purchase all of the items you wanted last year? Sound off in the comments.
Empires & Allies: Embark on the Lucky Mermaid Mini-Campaign
If there is one thing social gamers like--other than free stuff, of course--it's choices. It looks like Zynga has realized this in its recent games, and now Empires & Allies is taking on that mantra with the new Little Mermaid Mini-Campaign. While on paper, this is nothing more than a series of Goals, players are given a few choices on their path to the final reward: The Golden Mermaid.
Starting from the very beginning, you're given to choice to approach this new timed mini-campaign (about two weeks) in either combat-oriented or social or construction-centric missions. Frankly, the latter already sounds kind of boring, so I'd personally recommend taking the former path.
Each path consists of five Goals with one choice along the way. But Zynga reminds players to choose carefully, as there is no turning back after you make your first and second decisions along the way.
This mini-campaign appears in your game just as The Little Mermaid anchors on the coast of your empire, and clicking on it reveals a new campaign map with several Goals. According to the developer, these Goals have more lucrative rewards than standard ones, and the final prize--should you complete all five Goals on time--is The Golden Mermaid. This is certainly not a combat unit, but is a decoration said to grant players with booming profits.
Empires Allies Little Mermaid Campaign Screen
This is a brand new approach to releasing content for the E&A team, and plans are to release more mini-campaigns like this one. So, of course, the team is looking for feedback on the forums. Here's a personal suggestion: Lose the social-centric missions and focus on the combat--perhaps even player vs player in Battle Blitz.
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]
Check out the rest of our Empires & Allies Cheats and Tips right here.
Have you started the Little Mermaid mini-campaign yet? What do you think of this approach to new content in E&A? Sound off in the comments. 13 Comments
Starting from the very beginning, you're given to choice to approach this new timed mini-campaign (about two weeks) in either combat-oriented or social or construction-centric missions. Frankly, the latter already sounds kind of boring, so I'd personally recommend taking the former path.
Each path consists of five Goals with one choice along the way. But Zynga reminds players to choose carefully, as there is no turning back after you make your first and second decisions along the way.
This mini-campaign appears in your game just as The Little Mermaid anchors on the coast of your empire, and clicking on it reveals a new campaign map with several Goals. According to the developer, these Goals have more lucrative rewards than standard ones, and the final prize--should you complete all five Goals on time--is The Golden Mermaid. This is certainly not a combat unit, but is a decoration said to grant players with booming profits.
Empires Allies Little Mermaid Campaign Screen
This is a brand new approach to releasing content for the E&A team, and plans are to release more mini-campaigns like this one. So, of course, the team is looking for feedback on the forums. Here's a personal suggestion: Lose the social-centric missions and focus on the combat--perhaps even player vs player in Battle Blitz.
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]
Check out the rest of our Empires & Allies Cheats and Tips right here.
Have you started the Little Mermaid mini-campaign yet? What do you think of this approach to new content in E&A? Sound off in the comments. 13 Comments
The Top 10 Free iOS and Android Games -- September 2011
Alright, now the summer is really over. As we dry our eyes of those final sun-soaked tears, we at least have one thing to cheer us up: games. Ah yes, the ultimate digital pastime-meets-picker-upper just gets better and better now that we have access to a myriad of games right within our iPhones and Android phones.
And while the lot of them cost little more than $.99, the number of full-featured, free games on both platforms is only growing. Just for you, we've pruned the games that hit the top 10 on both platforms by the end of September.
You can expect to see everyone's favorite angst-ridden, wingless birds more than once among the newcomers. Rather than simply shut them out as we have before, how's about we take each opportunity to highlight some of the crazy news surrounding them? Away we go:
Top 10 Free iOS Games
1. Cross Fingers
Mobigame's goofy and visibly confusing puzzle game is free for a limited time only. The name of the game is tangrams, and it's up to you to use the oddly-shaped puzzle pieces provided to form the shapes featured in each level. The game also contains an Arcade Mode in which players must keep up with a "frenetic machine," solving puzzles rapidly to survive.
Oregon Trail iPhone
2. The Oregon Trail
Famed (or infamous) developer Gameloft and The Learning Company have made their mobile take on this classic PC adventure game free for a limited time. Frankly, the game looks and seems to play a lot like its Facebook counterpart created by Blue Fang, so check out our preview to get an idea of how it might work. Get this: It has Facebook Connect, too ... hmm.
3. Texas Poker
Another newcomer by Kamagames brings the live multiplayer poker experience to your iPhone. Players can invite friends to play with them via email, Facebook and Twitter. While it's free to play, players can, of course, buy chips with real dough from inside the game. Oh, and there's live chat, too. So, you can trash talk while you lay down that straight.
4. Card Ace: Casino
Boy, do people enjoy gamblin'. This game by Self Aware Games allows players to sit in on more than just poker like Blackjack (21), slots and the creator's very own "word-game-meets-Texas-Hold-'Em masterpiece." Of course, players can buy more chips within in the game with real cash, and each casino game has real-time chat and public rooms for live play.
