Back on Sunday, Restaurant City was willing to give away a free band member, Lenny the Singer (a sea snail that costs 12,000 Coins it the store) from their current Under the Sea theme set.
But twenty-four hours to vote wasn't enough for fans to make it to the 125,000 'Like' votes required, so Playfish couldn't give out Lenny. In compensation, Playfish has decided to award everyone with 3,000 Coins instead!
Just log into Facebook, make sure you're a fan on the official Restaurant City Facebook fanpage, and click here. Do note that clicking the link will launch the game. But you only need the game on for a few seconds for this deal to work. Just make sure you click within the next 7 hours, cause it's another 24-hour only offer!
Thứ Tư, 15 tháng 2, 2012
Hotel City goes transnational with second flags set
Hotel City Bellboy Playfish Hotel 2
Hotel City Larch, Pine, Tulip, BushIn under a week, Hotel City's unfurled new flags from 28 countries, including three special ones for players with less geopolitical attachments -- Hotel City flag, Playfish flag, and Pirate flag.
Counting the June 3rd set, there are now 44 country flags ready to represent players, though we really doubt there are any from North Korea spending time on Facebook games. But this year's FIFA World Cup does have a North Korean team, and that's where all the games are taking their cues for these flag sets.
Along with these new flags are four new pieces of outdoors decor, which the game refers to as "Ground Decorations" -- Larch tree (2 PFC), Pine tree (2 PFC), Tulip bed (5,000 Coins), and Bush tree (7,000 Coins). If you look at (image above) the new design of the Bellboy Playfish Hotel, you can see that these items are no longer limited to the ground. You can decorate the roofs of rooms as well!
All the flags cost 10 Playfish Cash each. PFC are sold in sets, where the more you buy, the more you'll save. At the smallest set, you can get 25 PFC for $5 USD. To find the new flags and decor, click on the "Build" hammer icon, and look at the two new tabs on the bottom.
Here's a full visual of the new flags. And on a side note, the game has finally fixed the spelling for Philippines.
Hotel City international flags, Hotel City, Playfish, and Pirate flags.
Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Cameroon, Chile, England, Ghana, Greece, Netherlands, Honduras, Ivory Coast, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Korea DPR (or North Korea), Paraguay, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Korea Republic (or South Korea), Switzerland, Uruguay, Sweden, and Poland.
Hotel City Larch, Pine, Tulip, BushIn under a week, Hotel City's unfurled new flags from 28 countries, including three special ones for players with less geopolitical attachments -- Hotel City flag, Playfish flag, and Pirate flag.
Counting the June 3rd set, there are now 44 country flags ready to represent players, though we really doubt there are any from North Korea spending time on Facebook games. But this year's FIFA World Cup does have a North Korean team, and that's where all the games are taking their cues for these flag sets.
Along with these new flags are four new pieces of outdoors decor, which the game refers to as "Ground Decorations" -- Larch tree (2 PFC), Pine tree (2 PFC), Tulip bed (5,000 Coins), and Bush tree (7,000 Coins). If you look at (image above) the new design of the Bellboy Playfish Hotel, you can see that these items are no longer limited to the ground. You can decorate the roofs of rooms as well!
All the flags cost 10 Playfish Cash each. PFC are sold in sets, where the more you buy, the more you'll save. At the smallest set, you can get 25 PFC for $5 USD. To find the new flags and decor, click on the "Build" hammer icon, and look at the two new tabs on the bottom.
Here's a full visual of the new flags. And on a side note, the game has finally fixed the spelling for Philippines.
Hotel City international flags, Hotel City, Playfish, and Pirate flags.
Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Cameroon, Chile, England, Ghana, Greece, Netherlands, Honduras, Ivory Coast, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Korea DPR (or North Korea), Paraguay, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Korea Republic (or South Korea), Switzerland, Uruguay, Sweden, and Poland.
Happy Island gets into the game with World Cup Series set
Happy Island World Cup Series
Happy Island Special Offer Soccer iconPlayers who log into into Happy Island and click on the "Special Offer" soccer ball on the left side of the game window will see the new World Cup 2010 decor.
This World Cup Series attractions and decor set involves flags for 24 countries, an animated pitch that comes complete with goalies playing amongst themselves, and a virtual replica of the World Cup trophy.
The Neighborhood Pitch attraction costs 99 Facebook Credits (roughly $10 USD), and earns 2,300 Coins. If it's anything like the other attractions, there should be an option to upgrade the pitch into something much larger and better-looking, such as a full stadium. The World Cup trophy costs 15,000 Coins and is purely decorative, while the world flags are 15 FB Credits (roughly $1.50 USD) each.
Happy Island Special Offer Soccer iconPlayers who log into into Happy Island and click on the "Special Offer" soccer ball on the left side of the game window will see the new World Cup 2010 decor.
This World Cup Series attractions and decor set involves flags for 24 countries, an animated pitch that comes complete with goalies playing amongst themselves, and a virtual replica of the World Cup trophy.
The Neighborhood Pitch attraction costs 99 Facebook Credits (roughly $10 USD), and earns 2,300 Coins. If it's anything like the other attractions, there should be an option to upgrade the pitch into something much larger and better-looking, such as a full stadium. The World Cup trophy costs 15,000 Coins and is purely decorative, while the world flags are 15 FB Credits (roughly $1.50 USD) each.
Cafe World: Earn 6 Free Cafe Cash in 3 New Promo Surveys
Cafe World Pretty Little Liars, Windows Phone, and Windows 7
Feel like getting some free premium money in Cafe World? Then log into Facebook and head over to the Earn Café Cash tab for the 3 new deals under "Free activities". Each offer will dish out 2 free Cafe Cash for a total of 6 CC.
Keep reading to get a full walk-through before you try each one.
Pretty Little Liars Lie Detector
Offer #1 is from ABC promoting the premiere of their new show, "Pretty Little Liars". Just submitting two short sentences into the designated "Truth" and "Lie" boxes are all you need to earn you the cash. I typed "I hate ikura" into the Lie Box, and "I love ikura" into the Truth Box. After that, the sponsor wants you to install the Pretty Little Lie Detector app, "where your statements are waiting to be sent to your friends!" So install the app if you want (you DON'T have to! for the free Cafe Cash), but seeing that other people are going to see what you've typed if they use the app, be careful what you say.
Cafe World Windows Phone 7
Offer #2 is for Microsoft's Windows Phone 7. You get a little multiple choice question asking you which of the 3 features of the phone you're most looking forward to. Answer however you want, then click "Share" to submit your answer. And that's it -- 2 instant free Cafe Cash!
Cafe World Windows 7 features
Offer #3 is also from Microsoft, but this time, it's asking about which of their Windows 7 features you'd like best. To do that, you're going to have to watch some videos, but each one's only 7 seconds long! So pick whatever looks interesting and make your choice. I watched a bunch of the vids, but voted for "Home Group". And BAM! -- that's the last batch of 2 free Cafe Cash for me!
Now here's the most important question: how do you know any of these work? Well, SocialVibe, the company that's helping bridge these offers with Cafe World, has a feature that let's you see what offers you've completed and when you did them (see image below). You can access it by clicking the "Missing Cafe Cash" button which is on the same page as the Earn Café Cash tab.
Cafe World Social Vibe feature to check for Cafe Cash Missing
Feel like getting some free premium money in Cafe World? Then log into Facebook and head over to the Earn Café Cash tab for the 3 new deals under "Free activities". Each offer will dish out 2 free Cafe Cash for a total of 6 CC.
Keep reading to get a full walk-through before you try each one.
Pretty Little Liars Lie Detector
Offer #1 is from ABC promoting the premiere of their new show, "Pretty Little Liars". Just submitting two short sentences into the designated "Truth" and "Lie" boxes are all you need to earn you the cash. I typed "I hate ikura" into the Lie Box, and "I love ikura" into the Truth Box. After that, the sponsor wants you to install the Pretty Little Lie Detector app, "where your statements are waiting to be sent to your friends!" So install the app if you want (you DON'T have to! for the free Cafe Cash), but seeing that other people are going to see what you've typed if they use the app, be careful what you say.
Cafe World Windows Phone 7
Offer #2 is for Microsoft's Windows Phone 7. You get a little multiple choice question asking you which of the 3 features of the phone you're most looking forward to. Answer however you want, then click "Share" to submit your answer. And that's it -- 2 instant free Cafe Cash!
Cafe World Windows 7 features
Offer #3 is also from Microsoft, but this time, it's asking about which of their Windows 7 features you'd like best. To do that, you're going to have to watch some videos, but each one's only 7 seconds long! So pick whatever looks interesting and make your choice. I watched a bunch of the vids, but voted for "Home Group". And BAM! -- that's the last batch of 2 free Cafe Cash for me!
Now here's the most important question: how do you know any of these work? Well, SocialVibe, the company that's helping bridge these offers with Cafe World, has a feature that let's you see what offers you've completed and when you did them (see image below). You can access it by clicking the "Missing Cafe Cash" button which is on the same page as the Earn Café Cash tab.
Cafe World Social Vibe feature to check for Cafe Cash Missing
Two-fer Tuesday: Chocolatier Sweet Society and My Vineyard
Tired of harvesting and planting crops in FarmVille? Washing and feeding your pet in Pet Society? If you're looking for something new to play on Facebook, stop by the Games.com blog for Two-fer Tuesdays. Every week, we'll be recommending two new Facebook games that, ya know, aren't FarmVille.
This week's Two-fer highlights two games that have been flying under the radar, but include a certain something that might appeal to the FarmVille set -- chocolate and wine. The first is My Vineyard from Metaplace -- a sort of well-heeled FarmVille -- where you grow grapes and then turn them into wine. The second game is Chocolatier: Sweet Society where instead of wine, you make and sell chocolate in your very own chocolate shop. We're getting hungry just thinking about it. Chocolatier Sweet Society
Chocolatier Sweet Society
This Facebook game, based on a PC downloadable game with the same name, puts you at the helm of your very own high-end chocolate shop. In the game, you have to make chocolate in the factory and then, upon completion, sell the sweet stuff for coins which can be used for upgrades. Different types of chocolate takes different amounts of time to make, so you'll need to think strategically to make sure your inventory stays stocked and customers stay happy.
Pros: The game looks good, and overall, has high production values that you don't necessarily see in other Facebook games. Even though this game bears some similarities to other cooking games on Facebook, it also requires more time management to make your shop successful.
Cons: Outside of making chocolate and sending gifts, there's not all that much else to do in this game. Oh yeah, and the biggest negative of this game -- it makes you crave chocolate every time you play.
Play Chocolatier on Facebook >
My Vineyard
my vineyard
If you've ever fantasized about making your own wine, you can put your inner oenophile to the test by running your own virtual vineyard. Start by planting different varieties of grapes, juicing them (by stepping on them 'I Love Lucy'-style) and then aging them in the barrel of your choosing. You can sell your wine right away, or let it age and sell for more coins. Your vineyard can also be decked out with houses and other decor -- some buildings require your friends to pitch in and help.
Pros: One of the better-looking Facebook games with a relaxing soundtrack. There's also plenty of side activities to keep you occupied, like building houses, collecting truffles. Plus, it's about wine -- who doesn't like that?
Cons: If you're really tired of growing and harvesting crops, this game is centered on that basic concept. My Vineyard also has about 800K players according to AppData, which is a pretty decent number, but you still might be hard-pressed finding neighbors without straying outside your existing Facebook friend circle.
Play My Vineyard on Facebook >
Disclaimer: Games.com writer Tami Baribeau is a producer at Metaplace which creates My Vineyard.
This week's Two-fer highlights two games that have been flying under the radar, but include a certain something that might appeal to the FarmVille set -- chocolate and wine. The first is My Vineyard from Metaplace -- a sort of well-heeled FarmVille -- where you grow grapes and then turn them into wine. The second game is Chocolatier: Sweet Society where instead of wine, you make and sell chocolate in your very own chocolate shop. We're getting hungry just thinking about it. Chocolatier Sweet Society
Chocolatier Sweet Society
This Facebook game, based on a PC downloadable game with the same name, puts you at the helm of your very own high-end chocolate shop. In the game, you have to make chocolate in the factory and then, upon completion, sell the sweet stuff for coins which can be used for upgrades. Different types of chocolate takes different amounts of time to make, so you'll need to think strategically to make sure your inventory stays stocked and customers stay happy.
Pros: The game looks good, and overall, has high production values that you don't necessarily see in other Facebook games. Even though this game bears some similarities to other cooking games on Facebook, it also requires more time management to make your shop successful.
Cons: Outside of making chocolate and sending gifts, there's not all that much else to do in this game. Oh yeah, and the biggest negative of this game -- it makes you crave chocolate every time you play.
Play Chocolatier on Facebook >
My Vineyard
my vineyard
If you've ever fantasized about making your own wine, you can put your inner oenophile to the test by running your own virtual vineyard. Start by planting different varieties of grapes, juicing them (by stepping on them 'I Love Lucy'-style) and then aging them in the barrel of your choosing. You can sell your wine right away, or let it age and sell for more coins. Your vineyard can also be decked out with houses and other decor -- some buildings require your friends to pitch in and help.
Pros: One of the better-looking Facebook games with a relaxing soundtrack. There's also plenty of side activities to keep you occupied, like building houses, collecting truffles. Plus, it's about wine -- who doesn't like that?
Cons: If you're really tired of growing and harvesting crops, this game is centered on that basic concept. My Vineyard also has about 800K players according to AppData, which is a pretty decent number, but you still might be hard-pressed finding neighbors without straying outside your existing Facebook friend circle.
Play My Vineyard on Facebook >
Disclaimer: Games.com writer Tami Baribeau is a producer at Metaplace which creates My Vineyard.
Thứ Bảy, 11 tháng 2, 2012
Mafia Wars Must-Play Weekend: 2x Fight Loot + 2x Job Mastery
As part of Mafia Wars' Must-Play Weekend, mafiosos looking to get a leg up can now earn double the Fight Loot and Job Mastery for the next two days. Might not sound like much, but I'm finding the extra job mastery extremely helpful with the new Mafia Wars South Africa Challenge Mission.
mafia wars must-play weekend 2x job mastery
To get these bonuses, all you have to do is login to Mafia Wars on Facebook and start clicking.
Bookmark this site!
mafia wars must-play weekend 2x job mastery
To get these bonuses, all you have to do is login to Mafia Wars on Facebook and start clicking.
Bookmark this site!
FrontierVille Fourth of July Goal (Part 1) - Craft Five Fireworks
For the Fourth of July, FrontierVille rolled out a special four-part mission, and let's just say you'll probably eat up plenty of time this holiday weekend trying to get these done. Part 1 of this mission asks that you Craft Five Fireworks and this might be the most difficult of the four to complete.
frontierville craft fireworks misson
To craft fireworks, you'll need a cabin, 1 saltpeter and five fires. The saltpeter can be acquired by completing the new Manure Collection, which consists of five distinct types of poo that you collect from different animals. For a refresher: here are the five types of poo and which animals you can collect them from.
frontierville manure collection
Poultry Puddin' (harvested from chickens, geese)
Piggy Poop (harvested from pigs)
Brush Brownie (harvested from sheep, goats)
Prarie Pile (harvested from mules, horses)
Meadow Muffin (harvested from cows, oxen)
Read more on the FronterVille Manure Collection.
Once the collection is complete, turn it in and you'll be rewarded with a saltpeter. So now you have part of what you need to make the fireworks. The other thing you'll need is fire -- five fires to be exact. You can create fire by going inside the Wagon and combining 7 wood (get from chopping trees) and 5 cloth (get by visiting neighbors).
frontierville craft fire
Now that you have everything you need, go inside the Cabin and click 'Create' to make the fireworks.
frontierville craft fireworks
Once the Fireworks are complete, you'll get a reward or 500 coins, 50 XP and the chance to share Fireworks with friends by posting a message on your Facebook wall.
frontierville craft fireworks
Then, move onto Part II of the Fourth of July Mission -- Part II: Collect 5 Cornbread, Collect 3 Hams, Collect 1 Ribeye (from oxen) -- To be continued...
Do you have any tips on how to breeze past the FrontierVille Fourth of July missions? Or, have items you want to trade with other players?
frontierville craft fireworks misson
To craft fireworks, you'll need a cabin, 1 saltpeter and five fires. The saltpeter can be acquired by completing the new Manure Collection, which consists of five distinct types of poo that you collect from different animals. For a refresher: here are the five types of poo and which animals you can collect them from.
frontierville manure collection
Poultry Puddin' (harvested from chickens, geese)
Piggy Poop (harvested from pigs)
Brush Brownie (harvested from sheep, goats)
Prarie Pile (harvested from mules, horses)
Meadow Muffin (harvested from cows, oxen)
Read more on the FronterVille Manure Collection.
Once the collection is complete, turn it in and you'll be rewarded with a saltpeter. So now you have part of what you need to make the fireworks. The other thing you'll need is fire -- five fires to be exact. You can create fire by going inside the Wagon and combining 7 wood (get from chopping trees) and 5 cloth (get by visiting neighbors).
frontierville craft fire
Now that you have everything you need, go inside the Cabin and click 'Create' to make the fireworks.
frontierville craft fireworks
Once the Fireworks are complete, you'll get a reward or 500 coins, 50 XP and the chance to share Fireworks with friends by posting a message on your Facebook wall.
frontierville craft fireworks
Then, move onto Part II of the Fourth of July Mission -- Part II: Collect 5 Cornbread, Collect 3 Hams, Collect 1 Ribeye (from oxen) -- To be continued...
Do you have any tips on how to breeze past the FrontierVille Fourth of July missions? Or, have items you want to trade with other players?
Cafe World Super Sliders are back (this weekend only)
Cafe World Super Sliders are making a special re-appearance this weekend only. Why should you care? Aside from the fact that tiny burgers (even virtual ones) are inherently awesome, these little dudes only take five minutes to cook, cost 5 coins and yield 24 servings, 4 coins per serving and a total of 10 Cafe points.
You can also send Sliders to neighbors as a Free Gift. Happy cooking!
You can also send Sliders to neighbors as a Free Gift. Happy cooking!
