Take your chances in the Mystery Manor or Facebook, developed by Game Insight. In this hidden object game you are trapped in the Mystery Manor and will need to search through the various rooms locating treasures and collectibles all while avoiding spooky, and sometimes perilous, forces. Use several different searching tools to increase your score, take on quests, complete collections, and play along with neighbors visiting their manors and helping them complete collections for cash and prizes while increasing your reputation as a good neighbor.
Mystery Manor logoGetting Started
Mystery Manor is played on Facebook and you will need to have an account to play. If you need to register for a free account click here - http://www.facebook.com
Once you have a Facebook account you are ready to play and can click on the "Free - Play Now" button at the top of this page.
You will have to grant permission to the developer to access your basic information, send you emails, and post to your Facebook profile page and live feeds when you allow the game to do so.
You will be taken on a brief tutorial of how to maneuver around the game board and work through a basic hidden object scene.
The game has a lot of dialogue to read in between scenes. You can click on the text to close it if you're not interested in the storyline.
Game controls - Along the top right of the game screen there is an icon with a wrench on it. Click on this to toggle the game music and sounds on or off and to change the screen to low or high quality depending on your computer speed.
Full screen - The game is much easier in full screen and you can access at the top right of the game screen via the large green button with the four arrows on it.
Experience points - Experience points (XP) are earned by searching rooms, helping neighbors, completing collections, and purchasing items from the game store. These are what allow you to level up. The meter at the top center shows you your current level and how much XP you need to reach the next level.
Note - Before each hidden object scene you will be shown some of the storyline and given information about what collectibles may be in the scene and which phenomena may be affecting it. Be sure to read through these messages before you start each hidden object scene in a new room.
Mystery Manor Currency Bar
Mystery Manor Get Diamonds
Game Currency
There are two types of currency in Mystery Manor:
Gold coins - This is the basic game currency and what you earn when you find items, complete quests, and help neighbors.
Diamonds - Diamonds are the premium currency of the game and can be used to buy high end items, special game advantages, and meals to restore energy.
How to obtain more currency - You can purchase additional diamonds or gold coins by clicking on the "+" symbol next to the currency indicators at the top right of the game screen.
You can purchase additional diamonds or gold coins using a major credit card, PayPal, Facebook Credits and more.
Mystery Manor Energy Meter
Energy
Energy is used each time you search a hidden object scene and you are given a maximum of 30 energy points when you start the game.
The energy meter is located top center of the game screen and you can see a countdown clock which earns you one energy point each time it hits zero.
Each time you level up the maximum energy your meter can hold increases by 10 and you earn a complete energy meter refill each time you level up in the game.
If you run out of energy it will either regenerate over time at a rate of one energy point per three minutes.
How to obtain more energy - You can obtain energy points in a few ways. You can let it regenerate over time, ask neighbors to help you by sending gifts, or you can purchase meals with diamonds in the game store.
Note - "Energy" is what you use to search rooms in your game. "Strength" is what is used when you visit neighbors and help them. (See "Strength" below for more information.)
Mystery Manor Energy Meals Store
Meals
Meals can be purchased in the game store to restore your energy.
These meals can only be purchased with diamonds and range from a cup of coffee, which is a few energy points, to the largest meal that actually increases your energy maximum by 10 and refills your energy meter.
Click on the store button then look for the "Meals" tab to access this area.
Note - Meals do not increase your "Strength" used in neighbor visits. It is only used to restore energy levels for you to use in your manor.
Mystery Manor Quest Find a Saucer
Quests
There are ongoing quests that you will be able to complete for coins and XP rewards.
Click on the icon at the upper left side of the game screen to see your current quest.
You will have to do things such as finding specific items in rooms or clearing out a room a certain number of times.
As soon as one quest is completed you will have to click on the icon and then click on "Claim My Reward" as the game does not automatically notify you that you have finished the quest.
As soon as one quest has been completed and the reward claimed, a new one will appear in its place and the storyline will continue.
You can sometimes use diamonds to purchase items required of you in quests. Use your diamonds wisely because you will need them.
Mystery Manor Controls
How to Find Hidden Objects
You will start each game on the map of Mystery Manor. The first room is unlocked and you will unlock more rooms as you level up. Click on an open room to search it. Note that you may need to search more than one room.
Next you will see a message that contains some storyline and explains what items you can find that are collectibles in this particular scene. Be sure to look at these items closely and run your cursor over them to see a written description if you are not sure what the item is.
Once you enter the hidden object screen you will be playing in timed mode. You will see a countdown clock in the upper right hand corner of the game screen.
It is best to put the screen in full screen mode as some of the items are very tiny and hard to see.
Phenomena - As you level up there will be all kinds of obstacles or phenomena that make it harder for you to find items in a room. You can pay with diamonds to remove the phenomena or you can purchase charms, or special items to help you overcome them. Tools will be used to overcome most phenomena. (See "Phenomena" below for more detailed information.)
You will have a list in the upper right corner. In this list you will see either a text description or a silhouette of the item you need to find. As you level up other things will happen such as the words in the list may be scrambled or you may have to figure out a puzzle before you know what items to find.
Note - Before each hidden object scene starts you will be shown which collectibles may be found. These do not appear in the list to the right so you will have to remember these and there can be several at a time.
The scene has a large magnifying glass that sticks to your cursor and you will need this to enlarge the area and see the small detailed items. Note that in the center of the magnifying glass is a gold dot. Place this gold dot on the item you have found and then click your mouse button to lock in the choice.
If you correctly find an item you will see a coin fall and it will split into a coin, energy bolt, and experience star. Click on these if you can and if not they will add to your totals. Finding items equals extra money, energy, and experience points.
You must find all of the items before the timer runs out. And if you do not you will see a "Failed" message and will have to use more energy to try again.
Using tools - When you are stumped or you have a phenomena in place making it hard for you to complete the search you can use tools that are located under the text list of items to find on the right of the screen. Each tool has a different use and you will have to decide which ones to use in which scenes based on how you play and what kind of issues you encounter. (See "Tools/items to help you find objects" below for more details)
As you level up there will be more rooms with phenomena happening to them. Be sure to read about this in the "Phenomena" section of this guide.
Mystery Manor Tools Store
Tools and Items
Tools are used to help you find hidden objects in a scene and to fight off various phenomena that may be in place in a room.
You will need to either purchase tools or have them gifted to you by neighbors.
Tools are listed at the mid-right of the search screen. Click on them to use or add more.
Some tools can be purchased with gold coins and some only with diamonds. Click on the store icon and then on "Tools" at the tab along the top to locate them.
Types of Tools
Compass Tool - Mysteriously guides you to the item you are looking for. These can be purchased for one diamond each or you can purchase a 10 pack for nine diamonds.
Flashlight/Enhanced Flashlight - Lasts either 30 or 60 seconds and increases your light's range for use in dark screens
Time Freeze - Stops time for 40 seconds.
Enhanced Time Snail - Slows time for 60 seconds.
Gold Bomb - This causes five items on the find list to blow up.
Time Snail - Slows speed to half speed for 10 seconds.
The Flare - This lights up the entire room while it is in night mode for 30 seconds.
Enhanced Pointer - This lights up items that are on your list when you point at them for 60 seconds.
Pointer - This lights up items that are on your list when you point to them for 30 seconds.
Mystery Manor Floating Neighbors Help
Mystery Manor Help Locked in Neighbor
Floating Neighbors (Manor Map)
On your manor map you will see the names of people floating around the map and footprints that appear and disappear in a magical fashion. These are people on your friend list that are playing the game.
Click on one of these neighbors to initiate a bonus for helping them.
You will be taken to a hidden object scene where you are to find five hidden items and possible collectibles.
Once finished you can send energy to this neighbor or you can ask them to go with you, which means they will help you search the next room giving you the benefit of their level and experience. This can increase the odds of your finding collectibles or earning a higher score while searching a room.
When you accept this help an icon will appear to the right of the screen before the control buttons and list. You will also see bonuses and special items listed here when they go into effect.
Mystery Manor Darkness Phenomena
Phenomena
Each room in the manor will have various "Phenomena" that you have to get rid of or use tools to defeat. You will see the name of the phenomena when you place your cursor over the room such as "Evil Eye" or "Witches Curse"
You can instantly remove an annoying phenomenon by purchasing its removal with diamonds or you can clear the room which may eventually stop it.
Phenomenons might include a dark rooms in which you have to use a flashlight, or you may have a curse where time moves faster than what the clock tells you and you will need to purchase a snail charm to counteract it for a few seconds.
There are many different phenomena in the game and it can be very expensive to purchase the release of it. So use your diamonds sparingly and save them for the higher levels where you will need to get rid of these to proceed.
Mystery Manor Charms Store
Charms
Charms are used for special benefits in the game as you search rooms. They increase your luck and odds of finding items, give you more time, and increase the odds collectibles will be in a room you search.
You may also be able to increase your odds of finding items for a specific number of hours or you could speed up your energy restore rate or the percentage of experience you will earn while searching.
Visit the game store and click on the "Charms" tab to access the various charms and note that some can be purchased with gold coins and some with diamonds.
Most charms are only available for purchase once you reach a certain level and unlock them.
Mystery Manor store Special Items
Special Items
Special items are available in the store which when purchased give you all kinds of advantages when searching scenes in a room and removing the annoying phenomena.
Some of the items reverse actions in rooms and some of the items are used for entry into specific rooms.
You can purchase treasure chests which instantly give you six random collectible items so you do not have to search for these. The more expensive the chest the more likely you are to get rare collectibles.
Click on the store button then on "Special" to access two pages of these items and be sure to check back daily for more.
Mystery Manor Collections
Collections/Wishlist
Collections are kept in "Mr. X's" mystical chest and you can access it by clicking on the collections button at the upper right corner of the game screen.
There are currently 38 collections each requiring you find five items available to complete. (The number of collections will likely increase with future game upgrades.)
Each room you search will have potential collectibles in it and you will be shown which ones in a message before you start each hidden object scene. Sometimes a room will not have collectibles in it and it is random with the placement of these items so you may have to search a room many times before you run across them.
You are only given five minutes to search a location and the faster you find the items the more money and experience you will earn. You have to make sure you keep in mind that collectibles need to be found but can not take up a lot of time. Once you find the final item on the list the scene will close and you will not be able to look for collectibles so keep this in mind before you click on the last item.
Once in the hidden object scene look for these items before you find you final item on your list. If you find any collectibles click on them and they will be added to your collections area.
Once you have all five required items in a collection you will also have to have the correct number of collectibles required to charge the box. Once this is done you will earn a coin and/or experience point reward as well as a special item to be used in the game.
You can click on the collections button at the upper right corner and the box will appear with all items shown along with the gift that can be earned by completing that collection.
Note - It appears at this time that collections can be completed only once.
Wishlist - Along the top of the collection box you will notice a wishlist. Click on the little icon that looks like paper with a plus sign to add this item to your wishlist. Now others can gift this item to you and help you complete collections you are having difficulty finding things for.
Mystery Manor Wishlist
Gifting wishlist item to your neighbor - When you place the cursor over any of your neighbors along the bottom of the game screen you will notice that their wishlist expands immediately and you can see what they need and if you have any of these items to gift to them. Your neighbors will also be able to see your wishlist and if they send you an item on it, it will disappear from your list so be sure to keep your list updated.
Be sure to help your neighbors so they will return the favor.
Mystery gifts - Please encourage friends to send you a mystery gift as their free gift of the day to send to you. These very often contain collectibles and will keep you from having to search rooms several times to find them.
Mystery Manor Reputation Meter
Reputation
Each time you visit a neighbor you increase your reputation level. Hearts represent reputation in the game. There is a meter in the upper left corner under the experience meter that shows you how many reputation points you have earned.
You are only allowed to collect a daily neighbor visit bonus once the first time you play the game and each time you play you increase your reputation a little more and will be allowed to collect more daily visit bonuses. You will still be allowed to help your neighbors and collect reputation points and gold for doing so. (See "Visiting and Helping Neighbors" for more information.)
When you look at a neighbor in the menu at the bottom of the screen look at the star to see their level and the heart to see their reputation rating. The higher the number, the more visits that person does daily.
When you have a higher reputation level you are able to do more things for your neighbors each day such as leave hints.
Mystery Manor Neighbor Menu Options
Visiting and Helping Neighbors
Along the bottom of the game screen you will see your neighbors. These are people already playing the game that are on your Facebook friend list. The star indicates their level in the game and the number in the heart indicates their reputation rating.
If you invite more friends you will have to wait for them to accept before they appear on your list. You can only invite people on your Facebook friend list.
Use your cursor and place it on a neighbor's icon at the bottom of the screen. You will see three buttons and if they have any items on their wishlist it will expand upward and you have the option to send them one of these items if you have it to spare in your inventory.
Visit - Click here to visit your neighbor.
Profile - This will open your friend's Facebook profile page in another browser window.
Gift - Click here to send this particular neighbor a free gift.
Mystery Manor Neighbor Visit Bonus
Helping neighbors - Once you are in your neighbor's mansion based on your current reputation rating you will earn a reward of 50 experience points and 100 gold coins.
Note - The first time you play the game you will only be able to collect this bonus from one neighbor. The more people you visit and help, the more reputation points you will earn. This will increase the number of neighbors you can collect these daily visit bonuses from each day.
Next, you will see your name floating around your neighbor's mansion map along with others that have visited this friend.
You can help your neighbor a certain number of times, which begins at a minimum of five. This is seen in the upper left corner as a blue icon with a hand on it. The number you see in this button is the number of times you can help this neighbor. As your reputation level increases you will be able to help more times.
Mystery Manor Helping Neighbors
How to help - Look for rooms with the downward facing orange arrows and click on them. You will leave hints in these rooms for your neighbor and a heart and a coin will appear. Click on these hearts and coins to collect. Each heart you click on goes into your reputation meter, which increases the number of neighbors you can collect the daily bonuses from when you visit. You will need to work hard to get this bonus from many neighbors.
You will be able to see a detailed listing of your neighbor's game stats to the far right of the game screen.
Once you are finished, you are given the option to post a notification on your neighbor's Facebook profile. If you do not want to do this simply close the message.
To return home look for the house button at the bottom left corner of the game screen.
Mystery Manor Strength Indicator
Strength
Strength is used each time you visit a neighbor and you are given a maximum of 25 strength points when you start the game.
Each time you level up the maximum strength your meter can hold increases by 10 and you earn a complete strength meter refill each time you level up in the game.
Each time you give your friend hints you will spend 10 strength points.
If you run out of strength it will either regenerate over time at a rate of one strength point every three minutes. You will not be able to visit neighbors until you have enough strength points to help them out.
How to obtain more strength - You can only obtain strength points by waiting until it regenerates at a rate of one point per three minutes.
Note - "Energy" is what you use when you are home playing in your own mansion. "Strength is used for neighbor visits only. If you purchase a meal it will upgrade your energy at home not your strength meter.
Mystery Manor Sending Gifts
Sending/Receiving Daily Free Gifts
Sending gifts - You will be allowed to send one free gift to 50 of your friends per day. At first this amount may be less and you will build up to the maximum of 50 friends per day that you can initiate sending a gift to.
If a friend requests that you send them a certain gift or collectible you will be able to do that by clicking on "Gift" in the neighbor menu, send free gift at the top of the game, or returning the favor when you accept a gift in the gift area.
Mystery Manor Messages
Claiming your gifts - When gifts are sent to you a notification will appear in the messages area when you load the game. You will be shown who sent you the gift and what it is. Click on "Take" and the gift will be found laying on the manor map when you first visit it. Click on the item and it will be placed in your inventory for future use. Click on "Send Gift" to immediately send an item back to your neighbor.
