In a battle that went down to the wire, the venerable 'granddaddy' of Facebook games, Pet Society has prevailed over the arcade mega hit Bejeweled Blitz.
games.com march madness facebook game showdown winnerWith over one hundred thousand votes cast, Pet Society prevailed over Bejeweled Blitz 55% to 44%. The voting got hot and heavy once we got down to the finals, especially as Playfish pulled out all the stops to urge its players to vote Pet Society. With kick backs, such as coins and cheese, Playfish would have made any ward heeler proud as they delivered the votes needed to push Pet Society over the top. PopCap can still hold its head high as Blitz held its own without trying to sway the outcome.
You can bet that next year, Zynga will be pushing its games to the top after they were embarrassed by a poor showing in this year's event.
Congratulations to March Madness Facebook Game Showdown 2011 winner: Pet Society by Playfish!
Thứ Sáu, 30 tháng 12, 2011
Tiny Speck puts Facebook MMO Glitch into closed beta next week
Glitch in action
Things are going without a ... hitch for Flickr co-founder Stewart Butterfield's newest project, Glitch, after his company, Tiny Speck, closed its second round of funding with a sweet $10.7 million, Inside Social Games reports. This second round of funding was led by venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz and some help from Accel Partners. With $10 million in hand, Tiny Speck plans for Glitch to enter closed beta next week, which you can sign up for right here. Glitch plans to provide "something you've not seen before" with action-oriented gameplay, detailed artwork and an original story. The game, which has been in development for 18 months, will allow its players to take its weird, unique artwork and use it in other mediums. It's an exciting idea, but we're just waiting for someone to create a competitor with the same artwork--the gall!
[Image Credit: Tiny Speck]
Are you excited to try Glitch? How do you think it will do against the competition?
Things are going without a ... hitch for Flickr co-founder Stewart Butterfield's newest project, Glitch, after his company, Tiny Speck, closed its second round of funding with a sweet $10.7 million, Inside Social Games reports. This second round of funding was led by venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz and some help from Accel Partners. With $10 million in hand, Tiny Speck plans for Glitch to enter closed beta next week, which you can sign up for right here. Glitch plans to provide "something you've not seen before" with action-oriented gameplay, detailed artwork and an original story. The game, which has been in development for 18 months, will allow its players to take its weird, unique artwork and use it in other mediums. It's an exciting idea, but we're just waiting for someone to create a competitor with the same artwork--the gall!
[Image Credit: Tiny Speck]
Are you excited to try Glitch? How do you think it will do against the competition?
Social game discovery channel TeePee Games attracts new investor
In its quest to save us all from the same old Facebook and mobile games, TeePee Games has found another investor in Turner Broadcasting Europe, who owns TV networks like Cartoon Network and Turner Classic Movies, VentureBeat reports. While the amount of the investment is undisclosed, Turner will back the London-based social games discovery service as it continues its beta testing of over 25 thousand users. Through TeePee, users find new games to play based on their gameplay habits.
The more folks use the service, the more points they'll earn that can later be turned in for rewards. According to VentureBeat, TeePee looks to become for game discovery what Pandora has become for music discovery."This series of deals signals Turner Broadcasting's readiness to act on relevant investment and partnership opportunities in the digital and gaming space" said TBS Europe president Jeff Kupsky.
TeePee CEO and co-founder Tony Pearce says that this a rare chance for the industry to change how its games are discovered across several platforms. The question is, can TeePee Games fill this void before, say, Facebook itself does the job?
[Image Credit: MobileEntertainment.biz]
Would you ever use a service like TeePee Games? Do you think TeePee can beat Facebook at its own attempts to improve game discovery?
The more folks use the service, the more points they'll earn that can later be turned in for rewards. According to VentureBeat, TeePee looks to become for game discovery what Pandora has become for music discovery."This series of deals signals Turner Broadcasting's readiness to act on relevant investment and partnership opportunities in the digital and gaming space" said TBS Europe president Jeff Kupsky.
TeePee CEO and co-founder Tony Pearce says that this a rare chance for the industry to change how its games are discovered across several platforms. The question is, can TeePee Games fill this void before, say, Facebook itself does the job?
[Image Credit: MobileEntertainment.biz]
Would you ever use a service like TeePee Games? Do you think TeePee can beat Facebook at its own attempts to improve game discovery?
FarmVille Spring Basket has sprung: Everything you need to know
Many of you might remember that FarmVille had a Spring Basket last year as well, and, well, it's baaaack, except this time you'll be collecting flowers instead of colorful Easter eggs. The goal? To get enough flowers to trade them in for special Spring-themed rewards. Get the gist? Below is a deeper dive on everything you need to know to get your basket brimming with blooms (and more importantly, how to call those exclusive rewards your very own ASAP).
farmville spring basket
When you log into the game, you'll get a pop up window that will let you know the 2011 version of the FarmVille Spring Basket has arrived. (You'll then be prompted to place the basket on your farm, which you can do right away -- or if you want to wait, you'll be able to find it in your gift box when you're ready.
farmville spring basket placed
Once the basket is placed, you're ready to start collecting flowers. If you're a long-time FarmViller -- than you know the drill.
You can get flowers by requesting them from friends (via the friend finder) or purchasing them yourself using Farm Cash.
farmville spring basket items
And, if you go by the whole 'give and you shall receive' maxim, then you can send flowers to friends as well. Five flowers are available to send in the Free Gifts section of the game: a Day Lily, Forget-me-not, Daffodil, Foxglove and a Alstroemeria Lily.
spring basket free gifts flowers
Once you get enough flowers you can redeem them for six Spring-themed prizes which include the following:
Spring Arch: 5 Flowers
Flower Fountain: 30 Flowers
Flower Tower: 65 Flowers
Yellow Duck: 130 Flowers
Yellow Patch Cow: 225 Flowers
Flower Sheep: 299 Flowers
Now, not to be a whiner, but aren't sheep usually easier to get in these seasonal roll-outs? If I make an educated guess, I'd say Zynga is making it more difficult to get sheep this go-round due to the recent release of sheep breeding. Again, that's a guess -- don't quote me on that.
Oh yes, the more flowers you have, the more your basket will physically transform -- see the lineup of Spring Baskets from empty (or 'Budding') to full up below.
farmville spring basket progression
If you don't have the Spring Basket just yet -- don't fret. Like most new FarmVille features, this one is rolling out slowly and will (fingers crossed) hopefully arrive on your farm any moment.
Check out the rest of our FarmVille Cheats & Tips right here.
Did you get this year's Spring Basket yet? What items are you planning on redeeming your flowers for?
farmville spring basket
When you log into the game, you'll get a pop up window that will let you know the 2011 version of the FarmVille Spring Basket has arrived. (You'll then be prompted to place the basket on your farm, which you can do right away -- or if you want to wait, you'll be able to find it in your gift box when you're ready.
farmville spring basket placed
Once the basket is placed, you're ready to start collecting flowers. If you're a long-time FarmViller -- than you know the drill.
You can get flowers by requesting them from friends (via the friend finder) or purchasing them yourself using Farm Cash.
farmville spring basket items
And, if you go by the whole 'give and you shall receive' maxim, then you can send flowers to friends as well. Five flowers are available to send in the Free Gifts section of the game: a Day Lily, Forget-me-not, Daffodil, Foxglove and a Alstroemeria Lily.
spring basket free gifts flowers
Once you get enough flowers you can redeem them for six Spring-themed prizes which include the following:
Spring Arch: 5 Flowers
Flower Fountain: 30 Flowers
Flower Tower: 65 Flowers
Yellow Duck: 130 Flowers
Yellow Patch Cow: 225 Flowers
Flower Sheep: 299 Flowers
Now, not to be a whiner, but aren't sheep usually easier to get in these seasonal roll-outs? If I make an educated guess, I'd say Zynga is making it more difficult to get sheep this go-round due to the recent release of sheep breeding. Again, that's a guess -- don't quote me on that.
Oh yes, the more flowers you have, the more your basket will physically transform -- see the lineup of Spring Baskets from empty (or 'Budding') to full up below.
farmville spring basket progression
If you don't have the Spring Basket just yet -- don't fret. Like most new FarmVille features, this one is rolling out slowly and will (fingers crossed) hopefully arrive on your farm any moment.
Check out the rest of our FarmVille Cheats & Tips right here.
Did you get this year's Spring Basket yet? What items are you planning on redeeming your flowers for?
Wooga surpasses Playdom, PopCap to become number four studio
Who saw this one coming? No one, that's who. Wooga announced on its company blog that it is officially the fourth most popular social game studio in the world, according to AppData. At 20.4 million monthly players, the Berlin-based developer is now more popular than both Playdom and PopCap of Social City and Bejeweled Blitz fame, respectively. And Wooga, who recently released a social puzzler called Diamond Dash, isn't stopping anytime soon.
"Capturing 20 million active Users in just 20 months and surpassing Playdom to become number four in the world is a stunning accomplishment," said Jens Begemann, Wooga founder & CEO. "We will remain focused on producing high quality games with a unique game experience for the future. With our ambitious team, we aim to become number two by the end of this year."
To add insult to injury put things into perspective, Wooga went to mention that it has just 70 employees compared to Playdom's 300 plus, not to mention that its owned by Disney. A little cocky, and rightfully so, Wooga is quickly becoming a powerful force in the social gaming industry. What's even more exciting is to see how PopCap and Playdom will respond. As the competition comes to a head, it's only a matter of time before one of these developers truly disrupts Zynga's choke hold on the market.
[Image Credit: Wooga]
Are you a fan of Wooga's games on Facebook? Do you think the company can take the number two spot by the end of 2011?
"Capturing 20 million active Users in just 20 months and surpassing Playdom to become number four in the world is a stunning accomplishment," said Jens Begemann, Wooga founder & CEO. "We will remain focused on producing high quality games with a unique game experience for the future. With our ambitious team, we aim to become number two by the end of this year."
To add insult to injury put things into perspective, Wooga went to mention that it has just 70 employees compared to Playdom's 300 plus, not to mention that its owned by Disney. A little cocky, and rightfully so, Wooga is quickly becoming a powerful force in the social gaming industry. What's even more exciting is to see how PopCap and Playdom will respond. As the competition comes to a head, it's only a matter of time before one of these developers truly disrupts Zynga's choke hold on the market.
[Image Credit: Wooga]
Are you a fan of Wooga's games on Facebook? Do you think the company can take the number two spot by the end of 2011?
Thứ Hai, 26 tháng 12, 2011
Game of the Day: Coast Runners
The Game of the Day is awesome, plain and simple. Coast Runners: A recent Games.com staff favorite, Coast Runners combines great graphics and mega-racing fun. Take off in a nitro-charged speedboat, and race your opponents to the finish line. Hit jumps, collect, power ups, and play through the many courses. Remember to keep an eye out for shortcuts.
Click --> Play Coast Runners
Important side note: Just by playing The Game of the Day you will be entered into a monthly drawing to win a FlipCam HD. You don't need to do anything else, just play! The more you play, the more chances you have to win. For more information on the Game of Day check out the official Game of the Day hub.
Click --> Play Coast Runners
Important side note: Just by playing The Game of the Day you will be entered into a monthly drawing to win a FlipCam HD. You don't need to do anything else, just play! The more you play, the more chances you have to win. For more information on the Game of Day check out the official Game of the Day hub.
CityVille: Shamrock crops on their way out, new crops coming soon
CityVillers take note -- the Shamrock crop in the game will be 'leaving soon,' according to this CityVille Twitter update, so if you want to grow the green stuff, you'd better get moving (I've personally never planted this because it costs 3 City Cash to do the deed -- boo). However, it looks like there might be some new crops coming soon, though there's no word yet on what they will be and if they will -- like the Shamrock -- require you to give up a little City Cash for the privilege of planting it.
Zynga teases FarmVille Collections revamp with ... a Rainbow Cow?
In case you had any doubt that the FarmVille Collections changes are real, let this Rainbow Cow dispel your cynicism. At least that's Zynga's line of logic in a post featured on the FarmVille Blog, declaring that yes, a major change to Collections is coming. Oh, and the Rainbow Cow will be one of the rewards for these new Collections. We thought that might make more sense.
Much of the post describes what we already know about this new feature: Collections will be somewhat separate from the items that they're comprised of. In other words, the new Collections will have levels of their own.
And the collectibles you find will be automatically placed into their matching Collection--not in your Gift Box. However, any Collections that you've yet to complete before the change will be deleted, so turn them in quick before the change happens.
To put things in better context, Zynga states in the post the new Collections will work much like the Wishing Well feature in that there will be no inventory for collectibles any longer. They'll simply exist within the Collections they're attached to until you turn them in. Better yet, you will be able to trade in-demand collectibles with your friends. Can't wait? Neither can we.
[Via FarmVille Freak]
[Image Credit: Zynga]
Are you excited about this new feature coming to FarmVille? What else would you like to see make it in before the change goes live?
Much of the post describes what we already know about this new feature: Collections will be somewhat separate from the items that they're comprised of. In other words, the new Collections will have levels of their own.
And the collectibles you find will be automatically placed into their matching Collection--not in your Gift Box. However, any Collections that you've yet to complete before the change will be deleted, so turn them in quick before the change happens.
To put things in better context, Zynga states in the post the new Collections will work much like the Wishing Well feature in that there will be no inventory for collectibles any longer. They'll simply exist within the Collections they're attached to until you turn them in. Better yet, you will be able to trade in-demand collectibles with your friends. Can't wait? Neither can we.
[Via FarmVille Freak]
[Image Credit: Zynga]
Are you excited about this new feature coming to FarmVille? What else would you like to see make it in before the change goes live?
Foam Snake Frenzy: Another day, another advergame lands on Facebook
I don't want to be totally cranky about advergaming (after all -- I think there's potential for people to create interesting/fun/non-crappy games that also have some form of advertising in them), but I am. The cause for my mood? This new game for Sensodyne Iso-Active toothpaste - Foam Snake Frenzy -- which is basically a rehash of the classic game, Snake. It's not terrible, but not very compelling either. In fact, "meh," is the word that springs to mind.
snake game
To play, use the arrow keys to direct your Sensodyne Foam Snake (um, yeah) to gobble up at least 20 food items so you can exit the room. Be sure not to cross your own stream or you'll have to start over again. I guess this is all one big metaphor for how this foam toothpaste will wipe your breath/teeth clean of things like (see pic above) broccoli, hamburgers and what looks like an entire ham. Once you clear the first level, the 'Dinner Party' level, then you'll move onto do more of the same in the 'Movie Date' level and so forth.
To get philosophical about advergames for a moment -- I suppose ad-based games mostly rank as 'meh' because they don't have to be great (or even good) to serve their purpose. If a game like this gets someone to spend at least five minutes playing, that is a helluva lot longer then they would probably spend looking at an ad on a web page or a commercial on TV.
Then again, just imagine how much time players would spend with a really great game -- 30 minutes, 60 minutes, maybe more? I know a lot of ad types who would give their eyeteeth for that kind of long-term engagement with their brand. So, my challenge to you, advergame makers, dare to make a game that's good (it doesn't even have to be great) -- just to see what happens.
snake game
To play, use the arrow keys to direct your Sensodyne Foam Snake (um, yeah) to gobble up at least 20 food items so you can exit the room. Be sure not to cross your own stream or you'll have to start over again. I guess this is all one big metaphor for how this foam toothpaste will wipe your breath/teeth clean of things like (see pic above) broccoli, hamburgers and what looks like an entire ham. Once you clear the first level, the 'Dinner Party' level, then you'll move onto do more of the same in the 'Movie Date' level and so forth.
To get philosophical about advergames for a moment -- I suppose ad-based games mostly rank as 'meh' because they don't have to be great (or even good) to serve their purpose. If a game like this gets someone to spend at least five minutes playing, that is a helluva lot longer then they would probably spend looking at an ad on a web page or a commercial on TV.
Then again, just imagine how much time players would spend with a really great game -- 30 minutes, 60 minutes, maybe more? I know a lot of ad types who would give their eyeteeth for that kind of long-term engagement with their brand. So, my challenge to you, advergame makers, dare to make a game that's good (it doesn't even have to be great) -- just to see what happens.
Boston Facebook game developers Hangout and Ayeah shut down
Sometimes, social games aren't all rainbows and pools filled with green papers adorned with old Benjamin Franklin's mug. For some, like Boston-based developers Ayeah and Hangout, it can be a rough time. According to Boston.com, Hangout has been shut down while Ayeah shuttered its only game, FanSwarm.
Hangout closed its doors completely after raising $12 million from various venture capital firms, launching an unsuccessful 3D virtual world and later Fashion City. The game allowed players to run virtual fashion shows with clothing from real-life designers.
According to Boston.com, Hangout's decline was a slow one, as the layoffs came as early as 2008 and continued well into 2010. Now, the company has ceased all communication: no phone, no website, nada.
As for Ayeah, the company is reevaluating its situation after FanSwarm, the first "social reality" game on Facebook, according to the company. The game allowed players to predict the success of up-and-coming celebrities as if they were Hollywood talent agents. After attracting just about 35 thousand players, Ayeah founder Doug Levin told Boston.com that the game has officially been taken down.
"We're trying to figure out what to do with it," Levin said. "There were significant challenges getting the game's monetization to meet our customer acquisition cost." According to Boston.com, the two company chiefs, Levin and Hangout's Pano Anthos, have extensive backgrounds in enterprise technology--not video games. Perhaps that's what makes the difference.
Hangout closed its doors completely after raising $12 million from various venture capital firms, launching an unsuccessful 3D virtual world and later Fashion City. The game allowed players to run virtual fashion shows with clothing from real-life designers.
According to Boston.com, Hangout's decline was a slow one, as the layoffs came as early as 2008 and continued well into 2010. Now, the company has ceased all communication: no phone, no website, nada.
