Sometimes I wonder why I'm such a terrible dancer. I have rhythm. I'm not in bad shape. But dance games like Just Dance 3 remind me that it takes more than coordination and a love for catchy pop songs to effectively pop and lock. Fortunately, being good isn't a requirement for enjoying Just Dance 3; besides, the worse you are, the more fun it is for everyone watching you.
This is the first time the game's been made available on Xbox 360, but despite the Kinect's motion sensing controls, things feel pretty similar to previous Wii versions. You dance along with the same motion-capped silouhettes (though they look better than ever in HD). The tracklist (which you can check out most of here) offers a wide-range of catchy pop tunes. And although you're not holding a controller, the game only really seems to track your arm movements.
That last item is my biggest complaint with the game, and it's the same reason I never enjoyed Just Dance as much on Wii: even on the higher difficulty settings, just waving your arms around in a vague approximation of what's happening on-screen will register more perfect moves than giving the game an honest try with some active, sweaty dance moves. When it's easier to cheat and make broad arm movements to keep your score up, rather than to actually dance, what's the incentive to dancing?
In that sense, I prefer Dance Central 2. Harmonix's game feels like a full-body motion tracker; when I have one foot out of line, that game punishes me with a lower score. Just Dance just seems happy that I'm standing up in front of my TV. And the moves (and corresponding dance cards that tell you what to expect), are nowhere near as consistent or easy to anticipate as Dance Central's. That's partly because Just Dance's choeography is more varied, but it's also because the game doesn't telegraph your next move very well. In Dance Central, once you've got most of the moves down, you can glance at what's coming up next in preparation and know what to expect. In Just Dance, you're going to have to go through the song a time or two before you really know what's going on.
However, when I play Just Dance with multiple people, it approaches Rock Band levels of fun. The four-person choreography in certain songs, even if the scoring never feels entirely accurate, is an amazing way to loosen up a group. As long as you have the living room space and some willing friends, the familiar tracks and attractive visuals beat out Dance Central as a game to trot out at parties for your non-Kinect owning friends. It may not earn you a higher score, but dancing with other people just makes you more inclined to try and match what you see on-screen. And the lack of a controller makes you feel like everything you're doing corresponds one-for-one with what you see on-screen.
Review: Just Dance 3 (360/PS3)
I'm far less-inclined to play Just Dance on my own, and even the recording features, while nifty, don't feel quite as helpful for learning songs as Dance Central's tutorials. And I don't have any interest in recording my own dances to share with friends (though that option's there). But Just Dance's setlist presents the most fun and approachable of any other dance game today. And the multiplayer modes, especially the four-person independent choreography, is infectious (even if your actual moves and score aren't terribly important). While I think of Dance Central as a better video game (and Just Dance doesn't come close to matching the game's choreography tracking) I'd still rather play Just Dance whenever I have friends over.
PROS: Wonderful setlist; dancers are motion-capped real people; up to four-player choreography that's just fun to participate in.
CONS: Kinect doesn't really seem to care if you're dancing or just waving your arms; Not much fun to play on your own; No way to share embarassing dancing pics with your friends.
Work at home & Earn Money
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Blizzard President Apologizes for Anti-Gay Insults at BlizzCon
During the closing ceremony of this year's BlizzCon, the Blizzard employee band Level 90 Elite Tauren Chieftain took to the stage, accompanied by guest singer George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher of death metal outfit Cannibal Corpse. L90ETC's set was preceded by a video of Fisher expressing his love for World of Warcraft -- specifically, the Horde -- using some somewhat colorful language. His swearing, homophobic insults and expressions of desire that Alliance players should "die" were bleeped out, but many people took offense, and quite rightly so. The uncut, massively NSFW video, can be found here.
Discussion erupted on the Blizzard forums criticizing the company for endorsing a video encouraging the abuse and death of a considerable proportion of its player base. Blizzard later noted that the video was framed as a joke, and the band also claimed that the video was "never intended to be taken seriously" but that they were sorry they offended anyone.
This wasn't enough for some people, who were personally upset by Fisher's verbal abuse -- particularly the use of homophobic slurs. In response, Mike Morhaime, president of Blizzard, posted a personal apology which reads thus:
Dear members of the Blizzard community,
I have read your feedback and comments about this year's BlizzCon, and I have also read the feedback to the apology from Level 90 Elite Tauren Chieftain. I'd like to respond to some of your feedback here.
As president of Blizzard, I take full responsibility for everything that occurs at BlizzCon.
It was shortsighted and insensitive to use the video at all, even in censored form. The language used in the original version, including the slurs and use of sexual orientation as an insult, is not acceptable, period. We realize now that having even an edited version at the show was counter to the standards we try to maintain in our forums and in our games. Doing so was an error in judgment, and we regret it.
The bottom line is we deeply apologize for our mistakes and for hurting or offending anyone. We want you to have fun at our events, and we want everyone to feel welcome. We're proud to be part of a huge and diverse community, and I am proud that so many aspects of the community are represented within Blizzard itself.
As a leader of Blizzard, and a member of the band, I truly hope you will accept my humblest apology.
- Mike Morhaime President, Blizzard Entertainment
Good on Blizzard for responding to this in a classy and timely manner -- but this should never have happened in the first place. Alienating a significant proportion of the player base of your community/social interaction-based game is not a smart move.
Discussion erupted on the Blizzard forums criticizing the company for endorsing a video encouraging the abuse and death of a considerable proportion of its player base. Blizzard later noted that the video was framed as a joke, and the band also claimed that the video was "never intended to be taken seriously" but that they were sorry they offended anyone.
This wasn't enough for some people, who were personally upset by Fisher's verbal abuse -- particularly the use of homophobic slurs. In response, Mike Morhaime, president of Blizzard, posted a personal apology which reads thus:
Dear members of the Blizzard community,
I have read your feedback and comments about this year's BlizzCon, and I have also read the feedback to the apology from Level 90 Elite Tauren Chieftain. I'd like to respond to some of your feedback here.
As president of Blizzard, I take full responsibility for everything that occurs at BlizzCon.
It was shortsighted and insensitive to use the video at all, even in censored form. The language used in the original version, including the slurs and use of sexual orientation as an insult, is not acceptable, period. We realize now that having even an edited version at the show was counter to the standards we try to maintain in our forums and in our games. Doing so was an error in judgment, and we regret it.
The bottom line is we deeply apologize for our mistakes and for hurting or offending anyone. We want you to have fun at our events, and we want everyone to feel welcome. We're proud to be part of a huge and diverse community, and I am proud that so many aspects of the community are represented within Blizzard itself.
As a leader of Blizzard, and a member of the band, I truly hope you will accept my humblest apology.
- Mike Morhaime President, Blizzard Entertainment
Good on Blizzard for responding to this in a classy and timely manner -- but this should never have happened in the first place. Alienating a significant proportion of the player base of your community/social interaction-based game is not a smart move.
Nintendo Investor Briefing: 3DS' Challenges, eShop Overhaul, Final Model Wii U to Appear Next E3
Following some dreadful financial results, Nintendo clearly needs to think quickly to recover. President Satoru Iwata has addressed his company's investors and noted that he feels "greatly accountable" for the poor performance.
Iwata accepts that the 3DS sales since launch have not met expectations, but notes that the price markdown has improved pace somewhat. Throughout November, he anticipates that some keenly-awaited 3DS titles will give the ailing platform a further boost in the year-end season. He also plans to re-adopt the DS and Wii strategy of "working on new genres of software that may attract people who are not particularly interested in video games" for the 3DS, specifically pointing to titles such as Brain Training and Wii Fit as examples of the sort of titles we can expect. Perhaps we should be watching out for a "Touch Generations 3D" range soon.
Iwata also noted that the 3DS needed to have more software with a long tail -- that is, titles which sell for up to as long as the system's lifespan. He believes that Nintendogs+cats, Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 all hold potential for this protracted period of sales -- previous entries in this series certainly achieved this, but on a platform which was more popular than the 3DS. Iwata noted that slow initial sales of a new game isn't necessarily cause for concern, however -- 81% of Mario Kart DS' total lifetime sales came after the year in which it was launched. As such, if the company can encourage more widespread adoption of the 3DS is a viable, desirable platform, these titles are likely to succeed over the long term.
Iwata also announced that the eShop for 3DS would be getting a makeover. A new update will allow DLC for games and demo versions. The facility to download titles while the 3DS is in sleep mode is also proposed, as is a web interface to access content via PC or smartphone. Iwata notes that part of the reason for this is to integrate the 3DS more tightly with social media, allowing for viral promotion of eShop titles rather than relying purely on user reviews within the 3DS-based eShop interface itself.
Finally, Iwata said that the final model of the Wii U would be showed at E3 next year. He notes that the company has learned "a bitter lesson" with the launch of the 3DS, and intends to "take every possible measure so that the Wii U will have a successful launch."
Iwata accepts that the 3DS sales since launch have not met expectations, but notes that the price markdown has improved pace somewhat. Throughout November, he anticipates that some keenly-awaited 3DS titles will give the ailing platform a further boost in the year-end season. He also plans to re-adopt the DS and Wii strategy of "working on new genres of software that may attract people who are not particularly interested in video games" for the 3DS, specifically pointing to titles such as Brain Training and Wii Fit as examples of the sort of titles we can expect. Perhaps we should be watching out for a "Touch Generations 3D" range soon.
Iwata also noted that the 3DS needed to have more software with a long tail -- that is, titles which sell for up to as long as the system's lifespan. He believes that Nintendogs+cats, Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 all hold potential for this protracted period of sales -- previous entries in this series certainly achieved this, but on a platform which was more popular than the 3DS. Iwata noted that slow initial sales of a new game isn't necessarily cause for concern, however -- 81% of Mario Kart DS' total lifetime sales came after the year in which it was launched. As such, if the company can encourage more widespread adoption of the 3DS is a viable, desirable platform, these titles are likely to succeed over the long term.
Iwata also announced that the eShop for 3DS would be getting a makeover. A new update will allow DLC for games and demo versions. The facility to download titles while the 3DS is in sleep mode is also proposed, as is a web interface to access content via PC or smartphone. Iwata notes that part of the reason for this is to integrate the 3DS more tightly with social media, allowing for viral promotion of eShop titles rather than relying purely on user reviews within the 3DS-based eShop interface itself.
Finally, Iwata said that the final model of the Wii U would be showed at E3 next year. He notes that the company has learned "a bitter lesson" with the launch of the 3DS, and intends to "take every possible measure so that the Wii U will have a successful launch."
Classic Dungeon Crawling Series Wizardry Coming to iOS November 3
The Wizardry series is one of the longest-running franchises in gaming. Originally developed by now-defunct American company Sir-Tech, it gained enormous popularity in Japan despite low-quality translations causing many of the game's popular culture references and parodies to be misinterpreted or missed altogether. As a result, it was taken far more seriously by Japanese gamers and developers than originally intended -- but it did form part of the inspiration for the Dragon Quest series, so perhaps that's not a bad thing.
Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls, one of the latest entries in the series, was originally released on PSN in 2009 in Japan and made it to North America in June of this year to somewhat mixed receptions -- we quite liked it. Now, it's coming to iOS devices too, starting from November 3.
The game goes back to the Wizardry series' roots with first-person turn-based dungeon crawling, albeit with considerably better graphics than the Apple II original. Players can take on the role of one of ten adventurers, build an unstoppable party and descend into two dungeons to deal with whatever great evil is threatening the land this time.
Following a growing trend among App Store titles, the game will be downloadable for free in a limited form, allowing players to level up to 5 and explore the first floor of the Dungeon of Trials for no cost. Players who want to continue their journey past this point will have to hand over $9.99 via in-app purchase for the full game.
"It is an honor to bring such a respected and long-lived RPG franchise to mobile devices for the first time in history," said Richie Casper, creative director at Japanese independent developer Acquire, perhaps best known for PS1 ninj 'em up Tenchu: Stealth Assassins. "We worked hard to ensure that Wizardry: Labyrinth of Souls for iOS stays completely true to the series' roots while also providing players with the same high quality graphics and challenging gameplay they've come to expect from the console version."
Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls, one of the latest entries in the series, was originally released on PSN in 2009 in Japan and made it to North America in June of this year to somewhat mixed receptions -- we quite liked it. Now, it's coming to iOS devices too, starting from November 3.
The game goes back to the Wizardry series' roots with first-person turn-based dungeon crawling, albeit with considerably better graphics than the Apple II original. Players can take on the role of one of ten adventurers, build an unstoppable party and descend into two dungeons to deal with whatever great evil is threatening the land this time.
Following a growing trend among App Store titles, the game will be downloadable for free in a limited form, allowing players to level up to 5 and explore the first floor of the Dungeon of Trials for no cost. Players who want to continue their journey past this point will have to hand over $9.99 via in-app purchase for the full game.
"It is an honor to bring such a respected and long-lived RPG franchise to mobile devices for the first time in history," said Richie Casper, creative director at Japanese independent developer Acquire, perhaps best known for PS1 ninj 'em up Tenchu: Stealth Assassins. "We worked hard to ensure that Wizardry: Labyrinth of Souls for iOS stays completely true to the series' roots while also providing players with the same high quality graphics and challenging gameplay they've come to expect from the console version."
Report: Apple to Release Siri-Controlled TV by 2013?
New York Times blogger Nick Bilton notes that in Steve Jobs' recently released biography, the late Apple CEO reportedly told his biographer "I've finally cracked it!" when referring to Apple's designs on the TV market. Bilton believes that Jobs was not talking about a significant change to the TV set itself, as many have assumed, but that he was referring to the incorporation of artificial intelligence software Siri into the user interface.
Siri, which has come to prominence since its inclusion with iOS 5 on new iPhone 4S devices, allows users to do a variety of things using their voice. On the iPhone, it's possible to send messages; create reminders, alarms and calendar events; get answers to logical questions; and even indulge in a bit of playful banter with the AI. But things get interesting when you consider the possibility of talking to your TV to control it -- among other benefits, it removes the need to rely on the antiquated and often unnecessary remote controls which we've been using for decades.
Using your voice to control content isn't something which is new, of course -- Kinect has been allowing users to speak to their Xbox for some time now. But were your TV itself able to respond to your voice commands as well as connect to the Internet, it opens up a wide range of possibilities which are already hinted at by technology such as that seen in TiVo boxes suggesting other shows you might enjoy or recognizing content by factors other than just its title.
"Play me videos of cats jumping into boxes," you might say, and be presented with a playlist of Maru videos. "Put on the last episode of Dexter." "Show me the local news." The possibilities are intriguing, assuming Siri is appropriately adapted to display the relevant content.
Bilton believes that it's not a case of "if" Apple will produce a TV, more a case of "when." A report by Barclays suggests that Apple could bring in an additional $19 billion a year by capturing just 5% of television buyers. And several reportedly reliable sources within Apple and its partners believed that it was a "guaranteed product" for Apple, noting that "Steve thinks the industry is totally broken."
