On the Eleventh Day O' Christmas
With the 12 Days of Christmas in FrontierVille well under way, it's time we take a look at what you'll need to do to finish Day 11. Titled "On the Eleventh Day O' Christmas," this Goal is decidedly far more difficult than the last. Buying 11 Meals is going to be rough no matter how you slice it. Even if you purchased 11 of the smallest Meals, the Light Snack at 36 Food, you'll still need 396 Food to complete this requirement at the very least. So, get to harvesting those trees and tending to those animals to amass as much food as you can. And remember: doing the same in your Neighbors' homesteads also drops Food.
Secondly, if you don't already have 11 Adult Chickens, the second requirement to this Goal will take some time. If you're starting fresh, Chickens need to be tended to 10 times before they mature completely. Multiply that by 11 and you'll have to spend 110 Energy alone and plenty of hours tending to Chickens to complete this requirement. And the clincher is that you can't even spend the Food to replenish your Energy in the process as you'll be too busy buying 11 Light Snacks.
As icing on the incredibly difficult cake, you need to collect 10 Christmas Cards from friends through the good old-fashioned way: asking them. But here's a pro tip: before accepting the mission, why not get everything you can prepared beforehand? Raises those Chickens and amass that Food supply and once you accept the Goal, you can eliminate two requirements immediately. All you need to worry about that point is pestering your friends.
Find the rest of our Holiday 2010 coverage right here.
Thứ Hai, 30 tháng 1, 2012
Mafia Wars Missions feature adds character like Gang Busters
Mafia Wars Missions
Now that the Inventory Page overhaul has gone live for mobsters worldwide in Mafia Wars, how about adding a face to the otherwise sometimes mundane Jobs in the game? In fact, make that a lot of faces. Without notice, Zynga has introduced a new Missions feature to the game that not only streamlines the Jobs process in Italy and New York, but introduces new characters and possibly more purpose to your actions in the game as a result.
Appearing on players' home page directly above the recently introduced news reel, digital mobsters can click on either the Italy symbol or what looks like a file folder to access the Job they're currently on in Italy or New York, respectively. Clicking either icon a second time will cause a drop down box to appear containing the tasks you need to tackle for that chapter and the Boss you'll have to take out, if there is one. (There is almost always a Boss.) Additional information includes the Mastery Item you have to look forward to and a short blurb to the left from a character, egging you on to complete the task at hand.
But there's something odd about this new Missions feature. The Missions that it supplies you appear contextual, or based on your current progress in the game beyond mere Jobs. For instance, clicking on the file folder icon will not only remind you of Jobs that need to be completed in New York, but of other tasks like mastering a Job Tier or robbing more properties. These otherwise arbitrary actions will now reward players with extra cash, experience and loot if completed through the new Missions feature. It seems that Zynga is looking to give players new guidance in the game while streamlining the experience for veterans, giving them things to do beyond their normal routines. According to a blog post on the Mafia Wars Blog, this is only the beginning for the new and improved Mission in Mafia Wars, so stay tuned for any changes.
Now that the Inventory Page overhaul has gone live for mobsters worldwide in Mafia Wars, how about adding a face to the otherwise sometimes mundane Jobs in the game? In fact, make that a lot of faces. Without notice, Zynga has introduced a new Missions feature to the game that not only streamlines the Jobs process in Italy and New York, but introduces new characters and possibly more purpose to your actions in the game as a result.
Appearing on players' home page directly above the recently introduced news reel, digital mobsters can click on either the Italy symbol or what looks like a file folder to access the Job they're currently on in Italy or New York, respectively. Clicking either icon a second time will cause a drop down box to appear containing the tasks you need to tackle for that chapter and the Boss you'll have to take out, if there is one. (There is almost always a Boss.) Additional information includes the Mastery Item you have to look forward to and a short blurb to the left from a character, egging you on to complete the task at hand.
But there's something odd about this new Missions feature. The Missions that it supplies you appear contextual, or based on your current progress in the game beyond mere Jobs. For instance, clicking on the file folder icon will not only remind you of Jobs that need to be completed in New York, but of other tasks like mastering a Job Tier or robbing more properties. These otherwise arbitrary actions will now reward players with extra cash, experience and loot if completed through the new Missions feature. It seems that Zynga is looking to give players new guidance in the game while streamlining the experience for veterans, giving them things to do beyond their normal routines. According to a blog post on the Mafia Wars Blog, this is only the beginning for the new and improved Mission in Mafia Wars, so stay tuned for any changes.
Game of the Day: Snow Lemmings
Another day and another game - the game of the day rolls on. Today's game is Snow Lemmings - a game where you control a giant snowball and try to grow it as large as you can. Save as many snow lemmings as you can in the fastest time. Collect snow lemmings, snowmen and snow mounds. Collect five baby lemmings to spawn a Momma Lemming. Avoid Obstacles such as trees and boulders.
Important side note: Just by playing The Game of the Day you will be entered into a monthly drawing to win a FlipCam HD. You don't need to do anything else, just play! The more you play, the more chances you have to win. For more information on the Game of Day check out the official Game of the Day hub.
Play Snow Lemmings Now -->
Important side note: Just by playing The Game of the Day you will be entered into a monthly drawing to win a FlipCam HD. You don't need to do anything else, just play! The more you play, the more chances you have to win. For more information on the Game of Day check out the official Game of the Day hub.
Play Snow Lemmings Now -->
Facebook thumps to Tiesto, Ministry of Sound and more with Pump It
Pump It
Music games are rare in the social gaming world and impressive ones are even more elusive, but Pump It on Facebook dishes out what techno fans (i.e. this guy right here) have craving for. Developed by French company MXP4, Pump It is an amalgamation of sorts between Dance Dance Revolution and the Simon electronic game by Milton Bradley, but without the stinky, quarter dropping nerds at the arcade and the need for a bulky device. Throw in some of today's most popular house, trance and hip hop artists and Pump It becomes a refreshing entry into the emerging world of music games on Facebook.
Find more of our trance-induced thoughts on Pump It after the break.
Pump It Main Menu
Before we say anything, let's get one thing out of the way. Pump It is damned hard to find on Facebook. Simply searching either "Pump It" or "MXP4" through Facebook turns up nothing. After doing some intense digging, you'll find Pump It through one of four applications: "Tiësto, Play with it!," "David Guetta, Play with it!," "Lloyd Banks, Play with it!" and "Ministry of Sound, Play with it!" While we do have kind words for the game of Pump It, this needs to be fixed by MXP4 as soon as possible. Quite frankly, it makes absolutely no sense to have the game appear within four different applications for each of the game's four initial artists.
After choosing one of the four artists Pump It--recently released in public beta--currently has to offer, you'll be able to either invite your friends to the game (more on that later) or choose a difficulty. Trust us, go with "Easy" on your first attempt as there a mildly steep learning curve. The game begins as soon as the track does, with what appears to be a speaker as the playing field. In rhythm with the song, purple, blue, pink and orange lights will begin to travel to the center of the speaker within each of its four quadrants. In order to keep the song going, all you need to do is move your mouse into the quadrant that is currently glowing before the beam of light reaches the center.
Pump It Points
No clicking or exact timing is required to successfully score on a beat. Your mouse just needs to be positioned over the quadrant when the light hits the center to score points. However, later on precision will matter as lights begin to appear in multiple quadrants at once, forcing you to discern the correct timing based on their position in reference to the center. The general rule of thumb in Pump It is to always move your mouse to the light that's closest to the center to ensure you're keeping time. Successfully timing a beat correctly in one quadrant five times in a row will double the points scored for good timing in that quadrant until you lose the beat, which will become quite often in the harder difficulties at first. Scoring the bonus in all four quadrants will reward players with an extra 10 thousand points.
Alright, we lied when we said no clicking is required. Keeping a successful chain of 50 consecutive beats will fill up a meter in the center. Once it fills completely, you'll be prompted to "Pump It," hence the name. Clicking on the button before the meter runs out will multiply your score for a time and boost what MXP4 calls Crowd Energy, which serves as a multiplier as well. It becomes a challenge to balance "pumping it" with maintaining your bonuses in more difficult songs, making Pump It one of the more demanding social games out there--certainly refreshing amongst the legion of simulator games.
There isn't much of a social element to Pump It outside of challenging friends and posting your scores, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Just look at the PopCap approach with games like Bejeweled Blitz and now Zuma Blitz and you'll see how effective it can be. Throw in unlockable tracks through repeat plays and the occasional contest for singed albums and merchandise and Pump It becomes one roaring social game in more ways than one.
Click here to play Tiesto Pump It on Facebook>
Click here to play David Guetta Pump It on Facebook>
Click here to play Lloyd Banks Pump It on Facebook>
Click here to play Ministry of Sound Pump It on Facebook>a
Music games are rare in the social gaming world and impressive ones are even more elusive, but Pump It on Facebook dishes out what techno fans (i.e. this guy right here) have craving for. Developed by French company MXP4, Pump It is an amalgamation of sorts between Dance Dance Revolution and the Simon electronic game by Milton Bradley, but without the stinky, quarter dropping nerds at the arcade and the need for a bulky device. Throw in some of today's most popular house, trance and hip hop artists and Pump It becomes a refreshing entry into the emerging world of music games on Facebook.
Find more of our trance-induced thoughts on Pump It after the break.
Pump It Main Menu
Before we say anything, let's get one thing out of the way. Pump It is damned hard to find on Facebook. Simply searching either "Pump It" or "MXP4" through Facebook turns up nothing. After doing some intense digging, you'll find Pump It through one of four applications: "Tiësto, Play with it!," "David Guetta, Play with it!," "Lloyd Banks, Play with it!" and "Ministry of Sound, Play with it!" While we do have kind words for the game of Pump It, this needs to be fixed by MXP4 as soon as possible. Quite frankly, it makes absolutely no sense to have the game appear within four different applications for each of the game's four initial artists.
After choosing one of the four artists Pump It--recently released in public beta--currently has to offer, you'll be able to either invite your friends to the game (more on that later) or choose a difficulty. Trust us, go with "Easy" on your first attempt as there a mildly steep learning curve. The game begins as soon as the track does, with what appears to be a speaker as the playing field. In rhythm with the song, purple, blue, pink and orange lights will begin to travel to the center of the speaker within each of its four quadrants. In order to keep the song going, all you need to do is move your mouse into the quadrant that is currently glowing before the beam of light reaches the center.
Pump It Points
No clicking or exact timing is required to successfully score on a beat. Your mouse just needs to be positioned over the quadrant when the light hits the center to score points. However, later on precision will matter as lights begin to appear in multiple quadrants at once, forcing you to discern the correct timing based on their position in reference to the center. The general rule of thumb in Pump It is to always move your mouse to the light that's closest to the center to ensure you're keeping time. Successfully timing a beat correctly in one quadrant five times in a row will double the points scored for good timing in that quadrant until you lose the beat, which will become quite often in the harder difficulties at first. Scoring the bonus in all four quadrants will reward players with an extra 10 thousand points.
Alright, we lied when we said no clicking is required. Keeping a successful chain of 50 consecutive beats will fill up a meter in the center. Once it fills completely, you'll be prompted to "Pump It," hence the name. Clicking on the button before the meter runs out will multiply your score for a time and boost what MXP4 calls Crowd Energy, which serves as a multiplier as well. It becomes a challenge to balance "pumping it" with maintaining your bonuses in more difficult songs, making Pump It one of the more demanding social games out there--certainly refreshing amongst the legion of simulator games.
There isn't much of a social element to Pump It outside of challenging friends and posting your scores, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Just look at the PopCap approach with games like Bejeweled Blitz and now Zuma Blitz and you'll see how effective it can be. Throw in unlockable tracks through repeat plays and the occasional contest for singed albums and merchandise and Pump It becomes one roaring social game in more ways than one.
Click here to play Tiesto Pump It on Facebook>
Click here to play David Guetta Pump It on Facebook>
Click here to play Lloyd Banks Pump It on Facebook>
Click here to play Ministry of Sound Pump It on Facebook>a
FrontierVille Flash Mob Party: 50 Horseshoes, five winners, be there
Flash Mob Party
Just before most of us take a long weekend for Christmas, Zynga will be throwing a Flash Mob. Alright, don't freak out. Not literally, but on the FrontierVille forums. Starting tomorrow at 11 a.m. PST sharp, a forum thread will open up on the FrontierVille forums for yet another Flash Mob Party trivia contest. A Zynga community manager will ask five sets of questions to you, the freakishly-knowledgeable pioneers, for a chance at one of five stashes of 50 Horseshoes. The first player to answer a set of questions correctly will win.
