Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Captain Forever Series Currently 55% Off
Aussie indie developer Farbs has announced that the Captain Forever series is currently on sale. For a very limited time, fans of Farbs's unique brand of retro-themed space shooters can become fully-fledged supporters for just $9, a considerable discount on the usual $20 price point.
Blizzard Arcade Will Let Gamers Sell Their StarCraft II Mods
Launching alongside StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm will be the Blizzard Arcade, a portal that will grant easy access to the most popular mods for Blizzard's signature sci-fi RTS.
To be available for both purchasers of Heart of the Swarm and existing Wings of Liberty owners, the Blizzard Arcade will ultimately double as a store, allowing top-flight modders to sell their content. At launch, however, it will only be possible to distribute said mods for free.
Heart of the Swarm will also feature a new-and-improved level editor that will allow modders to import new character models from 3DS Max. The new cut-scene editor will also allow modders to create movies with existing and user-created art assets.
To be available for both purchasers of Heart of the Swarm and existing Wings of Liberty owners, the Blizzard Arcade will ultimately double as a store, allowing top-flight modders to sell their content. At launch, however, it will only be possible to distribute said mods for free.
Heart of the Swarm will also feature a new-and-improved level editor that will allow modders to import new character models from 3DS Max. The new cut-scene editor will also allow modders to create movies with existing and user-created art assets.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Some Of Team Fortress 2′s Coolest Weapons Have Been Made By You
Well, not you specifically, “you” as in “people who don’t work for Valve”.
Ever since Team Fortress 2′s recent Manniversary update, players have been able to show off fan-made weapons and items in The Workshop, a central spot where other players can vote on them. The best ones then get taken by Valve and turned into actual in-game items.
PC Gamer has dug through and found some of the better items uploaded so far, my favourite being the amazing “Mobile Engineer Pack” above. Other awesome examples include an umbrella for the Spy that turns him into Mary Poppins, and a very dashing moustache for the Heavy.
You can see more awesome fan-made contributions in the gallery above.
Team Fortress 2: the best of the Steam Workshop [PC Gamer]
You can contact Luke Plunkett, the author of this post, at plunkett@kotaku.com. You can also find him on Twitter, Facebook, and lurking around our #tips page.
Ever since Team Fortress 2′s recent Manniversary update, players have been able to show off fan-made weapons and items in The Workshop, a central spot where other players can vote on them. The best ones then get taken by Valve and turned into actual in-game items.
PC Gamer has dug through and found some of the better items uploaded so far, my favourite being the amazing “Mobile Engineer Pack” above. Other awesome examples include an umbrella for the Spy that turns him into Mary Poppins, and a very dashing moustache for the Heavy.
You can see more awesome fan-made contributions in the gallery above.
Team Fortress 2: the best of the Steam Workshop [PC Gamer]
You can contact Luke Plunkett, the author of this post, at plunkett@kotaku.com. You can also find him on Twitter, Facebook, and lurking around our #tips page.
Games Masters Heading To Melbourne
This one is for folks who claim that all the good game stuff is in Sydney. Games Masters is a new exhibition focusing on the history of video games and its most influential titles, and it’s set to take place next year at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image.
The exhibition will feature over 150 playable games dotted throughout the extensive timeline of gaming, reports Screenplay, and profiles 40 of gaming’s most influential designers, such as Fumito Ueda, Warren Spector, and Tim Schafer. Firemint’s Rob Murray will be amongst the developers profiled.
Peter Molyneux (sadly not Peter Molydeux) is also set to attend the launch next year. The exhibition will remain on display from June 28 until October 28, 2012.
Games Masters coming to Australia [Screenplay]
The exhibition will feature over 150 playable games dotted throughout the extensive timeline of gaming, reports Screenplay, and profiles 40 of gaming’s most influential designers, such as Fumito Ueda, Warren Spector, and Tim Schafer. Firemint’s Rob Murray will be amongst the developers profiled.
Peter Molyneux (sadly not Peter Molydeux) is also set to attend the launch next year. The exhibition will remain on display from June 28 until October 28, 2012.
Games Masters coming to Australia [Screenplay]
You’ll Probably Want To Avoid Battlefield 3′s "Standard-Def" Version
Those who don’t use that pack, well…you may want to find a way to make it work. Because Battlefield 3 producer Patrick Bach has given the vanilla version of the game a pretty plain nickname.
“The thing with the 360 is that you need to be able to give consumers a game where you don’t have to install it on a hard drive, because there are 360s without a hard drive. So we need to give you the option of installing it, rather than just demanding it. You could call it a ‘standard-def’ version for the 360 if you don’t have a hard-drive.”
Note that loads of Xbox 360 shooters technically run in “standard definition”, Halo 3 probably the most famous among them. But for one of the key men behind one of the year’s biggest games to come out and use the term so openly suggests that, yeah, it’s not going to look that great if you don’t install the textures on your HDD first.
Not that this should be a problem for, well, anyone. I can’t imagine the kind of consumer who in 2011 owns an Xbox 360 without a hard drive is the kind of person who will give a rat’s arse about the texture quality of a modern military shooter.
New info on Battlefield 3 360′s hi-res texture pack [Gamerzines]
“The thing with the 360 is that you need to be able to give consumers a game where you don’t have to install it on a hard drive, because there are 360s without a hard drive. So we need to give you the option of installing it, rather than just demanding it. You could call it a ‘standard-def’ version for the 360 if you don’t have a hard-drive.”
Note that loads of Xbox 360 shooters technically run in “standard definition”, Halo 3 probably the most famous among them. But for one of the key men behind one of the year’s biggest games to come out and use the term so openly suggests that, yeah, it’s not going to look that great if you don’t install the textures on your HDD first.
Not that this should be a problem for, well, anyone. I can’t imagine the kind of consumer who in 2011 owns an Xbox 360 without a hard drive is the kind of person who will give a rat’s arse about the texture quality of a modern military shooter.
New info on Battlefield 3 360′s hi-res texture pack [Gamerzines]
Saturday, October 22, 2011
The Great Debate: East Vs. West.
So I’ve been giving alot of thought into the argument about how Western developers have apparently far surpassed Japanese developers as a whole, there really seems to be alot of chest beating especially from the western game “journalist” community about how much better western developers supposedly are than their eastern peers.
I suppose the real question here would be in what way exactly are developers in the west so much better than developers in the east. I’ve been playing video games for longer than I’d really care to admit sometimes, I love video games both as a hobby, and as what I consider a genuine form of art in many ways (argument for another time). I will also say that the majority of my favorite franchises and games come largely from Japanese developers.
Almost every major game conference, or expo I have seen over the past few years I’ve noticed something that gets vastly overlooked by many people covering games, and that’s the fact that western developers make first person shooters more than any other genre in the gaming landscape. Obviously have do have some western developers who make other genre games, like Bioware and Bethesda who focus on RPGS ( although Fallout 3 is a FPS as well), Criterion who makes racers, Media Molecule (probably the most creative western developer) making LBP ,and a few others but I can name about 20 First person shooters hitting shelves between now and the end of next year.
How many times can we play the Space Marine, or Foot solider before we see that just as much as in the east, the west has found their niche and they stick to it just as much.The eastern market right now is making games like Last Guardian, Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom, Demon’s Soul’s Vanquish, Disgaea, Catherine, Gran Turismo, Atelier Rorona: The Alchemists Of Arland, and Metal Gear Rising all being games that are very different from each other.
Developers in the west are making games like Call of Duty, Halo, Medal of Honor, Fallout New Vegas, Brink, Killzone, Bullet Storm, Resistance, Socom, Ghost Recon, etc. Yes there are western developers not making shooters, but more of them are than are not. In fact even when you take a game like Vanquish although it is a third person shooter when you begin to understand and use the systems within the game it has a very unique feel to it, where as almost all of the western games I named will feel fairly similar to each other with different paint jobs (all shades of grey or brown).
It’s seems mostly that the biggest advantage that western games have over eastern is the budget for things like graphics, lighting, and marketing, because quite frankely it seems to me that creativity in large quanities is still an advantage that Japanese developers continue to have over western.
I suppose the real question here would be in what way exactly are developers in the west so much better than developers in the east. I’ve been playing video games for longer than I’d really care to admit sometimes, I love video games both as a hobby, and as what I consider a genuine form of art in many ways (argument for another time). I will also say that the majority of my favorite franchises and games come largely from Japanese developers.
Almost every major game conference, or expo I have seen over the past few years I’ve noticed something that gets vastly overlooked by many people covering games, and that’s the fact that western developers make first person shooters more than any other genre in the gaming landscape. Obviously have do have some western developers who make other genre games, like Bioware and Bethesda who focus on RPGS ( although Fallout 3 is a FPS as well), Criterion who makes racers, Media Molecule (probably the most creative western developer) making LBP ,and a few others but I can name about 20 First person shooters hitting shelves between now and the end of next year.
How many times can we play the Space Marine, or Foot solider before we see that just as much as in the east, the west has found their niche and they stick to it just as much.The eastern market right now is making games like Last Guardian, Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom, Demon’s Soul’s Vanquish, Disgaea, Catherine, Gran Turismo, Atelier Rorona: The Alchemists Of Arland, and Metal Gear Rising all being games that are very different from each other.
Developers in the west are making games like Call of Duty, Halo, Medal of Honor, Fallout New Vegas, Brink, Killzone, Bullet Storm, Resistance, Socom, Ghost Recon, etc. Yes there are western developers not making shooters, but more of them are than are not. In fact even when you take a game like Vanquish although it is a third person shooter when you begin to understand and use the systems within the game it has a very unique feel to it, where as almost all of the western games I named will feel fairly similar to each other with different paint jobs (all shades of grey or brown).
It’s seems mostly that the biggest advantage that western games have over eastern is the budget for things like graphics, lighting, and marketing, because quite frankely it seems to me that creativity in large quanities is still an advantage that Japanese developers continue to have over western.
Rushed reviews neglecting game problems
This blog is focusing on how rushed reviews are being published by the media have affected games saying they are the perfect game
The most recent example has to be Halo Reach. A recent article has sprung up on N4g stating does Halo Reach Deserve 10 out of 10 http://n4g.com/news/605525/...
This blog isn’t about was Halo Reach a 10 out of 10 game because that is a matter of opinion but suggesting that the media push these reviews out to early and are neglecting major problems with games. Certain websites like IGN gave a perfect score so quickly it made me think this game must not have any problems. It wasn’t until I read more reviews, posted much later, that pointed out some problems. For instance Kotaku posted this http://kotaku.com/5635510/h...
It basically stats there are a lot of great things with Halo but the main problem was the Allies Ai being poor. These sort of issues have been neglected in these early reviews. The big thing is how that these issues slip in a review and how some parts of the media can give a perfect 10 with a problem that other games are rated down for.
This isn’t the only game to have this problem. For example GTA IV and Red Dead Redemption. GTA IV had loads of 10 out of 10 when the game had problems that only arise when playing the game for any length amount of time (like replay factor, missions being very similar, and more). RDR is a fantastic example of this issue. 20 of reviews stated it was a perfect 10 game. Only a quick search on Youtube for glitches in this game disproves this. I personally has experienced a couple of these glitches like poor graphical loading (i.e faces didn’t load properly). These are huge problems with a game. Any other game that took longer to review would have rated this much lower due to the amount of glitches and bugs in the game
The problem is that the media is review way too quickly and giving perfect 10s to easily. Halo Reach is not the best example because it is a good game and deserves defiantly around a 9 of what I have seen but what bugs me is that certain bugs/ gameplay problems are over looked so that a review can be published quickly so the web site gets more hits. I have experienced the problem more with RDR due to the amount of bugs in the game.
This has led me to not trust reviews that well which is a big problem. I now tend to read more reviews that are in the mid range because they tend to point out the problems with the games unlike the rushed 10 out of 10 reviews.
The most recent example has to be Halo Reach. A recent article has sprung up on N4g stating does Halo Reach Deserve 10 out of 10 http://n4g.com/news/605525/...
This blog isn’t about was Halo Reach a 10 out of 10 game because that is a matter of opinion but suggesting that the media push these reviews out to early and are neglecting major problems with games. Certain websites like IGN gave a perfect score so quickly it made me think this game must not have any problems. It wasn’t until I read more reviews, posted much later, that pointed out some problems. For instance Kotaku posted this http://kotaku.com/5635510/h...
It basically stats there are a lot of great things with Halo but the main problem was the Allies Ai being poor. These sort of issues have been neglected in these early reviews. The big thing is how that these issues slip in a review and how some parts of the media can give a perfect 10 with a problem that other games are rated down for.
This isn’t the only game to have this problem. For example GTA IV and Red Dead Redemption. GTA IV had loads of 10 out of 10 when the game had problems that only arise when playing the game for any length amount of time (like replay factor, missions being very similar, and more). RDR is a fantastic example of this issue. 20 of reviews stated it was a perfect 10 game. Only a quick search on Youtube for glitches in this game disproves this. I personally has experienced a couple of these glitches like poor graphical loading (i.e faces didn’t load properly). These are huge problems with a game. Any other game that took longer to review would have rated this much lower due to the amount of glitches and bugs in the game
The problem is that the media is review way too quickly and giving perfect 10s to easily. Halo Reach is not the best example because it is a good game and deserves defiantly around a 9 of what I have seen but what bugs me is that certain bugs/ gameplay problems are over looked so that a review can be published quickly so the web site gets more hits. I have experienced the problem more with RDR due to the amount of bugs in the game.
This has led me to not trust reviews that well which is a big problem. I now tend to read more reviews that are in the mid range because they tend to point out the problems with the games unlike the rushed 10 out of 10 reviews.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Is Homefront being over-looked?
I've heard and seen articles of Homefront here and there, but only really recently saw a whole lot with it which was sparked by the commercial. Is this game being over-looked? I know 2011 has a lot of crazy games coming out, but for some reason this game has me very interested and recently took my most anticipated list.
Ever since I saw the commercial I've been digging up videos, previews, and dev diaries. I'm simply in awe. I mean c'mon, helicopters, tanks, and the coolest thing I think--recon drones! The game looks beautiful, smooth, and guess what COD whiners...DEDICATED SERVERS!
I think if this game is executed well it could be the most under-rated game of 2011 and could possibly be an unlikely COD or Battlefield rival or even, might I say, killer. (I know I'll be hated and get disagree hell for that one)
I could be falsely hyped up, I could be mistaken and wrong but the game has an awesome story that hits close to home if you live in the US. The story could very well happen, which could make for an immersive and scary campaign.
I may have been out of the loop and this game is being hyped up, but not sure how it got under my radar. So far 2011 is rockin' with the first 3 months each having an FPS that I will be purchasing:
January - Modern Combat (Another game floating under peoples radars that may be decent, especially for the price)
February - Killzone 3
March - Homefront
What are your guys thoughts on Homefront? Do you think it will be the most under-rated, under-looked, under-hyped game of 2011? A sleeper hit? Or do you think it'll fail miserably, and not live up to the small expectations it has? Let me know!
Ever since I saw the commercial I've been digging up videos, previews, and dev diaries. I'm simply in awe. I mean c'mon, helicopters, tanks, and the coolest thing I think--recon drones! The game looks beautiful, smooth, and guess what COD whiners...DEDICATED SERVERS!
I think if this game is executed well it could be the most under-rated game of 2011 and could possibly be an unlikely COD or Battlefield rival or even, might I say, killer. (I know I'll be hated and get disagree hell for that one)
I could be falsely hyped up, I could be mistaken and wrong but the game has an awesome story that hits close to home if you live in the US. The story could very well happen, which could make for an immersive and scary campaign.
I may have been out of the loop and this game is being hyped up, but not sure how it got under my radar. So far 2011 is rockin' with the first 3 months each having an FPS that I will be purchasing:
January - Modern Combat (Another game floating under peoples radars that may be decent, especially for the price)
February - Killzone 3
March - Homefront
What are your guys thoughts on Homefront? Do you think it will be the most under-rated, under-looked, under-hyped game of 2011? A sleeper hit? Or do you think it'll fail miserably, and not live up to the small expectations it has? Let me know!
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.
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.
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.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
MS Pre GDC 2011 (X11) Was Very Disappointing
The Pre GDC show was very disappointing, they promised us big announcements but instead we got map packs which we already know, a known beta & sesame street.
I have supported Sony since the Ps1 & this gen i made a idiotic mistake of buying the Xbox 360, mind you This was in 2007 & back then the PS3 wasn't as attractive as it is today.
