Thứ Tư, 26 tháng 10, 2011
Angry Birds Seasons Halloween update means a new bird is in town
Of course, this means it'll gain an enormous amount of weight, so the bird might be ideally used once inside a pig structure. The list of Game Center achivements to earn includes defeating 300 skeletons, finishing all 30 new stages, earning three stars on every level and more. And, like all Angry Birds updates, this one is absolutely free.
Zynga reveals Mafia Wars 2, to be a 'badass' Facebook game [Video]
Unfortunately, all we know about Mafia Wars 2 is apparently how badass it's going to be. While that may be all some need to get psyched, you can check out and "Like" the game's official Facebook fan page to find out more about the game.
Capcom veteran Inafune doesn't rely on social game metrics 'slavishly'
The designer went on to say that the persistent "me-too" trend in social game creation needs to stop if we're to see this happen. And Keiji, we couldn't agree more. In pursuit of this fresh new form of social game, Inafune recently opened his own studio, Comcept. Now, how do we make such games profitable enough for more designers to bite?
Google: Games platform 'is not ready to handle' opening up to creators
Google has been quite exclusive with which developers it allows to bring their games onto Google+ Games, working with only the biggest names in casual and social games like Rovio, Zynga, PopCap and Kabam to name a few. (Well, there aren't many more than that, really.) While this is partially due to the fact that Google+ would likely be crushed if the gates were opened to everyone at once, the company is still working out how exactly it wants to handle developers.
Sky Pirates of Neo Terra soars through Facebook and iOS this fall
Players get to choose between a number of racers and vehicles, and compete with five of their friends in races on over a dozen different tracks. Once they get the hang of piloting a Glidewing, players can customize their very own and take flight against the ruthless Pirate King. And if you happen to win one of the Great Races, you will get the chance to be immortalized in the accompanying web comic. A full 3D racing game on Facebook that's attached to an ongoing web comic? We're intrigued.
Row Sham Bow CEO: 'This isn't just a profession' [Interview]
Only little more than six months before Row Sham Bow released its first game, Woodland Heroes, Holt realized that social games are the future of the industry. We sat down with Holt recently to find out what specifically drove him to co-found his own studio, what he hopes Row Sham Bow will change about these games and where Woodland Heroes goes from here.
Collapse! Blast, UNO Boost burst onto GameHouse games portal
This allows players to switch between platforms with the same scores and gameplay data. More importantly--if not for GameHouse, then the Internet on the whole--this marks a creative partnership between Facebook and GameHouse that brings Facebook Credits to GameHouse.com. This is a first for Facebook that allows users to make purchases on third-party websites, games and apps using its exclusive currency, namely Collapse! Blast and UNO Boost.
Former Playdom GM takes the reins of social game start-up 519 Games
Those details haven't exactly emerged yet, but it's only a matter of time. Melnick, who worked for Disney International as Playdom's head of international operations, had nothing but thanks and praise for the company. "It was this great collection of people that helped me learn and grow professionally that I can now move on to the biggest opportunity I have ever had," Melnick wrote. "Again, thank you all."
The Killer Pumpkin assaults Pocket God on Facebook this Halloween
While the game is down for maintenance as of this writing, a new Global Challenge awaits the game's 190,000 monthly players. The Great Jack-o'-Pygmy wants pumpkins everywhere this Halloween, and has granted players with the power to summon a giant pumpkin that transforms pygmies into pumpkins. And when those gourds grow to gigantic proportions, they can even be used to crush more pygmies.
Triple Town, 'Civilization of match-3 games', goes Kindle to Facebook
Hailed by one reviewer as "the Civilization of match-three games," Triple Town is a unique title with familiar aesthetics. Spry Fox originally chose the Kindle as the game's platform, which was explained as "an interesting emerging opportunity" by Edery. But as the game grew popular, Spry Fox wanted to spread the love around. Citing a lack of Bejeweled Blitz-type games on Facebook, Spry Fox decided to push for Triple Town's launch on the social network, as well as make it available in both English and Spanish.
'Zynga is making games for accidental gamers,' studio VP says
The studio head was implying that Zynga doesn't create video games for hardcore or traditional gamers. Sure, that's stating the obvious, but it's vitally important to remember when looking at Zynga's games. They're not exactly technological marvels, accessible to those who just don't get the complexity of controllers and traversing 3D space. But as players progress, they become well-versed in increasingly complex interfaces, thus becoming, well, gamers.
Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes of Neverwinter goes live on Facebook
Movement is achieved on a grid, with this turn-based game automatically allowing you to move at the beginning of each turn. When commanding a party, you'll be able to complete multiple actions, including attacking or opening your inventory with each character before needing to manually end their turn and start over with the next character. Once each "adventure" in the game is complete, you'll receive experience points for the battles you won and the tasks you completed in the process. For immediate prizes, you'll sometimes be able to loot your fallen enemies, selecting a prize from a list of ten. You can choose randomly from ten cards, or can use a potion to reveal items before you choose.
Thứ Ba, 25 tháng 10, 2011
Show And Tell: Terry Paton
Welcome to Show and Tell, a regular feature where we speak to indie devs about what they’re working on and what they’re releasing soon. Today we speak with Flash developer Terry Paton, who has made a living through making indie games for himself and others.
47 Billion Shots Were Fired In The Battlefield 3 Beta
Time for some fun with numbers! With the open beta for Battlefield 3 now over, developers DICE and publishers EA have shared some stats from the slaughterthon.
It’s the really big ones that grab you first, like 47 billion shots being fired, 1.5 billion kills being recorded or over 8 million players taking part.
But take a second look at that headshot figure. Someone shot another player’s head off from 635 metres away. My hat is off to you, sir/madam, on the proviso you don’t shoot my head from half a city away while I tip it.
One number missing, but one I’d love to see, is number of recorded users complaining they didn’t get enough time on Caspian Border. It probably gives the “shots fired” tally a run for its money.
It’s the really big ones that grab you first, like 47 billion shots being fired, 1.5 billion kills being recorded or over 8 million players taking part.
But take a second look at that headshot figure. Someone shot another player’s head off from 635 metres away. My hat is off to you, sir/madam, on the proviso you don’t shoot my head from half a city away while I tip it.
One number missing, but one I’d love to see, is number of recorded users complaining they didn’t get enough time on Caspian Border. It probably gives the “shots fired” tally a run for its money.
Show Us Your Haiku Skills, Win EscapeVektor
Aussie indie devs Nnooo recently released escapeVektor and critics everywhere have praised the game for its originality and cleverness. If you’d like to treat your Wii (and yourself) to a copy of the game, all we need is something original and clever from you — in a haiku.
Watch the video above. From that, come up with a haiku that sums up the game and post it in the comments below. And that’s it! We’re allowing one entry per person (so make it a good one!), and you have until midnight tomorrow to enter. Five of our favourite entries will receive a copy of escapeVektor for the Wii.
So what’s a haiku, you ask? A traditional haiku consists of three lines of text made up of five, seven, and five syllables respectively. Here’s an example of one we wrote ourselves:
Yay, a WiiWare game!
But is it worth our money?
Of course, it’s by Nnooo!
If you ask me, I consider that haiku to be absolute poetry. You may beg to differ. Anyway, have a quick read of the terms and conditions and show us what you’ve got! Be creative and have fun with it.
Watch the video above. From that, come up with a haiku that sums up the game and post it in the comments below. And that’s it! We’re allowing one entry per person (so make it a good one!), and you have until midnight tomorrow to enter. Five of our favourite entries will receive a copy of escapeVektor for the Wii.
So what’s a haiku, you ask? A traditional haiku consists of three lines of text made up of five, seven, and five syllables respectively. Here’s an example of one we wrote ourselves:
Yay, a WiiWare game!
But is it worth our money?
Of course, it’s by Nnooo!
If you ask me, I consider that haiku to be absolute poetry. You may beg to differ. Anyway, have a quick read of the terms and conditions and show us what you’ve got! Be creative and have fun with it.
Thứ Hai, 24 tháng 10, 2011
Here’s Harrison Ford. Playing Uncharted.
National treasure Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones, Star Wars, your childhood) has popped up in an unlikely place: A Japanese television commercial for Uncharted 3.
While Ford isn’t famous for his love of video games, the 69-year-old is famous for playing Indiana Jones. The films are an obvious source of inspiration for the treasure-hunting Uncharted games.
In the commercial, the camera focuses on Ford as he grimaces and plays. It looks like he’s acting how he’d think someone games.
In the behind-the-scenes clips, Ford played through the game in an extended clip and said he was impressed how realistic the graphics were. In another clip, Ford appeared far more relaxed and natural–probably because he wasn’t acting.
“I think it is very exciting,” Ford said while making the commercial. “I have not seen a game anything like this.”
The actor was dazzled by the game, noting how exciting it was. “There’s so much more action in here than there is normally in a movie,” Ford said. “It’s so much more concentrated here.”
The making-of footage, viewable only in Japan on the game’s official site, is far more natural that what ended up in the commercial. Ford actually looked like he was getting into the game–once he finished gushing about how realistic it was.
“It’s very much like being in the movie for me,” said Ford. “Except in the movie, I always win. In the game, sometimes, I don’t win.”
This ad doesn’t appear to be a one off thing. In the making-of clip, Ford is shown being filmed as he plays the PS Vita. No doubt, he will appear in the commercial for the upcoming Vita Uncharted title.
A Japanese morning show, Mezamashi TV, did a feature on Ford’s appearance this morning. Click through the gallery to see stills, as well as Ford writing “Great” or “Fantastic” in Japanese calligraphy.
While Ford isn’t famous for his love of video games, the 69-year-old is famous for playing Indiana Jones. The films are an obvious source of inspiration for the treasure-hunting Uncharted games.
In the commercial, the camera focuses on Ford as he grimaces and plays. It looks like he’s acting how he’d think someone games.
In the behind-the-scenes clips, Ford played through the game in an extended clip and said he was impressed how realistic the graphics were. In another clip, Ford appeared far more relaxed and natural–probably because he wasn’t acting.
“I think it is very exciting,” Ford said while making the commercial. “I have not seen a game anything like this.”
The actor was dazzled by the game, noting how exciting it was. “There’s so much more action in here than there is normally in a movie,” Ford said. “It’s so much more concentrated here.”
The making-of footage, viewable only in Japan on the game’s official site, is far more natural that what ended up in the commercial. Ford actually looked like he was getting into the game–once he finished gushing about how realistic it was.
“It’s very much like being in the movie for me,” said Ford. “Except in the movie, I always win. In the game, sometimes, I don’t win.”
This ad doesn’t appear to be a one off thing. In the making-of clip, Ford is shown being filmed as he plays the PS Vita. No doubt, he will appear in the commercial for the upcoming Vita Uncharted title.
A Japanese morning show, Mezamashi TV, did a feature on Ford’s appearance this morning. Click through the gallery to see stills, as well as Ford writing “Great” or “Fantastic” in Japanese calligraphy.
Behind The Scenes Of The Minecraft Team’s Next Game
free to use its planned name, Scrolls, the next game from Minecraft developers Mojang, is all systems go. As is this documentary going behind the scenes of the game.
Filmed by 2 Player Productions, the same guys currently working on a big Minecraft documentary, the clip above shows the first of what’s planned to be several episodes chatting with the men behind the game.
You won’t see much of the game (though you will see some!), but you will see how awesome the wall mural at Mojang’s office is. You’ll also get some great interviews with the guys about the lawsuit between the studio and Bethesda, which dropped mid-filming.
Part 1 of the Scrolls doc! [2 Player Productions]
Filmed by 2 Player Productions, the same guys currently working on a big Minecraft documentary, the clip above shows the first of what’s planned to be several episodes chatting with the men behind the game.
You won’t see much of the game (though you will see some!), but you will see how awesome the wall mural at Mojang’s office is. You’ll also get some great interviews with the guys about the lawsuit between the studio and Bethesda, which dropped mid-filming.
Part 1 of the Scrolls doc! [2 Player Productions]
Watch Harrison Ford Play Uncharted For Almost Seven Minutes
As previously posted, Harrison Ford is appearing in Uncharted 3‘s Japanese television commercials.
The above video shows Ford playing Uncharted 3 and talking about the game. It’s the best clip of the bunch–far better than the actual commercial, which feels phony.
The commercial does feature Ford speaking Japanese as well as his calligraphy. Ford wrote “スゲェ”, which means “fantastic” or “great”, along with his name.
I like hearing Harrison Ford talk about Uncharted. It’s like hearing my mum talk about video games, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Thanks, PoweredByHentai for the tip!
The above video shows Ford playing Uncharted 3 and talking about the game. It’s the best clip of the bunch–far better than the actual commercial, which feels phony.
The commercial does feature Ford speaking Japanese as well as his calligraphy. Ford wrote “スゲェ”, which means “fantastic” or “great”, along with his name.
I like hearing Harrison Ford talk about Uncharted. It’s like hearing my mum talk about video games, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Thanks, PoweredByHentai for the tip!
Thứ Bảy, 22 tháng 10, 2011
Phineas And Ferb 3D Game – Disney XD Games 63
New Disney Game – Phineas and Ferb
Disney released a new game. Phineas and Ferb 3D online game. Klick here to read the complete review.
The new game is available at the Disney XD discovery channel. Get ahead of the game before its officially released next week!
Disney is introducing the brand new DisneyXD game. Phineas and Ferb in: The Transport inators of Doooom!
Doofenschmitz is up to his old tricks again, and who has gone missing? Phineas! Help Ferb find his brother and try to help Agent P thwarth Doofenschmitz evil plans!
Check out this new exciting Disney XD online game before all others do at the Disney Cartoon network games website!
Check out Disney’s cartoon network to find a lot of amazing games and news. Disney offers a lot of cartoon games on their site. So head over to the Disney XD site and play the new Phineas and Ferb – The Transport-inators of Doooom! game!
Disney released a new game. Phineas and Ferb 3D online game. Klick here to read the complete review.
The new game is available at the Disney XD discovery channel. Get ahead of the game before its officially released next week!
Disney is introducing the brand new DisneyXD game. Phineas and Ferb in: The Transport inators of Doooom!
Doofenschmitz is up to his old tricks again, and who has gone missing? Phineas! Help Ferb find his brother and try to help Agent P thwarth Doofenschmitz evil plans!
Check out this new exciting Disney XD online game before all others do at the Disney Cartoon network games website!
Check out Disney’s cartoon network to find a lot of amazing games and news. Disney offers a lot of cartoon games on their site. So head over to the Disney XD site and play the new Phineas and Ferb – The Transport-inators of Doooom! game!
What's the deal with Move?
Now, before people get all upset, this isn't a blog designed to put down the Move motion controller or anything like that at all. This is just a question about Move support.
Ever since Move was announced, all I've seen are people assuming that pretty much EVERY game coming out for the PS3 is going to have Move support. Really? Is that really what you want?
Recently, I can name 2 games that I've seen people calling for Move support, one where it was blatantly assumed to be coming for it.