5. Traffic Rush
Only free until Oct. 3, this game courtesy of Donut Games tasks players with keeping an intersection accident-free by touching and guiding vehicles away from one another. Oh, and the cross streets are two-way (and with two lanes), so we can already see this one getting crazy rather quickly. And the creators threw in a Rail Rush mode, too, which can only spell trouble.
6. Office Zombie
Just in time for Halloween, Fluik released this haunted take on its Office Jerk game. Ad-supported, the game lets players torment, well, a zombified office employee with anything they can dig up. We're not sure what the objective of this game is, really, but at least it might serve as a stress reliever? That's all I got.
High Caliber Hunting iPhone
7. High Caliber Hunting
EA's mobile take on the popular hunting sub genre of hunting games like Cabela's is free for a limited time. And it looks surprisingly graphic, displaying the vitals of the game's various, um, game as if you had x-ray vision. Simulation is the goal in this game, with real brand name rifles and equipment featured as well as a up close-and-personal "Bullet-Cam". Ew.
8. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12
Another of EA's popular franchises is free on iOS for a limited time. Of course, you can play across multiple real-life golf courses controlling a number of professional athletes. But the most interesting news here is the Closest to the Pin Challenge, an asynchronous social mini game in which Facebook friends post their best shots and talk trash.
9. Pretty Pet Pony
Ready to overload your iPhone with cute? Good, because this game by Dream Cortex and Animoca has the pink stuff in spades. It's your job to clean, pamper and raise your own ponies in Cuby the Bear's stables. Then, it's off to the race track to compete with your friends on tracks made of rainbows ... I think I just threw up a little bit.
10. Stupid Ninjas
Stupid Zombies maker GameResort takes the same concept from its first game to the Far East: try to kill all the ninjas on screen with as few sword swipes as possible. Cause chain reactions from the shurikens that each ninja holds. The game comes with 180 levels and Game Center support to boast your ninja-slicing prowess.
Top 10 Free Android Games
Hanging With Friends Android
1. Angry Birds
Did you know that soon, you might be able to play Angry Birds with thousands of people through the sound of your collective cacophony? Crazy, we know.
2. Hanging with Friends
Zynga's adorable take on the classic game of Hangman was recently released to Android devices, and it's apparently already heating things up. The game is essentially identical to the iOS version released earlier this summer, so check out our full preview to get a better idea of what it's like.
3. Angry Birds Rio
Hey, did you know that co-star of the NBC show Chuck, Yvonne Strahovski, is an Angry Birds master? Yeah, we know, her and everybody else at this point. But hey, maybe there's a chance she'll become the next Rovio spokeswoman--yowza!
4. Words with Friends
Yup, Zynga is killing it on Android, we know. But what's more interesting about Words with Friends is that you can not only now play it on Facebook, but pick up your existing games on either platform through Facebook Connect. Living in the 21st century has its perks.
5. Bunny Shooter Free Game
Yes, that is the game's real title. (But finally, a new game!) Created by the painfully literal dudes at Best, Cool & Fun Games, this puzzler (picture below) tasks players with shooting these poor pink bunnies with as few arrows as possible. You'll do this across over 180 levels filled with obstacles and explosions ... and probably feel a tinge of guilt about it afterward.
6. Angry Birds Seasons
Dude, seriously--oh, sorry. Did you know that Rovio might be looking to get into publishing other indie games? Maybe that way, the company can turn around the next hit game to dominate the charts. (At least it'll be something new?)
7. Drag Racing
Creative Mobile's Drag Racing has enjoyed the same spot for two months now, and it's probably thanks to the support it has from real-life car brands. Players can also race each other in real time through the Pro League, which again is likely a major selling point. Oh, and watch out for when this game hits Facebook--come on, cross-platform play.
Bunny Shooter Android
8. Lane Splitter
Fractiv hits the top 10 with this "motorcycle survival game" in which players must make it to their wedding with a new character that sports a special ability. Players tilt their device to steer the motorcycle as it (hopefully) weaves in and out of traffic. With Facebook Connect, players can compete for the high score between their friends and post achievements.
9. Fruit Ninja
Guys, it has finally happened: The real Fruit Ninja by Halfbrick Studios has made it into the top 10. By now, you should know the drill--this game is dang near everywhere. Also, it just launched on Facebook, if you want to slice up even bigger fruit.
10. Tetris
A game as iconic as Tetris probably deserves to be much higher on this list, but hey, at least it's a spot. While there's not much to be said of Tetris after some 27 years, that doesn't mean the game is not worthy of your time. Just give it go already, will ya?
[Sources and Image Credits: Apple, Google]
Which of these games have you tried so far, and what do you think? What free iOS or Android games have you been playing lately that you want to share? Sound off in the comments. 2 Comments
And while the lot of them cost little more than $.99, the number of full-featured, free games on both platforms is only growing. Just for you, we've pruned the games that hit the top 10 on both platforms by the end of September.