The PS3 This year has a whole army of amazing exclusives while the 360 has gears & Forza 4 & sh*tty Kinect titles & this makes me angry because Microsoft is basically saying "F*ck you" to the hardcore gamers who made the xbox what it is & is instead focusing on the Kinect, Shovelware instead of core games. I was expecting a halo announcement, maybe PGR5, Alan Wake 2 but instead the hardcore gamers got shafted.
I have supported Sony since the Ps1 & this gen i made a idiotic mistake of buying the Xbox 360, mind you This was in 2007 & back then the PS3 wasn't as attractive as it is today.
The PS3 This year has a whole army of amazing exclusives while the 360 has gears & Forza 4 & sh*tty Kinect titles & this makes me angry because Microsoft is basically saying "F*ck you" to the hardcore gamers who made the xbox what it is & is instead focusing on the Kinect, Shovelware instead of core games. I was expecting a halo announcement, maybe PGR5, Alan Wake 2 but instead the hardcore gamers got shafted.
DRAGON AGE II PS3 Demo: Commentary & Playthrough
This is my take on Dragon Age II. It looks to have an epic story but the gameplay feels very generic to me so far. In anycase have a look at the video and let me know how you guys also feel about this game.
Interview with Runic Games
Erich Schaefer, Brock Jones, and Wonder Russell answer our questions about Torchlight for 360 (achievements!), Torchlight 2 (new pet!), and what to do with PC gaming doomsayers.
CS: For anyone that hasn’t heard the news - Torchlight is coming to Xbox 360. How long has that been in the works and when will it hit?
RG: We’ve been working on the new game since Fall of 2010, and are very happy that it will be launching on Wednesday, March 9th 2011.
CS: What about Torchlight makes it a good game for a move to console?
RG: Xbox doesn’t have a game like Torchlight; the Action-RPG market is really underserved. Tons of fans told us they wished they could just play Torchlight on the couch instead of curled over their PC, and we agreed. The fast paced combat and the fact that it’s save-anywhere are just two reasons Torchlight is really well suited for the console.
CS: Can you tell me about what the process of getting the game on the console was like?
RG: Technically, it was a big process of figuring out how to translate the gameplay from a mouse and keyboard to a controller. We had theoretical plans for how that would work that seemed great on paper, but when we began implementation, there were many elements that just didn’t feel right. We iterated a lot on new theories for things like attack skills, skill trees, and UI to feel cohesive and like they had a natural flow.
CS: How much was done outside Runic Games, and what sort of things did you have control over?
RG: Runic had control over the whole project. We worked in part with a contractor, World Domination Industries who also helped on our Mac port, but the entire project, start to finish, is a Runic project.
CS: What will PC gamers who also want to play the game on their 360 notice that’s different?
RG: Gamers will notice a difference in UI, in skill trees, in potion stacking, and especially a difference in combat. One of the best examples are the Vanquisher’s ranged attacks. Depending on how you automap the skills, traps will be thrown either at a fixed range or a range determined by how long you hold down the button. There were also changes to AoE attacks. And, there are three new armor sets for each character and a new pet.
CS: How did the process of Torchlight on 360 affect the development of Torchlight II?
RG: We learned a lot of lessons in making Torchlight for Xbox that are being implemented into Torchlight II, so it was a great process for us internally. Some of those things are the skill trees, UI, and combat, that we found just worked better, simpler, and were more intuitive. A lot of engine optimizations also carried over. Torchlight II has multiplayer and updated graphics, but we hope it will run at least as well as the first Torchlight.
Also, Xbox system specs made us focus even more on efficiency, and we’re implementing a lot of that in Torchlight II. Specifically, better memory management and loading optimizations.
CS: What can you tell PS3 gamers wondering if they’ll get a shot?
RG: Right now, we have an exclusive publishing agreement with Microsoft.
CS: What are some of the Achievements in the 360 version?
RG: There are 12 achievements, with a total of 200 points, which is the maximum for an XBLA/downloadable game. Achievements include defeating a few of our bosses, successfully enchanting an item 5 times, and transforming your pet.
CS: Any plans for DLC?
RG: We have no current plans for DLC – the best ideas we have from now on will go into Torchlight II.
CS: How are plans for the MMO progressing?
RG: The plans are still there but are just that: plans. Right now, we’re focused 100% on Torchlight II.
CS: Has the possible 2011 release of Diablo III impacted any of your plans for Torchlight II?
RG: Nah. Not much we can do except make the best game we can. And, we’re looking forward to playing it, eventually!
CS: Can you talk some about the pets in Torchlight II? Any additional abilities and options?
RG: The new pet in the Xbox LIVE version is called the Chakawary; it’s a sort of a cassowary + frilled lizard hybrid. It pretty much has the same abilities as all the others: combat, inventory, spell-learning. We have some cool new ideas, but nothing implemented yet.
CS: Torchlight 2 multiplayer online - have you settled on a how many players?
RG: Not yet – we’re still shooting for between 4-8.
CS: About how long will the Torchlight II campaign be?
RG: We’ll have to see what makes the final cut, but it looks like it's shaping up to be about twice Torchlight's, which we estimate at 8 to 10 hours!
CS: Anything on PvP?
RG: Yep, we’ll have some form of PvP. But we’re all adults here so it will be….how do I put this? Consensual.
CS: You’ve revealed the Railman class, a tank-engineer combo, and the Outlander, a magician suited to ranged combat. What about the other two character classes?
RG: We’ll be revealing them. Eventually.
CS: What do you think of the “PC gaming is dead” doomsayers?
RG: Nonsense. They haven’t played Torchlight, I guess!
CS: You guys follow a different model - can you talk a bit about what led you to create a comparatively modest game at a lower price point than most?
RG: We know we wanted to be a small team. People work better and just have more fun when they're more than a small cog in a giant machine. Our small size means that we have to stay realistic about the scope of the games we make. We leverage things like randomized levels and loot to let us make great games with a small team. Furthermore, we don't have vast cash reserves to fund development, so we have to work fast or we won't be able to pay the rent. We set our price at a point where we hope that the value is obvious to our customers and will make it easy for them to recommend it to their friends.
We consciously made a 'modest' game as our first project, and from the very beginning we intended to charge a fair price for it. We want to deliver high value for the buck. This decision was supported by external factors like piracy prevention - why steal it when it's only $10 on Steam? - and our increased revenue share model with electronic distribution.
CS: What games distract the Runic Games team?
RG: Minecraft – that was a huge timesuck for us! Such a great game. It isn’t uncommon for us to “call in sick” the day a big game releases – we’re gamers, after all!
CS: And finally, still planning an April-May release for Torchlight II?
RG: We don’t have a launch date yet. We haven’t set one yet but we’re getting closer. Probably not Spring, though. Maybe Summer, but since it’s still in development, we’ll see. We're on a good pace.
CS: For anyone that hasn’t heard the news - Torchlight is coming to Xbox 360. How long has that been in the works and when will it hit?
RG: We’ve been working on the new game since Fall of 2010, and are very happy that it will be launching on Wednesday, March 9th 2011.
CS: What about Torchlight makes it a good game for a move to console?
RG: Xbox doesn’t have a game like Torchlight; the Action-RPG market is really underserved. Tons of fans told us they wished they could just play Torchlight on the couch instead of curled over their PC, and we agreed. The fast paced combat and the fact that it’s save-anywhere are just two reasons Torchlight is really well suited for the console.
CS: Can you tell me about what the process of getting the game on the console was like?
RG: Technically, it was a big process of figuring out how to translate the gameplay from a mouse and keyboard to a controller. We had theoretical plans for how that would work that seemed great on paper, but when we began implementation, there were many elements that just didn’t feel right. We iterated a lot on new theories for things like attack skills, skill trees, and UI to feel cohesive and like they had a natural flow.
CS: How much was done outside Runic Games, and what sort of things did you have control over?
RG: Runic had control over the whole project. We worked in part with a contractor, World Domination Industries who also helped on our Mac port, but the entire project, start to finish, is a Runic project.
CS: What will PC gamers who also want to play the game on their 360 notice that’s different?
RG: Gamers will notice a difference in UI, in skill trees, in potion stacking, and especially a difference in combat. One of the best examples are the Vanquisher’s ranged attacks. Depending on how you automap the skills, traps will be thrown either at a fixed range or a range determined by how long you hold down the button. There were also changes to AoE attacks. And, there are three new armor sets for each character and a new pet.
CS: How did the process of Torchlight on 360 affect the development of Torchlight II?
RG: We learned a lot of lessons in making Torchlight for Xbox that are being implemented into Torchlight II, so it was a great process for us internally. Some of those things are the skill trees, UI, and combat, that we found just worked better, simpler, and were more intuitive. A lot of engine optimizations also carried over. Torchlight II has multiplayer and updated graphics, but we hope it will run at least as well as the first Torchlight.
Also, Xbox system specs made us focus even more on efficiency, and we’re implementing a lot of that in Torchlight II. Specifically, better memory management and loading optimizations.
CS: What can you tell PS3 gamers wondering if they’ll get a shot?
RG: Right now, we have an exclusive publishing agreement with Microsoft.
CS: What are some of the Achievements in the 360 version?
RG: There are 12 achievements, with a total of 200 points, which is the maximum for an XBLA/downloadable game. Achievements include defeating a few of our bosses, successfully enchanting an item 5 times, and transforming your pet.
CS: Any plans for DLC?
RG: We have no current plans for DLC – the best ideas we have from now on will go into Torchlight II.
CS: How are plans for the MMO progressing?
RG: The plans are still there but are just that: plans. Right now, we’re focused 100% on Torchlight II.
CS: Has the possible 2011 release of Diablo III impacted any of your plans for Torchlight II?
RG: Nah. Not much we can do except make the best game we can. And, we’re looking forward to playing it, eventually!
CS: Can you talk some about the pets in Torchlight II? Any additional abilities and options?
RG: The new pet in the Xbox LIVE version is called the Chakawary; it’s a sort of a cassowary + frilled lizard hybrid. It pretty much has the same abilities as all the others: combat, inventory, spell-learning. We have some cool new ideas, but nothing implemented yet.
CS: Torchlight 2 multiplayer online - have you settled on a how many players?
RG: Not yet – we’re still shooting for between 4-8.
CS: About how long will the Torchlight II campaign be?
RG: We’ll have to see what makes the final cut, but it looks like it's shaping up to be about twice Torchlight's, which we estimate at 8 to 10 hours!
CS: Anything on PvP?
RG: Yep, we’ll have some form of PvP. But we’re all adults here so it will be….how do I put this? Consensual.
CS: You’ve revealed the Railman class, a tank-engineer combo, and the Outlander, a magician suited to ranged combat. What about the other two character classes?
RG: We’ll be revealing them. Eventually.
CS: What do you think of the “PC gaming is dead” doomsayers?
RG: Nonsense. They haven’t played Torchlight, I guess!
CS: You guys follow a different model - can you talk a bit about what led you to create a comparatively modest game at a lower price point than most?
RG: We know we wanted to be a small team. People work better and just have more fun when they're more than a small cog in a giant machine. Our small size means that we have to stay realistic about the scope of the games we make. We leverage things like randomized levels and loot to let us make great games with a small team. Furthermore, we don't have vast cash reserves to fund development, so we have to work fast or we won't be able to pay the rent. We set our price at a point where we hope that the value is obvious to our customers and will make it easy for them to recommend it to their friends.
We consciously made a 'modest' game as our first project, and from the very beginning we intended to charge a fair price for it. We want to deliver high value for the buck. This decision was supported by external factors like piracy prevention - why steal it when it's only $10 on Steam? - and our increased revenue share model with electronic distribution.
CS: What games distract the Runic Games team?
RG: Minecraft – that was a huge timesuck for us! Such a great game. It isn’t uncommon for us to “call in sick” the day a big game releases – we’re gamers, after all!
CS: And finally, still planning an April-May release for Torchlight II?
RG: We don’t have a launch date yet. We haven’t set one yet but we’re getting closer. Probably not Spring, though. Maybe Summer, but since it’s still in development, we’ll see. We're on a good pace.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Why do you participate in the console war?
Okay, so earlier this week I decided to purchase an xbox 360 slim from off of Amazon.com. I had previously been a PS3 only user for quite sometime. However, I was missing out on some games that I wanted to play such as Alan Wake and Left 4 Dead 2. I was also really surprised and intrigued by the Gears 3 Beta. I had alot of disposable cash so I thought why not?
After getting my 360 I immediately added 25+ friends I knew in real life. Just like that, I was connected and proceeded to suck myself into the xbox live. It's not a rip off like people say it is. The cross in game chat made it more fun to talk to my friends. I really loved Mass Effect 2 for the PS3 so I got the first Mass Effect and then Mass Effect 2 for the xbox. It feels better having played both games and I have a full understanding of what is going on within the story.
After a while, I went on youtube to release a bulletin let people know I had gotten a 360 so I could get their gamer tag. Instead of actually getting gamer tags my channel got flooded with statements such as "why did you get the ****box 360"? Also comments like "Halo is gay", RROD, and "xbox live is a ripoff". Not even an hour later people are debating about what console is better. It was pathetic, but something stood with me as these debates were going on.
The console war is pointless, repetitive, and unneccessary for consumers. It's good for the companies because it's advertising in a way. My beef with it though is that I wonder why people bother getting in these debates? Gaming is about fun for us consumers right? A preference is a preference but at the end of the day, we want to get lost in a world we never seen before. We want to bond with friends and have good laugh. We want to explore other people's imaginations.
The world is already divided enough. There are more serious issues globabally that affects our everyday lives such as religon, politics, race, gender, and status. The media already has their way of stretching the truth and slanting their stories to cause arguements. Why feed into that? Why let something as fun as gaming get in the way of your potential for enjoyment?
I finally sent a personal message to one of the main participants in the flame war on my channel. I asked him, " Why do you bother engaging in these pointless arguements?" " It's just an opinion." In his own words he said, " Because I'm bored and I like seeing people get butthurt over my comments "
After getting my 360 I immediately added 25+ friends I knew in real life. Just like that, I was connected and proceeded to suck myself into the xbox live. It's not a rip off like people say it is. The cross in game chat made it more fun to talk to my friends. I really loved Mass Effect 2 for the PS3 so I got the first Mass Effect and then Mass Effect 2 for the xbox. It feels better having played both games and I have a full understanding of what is going on within the story.
After a while, I went on youtube to release a bulletin let people know I had gotten a 360 so I could get their gamer tag. Instead of actually getting gamer tags my channel got flooded with statements such as "why did you get the ****box 360"? Also comments like "Halo is gay", RROD, and "xbox live is a ripoff". Not even an hour later people are debating about what console is better. It was pathetic, but something stood with me as these debates were going on.
The console war is pointless, repetitive, and unneccessary for consumers. It's good for the companies because it's advertising in a way. My beef with it though is that I wonder why people bother getting in these debates? Gaming is about fun for us consumers right? A preference is a preference but at the end of the day, we want to get lost in a world we never seen before. We want to bond with friends and have good laugh. We want to explore other people's imaginations.
The world is already divided enough. There are more serious issues globabally that affects our everyday lives such as religon, politics, race, gender, and status. The media already has their way of stretching the truth and slanting their stories to cause arguements. Why feed into that? Why let something as fun as gaming get in the way of your potential for enjoyment?
I finally sent a personal message to one of the main participants in the flame war on my channel. I asked him, " Why do you bother engaging in these pointless arguements?" " It's just an opinion." In his own words he said, " Because I'm bored and I like seeing people get butthurt over my comments "
Dead or Alive = Guilty Pleasure
Dead Or Alive is a fighting franchise well known throughout the video game industry, for ever so controversial reasons (look right) or plain simply awesome fighting mechanics? I say a mixture of both. Dead Or Alive is one of the more frantic fighters in a sense of being able to pull-off endless combination of moves that all seem to string together rather well.
Personally I was introduced to the franchise come Dead or Alive 3 for the XBOX which launched March 14th, 2002 in all European continents including the UK of course. I remember myself being astonished at the time of first playing the game; amazing graphically and an incredibly in-depth fighting system. A good amount of time was spent practising my skills and competing on a regular basis with my brother, good times indeed. Oblivious to me when first playing the game some many years ago was the fact that pretty much every female combatant were overly represented in a way deemed to be sexual.
You would come to think that the series creator Tomonobu Itagaki and developer Team Ninja have a keen eye for certain women assets. The series creator was reported for sexual harassment on a fellow female employee in 2006. Apparently Itagaki had be at it since 2003 with the women in question. Fortunately Itagaki was later deemed innocent of such charges. Not being the judgemental type I couldn't care less about what allegedly happened, as long as Itagaki continued consistently in making great games.
