Studio Ghibli, known for classic anime like My Neighbor Totoro and now PS3 game Ni no Kuni, has a museum. And that that museum, there is beer. And that beer is awesome.
The label reads “Kaze no Tani”, a reference to Japanese title of Hayao Miyazaki’s 1984 anime Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (“Kaze no Tani no Naushika”). In the middle, that’s Nausicaä, the movie’s heroine.
The top of the label reads “Cafe Mugiwaraboushi”, with “mugiawaraboushi” meaning “straw hat”. In the bottom, there is a shield with a straw hat in it, like the one the character Mei wears in My neighbour Totoro.
Not only does Studio Ghibli make good movies. It also makes good beer labels. How many anime studios can say that?
Thứ Tư, 26 tháng 10, 2011
A Great Car Chase Is Now A Great Toy
You’ll be seeing a lot more toys over the next few days, because the New York Comic Con will be full of them. This one, however, won’t be.
It’s coming from Japan, and commemorates what I think is one of the best car chase sequences in cinema history. It’s so great, in fact, that it’s rumoured none other than Steven Spielberg calls it his favourite movie car chase.
This car-and-men set is from The Castle of Cagliostro, a 1979 animated feature based on the manga series Lupin III (and directed by none other than Studio Ghibli’s Hayao Miyazaki).
If you’ve seen the movie, you know all about this scene. If you haven’t, you need to. It’s badas
It’s coming from Japan, and commemorates what I think is one of the best car chase sequences in cinema history. It’s so great, in fact, that it’s rumoured none other than Steven Spielberg calls it his favourite movie car chase.
This car-and-men set is from The Castle of Cagliostro, a 1979 animated feature based on the manga series Lupin III (and directed by none other than Studio Ghibli’s Hayao Miyazaki).
If you’ve seen the movie, you know all about this scene. If you haven’t, you need to. It’s badas
How Different Will Final Fantasy XIV Version 2.0 Be?
Version 2.0 will feature a complete redesign of the game’s current repetitive maps. “The current maps in Final Fantasy XIV are not only massive, but allow for seamless passage across wide expanses of the realm,” wrote the game’s producer and director Naoki Yoshida. “In order to maintain this seamlessness, however, we were forced to heavily reuse assets, resulting in static, repetitive areas.”
It will feature the implementation of a new graphics engine as well as a new server that should mean faster performance. What’s more, Yoshida added, “Our new graphics engine will allow us to maintain a high level of graphic quality while allowing us to optimise the game for play on the PlayStation 3 system.”
The game’s new graphics engine will also cause graphics to render differently than in the current version. Thus, Square Enix is allowing players to re-customise their avatar’s race, gender, and appearance.
Currently, FFXIV‘s new server system is up and running internally. Square Enix is in the process of putting the final touches on the party and friend system. The goal is to have all basic system features done by Feb. 2012. After that, Square Enix will start work on a worldless party matching system as well as porting all current player data. The goal is to have all this completed by Mar. 31, 2012.
The game’s user interface has been fully redone, and the in-game community content has been expanded. The new UI will newly redesigned windows, and Square Enix plans to have full support for keyboard and mouse users as wel as multi-window capability and stress-free drag and drop. The new UI even opens the door for user-made add-ons.
Square Enix also wants to strengthen the player community with in-game community options, in-game mail, player housing, PvP content, and a revamp of the retainer system and markets.
For detailed road maps of how Square Enix is planning to implement these changes, check out the gallery above. Also, there are tables that detail planned upcoming changes. These changes, of course, could change.
It will feature the implementation of a new graphics engine as well as a new server that should mean faster performance. What’s more, Yoshida added, “Our new graphics engine will allow us to maintain a high level of graphic quality while allowing us to optimise the game for play on the PlayStation 3 system.”
The game’s new graphics engine will also cause graphics to render differently than in the current version. Thus, Square Enix is allowing players to re-customise their avatar’s race, gender, and appearance.
Currently, FFXIV‘s new server system is up and running internally. Square Enix is in the process of putting the final touches on the party and friend system. The goal is to have all basic system features done by Feb. 2012. After that, Square Enix will start work on a worldless party matching system as well as porting all current player data. The goal is to have all this completed by Mar. 31, 2012.
The game’s user interface has been fully redone, and the in-game community content has been expanded. The new UI will newly redesigned windows, and Square Enix plans to have full support for keyboard and mouse users as wel as multi-window capability and stress-free drag and drop. The new UI even opens the door for user-made add-ons.
Square Enix also wants to strengthen the player community with in-game community options, in-game mail, player housing, PvP content, and a revamp of the retainer system and markets.
For detailed road maps of how Square Enix is planning to implement these changes, check out the gallery above. Also, there are tables that detail planned upcoming changes. These changes, of course, could change.
Thứ Ba, 25 tháng 10, 2011
Uncharted 3 Fortune Hunters’ Club Is Your Ticket To Discounted DLC
Eschewing the generic Season Pass label many games are using to package together downloadable content, Sony and Naughty Dog opt for the much classier Fortune Hunters’ Club to give Uncharted 3 fans a discounted price on upcoming DLC.
Available now for preorder on the PlayStation Store and at select video game retailers, the Uncharted 3 Fortune Hunters’ Club allows players to drop $US24.99 on more than $US45 worth of downloadable Drake goodness. Drop the cash entitles the player to the first four multiplayer map packs and the first three skin packs, the first of which is due out next month following the game’s November 1 release. Players will also score an exclusive Fortune Hunters’ Club theme, and will be alerted to new DLC releases via messages on the PlayStation 3′s XMB.
That, and they’ll be in a club! Who doesn’t enjoy being in a club?
Available now for preorder on the PlayStation Store and at select video game retailers, the Uncharted 3 Fortune Hunters’ Club allows players to drop $US24.99 on more than $US45 worth of downloadable Drake goodness. Drop the cash entitles the player to the first four multiplayer map packs and the first three skin packs, the first of which is due out next month following the game’s November 1 release. Players will also score an exclusive Fortune Hunters’ Club theme, and will be alerted to new DLC releases via messages on the PlayStation 3′s XMB.
That, and they’ll be in a club! Who doesn’t enjoy being in a club?
This Secret Of Mana Rap Will Make You Wistful
There’s nothing like old-school JRPGs to make you nostalgic, and this rap about the plucky lads from Potos tuugsa at the old heartstrings. But, what this really needs is a video. Can’t be too hard to mock up SNES-era graphics along with this track, right?
Thứ Hai, 24 tháng 10, 2011
Getting ‘Whored’ In The First 17% Of Saints Row: The Third
When I saw Saints Row: The Third earlier this year, developer Volition showcased a spectacular bank heist from the game, a carnage-filled showdown with Steelport’s SWAT team. It was a bizarre, comedically ultraviolent shootout that played like a major, mid-game highlight.
Turns out that bloody cops and robbers confrontation was just Saints Row: The Third‘s tutorial mission.
I played Saints Row: The Third for hours last week at an event in Hollywood–you know, the one Lindsay Lohan’s teeth attended — making my way through 17 per cent of the November-due game. It was a small slice of the crime spree comedy and that bank heist was just the tip of the ridiculous Saints Row iceberg.
Saints Row: The Third starts with a Star Wars-style crawl, a quick, easily forgettable set up to the third game in Volition’s Grand Theft Auto-like. It then drops players into that over-the-top robbery, then into extensive player character customisation — I went with a foxy Saint with skin-tight golf pants and “bad girl boots”, conservatively keeping the “sex appeal” (read: breast size) meter at its D-cup default — and then into a set piece that easily trumped that bank job.
Without spoiling too much, playing as my customised lady Saint, I fought my way through and out of an aeroplane owned by the Syndicate, the international crime syndicate led by Belgian bad guy Phillipe Loren, then parachuted my way through an amusement park ride-like murder spree. My Saint plummeted toward the earth for a long, long time, gunning down parachuting gangsters in pursuit, dodging falling sports cars and rescuing my fellow Saint, Shaundi, from becoming a splatter.
Turns out that bloody cops and robbers confrontation was just Saints Row: The Third‘s tutorial mission.
I played Saints Row: The Third for hours last week at an event in Hollywood–you know, the one Lindsay Lohan’s teeth attended — making my way through 17 per cent of the November-due game. It was a small slice of the crime spree comedy and that bank heist was just the tip of the ridiculous Saints Row iceberg.
Saints Row: The Third starts with a Star Wars-style crawl, a quick, easily forgettable set up to the third game in Volition’s Grand Theft Auto-like. It then drops players into that over-the-top robbery, then into extensive player character customisation — I went with a foxy Saint with skin-tight golf pants and “bad girl boots”, conservatively keeping the “sex appeal” (read: breast size) meter at its D-cup default — and then into a set piece that easily trumped that bank job.
Without spoiling too much, playing as my customised lady Saint, I fought my way through and out of an aeroplane owned by the Syndicate, the international crime syndicate led by Belgian bad guy Phillipe Loren, then parachuted my way through an amusement park ride-like murder spree. My Saint plummeted toward the earth for a long, long time, gunning down parachuting gangsters in pursuit, dodging falling sports cars and rescuing my fellow Saint, Shaundi, from becoming a splatter.
NVIDIA Shows Off A PC Batman: Arkham City Worth Waiting For
While console players are busy exploring everything Batman: Arkham City has to offer, PC gamers have to wait until November 15 to don the cape and cowl. NVIDIA gives them something to look forward to with a video showing off how PhysX makes with the dust and clutter.
The video shows off a more properly trashed Arkham City, with papers strewn about, sparks showering the ground, and dust rising with every impact of Batman’s gauntleted fist. Of particular note is the ice particles flying off Mr Freeze’s freeze ray, a striking contrast to the non-PhysX-enabled version of the game.
The video shows off a more properly trashed Arkham City, with papers strewn about, sparks showering the ground, and dust rising with every impact of Batman’s gauntleted fist. Of particular note is the ice particles flying off Mr Freeze’s freeze ray, a striking contrast to the non-PhysX-enabled version of the game.
More Than 300 Tiny Indie Games In One Free Pirate Kart Bundle
More than 100 independent developers gather together more than 300 games they deemed not “big” or “polished” or “real” enough to be worth the entry fee for the 2012 Independent Games Festival awards into one massive bundle, and you can download and play it for free. Everybody wins!
At least I hope everybody wins. The 2012 IGF Pirate Kart is a chance for indie devs with tiny, unpolished and downright odd little games a chance at IGF award fame. It’s a chance for these diamonds in the rough to shine in a competition generally geared towards more commercially viable product.
Hidden within the 1.36GB download are countless little gems scattered haphazardly over a bed of the strange, silly, and suck-worthy. I’ve played a dozen or so now, and so far my favourite is madamluna’s My Secret Boyfriend, and short graphics-free adventure game that involves… well I’ll just say it involves waste disposal.
Hit up the link below to grab the 2012 IGF Pirate Kart and then spend the afternoon staring incredulously at your monitor.
2012 IGF Pirate Kart [Official Page]
At least I hope everybody wins. The 2012 IGF Pirate Kart is a chance for indie devs with tiny, unpolished and downright odd little games a chance at IGF award fame. It’s a chance for these diamonds in the rough to shine in a competition generally geared towards more commercially viable product.
Hidden within the 1.36GB download are countless little gems scattered haphazardly over a bed of the strange, silly, and suck-worthy. I’ve played a dozen or so now, and so far my favourite is madamluna’s My Secret Boyfriend, and short graphics-free adventure game that involves… well I’ll just say it involves waste disposal.
Hit up the link below to grab the 2012 IGF Pirate Kart and then spend the afternoon staring incredulously at your monitor.
2012 IGF Pirate Kart [Official Page]
Thứ Bảy, 22 tháng 10, 2011
How did you celebrate the Black Ops launch?
As many were expecting, like it or not, the Black Ops launch was one of the largest, most anticipated multi-platform releases of the year. Certainly, each community spent the evening in a surely different, yet similar manner. Some great, some well, not so great, like the Gamestop in Baltimore that got held up at gunpoint. The thieves making away with several consoles and a hundred or so copies of Black Ops.
Regardless, I did not pre-order Black Ops, but I did offer to take my younger brother to pick up his copy. He had went to our local Gamestop when they opened at 9am to pay off the game and get his number for the midnight release. Thankfully he was number 4. So we left feeling pretty confident that we'd be in and out when midnight came around. Needless to say we get back at about quarter to 12am and there must be at least 500 cars in large plaza that Gamestop shared with several other stores. There was a Sahlens hot dog stand and many US Army and Marines all decked out in there uniforms, a few of which were friends of mine. So my bro and I head to the front of line and retrieve his copy. Upon exiting we run all the way down the line yelling "number 4!" while being booed by some of the people in the 200-300 ticket range. The drive home was similar to that of Nascar with people flying out of the Gamestop parking lot. I'm sure the local authorities had a field day pulling people over that night.