You can expect to see everyone's favorite angst-ridden, wingless birds more than once among the newcomers. Rather than simply shut them out as we have before, how's about we take each opportunity to highlight some of the crazy news surrounding them? Away we go:
Top 10 Free iOS Games
1. Cross Fingers
Mobigame's goofy and visibly confusing puzzle game is free for a limited time only. The name of the game is tangrams, and it's up to you to use the oddly-shaped puzzle pieces provided to form the shapes featured in each level. The game also contains an Arcade Mode in which players must keep up with a "frenetic machine," solving puzzles rapidly to survive.
Oregon Trail iPhone
2. The Oregon Trail
Famed (or infamous) developer Gameloft and The Learning Company have made their mobile take on this classic PC adventure game free for a limited time. Frankly, the game looks and seems to play a lot like its Facebook counterpart created by Blue Fang, so check out our preview to get an idea of how it might work. Get this: It has Facebook Connect, too ... hmm.
3. Texas Poker
Another newcomer by Kamagames brings the live multiplayer poker experience to your iPhone. Players can invite friends to play with them via email, Facebook and Twitter. While it's free to play, players can, of course, buy chips with real dough from inside the game. Oh, and there's live chat, too. So, you can trash talk while you lay down that straight.
4. Card Ace: Casino
Boy, do people enjoy gamblin'. This game by Self Aware Games allows players to sit in on more than just poker like Blackjack (21), slots and the creator's very own "word-game-meets-Texas-Hold-'Em masterpiece." Of course, players can buy more chips within in the game with real cash, and each casino game has real-time chat and public rooms for live play.
5. Traffic Rush
Only free until Oct. 3, this game courtesy of Donut Games tasks players with keeping an intersection accident-free by touching and guiding vehicles away from one another. Oh, and the cross streets are two-way (and with two lanes), so we can already see this one getting crazy rather quickly. And the creators threw in a Rail Rush mode, too, which can only spell trouble.
6. Office Zombie
Just in time for Halloween, Fluik released this haunted take on its Office Jerk game. Ad-supported, the game lets players torment, well, a zombified office employee with anything they can dig up. We're not sure what the objective of this game is, really, but at least it might serve as a stress reliever? That's all I got.
High Caliber Hunting iPhone
7. High Caliber Hunting
EA's mobile take on the popular hunting sub genre of hunting games like Cabela's is free for a limited time. And it looks surprisingly graphic, displaying the vitals of the game's various, um, game as if you had x-ray vision. Simulation is the goal in this game, with real brand name rifles and equipment featured as well as a up close-and-personal "Bullet-Cam". Ew.
8. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12
Another of EA's popular franchises is free on iOS for a limited time. Of course, you can play across multiple real-life golf courses controlling a number of professional athletes. But the most interesting news here is the Closest to the Pin Challenge, an asynchronous social mini game in which Facebook friends post their best shots and talk trash.
9. Pretty Pet Pony
Ready to overload your iPhone with cute? Good, because this game by Dream Cortex and Animoca has the pink stuff in spades. It's your job to clean, pamper and raise your own ponies in Cuby the Bear's stables. Then, it's off to the race track to compete with your friends on tracks made of rainbows ... I think I just threw up a little bit.
10. Stupid Ninjas
Stupid Zombies maker GameResort takes the same concept from its first game to the Far East: try to kill all the ninjas on screen with as few sword swipes as possible. Cause chain reactions from the shurikens that each ninja holds. The game comes with 180 levels and Game Center support to boast your ninja-slicing prowess.
Top 10 Free Android Games
Hanging With Friends Android
1. Angry Birds
Did you know that soon, you might be able to play Angry Birds with thousands of people through the sound of your collective cacophony? Crazy, we know.
2. Hanging with Friends
Zynga's adorable take on the classic game of Hangman was recently released to Android devices, and it's apparently already heating things up. The game is essentially identical to the iOS version released earlier this summer, so check out our full preview to get a better idea of what it's like.
3. Angry Birds Rio
Hey, did you know that co-star of the NBC show Chuck, Yvonne Strahovski, is an Angry Birds master? Yeah, we know, her and everybody else at this point. But hey, maybe there's a chance she'll become the next Rovio spokeswoman--yowza!
4. Words with Friends
Yup, Zynga is killing it on Android, we know. But what's more interesting about Words with Friends is that you can not only now play it on Facebook, but pick up your existing games on either platform through Facebook Connect. Living in the 21st century has its perks.
5. Bunny Shooter Free Game
Yes, that is the game's real title. (But finally, a new game!) Created by the painfully literal dudes at Best, Cool & Fun Games, this puzzler (picture below) tasks players with shooting these poor pink bunnies with as few arrows as possible. You'll do this across over 180 levels filled with obstacles and explosions ... and probably feel a tinge of guilt about it afterward.
6. Angry Birds Seasons
Dude, seriously--oh, sorry. Did you know that Rovio might be looking to get into publishing other indie games? Maybe that way, the company can turn around the next hit game to dominate the charts. (At least it'll be something new?)
7. Drag Racing
Creative Mobile's Drag Racing has enjoyed the same spot for two months now, and it's probably thanks to the support it has from real-life car brands. Players can also race each other in real time through the Pro League, which again is likely a major selling point. Oh, and watch out for when this game hits Facebook--come on, cross-platform play.