Bilton suggests that we could see the announcement of a full-scale Apple TV set by late 2012, with the first to arrive on the market by 2013. This being Apple, though, we won't hear anything official until a week or two before it hits the market.
Siri, which has come to prominence since its inclusion with iOS 5 on new iPhone 4S devices, allows users to do a variety of things using their voice. On the iPhone, it's possible to send messages; create reminders, alarms and calendar events; get answers to logical questions; and even indulge in a bit of playful banter with the AI. But things get interesting when you consider the possibility of talking to your TV to control it -- among other benefits, it removes the need to rely on the antiquated and often unnecessary remote controls which we've been using for decades.
Using your voice to control content isn't something which is new, of course -- Kinect has been allowing users to speak to their Xbox for some time now. But were your TV itself able to respond to your voice commands as well as connect to the Internet, it opens up a wide range of possibilities which are already hinted at by technology such as that seen in TiVo boxes suggesting other shows you might enjoy or recognizing content by factors other than just its title.
"Play me videos of cats jumping into boxes," you might say, and be presented with a playlist of Maru videos. "Put on the last episode of Dexter." "Show me the local news." The possibilities are intriguing, assuming Siri is appropriately adapted to display the relevant content.
Bilton believes that it's not a case of "if" Apple will produce a TV, more a case of "when." A report by Barclays suggests that Apple could bring in an additional $19 billion a year by capturing just 5% of television buyers. And several reportedly reliable sources within Apple and its partners believed that it was a "guaranteed product" for Apple, noting that "Steve thinks the industry is totally broken."
Bilton suggests that we could see the announcement of a full-scale Apple TV set by late 2012, with the first to arrive on the market by 2013. This being Apple, though, we won't hear anything official until a week or two before it hits the market.
Wargame: European Escalation Delayed Until Early Next Year
Wargame: European Escalation, the new strategy game from the developers of the rather underrated R.U.S.E., has been delayed until the first quarter of next year. The decision to do this was a mutual one between publisher Focus Home Interactive and developer Eugen Systems, and is apparently to "ensure Wargame: European Escalation offers the best possible experience both in single player and in multiplayer."
For the unfamiliar, Wargame: European Escalation is an RTS game set in the period between 1975 and 1985 -- an underexplored era in strategy gaming. The game pits NATO, comprising the U.S. and Western Europe, against the Soviet and Eastern European countries that make up the Warsaw Pact across a series of hypothetical battles that explore what would have happened had the Cold War escalated into a full-scale conflict. Battles take place on a global scale, with Eugen Systems' impressive IrisZoom system allowing you to zoom right out to see the world map or right in to see individual units doing their thing.
For the unfamiliar, Wargame: European Escalation is an RTS game set in the period between 1975 and 1985 -- an underexplored era in strategy gaming. The game pits NATO, comprising the U.S. and Western Europe, against the Soviet and Eastern European countries that make up the Warsaw Pact across a series of hypothetical battles that explore what would have happened had the Cold War escalated into a full-scale conflict. Battles take place on a global scale, with Eugen Systems' impressive IrisZoom system allowing you to zoom right out to see the world map or right in to see individual units doing their thing.
Killing Floor Announces Halloween Sideshow Event
On paper, Killing Floor might sound like a Left 4 Dead knockoff -- a group of online players get together to hold off hordes of monsters in a cooperative, first person shooterish manner -- but in practise it's a little different. Set in arena-like levels rather than the "always pushing forward" pathways of Left 4 Dead, the game's a lot of fast-paced fun, particularly if you get a good team together. It's also notable for being on the receiving end of an absolute ton of new -- often free -- content since its original launch in May of 2010.
The game has also held a number of special events throughout its lifetime, with the last being the Summer Sideshow, which featured series of new enemies and challenges to take on. Developer Tripwire Interactive is running a similar event this Halloween, with a batch of special achievements on offer and an unlockable character available as a reward for anyone who completes all of them. Those who missed the Summer Sideshow event will also be able to take on those achievements again and unlock the special Steampunk Mr Foster character. Hurry, though -- you've only got until November 3.
The game has also held a number of special events throughout its lifetime, with the last being the Summer Sideshow, which featured series of new enemies and challenges to take on. Developer Tripwire Interactive is running a similar event this Halloween, with a batch of special achievements on offer and an unlockable character available as a reward for anyone who completes all of them. Those who missed the Summer Sideshow event will also be able to take on those achievements again and unlock the special Steampunk Mr Foster character. Hurry, though -- you've only got until November 3.
Paradox Interactive Holding 75% Off Halloween Sale
The time for cheap games is normally in mid-summer and the holiday season -- in other words, when Steam holds one of its legendary sales. This year, everyone seems to have gone a little Halloween crazy too, though, with the latest to join the fray being strategic specialists Paradox Interactive.
Three of Paradox's titles will be available for 75% off during the course of the sale, which will be running until November 1 on Steam, October 30 on Gamersgate and Green Man Gaming, and October 31 on Impulse.
First up is the Penumbra Collection, a pair of horrific adventures that task players with navigating an underground complex and discovering the truth behind your father's disappearance. Grab it from Steam, Gamersgate, Impulse or Green Man Gaming.
Next is Woody Two Legs, a top-down arcade shooter than challenges players to hold off the advancing hordes of zombie pirates by, well, shooting them. It's a fun casual blaster for fans of score attack-style gameplay. Grab it from Steam.
Finally comes Fort Zombie, an RPG that focuses on a single location -- the titular fort -- and revolves around you defending it against the zombie hordes through completing missions and acquiring materials with which to upgrade it. Paradox describes it as "Dungeon Master meets Fallout," which sounds pretty good to me. Grab this one from Gamersgate or Impulse.
Keep an eye on the Paradox website over the next few days because it sounds like there might be some other offers over the weekend, too.
Three of Paradox's titles will be available for 75% off during the course of the sale, which will be running until November 1 on Steam, October 30 on Gamersgate and Green Man Gaming, and October 31 on Impulse.
First up is the Penumbra Collection, a pair of horrific adventures that task players with navigating an underground complex and discovering the truth behind your father's disappearance. Grab it from Steam, Gamersgate, Impulse or Green Man Gaming.
Next is Woody Two Legs, a top-down arcade shooter than challenges players to hold off the advancing hordes of zombie pirates by, well, shooting them. It's a fun casual blaster for fans of score attack-style gameplay. Grab it from Steam.
Finally comes Fort Zombie, an RPG that focuses on a single location -- the titular fort -- and revolves around you defending it against the zombie hordes through completing missions and acquiring materials with which to upgrade it. Paradox describes it as "Dungeon Master meets Fallout," which sounds pretty good to me. Grab this one from Gamersgate or Impulse.
Keep an eye on the Paradox website over the next few days because it sounds like there might be some other offers over the weekend, too.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Need For Speed The Run’s New Challenge Series In Action
Over the course of EA’s upcoming racing game, you’ll be tearing across the country in an underground competition for big ol’ gobs of money. But, there’s going be another singleplayer mode for Need for Speed The Run that parcels out the game’s environments into bite-size chunks.
The Challenge Series changes things up a bit by requiring you to finish first and get a medal time. The races get broken up in timed sections, but if you don’t make it all the way through one–you won’t have to go all the way back to the beginning, depending on where you stall out.
There are 70 events in Challenge, broken up amongst 10 stages. They’re all connected to Autolog too, so you’ll get the whole suite of social networking functionality-challenges, updates, etc — that that feature brings. You’ll unlock even more cars by competing this mode’s levels. The Challenge Series also gets Theme Packs, which are races that call back to the styles of previous NFS games. So, Most Wanted focuses on car chases and throws tons of cop-mobiles at you during the action. The Carbon theme pack takes place at night-time and offers a bit of the dangerous canyon racing NFS Carbon focused on. And, finally, the Underground pack centres on the tuner mechanics of customisation and performance.
You’ll see a bit of the continuing Burnout legacy in EA racing games with the Takedowns that happen in the video above, too. The traffic gets randomly generated in Challenege so it’ll never be as easy as just memorizing where the gaps are. There may be a bit of hype surrounding all of the out-of-car hijinks in Need for Speed The Run, but Challenge Mode testifies that it’s still that pedal-to-the-metal action that’s the NFS series’ raison d’etre.
The Challenge Series changes things up a bit by requiring you to finish first and get a medal time. The races get broken up in timed sections, but if you don’t make it all the way through one–you won’t have to go all the way back to the beginning, depending on where you stall out.
There are 70 events in Challenge, broken up amongst 10 stages. They’re all connected to Autolog too, so you’ll get the whole suite of social networking functionality-challenges, updates, etc — that that feature brings. You’ll unlock even more cars by competing this mode’s levels. The Challenge Series also gets Theme Packs, which are races that call back to the styles of previous NFS games. So, Most Wanted focuses on car chases and throws tons of cop-mobiles at you during the action. The Carbon theme pack takes place at night-time and offers a bit of the dangerous canyon racing NFS Carbon focused on. And, finally, the Underground pack centres on the tuner mechanics of customisation and performance.
You’ll see a bit of the continuing Burnout legacy in EA racing games with the Takedowns that happen in the video above, too. The traffic gets randomly generated in Challenege so it’ll never be as easy as just memorizing where the gaps are. There may be a bit of hype surrounding all of the out-of-car hijinks in Need for Speed The Run, but Challenge Mode testifies that it’s still that pedal-to-the-metal action that’s the NFS series’ raison d’etre.
There Is A Devil May Cry HD Collection In The Works, And This Is What It Looks Like
Having long been the subject of rumours, speculation and ESRB ratings, the Devil May Cry HD Collection is now a real snow-haired, demon-slaying boy, and we’ve got the comparison shots to prove it.
The collection brings together remastered versions of the first three titles in the Devil May Cry series, from Dante’s big debut to the special edition of Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening. Each of the three games will look prettier than they would if you just popped a PlayStation 2 disc into your PlayStation 3, especially if you take into account that most of today’s PS3s wouldn’t even run it (*hugs his 60GB*). Expect a little bonus content, as well as support for trophies and achievements.
It’s three, three, three Dante’s in one when Devil May Cry HD Collection hits the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 early next year.
The collection brings together remastered versions of the first three titles in the Devil May Cry series, from Dante’s big debut to the special edition of Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening. Each of the three games will look prettier than they would if you just popped a PlayStation 2 disc into your PlayStation 3, especially if you take into account that most of today’s PS3s wouldn’t even run it (*hugs his 60GB*). Expect a little bonus content, as well as support for trophies and achievements.
It’s three, three, three Dante’s in one when Devil May Cry HD Collection hits the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 early next year.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Comparing Video Game Screenshots To Real Photographs
Valve’s Source Engine may be getting old in the tooth, but the fact it’s constantly updated means it can still produce some surprisingly realistic results. Like this gallery, comparing images taken inside the game engine to photos taken in real life.
Reddit user NullPoint84 has assembled a gallery of pictures in which he’s recreated scenes in old photographs using Garry’s Mod, an editing suite/tool/game.
Sure, you won’t be spending hours staring at the screen trying to work out which is which. We’re not dealing with bleeding edge tech here. But they’re still great to look at, if only for how the colours and lighting could be copied so closely.
I used Garry’s Mod to re-create some old photos I took [Reddit]
You can contact Luke Plunkett, the author of this post, at plunkett@kotaku.com. You can also find him on Twitter, Facebook, and lurking around our #tips page.
Reddit user NullPoint84 has assembled a gallery of pictures in which he’s recreated scenes in old photographs using Garry’s Mod, an editing suite/tool/game.
Sure, you won’t be spending hours staring at the screen trying to work out which is which. We’re not dealing with bleeding edge tech here. But they’re still great to look at, if only for how the colours and lighting could be copied so closely.
I used Garry’s Mod to re-create some old photos I took [Reddit]
You can contact Luke Plunkett, the author of this post, at plunkett@kotaku.com. You can also find him on Twitter, Facebook, and lurking around our #tips page.
From Iwo Jima To Super Mario
Kazunari Ninomiya is best known for the Clint Eastwood film Letters from Iwo Jima. In Japan, he’s better known as a member of the boy band Arashi.
Arashi continue to appear in Nintendo commercials, flogging the lastest games and hardware from the Kyoto-based company. This Super Mario 3D Land ad is no exception.
Arashi continue to appear in Nintendo commercials, flogging the lastest games and hardware from the Kyoto-based company. This Super Mario 3D Land ad is no exception.
Some Fallout Cosplay To Survive The Apocalypse In
Inspired by last year’s Fallout: New Vegas, Nanahra has made himself a replica New California Republic Ranger’s outfit that, at a glance, looks as good as the real thing.
Not that the real thing’s actually real. But if it was, it’d probably look like this. Only slightly more radioactive.
What’s great about it is the level of detail on show; there’s layers atop layers in the costume, while the helmet and gun look perfect.
Not that the real thing’s actually real. But if it was, it’d probably look like this. Only slightly more radioactive.
What’s great about it is the level of detail on show; there’s layers atop layers in the costume, while the helmet and gun look perfect.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
So What If Star Wars: The Old Republic is a World of Warcraft Clone?
Let's get this out of our systems right now. For all of its focus on a well-written story, its player ships, and a fortune's worth of excellent voice acting, BioWare's SWTOR still feels very much like that hulking leviathan created by the boys at Blizzard, especially in its earlier expansions. Is that okay? Leif Johnson reports.
Four Features that Could Make Star Wars: The Old Republic Strong with the Force
Leif Johnson highlights SWTOR's biggest features and addresses whether or not story, voice acting, the sci-fi setting, and BioWare's unique use of companions are enough to set SWTOR apart from the MMO crowd.
Friday, October 21, 2011
young7yang (User) Member 5 bubbles 5 in CRank Score: 23460 "" PM Add as friend Track Ignore Report Ryu Ga Gotoku (Yakuza) 4 review
I know I should stick this in the review section but it only accepts written reviews..
So here it goes anyway my fourth video review of Yakuza 4
So here it goes anyway my fourth video review of Yakuza 4
"Professional" Review are killing gaming
This year, I played a game called 3D Dot Game Heroes on my PS3. If you were to believe reviews, it is a game probably not worth playing. Gamespot and Destructoid gave it a 75/100. 1Up gave it a 67/100, and Eurogamer, Edge, and Giant Bomb all gave it a 60/100.
However, I played 3D Dot Game Heroes and loved every minute of it. Not once did I lose interest. To me, it's a great game. But the reviews would say that I should have been disappointed by it.
Later this year, I played a game called Call of Duty: Black Ops. The single-player suffered from a few glitches, but it was the multiplayer that was downright broken. I first played it on the PS3 on loan from a buddy, and then - to see if it was just the PS3 version - I also played it on my neighbor's 360. Both versions were a mess, and I can't imagine how broken it is on the PC.