The first game is Demon's Souls 2. Now, FromSoftware and SCEJ have stated that, no, there is no Demon's Souls 2 currently in production and will not be in the foreseeable future; but that they could and may bring a Demon's Souls 2 to us some day. In reading the comments from the 2 posts for this, one of 2 features was constantly voiced to be part of the game. And that one feature is Move support.
Now, I don't think that I'm the only one who thinks that Move support would be beneficial to a game like Demon's Souls. The game is combat intensive, and stat dependent. Could you picture yourself swinging your arms constantly, and yet also having to stop every few seconds due to the stamina bar? What about fan tournaments like the many SL120 PvP tournaments held all the time? Long battles would become tiring don't you think? That's just my opinion.
The next game I saw with this was the recently announced Dynasty Warriors 7. Someone in the "Dynasty Warriors 7 announced for Xbox 360" article stated they will be getting the PS3 version because of Move support. Did KoeiTecmo announce Move support for it? I don't think they did. And again, this is a combat intensive game. Ever hear of Repetitive Strain Injuries? It's where making the same movement over and over and over causes strain, and pain, to whatever it is you are moving. Think Tennis Elbow. I don't think it's feasible for DW7 to have Move support.
But the point of my blog is the question, why do many assume that Move support is going to be included with every new PS3 game, or that it even should be? Do you all want Motion controllers to be the default controller of future console generations? I'm really curious for an answer here. Because personally, I've been gaming for 23 years and like using regular controllers with buttons.
Yes, I'm aware that Move has buttons and you can still use DS3 and that it's just an option; but I don't think that I'm the only one who sees this as testing the waters for the future. Am I?
Ever since Move was announced, all I've seen are people assuming that pretty much EVERY game coming out for the PS3 is going to have Move support. Really? Is that really what you want?
Recently, I can name 2 games that I've seen people calling for Move support, one where it was blatantly assumed to be coming for it.
The first game is Demon's Souls 2. Now, FromSoftware and SCEJ have stated that, no, there is no Demon's Souls 2 currently in production and will not be in the foreseeable future; but that they could and may bring a Demon's Souls 2 to us some day. In reading the comments from the 2 posts for this, one of 2 features was constantly voiced to be part of the game. And that one feature is Move support.
Now, I don't think that I'm the only one who thinks that Move support would be beneficial to a game like Demon's Souls. The game is combat intensive, and stat dependent. Could you picture yourself swinging your arms constantly, and yet also having to stop every few seconds due to the stamina bar? What about fan tournaments like the many SL120 PvP tournaments held all the time? Long battles would become tiring don't you think? That's just my opinion.
The next game I saw with this was the recently announced Dynasty Warriors 7. Someone in the "Dynasty Warriors 7 announced for Xbox 360" article stated they will be getting the PS3 version because of Move support. Did KoeiTecmo announce Move support for it? I don't think they did. And again, this is a combat intensive game. Ever hear of Repetitive Strain Injuries? It's where making the same movement over and over and over causes strain, and pain, to whatever it is you are moving. Think Tennis Elbow. I don't think it's feasible for DW7 to have Move support.
But the point of my blog is the question, why do many assume that Move support is going to be included with every new PS3 game, or that it even should be? Do you all want Motion controllers to be the default controller of future console generations? I'm really curious for an answer here. Because personally, I've been gaming for 23 years and like using regular controllers with buttons.
Yes, I'm aware that Move has buttons and you can still use DS3 and that it's just an option; but I don't think that I'm the only one who sees this as testing the waters for the future. Am I?
Playstation Plus: What's the deal?
Don't get me wrong: I'm not another one of those idiots who completely disses a service without having a clue, or any reason to base it on. I generally don't speak up until something is actually up, and with Playstation Plus, I can't avoid the feeling that we're getting screwed now.
The first couple of months were fine: I liked ALL of the content I was given, I rarely buy anything off the PSN store - so it was a nice change of pace for me. Like others, I felt impulsed to go all out and get the year's subscription - something which I thought I'd look forward to. The only downside I could have seen was that I was on the European PSN Store, which is notorious for getting screwed over by the Japanese and American Stores. However, while this was still an issue, I was completely satisfied with all the content at my disposal: until I saw the list of "goodies" to be put on for November, and realized that the stuff we were getting monthly was slowly decreasing in quality AND quantity. Don't get me wrong: I LOVED the little treats we get randomly every month - particularly the Fallout 3 DLC, which if you still had the old game WITHOUT DLC was money in the bank. All this was great, but if you take a step back and look, the PS+ crew seem to be struggling to supply decent content monthly, and only giving the best stuff as they see fit. It makes me feel unwanted, like an extra weight that people have to shove anything towards in order to fulfill a "promise" hastily.
Maybe it's just me: I don't take advantage of the discounts given because I don't own the game or want the DLC, and sometimes I don't download the tiny light-content minis - nothing seems to jump out at me anymore, and only in random slots during the month do we see some quality games. It HAS been a while since PS+ came out, what I think we need is a change. Remember how they said PS+ was an "evolving" service? It needs to evolve RIGHT NOW. I'm not talking just hand-me-down games forgotten in the PSN library - I mean something BIG, that will make people proud to own PS+. Like a new feature, perhaps - I mean, the only noteworthy ones we have right now are automatic downloads and the little PS+ symbol on our friends list (which is probably the only one ON your list >.<).
Not too many people seem to have PS+. It didn't exactly get the biggest kickstart this summer, and I've noticed that for some odd reason, people are starting to buy into the idea NOW of all times. This is a critical time for PSN: if they announce a new feature before christmas panic sets in, more people will get it and we will get more from our hard-earned cash. If they leave it too late, all the money will go to christmas presents for children (boooo!! :D)
There are many features that Sony could incorporate into PS+. After all, they have neglected to add them to the ordinary PSN, so why not PS+? Possible features could be like cross-game chat, PS+ Home (an executive lounge for hardcore gamers :D), the ability to change your PSN name, storing back-up saves to your PSN ID, bonus features for playstation-exclusive games, and the ability to download something WHILE you play a game.
There are tons of ideas that can help attract people to PS+, and make people who have it glad they paid for it. It's getting stale now, and something needs to be done to spice it up before it's too late!
The first couple of months were fine: I liked ALL of the content I was given, I rarely buy anything off the PSN store - so it was a nice change of pace for me. Like others, I felt impulsed to go all out and get the year's subscription - something which I thought I'd look forward to. The only downside I could have seen was that I was on the European PSN Store, which is notorious for getting screwed over by the Japanese and American Stores. However, while this was still an issue, I was completely satisfied with all the content at my disposal: until I saw the list of "goodies" to be put on for November, and realized that the stuff we were getting monthly was slowly decreasing in quality AND quantity. Don't get me wrong: I LOVED the little treats we get randomly every month - particularly the Fallout 3 DLC, which if you still had the old game WITHOUT DLC was money in the bank. All this was great, but if you take a step back and look, the PS+ crew seem to be struggling to supply decent content monthly, and only giving the best stuff as they see fit. It makes me feel unwanted, like an extra weight that people have to shove anything towards in order to fulfill a "promise" hastily.
Maybe it's just me: I don't take advantage of the discounts given because I don't own the game or want the DLC, and sometimes I don't download the tiny light-content minis - nothing seems to jump out at me anymore, and only in random slots during the month do we see some quality games. It HAS been a while since PS+ came out, what I think we need is a change. Remember how they said PS+ was an "evolving" service? It needs to evolve RIGHT NOW. I'm not talking just hand-me-down games forgotten in the PSN library - I mean something BIG, that will make people proud to own PS+. Like a new feature, perhaps - I mean, the only noteworthy ones we have right now are automatic downloads and the little PS+ symbol on our friends list (which is probably the only one ON your list >.<).
Not too many people seem to have PS+. It didn't exactly get the biggest kickstart this summer, and I've noticed that for some odd reason, people are starting to buy into the idea NOW of all times. This is a critical time for PSN: if they announce a new feature before christmas panic sets in, more people will get it and we will get more from our hard-earned cash. If they leave it too late, all the money will go to christmas presents for children (boooo!! :D)
There are many features that Sony could incorporate into PS+. After all, they have neglected to add them to the ordinary PSN, so why not PS+? Possible features could be like cross-game chat, PS+ Home (an executive lounge for hardcore gamers :D), the ability to change your PSN name, storing back-up saves to your PSN ID, bonus features for playstation-exclusive games, and the ability to download something WHILE you play a game.
There are tons of ideas that can help attract people to PS+, and make people who have it glad they paid for it. It's getting stale now, and something needs to be done to spice it up before it's too late!
playstation plus
i have been a member of playstation plus the moment it came out and i have been happy with the discounts and the free games i get.. but then i noticed that i only get playstation minis and ps1 games and game trials .. i want it more spread out give me some psp games an discount on them it seems to me that sony just drops one thing good for psp and it was the ghost of sparta demo i think as a playstation plus subscriber i should at least get a game that is worth paying a year membership for
Thứ Sáu, 21 tháng 10, 2011
A Quick Review of the Uncharted 3 Teaser
[Author's note: Of course, by the time this blog gets approved, most of the below information will be common knowledge. I hope someone enjoys the information below.]
I'm sure most of us here are pretty giddy with the latest news on Uncharted 3 being announced and a video expected at the VGAs. If you're like me, you remember the breathtaking experience of Naughty Dog's demo of Uncharted 2 at E3 2009 and how they not only show that they don't mess around, but they don't need bullshots or snazzy trailers to sell you their game because the game itself does it well enough.
I've watched the teaser a few times and I just wanted to give a run down on some of the information I've gleamed from it.
NOTICE!!!!
If you don't want any part of the storyline possibly spoiled, do not read any further. The teaser definitely leads to some very possible reveals as to what we will find in the end of the game as well as information we will explore that will lead us to the hidden city.
HERE WE GO
The first gun on the table is Nathan's M92F.
The second gun on the table is Sully's Wes-44.
The maps shown are of the Arabian Peninsula.
The money shown is UK currency, meaning we're likely going to do some adventuring in locales other than the Arabian Peninsula. [Edit: Thanks sjaakiejj]
There is a photo of T.E. Lawrence in his arabian garb.
The dagger he is wearing in the photo is the same dagger laying on the table.
There are only two known daggers of Lawrence's in existence, one is a gold one in a museum in England and the other is an unknown looking dagger held by a private party in San Marino, California. It's likely this dagger was 'acquired' from this private party.
I'm sure most of us here are pretty giddy with the latest news on Uncharted 3 being announced and a video expected at the VGAs. If you're like me, you remember the breathtaking experience of Naughty Dog's demo of Uncharted 2 at E3 2009 and how they not only show that they don't mess around, but they don't need bullshots or snazzy trailers to sell you their game because the game itself does it well enough.
I've watched the teaser a few times and I just wanted to give a run down on some of the information I've gleamed from it.
NOTICE!!!!
If you don't want any part of the storyline possibly spoiled, do not read any further. The teaser definitely leads to some very possible reveals as to what we will find in the end of the game as well as information we will explore that will lead us to the hidden city.
HERE WE GO
The first gun on the table is Nathan's M92F.
The second gun on the table is Sully's Wes-44.
The maps shown are of the Arabian Peninsula.
The money shown is UK currency, meaning we're likely going to do some adventuring in locales other than the Arabian Peninsula. [Edit: Thanks sjaakiejj]
There is a photo of T.E. Lawrence in his arabian garb.
The dagger he is wearing in the photo is the same dagger laying on the table.
There are only two known daggers of Lawrence's in existence, one is a gold one in a museum in England and the other is an unknown looking dagger held by a private party in San Marino, California. It's likely this dagger was 'acquired' from this private party.
Beating Others to N4G, No Matter What It Takes
I've noticed this problem for a while, and I'm going to use the latest offender of this action as an example in this blog.
Too many sites rely upon N4G to get the hits they desire. They rely upon it so much that they post irrelevant news articles that contain nothing new but are written as if it should be treated as an opinion piece when the news we read the day before contains all of the same information. They create inane and 'Who Gives a Frak' top ten lists and spam them on N4G. They use boobs in an image to get their posts on the front page. Sites are driven to ensure that they get recognized on N4G so that people will click through to their site.
The problem is that when they do this, the news suffers and we increase our chances on missing on out quality news. It's not fair to those who put their heart and effort into quality news stories and get drowned out by drivel or have their content exploited so that another site can make the front page.
Today, an example of one of these methods to get in first without regard to the quality of their news happened, and it's resulted in a reporting issue for the site itself.
The story in question is: http://n4g.com/news/661686/...
You look at it and you can't but help to want to click through to see more info on Uncharted 3. It's the hot topic of the day after all. Now, if you're lucky, you might actually get to see that content, but many only get what was originally posted in the news article and not the later edited news article that contains everything it says it does.
What cyber, who I don't know is tied to GamersMint.com or not, did is post quickly while the original article contained just the logo of Uncharted 3 and the following text:
Too many sites rely upon N4G to get the hits they desire. They rely upon it so much that they post irrelevant news articles that contain nothing new but are written as if it should be treated as an opinion piece when the news we read the day before contains all of the same information. They create inane and 'Who Gives a Frak' top ten lists and spam them on N4G. They use boobs in an image to get their posts on the front page. Sites are driven to ensure that they get recognized on N4G so that people will click through to their site.
The problem is that when they do this, the news suffers and we increase our chances on missing on out quality news. It's not fair to those who put their heart and effort into quality news stories and get drowned out by drivel or have their content exploited so that another site can make the front page.
Today, an example of one of these methods to get in first without regard to the quality of their news happened, and it's resulted in a reporting issue for the site itself.
The story in question is: http://n4g.com/news/661686/...
You look at it and you can't but help to want to click through to see more info on Uncharted 3. It's the hot topic of the day after all. Now, if you're lucky, you might actually get to see that content, but many only get what was originally posted in the news article and not the later edited news article that contains everything it says it does.
What cyber, who I don't know is tied to GamersMint.com or not, did is post quickly while the original article contained just the logo of Uncharted 3 and the following text:
Official Pokemon Game Coming To Smartphones
The Pokemon Company is set to bring an official Pokemon Online game to smartphone devices, marking the first time that an official Nintendo-copyrighted app will be available on the iOS and Android.
Called Pokemon Iie Tap (rougly Pokemon: Say Tap?), the app appears to be a rhythm game where players “tap on Pokemon indigo trading cards to the beat of a song from the anime,” according to a translation by consumer video game site GamesRadar.
According to the game’s official announcement, it will be available for most iOS devices, as well as Android devices running version 2.1 of the platform.
Though this is the first iOS or Android application to carry an official Nintendo copyright, it is not the first mobile app of any kind: a Pokemon mobile phone game called Pokemate was released in Japan in 2006.
Though it is a rarity, Nintendo does have a history of releasing official games on platforms that are not its own, including a promotional Flash game to promote its Tingle character.
A release outside of Japan has not been announced.
Called Pokemon Iie Tap (rougly Pokemon: Say Tap?), the app appears to be a rhythm game where players “tap on Pokemon indigo trading cards to the beat of a song from the anime,” according to a translation by consumer video game site GamesRadar.
According to the game’s official announcement, it will be available for most iOS devices, as well as Android devices running version 2.1 of the platform.