Do you have the mental fortitude, or strangely large amount of homestead facts memorized, to become a FrontierVille Master? Stay tuned to the forums tomorrow, have that FrontierVille Wiki page open and F5 key firmly underneath your fingertip for when this Flash Mob overtakes the FrontierVille forums at 3 p.m. EST.
Just before most of us take a long weekend for Christmas, Zynga will be throwing a Flash Mob. Alright, don't freak out. Not literally, but on the FrontierVille forums. Starting tomorrow at 11 a.m. PST sharp, a forum thread will open up on the FrontierVille forums for yet another Flash Mob Party trivia contest. A Zynga community manager will ask five sets of questions to you, the freakishly-knowledgeable pioneers, for a chance at one of five stashes of 50 Horseshoes. The first player to answer a set of questions correctly will win.
Do you have the mental fortitude, or strangely large amount of homestead facts memorized, to become a FrontierVille Master? Stay tuned to the forums tomorrow, have that FrontierVille Wiki page open and F5 key firmly underneath your fingertip for when this Flash Mob overtakes the FrontierVille forums at 3 p.m. EST.
Thứ Năm, 12 tháng 1, 2012
Spike TV Video Game Awards Nominees Missing One Big Thing: Social Games
Spike TV has announced its nominees for the 2009 VGA awards show, which honors the year's best video games. As an official VGA Awards judge, I get to vote on the nominees, which include a heap of fantastic games, such as Modern Warfare 2, Left 4 Dead 2, Grand Theft Auto, Batman: Arkham Asylum and the like. I'm especially pleased to see to see PopCap's "hard casual" game Plants vs. Zombies made the list.
However, I can't help but notice that there's some big gaping holes in the nominees, namely FarmVille, Mafia Wars and other social games.
spike tv video game awards, no farmville
This could easily lead to a huge debate on how these awards are for the "core" gamer and not for casual player, but I know plenty of people (including myself) who play Modern Warfare 2 will then turn right around and play FarmVille and Mafia Wars on Facebook.
Also take into consideration that FarmVille boasts roughly 60 million active players a month (World of Warcraft has about 12 million players). Based on that statistic alone, social games deserve to be recognized for the hours of entertainment they bring to gamers -- both core and casual -- lives on a daily (sometimes two or three times a day) basis.
So to my hard-working pals at Spike TV, I implore you to consider including a category for Best Sociable Games next year (or at the very least, an honorary tip of the hat). Millions of virtual farmers, mobsters and pet owners will thank you.
If you're interested in checking out the awards, they will air live on Spike TV, Saturday, December 12 at 8 p.m ET/PT. The show also has a fan favorite category -- so go to the official site to place your vote.
See the complete list of this year's Spike TV Video Game Awards 2009 nominees after the jump >
GAME OF THE YEAR
• Batman: Arkham Asylum (Eidos Interactive - Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment / Rocksteady Studios)
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Activision Publishing / Infinity Ward)
• Left 4 Dead 2 (Valve)
• UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves (Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog)
STUDIO OF THE YEAR
• Infinity Ward
• Naughty Dog
• Rocksteady Studios
• Valve
BEST SHOOTER
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Activision Publishing / Infinity Ward)
• Halo 3: ODST (Microsoft Game Studios / Bungie)
• Killzone 2 (Sony Computer Entertainment / Guerrilla Games)
• Left 4 Dead 2 (Valve)
BEST RPG
• Borderlands (2K Games / Gearbox Software)
• Demon's Souls (Atlus / FromSoftware)
• Dragon Age: Origins (Electronic Arts / BioWare)
• Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (Nintendo / AlphaDream)
BEST FIGHTING GAME
• BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger (Aksys Games / Arc System Works)
• Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny (NAMCO BANDAI Games / Project Soul)
• Street Fighter IV (Capcom / Capcom/Dimps)
• Tekken 6 (NAMCO BANDAI Games)
BEST INDIVIDUAL SPORTS GAME
• EA SPORTS Fight Night Round 4 (Electronic Arts / EA Canada)
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 (Electronic Arts / EA Tiburon)
• UFC 2009 Undisputed (THQ / Yuke's Media Creations)
• Wii Sports Resort (Nintendo)
BEST HANDHELD GAME
• Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (Rockstar Games / Rockstar Leeds)
• Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (Nintendo / AlphaDream)
• Professor Layton and The Diabolical Box (Nintendo / Level-5)
• Scribblenauts (Warner Bros. Interactive / 5th Cell)
BEST GRAPHICS
• Batman: Arkham Asylum (Eidos Interactive - Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment / Rocksteady Studios)
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Activision Publishing / Infinity Ward)
• Killzone 2 (Sony Computer Entertainment / Guerrilla Games)
• UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves (Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog)
BEST GAME BASED ON A MOVIE OR TV SHOW
• Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Atari / Terminal Reality)
• South Park Let's Go Tower Defense Play! (Microsoft / DoubleSix)
• The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena (Atari / Starbreeze AB)
• X-Men Origins: Wolverine Uncaged Edition (Activision Publishing / Raven Software)
BEST MUSIC GAME
• DJ Hero (Activision Publishing / FreeStyleGames)
• Guitar Hero 5 (Activision Publishing / Neversoft Entertainment)
• LEGO Rock Band (MTV Games – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment / Traveler's Tales Games - Harmonix)
• The Beatles: Rock Band (MTV Games / Harmonix)
BEST DRIVING GAME
• Dirt 2 (Codemasters)
• Forza Motorsport 3 (Microsoft Game Studios / Turn 10)
• Gran Turismo (PSP) (Sony Computer Entertainment / Polyphony Digital)
• Need for Speed SHIFT (Electronic Arts / Slightly Mad Studios)
BEST ACTION ADVENTURE GAME
• Assassin's Creed 2 (Ubisoft / Ubisoft Montreal)
• Batman: Arkham Asylum (Eidos Interactive - Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment / Rocksteady Studios)
• Brütal Legend (Electronic Arts / Double Fine Productions)
• UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves (Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog)
BEST TEAM SPORTS GAME
• FIFA Soccer 10 (Electronic Arts / EA Canada)
• Madden NFL 10 (Electronic Arts / EA Tiburon)
• NBA 2K10 (2K Sports / Visual Concepts)
• NHL 10 (Electronic Arts / EA Canada)
BEST SOUNDTRACK
• Brütal Legend (Electronic Arts / Double Fine Productions)
• DJ Hero (Activision Publishing / FreeStyleGames)
• Guitar Hero 5 (Activision Publishing / Neversoft Entertainment)
• The Beatles: Rock Band (MTV Games / Harmonix)
BEST XBOX 360 GAME
• Batman: Arkham Asylum (Eidos Interactive - Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment / Rocksteady Studios)
• Forza Motorsport 3 (Microsoft Game Studios / Turn 10)
• Halo 3: ODST (Microsoft Game Studios / Bungie)
• Left 4 Dead 2 (Valve)
BEST Wii GAME
• MadWorld (SEGA / Platinum Games)
• New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Nintendo)
• Punch-Out!! (Nintendo / Next Level Games)
• Wii Sports Resort (Nintendo)
BEST PS3 GAME
• inFAMOUS (Sony Computer Entertainment / Sucker Punch)
• Killzone 2 (Sony Computer Entertainment / Guerrilla Games)
• Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time (Sony Computer Entertainment / Insomniac Games)
• UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves (Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog)
BEST PC GAME
• Dragon Age: Origins (Electronic Arts / BioWare)
• Left 4 Dead 2 (Valve)
• Plants vs. Zombies (PopCap Games)
• The Sims 3 (Electronic Arts / The Sims Studio)
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
• Assassin's Creed 2 (Ubisoft / Ubisoft Montreal)
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Activision Publishing / Infinity Ward)
• Halo 3: ODST (Microsoft Game Studios / Bungie)
• UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves (Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog)
BEST MULTI-PLAYER GAME
• Borderlands (2K Games / Gearbox Software)
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Activision Publishing / Infinity Ward)
• Halo 3: ODST (Microsoft Game Studios / Bungie)
• Left 4 Dead 2 (Valve)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A HUMAN MALE
• Bill Murray as Dr. Peter Venkman in Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Atari)
• Hugh Jackman as Wolverine in X-Men Origins: Wolverine Uncaged Edition (Activision Publishing)
• Samuel L. Jackson as Afro Samurai / Ninja Ninja in Afro Samurai (Surge)
• Shia LaBeouf as Sam Witwicky in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Activision Publishing)
• Vin Diesel as Richard B. Riddick in The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena (Atari)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A HUMAN FEMALE
• Eliza Dushku as Rubi Malone in WET (Bethesda Softworks)
• Kristen Bell as Lucy Stillman in Assassin's Creed 2 (Ubisoft)
• Megan Fox as Mikaela Banes (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen / Activision Publishing)
• Tricia Helfer as Dare (Halo 3: ODST / Microsoft Game Studios)
BEST CAST
• Brütal Legend (Electronic Arts / Double Fine Productions)
• Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard (D3 Publisher / Vicious Cycle)
• Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Atari / Terminal Reality)
• South Park Let's Go Tower Defense Play! (Microsoft / DoubleSix)
• X-Men Origins: Wolverine Uncaged Edition (Activision Publishing / Raven Software)
BEST VOICE
• Arleen Sorkin as Harley Quinn in Batman: Arkham Asylum (Eidos Interactive – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment)
• Claudia Black as Chloe Frazer in UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves (Sony Computer Entertainment)
• Jack Black as Eddie Riggs (Brütal Legend / Electronic Arts)
• Mark Hamill as The Joker in Batman: Arkham Asylum (Eidos Interactive – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment)
• Nolan North as Nathan Drake in UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves (Sony Computer Entertainment)
BEST DOWNLOADABLE GAME
• Battlefield 1943 (Electronic Arts / DICE)
• Fat Princess (Sony Computer Entertainment / Titan Studios)
• Plants vs. Zombies (PopCap Games)
• Shadow Complex (Microsoft Game Studios / Chair Entertainment)
BEST DLC
• Fallout 3 – Broken Steel (Bethesda Softworks / Bethesda Game Studios)
• Fallout 3 – Point Lookout (Bethesda Softworks / Bethesda Game Studios)
• Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony (Rockstar Games / Rockstar North)
• Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost & Damned (Rockstar Games / Rockstar North)
BEST INDEPENDENT GAME FUELED BY DEW
• 'Splosion Man (Twisted Pixel)
• Flower (ThatGameCompany)
• Osmos (Hemisphere Games)
• Trials HD (RedLynx)
MOST ANTICIPATED GAME
• Bioshock 2 (2K Games / 2K Marin)
• God of War III (Sony Computer Entertainment / SCE Studios Santa Monica)
• Mass Effect 2 (Electronic Arts / BioWare)
• Starcraft II (Blizzard Entertainment)
However, I can't help but notice that there's some big gaping holes in the nominees, namely FarmVille, Mafia Wars and other social games.
spike tv video game awards, no farmville
This could easily lead to a huge debate on how these awards are for the "core" gamer and not for casual player, but I know plenty of people (including myself) who play Modern Warfare 2 will then turn right around and play FarmVille and Mafia Wars on Facebook.
Also take into consideration that FarmVille boasts roughly 60 million active players a month (World of Warcraft has about 12 million players). Based on that statistic alone, social games deserve to be recognized for the hours of entertainment they bring to gamers -- both core and casual -- lives on a daily (sometimes two or three times a day) basis.
So to my hard-working pals at Spike TV, I implore you to consider including a category for Best Sociable Games next year (or at the very least, an honorary tip of the hat). Millions of virtual farmers, mobsters and pet owners will thank you.
If you're interested in checking out the awards, they will air live on Spike TV, Saturday, December 12 at 8 p.m ET/PT. The show also has a fan favorite category -- so go to the official site to place your vote.