Itagaki did in fact decide to resign from Tecmo for unforeseen reasons and additionally went to go as far as suing the company for withholding a bonus promised for his previous work he had accomplished.
To date I've only been able to get my hands on playing Dead or Alive 3 and 4. The fourth being more visually superior and overall more refined in combat alongside new fighters available. Reading up on latest opinions and reviews about Tecmo's newest release of the franchise Dead Or Alive: Dimensions, I convinced myself for a much earned worthy purchase, and yes regardless of actually looking into buying the title with reviews and so forth in the end I would of most likely given in to my cravings.
Dead or Alive will continue to be one of my most loved fighting franchises, equal to the Soul Calibur series which I cannot get enough of.
Personally I was introduced to the franchise come Dead or Alive 3 for the XBOX which launched March 14th, 2002 in all European continents including the UK of course. I remember myself being astonished at the time of first playing the game; amazing graphically and an incredibly in-depth fighting system. A good amount of time was spent practising my skills and competing on a regular basis with my brother, good times indeed. Oblivious to me when first playing the game some many years ago was the fact that pretty much every female combatant were overly represented in a way deemed to be sexual.
You would come to think that the series creator Tomonobu Itagaki and developer Team Ninja have a keen eye for certain women assets. The series creator was reported for sexual harassment on a fellow female employee in 2006. Apparently Itagaki had be at it since 2003 with the women in question. Fortunately Itagaki was later deemed innocent of such charges. Not being the judgemental type I couldn't care less about what allegedly happened, as long as Itagaki continued consistently in making great games.
Itagaki did in fact decide to resign from Tecmo for unforeseen reasons and additionally went to go as far as suing the company for withholding a bonus promised for his previous work he had accomplished.
To date I've only been able to get my hands on playing Dead or Alive 3 and 4. The fourth being more visually superior and overall more refined in combat alongside new fighters available. Reading up on latest opinions and reviews about Tecmo's newest release of the franchise Dead Or Alive: Dimensions, I convinced myself for a much earned worthy purchase, and yes regardless of actually looking into buying the title with reviews and so forth in the end I would of most likely given in to my cravings.
Dead or Alive will continue to be one of my most loved fighting franchises, equal to the Soul Calibur series which I cannot get enough of.
E3 2011... my thoughts.
As you may already know E3 2011 is a mere one week away and I certainly cannot wait to see what new hardware/software will be unveiled. The whole event kicks-off June the 7th and unfortunately ends June 9th... still three days of constant influx of news regarding all things video gaming is more than enough for my tasting.
Like every year the three major video game companies; Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony present to the audience an hourly press conference to which normally consists of exclusive announcements of video games and hardware. The lead up to this years E3 has been rather interesting. Months before the event was even to start massive amounts of rumours had surfaced which lead to believe Nintendo's eminent announcement of their new console which was to be rumoured as 'Nintendo HD' only to be followed by 'Project Cafe', it was all very exciting at the time.
Endless information ranged from Nintendo's new console to have a full a functional 6inch touch screen embedded on the controller/gamepad to even an integrated camera similar to the DSi/3DS has equipped.
Sooner after rumours had surfaced Nintendo did in fact officially announce that a new console unveiling will take place at this years E3, excited much?
Putting aside Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony surely have some surprises to show. Sony will most probably concentrate strongly on the recently announced NGP or PSP2 as I like to refer it to. Microsoft on the other hand... to be totally honest I'm not too sure about. It is very unlikely that the company will show of new hardware of some sort, even though rumours still linger around in regards to the Xbox 360 successor. Microsoft I predict will undoubtedly be a media-based press conference with supporting new first and third party games to be shown on-floor.
So who do I think will win this years E3... most defiantly Nintendo. New hardware announcements normally draw in all media-based attention more than anything else. Nintendo themselves confirmed playable titles on Project Cafe. Most confident in saying that Nintendo will 100% be committed in proving a steady hardcore experience to Nintendo enthusiasts. Likely case scenario would be that the Wii will co-exists whilst Project Cafe goes on sale which I believe to be something of a smart move.
Nintendo fans have much to look forward to this year, hardware and software wise and maybe hidden surprises in terms of exclusive partnerships deals leading to third party content on Nintendo's new system? Capcom Five happened for the Gamecube... can something of a similar nature happen this time round? Only time will tell... time that needs to pass by rather quickly.
Like every year the three major video game companies; Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony present to the audience an hourly press conference to which normally consists of exclusive announcements of video games and hardware. The lead up to this years E3 has been rather interesting. Months before the event was even to start massive amounts of rumours had surfaced which lead to believe Nintendo's eminent announcement of their new console which was to be rumoured as 'Nintendo HD' only to be followed by 'Project Cafe', it was all very exciting at the time.
Endless information ranged from Nintendo's new console to have a full a functional 6inch touch screen embedded on the controller/gamepad to even an integrated camera similar to the DSi/3DS has equipped.
Sooner after rumours had surfaced Nintendo did in fact officially announce that a new console unveiling will take place at this years E3, excited much?
Putting aside Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony surely have some surprises to show. Sony will most probably concentrate strongly on the recently announced NGP or PSP2 as I like to refer it to. Microsoft on the other hand... to be totally honest I'm not too sure about. It is very unlikely that the company will show of new hardware of some sort, even though rumours still linger around in regards to the Xbox 360 successor. Microsoft I predict will undoubtedly be a media-based press conference with supporting new first and third party games to be shown on-floor.
So who do I think will win this years E3... most defiantly Nintendo. New hardware announcements normally draw in all media-based attention more than anything else. Nintendo themselves confirmed playable titles on Project Cafe. Most confident in saying that Nintendo will 100% be committed in proving a steady hardcore experience to Nintendo enthusiasts. Likely case scenario would be that the Wii will co-exists whilst Project Cafe goes on sale which I believe to be something of a smart move.
Nintendo fans have much to look forward to this year, hardware and software wise and maybe hidden surprises in terms of exclusive partnerships deals leading to third party content on Nintendo's new system? Capcom Five happened for the Gamecube... can something of a similar nature happen this time round? Only time will tell... time that needs to pass by rather quickly.
Angry Birds for PC
Finally, those birds that everybody likes has arrived on PC. After iPhone, iPad, Android and other mobile versions, also iPhone cases and toys, Angry Birds has finally arrived on the PC thanks to the Intel App Up store. It’ll work fine and dandy on laptops and netbooks and will cost you only $4.99 to download. Nice price for this lovely game.
Angry Birds is a global phenomenon in mobile gaming and the top grossing iPhone app of 2010. So if you’re not a smart-phone wielding hipster, you no longer have an excuse not to be part of this franchise.
Overall it’s pretty much an identical game play experience to the iPhone app, with some minor differences. It’s snappy, gorgeous, and it sounds amazing. On the netbook version you use a mouse or trackpad instead of touch. There is an open hand icon when the mouse is in hover state, and a closed hand icon when you are clicking or dragging. This visible clue when pulling the slingshot is a nice aid. It allows you to fine tune shots more than just observing the angle of the slingshot band.
Angry Birds for PC
Larger screen means more visibility in the game. On many levels you can see the target that can’t be seen on the iPhone. The previous shot trail is more easily seen, allowing fine tuning of your next shot. Overall the animations and physics seem to have more fluidity.
In terms of features, options, menu etc it’s pretty close to the original. On the netbook the replay level icon has been added to the game space. So you don’t need to pause first then replay. If you start off with bad shot, just click the replay icon, then you can start over. Saving a click is nice. There is a Menu button in the Pause menu that gets you back to the Start screen. There are some things not in play on the netbook version. The leader board and achievements are not available in the main menu. The Golden Eggs are there.
Angry Birds strikes an interesting balance of repetitive, simple tasks and challenging game play working for the many scenarios. So, if you liked this game on your iPhone or Android phone, you’ll sure like it on your big PC screen. If you are new player, don’t hesitate and join the fun now.
You must know and recognize the game from the Rovio, Angry Birds.
This game consists of seven birds with super abilities are different. By using slingshots, you can control the jump and the height of ill-tempered birds to tear down the building where the collection of green pork fat is shelter.
Where is a funny collection of birds swelled, turned into a grumpy group of birds which destroy the kingdom of lustful pigs these cunning thieves.
Angry Birds now not only for the iPhone, Android OS, PS3 and PSP. even Angry Birds has been available in Ovi Store for Nokia. And now Angry Birds have been available for Windows XP and Windows 7
Free Angry Birds for PC
Plenty of dodgy website owners want to rip off Google and push traffic towards their sites on the bogus promise of the free version of Angry Birds for PC. This is only a scam but in fact there exists a download free Angry Birds for PC nevertheless, you will need to move quickly to take advantage of that offer
Finland games producer Rovio Mobile has produced their very 1st version of Angry Birds Game for the Apple iPhone. This particular game was immediately caught by the iPhonesters, and Rovio understood that they will become successful. That has been fine. However, Rovio needed to get going by recoding Angry Birds Games for several programs, which become easier for small companies to get done.
Several weeks went by and finally, the Nokia and Android users could get themselves the Angry Birds Game. After that, the RovioMobile switched their attentions to the huge users of the PSP or the Play Station Portable and the PS3. That has been an additional huge porting project for Rovio operations.
During that time, the PC users have been reading and hearing rumors regarding Angry Birds for PC. Ultimately, in January, Angry Birds for PC was released, and downloading is not for free. However, not everybody is willing to pay for $5 for just a game, even if they will enjoy playing with it. These days, several users have grown to be familiar of getting some thing for free, so there are many who are on the lookout for a totally free Angry Birds for PC download. It can be downloaded via Windows 7 and Windows XP and Vista, or Mac support. But downloading can only be downloaded if you have an internet connection for the process to activate successfully.
Angry Birds pc is one of the well-known games that have taken the popularity with over 200 million downloads. The availability of this game is taking place in almost all of the popular platforms. In addition to playing the game online in the browser you can now download it on your laptop and take it wherever you may go to enjoy the amazing games, enabling you to play whenever, wherever you go. Take it to your workplace or even in the park, while resting and basting under the sun. Probably launching the Angry Birds for PC the wisest and the best move the game maker ever made. This availability made for the millions of platform owners, even made the popularity of Angry Birds known to more video-gaming enthusiasts more than over.
Incoming search terms:
* angry birds for pc
* activate free angry birds for pc
* angry birds FLASH SCAM
* angry-birds-online scam
* free angry birds games full version for window xp
*
- Angry Birds PC Updated
The PC version was updated last week which we talked about in this post. This update will finally include all episodes of Ham ‘Em High and the two chapters of Mine and Dine. I’m sure this is welcome news for all the PC players who have been feeling left out. It shouldn’t have taken this long to get all the episodes out but that’s in the past now so lets just get to playing. Since all the chapters are available you also have access to all of the golden eggs. You can finally complete your collection!
As a side note because I didn’t want to do an entire post about the subject, have you all seen the Angry Birds bra? It’s available over on etsy you should go check it out. I personally don’t know anyone who would wear it but i’m sure there is someone out there who would. I don’t recommend buying this for you girlfriend or wife unless she really loves angry birds.
Angry Birds is a global phenomenon in mobile gaming and the top grossing iPhone app of 2010. So if you’re not a smart-phone wielding hipster, you no longer have an excuse not to be part of this franchise.
Overall it’s pretty much an identical game play experience to the iPhone app, with some minor differences. It’s snappy, gorgeous, and it sounds amazing. On the netbook version you use a mouse or trackpad instead of touch. There is an open hand icon when the mouse is in hover state, and a closed hand icon when you are clicking or dragging. This visible clue when pulling the slingshot is a nice aid. It allows you to fine tune shots more than just observing the angle of the slingshot band.
Angry Birds for PC
Larger screen means more visibility in the game. On many levels you can see the target that can’t be seen on the iPhone. The previous shot trail is more easily seen, allowing fine tuning of your next shot. Overall the animations and physics seem to have more fluidity.
In terms of features, options, menu etc it’s pretty close to the original. On the netbook the replay level icon has been added to the game space. So you don’t need to pause first then replay. If you start off with bad shot, just click the replay icon, then you can start over. Saving a click is nice. There is a Menu button in the Pause menu that gets you back to the Start screen. There are some things not in play on the netbook version. The leader board and achievements are not available in the main menu. The Golden Eggs are there.
Angry Birds strikes an interesting balance of repetitive, simple tasks and challenging game play working for the many scenarios. So, if you liked this game on your iPhone or Android phone, you’ll sure like it on your big PC screen. If you are new player, don’t hesitate and join the fun now.
You must know and recognize the game from the Rovio, Angry Birds.
This game consists of seven birds with super abilities are different. By using slingshots, you can control the jump and the height of ill-tempered birds to tear down the building where the collection of green pork fat is shelter.
Where is a funny collection of birds swelled, turned into a grumpy group of birds which destroy the kingdom of lustful pigs these cunning thieves.
Angry Birds now not only for the iPhone, Android OS, PS3 and PSP. even Angry Birds has been available in Ovi Store for Nokia. And now Angry Birds have been available for Windows XP and Windows 7
Free Angry Birds for PC
Plenty of dodgy website owners want to rip off Google and push traffic towards their sites on the bogus promise of the free version of Angry Birds for PC. This is only a scam but in fact there exists a download free Angry Birds for PC nevertheless, you will need to move quickly to take advantage of that offer
Finland games producer Rovio Mobile has produced their very 1st version of Angry Birds Game for the Apple iPhone. This particular game was immediately caught by the iPhonesters, and Rovio understood that they will become successful. That has been fine. However, Rovio needed to get going by recoding Angry Birds Games for several programs, which become easier for small companies to get done.
Several weeks went by and finally, the Nokia and Android users could get themselves the Angry Birds Game. After that, the RovioMobile switched their attentions to the huge users of the PSP or the Play Station Portable and the PS3. That has been an additional huge porting project for Rovio operations.
During that time, the PC users have been reading and hearing rumors regarding Angry Birds for PC. Ultimately, in January, Angry Birds for PC was released, and downloading is not for free. However, not everybody is willing to pay for $5 for just a game, even if they will enjoy playing with it. These days, several users have grown to be familiar of getting some thing for free, so there are many who are on the lookout for a totally free Angry Birds for PC download. It can be downloaded via Windows 7 and Windows XP and Vista, or Mac support. But downloading can only be downloaded if you have an internet connection for the process to activate successfully.
Angry Birds pc is one of the well-known games that have taken the popularity with over 200 million downloads. The availability of this game is taking place in almost all of the popular platforms. In addition to playing the game online in the browser you can now download it on your laptop and take it wherever you may go to enjoy the amazing games, enabling you to play whenever, wherever you go. Take it to your workplace or even in the park, while resting and basting under the sun. Probably launching the Angry Birds for PC the wisest and the best move the game maker ever made. This availability made for the millions of platform owners, even made the popularity of Angry Birds known to more video-gaming enthusiasts more than over.
Incoming search terms:
* angry birds for pc
* activate free angry birds for pc
* angry birds FLASH SCAM
* angry-birds-online scam
* free angry birds games full version for window xp
*
- Angry Birds PC Updated
The PC version was updated last week which we talked about in this post. This update will finally include all episodes of Ham ‘Em High and the two chapters of Mine and Dine. I’m sure this is welcome news for all the PC players who have been feeling left out. It shouldn’t have taken this long to get all the episodes out but that’s in the past now so lets just get to playing. Since all the chapters are available you also have access to all of the golden eggs. You can finally complete your collection!
As a side note because I didn’t want to do an entire post about the subject, have you all seen the Angry Birds bra? It’s available over on etsy you should go check it out. I personally don’t know anyone who would wear it but i’m sure there is someone out there who would. I don’t recommend buying this for you girlfriend or wife unless she really loves angry birds.
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.
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.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Angry Birds for PC
Finally, those birds that everybody likes has arrived on PC. After iPhone, iPad, Android and other mobile versions, also iPhone cases and toys, Angry Birds has finally arrived on the PC thanks to the Intel App Up store. It’ll work fine and dandy on laptops and netbooks and will cost you only $4.99 to download. Nice price for this lovely game.
Angry Birds is a global phenomenon in mobile gaming and the top grossing iPhone app of 2010. So if you’re not a smart-phone wielding hipster, you no longer have an excuse not to be part of this franchise.
Overall it’s pretty much an identical game play experience to the iPhone app, with some minor differences. It’s snappy, gorgeous, and it sounds amazing. On the netbook version you use a mouse or trackpad instead of touch. There is an open hand icon when the mouse is in hover state, and a closed hand icon when you are clicking or dragging. This visible clue when pulling the slingshot is a nice aid. It allows you to fine tune shots more than just observing the angle of the slingshot band.