As for Ayeah, the company is reevaluating its situation after FanSwarm, the first "social reality" game on Facebook, according to the company. The game allowed players to predict the success of up-and-coming celebrities as if they were Hollywood talent agents. After attracting just about 35 thousand players, Ayeah founder Doug Levin told Boston.com that the game has officially been taken down.
"We're trying to figure out what to do with it," Levin said. "There were significant challenges getting the game's monetization to meet our customer acquisition cost." According to Boston.com, the two company chiefs, Levin and Hangout's Pano Anthos, have extensive backgrounds in enterprise technology--not video games. Perhaps that's what makes the difference.
Chủ Nhật, 25 tháng 12, 2011
Rovio's Angry Birds become authors with a ... cookbook about eggs?
Hey man, you write what you know. Rovio announced recently that it will publish its first Angry Birds book: a family cookbook filled with recipes that include eggs. According to paidContent, Rovio is self-publishing the book in print and as an app in the coming weeks. Peter Vesterbacka, Rovio's Mighty Eagle and head of marketing, said at the Open Mobile Summit in London that the company has had talks with Amazon, Apple and Barnes & Noble to distribute the book.
Rovio has gone absolutely bonkers over turning Angry Birds into the next Mickey Mouse with clothing, board games, stuffed animals, a possible film and a TV show. And most of that is because, well, the video games aren't making as much money as we think they might be, according to paidContent. (Though I find this hard to believe.)
Because mobile advertising is hard to sell, Vesterbacka reiterated at the summit that Rovio is not just a video game developer, but an entertainment company. So, expect plenty more from where the Angry Birds board game came from. But you have to wonder, shouldn't the cookbook revolve around pork and not their offspring?
[Image Credit: Spacemonkeydr]
Do you plan on picking up the Angry Birds cookbook? How do you feel about the Angry Birds merchandise explosion?
Rovio has gone absolutely bonkers over turning Angry Birds into the next Mickey Mouse with clothing, board games, stuffed animals, a possible film and a TV show. And most of that is because, well, the video games aren't making as much money as we think they might be, according to paidContent. (Though I find this hard to believe.)
Because mobile advertising is hard to sell, Vesterbacka reiterated at the summit that Rovio is not just a video game developer, but an entertainment company. So, expect plenty more from where the Angry Birds board game came from. But you have to wonder, shouldn't the cookbook revolve around pork and not their offspring?
[Image Credit: Spacemonkeydr]
Do you plan on picking up the Angry Birds cookbook? How do you feel about the Angry Birds merchandise explosion?
Cooking Mama-maker Majesco buys Quick Hit for social games boost
Quick Hit Football
In the social games world, somebody is always buying somebody else. This rings true for Quick Hit, a Foxborough, Mass.-based online game company that had its team gobbled up by Edison, NJ-based Majesco Entertainment for $836 thousand, Mass High Tech reports. Majesco, the studio behind the recent Facebook rendition of Cooking Mama, said in a press release that it bought the Quick Hit team for its experience with micro-transactions in online games.
However, only the 12-strong team will join Majesco, not its recently-released Quick Hit Football (pictured), an online football simulator featuring all 32 NFL teams, thanks to a licensing agreement. The game puts players in the coach's shoes (and fancy Motorola headset, we hope), managing teams filled with real and fictional players to victory. Of course, the game relies heavily on micro-transactions like almost all Facebook games.
Quick Hit Football might be a Majesco game soon enough. Mass High Tech reports that Jeffery Anderson, Quick Hit founder and CEO and now head of Majesco's online and social games, is in talks with Majesco regarding the fate of the game. While the acquisition was small compared to Zynga-grade buyouts (which might be not be a fair comparison), Majesco doesn't appear any less serious about the social games scene. Cooking Mama on Facebook currently enjoys just above 500 thousand monthly players, according to AppData. But we'll see soon enough whether Quick Hit can give it--and Majesco's mysterious "products in development"--the shot in the arm it deserves.
[Image Credit: UGO]
Do you think Majesco will find success on Facebook through Quick Hit? What other Majesco games do you wish would come to Facebook?
In the social games world, somebody is always buying somebody else. This rings true for Quick Hit, a Foxborough, Mass.-based online game company that had its team gobbled up by Edison, NJ-based Majesco Entertainment for $836 thousand, Mass High Tech reports. Majesco, the studio behind the recent Facebook rendition of Cooking Mama, said in a press release that it bought the Quick Hit team for its experience with micro-transactions in online games.
However, only the 12-strong team will join Majesco, not its recently-released Quick Hit Football (pictured), an online football simulator featuring all 32 NFL teams, thanks to a licensing agreement. The game puts players in the coach's shoes (and fancy Motorola headset, we hope), managing teams filled with real and fictional players to victory. Of course, the game relies heavily on micro-transactions like almost all Facebook games.
Quick Hit Football might be a Majesco game soon enough. Mass High Tech reports that Jeffery Anderson, Quick Hit founder and CEO and now head of Majesco's online and social games, is in talks with Majesco regarding the fate of the game. While the acquisition was small compared to Zynga-grade buyouts (which might be not be a fair comparison), Majesco doesn't appear any less serious about the social games scene. Cooking Mama on Facebook currently enjoys just above 500 thousand monthly players, according to AppData. But we'll see soon enough whether Quick Hit can give it--and Majesco's mysterious "products in development"--the shot in the arm it deserves.
[Image Credit: UGO]
Do you think Majesco will find success on Facebook through Quick Hit? What other Majesco games do you wish would come to Facebook?
Bejeweled Blitz: PopCap reveals Cat's Eye Gem's real story [Video]
We'll admit that the Cat's Eye Gem in Bejeweled Blitz is a little crazy--even for PopCap. (Seriously, it made a game about plants that fend off a zombie attack.) So, it's only natural for players to ask, "What's the deal with the Cat's Eye?" Well, the eye-laser-blasting kitty has a deeper origin story than you might think. In fact, this feline has a name, and it's Snackers. We won't give everything away--that would spoil the laughs--but stay tuned until the end for some extra fun at some select games' expense.
[Video via Bejeweled Blitz]
What do you think of the Cat's Eye Gem now that you know the whole story? What other PopCap mysteries do you hope the company explains in the form of hilarious video?
[Video via Bejeweled Blitz]
What do you think of the Cat's Eye Gem now that you know the whole story? What other PopCap mysteries do you hope the company explains in the form of hilarious video?
Ultima's Richard Garriott: FarmVille's interface is 'pretty @#$% clunky'
Port Casino Poker
Zing! In an interview with Gamasutra, Richard Garriott, also known as Lord British of Ultima Online (and Portalarium co-founder), had some choice words for Zynga's most popular social games: FarmVille, FrontierVille and CityVille. While Garriott had nothing but praise for FrontierVille, led by industry veteran Brian Reynolds, he told Gamasutra:
So when I looked at FarmVille. It's super popular. You go play it and you go, 'Wow, this UI is actually pretty damn clunky.' It's actually hard to use, it's confusing to use, so if I was a beginning user, a light user I'm going like, 'Wow, it's just not that elegant.'
CityVille has surpassed FarmVille, even in popularity -- which was the most popular game in the world. But I look at it and go, 'It's actually too much for me.' Literally, there is so much going on the screen concurrently; I can't keep up. I mean there are stars bouncing around and things to click on and, literally, I find the game overwhelming.
Garriott went on to conclude that, because a majority of social gamers interact with interfaces similar to FarmVille and CityVille (and more than likely those exact games), Facebook gamers will eventually converge with the hardcore crowd.
Garriott also revealed in the interview that his first major social game, Ultimate Collector, will release sometime this summer across several platforms including Facebook, Hi5, iPhone and even iPad. Then, Garriott will focus on Lord British's debut on Facebook in Lord British's New Britannia (a working title), which he has yet to reveal a release date for. Portalarium recently released it's first game to test the waters, Port Casino Poker.
[Image Credit: Slide to Play]
Do you agree with what Garriott had to say about Zynga's games? Do you think he'll succeed where he thinks some social games have failed?
Zing! In an interview with Gamasutra, Richard Garriott, also known as Lord British of Ultima Online (and Portalarium co-founder), had some choice words for Zynga's most popular social games: FarmVille, FrontierVille and CityVille. While Garriott had nothing but praise for FrontierVille, led by industry veteran Brian Reynolds, he told Gamasutra:
So when I looked at FarmVille. It's super popular. You go play it and you go, 'Wow, this UI is actually pretty damn clunky.' It's actually hard to use, it's confusing to use, so if I was a beginning user, a light user I'm going like, 'Wow, it's just not that elegant.'
CityVille has surpassed FarmVille, even in popularity -- which was the most popular game in the world. But I look at it and go, 'It's actually too much for me.' Literally, there is so much going on the screen concurrently; I can't keep up. I mean there are stars bouncing around and things to click on and, literally, I find the game overwhelming.
Garriott went on to conclude that, because a majority of social gamers interact with interfaces similar to FarmVille and CityVille (and more than likely those exact games), Facebook gamers will eventually converge with the hardcore crowd.
Garriott also revealed in the interview that his first major social game, Ultimate Collector, will release sometime this summer across several platforms including Facebook, Hi5, iPhone and even iPad. Then, Garriott will focus on Lord British's debut on Facebook in Lord British's New Britannia (a working title), which he has yet to reveal a release date for. Portalarium recently released it's first game to test the waters, Port Casino Poker.
[Image Credit: Slide to Play]
Do you agree with what Garriott had to say about Zynga's games? Do you think he'll succeed where he thinks some social games have failed?
Celebrate Galaga's 30th birthday with Galaga 30th Collection for iOS
This July 23, the arcade classic Galaga turns the dreaded Three-O. Instead of pouting and slowly descending into a mid-life crisis, Galaga--with the help of its creator Namco Bandai--has made a comeback on iOS devices. The game celebrates all the bleeps, bloops and pixelated alien explosions across modernized versions of its first four iterations. The first of which, Galaxian G 30th Edition (technically the first Galaga), is a free download.
However, the other three games, Galaga G 30th Edition, Gaplus G 30th Edition, and Galaga '88 G 30th Edition, are included as in-app purchases. Players can buy each game individually for $2.99, $2.99 and $3.99 respectively. Though, you can buy all three for $7.99. Each game features modernized visuals with nearly identical play presented in a quasi-arcade cabinet with touch-controlled virtual joystick and fire buttons.
But going deeper than simply improved graphics, Namco included customizable ships and a Score Attack mode that allows players to post their highest scores to Twitter and Facebook. And, because this is 2011 and no game is complete without them it seems, Namco threw in achievements, too. The legendary publisher seems to be on a retro spree, as it recently released new versions of Pac-Man to Facebook. But alas, my days drag on without a new Q*Bert.
Click here to download Galaga 30th Collection for iPhone or iPad >
[Via Touch Arcade]
[Image Credit: Apple]
Were you a Galaga nut back in the day like me (several years later)? What other classic games would you like revisited on iOS or Facebook?
However, the other three games, Galaga G 30th Edition, Gaplus G 30th Edition, and Galaga '88 G 30th Edition, are included as in-app purchases. Players can buy each game individually for $2.99, $2.99 and $3.99 respectively. Though, you can buy all three for $7.99. Each game features modernized visuals with nearly identical play presented in a quasi-arcade cabinet with touch-controlled virtual joystick and fire buttons.
But going deeper than simply improved graphics, Namco included customizable ships and a Score Attack mode that allows players to post their highest scores to Twitter and Facebook. And, because this is 2011 and no game is complete without them it seems, Namco threw in achievements, too. The legendary publisher seems to be on a retro spree, as it recently released new versions of Pac-Man to Facebook. But alas, my days drag on without a new Q*Bert.
Click here to download Galaga 30th Collection for iPhone or iPad >
[Via Touch Arcade]
[Image Credit: Apple]
Were you a Galaga nut back in the day like me (several years later)? What other classic games would you like revisited on iOS or Facebook?
Thứ Sáu, 23 tháng 12, 2011
CityVille Television Tower Upgrades: Everything you need to know
Back in February, CityVille received the Television Tower Community Building, which allows you to house an extra 356 citizens in your town. Of course, as we've come to learn by now, what used to be fine is now never enough, so Zynga has released the ability to upgrade your Television Tower to allow for even more citizens to live in your city.
You must have fully completed building the Television Tower to be able to begin upgrades, but you'll find that the first step is relatively simple: just add two additional staff members (read: ask your friends to help you) to your Television Tower and you'll upgrade not only the look of the building, but also the population cap. To be specific, the building will then support 500 citizens. Just remember that you have to ask neighbors that aren't already staff members in your Television Tower for this upgrade, as you can't hire the same person to work more than one job in the same building.
Once this first upgrade is done, the next upgrade isn't as smooth of sailing, requiring you to add 10 additional crew members, bringing you to the total of 22. You'll be able to earn staff members through individual friend requests, and once you have a friend working in the building, they won't show up again for requests. At least in this way, you'll know which friends to personally ask if you're having trouble finishing it off. Reach the Level 3 Television Tower, and you'll have an allowance of 900 citizens in your town, which isn't bad, if you have enough friends to help you reach that point. Good luck!
What do you think of the raised stats of the upgraded Television Tower? Should it support more than 900 citizens? Do you upgrade all of your city's other buildings?
You must have fully completed building the Television Tower to be able to begin upgrades, but you'll find that the first step is relatively simple: just add two additional staff members (read: ask your friends to help you) to your Television Tower and you'll upgrade not only the look of the building, but also the population cap. To be specific, the building will then support 500 citizens. Just remember that you have to ask neighbors that aren't already staff members in your Television Tower for this upgrade, as you can't hire the same person to work more than one job in the same building.
Once this first upgrade is done, the next upgrade isn't as smooth of sailing, requiring you to add 10 additional crew members, bringing you to the total of 22. You'll be able to earn staff members through individual friend requests, and once you have a friend working in the building, they won't show up again for requests. At least in this way, you'll know which friends to personally ask if you're having trouble finishing it off. Reach the Level 3 Television Tower, and you'll have an allowance of 900 citizens in your town, which isn't bad, if you have enough friends to help you reach that point. Good luck!
What do you think of the raised stats of the upgraded Television Tower? Should it support more than 900 citizens? Do you upgrade all of your city's other buildings?
FarmVille Summer Goals: Everything you need to know
In a surprise update this evening, Zynga has announced the launch of a new trio of goals in FarmVille dealing with summer! These goals are on a fairly slow rollout, so don't panic if you don't have these in your game already. All of these goals require you to be at least level six to receive. Plus, they'll only be available for a limited time: until August 1, to be specific. Let's get started on a guide to help you finish them fast!
Summer Picnic:
Get 6 Picnic Baskets
Buy a BBQ Grill
Harvest 50 Strawberries
You'll need to ask your friends for the Picnic Baskets, but can manually purchase your own BBQ Grill for just 1,000 coins (it's a permanently available item in the store, so feel free to delete it afterwards; you can always get another one if you want it at a later date, but don't want to keep it now). Your prizes for finishing this first goal are 100 XP, 1,000 coins and a Dive Tower (a pool item with a diving board).
Cool It!
Get 6 Electric Fans
Harvest 100 Habanero Chilis
Buy 1 Water Pump
So, this goal is basically the same as the first. Just ask your friends for the Electric Fans, buy a Water Pump for 800 coins, and then plant some Habanero Chilis. Do this last step fast, as the Chilis will only be available to plant for the next nine days. For finishing off this goal, you'll receive something that's very exciting: an orange and yellow Beach Ball Ram, along with 200 XP and 2,500 coins.
The Turtle Derby
Get 8 Racing Stripes
Harvest 100 Spinach
Buy 2 Trees
It doesn't look like it matters as to which kinds of trees you need to plant, so long as you plant two of them on your farm. Meanwhile, you'll need to ask your friends to send you the eight required Racing Stripes. For finishing this final Summer goal, you'll receive 500 XP, 5,000 coins and a Mystery Box containing one of the six newly released Racing Turtles we told you about earlier this evening. Unfortunately, the color you'll receive is random, but remember, should you require a specific color of the six, each turtle can be purchased from the store for 14 Farm Cash.
While it doesn't look like the Turtles are ready to head off to the race track just yet, at least we've all been (more or less) guaranteed a Racing Turtle should we go through with these goals. We'll make sure to give you more details about these Racing Turtles as we have them, so keep checking back.
What do you think of the Summer Goals in FarmVille? Do you already have them in your game? Which color of Racing Turtle are you hoping to end up with?
Summer Picnic:
Get 6 Picnic Baskets
Buy a BBQ Grill
Harvest 50 Strawberries
You'll need to ask your friends for the Picnic Baskets, but can manually purchase your own BBQ Grill for just 1,000 coins (it's a permanently available item in the store, so feel free to delete it afterwards; you can always get another one if you want it at a later date, but don't want to keep it now). Your prizes for finishing this first goal are 100 XP, 1,000 coins and a Dive Tower (a pool item with a diving board).
Cool It!
Get 6 Electric Fans
Harvest 100 Habanero Chilis
Buy 1 Water Pump
So, this goal is basically the same as the first. Just ask your friends for the Electric Fans, buy a Water Pump for 800 coins, and then plant some Habanero Chilis. Do this last step fast, as the Chilis will only be available to plant for the next nine days. For finishing off this goal, you'll receive something that's very exciting: an orange and yellow Beach Ball Ram, along with 200 XP and 2,500 coins.
The Turtle Derby
Get 8 Racing Stripes
Harvest 100 Spinach
Buy 2 Trees
It doesn't look like it matters as to which kinds of trees you need to plant, so long as you plant two of them on your farm. Meanwhile, you'll need to ask your friends to send you the eight required Racing Stripes. For finishing this final Summer goal, you'll receive 500 XP, 5,000 coins and a Mystery Box containing one of the six newly released Racing Turtles we told you about earlier this evening. Unfortunately, the color you'll receive is random, but remember, should you require a specific color of the six, each turtle can be purchased from the store for 14 Farm Cash.