Regardless, I did not pre-order Black Ops, but I did offer to take my younger brother to pick up his copy. He had went to our local Gamestop when they opened at 9am to pay off the game and get his number for the midnight release. Thankfully he was number 4. So we left feeling pretty confident that we'd be in and out when midnight came around. Needless to say we get back at about quarter to 12am and there must be at least 500 cars in large plaza that Gamestop shared with several other stores. There was a Sahlens hot dog stand and many US Army and Marines all decked out in there uniforms, a few of which were friends of mine. So my bro and I head to the front of line and retrieve his copy. Upon exiting we run all the way down the line yelling "number 4!" while being booed by some of the people in the 200-300 ticket range. The drive home was similar to that of Nascar with people flying out of the Gamestop parking lot. I'm sure the local authorities had a field day pulling people over that night.
Play the Scary Maze Game With Your Friends!
Have you ever played the Scary Maze Game 8 now? If not, brotha you haven’t lived!!! This maze game is the most awesome game on earth! But in order to play it you MUST have a partner in the room with you. So go find a friend, co-hort, or even an enemy – it doesn’t matter! Then match your wits and your mouse skills with the game and see if you’re awesome enough to win the BIG prize at the end!
leaked Mortal Kombat 9 characters?
On the midway (soon to be netherrealm studio) boards today, a user named AdrianJames has realeased some "leaked" MK9 screens showing sonya on the select screen and artwork concepts of ermac and goro.
Sonya on the select screen:
http://i23.photobucket.com/...
Nothing much to show here except that sonya is definitely in this game but who didn't expect her? It looks like they did make her look like a bada$$ woman instead of a he-she like in MK vs DC universe. can't wait to see her in action as sonya is one of my favorites. speaking of favorites....
goro concept art:
http://i23.photobucket.com/...
The tweaked design looks pretty good. Hopefully, goro won't look like a hunch back like he did in Mortal Kombat armageddon.
ermac concept art:
http://i23.photobucket.com/...
In this picture, Ermac is wearing his MK: Deception outfit but, once again, the outfit is modified. I like his revamp design as he looks intimidating.
So, will Ermac and goro be in MK9? Seeing as thier concept art was leaked, I say it is very likely they will be in. Besides, goro was the freaking MK champion before liu kang defeated him
in MK1.
Sonya on the select screen:
http://i23.photobucket.com/...
Nothing much to show here except that sonya is definitely in this game but who didn't expect her? It looks like they did make her look like a bada$$ woman instead of a he-she like in MK vs DC universe. can't wait to see her in action as sonya is one of my favorites. speaking of favorites....
goro concept art:
http://i23.photobucket.com/...
The tweaked design looks pretty good. Hopefully, goro won't look like a hunch back like he did in Mortal Kombat armageddon.
ermac concept art:
http://i23.photobucket.com/...
In this picture, Ermac is wearing his MK: Deception outfit but, once again, the outfit is modified. I like his revamp design as he looks intimidating.
So, will Ermac and goro be in MK9? Seeing as thier concept art was leaked, I say it is very likely they will be in. Besides, goro was the freaking MK champion before liu kang defeated him
in MK1.
Thứ Năm, 20 tháng 10, 2011
Panzer Dragoon Saga has survived the test of time! "13 years & still kicking"
This is an in depth look at how well Panzer Dragoon Saga has survived the test of time.
What other games do you feel have also survived the test of time and hold up well for todays standards?
What other games do you feel have also survived the test of time and hold up well for todays standards?
What I would like to see in 2011
The video game industry is a strange beast. It’s not unlike the movie or comic book industry in that creative heads are constantly looking for new and fresh ways to present their product in an artistic and entertaining way, but unlike the latter two, video game developers take a longer time to realize their projects. Where it only takes months for a new film or issue to come out from inception, it can take years for a game project to come to fruition. Engines can take up to four years to fully materialize and the subsequent work-hours in programming/producing/designin g/testing leave very little room for surprises, so writing a video game industry wish list boils down to when you hope to first hear about a game in development, not the year you will actually get something to sink your teeth in.
Regardless, here is what I’d like to see (or read about) in 2011.
NO MORE CALL OF DUTIES
For the love of God, Activision, just call it something else. Most COD games have little-to-no resemblance to one another. They are just shooters with extravagant set pieces and an over-exaggerated appetite for glorifying war. It first started as a pretender to the WW2 throne trying to capitalize on the success of Medal of Honor, then “it” jumped on the modern warfare bandwagon popularized by Battlefield. Now we have Black Ops. What’s next in this call for profit? COD: SWAT? COD: Submariner? COD: Aircraft Carrier Controller? Just stop. Call it whatever you want, but get the COD out.
NO MORE FREE-TO-PLAY MMOS, PLEASE
Free-to-play MMOs remind me of the Hokey Pokey. No, sorry, the Crocodile Rock. Wrong again: the Elephant. Actually, they’re more like the Mashed Potato, The Monster Mash, The Monkey, The Dog, The Frug… You get the picture. Like 60s dance crazes, one company struck it big with a winning concept and now the internet is littered with free-to-play MMOs. But unlike the aforementioned fads, you won’t be seeing me skipping around humming to any catchy tunes.
Truth be told, the culprits are but a handful of companies. Publisher likes Aeria Games have over a dozen such games under their belt, all being nothing more than clones of one another. Sure, they appear to have a few distinct genres (The Cutesy Jailbaits with Big Eyes, The Serious Dudes with Big Swords, The Voluptuous Babes with even Bigger Cleavage), but ultimately they all follow the same formula of enticing would-be MMOers with over-sexed female concept art, gratuitous grinding and GMs (Game Masters) plugging crap to their community through various in-game and website activities. Such companies are nothing more than suppliers, really, since they have absolutely no input in the design process of the games they “publish.” The true developers and publishers are faceless enterprises, comfortably holed up in distant lands from where they spit out the same game with new titles and skins jobs. Having said that, the press needs a new category to accompany “Developer” and “Publisher” in their game descriptors (one guess -- it also starts with a “P”) because “Publishers” they are certainly not. We have way too much of their cargo on our superhighways; let’s clean up our streets.
MIRROR’S EDGE 2
Ok, time for what I want to see more of. In November of 2008, EA made a courageous attempt at giving players a cool parkour game: Mirror’s Edge. The title had some flaws, mainly in flow (something the main character, Faith, ironically talks about when describing her lifestyle) because gameplay and story had a hard time keeping up with our nimble heroine. But the game also had a heart as big as Faith’s. Fans were given a slick game with daring first-person mechanics and clean urban settings. The result painted an eerie canvas of how our world might look one day. It wasn’t just a nice game to look at, it had a message. More importantly, despite its gameplay shortcomings it grew on you if you had the guts to come back for seconds, thirds and fourths after the end-credits. My review ( http://www.gameobserver.com... ) was a bit harsh, and I stick by it, but it doesn’t mean I don’t want to see more of Mirror’s Edge.
Mirror’s Edge was unnecessarily hard at times, probably because players had a difficult time adapting to the levels. We had to know what to do to fully enjoy the game; unfortunately DICE was unable to program runner instincts as well as they hoped. All we had for guidance was a despondent objectives menu, an almost mocking destination pointer (which omitted every objective in between) and some red paint to guide us through the hail of bullets. It was also short and didn’t give us a good idea of how Faith’s world, including some of her gameplay mechanics like disarming unsuspecting opponents, really behaved. Nevertheless, the game deserves a sequel, not only to have a second chance at fixing flow issues, but also to expand on a winning formula. The sum of its parts gave us a memorable experience with a lot of potential.
Mirror’s Edge 2 is being “considered” by EA, so I am here to say that as an editor, and more importantly a gamer, I want to see a sequel. Most of us harsh critics simply wanted Mirror’s Edge to be perfect because it’s one of the few titles that can even hope to aim for that goal. I have come back to the old game on a few occasions, and I have to admit it plays better each time. Faith, it seems, has stamina in those legs.
VAGRANT STORY 2
I don’t care if they make a remake or a sequel, Square Enix’s epic and often misunderstood work of genius deserves a second chance. The game originally came out on the PS1 in 2000 and was heralded by some critics as a masterpiece. Unfortunately Vagrant Story was overshadowed by Final Fantasy IX and Chrono Cross, which also came out that same year. Detractors complained about the game’s difficulty. I for one never had problems with it, and the much-hated weapon creation process was one of my favorite features.
Gameplay offered players a little bit of everything: action, RPG, adventure, strategy and puzzle-solving. Combat revolved around a spherical grid that appeared around the player’s character. It determined target range and hit locations. To some extent it resembled Fallout 3’s V.A.T.S. targeting system. Complimenting the grid was a timing feature that let players juggle attacks almost indefinitely. A player could technically defeat a dragon with a rusty dagger with the right timing and skill (actual gameplay skill, not your character’s skill stats). To top it off, the game wove an amazing tale with ample background -- better than most Hollywood blockbusters. The story’s conclusion saw our protagonist starting his journey as a vagrant, so Vagrant Story was but a mere prequel to what Square had in store for us. Let’s hope they finish the job one day.
MORE SPACE EXPLORATION GAMES
I’ve had a hard time finding a decent space exploration game in the last few years. I tried what feels like all of them: Freelancer 2 (too linear, a shooter), Darkstar One (pretty good but no planet exploration), Galactic Civilization (strategy game, focuses on warfare not exploration), Sins of a Solar Empire (strategy game, no space exploration), Spore (close, but the final frontier would have greatly benefitted from more lead time and prettier gibberish-talking space muppets).
At this point in my trek to find new space games, online Samaritans usually point me towards MMOs. Eve Online is often suggested to me first. You see, my fellow readers, space exploration isn’t about finding attractive asteroid mining ventures. It’s, like Captain Kirk so eloquently put it, about boldly going where no one has gone before. It’s hard to get that feeling when all you can think about is reaching the next floating pile of crap on the horizon. ISK be damned, I want to find planets! I want to explore strange new worlds. I want to feel how precious it is to find an M class planet. I want to feel the space around me. I want to bask at the sight of finding a region with a high concentration of Rodnium (ok, ISK isn’t all bad -- baby needs a new pair of thrusters). What I’m getting at is space needs two equally important things: a feeling of distance and planets to explore. You can’t explore planets when you don’t have a ground game (looking at you space shooters) and you can’t get a feel for distance when traveling is determined by pointing and clicking on a map (looking at you space strategy games).
It seems the advent of 3D graphics has brought on a new set of limitations. Because we can see our surroundings in more detail, developers are scared to give us a galaxy full of barren planets that are noticeably generated by predictable algorithms. The result is what we’ve seen in Mass Effect’s exploration parts. We get a ground game but the limited amount of worlds we can visit deprives the galaxy of its vastness. And the planets we can actually explore are either too constrained with over-scenic environments, or give us ample freedom but in settings void of anything interesting. With today’s graphical expectations it has become too damn hard to place all those static meshes, align all those textures and position all those particle effects. Each planet needs the caring touch of a RedBull-swigging level designer. If there is one thing classic games did well it was focusing on what really matters, and in space that’s vastness and having too many options.
A perfect example of a good “space exploration” game is Starflight for PC and Sega Genesis. Here’s a little game that embodied everything Star Trek represents in a concise, little package. We had hundreds, if not thousands, of planets to explore; the pitfalls of distance were omnipresent; we could land on just about every world; we had a few alien species to keep us entertained; we had a simple but effective economy based around mining, capturing and selling the indigenous fauna and discovering M class planets; we had numerous planets with interesting environments; you could upgrade your ship with noticeable improvements in-game; your crew’s stats determined how well your ship’s features performed; and best of all, it had a bad story... What? You heard me. You know you have a successful game concept on your hands when you don’t need a story to carry you along. Having said all that, on to the next topic.
Regardless, here is what I’d like to see (or read about) in 2011.
NO MORE CALL OF DUTIES
For the love of God, Activision, just call it something else. Most COD games have little-to-no resemblance to one another. They are just shooters with extravagant set pieces and an over-exaggerated appetite for glorifying war. It first started as a pretender to the WW2 throne trying to capitalize on the success of Medal of Honor, then “it” jumped on the modern warfare bandwagon popularized by Battlefield. Now we have Black Ops. What’s next in this call for profit? COD: SWAT? COD: Submariner? COD: Aircraft Carrier Controller? Just stop. Call it whatever you want, but get the COD out.
NO MORE FREE-TO-PLAY MMOS, PLEASE
Free-to-play MMOs remind me of the Hokey Pokey. No, sorry, the Crocodile Rock. Wrong again: the Elephant. Actually, they’re more like the Mashed Potato, The Monster Mash, The Monkey, The Dog, The Frug… You get the picture. Like 60s dance crazes, one company struck it big with a winning concept and now the internet is littered with free-to-play MMOs. But unlike the aforementioned fads, you won’t be seeing me skipping around humming to any catchy tunes.
Truth be told, the culprits are but a handful of companies. Publisher likes Aeria Games have over a dozen such games under their belt, all being nothing more than clones of one another. Sure, they appear to have a few distinct genres (The Cutesy Jailbaits with Big Eyes, The Serious Dudes with Big Swords, The Voluptuous Babes with even Bigger Cleavage), but ultimately they all follow the same formula of enticing would-be MMOers with over-sexed female concept art, gratuitous grinding and GMs (Game Masters) plugging crap to their community through various in-game and website activities. Such companies are nothing more than suppliers, really, since they have absolutely no input in the design process of the games they “publish.” The true developers and publishers are faceless enterprises, comfortably holed up in distant lands from where they spit out the same game with new titles and skins jobs. Having said that, the press needs a new category to accompany “Developer” and “Publisher” in their game descriptors (one guess -- it also starts with a “P”) because “Publishers” they are certainly not. We have way too much of their cargo on our superhighways; let’s clean up our streets.