Click on the inventory box when you are ready to use the gift item.
Be sure to send return gifts to your neighbors whenever possible so the gifting relationship will benefit both of you.
Tip - Mystery boxes are a great gift to send as they have collectibles in them hat can really help you out.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
NBA Dynasty on Facebook: Playdom, NBA Digital roll out a new hoops sim
Yup, another hoops simulation game has made its way to Facebook. The latest, courtesy of Playdom and NBA Digital, is called NBA Dynasty. And, yes, like most of the other sports games on Facebook, you will play coach and manager to your dream team made up of real-life players from 1946 to the present day.
NBA Dynasty players will be able to compete in games against NBA championship teams and go head-to-head against Facebook friends for the all-time best record.
"With NBA Dynasty, we wanted to create a realistic coaching and managing experience while giving players the opportunity to build their ultimate fantasy team," Playdom's Co-Chief Operating Officer John Donham says. "Players will finally find out if their childhood heroes can beat those of their friends."
This basketball game includes highlight clips from the 2010-11 season, which will play "when an NBA player performs well" and as coach, you will be able to direct the action in the game by setting your starting line-up, subbing players, calling time-outs in real time. You can also boost your team's status by building a large fan base, NBA arena and coaching reputation.
One thing you should know up front -- this is purely a management-style game, so anyone with a hankering to play a virtual game of b-ball might be more inclined to leave this one sitting on the sidelines.
We'll have a full review soon. In the meantime, check out NBA Dynasty on Facebook for yourself >
NBA Dynasty players will be able to compete in games against NBA championship teams and go head-to-head against Facebook friends for the all-time best record.
"With NBA Dynasty, we wanted to create a realistic coaching and managing experience while giving players the opportunity to build their ultimate fantasy team," Playdom's Co-Chief Operating Officer John Donham says. "Players will finally find out if their childhood heroes can beat those of their friends."
This basketball game includes highlight clips from the 2010-11 season, which will play "when an NBA player performs well" and as coach, you will be able to direct the action in the game by setting your starting line-up, subbing players, calling time-outs in real time. You can also boost your team's status by building a large fan base, NBA arena and coaching reputation.
One thing you should know up front -- this is purely a management-style game, so anyone with a hankering to play a virtual game of b-ball might be more inclined to leave this one sitting on the sidelines.
We'll have a full review soon. In the meantime, check out NBA Dynasty on Facebook for yourself >
NBA Dynasty on Facebook: Intense hoops strategy in the fourth period
NBA Dynasty in action
Ever wait to watch a basketball game until the final quarter, because that's when all the best plays happen? Apparently, so does Playdom, who kept that little secret in mind when developing NBA Dynasty for Facebook. The Disney-owned studio got its mitts on the NBA license and went to town with it, creating one impressive basketball game that throws you into three roles: owner, general manager and coach of a hodgepodge NBA team with the best players from the '40s to present day.
Log into the game and you'll instantly notice its primary draw: the presentation. The amount of time (and money) that went into NBA Dynasty is instantly noticeable from the official NBA teams and players to the video clips that players can share from Comcast Sportsnet and other local sports news networks. And all three of your roles have been given the same level of polish.
Owner:
Of course as owner, it's your job to make sure the team has plenty of fans, exposure and, well, buy things. That's what owners do, right? Most importantly, you must use your earned coins from victories and purchased Crowns, the game's paid currency, to buy better athletes. Each player, which is or was a real-life NBA player, has an assigned star rating that's an accumulation of their defensive and offensive skills.
Other things that owners must consider are new courts and arenas, which will increase your capacity for fans and bring in more coins per win. Lastly, it's your duty to keep track of your goals, which will reward you with extra coins and XP when completed. It's all presented in an easily understandable menu system that explains exactly what needs to be done to move your team to the next level.
Gallery: NBA Dynasty on Facebook
General Manager:
Strategy is the name of your game. GMs manage player lineups and provide their athletes with boosts to their performance. And if you want to get into the nitty gritty of every player's performance, the option is there as well. One of the best qualities of NBA Dynasty is its scalability, meaning the game can be as complex or as simple as you want it to be. Well, almost as simple--coaching isn't exactly easy.
Coach:
This is the meat of every sports game on Facebook. As Coach, you'll call every play during the pivotal fourth period in any given basketball game. Your starting lineup will appear as small icons on the court and go against the opposition in randomized plays based on each players' statistics. You can directly control who becomes the "Go-to Guy" on the team, meaning the guy who players will tend to pass the ball too. If a player is "On Fire," it would be a good idea to prioritize him, while players that are "On Ice" would benefit from sitting on the bench for a while.
Thankfully, you're given a few timeouts to make those switches happen. Switching players mid-game becomes vitally important, because as players stay in the game their stamina decreases and thus their performance. It almost goes without saying that you shouldn't sell players that are weaker than your starters, because it's your job to give the all stars a break too.
NBA Dynasty Highlights
At Level 5, you're given the option to skip games entirely, but it's a pleasure to say that you might not want to do that. The amount of control you have over the outcome of a game is far too appealing to pass up in respect of time. Playdom has somehow infused engaging and rewarding gameplay into a burgeoning sub genre that has been plagued by boredom. NBA Dynasty brings a level of polish and realism to sports social games that just recently other developers have come close to.
Ever wait to watch a basketball game until the final quarter, because that's when all the best plays happen? Apparently, so does Playdom, who kept that little secret in mind when developing NBA Dynasty for Facebook. The Disney-owned studio got its mitts on the NBA license and went to town with it, creating one impressive basketball game that throws you into three roles: owner, general manager and coach of a hodgepodge NBA team with the best players from the '40s to present day.
Log into the game and you'll instantly notice its primary draw: the presentation. The amount of time (and money) that went into NBA Dynasty is instantly noticeable from the official NBA teams and players to the video clips that players can share from Comcast Sportsnet and other local sports news networks. And all three of your roles have been given the same level of polish.
Owner:
Of course as owner, it's your job to make sure the team has plenty of fans, exposure and, well, buy things. That's what owners do, right? Most importantly, you must use your earned coins from victories and purchased Crowns, the game's paid currency, to buy better athletes. Each player, which is or was a real-life NBA player, has an assigned star rating that's an accumulation of their defensive and offensive skills.
Other things that owners must consider are new courts and arenas, which will increase your capacity for fans and bring in more coins per win. Lastly, it's your duty to keep track of your goals, which will reward you with extra coins and XP when completed. It's all presented in an easily understandable menu system that explains exactly what needs to be done to move your team to the next level.
Gallery: NBA Dynasty on Facebook
General Manager:
Strategy is the name of your game. GMs manage player lineups and provide their athletes with boosts to their performance. And if you want to get into the nitty gritty of every player's performance, the option is there as well. One of the best qualities of NBA Dynasty is its scalability, meaning the game can be as complex or as simple as you want it to be. Well, almost as simple--coaching isn't exactly easy.
Coach:
This is the meat of every sports game on Facebook. As Coach, you'll call every play during the pivotal fourth period in any given basketball game. Your starting lineup will appear as small icons on the court and go against the opposition in randomized plays based on each players' statistics. You can directly control who becomes the "Go-to Guy" on the team, meaning the guy who players will tend to pass the ball too. If a player is "On Fire," it would be a good idea to prioritize him, while players that are "On Ice" would benefit from sitting on the bench for a while.
Thankfully, you're given a few timeouts to make those switches happen. Switching players mid-game becomes vitally important, because as players stay in the game their stamina decreases and thus their performance. It almost goes without saying that you shouldn't sell players that are weaker than your starters, because it's your job to give the all stars a break too.
NBA Dynasty Highlights
At Level 5, you're given the option to skip games entirely, but it's a pleasure to say that you might not want to do that. The amount of control you have over the outcome of a game is far too appealing to pass up in respect of time. Playdom has somehow infused engaging and rewarding gameplay into a burgeoning sub genre that has been plagued by boredom. NBA Dynasty brings a level of polish and realism to sports social games that just recently other developers have come close to.
FarmVille Sneak Peek: Pig Breeding slops closer to release
Pig Breeding
If this leaked image that FarmVille Feed snapped up is any indication, Pig Breeding is that much closer to release in FarmVille. Though, how a yellow father with a toupee and a purple mother make a pink child is beyond me. The much-anticipated logical step from Sheep Breeding will use the same Love Potions and Baby Milk that you use for Sheep today, according to FarmVille Feed. Let's hope this is a good sign for Pig Breeding's release, because Sheep with stars on them are getting kinda old.
[Image Credit: FarmVille Feed]
Are you psyched for the upcoming Pig Breeding feature? What other breeding options would you like to see in FarmVille?
If this leaked image that FarmVille Feed snapped up is any indication, Pig Breeding is that much closer to release in FarmVille. Though, how a yellow father with a toupee and a purple mother make a pink child is beyond me. The much-anticipated logical step from Sheep Breeding will use the same Love Potions and Baby Milk that you use for Sheep today, according to FarmVille Feed. Let's hope this is a good sign for Pig Breeding's release, because Sheep with stars on them are getting kinda old.
[Image Credit: FarmVille Feed]
Are you psyched for the upcoming Pig Breeding feature? What other breeding options would you like to see in FarmVille?
Zynga fans make up 40 percent of all Facebook users
Even if you're that guy to your friends--you know, who spammed his friends with FarmVille updates all last year--you're apparently far from alone. Social Times has done a little math work based on a Jan. 2011 estimate by Business Insider claiming that there are 600 million Facebook users to find that 40 percent of those 600 million are not just Facebook gamers, but Zynga gamers. The fact that Zynga has the minds of almost 300 million Facebook users puts the company in a great position of power.
If Zynga doesn't like something that Facebook does or says, the company could simply take those paying customers away. Customers who, as of July, will account for a huge portion of Facebook's revenue through the mandatory Facebook Credits change.
In other words, because the social network wants to make a few bucks from the lucrative gaming companies that have arrived on their stoop, the ball is now in their court, namely Zynga's. That is, if players would actually follow Zynga out the door.
In fact, Zynga CEO Mark Pincus has made it clear before that a platform agnostic Zynga is something he is not only considering, but working toward. A large portion of Facebook users likely only log into Facebook to play on their dedicated Zynga accounts, so for Facebook to lose Zynga would be to lose millions if not billions of dollars down the line.
In short, it would be wise for Facebook to play nice with Zynga if it wants the developer to endure the 30 percent cut Facebook takes on its virtual goods. This much bargaining power over one of the globe's most popular and profitable corporations should be alarming. Zynga could change the very face of Facebook if it wanted to, holding the power of nearly 300 million potential customers in one hand and the doorknob in the other.
If Zynga doesn't like something that Facebook does or says, the company could simply take those paying customers away. Customers who, as of July, will account for a huge portion of Facebook's revenue through the mandatory Facebook Credits change.
In other words, because the social network wants to make a few bucks from the lucrative gaming companies that have arrived on their stoop, the ball is now in their court, namely Zynga's. That is, if players would actually follow Zynga out the door.
In fact, Zynga CEO Mark Pincus has made it clear before that a platform agnostic Zynga is something he is not only considering, but working toward. A large portion of Facebook users likely only log into Facebook to play on their dedicated Zynga accounts, so for Facebook to lose Zynga would be to lose millions if not billions of dollars down the line.
In short, it would be wise for Facebook to play nice with Zynga if it wants the developer to endure the 30 percent cut Facebook takes on its virtual goods. This much bargaining power over one of the globe's most popular and profitable corporations should be alarming. Zynga could change the very face of Facebook if it wanted to, holding the power of nearly 300 million potential customers in one hand and the doorknob in the other.
Monday, December 26, 2011
FrontierVille Cowgirls Don't Cry Goals: Everything you need to know
Zynga has launched a new five-part mission series in FrontierVille detailing everyone's favorite cowgirl - Bess! Apparently, Bess has been feeling might down lately, and needs some hard work to do to take her mind off of her loneliness. This is where you come in. Luckily, these goals are all fairly simple, and will actually reintroduce Captain Flintlock to the game (remember, he took a likin' to Bess in the Shower Goals, so this isn't surprising).
Cowgirls Don't Cry, Part I starts you off really, really simply.
Tend 20 Sheep on your Homestead or a Neighbor's Homestead
Tend 20 Goats on your Homestead or a Neighbor's Homestead
Collect Five Milking Buckets
The Milking Buckets must be earned by asking your friends to send them to you, but you can easily finish the other two tasks on your own. Finishing this mission gives you 100 Food and a Goat Milk collection item as rewards.
For Part II, you'll need to help Bess take out her aggressions on some wild Varmints.
Clobber 2 Bears
Clobber 2 Snakes
Hire Bess
These tasks are all fairly self explanatory. If you've never hired Bess before, simply click on her and choose Hire from the drop down menu that appears. For completing this second goal, you're given 150 Food and one Bear Claw collectible from the Bear Collection (which happens to be the rarest item of that collection, which provides an Animal Ready Boost). In other words - a great prize!
Moving on, Part III moves on from Varmints to debris, and sees Bess finally noticing Captain Flintlock as a possible romantic interest.
Remove Five Grasses on a Neighbor's Homestead
Clear Five Rocks on a Neighbor's Homestead
Collect Five Post Hole Diggers
Remember, you're clearing debris on your friends' Homesteads and not your own, so save those rocks and grass for missions that require you to stick closer to home. You'll need to click on the Ask button to ask your friends for the Post Hole Diggers. Finishing this mission gives you 250 Food and a Wagon Wheel decoration, covered in lovely pink and red roses.
The next goal, Part IV, sees Bess turning things around in terms of her mood, and even heading into the kitchen to bake something for Captain Flintlock.
Bake Three Cakes in the Inn
Harvest 40 Sunflowers on your Homestead
Collect a Daily Barn Bonus
Cakes can be crated inside the Inn using four Batters and 2 Fire each. Batters themselves are also crafted in the Inn with 20 Food and 900 coins. Once you finish this goal, you'll receive 5 Sunflower Boosts, along with a Sundial decoration. Don't get too excited though, as we've seen the Sundial available in the game before, as a prize from the It's Canning Time Timed Mission.
Finally, we're ready to permanently turn Bess's mood back to good, as, in Part V, we also see Captain Flintlock returning the favor of gifting something to Bess.
Harvest 40 Apples on your Homestead
Tame Wild Stallion
Collect 15 Braiding Ribbons
That's right, Bess has been given a new pony by the Captain. To finish off this quest line for good, you'll need to harvest your Apple Trees 40 times in total, while asking your friends to send you 15 Braiding Ribbons. Finishing this final quest gives you a Carrot Horse Treat, 300 XP and a Double Heart Pond decoration. Looks like things have worked out for Bess after all!
Personally, I had always been rooting for Hank and Bess to get together, but now that Captain Flintlock has entered the picture, I think things have worked out just fine. Plus, the Double Heart Pond is just a lovely decoration, so I would be willing to complete these goals either way, just to receive it.
What do you think? Do you think Bess and Captain Flintlock are a good match, or should Bess try to break up Hank and Fanny's growing relationship?
Cowgirls Don't Cry, Part I starts you off really, really simply.
Tend 20 Sheep on your Homestead or a Neighbor's Homestead
Tend 20 Goats on your Homestead or a Neighbor's Homestead
Collect Five Milking Buckets
The Milking Buckets must be earned by asking your friends to send them to you, but you can easily finish the other two tasks on your own. Finishing this mission gives you 100 Food and a Goat Milk collection item as rewards.
For Part II, you'll need to help Bess take out her aggressions on some wild Varmints.