See the complete list of this year's Spike TV Video Game Awards 2009 nominees after the jump >
GAME OF THE YEAR
• Batman: Arkham Asylum (Eidos Interactive - Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment / Rocksteady Studios)
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Activision Publishing / Infinity Ward)
• Left 4 Dead 2 (Valve)
• UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves (Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog)
STUDIO OF THE YEAR
• Infinity Ward
• Naughty Dog
• Rocksteady Studios
• Valve
BEST SHOOTER
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Activision Publishing / Infinity Ward)
• Halo 3: ODST (Microsoft Game Studios / Bungie)
• Killzone 2 (Sony Computer Entertainment / Guerrilla Games)
• Left 4 Dead 2 (Valve)
BEST RPG
• Borderlands (2K Games / Gearbox Software)
• Demon's Souls (Atlus / FromSoftware)
• Dragon Age: Origins (Electronic Arts / BioWare)
• Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (Nintendo / AlphaDream)
BEST FIGHTING GAME
• BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger (Aksys Games / Arc System Works)
• Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny (NAMCO BANDAI Games / Project Soul)
• Street Fighter IV (Capcom / Capcom/Dimps)
• Tekken 6 (NAMCO BANDAI Games)
BEST INDIVIDUAL SPORTS GAME
• EA SPORTS Fight Night Round 4 (Electronic Arts / EA Canada)
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 (Electronic Arts / EA Tiburon)
• UFC 2009 Undisputed (THQ / Yuke's Media Creations)
• Wii Sports Resort (Nintendo)
BEST HANDHELD GAME
• Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (Rockstar Games / Rockstar Leeds)
• Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (Nintendo / AlphaDream)
• Professor Layton and The Diabolical Box (Nintendo / Level-5)
• Scribblenauts (Warner Bros. Interactive / 5th Cell)
BEST GRAPHICS
• Batman: Arkham Asylum (Eidos Interactive - Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment / Rocksteady Studios)
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Activision Publishing / Infinity Ward)
• Killzone 2 (Sony Computer Entertainment / Guerrilla Games)
• UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves (Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog)
BEST GAME BASED ON A MOVIE OR TV SHOW
• Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Atari / Terminal Reality)
• South Park Let's Go Tower Defense Play! (Microsoft / DoubleSix)
• The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena (Atari / Starbreeze AB)
• X-Men Origins: Wolverine Uncaged Edition (Activision Publishing / Raven Software)
BEST MUSIC GAME
• DJ Hero (Activision Publishing / FreeStyleGames)
• Guitar Hero 5 (Activision Publishing / Neversoft Entertainment)
• LEGO Rock Band (MTV Games – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment / Traveler's Tales Games - Harmonix)
• The Beatles: Rock Band (MTV Games / Harmonix)
BEST DRIVING GAME
• Dirt 2 (Codemasters)
• Forza Motorsport 3 (Microsoft Game Studios / Turn 10)
• Gran Turismo (PSP) (Sony Computer Entertainment / Polyphony Digital)
• Need for Speed SHIFT (Electronic Arts / Slightly Mad Studios)
BEST ACTION ADVENTURE GAME
• Assassin's Creed 2 (Ubisoft / Ubisoft Montreal)
• Batman: Arkham Asylum (Eidos Interactive - Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment / Rocksteady Studios)
• Brütal Legend (Electronic Arts / Double Fine Productions)
• UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves (Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog)
BEST TEAM SPORTS GAME
• FIFA Soccer 10 (Electronic Arts / EA Canada)
• Madden NFL 10 (Electronic Arts / EA Tiburon)
• NBA 2K10 (2K Sports / Visual Concepts)
• NHL 10 (Electronic Arts / EA Canada)
BEST SOUNDTRACK
• Brütal Legend (Electronic Arts / Double Fine Productions)
• DJ Hero (Activision Publishing / FreeStyleGames)
• Guitar Hero 5 (Activision Publishing / Neversoft Entertainment)
• The Beatles: Rock Band (MTV Games / Harmonix)
BEST XBOX 360 GAME
• Batman: Arkham Asylum (Eidos Interactive - Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment / Rocksteady Studios)
• Forza Motorsport 3 (Microsoft Game Studios / Turn 10)
• Halo 3: ODST (Microsoft Game Studios / Bungie)
• Left 4 Dead 2 (Valve)
BEST Wii GAME
• MadWorld (SEGA / Platinum Games)
• New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Nintendo)
• Punch-Out!! (Nintendo / Next Level Games)
• Wii Sports Resort (Nintendo)
BEST PS3 GAME
• inFAMOUS (Sony Computer Entertainment / Sucker Punch)
• Killzone 2 (Sony Computer Entertainment / Guerrilla Games)
• Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time (Sony Computer Entertainment / Insomniac Games)
• UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves (Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog)
BEST PC GAME
• Dragon Age: Origins (Electronic Arts / BioWare)
• Left 4 Dead 2 (Valve)
• Plants vs. Zombies (PopCap Games)
• The Sims 3 (Electronic Arts / The Sims Studio)
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
• Assassin's Creed 2 (Ubisoft / Ubisoft Montreal)
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Activision Publishing / Infinity Ward)
• Halo 3: ODST (Microsoft Game Studios / Bungie)
• UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves (Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog)
BEST MULTI-PLAYER GAME
• Borderlands (2K Games / Gearbox Software)
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Activision Publishing / Infinity Ward)
• Halo 3: ODST (Microsoft Game Studios / Bungie)
• Left 4 Dead 2 (Valve)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A HUMAN MALE
• Bill Murray as Dr. Peter Venkman in Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Atari)
• Hugh Jackman as Wolverine in X-Men Origins: Wolverine Uncaged Edition (Activision Publishing)
• Samuel L. Jackson as Afro Samurai / Ninja Ninja in Afro Samurai (Surge)
• Shia LaBeouf as Sam Witwicky in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Activision Publishing)
• Vin Diesel as Richard B. Riddick in The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena (Atari)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A HUMAN FEMALE
• Eliza Dushku as Rubi Malone in WET (Bethesda Softworks)
• Kristen Bell as Lucy Stillman in Assassin's Creed 2 (Ubisoft)
• Megan Fox as Mikaela Banes (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen / Activision Publishing)
• Tricia Helfer as Dare (Halo 3: ODST / Microsoft Game Studios)
BEST CAST
• Brütal Legend (Electronic Arts / Double Fine Productions)
• Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard (D3 Publisher / Vicious Cycle)
• Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Atari / Terminal Reality)
• South Park Let's Go Tower Defense Play! (Microsoft / DoubleSix)
• X-Men Origins: Wolverine Uncaged Edition (Activision Publishing / Raven Software)
BEST VOICE
• Arleen Sorkin as Harley Quinn in Batman: Arkham Asylum (Eidos Interactive – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment)
• Claudia Black as Chloe Frazer in UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves (Sony Computer Entertainment)
• Jack Black as Eddie Riggs (Brütal Legend / Electronic Arts)
• Mark Hamill as The Joker in Batman: Arkham Asylum (Eidos Interactive – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment)
• Nolan North as Nathan Drake in UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves (Sony Computer Entertainment)
BEST DOWNLOADABLE GAME
• Battlefield 1943 (Electronic Arts / DICE)
• Fat Princess (Sony Computer Entertainment / Titan Studios)
• Plants vs. Zombies (PopCap Games)
• Shadow Complex (Microsoft Game Studios / Chair Entertainment)
BEST DLC
• Fallout 3 – Broken Steel (Bethesda Softworks / Bethesda Game Studios)
• Fallout 3 – Point Lookout (Bethesda Softworks / Bethesda Game Studios)
• Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony (Rockstar Games / Rockstar North)
• Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost & Damned (Rockstar Games / Rockstar North)
BEST INDEPENDENT GAME FUELED BY DEW
• 'Splosion Man (Twisted Pixel)
• Flower (ThatGameCompany)
• Osmos (Hemisphere Games)
• Trials HD (RedLynx)
MOST ANTICIPATED GAME
• Bioshock 2 (2K Games / 2K Marin)
• God of War III (Sony Computer Entertainment / SCE Studios Santa Monica)
• Mass Effect 2 (Electronic Arts / BioWare)
• Starcraft II (Blizzard Entertainment)
FarmVille Storage is "Half-Baked" and "Useless" Says Tee'd Off Players
FarmVille released a new feature that lets you store virtual items in barns or sheds. There are quite a few storage options to choose from, that is, if you are willing to pay up to 27 FarmVille dollars per barn or 22 FarmVille dollars per shed, which let you store 20 and 15 items respectively.
The problem is: If you don't want to pay, you're left with only two options: buy a barn for 40,000 coins, which holds six items, or a shed for 14,000 coins, which holds two items.
Players have been wildly debating whether storage barns are a godsend or a total rip-off. Here are a few choice quotes on the negative side of the big debate:
"It's almost like they get half baked ideas and just throw them together toss them into the game and move on to the next thing. In game storage for in game items is useless. If you guys at Zanga want to make money just offer 50 units of storage in the gift box for 50 Farm cash and people would jump all over that. Anything is better than in game storage units that take up space." - Rettahs.
"The new Storage is the biggest sh*t ever All the time i thought we get a Box and can put our items there unlimited.. i feel bad :S this sucks so much..." - gschw
"Why can't they have some storage like the gift box???Just drag the item and put it in??? Every item can be stored in gift box too.....Why cant we put it back to gift box??Is it that difficult?? These greedy people just here to make money. Not to make the players enjoy it more. That's the feeling i get from all this crap." - Judebinoy
I'm fully aware that FarmVille is only partially free to play and the company makes money on players buying virtual goods, but, there's a balance to strike between making bucks and keeping players happy.
It does seem a little weak that the storage you get without paying actual real-life cash holds almost a third less than what you can hold in the premium storage buildings.
I spent the 27 FarmVille dollars to buy a Sleek Black Barn and am pretty happy with it so far. Maybe the storage cap on all buildings need to be raised a little higher to keep a mob of angry farmers (with pitchforks) converging at Zynga's doorsteps.
The problem is: If you don't want to pay, you're left with only two options: buy a barn for 40,000 coins, which holds six items, or a shed for 14,000 coins, which holds two items.
Players have been wildly debating whether storage barns are a godsend or a total rip-off. Here are a few choice quotes on the negative side of the big debate:
"It's almost like they get half baked ideas and just throw them together toss them into the game and move on to the next thing. In game storage for in game items is useless. If you guys at Zanga want to make money just offer 50 units of storage in the gift box for 50 Farm cash and people would jump all over that. Anything is better than in game storage units that take up space." - Rettahs.
"The new Storage is the biggest sh*t ever All the time i thought we get a Box and can put our items there unlimited.. i feel bad :S this sucks so much..." - gschw
"Why can't they have some storage like the gift box???Just drag the item and put it in??? Every item can be stored in gift box too.....Why cant we put it back to gift box??Is it that difficult?? These greedy people just here to make money. Not to make the players enjoy it more. That's the feeling i get from all this crap." - Judebinoy
I'm fully aware that FarmVille is only partially free to play and the company makes money on players buying virtual goods, but, there's a balance to strike between making bucks and keeping players happy.
It does seem a little weak that the storage you get without paying actual real-life cash holds almost a third less than what you can hold in the premium storage buildings.
I spent the 27 FarmVille dollars to buy a Sleek Black Barn and am pretty happy with it so far. Maybe the storage cap on all buildings need to be raised a little higher to keep a mob of angry farmers (with pitchforks) converging at Zynga's doorsteps.
Yahoo integrates Facebook Connect
Yahoo has been trying for a while to create a social platform as massive as Facebook, but it seems they have just given up. In a press release, Yahoo announced that they would be integrating the Facebook Connect API into the back-end of their system. This will allow users to share stories and content between both sites. Yahoo's Jim Stoneham had this to say:
With this integration, we are opening the door for two of the Internet's largest online communities to make it easier for people to stay connected. It also enables us to further the Yahoo! Open Strategy, which is aimed at making experiences dramatically more open, social and personally relevant for the more than 500 million people that visit Yahoo! each month.
Will this include integration for Facebook games as well? It's definite that you will be able to share stories to Yahoo, including your progress or gifts in Facebook games, but it's debatable if you will be able to actually play them through Yahoo. Yahoo already has several of the more popular social games, such as Mafia Wars, but they are lackluster implementations rather than true ports.
With this integration, we are opening the door for two of the Internet's largest online communities to make it easier for people to stay connected. It also enables us to further the Yahoo! Open Strategy, which is aimed at making experiences dramatically more open, social and personally relevant for the more than 500 million people that visit Yahoo! each month.