Hi5 boss: Facebook's social gaming dominance won't last forever
The last time we heard from Hi5 president Alex St. John, he was declaring war on Facebook gaming and publicly badmouthing Zynga's spammy Facebook marketing at March's Game Developer's Conference. So it's not that surprising, then, that a recent Financial Times interview with St. John features some less than optimistic predictions for the future of both companies' social gaming businesses.
"Facebook stumbled onto a really exciting new gaming phenomenon and they're going to walk away from it or accidentally screw it up," St. John predicted. Because Facebook isn't focused exclusively on games, St. John argues, they will run into the same problems that popular generalized casual gaming portals encountered in the recent past. "WildTangent, Real Networks and Big Fish [specialised casual gaming services] are immensely grateful that Yahoo screwed up gaming and gave us their audiences. Facebook will do the exact same thing," he said.
In the interview, St. John was also pessimistic about the shallow games that dominate social gaming currently, predicting "the death of the games that are viral but have no other substance, which is kind of the first-generation Mafia Wars and Farmville-type games." Luckily, St. John says Hi5 and its recently-acquired Big Six platform will be around to save the market from itself. "The Zynga and Facebook guys are just scratching the most naive edge of online commerce models," he said. "The commerce platform that I built at WildTangent and that Big Six has built are decades ahead in sophistication and capability. It's rolling out now and we're going to show the social media industry what it means to really make money from these games."
"Facebook stumbled onto a really exciting new gaming phenomenon and they're going to walk away from it or accidentally screw it up," St. John predicted. Because Facebook isn't focused exclusively on games, St. John argues, they will run into the same problems that popular generalized casual gaming portals encountered in the recent past. "WildTangent, Real Networks and Big Fish [specialised casual gaming services] are immensely grateful that Yahoo screwed up gaming and gave us their audiences. Facebook will do the exact same thing," he said.
In the interview, St. John was also pessimistic about the shallow games that dominate social gaming currently, predicting "the death of the games that are viral but have no other substance, which is kind of the first-generation Mafia Wars and Farmville-type games." Luckily, St. John says Hi5 and its recently-acquired Big Six platform will be around to save the market from itself. "The Zynga and Facebook guys are just scratching the most naive edge of online commerce models," he said. "The commerce platform that I built at WildTangent and that Big Six has built are decades ahead in sophistication and capability. It's rolling out now and we're going to show the social media industry what it means to really make money from these games."
Sega looking in-house for social gaming development
With companies from EA to Disney spending millions of dollars to acquire hot social and casual gaming companies, it might seem like a gold rush mentality has set in amongst the established mega-publishers. Well, the mentality has yet to reach long-lived publisher Sega, it seems. In a recent GamesIndustry.biz interview, Sega West president Mike Hayes says the company is hesitant to buy its way into the social gaming market at this point.
Hayes compares the social gaming market today to the mobile gaming market of five years ago, when heavily-hyped-but-unprofitable startups sold for inflated prices. "I'm not saying that about social gaming, but the value of what is current - you could argue is actually too high," Hayes said. "If you look at a lot of famous companies, I won't mention any names, but look at their balance books and they are not making any money."
That's not to say Sega isn't interested in the social and casual gaming markets -- they'll just be focusing on those markets through their newly established San Francisco digital division, rather than by scooping up an existing company. The key, Hayes says, is taking the time to come up with new ideas and models for sustainability, rather than throwing money at a quick cash-in. "Controlled profitable growth in digital is key," he said. "It's nothing we have to rush into and use a lot of money on. It's something some company's need to get into quickly but carefully, and that's exactly the way we're going to approach it."
Hayes compares the social gaming market today to the mobile gaming market of five years ago, when heavily-hyped-but-unprofitable startups sold for inflated prices. "I'm not saying that about social gaming, but the value of what is current - you could argue is actually too high," Hayes said. "If you look at a lot of famous companies, I won't mention any names, but look at their balance books and they are not making any money."
That's not to say Sega isn't interested in the social and casual gaming markets -- they'll just be focusing on those markets through their newly established San Francisco digital division, rather than by scooping up an existing company. The key, Hayes says, is taking the time to come up with new ideas and models for sustainability, rather than throwing money at a quick cash-in. "Controlled profitable growth in digital is key," he said. "It's nothing we have to rush into and use a lot of money on. It's something some company's need to get into quickly but carefully, and that's exactly the way we're going to approach it."
Thứ Năm, 9 tháng 2, 2012
Baking Feature Battle: Cafe World's Design-A-Cake versus Baking Life's Cupcake Creator
Cafe World Design a Cake is here!
Fans of ZipZapPlay's Baking Life would recognize Cafe World's newest feature, Design-A-Cake. But while Baking Life offers players a mix-and-match option for making and selling their own virtual cupcakes, Cafe World does this with cakes. After your pastry creation is ready, you'll have the option of sharing it with one friend as a Wall post, and then as giveaway extras.
Cafe World vs Baking Life personalized designer cupcake and cake
But there are three major differences between Cafe World's designer cakes and Baking Life's cupcakes features...
Cafe World: Your Cake is Ready!
...first of all, Cafe World has integrated Facebook's birthday reminders into its feature. Because after designing a cake, you'll get to scroll through your list of friends and see how many days it's been, or will be, until their birthdays. Granted, Baking Life doesn't do this, but this just means you'll have to remember your friends' birthdays for yourself.
Only Baking Life has truly personalized cakes
Secondly, the custom cupcakes in Baking Life will show up in yours, and your friend's store, as the ones you've designed. But in Cafe World, they just end up as this stock vanilla cake slice called Custom Cake (see image above). This is incredibly disappointing, because while you're technically selling the cake you made, it's really not the same cake, cause there's nothing different about it. It's just a generic slice of cake.
And thirdly, Baking Life's feature has been around the longest and they've got a better sense of humor about this personalized cakes business. Just look at the monster cupcake below that I managed to whip up using their Cupcake Creator:
Baking Life Monster Cupcake made with Cupcake Creator
Pretty neat, huh?
Fans of ZipZapPlay's Baking Life would recognize Cafe World's newest feature, Design-A-Cake. But while Baking Life offers players a mix-and-match option for making and selling their own virtual cupcakes, Cafe World does this with cakes. After your pastry creation is ready, you'll have the option of sharing it with one friend as a Wall post, and then as giveaway extras.
Cafe World vs Baking Life personalized designer cupcake and cake
But there are three major differences between Cafe World's designer cakes and Baking Life's cupcakes features...
Cafe World: Your Cake is Ready!
...first of all, Cafe World has integrated Facebook's birthday reminders into its feature. Because after designing a cake, you'll get to scroll through your list of friends and see how many days it's been, or will be, until their birthdays. Granted, Baking Life doesn't do this, but this just means you'll have to remember your friends' birthdays for yourself.
Only Baking Life has truly personalized cakes
Secondly, the custom cupcakes in Baking Life will show up in yours, and your friend's store, as the ones you've designed. But in Cafe World, they just end up as this stock vanilla cake slice called Custom Cake (see image above). This is incredibly disappointing, because while you're technically selling the cake you made, it's really not the same cake, cause there's nothing different about it. It's just a generic slice of cake.
And thirdly, Baking Life's feature has been around the longest and they've got a better sense of humor about this personalized cakes business. Just look at the monster cupcake below that I managed to whip up using their Cupcake Creator:
Baking Life Monster Cupcake made with Cupcake Creator
Pretty neat, huh?
Zynga pulls Farmville from MSN Games
Well that didn't last long. Only six months after Zynga brought its hit farming simulation Farmville to MSN Games, the company has apparently decided to pull the game from Microsoft's portal.
As Inside Social Games notes, it seems like an odd move for Zynga, which has lately been trying to decrease its dependence on mega-network Facebook. Then again, it's not the first time Zynga has decided to pull its games from a social network -- see the company's canceled relationship with relatively minor network Tagged.
While having access to MSN's millions of users surely didn't hurt Farmville, Zynga likely decided their resources were better spent focusing on other markets, such as Japanese mobile phone networks, for instance. As we saw with Zynga's canceled Facebook game Street Racing, sometimes the opportunity cost of the status quo outweighs the benefit of leaving things as they are.
We've reached out to Zynga for a comment on the move and will let you know if and when we hear back.
As Inside Social Games notes, it seems like an odd move for Zynga, which has lately been trying to decrease its dependence on mega-network Facebook. Then again, it's not the first time Zynga has decided to pull its games from a social network -- see the company's canceled relationship with relatively minor network Tagged.
While having access to MSN's millions of users surely didn't hurt Farmville, Zynga likely decided their resources were better spent focusing on other markets, such as Japanese mobile phone networks, for instance. As we saw with Zynga's canceled Facebook game Street Racing, sometimes the opportunity cost of the status quo outweighs the benefit of leaving things as they are.
We've reached out to Zynga for a comment on the move and will let you know if and when we hear back.
Square Enix brings freemium RPG to Japanese social network
RPG-maker Square Enix's "exploration" of the social game space seems to be continuing apace -- in Japan, at least. SiliconEra reports that the company has released classical RPG Knights of the Crystal on Japanese social network GREE.
With a look reminiscent of the company's popular Final Fantasy series (thanks to Final Fantasy Tactics A2 artist Ryoma Ito), the game is reportedly a standard turn-based RPG in the Square Enix mold. One major difference from most Square Enix RPGs, though, is that the game is being offered as a free-to-play game on browsers and mobile phones, with money generated from in-game item sales.
This isn't the first time Square Enix has dabbled in Japanese social gaming -- previous titles on GREE include historical tactics game Sengoku Ixa and farming adventure game Chocobo's Crystal Tower. The company hasn't been nearly as active (or, um, active at all) in the American social gaming scene, but they've given every indication that they're interested in breaking in.
With a look reminiscent of the company's popular Final Fantasy series (thanks to Final Fantasy Tactics A2 artist Ryoma Ito), the game is reportedly a standard turn-based RPG in the Square Enix mold. One major difference from most Square Enix RPGs, though, is that the game is being offered as a free-to-play game on browsers and mobile phones, with money generated from in-game item sales.
This isn't the first time Square Enix has dabbled in Japanese social gaming -- previous titles on GREE include historical tactics game Sengoku Ixa and farming adventure game Chocobo's Crystal Tower. The company hasn't been nearly as active (or, um, active at all) in the American social gaming scene, but they've given every indication that they're interested in breaking in.
Popcap goes casino crazy with domain registrations
While Popcap games like Bejeweled Blitz and Zuma Blitz favor skill over luck, a host of new domain registrations hint that Popcap is looking to expand its involvement in skill-free online gambling games.
Super-sleuth Superannuation first noticed the newly-registered domains, which combine various Popcap game names (Bejeweled, Big Money, Chuzzle, Peggle, Plants vs. Zombies, "PvZ," Zuma and the Popcap name itself) with various gambling-related (bingo, casino, keno, lottery, lotto, poker, scratch, scratchcard, slot and slots).
The new domains likely indicate a continuation of Popcap's deal with British site JackpotJoy. That deal has already led to online gambling games such as Bejeweled Bingo and Zuma Slots that can be played for free or with real money. I suppose there's a chance these new domain names could indicate some new, real-world gambling initiative by Popcap, but it seems unlikely.
While these gambling games aren't likely to appeal to all social and casual gamers, it's nice to see that some of Popcap's brands seem to be gaining earning power outside of the games themselves.
Super-sleuth Superannuation first noticed the newly-registered domains, which combine various Popcap game names (Bejeweled, Big Money, Chuzzle, Peggle, Plants vs. Zombies, "PvZ," Zuma and the Popcap name itself) with various gambling-related (bingo, casino, keno, lottery, lotto, poker, scratch, scratchcard, slot and slots).
The new domains likely indicate a continuation of Popcap's deal with British site JackpotJoy. That deal has already led to online gambling games such as Bejeweled Bingo and Zuma Slots that can be played for free or with real money. I suppose there's a chance these new domain names could indicate some new, real-world gambling initiative by Popcap, but it seems unlikely.
While these gambling games aren't likely to appeal to all social and casual gamers, it's nice to see that some of Popcap's brands seem to be gaining earning power outside of the games themselves.
Quote of the Moment: Social gaming 'tailor-made' for Disney
"It became pretty clear to us that game-playing on social networks is real, here to stay. There are obviously a multitude of people that are already playing. There are about a half a billion people who are members of Facebook already, about 40 percent of those people participate in game playing.
"I mentioned in my remarks that the customer base is pretty diverse, from 18 to post-50. It's dual gender, meaning it's not - it doesn't skew just in the men's direction, which we know a lot of other games do.
"It seemed tailor-made for not only Disney-branded games, but Marvel and ESPN, and we really like the opportunity. The other thing that was really interesting to us is that we now have over 50 million people who are members of various Disney, ESPN and ABC groups on Facebook. So we begin with a very, very solid base of people to market to and when you add to that the over 40 million people who are playing Playdom games already, that seemed pretty compelling to us."
-Disney CEO Bob Iger explains the reasoning behind the company's recent purchase of social gaming company Playdom in a an investor's conference call
"I mentioned in my remarks that the customer base is pretty diverse, from 18 to post-50. It's dual gender, meaning it's not - it doesn't skew just in the men's direction, which we know a lot of other games do.
"It seemed tailor-made for not only Disney-branded games, but Marvel and ESPN, and we really like the opportunity. The other thing that was really interesting to us is that we now have over 50 million people who are members of various Disney, ESPN and ABC groups on Facebook. So we begin with a very, very solid base of people to market to and when you add to that the over 40 million people who are playing Playdom games already, that seemed pretty compelling to us."
-Disney CEO Bob Iger explains the reasoning behind the company's recent purchase of social gaming company Playdom in a an investor's conference call
Thứ Hai, 6 tháng 2, 2012
FarmVille Wild West Horned Toad
farmville horned toad
What would life in the Wild West be without a Horned Toad?
You can purchase the LE Wild West themed Horned Toad with 12 FV$ farm cash during the next 12 days only in the FarmVille Market.
FarmVille LE Wild West Animal (Released September 9, 2010):
Horned Toad – 12 FV$
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
What would life in the Wild West be without a Horned Toad?
You can purchase the LE Wild West themed Horned Toad with 12 FV$ farm cash during the next 12 days only in the FarmVille Market.
FarmVille LE Wild West Animal (Released September 9, 2010):
Horned Toad – 12 FV$
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
YoVille Romantic Bathroom items in the furniture store
yoville romantic bathroom items
The new YoVille Romantic Theme continues! Beautiful YoVille carved sinks, toilets and bathtubs can now be found from the Furniture store.
Romantic bathroom items also include lounges, tables and small items such as tissue boxes and elegant vases to make your Romantic bathroom just perfect!
Check the full list of items and prices after the link, and tell us what you think in comments.
yoville romantic bathroom itemsyoville romantic bathroom itemsyoville romantic bathroom itemsyoville romantic bathroom itemsyoville romantic bathroom itemsyoville romantic bathroom items
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
The new YoVille Romantic Theme continues! Beautiful YoVille carved sinks, toilets and bathtubs can now be found from the Furniture store.
Romantic bathroom items also include lounges, tables and small items such as tissue boxes and elegant vases to make your Romantic bathroom just perfect!
Check the full list of items and prices after the link, and tell us what you think in comments.
yoville romantic bathroom itemsyoville romantic bathroom itemsyoville romantic bathroom itemsyoville romantic bathroom itemsyoville romantic bathroom itemsyoville romantic bathroom items
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
FarmVille maker Zynga's 24-hour contest: You play, they'll pay
There's nothing like cold, hard cash to drive people to action. In this case, Zynga is giving away 1,000 bucks every hour for 24 hours if you play eight of its most popular games: YoVille, Zynga Poker, FarmVille, PetVille, Cafe World, Treasure Isle, Mafia Wars and FrontierVille. After you play a game, it will be checked off in the game bar that appears above each game (see pic below).
zynga 8-hour contest check the gamebar
When you've played all eight, your name will be entered into the next hourly drawing for $1K. The contest has already started today and will end tonight (Monday night) at 11:59 p.m. PST.
Please note: The contest is open to United States citizens over age 18 only -- sorry international fans, looks like you're going to have to sit this one out. :(
Also, here's a dirty little secret: You only need to load the game to get the checkmark to appear on the game bar, you don't actually have to 'play' them for it to count.
zynga 8-game challenge win cash
zynga 8-hour contest check the gamebar
When you've played all eight, your name will be entered into the next hourly drawing for $1K. The contest has already started today and will end tonight (Monday night) at 11:59 p.m. PST.
Please note: The contest is open to United States citizens over age 18 only -- sorry international fans, looks like you're going to have to sit this one out. :(
Also, here's a dirty little secret: You only need to load the game to get the checkmark to appear on the game bar, you don't actually have to 'play' them for it to count.
zynga 8-game challenge win cash
FrontierVille Horseshoe Pit: Everything you need to know
Update (10 p.m.): Message from Zynga: "Please note that you MUST enter the other games through the Horseshoe pit window in order to get credit for levelling up or planting/harvesting crops in those other games."
FrontierVille introduces a new game within the game -- Horseshoes. The new buildable Horseshoe pit, now available in the Market (in the *Special* section) costs 2,500 gold coins and 20 wood to get started.
Of course, that's just how you get this new project started -- then you have to build it (which requires 10 energy and 120 wood), and then put on the finishing touches by collecting a handful of materials from friends and other Zynga games.
frontierville horseshoe pit
After you place the Horseshoe pit on your property -- much like all FrontierVille buildables -- you will have to give this thing 10 Whacks, and each Whack costs 1 Energy and 10 Wood. After each Whack, you earn 1 XP and loot for the following collections: Shed, Foundry, Inn, School, General Store, Land Office and Sawmill. (When I built mine, I scored items for the Schoolhouse, General Store and Storage Shed Collections)
Once all of the whacking is complete, you'll have to start gathering materials required to finish the Horseshoe Pit.
horseshoe-pit-materials
Instead of begging friends for all of these materials, this construction project will send you into other Zynga games to get the items you need. The only items you'll get from friends is the Measuring Tape. Below is a list of items you need, and how to get them:
10 Measuring Tape -- Request from friends via a Facebook Wall post
1 Wooden board -- Play FarmVille, plant and harvest 200 crops
1 Bag of Sand -- Play Treasure Isle, level up once (after level 5)
1 Spike -- Play Mafia Wars, level up three times (after level 5)
1 Bar Stool -- Play Cafe World, level up once (after level 5)
1 Gold Horseshoe -- Play Zynga Poker, level up once (after level 5)
If you don't want to go to the trouble of playing all of those other games to finish your Horseshoe Pit, you can buy each item for 50 Horseshoes, for a total of 300 Horseshoes. That seems mighty pricey for a humble frontier person like myself, but to each their own.