Though this is the first iOS or Android application to carry an official Nintendo copyright, it is not the first mobile app of any kind: a Pokemon mobile phone game called Pokemate was released in Japan in 2006.
Though it is a rarity, Nintendo does have a history of releasing official games on platforms that are not its own, including a promotional Flash game to promote its Tingle character.
A release outside of Japan has not been announced.
Nick Jr., MTVN expand in Asia
Rugrats and music fans in Singapore and Malaysia will be able to tune in to “Dora the Explorer” and 24-hour music videos, docus and concerts with the launch of Viacom’s Nick Jr. and MTVN HD in the territories in coming weeks.
Nick Jr Games. will bow on Singapore’s Starhub from May 18, while MTVN HD will air on Telekom Malaysia Berhad’s HyppTV in Malaysia from June 1.
Nick Jr. will be available on the StarHub TV’s Kids Basic Upsize Group, while MTVNHD will be available to existing StarHub TV’s Entertainment Basic Group customers who are subscribed to the Basic HD Upsize group.
TM will offer the two channels a la carte to its subscribers on HyppTV, Malaysia’s newest pay TV service.
The services will roll out to the rest of the region at a date to be announced.
Nick Jr Games. will bow on Singapore’s Starhub from May 18, while MTVN HD will air on Telekom Malaysia Berhad’s HyppTV in Malaysia from June 1.
Nick Jr. will be available on the StarHub TV’s Kids Basic Upsize Group, while MTVNHD will be available to existing StarHub TV’s Entertainment Basic Group customers who are subscribed to the Basic HD Upsize group.
TM will offer the two channels a la carte to its subscribers on HyppTV, Malaysia’s newest pay TV service.
The services will roll out to the rest of the region at a date to be announced.
Thứ Năm, 20 tháng 10, 2011
My gaming thoughts
Firstly I would like to talk about game reviews and why they dont matter to you individualy. Like everyone the reviewer has an opinion and thats not to say hes wrong but not everyone will agree with him. Just because one person doesn't like a story in a game doesn't mean you won't. Its the same principal with films, you should always try it for yourself. I do understand though that some people rely on reviews for there gaming purchases because they may not have the funds to buy games just on a hunch or a reviewers recomendation. My advice is to read a few reviews but also maybe wait for a few reviews off actual gamers not journalists, you should then be able to get a feel of what the game will be like and if you will enjoy it. It might come as a shock to people but "killzone 3" may not be to everyones taste and taking offence to reviews is a waste of valuable gaming time of which I don't get alot of these days.
In November like most people I bought Black Ops, after a few games I was thinking what the hell have I bought. I've been playing Cod games since number one and for me the series peaked with the amazing Modern Warfare, that game was perfection. It had an amazing single player with some truly memeroble moments, but it was the multi player that made the game great. So whats happened to the Cod series then, they have messed up big time thats what. Instead of making a polished game that works they have decided to cram in as much as they could and forgotten to actually make the game playablem, but most importantly enjoyable. After about a month I traded Blops in and re purchased Cod4 and I would love to say that I havn't looked back but I have. When the new maps were released I bought it again, so i've now spent nearly a hundred pounds on a game that I am not really enjoying even with the inclusion of the new maps. For me the main problem is the players, its just a campfest. Every corner there is someone with a claymore waiting for some unfortunat person to walk past and boom your dead. I'm not saying camping is such a bad thing but with every new Cod theres even more campers due to the fact that theres more and more new gamers buying consoles just for cod and thats the tactic of choice. ITS DAMN ANNOYING.
Lastly I would like to talk about exclusives on the PS3 and why they look better than 360 games. The simple fact is that the PS3 and 360 are very close interms of power no matter what the fanboys think. Sony are spending alot of money on there exclusives, Look at the biggest microsoft exclusive "halo", Reach is basicaly running on an engine that was used on the original xbox that has been updated over the years. Another xbox exclusive Alan Wake was origianly desighned for the PC then microsost bought the publishing rights and made it a 360 exclusive. It looked fantastic but wasn't up there with the best the PS3 could offer. The ps3 is has a slight advantage but its miniscule, if micrososft paid a developer to desighn a game from the ground up for the 360 we would see a different outcome which brings me to kingdoms. Now i'm not saying this is going to destroy the PS3 interms of graphics but I do think your going to see what the 360 can actually do. Untill then I hope killzone 3 will keep me occupied because Blops is a huge dissapointment for the second time.
In November like most people I bought Black Ops, after a few games I was thinking what the hell have I bought. I've been playing Cod games since number one and for me the series peaked with the amazing Modern Warfare, that game was perfection. It had an amazing single player with some truly memeroble moments, but it was the multi player that made the game great. So whats happened to the Cod series then, they have messed up big time thats what. Instead of making a polished game that works they have decided to cram in as much as they could and forgotten to actually make the game playablem, but most importantly enjoyable. After about a month I traded Blops in and re purchased Cod4 and I would love to say that I havn't looked back but I have. When the new maps were released I bought it again, so i've now spent nearly a hundred pounds on a game that I am not really enjoying even with the inclusion of the new maps. For me the main problem is the players, its just a campfest. Every corner there is someone with a claymore waiting for some unfortunat person to walk past and boom your dead. I'm not saying camping is such a bad thing but with every new Cod theres even more campers due to the fact that theres more and more new gamers buying consoles just for cod and thats the tactic of choice. ITS DAMN ANNOYING.
Lastly I would like to talk about exclusives on the PS3 and why they look better than 360 games. The simple fact is that the PS3 and 360 are very close interms of power no matter what the fanboys think. Sony are spending alot of money on there exclusives, Look at the biggest microsoft exclusive "halo", Reach is basicaly running on an engine that was used on the original xbox that has been updated over the years. Another xbox exclusive Alan Wake was origianly desighned for the PC then microsost bought the publishing rights and made it a 360 exclusive. It looked fantastic but wasn't up there with the best the PS3 could offer. The ps3 is has a slight advantage but its miniscule, if micrososft paid a developer to desighn a game from the ground up for the 360 we would see a different outcome which brings me to kingdoms. Now i'm not saying this is going to destroy the PS3 interms of graphics but I do think your going to see what the 360 can actually do. Untill then I hope killzone 3 will keep me occupied because Blops is a huge dissapointment for the second time.
Gran Turismo 5 Selling Faster Than Halo 3?
The latest figures have released regarding the sales of Gran Turismo 5, a PlayStation 3 exclusive. They certainly paint a nice picture of how fast this game is selling. GT5 has seen 6.37 million copies moved in six weeks, according to Polyphony Digital's website.
So how does it stack up to the sales of heavy hitters on the Xbox 360, such as the highly rated, 10+ million strong Halo 3? Jeff Bell, the corporate vice president of Global Marketing for the Interactive Entertainment Business unit at the time, told Gamedaily in December 2007 that Halo 3 had reached over 5 million sales. This was in discussion of sales up to "week of November 18", so giving them the benefit of the doubt, this number had been achieved in 8 weeks after Halo 3's launch.
Halo 3 scored a 94 on Metacritic, Gran Turismo a full ten points lower (It got a lot of gruff for taking so long to release). Halo 3's advertisement campaign cost in excess of $40 million ($10 million went into the creation of the "Believe" ad....can you BELIEVE that? har har.), Gran Turismo 5 never had any indication that would suggest they spent as much or more.
However, there are plenty of other factors that cloud the comparison. The PS3 had a plenty higher userbase when GT5 launched than H3 at its launch (However, other than the heaviest of hitters like Reach, Call of Duty, and Gears 2, not many titles sell that much/fast, and even fewer at the same rate). There will always be the question of "Sold vs shipped" (Though somewhere deep in the blackened hearts of fanboys, they all know all of the big 3 report shipped, as that is SOLD to them). They're different genres.
What's important to take out of this is that, Gran Turismo 5 is holding its own despite critical response from reviewers, less advertisement, and being of the seemingly less popular (of today) genre. GT5 proves that exclusive software on the PlayStation 3 can sell big, perfectly capable of modestly competing with its HD counterpart.
So how does it stack up to the sales of heavy hitters on the Xbox 360, such as the highly rated, 10+ million strong Halo 3? Jeff Bell, the corporate vice president of Global Marketing for the Interactive Entertainment Business unit at the time, told Gamedaily in December 2007 that Halo 3 had reached over 5 million sales. This was in discussion of sales up to "week of November 18", so giving them the benefit of the doubt, this number had been achieved in 8 weeks after Halo 3's launch.
Halo 3 scored a 94 on Metacritic, Gran Turismo a full ten points lower (It got a lot of gruff for taking so long to release). Halo 3's advertisement campaign cost in excess of $40 million ($10 million went into the creation of the "Believe" ad....can you BELIEVE that? har har.), Gran Turismo 5 never had any indication that would suggest they spent as much or more.
However, there are plenty of other factors that cloud the comparison. The PS3 had a plenty higher userbase when GT5 launched than H3 at its launch (However, other than the heaviest of hitters like Reach, Call of Duty, and Gears 2, not many titles sell that much/fast, and even fewer at the same rate). There will always be the question of "Sold vs shipped" (Though somewhere deep in the blackened hearts of fanboys, they all know all of the big 3 report shipped, as that is SOLD to them). They're different genres.
What's important to take out of this is that, Gran Turismo 5 is holding its own despite critical response from reviewers, less advertisement, and being of the seemingly less popular (of today) genre. GT5 proves that exclusive software on the PlayStation 3 can sell big, perfectly capable of modestly competing with its HD counterpart.
Thứ Hai, 17 tháng 10, 2011
Just revisited the game "Gun"
So, here I am, finding myself desperately waiting on Brink. Played through this, played through that....what's this!? "Gun", let's blow the dust off of this oldie and see what it was that made me buy this game in the first place. Wow! So, we know that "Red Dead Redemption" was a follow-up to the less-spectacular "Red Dead Revolver".....but in truth, the two games were so far apart in respects of gameplay, fun, and value (let alone graphics), would anyone have really known that they were connected? That asked, when we take a closer look at "Gun"....there isn't a doubt in my mind that the developers that worked on RDR were fans of "Gun" at a religous level.....if you liked RDR and haven't played "Gun", you must. This isn't a review for the game, but it's a reminder of just how good of a game that "Gun" really was, it is the game that RDR sequeled in spirit....
Chinese Couple Sells All Three Kids to Play Online Games
A young Chinese couple has sold all three of their children in exchange for money to play online Nick jr games at Internet cafes, reports a southern Chinese newspaper.
According to Sanxiang City News, the couple met in an Internet cafe back in 2007 and bonded over their obsession with online video games. A year later, the parents — who are both under 21 — welcomed their first child, a son. Days after his birth, they left him home alone while they went to play online agame at an Internet cafe 30 km away.
In 2009, Li Lin and Li Juan welcomed their second child, a baby girl, and came up with the idea to sell her for money to fund their online game obsession. They did so, receiving RMB 3,000 (less than $500), which they spent entirely shortly after. The couple then proceeded to sell their first child and got 10 times as much for him — RMB 30,000, or about $4600.
Upon having their third child — another boy — the parents followed in their previous footsteps and also got RMB 30,000 for him.
They were finally turned into authorities when Li Lin’s mother found out what her son and his girlfriend had done.
When asked if they missed their children, the parents answered, “We don’t want to raise them, we just want to sell them for some money.”
Sanxiang City Newsreports the couple didn’t know they were breaking the law.
According to Sanxiang City News, the couple met in an Internet cafe back in 2007 and bonded over their obsession with online video games. A year later, the parents — who are both under 21 — welcomed their first child, a son. Days after his birth, they left him home alone while they went to play online agame at an Internet cafe 30 km away.
In 2009, Li Lin and Li Juan welcomed their second child, a baby girl, and came up with the idea to sell her for money to fund their online game obsession. They did so, receiving RMB 3,000 (less than $500), which they spent entirely shortly after. The couple then proceeded to sell their first child and got 10 times as much for him — RMB 30,000, or about $4600.
Upon having their third child — another boy — the parents followed in their previous footsteps and also got RMB 30,000 for him.
They were finally turned into authorities when Li Lin’s mother found out what her son and his girlfriend had done.
When asked if they missed their children, the parents answered, “We don’t want to raise them, we just want to sell them for some money.”
Sanxiang City Newsreports the couple didn’t know they were breaking the law.
Mortal Kombat 9 Impressions
Not just after getting our hands on the demo, we were already pumped up for the game since the day 1 that it had been announced. MK fans are quite unique in the gaming world. They are crazy about the game as many fans are about theirs but MK fans are much more influencing and powerful than them all. Game developer Ed Boon said that they listened to those fans and switched back to 2-D fighting with gore and fatalities making a return on the series.
As you may know, the game was launched last week on April 21st in Europe and since that day MK fans are having sleep problems. How they wouldn't ? MK 9 is a BEAST ! The game is full of content and joy. I already knew that it would be full of joy but the content ?
The story mode is a joke... In a good way of course. It's quite long and full of exciting events - and fights -. I actually thought the story mode will be a short one and not a good one. I was wrong. The story mode not only let's you get your hands on most of the characters in the game and learn their ways of fighting, it also let's you know how the roster got together in MK 9.
The challenge tower mode is quite unique and useful in earning points for the krypt and learning the characters' moves. It is quite long and challenging as well.
The classic arcade mode, 2 v 2 fights, rich versus modes and online content makes the game full of exciting content. Unfortunately I couldn't get my hands on the online modes because of the PSN disaster recently.
The content is impressive but gameplay is even more impressive. The way you can link up the combos is so good , you can create many combinations and do some real damage in the battles. Linking the special attacks into x-ray moves, corner combos, breaking up combos in a fast paced environment increases the level of adrenaline. Gameplay wise , MK is one of the best fighting games ever released if not the best.
One of the other things that I liked about the game is the balance of power of the characters in the game. All of them are unique in terms of their fighting styles. Although there would be people who would argue some characters are so superior or weaker against others, I believe otherwise. I am sure I would see a great nightwolf player and a shitty nightwolf player where as a great scorpion and a shitty scorpion player and etc..
There is not much to say other than playing the game, enjoying it, ripping some heads off, trying to pull of some improbable combos, enjoying how the skulls are broken in x-ray moves and blood splatter in fatalities.
Have fun everybody !
As you may know, the game was launched last week on April 21st in Europe and since that day MK fans are having sleep problems. How they wouldn't ? MK 9 is a BEAST ! The game is full of content and joy. I already knew that it would be full of joy but the content ?
The story mode is a joke... In a good way of course. It's quite long and full of exciting events - and fights -. I actually thought the story mode will be a short one and not a good one. I was wrong. The story mode not only let's you get your hands on most of the characters in the game and learn their ways of fighting, it also let's you know how the roster got together in MK 9.
The challenge tower mode is quite unique and useful in earning points for the krypt and learning the characters' moves. It is quite long and challenging as well.
The classic arcade mode, 2 v 2 fights, rich versus modes and online content makes the game full of exciting content. Unfortunately I couldn't get my hands on the online modes because of the PSN disaster recently.