Angry Birds for PC
Larger screen means more visibility in the game. On many levels you can see the target that can’t be seen on the iPhone. The previous shot trail is more easily seen, allowing fine tuning of your next shot. Overall the animations and physics seem to have more fluidity.
In terms of features, options, menu etc it’s pretty close to the original. On the netbook the replay level icon has been added to the game space. So you don’t need to pause first then replay. If you start off with bad shot, just click the replay icon, then you can start over. Saving a click is nice. There is a Menu button in the Pause menu that gets you back to the Start screen. There are some things not in play on the netbook version. The leader board and achievements are not available in the main menu. The Golden Eggs are there.
Angry Birds strikes an interesting balance of repetitive, simple tasks and challenging game play working for the many scenarios. So, if you liked this game on your iPhone or Android phone, you’ll sure like it on your big PC screen. If you are new player, don’t hesitate and join the fun now.
You must know and recognize the game from the Rovio, Angry Birds.
This game consists of seven birds with super abilities are different. By using slingshots, you can control the jump and the height of ill-tempered birds to tear down the building where the collection of green pork fat is shelter.
Where is a funny collection of birds swelled, turned into a grumpy group of birds which destroy the kingdom of lustful pigs these cunning thieves.
Angry Birds now not only for the iPhone, Android OS, PS3 and PSP. even Angry Birds has been available in Ovi Store for Nokia. And now Angry Birds have been available for Windows XP and Windows 7
Free Angry Birds for PC
Plenty of dodgy website owners want to rip off Google and push traffic towards their sites on the bogus promise of the free version of Angry Birds for PC. This is only a scam but in fact there exists a download free Angry Birds for PC nevertheless, you will need to move quickly to take advantage of that offer
Finland games producer Rovio Mobile has produced their very 1st version of Angry Birds Game for the Apple iPhone. This particular game was immediately caught by the iPhonesters, and Rovio understood that they will become successful. That has been fine. However, Rovio needed to get going by recoding Angry Birds Games for several programs, which become easier for small companies to get done.
Several weeks went by and finally, the Nokia and Android users could get themselves the Angry Birds Game. After that, the RovioMobile switched their attentions to the huge users of the PSP or the Play Station Portable and the PS3. That has been an additional huge porting project for Rovio operations.
During that time, the PC users have been reading and hearing rumors regarding Angry Birds for PC. Ultimately, in January, Angry Birds for PC was released, and downloading is not for free. However, not everybody is willing to pay for $5 for just a game, even if they will enjoy playing with it. These days, several users have grown to be familiar of getting some thing for free, so there are many who are on the lookout for a totally free Angry Birds for PC download. It can be downloaded via Windows 7 and Windows XP and Vista, or Mac support. But downloading can only be downloaded if you have an internet connection for the process to activate successfully.
Angry Birds pc is one of the well-known games that have taken the popularity with over 200 million downloads. The availability of this game is taking place in almost all of the popular platforms. In addition to playing the game online in the browser you can now download it on your laptop and take it wherever you may go to enjoy the amazing games, enabling you to play whenever, wherever you go. Take it to your workplace or even in the park, while resting and basting under the sun. Probably launching the Angry Birds for PC the wisest and the best move the game maker ever made. This availability made for the millions of platform owners, even made the popularity of Angry Birds known to more video-gaming enthusiasts more than over.
Incoming search terms:
* angry birds for pc
* activate free angry birds for pc
* angry birds FLASH SCAM
* angry-birds-online scam
* free angry birds games full version for window xp
*
- Angry Birds PC Updated
The PC version was updated last week which we talked about in this post. This update will finally include all episodes of Ham ‘Em High and the two chapters of Mine and Dine. I’m sure this is welcome news for all the PC players who have been feeling left out. It shouldn’t have taken this long to get all the episodes out but that’s in the past now so lets just get to playing. Since all the chapters are available you also have access to all of the golden eggs. You can finally complete your collection!
As a side note because I didn’t want to do an entire post about the subject, have you all seen the Angry Birds bra? It’s available over on etsy you should go check it out. I personally don’t know anyone who would wear it but i’m sure there is someone out there who would. I don’t recommend buying this for you girlfriend or wife unless she really loves angry birds.
Angry Birds is a global phenomenon in mobile gaming and the top grossing iPhone app of 2010. So if you’re not a smart-phone wielding hipster, you no longer have an excuse not to be part of this franchise.
Overall it’s pretty much an identical game play experience to the iPhone app, with some minor differences. It’s snappy, gorgeous, and it sounds amazing. On the netbook version you use a mouse or trackpad instead of touch. There is an open hand icon when the mouse is in hover state, and a closed hand icon when you are clicking or dragging. This visible clue when pulling the slingshot is a nice aid. It allows you to fine tune shots more than just observing the angle of the slingshot band.
Angry Birds for PC
Larger screen means more visibility in the game. On many levels you can see the target that can’t be seen on the iPhone. The previous shot trail is more easily seen, allowing fine tuning of your next shot. Overall the animations and physics seem to have more fluidity.
In terms of features, options, menu etc it’s pretty close to the original. On the netbook the replay level icon has been added to the game space. So you don’t need to pause first then replay. If you start off with bad shot, just click the replay icon, then you can start over. Saving a click is nice. There is a Menu button in the Pause menu that gets you back to the Start screen. There are some things not in play on the netbook version. The leader board and achievements are not available in the main menu. The Golden Eggs are there.
Angry Birds strikes an interesting balance of repetitive, simple tasks and challenging game play working for the many scenarios. So, if you liked this game on your iPhone or Android phone, you’ll sure like it on your big PC screen. If you are new player, don’t hesitate and join the fun now.
You must know and recognize the game from the Rovio, Angry Birds.
This game consists of seven birds with super abilities are different. By using slingshots, you can control the jump and the height of ill-tempered birds to tear down the building where the collection of green pork fat is shelter.
Where is a funny collection of birds swelled, turned into a grumpy group of birds which destroy the kingdom of lustful pigs these cunning thieves.
Angry Birds now not only for the iPhone, Android OS, PS3 and PSP. even Angry Birds has been available in Ovi Store for Nokia. And now Angry Birds have been available for Windows XP and Windows 7
Free Angry Birds for PC
Plenty of dodgy website owners want to rip off Google and push traffic towards their sites on the bogus promise of the free version of Angry Birds for PC. This is only a scam but in fact there exists a download free Angry Birds for PC nevertheless, you will need to move quickly to take advantage of that offer
Finland games producer Rovio Mobile has produced their very 1st version of Angry Birds Game for the Apple iPhone. This particular game was immediately caught by the iPhonesters, and Rovio understood that they will become successful. That has been fine. However, Rovio needed to get going by recoding Angry Birds Games for several programs, which become easier for small companies to get done.
Several weeks went by and finally, the Nokia and Android users could get themselves the Angry Birds Game. After that, the RovioMobile switched their attentions to the huge users of the PSP or the Play Station Portable and the PS3. That has been an additional huge porting project for Rovio operations.
During that time, the PC users have been reading and hearing rumors regarding Angry Birds for PC. Ultimately, in January, Angry Birds for PC was released, and downloading is not for free. However, not everybody is willing to pay for $5 for just a game, even if they will enjoy playing with it. These days, several users have grown to be familiar of getting some thing for free, so there are many who are on the lookout for a totally free Angry Birds for PC download. It can be downloaded via Windows 7 and Windows XP and Vista, or Mac support. But downloading can only be downloaded if you have an internet connection for the process to activate successfully.
Angry Birds pc is one of the well-known games that have taken the popularity with over 200 million downloads. The availability of this game is taking place in almost all of the popular platforms. In addition to playing the game online in the browser you can now download it on your laptop and take it wherever you may go to enjoy the amazing games, enabling you to play whenever, wherever you go. Take it to your workplace or even in the park, while resting and basting under the sun. Probably launching the Angry Birds for PC the wisest and the best move the game maker ever made. This availability made for the millions of platform owners, even made the popularity of Angry Birds known to more video-gaming enthusiasts more than over.
Incoming search terms:
* angry birds for pc
* activate free angry birds for pc
* angry birds FLASH SCAM
* angry-birds-online scam
* free angry birds games full version for window xp
*
- Angry Birds PC Updated
The PC version was updated last week which we talked about in this post. This update will finally include all episodes of Ham ‘Em High and the two chapters of Mine and Dine. I’m sure this is welcome news for all the PC players who have been feeling left out. It shouldn’t have taken this long to get all the episodes out but that’s in the past now so lets just get to playing. Since all the chapters are available you also have access to all of the golden eggs. You can finally complete your collection!
As a side note because I didn’t want to do an entire post about the subject, have you all seen the Angry Birds bra? It’s available over on etsy you should go check it out. I personally don’t know anyone who would wear it but i’m sure there is someone out there who would. I don’t recommend buying this for you girlfriend or wife unless she really loves angry birds.
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.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
PopCap study finds Europe is game crazy, more than half play games
Gamers
Well, the first ever social game spawned from a soap opera did come from the UK. According to a study conducted by Bejeweled Blitz creator PopCap and research firm NewZoo, more than half of adults reigning from the UK, France and Germany play games. That's 153 million men and women across three countries that play all sorts of games from consoles to mobile to Facebook and more. The UK is home to the most gamers, with 68 percent of men and 59 percent of women playing games.
However, the younger crowd is overwhelmingly comprised of gamers across all three countries, with 87 percent in the UK, 81 percent in France and 78 percent of 10 to 20-year-old folks in Germany playing games. Even more interesting is the fact that no single platform takes up more than 50 percent of European gamers' time, meaning that these folk are gaming everywhere. OK, not really, but these numbers sure make it sound that way, huh?
Of course, European gamers across the board are said to spend more money on console gaming than on any other gaming platform, with 44 percent of UK gamers' money, 34 percent of German's money and 44 percent of French cash going to console games. Keep in mind, however, that console games are by far the most expensive form of gaming. But here's the kicker: According to NewZoo's findings, European gamers reportedly play games not to unwind or relax, but because they're bored. Don't you guys work over there?
"This is clearly a maturing market that has by no means finished evolving," said Paul Breslin, General Manager of PopCap Europe. "People want to play a range of different games across different platforms. From a publisher's perspective, this shows the importance of having diversity and multi-platform solutions to reach individual markets in these important regions." If this means more PopCap games are coming to more platforms, can I put my vote in for Peggle on Facebook?
Do you think of these numbers are accurately representative of European gamers? Do you think social game developers should take note of this and consider porting their games to more traditional platforms, at least in western Europe? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Well, the first ever social game spawned from a soap opera did come from the UK. According to a study conducted by Bejeweled Blitz creator PopCap and research firm NewZoo, more than half of adults reigning from the UK, France and Germany play games. That's 153 million men and women across three countries that play all sorts of games from consoles to mobile to Facebook and more. The UK is home to the most gamers, with 68 percent of men and 59 percent of women playing games.
However, the younger crowd is overwhelmingly comprised of gamers across all three countries, with 87 percent in the UK, 81 percent in France and 78 percent of 10 to 20-year-old folks in Germany playing games. Even more interesting is the fact that no single platform takes up more than 50 percent of European gamers' time, meaning that these folk are gaming everywhere. OK, not really, but these numbers sure make it sound that way, huh?
Of course, European gamers across the board are said to spend more money on console gaming than on any other gaming platform, with 44 percent of UK gamers' money, 34 percent of German's money and 44 percent of French cash going to console games. Keep in mind, however, that console games are by far the most expensive form of gaming. But here's the kicker: According to NewZoo's findings, European gamers reportedly play games not to unwind or relax, but because they're bored. Don't you guys work over there?
"This is clearly a maturing market that has by no means finished evolving," said Paul Breslin, General Manager of PopCap Europe. "People want to play a range of different games across different platforms. From a publisher's perspective, this shows the importance of having diversity and multi-platform solutions to reach individual markets in these important regions." If this means more PopCap games are coming to more platforms, can I put my vote in for Peggle on Facebook?
Do you think of these numbers are accurately representative of European gamers? Do you think social game developers should take note of this and consider porting their games to more traditional platforms, at least in western Europe? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Games.com launches Table Invites for its popular card games
public service announcement
Attention! We're taking a break from our regular social game programming to bring you a Games.com Public Service Announcement!
In addition to this lovely blog that covers all things social games, Games.com is also home to thousands of free online games, including some of our very own, very popular card games. This week, we launched a new feature that makes it easier to invite friends to play at your table in these card games.
Here's how it works: Pick one of our card games, such as Gin Rummy, Whist, Canasta, Hearts, Crazy 8's or Super Crazy 8's, and choose to play a 'Single Player' or 'Multiplayer' game.
super crazy 8s beta play
Wait briefly for the game and chat window to launch, then click the big orange 'Invite Friends' button in the chat window. A message that says "Share this link (copy & paste) with a friend and they can join your table! They will need to sign in to join you. http://aol.it/xxxxxx." will appear.
super crazy 8 invite friends to table
Highlight the URL, then hit 'Control-C' to copy it. Open an AIM window, Twitter message or email, and then hit 'Control-V' to paste the URL into the window and send the link to your friend(s). (If you're using a Mac, hit Command-C to copy the URL and Command-V to paste the URL).
crazy 8 table invite cut and paste to friends
Once your friend clicks on the link, they will be prompted to sign in to Games.com (if they aren't signed in already) and will then automatically join your table. Then, let the games begin! After all, there's nothing better than a little friendly competition.
Right now, the Table Invites are available in 12 of our games:
* Hearts
* Gin Rummy
* Oklahoma Gin
* Whist
* Spades
* Euchre
* Pinochle
* Canasta
* Cribbage
* Canasta for Two
* Crazy 8's
* Super Crazy 8's
Also, feel free to take a peek at more of Games.com's free online card games.
Did you check out our new Table Invites? What did you think? Sound off in the comments below. Add Comment
Attention! We're taking a break from our regular social game programming to bring you a Games.com Public Service Announcement!
In addition to this lovely blog that covers all things social games, Games.com is also home to thousands of free online games, including some of our very own, very popular card games. This week, we launched a new feature that makes it easier to invite friends to play at your table in these card games.
Here's how it works: Pick one of our card games, such as Gin Rummy, Whist, Canasta, Hearts, Crazy 8's or Super Crazy 8's, and choose to play a 'Single Player' or 'Multiplayer' game.
super crazy 8s beta play
Wait briefly for the game and chat window to launch, then click the big orange 'Invite Friends' button in the chat window. A message that says "Share this link (copy & paste) with a friend and they can join your table! They will need to sign in to join you. http://aol.it/xxxxxx." will appear.
super crazy 8 invite friends to table
Highlight the URL, then hit 'Control-C' to copy it. Open an AIM window, Twitter message or email, and then hit 'Control-V' to paste the URL into the window and send the link to your friend(s). (If you're using a Mac, hit Command-C to copy the URL and Command-V to paste the URL).
crazy 8 table invite cut and paste to friends
Once your friend clicks on the link, they will be prompted to sign in to Games.com (if they aren't signed in already) and will then automatically join your table. Then, let the games begin! After all, there's nothing better than a little friendly competition.
Right now, the Table Invites are available in 12 of our games:
* Hearts
* Gin Rummy
* Oklahoma Gin
* Whist
* Spades
* Euchre
* Pinochle
* Canasta
* Cribbage
* Canasta for Two
* Crazy 8's
* Super Crazy 8's
Also, feel free to take a peek at more of Games.com's free online card games.
Did you check out our new Table Invites? What did you think? Sound off in the comments below. Add Comment
The Sims Social is live on Facebook; kiss your (real) social life goodbye
UPDATE: 3:30 P.M. EST: And Sims Social is down again. A Sims rep says this is because the game is "not officially launched" and is in open beta, so the people behind the scenes are still running tests on the game. So, take that to mean that the game could be fairly unstable until ... well, it's not. Stay tuned.
UPDATE: Sims Social seems to be up and running again. Sims Social was live earlier today, but is now having connection problems. More news as soon as we got it.
The day has finally come to retreat to the comfort of your computer from the heat ... and other people. Well, at least in the flesh, as EA and Playfish London have launched The Sims Social on Facebook. First revealed officially at this year's E3, the game takes the classic "god game" play style that made the PC versions of The Sims so insanely popular and injects some interesting social features never before seen in a Facebook game.