Bunny Shooter Android
8. Lane Splitter
Fractiv hits the top 10 with this "motorcycle survival game" in which players must make it to their wedding with a new character that sports a special ability. Players tilt their device to steer the motorcycle as it (hopefully) weaves in and out of traffic. With Facebook Connect, players can compete for the high score between their friends and post achievements.
9. Fruit Ninja
Guys, it has finally happened: The real Fruit Ninja by Halfbrick Studios has made it into the top 10. By now, you should know the drill--this game is dang near everywhere. Also, it just launched on Facebook, if you want to slice up even bigger fruit.
10. Tetris
A game as iconic as Tetris probably deserves to be much higher on this list, but hey, at least it's a spot. While there's not much to be said of Tetris after some 27 years, that doesn't mean the game is not worthy of your time. Just give it go already, will ya?
[Sources and Image Credits: Apple, Google]
Which of these games have you tried so far, and what do you think? What free iOS or Android games have you been playing lately that you want to share? Sound off in the comments. 2 Comments
Game of the Day: Ice Breakers Penguin Pirates
ice breakers penguin pirates game of the dayFolks, it's the last day of September's Game of the Day Sweepstakes, and what better way to celebrate this beautiful Friday than with one of my favorite games: Ice Breakers Penguin Pirates. It's your classic match 3 game with a goofy penguin pirate theme. Ice Breakers Penguin Pirates starts off like a standard match 3 game, but don't let the first few levels fool you. Games.com has added some new twists such as changing the color of tiles and clearing a path for special items like maps to drop off the board.
You'll have to sharpen your matching skills to beat the clock. Ice Breakers: Penguin Pirates will definitely challenge you! Get to it, Matey. Penguin Pirates await!
Click here to play Ice Breakers: Penguin Pirates!
ice breakers penguin pirates game of the day ice breakers penguin pirates game of the day
What do you think of Ice Breakers: Penguin Pirates?
You'll have to sharpen your matching skills to beat the clock. Ice Breakers: Penguin Pirates will definitely challenge you! Get to it, Matey. Penguin Pirates await!
Click here to play Ice Breakers: Penguin Pirates!
ice breakers penguin pirates game of the day ice breakers penguin pirates game of the day
What do you think of Ice Breakers: Penguin Pirates?
The Sims Social maker EA wants you ... to make it lots of ad money
And unfortunately, it doesn't sound like you'll have much of a choice. EA, co-creator of Playfish's The Sims Social on Facebook (and arch nemesis to Zynga at this point), has announced EA Legend.
This is the company's new platform to provide marketers and advertisers with "campaign and audience insights across mobile, social, online and console games reaching over 300 million people worldwide," a release reads.
In other words, you're more valuable to EA than you might already know. The publisher wants to use the information you provide them inadvertently through gameplay to rope in ad and marketing deals not just through its Facebook games but all of its games. More specifically, EA said it can provide advertisers with (prepare for buzzword overload):
Key cross-platform campaign performance indicators such as impressions, clicks, unduplicated reach, demographic profiles, social media buzz, and ROI metrics.
Segmented audience insights based on demographic, psychographic, and social data.
Ability to drill down into the factors that impact campaign effectiveness including audience engagement, audience segmentation and type of creative all measured over time.
EA Legend
What's that again--psychographic data? This may all sound like something out of "1984," but it's nothing new. If you think other game creators don't do this type of stuff, then here's your wake-up call. We won't know exactly what information about us EA will provide to advertisers through Legend until it makes advertisers see green at this year's Advertising Week event in New York City on Oct. 4. And if EA keeps using words like psychographic, we may never know.
[Via All Facebook]
What do you think about this new EA Legend program? Do you think it's something worth worrying about, or is this just business as usual? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
This is the company's new platform to provide marketers and advertisers with "campaign and audience insights across mobile, social, online and console games reaching over 300 million people worldwide," a release reads.
In other words, you're more valuable to EA than you might already know. The publisher wants to use the information you provide them inadvertently through gameplay to rope in ad and marketing deals not just through its Facebook games but all of its games. More specifically, EA said it can provide advertisers with (prepare for buzzword overload):
Key cross-platform campaign performance indicators such as impressions, clicks, unduplicated reach, demographic profiles, social media buzz, and ROI metrics.
Segmented audience insights based on demographic, psychographic, and social data.
Ability to drill down into the factors that impact campaign effectiveness including audience engagement, audience segmentation and type of creative all measured over time.
EA Legend
What's that again--psychographic data? This may all sound like something out of "1984," but it's nothing new. If you think other game creators don't do this type of stuff, then here's your wake-up call. We won't know exactly what information about us EA will provide to advertisers through Legend until it makes advertisers see green at this year's Advertising Week event in New York City on Oct. 4. And if EA keeps using words like psychographic, we may never know.
[Via All Facebook]
What do you think about this new EA Legend program? Do you think it's something worth worrying about, or is this just business as usual? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
FarmVille Halloween items: Candy Corn Tree, Halloween Cottage, Jack-O'-Lantern and more
With tonight's FarmVille update, we see the game switch to Halloween-mode, as the first set of Halloween related items has been released in the store. This particular update sees the launch of both new items and old, so if you happen to regret not purchasing some items from last year's Halloween theme, take a look at our overview of these items to see if they've come back around.