The content is impressive but gameplay is even more impressive. The way you can link up the combos is so good , you can create many combinations and do some real damage in the battles. Linking the special attacks into x-ray moves, corner combos, breaking up combos in a fast paced environment increases the level of adrenaline. Gameplay wise , MK is one of the best fighting games ever released if not the best.
One of the other things that I liked about the game is the balance of power of the characters in the game. All of them are unique in terms of their fighting styles. Although there would be people who would argue some characters are so superior or weaker against others, I believe otherwise. I am sure I would see a great nightwolf player and a shitty nightwolf player where as a great scorpion and a shitty scorpion player and etc..
There is not much to say other than playing the game, enjoying it, ripping some heads off, trying to pull of some improbable combos, enjoying how the skulls are broken in x-ray moves and blood splatter in fatalities.
Have fun everybody !
Thứ Sáu, 14 tháng 10, 2011
People aren't finishing video games? DUH!
don't know about you but this is such a dumb and obvious thing. I read a couple of articles on some gaming sites that were talking about a study that said most people don't finish games. My answer is DUH! Of course most people don't finish games! Why? because too many games get released at the same time period among other reasons. Let me explain.
You see most video games publishers have certain periods where they release a ton of games within a week of each other, mainly during the pre and post holiday period. Look at this year alone, there's at least 8 must have games released in November alone and what are the odd people are going to finish them all before the next big must owns come out in January?. I am also guilty of not finishing games myself. My JRPG collection is mostly unfinished because new games come along and draw me away from them and they just sit there waiting for me to have the time to play them once again.
Then there's the fact that most modern gamers have a life outside of video games. These people just don't have as much free time to play as a guy like me who does nothing but play video games and my best mate is one of those kinds of people. He works 12 hours a day, 5 days a week and only has the weekends to himself and you know what he does? Sleeps most of it and spends time with friends and family. He has 34 games on PS3 and has only finished 7 of them... since he bought the PS3 on release!
Plus 2 out of every 10 gamers rent games and they usually don't re-rent them after that weekend they rented it for because they don't have the money or one of the previous 2 factors. Also don't forget the people who make the most of game retailers 7 days to return policy where you buy it and can bring it back within 7 days for a full refund or store credit(EB Games loves only giving you credit instead of cash).
When it comes to my game collection personally the only games I haven't finished are some JRPGs, some NES games, Mass Effect 2 and Dead Space 2. I'd say about 92% of my game collection has been finished so it's not too big a ratio for me but I'm sure we all have a pile of shame we're still working on during each video games drought. We'd probably be done now with our piles of shame if developers would stop repackaging games every year with a bigger number(*cough* MW3 *cough* Battlefield 3 *cough* sports games period *cough!*) or at least give their franchise a break for 2 or 3 years(looking at you Ubisoft and Assassin's Creed)!
You see most video games publishers have certain periods where they release a ton of games within a week of each other, mainly during the pre and post holiday period. Look at this year alone, there's at least 8 must have games released in November alone and what are the odd people are going to finish them all before the next big must owns come out in January?. I am also guilty of not finishing games myself. My JRPG collection is mostly unfinished because new games come along and draw me away from them and they just sit there waiting for me to have the time to play them once again.
Then there's the fact that most modern gamers have a life outside of video games. These people just don't have as much free time to play as a guy like me who does nothing but play video games and my best mate is one of those kinds of people. He works 12 hours a day, 5 days a week and only has the weekends to himself and you know what he does? Sleeps most of it and spends time with friends and family. He has 34 games on PS3 and has only finished 7 of them... since he bought the PS3 on release!
Plus 2 out of every 10 gamers rent games and they usually don't re-rent them after that weekend they rented it for because they don't have the money or one of the previous 2 factors. Also don't forget the people who make the most of game retailers 7 days to return policy where you buy it and can bring it back within 7 days for a full refund or store credit(EB Games loves only giving you credit instead of cash).
When it comes to my game collection personally the only games I haven't finished are some JRPGs, some NES games, Mass Effect 2 and Dead Space 2. I'd say about 92% of my game collection has been finished so it's not too big a ratio for me but I'm sure we all have a pile of shame we're still working on during each video games drought. We'd probably be done now with our piles of shame if developers would stop repackaging games every year with a bigger number(*cough* MW3 *cough* Battlefield 3 *cough* sports games period *cough!*) or at least give their franchise a break for 2 or 3 years(looking at you Ubisoft and Assassin's Creed)!
GamesCom 2011 final day, from a real gamer
Why from a real gamer?
Im not a journalist, I´m a passionate and enthusiast that is not living the fair from behind the scene but from in front, doing queues, standing in line for hours and all that jazz ;)!
Well, I had nothing "big" left for my final day (since I didn't mean to spend it queuing for Battlefield 3 that will be in my hands in just a few weeks, nor queuing for MW3 although I was curious to see whether the SpecOps resemble MW2's SpecOps which was what made me buy it and start playing the COD series - 69 stars anyone ;)?).
MINIVOLTS
So I spent the day mostly walking around checking "minor" games.
I took a look at MINIVOLTS, which looks cute but isn't so appealing to me, even because I'm no longer used to play shooters with a mouse and keyboard (and to think that when I started playing shooters with a PS3 pad I thought it would be impossible for me to manage it... how things change).
EL SHADDAI
I played EL SHADDAI which, graphically speaking isn't very impressive but certainly sports a nice artistic style.
The combat seemed smooth enough and if the storyline is intriguing and the game manages to be varied enough I think it can be a nice one to play.
My vote (for now): 8
GOTHAM CITY IMPOSTORS
Since I had liked it the first time around I also went back to play GOTHAM CITY IMPOSTORS. I wanted to try a different class, see the various weapons... etc.
I chose a medic and I was a funny bat-girl on roller-skates and I really felt it! All in all I think this can make for a nice diversion as far as FPS is concerned, weapons and characters are funny and there are things such as trampolines and slides to give you a boost.
If they implement a good party system and the maps are good enough this is worth attention (we played a 3vs3 so the map was quite little, I'm not sure how large the final maps / team sizes will be)!
DARKSIDERS 2
There was little queue so I took the chance and went to see the video for DARKSIDERS 2.
This time we're going to play Death. The video showed pure game-play and, of course, was quite spectacular but it only featured a couple of boss battles so I can't say whether it still features the kind of open-world the first did.
The style is still all there, very comic-like and exaggerated, I like it and the colorful palette and it certainly something to look forward to :)!
My vote (for now): 8
BIOSHOCK: INFINITE
Well, Bioshock 2 was one of my favourite games and I'm pretty excited for Bioshock: Infinite. I have to confess the cinema presentation was great! Columbia, the airborne city looks so complex and rich and the story sounds quite intriguing if along the lines of the previous titles.
Graphics-wise the improvement is huge while the style remains the same. It seems there are quite a few gameplay mechanics allowed by the new environment and setting and I'm really looking forward to this one!!
My vote (for now): 9.5
BORDERLANDS 2
Another short movie showing pure gameplay. Style and mood are the very same of the first title with the contoured comic-like, quite stylized graphic and a definite downplayed approach to the game.
We were showed the new ability to throw weapons at your enemies once you run out of ammo, something that definitely added to the comedy of the video and mood of the game.
Another sequel to look forward to, for sure, especially by those that enjoy co-op gaming!
My vote (for now): 8.5
FAR CRY 3
Unfortunately this was the very same trailer shown at E3, quite interesting but nothing new to see. I think this has good potential and can be a solid experience.
My vote (for now): 8.5
Well, GamesCom it's over and so it's my immersion in VG, well, previews at least.
Now I'm back to my PS3 (Section 8, Red Faction: Guerrilla and Infamous 2) and to my PC: still playing Warhammer Dawn of War II Retribution.
And I'm eagerly waiting for Resistance 3 and Warhammer Space Marine.
I'm sorry I didn't have a chance to try Dead Island at GamesCom as I'm still undecided about it.
Im not a journalist, I´m a passionate and enthusiast that is not living the fair from behind the scene but from in front, doing queues, standing in line for hours and all that jazz ;)!
Well, I had nothing "big" left for my final day (since I didn't mean to spend it queuing for Battlefield 3 that will be in my hands in just a few weeks, nor queuing for MW3 although I was curious to see whether the SpecOps resemble MW2's SpecOps which was what made me buy it and start playing the COD series - 69 stars anyone ;)?).
MINIVOLTS
So I spent the day mostly walking around checking "minor" games.
I took a look at MINIVOLTS, which looks cute but isn't so appealing to me, even because I'm no longer used to play shooters with a mouse and keyboard (and to think that when I started playing shooters with a PS3 pad I thought it would be impossible for me to manage it... how things change).
EL SHADDAI
I played EL SHADDAI which, graphically speaking isn't very impressive but certainly sports a nice artistic style.
The combat seemed smooth enough and if the storyline is intriguing and the game manages to be varied enough I think it can be a nice one to play.
My vote (for now): 8
GOTHAM CITY IMPOSTORS
Since I had liked it the first time around I also went back to play GOTHAM CITY IMPOSTORS. I wanted to try a different class, see the various weapons... etc.
I chose a medic and I was a funny bat-girl on roller-skates and I really felt it! All in all I think this can make for a nice diversion as far as FPS is concerned, weapons and characters are funny and there are things such as trampolines and slides to give you a boost.
If they implement a good party system and the maps are good enough this is worth attention (we played a 3vs3 so the map was quite little, I'm not sure how large the final maps / team sizes will be)!
DARKSIDERS 2
There was little queue so I took the chance and went to see the video for DARKSIDERS 2.
This time we're going to play Death. The video showed pure game-play and, of course, was quite spectacular but it only featured a couple of boss battles so I can't say whether it still features the kind of open-world the first did.
The style is still all there, very comic-like and exaggerated, I like it and the colorful palette and it certainly something to look forward to :)!
My vote (for now): 8
BIOSHOCK: INFINITE
Well, Bioshock 2 was one of my favourite games and I'm pretty excited for Bioshock: Infinite. I have to confess the cinema presentation was great! Columbia, the airborne city looks so complex and rich and the story sounds quite intriguing if along the lines of the previous titles.
Graphics-wise the improvement is huge while the style remains the same. It seems there are quite a few gameplay mechanics allowed by the new environment and setting and I'm really looking forward to this one!!
My vote (for now): 9.5
BORDERLANDS 2
Another short movie showing pure gameplay. Style and mood are the very same of the first title with the contoured comic-like, quite stylized graphic and a definite downplayed approach to the game.
We were showed the new ability to throw weapons at your enemies once you run out of ammo, something that definitely added to the comedy of the video and mood of the game.
Another sequel to look forward to, for sure, especially by those that enjoy co-op gaming!
My vote (for now): 8.5
FAR CRY 3
Unfortunately this was the very same trailer shown at E3, quite interesting but nothing new to see. I think this has good potential and can be a solid experience.
My vote (for now): 8.5
Well, GamesCom it's over and so it's my immersion in VG, well, previews at least.
Now I'm back to my PS3 (Section 8, Red Faction: Guerrilla and Infamous 2) and to my PC: still playing Warhammer Dawn of War II Retribution.
And I'm eagerly waiting for Resistance 3 and Warhammer Space Marine.
I'm sorry I didn't have a chance to try Dead Island at GamesCom as I'm still undecided about it.
Chinese Couple Sells All Three Kids to Play Online Games
A young Chinese couple has sold all three of their children in exchange for money to play online Nick jr games at Internet cafes, reports a southern Chinese newspaper.
According to Sanxiang City News, the couple met in an Internet cafe back in 2007 and bonded over their obsession with online video games. A year later, the parents — who are both under 21 — welcomed their first child, a son. Days after his birth, they left him home alone while they went to play online agame at an Internet cafe 30 km away.
In 2009, Li Lin and Li Juan welcomed their second child, a baby girl, and came up with the idea to sell her for money to fund their online game obsession. They did so, receiving RMB 3,000 (less than $500), which they spent entirely shortly after. The couple then proceeded to sell their first child and got 10 times as much for him — RMB 30,000, or about $4600.
Upon having their third child — another boy — the parents followed in their previous footsteps and also got RMB 30,000 for him.
They were finally turned into authorities when Li Lin’s mother found out what her son and his girlfriend had done.
When asked if they missed their children, the parents answered, “We don’t want to raise them, we just want to sell them for some money.”
Sanxiang City Newsreports the couple didn’t know they were breaking the law.
According to Sanxiang City News, the couple met in an Internet cafe back in 2007 and bonded over their obsession with online video games. A year later, the parents — who are both under 21 — welcomed their first child, a son. Days after his birth, they left him home alone while they went to play online agame at an Internet cafe 30 km away.
In 2009, Li Lin and Li Juan welcomed their second child, a baby girl, and came up with the idea to sell her for money to fund their online game obsession. They did so, receiving RMB 3,000 (less than $500), which they spent entirely shortly after. The couple then proceeded to sell their first child and got 10 times as much for him — RMB 30,000, or about $4600.
Upon having their third child — another boy — the parents followed in their previous footsteps and also got RMB 30,000 for him.
They were finally turned into authorities when Li Lin’s mother found out what her son and his girlfriend had done.
When asked if they missed their children, the parents answered, “We don’t want to raise them, we just want to sell them for some money.”
Sanxiang City Newsreports the couple didn’t know they were breaking the law.
Official Pokemon Game Coming To Smartphones
The Pokemon Company is set to bring an official Pokemon Online game to smartphone devices, marking the first time that an official Nintendo-copyrighted app will be available on the iOS and Android.
Called Pokemon Iie Tap (rougly Pokemon: Say Tap?), the app appears to be a rhythm game where players “tap on Pokemon indigo trading cards to the beat of a song from the anime,” according to a translation by consumer video game site GamesRadar.
According to the game’s official announcement, it will be available for most iOS devices, as well as Android devices running version 2.1 of the platform.
Though this is the first iOS or Android application to carry an official Nintendo copyright, it is not the first mobile app of any kind: a Pokemon mobile phone game called Pokemate was released in Japan in 2006.
Though it is a rarity, Nintendo does have a history of releasing official games on platforms that are not its own, including a promotional Flash game to promote its Tingle character.
A release outside of Japan has not been announced.
Called Pokemon Iie Tap (rougly Pokemon: Say Tap?), the app appears to be a rhythm game where players “tap on Pokemon indigo trading cards to the beat of a song from the anime,” according to a translation by consumer video game site GamesRadar.
According to the game’s official announcement, it will be available for most iOS devices, as well as Android devices running version 2.1 of the platform.
Though this is the first iOS or Android application to carry an official Nintendo copyright, it is not the first mobile app of any kind: a Pokemon mobile phone game called Pokemate was released in Japan in 2006.
Though it is a rarity, Nintendo does have a history of releasing official games on platforms that are not its own, including a promotional Flash game to promote its Tingle character.
A release outside of Japan has not been announced.
Nick Jr., MTVN expand in Asia
Rugrats and music fans in Singapore and Malaysia will be able to tune in to “Dora the Explorer” and 24-hour music videos, docus and concerts with the launch of Viacom’s Nick Jr. and MTVN HD in the territories in coming weeks.