Yet, this game received a great deal of 9/10 and 10/10 scores, leading readers to believe that this game is excellent and should be played by everyone.
Nowadays, reviews are less about informing the reader and more about getting hits and advertising dollars. As "journalists", those who write video game reviews are obligated to inform their readers about game-breaking glitches, graphical problems, bad gameplay mechanics, and so forth. It's beyond me how 75% of the glitches in video games never seem to get mentioned, as it's beyond me how in the world a broken game like Fallout: New Vegas ever managed to get scores above a 5/10. And then, we have reviews that are poorly researched or even state false information (Gran Turismo 5 reviews are a fantastic recent example).
The inconsistency of reviews makes it even worse. I'll use IGN as an example, since they're so popular around here: their reviews of The Fight and Tumble would make you believe that those games aren't even playable. However, having played both of these games, I am confused. Neither of these games are broken. Not even close. It's their opinion, though, and I suppose they didn't like those games. Oh, but wait. This same "opinion" that dislikes inaccurate controls, lack of content, bad menu organization, and whatnot apparently vanished when it came time to review Kinect's games like Kinectimals, Joy Ride, and Kinect Adventures. These Kinect games suffered from many of the exact same problems the IGN reviewers claimed The Fight and Tumble suffered from, and yet these games get a pass. This has also happened with multiplatform reviews, when in one case, there will be big differences between two multiplatform games (Final Fantasy 13) yet the scores will be the same, but in another case there will be slight differences and the reviewers feel the need to mark one version or another version down a few points. Huh? How can we take reviewers seriously when they pull stunts like that? And when IGN is advertised on Xbox Live dashboard and belongs to Gamestop, it gets even harder to take their views as objective.
But it all goes back to 3D Dot Game Heroes and how listening to review scores could have robbed me of playing one of my favorite games of the year. I'm sure many of you have similar experiences with video game reviews. As gamers, we've been idiots by siding with various reviewers in "teh console warz" and using their arbitrary and useless numbers as our ammunition. Instead, we should be telling "professional" reviewers to shut the hell up and let us gamers enjoy our games. Sure, if reviewers actually reviewed games and gave us important information such as...
- any game-breaking glitches?
- is the online mode smooth?
- roughly how many hours of content is there?
- are the controls sloppy?
However, I played 3D Dot Game Heroes and loved every minute of it. Not once did I lose interest. To me, it's a great game. But the reviews would say that I should have been disappointed by it.
Later this year, I played a game called Call of Duty: Black Ops. The single-player suffered from a few glitches, but it was the multiplayer that was downright broken. I first played it on the PS3 on loan from a buddy, and then - to see if it was just the PS3 version - I also played it on my neighbor's 360. Both versions were a mess, and I can't imagine how broken it is on the PC.
Yet, this game received a great deal of 9/10 and 10/10 scores, leading readers to believe that this game is excellent and should be played by everyone.
Nowadays, reviews are less about informing the reader and more about getting hits and advertising dollars. As "journalists", those who write video game reviews are obligated to inform their readers about game-breaking glitches, graphical problems, bad gameplay mechanics, and so forth. It's beyond me how 75% of the glitches in video games never seem to get mentioned, as it's beyond me how in the world a broken game like Fallout: New Vegas ever managed to get scores above a 5/10. And then, we have reviews that are poorly researched or even state false information (Gran Turismo 5 reviews are a fantastic recent example).
The inconsistency of reviews makes it even worse. I'll use IGN as an example, since they're so popular around here: their reviews of The Fight and Tumble would make you believe that those games aren't even playable. However, having played both of these games, I am confused. Neither of these games are broken. Not even close. It's their opinion, though, and I suppose they didn't like those games. Oh, but wait. This same "opinion" that dislikes inaccurate controls, lack of content, bad menu organization, and whatnot apparently vanished when it came time to review Kinect's games like Kinectimals, Joy Ride, and Kinect Adventures. These Kinect games suffered from many of the exact same problems the IGN reviewers claimed The Fight and Tumble suffered from, and yet these games get a pass. This has also happened with multiplatform reviews, when in one case, there will be big differences between two multiplatform games (Final Fantasy 13) yet the scores will be the same, but in another case there will be slight differences and the reviewers feel the need to mark one version or another version down a few points. Huh? How can we take reviewers seriously when they pull stunts like that? And when IGN is advertised on Xbox Live dashboard and belongs to Gamestop, it gets even harder to take their views as objective.
But it all goes back to 3D Dot Game Heroes and how listening to review scores could have robbed me of playing one of my favorite games of the year. I'm sure many of you have similar experiences with video game reviews. As gamers, we've been idiots by siding with various reviewers in "teh console warz" and using their arbitrary and useless numbers as our ammunition. Instead, we should be telling "professional" reviewers to shut the hell up and let us gamers enjoy our games. Sure, if reviewers actually reviewed games and gave us important information such as...
- any game-breaking glitches?
- is the online mode smooth?
- roughly how many hours of content is there?
- are the controls sloppy?
PlayStation 3 Games are better than PC Games
Judging the title alone, I just know I am going to get a thousand comments saying things like “The PS3 is 5 year old hardware, you cant compare it to the PC.” First off, I am not judging graphics, nore do I care if your PC games has more lighting particles and higher res textures, I still have many valid reasons that PlayStation games surpass the PC.
One of the main things seen in a lot of PlayStation exclusives is the sheer size of the games. The PC offers nothing close to the scale of games like God of War 3, Gran Turismo 5, and LittleBigPlanet. The developers of PS3 have managed to create massive games that we simple don’t see on the PC. There is not a single PC game with boss fights as big as the titans in GOW3, 1000 cars, or 2 million levels. This is hugely influenced by the developers, and what they have been able to do with the hardware. The extra space of Blu-Ray adds a lot more room to work with that the PC simply does not have, thanks to the fact no one wants to install a 50gb game.
Sony’s first party is outstanding at what they do, with nearly every first party game being critically acclaimed. They push out amazing games that equal or surpass the PC’s offerings. Not many PC games can hold the title of GOTY. Sony’s track record of first party games is also heavily influenced by how they collaborate, sharing technologies and ideas between each over, which is simply not seen between PC developers.
Funding is also a huge factor in creating a games, and Sony’s studios get plenty of it. Not many PC games (Unless developed by Blizzard) have as much polish as games like Gran Turismo 5, or Uncharted. The PC also features a lot of bad games, much more than the consoles because of how easy it is to get a game out on the PC market. Actually, the PS3’s difficulty to develop for makes for overall better games, because developers are forced to learn the hardware before they can even start development. Sony also requires approval before the release, where as on the PC any game can hit the market, no matter how bad it is.
Creativity is also much higher on the PlayStation brand, with many more games pushing the boundaries of our imaginations. There is no alternative to the creation abilities of ModNation Racers and LittleBigPlanet on the PC. This genre has proven successful on consoles, and will remain strong for Sony.
Now before all the PC fanboys start posting screen shots bragging about graphics, I need to get this out of the way. PS3 games look plenty good, run in 720p, @30fps constant on 4 year old hardware. I think it does a pretty good job, and the games look plenty good for me to have fun. Overall PS3 games are simply higher quality, and offer more than the PC.
One of the main things seen in a lot of PlayStation exclusives is the sheer size of the games. The PC offers nothing close to the scale of games like God of War 3, Gran Turismo 5, and LittleBigPlanet. The developers of PS3 have managed to create massive games that we simple don’t see on the PC. There is not a single PC game with boss fights as big as the titans in GOW3, 1000 cars, or 2 million levels. This is hugely influenced by the developers, and what they have been able to do with the hardware. The extra space of Blu-Ray adds a lot more room to work with that the PC simply does not have, thanks to the fact no one wants to install a 50gb game.
Sony’s first party is outstanding at what they do, with nearly every first party game being critically acclaimed. They push out amazing games that equal or surpass the PC’s offerings. Not many PC games can hold the title of GOTY. Sony’s track record of first party games is also heavily influenced by how they collaborate, sharing technologies and ideas between each over, which is simply not seen between PC developers.
Funding is also a huge factor in creating a games, and Sony’s studios get plenty of it. Not many PC games (Unless developed by Blizzard) have as much polish as games like Gran Turismo 5, or Uncharted. The PC also features a lot of bad games, much more than the consoles because of how easy it is to get a game out on the PC market. Actually, the PS3’s difficulty to develop for makes for overall better games, because developers are forced to learn the hardware before they can even start development. Sony also requires approval before the release, where as on the PC any game can hit the market, no matter how bad it is.
Creativity is also much higher on the PlayStation brand, with many more games pushing the boundaries of our imaginations. There is no alternative to the creation abilities of ModNation Racers and LittleBigPlanet on the PC. This genre has proven successful on consoles, and will remain strong for Sony.
Now before all the PC fanboys start posting screen shots bragging about graphics, I need to get this out of the way. PS3 games look plenty good, run in 720p, @30fps constant on 4 year old hardware. I think it does a pretty good job, and the games look plenty good for me to have fun. Overall PS3 games are simply higher quality, and offer more than the PC.
The Problem with Kids and Gaming
I’m going to start this and flat out say it, children under the age of 14 should not be playing Rated M games. Now that I got that off my back, I can start my little rant. I have meet several kids in my gaming experience, and almost every time they were the worst people to play with. Teenagers are better than children with parents that don’t care.
90% of the children on M rated games are foul, disgusting, perverted, vulgar little know-nothing assholes who think they are the greatest person to ever play that game. If you do anything wrong they curse at you with their little high pitched voices and on top of that, when you do win, they’re really, really sore losers.
Now Stick and Stones MAY break my bones.. but, word can never harm me. I am not easily offended. They can be the foulest mouthed things in the world… It’s just words. I could care less… let them sling bigotry and hatred. What does it really do?
It doesn't really do much to me. But still, having some snot-nosed little punk whose testicles haven’t even dropped scream obscenities and racial/homophobic slurs at me isn’t exactly my ideal way to spend an evening. I wear headphones when I game because of this because I dont want my family to hear this while I try to enjoy the game working as a team with my teammates. PC gaming tends to draw an older crowd, and what kids are there are mostly more respectful.
I don't know what it is with M games and kids, but i have a feeling its the parents that let them play rated M games fault they act bad. If the parents let them play games as brutal as gears of war, then they must not do a who lot of other life lessons these kids need to learn also, such as respecting other people.
As the internet gets bigger and parents get stupider, this problem is only going to get worser. Kids take advantage of the ability to be anonymous on the internet, knowing that the worst they can get is yelled at over the mic. If i were there parents, they would be kicked off the game and grounded for months if i heard half the things I hear in online games coming from their little mouths.
90% of the children on M rated games are foul, disgusting, perverted, vulgar little know-nothing assholes who think they are the greatest person to ever play that game. If you do anything wrong they curse at you with their little high pitched voices and on top of that, when you do win, they’re really, really sore losers.
Now Stick and Stones MAY break my bones.. but, word can never harm me. I am not easily offended. They can be the foulest mouthed things in the world… It’s just words. I could care less… let them sling bigotry and hatred. What does it really do?
It doesn't really do much to me. But still, having some snot-nosed little punk whose testicles haven’t even dropped scream obscenities and racial/homophobic slurs at me isn’t exactly my ideal way to spend an evening. I wear headphones when I game because of this because I dont want my family to hear this while I try to enjoy the game working as a team with my teammates. PC gaming tends to draw an older crowd, and what kids are there are mostly more respectful.
I don't know what it is with M games and kids, but i have a feeling its the parents that let them play rated M games fault they act bad. If the parents let them play games as brutal as gears of war, then they must not do a who lot of other life lessons these kids need to learn also, such as respecting other people.
As the internet gets bigger and parents get stupider, this problem is only going to get worser. Kids take advantage of the ability to be anonymous on the internet, knowing that the worst they can get is yelled at over the mic. If i were there parents, they would be kicked off the game and grounded for months if i heard half the things I hear in online games coming from their little mouths.
Metacritic – What’s it good for?
They’ve been thrown about quite a bit, usually to identify Game A as being superior to Game B, but is there any merit to these claims?
First off, there have been numerous criticisms of how metacritic collects and converts scores. I’m not going to get into that right now, but you can have a look at their system here - http://www.metacritic.com/a... just wanted to point it out to anyone interested.
What I want to point out today is this:
There is no scientific basis upon which you can use metacritic in its present state to scientifically and objectively compare ANY 2 games.
Metacritic scores for different games are usually collected from different websites. Even when they are collected from the same website, they are usually written by different staff members.
So that’s the problem. Can you use scores written by different people to compare games? The answer is yes, but it involves a bit of science and statistics.
Stop. Stop right there. Do not close tab due to anticipated boredom. I’ll keep it simple. I promise.
Here’s one example of how you could do it. There are probably better ways.
1. You identify the critics you want to use. Hopefully, Jim Sterling is not one of them.
2. You give each of these critics the same group of games to score.
3. Then, you rank the scores. Eg if they were given 10 games, rank 1 describes the best in the lot, rank 10 describes the worse.
4. Once you’ve done that, you test for correlation between ranks of reviewers. For example, you can use the Spearman’s Rank Order Correlation. This will tell you if there is agreement between reviewers and thus, if their ranks are comparable now and, arguably, in the future.
I say arguably because a reviewer can review in a predictable way for the test and then proceed to launch utter flamebait in the future, but you get the idea.
Whether or not this is the best way or even a valid way is not really the point I’m trying to make. My point is this:
Comparison - true, accurate, unbiased comparison, takes work and effort. Work which is not done by Metacritic.
At the end of the day, the Metascore is a good indicator of game quality - which is what it was designed for.
First off, there have been numerous criticisms of how metacritic collects and converts scores. I’m not going to get into that right now, but you can have a look at their system here - http://www.metacritic.com/a... just wanted to point it out to anyone interested.
What I want to point out today is this:
There is no scientific basis upon which you can use metacritic in its present state to scientifically and objectively compare ANY 2 games.
Metacritic scores for different games are usually collected from different websites. Even when they are collected from the same website, they are usually written by different staff members.
So that’s the problem. Can you use scores written by different people to compare games? The answer is yes, but it involves a bit of science and statistics.
Stop. Stop right there. Do not close tab due to anticipated boredom. I’ll keep it simple. I promise.
Here’s one example of how you could do it. There are probably better ways.
1. You identify the critics you want to use. Hopefully, Jim Sterling is not one of them.
2. You give each of these critics the same group of games to score.
3. Then, you rank the scores. Eg if they were given 10 games, rank 1 describes the best in the lot, rank 10 describes the worse.
4. Once you’ve done that, you test for correlation between ranks of reviewers. For example, you can use the Spearman’s Rank Order Correlation. This will tell you if there is agreement between reviewers and thus, if their ranks are comparable now and, arguably, in the future.
I say arguably because a reviewer can review in a predictable way for the test and then proceed to launch utter flamebait in the future, but you get the idea.