Clobber 2 Bears
Clobber 2 Snakes
Hire Bess
These tasks are all fairly self explanatory. If you've never hired Bess before, simply click on her and choose Hire from the drop down menu that appears. For completing this second goal, you're given 150 Food and one Bear Claw collectible from the Bear Collection (which happens to be the rarest item of that collection, which provides an Animal Ready Boost). In other words - a great prize!
Moving on, Part III moves on from Varmints to debris, and sees Bess finally noticing Captain Flintlock as a possible romantic interest.
Remove Five Grasses on a Neighbor's Homestead
Clear Five Rocks on a Neighbor's Homestead
Collect Five Post Hole Diggers
Remember, you're clearing debris on your friends' Homesteads and not your own, so save those rocks and grass for missions that require you to stick closer to home. You'll need to click on the Ask button to ask your friends for the Post Hole Diggers. Finishing this mission gives you 250 Food and a Wagon Wheel decoration, covered in lovely pink and red roses.
The next goal, Part IV, sees Bess turning things around in terms of her mood, and even heading into the kitchen to bake something for Captain Flintlock.
Bake Three Cakes in the Inn
Harvest 40 Sunflowers on your Homestead
Collect a Daily Barn Bonus
Cakes can be crated inside the Inn using four Batters and 2 Fire each. Batters themselves are also crafted in the Inn with 20 Food and 900 coins. Once you finish this goal, you'll receive 5 Sunflower Boosts, along with a Sundial decoration. Don't get too excited though, as we've seen the Sundial available in the game before, as a prize from the It's Canning Time Timed Mission.
Finally, we're ready to permanently turn Bess's mood back to good, as, in Part V, we also see Captain Flintlock returning the favor of gifting something to Bess.
Harvest 40 Apples on your Homestead
Tame Wild Stallion
Collect 15 Braiding Ribbons
That's right, Bess has been given a new pony by the Captain. To finish off this quest line for good, you'll need to harvest your Apple Trees 40 times in total, while asking your friends to send you 15 Braiding Ribbons. Finishing this final quest gives you a Carrot Horse Treat, 300 XP and a Double Heart Pond decoration. Looks like things have worked out for Bess after all!
Personally, I had always been rooting for Hank and Bess to get together, but now that Captain Flintlock has entered the picture, I think things have worked out just fine. Plus, the Double Heart Pond is just a lovely decoration, so I would be willing to complete these goals either way, just to receive it.
What do you think? Do you think Bess and Captain Flintlock are a good match, or should Bess try to break up Hank and Fanny's growing relationship?
FarmVille GagaVille It's Almost Time Goal: Everything you need to know
Another night, another new goal in FarmVille's GagaVille cross-promotion. Tonight marks the launch of quest six - It's Almost Time! These quests continue to be incredibly easy to complete, with tonight's goal being so simple that it shouldn't take you anymore than five minutes to complete at most.
As usual, you'll have three tasks (and I bet you can guess what at least one of them is):
Visit GagaVille
Visit 3 Neighbors
Have 3 VIP Tickets
Your VIP Ticket task will be completed for you automatically if you've held onto all of the tickets you've needed for previous quests. In addition to that, you don't have to actually do anything on the friends' farms that you visit. That being the case, you can visit the three lowest-level neighbors you have (as their farms would take less time to load) to finish this quest even faster. Once you complete the three steps, you'll receive a set of prizes: 100 XP, 2,500 coins and the infamous Motorcycle Sheep that formerly took up residence just on the GagaVille farm proper.
Again, you'll also be able to have access to listen to the entirety of Lady Gaga's new "Born This Way" album via the iHeartRadio player in the top right corner of your farm, but this quest, like all the others, will only be available to complete for a single day.
Check out the rest of our GagaVille coverage right here. >
Had you been looking forward to adding the Motorcycle Sheep to your farm? Which of the GagaVille limited edition prizes have you been most excited about?
As usual, you'll have three tasks (and I bet you can guess what at least one of them is):
Visit GagaVille
Visit 3 Neighbors
Have 3 VIP Tickets
Your VIP Ticket task will be completed for you automatically if you've held onto all of the tickets you've needed for previous quests. In addition to that, you don't have to actually do anything on the friends' farms that you visit. That being the case, you can visit the three lowest-level neighbors you have (as their farms would take less time to load) to finish this quest even faster. Once you complete the three steps, you'll receive a set of prizes: 100 XP, 2,500 coins and the infamous Motorcycle Sheep that formerly took up residence just on the GagaVille farm proper.
Again, you'll also be able to have access to listen to the entirety of Lady Gaga's new "Born This Way" album via the iHeartRadio player in the top right corner of your farm, but this quest, like all the others, will only be available to complete for a single day.
Check out the rest of our GagaVille coverage right here. >
Had you been looking forward to adding the Motorcycle Sheep to your farm? Which of the GagaVille limited edition prizes have you been most excited about?
FarmVille GagaVille: Grab a free can of Monster Fuel from 102.7 KIIS FM
Today's the day folks! For those of us FarmVille players that have vivid imaginations, today's the day that we'll finally be able to put the issue of "Lady Gaga's Monster Fuel" to rest. Just what does this "Monster Fuel" do exactly? Well, before we can answer that question, let's get some onto our farms, shall we? Continuing in the GagaVille theme, 102.7 KIIS FM is giving away one free can of Monster Fuel to all players today. To earn yours, simply head to Zynga's Lady Gaga hub and enter the code "MONSTER" at the bottom of the screen.
Once back in your game, you'll see that you have one dark and mysterious can of Monster Fuel waiting for you. You can use it just like any other item in your inventory, only to receive 10 full fuel refills in the process. That's a pretty great prize, considering just how valuable fuel is as a commodity in the game. Unfortunately, that's all the Fuel does, though. I know I personally would've loved if tiny little monsters sprouted up from my land and ran around my farm, but alas. Still, free fuel is awesome, so I can't really complain. There's only one prize left from this radio promotion farmers - check back with us tomorrow to see what the final code and prizes are!
Check out the rest of our GagaVille coverage right here. >
What do you think of Lady Gaga's Monster Fuel? Are you disappointed it didn't do more?
Once back in your game, you'll see that you have one dark and mysterious can of Monster Fuel waiting for you. You can use it just like any other item in your inventory, only to receive 10 full fuel refills in the process. That's a pretty great prize, considering just how valuable fuel is as a commodity in the game. Unfortunately, that's all the Fuel does, though. I know I personally would've loved if tiny little monsters sprouted up from my land and ran around my farm, but alas. Still, free fuel is awesome, so I can't really complain. There's only one prize left from this radio promotion farmers - check back with us tomorrow to see what the final code and prizes are!
Check out the rest of our GagaVille coverage right here. >
What do you think of Lady Gaga's Monster Fuel? Are you disappointed it didn't do more?
FarmVille GagaVille Trees: Jewel Trees & Pink Gem Trees
Just as we predicted, two new sets of GagaVille-themed trees have been added to FarmVille's store this weekend, coming in the form of the Jewel Tree and Giant Jewel Tree, along with the Pink Gem Tree and the Giant Pink Gem Tree.
Unfortunately, you'll need to spend quite a few Farm Cash if you want all four - 7 Farm Cash each for the normal sized trees, and 12 Farm Cash each for the giant versions. Remember though, you can always hope to receive one of the Giant trees from a Mystery Seedling, if you'd rather save that 24 Farm Cash (I know I would). Even though they're so unrealistic, all four of these trees can be mastered, which will likely be some of the biggest incentive in purchasing them (if you're as big of a collector of mastery signs as I am). Either way, you'll need to shop fast, as these items will only be in the store for the next two weeks.
Check out the rest of our GagaVille coverage right here. >
Which of these two tree pairs do you like more? Do you like the Pink Gem Tree because it matches the regular Gem Tree released earlier in the theme, or do you like the more original Jewel Tree?
Unfortunately, you'll need to spend quite a few Farm Cash if you want all four - 7 Farm Cash each for the normal sized trees, and 12 Farm Cash each for the giant versions. Remember though, you can always hope to receive one of the Giant trees from a Mystery Seedling, if you'd rather save that 24 Farm Cash (I know I would). Even though they're so unrealistic, all four of these trees can be mastered, which will likely be some of the biggest incentive in purchasing them (if you're as big of a collector of mastery signs as I am). Either way, you'll need to shop fast, as these items will only be in the store for the next two weeks.
Check out the rest of our GagaVille coverage right here. >
Which of these two tree pairs do you like more? Do you like the Pink Gem Tree because it matches the regular Gem Tree released earlier in the theme, or do you like the more original Jewel Tree?
FarmVille GagaVille Animals: Mohawk Cow, Mohawk Calf & Biker Goat
With tonight's FarmVille update, we see the launch of two (technically three) new animals in the GagaVille theme. Two new animals are available in the store, one being the Mohawk Cow and the other being the Biker Goat. The Mohawk Cow is available for 22 Farm Cash, and remember, for that price you have the chance of breeding the Cow in your Dairy Barn (if you also have a Bull inside) and can receive a Mohawk Calf at random to share with your friends.
Meanwhile, you can pick up the Biker Goat for less, at 14 Farm Cash. Unfortunately, neither of these animals are particularly cheap, but considering the "celebrity theme," I'm honestly surprised they're not priced higher. Buying either animal nets you a lot of experience points either way - 2200 for the Cow and 1400 for the Goat - but you'll need to shop fast to take advantage of the bonus, as both animals will only be available in the game for the next two weeks.
Neither of these animals may contain any bright and glittery patterns, like animals previously released in the theme, but I still think they're pretty cool - don't you?
Check out the rest of our GagaVille coverage right here. >
What do you think of these two (three) new animals? Do you like the more girly, purple and pink animals released recently, or do you like the biker theme?
Meanwhile, you can pick up the Biker Goat for less, at 14 Farm Cash. Unfortunately, neither of these animals are particularly cheap, but considering the "celebrity theme," I'm honestly surprised they're not priced higher. Buying either animal nets you a lot of experience points either way - 2200 for the Cow and 1400 for the Goat - but you'll need to shop fast to take advantage of the bonus, as both animals will only be available in the game for the next two weeks.
Neither of these animals may contain any bright and glittery patterns, like animals previously released in the theme, but I still think they're pretty cool - don't you?
Check out the rest of our GagaVille coverage right here. >
What do you think of these two (three) new animals? Do you like the more girly, purple and pink animals released recently, or do you like the biker theme?
FarmVille GagaVille Decorations: Crystal Castle, Glitter, Fame Gnome and more
With tonight's FarmVille update, your choices when decorating in the current GagaVille limited edition item theme have expanded by leaps and bounds with the release of a ton of new decorations in the game's store. To start, there is a single new building to purchase - the Crystal Castle. From far away, this building almost reminds me of the Emerald City from the Wizard of Oz, but multi-colored. you can buy it for the wallet-busting price of 40 Farm Cash.
There are tons of other items to choose from (along with another opportunity to snag that awesome Motorcycle Sheep) and you can find out what they are behind the break.
As for the decorations themselves, there are a whopping eight new items available, along with the re-release of the Motorcycle Sheep, for those that missed it as a quest reward. That particular item costs 15 Farm Cash. The other Farm Cash items are the Enchanted Tree II for 1 Farm Cash, the Fame Gnome (a gnome dressed as a Lady Gaga fan) for 15 Farm Cash, and the Giant Crystal Lake for 20 Farm Cash. The Giant Crystal Lake is just that - giant - so you might need to organize some things on your farm before purchasing it.
Meanwhile, if you'd rather just spend coins, you can do that as well, by picking up a patch of multi-colored Glitter for 4,000 coins, a Crystal Garden for 200,000 coins, a single piece of Crystal Fencing for 8,000 coins, the Lady Gaga Sign for 50,000 coins and finally, a Unicorn Topiary for 20,000 coins.
All told, there's just a treasure trove of items here for you to choose from, so hopefully every farmer can find at least one item they like. Remember, if you'd like to see some of these items in "action" before you buy them, you can head over to the GagaVille farm to see them placed next to other themed items for a better look. Just don't be surprised if that makes you want them even more!
Check out the rest of our GagaVille coverage right here. >
Have you already filled your farm with GagaVille merchandise, or can you stand to add a few items more?
There are tons of other items to choose from (along with another opportunity to snag that awesome Motorcycle Sheep) and you can find out what they are behind the break.
As for the decorations themselves, there are a whopping eight new items available, along with the re-release of the Motorcycle Sheep, for those that missed it as a quest reward. That particular item costs 15 Farm Cash. The other Farm Cash items are the Enchanted Tree II for 1 Farm Cash, the Fame Gnome (a gnome dressed as a Lady Gaga fan) for 15 Farm Cash, and the Giant Crystal Lake for 20 Farm Cash. The Giant Crystal Lake is just that - giant - so you might need to organize some things on your farm before purchasing it.
Meanwhile, if you'd rather just spend coins, you can do that as well, by picking up a patch of multi-colored Glitter for 4,000 coins, a Crystal Garden for 200,000 coins, a single piece of Crystal Fencing for 8,000 coins, the Lady Gaga Sign for 50,000 coins and finally, a Unicorn Topiary for 20,000 coins.
All told, there's just a treasure trove of items here for you to choose from, so hopefully every farmer can find at least one item they like. Remember, if you'd like to see some of these items in "action" before you buy them, you can head over to the GagaVille farm to see them placed next to other themed items for a better look. Just don't be surprised if that makes you want them even more!
Check out the rest of our GagaVille coverage right here. >
Have you already filled your farm with GagaVille merchandise, or can you stand to add a few items more?
FarmVille GagaVille Avatar Costumes: Crystal Outfit & Hipster Outfit
Two interesting avatar costumes were released in the GagaVille theme in FarmVille this evening. On the one hand, you have the Crystal Outfit for female avatars that screams of Lady Gaga's adventurous style, and on the other a Hipster Outfit for boys, which is actually rather plain and subdued.
Whichever outfit you choose, you'll need to pay 10 Farm Cash for your new threads. It should be noted that if you choose the Hipster Outfit, you'll receive the pair of glasses as part of the outfit, so this wouldn't be a good choice if you already bought the GagaVille Sparkly Glasses last week. Either way, you'll be able to shop for these two outfits for the next two weeks. Hopefully you'll still have some Farm Cash left by the end of all of this (c'mon, I can't be the only one snapping up these items left and right - could I?).
Check out the rest of our GagaVille coverage right here. >
Did you already outfit your avatar in a Lady Gaga inspired costume, or were you waiting for this lovely blue dress?
Whichever outfit you choose, you'll need to pay 10 Farm Cash for your new threads. It should be noted that if you choose the Hipster Outfit, you'll receive the pair of glasses as part of the outfit, so this wouldn't be a good choice if you already bought the GagaVille Sparkly Glasses last week. Either way, you'll be able to shop for these two outfits for the next two weeks. Hopefully you'll still have some Farm Cash left by the end of all of this (c'mon, I can't be the only one snapping up these items left and right - could I?).
Check out the rest of our GagaVille coverage right here. >
Did you already outfit your avatar in a Lady Gaga inspired costume, or were you waiting for this lovely blue dress?
FarmVille Mystery Game (05/22/2011): Lady Gaga's Born This Way items
Tonight marks the next update for the FarmVille Mystery Game, with tonight's update bringing a GagaVille / Born this Way theme to the items. Don't get too excited though - only one of tonight's animals is actually new, so you'll need to take a few extra seconds when deciding whether or not to play in case you happen upon a duplicate.
This week's game costs 20 Farm Cash to play (remember, you can earn free darts by buying Farm Cash). You'll have a chance at one of the following animals:
Purple Unicorn
Peacock (re-release)
Musk Deer (re-release)
Komodo Dragon (re-release)
Ballerina Hippo (re-release)
Angora Rabbit (re-release)
Not to sound unappreciative, but am I the only one that thinks Zynga might have taken the easy way out with this week's theme? Honestly, I can only easily associate three of the animals (the Purple Unicorn, Peacock and Ballerina Hippo) with anything even resembling this week's theme, while the other animals seem like fillers. I honestly haven't been this torn as to whether or not to play a week's Mystery Game in a very long time. It will be interesting to see how many farmers agree with me.