While it doesn't look like the Turtles are ready to head off to the race track just yet, at least we've all been (more or less) guaranteed a Racing Turtle should we go through with these goals. We'll make sure to give you more details about these Racing Turtles as we have them, so keep checking back.
What do you think of the Summer Goals in FarmVille? Do you already have them in your game? Which color of Racing Turtle are you hoping to end up with?
Zynga's co-dependent Facebook relationship detailed in new tell-all document
As FarmVille-maker Zynga prepares to sew its oats on the stock market, one of the more interesting discoveries about the social gaming company is just how much its success depends on its relationship with Facebook.
In its initial S-1 filing mentions how much Zynga's overall success hinges on its relationship with Facebook, something that could potentially scare off skittish investors. A new addendum to the S-1 filing has now been released, which offers more detail on the game maker's codependency on Facebook and, to quote All Things D, "it's complicated."
Here are a few of the more compelling highlights from this new document:
- Any Zynga game built with Facebook integration is exclusive to Facebook as long as the agreement is in effect.
- Zynga has agreed to tell Facebook about any new Facebook games roughly a week before launch, and that exclusivity snaps into place as soon as the new game is available.
- Zynga agreed that its users cannot play any games in the agreement unless they are actively logged into Facebook while they play.
- Facebook has denied Zynga the right to launch its games on other social networks (there's a specific list of competitors in the doc, but that list has been omitted from the document).
- In exchange, Facebook has agreed to assist Zynga in meeting, according to the agreement, "certain growth targets for monthly unique users of Covered Zynga Games."
- If Zynga games reach or don't reach Facebook's growth targets, then the terms of the exclusivity will change.
One of the more interesting parts of this addendum is that Zynga is allowed to build its own "Zynga Platform" on top of the Facebook platform, though it's not clear what exactly that means (there's a section of the document that seems to explain this, but it has also been omitted).
This could simply be a reference to some sort of back-end technical thing or maybe Zynga's RewardVille and powerful cross-promotional game bar that sits atop every Zynga game on Facebook. There's also the slightest possibility that this hints at Zynga's master escape plan (maybe building its own social network/game platform like it was rumored to be doing a few years ago) if its marriage with Facebook isn't happily ever after.
In its initial S-1 filing mentions how much Zynga's overall success hinges on its relationship with Facebook, something that could potentially scare off skittish investors. A new addendum to the S-1 filing has now been released, which offers more detail on the game maker's codependency on Facebook and, to quote All Things D, "it's complicated."
Here are a few of the more compelling highlights from this new document:
- Any Zynga game built with Facebook integration is exclusive to Facebook as long as the agreement is in effect.
- Zynga has agreed to tell Facebook about any new Facebook games roughly a week before launch, and that exclusivity snaps into place as soon as the new game is available.
- Zynga agreed that its users cannot play any games in the agreement unless they are actively logged into Facebook while they play.
- Facebook has denied Zynga the right to launch its games on other social networks (there's a specific list of competitors in the doc, but that list has been omitted from the document).
- In exchange, Facebook has agreed to assist Zynga in meeting, according to the agreement, "certain growth targets for monthly unique users of Covered Zynga Games."
- If Zynga games reach or don't reach Facebook's growth targets, then the terms of the exclusivity will change.
One of the more interesting parts of this addendum is that Zynga is allowed to build its own "Zynga Platform" on top of the Facebook platform, though it's not clear what exactly that means (there's a section of the document that seems to explain this, but it has also been omitted).
This could simply be a reference to some sort of back-end technical thing or maybe Zynga's RewardVille and powerful cross-promotional game bar that sits atop every Zynga game on Facebook. There's also the slightest possibility that this hints at Zynga's master escape plan (maybe building its own social network/game platform like it was rumored to be doing a few years ago) if its marriage with Facebook isn't happily ever after.
Surprise--Zynga slapped with yet another infringement lawsuit
Another day, another lawsuit on Zynga CEO Mark Pincus' desk. This time, myFarm creator SocialApps has filed suit against the FarmVille creator for copyright infringement, violation of trade secrets and a number of other allegations, Patent Arcade reports. Filed in Calif. District Court on June 17, just days after SocialApps registered myFarm with the Copyright Office, the company claims that since myFarm released in November 2008, Zynga approached the company to acquire intellectual rights and source code for its own use.
According to SocialApps, the two entered a Leter of Agreement regarding the source under SocialApps' impression that it would be compensated and credited for Zynga's use of the myFarm source code. Then, the company claims that it failed to get in contact with Zynga as the developer released FarmVille in June 2009 without compensating or crediting SocialApps. As you know, FarmVille went on to peak at 80 million users. And though it has since fallen to 36.8 million players, myFarm enjoys a paltry 17 thousand players in comparison.
Basically, the claim is that Zynga used the myFarm source code to create FarmVille, the iconic Facebook game, without owning up to its end of its agreement with SocialApps. (And the similarity between the two games is striking.)
SocialApps claims to have suffered damages in excess of $100 thousand, and is seeking Zynga's profits and gains, as they're in excess of $500 thousand. (Considering Zynga is said to be worth $20 billion, SocialApps might be low-balling this one a bit.) According to Patent Arcade, SocialApps also believes Zynga went and used the myFarm source code to create games like FrontierVille, CityVille and FishVille.
Keep in mind, this is far from the first time Zynga has been the target of a copyright infringement suit. Most recently, the company agreed to change the name of its upcoming expansion to FrontierVille from The Oregon Trail, the same name of the classic adventure game-turned-Facebook game, to Pioneer Trail after approached by The Learning Company with a lawsuit. Zynga declined to comment.
How do you think Zynga will respond to these allegations? Do you think the two games are similar enough for SocialApps to have a case?
According to SocialApps, the two entered a Leter of Agreement regarding the source under SocialApps' impression that it would be compensated and credited for Zynga's use of the myFarm source code. Then, the company claims that it failed to get in contact with Zynga as the developer released FarmVille in June 2009 without compensating or crediting SocialApps. As you know, FarmVille went on to peak at 80 million users. And though it has since fallen to 36.8 million players, myFarm enjoys a paltry 17 thousand players in comparison.
Basically, the claim is that Zynga used the myFarm source code to create FarmVille, the iconic Facebook game, without owning up to its end of its agreement with SocialApps. (And the similarity between the two games is striking.)
SocialApps claims to have suffered damages in excess of $100 thousand, and is seeking Zynga's profits and gains, as they're in excess of $500 thousand. (Considering Zynga is said to be worth $20 billion, SocialApps might be low-balling this one a bit.) According to Patent Arcade, SocialApps also believes Zynga went and used the myFarm source code to create games like FrontierVille, CityVille and FishVille.
Keep in mind, this is far from the first time Zynga has been the target of a copyright infringement suit. Most recently, the company agreed to change the name of its upcoming expansion to FrontierVille from The Oregon Trail, the same name of the classic adventure game-turned-Facebook game, to Pioneer Trail after approached by The Learning Company with a lawsuit. Zynga declined to comment.
How do you think Zynga will respond to these allegations? Do you think the two games are similar enough for SocialApps to have a case?
Realm of the Mad God's Daniel Cook: Facebook isn't for indies anymore [Interview]
Facebook ain't the Wild West of games it used to be. Ever since companies like Zynga and EA came along--and Facebook asserted its position as a game platform with Facebook Credits--independent (indie) developers and fans of indie games might want to look elsewhere. At least according to Daniel Cook (pictured), CCO of Spry Fox and co-creator of Realm of the Mad God, a hit Flash game that recently released to Google's Chrome Web Store.
Cook's studio is running hot off the heels of Realm of the Mad God, releasing games for the Amazon Kindle (who woulda thunk it?) like Triple Town, a game in which you build a thriving empire by matching tiles. We sat down with Cook recently to learn more about Realm of the Mad God, why indie games are always so ... retro and where the next big indie game haven will be--or is already.
Realm of the Mad God has several glaring inspirations from several retro staples. Can you say how they all came together in this game?
Sure, the history of Realm [of the Mad God] is very much the history of the indie game. It started out at the Indie Game Source competition. The competition was that people who are artists are going to make free art, and the second phase of the competition was that programmers were going to go and say, 'What can we make with this free art?' Realm got started with these two brilliant, brilliant programmers, Rob and Alex.
They said, 'Hey, we aren't great at making art, but we'll just use some of this free art.' And there happened to be a tile set by a fellow named Oryx, which are the very retro 8 by 8 pixel images. The source very came out of that indie games appreciation for retro art, but also this sort of community [effort]. 'Let's throw in some art, we got programmers, these brilliant ideas and the ability to make them. And here's the game that results. Once they had that, they just ran with it-people seemed to like it.
So, Oryx-isn't that the main villain of the game? So, I guess that's inspired by the artist? Absolutely! The artist gets a nod in the game itself.
Realm of the Mad God
Yeah, that's pretty cool. So, why do you think casual or independent games are more often than not homage to the old days?
Ahh! So, there are several reasons. Number one is cost. Modern triple A games have budgets that cost tens of millions of dollars, and most of the money goes to supporting complex 3D engines, art pipelines. The types of things that add a little bit to the gameplay, but they're insanely expensive. As an independent game developer, at the very least you simply cannot afford those things. So, instead you go to other models that work well, and a lot of techniques that smaller teams-back in the glory days of the Super Nintendo and those retro systems-used turn out to be very economically efficient. Now we can make art that works, and it's inexpensive.
That's sort of the economic [reason] for why that works. There's also, of course, a huge wave of nostalgia that comes with a bunch of this stuff. So, it's funny-most of the people who are playing Spry Fox games are actually younger. They never owned a Super Nintendo. There are a lot of 13 to 15-year-olds that just assume, 'Well, it's a good game, and I don't really care about the graphics,' in the same way that someone who sort of bought into the Kool-Aid PlayStation, Xbox next-gen graphics these days.
Do you have any idea why kids are gravitating to this type of game?
Well, if you think of some of the best games-you can even go back to board games-happen in the player's head. For about a decade, there was a very large amount of marketing spent by publishers, console developers to tell players, 'Hey, the most important thing in the entire world is awesome graphics, better visuals and more immersive environments.' It was basically a giant marketing spin.
If you sit down and make these prototypes, you'll find very quickly that players don't necessarily need that to have fun. Like, we were making games for the [Amazon] Kindle, which in some ways is a glorified calculator on the inside, right? It has black and white graphics; it can barely display any sort of animation. We have games on there that players love. They are absolutely passionate about them. They plays dozens of hours of these games every week-they are hardcore gamers on the Kindle of all platforms.
The reason that works is because the game is good. It's not about the graphics, it's not about the fluff. It's about the gameplay, and how the game works in the players' mind. Once you realize that that's where the real value is, then you can start saying, 'Well, look, we don't need these fancy, expensive graphics. We can still make a great game.'
Triple TownHow have independent hits like Minecraft affected indie game makers like yourself? Have those games raised the bar, and how do you plan to meet it?
To a degree, it gives people a goal. So, if you looked at the early days of the indie game community-I was making games back in the shareware days of the early 90s with Epic back before Unreal-a lot of the same themes would come up again and again. What happens is you have basically a group of hobbyists, people who love making games. And they're going to make games no matter what. They don't care about publishers or revenue, they just care about making games.
Over time, the technology has gotten cheaper, and the Internet has popped with all of these opportunities to connect. So, you just have this huge, wonderful community of people making games. What happens with these hit successes is they give the community something to aim for.
I think what will happen with something like Minecraft, is that you'll start hearing people say, 'Oh wait, we can make money off of these PC-based digital download games with long development cycles. These successes break out into the press, and all of this sort of unfocused, 'Dammit, I'm making games,' energy gets pointed toward those goals.
What can developers learn from Minecraft's runaway success?
You know what, I think there are so many opportunities out there for indie developers. The next opportunity will probably look absolutely nothing like Minecraft. If you look at Angry Birds-another small developer success story-it doesn't look anything like Minecraft. If something like Realm of the Mad God takes off, it's not going to look like any of those.
We forget that there's actually been another giant success story, which is Facebook games. And those don't look anything like Minecraft or Angry Birds. I think the important thing is to do something you love, figure out a way to make money off of it, and see where it leads you. That's the way to find success-not necessarily follow what's come before.
Realm of the Mad God trade
Mobile has already been established as an indie haven. Do you see potential in Facebook for independent game creators? Would you ever release a game on the platform? Why?
So, Spry Fox usually focuses on new markets, and the definition of a new market is incredibly simple. 'Is there a way we can get free customers really cheaply without paying someone a lot of money. So, Facebook is no longer in that state. For mature, closed-off markets like Facebook, after you've found success elsewhere, and you need more customers, and you know you have a game that's going to win in the marketplace no matter what, a mature marketplace is a good place to go to.
Right now you buy customers on Facebook. You advertise, you pay about a buck per person, 'Now let's see if they're willing to spend a bit of money on my game.' Otherwise, it's just a bad investment. For other people, you may want to go to-like right now, we release a lot of our games on Flash game portals. Steambirds has over 14 million people playing it. We didn't pay for any of those customers.
What, in your opinion, is the next major market for independent, casual developers and gamers?
Browser games are going to be huge. You don't have gatekeepers [like on Xbox Live or elsewhere]. With web games, you can reach all of these platforms. At a certain point, you'll be able to release a game on a browser, and someone can play that game on an iPad, their mobile phone, and they'll be able to bypass the App Store and other gatekeepers.
The indie game movement is all about people who want to make games, connecting with awesome players. It's been the developer having a direct relationship with the player. If you look at the history of game development, it's basically starts out that way and, over time, middle men arise in the form of publishers, marketing groups and platforms. They desperately try to break the connection between the developer and the players. The indie game movement, at its heart, is about keeping that connection.
Cook's studio is running hot off the heels of Realm of the Mad God, releasing games for the Amazon Kindle (who woulda thunk it?) like Triple Town, a game in which you build a thriving empire by matching tiles. We sat down with Cook recently to learn more about Realm of the Mad God, why indie games are always so ... retro and where the next big indie game haven will be--or is already.
Realm of the Mad God has several glaring inspirations from several retro staples. Can you say how they all came together in this game?
Sure, the history of Realm [of the Mad God] is very much the history of the indie game. It started out at the Indie Game Source competition. The competition was that people who are artists are going to make free art, and the second phase of the competition was that programmers were going to go and say, 'What can we make with this free art?' Realm got started with these two brilliant, brilliant programmers, Rob and Alex.
They said, 'Hey, we aren't great at making art, but we'll just use some of this free art.' And there happened to be a tile set by a fellow named Oryx, which are the very retro 8 by 8 pixel images. The source very came out of that indie games appreciation for retro art, but also this sort of community [effort]. 'Let's throw in some art, we got programmers, these brilliant ideas and the ability to make them. And here's the game that results. Once they had that, they just ran with it-people seemed to like it.
So, Oryx-isn't that the main villain of the game? So, I guess that's inspired by the artist? Absolutely! The artist gets a nod in the game itself.
Realm of the Mad God
Yeah, that's pretty cool. So, why do you think casual or independent games are more often than not homage to the old days?
Ahh! So, there are several reasons. Number one is cost. Modern triple A games have budgets that cost tens of millions of dollars, and most of the money goes to supporting complex 3D engines, art pipelines. The types of things that add a little bit to the gameplay, but they're insanely expensive. As an independent game developer, at the very least you simply cannot afford those things. So, instead you go to other models that work well, and a lot of techniques that smaller teams-back in the glory days of the Super Nintendo and those retro systems-used turn out to be very economically efficient. Now we can make art that works, and it's inexpensive.
That's sort of the economic [reason] for why that works. There's also, of course, a huge wave of nostalgia that comes with a bunch of this stuff. So, it's funny-most of the people who are playing Spry Fox games are actually younger. They never owned a Super Nintendo. There are a lot of 13 to 15-year-olds that just assume, 'Well, it's a good game, and I don't really care about the graphics,' in the same way that someone who sort of bought into the Kool-Aid PlayStation, Xbox next-gen graphics these days.
Do you have any idea why kids are gravitating to this type of game?
Well, if you think of some of the best games-you can even go back to board games-happen in the player's head. For about a decade, there was a very large amount of marketing spent by publishers, console developers to tell players, 'Hey, the most important thing in the entire world is awesome graphics, better visuals and more immersive environments.' It was basically a giant marketing spin.
If you sit down and make these prototypes, you'll find very quickly that players don't necessarily need that to have fun. Like, we were making games for the [Amazon] Kindle, which in some ways is a glorified calculator on the inside, right? It has black and white graphics; it can barely display any sort of animation. We have games on there that players love. They are absolutely passionate about them. They plays dozens of hours of these games every week-they are hardcore gamers on the Kindle of all platforms.
The reason that works is because the game is good. It's not about the graphics, it's not about the fluff. It's about the gameplay, and how the game works in the players' mind. Once you realize that that's where the real value is, then you can start saying, 'Well, look, we don't need these fancy, expensive graphics. We can still make a great game.'
Triple TownHow have independent hits like Minecraft affected indie game makers like yourself? Have those games raised the bar, and how do you plan to meet it?
To a degree, it gives people a goal. So, if you looked at the early days of the indie game community-I was making games back in the shareware days of the early 90s with Epic back before Unreal-a lot of the same themes would come up again and again. What happens is you have basically a group of hobbyists, people who love making games. And they're going to make games no matter what. They don't care about publishers or revenue, they just care about making games.
Over time, the technology has gotten cheaper, and the Internet has popped with all of these opportunities to connect. So, you just have this huge, wonderful community of people making games. What happens with these hit successes is they give the community something to aim for.
I think what will happen with something like Minecraft, is that you'll start hearing people say, 'Oh wait, we can make money off of these PC-based digital download games with long development cycles. These successes break out into the press, and all of this sort of unfocused, 'Dammit, I'm making games,' energy gets pointed toward those goals.
What can developers learn from Minecraft's runaway success?