Crops
Jack O Lantern - 10 Farm Cash
To be specific, the Jack O Lantern crop comes as an exclusive, permit-only crop that can be unlocked for 10 Farm Cash. For that price, you'll gain access to planting the crop as many times as you'd like for a seven day period. Once purchased and planted, you'll be able to harvest the Jack O Lanterns after 12 hours, and will gain three experience points for each and every square planted. The crop is masterable, with the first star coming at 400 harvests.
Trees
Candy Corn Tree - 8 Farm Cash
Giant Candy Corn Tree - 14 Farm Cash
Halloween Candy Tree - 8 Farm Cash
Big Halloween Candy Tree - 14 Farm Cash
If you're like me, the thought of bright and whimsical trees will likely have you ready to whip out your credit card. These trees are no exception, as the Halloween Candy trees keep their purple color constantly, while the Candy Corn trees start out in different shades of green, only to mature into the classic white, yellow and orange trio of colors we're familiar with from the candy. As usual, the Level 1 (cheaper) trees are the only ones you really need to worry about purchasing outright for your collection, as you'll likely earn the larger trees in each pair for free via Mystery Seedlings.
Animals
Candy Corn Cat - 12 Farm Cash
Candy Corn Pony - 24 Farm Cash
Candy Corn Unicorn - 30 Farm Cash
Candy Corn Stallion - 35 Farm Cash
For these animals, the Candy Corn Pony was released last year (also for 24 Farm Cash), so you might already have one on your farm. If you'd like to purchase these items for your new Lighthouse Cove farm, however, you will have to purchase multiples (duplicates) as there is no way to transfer storage to your new farm as of this writing.
Buildings
Halloween Cottage - 30 Farm Cash
Candy Corn Home - 18 Farm Cash
The Halloween Cottage has to be one of the most intricately detailed buildings I've seen released in FarmVille in quite some time, if not ever. The building is covered in various spiderwebs and has candy, pumpkins and what appear to be twigs resting in the windowsills, around the front "porch" and the sides. Even the weather vane on the roof is in the design of the bat - how neat! As for the Candy Corn Home, it takes on a cuter appearance, with smaller candy corn pieces branching off from the main home as separate rooms. It's just a shame that both of these items cost Farm Cash, rather than going for coins.
Decorations
Candy Corn Gate - 10,000 coins
Candy Corn (Fountain) - 15 Farm Cash
Jack-O'-Lantern - 3,000 coins
Candy Corn Gnome - 15 Farm Cash
Candy Corn Fence - 5,000 coins
If this Jack-O'-Lantern trio looks familiar, it's because this is one item that has been a stable in FarmVille's Halloween events for the last few years, first appearing in 2009. The price has increased somewhat, but at 3,000 coins, it's still a bargain (especially considering that they glow as though lit with a candle).
Avatar Clothing
Banana Costume - 5 Farm Cash
Candy Corn Costume - 7 Farm Cash
While I'm fairly confident additional costumes will be launched in the game's store between now and Halloween proper, if you're looking to get into the spirit early, or just really like Bananas or Candy Corn, you can spend a few Farm Cash to dress your avatar up appropriately. Remember, you can try on items to see if you like the way your avatar looks in them before purchasing.
All of these items (with the exception of the crop) will be available in the game for the next 13 days. To top all of this off, however, if you happen to purchase seven items in this theme so far within the next seven days, you'll receive a free Nightmare Rider: a Halloween-themed sheep with a pumpkin hat and an orange and black flame motorcycle. We'll make sure to let you know when additional Halloween items and features launch in the game in the coming weeks, so keep checking back with us!
Are you excited to see FarmVille transition into Halloween-themed mode this year? Which of these items is your favorite so far? Sound off in the comments.
Crops
Jack O Lantern - 10 Farm Cash
To be specific, the Jack O Lantern crop comes as an exclusive, permit-only crop that can be unlocked for 10 Farm Cash. For that price, you'll gain access to planting the crop as many times as you'd like for a seven day period. Once purchased and planted, you'll be able to harvest the Jack O Lanterns after 12 hours, and will gain three experience points for each and every square planted. The crop is masterable, with the first star coming at 400 harvests.
Trees
Candy Corn Tree - 8 Farm Cash
Giant Candy Corn Tree - 14 Farm Cash
Halloween Candy Tree - 8 Farm Cash
Big Halloween Candy Tree - 14 Farm Cash
If you're like me, the thought of bright and whimsical trees will likely have you ready to whip out your credit card. These trees are no exception, as the Halloween Candy trees keep their purple color constantly, while the Candy Corn trees start out in different shades of green, only to mature into the classic white, yellow and orange trio of colors we're familiar with from the candy. As usual, the Level 1 (cheaper) trees are the only ones you really need to worry about purchasing outright for your collection, as you'll likely earn the larger trees in each pair for free via Mystery Seedlings.