Whether or not this is the best way or even a valid way is not really the point I’m trying to make. My point is this:
Comparison - true, accurate, unbiased comparison, takes work and effort. Work which is not done by Metacritic.
At the end of the day, the Metascore is a good indicator of game quality - which is what it was designed for.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
geezin (User) Contributor 3 bubbles 5 in CRank Score: 2310 "" PM Add as friend Track Ignore Report A little insight: Marvel vs Capcom 3
User blog
[First off I apologize for the lateness] Now lets begin with what I just can't wrap my head around. MvsC3 was suppose to be the all time greatest fighting game of this generation. All the dominoes were stacked in line an it looked like it was going to pull it off. Then it happened. I should have known we were in trouble when they started to reveal characters every other week.
That brings me to my first complaint: The character selection. It was way to low for my liking. Ok I get it, it was watered down because of some potential play alikes i.e. hulk and juggernaut, or look alikes i.e ghost rider and Dormammu. But come on, my favorite team wasn't even available to play. Juggernaut, Gambit, and cable. I mean, we really know why the list is so short but I'll get to that in a min. Also let me touch base on the story, What happened to it. We were promised this elaborate story driven game. Good luck with that. It was all just a mish mesh of everybody's single player experience that didn't even tie into each other. The ending artwork was cool, with its comic book style. It just wasn't what I expected. Maybe more of a Blaze Blue type of story.
Anyways, lets look at the online. Everyone thought that with capcom making it, and there success with Street Fighter 4 and SSF4 we were in for a treat. After playing online for about a month I can say that if feels tacked on, like a last resort almost. No replay theater, you cant watch matches in lobbies, cant save matches, and ranked matchmaking sucks. Although let me shed some light on the situation, when MvsC3 is in action, it really gets going. Combat is fluid, fast, and fun. Air combos are easy to use and yet still complex for the hardcore, plus add in the x factor (ability to increase speed and power, but duration depends on how many characters you have left)and things get really crazy. Its just when MvsC3 is not in action is when it sucks a**.
Now lets get back to the reason the character list is so short. Money. Every company is out to make a pretty penny, whether it be EA and Warner Bros with there online pass, or Capcom and its affiliates shelling out dlc characters for 5 bucks each. We knew it may be coming, but not like this. Some characters should have been dlc from the beginning i.e. viper and m.o.d.o.k. Then some that were dlc should have been in from the beginning i.e. mega man. I mean come on, other than Ryu and Ken who do you think of when you think Capcom? MEGA MAN!!! So is exploiting the consumer who has been waiting so long for a quick buck cool? I talk bad about the scheme but I'm also the one supporting it. Lord knows I want those characters. And its sad. LMAO
[First off I apologize for the lateness] Now lets begin with what I just can't wrap my head around. MvsC3 was suppose to be the all time greatest fighting game of this generation. All the dominoes were stacked in line an it looked like it was going to pull it off. Then it happened. I should have known we were in trouble when they started to reveal characters every other week.
That brings me to my first complaint: The character selection. It was way to low for my liking. Ok I get it, it was watered down because of some potential play alikes i.e. hulk and juggernaut, or look alikes i.e ghost rider and Dormammu. But come on, my favorite team wasn't even available to play. Juggernaut, Gambit, and cable. I mean, we really know why the list is so short but I'll get to that in a min. Also let me touch base on the story, What happened to it. We were promised this elaborate story driven game. Good luck with that. It was all just a mish mesh of everybody's single player experience that didn't even tie into each other. The ending artwork was cool, with its comic book style. It just wasn't what I expected. Maybe more of a Blaze Blue type of story.
Anyways, lets look at the online. Everyone thought that with capcom making it, and there success with Street Fighter 4 and SSF4 we were in for a treat. After playing online for about a month I can say that if feels tacked on, like a last resort almost. No replay theater, you cant watch matches in lobbies, cant save matches, and ranked matchmaking sucks. Although let me shed some light on the situation, when MvsC3 is in action, it really gets going. Combat is fluid, fast, and fun. Air combos are easy to use and yet still complex for the hardcore, plus add in the x factor (ability to increase speed and power, but duration depends on how many characters you have left)and things get really crazy. Its just when MvsC3 is not in action is when it sucks a**.
Now lets get back to the reason the character list is so short. Money. Every company is out to make a pretty penny, whether it be EA and Warner Bros with there online pass, or Capcom and its affiliates shelling out dlc characters for 5 bucks each. We knew it may be coming, but not like this. Some characters should have been dlc from the beginning i.e. viper and m.o.d.o.k. Then some that were dlc should have been in from the beginning i.e. mega man. I mean come on, other than Ryu and Ken who do you think of when you think Capcom? MEGA MAN!!! So is exploiting the consumer who has been waiting so long for a quick buck cool? I talk bad about the scheme but I'm also the one supporting it. Lord knows I want those characters. And its sad. LMAO
Demos
In 2011, only a few games go unnoticed. The media likes to pump up the gamers , increase the hype for a game before it`s released by publishing several articles about that game, hands-on, previews and etc... Thus, many know what the game is going to be about before it`s been released. Also, since some gaming websites have privileges over others, they review the games before the game`s been released which adds more hype to it if the game is a good one. However, as the end user, consumer we are sometimes unsure what to expect from a game. It might be a game that we waited for a long time, or a game totally unknown to us, we need to get hands-on with it before purchasing it.
I know for some people that`s not the case. And maybe for us, it`s not the case as well. For instance, I`d buy Killzone 3, pre-order it before it`s been released, because I`m pretty sure it`s going to be a great game. But I don`t know if I`m going to like the Two Worlds II. I have never played it before, and i`m not satisfied with the reviews. Tastes vary, and i don`t know what to expect from the game. How would I get hands on with that game ? I`m an end user, a customer. The answer is the demos.
Although I am aware of the fact that game publishers tend not to release demos, or release them after some time that the game had been released for marketing and other internal reasons that i`m not sure of , I strongly believe and defend the idea that game demos should be introduced a few weeks or a week before the release of the game. Also, I don`t have the hard evidence but I guess the demos are an important determinant factor in purchasing for the customers.
Sometimes all you need is a quick hands on with the game, 10 to 15 minutes would do the trick. No video, article or a review, even a suggestion by a friend is enough for such games that needed to be played by the consumers itself for it to be purchased.
I know for some people that`s not the case. And maybe for us, it`s not the case as well. For instance, I`d buy Killzone 3, pre-order it before it`s been released, because I`m pretty sure it`s going to be a great game. But I don`t know if I`m going to like the Two Worlds II. I have never played it before, and i`m not satisfied with the reviews. Tastes vary, and i don`t know what to expect from the game. How would I get hands on with that game ? I`m an end user, a customer. The answer is the demos.
Although I am aware of the fact that game publishers tend not to release demos, or release them after some time that the game had been released for marketing and other internal reasons that i`m not sure of , I strongly believe and defend the idea that game demos should be introduced a few weeks or a week before the release of the game. Also, I don`t have the hard evidence but I guess the demos are an important determinant factor in purchasing for the customers.
Sometimes all you need is a quick hands on with the game, 10 to 15 minutes would do the trick. No video, article or a review, even a suggestion by a friend is enough for such games that needed to be played by the consumers itself for it to be purchased.
Saturday, October 15, 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!
Have Fun!
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!
Have Fun!
PC Gaming Decline: The Unspoken Enemy
We've seen various news articles, editorials and blog posts throughout the HD generation of consoles citing the demise of PC gaming as a direct consequence of the efforts of Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft.
We all know the reasons why this appears to be the case. Consoles offer a longer term, cheaper initial hardware investment and the bulk of the industry now caters towards making games for PS3, 360 and Wii as opposed to the unfairly neglected PC.
I believe however, a relative decline in PC gaming fortunes may also be due to another variable often overlooked in the debate. I'm talking of course, of Apple and Macs.
Yes, Apple has been the computing story of the last decade. While PCs still outsell Macs globally, with each iteration of the iMac and Macbook families, Apple's computer business is gobbling market share away from Windows based PC platforms. Apple is now the world's largest consumer electronics company, and has outstripped Microsoft in market capitalisation.
In fact, I'm typing this blog on a brand spanking new iMac, and long ago abandoned PCs for Macs way back in 2005.
The significance of this is that Apple computers are not traditionally gaming machines, and are in-fact poor gaming machines compared to PCs. I used to be a heavy PC game, but once I gave in to Mac-land, I literally stopped playing PC games, simply because I didn't have a computer capable of playing any of them.
Yes, a full two years before I bought my PS3 (my primary gaming machine), I was using a Mac that could not use games. So I turned in favour of consoles by default. I simply didn't own a computer that ran games, and my decision to get a PS3 had as much if not more to do with owning a Mac than it did with Sony's promises of next generation bliss.
I think of my friends, all at one time PC gamers, now Mac users all and all have PS3's and a few 360s. Macs are becoming, and are tipped to become, the dominant player in the home computer market, which PC gaming relies upon for survival.
So is it that the rise of Apple also has a direct link to, or at least a strong correlation with, the decline in PC gaming? I believe so. As more gamers turn to the gaming wasteland of Apple computing for whatever reason, they are also finding themselves looking for gaming solutions in a different machine, and thus the popularity of consoles.
I'd love to hear people's thoughts?
We all know the reasons why this appears to be the case. Consoles offer a longer term, cheaper initial hardware investment and the bulk of the industry now caters towards making games for PS3, 360 and Wii as opposed to the unfairly neglected PC.
I believe however, a relative decline in PC gaming fortunes may also be due to another variable often overlooked in the debate. I'm talking of course, of Apple and Macs.
Yes, Apple has been the computing story of the last decade. While PCs still outsell Macs globally, with each iteration of the iMac and Macbook families, Apple's computer business is gobbling market share away from Windows based PC platforms. Apple is now the world's largest consumer electronics company, and has outstripped Microsoft in market capitalisation.
In fact, I'm typing this blog on a brand spanking new iMac, and long ago abandoned PCs for Macs way back in 2005.
The significance of this is that Apple computers are not traditionally gaming machines, and are in-fact poor gaming machines compared to PCs. I used to be a heavy PC game, but once I gave in to Mac-land, I literally stopped playing PC games, simply because I didn't have a computer capable of playing any of them.
Yes, a full two years before I bought my PS3 (my primary gaming machine), I was using a Mac that could not use games. So I turned in favour of consoles by default. I simply didn't own a computer that ran games, and my decision to get a PS3 had as much if not more to do with owning a Mac than it did with Sony's promises of next generation bliss.
I think of my friends, all at one time PC gamers, now Mac users all and all have PS3's and a few 360s. Macs are becoming, and are tipped to become, the dominant player in the home computer market, which PC gaming relies upon for survival.
So is it that the rise of Apple also has a direct link to, or at least a strong correlation with, the decline in PC gaming? I believe so. As more gamers turn to the gaming wasteland of Apple computing for whatever reason, they are also finding themselves looking for gaming solutions in a different machine, and thus the popularity of consoles.
I'd love to hear people's thoughts?
Apple is not killing the portable market
Everyone can agree on this, that half the articles on N4G are about Apple taking over the handheld market and those articles are usually written by idiots.
They say look at he sails of the Apple products, but there are a few reasons they are so high.
1. They is popular
2. People think they are good because the Mac and PC ads.
3. They break easily, and when people get a refund they count that as a new sale.(I know this for a fact)
They say apps get downloaded a lot more than games are bought. They should looks at how much people actually buy apps instead of checking how much people download them to be more accurate.
1. One person can buy Angry Birds and 20 people can download it.
2. One person may download Angry Birds and uninstall it and do that multiple times
3. Games are like 0.99 and old people who dont care for gameing usually buy them or you play them on the bus ride home.
I like the DS and PSP more because you get stuff you cant get on Apple products.
1. First party support
2. Buttons
3. Third party support
4. and some stuff I am missing but you know what it is
The only Apple product I own is an iPod touch. I dont buy stuff on the app store only thing I ever paid for was the rabbids game. My Mother buys a bunch of stuff on it so I would just download what she bought and get it for free or I download a free app to see if its good. I usually read digital comics on it. I use a free app I found to read them on. I would only get an iPad for digital comics and that's about it.
We have those people who make an app and it gets downloaded a lot and they make a big deal over it and think they are gods of the gaming industry(Angry Birds Dev). But the gods are Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft and Valve. For giving us gamers systems and software so we can play video games with great features and games.
Apple products are just a fad for now and would die off when a new thing comes out the people would like. I'm not saying they are bad or good products, I am saying they will never be solid gaming device like the 3DS and PSV.
Anyone can be a journalist but not everyone is smart enough to be one but sadly more idiots call them selves journalists.
They say look at he sails of the Apple products, but there are a few reasons they are so high.
1. They is popular
2. People think they are good because the Mac and PC ads.
3. They break easily, and when people get a refund they count that as a new sale.(I know this for a fact)
They say apps get downloaded a lot more than games are bought. They should looks at how much people actually buy apps instead of checking how much people download them to be more accurate.
1. One person can buy Angry Birds and 20 people can download it.
2. One person may download Angry Birds and uninstall it and do that multiple times
3. Games are like 0.99 and old people who dont care for gameing usually buy them or you play them on the bus ride home.
I like the DS and PSP more because you get stuff you cant get on Apple products.
1. First party support
2. Buttons
3. Third party support
4. and some stuff I am missing but you know what it is
The only Apple product I own is an iPod touch. I dont buy stuff on the app store only thing I ever paid for was the rabbids game. My Mother buys a bunch of stuff on it so I would just download what she bought and get it for free or I download a free app to see if its good. I usually read digital comics on it. I use a free app I found to read them on. I would only get an iPad for digital comics and that's about it.
We have those people who make an app and it gets downloaded a lot and they make a big deal over it and think they are gods of the gaming industry(Angry Birds Dev). But the gods are Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft and Valve. For giving us gamers systems and software so we can play video games with great features and games.
Apple products are just a fad for now and would die off when a new thing comes out the people would like. I'm not saying they are bad or good products, I am saying they will never be solid gaming device like the 3DS and PSV.
Anyone can be a journalist but not everyone is smart enough to be one but sadly more idiots call them selves journalists.
PSN PASS Trial???
So there's been a lot of hate and heated discussion regarding the new PSN PASS. Now I am by no means against it as I mostly buy new and rarely rent or buy used (games with online anyway) and support devs that I respect. But I just think the whole PASS is being implemented wrong. Now this blog mostly applies to those who buy used and also for those who rent.