Check out the rest of our GagaVille coverage right here. >
Do you already have any of this week's animals? Are you disappointed all but one of this week's animals has already been available in other Mystery Games or Crates?
This week's game costs 20 Farm Cash to play (remember, you can earn free darts by buying Farm Cash). You'll have a chance at one of the following animals:
Purple Unicorn
Peacock (re-release)
Musk Deer (re-release)
Komodo Dragon (re-release)
Ballerina Hippo (re-release)
Angora Rabbit (re-release)
Not to sound unappreciative, but am I the only one that thinks Zynga might have taken the easy way out with this week's theme? Honestly, I can only easily associate three of the animals (the Purple Unicorn, Peacock and Ballerina Hippo) with anything even resembling this week's theme, while the other animals seem like fillers. I honestly haven't been this torn as to whether or not to play a week's Mystery Game in a very long time. It will be interesting to see how many farmers agree with me.
Check out the rest of our GagaVille coverage right here. >
Do you already have any of this week's animals? Are you disappointed all but one of this week's animals has already been available in other Mystery Games or Crates?
Saturday, December 24, 2011
FarmVille Sneak Peek: Crafting Silo will support your Craftshop
Man, Zynga has a fever, and the only cure for it is ... more features. This next upcoming building, the Crafting Silo in FarmVille, is somewhat of a mystery, though we can gather quite a bit from these leaked images. First of all, the new Crafting Silo will be an upgradable feature that will store harvested material from Animals and Trees. We imagine its menu will look similar to the Storage Cellar, but let's not get too ahead of ourselves.
FarmVille Crafting Silo guide
The Crafting Silo looks like it will take on resources harvest from these creatures like Yarn, Manure, Milk, Flowers and more. Then, the building will store them and grow larger as you either acquire more items or (most likely) get the help of friends. Finally, players will be able to send these resources over to the Craftshop for hopefully some new recipes (and maybe those locked ones).
FarmVille Crafting Silo
FarmVille Crafting Silo guide
The Crafting Silo looks like it will take on resources harvest from these creatures like Yarn, Manure, Milk, Flowers and more. Then, the building will store them and grow larger as you either acquire more items or (most likely) get the help of friends. Finally, players will be able to send these resources over to the Craftshop for hopefully some new recipes (and maybe those locked ones).
FarmVille Crafting Silo
Lunchtime Poll: Will the Pioneer Trail lure you back to FrontierVille?
FrontierVille, which was once the biggest thing since FarmVille, has been losing thousands of players daily. But it still ranks in the top five Zynga games on Facebook, falling just behind Texas HoldEm Poker.
Now that the wagon train is moving again and FrontierVille's Pioneer Trail expansion is in the works, the game's declining popularity might suddenly go in reverse. But for those of you who left the game, is it too little, too late?
FrontierVille: Will Pioneer Trail make you go back
I never left!No way, the game has too many problemsI never played FrontierVille
VoteView ResultsShare ThisPolldaddy.com
Now that the wagon train is moving again and FrontierVille's Pioneer Trail expansion is in the works, the game's declining popularity might suddenly go in reverse. But for those of you who left the game, is it too little, too late?
FrontierVille: Will Pioneer Trail make you go back
I never left!No way, the game has too many problemsI never played FrontierVille
VoteView ResultsShare ThisPolldaddy.com
Earn free FarmVille Farm Cash in Cee Lo Green, Red Baron promotions
Today, we bring you not one, but two offers for free Farm Cash in FarmVille. We're just nice guys like that. The first, which is worth 2 Farm Cash, is thanks to Cee Lo Green--if you don't know who he is, just Google the words "F**k You" (with the full expletive).
Just click on the link below your game screen that reads "Cee Lo is 'Talking to Strangers'..." and a pop-up will appear with a wooden-esque border.
Then, you must answer the questions relevant to video that plays within the window. Eventually, you'll see text appear that reads "You've earned your Farm Cash" next to a blue "X."
Click on that, and the Farm Cash will post automatically to your total within 30 minutes, though it's usually instantaneous for me. The next promotion with the Red Baron is much of the same.
Cee Lo Green Farm Cash
To take advantage of the next 2 Farm Cash offer, just click on the link that reads "Answer questions and win your Farm Cash" below your game screen. The same type of window will appear as before, but with a new series of questions and a new product to push. In this case it's Red Baron pizza, so answer the questions to the best of your pizza knowledge and the same text should appear in the upper right corner of your screen. Once it does, close the window and you'll net another 2 Farm Cash.
Red Baron pizza Farm Cash
As a forewarning, not all Farm Cash offers are available globally. Some are only available in the US, and others available only in regions outside of it. Regardless, a few free mouse clicks is not too bad for some Farm Cash, so click away.
Just click on the link below your game screen that reads "Cee Lo is 'Talking to Strangers'..." and a pop-up will appear with a wooden-esque border.
Then, you must answer the questions relevant to video that plays within the window. Eventually, you'll see text appear that reads "You've earned your Farm Cash" next to a blue "X."
Click on that, and the Farm Cash will post automatically to your total within 30 minutes, though it's usually instantaneous for me. The next promotion with the Red Baron is much of the same.
Cee Lo Green Farm Cash
To take advantage of the next 2 Farm Cash offer, just click on the link that reads "Answer questions and win your Farm Cash" below your game screen. The same type of window will appear as before, but with a new series of questions and a new product to push. In this case it's Red Baron pizza, so answer the questions to the best of your pizza knowledge and the same text should appear in the upper right corner of your screen. Once it does, close the window and you'll net another 2 Farm Cash.
Red Baron pizza Farm Cash
As a forewarning, not all Farm Cash offers are available globally. Some are only available in the US, and others available only in regions outside of it. Regardless, a few free mouse clicks is not too bad for some Farm Cash, so click away.
Consumer Watchdog barks at Facebook Credits, Zynga-Facebook deal
You know that whole shift to Facebook Credits that is supposed to happen this Friday? Well, that's not gonna' happen--not if Consumer Watchdog has anything to do about it. As of July 1, all Facebook apps and games will essentially be forced to take on the Facebook Credits payment model, from which the company takes a 30 percent cut. The Washington-based nonprofit public interest organization has openly called Facebook out on potentially violating anti-trust law and participating in anti-competitive behavior.
"This isn't just about fun and games," Consumer Advocate John M. Simpson said in a release. "These activities in the virtual world are a big business, worth billions of dollars. If Facebook is allowed to dictate terms in the online gaming market though anti-competitive tactics, consumers will pay more and innovation will be stifled."
More importantly, however, Watchdog has also requested that the Federal Trade Commission investigate the five-year deal Facebook made with Zynga last year to keep the $15 to $20 billion developer on board with the changes. That's funny, because the terms of the deal were never officially disclosed (not that we'd expect that). In fact, the two companies were reported to be nearly at each others' throats before the pen met paper in May of last year. So, you have to think Facebook offered quite an attractive package to keep Zynga around. And Watchdog wants to know.
It's not as if this sort of thing hasn't happened before. Apple takes the same cut from any app that is sold through its App Store, but it's the details of the imposition that are setting Consumer Watchdog off. Specifically, Watchdog said that Facebook has prohibited developers from selling their goods on different websites at lower prices, effectively locking them in. Not to mention that the 30 percent cut might be too steep for new developers to meet. This could keep the big players in business, while potentially shutting out new companies and, most importantly, new ideas for games. We've contacted Facebook for comment.
"This isn't just about fun and games," Consumer Advocate John M. Simpson said in a release. "These activities in the virtual world are a big business, worth billions of dollars. If Facebook is allowed to dictate terms in the online gaming market though anti-competitive tactics, consumers will pay more and innovation will be stifled."
More importantly, however, Watchdog has also requested that the Federal Trade Commission investigate the five-year deal Facebook made with Zynga last year to keep the $15 to $20 billion developer on board with the changes. That's funny, because the terms of the deal were never officially disclosed (not that we'd expect that). In fact, the two companies were reported to be nearly at each others' throats before the pen met paper in May of last year. So, you have to think Facebook offered quite an attractive package to keep Zynga around. And Watchdog wants to know.
It's not as if this sort of thing hasn't happened before. Apple takes the same cut from any app that is sold through its App Store, but it's the details of the imposition that are setting Consumer Watchdog off. Specifically, Watchdog said that Facebook has prohibited developers from selling their goods on different websites at lower prices, effectively locking them in. Not to mention that the 30 percent cut might be too steep for new developers to meet. This could keep the big players in business, while potentially shutting out new companies and, most importantly, new ideas for games. We've contacted Facebook for comment.
FarmVille Pic of the Day: Jofrost's Rainbow Forest
The last few featured farms were made by dedicated farm artists. And while these creative FarmVille designs were very impressive, today we're featuring an ordinary FarmVille player who decided to add a little spice to their farm. FarmVille Forum user, Jofrost, is a regular farmer just like you and me. Jofrost doesn't spend hours a day carefully placing hay bales to create incredible 3D illusions. However, Jofrost loves collecting trees in FarmVille, and what better way to display the collection then by creating a fantastic effect.
Jofrost took every tree in their possession and designed the wonderful rainbow effect visible above. You won't find any tree-storing orchards here; Jofrost wanted each specimen out on display. The rainbow foliage is quite remarkable and a great way to easily add a unique persona to your farm. If you recall, Skya did something similar with Lady Gaga's hair.
Here's what Jofrost had to say about the farm design:
What inspired your creative farm design?
There were so many different coloured trees that I thought it would be great to display them in a way that utilized their colours. Then came the rainbow forest idea.
Do you have any awesome decorating tips to share?
Not really, just go with what you like. Not much skill involved with my forest, just arranging the different colours so they blend from one to the other.
How long did it take you to complete the design?
Around a month of collecting trees and arranging them all. I got help from friends if I needed a specific colour tree.
Jofrost's farm may not be as impressive as some of the gargantuan farm art projects I've seen, but its a humble example of how anyone can make their farm stand out. As a result, it definitely deserves a spot amongst our featured FarmVille farms.
What do you guys think of Jofrost's rainbow forest?
If you have an AWESOME FarmVille farm that you want to see featured on Games.com, please email a picture to editors@games.com, Include a few words about the inspiration for your design and maybe a few tips for people who need an assist!
Jofrost took every tree in their possession and designed the wonderful rainbow effect visible above. You won't find any tree-storing orchards here; Jofrost wanted each specimen out on display. The rainbow foliage is quite remarkable and a great way to easily add a unique persona to your farm. If you recall, Skya did something similar with Lady Gaga's hair.
Here's what Jofrost had to say about the farm design:
What inspired your creative farm design?
There were so many different coloured trees that I thought it would be great to display them in a way that utilized their colours. Then came the rainbow forest idea.
Do you have any awesome decorating tips to share?
Not really, just go with what you like. Not much skill involved with my forest, just arranging the different colours so they blend from one to the other.
How long did it take you to complete the design?
Around a month of collecting trees and arranging them all. I got help from friends if I needed a specific colour tree.
Jofrost's farm may not be as impressive as some of the gargantuan farm art projects I've seen, but its a humble example of how anyone can make their farm stand out. As a result, it definitely deserves a spot amongst our featured FarmVille farms.
What do you guys think of Jofrost's rainbow forest?
If you have an AWESOME FarmVille farm that you want to see featured on Games.com, please email a picture to editors@games.com, Include a few words about the inspiration for your design and maybe a few tips for people who need an assist!
FarmVille-maker Zynga to offer exclusive games for AT&T customers
Aw, they look so cute together, too. (So, who's wearing the pants, fellas?) Zynga and AT&T have announced a strategic partnership in which the FarmVille creator will create and launch customized games to the global mobile phone carrier's customers.
Financial specifics of the deal were not disclosed, but the press release does mention what games might hit AT&T's custom Android market stall first.It looks like existing mobile games like Words with Friends and Zynga Poker, both of which already available on the platform, will be first to appear on this AT&T shelf in the Android Market.
Zynga will also be involved with giveaways to AT&T customers during special events. However, the crux of this deal is even more strategic than just bringing in new games.AT&T also wants Zynga's help to "optimize the mobile gaming experience for AT&T customers."
More specifically, the company is looking to find ways to improve battery life on its mobile phones while playing games as well as improve network efficiency. (Perhaps this is also AT&T's first move toward an Android gaming network.) If that last bit means reducing games' effects on AT&T's data caps for smartphones, then count me in. Alright, the new games specifically for AT&T Android phones sound pretty cool too, I guess.
[Image Credit: Android Market]
Do you this was a good move for Zynga and AT&T? Are you excited to see Android phones on AT&T get their very own Zynga games?
Financial specifics of the deal were not disclosed, but the press release does mention what games might hit AT&T's custom Android market stall first.It looks like existing mobile games like Words with Friends and Zynga Poker, both of which already available on the platform, will be first to appear on this AT&T shelf in the Android Market.
Zynga will also be involved with giveaways to AT&T customers during special events. However, the crux of this deal is even more strategic than just bringing in new games.AT&T also wants Zynga's help to "optimize the mobile gaming experience for AT&T customers."
More specifically, the company is looking to find ways to improve battery life on its mobile phones while playing games as well as improve network efficiency. (Perhaps this is also AT&T's first move toward an Android gaming network.) If that last bit means reducing games' effects on AT&T's data caps for smartphones, then count me in. Alright, the new games specifically for AT&T Android phones sound pretty cool too, I guess.
[Image Credit: Android Market]
Do you this was a good move for Zynga and AT&T? Are you excited to see Android phones on AT&T get their very own Zynga games?
Yet another Social Games Portal Emerges: Friendster is back
Friendster, like the phoenix has thousands of times before, has risen again renewed, refreshed and predictably re-branded. TechCrunch reports that the failed social network, after it shut its doors less than a month ago, has reopened for business as a social games portal. (Another one, seriously?)
And here's the clincher, the website features Facebook Connect, just like owner MOL Global promised. We'll let that one sink in for a minute. The new-and-improved Friendster already offers a litany of social games, some of which are already being enjoyed by thousands of players as of this writing.
To sign up either traditionally or with Facebook, users must create a name and persona for their Avatar. Then, they're free to play any games they wish, like Battlestations (pictured below).
However, Facebook Connect with Friendster doesn't go far beyond simply inviting friends to play games. These games aren't using the features that Facebook provides like posting to News Feeds, sharing and gifting. (However, whenever you start playing a new game, a Facebook News Feed post is created.)
Battlestations on Friendster
With Facebook on the verge of establishing its Facebook Credits platform, and Google revealing that its games effort is real, it's unsure whether Friendster can fit in the social gaming pool without some overflow. And that's especially considering the myriad of other social games services on the horizon from DeNA's Mobage mobile network to Hi5 and TeePee Games. Let's just say Friendster, even with help for developers, is surrounded by even more sharks in this pool.
Were you a Friendster fan back in the day? (Are you still?) How do you think Friendster will fare against Facebook and the like as a social games platform?
And here's the clincher, the website features Facebook Connect, just like owner MOL Global promised. We'll let that one sink in for a minute. The new-and-improved Friendster already offers a litany of social games, some of which are already being enjoyed by thousands of players as of this writing.
To sign up either traditionally or with Facebook, users must create a name and persona for their Avatar. Then, they're free to play any games they wish, like Battlestations (pictured below).