MIRROR’S EDGE 2
Ok, time for what I want to see more of. In November of 2008, EA made a courageous attempt at giving players a cool parkour game: Mirror’s Edge. The title had some flaws, mainly in flow (something the main character, Faith, ironically talks about when describing her lifestyle) because gameplay and story had a hard time keeping up with our nimble heroine. But the game also had a heart as big as Faith’s. Fans were given a slick game with daring first-person mechanics and clean urban settings. The result painted an eerie canvas of how our world might look one day. It wasn’t just a nice game to look at, it had a message. More importantly, despite its gameplay shortcomings it grew on you if you had the guts to come back for seconds, thirds and fourths after the end-credits. My review ( http://www.gameobserver.com... ) was a bit harsh, and I stick by it, but it doesn’t mean I don’t want to see more of Mirror’s Edge.
Mirror’s Edge was unnecessarily hard at times, probably because players had a difficult time adapting to the levels. We had to know what to do to fully enjoy the game; unfortunately DICE was unable to program runner instincts as well as they hoped. All we had for guidance was a despondent objectives menu, an almost mocking destination pointer (which omitted every objective in between) and some red paint to guide us through the hail of bullets. It was also short and didn’t give us a good idea of how Faith’s world, including some of her gameplay mechanics like disarming unsuspecting opponents, really behaved. Nevertheless, the game deserves a sequel, not only to have a second chance at fixing flow issues, but also to expand on a winning formula. The sum of its parts gave us a memorable experience with a lot of potential.
Mirror’s Edge 2 is being “considered” by EA, so I am here to say that as an editor, and more importantly a gamer, I want to see a sequel. Most of us harsh critics simply wanted Mirror’s Edge to be perfect because it’s one of the few titles that can even hope to aim for that goal. I have come back to the old game on a few occasions, and I have to admit it plays better each time. Faith, it seems, has stamina in those legs.
VAGRANT STORY 2
I don’t care if they make a remake or a sequel, Square Enix’s epic and often misunderstood work of genius deserves a second chance. The game originally came out on the PS1 in 2000 and was heralded by some critics as a masterpiece. Unfortunately Vagrant Story was overshadowed by Final Fantasy IX and Chrono Cross, which also came out that same year. Detractors complained about the game’s difficulty. I for one never had problems with it, and the much-hated weapon creation process was one of my favorite features.
Gameplay offered players a little bit of everything: action, RPG, adventure, strategy and puzzle-solving. Combat revolved around a spherical grid that appeared around the player’s character. It determined target range and hit locations. To some extent it resembled Fallout 3’s V.A.T.S. targeting system. Complimenting the grid was a timing feature that let players juggle attacks almost indefinitely. A player could technically defeat a dragon with a rusty dagger with the right timing and skill (actual gameplay skill, not your character’s skill stats). To top it off, the game wove an amazing tale with ample background -- better than most Hollywood blockbusters. The story’s conclusion saw our protagonist starting his journey as a vagrant, so Vagrant Story was but a mere prequel to what Square had in store for us. Let’s hope they finish the job one day.
MORE SPACE EXPLORATION GAMES
I’ve had a hard time finding a decent space exploration game in the last few years. I tried what feels like all of them: Freelancer 2 (too linear, a shooter), Darkstar One (pretty good but no planet exploration), Galactic Civilization (strategy game, focuses on warfare not exploration), Sins of a Solar Empire (strategy game, no space exploration), Spore (close, but the final frontier would have greatly benefitted from more lead time and prettier gibberish-talking space muppets).
At this point in my trek to find new space games, online Samaritans usually point me towards MMOs. Eve Online is often suggested to me first. You see, my fellow readers, space exploration isn’t about finding attractive asteroid mining ventures. It’s, like Captain Kirk so eloquently put it, about boldly going where no one has gone before. It’s hard to get that feeling when all you can think about is reaching the next floating pile of crap on the horizon. ISK be damned, I want to find planets! I want to explore strange new worlds. I want to feel how precious it is to find an M class planet. I want to feel the space around me. I want to bask at the sight of finding a region with a high concentration of Rodnium (ok, ISK isn’t all bad -- baby needs a new pair of thrusters). What I’m getting at is space needs two equally important things: a feeling of distance and planets to explore. You can’t explore planets when you don’t have a ground game (looking at you space shooters) and you can’t get a feel for distance when traveling is determined by pointing and clicking on a map (looking at you space strategy games).
It seems the advent of 3D graphics has brought on a new set of limitations. Because we can see our surroundings in more detail, developers are scared to give us a galaxy full of barren planets that are noticeably generated by predictable algorithms. The result is what we’ve seen in Mass Effect’s exploration parts. We get a ground game but the limited amount of worlds we can visit deprives the galaxy of its vastness. And the planets we can actually explore are either too constrained with over-scenic environments, or give us ample freedom but in settings void of anything interesting. With today’s graphical expectations it has become too damn hard to place all those static meshes, align all those textures and position all those particle effects. Each planet needs the caring touch of a RedBull-swigging level designer. If there is one thing classic games did well it was focusing on what really matters, and in space that’s vastness and having too many options.
A perfect example of a good “space exploration” game is Starflight for PC and Sega Genesis. Here’s a little game that embodied everything Star Trek represents in a concise, little package. We had hundreds, if not thousands, of planets to explore; the pitfalls of distance were omnipresent; we could land on just about every world; we had a few alien species to keep us entertained; we had a simple but effective economy based around mining, capturing and selling the indigenous fauna and discovering M class planets; we had numerous planets with interesting environments; you could upgrade your ship with noticeable improvements in-game; your crew’s stats determined how well your ship’s features performed; and best of all, it had a bad story... What? You heard me. You know you have a successful game concept on your hands when you don’t need a story to carry you along. Having said all that, on to the next topic.
Angry Birds for PC
Finally, those birds that everybody likes has arrived on PC. After iPhone, iPad, Android and other mobile versions, also iPhone cases and toys, Angry Birds has finally arrived on the PC thanks to the Intel App Up store. It’ll work fine and dandy on laptops and netbooks and will cost you only $4.99 to download. Nice price for this lovely game.
Angry Birds is a global phenomenon in mobile gaming and the top grossing iPhone app of 2010. So if you’re not a smart-phone wielding hipster, you no longer have an excuse not to be part of this franchise.
Overall it’s pretty much an identical game play experience to the iPhone app, with some minor differences. It’s snappy, gorgeous, and it sounds amazing. On the netbook version you use a mouse or trackpad instead of touch. There is an open hand icon when the mouse is in hover state, and a closed hand icon when you are clicking or dragging. This visible clue when pulling the slingshot is a nice aid. It allows you to fine tune shots more than just observing the angle of the slingshot band.
Angry Birds for PC
Larger screen means more visibility in the game. On many levels you can see the target that can’t be seen on the iPhone. The previous shot trail is more easily seen, allowing fine tuning of your next shot. Overall the animations and physics seem to have more fluidity.
In terms of features, options, menu etc it’s pretty close to the original. On the netbook the replay level icon has been added to the game space. So you don’t need to pause first then replay. If you start off with bad shot, just click the replay icon, then you can start over. Saving a click is nice. There is a Menu button in the Pause menu that gets you back to the Start screen. There are some things not in play on the netbook version. The leader board and achievements are not available in the main menu. The Golden Eggs are there.
Angry Birds strikes an interesting balance of repetitive, simple tasks and challenging game play working for the many scenarios. So, if you liked this game on your iPhone or Android phone, you’ll sure like it on your big PC screen. If you are new player, don’t hesitate and join the fun now.
You must know and recognize the game from the Rovio, Angry Birds.
This game consists of seven birds with super abilities are different. By using slingshots, you can control the jump and the height of ill-tempered birds to tear down the building where the collection of green pork fat is shelter.
Where is a funny collection of birds swelled, turned into a grumpy group of birds which destroy the kingdom of lustful pigs these cunning thieves.
Angry Birds now not only for the iPhone, Android OS, PS3 and PSP. even Angry Birds has been available in Ovi Store for Nokia. And now Angry Birds have been available for Windows XP and Windows 7
Free Angry Birds for PC
Plenty of dodgy website owners want to rip off Google and push traffic towards their sites on the bogus promise of the free version of Angry Birds for PC. This is only a scam but in fact there exists a download free Angry Birds for PC nevertheless, you will need to move quickly to take advantage of that offer
Finland games producer Rovio Mobile has produced their very 1st version of Angry Birds Game for the Apple iPhone. This particular game was immediately caught by the iPhonesters, and Rovio understood that they will become successful. That has been fine. However, Rovio needed to get going by recoding Angry Birds Games for several programs, which become easier for small companies to get done.
Several weeks went by and finally, the Nokia and Android users could get themselves the Angry Birds Game. After that, the RovioMobile switched their attentions to the huge users of the PSP or the Play Station Portable and the PS3. That has been an additional huge porting project for Rovio operations.
During that time, the PC users have been reading and hearing rumors regarding Angry Birds for PC. Ultimately, in January, Angry Birds for PC was released, and downloading is not for free. However, not everybody is willing to pay for $5 for just a game, even if they will enjoy playing with it. These days, several users have grown to be familiar of getting some thing for free, so there are many who are on the lookout for a totally free Angry Birds for PC download. It can be downloaded via Windows 7 and Windows XP and Vista, or Mac support. But downloading can only be downloaded if you have an internet connection for the process to activate successfully.
Angry Birds pc is one of the well-known games that have taken the popularity with over 200 million downloads. The availability of this game is taking place in almost all of the popular platforms. In addition to playing the game online in the browser you can now download it on your laptop and take it wherever you may go to enjoy the amazing games, enabling you to play whenever, wherever you go. Take it to your workplace or even in the park, while resting and basting under the sun. Probably launching the Angry Birds for PC the wisest and the best move the game maker ever made. This availability made for the millions of platform owners, even made the popularity of Angry Birds known to more video-gaming enthusiasts more than over.
Incoming search terms:
angry birds for pc
activate free angry birds for pc
angry birds FLASH SCAM
angry-birds-online scam
free angry birds games full version for window xp
- Angry Birds PC Updated
The PC version was updated last week which we talked about in this post. This update will finally include all episodes of Ham ‘Em High and the two chapters of Mine and Dine. I’m sure this is welcome news for all the PC players who have been feeling left out. It shouldn’t have taken this long to get all the episodes out but that’s in the past now so lets just get to playing. Since all the chapters are available you also have access to all of the golden eggs. You can finally complete your collection!
As a side note because I didn’t want to do an entire post about the subject, have you all seen the Angry Birds bra? It’s available over on etsy you should go check it out. I personally don’t know anyone who would wear it but i’m sure there is someone out there who would. I don’t recommend buying this for you girlfriend or wife unless she really loves angry birds.
Angry Birds is a global phenomenon in mobile gaming and the top grossing iPhone app of 2010. So if you’re not a smart-phone wielding hipster, you no longer have an excuse not to be part of this franchise.
Overall it’s pretty much an identical game play experience to the iPhone app, with some minor differences. It’s snappy, gorgeous, and it sounds amazing. On the netbook version you use a mouse or trackpad instead of touch. There is an open hand icon when the mouse is in hover state, and a closed hand icon when you are clicking or dragging. This visible clue when pulling the slingshot is a nice aid. It allows you to fine tune shots more than just observing the angle of the slingshot band.
Angry Birds for PC
Larger screen means more visibility in the game. On many levels you can see the target that can’t be seen on the iPhone. The previous shot trail is more easily seen, allowing fine tuning of your next shot. Overall the animations and physics seem to have more fluidity.
In terms of features, options, menu etc it’s pretty close to the original. On the netbook the replay level icon has been added to the game space. So you don’t need to pause first then replay. If you start off with bad shot, just click the replay icon, then you can start over. Saving a click is nice. There is a Menu button in the Pause menu that gets you back to the Start screen. There are some things not in play on the netbook version. The leader board and achievements are not available in the main menu. The Golden Eggs are there.
Angry Birds strikes an interesting balance of repetitive, simple tasks and challenging game play working for the many scenarios. So, if you liked this game on your iPhone or Android phone, you’ll sure like it on your big PC screen. If you are new player, don’t hesitate and join the fun now.
You must know and recognize the game from the Rovio, Angry Birds.
This game consists of seven birds with super abilities are different. By using slingshots, you can control the jump and the height of ill-tempered birds to tear down the building where the collection of green pork fat is shelter.
Where is a funny collection of birds swelled, turned into a grumpy group of birds which destroy the kingdom of lustful pigs these cunning thieves.
Angry Birds now not only for the iPhone, Android OS, PS3 and PSP. even Angry Birds has been available in Ovi Store for Nokia. And now Angry Birds have been available for Windows XP and Windows 7
Free Angry Birds for PC
Plenty of dodgy website owners want to rip off Google and push traffic towards their sites on the bogus promise of the free version of Angry Birds for PC. This is only a scam but in fact there exists a download free Angry Birds for PC nevertheless, you will need to move quickly to take advantage of that offer
Finland games producer Rovio Mobile has produced their very 1st version of Angry Birds Game for the Apple iPhone. This particular game was immediately caught by the iPhonesters, and Rovio understood that they will become successful. That has been fine. However, Rovio needed to get going by recoding Angry Birds Games for several programs, which become easier for small companies to get done.