Blocking you from playing a shred of online unless you have a PASS is a little too strict and forceful on Sony's part in my opinion. Without testing the online in anyway, you have no idea if its your money's worth or not. Its like heading into a pitch-dark cave with no light available. So, for sympathy(some) of those who feel a bit cold shouldered by Sony and the PSN PASS, I'm suggesting that Sony should add an online trial to every game that requires a PSN PASS. A trial that lets the consumer test the online for an hour or two, and once that time is up it states you need to buy the PSN PASS to continue using online. That hour or two provides enough time to let you decide whether you think you should cough up the cash for the pass or not. This will prevent complaints of users feeling "ripped off" if they didn't like the online and just spent $10 on it for nothing and also let you taste the online experience.
This will also provide enough time for those who rent, to play the online and decide if they should buy the game or not afterwards. By no means does this curve around the fact that you still have to buy the PASS eventually if you bought the game used, but it does help cool the waters a bit and takes some pressure off your decisions of buying the game new(if rented) or the PSN PASS.
Refusing to buy a game that requires a PSN PASS is pathetic at best, and hurts devs more than Sony. You can have a much greater impact if you can try to persuade Sony to implement things like this trial. So those who buy used are gonna have to live with the PSN PASS breathing down there necks, but if you can spread word of this idea (timed trial) then perhaps the PSN PASS's breath won't smell as bad as without the trial. I've already submitted this idea on Playstation.blog.share, and I'm mostly doing this for the people who buy used to give them a crutch to walk on for a bit. Please let me know your thoughts on the trial, and only the trial, there's enough bickering/complaining already on countless threads, and would prefer to get this idea across peacefully :)
Blocking you from playing a shred of online unless you have a PASS is a little too strict and forceful on Sony's part in my opinion. Without testing the online in anyway, you have no idea if its your money's worth or not. Its like heading into a pitch-dark cave with no light available. So, for sympathy(some) of those who feel a bit cold shouldered by Sony and the PSN PASS, I'm suggesting that Sony should add an online trial to every game that requires a PSN PASS. A trial that lets the consumer test the online for an hour or two, and once that time is up it states you need to buy the PSN PASS to continue using online. That hour or two provides enough time to let you decide whether you think you should cough up the cash for the pass or not. This will prevent complaints of users feeling "ripped off" if they didn't like the online and just spent $10 on it for nothing and also let you taste the online experience.
This will also provide enough time for those who rent, to play the online and decide if they should buy the game or not afterwards. By no means does this curve around the fact that you still have to buy the PASS eventually if you bought the game used, but it does help cool the waters a bit and takes some pressure off your decisions of buying the game new(if rented) or the PSN PASS.
Refusing to buy a game that requires a PSN PASS is pathetic at best, and hurts devs more than Sony. You can have a much greater impact if you can try to persuade Sony to implement things like this trial. So those who buy used are gonna have to live with the PSN PASS breathing down there necks, but if you can spread word of this idea (timed trial) then perhaps the PSN PASS's breath won't smell as bad as without the trial. I've already submitted this idea on Playstation.blog.share, and I'm mostly doing this for the people who buy used to give them a crutch to walk on for a bit. Please let me know your thoughts on the trial, and only the trial, there's enough bickering/complaining already on countless threads, and would prefer to get this idea across peacefully :)
Thursday, October 13, 2011
BBCW launches CBeebies games app
Games based on popular CBeebies Games series Charlie & Lola, Teletubbies, 3rd & Bird and Numberjacks are available through a new app launched by BBC Worldwide.
CBeebies On The Go is available for free on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad to pre-school children in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka and South Korea.
Developed by Tag Apps, it includes matching pairs picture games for the Teletubbies and Charlie & Lola, a Kerwhizz jigsaw game and a 3rd & Bird tap-the-fruit challenge. It also holds a number of short video clips from popular shows.
Director of CBeebies investment at BBCW, Henrietta Hurford-Jones, said the team had “worked hard to build a product that upholds the core values of learning through play”.
She added: “This new kids’ app is a first for the Channels business, so the learnings from this pilot phase will help shape any future plans to roll CBeebies Games On The Go out to new territories and different devices.”
More than 53m homes have access to the CBeebies channel worldwide.
CBeebies On The Go is available for free on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad to pre-school children in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka and South Korea.
Developed by Tag Apps, it includes matching pairs picture games for the Teletubbies and Charlie & Lola, a Kerwhizz jigsaw game and a 3rd & Bird tap-the-fruit challenge. It also holds a number of short video clips from popular shows.
Director of CBeebies investment at BBCW, Henrietta Hurford-Jones, said the team had “worked hard to build a product that upholds the core values of learning through play”.
She added: “This new kids’ app is a first for the Channels business, so the learnings from this pilot phase will help shape any future plans to roll CBeebies Games On The Go out to new territories and different devices.”
More than 53m homes have access to the CBeebies channel worldwide.
Disney-branded Facebook games coming in 2012, Playdom head says
Can we all just say, “finally?” During a panel named “The Rise of Social Games” at the f8 Facebook Developers Conference in San Francisco, Disney Interactive and Playdom head John Pleasants revealed that two to four Facebook games surrounding Disney xd brands will hit Facebook in 2012. The general topic of the panel was the fact that branded social games are taking off.
Pleasants was joined on the panel by Kabam CEO Kevin Chou, EA Interactive head Barry Cottle and Zynga CBO Owen Van Natta. Facebook director of games partnerships Sean Ryan moderated the panel with the preface that branded games will take over the Facebook platform. And he might be right: EA just released The Sims Social, Zynga will soon re-brand its new Adventure World with Indiana Jones and Kabam recently announced The Godfather: Five Families.
Playdom, which Disney acquired in July 2010 for a whopping $740 million, is ahead of the pack with two branded games on Facebook: ESPNU College Town and ESPN Sports Bar & Grill. Both games performed well, thanks to advertising through the ESPN TV network. While Disney owns the ESPN brand, notice how neither of those actually involve the insanely popular Disney characters we’ve come to love.
Honestly, we’re surprised this didn’t happen sooner. Consider this: Disney has its own cable TV channel through which it could, in theory, advertise whatever it wants. Pleasants didn’t get into why it’s taken this long for disney channel games to throw its cast of characters into Facebook games, but did reveal the power of the Disney name.
Gnome Town, which Playdom launched in the summer–and we enjoyed quite a bit–peaked at 530,000 daily players. But just plopping the Disney logo on top of the existing one made users more likely to spend in the game just through trust of the company’s name, according to Pleasants. “We think it’s an advantage, if you put game play first,” Pleasants said.
It’s comforting to hear this emphasized by these developers. (Kabam’s Chou shared the same sentiment.) Branded games on Facebook are OK in my book, but the last thing anyone wants to see is the genre become a branding machine.
Pleasants was joined on the panel by Kabam CEO Kevin Chou, EA Interactive head Barry Cottle and Zynga CBO Owen Van Natta. Facebook director of games partnerships Sean Ryan moderated the panel with the preface that branded games will take over the Facebook platform. And he might be right: EA just released The Sims Social, Zynga will soon re-brand its new Adventure World with Indiana Jones and Kabam recently announced The Godfather: Five Families.
Playdom, which Disney acquired in July 2010 for a whopping $740 million, is ahead of the pack with two branded games on Facebook: ESPNU College Town and ESPN Sports Bar & Grill. Both games performed well, thanks to advertising through the ESPN TV network. While Disney owns the ESPN brand, notice how neither of those actually involve the insanely popular Disney characters we’ve come to love.
Honestly, we’re surprised this didn’t happen sooner. Consider this: Disney has its own cable TV channel through which it could, in theory, advertise whatever it wants. Pleasants didn’t get into why it’s taken this long for disney channel games to throw its cast of characters into Facebook games, but did reveal the power of the Disney name.
Gnome Town, which Playdom launched in the summer–and we enjoyed quite a bit–peaked at 530,000 daily players. But just plopping the Disney logo on top of the existing one made users more likely to spend in the game just through trust of the company’s name, according to Pleasants. “We think it’s an advantage, if you put game play first,” Pleasants said.
It’s comforting to hear this emphasized by these developers. (Kabam’s Chou shared the same sentiment.) Branded games on Facebook are OK in my book, but the last thing anyone wants to see is the genre become a branding machine.
Phineas And Ferb 3D Game – Disney XD Games 63
New Disney Game – Phineas and Ferb
Disney released a new game. Phineas and Ferb 3D online game. Klick here to read the complete review.
The new game is available at the Disney XD discovery channel. Get ahead of the game before its officially released next week!
Disney is introducing the brand new DisneyXD game. Phineas and Ferb in: The Transport inators of Doooom!
Doofenschmitz is up to his old tricks again, and who has gone missing? Phineas! Help Ferb find his brother and try to help Agent P thwarth Doofenschmitz evil plans!
Check out this new exciting Disney XD online game before all others do at the Disney Cartoon network games website!
Check out Disney’s cartoon network to find a lot of amazing games and news. Disney offers a lot of cartoon games on their site. So head over to the Disney XD site and play the new Phineas and Ferb – The Transport-inators of Doooom! game!
Have Fun!
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!
Have Fun!
Play the Scary Maze Game With Your Friends!
Have you ever played the Scary Maze Game 8 now? If not, brotha you haven’t lived!!! This maze game is the most awesome game on earth! But in order to play it you MUST have a partner in the room with you. So go find a friend, co-hort, or even an enemy – it doesn’t matter! Then match your wits and your mouse skills with the game and see if you’re awesome enough to win the BIG prize at the end!
Chinese Couple Sells All Three Kids to Play Online Games
A young Chinese couple has sold all three of their children in exchange for money to play online Nick jr games at Internet cafes, reports a southern Chinese newspaper.
According to Sanxiang City News, the couple met in an Internet cafe back in 2007 and bonded over their obsession with online video games. A year later, the parents — who are both under 21 — welcomed their first child, a son. Days after his birth, they left him home alone while they went to play online agame at an Internet cafe 30 km away.
In 2009, Li Lin and Li Juan welcomed their second child, a baby girl, and came up with the idea to sell her for money to fund their online game obsession. They did so, receiving RMB 3,000 (less than $500), which they spent entirely shortly after. The couple then proceeded to sell their first child and got 10 times as much for him — RMB 30,000, or about $4600.
Upon having their third child — another boy — the parents followed in their previous footsteps and also got RMB 30,000 for him.
They were finally turned into authorities when Li Lin’s mother found out what her son and his girlfriend had done.
When asked if they missed their children, the parents answered, “We don’t want to raise them, we just want to sell them for some money.”
Sanxiang City Newsreports the couple didn’t know they were breaking the law.
According to Sanxiang City News, the couple met in an Internet cafe back in 2007 and bonded over their obsession with online video games. A year later, the parents — who are both under 21 — welcomed their first child, a son. Days after his birth, they left him home alone while they went to play online agame at an Internet cafe 30 km away.
In 2009, Li Lin and Li Juan welcomed their second child, a baby girl, and came up with the idea to sell her for money to fund their online game obsession. They did so, receiving RMB 3,000 (less than $500), which they spent entirely shortly after. The couple then proceeded to sell their first child and got 10 times as much for him — RMB 30,000, or about $4600.
Upon having their third child — another boy — the parents followed in their previous footsteps and also got RMB 30,000 for him.
They were finally turned into authorities when Li Lin’s mother found out what her son and his girlfriend had done.
When asked if they missed their children, the parents answered, “We don’t want to raise them, we just want to sell them for some money.”
Sanxiang City Newsreports the couple didn’t know they were breaking the law.
Official Pokemon Game Coming To Smartphones
The Pokemon Company is set to bring an official Pokemon Online game to smartphone devices, marking the first time that an official Nintendo-copyrighted app will be available on the iOS and Android.
Called Pokemon Iie Tap (rougly Pokemon: Say Tap?), the app appears to be a rhythm game where players “tap on Pokemon indigo trading cards to the beat of a song from the anime,” according to a translation by consumer video game site GamesRadar.
According to the game’s official announcement, it will be available for most iOS devices, as well as Android devices running version 2.1 of the platform.
Though this is the first iOS or Android application to carry an official Nintendo copyright, it is not the first mobile app of any kind: a Pokemon mobile phone game called Pokemate was released in Japan in 2006.
Though it is a rarity, Nintendo does have a history of releasing official games on platforms that are not its own, including a promotional Flash game to promote its Tingle character.
A release outside of Japan has not been announced.
Called Pokemon Iie Tap (rougly Pokemon: Say Tap?), the app appears to be a rhythm game where players “tap on Pokemon indigo trading cards to the beat of a song from the anime,” according to a translation by consumer video game site GamesRadar.
According to the game’s official announcement, it will be available for most iOS devices, as well as Android devices running version 2.1 of the platform.
Though this is the first iOS or Android application to carry an official Nintendo copyright, it is not the first mobile app of any kind: a Pokemon mobile phone game called Pokemate was released in Japan in 2006.
Though it is a rarity, Nintendo does have a history of releasing official games on platforms that are not its own, including a promotional Flash game to promote its Tingle character.
A release outside of Japan has not been announced.
Nick Jr., MTVN expand in Asia
Rugrats and music fans in Singapore and Malaysia will be able to tune in to “Dora the Explorer” and 24-hour music videos, docus and concerts with the launch of Viacom’s Nick Jr. and MTVN HD in the territories in coming weeks.
Nick Jr Games. will bow on Singapore’s Starhub from May 18, while MTVN HD will air on Telekom Malaysia Berhad’s HyppTV in Malaysia from June 1.
Nick Jr. will be available on the StarHub TV’s Kids Basic Upsize Group, while MTVNHD will be available to existing StarHub TV’s Entertainment Basic Group customers who are subscribed to the Basic HD Upsize group.
TM will offer the two channels a la carte to its subscribers on HyppTV, Malaysia’s newest pay TV service.
The services will roll out to the rest of the region at a date to be announced.
Nick Jr Games. will bow on Singapore’s Starhub from May 18, while MTVN HD will air on Telekom Malaysia Berhad’s HyppTV in Malaysia from June 1.
Nick Jr. will be available on the StarHub TV’s Kids Basic Upsize Group, while MTVNHD will be available to existing StarHub TV’s Entertainment Basic Group customers who are subscribed to the Basic HD Upsize group.
TM will offer the two channels a la carte to its subscribers on HyppTV, Malaysia’s newest pay TV service.
The services will roll out to the rest of the region at a date to be announced.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Playfish says goodbye to Hotel City, My Empire and four more games
The Sims Social might have dethroned the mighty FarmVille, but its success may have cut into Playfish's other Facebook games and sent them to a speedier doom, too. On August 30th, the word went out in the official Playfish forums that Hotel City, My Empire, Who Has The Biggest Brain?, Geo Challenge, Word Challenge and Bowling Buddies will be getting axed Sept. 30.
We used to cover Hotel City back in the day (the game first launched on March 26, 2010) and can remember when it was a big deal. The game was well made and had once held an all-time high of 13 million monthly players and 3 million daily players. Right now, it's at 1.4 million monthly players and about 100,000 dailies, ranking it the 9th most-played Playfish and EA game on Facebook. But it's clear that won't be enough to save it.