However, Facebook Connect with Friendster doesn't go far beyond simply inviting friends to play games. These games aren't using the features that Facebook provides like posting to News Feeds, sharing and gifting. (However, whenever you start playing a new game, a Facebook News Feed post is created.)
Battlestations on Friendster
With Facebook on the verge of establishing its Facebook Credits platform, and Google revealing that its games effort is real, it's unsure whether Friendster can fit in the social gaming pool without some overflow. And that's especially considering the myriad of other social games services on the horizon from DeNA's Mobage mobile network to Hi5 and TeePee Games. Let's just say Friendster, even with help for developers, is surrounded by even more sharks in this pool.
Were you a Friendster fan back in the day? (Are you still?) How do you think Friendster will fare against Facebook and the like as a social games platform?
Thursday, December 22, 2011
FarmVille Fairy Garden Crops: Colorful Toadstools come in red and purple
Two new crops have been released this evening in the FarmVille Fairy Garden theme that has also just been launched. These two crops are the Red Toadstools and Purple Toadstools, but planting them isn't as easy as just saying so, as one requires a special permit.
The Red Toadstool comes without complications, and costs just 50 coins per square to plant. You'll earn 105 coins per square after harvesting it eight hours later. The Red Toadstool offers 1 XP per square planted. While that's self-explanatory, the Purple Toadstool is an entire different story, as you'll need to first purchase a seven-day permit for 5 Farm Cash in order to plant it. While that's a fairly cheap price, there's no other explanation aside from "greed" that explains why this particular crop costs Farm Cash, but then again, the same can be said for every Farm Cash item in the game.
If you go through with purchasing the permit, you'll be able to earn 3 XP per square planted, and will earn 200 coins after harvesting the Purple Toadstool 12 hours after planting. That's a big experience point earner, if you're keeping score, and remember - if you love collecting Mastery signs, you'll need to pull the trigger on purchasing this week-long permit either way. It's only 5 Farm Cash, so at least it won't break your entire budget.
Both of these crops will be available in the store for the next month. In terms of the Purple Toadstool, that means you'll be able to purchase the permit for the next month, but you'll still only have access to planting for a single week from the date of purchase (just to be clear). Good luck mastering both in time!
Will you purchase the Purple Toadstool Farm Cash permit?
The Red Toadstool comes without complications, and costs just 50 coins per square to plant. You'll earn 105 coins per square after harvesting it eight hours later. The Red Toadstool offers 1 XP per square planted. While that's self-explanatory, the Purple Toadstool is an entire different story, as you'll need to first purchase a seven-day permit for 5 Farm Cash in order to plant it. While that's a fairly cheap price, there's no other explanation aside from "greed" that explains why this particular crop costs Farm Cash, but then again, the same can be said for every Farm Cash item in the game.
If you go through with purchasing the permit, you'll be able to earn 3 XP per square planted, and will earn 200 coins after harvesting the Purple Toadstool 12 hours after planting. That's a big experience point earner, if you're keeping score, and remember - if you love collecting Mastery signs, you'll need to pull the trigger on purchasing this week-long permit either way. It's only 5 Farm Cash, so at least it won't break your entire budget.
Both of these crops will be available in the store for the next month. In terms of the Purple Toadstool, that means you'll be able to purchase the permit for the next month, but you'll still only have access to planting for a single week from the date of purchase (just to be clear). Good luck mastering both in time!
Will you purchase the Purple Toadstool Farm Cash permit?
FarmVille White-Tailed Buck available as new lonely animal
At the end of July, the White Mustang was made available in FarmVille as a lonely animal, offering users a chance to claim one of their own by asking some friends for help in luring the animal into their farms. The same process has started all over again this week, as the White Mustang has been swapped out for the White-Tailed Buck. Even if you already completed the "luring" process for the White Mustang, this White-Tailed Buck will still be available to you (that is, you don't have to choose just a single animal to lure over time). The process for luring the Buck is also the same, but here's a recap.
The White-Tailed Buck can be found standing on the outskirts of your farm, where billboards normally stand during cross-promotional events. You'll need to ask five friends to help you, but you only have a period of three days to earn the help you'll need. If you don't feel like asking neighbors for help, or if you don't end up receiving all of the help you need in time, you can also purchase the Buck outright for Farm Cash.
Remember, as the White-Tailed Buck was previously available in the game, if you already have one (or more), you don't have to feel obligated to help this new one, unless you really want another. If not, feel free to skip the feature until an animal comes along the works better for you. We'll make sure to let you know when another animal wanders onto the farm.
Do you already have White-Tailed Bucks on your farm, or are you going to use this feature to claim your first one? Do you like the Lonely Animal feature in FarmVille?
The White-Tailed Buck can be found standing on the outskirts of your farm, where billboards normally stand during cross-promotional events. You'll need to ask five friends to help you, but you only have a period of three days to earn the help you'll need. If you don't feel like asking neighbors for help, or if you don't end up receiving all of the help you need in time, you can also purchase the Buck outright for Farm Cash.
Remember, as the White-Tailed Buck was previously available in the game, if you already have one (or more), you don't have to feel obligated to help this new one, unless you really want another. If not, feel free to skip the feature until an animal comes along the works better for you. We'll make sure to let you know when another animal wanders onto the farm.
Do you already have White-Tailed Bucks on your farm, or are you going to use this feature to claim your first one? Do you like the Lonely Animal feature in FarmVille?
DoubleDown Casino on Facebook aims to bring Vegas to your desk
Game designers often liken Facebook games to casino or arcade games on a broad level. You put in a quarter, it gives you a slice of entertainment, but you'll need to keep putting quarters in if you want to play for a long while. DoubleDown Casino on Facebook fits that ideology like a glove ... well, more like several gloves.
Touted as the first and number one casino on Facebook by creator and lead developer Cooper DuBois at DoubleDown Interactive, DoubleDown Casino is a wide collection of casino games within a single Facebook app. And, thanks to that distinction, it allows players to take their winnings and use them across four game types (and a list of games within those game types.)
While DoubleDown Casino launched last year with just Blackjack, it now features several varieties of Blackjack, slot machines, Video Poker and Roulette. Players receive cash to play around with daily, thanks to a daily spin bonus much like traditional social games, and can use that money across its games. While that might sound basic, and it is, it's the breadth of games tucked inside and its brief social features that help it stand out.
DoubleDown Casino Slots
For instance, Slot Tournaments allow you to compete with your friends for the highest score, but it also shows a ticker across the bottom of your virtual slot machine that shows who is winning and by how much in real time. Players can then click on those passing players' icons and add them as friends. And just recently DoubleDown Interactive added the ability to send gifts to your friends. However, those gifts are really chances for big chip prizes through colorful wheel spins.
The other game modes, like Blackjack and Roulette, are played in real time with other players across several game styles. And each game is fully animated to help emulate that casino experience, or as DuBois puts it, "to make people feel like they can go to Vegas from their living room." And already is DoubleDown Interactive not like your everyday social games studio--it only has one game, technically, and likes it that way.
Gallery: DoubleDown Casino on Facebook
"When you look at [Zynga's] MAU [monthly active users/players], it's like 260 million people. But if you actually looked at--and I don't know what the correct term is--they don't have 260 million individual people playing their games," DuBois told us. "Of those games, they might have 50 million people playing several games all added up into this 260 million. So, it's kind of a false number. Our number is completely accurate, because we're an umbrella of games."
It's certainly a different strategy. One of the major distinctions DuBois makes between DoubleDown Interactive and more traditional social game studios is that players can use their currency across its games, rather than having to buy currency in several different apps. So, that being said, DoubleDown Casino is the studio's only game, and it looks like it's going to stay that way for some time.
DoubleDown Casino Fireworks Slots
"If you go into any casino, there are about 50 or so mini games. There's Keno, Baccarat, three-card poker, four-card poker, Let It Ride, Pai Gow poker," DuBois says. "If you go into any casino there are probably 200 different kinds of slot machines. The sky is almost the limit for a casino, and we feel that we have a ways to go to complete our project. We are very focused in our game."
DoubleDown Casino may be just a collection of slot machines, Blackjack tables and Video Poker, but it's one massive collection. However, the real time portions of the game--like Blackjack and Roulette, for instance--could benefit from some more real time social features such as live chat. But, according to DuBois, DoubleDown Casino is only going to grow from here.
Touted as the first and number one casino on Facebook by creator and lead developer Cooper DuBois at DoubleDown Interactive, DoubleDown Casino is a wide collection of casino games within a single Facebook app. And, thanks to that distinction, it allows players to take their winnings and use them across four game types (and a list of games within those game types.)
While DoubleDown Casino launched last year with just Blackjack, it now features several varieties of Blackjack, slot machines, Video Poker and Roulette. Players receive cash to play around with daily, thanks to a daily spin bonus much like traditional social games, and can use that money across its games. While that might sound basic, and it is, it's the breadth of games tucked inside and its brief social features that help it stand out.
DoubleDown Casino Slots
For instance, Slot Tournaments allow you to compete with your friends for the highest score, but it also shows a ticker across the bottom of your virtual slot machine that shows who is winning and by how much in real time. Players can then click on those passing players' icons and add them as friends. And just recently DoubleDown Interactive added the ability to send gifts to your friends. However, those gifts are really chances for big chip prizes through colorful wheel spins.
The other game modes, like Blackjack and Roulette, are played in real time with other players across several game styles. And each game is fully animated to help emulate that casino experience, or as DuBois puts it, "to make people feel like they can go to Vegas from their living room." And already is DoubleDown Interactive not like your everyday social games studio--it only has one game, technically, and likes it that way.
Gallery: DoubleDown Casino on Facebook
"When you look at [Zynga's] MAU [monthly active users/players], it's like 260 million people. But if you actually looked at--and I don't know what the correct term is--they don't have 260 million individual people playing their games," DuBois told us. "Of those games, they might have 50 million people playing several games all added up into this 260 million. So, it's kind of a false number. Our number is completely accurate, because we're an umbrella of games."
It's certainly a different strategy. One of the major distinctions DuBois makes between DoubleDown Interactive and more traditional social game studios is that players can use their currency across its games, rather than having to buy currency in several different apps. So, that being said, DoubleDown Casino is the studio's only game, and it looks like it's going to stay that way for some time.
DoubleDown Casino Fireworks Slots
"If you go into any casino, there are about 50 or so mini games. There's Keno, Baccarat, three-card poker, four-card poker, Let It Ride, Pai Gow poker," DuBois says. "If you go into any casino there are probably 200 different kinds of slot machines. The sky is almost the limit for a casino, and we feel that we have a ways to go to complete our project. We are very focused in our game."
DoubleDown Casino may be just a collection of slot machines, Blackjack tables and Video Poker, but it's one massive collection. However, the real time portions of the game--like Blackjack and Roulette, for instance--could benefit from some more real time social features such as live chat. But, according to DuBois, DoubleDown Casino is only going to grow from here.
CityVille's Build Menu gets honest with itself, becomes the Market Place
Finally, Zynga has come to terms with what the Build Menu in CityVille truly is: an in-game store. In an update that's slowly rolling out to players, the Build Menu in the game has been overhauled to look more like the Market in FarmVille.
In other words, it looks much more like an in-game store than a menu to click through. For instance, when players open up the new Market Place, a much larger window appears rather than the bar that used to crawl up from the bottom of the screen.
The first thing players will see within that window are specials that the game has to offer like limited edition items, new features like the Go Karts and, of course, City Cash offers. Below that, the new Market Place will feature the best-selling items.
CityVille Market Place
Your normal buttons for finding items within categories is now above the featured items. More importantly, next to that is a search bar, which will allow you to find anything in the game's available items directly. It's official, I want the search feature in every Zynga game ... ever.
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]
Has the new Market Place appeared for you in the game? Which Zynga game would you like to receive this improved Market interface next?
In other words, it looks much more like an in-game store than a menu to click through. For instance, when players open up the new Market Place, a much larger window appears rather than the bar that used to crawl up from the bottom of the screen.
The first thing players will see within that window are specials that the game has to offer like limited edition items, new features like the Go Karts and, of course, City Cash offers. Below that, the new Market Place will feature the best-selling items.
CityVille Market Place
Your normal buttons for finding items within categories is now above the featured items. More importantly, next to that is a search bar, which will allow you to find anything in the game's available items directly. It's official, I want the search feature in every Zynga game ... ever.
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]
Has the new Market Place appeared for you in the game? Which Zynga game would you like to receive this improved Market interface next?
FarmVille-creator Zynga acquires new target: Angry Birds
After the acquisition hungry Zynga lost out on Bejeweled creator PopCap (which was purchased by Electronic Arts for $750M), AllThingsD says that the social game maker has purportedly set Angry Birds maker Rovio in its sights. The two companies have purportedly been talking about a deal, though official sources are staying mum for now.
There are plenty of reasons that these two companies would make fine-feathered friends, mostly a combination of the fact that Rovio has ambitious plans for Angry Birds, aiming to hit 1 billion downloads (what better way to do that than by harnessing the power of Zynga's existing audience) and that Zynga has been focusing more on its mobile games business of late (maybe as a way to stop relying too much on Facebook for its success).
If Zynga does manage to capture Angry Birds, our first bet will be on just how soon the company would migrate the mobile gaming hit to Facebook, much like it recently did with another big mobile 'get,' Words with Friends.
There are plenty of reasons that these two companies would make fine-feathered friends, mostly a combination of the fact that Rovio has ambitious plans for Angry Birds, aiming to hit 1 billion downloads (what better way to do that than by harnessing the power of Zynga's existing audience) and that Zynga has been focusing more on its mobile games business of late (maybe as a way to stop relying too much on Facebook for its success).
If Zynga does manage to capture Angry Birds, our first bet will be on just how soon the company would migrate the mobile gaming hit to Facebook, much like it recently did with another big mobile 'get,' Words with Friends.
Zynga, Treasure Isle GM leaves social games for social love, joins eHarmony
Sometimes ... you just have to follow your heart. TechCrunch reports that Zynga executive Jeremy Verba (pictured far right) has left his position as GM of hit game Treasure Isle to become the CEO of eHarmony, the ubiquitous online dating service. (I think we've all seen that old white guy tout the service enough on TV.) Confirmed on his Linkedin profile, Verba worked with Zynga since December 2009.
While Treasure Isle certainly isn't Zynga's most popular, it's still worthy of "hit" status at 5.6 million monthly players and over 1 million of those being daily players, according to AppData. The timing sounds even more odd when you consider that the company could go public any day now, raising another cool $1 billion and realizing a potential $20 billion valuation. Perhaps it was simply the title of CEO that lured him in. (Though, I'd personally want to be with the potentially most valuable games company ever.)
As Verba leaves the company, Zynga is reportedly reeling in a number of execs from other games companies, namely EA. Just this year, former EA CCO John Schappert has joined Zynga. It's also rumored that Jeff Karp, VP of the publisher's EA Play division, has left for Zynga along with Mark Turmell, creator of NBA Jam and formerly senior creative director at EA Sports.
According to TechCrunch, eHarmony has enjoyed growth through its mobile apps and generally across its web offerings, and operates in 16 countries. Hey, maybe the guy just got bored of being on top in the games biz. But considering the guy has a wife and kids, according to his Twitter profile, we seriously doubt he's looking for anything more than prestige and a pay upgrade. We've contacted Zynga for comment.
[Image Credit: Susan Bratton]
Why do you think Verba left Zynga for eHarmony? Do you think this could spur a trend of execs leaving Zynga, too?
While Treasure Isle certainly isn't Zynga's most popular, it's still worthy of "hit" status at 5.6 million monthly players and over 1 million of those being daily players, according to AppData. The timing sounds even more odd when you consider that the company could go public any day now, raising another cool $1 billion and realizing a potential $20 billion valuation. Perhaps it was simply the title of CEO that lured him in. (Though, I'd personally want to be with the potentially most valuable games company ever.)