Nick Jr Games. will bow on Singapore’s Starhub from May 18, while MTVN HD will air on Telekom Malaysia Berhad’s HyppTV in Malaysia from June 1.
Nick Jr. will be available on the StarHub TV’s Kids Basic Upsize Group, while MTVNHD will be available to existing StarHub TV’s Entertainment Basic Group customers who are subscribed to the Basic HD Upsize group.
TM will offer the two channels a la carte to its subscribers on HyppTV, Malaysia’s newest pay TV service.
The services will roll out to the rest of the region at a date to be announced.
Nick Jr Games. will bow on Singapore’s Starhub from May 18, while MTVN HD will air on Telekom Malaysia Berhad’s HyppTV in Malaysia from June 1.
Nick Jr. will be available on the StarHub TV’s Kids Basic Upsize Group, while MTVNHD will be available to existing StarHub TV’s Entertainment Basic Group customers who are subscribed to the Basic HD Upsize group.
TM will offer the two channels a la carte to its subscribers on HyppTV, Malaysia’s newest pay TV service.
The services will roll out to the rest of the region at a date to be announced.
Thứ Năm, 6 tháng 10, 2011
CityVille: Finish your Bridge, Dam and more with discounted materials
If you've been putting off building one of the larger structures in CityVille (like the Bridge or Dam, as examples), because you didn't want to gather the required building materials from friends, or simply didn't want to pay the high prices to purchase those materials with City Cash, the team at Zynga is hoping that buy putting these items on sale (well, some of these items anyway), it might be enough to persuade you to open your wallet.
To be specific, a sale is now being held for up to 40% off building materials in the game. The materials are unfortunately limited to a specific set of buildings: the Bridge, Sailboat Hotel, Dam, Mall, Mall 2, Pirate Ship Attraction and Go Kart Attraction, and the rest of the game's many, many buildings are left unaffected. To make matters worse - between the two of us - the sale really isn't that good.
For example, let's say you wanted to finish your Pirate Ship Attraction. This one's building materials still cost 3 City Cash each. Perhaps if that were three City Cash in total for all of a particular ingredient I needed (say, two Ship's Prows or five Overhead Bars), that might be an acceptable price, but in our particular example, we're still looking at six City Cash for the Ship Prows and 15 City Cash for the Overhead Bars. Wouldn't it still be smarter (if not more time consuming) to ask friends for these items instead?
I suppose if you're looking for an easier way of completing these specific buildings, then you'll want to take advantage of this apparently limited time opportunity. Just don't feel any unneeded pressure to purchase building materials; the free way is still available, and doesn't look to be going anywhere anytime soon.
Will you spend City Cash on any of these discounted building materials, or have you already completed the construction on all of these buildings? Let us know in the comments.
To be specific, a sale is now being held for up to 40% off building materials in the game. The materials are unfortunately limited to a specific set of buildings: the Bridge, Sailboat Hotel, Dam, Mall, Mall 2, Pirate Ship Attraction and Go Kart Attraction, and the rest of the game's many, many buildings are left unaffected. To make matters worse - between the two of us - the sale really isn't that good.
For example, let's say you wanted to finish your Pirate Ship Attraction. This one's building materials still cost 3 City Cash each. Perhaps if that were three City Cash in total for all of a particular ingredient I needed (say, two Ship's Prows or five Overhead Bars), that might be an acceptable price, but in our particular example, we're still looking at six City Cash for the Ship Prows and 15 City Cash for the Overhead Bars. Wouldn't it still be smarter (if not more time consuming) to ask friends for these items instead?
I suppose if you're looking for an easier way of completing these specific buildings, then you'll want to take advantage of this apparently limited time opportunity. Just don't feel any unneeded pressure to purchase building materials; the free way is still available, and doesn't look to be going anywhere anytime soon.
Will you spend City Cash on any of these discounted building materials, or have you already completed the construction on all of these buildings? Let us know in the comments.
CityVille Governor's Run Family Goals: Everything you need to know
In your quest to become Governor in CityVille, you've had to help the farmers and the toy makers, but now it's time to look a little closer to home. Your third and final portion of Act I of this event will see you earning a family's vote in your campaign. Specifically, you're looking to impress the Stumpford family (remember them from the Family Vacation goals released back in August?). Why the Stumpfords wouldn't automatically be on your side after helping them before is anyone's guess, but here's how to earn their vote of confidence officially.
Family Matters
* Ask friends for 10 Magazine Subscriptions
* Collect from the Executive Driving Range 4 times
* Collect from Community Pool 6 times
As you might have guessed, the Magazine Subscriptions are earned via a general news post you'll post to your wall asking all of your friends to help you at once. As for the Executive Driving Range, this is the game's newest attraction that you can find the guide to building right here. Finally, the Community Pool is a Community Building that can be purchased from the store for 150,000 coins. By finishing this first goal, you'll receive a prize of 85 coins.
School of Thought
* Ask for 15 Tutors
* Upgrade Middle School to Level 3
* Harvest 70 Brussel Sprouts
The 15 Tutors, again, need to be earned via friends. As for the Middle School, you've been able to upgrade this particular Community Building since late August, but if you don't have it done already, you can check out our guide to doing just that. Finally, Brussel Sprouts are available to plant for 48 coins and are ready to harvest after eight hours. Finishing this second of three goals gives you 4,500 coins.
Exterior Decorator
* Ask friends for 20 Street Sweepers
* Remodel 6 Residences
* Unwither 24 Neighbor Crops
If you have any friends that stopped playing the game and left some crops growing (which most of us probably do), you should have no problem finding 24 individual squares to unwither. Just click on them when visiting friends' towns and you'll finish that task fast. For the residence remodeling task, this can turn into an expensive one, depending on the houses you choose to upgrade and the particular upgrades themselves, but you can see how to start the process in our guide. Finishing this final goal will complete your work with the Stumpfords (although I'm sure they'll be back in another feature in the future), and you'll receive the Mega Nail Salon business as a reward. This is a massive building that requires 410 Goods but supplies 3,050 coins each time those Goods are used.
Again, after you finish helping the Stumpfords (so long as you've also finished with the farmers and toy makers), you'll have finished the first portion of the Governor's Run event, but there's still a lot more waiting down the line. As the event continues to expand, we'll make sure to give you all of the details you need, so keep checking back with us!
[Via CityVille Wiki]
Check out the rest of our CityVille Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of these Governor's Run Family goals? Are they the most difficult of the three goal sets in this event so far? Sound off in the comments.
Family Matters
* Ask friends for 10 Magazine Subscriptions
* Collect from the Executive Driving Range 4 times
* Collect from Community Pool 6 times
As you might have guessed, the Magazine Subscriptions are earned via a general news post you'll post to your wall asking all of your friends to help you at once. As for the Executive Driving Range, this is the game's newest attraction that you can find the guide to building right here. Finally, the Community Pool is a Community Building that can be purchased from the store for 150,000 coins. By finishing this first goal, you'll receive a prize of 85 coins.
School of Thought
* Ask for 15 Tutors
* Upgrade Middle School to Level 3
* Harvest 70 Brussel Sprouts
The 15 Tutors, again, need to be earned via friends. As for the Middle School, you've been able to upgrade this particular Community Building since late August, but if you don't have it done already, you can check out our guide to doing just that. Finally, Brussel Sprouts are available to plant for 48 coins and are ready to harvest after eight hours. Finishing this second of three goals gives you 4,500 coins.
Exterior Decorator
* Ask friends for 20 Street Sweepers
* Remodel 6 Residences
* Unwither 24 Neighbor Crops
If you have any friends that stopped playing the game and left some crops growing (which most of us probably do), you should have no problem finding 24 individual squares to unwither. Just click on them when visiting friends' towns and you'll finish that task fast. For the residence remodeling task, this can turn into an expensive one, depending on the houses you choose to upgrade and the particular upgrades themselves, but you can see how to start the process in our guide. Finishing this final goal will complete your work with the Stumpfords (although I'm sure they'll be back in another feature in the future), and you'll receive the Mega Nail Salon business as a reward. This is a massive building that requires 410 Goods but supplies 3,050 coins each time those Goods are used.
Again, after you finish helping the Stumpfords (so long as you've also finished with the farmers and toy makers), you'll have finished the first portion of the Governor's Run event, but there's still a lot more waiting down the line. As the event continues to expand, we'll make sure to give you all of the details you need, so keep checking back with us!
[Via CityVille Wiki]
Check out the rest of our CityVille Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of these Governor's Run Family goals? Are they the most difficult of the three goal sets in this event so far? Sound off in the comments.
FarmVille: Sheep and Pig Mastery now available
If you've been stocking up on pigs and sheep in FarmVille with the knowledge (or even just hope) that the FarmVille team would launch pig and sheep mastery in the game, your wait is over. Now, if you're wondering how exactly this will work with the literally thousands of possibilities for different kinds of pigs and sheep to be bred in the game, let me calm your fears: this doesn't result in the addition of an equal number of mastery signs; rather, the system is pretty straightforward, once you get past the "rules."
Basically, there are two sets of both sheep and pigs that determine which kind of mastery sign you'll earn. In Sheep Breeding, for an example, if the animal is specifically labeled as a Ram or Ewe, it's considered a "Sheep Pen Ram" or "Sheep Pen Ewe," which makes sense. All Sheep Pen Rams and Sheep Pen Ewes are combined into those two categories and work cumulatively towards a pair of mastery signs. That is, if you have a a purple Ewe on one farm and a pink or yellow Ewe on another farm (or even those with patterns), when harvesting them, they'll all be treated equally, working towards the same mastery sign.
This entire process is replicated when it comes to pigs. If it's a Boar or Sow, it works towards cumulative breeding pig mastery signs. On the other hand, if the animal is a basic pig or basic sheep that can be purchased from the store and doesn't immediately relate to breeding (some examples being a Party Pig, Grape Sheep, Polka Dots Sheep and so on), these do have their own individual signs, giving you plenty of additional signs to work towards.
As you might have guessed, the amount of mastery points required for these cumulative breeding signs are fairly substantial. In the case of pigs, the Pig Pen Boar sign's first star comes at 467 harvests, while the Pig Pen Sow's first star is earned after 588 harvests. For sheep, the Ewe sign's first star is earned at 840 harvests, while the first Ram star is acquired at 560 harvests.
Keep in mind, while pig and sheep mastery is fairly exciting, we still haven't seen the launch of Calf and Foal mastery in the game. That too is "coming soon," and we'll make sure to let you know when it launches in full.
Will you breed more sheep and pigs just to earn these new mastery signs? Will you purchase additional sheep or pigs from the store? Sound off in the comments.
Basically, there are two sets of both sheep and pigs that determine which kind of mastery sign you'll earn. In Sheep Breeding, for an example, if the animal is specifically labeled as a Ram or Ewe, it's considered a "Sheep Pen Ram" or "Sheep Pen Ewe," which makes sense. All Sheep Pen Rams and Sheep Pen Ewes are combined into those two categories and work cumulatively towards a pair of mastery signs. That is, if you have a a purple Ewe on one farm and a pink or yellow Ewe on another farm (or even those with patterns), when harvesting them, they'll all be treated equally, working towards the same mastery sign.
This entire process is replicated when it comes to pigs. If it's a Boar or Sow, it works towards cumulative breeding pig mastery signs. On the other hand, if the animal is a basic pig or basic sheep that can be purchased from the store and doesn't immediately relate to breeding (some examples being a Party Pig, Grape Sheep, Polka Dots Sheep and so on), these do have their own individual signs, giving you plenty of additional signs to work towards.
As you might have guessed, the amount of mastery points required for these cumulative breeding signs are fairly substantial. In the case of pigs, the Pig Pen Boar sign's first star comes at 467 harvests, while the Pig Pen Sow's first star is earned after 588 harvests. For sheep, the Ewe sign's first star is earned at 840 harvests, while the first Ram star is acquired at 560 harvests.
Keep in mind, while pig and sheep mastery is fairly exciting, we still haven't seen the launch of Calf and Foal mastery in the game. That too is "coming soon," and we'll make sure to let you know when it launches in full.
Will you breed more sheep and pigs just to earn these new mastery signs? Will you purchase additional sheep or pigs from the store? Sound off in the comments.
A Bit Lucky goes all in on hardcore Facebook games with Lucky Space
We know you're all thinking it, so we'll just come out and say it: Sci-fi is huge in Facebook games right now. (Like, crazy big.) The next developer to take a crack at the theme is A Bit Lucky with Lucky Space. The San Mateo, Calif.-based developer's second social game launches today, and it's light years away from Lucky Train.
In Lucky Space, players inherit a lifeless, barren alien planet purchased by Dr. X in his final days in search of the riches he was so sure are buried deep beneath its purple crust. You'll establish a thriving space colony with one mission: strip mine the planet for all its worth in rare gems and resources. Of course, it won't be long before you discover that Dr. X was onto more than just shiny rocks and black gold.
As you expand your colony and upgrade its buildings with unique components like the Force Field Dome and Ultra-Power Laser Extractor, you'll slowly uncover the remnants of an alien civilization. Through a series a quests and the help of your friends, you will dig out alien ruins while protecting your colony from a series of natural (to this world, maybe) disasters like meteor strikes. While the game is dubbed "hardcore," it doesn't look or sound as if combat is a focus in Lucky Space.
Gallery: Lucky Space on Facebook
"Lucky Space was inspired by our love of the sci-fi genre and the desire to innovate within the social gaming space," A Bit Lucky CCO Jordan Maynard said in a release. "We've been able to blend social gaming with hardcore PC gameplay mechanics to create a new and engaging experience."
Regardless of the game being deemed "hardcore" with a lack of combat, a tenant of most Facebook games given the silly adjective, Lucky Space sounds like it might have players depend on their friends more than in most social games. You will need friends not just to visit your colony for a few boosts, but to trade rare components and identify mysterious alien artifacts. One thing we know for sure is that the game looks like a vibrant, even jolly take on Facebook games skewed for the hardcore crowd. But don't just take our word for it, check out the trailer below and see for yourself.
Click here to play Lucky Space on Facebook Now >
What do you think of A Bit Lucky's second Facebook game so far? Do you think there's still room for Facebook games within the sci-fi genre, or are you on the lookout for something new? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
In Lucky Space, players inherit a lifeless, barren alien planet purchased by Dr. X in his final days in search of the riches he was so sure are buried deep beneath its purple crust. You'll establish a thriving space colony with one mission: strip mine the planet for all its worth in rare gems and resources. Of course, it won't be long before you discover that Dr. X was onto more than just shiny rocks and black gold.
As you expand your colony and upgrade its buildings with unique components like the Force Field Dome and Ultra-Power Laser Extractor, you'll slowly uncover the remnants of an alien civilization. Through a series a quests and the help of your friends, you will dig out alien ruins while protecting your colony from a series of natural (to this world, maybe) disasters like meteor strikes. While the game is dubbed "hardcore," it doesn't look or sound as if combat is a focus in Lucky Space.
Gallery: Lucky Space on Facebook
"Lucky Space was inspired by our love of the sci-fi genre and the desire to innovate within the social gaming space," A Bit Lucky CCO Jordan Maynard said in a release. "We've been able to blend social gaming with hardcore PC gameplay mechanics to create a new and engaging experience."