The game features an incredible amount of character customization from head to toe, as well as some interesting character archetypes that will somehow play a role in how you interact with your friends. But the unique social interactions go farther than that. As we learned yesterday, friends can become "frenemies" and eventually transform into archenemies, but can just as easily become lovers and later make "WooHoo," as Playfish London GM John Earner put it to us in a recent exclusive interview.
The Sims Social, like almost all Facebook games, uses an Energy system to govern how long players can enjoy the game for free daily. However, you can visit your friends and perform unique helpful or harmful actions to their Sims any time you wish. Keep in mind, though, that Sims have a mind of their own--just like in the original games--and will ultimately decided for themselves whether to listen. There are a number of interesting things to do in The Sims Social already, and as Earner told us recently: "We're just getting started."
Gallery: The Sims Social on Facebook
Click here to play The Sims Social for Facebook Now >
Are you psyched to see The Sims come to Facebook? How do you think this game will do in the face of the Facebook gaming giants? Sound off in the comments. 20 Comments
UPDATE: Sims Social seems to be up and running again. Sims Social was live earlier today, but is now having connection problems. More news as soon as we got it.
The day has finally come to retreat to the comfort of your computer from the heat ... and other people. Well, at least in the flesh, as EA and Playfish London have launched The Sims Social on Facebook. First revealed officially at this year's E3, the game takes the classic "god game" play style that made the PC versions of The Sims so insanely popular and injects some interesting social features never before seen in a Facebook game.
The game features an incredible amount of character customization from head to toe, as well as some interesting character archetypes that will somehow play a role in how you interact with your friends. But the unique social interactions go farther than that. As we learned yesterday, friends can become "frenemies" and eventually transform into archenemies, but can just as easily become lovers and later make "WooHoo," as Playfish London GM John Earner put it to us in a recent exclusive interview.
The Sims Social, like almost all Facebook games, uses an Energy system to govern how long players can enjoy the game for free daily. However, you can visit your friends and perform unique helpful or harmful actions to their Sims any time you wish. Keep in mind, though, that Sims have a mind of their own--just like in the original games--and will ultimately decided for themselves whether to listen. There are a number of interesting things to do in The Sims Social already, and as Earner told us recently: "We're just getting started."
Gallery: The Sims Social on Facebook
Click here to play The Sims Social for Facebook Now >
Are you psyched to see The Sims come to Facebook? How do you think this game will do in the face of the Facebook gaming giants? Sound off in the comments. 20 Comments
Spil Games CEO: Games will be less important for Facebook [Interview]
Did you know that people play social games elsewhere than Facebook? Yes, it's crazy, but true. While many of you living in the states wouldn't know it, the social gaming landscape is vastly different even just across the Atlantic. Spil Games, a social and casual games platform launched in the Netherlands in 2004, brings over 50 different social and casual games websites under a single umbrella. Through this, the company reaches a cool 130 million monthly players.
While that's half of what Facebook reigns in, it's nevertheless impressive considering what Facebook has at its disposal. Spil Games CEO Peter Driessen, who just oversaw the company's games distribution partnership deal with German online game developer and publisher Bigpoint (known for Battlestar Galactica Online and RamaCity most recently), has big plans for his European alternative to Facebook. But if you ask him, Facebook isn't even a concern.
"We are not so much competing with Facebook, because we do offer a variety of different user experiences," Driessen tells us. "For example, people nowadays are playing many more social games, but still in that there are a lot of single player or real time multiplayer games. These kinds of games aren't possible on Facebook, because they don't have a very strong [virtual goods] business model, and without that you can't survive on Facebook anyway."
The company first started out as strictly a casual games publisher and developer, but around 2007--the dawn of the social game--Driessen had to make a choice. Would Spil Games ride on the success of Facebook, and bring its then 80 million players there, or would it grow on its already healthy legion of gamers? Of course, the company went with the latter, and added more features to its platforms like cross-game avatars, leaderboards and friends lists. As for Bigpoint, it's one the first big time developers to join the Spil Games platform, and Driessen has no intention of stopping there.
But while Spil Games has a different strategy than Facebook, it's only a slight difference. For instance, the company will handle the payments that come through all of its developers' games. Though, compensation is handled in a revenue sharing model rather than the rigid 30 percent cut Facebook takes from all Facebook Credits transactions. Driessen tells us that Spil Games will bring in 60 percent of net revenues from its developers, though it offers services that Facebook does not like community management and localization. If developers choose to handle those services themselves, then that revenue percentage decreases. It's because of this distinction that Driessen sees Facebook as less of a games platform than what it started out as: a social network.
"I really see Facebook as a social network first and foremost," Driessen says. "I'd guess that in five years most of their money will come from that payment option. I think that maybe they will do Facebook Credits outside of Facebook. It could be that they're really transforming into this social network into one of the biggest payment platforms in the world, which would give them a tremendous position. I reckon that games for them, in the future, will be less important than it is nowadays."
Zoomumba
Zoomumba, the first Bigpoint social game brought into the Spil Games family.
The difference, according to Driessen, is that Spil Games only focuses on games. That's all the company knows, and that's all it's concerned with. And it's thanks to that focus that Driessen sees the company becoming a consolidator in the games space, and that its reach could grow even longer and wider in the future. But how?
As it turns out, Spil Games's future strategy isn't far different from other online game developers and platforms. Mobile games are going to be a large focus for the company moving forward, as is HTML5 gaming, the unofficial messiah for mobile and social gaming. But having been around not much longer than three years, social gaming is still a nascent genre, and Driessen thinks this is just the beginning.
"I think [this is the] natural path in how that world is evolving," Driessen says. "Mostly you see some things start like a mixed market, but as developers come out, you see companies positioning themselves in some niches." Driessen may be right, but one question still remains: If Facebook will not provide that niche for American social games in the future, then who will? With companies like Japan's DeNA and Tencent in China on the rise, perhaps the next big battle in social games doesn't concern the U.S. at all.
[Image Credit: Spil Games]
Do you think that Spil Games could eventually surpass Facebook? And with companies around the world garnering numbers close to Facebook's reach in social gaming, where does the U.S. fit into the future of social gaming? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
While that's half of what Facebook reigns in, it's nevertheless impressive considering what Facebook has at its disposal. Spil Games CEO Peter Driessen, who just oversaw the company's games distribution partnership deal with German online game developer and publisher Bigpoint (known for Battlestar Galactica Online and RamaCity most recently), has big plans for his European alternative to Facebook. But if you ask him, Facebook isn't even a concern.
"We are not so much competing with Facebook, because we do offer a variety of different user experiences," Driessen tells us. "For example, people nowadays are playing many more social games, but still in that there are a lot of single player or real time multiplayer games. These kinds of games aren't possible on Facebook, because they don't have a very strong [virtual goods] business model, and without that you can't survive on Facebook anyway."
The company first started out as strictly a casual games publisher and developer, but around 2007--the dawn of the social game--Driessen had to make a choice. Would Spil Games ride on the success of Facebook, and bring its then 80 million players there, or would it grow on its already healthy legion of gamers? Of course, the company went with the latter, and added more features to its platforms like cross-game avatars, leaderboards and friends lists. As for Bigpoint, it's one the first big time developers to join the Spil Games platform, and Driessen has no intention of stopping there.
But while Spil Games has a different strategy than Facebook, it's only a slight difference. For instance, the company will handle the payments that come through all of its developers' games. Though, compensation is handled in a revenue sharing model rather than the rigid 30 percent cut Facebook takes from all Facebook Credits transactions. Driessen tells us that Spil Games will bring in 60 percent of net revenues from its developers, though it offers services that Facebook does not like community management and localization. If developers choose to handle those services themselves, then that revenue percentage decreases. It's because of this distinction that Driessen sees Facebook as less of a games platform than what it started out as: a social network.
"I really see Facebook as a social network first and foremost," Driessen says. "I'd guess that in five years most of their money will come from that payment option. I think that maybe they will do Facebook Credits outside of Facebook. It could be that they're really transforming into this social network into one of the biggest payment platforms in the world, which would give them a tremendous position. I reckon that games for them, in the future, will be less important than it is nowadays."
Zoomumba
Zoomumba, the first Bigpoint social game brought into the Spil Games family.
The difference, according to Driessen, is that Spil Games only focuses on games. That's all the company knows, and that's all it's concerned with. And it's thanks to that focus that Driessen sees the company becoming a consolidator in the games space, and that its reach could grow even longer and wider in the future. But how?
As it turns out, Spil Games's future strategy isn't far different from other online game developers and platforms. Mobile games are going to be a large focus for the company moving forward, as is HTML5 gaming, the unofficial messiah for mobile and social gaming. But having been around not much longer than three years, social gaming is still a nascent genre, and Driessen thinks this is just the beginning.
"I think [this is the] natural path in how that world is evolving," Driessen says. "Mostly you see some things start like a mixed market, but as developers come out, you see companies positioning themselves in some niches." Driessen may be right, but one question still remains: If Facebook will not provide that niche for American social games in the future, then who will? With companies like Japan's DeNA and Tencent in China on the rise, perhaps the next big battle in social games doesn't concern the U.S. at all.
[Image Credit: Spil Games]
Do you think that Spil Games could eventually surpass Facebook? And with companies around the world garnering numbers close to Facebook's reach in social gaming, where does the U.S. fit into the future of social gaming? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
King's Bounty: Legions exerts its rule on Facebook; enters open beta
Warriors, demons and monstrous plant creatures at your command? Check. All within a beautiful-looking strategy game that's free to play on Facebook? Double check. Nival has announced that the social adaptation of the classic turn-based strategy game King's Bounty has graduated from closed beta to open beta on Facebook.
In other words, King's Bounty: Legions, developed by Russian studio KranX Productions under a license by 1C Company, is live and available for all strategy fans on Facebook. Hey, we all know how long some games (ahem, FarmVille) like to keep the "beta" subhead.
The game throws players into a war-torn world of magic, monsters and mayhem--eh, you get the idea. There's certainly a sprawling storyline involving warlords in defense of an ancient kingdom, but we know what you really care about: the combat.
And boy, does this new Facebook game has it in spades with more than 30 units spanning the three factions of the Kingdom, Chaos and Beasts ready to duke it out in hexagonal battles through both a single-player adventure and multiplayer duels. And Nival has high expectations for the socially revived franchise.
King's Bounty Legions in action
"It was recently reported 80 million Facebook users are playing strategy games," Nival GM and lead producer on King's Bounty: Legions David D Christensen said in a release. "I'd play matches against all 80 million to demonstrate King's Bounty: Legions is the best strategy gaming experience on Facebook." (Would that be considered overtime?)
Click here to play King's Bounty: Legions on Facebook Now >
Are you excited to see the King's Bounty franchise return on Facebook? How do you think the game will do against existing strategy games like Backyard Monsters and Dragons of Atlantis? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
In other words, King's Bounty: Legions, developed by Russian studio KranX Productions under a license by 1C Company, is live and available for all strategy fans on Facebook. Hey, we all know how long some games (ahem, FarmVille) like to keep the "beta" subhead.
The game throws players into a war-torn world of magic, monsters and mayhem--eh, you get the idea. There's certainly a sprawling storyline involving warlords in defense of an ancient kingdom, but we know what you really care about: the combat.
And boy, does this new Facebook game has it in spades with more than 30 units spanning the three factions of the Kingdom, Chaos and Beasts ready to duke it out in hexagonal battles through both a single-player adventure and multiplayer duels. And Nival has high expectations for the socially revived franchise.
King's Bounty Legions in action
"It was recently reported 80 million Facebook users are playing strategy games," Nival GM and lead producer on King's Bounty: Legions David D Christensen said in a release. "I'd play matches against all 80 million to demonstrate King's Bounty: Legions is the best strategy gaming experience on Facebook." (Would that be considered overtime?)
Click here to play King's Bounty: Legions on Facebook Now >
Are you excited to see the King's Bounty franchise return on Facebook? How do you think the game will do against existing strategy games like Backyard Monsters and Dragons of Atlantis? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Putting the 'face' in Facebook games: Arkadium and Image Metrics
Arkadium is likely best known on Facebook for games like Mahjongg Dimensions and Cooking Mama, but that's about to change. Thanks to a brand new partnership with Image Metrics, an animation studio best known for the facial capture technology it provides to traditional game developers, your own face could be the star of Arkadium's next Facebook game.
During an interview with Gamasutra, the new found duo revealed Portable You, a new toolset for Facebook game developers--starting with New York City-based Arkadium--to allow players to include their own face as the centerpiece of their avatars. Using a simple webcam, Portable You, embedded in any given Facebook, could create a 3D rendering of your head and face.
By the way, that picture to the right is a 3D reproduction of an actress's face done by Image Metrics--it's not real. But we doubt Portable You will be as powerful. This is especially considering the technology was bought through an acquisition of Big Stage earlier this year.
"Mostly we've been the user of our own technologies," Image Metrics CEO Robert Gehorsam said to Gamasutra. "But we've also really come to realize and believe there's a major shift going on in how people want to represent themselves, express themselves and communicate online, starting with creating your own character in a game."
"We work directly from video; we don't require any kind of markers, or the special makeup," Gehorsam told Gamasutra. "We can go directly from a video screen or from a single image to 3D animation... through a whole bunch of equations that recognize the face in a 2D context. It's not a photo; it's really 3D."
Sure, this has the potential to introduce a never-before-seen level of immersion to Facebook games. The idea of representing or expressing yourself more accurately than ever has plenty of charm. But the more pressing question I have for Image Metrics is: How well does Portable You render beards?
What do you think this type of technology means for Facebook games in the future? Would you ever place a 3D version of yourself into your favorite Facebook games? Sound off in the comments. Add CommentAdd Comment
During an interview with Gamasutra, the new found duo revealed Portable You, a new toolset for Facebook game developers--starting with New York City-based Arkadium--to allow players to include their own face as the centerpiece of their avatars. Using a simple webcam, Portable You, embedded in any given Facebook, could create a 3D rendering of your head and face.
By the way, that picture to the right is a 3D reproduction of an actress's face done by Image Metrics--it's not real. But we doubt Portable You will be as powerful. This is especially considering the technology was bought through an acquisition of Big Stage earlier this year.
"Mostly we've been the user of our own technologies," Image Metrics CEO Robert Gehorsam said to Gamasutra. "But we've also really come to realize and believe there's a major shift going on in how people want to represent themselves, express themselves and communicate online, starting with creating your own character in a game."
"We work directly from video; we don't require any kind of markers, or the special makeup," Gehorsam told Gamasutra. "We can go directly from a video screen or from a single image to 3D animation... through a whole bunch of equations that recognize the face in a 2D context. It's not a photo; it's really 3D."
Sure, this has the potential to introduce a never-before-seen level of immersion to Facebook games. The idea of representing or expressing yourself more accurately than ever has plenty of charm. But the more pressing question I have for Image Metrics is: How well does Portable You render beards?
What do you think this type of technology means for Facebook games in the future? Would you ever place a 3D version of yourself into your favorite Facebook games? Sound off in the comments. Add CommentAdd Comment
Earn 2 free FarmVille Farm Cash in Yahoo promotion
It looks like we're seeing a change for the better in terms of free Farm Cash promotions in FarmVille, as there's another available this afternoon, from Yahoo. Technically, this promotion is encouraging users to add Yahoo! as their browser homepage, but as usual, there's a way around that (that still allows you your free Farm Cash)!
To start, you'll need to click on the sponsored link window displaying the Yahoo "Y" and then wait for the window to load (it might take a bit longer than normal, as the promotion has to decide which browser you're using to access it). From there, you're given instructions on how to make Yahoo! your homepage on that particular browser, but at the bottom of the window sits a countdown timer that starts at 30 seconds and slowly counts down (much more slowly than 30 seconds, that is). When it finally does run out, you can click on the "Finish" button to end the promotion and receive your two Farm Cash.
As usual, your Farm Cash should automatically update into your account upon closing this activity window, but if it doesn't, a simple refresh of the game should do the trick. Either way, make sure to complete this activity the very first time you see it appear under your FarmVille gameplay area, as these cross-promotions tend to be incredibly fast-moving, and may disappear even after refreshing the page.
Were you able to earn your free Farm Cash from Yahoo, or has the promotion not appeared for you yet? Sound off in the comments.
To start, you'll need to click on the sponsored link window displaying the Yahoo "Y" and then wait for the window to load (it might take a bit longer than normal, as the promotion has to decide which browser you're using to access it). From there, you're given instructions on how to make Yahoo! your homepage on that particular browser, but at the bottom of the window sits a countdown timer that starts at 30 seconds and slowly counts down (much more slowly than 30 seconds, that is). When it finally does run out, you can click on the "Finish" button to end the promotion and receive your two Farm Cash.