Will this include integration for Facebook games as well? It's definite that you will be able to share stories to Yahoo, including your progress or gifts in Facebook games, but it's debatable if you will be able to actually play them through Yahoo. Yahoo already has several of the more popular social games, such as Mafia Wars, but they are lackluster implementations rather than true ports.
Offerpal Shopping: Get Virtual Cash for Buying Real-Life Goods
Offerpal, the folks behind one of the most popular social gaming microtransaction service, has announced that its now giving out points for shopping at certain real-life retailers. Some sample companies include Macy's, Buy.com, and Priceline, among many others. This only applies to the online stores of said retailers, so if you are shopping inside the actual store, you are out of luck. George Garrick, CEO of Offerpal, had this to say:
Our goal has always been to give consumers an alternative to paying for virtual currency by letting them earn it instead-whether by filling out ad offers, completing surveys, or now simply by shopping for the types of goods and services they already use every day
Full press release after the jump.
Fremont, Calif. – December 2, 2009 – Offerpal Media (http://offerpalmedia.com), the leader in virtual currency payment alternatives, today announced "Offerpal Shopping," a new way for consumers to earn virtual currency for use in their favorite online games and social networks by shopping at brand-name retailers. The new service enables consumers to receive virtual currency back for every dollar they spend at hundreds of online retailers in categories including clothing and accessories, electronics, entertainment, food, furniture, gifts, services, software, sports, travel and more. Shoppers are typically reimbursed the equivalent of 5 to 10% of their purchase in virtual currency, with many reimbursements up to 30% or more.
"Our goal has always been to give consumers an alternative to paying for virtual currency by letting them earn it instead-whether by filling out ad offers, completing surveys, or now simply by shopping for the types of goods and services they already use every day," said George Garrick, CEO of Offerpal Media. "We are also proud to deliver a new way for game developers to monetize their traffic and reward their most loyal users."
Offerpal Shopping is available as a tab within the Offerpal I-frame, which can be found in more than 2,000 online games, social networks and virtual worlds throughout the Web. Users can browse through the hundreds of available retailers and make informed purchasing decisions based on important details provided by Offerpal, including a description of the products, the amount of virtual currency awarded, the minimum purchase requirements, and the length of time it takes to receive the virtual currency-typically 1-2 days.
A small sampling of the retailers currently in the system includes:
24 Hour Fitness: 5 – 10%
Proflowers: 10%
Gap: 4%
McAfee: 18%
Eastern Mountain Sports: 7%
CostPlus: 5%
Buy.com: 3 – 8%
Priceline: 2%
Snapfish: 8%
Macy's: 4%
For developers of social gaming applications and web sites, Offerpal Shopping increases revenues by introducing a new payment option and monetizing users who are not likely to purchase virtual currency directly. It can be turned on or off as a tab within the main I-frame, and will also be available as a standalone I-frame for developers interested in a separate integration. Early tests of Offerpal Shopping demonstrated a clear lift in both incremental revenue and payment conversions for the company's publishing partners. For more information, developers can contact publishersupport@offerpal.com.
Retailers interested in promoting their products through Offerpal Shopping can contact info@offerpal.com.
Our goal has always been to give consumers an alternative to paying for virtual currency by letting them earn it instead-whether by filling out ad offers, completing surveys, or now simply by shopping for the types of goods and services they already use every day
Full press release after the jump.
Fremont, Calif. – December 2, 2009 – Offerpal Media (http://offerpalmedia.com), the leader in virtual currency payment alternatives, today announced "Offerpal Shopping," a new way for consumers to earn virtual currency for use in their favorite online games and social networks by shopping at brand-name retailers. The new service enables consumers to receive virtual currency back for every dollar they spend at hundreds of online retailers in categories including clothing and accessories, electronics, entertainment, food, furniture, gifts, services, software, sports, travel and more. Shoppers are typically reimbursed the equivalent of 5 to 10% of their purchase in virtual currency, with many reimbursements up to 30% or more.
"Our goal has always been to give consumers an alternative to paying for virtual currency by letting them earn it instead-whether by filling out ad offers, completing surveys, or now simply by shopping for the types of goods and services they already use every day," said George Garrick, CEO of Offerpal Media. "We are also proud to deliver a new way for game developers to monetize their traffic and reward their most loyal users."
Offerpal Shopping is available as a tab within the Offerpal I-frame, which can be found in more than 2,000 online games, social networks and virtual worlds throughout the Web. Users can browse through the hundreds of available retailers and make informed purchasing decisions based on important details provided by Offerpal, including a description of the products, the amount of virtual currency awarded, the minimum purchase requirements, and the length of time it takes to receive the virtual currency-typically 1-2 days.
A small sampling of the retailers currently in the system includes:
24 Hour Fitness: 5 – 10%
Proflowers: 10%
Gap: 4%
McAfee: 18%
Eastern Mountain Sports: 7%
CostPlus: 5%
Buy.com: 3 – 8%
Priceline: 2%
Snapfish: 8%
Macy's: 4%
For developers of social gaming applications and web sites, Offerpal Shopping increases revenues by introducing a new payment option and monetizing users who are not likely to purchase virtual currency directly. It can be turned on or off as a tab within the main I-frame, and will also be available as a standalone I-frame for developers interested in a separate integration. Early tests of Offerpal Shopping demonstrated a clear lift in both incremental revenue and payment conversions for the company's publishing partners. For more information, developers can contact publishersupport@offerpal.com.
Retailers interested in promoting their products through Offerpal Shopping can contact info@offerpal.com.
Thứ Ba, 10 tháng 1, 2012
Hone your karate chop in Fruit Ninja Kinect before it slices Facebook
Prepare for your arms to feel like jelly all week. As we patiently await the day when we can slice virtual fruit from the comfort of our Facebook, Halfbrick Studios has released the equally awesome Xbox version of its hit fruit-flaying mobile game, Fruit Ninja.
Titled simply "Fruit Ninja," the game is available now for the Xbox 360 Kinect for 800 Microsoft Points, or $10, in the Xbox Live Marketplace. The game features all the same modes of its mobile versions, meaning Classic, Arcade and Zen modes are all present and accounted for.
The latter two modes are timed affairs--the first of which has special fruit with super powers, while the other is a 90-second romp with no frills and no way to lose. Players can compare scores over Xbox Live, and whenever a friend bests one of your scores in either Classic or Arcade mode, you'll be sent a notification.
Fruit Ninja Kinect Frenzy
There are two new modes unique to Fruit Ninja for Kinect: a Challenge mode and a multiplayer component. We had an early look at Fruit Ninja Frenzy for Facebook at this year's E3, and are psyched to see how it takes advantage of the platform with its Bejeweled Blitz-like power-ups and competitive leaderboards. If anything, consider this a friendly reminder that you'll soon be able to slice fruit on screens that range from a mere four inches to those wider than you are tall. With all of this available training, you officially have no excuse to be anything less than a banana bushido blade.
Titled simply "Fruit Ninja," the game is available now for the Xbox 360 Kinect for 800 Microsoft Points, or $10, in the Xbox Live Marketplace. The game features all the same modes of its mobile versions, meaning Classic, Arcade and Zen modes are all present and accounted for.
The latter two modes are timed affairs--the first of which has special fruit with super powers, while the other is a 90-second romp with no frills and no way to lose. Players can compare scores over Xbox Live, and whenever a friend bests one of your scores in either Classic or Arcade mode, you'll be sent a notification.
Fruit Ninja Kinect Frenzy
There are two new modes unique to Fruit Ninja for Kinect: a Challenge mode and a multiplayer component. We had an early look at Fruit Ninja Frenzy for Facebook at this year's E3, and are psyched to see how it takes advantage of the platform with its Bejeweled Blitz-like power-ups and competitive leaderboards. If anything, consider this a friendly reminder that you'll soon be able to slice fruit on screens that range from a mere four inches to those wider than you are tall. With all of this available training, you officially have no excuse to be anything less than a banana bushido blade.
Facebook vs. Google+: Social game makers ready to hang hats on big G's network
Right now, Facebook is the place to be if you want to make social games for the Web. That's great if you're, say, a big fancy company like FarmVille-creator Zynga who has millions of dollars to spend on advertising and a cushy deal with the social network.
If you're a smaller game studio, Facebook has its severe limitations, which include making it next to impossible to getting the word out about a game (not to mention the hefty 30% cut that Facebook demands from all game developers.)
None of the other social gaming platforms -- MySpace, hi5 -- have managed to come close to mimicking Facebook's social gaming success, so many social game makers are looking to Google+ to, possibly, fill that void.
Pot Farm creator and East Side Games CEO Jason Bailey says in this Gamasutra article that that all social game makers are "crossing their fingers and bowing down to the almighty G and saying, 'Please, please let this work and give us a viable second platform where we can build our games.'"
A simple way that Google+ could become 'the' next hotspot for social gaming? Instead of requiring a 30% cut from game makers (like Facebook does), let companies host games on G+ for a lower fee (or the low, low price of free!). Facebook has also done a terrible job at surfacing new and interesting games to its users -- and recently made it more difficult by pulling its app directory from the service. If Google+ can support even the most bare bones recommendation system for games on the network, that could be a big win for people who make games and those of us who like to play them.
If you're a smaller game studio, Facebook has its severe limitations, which include making it next to impossible to getting the word out about a game (not to mention the hefty 30% cut that Facebook demands from all game developers.)
None of the other social gaming platforms -- MySpace, hi5 -- have managed to come close to mimicking Facebook's social gaming success, so many social game makers are looking to Google+ to, possibly, fill that void.
Pot Farm creator and East Side Games CEO Jason Bailey says in this Gamasutra article that that all social game makers are "crossing their fingers and bowing down to the almighty G and saying, 'Please, please let this work and give us a viable second platform where we can build our games.'"
A simple way that Google+ could become 'the' next hotspot for social gaming? Instead of requiring a 30% cut from game makers (like Facebook does), let companies host games on G+ for a lower fee (or the low, low price of free!). Facebook has also done a terrible job at surfacing new and interesting games to its users -- and recently made it more difficult by pulling its app directory from the service. If Google+ can support even the most bare bones recommendation system for games on the network, that could be a big win for people who make games and those of us who like to play them.
Facebook game aims to save gorillas, tigers and more through play
If Zynga's past donations to Haiti, Japan and other ailing nations have taught us anything, it's the enormous capacity for Facebook games to help others in need. But Good World Games has decided to extend that good will towards others in social gaming to animals, namely gorillas.
Its newest game is called My Conservation Park, and the developer has joined in partnerships with the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, WildAid and three more organizations to donate 15 percent of the profits from all in-game purchases to helping those organizations save a wide variety of endangered wildlife.
Players connect to the game through Facebook, and must preserve and protect a series of parks for five different animal species: gorillas, tigers, whales, monkeys and sharks. Each park has its own native animals that players must care for in both its Protect and Erich modes.
In Protection Mode, players have to track down poachers and click them to rid the park of them. Once the nasty poachers are gone, you must clean up and preserve your parks by decorating them with items found in the shop in Enrich mode.
The game doesn't play much differently from standard social games other than the ability to turn the action on and off through Enrich mode and Protect modes. There are also a few mini games to play like Wildlife Tagging, which tasks you with tagging the animals you save, but not twice or you'll lose points. As you progress and successfully protect and preserve more animal habitats, you'll gain access to new parks, items and animals to save.
My Conservation Park gameplay
However, it's up to you to make donations through the game's primary currency, simply known as Gold. But we bet after one look at those adorable cartoon animals--or the extra information (and video courtesy of Sigourney Weaver) Good World Games provides--you'll start reaching for the old wallet. The only thing this game needs is a cameo from Alanis Morissette.
Its newest game is called My Conservation Park, and the developer has joined in partnerships with the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, WildAid and three more organizations to donate 15 percent of the profits from all in-game purchases to helping those organizations save a wide variety of endangered wildlife.
Players connect to the game through Facebook, and must preserve and protect a series of parks for five different animal species: gorillas, tigers, whales, monkeys and sharks. Each park has its own native animals that players must care for in both its Protect and Erich modes.
In Protection Mode, players have to track down poachers and click them to rid the park of them. Once the nasty poachers are gone, you must clean up and preserve your parks by decorating them with items found in the shop in Enrich mode.