Several weeks went by and finally, the Nokia and Android users could get themselves the Angry Birds Game. After that, the RovioMobile switched their attentions to the huge users of the PSP or the Play Station Portable and the PS3. That has been an additional huge porting project for Rovio operations.
During that time, the PC users have been reading and hearing rumors regarding Angry Birds for PC. Ultimately, in January, Angry Birds for PC was released, and downloading is not for free. However, not everybody is willing to pay for $5 for just a game, even if they will enjoy playing with it. These days, several users have grown to be familiar of getting some thing for free, so there are many who are on the lookout for a totally free Angry Birds for PC download. It can be downloaded via Windows 7 and Windows XP and Vista, or Mac support. But downloading can only be downloaded if you have an internet connection for the process to activate successfully.
Angry Birds pc is one of the well-known games that have taken the popularity with over 200 million downloads. The availability of this game is taking place in almost all of the popular platforms. In addition to playing the game online in the browser you can now download it on your laptop and take it wherever you may go to enjoy the amazing games, enabling you to play whenever, wherever you go. Take it to your workplace or even in the park, while resting and basting under the sun. Probably launching the Angry Birds for PC the wisest and the best move the game maker ever made. This availability made for the millions of platform owners, even made the popularity of Angry Birds known to more video-gaming enthusiasts more than over.
Incoming search terms:
angry birds for pc
activate free angry birds for pc
angry birds FLASH SCAM
angry-birds-online scam
free angry birds games full version for window xp
- Angry Birds PC Updated
The PC version was updated last week which we talked about in this post. This update will finally include all episodes of Ham ‘Em High and the two chapters of Mine and Dine. I’m sure this is welcome news for all the PC players who have been feeling left out. It shouldn’t have taken this long to get all the episodes out but that’s in the past now so lets just get to playing. Since all the chapters are available you also have access to all of the golden eggs. You can finally complete your collection!
As a side note because I didn’t want to do an entire post about the subject, have you all seen the Angry Birds bra? It’s available over on etsy you should go check it out. I personally don’t know anyone who would wear it but i’m sure there is someone out there who would. I don’t recommend buying this for you girlfriend or wife unless she really loves angry birds.
BBCW launches CBeebies games app
Games based on popular CBeebies Games series Charlie & Lola, Teletubbies, 3rd & Bird and Numberjacks are available through a new app launched by BBC Worldwide.
CBeebies On The Go is available for free on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad to pre-school children in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka and South Korea.
Developed by Tag Apps, it includes matching pairs picture games for the Teletubbies and Charlie & Lola, a Kerwhizz jigsaw game and a 3rd & Bird tap-the-fruit challenge. It also holds a number of short video clips from popular shows.
Director of CBeebies investment at BBCW, Henrietta Hurford-Jones, said the team had “worked hard to build a product that upholds the core values of learning through play”.
She added: “This new kids’ app is a first for the Channels business, so the learnings from this pilot phase will help shape any future plans to roll CBeebies Games On The Go out to new territories and different devices.”
More than 53m homes have access to the CBeebies channel worldwide.
CBeebies On The Go is available for free on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad to pre-school children in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka and South Korea.
Developed by Tag Apps, it includes matching pairs picture games for the Teletubbies and Charlie & Lola, a Kerwhizz jigsaw game and a 3rd & Bird tap-the-fruit challenge. It also holds a number of short video clips from popular shows.
Director of CBeebies investment at BBCW, Henrietta Hurford-Jones, said the team had “worked hard to build a product that upholds the core values of learning through play”.
She added: “This new kids’ app is a first for the Channels business, so the learnings from this pilot phase will help shape any future plans to roll CBeebies Games On The Go out to new territories and different devices.”
More than 53m homes have access to the CBeebies channel worldwide.
Chủ Nhật, 16 tháng 10, 2011
Why would you want to be a fanboy
I just can't get my head around the fact that some people only want one gaming system and then spend an awful lot of time trolling its rival. Why would a 360 gamer want to miss out on Killzone 3, Uncharted 2 and countless other amazing exclusives. Why would PS3 owners want to miss out on Halo, Gears of War, Fable, Splinter Cell and countless others, It puzzles me. I know the Xbox has had its problems, hell i'm on my fifth one but I've only ever had to buy two. Microsoft did a great job with the RROD problem which they should be given credit for, in the same way Sony should be given credit for the way they have handled the PSN hack. But no, both sides have been at each others throats from day 1.
I actually feel sorry for the Sony fanboys who never bought the original Xbox, that was a great system with some truly great games. You missed out on some of the best games of last gen, but you will never admit it though will you. I was a fanboy once, I was so loyal to the PS2 that I used to make up stories about the Xbox to my school friends to try and stop them from buying it. I remember one being that because the controller was so big it had two seconds of lag, oh how laim I was. But a trip to game changed my view of games for ever. I went to trade some games in and there it was a huge ass Xbox with halo being played on it. I showed no interest at first but as I kept glancing over I became more and more intrigued by it. I finally swallowed my pathetic fanboy pride and had a go and I was blown away. It was like nothing I'd ever played, the graphics were so much better than what I was used too. I didn't make my decision there and then, I bought an Xbox magazine and went home to see what else this console had to offer because I wasn't going to buy it for one game. To my amazement there were tons of games to look forward too, not the three games my fellow fanboys had swore too. So the next day I bought an Xbox with Halo, Pgr and something else which I can't remember. Since then I have been a multi console owner because there are no reasons to own just one and not the other except stupid fanboy things which any intelligent person should be able to see through.
There are more benefits than just exclusives, when a multiplat releases you have the choice on which console you want to play it on, like say for instance Red Dead Redemption was better on the 360 and Final Fantacy was better on the PS3. There is only one reason that you could justify owning just one of the consoles and that is if you could only afford one, then my advice would be to go with the PS3. But if you can afford both then buy both because there is no better way to game.
I actually feel sorry for the Sony fanboys who never bought the original Xbox, that was a great system with some truly great games. You missed out on some of the best games of last gen, but you will never admit it though will you. I was a fanboy once, I was so loyal to the PS2 that I used to make up stories about the Xbox to my school friends to try and stop them from buying it. I remember one being that because the controller was so big it had two seconds of lag, oh how laim I was. But a trip to game changed my view of games for ever. I went to trade some games in and there it was a huge ass Xbox with halo being played on it. I showed no interest at first but as I kept glancing over I became more and more intrigued by it. I finally swallowed my pathetic fanboy pride and had a go and I was blown away. It was like nothing I'd ever played, the graphics were so much better than what I was used too. I didn't make my decision there and then, I bought an Xbox magazine and went home to see what else this console had to offer because I wasn't going to buy it for one game. To my amazement there were tons of games to look forward too, not the three games my fellow fanboys had swore too. So the next day I bought an Xbox with Halo, Pgr and something else which I can't remember. Since then I have been a multi console owner because there are no reasons to own just one and not the other except stupid fanboy things which any intelligent person should be able to see through.
There are more benefits than just exclusives, when a multiplat releases you have the choice on which console you want to play it on, like say for instance Red Dead Redemption was better on the 360 and Final Fantacy was better on the PS3. There is only one reason that you could justify owning just one of the consoles and that is if you could only afford one, then my advice would be to go with the PS3. But if you can afford both then buy both because there is no better way to game.
April Contest Winners
Here's the proof, it wasn't an elaborate April Fools joke! Congratulations to the winners, and you can read about our May contests here: http://n4g.com/user/blogpos...
Congratulations to the winner of the April LOYAL READER LOTTERY:
Winner: Persistantthug (which, btw, I always read as "persistent hug" :D )
Prize: Nintendo 3DS
Congratulations to the winner of the April FORUM LOTTERY:
Winner: jmare
Prize: A 1-year subscription to GameFly! (2 games out at a time - subscription valued at over $200)
Congratulations to the winners of the April CONTRIBUTOR CONTEST:
The prizes are:
1st. mezzo, $250
2nd. skynidas, $150
3rd. Aclay, $50
4th. n4gboy, $50
5th. BIoodmask, $50 There may not be another Zynga game in which Energy is more important than in Adventure World. Every switch thrown, every puzzle solved and beastie whacked costs you the Facebook game juice. Players often find themselves without Energy minutes into an Expedition. But this isn't the time for whining--it's time to show you the value of upgrading your Tools and how to do it.
Tools: The Game Changer
If you noticed, each piece of debris and monster has a life bar, and normally take multiple hits with your Whip or Machete to whittle down. This, of course, quickly becomes a waste in later Expeditions purely due to the amount of obstacles in your path. But increasing the amount of damage your various Tools inflict against said baddies could considerably reduce the Energy spend in-game.
For instance, say a Snake has three hit points and is Level 5. Since monsters can hit back in this game, it could take three to five Energy before an enemy goes down. Now, imagine if you had upgraded your Whip to Level 2. Offing that Snake would take just two to four Energy with a beefier Whip. The same situation applies to Tools like the Machete.
Adventure World Tool Shop inside
And Now For Your How-To
Adventure World Tool Shop outsideUpgrading your Tools in Adventure World is simple. All you need to do is head back to Base Camp from an Expedition, and look for a makeshift hut that should already be in place in your headquarters. When you click on the Tool Shop, a window will appear featuring all the Tools you've found thus far on your journeys. Click on the Tool you wish to upgrade.
Once you click on a Tool to upgrade, you'll notice that each Tool costs Coins to upgrade. That's it--no asking friends to help you out with materials or farming certain crops for special items. Just the goods you find during your travels in search of El Dorado. However, Coins are actually quite rare in this game, so you'll need to save and spend wisely.
When you have enough Coins for an upgrade, just click on the appropriate icon to pay up. Tool upgrades are also level-locked, meaning you must reach a certain level for most Tools before being able to upgrade them using Coins. If you're feeling impatient, you could always unlock access to those higher level Tools early using Adventure Cash.
Just One Small Catch...
However, some Tool upgrades do require an extra boost: your Tool Shop. Yes, the building itself can be upgraded, too. And this time, you will need items from your friends. (Just think of how things work in CityVille.) Luckily, you only have to do this about twice to unlock access to all of the game's Tools. Then, it's back onto leveling up to access new upgrades for Coins.
Adventure World Tool Shop Upgrade
Upgraded Tools are hands-down the way to go, if you want to save precious Energy for the good stuff, that is. You know, exploring ... uncovering the secrets of El Dorado? That kind of stuff. Your wallet might thank us later.
Click here to find all of our Adventure World Tips in one spot >
[Source: Zynga]
Have you upgraded your Tools in Adventure World yet? What other Energy-saving tips might you have for your fellow adventurers? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
Congratulations to the winner of the April LOYAL READER LOTTERY:
Winner: Persistantthug (which, btw, I always read as "persistent hug" :D )
Prize: Nintendo 3DS
Congratulations to the winner of the April FORUM LOTTERY:
Winner: jmare
Prize: A 1-year subscription to GameFly! (2 games out at a time - subscription valued at over $200)
Congratulations to the winners of the April CONTRIBUTOR CONTEST:
The prizes are:
1st. mezzo, $250
2nd. skynidas, $150
3rd. Aclay, $50
4th. n4gboy, $50
5th. BIoodmask, $50 There may not be another Zynga game in which Energy is more important than in Adventure World. Every switch thrown, every puzzle solved and beastie whacked costs you the Facebook game juice. Players often find themselves without Energy minutes into an Expedition. But this isn't the time for whining--it's time to show you the value of upgrading your Tools and how to do it.
Tools: The Game Changer
If you noticed, each piece of debris and monster has a life bar, and normally take multiple hits with your Whip or Machete to whittle down. This, of course, quickly becomes a waste in later Expeditions purely due to the amount of obstacles in your path. But increasing the amount of damage your various Tools inflict against said baddies could considerably reduce the Energy spend in-game.
For instance, say a Snake has three hit points and is Level 5. Since monsters can hit back in this game, it could take three to five Energy before an enemy goes down. Now, imagine if you had upgraded your Whip to Level 2. Offing that Snake would take just two to four Energy with a beefier Whip. The same situation applies to Tools like the Machete.
Adventure World Tool Shop inside
And Now For Your How-To
Adventure World Tool Shop outsideUpgrading your Tools in Adventure World is simple. All you need to do is head back to Base Camp from an Expedition, and look for a makeshift hut that should already be in place in your headquarters. When you click on the Tool Shop, a window will appear featuring all the Tools you've found thus far on your journeys. Click on the Tool you wish to upgrade.
Once you click on a Tool to upgrade, you'll notice that each Tool costs Coins to upgrade. That's it--no asking friends to help you out with materials or farming certain crops for special items. Just the goods you find during your travels in search of El Dorado. However, Coins are actually quite rare in this game, so you'll need to save and spend wisely.
When you have enough Coins for an upgrade, just click on the appropriate icon to pay up. Tool upgrades are also level-locked, meaning you must reach a certain level for most Tools before being able to upgrade them using Coins. If you're feeling impatient, you could always unlock access to those higher level Tools early using Adventure Cash.