As Verba leaves the company, Zynga is reportedly reeling in a number of execs from other games companies, namely EA. Just this year, former EA CCO John Schappert has joined Zynga. It's also rumored that Jeff Karp, VP of the publisher's EA Play division, has left for Zynga along with Mark Turmell, creator of NBA Jam and formerly senior creative director at EA Sports.
According to TechCrunch, eHarmony has enjoyed growth through its mobile apps and generally across its web offerings, and operates in 16 countries. Hey, maybe the guy just got bored of being on top in the games biz. But considering the guy has a wife and kids, according to his Twitter profile, we seriously doubt he's looking for anything more than prestige and a pay upgrade. We've contacted Zynga for comment.
[Image Credit: Susan Bratton]
Why do you think Verba left Zynga for eHarmony? Do you think this could spur a trend of execs leaving Zynga, too?
Game of the Day: Penguin Plop
penguin plop game of the day
Launch penguins up into the sky and beyond, then watch as they gracefully tumble back to earth and get gently caught by the sand below. Collect multipliers and cash to buy better penguins and launchers. In no time, you'll go from a novice penguin with a slingshot to a ninja penguin with a cannon, soaring through the heavens. How high will your penguin go? There's only one way to find out.
Click here to play Penguin Plop!
penguin plop game of the day penguin plop game of the day
Pro Tips:
Keep launching until you can afford the royal penguin. This penguin earns you extra cash.
Continue to use the royal penguin and upgrade your launcher until you have enough money to buy everything!
Click here to play Penguin Plop!
How high were you able to go? What did you think of Penguin Plop?
Launch penguins up into the sky and beyond, then watch as they gracefully tumble back to earth and get gently caught by the sand below. Collect multipliers and cash to buy better penguins and launchers. In no time, you'll go from a novice penguin with a slingshot to a ninja penguin with a cannon, soaring through the heavens. How high will your penguin go? There's only one way to find out.
Click here to play Penguin Plop!
penguin plop game of the day penguin plop game of the day
Pro Tips:
Keep launching until you can afford the royal penguin. This penguin earns you extra cash.
Continue to use the royal penguin and upgrade your launcher until you have enough money to buy everything!
Click here to play Penguin Plop!
How high were you able to go? What did you think of Penguin Plop?
Investors won't be happy until Nintendo starts making iPhone games
Well, get to it, why dontcha? The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Nintendo investors are calling for the massive creator of Mario to make iPhone and Android games ... or else. With the drastic price cut of its flagship handheld system, the 3DS, in less than six months since its release, investors say that it's time Nintendo tries something new, regardless of what it's said in the past.
Recently, Pokemon Co. announced an iPhone game revolving around the ubiquitous pocket monsters, Pokemon Say Tap (pictured). It almost instantly saw the company's stock spike their highest in four months with the assumption that Nintendo might be getting into the mobile games business, according to the SF Chronicle. But the company quickly pointed out that this was not the case, and just as quickly those gains turned into losses.
"They just don't get it," MF Global FXA Securities Ltd. said in a sales note that day, according to the SF Chronicle. "Sell the stock, because a management once feted for creative out-of-box thinking have just shown how behind the times they are."
Nintendo has repeatedly affirmed that it will not develop games that do not use its hardware, which clearly has investors in a tizzy, as the company was recently forced to slash its profits forecast for 2011 by a whopping 82 percent. "Smart phones are the new battlefield for the gaming industry," Masamitsu Ohki, a fund manager at Stats Investment Management Co, told SF Chronicle. "Nintendo should try to either buy its way into this platform or develop something totally new."
But if the numbers--Apple is now the most valuable company in the world, while Zynga is poised to become the most valuable games company globally--weren't enough for Nintendo, will investor complaints be? Well, it looks like price cuts and apologies haven't worked to appease Nintendo's investors (nor has its announced intent on entering the digital goods space), so it appears as if the Mario maker doesn't have much of a choice. [Ed. Note: Remember kids, today's the last day to get your 3DS at the discounted price and with 20 free games at Wal-Mart. Don't walk, run!]
Do you agree that it's about time for Nintendo to get into iPhone games for real? How else could it survive in the rapidly-changing games inudstry?
Recently, Pokemon Co. announced an iPhone game revolving around the ubiquitous pocket monsters, Pokemon Say Tap (pictured). It almost instantly saw the company's stock spike their highest in four months with the assumption that Nintendo might be getting into the mobile games business, according to the SF Chronicle. But the company quickly pointed out that this was not the case, and just as quickly those gains turned into losses.
"They just don't get it," MF Global FXA Securities Ltd. said in a sales note that day, according to the SF Chronicle. "Sell the stock, because a management once feted for creative out-of-box thinking have just shown how behind the times they are."
Nintendo has repeatedly affirmed that it will not develop games that do not use its hardware, which clearly has investors in a tizzy, as the company was recently forced to slash its profits forecast for 2011 by a whopping 82 percent. "Smart phones are the new battlefield for the gaming industry," Masamitsu Ohki, a fund manager at Stats Investment Management Co, told SF Chronicle. "Nintendo should try to either buy its way into this platform or develop something totally new."
But if the numbers--Apple is now the most valuable company in the world, while Zynga is poised to become the most valuable games company globally--weren't enough for Nintendo, will investor complaints be? Well, it looks like price cuts and apologies haven't worked to appease Nintendo's investors (nor has its announced intent on entering the digital goods space), so it appears as if the Mario maker doesn't have much of a choice. [Ed. Note: Remember kids, today's the last day to get your 3DS at the discounted price and with 20 free games at Wal-Mart. Don't walk, run!]
Do you agree that it's about time for Nintendo to get into iPhone games for real? How else could it survive in the rapidly-changing games inudstry?
FarmVille experiencing technical difficulties: Please stand by
When you tune into FarmVille today, you might run into problems getting your virtual farm to load or, if it does load, you'll get trapped in a endless loop of 'out of sync' error messages (see example from my farm below).
farmville out of sync with the server
A FarmVille community manager says they are "working on resolving these issues as quickly as possible" and until these problems are fixed, your crops will not wither and your virtual puppies will not get hungry and run away. So, don't panic!
Facebook has, in general, been a little buggy today, so don't be surprised if other games run into a few hiccups as well.
Have you run into problems in FarmVille or other Facebook games today?
farmville out of sync with the server
A FarmVille community manager says they are "working on resolving these issues as quickly as possible" and until these problems are fixed, your crops will not wither and your virtual puppies will not get hungry and run away. So, don't panic!
Facebook has, in general, been a little buggy today, so don't be surprised if other games run into a few hiccups as well.
Have you run into problems in FarmVille or other Facebook games today?
Bazinga! Big Bang Theory: Mystic Warlords of Ka'a nerds up Facebook
And you thought the fact that Dungeons and Dragons is coming to Facebook was nerdy. Now, a real collectible card game, based on a fake collectible card game, has hit Facebook. Dire Wolf Digital has released Big Bang Theory: Mystic Warlords of Ka'a to the platform.
And yes, it's entirely inspired from the dorky card battle game that Sheldon, Leonard, Howard and Raj duke it out through on the wildly popular CBS sitcom of the same name Well, without the subhead, of course.
The game, said to be in "preview beta," released in late July and plays much like classic card games of nerdery like Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh and Pokemon cards, but with a far simpler interface and play style. (Full disclosure: all of which I played in my hay-days of intense nerdom.) The way cards defeat each other in battle is governed by a simple rune system--a glorified rock, paper, scissors game, it seems.
Players stack these cards up against one another amidst the quirky, witty dialog you expect from the show every week. Once this effective game of War (remember that game?) is over, some of those cards hit the "Battle Line," which is where you can damage your opponent.
Mystic Warlords of Ka'a in action
At this time, there are two factions of cards to play with, and players can duel their friends, too. Now, if only Sheldon's drawn-out, crazy explanations continued throughout the game.
Click here to play Big Bang Theory: Mystic Warlords of Ka'a on Facebook Now >
Are you a fan of the Big Bang Theory? What other sitcoms do you wish would get their very own Facebook games?
And yes, it's entirely inspired from the dorky card battle game that Sheldon, Leonard, Howard and Raj duke it out through on the wildly popular CBS sitcom of the same name Well, without the subhead, of course.
The game, said to be in "preview beta," released in late July and plays much like classic card games of nerdery like Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh and Pokemon cards, but with a far simpler interface and play style. (Full disclosure: all of which I played in my hay-days of intense nerdom.) The way cards defeat each other in battle is governed by a simple rune system--a glorified rock, paper, scissors game, it seems.
Players stack these cards up against one another amidst the quirky, witty dialog you expect from the show every week. Once this effective game of War (remember that game?) is over, some of those cards hit the "Battle Line," which is where you can damage your opponent.
Mystic Warlords of Ka'a in action
At this time, there are two factions of cards to play with, and players can duel their friends, too. Now, if only Sheldon's drawn-out, crazy explanations continued throughout the game.
Click here to play Big Bang Theory: Mystic Warlords of Ka'a on Facebook Now >
Are you a fan of the Big Bang Theory? What other sitcoms do you wish would get their very own Facebook games?
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Shrek would fit right in with CastleVille's characters [Video]
Zynga sure knows how to hold onto a good thing when it has one. The company has released the teaser trailer for CastleVille, the next game in its famed 'Ville franchise. And this might be the most well-produced Zynga game trailer to date. It's on the short side at just a mere 48 seconds, but touts some 3D animation that, while not on a Dreamworks level, certainly looks the part.
In fact, we were almost expecting an ogre-like creature to appear on-screen at some point. Of course, that doesn't happen. But what we do get to see is a few of the characters that we'll meet in CastleVille like Tom the Cupcake Dragonslayer, Rafael the Playboy and Yvette the Fair Maiden. The gameplay in CastleVille, based on what's shown in the trailer, has players build their kingdoms from scratch and embark on "an epic quest for true happiness." (Whatever that means.)
CastleVille was revealed at the recent Zynga Unleashed press event, and boasts a soundtrack recorded by a full orchestra, a first for a Zynga game ... and likely any social game, for that matter. Before the game hits, you can "Like" its Facebook page to have a say in how much the company donates to Direct Relief, Save the Children and Water.org. Of course, there are some unlockable in-game goodies for you, too. The next 'Ville is almost here, but can it top the last?
Are excited to dive into the next big 'Ville game from Zynga? Do you think CastleVille can do better than even CityVille?
In fact, we were almost expecting an ogre-like creature to appear on-screen at some point. Of course, that doesn't happen. But what we do get to see is a few of the characters that we'll meet in CastleVille like Tom the Cupcake Dragonslayer, Rafael the Playboy and Yvette the Fair Maiden. The gameplay in CastleVille, based on what's shown in the trailer, has players build their kingdoms from scratch and embark on "an epic quest for true happiness." (Whatever that means.)
CastleVille was revealed at the recent Zynga Unleashed press event, and boasts a soundtrack recorded by a full orchestra, a first for a Zynga game ... and likely any social game, for that matter. Before the game hits, you can "Like" its Facebook page to have a say in how much the company donates to Direct Relief, Save the Children and Water.org. Of course, there are some unlockable in-game goodies for you, too. The next 'Ville is almost here, but can it top the last?
Are excited to dive into the next big 'Ville game from Zynga? Do you think CastleVille can do better than even CityVille?
RockYou to lay off 100 staff, will not publish John Romero's CloudForest Expedition on Facebook
Hard times have come to Facebook game developer RockYou, as the company has announced that it will lose 100 of its staff, leaving it with about 90 employees in all. As told to TechCrunch, CEO Lisa Marina says that this move will allow for the company to become profitable. "Last year was about finding a business model. This year, it's about making the company healthy and profitable," Marino says. With that profitability comes sacrifices, one of which will be the Playdemic studio that RockYou acquired back in January.
Playdemic will be sold back to its original owners for an undisclosed amount of money, and the Facebook game Gourmet Ranch, along with around 40 employees will go with it. As for what remains (after RockYou itself loses 56 employees), Marino has stated that RockYou will not be publishing CloudForest Expedition, the John Romero game we brought you a preview of earlier this year.
While Marino didn't give an exact reason for why Cloudforest Expedition is being shuttered (we could assume the worst - that RockYou no longer contains the manpower to develop it), she did state that perhaps RockYou had been a bit too creative in its past endeavors. "We went too far down the creative path and lost our way in terms of being a profitable organization."
Needless to say, it's disappointing that profits have been chosen over creativity in this case; however, it's not impossible that CloudForest Expedition will still see the light of day. A long shot? Sure, but if someone else were to suddenly jump in and take the reigns, we may be able to explore the jungle landscapes of CloudForest after all.
Are you disappointed that RockYou has turned down publishing CloudForest Expedition on Facebook? Do you think the game can find a new owner and actually be released?
Playdemic will be sold back to its original owners for an undisclosed amount of money, and the Facebook game Gourmet Ranch, along with around 40 employees will go with it. As for what remains (after RockYou itself loses 56 employees), Marino has stated that RockYou will not be publishing CloudForest Expedition, the John Romero game we brought you a preview of earlier this year.
While Marino didn't give an exact reason for why Cloudforest Expedition is being shuttered (we could assume the worst - that RockYou no longer contains the manpower to develop it), she did state that perhaps RockYou had been a bit too creative in its past endeavors. "We went too far down the creative path and lost our way in terms of being a profitable organization."
Needless to say, it's disappointing that profits have been chosen over creativity in this case; however, it's not impossible that CloudForest Expedition will still see the light of day. A long shot? Sure, but if someone else were to suddenly jump in and take the reigns, we may be able to explore the jungle landscapes of CloudForest after all.
Are you disappointed that RockYou has turned down publishing CloudForest Expedition on Facebook? Do you think the game can find a new owner and actually be released?
Moonga deals in on Facebook with fantasy trading card battles [Video]
Ever since Warstorm was axed earlier this year by Zynga, Facebook has been devoid of the nerdiest of dreams: fantasy card battles. (Well, aside from that Big Bang Theory game, we guess.) French game maker Everdreamsoft has formally announced Moonga for Facebook. The game allows players to compete in high fantasy battles through--what else--tradable cards with cool artwork on them.
Ah, our not-so-closet days of Magic: The Gathering are coming back to us. The game, which was released to the web in January 2010, is in an open beta test on Facebook. (In other words, it's live.) Moonga has existed on iOS for a bit longer, and was reportedly number one in role-playing games on the App Store in the summer of 2010. The gameplay appears to be your standard card battle game, but between friends on Facebook and in much shorter spurts.
Players build hands of five unique cards featuring monsters and weapons that duel in one-on-one combat. The idea behind the game isn't far different from most: Create a winning strategy by combining cards that work well together to reduce your enemy's defenses to zero. The game's iOS version doesn't appear to have any social features.
Regardless, Everdreamsoft CEO Shaban Shaame showed off the game's NFC technology that allows players to buy physical cards and import them into the iOS game. It's clear that Everdreamsoft looks to create the next Magic: The Gathering on Facebook and mobile. If the company can somehow incorporate a similar technology into Moonga's Facebook version, then the game maker might be onto something.
Click here to play Moonga on Facebook Now >
Have you been looking for a card battle game on Facebook? Do you think Moonga looks as if it can fill that void on the platform?
Ah, our not-so-closet days of Magic: The Gathering are coming back to us. The game, which was released to the web in January 2010, is in an open beta test on Facebook. (In other words, it's live.) Moonga has existed on iOS for a bit longer, and was reportedly number one in role-playing games on the App Store in the summer of 2010. The gameplay appears to be your standard card battle game, but between friends on Facebook and in much shorter spurts.