The game doesn't play much differently from standard social games other than the ability to turn the action on and off through Enrich mode and Protect modes. There are also a few mini games to play like Wildlife Tagging, which tasks you with tagging the animals you save, but not twice or you'll lose points. As you progress and successfully protect and preserve more animal habitats, you'll gain access to new parks, items and animals to save.
My Conservation Park gameplay
However, it's up to you to make donations through the game's primary currency, simply known as Gold. But we bet after one look at those adorable cartoon animals--or the extra information (and video courtesy of Sigourney Weaver) Good World Games provides--you'll start reaching for the old wallet. The only thing this game needs is a cameo from Alanis Morissette.
PopCap study finds Europe is game crazy, more than half play games
Gamers
Well, the first ever social game spawned from a soap opera did come from the UK. According to a study conducted by Bejeweled Blitz creator PopCap and research firm NewZoo, more than half of adults reigning from the UK, France and Germany play games. That's 153 million men and women across three countries that play all sorts of games from consoles to mobile to Facebook and more. The UK is home to the most gamers, with 68 percent of men and 59 percent of women playing games.
However, the younger crowd is overwhelmingly comprised of gamers across all three countries, with 87 percent in the UK, 81 percent in France and 78 percent of 10 to 20-year-old folks in Germany playing games. Even more interesting is the fact that no single platform takes up more than 50 percent of European gamers' time, meaning that these folk are gaming everywhere. OK, not really, but these numbers sure make it sound that way, huh?
Of course, European gamers across the board are said to spend more money on console gaming than on any other gaming platform, with 44 percent of UK gamers' money, 34 percent of German's money and 44 percent of French cash going to console games. Keep in mind, however, that console games are by far the most expensive form of gaming. But here's the kicker: According to NewZoo's findings, European gamers reportedly play games not to unwind or relax, but because they're bored. Don't you guys work over there?
"This is clearly a maturing market that has by no means finished evolving," said Paul Breslin, General Manager of PopCap Europe. "People want to play a range of different games across different platforms. From a publisher's perspective, this shows the importance of having diversity and multi-platform solutions to reach individual markets in these important regions." If this means more PopCap games are coming to more platforms, can I put my vote in for Peggle on Facebook?
Well, the first ever social game spawned from a soap opera did come from the UK. According to a study conducted by Bejeweled Blitz creator PopCap and research firm NewZoo, more than half of adults reigning from the UK, France and Germany play games. That's 153 million men and women across three countries that play all sorts of games from consoles to mobile to Facebook and more. The UK is home to the most gamers, with 68 percent of men and 59 percent of women playing games.
However, the younger crowd is overwhelmingly comprised of gamers across all three countries, with 87 percent in the UK, 81 percent in France and 78 percent of 10 to 20-year-old folks in Germany playing games. Even more interesting is the fact that no single platform takes up more than 50 percent of European gamers' time, meaning that these folk are gaming everywhere. OK, not really, but these numbers sure make it sound that way, huh?
Of course, European gamers across the board are said to spend more money on console gaming than on any other gaming platform, with 44 percent of UK gamers' money, 34 percent of German's money and 44 percent of French cash going to console games. Keep in mind, however, that console games are by far the most expensive form of gaming. But here's the kicker: According to NewZoo's findings, European gamers reportedly play games not to unwind or relax, but because they're bored. Don't you guys work over there?
"This is clearly a maturing market that has by no means finished evolving," said Paul Breslin, General Manager of PopCap Europe. "People want to play a range of different games across different platforms. From a publisher's perspective, this shows the importance of having diversity and multi-platform solutions to reach individual markets in these important regions." If this means more PopCap games are coming to more platforms, can I put my vote in for Peggle on Facebook?
Games.com launches Table Invites for its popular card games
In addition to this lovely blog that covers all things social games, Games.com is also home to thousands of free online games, including some of our very own, very popular card games. This week, we launched a new feature that makes it easier to invite friends to play at your table in these card games.
Here's how it works: Pick one of our card games, such as Gin Rummy, Whist, Canasta, Hearts, Crazy 8's or Super Crazy 8's, and choose to play a 'Single Player' or 'Multiplayer' game.
super crazy 8s beta play
Wait briefly for the game and chat window to launch, then click the big orange 'Invite Friends' button in the chat window. A message that says "Share this link (copy & paste) with a friend and they can join your table! They will need to sign in to join you. http://aol.it/xxxxxx." will appear.
super crazy 8 invite friends to table
Highlight the URL, then hit 'Control-C' to copy it. Open an AIM window, Twitter message or email, and then hit 'Control-V' to paste the URL into the window and send the link to your friend(s). (If you're using a Mac, hit Command-C to copy the URL and Command-V to paste the URL).
crazy 8 table invite cut and paste to friends
Once your friend clicks on the link, they will be prompted to sign in to Games.com (if they aren't signed in already) and will then automatically join your table. Then, let the games begin! After all, there's nothing better than a little friendly competition.
Right now, the Table Invites are available in 12 of our games:
Hearts
Gin Rummy
Oklahoma Gin
Whist
Spades
Euchre
Pinochle
Canasta
Cribbage
Canasta for Two
Crazy 8's
Super Crazy 8's
Also, feel free to take a peek at more of Games.com's free online card games.
Here's how it works: Pick one of our card games, such as Gin Rummy, Whist, Canasta, Hearts, Crazy 8's or Super Crazy 8's, and choose to play a 'Single Player' or 'Multiplayer' game.
super crazy 8s beta play
Wait briefly for the game and chat window to launch, then click the big orange 'Invite Friends' button in the chat window. A message that says "Share this link (copy & paste) with a friend and they can join your table! They will need to sign in to join you. http://aol.it/xxxxxx." will appear.
super crazy 8 invite friends to table
Highlight the URL, then hit 'Control-C' to copy it. Open an AIM window, Twitter message or email, and then hit 'Control-V' to paste the URL into the window and send the link to your friend(s). (If you're using a Mac, hit Command-C to copy the URL and Command-V to paste the URL).
crazy 8 table invite cut and paste to friends
Once your friend clicks on the link, they will be prompted to sign in to Games.com (if they aren't signed in already) and will then automatically join your table. Then, let the games begin! After all, there's nothing better than a little friendly competition.
Right now, the Table Invites are available in 12 of our games:
Hearts
Gin Rummy
Oklahoma Gin
Whist
Spades
Euchre
Pinochle
Canasta
Cribbage
Canasta for Two
Crazy 8's
Super Crazy 8's
Also, feel free to take a peek at more of Games.com's free online card games.
Thứ Hai, 9 tháng 1, 2012
FrontierVille Arts and Crafts: Awesome 3D avatar, Sugar Glider models
3D Avatar
Some pioneers express their love (or temporary disdain) for FrontierVille through words on various message boards, through comments right here on the site or even through skillful, hilarious Photoshop edits. But FrontierVille forum member SisLayla has articulated her adoration for the homestead through clay. In her spare time, SisLayla has been working on bringing her FrontierVille avatar into the real world through the art of clay sculpture and the results are pretty amazing.
According to her original forum post, she used solely polymer clay. FrontierVille Info reports that she later created a Suger Glider (pictured below) from the same material. You know, the one that's still available from the in-game Mystery Animal Crate until Jan. 6? Both are impressive creations and we can't wait to see what she comes up with next. In the meantime, why not send any social game-inspired artwork you find or have made yourself to us at editors@games.com? Check out some more snapshots of how she did it both in her forum post and on FrontierVille Info.
Sugar Glider 3D model
Some pioneers express their love (or temporary disdain) for FrontierVille through words on various message boards, through comments right here on the site or even through skillful, hilarious Photoshop edits. But FrontierVille forum member SisLayla has articulated her adoration for the homestead through clay. In her spare time, SisLayla has been working on bringing her FrontierVille avatar into the real world through the art of clay sculpture and the results are pretty amazing.
According to her original forum post, she used solely polymer clay. FrontierVille Info reports that she later created a Suger Glider (pictured below) from the same material. You know, the one that's still available from the in-game Mystery Animal Crate until Jan. 6? Both are impressive creations and we can't wait to see what she comes up with next. In the meantime, why not send any social game-inspired artwork you find or have made yourself to us at editors@games.com? Check out some more snapshots of how she did it both in her forum post and on FrontierVille Info.
Sugar Glider 3D model
FrontierVille's Giant Pink Tree goes missing, Zynga is on the case
There have been many recent complaints on the FrontierVille forums that the Giant Pink Tree decoration from the Toy Factory has gone missing. A four-page long forum thread has sprouted as a result of the issue, which according to forum moderator Miss Marme, has already been reported to Zynga.
The item, which certainly makes a statement, costs 250 Toys from the Toy Factory. If you've been keeping up with recent events on the homestead, you'll know that collecting 250 Toys is no easy feat and the Giant Pink Tree is the second most expensive present available inside the Toy Factory. According to FrontierVille Info, many players are receiving this message upon logging into the game at the top of the screen, "We appreciate your patience while we work to resolve an issue where Pink Christmas Trees are temporarily missing." It's unsure what type of solution Zynga is cooking up for this little mishap, but let's hope it involves either bringing the Giant Pink Tree back or a pretty hefty refund.
The item, which certainly makes a statement, costs 250 Toys from the Toy Factory. If you've been keeping up with recent events on the homestead, you'll know that collecting 250 Toys is no easy feat and the Giant Pink Tree is the second most expensive present available inside the Toy Factory. According to FrontierVille Info, many players are receiving this message upon logging into the game at the top of the screen, "We appreciate your patience while we work to resolve an issue where Pink Christmas Trees are temporarily missing." It's unsure what type of solution Zynga is cooking up for this little mishap, but let's hope it involves either bringing the Giant Pink Tree back or a pretty hefty refund.
Facebook games partnerships gig given to former LiveJournal CEO
Sean Ryan (pictured), who previously worked for News Corp. creating an online games division, is now director of games partnerships at Facebook, VentureBeat reports. The position had been open since August before the decision was finally made to take Ryan on, who also previously served as CEO for Meez, a virtual world for teenagers and LiveJournal, a once popular blogging service before the turn of the decade.
Now, don't get too excited--Facebook will not be making its own games anytime soon if ever. Ryan will purely foster the social network's relationships with developers like Zynga, Playdom, Playfish and more. In other words, it's this guy's job to keep dudes like Zynga CEO Mark Pincus peachy keen.
This is a smart move by Facebook, which hasn't had a stellar track record of catering both to gamers and non-gamers alike. Though, the company did recently create a new development division solely for improving the gaming experience on the site. It seems as if Facebook is finally serious about the half of its users that enjoy these games, which aren't going away anytime soon.
Now, don't get too excited--Facebook will not be making its own games anytime soon if ever. Ryan will purely foster the social network's relationships with developers like Zynga, Playdom, Playfish and more. In other words, it's this guy's job to keep dudes like Zynga CEO Mark Pincus peachy keen.
This is a smart move by Facebook, which hasn't had a stellar track record of catering both to gamers and non-gamers alike. Though, the company did recently create a new development division solely for improving the gaming experience on the site. It seems as if Facebook is finally serious about the half of its users that enjoy these games, which aren't going away anytime soon.
Starz sending Spartacus Facebook game into the arena this month
Forget Mafia Wars, real warriors fight with sword and shield in hand, nothing but a loin cloth protecting their bodies. No? Well, Starz seems to think so as the network will soon launch a Facebook game surrounding its hit series, Spartacus. Fox News reports that the game, officially titled Spartacus: Gods of the Arena and published by 6waves (the same folks working on that mysterious Kobe Bryant game), will be available come Jan. 20. Just in time for the show's six-episode mini-series coming Jan. 21, this will be one of the first TV shows to get its own social game, according to Fox News. Well, unless you count that weird soap opera game in the U.K.
"Given its powerful characters and larger-than-life story lines, few television properties have as much potential for innovative social game play as does 'Spartacus," Marc DeBevoise, SVP of digital media and business development strategy for Starz Media, told Fox News. "We are excited to make our social media gaming debut and be one of the early networks to bring a branded TV property to the social gaming universe."
Unsurprisingly, the game will be similar to Mafia Wars in that it will allow players to run their own gladiator school and partake in Roman role play, according to Fox News. We almost don't want to know what that last part means. Stay tuned for a preview when the game finally launches sometime this month, because now we just gotta' know what this "Roman role play" nonsense is all about.