Once your Horseshoe Pit is complete, you will be able to play the game once a day for free (if you want to play more, you'll have to pony up 1 Horseshoe per toss), and you'll be able to play on neighbors' pits as well. Each time you play, you will earn points, which can be redeemed for a handful of prizes by clicking the 'Cash Out' button (see image below).
horseshoe pit rewards
INITIAL PLAYER REACTIONS: There seem to be mixed feelings about having to play all of those other games to get materials for the Horseshoe Pit. But, according to FrontierVille player WAKEMEUP, it looks like you will have the chance to win some more valuable items if your horseshoe tossing skills are up to the task. Including a whopping 3,500 Horseshoes.
Every toss gives certain amount of points.
Miss - Game Over (You have to collect your reward, and you can´t continue.)
Near - +1 Point
Touch - +2 Points
? - Need info
? - Need info
Points can be redeemed for the following Horseshoe game prizes:
0pts - 2 EXP
1pts - 300 Gold
2pts - Cherry tree
3pts - 10 EXP
4pts - 2 Energy
5pts - 2 Pigs
6pts - 5 Energy
7pts - 2 Pears
8pts - 2 Cows
9pts - 2 Oxen
10pts - 1 Mule
11pts - 200 EXP
12pts - 1 Horse
13pts - 10 Horseshoes
14pts - 30 Energy
15pts - 1 Beef Jerky
16pts - 1 Mystery Animal Crate
17pts - 1 Mystery Crate
18pts - 2 Beef Jerky
19pts - 150 Energy
20pts - 200,000 Gold
21pts - 3,500 Horseshoes
Gallery: FrontierVille Horseshoe Pit Item Hunt
NOTE: You MUST enter the other games through the Horseshoe Pit window if you want it to count.
NOTE: #2: When you're trying for the boards in FarmVille, plant and harvest your 200 crops, then look for a wooden board icon on the left-hand side of the screen. Click that icon to claim your free boards and be directed back to FrontierVille (see pics below).
farmville boards icon front
frontierville farmville boards horseshoe pit
Below is the pop-up I saw after leveling up three times in Mafia Wars:
mafia wars frontierville railroad spike
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here.
FrontierVille introduces a new game within the game -- Horseshoes. The new buildable Horseshoe pit, now available in the Market (in the *Special* section) costs 2,500 gold coins and 20 wood to get started.
Of course, that's just how you get this new project started -- then you have to build it (which requires 10 energy and 120 wood), and then put on the finishing touches by collecting a handful of materials from friends and other Zynga games.
frontierville horseshoe pit
After you place the Horseshoe pit on your property -- much like all FrontierVille buildables -- you will have to give this thing 10 Whacks, and each Whack costs 1 Energy and 10 Wood. After each Whack, you earn 1 XP and loot for the following collections: Shed, Foundry, Inn, School, General Store, Land Office and Sawmill. (When I built mine, I scored items for the Schoolhouse, General Store and Storage Shed Collections)
Once all of the whacking is complete, you'll have to start gathering materials required to finish the Horseshoe Pit.
horseshoe-pit-materials
Instead of begging friends for all of these materials, this construction project will send you into other Zynga games to get the items you need. The only items you'll get from friends is the Measuring Tape. Below is a list of items you need, and how to get them:
10 Measuring Tape -- Request from friends via a Facebook Wall post
1 Wooden board -- Play FarmVille, plant and harvest 200 crops
1 Bag of Sand -- Play Treasure Isle, level up once (after level 5)
1 Spike -- Play Mafia Wars, level up three times (after level 5)
1 Bar Stool -- Play Cafe World, level up once (after level 5)
1 Gold Horseshoe -- Play Zynga Poker, level up once (after level 5)
If you don't want to go to the trouble of playing all of those other games to finish your Horseshoe Pit, you can buy each item for 50 Horseshoes, for a total of 300 Horseshoes. That seems mighty pricey for a humble frontier person like myself, but to each their own.
Once your Horseshoe Pit is complete, you will be able to play the game once a day for free (if you want to play more, you'll have to pony up 1 Horseshoe per toss), and you'll be able to play on neighbors' pits as well. Each time you play, you will earn points, which can be redeemed for a handful of prizes by clicking the 'Cash Out' button (see image below).
horseshoe pit rewards
INITIAL PLAYER REACTIONS: There seem to be mixed feelings about having to play all of those other games to get materials for the Horseshoe Pit. But, according to FrontierVille player WAKEMEUP, it looks like you will have the chance to win some more valuable items if your horseshoe tossing skills are up to the task. Including a whopping 3,500 Horseshoes.
Every toss gives certain amount of points.
Miss - Game Over (You have to collect your reward, and you can´t continue.)
Near - +1 Point
Touch - +2 Points
? - Need info
? - Need info
Points can be redeemed for the following Horseshoe game prizes:
0pts - 2 EXP
1pts - 300 Gold
2pts - Cherry tree
3pts - 10 EXP
4pts - 2 Energy
5pts - 2 Pigs
6pts - 5 Energy
7pts - 2 Pears
8pts - 2 Cows
9pts - 2 Oxen
10pts - 1 Mule
11pts - 200 EXP
12pts - 1 Horse
13pts - 10 Horseshoes
14pts - 30 Energy
15pts - 1 Beef Jerky
16pts - 1 Mystery Animal Crate
17pts - 1 Mystery Crate
18pts - 2 Beef Jerky
19pts - 150 Energy
20pts - 200,000 Gold
21pts - 3,500 Horseshoes
Gallery: FrontierVille Horseshoe Pit Item Hunt
NOTE: You MUST enter the other games through the Horseshoe Pit window if you want it to count.
NOTE: #2: When you're trying for the boards in FarmVille, plant and harvest your 200 crops, then look for a wooden board icon on the left-hand side of the screen. Click that icon to claim your free boards and be directed back to FrontierVille (see pics below).
farmville boards icon front
frontierville farmville boards horseshoe pit
Below is the pop-up I saw after leveling up three times in Mafia Wars:
mafia wars frontierville railroad spike
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here.
YoVille: More new Romantic Clothes in the clothing store
yoville romantic clothes
New batch of YoVille Romantic Clothes arrived the Clothing Store! Ornate fans, monocles, dresses and gentleman tops to add to your wardrobe, all in four colors to choose from.
Clothes in Coins, accessories and hats in YoCash. Check the full list of items and prices after the link.
yoville romantic clothes
yoville romantic clothes
yoville romantic clothes
yoville romantic clothes
yoville romantic clothes
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
New batch of YoVille Romantic Clothes arrived the Clothing Store! Ornate fans, monocles, dresses and gentleman tops to add to your wardrobe, all in four colors to choose from.
Clothes in Coins, accessories and hats in YoCash. Check the full list of items and prices after the link.
yoville romantic clothes
yoville romantic clothes
yoville romantic clothes
yoville romantic clothes
yoville romantic clothes
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
Thứ Bảy, 4 tháng 2, 2012
Microsoft could buy its way into social games in 2011, analysts say
Microsoft Game Studios
The year 2011might involve even more acquisitions in social gaming from more companies than just Zynga, with potential buyers like Microsoft and media giant Viacom expected by analysts to be considering serious purchases, Reuters said. Because advertising isn't exactly working out this decade, big media and tech companies will look to virtual goods to stay afloat, according to analysts' predictions.
"The truth is everybody is talking to everybody, every potential buyer is probably talking to just about every social game company out there," said principal with Norwest Venture Partners Tim Chang, whose firm invested in Playdom.
Apparently Microsoft could be the next big customer, looking to enhance its Xbox Live platform, industry executives said. With Zynga's FarmVille coming to Microsoft's Windows Phone 7, they just might be right. However, Zynga is pretty much off the table at this point with an estimated worth of over $5 billion, but that doesn't mean smaller companies couldn't fill that void.
Find out who could be gobbled up next after the break.
Money Handling
"With Playfish and Playdom gone, Zynga being unbuyable, we're on the downside of that slope," said Don Rainey, a partner at Grotech Ventures. "We're through the big moves and into the small moves."
What about 'small move' companies like CrowdStar or Kabam? While CrowdStar chairman Peter Relman reportedly doesn't feel the pressure to sell, Microsoft could probably offer him something enticing. Who knows, Microsoft could be looking to promote the next phase of its Halo franchise through social gaming. All the cool kids are doing it. A Microsoft-owned CrowdStar could become the Facebook brand manager for Microsoft Games Studio much like Playfish is for Electronic Arts.
While consolidation through buyouts is certainly good for business, this could hurt the creative potential of social games studios to make gripping games with fresh ideas. There's nothing like the pressure to create a brand seller to stunt innovation. Hey, at least according to analysts, social games could be worth over $2 billion come next year.
The year 2011might involve even more acquisitions in social gaming from more companies than just Zynga, with potential buyers like Microsoft and media giant Viacom expected by analysts to be considering serious purchases, Reuters said. Because advertising isn't exactly working out this decade, big media and tech companies will look to virtual goods to stay afloat, according to analysts' predictions.
"The truth is everybody is talking to everybody, every potential buyer is probably talking to just about every social game company out there," said principal with Norwest Venture Partners Tim Chang, whose firm invested in Playdom.
Apparently Microsoft could be the next big customer, looking to enhance its Xbox Live platform, industry executives said. With Zynga's FarmVille coming to Microsoft's Windows Phone 7, they just might be right. However, Zynga is pretty much off the table at this point with an estimated worth of over $5 billion, but that doesn't mean smaller companies couldn't fill that void.
Find out who could be gobbled up next after the break.
Money Handling
"With Playfish and Playdom gone, Zynga being unbuyable, we're on the downside of that slope," said Don Rainey, a partner at Grotech Ventures. "We're through the big moves and into the small moves."
What about 'small move' companies like CrowdStar or Kabam? While CrowdStar chairman Peter Relman reportedly doesn't feel the pressure to sell, Microsoft could probably offer him something enticing. Who knows, Microsoft could be looking to promote the next phase of its Halo franchise through social gaming. All the cool kids are doing it. A Microsoft-owned CrowdStar could become the Facebook brand manager for Microsoft Games Studio much like Playfish is for Electronic Arts.
While consolidation through buyouts is certainly good for business, this could hurt the creative potential of social games studios to make gripping games with fresh ideas. There's nothing like the pressure to create a brand seller to stunt innovation. Hey, at least according to analysts, social games could be worth over $2 billion come next year.
Mobile social games are cooler than Sunday Night Football
Flurry iOS games beat out Sunday Night Football
And that's just on the Flurry network for iPhone. According to data compiled by Nielsen and Flurry, a social network for iPhone games and applications, more people played social games on their iPhone than those who watched Sunday Night Football on NBC.
When television is competing with mobile social games for viewers, you know this industry is more than a fad. Not to mention mobile social games on the iPhone alone are only about two years old. Flurry welcomes 19 million daily players for 22 minutes on average through the 50,000 apps that support the network, which is only 4 million viewers away from the most popular TV out there, American Idol. With numbers like this, it's a no-brainer for studios like Zynga and CrowdStar to look at mobile as the next frontier.
Count in players from other mobile social gaming networks like Open Feint and Plus+, open up the device categories to include Android and Blackberry and you got yourself far more eyes than that glorified Star Search American Idol will ever reach. It's no wonder that media giants like Viacom are joining Microsoft in looking to join the fun. It looks like we're going to see plenty more ads in our games than we might like come 2011.
And that's just on the Flurry network for iPhone. According to data compiled by Nielsen and Flurry, a social network for iPhone games and applications, more people played social games on their iPhone than those who watched Sunday Night Football on NBC.
When television is competing with mobile social games for viewers, you know this industry is more than a fad. Not to mention mobile social games on the iPhone alone are only about two years old. Flurry welcomes 19 million daily players for 22 minutes on average through the 50,000 apps that support the network, which is only 4 million viewers away from the most popular TV out there, American Idol. With numbers like this, it's a no-brainer for studios like Zynga and CrowdStar to look at mobile as the next frontier.
Count in players from other mobile social gaming networks like Open Feint and Plus+, open up the device categories to include Android and Blackberry and you got yourself far more eyes than that glorified Star Search American Idol will ever reach. It's no wonder that media giants like Viacom are joining Microsoft in looking to join the fun. It looks like we're going to see plenty more ads in our games than we might like come 2011.
ESPNU College Town update brings Facebook Credits and new Competition rules
Playdom's new sports university management game ESPNU College Town received a much-deserved update today in the form of Facebook Credits, new Competitions features and over 100 new items. Not to mention that now Event Revenue never expires, meaning you can collect profits from an event at any time after the event is through. The social network's official currency is now available for use in the game and applies to the existing packages:
20 Campus Cash: 4.99 = 50 Facebook Credits
42 Campus Cash: $9.99 = 100 Facebook Credits
85 Campus Cash: $19.99 = 200 Facebook Credits
240 Campus Cash: $49.99 = 500 Facebook Credits
500 Campus Cash: $99.99 = 1000 Facebook Credits
Now, you'll have to buy the Facebook Credits outside of ESPNU College Town and the game still supports direct credit card and Pay Pal purchases, but this just makes things a lot easier to understand. Clicking and dragging All-Stars into the starters brackets for Competitions is no longer necessary. Just click the All-Star and then click the spot to place them in position; also, players cannot compete in this feature without at least one All-Star card for each sport, basketball and football.
With Event Revenue now permanent, there's no need to regret or hesitate scheduling longer events that yield more benefits as they'll be there to collect whenever you return. There's also a slew of new items including new mascots, statues and iconic buildings representing real-life college sports stadiums. All in all, these are welcome changes to the new game, which already boasts over 1.2 million users in its first month. They grow up so fast... and then they make mommy and daddy millions.
20 Campus Cash: 4.99 = 50 Facebook Credits
42 Campus Cash: $9.99 = 100 Facebook Credits
85 Campus Cash: $19.99 = 200 Facebook Credits
240 Campus Cash: $49.99 = 500 Facebook Credits
500 Campus Cash: $99.99 = 1000 Facebook Credits
Now, you'll have to buy the Facebook Credits outside of ESPNU College Town and the game still supports direct credit card and Pay Pal purchases, but this just makes things a lot easier to understand. Clicking and dragging All-Stars into the starters brackets for Competitions is no longer necessary. Just click the All-Star and then click the spot to place them in position; also, players cannot compete in this feature without at least one All-Star card for each sport, basketball and football.
With Event Revenue now permanent, there's no need to regret or hesitate scheduling longer events that yield more benefits as they'll be there to collect whenever you return. There's also a slew of new items including new mascots, statues and iconic buildings representing real-life college sports stadiums. All in all, these are welcome changes to the new game, which already boasts over 1.2 million users in its first month. They grow up so fast... and then they make mommy and daddy millions.
Happy Aquarium: Twilight-inspired fish sparkle and transform for Halloween
Happy Aquarium Sparkling Vampire
In the spirit of glittering vampires and really ripped werewolves--or Halloween these days--CrowdStar has revisited some old and introduced some new fish to Happy Aquarium. Jacob Black--er, the Werewolf returns from the Twilit theme for 48 Facebook Credits ($4.80) and, yes, he still transforms when you click him. The newest addition to the 'Halloween-themed' fish is Edward Cullen the Sparkling Vampire that for 55 Facebook Credits, or $5.50, sparkles when you click him. Oh, how fitting.
There is also a new wallpaper to go with your no-so-frightening fish: the Cemetery for 30 Facebook Credits, or $3. Its description reads, "Put fear into your tank with this Cemetery setting." Not with those fish, you won't. If there's one thing I can say about CrowdStar's paid currency items, it's that while most of them are shallow pop culture references, some of them are just plain hilarious.
In the spirit of glittering vampires and really ripped werewolves--or Halloween these days--CrowdStar has revisited some old and introduced some new fish to Happy Aquarium. Jacob Black--er, the Werewolf returns from the Twilit theme for 48 Facebook Credits ($4.80) and, yes, he still transforms when you click him. The newest addition to the 'Halloween-themed' fish is Edward Cullen the Sparkling Vampire that for 55 Facebook Credits, or $5.50, sparkles when you click him. Oh, how fitting.
There is also a new wallpaper to go with your no-so-frightening fish: the Cemetery for 30 Facebook Credits, or $3. Its description reads, "Put fear into your tank with this Cemetery setting." Not with those fish, you won't. If there's one thing I can say about CrowdStar's paid currency items, it's that while most of them are shallow pop culture references, some of them are just plain hilarious.
Social City: Reach Level 5 in ESPNU College Town for a free Track and Field stadium
Now that the 5 Days of Gifting College Town is over in Social City, Playdom has another ESPNU College Town promotion in the works -- reach Level 5 in ESPNU College Town for a free Track and Field stadium in Social City.
Here's some tips to level up quickly in ESPNU College: First of all, the game starts you off with two venues, a field and a gym. Upgrading these will net you a ton of XP. After that, you should click on the venues to "Start Event", which is more or less identical to creating "Contracts" for the Factories in Social City.
Next, buy and install as many buildings as you can. The act of installing buildings will help you earn XP, and after that's done, the buildings can begin making money for you. You can use this money to upgrade your venues. All this should quickly get you to Level 3.
Social City Track & Field Stadium
There might be a bit of a lag between you hitting Level 5 in ESPNU College Town and getting your Track and Field, but once the offer clears its way through the system, you should receive the pop-up window above. You can then find your stadium in your Social City inventory, and installing the stadium in your city will grant you 15 XP.