You know what, I think there are so many opportunities out there for indie developers. The next opportunity will probably look absolutely nothing like Minecraft. If you look at Angry Birds-another small developer success story-it doesn't look anything like Minecraft. If something like Realm of the Mad God takes off, it's not going to look like any of those.
We forget that there's actually been another giant success story, which is Facebook games. And those don't look anything like Minecraft or Angry Birds. I think the important thing is to do something you love, figure out a way to make money off of it, and see where it leads you. That's the way to find success-not necessarily follow what's come before.
Realm of the Mad God trade
Mobile has already been established as an indie haven. Do you see potential in Facebook for independent game creators? Would you ever release a game on the platform? Why?
So, Spry Fox usually focuses on new markets, and the definition of a new market is incredibly simple. 'Is there a way we can get free customers really cheaply without paying someone a lot of money. So, Facebook is no longer in that state. For mature, closed-off markets like Facebook, after you've found success elsewhere, and you need more customers, and you know you have a game that's going to win in the marketplace no matter what, a mature marketplace is a good place to go to.
Right now you buy customers on Facebook. You advertise, you pay about a buck per person, 'Now let's see if they're willing to spend a bit of money on my game.' Otherwise, it's just a bad investment. For other people, you may want to go to-like right now, we release a lot of our games on Flash game portals. Steambirds has over 14 million people playing it. We didn't pay for any of those customers.
What, in your opinion, is the next major market for independent, casual developers and gamers?
Browser games are going to be huge. You don't have gatekeepers [like on Xbox Live or elsewhere]. With web games, you can reach all of these platforms. At a certain point, you'll be able to release a game on a browser, and someone can play that game on an iPad, their mobile phone, and they'll be able to bypass the App Store and other gatekeepers.
The indie game movement is all about people who want to make games, connecting with awesome players. It's been the developer having a direct relationship with the player. If you look at the history of game development, it's basically starts out that way and, over time, middle men arise in the form of publishers, marketing groups and platforms. They desperately try to break the connection between the developer and the players. The indie game movement, at its heart, is about keeping that connection.
Thứ Ba, 20 tháng 12, 2011
OpenFeint co-founder leaves, Gree International head becomes CEO
Well, that sure was quick. Just months after Japanese social game network Gree acquired OpenFeint (for a cool $104 million, mind you), the latter's co-founder and CEO has left the company, VentureBeat reports. The Burlingame, Calif.-based mobile social game network's 26-year-old co-founder Jason Citron has moved on to new opportunities, and has been replaced by Gree's head of international operations Naoki Aoyagi (pictured).
"In just over 24 months, OpenFeint has grown to over 120 million users across 7,000 games," Aoyagi said in a release. "I thank Jason for his leadership growing the company and wish him well in his new adventures." But, according to VentureBeat, the old switcheroo might not have been so cut and dry.
VentureBeat's Dean Takahashi reports hearing rumors that Citron had been fired from the company before contacting OpenFeint and Citron, both of which declined to comment on the news until Aoyagi made the above statement in a release. However, both companies aim to announce their plans for integration between the U.S. operations of both companies in the coming weeks.
In other words, Gree's westward expansion into the U.S. through OpenFeint is imminent, and Gree will likely have even more of a say in how OpenFeint handles things now with a former Gree executive at the reins. Gree hopes to turn U.S. mobile gamers into the apparently wild spenders that Japanese mobile gamers tend to be.
However, direct Japanese competitor DeNA has already launched its Mobage mobile social games platform in the U.S. through recent acquisition ngmoco, and already has support of major U.S. carrier AT&T (though, it is AT&T). It looks like this holiday season will prove whether Gree and OpenFeint can catch up to their new rivals, not to mention existing western competitors like Zynga and EA, both of which have global and mobile ambitions. At any rate, it's going to be a very merry Christmas for mobile gamers.
[Image Credit: VentureBeat]
Do you think Gree and OpenFeint can catch up to DeNA under its new management? What do you hope to see from Citron now that he's freed himself from the company he helped bring up to this point?
"In just over 24 months, OpenFeint has grown to over 120 million users across 7,000 games," Aoyagi said in a release. "I thank Jason for his leadership growing the company and wish him well in his new adventures." But, according to VentureBeat, the old switcheroo might not have been so cut and dry.
VentureBeat's Dean Takahashi reports hearing rumors that Citron had been fired from the company before contacting OpenFeint and Citron, both of which declined to comment on the news until Aoyagi made the above statement in a release. However, both companies aim to announce their plans for integration between the U.S. operations of both companies in the coming weeks.
In other words, Gree's westward expansion into the U.S. through OpenFeint is imminent, and Gree will likely have even more of a say in how OpenFeint handles things now with a former Gree executive at the reins. Gree hopes to turn U.S. mobile gamers into the apparently wild spenders that Japanese mobile gamers tend to be.
However, direct Japanese competitor DeNA has already launched its Mobage mobile social games platform in the U.S. through recent acquisition ngmoco, and already has support of major U.S. carrier AT&T (though, it is AT&T). It looks like this holiday season will prove whether Gree and OpenFeint can catch up to their new rivals, not to mention existing western competitors like Zynga and EA, both of which have global and mobile ambitions. At any rate, it's going to be a very merry Christmas for mobile gamers.
[Image Credit: VentureBeat]
Do you think Gree and OpenFeint can catch up to DeNA under its new management? What do you hope to see from Citron now that he's freed himself from the company he helped bring up to this point?
Scrabble gets ridiculously meta in Scrabble Showdown [Video]
We think it's official: Scrabble is now available on every game platform ever--even cable TV. What if we told you that, while playing Scrabble on Facebook against your friends playing on their smartphones, you could watch folks play on TV? (Now, if that's not meta, we don't know what is.) Scrabble Showdown, a new game show on The Hub cable TV network produced by Hasbro Studios, will debut this Saturday, Sept. 17, at 6:30 p.m. EST. (Check here to see where it will play in your area.)
In the half-hour long game show, families compete in a variety of Scrabble games including Scrabble Babble, Slam, Flash and the Final Lightning Round (you know, because it wouldn't be a game show without one of those). Of course, there are major prizes at stake like vacations to "anywhere in the world," according to a release. At this point, you really will have zero excuse to not own your friends in Scrabble on Facebook.
This show, hosted by Justin Willman of The Food Network's Cake Wars, is bound to get intense. I mean, have you seen professional Scrabble players? They'll be flocking to this new battlefield in no time. Check out a preview of the show below, and if you tune in this weekend--who knows--you might learn a trick or two to school your friends with on Facebook.
Do you plan on tuning into Scrabble Showdown this weekend? What other Facebook or casual games do you think would make a fun game show?
In the half-hour long game show, families compete in a variety of Scrabble games including Scrabble Babble, Slam, Flash and the Final Lightning Round (you know, because it wouldn't be a game show without one of those). Of course, there are major prizes at stake like vacations to "anywhere in the world," according to a release. At this point, you really will have zero excuse to not own your friends in Scrabble on Facebook.
This show, hosted by Justin Willman of The Food Network's Cake Wars, is bound to get intense. I mean, have you seen professional Scrabble players? They'll be flocking to this new battlefield in no time. Check out a preview of the show below, and if you tune in this weekend--who knows--you might learn a trick or two to school your friends with on Facebook.
Do you plan on tuning into Scrabble Showdown this weekend? What other Facebook or casual games do you think would make a fun game show?
A sad 75 percent of (expensive) MapleStory marriages end in divorce
And you thought the 50 percent divorce rate of real marriages in the U.S. was bad. Nexon reports that, of the 26,982 in-game MapleStory marriages, 20,344 (or 75 percent) end in annulment. And those in-game betrothals aren't cheap--each union in the free-to-play MMO (massively multiplayer online game) costs $25 in Nexon Cash, the South Korean developer's paid currency.
After seeing the massive (and kind of depressing) divorce rate, the Nexon community team turned to its players to find out just what was up. And while the company didn't find out much, it did uncover some hilarious somber stories. Take Seth, a 19-year-old MapleStory player from Colorado Springs, Colo:
My former Maple spouse and I started off great; going on party quests together, boss runs, training, helping each other become better Maplers. Then I realized after a while that she was only out there to get free things off of me and we got in this conversation where she admitted to this accusation, so I decided I would have to annul our Maple marriage.
MapleStory matrimony
Here's a pro tip, kids: Think hard before marrying someone online whom you've yet to meet in person. Sure, it's all in good fun ... right until you start to share account information and lose all your goodies. (Another major no-no.)
"Getting married in MapleStory can be quite a fun event for the happy couple and their friends," MapleStory producer Crystin Cox said in a release. "While it looks like our players break up at a much higher rate than people do in real life, at least our players are not on the hook for alimony."
Fair enough, we guess. I think it's safe to assume this feature won't make it into MapleStory Adventures, which debuted on Facebook just over the summer, a version of the game I enjoyed immensely (and so do over 3 million monthly players). But with stats like this, consider it good news that this feature won't see the light of day elsewhere.
[Image Credits: Ylwong, Phame]
Have you ever married someone in MapleStory? What do you think of marriages in games like MapleStory, and would you like to see this feature come to the Facebook version of the game knowing the risks?
After seeing the massive (and kind of depressing) divorce rate, the Nexon community team turned to its players to find out just what was up. And while the company didn't find out much, it did uncover some hilarious somber stories. Take Seth, a 19-year-old MapleStory player from Colorado Springs, Colo:
My former Maple spouse and I started off great; going on party quests together, boss runs, training, helping each other become better Maplers. Then I realized after a while that she was only out there to get free things off of me and we got in this conversation where she admitted to this accusation, so I decided I would have to annul our Maple marriage.
MapleStory matrimony
Here's a pro tip, kids: Think hard before marrying someone online whom you've yet to meet in person. Sure, it's all in good fun ... right until you start to share account information and lose all your goodies. (Another major no-no.)
"Getting married in MapleStory can be quite a fun event for the happy couple and their friends," MapleStory producer Crystin Cox said in a release. "While it looks like our players break up at a much higher rate than people do in real life, at least our players are not on the hook for alimony."
Fair enough, we guess. I think it's safe to assume this feature won't make it into MapleStory Adventures, which debuted on Facebook just over the summer, a version of the game I enjoyed immensely (and so do over 3 million monthly players). But with stats like this, consider it good news that this feature won't see the light of day elsewhere.
[Image Credits: Ylwong, Phame]
Have you ever married someone in MapleStory? What do you think of marriages in games like MapleStory, and would you like to see this feature come to the Facebook version of the game knowing the risks?
Plants vs Zombies's Crazy Dave finds his calling: hip hop music [Video]
Cray-Z Wabby Wabbo
Unintelligible stammering backed by some smooth zombie croons, but hip hop nevertheless. In this new video by PopCap, Crazy Dave (you know, the guy who sells you stuff?) from Plants vs Zombies takes a shot at making a hip hop video. Of course, you'll never know what the guy is spitting out rhymes about, as he can't say much more than "wabby" and "wabbo."
In fact, that's exactly the title of Cray-Z's--Crazy Dave's most fitting stage name--debut video, "Wabby Wabbo." According to its description, Ded Jam Records decided that the world deserved to hear Crazy Dave's mindless blabbering in a more appropriate format: rap music. (Let the flaming in the comments commence!)
We don't want to ruin all the surprises, but just know this: Cray-Z, like just about all successful hip hop artists, seriously loves his bling, expensive cars and collaborating with back-up vocalists for seconds at a time. Oh, and a fan-favorite zombie makes a show-stopping vocal contribution ... literally.
Considering all the work PopCap has been up to on the game already, we're guessing this is just how the team prefers to spend their free time. And please, guys, if your free time results in more comedy gold like this, definitely squeeze in more of that free time. Check out the video below.
[Video Credit: PlantsVsZombies]
Are you a fan of Plants vs Zombies? What about PopCap's hilarious videos surrounding its games?
Unintelligible stammering backed by some smooth zombie croons, but hip hop nevertheless. In this new video by PopCap, Crazy Dave (you know, the guy who sells you stuff?) from Plants vs Zombies takes a shot at making a hip hop video. Of course, you'll never know what the guy is spitting out rhymes about, as he can't say much more than "wabby" and "wabbo."
In fact, that's exactly the title of Cray-Z's--Crazy Dave's most fitting stage name--debut video, "Wabby Wabbo." According to its description, Ded Jam Records decided that the world deserved to hear Crazy Dave's mindless blabbering in a more appropriate format: rap music. (Let the flaming in the comments commence!)
We don't want to ruin all the surprises, but just know this: Cray-Z, like just about all successful hip hop artists, seriously loves his bling, expensive cars and collaborating with back-up vocalists for seconds at a time. Oh, and a fan-favorite zombie makes a show-stopping vocal contribution ... literally.
Considering all the work PopCap has been up to on the game already, we're guessing this is just how the team prefers to spend their free time. And please, guys, if your free time results in more comedy gold like this, definitely squeeze in more of that free time. Check out the video below.
[Video Credit: PlantsVsZombies]
Are you a fan of Plants vs Zombies? What about PopCap's hilarious videos surrounding its games?
Get your booze on in Malibu Rum's Beach Club on Facebook
If developers can make Facebook games in which you grow and sell a certain controversial plant and not hear "boo," I guess a game revolving around the firewater can slide. Because the sales of Malibu Rum tend to dip ... a lot in the colder months, Pernod Ricard, the company behind Malibu Rum, created a Facebook game to promote the awareness of its brand.
The game, which launched today, is known simply as Beach Club, and frankly, it's a pretty impressive branded Facebook game. (Look, more and more companies are going to be up to this in the future, and the games are only becoming more detailed, elaborate and visually impressive.) The game, which has Malibu Rum branding aplenty, tasks players with running their very own beach island.
Beach Club, developed by Aegis Media Group's Isobar, is said to block underage Facebook users from playing by relying on both the birth dates in their profiles and an age verification immediately after installing the app. They're not exactly airtight methods of keeping the kiddies out, but do more to keep the game in front of 21 to 35-year-olds than other Facebook games surrounding questionable topics.
According to AdAge, Malibu made a conscious effort to keep the game geared toward adults through more than just age verification. The game makes liberal use of more mature-looking artwork than other games aimed at the same crowd. "In our game the drawing of the avatars are more mature, they are clearly adults walking around this beach," Malibu senior brand manager AnnaMarie Battiloro told AdAge.
Beach Club overview
Oddly enough, the game isn't governed by an energy system or much of anything that limits your play time, unlike most games. While the game is available globally on Facebook, U.S. players earn points that go toward a vacation to Barbados, the rum's birthplace, that Malibu is giving away through Beach Club.
You'll earn these valuable points by keeping the guests of your resort happy through landscaping and adding new attractions to your tropical getaway. The most notable of which is a beach-side bar. Guests will approach the bar, and clicking on it unveils a mini game of sorts in which players have to bartend a series of Malibu Rum-themed drinks. You'll take guests' orders and have to fill them accordingly and quickly by clicking and dragging various ingredients.
Beach Club bartending
And it's all done to the sound of a 30-minute long club soundtrack with some of this past summer's most popular original tracks. Battiloro told AdAge that Malibu doesn't want Beach Club to be "overtly tied to the brand." "We actually are not trying to earn fans from this at all, Battiloro said. "We are trying to earn more brand loyalty, recognition and association."
But when a beach comber drives past our beach resort, leaving the Malibu Rum logo in its wake, we seriously doubt that. But you know what, this is one of the more full-featured, smoothly-animated branded games we've seen in awhile on Facebook. And if this is the direction brands will go when making games on Facebook, I'm not sure I mind that much.
Click here to play Beach Club on Facebook Now >
After hopping into the game, what do you think of Beach Club so far? What do you think of branded games on Facebook? Could they ever reach the quality of original Facebook games?
The game, which launched today, is known simply as Beach Club, and frankly, it's a pretty impressive branded Facebook game. (Look, more and more companies are going to be up to this in the future, and the games are only becoming more detailed, elaborate and visually impressive.) The game, which has Malibu Rum branding aplenty, tasks players with running their very own beach island.
Beach Club, developed by Aegis Media Group's Isobar, is said to block underage Facebook users from playing by relying on both the birth dates in their profiles and an age verification immediately after installing the app. They're not exactly airtight methods of keeping the kiddies out, but do more to keep the game in front of 21 to 35-year-olds than other Facebook games surrounding questionable topics.
According to AdAge, Malibu made a conscious effort to keep the game geared toward adults through more than just age verification. The game makes liberal use of more mature-looking artwork than other games aimed at the same crowd. "In our game the drawing of the avatars are more mature, they are clearly adults walking around this beach," Malibu senior brand manager AnnaMarie Battiloro told AdAge.
Beach Club overview
Oddly enough, the game isn't governed by an energy system or much of anything that limits your play time, unlike most games. While the game is available globally on Facebook, U.S. players earn points that go toward a vacation to Barbados, the rum's birthplace, that Malibu is giving away through Beach Club.
You'll earn these valuable points by keeping the guests of your resort happy through landscaping and adding new attractions to your tropical getaway. The most notable of which is a beach-side bar. Guests will approach the bar, and clicking on it unveils a mini game of sorts in which players have to bartend a series of Malibu Rum-themed drinks. You'll take guests' orders and have to fill them accordingly and quickly by clicking and dragging various ingredients.
Beach Club bartending
And it's all done to the sound of a 30-minute long club soundtrack with some of this past summer's most popular original tracks. Battiloro told AdAge that Malibu doesn't want Beach Club to be "overtly tied to the brand." "We actually are not trying to earn fans from this at all, Battiloro said. "We are trying to earn more brand loyalty, recognition and association."
But when a beach comber drives past our beach resort, leaving the Malibu Rum logo in its wake, we seriously doubt that. But you know what, this is one of the more full-featured, smoothly-animated branded games we've seen in awhile on Facebook. And if this is the direction brands will go when making games on Facebook, I'm not sure I mind that much.
Click here to play Beach Club on Facebook Now >
After hopping into the game, what do you think of Beach Club so far? What do you think of branded games on Facebook? Could they ever reach the quality of original Facebook games?