Players build hands of five unique cards featuring monsters and weapons that duel in one-on-one combat. The idea behind the game isn't far different from most: Create a winning strategy by combining cards that work well together to reduce your enemy's defenses to zero. The game's iOS version doesn't appear to have any social features.
Regardless, Everdreamsoft CEO Shaban Shaame showed off the game's NFC technology that allows players to buy physical cards and import them into the iOS game. It's clear that Everdreamsoft looks to create the next Magic: The Gathering on Facebook and mobile. If the company can somehow incorporate a similar technology into Moonga's Facebook version, then the game maker might be onto something.
Click here to play Moonga on Facebook Now >
Have you been looking for a card battle game on Facebook? Do you think Moonga looks as if it can fill that void on the platform?
Oregon Trail makers just can't scratch that mobile, social game itch
Blue Fang Games made two critical hits (but commercial flops) on Facebook, The Oregon Trail and Carmen Sandiego, before it shut down this summer. The Boston, Mass.-based developers known for PC game Zoo Tycoon still can't get enough of social, as former Blue Fang CEO Hank Howie (animatedly pictured) told Gamasutra about his new mobile and social game studio, Beach Cooler Games.
Still based in Boston, Howie is joined by ex-art director and lead designer Lou Catanzaro in heading the new company. While Beach Cooler Games intends to make social games, Howie told Gamasutra that mobile will be its primary focus. And new game projects are already underway. "We think we can make this work, and it should work pretty well, so we'll see if we can get it to work," Howie said to Gamasutra. "And again -- I'm knocking on wood here, as I often do -- so far it's working great. It's pretty eye-opening, I have to admit."
The studio isn't giving any details on its existing products, but said that it isn't set on working with original intellectual property. This means that Beach Cooler Games could be working with another brand, like the team did with The Learning Company as Blue Fang. Howie and Catanzaro are hot off the heels since Blue Fang's shutdown in September, and took a portion of the former studio's team with them. Based on the love Blue Fang Games gave those two childhood classics, it's safe to be excited for what Beach Cooler Games thinks up.
Did you like The Oregon Trail or Carmen Sandiego on Facebook? Do you think it was wise for these Blue Fang veterans to stay in the mobile and social games space?
Still based in Boston, Howie is joined by ex-art director and lead designer Lou Catanzaro in heading the new company. While Beach Cooler Games intends to make social games, Howie told Gamasutra that mobile will be its primary focus. And new game projects are already underway. "We think we can make this work, and it should work pretty well, so we'll see if we can get it to work," Howie said to Gamasutra. "And again -- I'm knocking on wood here, as I often do -- so far it's working great. It's pretty eye-opening, I have to admit."
The studio isn't giving any details on its existing products, but said that it isn't set on working with original intellectual property. This means that Beach Cooler Games could be working with another brand, like the team did with The Learning Company as Blue Fang. Howie and Catanzaro are hot off the heels since Blue Fang's shutdown in September, and took a portion of the former studio's team with them. Based on the love Blue Fang Games gave those two childhood classics, it's safe to be excited for what Beach Cooler Games thinks up.
Did you like The Oregon Trail or Carmen Sandiego on Facebook? Do you think it was wise for these Blue Fang veterans to stay in the mobile and social games space?
Now DeNA is ready for global domination; Mobage exits open beta
"Alright, guys, time-in." If the mobile social games space were a game of tag in the schoolyard, that's essentially what Japanese social game maker DeNA just said. The company announced that the ngmoco-powered Mobage platform for Western Android devices is out of open beta. Ngmoco CEO Neil Young said, "Mobage has come out of beta," according to GamesIndustry.biz.
Certainly an apt description of current events, but we'll take it. Since Mobage launched this July, the service hasn't enjoyed much success. Despite that, a number of games from Zombie Farm to We Rule already hit the top 25 on the Android Market while on Mobage. However, according to Young, that was just a test.
"The beta period allowed us to test, refine and prove the service, assuring a superb user experience with Mobage and our world-class suite of games," Young said. "We now start the process of scaling the service and it is great to already see our games ranking high in the charts."
A wild success or not, DeNA is already ahead of its arch nemesis, Gree. The competing Japanese mobile social game network has yet to release its OpenFeint-backed global games network, though it has said that it's coming ... in 2012. Of course, there's also the mighty Zynga to worry about, which might have a few mobile tricks up its sleeves with Project Z. It looks like we'll have to wait another year to see the mobile social games race pick up the pace.
How do you connect with friends in your mobile games? Which of these three companies do you think will provide the best service?
Certainly an apt description of current events, but we'll take it. Since Mobage launched this July, the service hasn't enjoyed much success. Despite that, a number of games from Zombie Farm to We Rule already hit the top 25 on the Android Market while on Mobage. However, according to Young, that was just a test.
"The beta period allowed us to test, refine and prove the service, assuring a superb user experience with Mobage and our world-class suite of games," Young said. "We now start the process of scaling the service and it is great to already see our games ranking high in the charts."
A wild success or not, DeNA is already ahead of its arch nemesis, Gree. The competing Japanese mobile social game network has yet to release its OpenFeint-backed global games network, though it has said that it's coming ... in 2012. Of course, there's also the mighty Zynga to worry about, which might have a few mobile tricks up its sleeves with Project Z. It looks like we'll have to wait another year to see the mobile social games race pick up the pace.
How do you connect with friends in your mobile games? Which of these three companies do you think will provide the best service?
Monday, December 12, 2011
CityVille Campaign Rally sale sees items marked down by up to 50%
Are there any expensive City Cash or coin items in CityVille that you've always wanted to purchase but you never wanted to actually splurge on? Now's the time to head back into the store for a second look then Mayors, as quite a few items have been given a temporary markdown in a "Campaign Rally Sale."
While some items, like a Back to School House are only marked down 10%, and therefore are likely too expensive to be worthwhile (in our example, the home still costs 75 City Cash), there are other deals here worth mentioning. For instance, decorations like the Bandstand and Sign Spinner now cost less than 10 City Cash each due to their 40-50% reductions, while larger items like the Discovery Aquarium are 33% off, bringing that item's particular price to 61 City Cash.
There are plenty of coin items on sale here too, and these share some of the highest discounts in this particular sale. A Celebrity Trailer decoration, for instance, costs 12,000 coins instead of 24,000, while the Camera Shop costs 11,000 coins, down from 22,000. Also keep in mind that some of these items are limited edition, giving you even more incentive to purchase them during this sale (after all, what's better than getting an exclusive item at a cheaper cost if you were already going to purchase one anyway?).
Here's a look at all of the sale items - happy shopping!
Will you purchase any of these items while they're on sale, or did you already have any interesting items city? Which ones did you decide to purchase?
While some items, like a Back to School House are only marked down 10%, and therefore are likely too expensive to be worthwhile (in our example, the home still costs 75 City Cash), there are other deals here worth mentioning. For instance, decorations like the Bandstand and Sign Spinner now cost less than 10 City Cash each due to their 40-50% reductions, while larger items like the Discovery Aquarium are 33% off, bringing that item's particular price to 61 City Cash.
There are plenty of coin items on sale here too, and these share some of the highest discounts in this particular sale. A Celebrity Trailer decoration, for instance, costs 12,000 coins instead of 24,000, while the Camera Shop costs 11,000 coins, down from 22,000. Also keep in mind that some of these items are limited edition, giving you even more incentive to purchase them during this sale (after all, what's better than getting an exclusive item at a cheaper cost if you were already going to purchase one anyway?).
Here's a look at all of the sale items - happy shopping!
Will you purchase any of these items while they're on sale, or did you already have any interesting items city? Which ones did you decide to purchase?
Adventure World Quaking Mine Expedition: Everything you need to know
While Expeditions in Adventure World already come with time limits, the Quaking Mine Expedition is particularly rushed as a mine is about to collapse! Ok, sure, you can take your time completing this Expedition, and won't really have to worry about the mine collapsing, but in the story things are a wreck! We're here to guide you through the Quaking Mine, but before you begin, make sure you have the required 1300 Supplies, along with 5 each of Food, Fuel and Water to get started. Quaking Mine has a two day time limit, so don't delay!
The Quaking Idol
Recover the Quaking Idol
Place the Quaklng Idol on the Pedestal
In this particular Expedition, some careless miners removed the idol of the Earthquake God and now the ground won't stop shaking! To prevent the mine from collapsing, you'll need to find the Quaking Idol and then place it back on its pedestal at the end of the map. In this Expedition, you'll travel along mine tracks while pushing carts. If you find an area that's inaccessible due to raised platforms, more often than not, simply pushing a mine cart into them will lower them (this will become pretty important in a minute).
As for collecting the Quaking Idol itself, you'll first need to locate the switches to turn off the traps blocking it. These are found in mushroom covered rocks, as seen below. While that may not immediately unlock your path to the Idol, it does allow you to get to the switch to turn off the Idol's specific trap.
To place the idol itself, you'll need to push a Mine Cart down a very long track until you reach a series of Skulls. You'll need to activate these skulls in a specific order (note the mushrooms covering the ordered markings back on the mine track) in order to lower the wall blocking your access to the Quaking Idol pedestal.
Crystal Cracker
Break 3 Giant Crystals
Break 4 Crystal Formations
This one's simple - just walk around the map smashing any crystals you see until you're done. Here's a look at the two different kinds for your reference.
Minecart Valet
Push 5 Minecarts to the end of their tracks
Ask friends for 10 Flashlight Bulbs
Collecting the Flashlight Bulbs is easily the most difficult portion of this Expedition, as you'll need to wait for others to help you out, rather than being able to do everything yourself. As we said before, the Minecarts can be pushed using energy and will unlock treasures at the end of their tracks. There are only five carts that can be pushed, conveniently enough, so push every cart you see to the end of its track and you'll finish off the first portion of this quest.
Once you've finished these three quests, you'll have completely finished the Quaking Mine Expedition, and will have saved the mine from collapse (and yourself from being squished!). This is a fairly short Expedition, in terms of the length of the map, so unless you run into trouble when collecting the Flashlight Bulbs, you shouldn't have any problem finishing it off in the two day time limit you're given.
Check out the rest of our Adventure World Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of this Quaking Mine Expedition? Is it one of the easiest you've played through thus far, or is it more challenging than it outwardly seems?
The Quaking Idol
Recover the Quaking Idol
Place the Quaklng Idol on the Pedestal
In this particular Expedition, some careless miners removed the idol of the Earthquake God and now the ground won't stop shaking! To prevent the mine from collapsing, you'll need to find the Quaking Idol and then place it back on its pedestal at the end of the map. In this Expedition, you'll travel along mine tracks while pushing carts. If you find an area that's inaccessible due to raised platforms, more often than not, simply pushing a mine cart into them will lower them (this will become pretty important in a minute).
As for collecting the Quaking Idol itself, you'll first need to locate the switches to turn off the traps blocking it. These are found in mushroom covered rocks, as seen below. While that may not immediately unlock your path to the Idol, it does allow you to get to the switch to turn off the Idol's specific trap.
To place the idol itself, you'll need to push a Mine Cart down a very long track until you reach a series of Skulls. You'll need to activate these skulls in a specific order (note the mushrooms covering the ordered markings back on the mine track) in order to lower the wall blocking your access to the Quaking Idol pedestal.
Crystal Cracker
Break 3 Giant Crystals
Break 4 Crystal Formations
This one's simple - just walk around the map smashing any crystals you see until you're done. Here's a look at the two different kinds for your reference.
Minecart Valet
Push 5 Minecarts to the end of their tracks
Ask friends for 10 Flashlight Bulbs
Collecting the Flashlight Bulbs is easily the most difficult portion of this Expedition, as you'll need to wait for others to help you out, rather than being able to do everything yourself. As we said before, the Minecarts can be pushed using energy and will unlock treasures at the end of their tracks. There are only five carts that can be pushed, conveniently enough, so push every cart you see to the end of its track and you'll finish off the first portion of this quest.
Once you've finished these three quests, you'll have completely finished the Quaking Mine Expedition, and will have saved the mine from collapse (and yourself from being squished!). This is a fairly short Expedition, in terms of the length of the map, so unless you run into trouble when collecting the Flashlight Bulbs, you shouldn't have any problem finishing it off in the two day time limit you're given.
Check out the rest of our Adventure World Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of this Quaking Mine Expedition? Is it one of the easiest you've played through thus far, or is it more challenging than it outwardly seems?
Kevin James visits the critters of Zoo World 2 in Zoo Keeper promotion
After watching Kevin James bumble around as a firefighter feigning a domestic partnership and later as a blundering mall cop, I wasn't so keen on watching him play a clumsy zoo keeper. But hey, maybe it'll make for a fun Facebook game event, and RockYou seems to agree, as it announced that Zoo World 2 will honor James's comedic, klutzy exploits in Zoo Keeper.
Zoo Keeper has come and gone in theaters, but picking up the Blu-ray or DVD release of James's summer comedy will score Zoo World fans 12,500 Zoo Bucks (normally $10) to blow in Zoo World 2. Of course, digital zoo keepers will be joined by characters from the movie including Griffin (Kevin James's character), Bernie the Gorilla, Joe the Lion, Mollie the Giraffe and Barry the Elephant.
Zoo World 2 will feature several goals involving the cast of the film, and players will net extra rewards when taking care of the critters from the movie. Leveling up during this promotion will produce customizable, Zoo Keeper-inspired notifications that players can share with each other. The original game gets some love, too, with four Zoo Keeper-themed animals.
Gallery: Zoo World 2 Zoo Keeper Promotion
RockYou has finally caught wind that, hey, branding is where it's at right now in Facebook games. (And perhaps a big name will give the game's 370,000 daily players a boost.) Not only has Enrique Iglesias landed in Zynga's CityVille, but studios like Ecko|Code have launched full-blown branded games like Dexter Slice of Life. And, if big time social game execs have anything to say about it, this trend isn't going anywhere. Let's just not make an entire game surrounding a Kevin James flick, kay?
Are you a Zoo World 2 fan already? Do you think this promotion is a good fit for the game, and does it make you want to play or try the game out any more than before?
Zoo Keeper has come and gone in theaters, but picking up the Blu-ray or DVD release of James's summer comedy will score Zoo World fans 12,500 Zoo Bucks (normally $10) to blow in Zoo World 2. Of course, digital zoo keepers will be joined by characters from the movie including Griffin (Kevin James's character), Bernie the Gorilla, Joe the Lion, Mollie the Giraffe and Barry the Elephant.
Zoo World 2 will feature several goals involving the cast of the film, and players will net extra rewards when taking care of the critters from the movie. Leveling up during this promotion will produce customizable, Zoo Keeper-inspired notifications that players can share with each other. The original game gets some love, too, with four Zoo Keeper-themed animals.
Gallery: Zoo World 2 Zoo Keeper Promotion
RockYou has finally caught wind that, hey, branding is where it's at right now in Facebook games. (And perhaps a big name will give the game's 370,000 daily players a boost.) Not only has Enrique Iglesias landed in Zynga's CityVille, but studios like Ecko|Code have launched full-blown branded games like Dexter Slice of Life. And, if big time social game execs have anything to say about it, this trend isn't going anywhere. Let's just not make an entire game surrounding a Kevin James flick, kay?
Are you a Zoo World 2 fan already? Do you think this promotion is a good fit for the game, and does it make you want to play or try the game out any more than before?
Scott Steinberg: Facebook could be in music games' future [Interview]
"It was too many games in too short a time, playing to too niche of an audience at too high a price--in the middle of the worst recession possible." According to technology analyst and public speaker Scott Steinberg, this was what essentially killed the enormous music gaming franchises, Guitar Hero and Rock Band. The age of sitting around your living room with three friends, plucking and fiddling with plastic instruments to Rush's Tom Sawyer is all but over ... for now.