Just One Small Catch...
However, some Tool upgrades do require an extra boost: your Tool Shop. Yes, the building itself can be upgraded, too. And this time, you will need items from your friends. (Just think of how things work in CityVille.) Luckily, you only have to do this about twice to unlock access to all of the game's Tools. Then, it's back onto leveling up to access new upgrades for Coins.
Adventure World Tool Shop Upgrade
Upgraded Tools are hands-down the way to go, if you want to save precious Energy for the good stuff, that is. You know, exploring ... uncovering the secrets of El Dorado? That kind of stuff. Your wallet might thank us later.
Click here to find all of our Adventure World Tips in one spot >
[Source: Zynga]
Have you upgraded your Tools in Adventure World yet? What other Energy-saving tips might you have for your fellow adventurers? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
Thứ Sáu, 14 tháng 10, 2011
Request: A new addition to the User Review section
N4G.com is touted by its staff as being a gaming and tech news aggregation site whose content is controlled by the very members that are seeking the news posted (again, but its own members) on the site.
If this is true, then I say we should be able to entertain the following suggestion I will make.
I suggest that members be able to do User reviews, or Member reviews if the name isn't contextually accurate, on the websites where all this gaming related news comes from. That way, members on N4G can see that a certain website either provides excellent, unbiased journalism; or flamebait troll articles designed solely to gain hits for sensationalism. They then can go into an article, see the source, and avoid at all costs.
Or maybe, in addition to this review, a kind of "Ignore" function for the sites could be implemented where you place the URL of the site into the Ignore list, and no news from that source will show up.
Granted, the idea needs refinement, but I think it has the potential to really turn the site around, as we would avoid articles with flamebait titles, or ridiculous troll opinions about which console will outsell which other console in the holiday season.
I just think that if we truly control the content, we should have a way to circumvent those people who give their own submissions 3 approvals and get their friends in to approve their flamebait articles as well. Also, the requirements for approving and disapproving submissions needs to be adjusted or changed because many here have no interest in spending hours scouring the internet looking for 3 stories to submit just for the privilege of approving or disapproving articles. Yes, some would abuse that privilege, but that's what true moderation is for. Ban their rights to approve or disapprove if they show they are abusing those rights.
If this is true, then I say we should be able to entertain the following suggestion I will make.
I suggest that members be able to do User reviews, or Member reviews if the name isn't contextually accurate, on the websites where all this gaming related news comes from. That way, members on N4G can see that a certain website either provides excellent, unbiased journalism; or flamebait troll articles designed solely to gain hits for sensationalism. They then can go into an article, see the source, and avoid at all costs.
Or maybe, in addition to this review, a kind of "Ignore" function for the sites could be implemented where you place the URL of the site into the Ignore list, and no news from that source will show up.
Granted, the idea needs refinement, but I think it has the potential to really turn the site around, as we would avoid articles with flamebait titles, or ridiculous troll opinions about which console will outsell which other console in the holiday season.
I just think that if we truly control the content, we should have a way to circumvent those people who give their own submissions 3 approvals and get their friends in to approve their flamebait articles as well. Also, the requirements for approving and disapproving submissions needs to be adjusted or changed because many here have no interest in spending hours scouring the internet looking for 3 stories to submit just for the privilege of approving or disapproving articles. Yes, some would abuse that privilege, but that's what true moderation is for. Ban their rights to approve or disapprove if they show they are abusing those rights.
Should gaming journalism have a major shake up?
We all know anybody can become a gaming journalist with a computer and money for a website. But is this really the problem. Look at the film world. They have random movie fan sites appearing left, right and centre but why do these sites get less focused and the profession, qualified sites gets attention.
The main difference is qualification and experience. Some may say that experience is a form of qualification but this is fundamental reason why gaming journalism is not regarded so highly. Reading reviews from the film critic industry it is easy to see that a random guy hasn't worked his/her way up. These people have worked to get a journalism degree from respectable universities. The higher the university rating the more respected the degree is and the chance of getting internship’s from respected publications goes up. This system seems to work well. Reviews are not just opinions. They are criticising the films, the look at how the public will like a film and go with that direction. For example you know that a 4 star from The Week is more than a good film. They seem to avoid there own personal clouded opinion and look at good effects in the film and how the story plays/doesn't play out that well
Should the industry look at gaming journalism and give them the critical spot light for once. So what are the criteria to get into game journalism? On the Eurogamer website (just an example and does no way reflect on their writing abilities) there is a video of how they became gaming journalist. On senior writer who said he was employed because he knew the founder of Eurogamer. He then learnt on the job (didn't start writing). This brings up an interesting point. Is it easy for new respected websites to start up like this without experienced staff in the film world. No. Is non qualified writes able to get into the film critic world. No. So why does this happen in the gaming world. Is it websites are too easily respected. The best of an unqualified bunch. They may have the experience but experience is nothing without qualified training. Eurogamer is less so but magazines like Edge which have an awful history of reviewing games and are able to write and publish not only rubbish but are respected).
It is not only the websites fault. Metacritic has a play in this. Their average review score is so respected it is the first thing quoted. The fact that the gaming websites are rarely reviewed on quality. Should Metacritic have a qualification quota to combat the growing poor articles? Rotten tomatoes have the best and has a list of criteria based on views counts and approved critic societies only make it onto the website (check is out it will surprise you). A recent blog on N4G highlighted a method of review sites and having a quality control on N4G. Could N4G be the first step in the right direction?
You may see this as a rant but it is more of a concern. Does gaming journalists need a journalism qualification? The answer is no. They seem to want work experience and you learn how to right on the job. This is the fundamental reason why gaming journalist will never been seen as real journalism and there needs to be a sake up. Lets hope, as this form of "journalism" becomes more mainstream, the degree qualification (among) others is more sought after to increase quality in the industry as a whole.
You never know the argument "Its a review of X game and his own opinion and doesn't represent what other feel" might change. We could get some proper analytical reviews if the journalism world is shaken up
The main difference is qualification and experience. Some may say that experience is a form of qualification but this is fundamental reason why gaming journalism is not regarded so highly. Reading reviews from the film critic industry it is easy to see that a random guy hasn't worked his/her way up. These people have worked to get a journalism degree from respectable universities. The higher the university rating the more respected the degree is and the chance of getting internship’s from respected publications goes up. This system seems to work well. Reviews are not just opinions. They are criticising the films, the look at how the public will like a film and go with that direction. For example you know that a 4 star from The Week is more than a good film. They seem to avoid there own personal clouded opinion and look at good effects in the film and how the story plays/doesn't play out that well
Should the industry look at gaming journalism and give them the critical spot light for once. So what are the criteria to get into game journalism? On the Eurogamer website (just an example and does no way reflect on their writing abilities) there is a video of how they became gaming journalist. On senior writer who said he was employed because he knew the founder of Eurogamer. He then learnt on the job (didn't start writing). This brings up an interesting point. Is it easy for new respected websites to start up like this without experienced staff in the film world. No. Is non qualified writes able to get into the film critic world. No. So why does this happen in the gaming world. Is it websites are too easily respected. The best of an unqualified bunch. They may have the experience but experience is nothing without qualified training. Eurogamer is less so but magazines like Edge which have an awful history of reviewing games and are able to write and publish not only rubbish but are respected).
It is not only the websites fault. Metacritic has a play in this. Their average review score is so respected it is the first thing quoted. The fact that the gaming websites are rarely reviewed on quality. Should Metacritic have a qualification quota to combat the growing poor articles? Rotten tomatoes have the best and has a list of criteria based on views counts and approved critic societies only make it onto the website (check is out it will surprise you). A recent blog on N4G highlighted a method of review sites and having a quality control on N4G. Could N4G be the first step in the right direction?
You may see this as a rant but it is more of a concern. Does gaming journalists need a journalism qualification? The answer is no. They seem to want work experience and you learn how to right on the job. This is the fundamental reason why gaming journalist will never been seen as real journalism and there needs to be a sake up. Lets hope, as this form of "journalism" becomes more mainstream, the degree qualification (among) others is more sought after to increase quality in the industry as a whole.
You never know the argument "Its a review of X game and his own opinion and doesn't represent what other feel" might change. We could get some proper analytical reviews if the journalism world is shaken up
Disney-branded Facebook games coming in 2012, Playdom head says
Can we all just say, “finally?” During a panel named “The Rise of Social Games” at the f8 Facebook Developers Conference in San Francisco, Disney Interactive and Playdom head John Pleasants revealed that two to four Facebook games surrounding Disney xd brands will hit Facebook in 2012. The general topic of the panel was the fact that branded social games are taking off.
Pleasants was joined on the panel by Kabam CEO Kevin Chou, EA Interactive head Barry Cottle and Zynga CBO Owen Van Natta. Facebook director of games partnerships Sean Ryan moderated the panel with the preface that branded games will take over the Facebook platform. And he might be right: EA just released The Sims Social, Zynga will soon re-brand its new Adventure World with Indiana Jones and Kabam recently announced The Godfather: Five Families.
Playdom, which Disney acquired in July 2010 for a whopping $740 million, is ahead of the pack with two branded games on Facebook: ESPNU College Town and ESPN Sports Bar & Grill. Both games performed well, thanks to advertising through the ESPN TV network. While Disney owns the ESPN brand, notice how neither of those actually involve the insanely popular Disney characters we’ve come to love.
Honestly, we’re surprised this didn’t happen sooner. Consider this: Disney has its own cable TV channel through which it could, in theory, advertise whatever it wants. Pleasants didn’t get into why it’s taken this long for disney channel games to throw its cast of characters into Facebook games, but did reveal the power of the Disney name.
Gnome Town, which Playdom launched in the summer–and we enjoyed quite a bit–peaked at 530,000 daily players. But just plopping the Disney logo on top of the existing one made users more likely to spend in the game just through trust of the company’s name, according to Pleasants. “We think it’s an advantage, if you put game play first,” Pleasants said.
It’s comforting to hear this emphasized by these developers. (Kabam’s Chou shared the same sentiment.) Branded games on Facebook are OK in my book, but the last thing anyone wants to see is the genre become a branding machine
Pleasants was joined on the panel by Kabam CEO Kevin Chou, EA Interactive head Barry Cottle and Zynga CBO Owen Van Natta. Facebook director of games partnerships Sean Ryan moderated the panel with the preface that branded games will take over the Facebook platform. And he might be right: EA just released The Sims Social, Zynga will soon re-brand its new Adventure World with Indiana Jones and Kabam recently announced The Godfather: Five Families.
Playdom, which Disney acquired in July 2010 for a whopping $740 million, is ahead of the pack with two branded games on Facebook: ESPNU College Town and ESPN Sports Bar & Grill. Both games performed well, thanks to advertising through the ESPN TV network. While Disney owns the ESPN brand, notice how neither of those actually involve the insanely popular Disney characters we’ve come to love.
Honestly, we’re surprised this didn’t happen sooner. Consider this: Disney has its own cable TV channel through which it could, in theory, advertise whatever it wants. Pleasants didn’t get into why it’s taken this long for disney channel games to throw its cast of characters into Facebook games, but did reveal the power of the Disney name.
Gnome Town, which Playdom launched in the summer–and we enjoyed quite a bit–peaked at 530,000 daily players. But just plopping the Disney logo on top of the existing one made users more likely to spend in the game just through trust of the company’s name, according to Pleasants. “We think it’s an advantage, if you put game play first,” Pleasants said.
It’s comforting to hear this emphasized by these developers. (Kabam’s Chou shared the same sentiment.) Branded games on Facebook are OK in my book, but the last thing anyone wants to see is the genre become a branding machine
BBCW launches CBeebies games app
Games based on popular CBeebies Games series Charlie & Lola, Teletubbies, 3rd & Bird and Numberjacks are available through a new app launched by BBC Worldwide.
CBeebies On The Go is available for free on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad to pre-school children in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka and South Korea.
Developed by Tag Apps, it includes matching pairs picture games for the Teletubbies and Charlie & Lola, a Kerwhizz jigsaw game and a 3rd & Bird tap-the-fruit challenge. It also holds a number of short video clips from popular shows.
Director of CBeebies investment at BBCW, Henrietta Hurford-Jones, said the team had “worked hard to build a product that upholds the core values of learning through play”.
She added: “This new kids’ app is a first for the Channels business, so the learnings from this pilot phase will help shape any future plans to roll CBeebies Games On The Go out to new territories and different devices.”
More than 53m homes have access to the CBeebies channel worldwide.
CBeebies On The Go is available for free on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad to pre-school children in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka and South Korea.
Developed by Tag Apps, it includes matching pairs picture games for the Teletubbies and Charlie & Lola, a Kerwhizz jigsaw game and a 3rd & Bird tap-the-fruit challenge. It also holds a number of short video clips from popular shows.
Director of CBeebies investment at BBCW, Henrietta Hurford-Jones, said the team had “worked hard to build a product that upholds the core values of learning through play”.
She added: “This new kids’ app is a first for the Channels business, so the learnings from this pilot phase will help shape any future plans to roll CBeebies Games On The Go out to new territories and different devices.”
More than 53m homes have access to the CBeebies channel worldwide.