As usual, your Farm Cash should automatically update into your account upon closing this activity window, but if it doesn't, a simple refresh of the game should do the trick. Either way, make sure to complete this activity the very first time you see it appear under your FarmVille gameplay area, as these cross-promotions tend to be incredibly fast-moving, and may disappear even after refreshing the page.
Were you able to earn your free Farm Cash from Yahoo, or has the promotion not appeared for you yet? Sound off in the comments.
FarmVille Capital One Free Gift: What's inside?
If you've played FarmVille at all in the last 24 hours, you're likely aware that a Capital One cross-promotional farm has appeared in the game, giving you a chance to earn a free Capital One Goat and some "Capital One" instant grow. What you might have missed, however, is the release of a Capital One Gift on the game's free gifts page. This box can be thought of as a mystery box, as you'll never know which item you'll receive when opening one.
There are quite a few items that can be found inside each Capital One Gift, but unfortunately only a few are really "exciting." Here's a list of items that we've received from those boxes so far:
Pygmy Goat
Animal Feed
Passion Fruit Tree
Flower Sheep
Farmhand
While the Pygmy Goat and Farm Sheep are cute little animals, we've easily received an overwhelming amount of Passion Fruit Trees, and little of everything else. Whether that means those are the most common prizes, or we're just "unlucky" remains to be seen. This Capital One gift will only be available to send for the next nine days, so make sure to send some now while you still can (and ask for some in return!).
Have you received any other items from your Capital One Gifts? Let us know and we'll add them here! Sound off in the comments.
There are quite a few items that can be found inside each Capital One Gift, but unfortunately only a few are really "exciting." Here's a list of items that we've received from those boxes so far:
Pygmy Goat
Animal Feed
Passion Fruit Tree
Flower Sheep
Farmhand
While the Pygmy Goat and Farm Sheep are cute little animals, we've easily received an overwhelming amount of Passion Fruit Trees, and little of everything else. Whether that means those are the most common prizes, or we're just "unlucky" remains to be seen. This Capital One gift will only be available to send for the next nine days, so make sure to send some now while you still can (and ask for some in return!).
Have you received any other items from your Capital One Gifts? Let us know and we'll add them here! Sound off in the comments.
Facebook game lets you solve anagrams to save Canada's forests
True to its name, in order to play Donate2Play Media's first new game, Wordraiser, you're going to have to pony up some change. Wordraiser is an anagram game that has players make as many words as possible out of one word.
If you manage to guess the key word, you get to level up. After leveling up a few times, you'll be asked to buy "Karma Points" that enable you to play more games.
Donation packages range from $1 to $20 USD, where $1 USD equals 10 Karma Points, which is good for buying one game. But right now, it seems that there's nothing stopping you from playing as much as you want. We're not sure if this is a bug, as the game just launched during the previous weekend.
While Wordraiser is supposedly free-to-play, it's also the offspring of Donate2Play's partnership with The Ancient Forest Alliance (AFA), a Canadian grassroots organization devoted to finding the balance between forestry jobs and preserving British Columbia's ancient woodlands (defined as tree populations that are over 120 years old). So half of the money given to Wordraiser will be split between AFA and Donate2Play.
Gallery: Wordraiser
Lastly, there's a top ten high scores leaderboard that displays players' names followed by their levels, and two of AFA's founders, TJ Watts and Ken Wu, are currently on the board in ninth and third place, respectively. According to its Facebook page, Wordraiser currently has 202 monthly users.
Keep in mind, though, that Donate2Play is doing all the heavy lifting here, with no risk or prior investment from AFA. Outreach for the game is done via automatic Facebook wall posts. Players will also receive facts about British Columbian forests during load screens and photos of these forests by TJ Watt.
[Hat-tip: Times Colonist]
Click here to play Wordraiser on Facebook now >
Would you rather donate to a charity directly than through a Facebook game? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
If you manage to guess the key word, you get to level up. After leveling up a few times, you'll be asked to buy "Karma Points" that enable you to play more games.
Donation packages range from $1 to $20 USD, where $1 USD equals 10 Karma Points, which is good for buying one game. But right now, it seems that there's nothing stopping you from playing as much as you want. We're not sure if this is a bug, as the game just launched during the previous weekend.
While Wordraiser is supposedly free-to-play, it's also the offspring of Donate2Play's partnership with The Ancient Forest Alliance (AFA), a Canadian grassroots organization devoted to finding the balance between forestry jobs and preserving British Columbia's ancient woodlands (defined as tree populations that are over 120 years old). So half of the money given to Wordraiser will be split between AFA and Donate2Play.
Gallery: Wordraiser
Lastly, there's a top ten high scores leaderboard that displays players' names followed by their levels, and two of AFA's founders, TJ Watts and Ken Wu, are currently on the board in ninth and third place, respectively. According to its Facebook page, Wordraiser currently has 202 monthly users.
Keep in mind, though, that Donate2Play is doing all the heavy lifting here, with no risk or prior investment from AFA. Outreach for the game is done via automatic Facebook wall posts. Players will also receive facts about British Columbian forests during load screens and photos of these forests by TJ Watt.
[Hat-tip: Times Colonist]
Click here to play Wordraiser on Facebook now >
Would you rather donate to a charity directly than through a Facebook game? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
FarmVille Lighthouse Cove Come Ashore Goals: Everything you need to know
As part of today's launch of the Lighthouse Cove farm in FarmVille to every farmer that's interested (whether they paid for admittance or not), a new goal series has been launched in the game, allowing even those new players a chance to become acquainted with their new farm, while also earning prizes. There are six goals in this new series, and they're limited edition, being available for the next seven days (or just a week).
Come Ashore!
* Get 3 Piles of Hay
* Harvest 10 Chandler Blueberries
* Improve the Cove to Level 1
You'll need to earn the Piles of Hay by asking your friends to send them to you. As for the Chandler Blueberries, they take eight hours to grow, so even though you're not required to grow very many, that doesn't necessarily mean you'll be done with this one quickly. As for the Lighthouse Cove, you can repair it by collecting Logs, Stones and Steel Beams. For finishing this first goal, you'll receive 100 XP, the Restaurant, a Red Tractor and 2,500 coins. Hopefully you haven't already purchased a Restaurant for your new farm, as this will of course be worthless.
A Beach to Walk on
* Get 6 Supply Boxes
* Harvest 45 Darrow Blueberries
* Place the Restaurant
Hopefully, if you are one of those users that placed the Restaurant before receiving these goals, it will automatically detect that it's present on your farm and complete this task for you. As for the Supply Boxes - you guessed it - just have your friends send you some. Darrow Blueberries, meanwhile, take just four hours to grow. Finish this goal and you'll receive 200 XP, a Sailor Cow (a cow in an adorable little sailor's hat and "tie"), a Yellow Seeder and 2,500 coins.
A Quick Tour
* Harvest Lighthouse Cove
* Complete 1 Wildlife Habitat
* Make the Creamed Corn Recipe 1 Time
The Creamed Corn recipe is made inside the Restaurant, and it requires three Butter & Sugar Corn, three Tarragon and one Pepper Bushels. The Butter & Sugar Corn and Tarragon crops are new to the Lighthouse Cove farm, while you might already have some Pepper bushels on hand from your other farms. As for the Wildlife Habitat, you're given the frame of one for free when landing in the cove, and can then complete it by gathering Fence Posts, Shrubs and Grazing Grasses. Check out our complete guide to the Wildlife Habitat right here. Once you finish this third goal, you'll receive 300 XP, a White Cedar Tree, a Blue Harvester and 2,500 coins.
After finishing these first three goals, you will have walked away with a complete farm vehicle set (save for the Combine) that will allow you to complete all of the farming tasks required on your new farm. Of course, you can always purchase a Combine Chassis from the store for that three-in-one farming convenience, but at least you'll have these vehicles to rely on while you're waiting for the Vehicle Parts to pour in.
Check out the rest of our FarmVille Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of these Lighthouse Cove goals? How far have you made it into the trio? Sound off in the comments.
Come Ashore!
* Get 3 Piles of Hay
* Harvest 10 Chandler Blueberries
* Improve the Cove to Level 1
You'll need to earn the Piles of Hay by asking your friends to send them to you. As for the Chandler Blueberries, they take eight hours to grow, so even though you're not required to grow very many, that doesn't necessarily mean you'll be done with this one quickly. As for the Lighthouse Cove, you can repair it by collecting Logs, Stones and Steel Beams. For finishing this first goal, you'll receive 100 XP, the Restaurant, a Red Tractor and 2,500 coins. Hopefully you haven't already purchased a Restaurant for your new farm, as this will of course be worthless.
A Beach to Walk on
* Get 6 Supply Boxes
* Harvest 45 Darrow Blueberries
* Place the Restaurant
Hopefully, if you are one of those users that placed the Restaurant before receiving these goals, it will automatically detect that it's present on your farm and complete this task for you. As for the Supply Boxes - you guessed it - just have your friends send you some. Darrow Blueberries, meanwhile, take just four hours to grow. Finish this goal and you'll receive 200 XP, a Sailor Cow (a cow in an adorable little sailor's hat and "tie"), a Yellow Seeder and 2,500 coins.
A Quick Tour
* Harvest Lighthouse Cove
* Complete 1 Wildlife Habitat
* Make the Creamed Corn Recipe 1 Time
The Creamed Corn recipe is made inside the Restaurant, and it requires three Butter & Sugar Corn, three Tarragon and one Pepper Bushels. The Butter & Sugar Corn and Tarragon crops are new to the Lighthouse Cove farm, while you might already have some Pepper bushels on hand from your other farms. As for the Wildlife Habitat, you're given the frame of one for free when landing in the cove, and can then complete it by gathering Fence Posts, Shrubs and Grazing Grasses. Check out our complete guide to the Wildlife Habitat right here. Once you finish this third goal, you'll receive 300 XP, a White Cedar Tree, a Blue Harvester and 2,500 coins.
After finishing these first three goals, you will have walked away with a complete farm vehicle set (save for the Combine) that will allow you to complete all of the farming tasks required on your new farm. Of course, you can always purchase a Combine Chassis from the store for that three-in-one farming convenience, but at least you'll have these vehicles to rely on while you're waiting for the Vehicle Parts to pour in.
Check out the rest of our FarmVille Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of these Lighthouse Cove goals? How far have you made it into the trio? Sound off in the comments.
DC Universe Online: Pound on bad guys for free starting next month
If you've always wanted to try out Sony Online Entertainment's DC Universe online (on either PS3 or PC), but didn't want to pay actual money to do so, you'll be happy to know that you'll soon be able to access "the entire game" for free starting next month. As reported by PCWorld, this switch to a freemium pricing plan will still allow users to purchase premium content, but all of the open world gameplay, missions, game updates and patches will be free.
To be specific, DC Universe Online will have three different levels of access. The first and completely free level, gives players access to create just two characters and join a league with other players. From there, the Premium level of users requires that a player spend at least $5 in real money in the game's store to be given that Premium player status for life. This gives them access to larger inventory space, the ability to create more characters and the ability to trade items with others. Finally, if you still want the subscription plan, you can be a Legendary player, paying around $15 a month for access to even more character and inventory slots, along with access to the game's DLC packages at no additional cost. There are plenty of other differences between the three gameplay levels; head over here to check them out.
DC Universe Online is just the latest of many once entirely paid-sub games to go free-to-play in some form. While the most noteworthy case has arguably been World of Warcraft's free-to-play setup for users up to level 20, this is just another case where social and casual players are given an opportunity to break away from Facebook simulators and jump into the world of true MMOs. While the two worlds are (for the most part) entirely different, a bigger selection is definitely not a bad thing.
Will you try out DC Universe Online when it goes free-to-play next month? Let us know in the comments.
To be specific, DC Universe Online will have three different levels of access. The first and completely free level, gives players access to create just two characters and join a league with other players. From there, the Premium level of users requires that a player spend at least $5 in real money in the game's store to be given that Premium player status for life. This gives them access to larger inventory space, the ability to create more characters and the ability to trade items with others. Finally, if you still want the subscription plan, you can be a Legendary player, paying around $15 a month for access to even more character and inventory slots, along with access to the game's DLC packages at no additional cost. There are plenty of other differences between the three gameplay levels; head over here to check them out.
DC Universe Online is just the latest of many once entirely paid-sub games to go free-to-play in some form. While the most noteworthy case has arguably been World of Warcraft's free-to-play setup for users up to level 20, this is just another case where social and casual players are given an opportunity to break away from Facebook simulators and jump into the world of true MMOs. While the two worlds are (for the most part) entirely different, a bigger selection is definitely not a bad thing.
Will you try out DC Universe Online when it goes free-to-play next month? Let us know in the comments.
CityVille Rose Garden Goals: Everything you need to know
While summer may quickly be drawing to a close, CityVille hopes to keep the summer fun alive by letting us have a place to grow beautiful flowers. Appropriately enough, this new "building" is called the Rose Garden, and you'll place it in your city when completing the first of four new goals that go along with it.
Garden State
* Place Rose Garden
* Plant a Rose in the Garden
The Rose Garden is a 4x4 structure that works similarly to the Zoo, in that you'll only be able to display three flowers on the outside of the garden, but can actually leave more of them inside. To start, you'll receive a single flower for free (that's right - this one doesn't need to be built at all after placing it in your town): a White Wild Rose. Once you look inside the building, just click on the Plant button and you'll be able to "feature" that rose as one of the three that show up on the outside. Once you finish these two (simple) steps, you'll receive 160 coins as your reward.
A Late Bloomer
* Ask friends for 3 Shovels
* Have 3 Gardens in your City
* Water your Gardens 5 Times
Gardens can be watered once every 18 hours, and yes, you can have more than one in your city. In fact, you'll need to have three before you can finish this goal. Your second and third Rose Gardens would cost 50,000 coins in the store, but luckily, you can also purchase Small Rose Gardens (a smaller version of the regular Rose Garden) for just 8,000 coins. These do count for the completion of this goal. As for the shovels, you'll be able to post a general news item to your wall asking for three. Finishing this goal gives you Sculpted Tree.
It's Showtime!
* Get 10 Rose Bushes
* Have 1 Rose Collection item from the Garden Collection
* Place one Rose Garden Gate in your city
To earn additional bushes, you'll go into your gardens (as seen above) and then click on "Ask for flowers" to ask your friends to send you some bushes. Finishing this goal gives you 32 experience points.
Comin' Up Roses
* Ask friends for 4 Vases
* Have 7 Roses Planted in your Gardens
* Have an upgraded Flower Kiosk
As it looks like each garden can only display three flowers, you'll need to have flowers in at least three Gardens to reach seven. As for updating your Flower Kiosk, you can find our guide for doing just that right here. Finishing this final goal gives you a Roses Fountain.
We'll make sure to let you know if other kinds of gardens are made available in the build menu in the future, but for now - have fun growing and displaying all of those roses!
Check out the rest of our CityVille Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of the Rose Garden feature in CityVille? What do you think of these goals? Sound off in the comments.
Garden State
* Place Rose Garden
* Plant a Rose in the Garden
The Rose Garden is a 4x4 structure that works similarly to the Zoo, in that you'll only be able to display three flowers on the outside of the garden, but can actually leave more of them inside. To start, you'll receive a single flower for free (that's right - this one doesn't need to be built at all after placing it in your town): a White Wild Rose. Once you look inside the building, just click on the Plant button and you'll be able to "feature" that rose as one of the three that show up on the outside. Once you finish these two (simple) steps, you'll receive 160 coins as your reward.
A Late Bloomer
* Ask friends for 3 Shovels
* Have 3 Gardens in your City
* Water your Gardens 5 Times
Gardens can be watered once every 18 hours, and yes, you can have more than one in your city. In fact, you'll need to have three before you can finish this goal. Your second and third Rose Gardens would cost 50,000 coins in the store, but luckily, you can also purchase Small Rose Gardens (a smaller version of the regular Rose Garden) for just 8,000 coins. These do count for the completion of this goal. As for the shovels, you'll be able to post a general news item to your wall asking for three. Finishing this goal gives you Sculpted Tree.
It's Showtime!
* Get 10 Rose Bushes
* Have 1 Rose Collection item from the Garden Collection
* Place one Rose Garden Gate in your city
To earn additional bushes, you'll go into your gardens (as seen above) and then click on "Ask for flowers" to ask your friends to send you some bushes. Finishing this goal gives you 32 experience points.