"Given its powerful characters and larger-than-life story lines, few television properties have as much potential for innovative social game play as does 'Spartacus," Marc DeBevoise, SVP of digital media and business development strategy for Starz Media, told Fox News. "We are excited to make our social media gaming debut and be one of the early networks to bring a branded TV property to the social gaming universe."
Unsurprisingly, the game will be similar to Mafia Wars in that it will allow players to run their own gladiator school and partake in Roman role play, according to Fox News. We almost don't want to know what that last part means. Stay tuned for a preview when the game finally launches sometime this month, because now we just gotta' know what this "Roman role play" nonsense is all about.
CityVille Franchise update patches issue with deleting HQ
Franchise Deleting Confirmation
You can lift your fingers from that big red button now, mayors. Zynga introduced a small update to CityVille yesterday that, when opting to delete a Franchise Headquarters, causes a pop up confirmation message to appear. The message, pictured above, asks players to confirm whether they would like the HQ to be sent to their inventory, which is somewhat old news.
Before this change, all deleting a Franchise HQ did was send it to your inventory. This change, well, informs you of that, giving you a chance to stop it. This must have been a pretty major issue to warrant what appears to be a reactive update. This change comes after several recent tweaks to the game's interface, optimizing several aspects of gameplay that before took several actions to perform. Considering the game is little more than a month old, we doubt this marks the end of game fixes and changes.
You can lift your fingers from that big red button now, mayors. Zynga introduced a small update to CityVille yesterday that, when opting to delete a Franchise Headquarters, causes a pop up confirmation message to appear. The message, pictured above, asks players to confirm whether they would like the HQ to be sent to their inventory, which is somewhat old news.
Before this change, all deleting a Franchise HQ did was send it to your inventory. This change, well, informs you of that, giving you a chance to stop it. This must have been a pretty major issue to warrant what appears to be a reactive update. This change comes after several recent tweaks to the game's interface, optimizing several aspects of gameplay that before took several actions to perform. Considering the game is little more than a month old, we doubt this marks the end of game fixes and changes.
Thứ Bảy, 7 tháng 1, 2012
Valentine's Day gift ideas: Say it with games!
Valentine's Day is around the corner and men around the country are scrabbling for Valentine's Day gift ideas. If you are bored of the stayed, tried and true gifts like flowers or chocolates, maybe you want to take a chance by going with games. Games.com is here to help! (why wouldn't we be?) For the next week we're running a Valentines's Day Special of 50% off selected games.
Here's the idea - we've collected the best of our sweet, chocolate and romance related games and cut their price in half. All you need to do is go to our Valentine's Day Gift Ideas page and pick the games you think your honey would love. At checkout you'll be able to send the games you've purchased to your Valentine and get a cool 50% off. Who wouldn't love that?
Click here for Valentine's Day Gift Ideas games >
Here's the idea - we've collected the best of our sweet, chocolate and romance related games and cut their price in half. All you need to do is go to our Valentine's Day Gift Ideas page and pick the games you think your honey would love. At checkout you'll be able to send the games you've purchased to your Valentine and get a cool 50% off. Who wouldn't love that?
Click here for Valentine's Day Gift Ideas games >
Zynga updates FarmVille Message Center, finally syncs with Requests
Alright, say it with me: "Hooray for non-redundant FarmVille Game Requests!" Now that we've let that out of our system, FarmVille Freak reports that Zynga has updated it useful-yet-flawed Zynga Message Center (ZMC) for FarmVille players. Finally, accepting requests from the ZMC will cause the relevant Game Requests to disappear from the Requests page on Facebook. According to Zynga community manager Lexilicious, it also works in reverse, updating the Message Center when Requests are accepted from the ZMC.
Lexilicious' offical statement on the forums reads:
FarmVille has made it easier than ever to accept your gifts through ZMC! Now, when you accept a gift in ZMC, it will remove the gift from your Facebook Requests Page. Alternatively, if you accept a gift from your Facebook Requests Page, it will not appear in ZMC. This change should make accepting gifts less confusing and ultimately much easier for all of our players.
Happy Farming!
Hopefully, this means that this update is coming to Zynga's other popular games like FrontierVille and CityVille sooner rather than later.
Have you seen the change to the Zynga Message Center in your game yet? Do you think Facebook should continue to handle Game Requests with internal apps like the ZMC?
Lexilicious' offical statement on the forums reads:
FarmVille has made it easier than ever to accept your gifts through ZMC! Now, when you accept a gift in ZMC, it will remove the gift from your Facebook Requests Page. Alternatively, if you accept a gift from your Facebook Requests Page, it will not appear in ZMC. This change should make accepting gifts less confusing and ultimately much easier for all of our players.
Happy Farming!
Hopefully, this means that this update is coming to Zynga's other popular games like FrontierVille and CityVille sooner rather than later.
Have you seen the change to the Zynga Message Center in your game yet? Do you think Facebook should continue to handle Game Requests with internal apps like the ZMC?
NY Gaming & Social Media meetup tonight (+ free drinks!)
This week is New York Social Media Week, and tonight, Games.com will be participating in an event hosted by GameGround called 'NY Gaming & Social Media -- What's working?'
Myself, along with colleagues from Blizzard, MTV, Rockstar, OMGPOP and others will be having a casual discussion about how our different companies have been using social media and what's working ... and what hasn't. And, as an added bonus, there will also be free beer, wine and snacks afterwards. Who doesn't like free food and drinks -- am I right?
Interested? Here are more details:
When: Tuesday, February 8, 2011 from 6:30pm to 9:30pm
· Panel from 6:30-7:30
· Happy Hour continues from 7:30-9:30
Where: WIX Lounge at 10 West 18 St., Second Floor (Between 6th and 7th Aves)
What: A casual, interactive discussion that will help identify social media trends as they relate to gaming, plus free beer, wine and snacks, as well as some social-media inspired games - with cool prizes for participants!
Who: The panel will include:
· Itzik Ben-Bassat: Chairman, GameGround; EIR, Insight Venture Partners
· Libe Goad: Editor, AOL's Games.com
· Brad Hargreaves: Founder, NY Gaming Meetup; Founding Partner, General Assembly
· Nicholas Perret: CEO, 4mm Games
· Dan Porter: CEO, OMGPOP
If you'd like to attend, please register here. Hope to see you there!
Myself, along with colleagues from Blizzard, MTV, Rockstar, OMGPOP and others will be having a casual discussion about how our different companies have been using social media and what's working ... and what hasn't. And, as an added bonus, there will also be free beer, wine and snacks afterwards. Who doesn't like free food and drinks -- am I right?
Interested? Here are more details:
When: Tuesday, February 8, 2011 from 6:30pm to 9:30pm
· Panel from 6:30-7:30
· Happy Hour continues from 7:30-9:30
Where: WIX Lounge at 10 West 18 St., Second Floor (Between 6th and 7th Aves)
What: A casual, interactive discussion that will help identify social media trends as they relate to gaming, plus free beer, wine and snacks, as well as some social-media inspired games - with cool prizes for participants!
Who: The panel will include:
· Itzik Ben-Bassat: Chairman, GameGround; EIR, Insight Venture Partners
· Libe Goad: Editor, AOL's Games.com
· Brad Hargreaves: Founder, NY Gaming Meetup; Founding Partner, General Assembly
· Nicholas Perret: CEO, 4mm Games
· Dan Porter: CEO, OMGPOP
If you'd like to attend, please register here. Hope to see you there!
LiveJournal launches social games channel with ... four games
LiveJournal, the 21-million-user strong social journal website, has launched a social games portal. The company has teamed up with i-Jet Media, a Russian social games publisher, to bring four games to the public beta test LiveJournal Games. The games include Sim Hospital, Farm Frenzy Neighbors, Crazy Cars and City Gangs, most of which appear to be localizations of previous i-Jet Media games. So far, games like Sim Hospital are already enjoying over 3 thousand players.
Of course, all of the games are free to play, but require a LiveJournal account to join. After looking at i-Jet Media's catalog of over 70 published social games from 40 developers globally, you can safely assume this list of four games will grow in the future. "Many of our users are gamers, so we're pleased that our users will now be able to enjoy their favorite social gaming activities without leaving LiveJournal," US LiveJournal general manager Anjelika Petrochenko said. "This beta version of games is just a starting point for LiveJournal. We look forward to expanding upon this initial offering with a growing suite of social games to suit our users' eclectic interests."
Farm Frenzy Neighbors
In fact, some future games have already been announced like the aptly-named Trains and Airport. (Boy, I can't wait to find out how those games work.) Alex Kostarev, CEO and Co-founder of i-Jet Media, said, "We believe our unique take on social gaming will be very well received by LiveJournal users, who have a reputation for wanting differentiated social media experiences. Our mission is to bring compelling games that offer original twists on popular themes."
Sean Ryan, a former LiveJournal CEO, left News Corp. recently to join Facebook in its attempt to strengthen partnerships with social game developers. Could this move be a reaction to that? That's uncertain, but regardless of the quality of its games LiveJournal might want to consider giving Ryan a ring.
Of course, all of the games are free to play, but require a LiveJournal account to join. After looking at i-Jet Media's catalog of over 70 published social games from 40 developers globally, you can safely assume this list of four games will grow in the future. "Many of our users are gamers, so we're pleased that our users will now be able to enjoy their favorite social gaming activities without leaving LiveJournal," US LiveJournal general manager Anjelika Petrochenko said. "This beta version of games is just a starting point for LiveJournal. We look forward to expanding upon this initial offering with a growing suite of social games to suit our users' eclectic interests."
Farm Frenzy Neighbors
In fact, some future games have already been announced like the aptly-named Trains and Airport. (Boy, I can't wait to find out how those games work.) Alex Kostarev, CEO and Co-founder of i-Jet Media, said, "We believe our unique take on social gaming will be very well received by LiveJournal users, who have a reputation for wanting differentiated social media experiences. Our mission is to bring compelling games that offer original twists on popular themes."
Sean Ryan, a former LiveJournal CEO, left News Corp. recently to join Facebook in its attempt to strengthen partnerships with social game developers. Could this move be a reaction to that? That's uncertain, but regardless of the quality of its games LiveJournal might want to consider giving Ryan a ring.
Seventh Generation 'Bubble Pop' game helps fund breast cancer research
Two socially conscious companies, GamesThatGive and Seventh Generation, have teamed up on a charitable Facebook game, "Bubble Pop", to help raise donations for the Breast Cancer Fund. The announcement came on the Facebook fan page of Seventh Generation, an American company that makes eco-friendly household and personal care products. Seventh Generation already donates ten percent of all its profits to various charities, but now, it has also pledged to donate ten cents for every minute people spend playing their game.
Seventh Generation Bubble Pop
"Bubble Pop" is a "Valentine's Edition" of the "Bouncing Balls" bubble shooter at the GamesThatGive games hub. If you play there, you get to choose which organization you want to donate to, but if you specifically want to help out the Breast Cancer Fund, you need to click on the "Play to Donate" tab on the Seventh Generation Facebook fan page. At the time of this post, all the GamesThatGive titles have led to nearly $80k USD given to charities.
Seventh Generation Breast Cancer Fund
Speaking as a bubble shooter junkie of titles like Taito's arcade "Bust-A-Move" and Wooga's "Bubble Island" Facebook game, I find GamesThatGive's take on the genre so uninspired that it wouldn't be worth a glance without the charity element attached to it.
Seventh Generation leaderboards
Moreover, there's nothing social about the game except for the presence of a highscore leaderboard keeping track of which Facebook players are the bubble-busting champions. Each high scorer gets a link to his or her profile, along with a profile photo, featured on the leaderboard. Currently, the top score of 53,390 goes to "Jennifer" of Fort Worth, Texas. But you know, it's for a good cause, the gameplay is as simple as it gets, and GamesThatGive has got itself a winning business concept here. Finally, if you also happen to have a competitive streak, Jennifer's score is certain to keep you popping bubbles for hours.
Seventh Generation Bubble Pop
"Bubble Pop" is a "Valentine's Edition" of the "Bouncing Balls" bubble shooter at the GamesThatGive games hub. If you play there, you get to choose which organization you want to donate to, but if you specifically want to help out the Breast Cancer Fund, you need to click on the "Play to Donate" tab on the Seventh Generation Facebook fan page. At the time of this post, all the GamesThatGive titles have led to nearly $80k USD given to charities.