Hotel City's popularity is followed closely by Bowling Buddies, Word Challenge, then Geo Challenge. Finally, far beneath them all on the social games ladder are Who Has The Biggest Brain? and My Empire. Though, at least one player suspects it may not be all about numbers, because Country Story currently ranks 10th behind Hotel City. But there's been no announcement to shut it down (yet).
Are you going to miss any of these Playfish games? Care to start a betting pool on the death of Country Story? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
We used to cover Hotel City back in the day (the game first launched on March 26, 2010) and can remember when it was a big deal. The game was well made and had once held an all-time high of 13 million monthly players and 3 million daily players. Right now, it's at 1.4 million monthly players and about 100,000 dailies, ranking it the 9th most-played Playfish and EA game on Facebook. But it's clear that won't be enough to save it.
Hotel City's popularity is followed closely by Bowling Buddies, Word Challenge, then Geo Challenge. Finally, far beneath them all on the social games ladder are Who Has The Biggest Brain? and My Empire. Though, at least one player suspects it may not be all about numbers, because Country Story currently ranks 10th behind Hotel City. But there's been no announcement to shut it down (yet).
Are you going to miss any of these Playfish games? Care to start a betting pool on the death of Country Story? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
Idle Games shows first game Idle Worship's true social colors [Video]
Since co-founding social game hit maker Playdom, Rick Thompson has grown tired of the friend bar beneath Faecbook games. No, scratch that: He's grown tired of the way traditional Facebook games operate ... period. His contempt for this arguably tired form of Facebook game has helped spawn Idle Games and its first ever Facebook game, Idle Worship.
We first heard word of the potentially revolutionary social game way back in April, and Idle Games has launched the game into a closed beta test before presenting it to the audience of TechCrunch Disrupt, an event in San Francisco celebrating tech startups ran by TechCrunch. The overall gameplay of Idle Worship hasn't changed since we first heard about it, but now we have fancy video that reveals more of what the game is all about.
Through Idle Games's Idle Engine, Idle Worship does away with the friend found in almost all social games. Instead, your island of Mudlings (the people you oversee with either benevolence or tyranny) will be surrounded by not only your friends' islands, but players' islands based on how their Facebook profiles match up with your own.
Going even further, the game will slowly curate which of your friendships are stronger by bringing more active friends closer to your island, which is always at the center, and pushing your inactive friends away from your island. And, according to Idle Games CEO Jeffrey Hyman, your interactions with your friends will send ripples throughout the entire game in real time.
Through innovations like these, Hyman aims for Idle Games to become "the Pixar of casual games," according to TechCrunch. To better understand what we mean, check out Hyman's presentation below, and sign up for the ongoing closed beta test of the game right here.
Do you plan on signing up for the closed beta test of Idle Worship? What excites you most (or doesn't excite you) about the game? Sound off in the comments. 2 Comments
We first heard word of the potentially revolutionary social game way back in April, and Idle Games has launched the game into a closed beta test before presenting it to the audience of TechCrunch Disrupt, an event in San Francisco celebrating tech startups ran by TechCrunch. The overall gameplay of Idle Worship hasn't changed since we first heard about it, but now we have fancy video that reveals more of what the game is all about.
Through Idle Games's Idle Engine, Idle Worship does away with the friend found in almost all social games. Instead, your island of Mudlings (the people you oversee with either benevolence or tyranny) will be surrounded by not only your friends' islands, but players' islands based on how their Facebook profiles match up with your own.
Going even further, the game will slowly curate which of your friendships are stronger by bringing more active friends closer to your island, which is always at the center, and pushing your inactive friends away from your island. And, according to Idle Games CEO Jeffrey Hyman, your interactions with your friends will send ripples throughout the entire game in real time.
Through innovations like these, Hyman aims for Idle Games to become "the Pixar of casual games," according to TechCrunch. To better understand what we mean, check out Hyman's presentation below, and sign up for the ongoing closed beta test of the game right here.
Do you plan on signing up for the closed beta test of Idle Worship? What excites you most (or doesn't excite you) about the game? Sound off in the comments. 2 Comments
Have the (retro) time of your life in Dirty Dancing on Facebook
When we first found that a Dirty Dancing Facebook game was in the works, I admittedly almost thought I was dreaming. But nay, it is, in fact, real and has officially launched on the platform. Toronto-based developer Social Game Universe and Lionsgate have released a retro-inspired social homage to one of the arguably greatest '80s flicks of all time. (Personally, it's not my schtick, but even I wouldn't argue with the 10.9 million fans of Dirty Dancing on Facebook.)
"We wanted to create a game that would not only capture the essence and aesthetic of the Dirty Dancing film, but also offer Facebook gamers an opportunity to experience it in a whole new way," Social Game Universe CEO Nathon Gunn said in a release. "By enabling players to partner with their Facebook friends to generate love and romance at Kellerman's, they can add their own unique spin to the game, creating a different social experience for each player."
Just like we heard before, players will essentially curate an 8-bit version of the Kellerman's Resort from the movie through little blasts of lovey-dovey stuff called Romance Waves, which will make your guests stay longer. Players, guided by either Johnny or Baby from the classic film (Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, respectively), perform dance rehearsals with combinations of different dance techniques to garner more Romance Waves.
Upon starting the game, each player chooses their own style of dance from a small selection, which becomes their permanent style. When recruiting friends asynchronously for dance rehearsals comprised of three dancers, you will unlock new dance combinations and collect even more Romance Waves to keep guests falling in love, sticking around longer, and spending coins on your various attractions.
Dirty Dancing Facebook in Action
To keep faithful to its legendary source material, every Romance Wave blast will let out clips from songs featured in Dirty Dancing's Oscar-winning soundtrack. And as players discover new dance rehearsal combinations, they will unlock secret combinations for big Romance Wave rewards. Of course, you can also boost your progress by spending Watermelons, the game's paid currency, on decorations and attractions to get your guests to spend.
This all creates a cycle of finding new dance routines through combining your friends' dance styles in new ways, bursts of Romance and expanding and restoring your version of the Kellerman's Resort. As you keep you and your friends' feet tapping and romancing, you can take pictures of your resort and share them with friends as well as help them out by visiting. And hey, if you're patiently waiting for the next Dirty Dancing flick to hit in 2013, maybe this will hold you over.
Click here to play Dirty Dancing on Facebook Now >
If you've tried the game already on Facebook, what do you think of it so far? Will you be playing this in anticipation of the next film? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
"We wanted to create a game that would not only capture the essence and aesthetic of the Dirty Dancing film, but also offer Facebook gamers an opportunity to experience it in a whole new way," Social Game Universe CEO Nathon Gunn said in a release. "By enabling players to partner with their Facebook friends to generate love and romance at Kellerman's, they can add their own unique spin to the game, creating a different social experience for each player."
Just like we heard before, players will essentially curate an 8-bit version of the Kellerman's Resort from the movie through little blasts of lovey-dovey stuff called Romance Waves, which will make your guests stay longer. Players, guided by either Johnny or Baby from the classic film (Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, respectively), perform dance rehearsals with combinations of different dance techniques to garner more Romance Waves.
Upon starting the game, each player chooses their own style of dance from a small selection, which becomes their permanent style. When recruiting friends asynchronously for dance rehearsals comprised of three dancers, you will unlock new dance combinations and collect even more Romance Waves to keep guests falling in love, sticking around longer, and spending coins on your various attractions.
Dirty Dancing Facebook in Action
To keep faithful to its legendary source material, every Romance Wave blast will let out clips from songs featured in Dirty Dancing's Oscar-winning soundtrack. And as players discover new dance rehearsal combinations, they will unlock secret combinations for big Romance Wave rewards. Of course, you can also boost your progress by spending Watermelons, the game's paid currency, on decorations and attractions to get your guests to spend.
This all creates a cycle of finding new dance routines through combining your friends' dance styles in new ways, bursts of Romance and expanding and restoring your version of the Kellerman's Resort. As you keep you and your friends' feet tapping and romancing, you can take pictures of your resort and share them with friends as well as help them out by visiting. And hey, if you're patiently waiting for the next Dirty Dancing flick to hit in 2013, maybe this will hold you over.
Click here to play Dirty Dancing on Facebook Now >
If you've tried the game already on Facebook, what do you think of it so far? Will you be playing this in anticipation of the next film? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Angry Birds is the top game on Google+ Games, Rovio exec says
Angry Bird explosion
Where else will the Angry Birds crash land into and dominate? Nintendo 3DS? Xbox 360? Your scientific calculator? Who knows, but according to All Things Digital, Rovio SVP of brand advertising and analytics Wibe Wagemans said yesterday at the Mobile Future Forward conference in Seattle, Wash. that Angry Birds is the number on game on Google+ Games.
Granted, that's out of all 16 games on the platform right now, but some of those games were put there by the likes of major social game creators like Zynga, Wooga, EA and Playdom. Wagemans, formerly an executive on Microsoft's Bing team, went on to say that Rovio has grown faster in the past two years than companies like MySpace, YouTube, Amazon and Skype. He also said, "We are now the fastest-growing consumer brand in history," ATD reports.
When you think about it, though: Not only is the Angry Birds game on nearly every gaming platform under the sun, but the little wingless cartoons and their amorphous green piglet enemies have been transformed into plush toys, t-shirts, board games, cook books, a feature film--need I go on?
During his talk in Seattle, Wageman revealed that Rovio welcomes over 120 million monthly Angry Birds players across the myriad of platforms the game is available on. Simply put, the western world is hooked on Angry Birds (it's science, remember?) and soon so will the East, if Rovio has any say in it. Sure, that's less than half of the 273 million or so monthly players Zynga caters to on Facebook alone, to which Wageman said, "We haven't even launched on Facebook yet." Oh ... oh, no.
[Image Credit: FuckYeahAlbuquerque]
Are you one of the 120 million or more devoted Angry Birds fans? Do you think Rovio could compete directly with Zynga when Angry Birds launches on Facebook? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
Where else will the Angry Birds crash land into and dominate? Nintendo 3DS? Xbox 360? Your scientific calculator? Who knows, but according to All Things Digital, Rovio SVP of brand advertising and analytics Wibe Wagemans said yesterday at the Mobile Future Forward conference in Seattle, Wash. that Angry Birds is the number on game on Google+ Games.
Granted, that's out of all 16 games on the platform right now, but some of those games were put there by the likes of major social game creators like Zynga, Wooga, EA and Playdom. Wagemans, formerly an executive on Microsoft's Bing team, went on to say that Rovio has grown faster in the past two years than companies like MySpace, YouTube, Amazon and Skype. He also said, "We are now the fastest-growing consumer brand in history," ATD reports.
When you think about it, though: Not only is the Angry Birds game on nearly every gaming platform under the sun, but the little wingless cartoons and their amorphous green piglet enemies have been transformed into plush toys, t-shirts, board games, cook books, a feature film--need I go on?
During his talk in Seattle, Wageman revealed that Rovio welcomes over 120 million monthly Angry Birds players across the myriad of platforms the game is available on. Simply put, the western world is hooked on Angry Birds (it's science, remember?) and soon so will the East, if Rovio has any say in it. Sure, that's less than half of the 273 million or so monthly players Zynga caters to on Facebook alone, to which Wageman said, "We haven't even launched on Facebook yet." Oh ... oh, no.
[Image Credit: FuckYeahAlbuquerque]
Are you one of the 120 million or more devoted Angry Birds fans? Do you think Rovio could compete directly with Zynga when Angry Birds launches on Facebook? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
Survey: Bejeweled Blitz could sharpen old noggin in baby boomers
Robot Unicorn Attack -- the most magical game of all time -- and its darker twin, Heavy Metal, now have company as their developer, Adult Swim Games, has finally decided to launch a stable of their games on Facebook yesterday.
Adult Swim, a cable network (on the same channel as the Cartoon Network) known for dozens of high-quality absurdist and shock comedy shows, runs a games portal that houses over a hundred absurdist and shock comedy online games. (However, there's no overlap between the two in terms of content. That is, you're not going to get a Robot Unicorn Attack show, or a Venture Bros. game, no matter how badly you want one.) Now a fraction of that portal is accessible via Facebook.
To give you an idea of what you'll be walking into, they've got titles like "Five Minutes to Kill Yourself Wedding Day", "Amateur Surgeon", "Pole Dance Party", "Death Row Diner", and "Radioactive Teddy Bear Zombies". Of course, Robot Unicorn Attack is also there, but it's only linked there, since it was released last September as a separate app.
Adult Swim Games Arcade view all games
This new arcade app currently contains 21 games categorized along 6 genres: Action, Adventure, Twitchy, Shooter, Puzzle, and Classic. If you're wondering what "Twitchy" means, it describes games where reaction time is of utmost importance.
Adult Swim Games arcade
Unlike your usual new Facebook game launch, all of these games have stood the test of time on the Adult Swim Games website. However, the arcade app itself is currently in beta, so if something breaks or you've got a kerfuffle, shoot them an email at games@adultswim.com.
Click here to play Adult Swim Games Arcade on Facebook now >
Do you find Adult Swim Games disturbing or awesome? Have you ever seen an Adult Swim show? Sound off in the comments. 2 Comments
Adult Swim, a cable network (on the same channel as the Cartoon Network) known for dozens of high-quality absurdist and shock comedy shows, runs a games portal that houses over a hundred absurdist and shock comedy online games. (However, there's no overlap between the two in terms of content. That is, you're not going to get a Robot Unicorn Attack show, or a Venture Bros. game, no matter how badly you want one.) Now a fraction of that portal is accessible via Facebook.
To give you an idea of what you'll be walking into, they've got titles like "Five Minutes to Kill Yourself Wedding Day", "Amateur Surgeon", "Pole Dance Party", "Death Row Diner", and "Radioactive Teddy Bear Zombies". Of course, Robot Unicorn Attack is also there, but it's only linked there, since it was released last September as a separate app.
Adult Swim Games Arcade view all games
This new arcade app currently contains 21 games categorized along 6 genres: Action, Adventure, Twitchy, Shooter, Puzzle, and Classic. If you're wondering what "Twitchy" means, it describes games where reaction time is of utmost importance.
Adult Swim Games arcade
Unlike your usual new Facebook game launch, all of these games have stood the test of time on the Adult Swim Games website. However, the arcade app itself is currently in beta, so if something breaks or you've got a kerfuffle, shoot them an email at games@adultswim.com.