Thứ Tư, 12 tháng 10, 2011
The Secret World MMO plots mysterious Facebook advergame
The Secret World Secret War beta
Unleashing one incredible trailer after another, EA and Funcom's The Secret World is an MMO (massive multiplayer online) set for Windows-based PCs and (possibly) Xbox 360. Standing outside your typical MMO, the game seeks to do away with levels and classes, focusing instead on skills and abilities. There's an overarching storyline and side quests among three ancient, rival organizations banding together to save the world from evil. It's all very modern, urban, and full of super dramatic secret stuff.
Gallery: Secret War: Personality test for beta registration
While it isn't clear if the game will be launching on Facebook, beta registrations for a "Phase One" Facebook social game called "Secret War" have opened up online. Prospective applicants just need to sign up on the official website after taking a personality test to decide which of the three factions you'll play -- the Dragons, Templars, or Illuminati.
Trailers for each group were released, represented by the following characters, "The Firestarter" (her milkshake brings all the demons to the yard), "The Puritan" (holy shotgun, Batman!), and "Alex McCall" (who doesn't care if he's a John Constantine knockoff, because at least he's not being played by Keanu Reeves).
The Secret War on Facebook
You'll also have the option to register for the beta without Facebook, but Facebook is the one that promises to deliver "the full experience". The Secret World MMO itself is set for release on April 2012. To keep track of this game and interact with other excited fans, follow its official fan page here. A direct link to the Secret War app is here.
[Hat-tip: GameShard]
Are you excited for The Secret World yet? What do you think of this intersection between MMO and Facebook game? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Unleashing one incredible trailer after another, EA and Funcom's The Secret World is an MMO (massive multiplayer online) set for Windows-based PCs and (possibly) Xbox 360. Standing outside your typical MMO, the game seeks to do away with levels and classes, focusing instead on skills and abilities. There's an overarching storyline and side quests among three ancient, rival organizations banding together to save the world from evil. It's all very modern, urban, and full of super dramatic secret stuff.
Gallery: Secret War: Personality test for beta registration
While it isn't clear if the game will be launching on Facebook, beta registrations for a "Phase One" Facebook social game called "Secret War" have opened up online. Prospective applicants just need to sign up on the official website after taking a personality test to decide which of the three factions you'll play -- the Dragons, Templars, or Illuminati.
Trailers for each group were released, represented by the following characters, "The Firestarter" (her milkshake brings all the demons to the yard), "The Puritan" (holy shotgun, Batman!), and "Alex McCall" (who doesn't care if he's a John Constantine knockoff, because at least he's not being played by Keanu Reeves).
The Secret War on Facebook
You'll also have the option to register for the beta without Facebook, but Facebook is the one that promises to deliver "the full experience". The Secret World MMO itself is set for release on April 2012. To keep track of this game and interact with other excited fans, follow its official fan page here. A direct link to the Secret War app is here.
[Hat-tip: GameShard]
Are you excited for The Secret World yet? What do you think of this intersection between MMO and Facebook game? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
NASA to create space-themed social game combining in-depth education with fun
A few years ago, NASA held a research challenge looking for a developer and game proposal for an educational, space-themed video game that could not only be extremely educational, but also fun and commercially viable. Now, four years later, we've started to see the fruits of that challenge, as Canadian developer Project Whitecard has created a Kickstarter video preview, asking the public at large for donations to boost the project along (for the record, its goal has already been met).
The game is called Astronaut: Moon, Mars & Beyond, and it will play like an MMO set in the year 2035. Space flight for the average citizen is now not only available, but actually encouraged, as players will make their way through our solar system (and potentially beyond), landing on Mars and exploring other celestial bodies with both friends and strangers alike. In the game's story, a threat to "civilization as we know it" has emerged, and you'll need to build a base somewhere in outer space (yes, Mars is an option) and eventually outfit a team of other players or potentially NPCs (non-player characters) with high-tech gear to fight back.
Astronauts is described by the developers as being Harry Potter in space, as players are centered around the Arthur C. Clarke Astronaut Academy Station, which is the game's version of "Hogwarts." We'll be assigned missions in this fictional version of outer space, and can then go about our business in either player vs. environment or team vs. team modes. True scientific challenges will appear in the game, as we'll need to worry about radiation, extreme heat or cold and other elements that true-to-life astronauts and NASA as a whole must deal with everyday.
If everything goes well for Project Whitecard, we can expect to see the full launch of Astronaut: Moon, Mars & Beyond on PC, Mac and iOS in December of 2012. Sure, that's a long time to wait, but hey - space is a pretty big place to recreate.
[Via Mashable]
Are you interested in trying out Astronaut: Moon, Mars & Beyond when it launches? Will you donate any money to the cause of helping the game reach final production? What do you think of educational video games - do they have a place, or are they out of touch with what gamers want? Sound off in the comments.
The game is called Astronaut: Moon, Mars & Beyond, and it will play like an MMO set in the year 2035. Space flight for the average citizen is now not only available, but actually encouraged, as players will make their way through our solar system (and potentially beyond), landing on Mars and exploring other celestial bodies with both friends and strangers alike. In the game's story, a threat to "civilization as we know it" has emerged, and you'll need to build a base somewhere in outer space (yes, Mars is an option) and eventually outfit a team of other players or potentially NPCs (non-player characters) with high-tech gear to fight back.
Astronauts is described by the developers as being Harry Potter in space, as players are centered around the Arthur C. Clarke Astronaut Academy Station, which is the game's version of "Hogwarts." We'll be assigned missions in this fictional version of outer space, and can then go about our business in either player vs. environment or team vs. team modes. True scientific challenges will appear in the game, as we'll need to worry about radiation, extreme heat or cold and other elements that true-to-life astronauts and NASA as a whole must deal with everyday.
If everything goes well for Project Whitecard, we can expect to see the full launch of Astronaut: Moon, Mars & Beyond on PC, Mac and iOS in December of 2012. Sure, that's a long time to wait, but hey - space is a pretty big place to recreate.
[Via Mashable]
Are you interested in trying out Astronaut: Moon, Mars & Beyond when it launches? Will you donate any money to the cause of helping the game reach final production? What do you think of educational video games - do they have a place, or are they out of touch with what gamers want? Sound off in the comments.
Thứ Tư, 5 tháng 10, 2011
Empires & Allies: Embark on the Lucky Mermaid Mini-Campaign
If there is one thing social gamers like--other than free stuff, of course--it's choices. It looks like Zynga has realized this in its recent games, and now Empires & Allies is taking on that mantra with the new Little Mermaid Mini-Campaign. While on paper, this is nothing more than a series of Goals, players are given a few choices on their path to the final reward: The Golden Mermaid.
Starting from the very beginning, you're given to choice to approach this new timed mini-campaign (about two weeks) in either combat-oriented or social or construction-centric missions. Frankly, the latter already sounds kind of boring, so I'd personally recommend taking the former path.
Each path consists of five Goals with one choice along the way. But Zynga reminds players to choose carefully, as there is no turning back after you make your first and second decisions along the way.
This mini-campaign appears in your game just as The Little Mermaid anchors on the coast of your empire, and clicking on it reveals a new campaign map with several Goals. According to the developer, these Goals have more lucrative rewards than standard ones, and the final prize--should you complete all five Goals on time--is The Golden Mermaid. This is certainly not a combat unit, but is a decoration said to grant players with booming profits.
Empires Allies Little Mermaid Campaign Screen
This is a brand new approach to releasing content for the E&A team, and plans are to release more mini-campaigns like this one. So, of course, the team is looking for feedback on the forums. Here's a personal suggestion: Lose the social-centric missions and focus on the combat--perhaps even player vs player in Battle Blitz.
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]
Check out the rest of our Empires & Allies Cheats and Tips right here.
Have you started the Little Mermaid mini-campaign yet? What do you think of this approach to new content in E&A? Sound off in the comments. 10 Comments
Starting from the very beginning, you're given to choice to approach this new timed mini-campaign (about two weeks) in either combat-oriented or social or construction-centric missions. Frankly, the latter already sounds kind of boring, so I'd personally recommend taking the former path.
Each path consists of five Goals with one choice along the way. But Zynga reminds players to choose carefully, as there is no turning back after you make your first and second decisions along the way.
This mini-campaign appears in your game just as The Little Mermaid anchors on the coast of your empire, and clicking on it reveals a new campaign map with several Goals. According to the developer, these Goals have more lucrative rewards than standard ones, and the final prize--should you complete all five Goals on time--is The Golden Mermaid. This is certainly not a combat unit, but is a decoration said to grant players with booming profits.
Empires Allies Little Mermaid Campaign Screen
This is a brand new approach to releasing content for the E&A team, and plans are to release more mini-campaigns like this one. So, of course, the team is looking for feedback on the forums. Here's a personal suggestion: Lose the social-centric missions and focus on the combat--perhaps even player vs player in Battle Blitz.
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]
Check out the rest of our Empires & Allies Cheats and Tips right here.
Have you started the Little Mermaid mini-campaign yet? What do you think of this approach to new content in E&A? Sound off in the comments. 10 Comments
Game of the Day: Ice Breakers Penguin Pirates
ice breakers penguin pirates game of the dayFolks, it's the last day of September's Game of the Day Sweepstakes, and what better way to celebrate this beautiful Friday than with one of my favorite games: Ice Breakers Penguin Pirates. It's your classic match 3 game with a goofy penguin pirate theme. Ice Breakers Penguin Pirates starts off like a standard match 3 game, but don't let the first few levels fool you. Games.com has added some new twists such as changing the color of tiles and clearing a path for special items like maps to drop off the board.
You'll have to sharpen your matching skills to beat the clock. Ice Breakers: Penguin Pirates will definitely challenge you! Get to it, Matey. Penguin Pirates await!
Click here to play Ice Breakers: Penguin Pirates!
ice breakers penguin pirates game of the day ice breakers penguin pirates game of the day
What do you think of Ice Breakers: Penguin Pirates?
You'll have to sharpen your matching skills to beat the clock. Ice Breakers: Penguin Pirates will definitely challenge you! Get to it, Matey. Penguin Pirates await!
Click here to play Ice Breakers: Penguin Pirates!
ice breakers penguin pirates game of the day ice breakers penguin pirates game of the day
What do you think of Ice Breakers: Penguin Pirates?
The Sims Social maker EA wants you ... to make it lots of ad money
And unfortunately, it doesn't sound like you'll have much of a choice. EA, co-creator of Playfish's The Sims Social on Facebook (and arch nemesis to Zynga at this point), has announced EA Legend.
This is the company's new platform to provide marketers and advertisers with "campaign and audience insights across mobile, social, online and console games reaching over 300 million people worldwide," a release reads.
In other words, you're more valuable to EA than you might already know. The publisher wants to use the information you provide them inadvertently through gameplay to rope in ad and marketing deals not just through its Facebook games but all of its games. More specifically, EA said it can provide advertisers with (prepare for buzzword overload):
Key cross-platform campaign performance indicators such as impressions, clicks, unduplicated reach, demographic profiles, social media buzz, and ROI metrics.
Segmented audience insights based on demographic, psychographic, and social data.
Ability to drill down into the factors that impact campaign effectiveness including audience engagement, audience segmentation and type of creative all measured over time.
EA Legend
What's that again--psychographic data? This may all sound like something out of "1984," but it's nothing new. If you think other game creators don't do this type of stuff, then here's your wake-up call. We won't know exactly what information about us EA will provide to advertisers through Legend until it makes advertisers see green at this year's Advertising Week event in New York City on Oct. 4. And if EA keeps using words like psychographic, we may never know.
[Via All Facebook]
What do you think about this new EA Legend program? Do you think it's something worth worrying about, or is this just business as usual? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
This is the company's new platform to provide marketers and advertisers with "campaign and audience insights across mobile, social, online and console games reaching over 300 million people worldwide," a release reads.
In other words, you're more valuable to EA than you might already know. The publisher wants to use the information you provide them inadvertently through gameplay to rope in ad and marketing deals not just through its Facebook games but all of its games. More specifically, EA said it can provide advertisers with (prepare for buzzword overload):
Key cross-platform campaign performance indicators such as impressions, clicks, unduplicated reach, demographic profiles, social media buzz, and ROI metrics.
Segmented audience insights based on demographic, psychographic, and social data.
Ability to drill down into the factors that impact campaign effectiveness including audience engagement, audience segmentation and type of creative all measured over time.
EA Legend
What's that again--psychographic data? This may all sound like something out of "1984," but it's nothing new. If you think other game creators don't do this type of stuff, then here's your wake-up call. We won't know exactly what information about us EA will provide to advertisers through Legend until it makes advertisers see green at this year's Advertising Week event in New York City on Oct. 4. And if EA keeps using words like psychographic, we may never know.
[Via All Facebook]
What do you think about this new EA Legend program? Do you think it's something worth worrying about, or is this just business as usual? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
Zoo World creator RockYou's Jonathan Knight leaves for Zynga
And there goes another. Inside Social Games reports that Jonathan Knight (pictured), former SVP of Games at RockYou, has left the company for Zynga. The company's--best known for Zoo World--CEO Lisa Marino confirmed the move. Before his departure, Knight oversaw the acquisitions of studios like 3 Blokes, which just launched Galactic Allies, and Playdemic of Gourmet Ranch fame.