Comin' Up Roses
* Ask friends for 4 Vases
* Have 7 Roses Planted in your Gardens
* Have an upgraded Flower Kiosk
As it looks like each garden can only display three flowers, you'll need to have flowers in at least three Gardens to reach seven. As for updating your Flower Kiosk, you can find our guide for doing just that right here. Finishing this final goal gives you a Roses Fountain.
We'll make sure to let you know if other kinds of gardens are made available in the build menu in the future, but for now - have fun growing and displaying all of those roses!
Check out the rest of our CityVille Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of the Rose Garden feature in CityVille? What do you think of these goals? Sound off in the comments.
Zynga gives free rides to FarmVille Lighthouse Cove starting today
FarmVille Lighthouse Cove screen
Oh, you patient ones. Now is finally the time to see if waiting in the freebie line was worth it. For those FarmVille players that declined to fork up 55 Farm Cash ($10 USD, to be exact), the Lighthouse Cove expansion will be available to all starting today. We assume, as with all changes or major releases by Zynga, that this release will be a slow roll-out.
Just like players did early last week, they will hop on a sail boat to a New England-esque coastal farming village. Unfortunately, the area has been ravaged by a brutal storm, and Brenda--the town's resident widow--has enlisted you to help restore it. You'll slowly level up your Lighthouse by repairing the lighthouse, dock and more through quests.
However, free players will not receive the exclusive quests and items given to those who put up the dough. Regardless there looks to be a ton of content here with a larger focus on building a village than simply farming crops. For instance, you'll have fewer plots to farm on that unlock over time in Lighthouse Cove, though those crops yield far more coins, XP and Mastery.
In addition to farming, you can harvest the Cove once its restored for ingredients to use in Restaurant recipes like clams and lobster for dishes like New England Clam Chowder and Lobster Rolls. Another interesting change with FarmVille LC in comparison to its first expansion, English Countryside, is that all quests will be timed this time around.
Gallery: FarmVille Lighthouse Cove
And that includes the bonus quests, courtesy of Brenda. Because quests were persistent throughout FarmVille EC, it was easy for friends to speed ahead or slip behind one another in their progress. "It was harder for players to work on the same thing in English Countryside," FarmVille GM Nate Etter explains.
FarmVille Sailor CalfDuring an early look of the game, Etter told us that the team was going for "a FarmVille meets Martha's Vineyard style." "Players seem to love water, which was a major source of inspiration for Lighthouse Cove," Etter recalls. "I think we're constantly listening to players, [and] that will govern where FarmVille will go."
So, while you're enjoying the serene orange glow and brisk autumn breeze of Lighthouse Cove (imagination, people), try to think up where you would like to go next, and take it to the Facebook page or forums--they're all ears. As for why the second expansion was released early to players who paid Farm Cash, a Zynga representative told us, "We have so many passionate players, that we wanted to offer them a first look at the game."
Well, patience has its payoffs, my friends. Namely, it saves you money. So, enjoy that peace of mind, and increase that peace in FarmVille's Lighthouse Cove. Good things come to those who (choose to) wait--that's especially because we have a bevy of content to get you through your first several hours in FarmVille LC. Enjoy.
Did you pay to get into the FarmVille Lighthouse Cove Early? What do you think of all the new content so far? Sound off in the comments. 3 Comments
Oh, you patient ones. Now is finally the time to see if waiting in the freebie line was worth it. For those FarmVille players that declined to fork up 55 Farm Cash ($10 USD, to be exact), the Lighthouse Cove expansion will be available to all starting today. We assume, as with all changes or major releases by Zynga, that this release will be a slow roll-out.
Just like players did early last week, they will hop on a sail boat to a New England-esque coastal farming village. Unfortunately, the area has been ravaged by a brutal storm, and Brenda--the town's resident widow--has enlisted you to help restore it. You'll slowly level up your Lighthouse by repairing the lighthouse, dock and more through quests.
However, free players will not receive the exclusive quests and items given to those who put up the dough. Regardless there looks to be a ton of content here with a larger focus on building a village than simply farming crops. For instance, you'll have fewer plots to farm on that unlock over time in Lighthouse Cove, though those crops yield far more coins, XP and Mastery.
In addition to farming, you can harvest the Cove once its restored for ingredients to use in Restaurant recipes like clams and lobster for dishes like New England Clam Chowder and Lobster Rolls. Another interesting change with FarmVille LC in comparison to its first expansion, English Countryside, is that all quests will be timed this time around.
Gallery: FarmVille Lighthouse Cove
And that includes the bonus quests, courtesy of Brenda. Because quests were persistent throughout FarmVille EC, it was easy for friends to speed ahead or slip behind one another in their progress. "It was harder for players to work on the same thing in English Countryside," FarmVille GM Nate Etter explains.
FarmVille Sailor CalfDuring an early look of the game, Etter told us that the team was going for "a FarmVille meets Martha's Vineyard style." "Players seem to love water, which was a major source of inspiration for Lighthouse Cove," Etter recalls. "I think we're constantly listening to players, [and] that will govern where FarmVille will go."
So, while you're enjoying the serene orange glow and brisk autumn breeze of Lighthouse Cove (imagination, people), try to think up where you would like to go next, and take it to the Facebook page or forums--they're all ears. As for why the second expansion was released early to players who paid Farm Cash, a Zynga representative told us, "We have so many passionate players, that we wanted to offer them a first look at the game."
Well, patience has its payoffs, my friends. Namely, it saves you money. So, enjoy that peace of mind, and increase that peace in FarmVille's Lighthouse Cove. Good things come to those who (choose to) wait--that's especially because we have a bevy of content to get you through your first several hours in FarmVille LC. Enjoy.
Did you pay to get into the FarmVille Lighthouse Cove Early? What do you think of all the new content so far? Sound off in the comments. 3 Comments
FarmVille: Visit the Capital One farm for a free Capital One Goat
As we told you earlier this week, Zynga has officially launched a three-part cross-promotion with Capital One that sees the brand returning to FarmVille (and also making an appearance in CityVille and the Pioneer Trail). For FarmVille, we see the Capital One farm being added to our neighbor bars, and an incentive being offered for actually visiting said farm.
Once you visit the Capital One farm (don't worry if it doesn't show up in your friends list; an in-game prompt will appear allowing you to access it), you'll find that you don't really need to do anything here, except take in the scenery and click on the "Help Out" button that quickly appears. This sees the Capital One Goat (you'll know it's him as he's wearing sunglasses) harvesting crops and boosting animal storage buildings before being given to you as a gift.
What's more, if you agree to visit the Capital One Facebook Page, and then "Like" it, you'll receive one free application of "Capital One Grow," or instant grow for your farm. On top of this, there's also a Capital One Gift available to send to your friends on the FarmVille free gifts page, that can contain all sorts of goodies, so make sure to send some while you can. It will only be available to send for the next nine days.
Any and all of these prizes will appear in your Gift Box when you return to your farm, so make sure to check them out!
What do you think of this newest Capital One promotion? Will you save your Capital One grow for a Double Mastery event, or will you use it right away? Sound off in the comments.
Once you visit the Capital One farm (don't worry if it doesn't show up in your friends list; an in-game prompt will appear allowing you to access it), you'll find that you don't really need to do anything here, except take in the scenery and click on the "Help Out" button that quickly appears. This sees the Capital One Goat (you'll know it's him as he's wearing sunglasses) harvesting crops and boosting animal storage buildings before being given to you as a gift.
What's more, if you agree to visit the Capital One Facebook Page, and then "Like" it, you'll receive one free application of "Capital One Grow," or instant grow for your farm. On top of this, there's also a Capital One Gift available to send to your friends on the FarmVille free gifts page, that can contain all sorts of goodies, so make sure to send some while you can. It will only be available to send for the next nine days.
Any and all of these prizes will appear in your Gift Box when you return to your farm, so make sure to check them out!
What do you think of this newest Capital One promotion? Will you save your Capital One grow for a Double Mastery event, or will you use it right away? Sound off in the comments.
FarmVille Lighthouse Cove Items: Autumn Birch Tree, Walking Pony, Meadow Sage and more
With tonight's FarmVille update, we see a continuation of the new Lighthouse Cove item theme in the game's store. Just as a reminder, it doesn't matter if you paid your way into Lighthouse Cove early, or if you're waiting for free tickets to arrive (starting tomorrow), as these items can be purchased even when you're not on the Lighthouse Cove farm itself. That means you can take a little piece of the Cove with you back to your Home Farm, if that's where you spend most of your time, as an example. Here's a complete lineup of the newly available items.
Trees
Autumn Birch - 7 Farm Cash
Weeping Birch - 15 Farm Cash
If it's not obvious, the Autumn Birch is the level one tree here, while the Weeping Birch is the level two tree, available either by purchasing it here, or by waiting for one to appear as a Mystery Seedling (your best bet is the latter option). Both of these trees are available to harvest every two days, and their first stars of mastery come at 75 harvests each.
Animals
New Hampshire Red - 20 Farm Cash
Walking Pony - 24 Farm Cash
The New Hampshire Red is a chicken that can be mastered. Its first star of mastery comes at eight harvests, and as a chicken, it can be harvested once per day, making this a fairly quick procedure (that is, in cases where you only have a single animal to pull from). As for the Walking Pony, this one will generate a foal when randomly bred in your Horse Stable, with the Walking Pony Foal being available to share with your friends.
Buildings
Coastal Sweet Store - 300,000 coins
Coastal Antique - 20 Farm Cash
Gingerbread (Cottage?) - 30 Farm Cash
Don't lose it on me now farmers, but yes, you're looking at a coin building being released in a limited edition item theme. Hopefully, this is just the first of many, as the previous few themes were incredibly lacking in coin items altogether, let alone buildings. As for the Gingerbread building, it comes with no other name besides "Gingerbread," so it's up to you to determine what kind of home/cottage/hostel it really is. We'll go with "Cottage," for the sake of argument.
Decorations
Autumn Waterfall - 20 Farm Cash
Horse Rider Statue - 30,000 coins
Town Sign - 20,000 coins
Dolphin Fountain - 12 Farm Cash
Meadow Sage - 5,000 coins
Surprisingly, more of these new decorations cost coins than Farm Cash, with the Horse Rider Statue being a fairly large item in and of itself. The Town Sign contains a miniature picture of the Lighthouse Cove lighthouse, while the Meadow Sage is a long and narrow plant, rather than something in a square shape.
All of these items will be available in the game's store for the next two weeks, so while you can shop leisurely without the fear of them expiring, don't wait too long; I wouldn't want you to forget about them entirely and then regret missing out on your favorites.
Which of these items is your favorite? Are you happy to see coin-buildings released, or are you more of a tree or animal fan? Let us know in the comments.
Trees
Autumn Birch - 7 Farm Cash
Weeping Birch - 15 Farm Cash
If it's not obvious, the Autumn Birch is the level one tree here, while the Weeping Birch is the level two tree, available either by purchasing it here, or by waiting for one to appear as a Mystery Seedling (your best bet is the latter option). Both of these trees are available to harvest every two days, and their first stars of mastery come at 75 harvests each.
Animals
New Hampshire Red - 20 Farm Cash
Walking Pony - 24 Farm Cash
The New Hampshire Red is a chicken that can be mastered. Its first star of mastery comes at eight harvests, and as a chicken, it can be harvested once per day, making this a fairly quick procedure (that is, in cases where you only have a single animal to pull from). As for the Walking Pony, this one will generate a foal when randomly bred in your Horse Stable, with the Walking Pony Foal being available to share with your friends.
Buildings
Coastal Sweet Store - 300,000 coins
Coastal Antique - 20 Farm Cash
Gingerbread (Cottage?) - 30 Farm Cash
Don't lose it on me now farmers, but yes, you're looking at a coin building being released in a limited edition item theme. Hopefully, this is just the first of many, as the previous few themes were incredibly lacking in coin items altogether, let alone buildings. As for the Gingerbread building, it comes with no other name besides "Gingerbread," so it's up to you to determine what kind of home/cottage/hostel it really is. We'll go with "Cottage," for the sake of argument.
Decorations
Autumn Waterfall - 20 Farm Cash
Horse Rider Statue - 30,000 coins
Town Sign - 20,000 coins
Dolphin Fountain - 12 Farm Cash
Meadow Sage - 5,000 coins
Surprisingly, more of these new decorations cost coins than Farm Cash, with the Horse Rider Statue being a fairly large item in and of itself. The Town Sign contains a miniature picture of the Lighthouse Cove lighthouse, while the Meadow Sage is a long and narrow plant, rather than something in a square shape.
All of these items will be available in the game's store for the next two weeks, so while you can shop leisurely without the fear of them expiring, don't wait too long; I wouldn't want you to forget about them entirely and then regret missing out on your favorites.
Which of these items is your favorite? Are you happy to see coin-buildings released, or are you more of a tree or animal fan? Let us know in the comments.
CityVille: Casa del Sol offers fun-in-the-sun living for a huge price
If you thought the Playa del Rey Apartments in CityVille were expensive, costing 75 City Cash for a population boost of 2,350 citizens (at least), try this newest building on for size. The Casa del Sol home is priced at 90 City Cash, and is also in the Mexican item theme, making it limited edition. Specifically, the Casa del Sol home will be in the game for 10 days (note that that's also one day less than the Playa del Rey Apartments).
Once you purchase the Casa del Sol, you'll have a home that starts with a whopping population of 3,000 citizens, and can be upgraded by collecting from the building (or your friends can collect from them as well; all upgrades drop randomly) to a staggering figure of 5,500 citizens. If you're looking for a quick way (albeit expensive way) to unlock that next expansion by reaching your next population goal without adding multiple homes to your town, this would definitely be an easy way to get that done. However, at a price this high, even I'm not sure it's worth it.
Still, I suppose the building's rent potential could raise its value. You'll receive 156 coins every hour if you're prompt enough to routinely collect your earnings, which would give you upwards of 3,000 coins daily, if you were really on top of things. Still, does that justify the current cost of over $11 US for this single building? I'll leave you to be the judge of that.
What do you think of the Casa del Sol in CityVille? Will you purchase one of the expensive homes for your city, or would you rather purchase multiple, cheaper buildings instead? Let us know in the comments.
Once you purchase the Casa del Sol, you'll have a home that starts with a whopping population of 3,000 citizens, and can be upgraded by collecting from the building (or your friends can collect from them as well; all upgrades drop randomly) to a staggering figure of 5,500 citizens. If you're looking for a quick way (albeit expensive way) to unlock that next expansion by reaching your next population goal without adding multiple homes to your town, this would definitely be an easy way to get that done. However, at a price this high, even I'm not sure it's worth it.
Still, I suppose the building's rent potential could raise its value. You'll receive 156 coins every hour if you're prompt enough to routinely collect your earnings, which would give you upwards of 3,000 coins daily, if you were really on top of things. Still, does that justify the current cost of over $11 US for this single building? I'll leave you to be the judge of that.
What do you think of the Casa del Sol in CityVille? Will you purchase one of the expensive homes for your city, or would you rather purchase multiple, cheaper buildings instead? Let us know in the comments.
Google+ releases API to developers, more social games incoming
Google+ Games is cool with its no-nonsense interface and all, but the sad fact is that it only has 16 games. Compare that to the thousands of Facebook games out there, and it's clear that Google has to do something to compete with that selection. Enter the Google+ API, which was just recently released to developers, and could lead to a plethora of more Google+ Games.
The acronym API is short for Application Programming Interface, meaning it contains the tools for developers to create new applications within a given framework--in this case being Google+. Wired reports that Google will steadily release its developer API, meaning that it will be some time before it's feature-complete. And the features not yet included are, well, kinda vital.
For instance, at the moment developers can only create apps that publish read-only public posts. For instance, if a developer like Zynga released a new social game today on Google+ Games, your friends would not be able to interact with the News Feed posts you create. You all already likely know that this is essentially the bread and butter of Facebook games. It's how things get done in-game aside from directly requesting help from friends.
The reasoning for the omission? According to PC World, Google's Eric Chabot explains that this is because the company would rather improve Google+ over time, rather open up a "vacuum" with too many features at once. I'm not sure adding simple post-sharing interactivity would create a vacuum for the platform, but it's a first step nonetheless. What Google+ Games has to deal with more in its competition with Facebook's wide offering of games is scale. The bell rings on Round 2.
[Source: Google+ Platform Blog]
Do you think developers will flock to Google+ Games, even with a limited API at launch? Does Google+ Games have a chance against Facebook's Canvas platform for games? Sound off in the comments. 2 Comments
The acronym API is short for Application Programming Interface, meaning it contains the tools for developers to create new applications within a given framework--in this case being Google+. Wired reports that Google will steadily release its developer API, meaning that it will be some time before it's feature-complete. And the features not yet included are, well, kinda vital.