Regardless of the game being deemed "hardcore" with a lack of combat, a tenant of most Facebook games given the silly adjective, Lucky Space sounds like it might have players depend on their friends more than in most social games. You will need friends not just to visit your colony for a few boosts, but to trade rare components and identify mysterious alien artifacts. One thing we know for sure is that the game looks like a vibrant, even jolly take on Facebook games skewed for the hardcore crowd. But don't just take our word for it, check out the trailer below and see for yourself.
Click here to play Lucky Space on Facebook Now >
What do you think of A Bit Lucky's second Facebook game so far? Do you think there's still room for Facebook games within the sci-fi genre, or are you on the lookout for something new? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Glitch, the weirdest Facebook-connected MMO yet, goes live today
And by weird we mean, "Just what the heck do I do in this game?" weird. When we first heard that Flickr co-creator Stewart Butterfield was working on a new breed of social game called Glitch earlier this year, we were excited to see what was in store. Starting today at 1 p.m. eastern, you can experience the goofy first release from Butterfield's Canada-based Tiny Speck.
Glitch, announced way back in November of last year, is Butterfield's attempt at putting the tools for expression in the players' hands. "Our vision for Glitch is to bring a new level of creativity, beauty and social engagement to players who expect more from their online social gaming experience – an experience that has value beyond traditional forms of entertainment," Butterfield told Kotaku. "Glitch is an experiment in culture building. We provide raw materials and a stimulating environment, but it's the players who bring the infinite world alive, shaping it with their imagination."
Based on an early look at the game co-created by Butterfield and Keita Takahashi--the man behind the equally- strange Katamari Damacy series of games--I can confidently say that the game will fill your daily quota of quirkiness. For instance, I recall during my time with an early build of the game entering a building you would normally find in Washington. Inside, I was to apply for an arbitrary license, and was told by an in-game character to sit and wait for my turn.
Growing confused and impatient from waiting for the green-faced clerk to return from behind the desk to call my name, I left the building. When I returned, I was forced to restart the process. So, I reapplied for the license, and literally waited for 10 minutes for the garish desk clerk to return with my new card for whatever purpose. That's when it hit me: Through Glitch, Butterfield was making a statement on the hilarity of bureaucracy. And you know what? I literally laughed out loud in front of my laptop.
However, what's worrying is that the average FarmVille fan isn't concerned with lofty if humorous statements or open-ended gameplay with nearly infinite methods of expression. They just want to feel accomplished within five minutes and get back to work from their lunch break. Since my look at the game, however, Tiny Speck has made major changes to Glitch to appeal to that crowd, Kotaku reports. That said, why not give Glitch a try--it might be the first social game to make you laugh out loud.
Click here to try out Glitch through Facebook Now >
Are you looking for a new kind of social game experience? Do you think lofty games like Glitch can find success in the world of CityVille and The Sims Social? Sound off in the comments. 2 Comments
Glitch, announced way back in November of last year, is Butterfield's attempt at putting the tools for expression in the players' hands. "Our vision for Glitch is to bring a new level of creativity, beauty and social engagement to players who expect more from their online social gaming experience – an experience that has value beyond traditional forms of entertainment," Butterfield told Kotaku. "Glitch is an experiment in culture building. We provide raw materials and a stimulating environment, but it's the players who bring the infinite world alive, shaping it with their imagination."
Based on an early look at the game co-created by Butterfield and Keita Takahashi--the man behind the equally- strange Katamari Damacy series of games--I can confidently say that the game will fill your daily quota of quirkiness. For instance, I recall during my time with an early build of the game entering a building you would normally find in Washington. Inside, I was to apply for an arbitrary license, and was told by an in-game character to sit and wait for my turn.
Growing confused and impatient from waiting for the green-faced clerk to return from behind the desk to call my name, I left the building. When I returned, I was forced to restart the process. So, I reapplied for the license, and literally waited for 10 minutes for the garish desk clerk to return with my new card for whatever purpose. That's when it hit me: Through Glitch, Butterfield was making a statement on the hilarity of bureaucracy. And you know what? I literally laughed out loud in front of my laptop.
However, what's worrying is that the average FarmVille fan isn't concerned with lofty if humorous statements or open-ended gameplay with nearly infinite methods of expression. They just want to feel accomplished within five minutes and get back to work from their lunch break. Since my look at the game, however, Tiny Speck has made major changes to Glitch to appeal to that crowd, Kotaku reports. That said, why not give Glitch a try--it might be the first social game to make you laugh out loud.
Click here to try out Glitch through Facebook Now >
Are you looking for a new kind of social game experience? Do you think lofty games like Glitch can find success in the world of CityVille and The Sims Social? Sound off in the comments. 2 Comments
Thứ Ba, 4 tháng 10, 2011
Pioneer Trail Shaman Lodge Goals: Everything you need to know
Finally, Halloween approaches. Zynga is already preparing its in-game festivities with the release of the Shaman Lodge to Pioneer Trail. Laughing Bear the Shaman has arrived on the Homestead, and he foresees a terrible spookiness on your land. It's up to you (if you're at least Level 17) to help Laughing Bear build his lodge to collect as many charms as possible in preparation for a seriously spooky event.
Once you complete the Lodge, you will be able to collect shiny charms from it daily. We assume these will come in handy in this year's Halloween event in Pioneer Trail, so it's in your best interest to get started on this new building right away. Since we know the suspense is killing you, here's everything you need to know to build the Shaman Lodge:
Clearin' the Ground
* Place the Shaman Lodge
* Clear 12 Skulls
* Harvest 30 Sunflowers
When the even appears in your game, it will present you with the option to place the Lodge in a pop-up. Select "Build Lodge" to get started. Then, simply search your Homestead for Skulls--they're also a reward for completing the Cow and Graveyard Collections. Harvesting 30 Sunflowers will cost a total of 9,300 Coins and take at least 18 hours to grow. Your reward for completing this Goal includes one Mystery Animal Crate, 500 XP and 500 Coins.
Staffin' Up
* Chop 30 Oak Trees on a Neighbor's Homestead
* Collect Two Daily Bonuses from the Shaman Lodge
* Collect 15 Eerie Gems
By this point, the Goals assume you've already completed the Shaman Lodge, so give the foundation a few whacks (which we imagine will cost Energy and Wood). Once that's complete, a window will appear with what's needed to complete the building, pictured below. Based on previous Goals, we imagine the first three items are requested through News Feed posts, while the latter three are found by asking your friends directly.
Finish your Shaman Lodge
After that's through, visit at least six friends to chop 30 Oak Trees. Collecting two Daily Bonuses from the Shaman Lodge will take at least two days. The 15 Eerie Gems will, again, come from your friends. Your rewards for this Goal include a welcome nod to the popular Internet video, the Double Rainbow, 500 XP and 500 Coins.
Final Preparations
* Clobber six Snakes
* Harvest 30 Peppermint
* Collect 15 Monsterbane Arrows
Snakes appear most frequently beneath Skulls and Rocks, so try to avoid clobbering any Snakes from collecting Skulls in the first Goal. Peppermint acts more like a fruit tree than a crop, so you can choose to buy all 30, but I wouldn't recommend that. Regardless, this portion of the Goal will take you at least four hours at the very least. The Monsterbane Arrows are sourced from your friends like the Eerie Gems before them. Enjoy a Mystical Charm Totem, 700 XP and 700 Coins for completing this Goal.
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]
Have you started your Shaman Lodge yet? What do you think these Charms will be used for this Halloween? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
Once you complete the Lodge, you will be able to collect shiny charms from it daily. We assume these will come in handy in this year's Halloween event in Pioneer Trail, so it's in your best interest to get started on this new building right away. Since we know the suspense is killing you, here's everything you need to know to build the Shaman Lodge:
Clearin' the Ground
* Place the Shaman Lodge
* Clear 12 Skulls
* Harvest 30 Sunflowers
When the even appears in your game, it will present you with the option to place the Lodge in a pop-up. Select "Build Lodge" to get started. Then, simply search your Homestead for Skulls--they're also a reward for completing the Cow and Graveyard Collections. Harvesting 30 Sunflowers will cost a total of 9,300 Coins and take at least 18 hours to grow. Your reward for completing this Goal includes one Mystery Animal Crate, 500 XP and 500 Coins.
Staffin' Up
* Chop 30 Oak Trees on a Neighbor's Homestead
* Collect Two Daily Bonuses from the Shaman Lodge
* Collect 15 Eerie Gems
By this point, the Goals assume you've already completed the Shaman Lodge, so give the foundation a few whacks (which we imagine will cost Energy and Wood). Once that's complete, a window will appear with what's needed to complete the building, pictured below. Based on previous Goals, we imagine the first three items are requested through News Feed posts, while the latter three are found by asking your friends directly.
Finish your Shaman Lodge
After that's through, visit at least six friends to chop 30 Oak Trees. Collecting two Daily Bonuses from the Shaman Lodge will take at least two days. The 15 Eerie Gems will, again, come from your friends. Your rewards for this Goal include a welcome nod to the popular Internet video, the Double Rainbow, 500 XP and 500 Coins.
Final Preparations
* Clobber six Snakes
* Harvest 30 Peppermint
* Collect 15 Monsterbane Arrows
Snakes appear most frequently beneath Skulls and Rocks, so try to avoid clobbering any Snakes from collecting Skulls in the first Goal. Peppermint acts more like a fruit tree than a crop, so you can choose to buy all 30, but I wouldn't recommend that. Regardless, this portion of the Goal will take you at least four hours at the very least. The Monsterbane Arrows are sourced from your friends like the Eerie Gems before them. Enjoy a Mystical Charm Totem, 700 XP and 700 Coins for completing this Goal.
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]
Have you started your Shaman Lodge yet? What do you think these Charms will be used for this Halloween? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
FarmVille Pic(s) of the Day: Master farm artist Nicky Tran
Whoa, whoa, whoa! You're probably wondering why there are so many handsome farms all in one FarmVille Pic of the Day post. Well folks, today is a special day devoted to one very talented farm artist: Nicky Tran. As you can immediately tell, Nicky Tran is a farm artist of the highest caliber. There was no way I was going to be able to choose just one of Nicky's amazing farms to feature. So, I decided to feature them all!
farmville featured farm nicky tranFarmVille designer Nicky Tran is a master of item optical illusions, creating unbelievable 3D surfaces and structures. Not only that, but Nicky carefully selects item themes to prevent their farms from looking to disorderly. However, if I were to go into detail about what makes each one of these such a fantastic farm design, this post would be far too long. So I'm going to let you explore Nicky Tran's farms on your own. Look closely though, there's a lot to see and a lot to appreciate!
Click the images to make them larger!
farmville featured farm of the day nicky tran farmville pic nicky tran
Here's what Nicky Tran had to say about their farms:
First, I'd like to thank you for your compliments! My farms were all inspired by passion. It was that passion that gave me all these ideas for farm designs.
The advice I would give to other upcoming farm artists is to do what's in your mind courageously and boldly. Always do whatever it is you feel like! It was the passion and that understanding that helped me complete these very difficult designs. Once again, I thank you very much. - Nicky Tran
What do you like best about Nicky Tran's farms? Add Comment
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 featured farm nicky tranFarmVille designer Nicky Tran is a master of item optical illusions, creating unbelievable 3D surfaces and structures. Not only that, but Nicky carefully selects item themes to prevent their farms from looking to disorderly. However, if I were to go into detail about what makes each one of these such a fantastic farm design, this post would be far too long. So I'm going to let you explore Nicky Tran's farms on your own. Look closely though, there's a lot to see and a lot to appreciate!
Click the images to make them larger!
farmville featured farm of the day nicky tran farmville pic nicky tran
Here's what Nicky Tran had to say about their farms:
First, I'd like to thank you for your compliments! My farms were all inspired by passion. It was that passion that gave me all these ideas for farm designs.
The advice I would give to other upcoming farm artists is to do what's in your mind courageously and boldly. Always do whatever it is you feel like! It was the passion and that understanding that helped me complete these very difficult designs. Once again, I thank you very much. - Nicky Tran
What do you like best about Nicky Tran's farms? Add Comment
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.
Using the CityVille Eiffel Tower: Everything you need to know
So, you've finally completed all three CityVille Landmarks required to unlock the Eiffel Tower: The Sailboat Hotel, the Tonga Tower and the French Riviera Casino. Now that the game's first Wonder is yours, just what do you do with it? More importantly, how does it work? Luckily for you, we have the answers. Here's everything you need to know about the Eiffel Tower:
What's This Thing Do?
Once you unlock the Eiffel Tower, building it is as simple as placing it, and then clicking on its foundation to finish it. What the building does essentially is power-up the payouts of all Restaurants, Hotels and other Businesses in your city. More specifically, Wonders triple the payout of Hotels, double the payout of Restaurants and boost other Businesses by 25 percent. However, this effect only lasts for a limited time. In that respect, Wonders are similar to Attractions in the game.
Giving the Shine Treatment
There's no range on the Eiffel Tower--it's bonuses are city-wide. So, place the building wherever you please. Then, click on the building to get it started. Each time you use the Eiffel Tower, it costs you 3 Energy, and the effect lasts for three minutes. You can extend this time with City Cash, which at least grants you with bonus Energy. During that three minutes, any relevant buildings surrounding the Wonder will sparkle, and you must collect from those buildings while the bonuses are in effect.
Eiffel Tower Maitenance
Pushing the Restart Button
After the three minutes are up, your Eiffel Tower will shut down, so to speak. An icon with a key inside will hover above the building. Click it to open a new window in which displays two options. If you want to use the Wonder again immediately, you can ask your friends for six Keys to start it up again, but if you're willing to wait, the Eiffel Tower recharges in 72 hours. In essence, the Eiffel Tower is one massive Attraction, so push the power button and reap the rewards.
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]
Have you unlocked the Eiffel Tower yet in CityVille? What do you think of Zynga's approach to Wonders? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
What's This Thing Do?
Once you unlock the Eiffel Tower, building it is as simple as placing it, and then clicking on its foundation to finish it. What the building does essentially is power-up the payouts of all Restaurants, Hotels and other Businesses in your city. More specifically, Wonders triple the payout of Hotels, double the payout of Restaurants and boost other Businesses by 25 percent. However, this effect only lasts for a limited time. In that respect, Wonders are similar to Attractions in the game.
Giving the Shine Treatment
There's no range on the Eiffel Tower--it's bonuses are city-wide. So, place the building wherever you please. Then, click on the building to get it started. Each time you use the Eiffel Tower, it costs you 3 Energy, and the effect lasts for three minutes. You can extend this time with City Cash, which at least grants you with bonus Energy. During that three minutes, any relevant buildings surrounding the Wonder will sparkle, and you must collect from those buildings while the bonuses are in effect.
Eiffel Tower Maitenance
Pushing the Restart Button
After the three minutes are up, your Eiffel Tower will shut down, so to speak. An icon with a key inside will hover above the building. Click it to open a new window in which displays two options. If you want to use the Wonder again immediately, you can ask your friends for six Keys to start it up again, but if you're willing to wait, the Eiffel Tower recharges in 72 hours. In essence, the Eiffel Tower is one massive Attraction, so push the power button and reap the rewards.