Animals
Candy Corn Cat - 12 Farm Cash
Candy Corn Pony - 24 Farm Cash
Candy Corn Unicorn - 30 Farm Cash
Candy Corn Stallion - 35 Farm Cash
For these animals, the Candy Corn Pony was released last year (also for 24 Farm Cash), so you might already have one on your farm. If you'd like to purchase these items for your new Lighthouse Cove farm, however, you will have to purchase multiples (duplicates) as there is no way to transfer storage to your new farm as of this writing.
Buildings
Halloween Cottage - 30 Farm Cash
Candy Corn Home - 18 Farm Cash
The Halloween Cottage has to be one of the most intricately detailed buildings I've seen released in FarmVille in quite some time, if not ever. The building is covered in various spiderwebs and has candy, pumpkins and what appear to be twigs resting in the windowsills, around the front "porch" and the sides. Even the weather vane on the roof is in the design of the bat - how neat! As for the Candy Corn Home, it takes on a cuter appearance, with smaller candy corn pieces branching off from the main home as separate rooms. It's just a shame that both of these items cost Farm Cash, rather than going for coins.
Decorations
Candy Corn Gate - 10,000 coins
Candy Corn (Fountain) - 15 Farm Cash
Jack-O'-Lantern - 3,000 coins
Candy Corn Gnome - 15 Farm Cash
Candy Corn Fence - 5,000 coins
If this Jack-O'-Lantern trio looks familiar, it's because this is one item that has been a stable in FarmVille's Halloween events for the last few years, first appearing in 2009. The price has increased somewhat, but at 3,000 coins, it's still a bargain (especially considering that they glow as though lit with a candle).
Avatar Clothing
Banana Costume - 5 Farm Cash
Candy Corn Costume - 7 Farm Cash
While I'm fairly confident additional costumes will be launched in the game's store between now and Halloween proper, if you're looking to get into the spirit early, or just really like Bananas or Candy Corn, you can spend a few Farm Cash to dress your avatar up appropriately. Remember, you can try on items to see if you like the way your avatar looks in them before purchasing.
All of these items (with the exception of the crop) will be available in the game for the next 13 days. To top all of this off, however, if you happen to purchase seven items in this theme so far within the next seven days, you'll receive a free Nightmare Rider: a Halloween-themed sheep with a pumpkin hat and an orange and black flame motorcycle. We'll make sure to let you know when additional Halloween items and features launch in the game in the coming weeks, so keep checking back with us!
Are you excited to see FarmVille transition into Halloween-themed mode this year? Which of these items is your favorite so far? Sound off in the comments.
FarmVille: Horses return to the store in celebration of Horse Paddock
As has become a new (but temporary) ritual in FarmVille, every time another animal breeding building releases in the game, a set of matching animals are re-released in the game's store allowing you to fill it with a variety of limited edition animals. Such is the case with this final breeding habitat - the Horse Paddock - as you can now purchase a variety of Horses to fill it from the store for a limited time. Remember, you don't need a Stallion inside your Horse Paddock to trigger breeding; you just need a single kind of a particular Horse to produce a Foal at random you harvest from the Paddock. Here's a look at the animals you can now purchase.
Disco Pony - 24 Farm Cash
Pinto Pony - 26 Farm Cash
Clydesdale Stallion - 40 Farm Cash
Mini Appaloosa - 26 Farm Cash
Palouse Horse - 28 Farm Cash
Haflinger - 24 Farm Cash
E-QUESTR10N - 24 Farm Cash
Mini Purple Unicorn - 35 Farm Cash
White Pegasus - 35 Farm Cash
Andalusian Horse - 26 Farm Cash
King Horse - 26 Farm Cash
Pink Ponytail Horse - 26 Farm Cash
Pinto Mini Horse - 26 Farm Cash
Fairy Horse - 26 Farm Cash
Comtois Horse - 26 Farm Cash
There are plenty of Horse collectors in FarmVille, and it shows here, with a whopping 15 horses/ponies being released once again for players to add to their collections. If you joined the game later than other farmers, or just started your collection recently, this is a fantastic (albeit incredibly expensive) way to flesh out your collection into something that's definitely worth showing off. Just remember, these Horses will only be available in the store for the next week. After that point, they'll go into retirement, with no guarantee of when (if ever) they'll come back again.
Will you purchase any of these re-released Horses, or is your collection of Horses already large enough to fill plenty of Horse Paddocks? Sound off in the comments.
Disco Pony - 24 Farm Cash
Pinto Pony - 26 Farm Cash
Clydesdale Stallion - 40 Farm Cash
Mini Appaloosa - 26 Farm Cash
Palouse Horse - 28 Farm Cash
Haflinger - 24 Farm Cash
E-QUESTR10N - 24 Farm Cash
Mini Purple Unicorn - 35 Farm Cash
White Pegasus - 35 Farm Cash
Andalusian Horse - 26 Farm Cash
King Horse - 26 Farm Cash
Pink Ponytail Horse - 26 Farm Cash
Pinto Mini Horse - 26 Farm Cash
Fairy Horse - 26 Farm Cash
Comtois Horse - 26 Farm Cash
There are plenty of Horse collectors in FarmVille, and it shows here, with a whopping 15 horses/ponies being released once again for players to add to their collections. If you joined the game later than other farmers, or just started your collection recently, this is a fantastic (albeit incredibly expensive) way to flesh out your collection into something that's definitely worth showing off. Just remember, these Horses will only be available in the store for the next week. After that point, they'll go into retirement, with no guarantee of when (if ever) they'll come back again.