Will Zynga finally promote Adventure World in FarmVille and elsewhere?
According to the numbers, it just might have to. FarmVille Freak has found an unreleased piece of Adventure World in Zynga's first big time Facebook game, FarmVille. The website discovered that soon (if not already), Zynga might cross promote the first Facebook game by its Boston studio through the familiar billboard method that players are used to seeing.
This might come in addition to a neighbor card featuring the Adventure World logo that will likely take players directly to the brand new game. Adventure World, Zynga's largest, most ambitious (and different) Facebook game to date isn't doing so hot after its first week of existence, according to AppData.
The game has only managed to garner just over 419,000 monthly players since its launch last week, and just a maximum of over 203,000 daily players. What's worse is that number is already on the decline, as today it reads just over 190,000. This news may seem premature, as the game has only been on Facebook publicly for a week. However, consider games like Empires & Allies and CityVille, which soared within their first two weeks on Facebook to tens of millions of players.
Adventure World doesn't seem like it will enjoy that astronomical growth, judging from what the first seven days have shown us. In the game's defense, Adventure World hasn't enjoyed much cross promotion between Zynga's existing games, if any at all. Based on the differences from my early look at the game and playing it since, there are some features to the game I could do without, such as the Base Camp (let's just focus on the adventures, hm?).
Nevertheless, if there is one Zynga game that deserves at least the same growth Empires & Allies earned in the first few weeks after its release, it's Adventure World. While it includes a few of the common trappings that many believe hold Facebook games back today, it's also treading new ground with its interactive environments and huge scope. So, here's to hoping Zynga Boston's debut finds its second wind--and fast.
[Image Credit: FarmVille Freak]
What do you think of Adventure World so far? Do you think the game deserves the millions of players that the company's more traditional games cater to?
This might come in addition to a neighbor card featuring the Adventure World logo that will likely take players directly to the brand new game. Adventure World, Zynga's largest, most ambitious (and different) Facebook game to date isn't doing so hot after its first week of existence, according to AppData.
The game has only managed to garner just over 419,000 monthly players since its launch last week, and just a maximum of over 203,000 daily players. What's worse is that number is already on the decline, as today it reads just over 190,000. This news may seem premature, as the game has only been on Facebook publicly for a week. However, consider games like Empires & Allies and CityVille, which soared within their first two weeks on Facebook to tens of millions of players.
Adventure World doesn't seem like it will enjoy that astronomical growth, judging from what the first seven days have shown us. In the game's defense, Adventure World hasn't enjoyed much cross promotion between Zynga's existing games, if any at all. Based on the differences from my early look at the game and playing it since, there are some features to the game I could do without, such as the Base Camp (let's just focus on the adventures, hm?).
Nevertheless, if there is one Zynga game that deserves at least the same growth Empires & Allies earned in the first few weeks after its release, it's Adventure World. While it includes a few of the common trappings that many believe hold Facebook games back today, it's also treading new ground with its interactive environments and huge scope. So, here's to hoping Zynga Boston's debut finds its second wind--and fast.
[Image Credit: FarmVille Freak]
What do you think of Adventure World so far? Do you think the game deserves the millions of players that the company's more traditional games cater to?
PlaySay uses Facebook friends as language lessons to get you to 'Hola'
Following its debut at TechCrunch Disrupt, the giant startup launch conference in San Francisco, PlaySay is now playable for budding linguists and aspiring polyglots on Facebook.
Founder Ryan Meinzer, who has already acquired over $570K in funding, as well as a partnership with McGraw Hill, came up with PlaySay while trying to learn Japanese in Japan. Right now, PlaySay is only teaching Spanish. But Meinzer wants to use players' Facebook friends as social lures to spread interest in non-English languages.
PlaySay does this with random Flickr photos (under the Creative Commons license) and tagged photos of your Facebook friends. This part of it works like flash cards. You'll look at photos and get asked questions en español, such as, "Is your friend in this photo?", "Which friend is this?" or "Is this a photo of a girl?" Not very sophisticated stuff, but when audio is included, the potential for tougher lessons grows.
You can also post a status to Facebook via PlaySay, and then friends can click on it and get a small quiz about the meaning of what you posted. Meinzer's logic is, "Your Facebook friends are your new classmates. Check ins, status updates and pictures are your course materials." Basically, he's banking on your most curious and nosy friends to go the extra mile.
Trivia and quiz games aside (e.g. Who Want to Be a Millionaire), there really aren't any educational Facebook games right now. At one point, I fantasized that Crowdstar's Happy Aquarium or Zynga's FishVille would actually teach people about real aquarium-keeping because both use virtualized real fish in their games, but no dice. Instead, Zynga flailed in the tank with things like Fish Battle Arena.
Gallery: PlaySay
One downside to PlaySay's reliance on tagged photos is that people don't always tag photos that have them in it. And sometimes, friends tag other friends onto something to circumvent privacy settings or to just get their attention. Hence, I got asked by PlaySay, "Is one of your friends in this photo?" while I was shown a photo of a sneaker, and then told I got my answer wrong when I said the sneaker wasn't my friend. All Facebook beta game launches undergo some buggy rite of passage, but PlaySay will have to anticipate problems that no bug fixes will solve. Mind you, it's not that I particularly want them solved, because seeing that sneaker was actually pretty darn funny.
To keep track of PlaySay's development follow its official Facebook fan page.
Click here to play PlaySay on Facebook now >
How important do you think it is to learn another language? Would you like to see more educational games on Facebook?
Founder Ryan Meinzer, who has already acquired over $570K in funding, as well as a partnership with McGraw Hill, came up with PlaySay while trying to learn Japanese in Japan. Right now, PlaySay is only teaching Spanish. But Meinzer wants to use players' Facebook friends as social lures to spread interest in non-English languages.
PlaySay does this with random Flickr photos (under the Creative Commons license) and tagged photos of your Facebook friends. This part of it works like flash cards. You'll look at photos and get asked questions en español, such as, "Is your friend in this photo?", "Which friend is this?" or "Is this a photo of a girl?" Not very sophisticated stuff, but when audio is included, the potential for tougher lessons grows.
You can also post a status to Facebook via PlaySay, and then friends can click on it and get a small quiz about the meaning of what you posted. Meinzer's logic is, "Your Facebook friends are your new classmates. Check ins, status updates and pictures are your course materials." Basically, he's banking on your most curious and nosy friends to go the extra mile.
Trivia and quiz games aside (e.g. Who Want to Be a Millionaire), there really aren't any educational Facebook games right now. At one point, I fantasized that Crowdstar's Happy Aquarium or Zynga's FishVille would actually teach people about real aquarium-keeping because both use virtualized real fish in their games, but no dice. Instead, Zynga flailed in the tank with things like Fish Battle Arena.
Gallery: PlaySay
One downside to PlaySay's reliance on tagged photos is that people don't always tag photos that have them in it. And sometimes, friends tag other friends onto something to circumvent privacy settings or to just get their attention. Hence, I got asked by PlaySay, "Is one of your friends in this photo?" while I was shown a photo of a sneaker, and then told I got my answer wrong when I said the sneaker wasn't my friend. All Facebook beta game launches undergo some buggy rite of passage, but PlaySay will have to anticipate problems that no bug fixes will solve. Mind you, it's not that I particularly want them solved, because seeing that sneaker was actually pretty darn funny.
To keep track of PlaySay's development follow its official Facebook fan page.
Click here to play PlaySay on Facebook now >
How important do you think it is to learn another language? Would you like to see more educational games on Facebook?
Dunkin' Donuts pushes its brand with a free Sims Social Lawn Chair
Dunkin' Donuts strikes again in The Sims Social. On top of all the free fan gifts from Playfish and EA rolling out daily on the game's official fan page, the American coffee-and-donuts chain has chipped in for the first Sims Social-branded virtual item in the form of an exclusive Dunkin' Donuts Lawn Chair.
To get the chair, you've got to 'like' the official Dunkin' Donuts Facebook page here and then head over to the section of the page titled "DD & The Sims Social".
Owning the lawn chair adds 250 points to your house value, which is a modest, but no small amount. It also sells for 15 Simoleons, which is chump change, but hey, free furniture! And lastly, the chair comes with a bit of extra animation.
Just click on the chair, and your Sim will get the option to "Sit" or "Drink Dunkin' Donuts Coffee". So kick back, and watch your Sim lie down on the chair to sip from a steamy cup.
Dunkin Donuts Sims Social Lawn Chair
Do you enjoy branded goods in games? Do you think it makes them more realistic?
To get the chair, you've got to 'like' the official Dunkin' Donuts Facebook page here and then head over to the section of the page titled "DD & The Sims Social".
Owning the lawn chair adds 250 points to your house value, which is a modest, but no small amount. It also sells for 15 Simoleons, which is chump change, but hey, free furniture! And lastly, the chair comes with a bit of extra animation.
Just click on the chair, and your Sim will get the option to "Sit" or "Drink Dunkin' Donuts Coffee". So kick back, and watch your Sim lie down on the chair to sip from a steamy cup.
Dunkin Donuts Sims Social Lawn Chair
Do you enjoy branded goods in games? Do you think it makes them more realistic?
Pioneer Trail Ice Shed: Everything you need to know
Just days ago, we saw the launch of the Potting Shed in Pioneer Trail, and now we've seen another "shed" added to the game. This one, the Ice Shed, will allow you to "keep your milk cold," while receiving Critter Milk for free everyday. You'll unlock two new animals via the construction of this building, and will also have a couple of goals to complete along the way. Here's a complete guide to the Ice Shed, so get our your hammers and get ready to build! Note: This feature may not be available to all players as of this writing.
Once this update rolls around to you, you can either place the base right away, or you can purchase it from the store at a later time if you choose to finish some other tasks first. Once you place it, you'll need to gather plenty of building ingredients: 10 each of Rivets, Sheet Metal and Warm Gloves, along with 15 each of Ice Boxes, Saw Dust piles and Insulation. These final three items are earned through individual gift requests sent to friends, while the former trio are earned through general news feed posts.
Once built, your Ice Shed will give you access to free Critter Milk everyday when collecting the building's Daily Bonus, and you'll also receive a free Dairy Cow (that goes by the name of Daisy) once you finish the building's two goals:
Milk Cooler
Place Ice Shed
Tend 25 Adult Cows
Collect 15 Blocks of Ice
You'll need to ask your friends for the Blocks of Ice, as you might expect. For finishing this first of two goals, you'll receive 500 XP, 1,000 coins and a single bottle of Critter Milk.
Stockpiling
Tend 15 Neighbor Goats
Tend 15 Pigmy Goats
Collect 15 Glass Milk Bottles
Again, you'll finish this collection task by asking your friends to help you, while you'll need to visit at least three neighbors for all of those regular Goats. As for the Pygmy Goat, it becomes available to purchase in the store once you've completed your Ice Shed. If your friends beat you to it, it looks like you can tend their Pygmy Goats instead. Finish this goal and you'll receive 800 XP and the Daisy Dairy Cow that I told you about earlier.
All told, this is a fairly simple and straightforward building project and goal series (albeit probably a bit time consuming), so just make sure to take a few seconds out of your day to ask for these building pieces and you'll eventually finish both off.
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here. >
What do you think of the Ice Shed in Pioneer Trail? What other sorts of items would you like to receive free from buildings, if not Critter Milk?
Once this update rolls around to you, you can either place the base right away, or you can purchase it from the store at a later time if you choose to finish some other tasks first. Once you place it, you'll need to gather plenty of building ingredients: 10 each of Rivets, Sheet Metal and Warm Gloves, along with 15 each of Ice Boxes, Saw Dust piles and Insulation. These final three items are earned through individual gift requests sent to friends, while the former trio are earned through general news feed posts.
Once built, your Ice Shed will give you access to free Critter Milk everyday when collecting the building's Daily Bonus, and you'll also receive a free Dairy Cow (that goes by the name of Daisy) once you finish the building's two goals:
Milk Cooler
Place Ice Shed
Tend 25 Adult Cows
Collect 15 Blocks of Ice
You'll need to ask your friends for the Blocks of Ice, as you might expect. For finishing this first of two goals, you'll receive 500 XP, 1,000 coins and a single bottle of Critter Milk.
Stockpiling
Tend 15 Neighbor Goats
Tend 15 Pigmy Goats
Collect 15 Glass Milk Bottles
Again, you'll finish this collection task by asking your friends to help you, while you'll need to visit at least three neighbors for all of those regular Goats. As for the Pygmy Goat, it becomes available to purchase in the store once you've completed your Ice Shed. If your friends beat you to it, it looks like you can tend their Pygmy Goats instead. Finish this goal and you'll receive 800 XP and the Daisy Dairy Cow that I told you about earlier.
All told, this is a fairly simple and straightforward building project and goal series (albeit probably a bit time consuming), so just make sure to take a few seconds out of your day to ask for these building pieces and you'll eventually finish both off.
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here. >
What do you think of the Ice Shed in Pioneer Trail? What other sorts of items would you like to receive free from buildings, if not Critter Milk?
Cafe World 2 Year Anniversary Winston's Royals Goals: Everything you need to know
I really hate to be the bearer of bad news, chefs (I really do), but it looks like there's a new goal series - actually, an entire event - now taking place in Cafe World celebrating the game's two year anniversary. Via this (apparently first?) goal series, you'll be helping Winston prepare a feast fit for a King, because you are indeed cooking for Royals (our anniversary celebration includes a vacation to Britain). There are new dishes up for grabs in these goals, and if you can finish them all within the next 18 days, you'll have the ability to repeat them to earn all of the dishes therein. Yes, that's right, two of your favorite things are present here - repeatable goals and a time limit. While I know that not all of you out there are opposed to such things, there are plenty more who are, so we'll try to help you through these goals at least once with our guide.
Winston's Royals 1
Ask for 3 old British Recipe Cards
Spice 6 of your own dishes
Place the High Table Tea Party
First, the High Table Tea Party is a new building project that we'll have a guide for as soon as possible and you can check out our guide to building it right here. In the meantime, don't panic about the spice task; if you have any extra Salts or Peppers lying around, just use those. Meanwhile, as your friends for the Recipe Cards. Finishing this goal gives you five Travel Passes. These are a huge element of this event, as they'll give you a chance to win real-world prizes like trips "around the world," or in-game items like Stoves and Cafe Cash, and you'll have the ability to collect literally hundreds of them throughout the entirety of this event.
Winston's Royals 2
Ask for 4 British Postcards
Collect 2 Anniversary Collection Items
Serve 10 French Onion Soups
French Onion Soup can be served after four hours. Meanwhile, the Anniversary Collection comes with five new items that you can earn by using spices on your dishes. Finishing this goal gives you 10 more Travel Passes.
Winston's Royals 3
Ask for 6 Old British Recipe Cards
Spice 10 Neighbor Dishes
Serve 15 Angel Fruit Cakes
Angel Fruit Cake takes 8 hours to cook. Also, when visiting your neighbors, make sure to spice cooking dishes, and not just stoves. It's possible the latter would count, but there's always a chance that it won't. Better safe than sorry, no? Finish off this third goal and you'll earn - you guessed it - more Travel Passes, 15 to be exact.
Winston's Royals 4
Ask for 7 British Postcards
Serve 2 Dishes with the Pastry Station
Serve 25 Gem Cakes
Here's where things get a bit complicated, as you'll have to worry about cooking dishes on your stoves and in the Pastry Station. If you've yet to build your Pastry Station, here's a complete guide to doing so. As for the Gem Cake, it takes 12 hours to prepare. Finish off this goal for 20 more Travel Passes.
Winston's Royals 5
Ask for 10 Old British Recipe Cards
Serve 18 Chocolate Creme Brulee
Complete the High Tea Party Table
Chocolate Creme Brulee is a specialty coffee drink found in the Coffee Machine. You will need to have hired Becky the Barista in order to unlock it. For finishing off this last goal, you'll receive a whopping 500 Travel Passes along with a Mystery Prize in the form of a new recipe. This new recipe will most likely be Yorkshire Pudding, although there are three others that might appear in random order as you repeat the goal series. These are the Bangers and Mash, Shepherd's Pie and Salmon Mousse.
As we mentioned before, Winston's Royals looks to be just the first of many goal series available in this two-year anniversary event. While it's unclear whether or not the 18 days applies to just Winston's Royals, or to the entire event, we do know that we'll eventually travel to other countries and unlock other rewards. In the meantime, here's a complete checklist of the "British" tasks you can complete, which can be found in your own game at any time (click on the airline ticket in the right-side menu).
Good luck completing these goals and earning all of the rewards in time!
Winston's Royals 1
Ask for 3 old British Recipe Cards
Spice 6 of your own dishes
Place the High Table Tea Party
First, the High Table Tea Party is a new building project that we'll have a guide for as soon as possible and you can check out our guide to building it right here. In the meantime, don't panic about the spice task; if you have any extra Salts or Peppers lying around, just use those. Meanwhile, as your friends for the Recipe Cards. Finishing this goal gives you five Travel Passes. These are a huge element of this event, as they'll give you a chance to win real-world prizes like trips "around the world," or in-game items like Stoves and Cafe Cash, and you'll have the ability to collect literally hundreds of them throughout the entirety of this event.
Winston's Royals 2
Ask for 4 British Postcards
Collect 2 Anniversary Collection Items
Serve 10 French Onion Soups
French Onion Soup can be served after four hours. Meanwhile, the Anniversary Collection comes with five new items that you can earn by using spices on your dishes. Finishing this goal gives you 10 more Travel Passes.
Winston's Royals 3
Ask for 6 Old British Recipe Cards
Spice 10 Neighbor Dishes
Serve 15 Angel Fruit Cakes
Angel Fruit Cake takes 8 hours to cook. Also, when visiting your neighbors, make sure to spice cooking dishes, and not just stoves. It's possible the latter would count, but there's always a chance that it won't. Better safe than sorry, no? Finish off this third goal and you'll earn - you guessed it - more Travel Passes, 15 to be exact.