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]
Have you unlocked the Eiffel Tower yet in CityVille? What do you think of Zynga's approach to Wonders? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
The Sims Social: Celebrate the last days of summer with new Summer House theme
With the mass popularity of the Sims Social on Facebook, it's no surprise that Playfish / EA are continually adding new decorative items to the game's store, allowing you to personalize your home in new ways. Specifically, this week sees the launch of a "Summer House" theme of items, with items being available for your living room, bedroom and even outdoor areas. There are also plenty of decorative items here to take a look at, so we'll do our best to give you a complete guide to these new items. Check them out!
SolTrain Cubic (Shelving Unit)
* Costs: 35 SimCash
* Value: $5,150
SolTrain Chair (Buildable item)
* Costs: 2,250 coins
* Value: $1,800
SolTrain Kingsize (Bed)
* Costs: 79 SimCash
* Value: $11,700
* Sleep Stat: 11
SolTrain Rays (Lamp)
* Costs: 3 SimCash
* Value: $450
BasketCase Travel (Requires Level 30)
* Value: $350
SolTrain UV Lite
* Costs: 12 SimCash
* Value: $1,750
BasketCase XL (Requires Level 30)
* Value: $600
SolTrain UV XL (Lamp)
* Costs: 22 SimCash
* Value: $3,250
Summer Tones (Painting - requires level 30)
* Value: $750
Woody Divider (Requires Level 24)
* Value: $1,300
SolTrain BagelUp
* Costs: 5 SimCash
* Value: $750
Woody Boxout B (Kitchen cabinet - requires Level 26 - Buildable item)
* Value: $1,650
Woody Boxout L (Kitchen Cabinet - requires Level 26 - Buildable item)
* Value: $1,650
SolTrain Panama (Outdoor Bed)
* Costs: 49 Sim Cash
* Value: $7,250
SolTrain Snug (Buildable item - requires Level 30)
* Value: $2,200
Palm Tree
* Costs: 1,750 coins
* Value: $1,650
* Happiness Stat: 3
* Social Stat: 3
SolTrain Parasol
* Costs: 59 SimCash
* Value: $8,700
SolTrain Swing (Buildable item - requires Level 30)
* Value: $4,850
* Sleep Stat: 3
UltiMax Top Deck (Stereo)
* Costs: 59 SimCash
* Value: $8,700
* Fun Stat: 5
In addition to all of these items, there's a full set of windows available in the Build menu is a new "Alpine" theme, which consists of a dark tan, almost orange colored frame. Four flooring options are available for either Social Points or (at most) a single SimCash per tile, and the theme is rounded out with a "SolTrain Beach" wallpaper that costs 55 Social Points per square.
As with previously released themes, these Summer House items don't appear to be limited edition; rather, they should be available permanently in the game's store. That being the case, you should be able to save up coins, or Social Points, or have time to purchase SimCash long into the future to create this theme in your home as far into the future as you like. If we see this change, we'll make sure to let you know.
What do you think of these Summer House items in Sims Social? What kinds of items would you like to see released next in the game? Sound off in the comments.
SolTrain Cubic (Shelving Unit)
* Costs: 35 SimCash
* Value: $5,150
SolTrain Chair (Buildable item)
* Costs: 2,250 coins
* Value: $1,800
SolTrain Kingsize (Bed)
* Costs: 79 SimCash
* Value: $11,700
* Sleep Stat: 11
SolTrain Rays (Lamp)
* Costs: 3 SimCash
* Value: $450
BasketCase Travel (Requires Level 30)
* Value: $350
SolTrain UV Lite
* Costs: 12 SimCash
* Value: $1,750
BasketCase XL (Requires Level 30)
* Value: $600
SolTrain UV XL (Lamp)
* Costs: 22 SimCash
* Value: $3,250
Summer Tones (Painting - requires level 30)
* Value: $750
Woody Divider (Requires Level 24)
* Value: $1,300
SolTrain BagelUp
* Costs: 5 SimCash
* Value: $750
Woody Boxout B (Kitchen cabinet - requires Level 26 - Buildable item)
* Value: $1,650
Woody Boxout L (Kitchen Cabinet - requires Level 26 - Buildable item)
* Value: $1,650
SolTrain Panama (Outdoor Bed)
* Costs: 49 Sim Cash
* Value: $7,250
SolTrain Snug (Buildable item - requires Level 30)
* Value: $2,200
Palm Tree
* Costs: 1,750 coins
* Value: $1,650
* Happiness Stat: 3
* Social Stat: 3
SolTrain Parasol
* Costs: 59 SimCash
* Value: $8,700
SolTrain Swing (Buildable item - requires Level 30)
* Value: $4,850
* Sleep Stat: 3
UltiMax Top Deck (Stereo)
* Costs: 59 SimCash
* Value: $8,700
* Fun Stat: 5
In addition to all of these items, there's a full set of windows available in the Build menu is a new "Alpine" theme, which consists of a dark tan, almost orange colored frame. Four flooring options are available for either Social Points or (at most) a single SimCash per tile, and the theme is rounded out with a "SolTrain Beach" wallpaper that costs 55 Social Points per square.
As with previously released themes, these Summer House items don't appear to be limited edition; rather, they should be available permanently in the game's store. That being the case, you should be able to save up coins, or Social Points, or have time to purchase SimCash long into the future to create this theme in your home as far into the future as you like. If we see this change, we'll make sure to let you know.
What do you think of these Summer House items in Sims Social? What kinds of items would you like to see released next in the game? Sound off in the comments.
Cafe World Red Phone Booth Goals: Everything you need to know
While we all have plenty of goals on our plate in Cafe World right now, what with the release of not one, but two five-part goal series dealing with the game's two-year anniversary, there's another goal series to complete concerning a Red Phone Booth. To be fair, this trio of goals deals with the two-year anniversary event itself, in that it will give you a bonus on all of the Travel Passes you earn. Remember, collecting more Travel Passes gives you a better opportunity of earning prizes both in-game (stoves and the like) and in the real world (trips to exotic locales). Here's a complete look at the Red Phone Booth goals.
Also, this is another case where the dishes you're asked to serve will likely vary from those listed here. It is impossible for us to predict which dishes each individual user will be required to cook, but for that we apologize.
Phone a Friend 1
* Place Red Phone Booth
* Serve 12 Biscuits of Tomorrow
* Call 3 Friends from your Phone Booth
Luckily, even though the Red Phone Booth is an item we'll place in our cafes, it doesn't need to be built like other items. Instead, you'll be able to look inside it and post messages ("phone calls") to your friends' walls. If they agree to be your Travel Buddy (it looks like you can collect 30 Travel Buddies in all), you'll earn points. As you earn Travel Buddies, you'll unlock items, as seen below:
3 Travel Buddies: Crispy Egg Rolls
6 Travel Buddies: Ivory Lightning Stove
10 Travel Buddies: Pineapple Cake
15 Travel Buddies: Double Travel Passes
Phone a Friend 2
* Call 6 Friends from your Phone Booth
* Spice 10 Neighbors' Stoves
* Serve 10 Napoleon's Napoleon
Remember, if you want to rush your way through this goal series to get back to the main two-year anniversary goals, you can use spices on your own dishes to make them cook faster. You can also check out your Gift Box to make sure you don't have extra servings lying around that you can use to instantly skip any cooking time here.
Phone a Friend 3
* Call 10 Friends from your Phone Booth
* Spice 10 Neighbors' Stoves
* Serve 15 Basil Finger Sandwiches
Again, this goal is fairly self-explanatory; just head inside your Red Phone Booth to post messages to your friends' walls, thus fulfilling the "call" task, and you'll be able to finish this one off basically in the time it takes to cook the dish you're required to. After that's done, you'll be able to celebrate by (hopefully) unlocking the double Travel Passes boost in your cafe, and can go back to completing tasks in the two-year anniversary event. Happy Cooking!
What do you think of these Red Phone Booth goals? Do you think they have a real purpose, or should the Phone Booth have been released without them? Sound off in the comments.
Also, this is another case where the dishes you're asked to serve will likely vary from those listed here. It is impossible for us to predict which dishes each individual user will be required to cook, but for that we apologize.
Phone a Friend 1
* Place Red Phone Booth
* Serve 12 Biscuits of Tomorrow
* Call 3 Friends from your Phone Booth
Luckily, even though the Red Phone Booth is an item we'll place in our cafes, it doesn't need to be built like other items. Instead, you'll be able to look inside it and post messages ("phone calls") to your friends' walls. If they agree to be your Travel Buddy (it looks like you can collect 30 Travel Buddies in all), you'll earn points. As you earn Travel Buddies, you'll unlock items, as seen below:
3 Travel Buddies: Crispy Egg Rolls
6 Travel Buddies: Ivory Lightning Stove
10 Travel Buddies: Pineapple Cake
15 Travel Buddies: Double Travel Passes
Phone a Friend 2
* Call 6 Friends from your Phone Booth
* Spice 10 Neighbors' Stoves
* Serve 10 Napoleon's Napoleon
Remember, if you want to rush your way through this goal series to get back to the main two-year anniversary goals, you can use spices on your own dishes to make them cook faster. You can also check out your Gift Box to make sure you don't have extra servings lying around that you can use to instantly skip any cooking time here.
Phone a Friend 3
* Call 10 Friends from your Phone Booth
* Spice 10 Neighbors' Stoves
* Serve 15 Basil Finger Sandwiches
Again, this goal is fairly self-explanatory; just head inside your Red Phone Booth to post messages to your friends' walls, thus fulfilling the "call" task, and you'll be able to finish this one off basically in the time it takes to cook the dish you're required to. After that's done, you'll be able to celebrate by (hopefully) unlocking the double Travel Passes boost in your cafe, and can go back to completing tasks in the two-year anniversary event. Happy Cooking!
What do you think of these Red Phone Booth goals? Do you think they have a real purpose, or should the Phone Booth have been released without them? Sound off in the comments.
Chủ Nhật, 2 tháng 10, 2011
FarmVille Pic(s) of the Day: Master farm artist Nicky Tran
Whoa, whoa, whoa! You're probably wondering why there are so many handsome farms all in one FarmVille Pic of the Day post. Well folks, today is a special day devoted to one very talented farm artist: Nicky Tran. As you can immediately tell, Nicky Tran is a farm artist of the highest caliber. There was no way I was going to be able to choose just one of Nicky's amazing farms to feature. So, I decided to feature them all!
farmville featured farm nicky tranFarmVille designer Nicky Tran is a master of item optical illusions, creating unbelievable 3D surfaces and structures. Not only that, but Nicky carefully selects item themes to prevent their farms from looking to disorderly. However, if I were to go into detail about what makes each one of these such a fantastic farm design, this post would be far too long. So I'm going to let you explore Nicky Tran's farms on your own. Look closely though, there's a lot to see and a lot to appreciate!
Click the images to make them larger!
farmville featured farm of the day nicky tran farmville pic nicky tran
Here's what Nicky Tran had to say about their farms:
First, I'd like to thank you for your compliments! My farms were all inspired by passion. It was that passion that gave me all these ideas for farm designs.
The advice I would give to other upcoming farm artists is to do what's in your mind courageously and boldly. Always do whatever it is you feel like! It was the passion and that understanding that helped me complete these very difficult designs. Once again, I thank you very much. - Nicky Tran
What do you like best about Nicky Tran's farms? Add Comment
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 featured farm nicky tranFarmVille designer Nicky Tran is a master of item optical illusions, creating unbelievable 3D surfaces and structures. Not only that, but Nicky carefully selects item themes to prevent their farms from looking to disorderly. However, if I were to go into detail about what makes each one of these such a fantastic farm design, this post would be far too long. So I'm going to let you explore Nicky Tran's farms on your own. Look closely though, there's a lot to see and a lot to appreciate!
Click the images to make them larger!
farmville featured farm of the day nicky tran farmville pic nicky tran
Here's what Nicky Tran had to say about their farms:
First, I'd like to thank you for your compliments! My farms were all inspired by passion. It was that passion that gave me all these ideas for farm designs.
The advice I would give to other upcoming farm artists is to do what's in your mind courageously and boldly. Always do whatever it is you feel like! It was the passion and that understanding that helped me complete these very difficult designs. Once again, I thank you very much. - Nicky Tran
What do you like best about Nicky Tran's farms? Add Comment
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.
Using the CityVille Eiffel Tower: Everything you need to know
So, you've finally completed all three CityVille Landmarks required to unlock the Eiffel Tower: The Sailboat Hotel, the Tonga Tower and the French Riviera Casino. Now that the game's first Wonder is yours, just what do you do with it? More importantly, how does it work? Luckily for you, we have the answers. Here's everything you need to know about the Eiffel Tower:
What's This Thing Do?
Once you unlock the Eiffel Tower, building it is as simple as placing it, and then clicking on its foundation to finish it. What the building does essentially is power-up the payouts of all Restaurants, Hotels and other Businesses in your city. More specifically, Wonders triple the payout of Hotels, double the payout of Restaurants and boost other Businesses by 25 percent. However, this effect only lasts for a limited time. In that respect, Wonders are similar to Attractions in the game.
Giving the Shine Treatment
There's no range on the Eiffel Tower--it's bonuses are city-wide. So, place the building wherever you please. Then, click on the building to get it started. Each time you use the Eiffel Tower, it costs you 3 Energy, and the effect lasts for three minutes. You can extend this time with City Cash, which at least grants you with bonus Energy. During that three minutes, any relevant buildings surrounding the Wonder will sparkle, and you must collect from those buildings while the bonuses are in effect.
Eiffel Tower Maitenance
Pushing the Restart Button
After the three minutes are up, your Eiffel Tower will shut down, so to speak. An icon with a key inside will hover above the building. Click it to open a new window in which displays two options. If you want to use the Wonder again immediately, you can ask your friends for six Keys to start it up again, but if you're willing to wait, the Eiffel Tower recharges in 72 hours. In essence, the Eiffel Tower is one massive Attraction, so push the power button and reap the rewards.
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]
Have you unlocked the Eiffel Tower yet in CityVille? What do you think of Zynga's approach to Wonders? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
What's This Thing Do?
Once you unlock the Eiffel Tower, building it is as simple as placing it, and then clicking on its foundation to finish it. What the building does essentially is power-up the payouts of all Restaurants, Hotels and other Businesses in your city. More specifically, Wonders triple the payout of Hotels, double the payout of Restaurants and boost other Businesses by 25 percent. However, this effect only lasts for a limited time. In that respect, Wonders are similar to Attractions in the game.
Giving the Shine Treatment
There's no range on the Eiffel Tower--it's bonuses are city-wide. So, place the building wherever you please. Then, click on the building to get it started. Each time you use the Eiffel Tower, it costs you 3 Energy, and the effect lasts for three minutes. You can extend this time with City Cash, which at least grants you with bonus Energy. During that three minutes, any relevant buildings surrounding the Wonder will sparkle, and you must collect from those buildings while the bonuses are in effect.