Will you purchase any of these re-released Horses, or is your collection of Horses already large enough to fill plenty of Horse Paddocks? Sound off in the comments.
FarmVille Horse Mystery Box: What's inside?
If the recently re-released set of Horses available in the FarmVille marketplace aren't enough to satisfy your Horse-collecting needs, why not look into purchasing one of the new Horse Mystery Boxes that have also been released in the game's store? Remember, these Mystery Boxes are found under the Decorations tab of the store, even if they contain animals, so don't worry if you don't see them where they likely should be.
As for this particular box, it comes stocked with six Horses, but remember - you'll have no way of knowing which Horse you'll receive when opening a single box up. They come with the expected Horse price tag of 24 Farm Cash per box, and for that price, you're guaranteed to receive one of the following:
Black Shire Horse
Chrome Pegasus
Rainbow Mini Horse
Rainbow Pony
Rainbow Stallion
White Unicorn
Unfortunately, another problem inherent with these Mystery Boxes is that they also don't guarantee you to not receive duplicates if you decide to open more than one. Depending on how many of these Horses you already have on your farms from previous releases, that fact alone could actually make this box too much of a risk to purchase. Either way, you'll need to make up your mind about a purchase fairly quickly, as the box (and its contents) will expire from the store in a week's time.
Will you purchase a Horse Mystery Box for your game? Which Horse are you hoping to find inside? Which one did you actually receive? Let us know in the comments!
As for this particular box, it comes stocked with six Horses, but remember - you'll have no way of knowing which Horse you'll receive when opening a single box up. They come with the expected Horse price tag of 24 Farm Cash per box, and for that price, you're guaranteed to receive one of the following:
Black Shire Horse
Chrome Pegasus
Rainbow Mini Horse
Rainbow Pony
Rainbow Stallion
White Unicorn
Unfortunately, another problem inherent with these Mystery Boxes is that they also don't guarantee you to not receive duplicates if you decide to open more than one. Depending on how many of these Horses you already have on your farms from previous releases, that fact alone could actually make this box too much of a risk to purchase. Either way, you'll need to make up your mind about a purchase fairly quickly, as the box (and its contents) will expire from the store in a week's time.
Will you purchase a Horse Mystery Box for your game? Which Horse are you hoping to find inside? Which one did you actually receive? Let us know in the comments!
FarmVille Halloween Model Farm offers free Arborists and more
While I know I've expressed my problems with the Model Farm in FarmVille in the past, with the new Halloween Model Farm that launched this evening, I might have to eat my words. Not only is it great to see Halloween-themed items (from one of my favorite holidays) in all of their "life-size glory," but this particular Model Farm also combines these Halloween items with Lighthouse Cove items so that we can see how that looks without spending our own money beforehand.
To add to this, you're even given free prizes just for visiting, giving us even more incentive to do so. Tonight's free prize, for example, is an Arborist. While it's unclear as to whether or not that prize is static just for today's date on the calendar or for each user's first visit to the Model Farm, but either way, it doesn't hurt to just spend a few seconds allowing the farm to load each day to receive your free prize. It could be anything from functional items to coins and beyond so isn't the mystery alone enough reason to check it out?
No? Well, also remember that you can purchase items directly from the farm if you happen to see something you like but that the store never gave you enough detail to before. I suppose that's the real purpose of the Model Farm, after all, so feel free to put it to good use.
What prizes have you received from the new Halloween Model Farm? Do you find the Model Farm feature useful, or is it just wasted space in your eyes? Let us know in the comments!
To add to this, you're even given free prizes just for visiting, giving us even more incentive to do so. Tonight's free prize, for example, is an Arborist. While it's unclear as to whether or not that prize is static just for today's date on the calendar or for each user's first visit to the Model Farm, but either way, it doesn't hurt to just spend a few seconds allowing the farm to load each day to receive your free prize. It could be anything from functional items to coins and beyond so isn't the mystery alone enough reason to check it out?
No? Well, also remember that you can purchase items directly from the farm if you happen to see something you like but that the store never gave you enough detail to before. I suppose that's the real purpose of the Model Farm, after all, so feel free to put it to good use.
What prizes have you received from the new Halloween Model Farm? Do you find the Model Farm feature useful, or is it just wasted space in your eyes? Let us know in the comments!
Perhaps "PopCap feels the power of Facebook" is more like it. During an interview with PocketGamer.biz, PopCap senior director of mobile product and business strategy Giordano Contestabile revealed that the Bejeweled Blitz creator has plenty more plans for freemium mobile games. That's especially since its recent Plants vs Zombies freemium-inspired update.