Seventh Generation Breast Cancer Fund
Speaking as a bubble shooter junkie of titles like Taito's arcade "Bust-A-Move" and Wooga's "Bubble Island" Facebook game, I find GamesThatGive's take on the genre so uninspired that it wouldn't be worth a glance without the charity element attached to it.
Seventh Generation leaderboards
Moreover, there's nothing social about the game except for the presence of a highscore leaderboard keeping track of which Facebook players are the bubble-busting champions. Each high scorer gets a link to his or her profile, along with a profile photo, featured on the leaderboard. Currently, the top score of 53,390 goes to "Jennifer" of Fort Worth, Texas. But you know, it's for a good cause, the gameplay is as simple as it gets, and GamesThatGive has got itself a winning business concept here. Finally, if you also happen to have a competitive streak, Jennifer's score is certain to keep you popping bubbles for hours.
Thứ Sáu, 6 tháng 1, 2012
CityVille St. Patrick's Collection offers energy as a reward
With Energy now looking to be a very scarce commodity in CityVille, you'll be happy to know that with the release of the three St. Patrick's Day themed businesses in the game this week comes a new collection that rewards you with a +3 energy boost when completed.
The St. Patrick's Collection contains five new items to watch out for, which can be earned when collecting from the Fiddle Shop, the St. Patty's Pub, and the Shamrock Sing-A-Long businesses.
4 Leaf Clover
Fiddle
Leprechaun Hat
Pot of Gold
Rainbow
The reward, as we said above, is not only 3 energy, but also 50 Goods. While that may not seem like a lot, keep in mind that the St Patty's Pub only requires 40 Goods to set into motion, so this prize will keep at least one business up and running just a little while longer.
With the changes to the game's energy system, now might also be a good time to check out the other collections that reward energy, as you just might need them in the future.
Check out the rest of our St. Patrick's Day 2011 coverage right here.
What do you think of the St. Patrick's Collection? Will you build the Irish themed buildings to complete it, or is your town too full of other businesses?
The St. Patrick's Collection contains five new items to watch out for, which can be earned when collecting from the Fiddle Shop, the St. Patty's Pub, and the Shamrock Sing-A-Long businesses.
4 Leaf Clover
Fiddle
Leprechaun Hat
Pot of Gold
Rainbow
The reward, as we said above, is not only 3 energy, but also 50 Goods. While that may not seem like a lot, keep in mind that the St Patty's Pub only requires 40 Goods to set into motion, so this prize will keep at least one business up and running just a little while longer.
With the changes to the game's energy system, now might also be a good time to check out the other collections that reward energy, as you just might need them in the future.
Check out the rest of our St. Patrick's Day 2011 coverage right here.
What do you think of the St. Patrick's Collection? Will you build the Irish themed buildings to complete it, or is your town too full of other businesses?
CityVille: Blossoming Clovers & Clover Topiary available as free gifts
If you didn't get enough St. Patrick's Day goodies in CityVille with the release of new businesses, decorations, and crops this week, why not ask your friends to send you two more themed items for free? That's right, two new decorative items have been added to the game's free gifts page, allowing you to stock up on these items in bulk absolutely free.
The first item is the Blossoming Clovers, which is a patch of ground-cover much like the other flowers in the game; that is, it lies flush with the ground and doesn't come in a pot or planter. It's also free of any surrounding sidewalk. It adds a 1% bonus to surrounding items, as you'd likely expect. The other item is the Clover Topiary, which is larger, and therefore comes with a bigger payout bonus - 4% to be exact.
Neither of these items have a time limit associated with them, but since the Valentine's Day roses are no longer available to send from the free gifts page, we can only assume that these items will leave after their particular holiday as well. Make sure to send (and ask for) these items sooner, rather than later, to make sure you can get them in time. And remember, if you receive too many of these items, you can always store them in your Warehouse and bring them back out next year (or am I the only one that packrats like that?).
Check out the rest of our St. Patrick's Day 2011 coverage right here.
What do you think of these two new free gifts? Have you started stocking up on Blossoming Clovers to create a St. Patrick's Day themed area in your town?
The first item is the Blossoming Clovers, which is a patch of ground-cover much like the other flowers in the game; that is, it lies flush with the ground and doesn't come in a pot or planter. It's also free of any surrounding sidewalk. It adds a 1% bonus to surrounding items, as you'd likely expect. The other item is the Clover Topiary, which is larger, and therefore comes with a bigger payout bonus - 4% to be exact.
Neither of these items have a time limit associated with them, but since the Valentine's Day roses are no longer available to send from the free gifts page, we can only assume that these items will leave after their particular holiday as well. Make sure to send (and ask for) these items sooner, rather than later, to make sure you can get them in time. And remember, if you receive too many of these items, you can always store them in your Warehouse and bring them back out next year (or am I the only one that packrats like that?).
Check out the rest of our St. Patrick's Day 2011 coverage right here.
What do you think of these two new free gifts? Have you started stocking up on Blossoming Clovers to create a St. Patrick's Day themed area in your town?
FarmVille Spring Countdown: Everything you need to know
The Spring Countdown has begun in FarmVille, and in the same vein as the Valentine's Day Countdown, this countdown will offer 12 days of prizes. One of these 12 prizes will be available on each day, for the next 12 days, and you'll be able to post a news item to your feed asking your friends to send you that day's prize.
As an example, the first day's item is the Pastel Hay Bale, which we brought you a sneak peek of at the very beginning of March (although that was under a different supposed name). You'll be able to click on the "Ask/Share" button to post a general news item to your feed. For each person that clicks on this post, they'll receive a free prize in return, which will count in their own game, if they choose not to ask for the item themselves.
If you miss a day's item, because you either didn't ask for the item, didn't play the game on that day, or didn't have any friends help you, you can either purchase the missed prize with Farm Cash, or you can ask very specific players to send them to you (this list seems random, and will likely include less than five of your friends, some of which might not even play FarmVille).
Complete all 12 of the prizes, either on the day that they are first available, or otherwise, and you'll receive a special 13th prize, which is a secret prize as of this writing. It comes in a Mystery Crate, so it looks like we'll be receiving a Spring-themed decoration, rather than an animal, for all of this hard work. Perhaps another new decorative item, or could this one have a function as well? We'll make sure to let you know what this prize is once we know more.
As usual, make sure to check back with us everyday as we bring you coverage surrounding each day's prize so that you don't miss out.
What do you think of a new countdown in FarmVille? Did you receive all 12 of the items for the Valentine's Day countdown, and are going to try to earn these as well, or do you skip these kinds of events?
As an example, the first day's item is the Pastel Hay Bale, which we brought you a sneak peek of at the very beginning of March (although that was under a different supposed name). You'll be able to click on the "Ask/Share" button to post a general news item to your feed. For each person that clicks on this post, they'll receive a free prize in return, which will count in their own game, if they choose not to ask for the item themselves.
If you miss a day's item, because you either didn't ask for the item, didn't play the game on that day, or didn't have any friends help you, you can either purchase the missed prize with Farm Cash, or you can ask very specific players to send them to you (this list seems random, and will likely include less than five of your friends, some of which might not even play FarmVille).
Complete all 12 of the prizes, either on the day that they are first available, or otherwise, and you'll receive a special 13th prize, which is a secret prize as of this writing. It comes in a Mystery Crate, so it looks like we'll be receiving a Spring-themed decoration, rather than an animal, for all of this hard work. Perhaps another new decorative item, or could this one have a function as well? We'll make sure to let you know what this prize is once we know more.
As usual, make sure to check back with us everyday as we bring you coverage surrounding each day's prize so that you don't miss out.
What do you think of a new countdown in FarmVille? Did you receive all 12 of the items for the Valentine's Day countdown, and are going to try to earn these as well, or do you skip these kinds of events?
Game of the Day: SKIP-BO Castaway Caper
The Game of the Day is looking in the attic for a game to play. SKIP-BO Castaway Caper is here. After your ship washes up on the shore of a seemingly deserted island, it quickly becomes clear that the island is not only inhabited, but that it is also home to a powerful volcano. Your presence has awoken and angered the volcano and put the entire island in jeopardy. Fortunately, the islanders are masters at the great game of SKIP-BO™ and are willing to teach you their favorite game. Only you can play SKIP-BO™ with the friendly inhabitants of the island, calm the active volcano, and restore the quiet peace of this tropical paradise.
Click >> play SKIP-BO Castaway Caper
Important side note: Just by playing The Game of the Day you will be entered into a monthly drawing to win a FlipCam HD. You don't need to do anything else, just play! The more you play, the more chances you have to win. For more information on the Game of Day check out the official Game of the Day hub.
Click >> play SKIP-BO Castaway Caper
Important side note: Just by playing The Game of the Day you will be entered into a monthly drawing to win a FlipCam HD. You don't need to do anything else, just play! The more you play, the more chances you have to win. For more information on the Game of Day check out the official Game of the Day hub.
Yoostar Playground on Facebook: Viral videos in your control
Just about anyone who watched The Oscars this year would agree the funniest part of the evening was as Anne Hathaway and James Franco frolicked through scenes of Oscar-nominated flicks. With Yoostar 2 for Xbox Kinect and PlayStation Eye by Blitz Games and Yoostar Entertainment Group, players can insert themselves into scenes from classic movies like 300 and The Godfather and ad lib like the pros. But it's only through Yoostar Playground on Facebook that your 30-second clips have the potential to go viral.
Yoostar Playground video gallery
Your ProgressYoostar Playground, developed internally by its publisher, allows players of the console games to upload their ad libbed video clips to the web application and share them with the existing player base. Then, the audience can browse the litany of videos by several different parameters like "Most Popular" or "Top Awarded," and watch away. However, you can then rate those videos through a star system and grant them awards like "Best Script Flip" and of course "Best Actor."
As these videos get rated, they can gain notoriety throughout the community on the full-screen app's home page in the "Featured Videos" section. Players can also share these videos through Facebook and Twitter for friends outside of Yoostar Playground, giving them the potential to go viral. As users view, rate and award videos, their level will increase (pictured right), which increases their renown and their stash of Yoobucks. This in-game currency isn't available for use yet nor can it be bought, but it allows players to gain levels more quickly and boost their notoriety on Yoostar.
Many of the videos on Yoostar Playground are available for public use, meaning other users can take their friends' videos and create a series of scenes through the Video Mashup tool. Say you want to make a "Best of" compilation of the greatest King Leonidas impressions on Yoostar--this is exactly what Video Mashup is for. Users can then take those Mashups and share them for their fellow players to rate and award.
While we've yet to play Yoostar 2 for consoles (or the PC or Mac), the Yoostar Playground companion app is definitely a blast. Players can use the app right now to view and share videos, but we'd imagine creating your own and sharing them through the console games would be far more entertaining.
Click here to check out Yoostar Playground on Facebook Now>
Have you played Yoostar on either Facebook or the consoles? What do you think of the viral potential behind Yoostar videos through Yoostar Playground?
Yoostar Playground video gallery
Your ProgressYoostar Playground, developed internally by its publisher, allows players of the console games to upload their ad libbed video clips to the web application and share them with the existing player base. Then, the audience can browse the litany of videos by several different parameters like "Most Popular" or "Top Awarded," and watch away. However, you can then rate those videos through a star system and grant them awards like "Best Script Flip" and of course "Best Actor."
As these videos get rated, they can gain notoriety throughout the community on the full-screen app's home page in the "Featured Videos" section. Players can also share these videos through Facebook and Twitter for friends outside of Yoostar Playground, giving them the potential to go viral. As users view, rate and award videos, their level will increase (pictured right), which increases their renown and their stash of Yoobucks. This in-game currency isn't available for use yet nor can it be bought, but it allows players to gain levels more quickly and boost their notoriety on Yoostar.
Many of the videos on Yoostar Playground are available for public use, meaning other users can take their friends' videos and create a series of scenes through the Video Mashup tool. Say you want to make a "Best of" compilation of the greatest King Leonidas impressions on Yoostar--this is exactly what Video Mashup is for. Users can then take those Mashups and share them for their fellow players to rate and award.
While we've yet to play Yoostar 2 for consoles (or the PC or Mac), the Yoostar Playground companion app is definitely a blast. Players can use the app right now to view and share videos, but we'd imagine creating your own and sharing them through the console games would be far more entertaining.
Click here to check out Yoostar Playground on Facebook Now>
Have you played Yoostar on either Facebook or the consoles? What do you think of the viral potential behind Yoostar videos through Yoostar Playground?