For instance, at the moment developers can only create apps that publish read-only public posts. For instance, if a developer like Zynga released a new social game today on Google+ Games, your friends would not be able to interact with the News Feed posts you create. You all already likely know that this is essentially the bread and butter of Facebook games. It's how things get done in-game aside from directly requesting help from friends.
The reasoning for the omission? According to PC World, Google's Eric Chabot explains that this is because the company would rather improve Google+ over time, rather open up a "vacuum" with too many features at once. I'm not sure adding simple post-sharing interactivity would create a vacuum for the platform, but it's a first step nonetheless. What Google+ Games has to deal with more in its competition with Facebook's wide offering of games is scale. The bell rings on Round 2.
[Source: Google+ Platform Blog]
Do you think developers will flock to Google+ Games, even with a limited API at launch? Does Google+ Games have a chance against Facebook's Canvas platform for games? Sound off in the comments. 2 Comments
It's Talk Like a Pirate Day: Play our Top Five pirate Facebook games
Is there any other way to being this feature than with a hearty "Yarrgg?" Probably not. (In fact, let's use this entire introduction to talk like pirates, eh?) In case ye hadn't noticed, mate, today be International Talk Like a Pirate Day. So, I ask ye landlubbers, what better way to honor this joyous, silly holiday than with five of the best pirate games around on Facebook?
Avast, ye swabs! Look no further than right here for the five best seafarin' and land lootin' games on Facebook. Oh, right, and remember to click on the headers to jump off the plank right into each Facebook game:
Mighty Pirates
This release (pictured below) by CrowdStar explores the two most important things in a pirate's life: exploring and fighting. Players create, maintain and upgrade their very own vessel of piracy. And it's all in the name of surviving your next fight with your fellow pirate.
Mighty Pirates handles battles in turn-based affairs that add a bit of strategy to burning your enemies to the blue depths. In your off time, explore islands to dig up buried treasure and other resources to boost your ship with.
Mighty Pirates
Treasure Isle
While it may not directly involve pirates, the swashbucklers have invaded the shores of Zynga's island exploration game more times than not. In fact, players can even embark on Voyages with their own vessels, though simply to explore even more. Treasure Isle has players aiming to complete island maps by digging and digging ... and digging. But judging from more experienced players' islands, it certainly pays off. (In other words, there's lots and lots of treasure in it for you.)
Battle Pirates
Want a more ... serious approach to high seas fighting and looting? Then Kixeye certainly has that in spades with Battle Pirates, its strategy Facebook game centered around modern day piracy. (You know, like those bad dudes off the coast of Somalia?) The game plays much like the developer's previous strategy offerings, giving you a week to prepare your base for incoming attack from anyone playing the game. If you want a pirate game that puts the battle first, then look no further.
Battle Pirates
Pirates Saga
In this take on everyone's favorite sea-faring antiheroes, Can't Stop Games focuses almost entirely on your ship. More importantly, it's concerned with how you navigate it through the deep blue sea ... and away from enemy gunfire. Another battle-focused pirates game, Pirates Saga allows players to interact with each other in real time. As you transport cargo and fight back the forces of the infamous Blackbeard, be wary at all times of opposing ships that may or may not be fellow players.
Pirates Saga
Pirate Legacy
A somewhat smaller game than the rest in terms of monthly players, this game by 6waves and Paprika Lab throws a heavy RPG (role-playing game) layer onto the pirate game aesthetic. Pirate Legacy enlists you, a new corsair, to explore the ocean around your home port and hunt for monsters like giant serpents and ghost ships to acquire materials for contractors. Everything about the game is turn-based, giving it an impressive layer of strategy that's a little lighter on the action.
Pirate Legacy
[Lead Image Credit: Disney]
How are you honoring this most awesome Talk Like a Pirate Day? Which of these pirate-themed Facebook games do you like most, and do you know of any you'd personally recommend? Share with us in the comments. 2 Comments
Avast, ye swabs! Look no further than right here for the five best seafarin' and land lootin' games on Facebook. Oh, right, and remember to click on the headers to jump off the plank right into each Facebook game:
Mighty Pirates
This release (pictured below) by CrowdStar explores the two most important things in a pirate's life: exploring and fighting. Players create, maintain and upgrade their very own vessel of piracy. And it's all in the name of surviving your next fight with your fellow pirate.
Mighty Pirates handles battles in turn-based affairs that add a bit of strategy to burning your enemies to the blue depths. In your off time, explore islands to dig up buried treasure and other resources to boost your ship with.
Mighty Pirates
Treasure Isle
While it may not directly involve pirates, the swashbucklers have invaded the shores of Zynga's island exploration game more times than not. In fact, players can even embark on Voyages with their own vessels, though simply to explore even more. Treasure Isle has players aiming to complete island maps by digging and digging ... and digging. But judging from more experienced players' islands, it certainly pays off. (In other words, there's lots and lots of treasure in it for you.)
Battle Pirates
Want a more ... serious approach to high seas fighting and looting? Then Kixeye certainly has that in spades with Battle Pirates, its strategy Facebook game centered around modern day piracy. (You know, like those bad dudes off the coast of Somalia?) The game plays much like the developer's previous strategy offerings, giving you a week to prepare your base for incoming attack from anyone playing the game. If you want a pirate game that puts the battle first, then look no further.
Battle Pirates
Pirates Saga
In this take on everyone's favorite sea-faring antiheroes, Can't Stop Games focuses almost entirely on your ship. More importantly, it's concerned with how you navigate it through the deep blue sea ... and away from enemy gunfire. Another battle-focused pirates game, Pirates Saga allows players to interact with each other in real time. As you transport cargo and fight back the forces of the infamous Blackbeard, be wary at all times of opposing ships that may or may not be fellow players.
Pirates Saga
Pirate Legacy
A somewhat smaller game than the rest in terms of monthly players, this game by 6waves and Paprika Lab throws a heavy RPG (role-playing game) layer onto the pirate game aesthetic. Pirate Legacy enlists you, a new corsair, to explore the ocean around your home port and hunt for monsters like giant serpents and ghost ships to acquire materials for contractors. Everything about the game is turn-based, giving it an impressive layer of strategy that's a little lighter on the action.
Pirate Legacy
[Lead Image Credit: Disney]
How are you honoring this most awesome Talk Like a Pirate Day? Which of these pirate-themed Facebook games do you like most, and do you know of any you'd personally recommend? Share with us in the comments. 2 Comments
Capital One gets in Zynga's wallet with FarmVille, CityVille, Pioneer Trail
Capital One asks Zynga once again, "What's in your wallet?" To which the developer replies, "Why, FarmVille, CityVille and Pioneer Trail, of course!" Mashable reports that the national financial services firm has teamed up with Zynga again for three brand new in-game branding promotions involving Capital One's infamous goat character. Well, two outta three, at least.
Granted, keep in mind that these promotions are slowly rolling out to players, as I've yet to see most of them in my games. Starting with none other than FarmVille, Capital One returns (remember the Visigoths?) with its beloved goat to the game as a breedable animal, which comes just in time for the slew of Breeding Pens in the game.
CityVille, on the other hand, simply features a Capital One-branded Bank for players to use, and opening it offers players a bonus decoration as well as additional Coins, Energy and other resources. Pioneer Trail has its very own set of Goals to help the goat-on-arrival find his lost band mates, which ultimately reward players with a Capital One goat of their own.
This is the second time Capital One has worked with Zynga this year in a branding promotion, and it comes hot off of the heels of a Best Buy promotion conducted through CityVille. And this will be far from the last branded promotion to be featured in a Zynga game. (If anything, the work of Ecko|Code speaks to its popularity.)
The San Francisco-based (but global) developer is joining forces with Lucasfilm to bring Indiana Jones into Adventure World, Zynga Boston's debut Facebook game. Considering the game has been retitled, "Adventure World: An Indiana Jones Game," it could be the first Zynga game built entirely around a brand. So yes, branded Facebook games are here to stay.
Are you psyched for these upcoming in-game promotions across the company's three most recognizable Facebook games? What do you think of the movement toward branding in Facebook games overall? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment.
Granted, keep in mind that these promotions are slowly rolling out to players, as I've yet to see most of them in my games. Starting with none other than FarmVille, Capital One returns (remember the Visigoths?) with its beloved goat to the game as a breedable animal, which comes just in time for the slew of Breeding Pens in the game.
CityVille, on the other hand, simply features a Capital One-branded Bank for players to use, and opening it offers players a bonus decoration as well as additional Coins, Energy and other resources. Pioneer Trail has its very own set of Goals to help the goat-on-arrival find his lost band mates, which ultimately reward players with a Capital One goat of their own.
This is the second time Capital One has worked with Zynga this year in a branding promotion, and it comes hot off of the heels of a Best Buy promotion conducted through CityVille. And this will be far from the last branded promotion to be featured in a Zynga game. (If anything, the work of Ecko|Code speaks to its popularity.)
The San Francisco-based (but global) developer is joining forces with Lucasfilm to bring Indiana Jones into Adventure World, Zynga Boston's debut Facebook game. Considering the game has been retitled, "Adventure World: An Indiana Jones Game," it could be the first Zynga game built entirely around a brand. So yes, branded Facebook games are here to stay.
Are you psyched for these upcoming in-game promotions across the company's three most recognizable Facebook games? What do you think of the movement toward branding in Facebook games overall? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment.
Monday, October 3, 2011
FarmVille Animal Sanctuary & Lighthouse Cove Decorations: Sea Lavender, Panda Arch and more
While decorations may be the last items we've discussed in tonight's FarmVille update, that doesn't mean they're the least important. These decorative items come from both the Animal Sanctuary and Lighthouse Cove themes, and there are actually quite a few coin items in this set for those shopping on a budget. As a note, these Lighthouse Cove items are available not just in your Lighthouse Cove farm, so if you chose not to buy your way in, you don't have to worry about missing out (on these items, anyway).
Lighthouse Cove
Beach Tent - 2 Farm Cash
Beach Grass - 4,000 coins
Beach Chair Set - 20,000 coins
Coastal Planter - 8,000 coins
Dark Wood Fence - 5,000 coins
Field Stone Bridge - 15 Farm Cash
Nelly Moser - 50,000 coins
Boreal Owl - 18 Farm Cash
Sea Lavender - 5,000 coins
Maple Leaf Gnome - 15 Farm Cash
You'll need to pay special attention to these items in the store, as some of them expire in 11 days, while others are around for two weeks. Overall, there are a surprisingly large amount of coin-only items here, so if you've already spent all of your Farm Cash in simply getting into Lighthouse Cove, you'll receive a break there.
Animal Sanctuary
Panda Arch - 2 Farm Cash
Cockatiel - 10 Farm Cash
As you can see, the Lighthouse Cove side of the store definitely has more items, but you can still splurge a bit of Farm Cash on these two items if you choose. They'll both be available in the store for the next two weeks.
What do you think of this pile of new items? Have you already created a retreat on your farm with these Lighthouse Cove items, or are you just starting to decorate with them this evening? Sound off in the comments.
Lighthouse Cove
Beach Tent - 2 Farm Cash
Beach Grass - 4,000 coins
Beach Chair Set - 20,000 coins
Coastal Planter - 8,000 coins
Dark Wood Fence - 5,000 coins
Field Stone Bridge - 15 Farm Cash
Nelly Moser - 50,000 coins
Boreal Owl - 18 Farm Cash
Sea Lavender - 5,000 coins
Maple Leaf Gnome - 15 Farm Cash
You'll need to pay special attention to these items in the store, as some of them expire in 11 days, while others are around for two weeks. Overall, there are a surprisingly large amount of coin-only items here, so if you've already spent all of your Farm Cash in simply getting into Lighthouse Cove, you'll receive a break there.
Animal Sanctuary
Panda Arch - 2 Farm Cash
Cockatiel - 10 Farm Cash
As you can see, the Lighthouse Cove side of the store definitely has more items, but you can still splurge a bit of Farm Cash on these two items if you choose. They'll both be available in the store for the next two weeks.
What do you think of this pile of new items? Have you already created a retreat on your farm with these Lighthouse Cove items, or are you just starting to decorate with them this evening? Sound off in the comments.
Bubble Witch Saga pops on Facebook, King.com hits 900M gameplays
If games like Bubble Bobble have taught us anything, it's that sometimes there's nothing more relaxing than popping bubbles. Casual and social game developer King.com knows this all too well, and has released its second bubble-bursting game on Facebook, Bubble Witch Saga. This new game is a socially-enhanced port of one of the top five most popular games ever on King.com (the casual games website of the same name), King.com Director of Product Performance, Social and Mobile, Lars Jornow told us.
The game features more levels than ever with 70 unique stages, new booster power-ups available for Facebook Credits and a deeper storyline than before. Players assume the role of an aspiring witch who wishes to join the proverbial circle of three. In order to impress the witches, you must burst the bubbles by matching three of the same color to fill their cauldron with magic goop. I mean, who knows what witches put in those things?
Bursting the bubbles will get the cauldron below bubbling, as witches are so wont to do. Each successful match causes spiders to drop from the ceiling. The more spiders you have when you burst enough bubbles, the more points you'll get (and hopefully stars), as the spiders will act as bumpers for the remaining bubbles and increase your chances of scoring big.
Buggle Witch Saga concept art
Completing each level with the most stars possible will help you reach new uncharted parts of a vast forest in your quest to become the fourth witch of the circle. Players can invite their friends to the game to help restore their lives if they fail to clear a difficult level, and later in the game they will need more friends to unlock new levels to play.
Bubble Witch Saga takes an interesting spin on the bubble-bursting sub genre of casual and social games, with its semi-realistic art style that's delightfully reminiscent of the unforgettable Halloween flick Hocus-Pocus. While the game already has six episodes (with about 10 levels each) of content, Jornow tells us that more content is already in the works.
Bubble Witch Saga gameplay
Not to mention that the game will hit mobile devices later this year. King.com also announced that it has surpassed 900 million monthly gameplay sessions across all of its platforms. Granted, that's thanks to its over 200 games total, but an impressive feat nonetheless--though, the company does say that it has beat PopCap in monthly players on Facebook, according to AppData. Bubble Witch is available for play now on Facebook, so have at those bubbles, my pretties. (I promise that's the last time I say "my pretties" here ... whoops, done it again!)
Click here to play Bubble Witch Saga on Facebook Now >
Are you excited to kick back and blow up some bubbles once again? What do you think of this game so far, and the bubble-bursting sub genre of casual or social games? Share with us in the comments. 1 Comment
The game features more levels than ever with 70 unique stages, new booster power-ups available for Facebook Credits and a deeper storyline than before. Players assume the role of an aspiring witch who wishes to join the proverbial circle of three. In order to impress the witches, you must burst the bubbles by matching three of the same color to fill their cauldron with magic goop. I mean, who knows what witches put in those things?
Bursting the bubbles will get the cauldron below bubbling, as witches are so wont to do. Each successful match causes spiders to drop from the ceiling. The more spiders you have when you burst enough bubbles, the more points you'll get (and hopefully stars), as the spiders will act as bumpers for the remaining bubbles and increase your chances of scoring big.
Buggle Witch Saga concept art
Completing each level with the most stars possible will help you reach new uncharted parts of a vast forest in your quest to become the fourth witch of the circle. Players can invite their friends to the game to help restore their lives if they fail to clear a difficult level, and later in the game they will need more friends to unlock new levels to play.
Bubble Witch Saga takes an interesting spin on the bubble-bursting sub genre of casual and social games, with its semi-realistic art style that's delightfully reminiscent of the unforgettable Halloween flick Hocus-Pocus. While the game already has six episodes (with about 10 levels each) of content, Jornow tells us that more content is already in the works.
Bubble Witch Saga gameplay
Not to mention that the game will hit mobile devices later this year. King.com also announced that it has surpassed 900 million monthly gameplay sessions across all of its platforms. Granted, that's thanks to its over 200 games total, but an impressive feat nonetheless--though, the company does say that it has beat PopCap in monthly players on Facebook, according to AppData. Bubble Witch is available for play now on Facebook, so have at those bubbles, my pretties. (I promise that's the last time I say "my pretties" here ... whoops, done it again!)
Click here to play Bubble Witch Saga on Facebook Now >
Are you excited to kick back and blow up some bubbles once again? What do you think of this game so far, and the bubble-bursting sub genre of casual or social games? Share with us in the comments. 1 Comment
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