Winston's Royals 4
Ask for 7 British Postcards
Serve 2 Dishes with the Pastry Station
Serve 25 Gem Cakes
Here's where things get a bit complicated, as you'll have to worry about cooking dishes on your stoves and in the Pastry Station. If you've yet to build your Pastry Station, here's a complete guide to doing so. As for the Gem Cake, it takes 12 hours to prepare. Finish off this goal for 20 more Travel Passes.
Winston's Royals 5
Ask for 10 Old British Recipe Cards
Serve 18 Chocolate Creme Brulee
Complete the High Tea Party Table
Chocolate Creme Brulee is a specialty coffee drink found in the Coffee Machine. You will need to have hired Becky the Barista in order to unlock it. For finishing off this last goal, you'll receive a whopping 500 Travel Passes along with a Mystery Prize in the form of a new recipe. This new recipe will most likely be Yorkshire Pudding, although there are three others that might appear in random order as you repeat the goal series. These are the Bangers and Mash, Shepherd's Pie and Salmon Mousse.
As we mentioned before, Winston's Royals looks to be just the first of many goal series available in this two-year anniversary event. While it's unclear whether or not the 18 days applies to just Winston's Royals, or to the entire event, we do know that we'll eventually travel to other countries and unlock other rewards. In the meantime, here's a complete checklist of the "British" tasks you can complete, which can be found in your own game at any time (click on the airline ticket in the right-side menu).
Good luck completing these goals and earning all of the rewards in time!
Cafe World 2 Year Anniversary Winston's Royals Goals: Everything you need to know
I really hate to be the bearer of bad news, chefs (I really do), but it looks like there's a new goal series - actually, an entire event - now taking place in Cafe World celebrating the game's two year anniversary. Via this (apparently first?) goal series, you'll be helping Winston prepare a feast fit for a King, because you are indeed cooking for Royals (our anniversary celebration includes a vacation to Britain). There are new dishes up for grabs in these goals, and if you can finish them all within the next 18 days, you'll have the ability to repeat them to earn all of the dishes therein. Yes, that's right, two of your favorite things are present here - repeatable goals and a time limit. While I know that not all of you out there are opposed to such things, there are plenty more who are, so we'll try to help you through these goals at least once with our guide.
Winston's Royals 1
Ask for 3 old British Recipe Cards
Spice 6 of your own dishes
Place the High Table Tea Party
First, the High Table Tea Party is a new building project that we'll have a guide for as soon as possible and you can check out our guide to building it right here. In the meantime, don't panic about the spice task; if you have any extra Salts or Peppers lying around, just use those. Meanwhile, as your friends for the Recipe Cards. Finishing this goal gives you five Travel Passes. These are a huge element of this event, as they'll give you a chance to win real-world prizes like trips "around the world," or in-game items like Stoves and Cafe Cash, and you'll have the ability to collect literally hundreds of them throughout the entirety of this event.
Winston's Royals 2
Ask for 4 British Postcards
Collect 2 Anniversary Collection Items
Serve 10 French Onion Soups
French Onion Soup can be served after four hours. Meanwhile, the Anniversary Collection comes with five new items that you can earn by using spices on your dishes. Finishing this goal gives you 10 more Travel Passes.
Winston's Royals 3
Ask for 6 Old British Recipe Cards
Spice 10 Neighbor Dishes
Serve 15 Angel Fruit Cakes
Angel Fruit Cake takes 8 hours to cook. Also, when visiting your neighbors, make sure to spice cooking dishes, and not just stoves. It's possible the latter would count, but there's always a chance that it won't. Better safe than sorry, no? Finish off this third goal and you'll earn - you guessed it - more Travel Passes, 15 to be exact.
Winston's Royals 4
Ask for 7 British Postcards
Serve 2 Dishes with the Pastry Station
Serve 25 Gem Cakes
Here's where things get a bit complicated, as you'll have to worry about cooking dishes on your stoves and in the Pastry Station. If you've yet to build your Pastry Station, here's a complete guide to doing so. As for the Gem Cake, it takes 12 hours to prepare. Finish off this goal for 20 more Travel Passes.
Winston's Royals 5
Ask for 10 Old British Recipe Cards
Serve 18 Chocolate Creme Brulee
Complete the High Tea Party Table
Chocolate Creme Brulee is a specialty coffee drink found in the Coffee Machine. You will need to have hired Becky the Barista in order to unlock it. For finishing off this last goal, you'll receive a whopping 500 Travel Passes along with a Mystery Prize in the form of a new recipe. This new recipe will most likely be Yorkshire Pudding, although there are three others that might appear in random order as you repeat the goal series. These are the Bangers and Mash, Shepherd's Pie and Salmon Mousse.
As we mentioned before, Winston's Royals looks to be just the first of many goal series available in this two-year anniversary event. While it's unclear whether or not the 18 days applies to just Winston's Royals, or to the entire event, we do know that we'll eventually travel to other countries and unlock other rewards. In the meantime, here's a complete checklist of the "British" tasks you can complete, which can be found in your own game at any time (click on the airline ticket in the right-side menu).
Good luck completing these goals and earning all of the rewards in time!
What do you think of the Winston's Royals goals and the two-year anniversary event as a whole?
Winston's Royals 1
Ask for 3 old British Recipe Cards
Spice 6 of your own dishes
Place the High Table Tea Party
First, the High Table Tea Party is a new building project that we'll have a guide for as soon as possible and you can check out our guide to building it right here. In the meantime, don't panic about the spice task; if you have any extra Salts or Peppers lying around, just use those. Meanwhile, as your friends for the Recipe Cards. Finishing this goal gives you five Travel Passes. These are a huge element of this event, as they'll give you a chance to win real-world prizes like trips "around the world," or in-game items like Stoves and Cafe Cash, and you'll have the ability to collect literally hundreds of them throughout the entirety of this event.
Winston's Royals 2
Ask for 4 British Postcards
Collect 2 Anniversary Collection Items
Serve 10 French Onion Soups
French Onion Soup can be served after four hours. Meanwhile, the Anniversary Collection comes with five new items that you can earn by using spices on your dishes. Finishing this goal gives you 10 more Travel Passes.
Winston's Royals 3
Ask for 6 Old British Recipe Cards
Spice 10 Neighbor Dishes
Serve 15 Angel Fruit Cakes
Angel Fruit Cake takes 8 hours to cook. Also, when visiting your neighbors, make sure to spice cooking dishes, and not just stoves. It's possible the latter would count, but there's always a chance that it won't. Better safe than sorry, no? Finish off this third goal and you'll earn - you guessed it - more Travel Passes, 15 to be exact.
Winston's Royals 4
Ask for 7 British Postcards
Serve 2 Dishes with the Pastry Station
Serve 25 Gem Cakes
Here's where things get a bit complicated, as you'll have to worry about cooking dishes on your stoves and in the Pastry Station. If you've yet to build your Pastry Station, here's a complete guide to doing so. As for the Gem Cake, it takes 12 hours to prepare. Finish off this goal for 20 more Travel Passes.
Winston's Royals 5
Ask for 10 Old British Recipe Cards
Serve 18 Chocolate Creme Brulee
Complete the High Tea Party Table
Chocolate Creme Brulee is a specialty coffee drink found in the Coffee Machine. You will need to have hired Becky the Barista in order to unlock it. For finishing off this last goal, you'll receive a whopping 500 Travel Passes along with a Mystery Prize in the form of a new recipe. This new recipe will most likely be Yorkshire Pudding, although there are three others that might appear in random order as you repeat the goal series. These are the Bangers and Mash, Shepherd's Pie and Salmon Mousse.
As we mentioned before, Winston's Royals looks to be just the first of many goal series available in this two-year anniversary event. While it's unclear whether or not the 18 days applies to just Winston's Royals, or to the entire event, we do know that we'll eventually travel to other countries and unlock other rewards. In the meantime, here's a complete checklist of the "British" tasks you can complete, which can be found in your own game at any time (click on the airline ticket in the right-side menu).
Good luck completing these goals and earning all of the rewards in time!
What do you think of the Winston's Royals goals and the two-year anniversary event as a whole?
Thứ Tư, 14 tháng 12, 2011
Jurassic Park to (hopefully) bring Mr. DNA to mobile, Facebook in 2012
It's just not Jurassic Park without the little guy. Ludia, the Vancouver-based creator of branded Facebook and mobile games like Family Feud and Who Wants to be a Millionaire, has announced that it will bring a Jurassic Park social game to mobile devices in 2012. This deal with Universal Studios marks the company's move into the movie industry through branded games.
"This exciting license is our gateway to the movie industry and reinforces our strategy of turning high-profile brands into successful interactive entertainment experiences," Ludia CEO Alex Thabet said in a release, according to Inside Social Games. But it sounds as if the game will be far less about dinosaurs wreaking havoc than about keeping dinosaurs in check.
In other words, it's going to be another property management game. (Ugh.) Ludia will throw players onto the ill-fated island shortly after the events of the first movie, and they'll be able to help rebuild Jurassic Park into a thriving, money printing machine. What sounds most interesting is the ability to breed dinosaurs using new DNA strands discovered in pieces of amber. See? There's no way Ludia can leave out Mr. DNA now.
Of course, players will need to seek the help of their Facebook friends to keep dino-related disasters from happening and more tourists forking over the cash. The game has yet to receive an official title, and will release on mobile devices before hitting social networks like Facebook.
Are you excited to see Jurassic Park become a social game? What are your thoughts on branded mobile and social games?
"This exciting license is our gateway to the movie industry and reinforces our strategy of turning high-profile brands into successful interactive entertainment experiences," Ludia CEO Alex Thabet said in a release, according to Inside Social Games. But it sounds as if the game will be far less about dinosaurs wreaking havoc than about keeping dinosaurs in check.
In other words, it's going to be another property management game. (Ugh.) Ludia will throw players onto the ill-fated island shortly after the events of the first movie, and they'll be able to help rebuild Jurassic Park into a thriving, money printing machine. What sounds most interesting is the ability to breed dinosaurs using new DNA strands discovered in pieces of amber. See? There's no way Ludia can leave out Mr. DNA now.
Of course, players will need to seek the help of their Facebook friends to keep dino-related disasters from happening and more tourists forking over the cash. The game has yet to receive an official title, and will release on mobile devices before hitting social networks like Facebook.
Are you excited to see Jurassic Park become a social game? What are your thoughts on branded mobile and social games?
The Peanut Gallery runs Snoopy's Street Fair on iOS Nov. 17 [Video]
We're not usually the type to fawn over game trailers, but after hearing that lovely piano tune it's hard not to. Capcom and Beeline Interactive's Snoopy's Street Fair is set to launch on the App Store for free Nov. 17, TouchGen reports. At first glance, the game looks a lot like Beeline's Smurfs' Village. And, in theory, it probably is. But what's important here is the authenticity.
Seeing the game in motion looks like the strip come to life. (You know, aside from the TV specials.) Everything from the hand drawn graphics to the interface looks as if the venerable Mr. Schulz drew the artwork himself for the game. Players will help Chuck and the gang throw their own street fair, complete with attractions like Lucy's Psychiatric Help and lemonade stands.
The game looks like just another property management underneath the layer of nostalgia, but Beeline has mixed things up with a slew of mini games. Players will get to roast marshmallows, mix watercolors and squeeze lemons for lemonade in unique, timed romps for the high score. It looks like the game will have a number of collectible draws as well.
Capcom made a smart move getting into the branded games biz when it did, as IndustryGamers reports the Japanese publisher suffered a 28.1 percent loss in revenue year over year. Despite this, the company hailed mobile social game Smurfs' Village as the "driving force" behind an 89 percent jump in net sales since last year. Hey, if that means more adorable nostalgia fests like this, then count us in.
Are you going to download Snoopy's Street Fair when it launches next month? What do you think of Capcom's approach to mobile social games?
Seeing the game in motion looks like the strip come to life. (You know, aside from the TV specials.) Everything from the hand drawn graphics to the interface looks as if the venerable Mr. Schulz drew the artwork himself for the game. Players will help Chuck and the gang throw their own street fair, complete with attractions like Lucy's Psychiatric Help and lemonade stands.
The game looks like just another property management underneath the layer of nostalgia, but Beeline has mixed things up with a slew of mini games. Players will get to roast marshmallows, mix watercolors and squeeze lemons for lemonade in unique, timed romps for the high score. It looks like the game will have a number of collectible draws as well.
Capcom made a smart move getting into the branded games biz when it did, as IndustryGamers reports the Japanese publisher suffered a 28.1 percent loss in revenue year over year. Despite this, the company hailed mobile social game Smurfs' Village as the "driving force" behind an 89 percent jump in net sales since last year. Hey, if that means more adorable nostalgia fests like this, then count us in.
Are you going to download Snoopy's Street Fair when it launches next month? What do you think of Capcom's approach to mobile social games?
Ultima creator Richard Garriott runs social game studio with ... a robot?
At this point, with a guy who flew into space and once ran the craziest haunted house in the nation within his house, I guess you should expect these things. The Huffington Post reports that Richard Garriott, creator of the famed Ultima PC game series and co-founder of social game studio Portalarium, manages his Austin, Texas-based studio remotely ... with a robot. Seriously.
Since July of this year, Garriott has conversed with Portalarium's 25 employees in meetings and casually (the robot is a mobile, remote-controlled machine equipped with cameras and microphones) from his New York home. According to The Huffington Post, all he needs is a broadband connection, his laptop, a microphone and two cameras to make it work.
"When I'm up north, I log in in the morning and can meander over to anyone's desk and really be a part of the casual conversations that are so essential to our work," Garriott told The Huffington Post. "Sometimes I feel like a spy, but fundamentally it feels like I am really there." But the game industry veteran didn't buy the $15,000 Anybot QB solely for this job.
When Garriott married his wife earlier this year in the spring, he purchased the robot to ensure that his mother could participate in the ceremony and reception, which took place in Paris. The game designer strapped a cardboard cut-out of his elderly mother to the robot, gave her the controls from her Las Vegas home and it was as if she was there. Hey, at least we now know how dedicated Garriott is to Portalarium's upcoming crown jewel, Lord British's New Britannia (and his mum).
[Via Kotaku]
[Image Credit: Beef and Pie Productions]
What do you expect will come of Garriott's reportedly ambitious social game? Do you think the designer can strike gold here like he did back in the '80s and '90s on PCs?
Since July of this year, Garriott has conversed with Portalarium's 25 employees in meetings and casually (the robot is a mobile, remote-controlled machine equipped with cameras and microphones) from his New York home. According to The Huffington Post, all he needs is a broadband connection, his laptop, a microphone and two cameras to make it work.
"When I'm up north, I log in in the morning and can meander over to anyone's desk and really be a part of the casual conversations that are so essential to our work," Garriott told The Huffington Post. "Sometimes I feel like a spy, but fundamentally it feels like I am really there." But the game industry veteran didn't buy the $15,000 Anybot QB solely for this job.
When Garriott married his wife earlier this year in the spring, he purchased the robot to ensure that his mother could participate in the ceremony and reception, which took place in Paris. The game designer strapped a cardboard cut-out of his elderly mother to the robot, gave her the controls from her Las Vegas home and it was as if she was there. Hey, at least we now know how dedicated Garriott is to Portalarium's upcoming crown jewel, Lord British's New Britannia (and his mum).
[Via Kotaku]
[Image Credit: Beef and Pie Productions]
What do you expect will come of Garriott's reportedly ambitious social game? Do you think the designer can strike gold here like he did back in the '80s and '90s on PCs?
Other Games, News Add Comment Sumon is Tetris-meets-math class on Facebook, Chrome and mobile
If there is one game genre that will likely survive them all, it's puzzlers. San Francisco-based Ludei claims to be one of the first social game developers to launch a game on Facebook, Chrome, HTML5, iOS and Android. The game is called Sumon, a puzzle game that evokes feelings of Tetris, but with math-centric gameplay that's said to serve well as a mind sharpening tool.
The game combines simple math problems through addition with spatial reasoning. Players are presented with a series of blocks, each with specific numbers on them, and a goal number. It's up to players to string blocks together to reach that goal number. Of course, the game sets players against the clock, adding numbered blocks until each level is cleared.
"Sumon is the first in a series of titles that is going to take advantage of bleeding edge innovation in mobile entertainment as we plan for a bigger footprint in the U.S. and worldwide," Ludei CEO Eneko Knorr said in a release. "By launching on HTML5, iOS and Android, we're able to bring Sumon to the largest possible audience, a sentiment that is often discussed but rarely executed-until now."
It's certainly a novel strategy in the social games world where the pressure to go multiplatform or go home is increasing. There are three modes of play in Sumon: classic, progressive and respawn. But generally, the more numbered blocks you use to reach a given goal number, the higher your score will go. But really, we're just digging the paper mache art style--so pretty.
Click here to play Sumon on Facebook Now >
Is there room for another puzzle game in the social games space? Do you like a little bit of brain teasing in your social games?
The game combines simple math problems through addition with spatial reasoning. Players are presented with a series of blocks, each with specific numbers on them, and a goal number. It's up to players to string blocks together to reach that goal number. Of course, the game sets players against the clock, adding numbered blocks until each level is cleared.
"Sumon is the first in a series of titles that is going to take advantage of bleeding edge innovation in mobile entertainment as we plan for a bigger footprint in the U.S. and worldwide," Ludei CEO Eneko Knorr said in a release. "By launching on HTML5, iOS and Android, we're able to bring Sumon to the largest possible audience, a sentiment that is often discussed but rarely executed-until now."
It's certainly a novel strategy in the social games world where the pressure to go multiplatform or go home is increasing. There are three modes of play in Sumon: classic, progressive and respawn. But generally, the more numbered blocks you use to reach a given goal number, the higher your score will go. But really, we're just digging the paper mache art style--so pretty.