Here's some tips to level up quickly in ESPNU College: First of all, the game starts you off with two venues, a field and a gym. Upgrading these will net you a ton of XP. After that, you should click on the venues to "Start Event", which is more or less identical to creating "Contracts" for the Factories in Social City.
Next, buy and install as many buildings as you can. The act of installing buildings will help you earn XP, and after that's done, the buildings can begin making money for you. You can use this money to upgrade your venues. All this should quickly get you to Level 3.
Social City Track & Field Stadium
There might be a bit of a lag between you hitting Level 5 in ESPNU College Town and getting your Track and Field, but once the offer clears its way through the system, you should receive the pop-up window above. You can then find your stadium in your Social City inventory, and installing the stadium in your city will grant you 15 XP.
Thứ Năm, 2 tháng 2, 2012
FIFA Superstars Referral Rewards: Find new players for powerful perks
Been having a hard time convincing your friends that soccer on Facebook can actually be fun? Playfish understands, which is why they've launched the Referral Rewards program in FIFA Superstars. Players who get their friends to play the game and reach Level 5 will be rewarded increasingly better items like free Grab Match Credits, high-level Transfers and even time with Club Staff like the Personal Trainer and Coach. (What? No terribly expensive lawyers?) Here's a breakdown of what you'll win for recruiting up to 50 friends:
One Referral: Three Match Credits
Two Referrals: Three Match Credits
Three Referrals: Physical Trainer
Five Referrals: Coach
10 Referrals: Five Match Credits and Silver Transfer
20 Referrals: Five Match Credits and Silver Transfer
50 Referrals: Five Match Credits and Gold Transfer
To make sure you reap the benefits, just provide your friends with the unique link that FIFA Superstars gives you (and no, the link found above will not work for you) and make sure they reach Level 5--you can even track your progress. Oh wait, we didn't explain how this is going to help you get your friends to play. Well, if they were real friends they wouldn't mind doing you a simple favor. Trust us, the guilt trip is fool-proof.
One Referral: Three Match Credits
Two Referrals: Three Match Credits
Three Referrals: Physical Trainer
Five Referrals: Coach
10 Referrals: Five Match Credits and Silver Transfer
20 Referrals: Five Match Credits and Silver Transfer
50 Referrals: Five Match Credits and Gold Transfer
To make sure you reap the benefits, just provide your friends with the unique link that FIFA Superstars gives you (and no, the link found above will not work for you) and make sure they reach Level 5--you can even track your progress. Oh wait, we didn't explain how this is going to help you get your friends to play. Well, if they were real friends they wouldn't mind doing you a simple favor. Trust us, the guilt trip is fool-proof.
Trippy Game of the Day: Nuclearoids
nuclearoids
Smooth techno beats, colorful explosive blasts, and balls of all sizes flying across the screen? Yep, that's Nuclearoids, today's Funky Game of the Day. Nuclearoids is all about setting off a massive chain reaction. When two orbs touch, they build up energy and eventually EXPLODE, sending bits flying all over the place. As you complete levels, note that eventually the goals become specific, so aim your Nuclearoids in the right direction. Hmmm, I wonder if this is how the universe was created?
Click here to play Nuclearoids >
Smooth techno beats, colorful explosive blasts, and balls of all sizes flying across the screen? Yep, that's Nuclearoids, today's Funky Game of the Day. Nuclearoids is all about setting off a massive chain reaction. When two orbs touch, they build up energy and eventually EXPLODE, sending bits flying all over the place. As you complete levels, note that eventually the goals become specific, so aim your Nuclearoids in the right direction. Hmmm, I wonder if this is how the universe was created?
Click here to play Nuclearoids >
FarmVille: Penguins return for a short while, Animal Feed now giftable
The wait is finally over, Morgan Freeman lovers. Penguins are back in FarmVille and for a limited time players can spread the adorable, aquatic bird love for free. That's right, Penguins are giftable for a short time. We're not sure as to why, but we can only imagine it's a ploy to get us to run out and buy a third, fourth or even fifth copy of March of the Penguins starring Mr. Freeman's mystical voice.
Penguins were first introduced as one of the wandering wild animals almost a year ago and largely disappeared since. After that, statues were erected in the birds' honor across all of FarmVille and Emperor Penguins arrived to fill the void--but it just wasn't the same. And now, for but a fleeting moment, they've returned at last.
In other, more boring news, you can now send Animal Feed to your friends as a gift, making luring in hapless animals with the Feed Trough that much easier. But, to be honest, if the Trough doesn't lure cute little penguins, we're simply not interested.
Penguins were first introduced as one of the wandering wild animals almost a year ago and largely disappeared since. After that, statues were erected in the birds' honor across all of FarmVille and Emperor Penguins arrived to fill the void--but it just wasn't the same. And now, for but a fleeting moment, they've returned at last.
In other, more boring news, you can now send Animal Feed to your friends as a gift, making luring in hapless animals with the Feed Trough that much easier. But, to be honest, if the Trough doesn't lure cute little penguins, we're simply not interested.
ESPNU College Town Campus Affiliation just got a whole lot easier
Campus Affiliation
Affiliation ButtonAs part of Playdom's relentless mission to streamline the day-to-day experience of what just might be its new flagship game, ESPNU College Town, the studio just added an "Affiliation" button to the sidebar in-game. Clicking this button just below the "Gift Inventory" button will take you right to the page displaying your current campus affiliation. Players can also use the search box found above to easily find the school they're looking for instead of meticulously scrolling through every last college.
Better yet, you can browse each university's set of items and buy them right from within this window. Take a look for yourself and see what you think. You might just find a university that you like better (traitor).
Affiliation ButtonAs part of Playdom's relentless mission to streamline the day-to-day experience of what just might be its new flagship game, ESPNU College Town, the studio just added an "Affiliation" button to the sidebar in-game. Clicking this button just below the "Gift Inventory" button will take you right to the page displaying your current campus affiliation. Players can also use the search box found above to easily find the school they're looking for instead of meticulously scrolling through every last college.
Better yet, you can browse each university's set of items and buy them right from within this window. Take a look for yourself and see what you think. You might just find a university that you like better (traitor).
Megamind meets FarmVille, Top 25 Facebook games for November [PM Linkage]
FarmVille's 24-hour Megamind movie promo kicks off Thursday [Games.com]
Top 25 Facebook Games for November 2010 [Inside Social Games]
BringIt raises $1.5M, helps RockYou generate revenue by putting a game inside a game [Venture Beat]
Facebook Makes Signing Into Mobile Apps Incredibly Easy [Mashable]
Redken Video Game Beckons Girls to Hair Salons [NY Times]
The Business Of Magic: How the Disney marketing machine generates billions [Newsweek]
Top 25 Facebook Games for November 2010 [Inside Social Games]
BringIt raises $1.5M, helps RockYou generate revenue by putting a game inside a game [Venture Beat]
Facebook Makes Signing Into Mobile Apps Incredibly Easy [Mashable]
Redken Video Game Beckons Girls to Hair Salons [NY Times]
The Business Of Magic: How the Disney marketing machine generates billions [Newsweek]
City of Wonder's Russia Week brings the Manifesto to your settlement
Russia Week
Players of City of Wonder have seen nearly every ancient civilization in world history from Mesopotamia to Egypt to Ancient Greece, but now it's time to enter the age of political upheaval and military might with Russia Week. In this seven-day event, you'll find several items inspired by the ancestors of the Mongols and the birthplace of socialism. Most importantly, this update includes a new legend, Beethoven, who will clean all of your cultural buildings.
But when it comes to buildings, Playdom has got you covered with structures like the brand new Marvel, St. Basil's Cathedral--the iconic church will boost your Happiness and Culture by three percent. There are other interesting items like the Gold Wall, which for one Gold a piece will "protect your city in style," and Cossack Calvary who are known for "their awesome hats." You can decorate your city with the Kremlin Clock, a Russian Church and Socialist Statue to finish off your settlement's religious and political personality. The Russian theme is only here for another six days, so get your Slav on before these items go way of the dodo.
[Image Credit: Playdom]
Players of City of Wonder have seen nearly every ancient civilization in world history from Mesopotamia to Egypt to Ancient Greece, but now it's time to enter the age of political upheaval and military might with Russia Week. In this seven-day event, you'll find several items inspired by the ancestors of the Mongols and the birthplace of socialism. Most importantly, this update includes a new legend, Beethoven, who will clean all of your cultural buildings.
But when it comes to buildings, Playdom has got you covered with structures like the brand new Marvel, St. Basil's Cathedral--the iconic church will boost your Happiness and Culture by three percent. There are other interesting items like the Gold Wall, which for one Gold a piece will "protect your city in style," and Cossack Calvary who are known for "their awesome hats." You can decorate your city with the Kremlin Clock, a Russian Church and Socialist Statue to finish off your settlement's religious and political personality. The Russian theme is only here for another six days, so get your Slav on before these items go way of the dodo.
[Image Credit: Playdom]
Thứ Tư, 1 tháng 2, 2012
Flickr creator to 'Glitch' Facebook with new social game in 2011
Stewart Butterfield actually started in the games business with Ludicorp before Flickr became his claim to fame earlier this decade. Now, Butterfield returns to gaming at probably the most opportune time on one of the most opportune platforms. Butterfield's first social game with his studio, Tiny Speck Inc., is titled "Glitch" and is set to launch on Facebook in 2011. Obviously a major departure from what made him famous and very rich, we hope, the game takes place within the imagination of 11 giants. It's already weird, we know.
According to the game's first trailer, players will become figments of these giants' imaginations, working to make their ideas bigger and better. The game seems like it will play a lot like Maple Story with side scrolling controls and similar interaction. Other things that we could deduce from the trailer? How about learning new skills, studies, making fruit juice and blue, humanoid goat creatures?
For some reason, angry crows called The Rook have attacked the 11 giants' minds to steal their imaginations. It's apparently up to you, blue goat man, to thwart their plans with juice. That last part is a complete guess, but who wouldn't like to see that happen?
I don't know about you, but that's more than enough for me to at least give it shot. Take a look at the trailer above and you'll see how Butterfield is making extremely entertaining use of his philosophy degree. According to News.com, Glitch will be made available on PC and mobile devices as well as Facebook in order to maximize its presence. Expect Glitch to release in March or April of 2011.
According to the game's first trailer, players will become figments of these giants' imaginations, working to make their ideas bigger and better. The game seems like it will play a lot like Maple Story with side scrolling controls and similar interaction. Other things that we could deduce from the trailer? How about learning new skills, studies, making fruit juice and blue, humanoid goat creatures?
For some reason, angry crows called The Rook have attacked the 11 giants' minds to steal their imaginations. It's apparently up to you, blue goat man, to thwart their plans with juice. That last part is a complete guess, but who wouldn't like to see that happen?
I don't know about you, but that's more than enough for me to at least give it shot. Take a look at the trailer above and you'll see how Butterfield is making extremely entertaining use of his philosophy degree. According to News.com, Glitch will be made available on PC and mobile devices as well as Facebook in order to maximize its presence. Expect Glitch to release in March or April of 2011.
New Thanksgiving FarmVille Animals: Black Turkey, Paint Horse
Thanksgiving may have come and gone in the real world, but Zynga just can't seem to let the theme go in FarmVille, as they have released a new duo of Thanksgiving-themed animals into the game's store.
The two animals are the Black Turkey and the Paint Horse. While the Black Turkey obviously screams "Thanksgiving," the Paint Horse is more reserved, and is simply a lovely brown and white painted horse. It will cost your 26 Farm Cash to purchase, while the Black Turkey costs less, at 18 Farm Cash.
Both of these items will be available in the game for the next two weeks, which is actually a fairly generous time limit, considering the fact that the holiday they represent is now officially over. That being said, if you want to stock up on animals that you can pull out for Thanksgiving 2011 in FarmVille, this isn't a bad way to go.
The two animals are the Black Turkey and the Paint Horse. While the Black Turkey obviously screams "Thanksgiving," the Paint Horse is more reserved, and is simply a lovely brown and white painted horse. It will cost your 26 Farm Cash to purchase, while the Black Turkey costs less, at 18 Farm Cash.
Both of these items will be available in the game for the next two weeks, which is actually a fairly generous time limit, considering the fact that the holiday they represent is now officially over. That being said, if you want to stock up on animals that you can pull out for Thanksgiving 2011 in FarmVille, this isn't a bad way to go.
New FarmVille Thanksgiving Buildings: Harvest Store & Fall Nursery
If you were beginning to think that the Thanksgiving theme in FarmVille was finished, and would simply be allowed to expire from the store with no further additions (we won't blame you if you were, as we were too), you may be happy to learn that additional Thanksgiving items have been released in the store. As we try to imagine that Thanksgiving hasn't already passed, let's take a look at two new buildings that are now available in the game.
The first is the Harvest Store, which we brought you a sneak peek of more than a week ago. It costs 300,000 coins, and will reward you with 3,000 experience points as a bonus for purchasing it. Meanwhile, the other item is the Fall Nursery, or greenhouse, which is a premium item. It costs 15 Farm Cash - a cheap price considering the normal prices of buildings in FarmVille.
These two buildings will be available for the next two weeks, so you'll have plenty of time to stock up for decorating next Thanksgiving!
The first is the Harvest Store, which we brought you a sneak peek of more than a week ago. It costs 300,000 coins, and will reward you with 3,000 experience points as a bonus for purchasing it. Meanwhile, the other item is the Fall Nursery, or greenhouse, which is a premium item. It costs 15 Farm Cash - a cheap price considering the normal prices of buildings in FarmVille.
These two buildings will be available for the next two weeks, so you'll have plenty of time to stock up for decorating next Thanksgiving!
New FarmVille Thanksgiving Decorations: Autumn Fall, Pocahontas Gnome, & Orange Pumpkin
Thanksgiving may have come and gone, but if you're not still trying to wake up from your turkey coma, why not take a few minutes to start stocking up on Thanksgiving decorations for next year in FarmVille? The developer has released three new decorative items into this expansive Thanksgiving theme, with these items coming in the form of an Autumn Fall, a Pocahontas Gnome, and an Orange Pumpkin.
The Autumn Fall is actually a lovely natural waterfall comprised of water and fallen leaves that has a fairly high price tag of 30 Farm Cash. Meanwhile, the Pocahontas Gnome costs much less, at 12 Farm Cash. Finally, the Orange Pumpkin (not to be confused with the White or Black Pumpkins that are still available in the store) costs just 1,500 coins - quite the bargain price for a limited edition decoration.
While it may seem odd to buy Thanksgiving items in FarmVille when most users' minds have now moved fully into the Christmas and Winter columns, you've got 14 days to hold onto Thanksgiving by purchasing these new items before they expire.
The Autumn Fall is actually a lovely natural waterfall comprised of water and fallen leaves that has a fairly high price tag of 30 Farm Cash. Meanwhile, the Pocahontas Gnome costs much less, at 12 Farm Cash. Finally, the Orange Pumpkin (not to be confused with the White or Black Pumpkins that are still available in the store) costs just 1,500 coins - quite the bargain price for a limited edition decoration.
While it may seem odd to buy Thanksgiving items in FarmVille when most users' minds have now moved fully into the Christmas and Winter columns, you've got 14 days to hold onto Thanksgiving by purchasing these new items before they expire.
FarmVille Grey Goose now available to purchase in the market
In an interesting move, Zynga has released the Grey Goose formerly given out as a bonus for purchasing FarmVille Farm Cash to the market as a "regular" premium item.
Earlier this week, if you had taken the opportunity to purchase any Farm Cash package, this Grey Goose would've been give to you for free, but as that was a limited time opportunity (that has since expired), if you want to get your hands on this interesting bird, you'll have to pay Farm Cash, to the total of 16 Farm Cash, to be exact.
It's also interesting to see the Grey Goose listed as a limited edition item - part of the new Winter Holiday theme of items. While the Goose doesn't scream either Winter or Holidays for that matter, we'll give Zynga the benefit of the doubt on this one.
You've got 14 days to add this Grey Goose to your animal collection in the game, so make sure to take advantage of its release while you can.
Earlier this week, if you had taken the opportunity to purchase any Farm Cash package, this Grey Goose would've been give to you for free, but as that was a limited time opportunity (that has since expired), if you want to get your hands on this interesting bird, you'll have to pay Farm Cash, to the total of 16 Farm Cash, to be exact.
It's also interesting to see the Grey Goose listed as a limited edition item - part of the new Winter Holiday theme of items. While the Goose doesn't scream either Winter or Holidays for that matter, we'll give Zynga the benefit of the doubt on this one.
You've got 14 days to add this Grey Goose to your animal collection in the game, so make sure to take advantage of its release while you can.
Thứ Hai, 30 tháng 1, 2012
Kingdom Saga on Facebook: FrontierVille meets a true city-builder in ancient times
With the load of similar titles being released after FrontierVille landed on the Facebook gaming scene earlier this year, it's no surprise that yet another "clone" title would be released. This time around, we see Koramgame hoping to latch onto the success found by titles like FrontierVille, and more recently Ravenwood Fair, by offering a new game called Kingdom Saga, that incorporates major gameplay elements from both of these games, but offers them in a setting that's 40,000 years in the past.
As the cave man or cave woman or your own design, you'll be able to build various structures in your kingdom, but only after you clear the land of debris (grasses, rocks and the like) first. From there, it's a bit of a city-building game, mixed in with basic quests, as items must be connected with roads in order to function.
For more information about Kingdom Saga, meet us behind the break.
Kingdom Saga resembles FrontierVille in the way that Bonus Pop-ups appear after collecting from buildings (which earn profits over time), and in the overall quest set-up that sees you purchasing certain items, completing the building of Wigwams and other buildings, and so on. Of course, an energy bar is also present here, so you'll need to wait for your energy to recharge once it empties to continue participating in most in-game actions.
For those that prefer Ravenwood Fair, there are elements of that game here as well, as you can only clear out debris that is closest to you. That is, you'll have to work your way outwards from the middle of your kingdom when you clear the land - you can't walk over one piece of grass to get to another.