"We hired [Knight] to help us build out a portfolio of great products and he's done the job," Marino told ISG. "We have built a strong team of talent through a careful hiring process, our Studio Partners program, and acquisitions over the past year. The departure of Jonathan will not impact our game development pipeline or our plans to continue to launch quality titles."
Knight has a deep history in the games business, coming to RockYou from veteran publisher EA as VP and executive VP for nine years. During that time, Knight oversaw major releases like entries in The Sims series and The Simpsons Game. In fact, ISG recalls that Knight was brought in to help RockYou transform from a social app developer into a social game creator.
The move happens just as RockYou prepares to launch Cloudforest Expedition on Facebook with designer John Romero's Loot Drop. Knight joins a number of major video game execs that have flocked to Zynga in the past year, many of which coming from EA. The company's CCO Jeff Schappert recently left for Zynga, who was then followed by NBA Jam creator Mark Turmell and EA Play exec Jeff Karp. We've contacted Zynga for comment as to what Knight might be up to with the company.
What do you think of Knight's move from RockYou to Zynga? What are your thoughts on RockYou's stable of Facebook games thus far? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
"We hired [Knight] to help us build out a portfolio of great products and he's done the job," Marino told ISG. "We have built a strong team of talent through a careful hiring process, our Studio Partners program, and acquisitions over the past year. The departure of Jonathan will not impact our game development pipeline or our plans to continue to launch quality titles."
Knight has a deep history in the games business, coming to RockYou from veteran publisher EA as VP and executive VP for nine years. During that time, Knight oversaw major releases like entries in The Sims series and The Simpsons Game. In fact, ISG recalls that Knight was brought in to help RockYou transform from a social app developer into a social game creator.
The move happens just as RockYou prepares to launch Cloudforest Expedition on Facebook with designer John Romero's Loot Drop. Knight joins a number of major video game execs that have flocked to Zynga in the past year, many of which coming from EA. The company's CCO Jeff Schappert recently left for Zynga, who was then followed by NBA Jam creator Mark Turmell and EA Play exec Jeff Karp. We've contacted Zynga for comment as to what Knight might be up to with the company.
What do you think of Knight's move from RockYou to Zynga? What are your thoughts on RockYou's stable of Facebook games thus far? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Thứ Ba, 4 tháng 10, 2011
Pimp Mafia Wars 2 for a chance to become an in-game character
Now that the hype for Zynga's upcoming Mafia Wars 2 has officially hit a fever pitch, the developer wants you to promote the upcoming sequel on your Facebook profile. Of course, there's something in it for you: If you choose to do it, you might be immortalized in the game as a permanent character. The contest asks you to change your profile picture to that of one the game's recently-revealed characters.
If you're interested in becoming an shill ambassador of sorts for the game, just head over to its Facebook page right here. Then, choose what character portrait you want to change your profile image to, and finally submit your email address to enter.
Remember to right-click on the image that appears to save it, then upload it to your Facebook profile. Yes, you'll have to give up your precious email, but I'd be more worried about the questions you'll get from your friends regarding your ... animated makeover.
Once you're done entering the contest, look out on the Mafia Wars 2 Facebook page for a post that reads, "Comment now for your chance to become a Mafia Wars 2 character!" Then, the rest is up to chance, it seems. Zynga hasn't given an exact time for when this News Feed post will appear, so "Liking" the fan page might help your chances of successfully entering. It's funny how companies like the big Z get you to do these things, isn't it?
Do you plan on entering this new Mafia Wars 2 contest? If you were to become a permanent character in the game, what role would you like him or her to play? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
If you're interested in becoming an shill ambassador of sorts for the game, just head over to its Facebook page right here. Then, choose what character portrait you want to change your profile image to, and finally submit your email address to enter.
Remember to right-click on the image that appears to save it, then upload it to your Facebook profile. Yes, you'll have to give up your precious email, but I'd be more worried about the questions you'll get from your friends regarding your ... animated makeover.
Once you're done entering the contest, look out on the Mafia Wars 2 Facebook page for a post that reads, "Comment now for your chance to become a Mafia Wars 2 character!" Then, the rest is up to chance, it seems. Zynga hasn't given an exact time for when this News Feed post will appear, so "Liking" the fan page might help your chances of successfully entering. It's funny how companies like the big Z get you to do these things, isn't it?
Do you plan on entering this new Mafia Wars 2 contest? If you were to become a permanent character in the game, what role would you like him or her to play? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Game of the Day: Bubble Town
bubble town game of the dayOne shot from the chute and you'll be hooked. Bubble Town is the arcade-style puzzle game that will test your wits, not just your reflexes. Match three Borbs of the same color to knock them off. Collect the various power ups to gain an edge with special bonus abilities. But don't take too long; if the Borbs reach the Danger Zone, it'll be game over!
Join the unforgettable cast of characters for an adventure of bubble-popping proportions, just watch out for that Danger Zone. Choose to play with your Borbs grouped up in a ball or straight up. Either way, the addictive gameplay will give you hours of fun.
Click here to play Bubble Town!
bubble town game of the day bubble town game of the day
Pro Tips:
* Bank shots! These are crucial to your Bubble Town success. If you're trying to line up a bank shot, wait for a moment. A little cursor will appear to assist your aim making it easy to hit those two wall bank shots.
* Look for big drops. If you see a bunch of Borbs being held up by a couple of the same color, hitting that shot should be your top priority.
Click here to play Bubble Town!
What do you think of Bubble Town?
Join the unforgettable cast of characters for an adventure of bubble-popping proportions, just watch out for that Danger Zone. Choose to play with your Borbs grouped up in a ball or straight up. Either way, the addictive gameplay will give you hours of fun.
Click here to play Bubble Town!
bubble town game of the day bubble town game of the day
Pro Tips:
* Bank shots! These are crucial to your Bubble Town success. If you're trying to line up a bank shot, wait for a moment. A little cursor will appear to assist your aim making it easy to hit those two wall bank shots.
* Look for big drops. If you see a bunch of Borbs being held up by a couple of the same color, hitting that shot should be your top priority.
Click here to play Bubble Town!
What do you think of Bubble Town?
The Sims Social Cheats and Tips: A Guide to Land Expansions
You've grown out of room to put all of your cool stuff? Man, a Sim's life sure is rough, huh? Well, we're about to make your Sim's life in The Sims Social even easier. A large component to the game is building out your Sim's dream home, which of course, requires you to expand, expand expand. So, here is everything you need to know about Land Expansions in The Sims Social:
Are You Financially Prepared?
Before you even think about expanding your home, you will need to level up a bit. To expand your property for the first time, reach Level 10 and accumulate a House Value of at least 25K. To increase your House Value, simply buy more stuff! Once that's through, you will find "For Sale" signs littered around your property.
Location, Location, Location
Next, it's time to choose where you want to expand first. Expansions are good only for the square in which you request. Click on the square, and a pop-up window will appear with the requirements for a Land Expansion. Surprise--you'll need to ask your friends for items in true Facebook game fashion.
The Sims Social For Sale Sign
Oh, and it'll cost you a chunk of Simoleons, too. While the first Land Permit Application requires just four items and 2,000 Simoleons to take, we imagine this would increase with later expansions. Also, read carefully: This is a Land Permit Application, remember? That means ...
The Waiting Game
Every time you apply for a Land Expansion through this process, it'll take some time go through. And we're talking literal time: Your first Land Permit Application will not be accepted for one minute after completing it. Sure, this is nothing, but just wait until you reach your 11th and final expansion. That's right, it'll take days later on for applications to go through. Here are the requirements for each Land Permit Application, and the time it takes for each to go through:
Land Expansion Requirements:
* First: 25K House Value; Level 10
* Second: 30K House Value; Level 11
* Third: 70K House Value; Level 12
* Fourth: 80K House Value; Level 14
* Fifth: 90K House Value; Level 16
* Sixth: 100K House Value; Level 19
* Seventh: 120K House Value; Level 22
* Eighth: 140K House Value; Level 26
* Ninth: 170K House Value; Level 31
* 10th: 200K House Value; Level 38
* 11th: 250K House Value; Level 45
The Sims Social Land Permit Application
Land Permit Application Wait Times:
* First: One minute
* Second: Five minutes
* Third: 30 minutes
* Fourth: One hour
* Fifth: Two hours
* Sixth: Four hours
* Seventh: Eight hours
* Eighth: 12 hours
* Ninth: One day
* 10th: Two days
* 11th: Three days
Once your application has been approved, you'll definitely know. It's said that a prize comes with each major Land Expansion, and that your Sim won't be able to help but celebrate. And after all the hard clicking work, we doubt you will either.
[Source and Image Credit: Playfish]
Have you started expanding your property in The Sims Social yet? What do you think of how Playfish is handling land expansions in the game? Share with us in the comments. 1 Comment
Are You Financially Prepared?
Before you even think about expanding your home, you will need to level up a bit. To expand your property for the first time, reach Level 10 and accumulate a House Value of at least 25K. To increase your House Value, simply buy more stuff! Once that's through, you will find "For Sale" signs littered around your property.
Location, Location, Location
Next, it's time to choose where you want to expand first. Expansions are good only for the square in which you request. Click on the square, and a pop-up window will appear with the requirements for a Land Expansion. Surprise--you'll need to ask your friends for items in true Facebook game fashion.
The Sims Social For Sale Sign
Oh, and it'll cost you a chunk of Simoleons, too. While the first Land Permit Application requires just four items and 2,000 Simoleons to take, we imagine this would increase with later expansions. Also, read carefully: This is a Land Permit Application, remember? That means ...
The Waiting Game
Every time you apply for a Land Expansion through this process, it'll take some time go through. And we're talking literal time: Your first Land Permit Application will not be accepted for one minute after completing it. Sure, this is nothing, but just wait until you reach your 11th and final expansion. That's right, it'll take days later on for applications to go through. Here are the requirements for each Land Permit Application, and the time it takes for each to go through:
Land Expansion Requirements:
* First: 25K House Value; Level 10
* Second: 30K House Value; Level 11
* Third: 70K House Value; Level 12
* Fourth: 80K House Value; Level 14
* Fifth: 90K House Value; Level 16
* Sixth: 100K House Value; Level 19
* Seventh: 120K House Value; Level 22
* Eighth: 140K House Value; Level 26
* Ninth: 170K House Value; Level 31
* 10th: 200K House Value; Level 38
* 11th: 250K House Value; Level 45
The Sims Social Land Permit Application
Land Permit Application Wait Times:
* First: One minute
* Second: Five minutes
* Third: 30 minutes
* Fourth: One hour
* Fifth: Two hours
* Sixth: Four hours
* Seventh: Eight hours
* Eighth: 12 hours
* Ninth: One day
* 10th: Two days
* 11th: Three days
Once your application has been approved, you'll definitely know. It's said that a prize comes with each major Land Expansion, and that your Sim won't be able to help but celebrate. And after all the hard clicking work, we doubt you will either.
[Source and Image Credit: Playfish]
Have you started expanding your property in The Sims Social yet? What do you think of how Playfish is handling land expansions in the game? Share with us in the comments. 1 Comment
FarmVille Pic of the Day: Shammie 77's mountaintop kingdom
Today I've got a real treat for you fine folks: Shammie 77's mountain farm. It's farms like these that reinforce my belief that FarmVille designing is an art. Sure I've labeled some questionable farms as art in my time, but you have to agree that Shammie 77's design is nothing short of a masterpiece.
Shammie's farm does so many things right. The idea for the design itself is excellent, a fortress on a hill, with a small village at the bottom. The design is kept simple, featuring only the items that were absolutely necessary. This gives the whole thing a very clean look. Of course, the optical illuison is really excellent. Where other farmers tend to overdo or exagerate their FarmVille design illusions, Shammie includes it nonchalantly, giving the farm a really natural and convincing appearance. In addition, Shammie 77 smartly connects the areas together with paths and a river, furthering the optical illusion.
I could go on and on about everything that makes this farm so great, but instead I'm going to give you a chance to look it over by clicking the image above. This creation reportedly took Shammie 77 several weeks to make, so take your time checking it out.
What do you think of Shammie 77's sprawling kingdom?
If you have an AWESOME FarmVille farm that you want to see featured on Games.com, please email a picture to editors@games.com, Include a few words about the inspiration for your design and maybe a few tips for people who need an assist.
Shammie's farm does so many things right. The idea for the design itself is excellent, a fortress on a hill, with a small village at the bottom. The design is kept simple, featuring only the items that were absolutely necessary. This gives the whole thing a very clean look. Of course, the optical illuison is really excellent. Where other farmers tend to overdo or exagerate their FarmVille design illusions, Shammie includes it nonchalantly, giving the farm a really natural and convincing appearance. In addition, Shammie 77 smartly connects the areas together with paths and a river, furthering the optical illusion.
I could go on and on about everything that makes this farm so great, but instead I'm going to give you a chance to look it over by clicking the image above. This creation reportedly took Shammie 77 several weeks to make, so take your time checking it out.
What do you think of Shammie 77's sprawling kingdom?
If you have an AWESOME FarmVille farm that you want to see featured on Games.com, please email a picture to editors@games.com, Include a few words about the inspiration for your design and maybe a few tips for people who need an assist.