Click here to play Sumon on Facebook Now >
Is there room for another puzzle game in the social games space? Do you like a little bit of brain teasing in your social games?
MegaCity maker Vostu gets down to earth with Elemental on Android
As it attempts to win over the judgment of the courts, Vostu attempts to win over the hearts of Android gamers everywhere with Elemental. The Brazilian social game maker released the game from its São Paulo studio today to the Android Market for free. The game is said to be a twist on the classic puzzle game Sudoku, swapping boring numbers for more exciting elements.
Players combine various combinations of the classic four elements--earth, wind, fire and water--to unlock brand new elements within each puzzle. As players create new elements, they're guided by Professor Nicolas (or should we say Nikola?), who looks as if it could be a passerby in the Professor Layton universe.
Elemental presents its puzzles in a 4 by 4 grid, and players must create new elements by placing existing elements within the sub grids. However, like Sudoku, you cannot have more than one element in any given row or column. Nikola--sorry, Nicolas--will guide players through the more complex grids and element combinations. There are two game modes in Elemental: Story and Survival.
The former throws players into different worlds to collect certain elements and move on, while the latter is a race against the clock to complete grids. Of course, Elemental is made social via OpenFeint, which allows players to compete in real time by sharing achievements. (So ... technically real time?) Vostu said in a release that it plans to use OpenFeint in future mobile titles. If only this were coming to iOS--normal Sudoku just doesn't do it for this writer.
Click here to download Elemental on Android for Free Now >
Are you a Sudoku fanatic? Could a mobile social game like this feed your need for (annoyingly) complex matching puzzles?
Players combine various combinations of the classic four elements--earth, wind, fire and water--to unlock brand new elements within each puzzle. As players create new elements, they're guided by Professor Nicolas (or should we say Nikola?), who looks as if it could be a passerby in the Professor Layton universe.
Elemental presents its puzzles in a 4 by 4 grid, and players must create new elements by placing existing elements within the sub grids. However, like Sudoku, you cannot have more than one element in any given row or column. Nikola--sorry, Nicolas--will guide players through the more complex grids and element combinations. There are two game modes in Elemental: Story and Survival.
The former throws players into different worlds to collect certain elements and move on, while the latter is a race against the clock to complete grids. Of course, Elemental is made social via OpenFeint, which allows players to compete in real time by sharing achievements. (So ... technically real time?) Vostu said in a release that it plans to use OpenFeint in future mobile titles. If only this were coming to iOS--normal Sudoku just doesn't do it for this writer.
Click here to download Elemental on Android for Free Now >
Are you a Sudoku fanatic? Could a mobile social game like this feed your need for (annoyingly) complex matching puzzles?
Mass Effect social game on Facebook, Google+, iOS confirmed?
Whoops--didn't mean to let that cat out of the bag, huh Bioware? (Actually, you probably so planned that.) During an interview with CVG, Executive Producer Casey Hudson on Bioware's much-anticipated Mass Effect 3 revealed that a version of the game is likely coming to social networks and iOS devices. Granted, we've expected as much for awhile, but nothing's ever been said.
"For the first time, wherever you go - online, mobile, on social networks - you'll be able to follow your progress," Hudson told CVG. "You'll never have to leave the Mass Effect experience." The website went on to note that it caught "glimpses of an all-new social game for Facebook and Google+, as well as a bespoke iPad and iPhone adventure."
So, there you have it, straight from the turian's segmented mouth. We had suspicions of a Mass Effect social game since EA2D, the studio that created the briefly successful Dragon Age Legends, became Bioware San Francisco. And let's not forget the recent Bioware job posting that called for "a well-rounded Artist to work on an exciting, new, social game for gamers."
With such an ambitious launch on so many platforms at once, we'd have to imagine that this social game will prove to be more than a companion game. That's especially considering the fact the core Mass Effect 3 will have a persistent multiplayer mode. Unfortunately, we all know what the average shooter fan thinks of social games ... or do we?
[Via Pocket Gamer]
Are you excited at all by the prospect of a cross-platform Mass Effect social game? How do you expect such a game to do on Facebook and elsewhere?
"For the first time, wherever you go - online, mobile, on social networks - you'll be able to follow your progress," Hudson told CVG. "You'll never have to leave the Mass Effect experience." The website went on to note that it caught "glimpses of an all-new social game for Facebook and Google+, as well as a bespoke iPad and iPhone adventure."
So, there you have it, straight from the turian's segmented mouth. We had suspicions of a Mass Effect social game since EA2D, the studio that created the briefly successful Dragon Age Legends, became Bioware San Francisco. And let's not forget the recent Bioware job posting that called for "a well-rounded Artist to work on an exciting, new, social game for gamers."
With such an ambitious launch on so many platforms at once, we'd have to imagine that this social game will prove to be more than a companion game. That's especially considering the fact the core Mass Effect 3 will have a persistent multiplayer mode. Unfortunately, we all know what the average shooter fan thinks of social games ... or do we?
[Via Pocket Gamer]
Are you excited at all by the prospect of a cross-platform Mass Effect social game? How do you expect such a game to do on Facebook and elsewhere?
Mafia Wars Shakedown looks like Jackie Brown gone social [Video]
At least from the looks of the trailer (and probably without the incredible direction). Zynga recently released a trailer for its upcoming mobile version of Mafia Wars, Mafia Wars Shakedown. Of course, like most game trailers from the company, the footage is devoid of any gameplay or a release date. However, at least it sets the scene and tone the developer looks to be going for.
Apparently, the don that runs your crime ring has been assassinated, and now the race has begun to see who will become the new don and take the reins. So, it'll be your job--we guess--to find out who killed the don, fighting back other players and tough bosses like a trollish butcher. Of course, there will be lots of treasure, loot and coin in it for skilled digital criminals.
But we really take away from the trailer is style. If the game is going to follow the '70s crime and blaxploitation style, complete with funky car chase tunes, then we're so in. More importantly, it tells us that this version of mobile Mafia Wars is going to be more than a companion game like Atlantic City was, but we're sure those elements will fit in one way or another. Check out the trailer below, and tell us what you think in the comments.
Have you been following the release of Mafia Wars Shakedown at all? What do you think so far of the game, based on early images, details and this trailer?
Apparently, the don that runs your crime ring has been assassinated, and now the race has begun to see who will become the new don and take the reins. So, it'll be your job--we guess--to find out who killed the don, fighting back other players and tough bosses like a trollish butcher. Of course, there will be lots of treasure, loot and coin in it for skilled digital criminals.
But we really take away from the trailer is style. If the game is going to follow the '70s crime and blaxploitation style, complete with funky car chase tunes, then we're so in. More importantly, it tells us that this version of mobile Mafia Wars is going to be more than a companion game like Atlantic City was, but we're sure those elements will fit in one way or another. Check out the trailer below, and tell us what you think in the comments.
Have you been following the release of Mafia Wars Shakedown at all? What do you think so far of the game, based on early images, details and this trailer?
No More Heroes Royal maker starts social games company with DeNA
Will No More Heroes bring the blood and gore to mobile phones for good? That much we doubt. The Japanese creator of what is said to be "the social game with the most blood," Grasshopper Manufacture, has inked a deal with social game giant DeNA. The partnership has created a new company called Grasshopper Social Network Service, and company CEO Goichi Suda--aka Suda 51--sounds psyched.
"Our new venture with DeNA will allow us to explore creative ways to bring Grasshopper Manufacture's universe to a new world of players," Suda said, according to Gamasutra. "Mobage's world-class entertainment network and the power of social mobile games will unlock new types of experiences for our fans."
The deal will result in a number of mobile social games created (in addition to the three already in the making) solely for DeNA and now ngmoco's Mobage platform for smartphones. Grasshopper Social Network Service will begin operations in Japan this November, and will bring a number of new mobile social games to Japanese mobile smartphones and abroad.
No More Heroes Royal, Frog Minutes, Humans vs Zombies and Alien Busters--Grasshopper Manufacture's existing projects for Mobage--will all shift to this new joint venture once set up. DeNA has some big names on its side in this battle for mobile social dominance. Just last week, the company announced the first Final Fantasy social game with Square Enix. Look, if this means we get to see the social action fest that much sooner, then go at it, Suda.
Do you think Grasshopper Manufacture is making a good move getting this deep into mobile social games? Which of the companies announced social games are you most psyched for?
"Our new venture with DeNA will allow us to explore creative ways to bring Grasshopper Manufacture's universe to a new world of players," Suda said, according to Gamasutra. "Mobage's world-class entertainment network and the power of social mobile games will unlock new types of experiences for our fans."
The deal will result in a number of mobile social games created (in addition to the three already in the making) solely for DeNA and now ngmoco's Mobage platform for smartphones. Grasshopper Social Network Service will begin operations in Japan this November, and will bring a number of new mobile social games to Japanese mobile smartphones and abroad.
No More Heroes Royal, Frog Minutes, Humans vs Zombies and Alien Busters--Grasshopper Manufacture's existing projects for Mobage--will all shift to this new joint venture once set up. DeNA has some big names on its side in this battle for mobile social dominance. Just last week, the company announced the first Final Fantasy social game with Square Enix. Look, if this means we get to see the social action fest that much sooner, then go at it, Suda.
Do you think Grasshopper Manufacture is making a good move getting this deep into mobile social games? Which of the companies announced social games are you most psyched for?
Socialspiel reels in untapped social game genre in Tight Lines Fishing
Well, the fishing genre on Facebook certainly hasn't been ... over-fished. (We're here all night, try the veal.) Vienna, Austria-based Socialspiel has formally announced Tight Lines Fishing on Facebook. This game is an attempt at bringing the excitement of popular fishing games on consoles to Facebook. However, the motion controls simulating actual fishing were left for another day.
In the ongoing competition to catch the biggest fish, Tight Lines Fishing players will train as well as customize and equip new gear to catch bigger fish in a storybook world around them. The game's art style is almost reminiscent of children's books, and as you explore you'll come across new characters with quests for you and fisherman's stories to tell.
"With Tight Lines Fishing we've created new ways to connect with friends around the world and bring out the angler in all of us," Socialspiel CEO and co-founder Helmut Hutterer said in a release. "In doing so, we continue our history of creating unique social games with high quality production values and appealing experiences for players and their friends to enjoy. Until today more than 1.5 Million fish have been caught."
Tight Lines Fishing gameplay
The fishing mechanic in the game, while not quite on par with literally making the motions, is actually skill-based. Players must cast a bobber into nearby waters and time when they reel in exactly as a fish bites the line. There are a number of things to upgrade and customize about your character, so we imagine there are plenty of fish to catch. This is a major departure for Socialspiel, which before this released Push, an equally-charming puzzle game on Facebook.
Click here to play Tight Lines Fishing on Facebook Now >
Have you tried any fishing games on Facebook before? Do you think this is a sub genre that could do well on the platform, and what other themes would you like to see in social games?
In the ongoing competition to catch the biggest fish, Tight Lines Fishing players will train as well as customize and equip new gear to catch bigger fish in a storybook world around them. The game's art style is almost reminiscent of children's books, and as you explore you'll come across new characters with quests for you and fisherman's stories to tell.
"With Tight Lines Fishing we've created new ways to connect with friends around the world and bring out the angler in all of us," Socialspiel CEO and co-founder Helmut Hutterer said in a release. "In doing so, we continue our history of creating unique social games with high quality production values and appealing experiences for players and their friends to enjoy. Until today more than 1.5 Million fish have been caught."
Tight Lines Fishing gameplay
The fishing mechanic in the game, while not quite on par with literally making the motions, is actually skill-based. Players must cast a bobber into nearby waters and time when they reel in exactly as a fish bites the line. There are a number of things to upgrade and customize about your character, so we imagine there are plenty of fish to catch. This is a major departure for Socialspiel, which before this released Push, an equally-charming puzzle game on Facebook.
Click here to play Tight Lines Fishing on Facebook Now >
Have you tried any fishing games on Facebook before? Do you think this is a sub genre that could do well on the platform, and what other themes would you like to see in social games?
Rovio: Angry Birds will take the Super Mario route in future games
Oh, Angry Birds, the places you'll go. The oft-outspoken CMO (and Mighty Eagle) of Rovio, Peter Vesterbacka, recently dropped details on the future of its flagship Angry Birds franchise, saying that the characters will do more than just crash into things. In fact, Vesterbacka seems to think that the famous avian projectiles will be syndicated across game genres.
"When Mario drives a car, it becomes Mario Kart," Vesterbacka said during a panel talk at Nokia World, according to Pocket Gamer. "When Mario flies to space it's Mario Galaxy. Our birds will do things, and go to unexpected places." The CMO went on to his often lofty comparisons between Finnish Rovio and American entertainment powerhouses like Disney and Nintendo.
Of course, that includes immense advertising and marketing through a plethora of Angry Birds products. "We have a movie planned. Hopefully we will do a bit better than the Super Mario movie," Vesterbacka joked. In this regard, Rovio doesn't even see itself as a game company, but again, an entertainment business in vein of Disney. Though, in order to do that, Rovio will have to diversify.
Pocket Gamer reports that Vesterbacka expects Rovio to create new characters in the Angry Birds franchise. While Vesterbacka mentioned the idea directly, it's easy to see that the Finnish company is already headed in the direction. With the Halloween update to Angry Birds Seasons, a new bird was released to the game, and it's likely just the beginning. We're still waiting to see whether Angry Birds can hang for another two years in time for its big screen debut and $1 billion initial public offering.
[Image Credit: Pocket Gamer]
Do you think that Rovio can continue to extend Angry Birds for much longer? What type of game would you like to see Angry Birds become next?
"When Mario drives a car, it becomes Mario Kart," Vesterbacka said during a panel talk at Nokia World, according to Pocket Gamer. "When Mario flies to space it's Mario Galaxy. Our birds will do things, and go to unexpected places." The CMO went on to his often lofty comparisons between Finnish Rovio and American entertainment powerhouses like Disney and Nintendo.
Of course, that includes immense advertising and marketing through a plethora of Angry Birds products. "We have a movie planned. Hopefully we will do a bit better than the Super Mario movie," Vesterbacka joked. In this regard, Rovio doesn't even see itself as a game company, but again, an entertainment business in vein of Disney. Though, in order to do that, Rovio will have to diversify.
Pocket Gamer reports that Vesterbacka expects Rovio to create new characters in the Angry Birds franchise. While Vesterbacka mentioned the idea directly, it's easy to see that the Finnish company is already headed in the direction. With the Halloween update to Angry Birds Seasons, a new bird was released to the game, and it's likely just the beginning. We're still waiting to see whether Angry Birds can hang for another two years in time for its big screen debut and $1 billion initial public offering.
[Image Credit: Pocket Gamer]
Do you think that Rovio can continue to extend Angry Birds for much longer? What type of game would you like to see Angry Birds become next?
CityVille Hometown is here, your miniature mobile metropolis awaits
Well, it's about time. After going live on the Canadian App Store weeks ago, CityVille Hometown is finally here in the US and globally for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.
The game marks a list of firsts for Zynga in that it's the company's first game to release on all iOS platforms simultaneously, not to mention its first mobile game to release in five languages.
The game allows players to import their existing Facebook and CityVille friends into a new, but separate mobile experience in the franchise. (Note: This is not a mobile extension of your CityVille web game, but a brand new one.)
However, the game will allow CityVille Hometown players to exchange gifts and resources to one another to lend a helping hand. And don't worry, you can visit their towns, too. For lucky iPhone 4 users out there, the game has fancy Retina Display graphics to boot. See for yourself in the trailer below.
Click here to download CityVille Hometown on the Apple App Store Now >
Are you psyched to see Zynga release more mobile games? What do you think of CityVille Hometown, and what do you hope the company releases next?
The game marks a list of firsts for Zynga in that it's the company's first game to release on all iOS platforms simultaneously, not to mention its first mobile game to release in five languages.
The game allows players to import their existing Facebook and CityVille friends into a new, but separate mobile experience in the franchise. (Note: This is not a mobile extension of your CityVille web game, but a brand new one.)
However, the game will allow CityVille Hometown players to exchange gifts and resources to one another to lend a helping hand. And don't worry, you can visit their towns, too. For lucky iPhone 4 users out there, the game has fancy Retina Display graphics to boot. See for yourself in the trailer below.
Click here to download CityVille Hometown on the Apple App Store Now >
Are you psyched to see Zynga release more mobile games? What do you think of CityVille Hometown, and what do you hope the company releases next?
Put your sports smarts to the test in AccuScore's SKL on Facebook
At least one football game viewing party has ended in heated debate that results in beers thrown and tables flipped. (Just me?) Now, it's time to settle the score of "who knows the most" with SKL, a new sports trivia game for Facebook. Well, at least it sounds like it could settle scores on paper--it might just make things worse.
Sports forecasting company AccuScore's first Facebook game, SKL will have players sign in-game contracts and advance through the ranks of sports know-how in both American college football, the NFL and the English Premier League. These tests of knowledge take place in three unique mini games like Buzzer Beater, which has players answer as many stat-based questions about their favorite teams correctly.
Another game, 4Cast, sees players use in-game currency to buy cards that represent predictions in statistics beyond just winning and losing. Finally, Challenge Mode pits up to five friends against one another in a trivia race against the clock. Of course, SKL features leaderboards to track friends' progress compared to your own--it is a contest for the top spot, after all.
SKL Buzzer Beater
However, there is also a global leaderboard to consider, and players will get to make predictions on upcoming games in their football of choice. As players progress, they'll gain power-ups to help in trivia games and predictions. Think of the Predictor feature in games like Madden NFL Superstars and World Series Superstars by EA, but blown up into an entire game. For the folks who actually buy the Sports Almanacs annually, this game could be for you.
Click here to play SKL on Facebook Now >
Do you plan on putting your sports to the test in this new social game? What do you think of sports-based Facebook games, and trivia games in general?