As the game combines these elements with those from a city-building game, there is a bit of refreshing uniqueness here. When you build a home, for example, you'll be able to invite one of your real-world Facebook friends to live in that home. Oddly, they'll be given the standard avatar to represent them as they walk around the town, so boys in the real world could be presented as girls in the game, and vice versa. If you can get the friend to actually start playing the game, however, you can customize their appearance.
When not completing quests, the majority of your time early on will be spent clearing the land. This uses your energy, but also earns you experience points. As you level up using these points, you'll be able to unlock the ability to purchase more homes for your village, and therefore add more friends to your town. You'll also be able to add numerous decorative items to your town, including a slew of Christmas-themed items, if you choose to start playing the game before the holiday season ends.
Once you reach level 5, you'll be able to build Resource Buildings, allowing you to earn wood and stone which are gathered just like wood or food would be in something like FrontierVille. In addition to these structures, you can purchase actual businesses, like wineries and clothing markets that will earn "taxes," that need to be collected once full (think of collecting from an attraction in Tiki Resort or Happy Island, as examples, and you have the system here).
In terms of social elements, you can visit your neighbors' towns at will, and in doing so, will be given the opportunity to "Help Out" at a handful of businesses or shops, earning you additional coins and "Love," or reputation points (this is an exact replica of the system in FrontierVille). You can also choose from a number of free gift items to send to your friends if you'd like.
As with other "ancient" city-building games, Kingdom Saga will soon be given Wonders, presumably allowing you to build real historical items in your town.
All told, Kingdom Saga looks to be a solid offering in both the city-building genre, and in those games that can be respectfully called FarmVille clones. It seems to offer enough unique features to keep one interested over time, and with the mass amount of Facebook games anyone can choose to play, you can't really ask for anything more than that.
As the cave man or cave woman or your own design, you'll be able to build various structures in your kingdom, but only after you clear the land of debris (grasses, rocks and the like) first. From there, it's a bit of a city-building game, mixed in with basic quests, as items must be connected with roads in order to function.
For more information about Kingdom Saga, meet us behind the break.
Kingdom Saga resembles FrontierVille in the way that Bonus Pop-ups appear after collecting from buildings (which earn profits over time), and in the overall quest set-up that sees you purchasing certain items, completing the building of Wigwams and other buildings, and so on. Of course, an energy bar is also present here, so you'll need to wait for your energy to recharge once it empties to continue participating in most in-game actions.
For those that prefer Ravenwood Fair, there are elements of that game here as well, as you can only clear out debris that is closest to you. That is, you'll have to work your way outwards from the middle of your kingdom when you clear the land - you can't walk over one piece of grass to get to another.
As the game combines these elements with those from a city-building game, there is a bit of refreshing uniqueness here. When you build a home, for example, you'll be able to invite one of your real-world Facebook friends to live in that home. Oddly, they'll be given the standard avatar to represent them as they walk around the town, so boys in the real world could be presented as girls in the game, and vice versa. If you can get the friend to actually start playing the game, however, you can customize their appearance.
When not completing quests, the majority of your time early on will be spent clearing the land. This uses your energy, but also earns you experience points. As you level up using these points, you'll be able to unlock the ability to purchase more homes for your village, and therefore add more friends to your town. You'll also be able to add numerous decorative items to your town, including a slew of Christmas-themed items, if you choose to start playing the game before the holiday season ends.
Once you reach level 5, you'll be able to build Resource Buildings, allowing you to earn wood and stone which are gathered just like wood or food would be in something like FrontierVille. In addition to these structures, you can purchase actual businesses, like wineries and clothing markets that will earn "taxes," that need to be collected once full (think of collecting from an attraction in Tiki Resort or Happy Island, as examples, and you have the system here).
In terms of social elements, you can visit your neighbors' towns at will, and in doing so, will be given the opportunity to "Help Out" at a handful of businesses or shops, earning you additional coins and "Love," or reputation points (this is an exact replica of the system in FrontierVille). You can also choose from a number of free gift items to send to your friends if you'd like.
As with other "ancient" city-building games, Kingdom Saga will soon be given Wonders, presumably allowing you to build real historical items in your town.
All told, Kingdom Saga looks to be a solid offering in both the city-building genre, and in those games that can be respectfully called FarmVille clones. It seems to offer enough unique features to keep one interested over time, and with the mass amount of Facebook games anyone can choose to play, you can't really ask for anything more than that.
Earn 2 free FarmVille Farm Cash from Ford Focus promotion
On the lookout for some free Farm Cash in FarmVille? Why not take part in Zynga's newest cross-promotion with Ford that offers 2 free Farm Cash just for doing so?
Interested? You'll be able to start this simple activity by looking for the "Sponsored Link" picture as seen at the right side of this post. This newest promotion is for the "Ford Focus Global Test Drive" contest that, of course, is being run by Ford (yes, the car company). This activity loads in a new window, and is comprised of you listening to a fairly lengthly trailer for Ford's Global Test Drive contest, which is also being held on Facebook. Note: Here is the link for the activity, but note that it might not work on your account.
This contest asks users to create a video submission for a chance to win a trip to Spain and a $10,000 donation to a charity of your choosing, but if you're just interested in the free Farm Cash, you can skip the video by clicking on the "Get Started Now" button and "faking" your way through creating a video. The video you "create" can be a second long, and can be downloaded and deleted in a matter of seconds. After the video has been "completed," you'll earn your free Farm Cash notification, and can close the activity window.
Head back to your game of FarmVille and you'll see your Farm Cash total rise by two. Sure, this may be an activity that's a bit more involved, but if you follow our simple steps, you'll be able to finish it as quickly as possible and get to spending your free Farm Cash. Of course, you can always take the time to create a real video for the contest as well - whatever works for you.
Interested? You'll be able to start this simple activity by looking for the "Sponsored Link" picture as seen at the right side of this post. This newest promotion is for the "Ford Focus Global Test Drive" contest that, of course, is being run by Ford (yes, the car company). This activity loads in a new window, and is comprised of you listening to a fairly lengthly trailer for Ford's Global Test Drive contest, which is also being held on Facebook. Note: Here is the link for the activity, but note that it might not work on your account.
This contest asks users to create a video submission for a chance to win a trip to Spain and a $10,000 donation to a charity of your choosing, but if you're just interested in the free Farm Cash, you can skip the video by clicking on the "Get Started Now" button and "faking" your way through creating a video. The video you "create" can be a second long, and can be downloaded and deleted in a matter of seconds. After the video has been "completed," you'll earn your free Farm Cash notification, and can close the activity window.
Head back to your game of FarmVille and you'll see your Farm Cash total rise by two. Sure, this may be an activity that's a bit more involved, but if you follow our simple steps, you'll be able to finish it as quickly as possible and get to spending your free Farm Cash. Of course, you can always take the time to create a real video for the contest as well - whatever works for you.
Earn 100 free FarmVille Farm Cash through ProFlowers promotion
Back again for another holiday is the ProFlowers promotion in FarmVille. If you weren't around for the Mother's Day or Thanksgiving flower promotions in Zynga's games like FarmVille or Cafe World, then here are all of the details surrounding this new offer.
This cross-promotion is one of the more profitable ones we've seen. For all users that click on the ProFlowers "Sponsored Link" window found at the bottom of the FarmVille gameplay area, they'll activate the ability to earn 100 free Farm Cash by making any purchase at ProFlowers.com. By clicking on the Sponsored Link, you'll load a new window, where you'll find all of the official rules (it must be a valid purchase, your farm cash can take upwards of 30 minutes to arrive on your account, and so on).
In addition, users that order through this offer will receive 50% on holiday flowers and gifts, so if you've been looking for something for that special someone in your life, or just someone who is incredibly difficult to shop for otherwise, this might be worth looking into. After all, why not receive something for yourself in the process of buying something fabulous for a loved one? No one will blame you, most certainly not me.
Shop fast, as we're assuming that this offer will disappear just as quickly as the holidays after this week.
What do you think of this new promotion? Will you purchase from ProFlowers to earn 100 free Farm Cash? Have you ordered from ProFlowers through a FarmVille promotion in the past?
This cross-promotion is one of the more profitable ones we've seen. For all users that click on the ProFlowers "Sponsored Link" window found at the bottom of the FarmVille gameplay area, they'll activate the ability to earn 100 free Farm Cash by making any purchase at ProFlowers.com. By clicking on the Sponsored Link, you'll load a new window, where you'll find all of the official rules (it must be a valid purchase, your farm cash can take upwards of 30 minutes to arrive on your account, and so on).
In addition, users that order through this offer will receive 50% on holiday flowers and gifts, so if you've been looking for something for that special someone in your life, or just someone who is incredibly difficult to shop for otherwise, this might be worth looking into. After all, why not receive something for yourself in the process of buying something fabulous for a loved one? No one will blame you, most certainly not me.
Shop fast, as we're assuming that this offer will disappear just as quickly as the holidays after this week.
What do you think of this new promotion? Will you purchase from ProFlowers to earn 100 free Farm Cash? Have you ordered from ProFlowers through a FarmVille promotion in the past?
CityVille Let it Snow Goals blanket your town in frosty flakes
Let it Snow!
While you were prepping the town's Holiday Tree, Zynga added another Goal to CityVille to turn your city into an even more wonderful winter wonderland. In "Let it Snow!" Sam asks players to ask their friends for 10 Snow Flakes and 10 Snowballs. Each requirement can also be met using 20 City Cash and doing either will allow you to buy one new Decoration item from the Build menu, Snow Cover.
For just 500 coins, Snow Cover will blanket your city's streets in snow. Interestingly enough, this change is irreversible, but the snow will automatically melt come March 20, 2011. As for the second part of this Goal series, players will have to collect 15 Winter Lights from their friends. Doing so will open up Snow Top in the Decorations tab of the Build menu. For another 500 coins, this will blanket your buildings and decorations in snow, which also will not disappear until March. Start asking away for those items now if you want your town to celebrate a white Christmas like some of us on the East Coast might enjoy.
Find the rest of our Holiday 2010 coverage right here.
Have you started the Let it Snow Goals yet? Will you be completing them knowing that the change is semi-permanent?
While you were prepping the town's Holiday Tree, Zynga added another Goal to CityVille to turn your city into an even more wonderful winter wonderland. In "Let it Snow!" Sam asks players to ask their friends for 10 Snow Flakes and 10 Snowballs. Each requirement can also be met using 20 City Cash and doing either will allow you to buy one new Decoration item from the Build menu, Snow Cover.
For just 500 coins, Snow Cover will blanket your city's streets in snow. Interestingly enough, this change is irreversible, but the snow will automatically melt come March 20, 2011. As for the second part of this Goal series, players will have to collect 15 Winter Lights from their friends. Doing so will open up Snow Top in the Decorations tab of the Build menu. For another 500 coins, this will blanket your buildings and decorations in snow, which also will not disappear until March. Start asking away for those items now if you want your town to celebrate a white Christmas like some of us on the East Coast might enjoy.
Find the rest of our Holiday 2010 coverage right here.
Have you started the Let it Snow Goals yet? Will you be completing them knowing that the change is semi-permanent?
Age of Champions on Facebook doesn't cry over spilled blood
Fantasy social games are almost dime a dozen, but what are they missing? Why, half naked men spilling the blood of goblins and other beasts, of course. In Age of Champions on Facebook, players take the role of one of three races: a human, an elf or a minotaur as they vie for the throne of an emperor who recently kicked the can. As it turns out, so is everyone else. After choosing which of the three warring factions that you'll be siding with in this sprawling conflict, you'll be launched into battle with a band of goblins, your warriors sprinting across a green, war-torn field, bronze daggers flailing. After witnessing the green, gooey bloodshed as your avatar guts the goblin leader, you realize that this is not standard fantasy fare on Facebook.
Find out more about Age of Champions and our impressions after the break.
Defeating the Orge
If you hadn't noticed by now, this game isn't necessarily for the little ones. There will be blood in Age of Champions, lots of it. Developed by Sacramento, CA-based studio KlickNation, this game's primary focus is on two important things: story and gameplay. Absolutely filled to the brim with quest text designed to give purpose to otherwise mundane tasks, Age of Champions contains a plot that weaves throughout the game's primary mode of spending Energy--a social game staple--quests.
However, Energy is plentiful in Age of Champions' early levels as opposed to other social games. You'll frequently level up through questing, restoring your Energy each time. (However, the game does offer Blue Crystals, a paid currency, to replenish Energy and Stamina.) Quests are completed through the Travel menu, which opens up the game's story in a book-shaped menu, offering the plot in chapters that almost always contain at least one session on the battlefield and one boss monster to defeat. Rewards from quests are normally the standard gold coins, which are used to hire more soldiers and outfit your army with weapons and armor, and experience points. Leveling up also rewards players with points to enhance their primary character's Energy, Attack strength, Stamina (used to battle other players) and Health. While Energy and Stamina will allow you to play the game for longer sessions without having to pay up for more, Attack and Health are extremely important in combat.
Questing Book
Ah, yes, the meat and potatoes of Age of Champions. Combat scenarios are somewhat rare treats, but are most definitely not to be underestimated. These special quests are marked with an icon shaped like a shield adorned with two swords. Clicking on "Go to Battle" will open up the battlefield. While battles play out automatically based on the size of your army compared to the enemy's, it all happens in real time and takes equipment statistics into account as well. It's not until all of your units fall that your main avatar will rush into the fray, duking it out with the opposing commander. In the early stages of the game, your army will almost always be wiped out, but that doesn't mean you lose them forever. However, improving their equipment by buying quantities of armor and weapons that match your squad's numbers will increase their lasting power. There is the option to skip each battle sequence, but why would you want to do that?
While combat and questing are plenty entertaining, Age of Champions does include some fairly deep social elements. Throughout the game, players can attempt to craft items that are more powerful than what can be bought in the store, but some of the ingredients can only be found through Gifting. Thankfully, social interaction goes deeper than that with Raids, or massive enemies that require cooperation from friends to defeat. Furthermore, players can join Guilds, which are groups of friends within the game that can collaborate without the need of being Facebook friends. In other words, you won't find too many request-athons here, but more teamwork through the game's Raid bosses and Battle system.
Raid on the Ice Dragon
With an interesting albeit violent approach to combat, an engaging story for those who take the time to read it and social features similar to other, more current social games like Knights of the Crystals and Legacy of a Thousand Suns, Age of Champions delivers on nearly all fronts aside from a few annoying bugs such as losing access to the top of game screen at times. Just ignore the fact that your avatar will be without pants for quite a while and you should have a grand time.
Find out more about Age of Champions and our impressions after the break.
Defeating the Orge
If you hadn't noticed by now, this game isn't necessarily for the little ones. There will be blood in Age of Champions, lots of it. Developed by Sacramento, CA-based studio KlickNation, this game's primary focus is on two important things: story and gameplay. Absolutely filled to the brim with quest text designed to give purpose to otherwise mundane tasks, Age of Champions contains a plot that weaves throughout the game's primary mode of spending Energy--a social game staple--quests.
However, Energy is plentiful in Age of Champions' early levels as opposed to other social games. You'll frequently level up through questing, restoring your Energy each time. (However, the game does offer Blue Crystals, a paid currency, to replenish Energy and Stamina.) Quests are completed through the Travel menu, which opens up the game's story in a book-shaped menu, offering the plot in chapters that almost always contain at least one session on the battlefield and one boss monster to defeat. Rewards from quests are normally the standard gold coins, which are used to hire more soldiers and outfit your army with weapons and armor, and experience points. Leveling up also rewards players with points to enhance their primary character's Energy, Attack strength, Stamina (used to battle other players) and Health. While Energy and Stamina will allow you to play the game for longer sessions without having to pay up for more, Attack and Health are extremely important in combat.
Questing Book
Ah, yes, the meat and potatoes of Age of Champions. Combat scenarios are somewhat rare treats, but are most definitely not to be underestimated. These special quests are marked with an icon shaped like a shield adorned with two swords. Clicking on "Go to Battle" will open up the battlefield. While battles play out automatically based on the size of your army compared to the enemy's, it all happens in real time and takes equipment statistics into account as well. It's not until all of your units fall that your main avatar will rush into the fray, duking it out with the opposing commander. In the early stages of the game, your army will almost always be wiped out, but that doesn't mean you lose them forever. However, improving their equipment by buying quantities of armor and weapons that match your squad's numbers will increase their lasting power. There is the option to skip each battle sequence, but why would you want to do that?
While combat and questing are plenty entertaining, Age of Champions does include some fairly deep social elements. Throughout the game, players can attempt to craft items that are more powerful than what can be bought in the store, but some of the ingredients can only be found through Gifting. Thankfully, social interaction goes deeper than that with Raids, or massive enemies that require cooperation from friends to defeat. Furthermore, players can join Guilds, which are groups of friends within the game that can collaborate without the need of being Facebook friends. In other words, you won't find too many request-athons here, but more teamwork through the game's Raid bosses and Battle system.
Raid on the Ice Dragon
With an interesting albeit violent approach to combat, an engaging story for those who take the time to read it and social features similar to other, more current social games like Knights of the Crystals and Legacy of a Thousand Suns, Age of Champions delivers on nearly all fronts aside from a few annoying bugs such as losing access to the top of game screen at times. Just ignore the fact that your avatar will be without pants for quite a while and you should have a grand time.
Thứ Tư, 11 tháng 1, 2012
Corrie Nation on hold: First-ever soap opera Facebook game breaks for makeover
Last year, after roughly four decades on television, ABC canceled TV soaps "All My Children" and "One Life to Live". Commentators were quick to point to Facebook games as the culprit, spear-headed by an April AdWeek report, with even earlier speculation supplied by GamaSutra a month prior. Then, "As the World Turns" ended in September, and it no longer felt like speculation. Everyone was running with it.
In this climate stepped "Corrie Nation", a social game on Facebook to mark the 50th anniversary of the U.K soap opera, "Coronation Street". Because obviously, "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em" seemed like a good call.