Eiffel Tower Maitenance
Pushing the Restart Button
After the three minutes are up, your Eiffel Tower will shut down, so to speak. An icon with a key inside will hover above the building. Click it to open a new window in which displays two options. If you want to use the Wonder again immediately, you can ask your friends for six Keys to start it up again, but if you're willing to wait, the Eiffel Tower recharges in 72 hours. In essence, the Eiffel Tower is one massive Attraction, so push the power button and reap the rewards.
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]
Have you unlocked the Eiffel Tower yet in CityVille? What do you think of Zynga's approach to Wonders? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
The Sims Social: Celebrate the last days of summer with new Summer House theme
With the mass popularity of the Sims Social on Facebook, it's no surprise that Playfish / EA are continually adding new decorative items to the game's store, allowing you to personalize your home in new ways. Specifically, this week sees the launch of a "Summer House" theme of items, with items being available for your living room, bedroom and even outdoor areas. There are also plenty of decorative items here to take a look at, so we'll do our best to give you a complete guide to these new items. Check them out!
SolTrain Cubic (Shelving Unit)
* Costs: 35 SimCash
* Value: $5,150
SolTrain Chair (Buildable item)
* Costs: 2,250 coins
* Value: $1,800
SolTrain Kingsize (Bed)
* Costs: 79 SimCash
* Value: $11,700
* Sleep Stat: 11
SolTrain Rays (Lamp)
* Costs: 3 SimCash
* Value: $450
BasketCase Travel (Requires Level 30)
* Value: $350
SolTrain UV Lite
* Costs: 12 SimCash
* Value: $1,750
BasketCase XL (Requires Level 30)
* Value: $600
SolTrain UV XL (Lamp)
* Costs: 22 SimCash
* Value: $3,250
Summer Tones (Painting - requires level 30)
* Value: $750
Woody Divider (Requires Level 24)
* Value: $1,300
SolTrain BagelUp
* Costs: 5 SimCash
* Value: $750
Woody Boxout B (Kitchen cabinet - requires Level 26 - Buildable item)
* Value: $1,650
Woody Boxout L (Kitchen Cabinet - requires Level 26 - Buildable item)
* Value: $1,650
SolTrain Panama (Outdoor Bed)
* Costs: 49 Sim Cash
* Value: $7,250
SolTrain Snug (Buildable item - requires Level 30)
* Value: $2,200
Palm Tree
* Costs: 1,750 coins
* Value: $1,650
* Happiness Stat: 3
* Social Stat: 3
SolTrain Parasol
* Costs: 59 SimCash
* Value: $8,700
SolTrain Swing (Buildable item - requires Level 30)
* Value: $4,850
* Sleep Stat: 3
UltiMax Top Deck (Stereo)
* Costs: 59 SimCash
* Value: $8,700
* Fun Stat: 5
In addition to all of these items, there's a full set of windows available in the Build menu is a new "Alpine" theme, which consists of a dark tan, almost orange colored frame. Four flooring options are available for either Social Points or (at most) a single SimCash per tile, and the theme is rounded out with a "SolTrain Beach" wallpaper that costs 55 Social Points per square.
As with previously released themes, these Summer House items don't appear to be limited edition; rather, they should be available permanently in the game's store. That being the case, you should be able to save up coins, or Social Points, or have time to purchase SimCash long into the future to create this theme in your home as far into the future as you like. If we see this change, we'll make sure to let you know.
What do you think of these Summer House items in Sims Social? What kinds of items would you like to see released next in the game? Sound off in the comments.
SolTrain Cubic (Shelving Unit)
* Costs: 35 SimCash
* Value: $5,150
SolTrain Chair (Buildable item)
* Costs: 2,250 coins
* Value: $1,800
SolTrain Kingsize (Bed)
* Costs: 79 SimCash
* Value: $11,700
* Sleep Stat: 11
SolTrain Rays (Lamp)
* Costs: 3 SimCash
* Value: $450
BasketCase Travel (Requires Level 30)
* Value: $350
SolTrain UV Lite
* Costs: 12 SimCash
* Value: $1,750
BasketCase XL (Requires Level 30)
* Value: $600
SolTrain UV XL (Lamp)
* Costs: 22 SimCash
* Value: $3,250
Summer Tones (Painting - requires level 30)
* Value: $750
Woody Divider (Requires Level 24)
* Value: $1,300
SolTrain BagelUp
* Costs: 5 SimCash
* Value: $750
Woody Boxout B (Kitchen cabinet - requires Level 26 - Buildable item)
* Value: $1,650
Woody Boxout L (Kitchen Cabinet - requires Level 26 - Buildable item)
* Value: $1,650
SolTrain Panama (Outdoor Bed)
* Costs: 49 Sim Cash
* Value: $7,250
SolTrain Snug (Buildable item - requires Level 30)
* Value: $2,200
Palm Tree
* Costs: 1,750 coins
* Value: $1,650
* Happiness Stat: 3
* Social Stat: 3
SolTrain Parasol
* Costs: 59 SimCash
* Value: $8,700
SolTrain Swing (Buildable item - requires Level 30)
* Value: $4,850
* Sleep Stat: 3
UltiMax Top Deck (Stereo)
* Costs: 59 SimCash
* Value: $8,700
* Fun Stat: 5
In addition to all of these items, there's a full set of windows available in the Build menu is a new "Alpine" theme, which consists of a dark tan, almost orange colored frame. Four flooring options are available for either Social Points or (at most) a single SimCash per tile, and the theme is rounded out with a "SolTrain Beach" wallpaper that costs 55 Social Points per square.
As with previously released themes, these Summer House items don't appear to be limited edition; rather, they should be available permanently in the game's store. That being the case, you should be able to save up coins, or Social Points, or have time to purchase SimCash long into the future to create this theme in your home as far into the future as you like. If we see this change, we'll make sure to let you know.
What do you think of these Summer House items in Sims Social? What kinds of items would you like to see released next in the game? Sound off in the comments.
Cafe World Red Phone Booth Goals: Everything you need to know
While we all have plenty of goals on our plate in Cafe World right now, what with the release of not one, but two five-part goal series dealing with the game's two-year anniversary, there's another goal series to complete concerning a Red Phone Booth. To be fair, this trio of goals deals with the two-year anniversary event itself, in that it will give you a bonus on all of the Travel Passes you earn. Remember, collecting more Travel Passes gives you a better opportunity of earning prizes both in-game (stoves and the like) and in the real world (trips to exotic locales). Here's a complete look at the Red Phone Booth goals.
Also, this is another case where the dishes you're asked to serve will likely vary from those listed here. It is impossible for us to predict which dishes each individual user will be required to cook, but for that we apologize.
Phone a Friend 1
* Place Red Phone Booth
* Serve 12 Biscuits of Tomorrow
* Call 3 Friends from your Phone Booth
Luckily, even though the Red Phone Booth is an item we'll place in our cafes, it doesn't need to be built like other items. Instead, you'll be able to look inside it and post messages ("phone calls") to your friends' walls. If they agree to be your Travel Buddy (it looks like you can collect 30 Travel Buddies in all), you'll earn points. As you earn Travel Buddies, you'll unlock items, as seen below:
3 Travel Buddies: Crispy Egg Rolls
6 Travel Buddies: Ivory Lightning Stove
10 Travel Buddies: Pineapple Cake
15 Travel Buddies: Double Travel Passes
Phone a Friend 2
* Call 6 Friends from your Phone Booth
* Spice 10 Neighbors' Stoves
* Serve 10 Napoleon's Napoleon
Remember, if you want to rush your way through this goal series to get back to the main two-year anniversary goals, you can use spices on your own dishes to make them cook faster. You can also check out your Gift Box to make sure you don't have extra servings lying around that you can use to instantly skip any cooking time here.
Phone a Friend 3
* Call 10 Friends from your Phone Booth
* Spice 10 Neighbors' Stoves
* Serve 15 Basil Finger Sandwiches
Again, this goal is fairly self-explanatory; just head inside your Red Phone Booth to post messages to your friends' walls, thus fulfilling the "call" task, and you'll be able to finish this one off basically in the time it takes to cook the dish you're required to. After that's done, you'll be able to celebrate by (hopefully) unlocking the double Travel Passes boost in your cafe, and can go back to completing tasks in the two-year anniversary event. Happy Cooking!
What do you think of these Red Phone Booth goals? Do you think they have a real purpose, or should the Phone Booth have been released without them? Sound off in the comments.
Also, this is another case where the dishes you're asked to serve will likely vary from those listed here. It is impossible for us to predict which dishes each individual user will be required to cook, but for that we apologize.
Phone a Friend 1
* Place Red Phone Booth
* Serve 12 Biscuits of Tomorrow
* Call 3 Friends from your Phone Booth
Luckily, even though the Red Phone Booth is an item we'll place in our cafes, it doesn't need to be built like other items. Instead, you'll be able to look inside it and post messages ("phone calls") to your friends' walls. If they agree to be your Travel Buddy (it looks like you can collect 30 Travel Buddies in all), you'll earn points. As you earn Travel Buddies, you'll unlock items, as seen below:
3 Travel Buddies: Crispy Egg Rolls
6 Travel Buddies: Ivory Lightning Stove
10 Travel Buddies: Pineapple Cake
15 Travel Buddies: Double Travel Passes
Phone a Friend 2
* Call 6 Friends from your Phone Booth
* Spice 10 Neighbors' Stoves
* Serve 10 Napoleon's Napoleon
Remember, if you want to rush your way through this goal series to get back to the main two-year anniversary goals, you can use spices on your own dishes to make them cook faster. You can also check out your Gift Box to make sure you don't have extra servings lying around that you can use to instantly skip any cooking time here.
Phone a Friend 3
* Call 10 Friends from your Phone Booth
* Spice 10 Neighbors' Stoves
* Serve 15 Basil Finger Sandwiches
Again, this goal is fairly self-explanatory; just head inside your Red Phone Booth to post messages to your friends' walls, thus fulfilling the "call" task, and you'll be able to finish this one off basically in the time it takes to cook the dish you're required to. After that's done, you'll be able to celebrate by (hopefully) unlocking the double Travel Passes boost in your cafe, and can go back to completing tasks in the two-year anniversary event. Happy Cooking!
What do you think of these Red Phone Booth goals? Do you think they have a real purpose, or should the Phone Booth have been released without them? Sound off in the comments.
CityVille: Russian-themed items available for a limited time
After releasing Mexican-themed items in CityVille in celebration of the Mexican Independence Day, it looks like Zynga wasn't ready to leave the international travel behind just yet, as it has released a set of Russian items into the store. As usual, you can expect to find businesses, homes, decorations and more available here, so read on for a complete overview of these items.
Cosmonaut Statue (Decoration)
* Costs: 10 City Cash
* Payout Bonus: 10% - extra 10% to Russian-themed items
Baranovsky House (Home)
* Costs: 500,000 coins
* Population: 250-480
* Rent: 110 coins every four hours
Balalaika Shop (Business)
* Costs: 40 City Cash
* Requires: 305 Goods
* Earnings: 1,648 coins
Russian Tea Room (Business)
* Costs: 30 City Cash
* Requires: 265 Goods
* Earnings: 1,468 coins
Winter Wheat (Crop)
* Costs: 4 City Cash per square
* Harvest Time: Instant
* Produces: 127 Goods per square
Russian Hall (Community Building)
* Costs: 75 City Cash
* Allows: 2,250 citizens added to maximum population cap
Matryoshka Dolls (Decoration)
* Costs: 10 City Cash
* Payout Bonus: 10% - extra 10% to Russian-themed items
Caviar Shop (Business)
* Costs: 65 City Cash
* Requires: 430 Goods
* Earnings: 2,198 coins
Rudzinskaya House (Home)
* Costs: 25 City Cash
* Population: 250-490
* Rent: 120 coins every four hours
Ballet Company (Community Building)
* Costs: 65 City Cash
* Allows: 1,400 citizens added to maximum population cap
Russian Folk Dancers
* Costs: 10 City Cash
* Payout Bonus: 10% - extra 10% to Russian-themed items
Alexandrov Apartments (Home)
* Costs: 55 City Cash
* Population: 1,350-2,650
* Rent: 165 coins every eight hours
Simcovich Apartments (Home)
* Costs: 65 City Cash
* Population: 1,850-3,650
* Rent: 185 coins every eight hours
On top of all of this, there's also a Russia Mystery Crate available for 40 City Cash that contains one of four items: the Russian Hall, Simcovich Apartments, Alexandrov Apartments or the Balalaika Shop. Unfortunately, that wraps up the theme at this point, with all of these items being available ranging from 11 to 12 more days in the store. With only one coin-related item available, I personally really hope that more items are added in the future, or I doubt I'll be the only one that skips this theme altogether. Am I right?
What do you think of these Russian themed items? Would you purchase many of these items if they cost coins rather than City Cash? Sound off in the comments.
Cosmonaut Statue (Decoration)
* Costs: 10 City Cash
* Payout Bonus: 10% - extra 10% to Russian-themed items
Baranovsky House (Home)
* Costs: 500,000 coins
* Population: 250-480
* Rent: 110 coins every four hours
Balalaika Shop (Business)
* Costs: 40 City Cash
* Requires: 305 Goods
* Earnings: 1,648 coins
Russian Tea Room (Business)
* Costs: 30 City Cash
* Requires: 265 Goods
* Earnings: 1,468 coins
Winter Wheat (Crop)
* Costs: 4 City Cash per square
* Harvest Time: Instant
* Produces: 127 Goods per square
Russian Hall (Community Building)
* Costs: 75 City Cash
* Allows: 2,250 citizens added to maximum population cap
Matryoshka Dolls (Decoration)
* Costs: 10 City Cash
* Payout Bonus: 10% - extra 10% to Russian-themed items
Caviar Shop (Business)
* Costs: 65 City Cash
* Requires: 430 Goods
* Earnings: 2,198 coins
Rudzinskaya House (Home)
* Costs: 25 City Cash
* Population: 250-490
* Rent: 120 coins every four hours
Ballet Company (Community Building)
* Costs: 65 City Cash
* Allows: 1,400 citizens added to maximum population cap
Russian Folk Dancers
* Costs: 10 City Cash
* Payout Bonus: 10% - extra 10% to Russian-themed items
Alexandrov Apartments (Home)
* Costs: 55 City Cash
* Population: 1,350-2,650
* Rent: 165 coins every eight hours
Simcovich Apartments (Home)
* Costs: 65 City Cash
* Population: 1,850-3,650
* Rent: 185 coins every eight hours
On top of all of this, there's also a Russia Mystery Crate available for 40 City Cash that contains one of four items: the Russian Hall, Simcovich Apartments, Alexandrov Apartments or the Balalaika Shop. Unfortunately, that wraps up the theme at this point, with all of these items being available ranging from 11 to 12 more days in the store. With only one coin-related item available, I personally really hope that more items are added in the future, or I doubt I'll be the only one that skips this theme altogether. Am I right?
What do you think of these Russian themed items? Would you purchase many of these items if they cost coins rather than City Cash? Sound off in the comments.
Đăng ký:
Bài đăng (Atom)