Pioneer Trail: Fort Courage (finally) open, now catch that Gratchet Gang
The day has finally come to stick it to the Gratchet Gang on the Pioneer Trail. That's right, Zynga has at last opened up the final frontier on your journey: Fort Courage. However, you will have to unlock Fort Courage first by completing the main Goals in the area before it: Avalanche Pass. Once you do, a pop-up will appear informing you that you can now visit the final zone.
Confirming our suspicions (sort of) with last week's reveal of the new World Map, Fort Courage is its own area, almost separate from the rest of the Pioneer Trail, it seems. The moment you arrive in Fort Courage, the Gratchet Gang will almost be waiting for you to tie 'em up. (These three just might be the worst kidnappers since Team Rocket.)
Once you capture them, you will wander on down to the actual Fort Courage. Then, your partners will say their goodbyes, and you'll be given the option to either restart your adventure on The Pioneer Trail or stick around the fort for awhile longer. One of the soliders guarding the fort invites you to return to Fort Courage time and again to search for more surprises.
Pioneer Trail World Map
Our guess is that Zynga will add more things to do to Fort Courage at a later date. Until then, you can always play through the content again for even more points and Prize Tickets. Plus, you'll get another chance to beat your friends' scores. Of course, this update--like all Zynga updates--is on a slow rollout, so sit tight, folks.
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]
Have you made it Fort Courage just yet? What do you hope Zynga adds to the fort later on, and will you ever play through the expansion content again? Sound off in the comments. 7 Comments7 Comments
Confirming our suspicions (sort of) with last week's reveal of the new World Map, Fort Courage is its own area, almost separate from the rest of the Pioneer Trail, it seems. The moment you arrive in Fort Courage, the Gratchet Gang will almost be waiting for you to tie 'em up. (These three just might be the worst kidnappers since Team Rocket.)
Once you capture them, you will wander on down to the actual Fort Courage. Then, your partners will say their goodbyes, and you'll be given the option to either restart your adventure on The Pioneer Trail or stick around the fort for awhile longer. One of the soliders guarding the fort invites you to return to Fort Courage time and again to search for more surprises.
Pioneer Trail World Map
Our guess is that Zynga will add more things to do to Fort Courage at a later date. Until then, you can always play through the content again for even more points and Prize Tickets. Plus, you'll get another chance to beat your friends' scores. Of course, this update--like all Zynga updates--is on a slow rollout, so sit tight, folks.
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]
Have you made it Fort Courage just yet? What do you hope Zynga adds to the fort later on, and will you ever play through the expansion content again? Sound off in the comments. 7 Comments7 Comments
Thứ Bảy, 1 tháng 10, 2011
Bubble Saga maker King.com hires Microsoft exec as marketing head
Can none resist the dollar signs allure of Facebook games? King.com, maker of Facebook game ports like Bubble Saga, announced that it has hired ex-Microsoft exec Alex Dale as its chief marketing officer. Dale joins King.com after overseeing Microsoft's marketing efforts on products including Bing, Internet Explorer and Windows Phone.
"We have made several strategic hires recently in an effort continue this growth and even take it one step further, becoming a clear leader in the space," King.com co-fonder and CEO Riccardo Zacconi said in a release. "We are confident that Alex will be instrumental in helping us further grow our global user- and partnership-base and are thrilled to have him on board."
Dale joins a list of executives that have found themselves in the social games space. Sean Ryan, director of Facebook games partnerships, was at one time the CEO of now-defunct social network LiveJournal. Zynga head of mobile games David Ko comes from Yahoo, and most recently Flickr founder Stewart Butterfield moved on to make his own social game, Glitch.
King.com, which most recently launched Bubble Witch Saga on Facebook, now joins the ranks of companies like Zynga in its willingness to source talent from other industries. And King.com says in the announcement that Dale will be at helm of the companies global expansion. It seems that the company is looking abroad to reach the top five game makers on AppData--it sits pretty at number seven with just over 17 million monthly players.
Do you think King.com, making hires like this, can become an even bigger competitor in Facebook games? What do you think of games like Bubble Witch Saga? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
"We have made several strategic hires recently in an effort continue this growth and even take it one step further, becoming a clear leader in the space," King.com co-fonder and CEO Riccardo Zacconi said in a release. "We are confident that Alex will be instrumental in helping us further grow our global user- and partnership-base and are thrilled to have him on board."
Dale joins a list of executives that have found themselves in the social games space. Sean Ryan, director of Facebook games partnerships, was at one time the CEO of now-defunct social network LiveJournal. Zynga head of mobile games David Ko comes from Yahoo, and most recently Flickr founder Stewart Butterfield moved on to make his own social game, Glitch.
King.com, which most recently launched Bubble Witch Saga on Facebook, now joins the ranks of companies like Zynga in its willingness to source talent from other industries. And King.com says in the announcement that Dale will be at helm of the companies global expansion. It seems that the company is looking abroad to reach the top five game makers on AppData--it sits pretty at number seven with just over 17 million monthly players.
Do you think King.com, making hires like this, can become an even bigger competitor in Facebook games? What do you think of games like Bubble Witch Saga? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
Want exclusive freebies in The Sims Social? Register on the forums
I'd put away that credit card, if I were you, at least for the moment. I know, it's burning a hole and blah, blah, blah, but Playfish recently announced that it will give The Sims Social players exclusive freebies on a regular basis, but under one condition: You have to register on the Playfish forums. In fact, the game's community team created a new forum category just for this purpose.
Starting last week, Playfish gave away some free Relaxation--an ingredient used in crafting Fun Potions--in a short 24-hour window. So, it looks like, if you do decide to partake in the freebie-fest, you'll have to visit the Playfish forums on a regular basis to catch the next free giveaway that pops up. Perhaps eventually the developer will start to dole some beefier prizes like decorations for your Sim's house or straight-up Simoleons and Social Points.
EA and Playfish have been on a freebie frenzy as of late for all The Sims Social players. Just recently, the developer announced a week-long event in which it will post even more handouts on its Facebook page. At this point, we can't help but ask: Why? Well, considering just how close The Sims Social is to overtaking Zynga's CityVille as the number one game on Facebook in daily players, we're not surprised that Playfish would be pulling all the stops. To register on the Playfish forums, click right here.
Have you been reaping the rewards from Playfish on the forums and on The Sims Social Facebook page? What do you think of the game so far? Share with us in the comments. Add Comment
Starting last week, Playfish gave away some free Relaxation--an ingredient used in crafting Fun Potions--in a short 24-hour window. So, it looks like, if you do decide to partake in the freebie-fest, you'll have to visit the Playfish forums on a regular basis to catch the next free giveaway that pops up. Perhaps eventually the developer will start to dole some beefier prizes like decorations for your Sim's house or straight-up Simoleons and Social Points.
EA and Playfish have been on a freebie frenzy as of late for all The Sims Social players. Just recently, the developer announced a week-long event in which it will post even more handouts on its Facebook page. At this point, we can't help but ask: Why? Well, considering just how close The Sims Social is to overtaking Zynga's CityVille as the number one game on Facebook in daily players, we're not surprised that Playfish would be pulling all the stops. To register on the Playfish forums, click right here.
Have you been reaping the rewards from Playfish on the forums and on The Sims Social Facebook page? What do you think of the game so far? Share with us in the comments. Add Comment
Pioneer Trail Greenhouse Goals: Everything you need to know
Zynga has just released a new Pioneer Trail goal -- the Greenhouse -- that's best described by a player as "a TARDIS for crops" in more ways than one. For those who don't get the Doctor Who reference, I'd also say it's like the previously released FrontierVille Orchard.
Looking at the screenshot on the right, I can vaguely see how the Greenhouse resembles a time-traveling police box. But that's not where the resemblance ends, because once completed, your new Greenhouse will allow you to plant more crops. Even though it looks like a 3x3 building on the outside, it's actually a 6x6 building on the inside.
So what's the catch? Well, you won't be able to do this goal unless you're Level 13 or above. Also, like most goals, you'll need to collect a lot of stuff in order to build it. For the following items, you'll need to make Facebook Wall posts to get 10 of each: Mulch, Plant Food, and Ladybugs. The next set of required items are ones you've got to ask your friends for by sending them requests, and you'll need 15 of each: Insulating Glass, Sturdy Frame, and Irrigation System.
Pioneer Trail Finish Your Greenhouse
The upside though, is that once you finish your Greenhouse, and complete the four quests that go along with it, you'll unlock three new crops: Carrots, Grapes, and Watermelons. Watermelons are prized because they've got a harvest period of five days. Your crops will also be safe from Groundhogs during that time, and your neighbors can come by to tend those crops.
Pioneer Trail Greenhouse crops
Time to Flex That Green Thumb!
* Place the Greenhouse
* Harvest 50 Clover
* Clear 15 Debris on Neighbors' Homesteads
* Reward: 250XP, 250 Coins, Hanging Plant
Record-Breaking Crops!
* Collect the Daily Bonus from the Greenhouse
* Have or collect 50 Poultry Puddin'
* Collect ten bottles of Buttermilk
* Reward: 500XP, 500 Coins, Carrots Unlocked!
It's Carrotastic!
* Harvest 40 Carrots in your Greenhouse or on your Homestead
* Harvest 15 Crops on Neighbors' Homestead or in their Greenhouse
* Collect 15 Fish Heads
* Reward: 1000XP, 1000 Coins, Grapes Unlocked
A Grape Escape!
* Harvest 40 Grapes in your Greenhouse or on your Homestead
* Tend 30 Adult Cows
* Collect 10 rays of Country Sunshine
* Reward: 1000XP, 1000 Coins, Watermelon Unlocked
Pioneer Trail Greenhouse Collection
Finally, completion of the Greenhouse unlocks a new Collection that delivers a Big Wither Protection Boost, which prevents all your crops from dying. The Collection items are Butterflies, Mister, Garden Bunny, Gardening Glove, and Gardening Tape.
But there are players who believe the Greenhouse is poorly planned, and they have a point. Three of the four Greenhouse Goals ask you to plant 40 crops within the Greenhouse or on your Homestead. But the Greenhouse only has room for 36, therefore, leaving four that must be planted outside to fulfill the quest. There are also complaints that the first item you're forced to plant is the Clover, which is one of the earliest crops for a beginner. It would have been better if the game allowed players to get started with planting and harvesting the new unlockable crops right away instead.
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here.
Would you rather have a land expansion than a building that lets you plant more crops? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Looking at the screenshot on the right, I can vaguely see how the Greenhouse resembles a time-traveling police box. But that's not where the resemblance ends, because once completed, your new Greenhouse will allow you to plant more crops. Even though it looks like a 3x3 building on the outside, it's actually a 6x6 building on the inside.
So what's the catch? Well, you won't be able to do this goal unless you're Level 13 or above. Also, like most goals, you'll need to collect a lot of stuff in order to build it. For the following items, you'll need to make Facebook Wall posts to get 10 of each: Mulch, Plant Food, and Ladybugs. The next set of required items are ones you've got to ask your friends for by sending them requests, and you'll need 15 of each: Insulating Glass, Sturdy Frame, and Irrigation System.
Pioneer Trail Finish Your Greenhouse
The upside though, is that once you finish your Greenhouse, and complete the four quests that go along with it, you'll unlock three new crops: Carrots, Grapes, and Watermelons. Watermelons are prized because they've got a harvest period of five days. Your crops will also be safe from Groundhogs during that time, and your neighbors can come by to tend those crops.
Pioneer Trail Greenhouse crops
Time to Flex That Green Thumb!
* Place the Greenhouse
* Harvest 50 Clover
* Clear 15 Debris on Neighbors' Homesteads
* Reward: 250XP, 250 Coins, Hanging Plant
Record-Breaking Crops!
* Collect the Daily Bonus from the Greenhouse
* Have or collect 50 Poultry Puddin'
* Collect ten bottles of Buttermilk
* Reward: 500XP, 500 Coins, Carrots Unlocked!
It's Carrotastic!
* Harvest 40 Carrots in your Greenhouse or on your Homestead
* Harvest 15 Crops on Neighbors' Homestead or in their Greenhouse
* Collect 15 Fish Heads
* Reward: 1000XP, 1000 Coins, Grapes Unlocked
A Grape Escape!
* Harvest 40 Grapes in your Greenhouse or on your Homestead
* Tend 30 Adult Cows
* Collect 10 rays of Country Sunshine
* Reward: 1000XP, 1000 Coins, Watermelon Unlocked
Pioneer Trail Greenhouse Collection
Finally, completion of the Greenhouse unlocks a new Collection that delivers a Big Wither Protection Boost, which prevents all your crops from dying. The Collection items are Butterflies, Mister, Garden Bunny, Gardening Glove, and Gardening Tape.
But there are players who believe the Greenhouse is poorly planned, and they have a point. Three of the four Greenhouse Goals ask you to plant 40 crops within the Greenhouse or on your Homestead. But the Greenhouse only has room for 36, therefore, leaving four that must be planted outside to fulfill the quest. There are also complaints that the first item you're forced to plant is the Clover, which is one of the earliest crops for a beginner. It would have been better if the game allowed players to get started with planting and harvesting the new unlockable crops right away instead.
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here.
Would you rather have a land expansion than a building that lets you plant more crops? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
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