Corrie Nation Coronation Street characters actors
But for a show that brings in millions of viewers, the Facebook game only managed an all-time high of 88K monthly average users. Players have been falling since the launch, leading ITV to announce their taking down the game by the end of this coming July. But ITV hasn't given up on the concept. They want a major rehaul over the summer, so they're dropping their contract with Enteraction and will soon be in the market for a new games developer.
Anyone who's interested in checking out "Corrie Nation" within the next two months, can play it on Facebook. There's already a surge of activity due to news of the (hopefully) temporary shutdown.
In this climate stepped "Corrie Nation", a social game on Facebook to mark the 50th anniversary of the U.K soap opera, "Coronation Street". Because obviously, "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em" seemed like a good call.
Corrie Nation Coronation Street characters actors
But for a show that brings in millions of viewers, the Facebook game only managed an all-time high of 88K monthly average users. Players have been falling since the launch, leading ITV to announce their taking down the game by the end of this coming July. But ITV hasn't given up on the concept. They want a major rehaul over the summer, so they're dropping their contract with Enteraction and will soon be in the market for a new games developer.
Anyone who's interested in checking out "Corrie Nation" within the next two months, can play it on Facebook. There's already a surge of activity due to news of the (hopefully) temporary shutdown.
Games.com Weekly Roundup: Spotlighting social games at E3 2011
Couldn't get your daily Games.com news fix and want to know what you've missed? Whether it's a major FarmVille guide or the launch of a new Facebook game, the Roundup will bring you up to speed on the most important or popular or just plain out amazing and weird social gaming stories of the week.
Monday:
The Sims creator Will Wright is making a Facebook game, and it's not SimCity
Instead, Wright is basing his new game on Bruce Sterling's short story "Maneki Neko".
Want to work for Marriott Hotels? Play the Facebook game first
"We had no idea there was such a demand for hotel employees, but alas, here we are, recruiting them through ... Facebook games."
Zynga hangs on iPhone in Hanging with Friends: Fuhgettabout pen and paper
"Developed by Texas-based Zynga subsidiary Zynga with Friends, Hanging with Friends is a mobile multiplayer take on the classic two-player puzzle game Hangman."
Playdom's City of Wonder on iPhone: Conquer the world wherever
"Playdom has released City of Wonder, it's Civilization-like empire-building Facebook game, to iOS devices. And better yet, it's absolutely free."
The Sims Social: Yup, The Sims is finally coming to Facebook
Were you as creeped out by the debut trailer as we were? Nonetheless, it's hard not to get excited.
Tuesday:
Apple Game Center in iOS 5 mirrors Facebook gaming, coming this fall
"Social gaming has effectively become mobile gaming in many a developer's eye, and Apple is poised to strike the competition this fall with the new Facebook games-inspired Game Center."
'Arookoo: World Explorers' steps up social gaming, but stumbles on Facebook
Reader's Digest Association and Vivity Labs' create a Facebook game to complement a free iPhone app that nabs you virtual perks for real world strolls.
E3 2011: Prime World mixes free-to-play MMO with Facebook friend interaction
"You'll be able to invite your Facebook friends to play the game with you . . . There's even a Zuma-inspired marble game for those that would prefer to match marbles than enter combat (at least temporarily)."
E3 2011: Yoostar Playground puts you in the movies on Facebook
"With Yoostar Playground, you're really given the opportunity for your 15 minutes of fame, as the company routinely holds contests over the best videos uploaded to the service."
Wednesday:
Zynga celebrates FarmVille's 2nd Birthday with an explosion of items
For the full scoop, check out our FarmVille 2nd Birthday Guide.
E3 2011: Walking Dead game gets a Facebook tie-in
"A few months ago, we learned that The Walking Dead, a hit TV series on AMC as well as a comic book series with a serious cult following, is getting the game treatment."
Casino City, Bar World and Slot City get the axe
"[A]s a result of Zynga's recent acquisition of DNA Games (its 14th purchase in just a year!), all three of the studio's games will shut down come July 8."
Thursday:
E3 2011: Fruit Ninja Frenzy takes a slice out of Facebook this summer
"In Fruit Ninja Frenzy, the same basic gameplay from the mobile version has been retained, but has been chopped (no pun intended) into 60-seconds of bite sized fruity goodness."
E3 2011: Pet Society Vacation on iPhone takes your Facebook pet on a tropical trip
Playfish fans are definitely excited, but the catch is this iOS game won't crossover with the one on Facebook except when it comes to porting over your pet.
John Carmack: Facebook offers the 'Walmart experience of gaming' [Interview]
"[Social games are] not a connoisseur experience, but it's important to recognize that most of what people consume in the world is not a connoisseur experience."
E3 2011: Shooters, not social, are still king
So how's E3 treating the social games scene? Our EIC, Libe Goad, spent the week over there and left us this thoughtful piece.
The Amazing Spider-Man's Emma Stone was hooked on FarmVille
"I got to level 42, and I wasn't doing anything else anymore, so I had to stop," Stone told ELLE.
FrontierVille Oregon Trail becomes 'Pioneer Trail' after community vote
Not that we thought anyone could confuse the official Oregon Trail with Zynga's FrontierVille expansion on Facebook, but that's lawsuits for ya.
Scam Alert: 'Zynga Promotions' is not RewardVille, but another scam
Dastardly!
Monday:
The Sims creator Will Wright is making a Facebook game, and it's not SimCity
Instead, Wright is basing his new game on Bruce Sterling's short story "Maneki Neko".
Want to work for Marriott Hotels? Play the Facebook game first
"We had no idea there was such a demand for hotel employees, but alas, here we are, recruiting them through ... Facebook games."
Zynga hangs on iPhone in Hanging with Friends: Fuhgettabout pen and paper
"Developed by Texas-based Zynga subsidiary Zynga with Friends, Hanging with Friends is a mobile multiplayer take on the classic two-player puzzle game Hangman."
Playdom's City of Wonder on iPhone: Conquer the world wherever
"Playdom has released City of Wonder, it's Civilization-like empire-building Facebook game, to iOS devices. And better yet, it's absolutely free."
The Sims Social: Yup, The Sims is finally coming to Facebook
Were you as creeped out by the debut trailer as we were? Nonetheless, it's hard not to get excited.
Tuesday:
Apple Game Center in iOS 5 mirrors Facebook gaming, coming this fall
"Social gaming has effectively become mobile gaming in many a developer's eye, and Apple is poised to strike the competition this fall with the new Facebook games-inspired Game Center."
'Arookoo: World Explorers' steps up social gaming, but stumbles on Facebook
Reader's Digest Association and Vivity Labs' create a Facebook game to complement a free iPhone app that nabs you virtual perks for real world strolls.
E3 2011: Prime World mixes free-to-play MMO with Facebook friend interaction
"You'll be able to invite your Facebook friends to play the game with you . . . There's even a Zuma-inspired marble game for those that would prefer to match marbles than enter combat (at least temporarily)."
E3 2011: Yoostar Playground puts you in the movies on Facebook
"With Yoostar Playground, you're really given the opportunity for your 15 minutes of fame, as the company routinely holds contests over the best videos uploaded to the service."
Wednesday:
Zynga celebrates FarmVille's 2nd Birthday with an explosion of items
For the full scoop, check out our FarmVille 2nd Birthday Guide.
E3 2011: Walking Dead game gets a Facebook tie-in
"A few months ago, we learned that The Walking Dead, a hit TV series on AMC as well as a comic book series with a serious cult following, is getting the game treatment."
Casino City, Bar World and Slot City get the axe
"[A]s a result of Zynga's recent acquisition of DNA Games (its 14th purchase in just a year!), all three of the studio's games will shut down come July 8."
Thursday:
E3 2011: Fruit Ninja Frenzy takes a slice out of Facebook this summer
"In Fruit Ninja Frenzy, the same basic gameplay from the mobile version has been retained, but has been chopped (no pun intended) into 60-seconds of bite sized fruity goodness."
E3 2011: Pet Society Vacation on iPhone takes your Facebook pet on a tropical trip
Playfish fans are definitely excited, but the catch is this iOS game won't crossover with the one on Facebook except when it comes to porting over your pet.
John Carmack: Facebook offers the 'Walmart experience of gaming' [Interview]
"[Social games are] not a connoisseur experience, but it's important to recognize that most of what people consume in the world is not a connoisseur experience."
E3 2011: Shooters, not social, are still king
So how's E3 treating the social games scene? Our EIC, Libe Goad, spent the week over there and left us this thoughtful piece.
The Amazing Spider-Man's Emma Stone was hooked on FarmVille
"I got to level 42, and I wasn't doing anything else anymore, so I had to stop," Stone told ELLE.
FrontierVille Oregon Trail becomes 'Pioneer Trail' after community vote
Not that we thought anyone could confuse the official Oregon Trail with Zynga's FrontierVille expansion on Facebook, but that's lawsuits for ya.
Scam Alert: 'Zynga Promotions' is not RewardVille, but another scam
Dastardly!
E3 2011: Playfish hee-haws in 'Risk: Factions' debut trailer
Last week at E3, Playfish debuted a trailer of their latest Facebook title, Risk: Factions, a game that looks to be setting itself up as competition to Zynga's latest hit, Empires & Allies. But unlike E&A, which borrows heavily from another Zynga game, CityVille, Playfish's game is spun off of a platform game by its parent company, Electronic Arts. And also unlike E&A, Playfish is definitely after a different demographic than Zynga.
So while a carrot-chomping donkey with 'Bad Ass' tattooed on its rear doesn't exactly scream 'grizzlied, battle-hardened space Marine', if you're a fan of the critically acclaimed StarCraft II (made by Blizzard, the same folks who created 'World of Warcraft'), then Playfish has you in on the joke.
Even if the Playfish spoof is pretty funny as a standalone sequence, if you want to fully appreciate the silliness, I recommending seeing the original StarCraft II trailer here.
So while a carrot-chomping donkey with 'Bad Ass' tattooed on its rear doesn't exactly scream 'grizzlied, battle-hardened space Marine', if you're a fan of the critically acclaimed StarCraft II (made by Blizzard, the same folks who created 'World of Warcraft'), then Playfish has you in on the joke.
Even if the Playfish spoof is pretty funny as a standalone sequence, if you want to fully appreciate the silliness, I recommending seeing the original StarCraft II trailer here.
A Peggle sake set? PopCap's auctioning it off (and more) for charity
PopCap Games is embarking on another major charity endeavor this month. Beginning today and lasting until July 12th, all proceeds from their official eBay listing will go to benefit the Starlight Children's Foundation in America and SpecialEffect in the United Kingdom.
PopCap Peggle sake setPopCap Games / eBay
Thirty-four pieces of artwork are expected to be put on sale (currently, 9 are available) and they all feature PopCap's various games from Plants vs. Zombies to Zuma Blitz to Peggle, which gets its own ceramic sake set! There's no Bejeweled Blitz goods in sight though, but we're sure one will appear in the coming weeks. Go to www.ebay.com/popcap to visit the auction.
PopCap's past fundraising efforts included raising $100K to help Susan G. Komen for the Cure fight breast cancer on Mother's Day in 2008, $85K for Haiti relief in 2010, and most recently, $200K going to the International Red Cross for Japan back in March.
PopCap Peggle sake setPopCap Games / eBay
Thirty-four pieces of artwork are expected to be put on sale (currently, 9 are available) and they all feature PopCap's various games from Plants vs. Zombies to Zuma Blitz to Peggle, which gets its own ceramic sake set! There's no Bejeweled Blitz goods in sight though, but we're sure one will appear in the coming weeks. Go to www.ebay.com/popcap to visit the auction.
PopCap's past fundraising efforts included raising $100K to help Susan G. Komen for the Cure fight breast cancer on Mother's Day in 2008, $85K for Haiti relief in 2010, and most recently, $200K going to the International Red Cross for Japan back in March.
'Nintendo is not interested' in Facebook, mobile games, president says
Nintendo Satoru Iwata
Whelp, there goes our dream of a Pokemon game on Facebook. In a lengthy interview with All Things Digital, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said that the company is simply not interested in joining the social or mobile games space. Iwata alluded to the company's disinterest during its GDC 2011 keynote address, but he has effectively buried any possibility of Nintendo entering either market entirely. His argument? Maintaining the perceived value of software.
My point is about how we can keep the public's perception of the software. If we are going to destroy the value of the game software - once we have done so, it's a difficult job to recover from that situation. Yes, it is true. There are great examples of advertising and doing the micro-transactions, and several companies who have come up with that kind of system. But on the other hand, if you ask me, is this the system that can be sustained for the long time? I don't know the answer. And, my point is that I'm not willing to go that direction, as well.
Nintendo's focus has always been focused on selling hardware and games that play to the strengths of it. But increasing pressure from Facebook and mobile megaliths like Zynga and EA has caused the company to vocalize its confidence in its current strategy and denounce the allure of social and smartphone gaming. However, Iwata realizes that Nintendo's competitors are willing (and already have gone) to go in that direction, and that it must create new business models to adapt. The question is, however, how does one compete with "free?"
Whelp, there goes our dream of a Pokemon game on Facebook. In a lengthy interview with All Things Digital, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said that the company is simply not interested in joining the social or mobile games space. Iwata alluded to the company's disinterest during its GDC 2011 keynote address, but he has effectively buried any possibility of Nintendo entering either market entirely. His argument? Maintaining the perceived value of software.
My point is about how we can keep the public's perception of the software. If we are going to destroy the value of the game software - once we have done so, it's a difficult job to recover from that situation. Yes, it is true. There are great examples of advertising and doing the micro-transactions, and several companies who have come up with that kind of system. But on the other hand, if you ask me, is this the system that can be sustained for the long time? I don't know the answer. And, my point is that I'm not willing to go that direction, as well.
Nintendo's focus has always been focused on selling hardware and games that play to the strengths of it. But increasing pressure from Facebook and mobile megaliths like Zynga and EA has caused the company to vocalize its confidence in its current strategy and denounce the allure of social and smartphone gaming. However, Iwata realizes that Nintendo's competitors are willing (and already have gone) to go in that direction, and that it must create new business models to adapt. The question is, however, how does one compete with "free?"
Zynga's CityVille Hometown on iOS: A small town for small screens
CityVille Hometown iPhone
While the lot of us has been hankering for some CityVille on the go, it would be almost a chore to manage a mobile metropolis. And with Zynga's newest mobile game, CityVille Hometown, it's clear that developer Zynga Mobile has achieved telepathy. The company's brand new, bite-sized version of its runaway city-building hit will be available worldwide as early as this week. And here's the clincher: it's the first Zynga Mobile game to launch in five languages: English, Spanish, French, Italian and German. But that's far from what might make CityVille Hometown your go-to game on iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.
The game tightens its focus on a small town, and it's laundry list of characters (most of which you'll have a hand in creating). Players will first be greeted by Bert and his grandmother, Gilda, who will show them the ropes of creating and managing a bustling small town. This includes building new businesses, sprucing up the place and, most importantly, getting to know its citizens. As you continue providing your inhabitants with more places to live, work, shop and hang out, you will learn more about their stories.
Gallery: CityVille Hometown
It sounds like CityVille Hometown plays a lot like its Facebook predecessor, and you'd be right in saying that. However, this game is not like FarmVille for iOS in that it's not an extension of the Facebook game. This is a brand new, stand-alone game--for now, as Zynga Mobile GM Justin Cinicolo hinted at to us today. Though, CityVille Hometown incorporates your existing CityVille friends to exchange resources, Energy and other gifts with. And while the game appears to take place in another locale than the city you're used to overseeing, Cinicolo told us that some CityVille favorites might make some cameos in Hometown in the future.
CityVille Hometown
CityVille Hometown will be a 100 percent free game to download and play, and Zynga will support it the old-fashioned way through micro-transactions like Energy and other items. The game will be available to play on devices that supports iOS 3.2 and above, and it will launch first on the Canadian Apple App Store with a global release to come later. We know you want to play the game now (expect a full preview when the game launches), but let these first images hold you over until then.
While the lot of us has been hankering for some CityVille on the go, it would be almost a chore to manage a mobile metropolis. And with Zynga's newest mobile game, CityVille Hometown, it's clear that developer Zynga Mobile has achieved telepathy. The company's brand new, bite-sized version of its runaway city-building hit will be available worldwide as early as this week. And here's the clincher: it's the first Zynga Mobile game to launch in five languages: English, Spanish, French, Italian and German. But that's far from what might make CityVille Hometown your go-to game on iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.
The game tightens its focus on a small town, and it's laundry list of characters (most of which you'll have a hand in creating). Players will first be greeted by Bert and his grandmother, Gilda, who will show them the ropes of creating and managing a bustling small town. This includes building new businesses, sprucing up the place and, most importantly, getting to know its citizens. As you continue providing your inhabitants with more places to live, work, shop and hang out, you will learn more about their stories.
Gallery: CityVille Hometown
It sounds like CityVille Hometown plays a lot like its Facebook predecessor, and you'd be right in saying that. However, this game is not like FarmVille for iOS in that it's not an extension of the Facebook game. This is a brand new, stand-alone game--for now, as Zynga Mobile GM Justin Cinicolo hinted at to us today. Though, CityVille Hometown incorporates your existing CityVille friends to exchange resources, Energy and other gifts with. And while the game appears to take place in another locale than the city you're used to overseeing, Cinicolo told us that some CityVille favorites might make some cameos in Hometown in the future.
CityVille Hometown
CityVille Hometown will be a 100 percent free game to download and play, and Zynga will support it the old-fashioned way through micro-transactions like Energy and other items. The game will be available to play on devices that supports iOS 3.2 and above, and it will launch first on the Canadian Apple App Store with a global release to come later. We know you want to play the game now (expect a full preview when the game launches), but let these first images hold you over until then.
Thứ Ba, 10 tháng 1, 2012
CityVille scores Zynga Social Center; send return gifts in one click
While we're not sure anything was particularly wrong with with the Zynga Message Center, sure, we'll take an update. The developer has unveiled the Zynga Social Center (ZSC), a new-and-improved version of the previous gifting and help request overlay. Still accessed by pressing the white envelope in the far upper right corner of your screen, the new ZSC certainly looks smoother than the previous edition of the feature. However, there are two key improvements beyond just looks.