Click here to play Adult Swim Games Arcade on Facebook now >
Do you find Adult Swim Games disturbing or awesome? Have you ever seen an Adult Swim show? Sound off in the comments. 2 Comments
Thursday, October 6, 2011
CityVille Pet Show Timed Goal: Everything you need to know
If there's one thing we know about the character Ruth in CityVille, it's that this woman loves her pigeons. That's true to such an extent that she's decided to enter her pigeons into the local pet show. This is done through a new timed goal called "Pet Show" (or, just "Best in Show," if you prefer), and it must be completed in just 24 hours to receive the best prizes. Here's a look at what you'll need to do:
* Get 12 Pet Shampoos
* Collect 12 Times from any Zoo enclosure
* Collect 12 Dubai Shipments
If you have multiple Zoo habitats in your city, just make sure you collect from all of them at once to maximize your points. You can collect from them every few hours, so if you have four habitats (for example), you'll only need to collect from each one three times. While you're waiting, you can send off for Dubai Shipments which take 12 hours to return, and can also gather the bottles of Pet Shampoo, which is accomplished via a general news item posted to your wall.
If you can finish this goal within the first 24 hours, you'll receive the Gold Trophy, 10,000 coins, 3,000 Goods and a Poodle Statue decorative item for your town. If you can't finish within the first day, but finish within 72 hours, you won't receive the Poodle Statue, but you will earn a Silver Tophy, 2,300 coins and 1,200 Goods. Finally, if you finish the goal at any point after the first 72 hours, you'll receive a Bronze Trophy and 1,200 Goods.
Remember, while you are timed once you start the goal, there doesn't appear to be any time limit for when you need to start it. That is, you are only placed on a time limit once you manually start the countdown in your game. Feel free to ignore it entirely until you're truly ready before beginning and you'll still have the full time available to you to finish (and a better chance of actually doing so).
What do you think of the Pet Show Timed Goal? Have you already started it in your game, or are you waiting for a better time before you take on a time-sensitive goal? Sound off in the comments.
* Get 12 Pet Shampoos
* Collect 12 Times from any Zoo enclosure
* Collect 12 Dubai Shipments
If you have multiple Zoo habitats in your city, just make sure you collect from all of them at once to maximize your points. You can collect from them every few hours, so if you have four habitats (for example), you'll only need to collect from each one three times. While you're waiting, you can send off for Dubai Shipments which take 12 hours to return, and can also gather the bottles of Pet Shampoo, which is accomplished via a general news item posted to your wall.
If you can finish this goal within the first 24 hours, you'll receive the Gold Trophy, 10,000 coins, 3,000 Goods and a Poodle Statue decorative item for your town. If you can't finish within the first day, but finish within 72 hours, you won't receive the Poodle Statue, but you will earn a Silver Tophy, 2,300 coins and 1,200 Goods. Finally, if you finish the goal at any point after the first 72 hours, you'll receive a Bronze Trophy and 1,200 Goods.
Remember, while you are timed once you start the goal, there doesn't appear to be any time limit for when you need to start it. That is, you are only placed on a time limit once you manually start the countdown in your game. Feel free to ignore it entirely until you're truly ready before beginning and you'll still have the full time available to you to finish (and a better chance of actually doing so).
What do you think of the Pet Show Timed Goal? Have you already started it in your game, or are you waiting for a better time before you take on a time-sensitive goal? Sound off in the comments.
Pioneer Trail End of Summer Sale offers 50% off Horseshoes and more
If you thought that 40% off Horseshoes purchased when redeeming a Zynga Gift Card was a good deal, try this one on for size. As part of the Pioneer Trail "End of Summer Sale," you can now take 50% off all Horseshoe purchases for a limited time. Leave it to Zynga to tell us about these things at the last minute, but you only have a few hours to take advantage of this Horseshoe deal, and a few others (for your reference, this sale places 170 Horseshoes in a package for $10, as an example).
Other items are on sale as well, including Mystery Animal crates from a variety of themes (including winter and Halloween) that are priced at 30% off, bundles of Critter Milk, Chunky Chow and Fuzzy Blankets at 40% off, and even Wedding Gift and Poker Card packages being 40% off as well.
Of course, this deal applies only to those items that you'd purchase with Horseshoes, and not anything coin-related, but it also includes the ability to purchase Beef Jerky (permanent boosts to your maximum energy) or Badgers, which are a limited edition animal. All in all, if I had to personally judge which item was the most valuable, I'd say the Beef Jerky for 16 Horseshoes is definitely something that's more worthwhile than not. Think about it - you'll be able to raise your maximum energy, allowing you to do more tasks in a single sitting and make progress faster. Purchase more than one Beef Jerky and you'll really be in business.
Again, though, you won't have much time to splurge on these items, or the Horseshoe packages proper, before the sale ends at midnight tonight (Eastern time). I wouldn't be surprised if Zynga extended the sale beyond this point to make more money, but if not, you've been warned!
Will you purchase any of these End of Summer Sale items? Which ones? Sound off in the comments.
Other items are on sale as well, including Mystery Animal crates from a variety of themes (including winter and Halloween) that are priced at 30% off, bundles of Critter Milk, Chunky Chow and Fuzzy Blankets at 40% off, and even Wedding Gift and Poker Card packages being 40% off as well.
Of course, this deal applies only to those items that you'd purchase with Horseshoes, and not anything coin-related, but it also includes the ability to purchase Beef Jerky (permanent boosts to your maximum energy) or Badgers, which are a limited edition animal. All in all, if I had to personally judge which item was the most valuable, I'd say the Beef Jerky for 16 Horseshoes is definitely something that's more worthwhile than not. Think about it - you'll be able to raise your maximum energy, allowing you to do more tasks in a single sitting and make progress faster. Purchase more than one Beef Jerky and you'll really be in business.
Again, though, you won't have much time to splurge on these items, or the Horseshoe packages proper, before the sale ends at midnight tonight (Eastern time). I wouldn't be surprised if Zynga extended the sale beyond this point to make more money, but if not, you've been warned!
Will you purchase any of these End of Summer Sale items? Which ones? Sound off in the comments.
FarmVille: Halloween Black Belgian horse available for coins
If you're a Horse collector in FarmVille, you'll likely be happy with the following news: a new Horse called the Black Belgian is now available in the game's store for coins. However, unless you've been saving up, you may not be able to afford its high price tag. How high? How does the million coin mark sound to your wallet? Good? Then you're just fine, as that's its exact price.
Interestingly, this Black Belgian horse is marked in the Halloween limited edition item theme, but it doesn't do anything to scream "Halloween" other than being black. Still, I suppose this gives Zynga a way to bring more attention to it in the store, as its part of the theme that will only last for a limited time. The Black Belgian will only be available for the next two weeks, but you'll receive one heck of a bonus for purchasing it: 10,000 XP.
At that point, you can either place the Horse into your Horse Paddock to be able to collect from it once daily, or you can keep it outside on display and collect from it once every three days. Remember, if you store it, you have a chance to breed a Black Belgian Foal, which would of course be even more limited. Whatever the case, make sure to head into the store sooner, rather than later, if you have any interest whatsoever in purchasing one of these expensive Horses for your farm(s).
Will you purchase the Black Belgian Horse for the whopping price tag of 1 million coins? Sound off in the comments.
Interestingly, this Black Belgian horse is marked in the Halloween limited edition item theme, but it doesn't do anything to scream "Halloween" other than being black. Still, I suppose this gives Zynga a way to bring more attention to it in the store, as its part of the theme that will only last for a limited time. The Black Belgian will only be available for the next two weeks, but you'll receive one heck of a bonus for purchasing it: 10,000 XP.
At that point, you can either place the Horse into your Horse Paddock to be able to collect from it once daily, or you can keep it outside on display and collect from it once every three days. Remember, if you store it, you have a chance to breed a Black Belgian Foal, which would of course be even more limited. Whatever the case, make sure to head into the store sooner, rather than later, if you have any interest whatsoever in purchasing one of these expensive Horses for your farm(s).
Will you purchase the Black Belgian Horse for the whopping price tag of 1 million coins? Sound off in the comments.
FarmVille: Lighthouse Cove land expansions on sale for "select users"
Just what makes someone a "select user?" We're not exactly sure, but if you're even remotely interested in expanding the size of your land in FarmVille's Lighthouse Cove farm, and aren't afraid to spend some Farm Cash to do so, you'll be happy to know that "some" users are being offered the ability to do so at a discount. So far, these are the sale expansions, with their prices:
Harbor Homestead (18x18) - 40 Farm Cash (down from 50)
Oceanside Farm (20x20) - 50 Farm Cash (down from 60)
Seaside Farmland (22x22) - 60 Farm Cash (down from 80)
Unfortunately, that seems to be where the discounts stop for now. It could be that different users have different selections of expansions on sale in their own games, but as the Lighthouse Cove currently supports up to the 32x32 size (the Waterfront Land expansion), this 22x22 cutoff is pretty low. Still, by the time you reach that point, you'll have already shelled out 150 Farm Cash, so maybe that's enough (for now).
Again, the game's loading screen [pictured] says that these sale prices are only available for "select users," but I haven't personally come across anyone that doesn't have the option to expand with sale prices. That's not to say this is a lie, but I'd simply make an educated guess that more people have the ability than not. After all - Zynga wants your money, so why not release the sale to more users to entice them to actually spend some? Either way, this sale isn't going to be around forever, so make sure to browse through the Farm Aides section of the store soon to see if the sale prices are available to you.
Do you have the sale prices on Expansions in your store? Will you take advantage of any of the sale prices? Sound off in the comments.
Harbor Homestead (18x18) - 40 Farm Cash (down from 50)
Oceanside Farm (20x20) - 50 Farm Cash (down from 60)
Seaside Farmland (22x22) - 60 Farm Cash (down from 80)
Unfortunately, that seems to be where the discounts stop for now. It could be that different users have different selections of expansions on sale in their own games, but as the Lighthouse Cove currently supports up to the 32x32 size (the Waterfront Land expansion), this 22x22 cutoff is pretty low. Still, by the time you reach that point, you'll have already shelled out 150 Farm Cash, so maybe that's enough (for now).
Again, the game's loading screen [pictured] says that these sale prices are only available for "select users," but I haven't personally come across anyone that doesn't have the option to expand with sale prices. That's not to say this is a lie, but I'd simply make an educated guess that more people have the ability than not. After all - Zynga wants your money, so why not release the sale to more users to entice them to actually spend some? Either way, this sale isn't going to be around forever, so make sure to browse through the Farm Aides section of the store soon to see if the sale prices are available to you.
Do you have the sale prices on Expansions in your store? Will you take advantage of any of the sale prices? Sound off in the comments.
Adventure World Cave of Doom Expedition: Everything you need to know
Over the past two days, we've brought you a look at two of the three new Indiana Jones-themed Expeditions in Zynga's Adventure World. Now, we're ready to finish off this new trio, and not a moment too soon, as Indy himself will be showing up in the game any day! This third Expedition is called The Cave of Doom, and it has us searching for one last Standing Stone in the middle of a cave.
The particular Expedition has a three day time limit, and requires 575 Supplies to begin. You'll also need two each of Food, Fuel and Water. Once you start, you'll learn that the cave you entered way back at the beginning of the game (in the Prologue Quests) is actually a lot bigger than you thought. We're returning here now to find the lost Standing Stone, but remember - watch out for spiders!
Rub That Stone!
* Solve the First Puzzle to drop the West Wall
* Solve the Second Puzzle to drop the East Wall
* Push the Stone Halves Together
* Take a Rubbing of the Standing Stone
For this Expedition, you're dealing with tons of puzzles, right from the start. The two pieces of this Standing Stone are perched high atop walls in a locked room. The room itself is locked with three more pillars, as seen below. You'll need to solve the Expected "Simon Says" puzzles to drop the two walls, and push various switches and levers along the path to unlock the room itself.
This Expedition also introduces us to torch switches, which block your path with walls. You'll need to press the appropriately colored switches to match the torches and walls you'd like to lower. Sometimes though, there are multiple switches in your path and by pressing the wrong one, you'll normally be confronted by a spider.
Find the Thieves' Documents
* Recover the First Set of Papers
* Recover the Second Set of Papers
* Recover the Third Set of Papers
* Recover the Fourth Set of Papers
Yet again, a group of thieves has beaten you to the punch with this Standing Stone. They've left a lot of stuff behind, and Professor Allen wants you to collect it so we can learn more about them. According to Allen, they're far too organized to be petty thieves, so we're out to find out just what they're up to. These Papers are found in boxes at various points along the map, blocked by some kind of debris (thorns, spider webs) or a Spike Trap.
Disarm the Thieves' Explosive Traps
* Get 10 Pliers
* Collect the Magnifying Glass
* Disarm 4 Explosives
You'll need to ask your friends to send you the Pliers via individual gift requests. Remember, you have three full days to complete this Expedition, so don't panic at the thought of it just yet. Meanwhile, the Magnifying Glass is found early on (before lowering either of the two walls) at the top of the map, as seen below. The Explosives are found randomly scattered around the map (although you might have to clear some debris out of the way before reaching them), and once you've started gathering pliers, you can simply click on them to disarm them.
After finishing these three quests, you will have successfully completed Cave of Doom and will be ready to greet Indy in the game with open arms. Will we continue to learn more about these Thieves, or will they forever be one step ahead of us? We'll keep bringing you guides to Expeditions and story quests, so keep checking back with us to find out!
Check out the rest of our Adventure World Cheats & Tips right here.
Were you satisfied by these three new Indiana Jones-themed Expeditions in Adventure World? What do you think of this Cave of Doom Expedition specifically? Sound off in the comments.
The particular Expedition has a three day time limit, and requires 575 Supplies to begin. You'll also need two each of Food, Fuel and Water. Once you start, you'll learn that the cave you entered way back at the beginning of the game (in the Prologue Quests) is actually a lot bigger than you thought. We're returning here now to find the lost Standing Stone, but remember - watch out for spiders!
Rub That Stone!
* Solve the First Puzzle to drop the West Wall
* Solve the Second Puzzle to drop the East Wall
* Push the Stone Halves Together
* Take a Rubbing of the Standing Stone
For this Expedition, you're dealing with tons of puzzles, right from the start. The two pieces of this Standing Stone are perched high atop walls in a locked room. The room itself is locked with three more pillars, as seen below. You'll need to solve the Expected "Simon Says" puzzles to drop the two walls, and push various switches and levers along the path to unlock the room itself.
This Expedition also introduces us to torch switches, which block your path with walls. You'll need to press the appropriately colored switches to match the torches and walls you'd like to lower. Sometimes though, there are multiple switches in your path and by pressing the wrong one, you'll normally be confronted by a spider.
Find the Thieves' Documents
* Recover the First Set of Papers
* Recover the Second Set of Papers
* Recover the Third Set of Papers
* Recover the Fourth Set of Papers
Yet again, a group of thieves has beaten you to the punch with this Standing Stone. They've left a lot of stuff behind, and Professor Allen wants you to collect it so we can learn more about them. According to Allen, they're far too organized to be petty thieves, so we're out to find out just what they're up to. These Papers are found in boxes at various points along the map, blocked by some kind of debris (thorns, spider webs) or a Spike Trap.