Thứ Ba, 3 tháng 1, 2012
Google+ Games shows its colors with new game discovery features
The seemingly endless tit for tat battle between Google+ and Facebook may finally be over. Well, at least where games are concerned. The search giant of the same name (minus the "+") issued an update to Google+ Games that includes three new ways for players to discover which games to play next. The lists are "Top Games"," "New Games" and "Staff Picks."
They're pretty much self-explanatory, but the key takeaway here is that features like these take full advantage of the fact that Google+ Games is its own tucked-away section of the social network. Therefore, Google has opted to take more of an app store approach that you'd find at Apple's App Store or the Android Market than Facebook's highly ad-driven and social approach.
Each list appears on the left hand sidebar of the Google+ Games home page, and clicking on each opens a new page. While the way each list is populated is entirely different, they each look identical. Each page features a number of game icons in a grid layout, and mousing over each reveals a description of the game and the option to play. If a player wants to find the newest games on Google+, the guy or gal can simply click on "New Games" and instantly find brand new games to play.
Well, brand new in theory: The majority of social games on Google+ are already available on Facebook, save for exclusive releases like The Godfather: Five Families and GT Racing: Motor Academy. As the platform matures, game discovery features like these could be the selling point for Google+ Games. Your move, Facebook.
Do you think these features could pique your interest in gaming on Google+ once it brings in more games? How do you think Facebook will respond ?
They're pretty much self-explanatory, but the key takeaway here is that features like these take full advantage of the fact that Google+ Games is its own tucked-away section of the social network. Therefore, Google has opted to take more of an app store approach that you'd find at Apple's App Store or the Android Market than Facebook's highly ad-driven and social approach.
Each list appears on the left hand sidebar of the Google+ Games home page, and clicking on each opens a new page. While the way each list is populated is entirely different, they each look identical. Each page features a number of game icons in a grid layout, and mousing over each reveals a description of the game and the option to play. If a player wants to find the newest games on Google+, the guy or gal can simply click on "New Games" and instantly find brand new games to play.
Well, brand new in theory: The majority of social games on Google+ are already available on Facebook, save for exclusive releases like The Godfather: Five Families and GT Racing: Motor Academy. As the platform matures, game discovery features like these could be the selling point for Google+ Games. Your move, Facebook.
Do you think these features could pique your interest in gaming on Google+ once it brings in more games? How do you think Facebook will respond ?
PopCap offers Bejeweled on iPhone, iPad for zilch through Facebook
Your fingers have already scurried across the keyboard to enter "facebook" into that address bar, haven't they. Oh well, for those still reading this, the new Bejeweled for iPhone and iPad is available for free today (Dec. 19) through Facebook. If your memory is a bit fuzzy from the blitz of Christmas shopping and copious drinking to forget the horror, allow us to explain.
Seattle-based PopCap--casual game developer of hits like Bejeweled and Plants vs Zombies--had re-released its gem-matching mega hit on iPhone, Bejeweled 2+Blitz, earlier this month as two separate games. One game, Bejeweled Blitz, is completely free to play and is essentially the Facebook game for iPhone. The other, simply called Bejeweled, is a single-player, standalone game with new play modes that costs $.99 on the App Store.
The latter is the one PopCap and Apple are offering for free as of this writing. All you need to do is click this link right here to access Apple's "Free on App Store" app for Facebook. Then, click "Get Your Free App" to receive a code to use in iTunes. If iTunes doesn't open automatically, then launch it and choose the "Redeem" option in the iTunes Store. Just like that, you'll have the brand new Bejeweled for your iPhone and iPad for absolutely nothing. Act fast--like, really fast: We have no clue as to when this promotion will end.
[Via TouchArcade]
Did you pick up your free copy of Bejeweled? What do you think of PopCap's decision to re-release Bejeweled as two games?
Seattle-based PopCap--casual game developer of hits like Bejeweled and Plants vs Zombies--had re-released its gem-matching mega hit on iPhone, Bejeweled 2+Blitz, earlier this month as two separate games. One game, Bejeweled Blitz, is completely free to play and is essentially the Facebook game for iPhone. The other, simply called Bejeweled, is a single-player, standalone game with new play modes that costs $.99 on the App Store.
The latter is the one PopCap and Apple are offering for free as of this writing. All you need to do is click this link right here to access Apple's "Free on App Store" app for Facebook. Then, click "Get Your Free App" to receive a code to use in iTunes. If iTunes doesn't open automatically, then launch it and choose the "Redeem" option in the iTunes Store. Just like that, you'll have the brand new Bejeweled for your iPhone and iPad for absolutely nothing. Act fast--like, really fast: We have no clue as to when this promotion will end.
[Via TouchArcade]
Did you pick up your free copy of Bejeweled? What do you think of PopCap's decision to re-release Bejeweled as two games?
Study: Older mobile social gamers play less, but aren't afraid to spend
Old folk don't have the time to wait for energy in their iPhone and Android games--they have ... crossword puzzles to do. Or something like that. It's no wonder then that MocoSpace found in a recent study that older mobile social gamers spend less time playing their smartphone games of choice than their younger counterparts, but way more spend on virtual goods in said games.
MocoSpace, a mobile social games network with 22 million players, surveyed nearly 500,000 MocoSpace users between August and November to find out more about their play and spending habits. Unsurprisingly, mobile social gamers between 25 and 35-years-old spent the most time in their games: 67.9 million collective minutes over three months. However, only 22 percent of players in that same age group bought virtual goods in that time period.
MocoSpace Study chart
Players aged 45 and older, on the other hand, spent just 23.6 million collective minutes in their games of choice, the least of all age groups. Despite that, a whopping 70 percent of the older gamers spent cold, hard credit on virtual goods within the games. Granted, the sample size of older gamers compared to younger--30,297 to 190,210--is far smaller, but the percentage is nevertheless massive.
So, old folks that happen to play games on smartphones either happen to have more disposable income than younger mobile gamers, have less time to waste or a combination of both. (Keep in mind, however, that is study solely consists of MocoSpace users.) You'd think that old curmudgeons would scoff at the thought of buying virtual playthings, but here we are.
MocoSpace study numbers
Are you an older social gamer that buys lots of in-game items? Do you think these findings might be accurate across the board?
MocoSpace, a mobile social games network with 22 million players, surveyed nearly 500,000 MocoSpace users between August and November to find out more about their play and spending habits. Unsurprisingly, mobile social gamers between 25 and 35-years-old spent the most time in their games: 67.9 million collective minutes over three months. However, only 22 percent of players in that same age group bought virtual goods in that time period.
MocoSpace Study chart
Players aged 45 and older, on the other hand, spent just 23.6 million collective minutes in their games of choice, the least of all age groups. Despite that, a whopping 70 percent of the older gamers spent cold, hard credit on virtual goods within the games. Granted, the sample size of older gamers compared to younger--30,297 to 190,210--is far smaller, but the percentage is nevertheless massive.
So, old folks that happen to play games on smartphones either happen to have more disposable income than younger mobile gamers, have less time to waste or a combination of both. (Keep in mind, however, that is study solely consists of MocoSpace users.) You'd think that old curmudgeons would scoff at the thought of buying virtual playthings, but here we are.
MocoSpace study numbers
Are you an older social gamer that buys lots of in-game items? Do you think these findings might be accurate across the board?
Bollywood-styled Mafia Wars for hit film announced on four platforms
Hopes for a Mafia Wars movie were dashed last summer, but Bollywood is busting out the biggest action crime thriller this year in India, and it's coming with a Facebook game in tow.
Set in Germany, about an Indian mob boss taking over the European crime world, the film in question is Don 2: The King is Back, a sequel to Don: The Chase Begins Again (2006) by director Farhan Akhtar and starring Shahrukh "King of Bollyhood" Khan. This in turn, is a remake of the Indian cult film, Don (1978). And it's a big enough deal that aside from Android, iOS, and Facebook, they're also involving the PlayStation 3 in the mix.
India's largest games services company, Gameshastra, is in charge of transforming the film into a third-person action adventure for the PS3, where the player gets to be Shahrukh Khan's character. Mango Games in Bangalore, India will be developing the film's Facebook game, called "Don - The Social Mobsters Game". (There's also even a board game, which is already out. But that one's not making a blip on anyone's radar.)
Details are few, but launch dates have been set, and while the console game will hit the PSN next March, the web and mobile games will be released the same day as the film, December 23. Film producer Ritesh Sidhwani believes that "This is the best way to keep the hysteria going among the fans."
[Hat-tip: Gather]
Does news of the game make you excited for the film, or vice versa? Do you think Facebook can use another mobsters game?
Set in Germany, about an Indian mob boss taking over the European crime world, the film in question is Don 2: The King is Back, a sequel to Don: The Chase Begins Again (2006) by director Farhan Akhtar and starring Shahrukh "King of Bollyhood" Khan. This in turn, is a remake of the Indian cult film, Don (1978). And it's a big enough deal that aside from Android, iOS, and Facebook, they're also involving the PlayStation 3 in the mix.
India's largest games services company, Gameshastra, is in charge of transforming the film into a third-person action adventure for the PS3, where the player gets to be Shahrukh Khan's character. Mango Games in Bangalore, India will be developing the film's Facebook game, called "Don - The Social Mobsters Game". (There's also even a board game, which is already out. But that one's not making a blip on anyone's radar.)
Details are few, but launch dates have been set, and while the console game will hit the PSN next March, the web and mobile games will be released the same day as the film, December 23. Film producer Ritesh Sidhwani believes that "This is the best way to keep the hysteria going among the fans."
[Hat-tip: Gather]
Does news of the game make you excited for the film, or vice versa? Do you think Facebook can use another mobsters game?
Play Kabam's hardcore strategy social games straight from the desktop
It's like they're PC games, only they're still connected to Facebook and Google+. (Well, that and they still look like browser games.) Kabam has released four of its most popular social games through SweetLabs's Pokki platform, a service that allows developers to turn their web-based games and apps into desktop-based programs with the same functionality.
In short, now you can play Dragons of Atlantis, Thirst of Night, Edgeworld and The Godfather: Five Families without having to open up a web browser and going to Facebook or Google+. Fans of Kabam's "hardcore" social strategy games can now download all four games and play them as if they were downloadable PC games from the start. (Unfortunately, only Windows users need apply.) However, we imagine the games will still require an Internet connection and, almost more importantly, a connection to either social network.
"Kabam creates uniquely rich social games for real gamers, and we couldn't be happier that they're using Pokki to bring those games to the desktop for the first time," SweetLabs co-founder and CMO Chester Ng said. "A word of caution though: One click access to Kabam games without ever having to open a browser can be highly addicting, especially when coupled with real-time in-game notifications."
While one-click access sounds appealing, was it really that difficult to access the games on Facebook or Google+ to begin with? At any rate, this is an interesting move for Kabam, and an obvious attempt at increasing its strategy games' appeal to the "hardcore" gaming crowd. Will they bite? Who knows but if you ask Raptr, "hardcore" gamers already have.
Click here to download Kabam's games for Windows >
What do you think of Kabam releasing its games as desktop applications? Would you rather play your favorite social games straight from your desktop or within the browser?
In short, now you can play Dragons of Atlantis, Thirst of Night, Edgeworld and The Godfather: Five Families without having to open up a web browser and going to Facebook or Google+. Fans of Kabam's "hardcore" social strategy games can now download all four games and play them as if they were downloadable PC games from the start. (Unfortunately, only Windows users need apply.) However, we imagine the games will still require an Internet connection and, almost more importantly, a connection to either social network.
"Kabam creates uniquely rich social games for real gamers, and we couldn't be happier that they're using Pokki to bring those games to the desktop for the first time," SweetLabs co-founder and CMO Chester Ng said. "A word of caution though: One click access to Kabam games without ever having to open a browser can be highly addicting, especially when coupled with real-time in-game notifications."
While one-click access sounds appealing, was it really that difficult to access the games on Facebook or Google+ to begin with? At any rate, this is an interesting move for Kabam, and an obvious attempt at increasing its strategy games' appeal to the "hardcore" gaming crowd. Will they bite? Who knows but if you ask Raptr, "hardcore" gamers already have.
Click here to download Kabam's games for Windows >
What do you think of Kabam releasing its games as desktop applications? Would you rather play your favorite social games straight from your desktop or within the browser?
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