Well, at least those exorbitant pieces of plastic are through. Steinberg details the rise, fall, and imminent resurrection of music-based video games in his new novel, "Music Games Rock: Rhythm Gaming's Greatest Hits of All Time," which you can read for free right here. (If you're so inclined to support the guy, it's also available on iBooks, Kindle and in paperback.)
According to Steinberg, music games inspired by Guitar Hero and Rock Band's wild success will get their second shot in the limelight on Facebook and in your smartphones. We recently sat down with Steinberg to hear his thoughts on just how Facebook games can take advantage of this golden opportunity, why it hasn't happened just yet and what the killer Facebook music game might be like.
What advantages would you say social games have to capitalize on the downfall of music games?
There's a number of advantages, right? Free-to-play and incredibly low barriers to entry. You certainly don't have high-end system requirements, and you don't have to buy pricey plastic peripherals. They can tap into your existing music collection or stream it live, and you have millions of players connected to a platform that's uniform.
You don't have to worry, for the most part, about bugs or errors, because everybody is playing the same thing at the same time. So, what you have is a ready made audience, say, on Facebook alone of 800 million people who are incredibly connected. [They] used to playing with one another and are taking part in a platform that's uniquely tailor-made to take advantage of digital music--and oh, by the way, it's completely free to play.
When you take it in this context, coupled with the fact that every human being on this planet is hardwired to enjoy music, that really is the common unifier. Social games really are uniquely poised to take the genre to the next level.
Music Games RockIn your book, you mention that the music genre has enjoyed a revival on social networks through Facebook games like Nightclub City and Dirty Dancing--largely simulator games. But what about games that more closely resemble the now-defunct rhythm games like Pump It? Which of the two do you think has a better chance at thriving on Facebook?
Actually, I would argue that some of the better ones that have a chance of surviving may not even be traditional games at all. Look at a service like Turntable.fm: Wouldn't consider it a game per se, except it's powered completely by gamification elements. You're creating custom play lists, you're interacting with other players in a social environment and ultimately you're competing for the approval of other users by liking the songs.
Or, if you look at other games like YooStar Playground or apps like VidRhythm--these are the titles that are to do particularly well. That said, simulation titles [have a] strong audience for them and proven capability, and certainly because that's where so many games got their roots [on Facebook]. There's likely to be a lot of people interested. I've even seen a number of unreleased games that are in prototype that essentially allow you to take on the role of managing or performing in a rock band--I think they're uniquely well-suited.
I think what's not going to translate over well is simply the standard tap in time with the on-screen indicator type games. Though, these can continue to succeed on mobile platforms, because in the mobile context you're typically looking to play maybe with one hand in a span of five or six minutes. Whereas social games may only be a 15-minute spurt, you're sitting down in front of a PC and you're typically more engaged.
There are some music creation social games on the fringe already, like BreakOutBand, that rely on players to share content to succeed. How important would that be in a social game centered around music?
I think user-created content, as it relates to social games, is massively important, because at the end of the day the developers can only take a game so far. And it's the players' ability to interact with and reshape that music or related content that really creates a sense of community, and allows a title to constantly keep feeling fresh and people coming back for more.
It's essentially a win-win, because for the developer it's a very affordable way to keep adding content to the game and keep people talking about it, and coming back after weeks and weeks. Players aren't constrained by office politics, licensing issues, and--to be frank--everybody loves to mix and mash creations.
But how much of that is going to be super-high quality, or chart-topping hits shall we say, versus underground little diddies? This is social interaction at its core, right? So, if you don't have that level of user interactivity, at the end of the day what you have is essentially a game with a bunch of canned content. And not much reason--unless it's saying you need to recruit other players to earn money for your band or unlock new stuff--there's not much incentive to pass it along.
A good amount of music games already exist on Facebook, but none are taking off like music games did before the turn of the decade. What do you think it would take for a music-based social game to enjoy success and notoriety like Guitar Hero?
You need to have a concept with extremely wide appeal that allows players to enjoy rock star wish fulfillment in a matter of minutes without the painful side effects. What also is important is to have recognizable band scenarios, you know, licensed music. But also the ability for players to put their own spin on it and a reason for them to engage with one another.
The problem is, to succeed on social networks where you literally have thousands of titles competing, dozens of them coming out every single week--all of which are completely free to play versus Guitar Hero, which was completely brand new. To have that success on Facebook or another social network, I almost think what you're going to see is a title that's going to have to align itself with Spotify or another one of these streaming services to tap into a massive database of real-world artists and then finds new ways for you to interact with that music.
Dirty Dancing Facebook game
Back to the branded music games like Dirty Dancing (pictured). As you know, they're reaching critical mass, so what do you think is the likelihood of a monster brand like Guitar Hero or Rock Band appearing on Facebook?
Oh, it's a certainty. It's not a question of 'if,' but just a question of 'when.' I think a lot of that is because the game makers aren't unawares. Activision, Harmonix, Mad Catz: They understand the power of social networks as a platform. The problem is that their business has been thus far founded in either selling peripherals--good mark up on those plastic guitars--or selling software for 60 bucks a pop.
They haven't had as much incentive to scurry and think, 'How do we make a free-to-play platform where we're probably going to make a lot less money in the immediate?' But slowly and surely, as so many game players are migrating to these platforms, convenience is winning. It's almost as if they're being forced to acknowledge it. It's a completely new approach to game design--Wal-Mart's not going to order a million units. They'll embrace it; it's just a question of 'when.'
Try to describe your dream music-based Facebook game to me. In other words, what do you think would be the ultimate approach to a music game on Facebook?
The ultimate Facebook music game would not only be able to tap into your full library of digital music, but also stream millions of songs on demand. [It would] allow you to set up on stage custom concerts for your friends, featuring this music or original music you created. [You would] style your avatars, build your own bands, create your own followings, sell your own virtual merchandise and connect over shared love of music with millions of players across the world.
It would effectively recreate the rock and recording industry experience, only in a virtual setting. What I mean is a combo listening service, social network, slash simulation game that effectively allows you to build a rock band and recording industry career from the ground up. I don't see any reason why you couldn't create avatars for your band--it's own look, logo, virtual stickers, t-shirts. You could buy branded gear like Gibson's or Marshall's, earn cash from touring, build your own virtual labels. I don't see any reason why a platform wouldn't be able to break new artists.
Wow, I think it's time for you to call the patent office. Thanks for taking the time to chat, Scott.
What do you think of the prospects of a wildly successful music game hitting Facebook? Who do you think could be the first to create the ultimate music game on Facebook?
Well, at least those exorbitant pieces of plastic are through. Steinberg details the rise, fall, and imminent resurrection of music-based video games in his new novel, "Music Games Rock: Rhythm Gaming's Greatest Hits of All Time," which you can read for free right here. (If you're so inclined to support the guy, it's also available on iBooks, Kindle and in paperback.)
According to Steinberg, music games inspired by Guitar Hero and Rock Band's wild success will get their second shot in the limelight on Facebook and in your smartphones. We recently sat down with Steinberg to hear his thoughts on just how Facebook games can take advantage of this golden opportunity, why it hasn't happened just yet and what the killer Facebook music game might be like.
What advantages would you say social games have to capitalize on the downfall of music games?
There's a number of advantages, right? Free-to-play and incredibly low barriers to entry. You certainly don't have high-end system requirements, and you don't have to buy pricey plastic peripherals. They can tap into your existing music collection or stream it live, and you have millions of players connected to a platform that's uniform.
You don't have to worry, for the most part, about bugs or errors, because everybody is playing the same thing at the same time. So, what you have is a ready made audience, say, on Facebook alone of 800 million people who are incredibly connected. [They] used to playing with one another and are taking part in a platform that's uniquely tailor-made to take advantage of digital music--and oh, by the way, it's completely free to play.
When you take it in this context, coupled with the fact that every human being on this planet is hardwired to enjoy music, that really is the common unifier. Social games really are uniquely poised to take the genre to the next level.
Music Games RockIn your book, you mention that the music genre has enjoyed a revival on social networks through Facebook games like Nightclub City and Dirty Dancing--largely simulator games. But what about games that more closely resemble the now-defunct rhythm games like Pump It? Which of the two do you think has a better chance at thriving on Facebook?
Actually, I would argue that some of the better ones that have a chance of surviving may not even be traditional games at all. Look at a service like Turntable.fm: Wouldn't consider it a game per se, except it's powered completely by gamification elements. You're creating custom play lists, you're interacting with other players in a social environment and ultimately you're competing for the approval of other users by liking the songs.
Or, if you look at other games like YooStar Playground or apps like VidRhythm--these are the titles that are to do particularly well. That said, simulation titles [have a] strong audience for them and proven capability, and certainly because that's where so many games got their roots [on Facebook]. There's likely to be a lot of people interested. I've even seen a number of unreleased games that are in prototype that essentially allow you to take on the role of managing or performing in a rock band--I think they're uniquely well-suited.
I think what's not going to translate over well is simply the standard tap in time with the on-screen indicator type games. Though, these can continue to succeed on mobile platforms, because in the mobile context you're typically looking to play maybe with one hand in a span of five or six minutes. Whereas social games may only be a 15-minute spurt, you're sitting down in front of a PC and you're typically more engaged.
There are some music creation social games on the fringe already, like BreakOutBand, that rely on players to share content to succeed. How important would that be in a social game centered around music?
I think user-created content, as it relates to social games, is massively important, because at the end of the day the developers can only take a game so far. And it's the players' ability to interact with and reshape that music or related content that really creates a sense of community, and allows a title to constantly keep feeling fresh and people coming back for more.
It's essentially a win-win, because for the developer it's a very affordable way to keep adding content to the game and keep people talking about it, and coming back after weeks and weeks. Players aren't constrained by office politics, licensing issues, and--to be frank--everybody loves to mix and mash creations.
But how much of that is going to be super-high quality, or chart-topping hits shall we say, versus underground little diddies? This is social interaction at its core, right? So, if you don't have that level of user interactivity, at the end of the day what you have is essentially a game with a bunch of canned content. And not much reason--unless it's saying you need to recruit other players to earn money for your band or unlock new stuff--there's not much incentive to pass it along.
A good amount of music games already exist on Facebook, but none are taking off like music games did before the turn of the decade. What do you think it would take for a music-based social game to enjoy success and notoriety like Guitar Hero?
You need to have a concept with extremely wide appeal that allows players to enjoy rock star wish fulfillment in a matter of minutes without the painful side effects. What also is important is to have recognizable band scenarios, you know, licensed music. But also the ability for players to put their own spin on it and a reason for them to engage with one another.
The problem is, to succeed on social networks where you literally have thousands of titles competing, dozens of them coming out every single week--all of which are completely free to play versus Guitar Hero, which was completely brand new. To have that success on Facebook or another social network, I almost think what you're going to see is a title that's going to have to align itself with Spotify or another one of these streaming services to tap into a massive database of real-world artists and then finds new ways for you to interact with that music.
Dirty Dancing Facebook game
Back to the branded music games like Dirty Dancing (pictured). As you know, they're reaching critical mass, so what do you think is the likelihood of a monster brand like Guitar Hero or Rock Band appearing on Facebook?
Oh, it's a certainty. It's not a question of 'if,' but just a question of 'when.' I think a lot of that is because the game makers aren't unawares. Activision, Harmonix, Mad Catz: They understand the power of social networks as a platform. The problem is that their business has been thus far founded in either selling peripherals--good mark up on those plastic guitars--or selling software for 60 bucks a pop.
They haven't had as much incentive to scurry and think, 'How do we make a free-to-play platform where we're probably going to make a lot less money in the immediate?' But slowly and surely, as so many game players are migrating to these platforms, convenience is winning. It's almost as if they're being forced to acknowledge it. It's a completely new approach to game design--Wal-Mart's not going to order a million units. They'll embrace it; it's just a question of 'when.'
Try to describe your dream music-based Facebook game to me. In other words, what do you think would be the ultimate approach to a music game on Facebook?
The ultimate Facebook music game would not only be able to tap into your full library of digital music, but also stream millions of songs on demand. [It would] allow you to set up on stage custom concerts for your friends, featuring this music or original music you created. [You would] style your avatars, build your own bands, create your own followings, sell your own virtual merchandise and connect over shared love of music with millions of players across the world.
It would effectively recreate the rock and recording industry experience, only in a virtual setting. What I mean is a combo listening service, social network, slash simulation game that effectively allows you to build a rock band and recording industry career from the ground up. I don't see any reason why you couldn't create avatars for your band--it's own look, logo, virtual stickers, t-shirts. You could buy branded gear like Gibson's or Marshall's, earn cash from touring, build your own virtual labels. I don't see any reason why a platform wouldn't be able to break new artists.
Wow, I think it's time for you to call the patent office. Thanks for taking the time to chat, Scott.
What do you think of the prospects of a wildly successful music game hitting Facebook? Who do you think could be the first to create the ultimate music game on Facebook?
Will Elvis Presley become 'The King' of Facebook gaming, too?
Who knows, but it looks like Pennsylvania-based Entertainment Games will everything it can to make that happen. (Screaming happily and bouncing at this news might be totally appropriate.) The social game creator and casual games portal announced that it has reached a licensing agreement with Elvis Presley Enterprises (EPE). The King himself will be featured as a main character in an upcoming game for Facebook, Google+ , mobile devices and open web.
Entertainment Games has yet to announce a release date, but did say that many celebrities along with Presley will be featured in the "soon-to-be launched, story-driven online game" in a release. The developer's Heyday platform will be the basis for the game's creation, and photographs from the archives at Graceland will be featured in the Facebook game. And, of course, Entertainment Games will include a copious amount of Elvis-themed virtual goods for purchase.
"Entertainment Games' mission is to create a totally unique social game experience in which players engage in rich, interactive stories and games that evoke the spirit of past decades and are brought to life by authentic photos and nostalgic celebrity imagery," Entertainment Games CCO F.J. Lennon said in a release.
The news follows the hire of soap opera guru Michael Fairman, and before that a deal that Entertainment Games struck with intellectual rights firm CMG Worldwide to use pictures of celebrities for a "retro-based social game for Facebook, Google+, mobile devices and the open web." Sound familiar? We thought so. Based on these recent reports it looks as if Entertainment Games is building one giant nostalgia bomb for Facebook gamers, and we can't wait to see it explode.
[Image Credit: Elvis Presley Enterprises]
What do you think Entertainment Games is up to with this mystery game? Are you ready for what sounds like an imminent nostalgia explosion on Facebook?
Entertainment Games has yet to announce a release date, but did say that many celebrities along with Presley will be featured in the "soon-to-be launched, story-driven online game" in a release. The developer's Heyday platform will be the basis for the game's creation, and photographs from the archives at Graceland will be featured in the Facebook game. And, of course, Entertainment Games will include a copious amount of Elvis-themed virtual goods for purchase.
"Entertainment Games' mission is to create a totally unique social game experience in which players engage in rich, interactive stories and games that evoke the spirit of past decades and are brought to life by authentic photos and nostalgic celebrity imagery," Entertainment Games CCO F.J. Lennon said in a release.
The news follows the hire of soap opera guru Michael Fairman, and before that a deal that Entertainment Games struck with intellectual rights firm CMG Worldwide to use pictures of celebrities for a "retro-based social game for Facebook, Google+, mobile devices and the open web." Sound familiar? We thought so. Based on these recent reports it looks as if Entertainment Games is building one giant nostalgia bomb for Facebook gamers, and we can't wait to see it explode.
[Image Credit: Elvis Presley Enterprises]
What do you think Entertainment Games is up to with this mystery game? Are you ready for what sounds like an imminent nostalgia explosion on Facebook?
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