First, multiple instances of the same gift received will be lumped into a single notification and a single button to accept all of them. For instance, if 15 of your friends send you Zoning Permits in CityVille, then just one notification will appear in your feed, and you'll only need to press one button to accept all 15, though it takes a bit longer to process with more requests.
Second and most importantly, however, is one-click gifting. When a friend sends you a gift, and you're given the option to return the favor, a small check box will appear--already checked--that will allow you to skip the normal Facebook pop-up that appears when sending future gifts back. Keep in mind, this is done on a friend-by-friend basis. It's kind of like one-click sharing, but far less controversial.
Zynga Social Center
Another minor change is that items that players can no longer accept will stay in the ZSC until players can accept them. For example, if you attempt to accept a +3 Energy item from a friend, but have too much of the item in your inventory, the ZSC will remember that and keep that +3 Energy right where you left it rather than delete it. Unfortunately, Zynga introduced the feature through CityVille, and it seems to only be available in that game at the moment. Though, I would expect Zynga's other games to enjoy the update soon enough.
First, multiple instances of the same gift received will be lumped into a single notification and a single button to accept all of them. For instance, if 15 of your friends send you Zoning Permits in CityVille, then just one notification will appear in your feed, and you'll only need to press one button to accept all 15, though it takes a bit longer to process with more requests.
Second and most importantly, however, is one-click gifting. When a friend sends you a gift, and you're given the option to return the favor, a small check box will appear--already checked--that will allow you to skip the normal Facebook pop-up that appears when sending future gifts back. Keep in mind, this is done on a friend-by-friend basis. It's kind of like one-click sharing, but far less controversial.
Zynga Social Center
Another minor change is that items that players can no longer accept will stay in the ZSC until players can accept them. For example, if you attempt to accept a +3 Energy item from a friend, but have too much of the item in your inventory, the ZSC will remember that and keep that +3 Energy right where you left it rather than delete it. Unfortunately, Zynga introduced the feature through CityVille, and it seems to only be available in that game at the moment. Though, I would expect Zynga's other games to enjoy the update soon enough.
Take-Two taking the 'wait-and-see' approach with social games
So, basically, don't expect Grand Theft Auto on Facebook anytime soon. In a recent earnings call, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick announced that the company would be taking a new approach to their future gaming lineup, to remove their "dependence" on Grand Theft Auto. As reported by Edge, Zelnick has announced that the company is "focused on building new franchises. For example, you can look at what Red Dead Redemption did for us in our last fiscal year." If that means that more Red Dead Redemption games are in the works, I'm definitely all for it - but wait! Does this diversification of Take-Two's approach mean we'll see the company branching into social games? I wouldn't count on it.
Zelnick commented on social gaming juggernaut Zynga, stating that their games were far too different, when compared to the titles produced by Take-Two. "The business Zynga's in has only been around for about four years," he said. "Playing Zynga titles doesn't scratch the same itch as playing Grand Theft Auto - that's a dynamic that doesn't change in the videogame business."
Does that mean Take-Two thinks their games are better, or simply different? With other hardcore game developers already jumping into the Facebook game pool (Ubisoft and EA, as examples), it would only make sense for Take-Two to dive in as well, but it doesn't look like the company has any interest in doing so. At most, they've only confirmed that they're "keeping an eye" on other platforms, like mobile. Either way, it leaves us to wonder: if Take-Two does eventually warm up to the Facebook gaming idea, will it be too little, too late? Only time will tell.
Zelnick commented on social gaming juggernaut Zynga, stating that their games were far too different, when compared to the titles produced by Take-Two. "The business Zynga's in has only been around for about four years," he said. "Playing Zynga titles doesn't scratch the same itch as playing Grand Theft Auto - that's a dynamic that doesn't change in the videogame business."
Does that mean Take-Two thinks their games are better, or simply different? With other hardcore game developers already jumping into the Facebook game pool (Ubisoft and EA, as examples), it would only make sense for Take-Two to dive in as well, but it doesn't look like the company has any interest in doing so. At most, they've only confirmed that they're "keeping an eye" on other platforms, like mobile. Either way, it leaves us to wonder: if Take-Two does eventually warm up to the Facebook gaming idea, will it be too little, too late? Only time will tell.
THQ reorganization places major focus on social games
With just 9,000 monthly active users across its entire catalog of Facebook games (according to AppData), it's easy to say that THQ has plenty of climbing left to do to make a stand in the social space. With its upcoming MargaritaVille Online game for Facebook, it's clear that THQ has seen the light, but that light might turn into a giant beacon after the company's recent reorganization.
In a recent press release, THQ announced that the company will place its focus into four major digital areas, one of which is social gaming. In fact, the social gaming space actually comes in at number two on the four-part list (number one being an increased focus on established IP like Saints Row). In terms of social games, the company wishes to "create a critical mass of users on social media platforms such as Facebook and mobile platforms, including iOS and Android(TM), using THQ-owned or branded content, such as the upcoming fall release of Margaritaville(R) Online, based on Jimmy Buffett's popular brand."
So what does this mean for the end-user? If I had to make an educated guess, I'd wager that we'll likely see a slew of side-games released on the service in the same way as EA's Dragon Age: Legends was released; that is, games that tie-in to the console versions of THQ's new titles, offering players incentive to play the Facebook game as well. Of course, if MargaritaVille takes off, we could see plenty of other branded or at least original titles released in the future as well. If anything, it almost seems as though THQ is dedicated enough to the social gaming space to throw tons of games at the wall and see which ones stick. Either way, we'll make sure to keep track of THQ's continued social gaming efforts, and will bring you all of the news on MargaritaVille as soon as we know more.
In a recent press release, THQ announced that the company will place its focus into four major digital areas, one of which is social gaming. In fact, the social gaming space actually comes in at number two on the four-part list (number one being an increased focus on established IP like Saints Row). In terms of social games, the company wishes to "create a critical mass of users on social media platforms such as Facebook and mobile platforms, including iOS and Android(TM), using THQ-owned or branded content, such as the upcoming fall release of Margaritaville(R) Online, based on Jimmy Buffett's popular brand."
So what does this mean for the end-user? If I had to make an educated guess, I'd wager that we'll likely see a slew of side-games released on the service in the same way as EA's Dragon Age: Legends was released; that is, games that tie-in to the console versions of THQ's new titles, offering players incentive to play the Facebook game as well. Of course, if MargaritaVille takes off, we could see plenty of other branded or at least original titles released in the future as well. If anything, it almost seems as though THQ is dedicated enough to the social gaming space to throw tons of games at the wall and see which ones stick. Either way, we'll make sure to keep track of THQ's continued social gaming efforts, and will bring you all of the news on MargaritaVille as soon as we know more.
With Wall Street Game on Facebook, you can pretend everything's OK
What wonderful timing you have, Ender's Fund. (And yes, the game is simply titled Wall Street Game.) The developer, which has little to no web presence, recently released its free market trading game on Facebook, and it couldn't be more aptly titled. The game begins with a terribly dramatic intro about a man losing it all on the stock market, only for a legendary investor to swoop in and write him a $10 million check. That man is you, and it's time to make some money.
Wall Street Game, rather than simply present players with spreadsheets and mock Excel documents filled with numbers and foreign symbols, takes on the familiar isometric, avatar-driven play style of most Facebook games. (However, there are lots of numbers to translate if you've never invested in company stock before.)
There are a number of customization options for your wheelin' dealin' trader, but what's more important is the gameplay. The game uses real time data from the stock market to influence gameplay, which is basically gaming the market by buying and selling at the correct times.
Wall Street Game Facebook in action
However, it's made competitive through throw-downs, or challenges to your friends to see who can make the most market gains in a period of time. The developer says, "If you are winning in our game, you could be winning on the real Wall Street." Perhaps we just found the cure to the already-ailing stock market ... nah, but how about a nice alternate reality for the troubled trader to escape into? Wall Street Game has just 407 monthly players since its July release, so we hope would-be traders latch onto either motive, and fast.
Wall Street Game, rather than simply present players with spreadsheets and mock Excel documents filled with numbers and foreign symbols, takes on the familiar isometric, avatar-driven play style of most Facebook games. (However, there are lots of numbers to translate if you've never invested in company stock before.)
There are a number of customization options for your wheelin' dealin' trader, but what's more important is the gameplay. The game uses real time data from the stock market to influence gameplay, which is basically gaming the market by buying and selling at the correct times.
Wall Street Game Facebook in action
However, it's made competitive through throw-downs, or challenges to your friends to see who can make the most market gains in a period of time. The developer says, "If you are winning in our game, you could be winning on the real Wall Street." Perhaps we just found the cure to the already-ailing stock market ... nah, but how about a nice alternate reality for the troubled trader to escape into? Wall Street Game has just 407 monthly players since its July release, so we hope would-be traders latch onto either motive, and fast.
EA social games exec ditches for the top dog, Zynga [Rumor]
And, no, this would certainly not be the first. Develop reports that Jeff Karp, an executive heavily involved with EA's social games efforts, is leaving for number one competitor Zynga. More specifically, Karp was executive VP of EA Play, the company's family-friendly games division, as of six months ago.
The website cites an anonymous US source that "engages with EA at senior levels," and said that Karp has made his intention to leave known. Karp, after an 11-year stint with the veteran games publisher, joins former EA CCO John Schappert in his reported move to Zynga.
In fact, Karp would join a number of former high-level EA employees in his move to another social games company. Just recently, it's been rumored that creator of NBA Jam and former senior creative director at EA Sports Mark Turmell left for Zynga in July. And way back in June, we know that Ben Cousins, GM of EA casual game developer Easy Studios, left to head Ngmoco's Sweden studio. Of course, who could forget former EA CCO Bing Gordon, who is now an investor in the creator of CityVille? (And the list goes on, really.)
The news comes as EA shifts its leadership structure to include existing high-level EA employees Peter Moore, Andrew Wilson and Frank Gibeau in even more senior roles. Amidst losing several execs, EA just released The Sims Social to Facebook. While it suffered performance issues on its first day out of the gate, it's certainly an ambitious effort on the platform, and one that could help make EA a viable competitor in the social games space. We've contacted both EA and Zynga for comment.
The website cites an anonymous US source that "engages with EA at senior levels," and said that Karp has made his intention to leave known. Karp, after an 11-year stint with the veteran games publisher, joins former EA CCO John Schappert in his reported move to Zynga.
In fact, Karp would join a number of former high-level EA employees in his move to another social games company. Just recently, it's been rumored that creator of NBA Jam and former senior creative director at EA Sports Mark Turmell left for Zynga in July. And way back in June, we know that Ben Cousins, GM of EA casual game developer Easy Studios, left to head Ngmoco's Sweden studio. Of course, who could forget former EA CCO Bing Gordon, who is now an investor in the creator of CityVille? (And the list goes on, really.)
The news comes as EA shifts its leadership structure to include existing high-level EA employees Peter Moore, Andrew Wilson and Frank Gibeau in even more senior roles. Amidst losing several execs, EA just released The Sims Social to Facebook. While it suffered performance issues on its first day out of the gate, it's certainly an ambitious effort on the platform, and one that could help make EA a viable competitor in the social games space. We've contacted both EA and Zynga for comment.
Thứ Hai, 9 tháng 1, 2012
Island Paradise Cheats & Tips: Free Christmas Items
Today's cheats, found by the experts over at The Facegamer, are for free Island Paradise items. I know you probably stopped playing Island Paradise long ago, or with the release of CityVille. But perhaps these Island Paradise cheats will send you back for a visit to the tropics. The links below are for free Island Paradise Christmas items. They can be placed on your tropical island. All you have to do is click the images below, and you'll instantly receive the item in Island Paradise for free. But note, you can only accept five items every 24 hours, so choose wisely. Make a mistake and you'll have to wait a whole day to get more Island Paradise free Christmas items. If you're having trouble choosing, I recommend the Firecracker; when you click it, it actually explodes!
Get started with my Island Paradise Cheats & Tips: Free Christmas Items below.
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Click on up to 5 items to receive them for free.
For more Facebook game cheats, check out The Facegamer.
Check out more Island Paradise Cheats & Tips:
Island Paradise Cheats & Tips: Free trees and animals
Island Paradise Cheats & Tips: Free building supplies
Which free Island Paradise Cheats & Tips: Free Christmas Item is your favorite?
Get started with my Island Paradise Cheats & Tips: Free Christmas Items below.
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Click on up to 5 items to receive them for free.
For more Facebook game cheats, check out The Facegamer.
Check out more Island Paradise Cheats & Tips:
Island Paradise Cheats & Tips: Free trees and animals
Island Paradise Cheats & Tips: Free building supplies
Which free Island Paradise Cheats & Tips: Free Christmas Item is your favorite?
FarmVille creator Zynga sued by Walker Digital over gaming patent
Well, what do you know, it's almost noon. Time for another Zynga lawsuit, isn't it? Walker Digital has sued Zynga and Activision Blizzard for patent infringement, claiming the three companies made use of U.S. patent no. 6, 425,828, which belongs to Walker Digital, according to TechCrunch. Issued on July 30, 2002, the patent is titled, "Database driven online distributed tournament system." More specifically, Walker Digital's 20-page patent boils down to:
A method and a system for a distributed electronic tournament system in which many remotely located players participate in a tournament through input/output devices connected to a central controller which manages the tournament. The method includes the steps of (a) uniquely identifying a player communicating with the central controller via an associated input/output device...
While there are three more steps to how the patent operates involving prize winnings and database management, what's most interesting is the first. Because of how widely terms like that could interpreted, games like Mafia Wars, World of Warcraft and the Call of Duty series are claimed by Walker Digital to infringe on the patent, Tech Crunch reports.
With the amount of times the company has faced legal disputes in 2010, it is almost unsurprising that the social gaming juggernaut didn't even make it through the first month of 2011 without a lawsuit being presented to them. Oh, the joys of running multi-billion dollar companies. We've contacted Zynga for comment, so stay tuned.
A method and a system for a distributed electronic tournament system in which many remotely located players participate in a tournament through input/output devices connected to a central controller which manages the tournament. The method includes the steps of (a) uniquely identifying a player communicating with the central controller via an associated input/output device...
While there are three more steps to how the patent operates involving prize winnings and database management, what's most interesting is the first. Because of how widely terms like that could interpreted, games like Mafia Wars, World of Warcraft and the Call of Duty series are claimed by Walker Digital to infringe on the patent, Tech Crunch reports.
With the amount of times the company has faced legal disputes in 2010, it is almost unsurprising that the social gaming juggernaut didn't even make it through the first month of 2011 without a lawsuit being presented to them. Oh, the joys of running multi-billion dollar companies. We've contacted Zynga for comment, so stay tuned.
Tatty Teddy: Popular UK teddy bear launches Facebook game
Me To You: My Palce
We've seen the launch of Facebook games supporting many American brands and services, but so far the craze hasn't caught on in other countries. Me to You: My Place is a brand new game developed by Sharkius Games in collaboration with Carte Blanche Greetings, to promote the teddy bear line Me To You Bears (and their Blue Nose Friends). In this game, you assume the role of popular UK icon Tatty Teddy and navigate a world, trying to find all of your stuffed animal friends. Cute to the max? I think so!
The game plays much like other popular games that we know and love. The core gameplay is that of treasure seeking games such as Treasure Isle. You unlock new areas to visit, and while you're there you search squares looking for collection items and new stuffed friends, using your energy that accumulates over time. The unique aspect to the game is the finding your friends bit. While you are digging, the main point is to find your Blue Nose Friends and bring them back to your 'garden' where you can interact with them.
In your garden, you can interact with the Blue Nose Friends that you have collected. Each animal has a name, and various meters that determine how healthy and happy the animal is. Once you have raised the Friendship level with that animal to a particular level, they become your "Friend For Keeps" and you can access them by clicking on your house. With that said, we're not sure what the point is of having Friends for Keeps.
There is also a farm that allows you to grow food for energy for yourself or for your Blue Nose Friends. The store features a few decorative items and trees and the ability to buy more food and energy. The art style feels mixed, as if many artists worked on the game without a cohesive vision on how the graphics would look. In addition, the fonts in the UI are a bit over-stylized and therefore hard to read and interact with.
If you are a fan of the Tatty Teddy brand, you may enjoy this game. However, for the dedicated Facebook game player you'll find that there is much to be desired. The game is lacking innovation and polish. The interface feels a bit clunky, and going out to dig for treasure simply doesn't feel that fun. It feels like a rudimentary attempt at putting together a Facebook game. It might appeal to the fans of the Me to You Bears, but we don't think this one has mass market appeal unless it becomes a much more fun game. It feels like the game took elements of farming, treasure seeking, and standard Facebook fare (like neighbors and gifting) and plopped some of Ravenwood Fair's fonts on top hoping for a win.
Are we missing the mark here? Do you think Me To You: My Place is a fun game?
We've seen the launch of Facebook games supporting many American brands and services, but so far the craze hasn't caught on in other countries. Me to You: My Place is a brand new game developed by Sharkius Games in collaboration with Carte Blanche Greetings, to promote the teddy bear line Me To You Bears (and their Blue Nose Friends). In this game, you assume the role of popular UK icon Tatty Teddy and navigate a world, trying to find all of your stuffed animal friends. Cute to the max? I think so!
The game plays much like other popular games that we know and love. The core gameplay is that of treasure seeking games such as Treasure Isle. You unlock new areas to visit, and while you're there you search squares looking for collection items and new stuffed friends, using your energy that accumulates over time. The unique aspect to the game is the finding your friends bit. While you are digging, the main point is to find your Blue Nose Friends and bring them back to your 'garden' where you can interact with them.
In your garden, you can interact with the Blue Nose Friends that you have collected. Each animal has a name, and various meters that determine how healthy and happy the animal is. Once you have raised the Friendship level with that animal to a particular level, they become your "Friend For Keeps" and you can access them by clicking on your house. With that said, we're not sure what the point is of having Friends for Keeps.