Sports forecasting company AccuScore's first Facebook game, SKL will have players sign in-game contracts and advance through the ranks of sports know-how in both American college football, the NFL and the English Premier League. These tests of knowledge take place in three unique mini games like Buzzer Beater, which has players answer as many stat-based questions about their favorite teams correctly.
Another game, 4Cast, sees players use in-game currency to buy cards that represent predictions in statistics beyond just winning and losing. Finally, Challenge Mode pits up to five friends against one another in a trivia race against the clock. Of course, SKL features leaderboards to track friends' progress compared to your own--it is a contest for the top spot, after all.
SKL Buzzer Beater
However, there is also a global leaderboard to consider, and players will get to make predictions on upcoming games in their football of choice. As players progress, they'll gain power-ups to help in trivia games and predictions. Think of the Predictor feature in games like Madden NFL Superstars and World Series Superstars by EA, but blown up into an entire game. For the folks who actually buy the Sports Almanacs annually, this game could be for you.
Click here to play SKL on Facebook Now >
Do you plan on putting your sports to the test in this new social game? What do you think of sports-based Facebook games, and trivia games in general?
Thứ Hai, 12 tháng 12, 2011
Disney-branded Facebook games coming in 2012, Playdom head says
Can we all just say, “finally?” During a panel named “The Rise of Social Games” at the f8 Facebook Developers Conference in San Francisco, Disney Interactive and Playdom head John Pleasants revealed that two to four Facebook games surrounding Disney xd brands will hit Facebook in 2012. The general topic of the panel was the fact that branded social games are taking off.
Pleasants was joined on the panel by Kabam CEO Kevin Chou, EA Interactive head Barry Cottle and Zynga CBO Owen Van Natta. Facebook director of games partnerships Sean Ryan moderated the panel with the preface that branded games will take over the Facebook platform. And he might be right: EA just released The Sims Social, Zynga will soon re-brand its new Adventure World with Indiana Jones and Kabam recently announced The Godfather: Five Families.
Playdom, which Disney acquired in July 2010 for a whopping $740 million, is ahead of the pack with two branded games on Facebook: ESPNU College Town and ESPN Sports Bar & Grill. Both games performed well, thanks to advertising through the ESPN TV network. While Disney owns the ESPN brand, notice how neither of those actually involve the insanely popular Disney characters we’ve come to love.
Honestly, we’re surprised this didn’t happen sooner. Consider this: Disney has its own cable TV channel through which it could, in theory, advertise whatever it wants. Pleasants didn’t get into why it’s taken this long for disney channel games to throw its cast of characters into Facebook games, but did reveal the power of the Disney name.
Gnome Town, which Playdom launched in the summer–and we enjoyed quite a bit–peaked at 530,000 daily players. But just plopping the Disney logo on top of the existing one made users more likely to spend in the game just through trust of the company’s name, according to Pleasants. “We think it’s an advantage, if you put game play first,” Pleasants said.
It’s comforting to hear this emphasized by these developers. (Kabam’s Chou shared the same sentiment.) Branded games on Facebook are OK in my book, but the last thing anyone wants to see is the genre become a branding machine.
Pleasants was joined on the panel by Kabam CEO Kevin Chou, EA Interactive head Barry Cottle and Zynga CBO Owen Van Natta. Facebook director of games partnerships Sean Ryan moderated the panel with the preface that branded games will take over the Facebook platform. And he might be right: EA just released The Sims Social, Zynga will soon re-brand its new Adventure World with Indiana Jones and Kabam recently announced The Godfather: Five Families.
Playdom, which Disney acquired in July 2010 for a whopping $740 million, is ahead of the pack with two branded games on Facebook: ESPNU College Town and ESPN Sports Bar & Grill. Both games performed well, thanks to advertising through the ESPN TV network. While Disney owns the ESPN brand, notice how neither of those actually involve the insanely popular Disney characters we’ve come to love.
Honestly, we’re surprised this didn’t happen sooner. Consider this: Disney has its own cable TV channel through which it could, in theory, advertise whatever it wants. Pleasants didn’t get into why it’s taken this long for disney channel games to throw its cast of characters into Facebook games, but did reveal the power of the Disney name.
Gnome Town, which Playdom launched in the summer–and we enjoyed quite a bit–peaked at 530,000 daily players. But just plopping the Disney logo on top of the existing one made users more likely to spend in the game just through trust of the company’s name, according to Pleasants. “We think it’s an advantage, if you put game play first,” Pleasants said.
It’s comforting to hear this emphasized by these developers. (Kabam’s Chou shared the same sentiment.) Branded games on Facebook are OK in my book, but the last thing anyone wants to see is the genre become a branding machine.
Phineas And Ferb 3D Game – Disney XD Games 63
New Disney Game – Phineas and Ferb
Disney released a new game. Phineas and Ferb 3D online game. Klick here to read the complete review.
The new game is available at the Disney XD discovery channel. Get ahead of the game before its officially released next week!
Disney is introducing the brand new DisneyXD game. Phineas and Ferb in: The Transport inators of Doooom!
Doofenschmitz is up to his old tricks again, and who has gone missing? Phineas! Help Ferb find his brother and try to help Agent P thwarth Doofenschmitz evil plans!
Check out this new exciting Disney XD online game before all others do at the Disney Cartoon network games website!
Check out Disney’s cartoon network to find a lot of amazing games and news. Disney offers a lot of cartoon games on their site. So head over to the Disney XD site and play the new Phineas and Ferb – The Transport-inators of Doooom! game!
Disney released a new game. Phineas and Ferb 3D online game. Klick here to read the complete review.
The new game is available at the Disney XD discovery channel. Get ahead of the game before its officially released next week!
Disney is introducing the brand new DisneyXD game. Phineas and Ferb in: The Transport inators of Doooom!
Doofenschmitz is up to his old tricks again, and who has gone missing? Phineas! Help Ferb find his brother and try to help Agent P thwarth Doofenschmitz evil plans!
Check out this new exciting Disney XD online game before all others do at the Disney Cartoon network games website!
Check out Disney’s cartoon network to find a lot of amazing games and news. Disney offers a lot of cartoon games on their site. So head over to the Disney XD site and play the new Phineas and Ferb – The Transport-inators of Doooom! game!
Play the Scary Maze Game With Your Friends!
Have you ever played the Scary Maze Game 8 now? If not, brotha you haven’t lived!!! This maze game is the most awesome game on earth! But in order to play it you MUST have a partner in the room with you. So go find a friend, co-hort, or even an enemy – it doesn’t matter! Then match your wits and your mouse skills with the game and see if you’re awesome enough to win the BIG prize at the end!
Chinese Couple Sells All Three Kids to Play Online Games
A young Chinese couple has sold all three of their children in exchange for money to play online Nick jr games at Internet cafes, reports a southern Chinese newspaper.
According to Sanxiang City News, the couple met in an Internet cafe back in 2007 and bonded over their obsession with online video games. A year later, the parents — who are both under 21 — welcomed their first child, a son. Days after his birth, they left him home alone while they went to play online agame at an Internet cafe 30 km away.
In 2009, Li Lin and Li Juan welcomed their second child, a baby girl, and came up with the idea to sell her for money to fund their online game obsession. They did so, receiving RMB 3,000 (less than $500), which they spent entirely shortly after. The couple then proceeded to sell their first child and got 10 times as much for him — RMB 30,000, or about $4600.
Upon having their third child — another boy — the parents followed in their previous footsteps and also got RMB 30,000 for him.
They were finally turned into authorities when Li Lin’s mother found out what her son and his girlfriend had done.
When asked if they missed their children, the parents answered, “We don’t want to raise them, we just want to sell them for some money.”
Sanxiang City Newsreports the couple didn’t know they were breaking the law.
According to Sanxiang City News, the couple met in an Internet cafe back in 2007 and bonded over their obsession with online video games. A year later, the parents — who are both under 21 — welcomed their first child, a son. Days after his birth, they left him home alone while they went to play online agame at an Internet cafe 30 km away.
In 2009, Li Lin and Li Juan welcomed their second child, a baby girl, and came up with the idea to sell her for money to fund their online game obsession. They did so, receiving RMB 3,000 (less than $500), which they spent entirely shortly after. The couple then proceeded to sell their first child and got 10 times as much for him — RMB 30,000, or about $4600.
Upon having their third child — another boy — the parents followed in their previous footsteps and also got RMB 30,000 for him.
They were finally turned into authorities when Li Lin’s mother found out what her son and his girlfriend had done.
When asked if they missed their children, the parents answered, “We don’t want to raise them, we just want to sell them for some money.”
Sanxiang City Newsreports the couple didn’t know they were breaking the law.
Official Pokemon Game Coming To Smartphones
The Pokemon Company is set to bring an official Pokemon Online game to smartphone devices, marking the first time that an official Nintendo-copyrighted app will be available on the iOS and Android.
Called Pokemon Iie Tap (rougly Pokemon: Say Tap?), the app appears to be a rhythm game where players “tap on Pokemon indigo trading cards to the beat of a song from the anime,” according to a translation by consumer video game site GamesRadar.
According to the game’s official announcement, it will be available for most iOS devices, as well as Android devices running version 2.1 of the platform.
Though this is the first iOS or Android application to carry an official Nintendo copyright, it is not the first mobile app of any kind: a Pokemon mobile phone game called Pokemate was released in Japan in 2006.
Though it is a rarity, Nintendo does have a history of releasing official games on platforms that are not its own, including a promotional Flash game to promote its Tingle character.
A release outside of Japan has not been announced.
Called Pokemon Iie Tap (rougly Pokemon: Say Tap?), the app appears to be a rhythm game where players “tap on Pokemon indigo trading cards to the beat of a song from the anime,” according to a translation by consumer video game site GamesRadar.
According to the game’s official announcement, it will be available for most iOS devices, as well as Android devices running version 2.1 of the platform.
Though this is the first iOS or Android application to carry an official Nintendo copyright, it is not the first mobile app of any kind: a Pokemon mobile phone game called Pokemate was released in Japan in 2006.
Though it is a rarity, Nintendo does have a history of releasing official games on platforms that are not its own, including a promotional Flash game to promote its Tingle character.
A release outside of Japan has not been announced.
Nick Jr., MTVN expand in Asia
Rugrats and music fans in Singapore and Malaysia will be able to tune in to “Dora the Explorer” and 24-hour music videos, docus and concerts with the launch of Viacom’s Nick Jr. and MTVN HD in the territories in coming weeks.
Nick Jr Games. will bow on Singapore’s Starhub from May 18, while MTVN HD will air on Telekom Malaysia Berhad’s HyppTV in Malaysia from June 1.
Nick Jr. will be available on the StarHub TV’s Kids Basic Upsize Group, while MTVNHD will be available to existing StarHub TV’s Entertainment Basic Group customers who are subscribed to the Basic HD Upsize group.
TM will offer the two channels a la carte to its subscribers on HyppTV, Malaysia’s newest pay TV service.
The services will roll out to the rest of the region at a date to be announced.
Nick Jr Games. will bow on Singapore’s Starhub from May 18, while MTVN HD will air on Telekom Malaysia Berhad’s HyppTV in Malaysia from June 1.
Nick Jr. will be available on the StarHub TV’s Kids Basic Upsize Group, while MTVNHD will be available to existing StarHub TV’s Entertainment Basic Group customers who are subscribed to the Basic HD Upsize group.
TM will offer the two channels a la carte to its subscribers on HyppTV, Malaysia’s newest pay TV service.
The services will roll out to the rest of the region at a date to be announced.
Disney XD Games
Disney Friends for Change Games
To support the “Disney Friends for Change Games” on Disney Channel and Disney XD, Disneychannelgames.biz has launched an online destination at Disneyxd.biz, where kids and families can take part in the Games from home and help the planet — by making personal pledges of their own, playing online versions of the Games, and making art that matters! When kids play online versions of the Games at Disneyxd.biz, they can donate the points they earn to one of the four charities involved. At the end of the Games, the charity with the most points given by the Disney.com online community will receive $100K.
Friends for Change
Courtesy of Disney
In addition to playing online games for charity, kids can view exclusive video content and participate in a number of funonline activities. Kids can create online art on the Friends for Change Group Wall at Disneyxd.biz, where they can see the transformative power of friends everywhere pitching in to make a difference. The Disneyxd.biz site will also feature exclusive videos from the “Disney Friends for Change Games,” including a special wrap-up show hosted by Tiffany Thorntonand Jason Earles. Kids can also download the official 2011 Friends for Change anthem “We Can Change the World” featuring Bridgit Mendler on Disneyxd.biz
Friends for Change
Courtesy of Disney
Over 30 Disney Channel Games and Disney XD Games stars from around the globe will compete in “Disney Friends for Change Games.” Four teams will play on behalf of a global charity — Fauna and Flora International, World Wildlife Fund, Ocean Conservancy and UNICEF. For five weeks beginning Friday, June 24, Disney Channelwill present “Disney Friends for Change Games” in interstitials during its Friday, Saturday and Sunday primetime original series programming, and Disney XD will present a special episode from the games Monday nights beginning June 27 (9:30 p.m., ET/PT). The Games will culminate with a special half-hour episode Sunday, July 31 on Disney Channel.
Friends for Change
Courtesy of Disney
About Disney’s Friends for Change
Disney’s Friends for Change is a multi-platform initiative that helps inspire kids and families to join together and make a positive impact on their world (and the people and animals that live there). Through PSAs on-air and online tool-kits, the program aims to provide useful information to help kids make small changes that add up to big differences. As part of the program, Disney donates $1 million dollars annually to fund projects all around the globe and has funded over 41 projects that help the planet ranging from educational & community programs to species & habitat protection. Friends for Change currently has over 4 million actions taking place from kids in 33 countries throughoutthe United States, Europe, Latin America, Japan, India and China. For more information, please visit Disneyxd.biz.
- Disney XD gets its game on
Astral-owned Disney XD Canada is delving deeper into the gaming space in a month-long promotion that will see the multi-platform brand take viewers behind the scenes of June’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), offer up two new games on DisneyXD.biz every week and give away five video game consoles to Disney XD viewers.
The Level Up contest runs through the month of September and is set to feature the star of What’s, Up Warthogs!, Eduard Witzke, reporting from this year’s E3 in eight short interstitial reports entitled Ed’s E3. New episodes of Ed’s E3 will premiere every Tuesday and Thursday from September 1 and will air throughout the Disney XD schedule. Additionally, a weekly entry word will appear in each episode, which can be used to enter the Level Up contest online to win one of five game consoles.
On top of entering the Level Up contest on DisneyXD.ca, viewers can explore a dedicated minisite to re-watch episodes of Ed’s E3 as well as test their skills on brand-new Disney XD games. Two new games will be unveiled each week with a bonus game available for those who can work out the special DisneyXD.biz game code.
To support the “Disney Friends for Change Games” on Disney Channel and Disney XD, Disneychannelgames.biz has launched an online destination at Disneyxd.biz, where kids and families can take part in the Games from home and help the planet — by making personal pledges of their own, playing online versions of the Games, and making art that matters! When kids play online versions of the Games at Disneyxd.biz, they can donate the points they earn to one of the four charities involved. At the end of the Games, the charity with the most points given by the Disney.com online community will receive $100K.
Friends for Change
Courtesy of Disney
In addition to playing online games for charity, kids can view exclusive video content and participate in a number of funonline activities. Kids can create online art on the Friends for Change Group Wall at Disneyxd.biz, where they can see the transformative power of friends everywhere pitching in to make a difference. The Disneyxd.biz site will also feature exclusive videos from the “Disney Friends for Change Games,” including a special wrap-up show hosted by Tiffany Thorntonand Jason Earles. Kids can also download the official 2011 Friends for Change anthem “We Can Change the World” featuring Bridgit Mendler on Disneyxd.biz
Friends for Change
Courtesy of Disney
Over 30 Disney Channel Games and Disney XD Games stars from around the globe will compete in “Disney Friends for Change Games.” Four teams will play on behalf of a global charity — Fauna and Flora International, World Wildlife Fund, Ocean Conservancy and UNICEF. For five weeks beginning Friday, June 24, Disney Channelwill present “Disney Friends for Change Games” in interstitials during its Friday, Saturday and Sunday primetime original series programming, and Disney XD will present a special episode from the games Monday nights beginning June 27 (9:30 p.m., ET/PT). The Games will culminate with a special half-hour episode Sunday, July 31 on Disney Channel.
Friends for Change
Courtesy of Disney
About Disney’s Friends for Change
Disney’s Friends for Change is a multi-platform initiative that helps inspire kids and families to join together and make a positive impact on their world (and the people and animals that live there). Through PSAs on-air and online tool-kits, the program aims to provide useful information to help kids make small changes that add up to big differences. As part of the program, Disney donates $1 million dollars annually to fund projects all around the globe and has funded over 41 projects that help the planet ranging from educational & community programs to species & habitat protection. Friends for Change currently has over 4 million actions taking place from kids in 33 countries throughoutthe United States, Europe, Latin America, Japan, India and China. For more information, please visit Disneyxd.biz.
- Disney XD gets its game on
Astral-owned Disney XD Canada is delving deeper into the gaming space in a month-long promotion that will see the multi-platform brand take viewers behind the scenes of June’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), offer up two new games on DisneyXD.biz every week and give away five video game consoles to Disney XD viewers.
The Level Up contest runs through the month of September and is set to feature the star of What’s, Up Warthogs!, Eduard Witzke, reporting from this year’s E3 in eight short interstitial reports entitled Ed’s E3. New episodes of Ed’s E3 will premiere every Tuesday and Thursday from September 1 and will air throughout the Disney XD schedule. Additionally, a weekly entry word will appear in each episode, which can be used to enter the Level Up contest online to win one of five game consoles.
On top of entering the Level Up contest on DisneyXD.ca, viewers can explore a dedicated minisite to re-watch episodes of Ed’s E3 as well as test their skills on brand-new Disney XD games. Two new games will be unveiled each week with a bonus game available for those who can work out the special DisneyXD.biz game code.
Đăng ký:
Bài đăng (Atom)