"While we typically don't disclose much about our future plans, I can say that you're in for a lot of surprises for us in the coming months, and that in-app transactions and the freemium model are going to feature prominently," Contestabile told PocketGamer.biz. The PopCap exec believes that the play first, (maybe) pay later model of mobile games will likely take over.
"I think that, one year from now, 95 percent or more of iOS game downloads might come from freemium games, and 80 percent or more of the revenue could be associated with them," Contestabile told the website. "The freemium model is extremely powerful because it allows developers to reach the biggest possible audience, and it allows players to choose if and how to pay for content, after having tried it out."
While Contestabile did say that there's still a place for premium game experiences, or pay-to-play games, that approach is losing its luster for most games. It wouldn't be terribly inaccurate to call this "The Facebook Effect." The fact that companies like Zynga and EA (which now owns PopCap) have made serious dough with free-to-play Facebook games has certainly had a visible impact on mobile gaming, which has a distribution model fairly similar to social networks. Almost Free is here to stay, and it looks like PopCap wants to lead the charge.
Are you excited to hear that more free-to-play games are coming from PopCap? Which property do you hope gets the free treatment next, or are you hoping for more original games? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
"While we typically don't disclose much about our future plans, I can say that you're in for a lot of surprises for us in the coming months, and that in-app transactions and the freemium model are going to feature prominently," Contestabile told PocketGamer.biz. The PopCap exec believes that the play first, (maybe) pay later model of mobile games will likely take over.
"I think that, one year from now, 95 percent or more of iOS game downloads might come from freemium games, and 80 percent or more of the revenue could be associated with them," Contestabile told the website. "The freemium model is extremely powerful because it allows developers to reach the biggest possible audience, and it allows players to choose if and how to pay for content, after having tried it out."
While Contestabile did say that there's still a place for premium game experiences, or pay-to-play games, that approach is losing its luster for most games. It wouldn't be terribly inaccurate to call this "The Facebook Effect." The fact that companies like Zynga and EA (which now owns PopCap) have made serious dough with free-to-play Facebook games has certainly had a visible impact on mobile gaming, which has a distribution model fairly similar to social networks. Almost Free is here to stay, and it looks like PopCap wants to lead the charge.
Are you excited to hear that more free-to-play games are coming from PopCap? Which property do you hope gets the free treatment next, or are you hoping for more original games? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Game of the Day: Impale
impale game of the dayNo one likes zombies.They're scary, they're smelly, they eat our brains, they congest our highways, and are generally a nuisance to have around. Has one of your socks ever gone mysteriously missing in the wash? Chances are a zombie took it.
Today's Game of the Day, Impale, understands your zombie-hatred. That's why the object of the game is to hurl zombies from a catapult, impaling them on spikes, hooks, saws, and much much more. On each map there are a number of hazards with red lights on them, impaling a zombie on that object will turn off the red light. If you turn off all the red lights, you'll progress to the next level!
Though it may sound easy, Impale quickly ramps up the difficulty in it's 50 regular and 20 bonus levels. It'll take accuracy, wit, and a little luck to successfully impale all the zombies.
Click here to play Impale!
impale game of the day impale game of the day
Pro Tips:
* To unlock the bonus levels you'll need to get a score of 1,000 on the first 50 levels. To do that, you're going to need to limit the amount of zombies you launch. The fewer zombies it takes you to complete a level, the higher your score.
* Remember to aim carefully. The further your cursor is from the catapult when you click, the farther and faster your zombie will travel. Also, though they are above death, zombies aren't above gravity. When you launch a zombie, it will travel in an arc. Aim slightly above what your trying to hit for best results.
* If you aren't looking to unlock the bonus levels or get a high score, and just want to have fun, may I suggest my preferred technique: the zombie catapult machine gun. Simply rapid-fire zombies at whatever you want for maximum effectiveness.
Click here to play Impale!
Were you able to complete all fifty levels?
Today's Game of the Day, Impale, understands your zombie-hatred. That's why the object of the game is to hurl zombies from a catapult, impaling them on spikes, hooks, saws, and much much more. On each map there are a number of hazards with red lights on them, impaling a zombie on that object will turn off the red light. If you turn off all the red lights, you'll progress to the next level!
Though it may sound easy, Impale quickly ramps up the difficulty in it's 50 regular and 20 bonus levels. It'll take accuracy, wit, and a little luck to successfully impale all the zombies.
Click here to play Impale!
impale game of the day impale game of the day
Pro Tips:
* To unlock the bonus levels you'll need to get a score of 1,000 on the first 50 levels. To do that, you're going to need to limit the amount of zombies you launch. The fewer zombies it takes you to complete a level, the higher your score.
* Remember to aim carefully. The further your cursor is from the catapult when you click, the farther and faster your zombie will travel. Also, though they are above death, zombies aren't above gravity. When you launch a zombie, it will travel in an arc. Aim slightly above what your trying to hit for best results.
* If you aren't looking to unlock the bonus levels or get a high score, and just want to have fun, may I suggest my preferred technique: the zombie catapult machine gun. Simply rapid-fire zombies at whatever you want for maximum effectiveness.
Click here to play Impale!
Were you able to complete all fifty levels?
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