There is also a farm that allows you to grow food for energy for yourself or for your Blue Nose Friends. The store features a few decorative items and trees and the ability to buy more food and energy. The art style feels mixed, as if many artists worked on the game without a cohesive vision on how the graphics would look. In addition, the fonts in the UI are a bit over-stylized and therefore hard to read and interact with.
If you are a fan of the Tatty Teddy brand, you may enjoy this game. However, for the dedicated Facebook game player you'll find that there is much to be desired. The game is lacking innovation and polish. The interface feels a bit clunky, and going out to dig for treasure simply doesn't feel that fun. It feels like a rudimentary attempt at putting together a Facebook game. It might appeal to the fans of the Me to You Bears, but we don't think this one has mass market appeal unless it becomes a much more fun game. It feels like the game took elements of farming, treasure seeking, and standard Facebook fare (like neighbors and gifting) and plopped some of Ravenwood Fair's fonts on top hoping for a win.
Are we missing the mark here? Do you think Me To You: My Place is a fun game?
Island Paradise Cheats & Tips: Free building supplies
island paradise cheats free building supplies
Hello Facefolks, It's Mr. Cheats here with the down-low on the things you shouldn't know.
The Facegamer has discovered cheats for Island Paradise free building materials. You're going to need these supplies if you want to upgrade Barns and other structures requiring materials in Island Paradise. Usually, to get these building materials, you have to be gifted the parts by friends or buy them with real money. Fortunately, my Island Paradise Cheats & Tips: Free building supplies will get you the parts you need to upgrade your barn without having to ask your friends or spend a dime. The catch is you can only receive 5 building supplies every 24 hours. So choose carefully.
Get started with my Island Paradise Cheats & Tips: Free building supplies below.
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To receive building supplies, click on up to 5 images above.
For more Facebook game cheats, check out The Facegamer.
Check out more Island Paradise Cheats & Tips:
Island Paradise Cheats & Tips: Free trees and animals
Island Paradise Cheats & Tips: Free Christmas items
Was this guide useful to you? What other Island Paradise cheats do you want to see?
Hello Facefolks, It's Mr. Cheats here with the down-low on the things you shouldn't know.
The Facegamer has discovered cheats for Island Paradise free building materials. You're going to need these supplies if you want to upgrade Barns and other structures requiring materials in Island Paradise. Usually, to get these building materials, you have to be gifted the parts by friends or buy them with real money. Fortunately, my Island Paradise Cheats & Tips: Free building supplies will get you the parts you need to upgrade your barn without having to ask your friends or spend a dime. The catch is you can only receive 5 building supplies every 24 hours. So choose carefully.
Get started with my Island Paradise Cheats & Tips: Free building supplies below.
island paradise cheats free building supplies island paradise cheats free building supplies island paradise cheats free building supplies
island paradise cheats free building supplies island paradise cheats free building supplies
To receive building supplies, click on up to 5 images above.
For more Facebook game cheats, check out The Facegamer.
Check out more Island Paradise Cheats & Tips:
Island Paradise Cheats & Tips: Free trees and animals
Island Paradise Cheats & Tips: Free Christmas items
Was this guide useful to you? What other Island Paradise cheats do you want to see?
UNO Boost on Facebook: A goofy, give-and-take twist on the original
The fast track, scream-inducing card game, UNO, has reintroduced itself to Facebook with a new look and feel. UNO Boost puts the classic in unique, new packaging that publisher Game House hopes will spur virtual goods purchases and that UNO fans will appreciate. Game House took the original Facebook card game and... didn't do much to it.
Well, aside from taking Boost cards, turning them into both a strategic tactic and a commodity, and apparently removing what made the original so enjoyable. UNO Boost, while introducing an element that could launch its fun and strategy levels into the stratosphere, inexplicably removed the live play feature found in the original Facebook rendition. Game House giveth new features and taketh away defining ones.
Find the rest of our impressions of UNO Boost after the break.
UNO Boost in actions
All things considered, the core gameplay of UNO in UNO Boost remains unchanged. The color switching, number matching and quick turning still remains, but Game House turned Boost cards into more of a conscious decision than ever. While players can still draw Skip, Draw and Wild Cards, they can also replace cards in their hand with Boost Cards at will. These Boost Cards come from a pool that will recharge once daily, but can also be purchased using Coins. This currency, which accumulates from matches won, can be purchased from within the game using several methods including credit cards (but no Facebook Credits yet, sorry folks).
Boost CardsAlso found in the store are new characters to play against, individual Boost Cards and Boost Packs. Notice my use of the word "characters." These are the guys who have seemingly replaced your friends in UNO Boost (the ability to add friends is currently bugged in my experience). The personally-adored live play feature (complete with chat room) in the original UNO for Facebook is, hopefully for now, no more. Imagine the possibilities of being able to play Boost Cards against your friends in real time, shifting the playing field in an instant under your control. Sure, things would get crazy quickly, but that's what UNO is all about, right?
Instead, your friends are merely people to compare scores with this time around as you play characters like Kevin the Coach and Oog, a cave man. Opponents increase in difficulty level as you increase in player level, which is determined by how badly you defeat opponents in matches. Your experience points earned for each successful match is a combination of the numbers on his cards multiplied by the character's difficulty level and other factors. Basically, the more cards your opponent has in his hand when you win, the more experience points you gain for winning.
UNO Boost is a fun way to waste some time thanks to the brand new Boost Card system, but without the live play feature of the original it could loose steam quickly. Hopefully this is added to the game at a later time, because Boost Cards plus live play and chat could make for a huge success.
Well, aside from taking Boost cards, turning them into both a strategic tactic and a commodity, and apparently removing what made the original so enjoyable. UNO Boost, while introducing an element that could launch its fun and strategy levels into the stratosphere, inexplicably removed the live play feature found in the original Facebook rendition. Game House giveth new features and taketh away defining ones.
Find the rest of our impressions of UNO Boost after the break.
UNO Boost in actions
All things considered, the core gameplay of UNO in UNO Boost remains unchanged. The color switching, number matching and quick turning still remains, but Game House turned Boost cards into more of a conscious decision than ever. While players can still draw Skip, Draw and Wild Cards, they can also replace cards in their hand with Boost Cards at will. These Boost Cards come from a pool that will recharge once daily, but can also be purchased using Coins. This currency, which accumulates from matches won, can be purchased from within the game using several methods including credit cards (but no Facebook Credits yet, sorry folks).
Boost CardsAlso found in the store are new characters to play against, individual Boost Cards and Boost Packs. Notice my use of the word "characters." These are the guys who have seemingly replaced your friends in UNO Boost (the ability to add friends is currently bugged in my experience). The personally-adored live play feature (complete with chat room) in the original UNO for Facebook is, hopefully for now, no more. Imagine the possibilities of being able to play Boost Cards against your friends in real time, shifting the playing field in an instant under your control. Sure, things would get crazy quickly, but that's what UNO is all about, right?
Instead, your friends are merely people to compare scores with this time around as you play characters like Kevin the Coach and Oog, a cave man. Opponents increase in difficulty level as you increase in player level, which is determined by how badly you defeat opponents in matches. Your experience points earned for each successful match is a combination of the numbers on his cards multiplied by the character's difficulty level and other factors. Basically, the more cards your opponent has in his hand when you win, the more experience points you gain for winning.
UNO Boost is a fun way to waste some time thanks to the brand new Boost Card system, but without the live play feature of the original it could loose steam quickly. Hopefully this is added to the game at a later time, because Boost Cards plus live play and chat could make for a huge success.
Thứ Bảy, 7 tháng 1, 2012
Cafe World Renovations Goals: Everything you need to know
If you've managed to complete the Valentine's Day goals in Cafe World, and are looking for something else to sink your proverbial teeth into in the game, why not try your hand at one of the three new Renovations goals in the game? These missions all have to do with "free" items, as you'll be able to complete them to earn some free decorations that can otherwise only be purchased with Cafe Cash.
The first goal in this series is called Free Renovations," and it will require you to do a bit of cooking, and a bit of item collecting in order to complete it.
Serve 7 Eggs Benedict
Serve 7 Bacon and Eggs
Ask for 5 Ladders
As usual, click on the "Ask" button to send individual requests to your friends that you think will send you the five ladders. While you're waiting on them to arrive, you can start cooking the required dishes. Eggs Benedict can be cooked for 300 coins, and is ready in 6 hours, while Bacon and Eggs can be cooked for 1,000 coins, and takes 9 hours to cook. Your reward for finishing this first of three quests is a Stainless Wall Oven, which is normally only available to purchase in the store for 10 Cafe Cash.
Note: If you can't see this quest on your account, due to having too many quests active in your game at once, simply serve one of the two dishes and the black progress window will appear in the top left corner of the screen. Click on this, and you'll see the quest window, where you can ask for the Ladders.
Meet us behind the break for a look at the rest of this quest line.
Part II is called "Free Matching Set," and it asks you to serve more dishes, along with asking for more items.
Serve 7 Fish n Chips
Ask for 7 Lunchboxes
Ask for 7 Coolers
Fish n Chips can be cooked for 1,650 coins, and is ready to serve in just 2 hours. Hopefully, in that time, you'll be able to send out some individua requests to friends, asking them to send you the 14 collectible items needed to move on. Two rewards await you for finishing this quest - a Stainless Steel Cabinet, and Stainless Steel Sink, which are normally available to purchase for 10 Cafe Cash each.
Finally, part III of this mission set is called "Free Steel Counter," and it works in basically the same way as the previous two quests - that is, you'll need to do both some cooking, and some item collecting in order to earn your final free item.
Serve 35 Ginger Plum Pork Chops
Ask for 9 Bibs
Ask for 9 Serving Bowls
Ginger Plum Pork Chops are available to cook for 2,200 coins. They take a full day to cook, but remember, you can always speed this up by using spices. After collecting your final 18 items from friends (via individual gift requests), you'll receive your final free prize - a Stainless Steel Counter, that works as other counters, allowing you to serve food. Without this mission, you would have had to pay 30 Cafe Cash to add one of these to your cafe.
Some things to note: Unfortunately, all of these dishes must be cooked and served - simply cooking them and throwing them away (as in other recent quests) will not count. Additionally, each time you complete one of these three quests, your free item will immediately pop into your inventory. Either head into the Decorative of Functional portion of the in-game store, and you'll see a x1 next to each of these free items. Simply drag that item into your cafe, and you won't be charged the Cafe Cash price.
And there you have it - by recent standards, a fairly simple mission trio to complete. This appears to be a permanent addition to the game, so take your time finishing the Valentine's Day quests before tackling these, to make sure you have time to complete everything before it expires. We'll be sure to let you know if other opportunities for free Cafe Cash items arise, so keep checking back.
What do you think of these three "free" missions? Will you add the Stainless Steel decorations to your cafe after unlocking them?
The first goal in this series is called Free Renovations," and it will require you to do a bit of cooking, and a bit of item collecting in order to complete it.
Serve 7 Eggs Benedict
Serve 7 Bacon and Eggs
Ask for 5 Ladders
As usual, click on the "Ask" button to send individual requests to your friends that you think will send you the five ladders. While you're waiting on them to arrive, you can start cooking the required dishes. Eggs Benedict can be cooked for 300 coins, and is ready in 6 hours, while Bacon and Eggs can be cooked for 1,000 coins, and takes 9 hours to cook. Your reward for finishing this first of three quests is a Stainless Wall Oven, which is normally only available to purchase in the store for 10 Cafe Cash.
Note: If you can't see this quest on your account, due to having too many quests active in your game at once, simply serve one of the two dishes and the black progress window will appear in the top left corner of the screen. Click on this, and you'll see the quest window, where you can ask for the Ladders.
Meet us behind the break for a look at the rest of this quest line.
Part II is called "Free Matching Set," and it asks you to serve more dishes, along with asking for more items.
Serve 7 Fish n Chips
Ask for 7 Lunchboxes
Ask for 7 Coolers
Fish n Chips can be cooked for 1,650 coins, and is ready to serve in just 2 hours. Hopefully, in that time, you'll be able to send out some individua requests to friends, asking them to send you the 14 collectible items needed to move on. Two rewards await you for finishing this quest - a Stainless Steel Cabinet, and Stainless Steel Sink, which are normally available to purchase for 10 Cafe Cash each.
Finally, part III of this mission set is called "Free Steel Counter," and it works in basically the same way as the previous two quests - that is, you'll need to do both some cooking, and some item collecting in order to earn your final free item.
Serve 35 Ginger Plum Pork Chops
Ask for 9 Bibs
Ask for 9 Serving Bowls
Ginger Plum Pork Chops are available to cook for 2,200 coins. They take a full day to cook, but remember, you can always speed this up by using spices. After collecting your final 18 items from friends (via individual gift requests), you'll receive your final free prize - a Stainless Steel Counter, that works as other counters, allowing you to serve food. Without this mission, you would have had to pay 30 Cafe Cash to add one of these to your cafe.
Some things to note: Unfortunately, all of these dishes must be cooked and served - simply cooking them and throwing them away (as in other recent quests) will not count. Additionally, each time you complete one of these three quests, your free item will immediately pop into your inventory. Either head into the Decorative of Functional portion of the in-game store, and you'll see a x1 next to each of these free items. Simply drag that item into your cafe, and you won't be charged the Cafe Cash price.
And there you have it - by recent standards, a fairly simple mission trio to complete. This appears to be a permanent addition to the game, so take your time finishing the Valentine's Day quests before tackling these, to make sure you have time to complete everything before it expires. We'll be sure to let you know if other opportunities for free Cafe Cash items arise, so keep checking back.
What do you think of these three "free" missions? Will you add the Stainless Steel decorations to your cafe after unlocking them?
CityVille: More neighbors can now visit your city at once, plus other game updates
If you're someone that relies on your CityVille neighbors to harvest or fertilize your crops, send tourists to your businesses, or collect rent from your citizens because you never seem to have enough energy to complete these tasks yourself, you'll be happy to know that Zynga has increased the limit of friends that can appear in your town from 10 to 15. This means that the next time you login to check on your city, if your neighbors have been busy, you'll now see up to 15 different friends' profile pictures hovering above your properties, rather than just 10.
In other CityVille update news, Zynga has lowered the requirements for many of the games quests, requiring less collectibles for quests like the "Hungry Firemen" quest that had you collecting breakfast-themed items, for instance. Additionally, City Cash options have been added to many quests for those that would rather purchase complete tasks than actually complete them, and the City Cash requirement for previously released goals has been decreased in many instances. These seem like great changes all around.
Finally, collectibles required for quests have had their drop rates increased. This means that those items that are specifically required for certain quests will be found more frequently when collecting from the appropriate business or home, or harvesting crops.
All of these improvements seem to be for the better. Now, if we can only get that land expansion bridge we were promised, that would be even better.
What do you think of these changes? Would you pay City Cash to complete a goal, or do you like working through steps the old-fashioned way?
In other CityVille update news, Zynga has lowered the requirements for many of the games quests, requiring less collectibles for quests like the "Hungry Firemen" quest that had you collecting breakfast-themed items, for instance. Additionally, City Cash options have been added to many quests for those that would rather purchase complete tasks than actually complete them, and the City Cash requirement for previously released goals has been decreased in many instances. These seem like great changes all around.
Finally, collectibles required for quests have had their drop rates increased. This means that those items that are specifically required for certain quests will be found more frequently when collecting from the appropriate business or home, or harvesting crops.
All of these improvements seem to be for the better. Now, if we can only get that land expansion bridge we were promised, that would be even better.
What do you think of these changes? Would you pay City Cash to complete a goal, or do you like working through steps the old-fashioned way?
FarmVille Update 02/08/11: Pink Stallion Foal, Cinnamon Heart Tree fixed, other bug fixes
While we didn't technically see the release of any new items with tonight's FarmVille update, Zynga did update the game with a few bug fixes, which were definitely needed and appreciated.
First, if you had purchased a Cinnamon Heart tree from the market, you might have been surprised to find it in your inbox, and not on your farm where you left it. Your surprise would have grown when, after replacing the tree on your farm, it popped, again, back into your Gift Box. This was one of the issues addressed with tonight's update, so if you have a Cinnamon Heart tree in your inventory, feel free to place it back on your farm, with little fear of it disappearing again.
Second, when the Pink Stallion was first released, and users started placing it into their Horse Stable, they were quick to notice that instead of a Pink Stallion Foal, the Pink Stallions were actually breeding Black Stallion Foals. This too has been fixed, with the Pink Stallion Foal now making an appearance in the game.
Other bug fixes include those dealing with the disappearance of requests for Greenhouse seed experimentation from the Zynga Messaging Center (where you accept your game requests), one causing Greenhouse crops to show "double" text in the market, and one that corrected an issue with users trying to share their free seeds after creating a hybrid. There are other Greenhouse issues still to be found in the game, like one that causes an out of sync error when trying to plant Greenhouse-created seeds with a vehicle, but Zynga assures us they are working on that as well.
We'll be sure to let you know when the game is updated again (next time hopefully with new items), so keep checking back.
First, if you had purchased a Cinnamon Heart tree from the market, you might have been surprised to find it in your inbox, and not on your farm where you left it. Your surprise would have grown when, after replacing the tree on your farm, it popped, again, back into your Gift Box. This was one of the issues addressed with tonight's update, so if you have a Cinnamon Heart tree in your inventory, feel free to place it back on your farm, with little fear of it disappearing again.
Second, when the Pink Stallion was first released, and users started placing it into their Horse Stable, they were quick to notice that instead of a Pink Stallion Foal, the Pink Stallions were actually breeding Black Stallion Foals. This too has been fixed, with the Pink Stallion Foal now making an appearance in the game.
Other bug fixes include those dealing with the disappearance of requests for Greenhouse seed experimentation from the Zynga Messaging Center (where you accept your game requests), one causing Greenhouse crops to show "double" text in the market, and one that corrected an issue with users trying to share their free seeds after creating a hybrid. There are other Greenhouse issues still to be found in the game, like one that causes an out of sync error when trying to plant Greenhouse-created seeds with a vehicle, but Zynga assures us they are working on that as well.
We'll be sure to let you know when the game is updated again (next time hopefully with new items), so keep checking back.
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