Disarm the Thieves' Explosive Traps
* Get 10 Pliers
* Collect the Magnifying Glass
* Disarm 4 Explosives
You'll need to ask your friends to send you the Pliers via individual gift requests. Remember, you have three full days to complete this Expedition, so don't panic at the thought of it just yet. Meanwhile, the Magnifying Glass is found early on (before lowering either of the two walls) at the top of the map, as seen below. The Explosives are found randomly scattered around the map (although you might have to clear some debris out of the way before reaching them), and once you've started gathering pliers, you can simply click on them to disarm them.
After finishing these three quests, you will have successfully completed Cave of Doom and will be ready to greet Indy in the game with open arms. Will we continue to learn more about these Thieves, or will they forever be one step ahead of us? We'll keep bringing you guides to Expeditions and story quests, so keep checking back with us to find out!
Check out the rest of our Adventure World Cheats & Tips right here.
Were you satisfied by these three new Indiana Jones-themed Expeditions in Adventure World? What do you think of this Cave of Doom Expedition specifically? Sound off in the comments.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
FarmVille Pic of the Day: Catch the winter blues at Onisuka057's farm
While DaTigga's isles farm certainly beats all in terms of creating a water-filled landscape, Onisuka057's river mountain farm is a contender for the greatest number of watery FarmVille decorations used. Just like his golden oasis farm, Onisuka057 proves to be a big spender of Farm Cash items, but he does arrange them in impressive ways. By using nine Waterfalls and one Bear Fishing item, he's managed to create the illusion of a massively long river running down the crevices of his mountain. (The mountain itself is the same kind used by ombra231's Italy farm to recreate the Apennine Mountain Range.)
On the bottom of the farm, he's got more Alps intertwined with more than one Lake and Mirror Lake, which are certainly not cheap. While the Lake is readily available at the Market, the Mirror Lake is a random Mystery Box item, so he must've had to buy a lot of those before he got what he wanted.
FarmVille spelled out in hay bales
For more uses of blue, Onizuka057 planted a ton of what appears to be Forget-Me-Nots, which require at least Level 90. In an earlier version of his farm, he even spelled out "FARMVILLE" in what looks like Perfect Bunches of Morning Glory and Iris flowers. I think his farm looked better with all that blue, though the logo version that he made out of hay bales looks good, too.
Which version of Onisuka057's farm do you prefer? Sound off in the comments. 1 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!
On the bottom of the farm, he's got more Alps intertwined with more than one Lake and Mirror Lake, which are certainly not cheap. While the Lake is readily available at the Market, the Mirror Lake is a random Mystery Box item, so he must've had to buy a lot of those before he got what he wanted.
FarmVille spelled out in hay bales
For more uses of blue, Onizuka057 planted a ton of what appears to be Forget-Me-Nots, which require at least Level 90. In an earlier version of his farm, he even spelled out "FARMVILLE" in what looks like Perfect Bunches of Morning Glory and Iris flowers. I think his farm looked better with all that blue, though the logo version that he made out of hay bales looks good, too.
Which version of Onisuka057's farm do you prefer? Sound off in the comments. 1 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!
Pioneer Trail Baby Bunyan Goals: Everything you need to know
You know, I've always wondered what old Paul Bunyan looked like as an infant. (Was he always that huge--was him mom even bigger?) With the new series of Baby Bunyan Goals, Zynga looks to answer these questions once and for all in Pioneer Trail.
Much like the Injured Animals of old, players Level 18 and above will soon find a Baby Bunyan of their own, all alone on their homesteads. But this will only happen after chopping trees. Get to choppin', and follow along with our guide below:
Big Food
* Feed Baby Bunyan Super Baby Gro 8 Times
* Harvest 50 Potatoes
* Help 10 Exhausted Storks
Once you find your own Baby Bunyan, it's time to nurse it into the tree-choppin' tyke you always dreamed of. (Weird dreams much?) Just like an Injured Animal, you must ask your friends for Super Baby Gro. While this Goal only requires you to do it eight times, it takes 15 Super Baby Gro to nurse him completely.
Harvesting 50 Potatoes will cost you 4,500 Coins total, and take at least four hours, if you plant them all at once. Exhausted Storks are actually a new Injured Animal that are found either clearing debris or harvesting crops. Of course, they require you to ask friends for even more items to nurse them back to health. Your rewards for completing this massive first Goal are 500 XP, 500 Coins and one Stork.
Big Britches
* Collect 100 Cotton Puffs
* Tend 40 Baby Sheep
* Collect 25 Safety Pins
The 100 Cotton Puffs required for this Goal reportedly come from harvesting Cotton, which is news to us. If the ratio is 1 to 1, harvesting 100 Cotton will cost you 6,000 Coins and take three days at the very least. Tending to 40 Baby Sheep could be tough, though Zynga doesn't distinguish between Sheep or your Homestead or those of your Neighbors. The 25 Safety Pins, of course, come from begging your friends some more. Enjoy 750 XP and 750 Coins for completing this Goal.
Need more Super Gro
Who's A Big Boy
* Complete Feed Baby Bunyan
* Bake 25 Cakes In The Inn
* Collect 25 Baby Clothes
By this point, you're expected to have a fully grown (well, sort of) Baby Bunyan, which again, takes 15 Super Baby Gro. To bake 25 Cakes, you will need 50 Fire and 100 Batter. Fire is first crafted in the Wagon using seven Wood and five Cloth, which amounts to 350 Wood and 250 Cloth. (That's 250 visits to old friends, though you can also turn in the Cotton Collection for five Cloth.)
The 100 Batter will take a whopping 2,000 Food and 90,000 Coins--this is gonna' take awhile. The 25 Baby Clothes are, once more, sourced from friends. For finishing this giant Goal, you will be rewarded with 1000 XP, 1000 Coins and one Baby Giant Blue Ox. More importantly, you'll have your very own Baby Bunyan, which will prove to be a boon to your homestead.
Baby Bunyan About
Click on your Baby Bunyan after clicking "Finish" to ask him to chop trees. Here's the best part: Baby Bunyan can chop down three full trees for you at the cost of zero Energy. However, Baby Bunyan can only do this once daily. Still, that's quite the reward for such an arduous set of Goals, so use him wisely.
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]
Have you started on your Baby Bunyan yet? What do you think of this brand new feature ... and those Goals? Sound off in the comments. 5 Comments
Much like the Injured Animals of old, players Level 18 and above will soon find a Baby Bunyan of their own, all alone on their homesteads. But this will only happen after chopping trees. Get to choppin', and follow along with our guide below:
Big Food
* Feed Baby Bunyan Super Baby Gro 8 Times
* Harvest 50 Potatoes
* Help 10 Exhausted Storks
Once you find your own Baby Bunyan, it's time to nurse it into the tree-choppin' tyke you always dreamed of. (Weird dreams much?) Just like an Injured Animal, you must ask your friends for Super Baby Gro. While this Goal only requires you to do it eight times, it takes 15 Super Baby Gro to nurse him completely.
Harvesting 50 Potatoes will cost you 4,500 Coins total, and take at least four hours, if you plant them all at once. Exhausted Storks are actually a new Injured Animal that are found either clearing debris or harvesting crops. Of course, they require you to ask friends for even more items to nurse them back to health. Your rewards for completing this massive first Goal are 500 XP, 500 Coins and one Stork.
Big Britches
* Collect 100 Cotton Puffs
* Tend 40 Baby Sheep
* Collect 25 Safety Pins
The 100 Cotton Puffs required for this Goal reportedly come from harvesting Cotton, which is news to us. If the ratio is 1 to 1, harvesting 100 Cotton will cost you 6,000 Coins and take three days at the very least. Tending to 40 Baby Sheep could be tough, though Zynga doesn't distinguish between Sheep or your Homestead or those of your Neighbors. The 25 Safety Pins, of course, come from begging your friends some more. Enjoy 750 XP and 750 Coins for completing this Goal.
Need more Super Gro
Who's A Big Boy
* Complete Feed Baby Bunyan
* Bake 25 Cakes In The Inn
* Collect 25 Baby Clothes
By this point, you're expected to have a fully grown (well, sort of) Baby Bunyan, which again, takes 15 Super Baby Gro. To bake 25 Cakes, you will need 50 Fire and 100 Batter. Fire is first crafted in the Wagon using seven Wood and five Cloth, which amounts to 350 Wood and 250 Cloth. (That's 250 visits to old friends, though you can also turn in the Cotton Collection for five Cloth.)
The 100 Batter will take a whopping 2,000 Food and 90,000 Coins--this is gonna' take awhile. The 25 Baby Clothes are, once more, sourced from friends. For finishing this giant Goal, you will be rewarded with 1000 XP, 1000 Coins and one Baby Giant Blue Ox. More importantly, you'll have your very own Baby Bunyan, which will prove to be a boon to your homestead.
Baby Bunyan About
Click on your Baby Bunyan after clicking "Finish" to ask him to chop trees. Here's the best part: Baby Bunyan can chop down three full trees for you at the cost of zero Energy. However, Baby Bunyan can only do this once daily. Still, that's quite the reward for such an arduous set of Goals, so use him wisely.
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]
Have you started on your Baby Bunyan yet? What do you think of this brand new feature ... and those Goals? Sound off in the comments. 5 Comments
Adventure World Great River Expedition: Everything you need to know
Here we are again, adventurers, giving you another look at a brand new Expedition that has been added to Adventure World this week. If you've been completing Expeditions in a row from left to right across the game's menu, you'll be surprised to see that not one, but three new Expeditions have appeared fairly early on in the list, in anticipation of the arrival of Indiana Jones in the game next month. How do I know that? It's simple - all three Expeditions are tagged with Indiana Jones within the game's menu.
Still going in order, the first of these Expeditions you'll come across is the Great River Expedition. This one will see you reuiniting two villages that are separated by broken bridges. The overall Expedition has a three day time limit, and requires you to have 325 Supplies and two each of Food, Fuel and Water before you can begin. Once you do, you'll have three quests to complete in all - here's a guide to completing them.
Gather a Rubbing
* Collect 12 Cotton
* Collect 24 Vines
* Repair 6 Bridges
* Take a Rubbing of the Standing Stone
Soon after starting this Expedition, you'll see that this is about more than just repairing bridges. Apparently, Indy (or perhaps just the Society) wants you to take a rubbing (with coal and paper) of an ancient Standing Stone at the far end of this map. In order to get there, you'll need to complete these bridges as a result.
The materials necessary to complete these bridges are scattered throughout the map, with the Cotton being found in rows or other farm-esque areas, and the Vines coming by removing Thorns from the map. Each thorn tends to give out four individual Vines, you'll need to remove at least six to reach the 24 total. Each of the six bridges require four Vines and two Cotton, so you'll luckily have enough to build some bridges to reach other areas and collect more materials, without having to do everything at once.
Llama Research?
* Gather 10 Hay
* Ask for 10 Shaving Cream
* Apply Shaving Cream to 10 Llamas
* Shave 10 Llamas
For whatever reason, Emily (your research companion) has taken an interest in the Llamas the frequent this map, and wants their wool. Taking a rather humorous approach, you'll need to gather ten cans of shaving cream by asking your friends to send them to you. You'll then need to click on on each Llama twice: once to apply the shaving cream and once to shave them. The Hay, meanwhile, is scattered around the various islands of the map.
Grapple to the Summit
* Recover the Mountainheart Gem
* Gather the Feed Bag that Weighs the Same as the Gem
* Place the Feed Bag in the Hands of the Mountainheart
Making this Expedition even more complicated, Emily has another demand: she wants the Mountainheart gem that rests along the top left hand corner of this map. This one is guarded by snakes and plenty of debris, and is compounded by the fact that you'll need to have a bag weighing the same as the Gem before you can take it. These bags are found around the map, and come in various sizes. Don't worry about having to personally determine their weight; just by clicking on a single bag, you'll be told whether or not it's the right size. This results in trial and error, sure, but it doesn't require any skill.
Once you have finished these three admittedly complex portions, you'll have successfully completed the Great River Expedition. If this is any indication as to the complexity of future Expeditions, I hope we're all ready for a struggle as we continue on.
Check out the rest of our Adventure World Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of this Great River Expedition? Are there too many steps required to complete it, or do you appreciate a lengthy challenge? Sound off in the comments.
Still going in order, the first of these Expeditions you'll come across is the Great River Expedition. This one will see you reuiniting two villages that are separated by broken bridges. The overall Expedition has a three day time limit, and requires you to have 325 Supplies and two each of Food, Fuel and Water before you can begin. Once you do, you'll have three quests to complete in all - here's a guide to completing them.
Gather a Rubbing
* Collect 12 Cotton
* Collect 24 Vines
* Repair 6 Bridges
* Take a Rubbing of the Standing Stone
Soon after starting this Expedition, you'll see that this is about more than just repairing bridges. Apparently, Indy (or perhaps just the Society) wants you to take a rubbing (with coal and paper) of an ancient Standing Stone at the far end of this map. In order to get there, you'll need to complete these bridges as a result.
The materials necessary to complete these bridges are scattered throughout the map, with the Cotton being found in rows or other farm-esque areas, and the Vines coming by removing Thorns from the map. Each thorn tends to give out four individual Vines, you'll need to remove at least six to reach the 24 total. Each of the six bridges require four Vines and two Cotton, so you'll luckily have enough to build some bridges to reach other areas and collect more materials, without having to do everything at once.
Llama Research?
* Gather 10 Hay
* Ask for 10 Shaving Cream
* Apply Shaving Cream to 10 Llamas
* Shave 10 Llamas
For whatever reason, Emily (your research companion) has taken an interest in the Llamas the frequent this map, and wants their wool. Taking a rather humorous approach, you'll need to gather ten cans of shaving cream by asking your friends to send them to you. You'll then need to click on on each Llama twice: once to apply the shaving cream and once to shave them. The Hay, meanwhile, is scattered around the various islands of the map.
Grapple to the Summit
* Recover the Mountainheart Gem
* Gather the Feed Bag that Weighs the Same as the Gem
* Place the Feed Bag in the Hands of the Mountainheart
Making this Expedition even more complicated, Emily has another demand: she wants the Mountainheart gem that rests along the top left hand corner of this map. This one is guarded by snakes and plenty of debris, and is compounded by the fact that you'll need to have a bag weighing the same as the Gem before you can take it. These bags are found around the map, and come in various sizes. Don't worry about having to personally determine their weight; just by clicking on a single bag, you'll be told whether or not it's the right size. This results in trial and error, sure, but it doesn't require any skill.
Once you have finished these three admittedly complex portions, you'll have successfully completed the Great River Expedition. If this is any indication as to the complexity of future Expeditions, I hope we're all ready for a struggle as we continue on.
Check out the rest of our Adventure World Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of this Great River Expedition? Are there too many steps required to complete it, or do you appreciate a lengthy challenge? Sound off in the comments.
Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes of Neverwinter goes live on Facebook
Released previously only in a private beta, Dungeons & Dragons Heroes of Neverwinter has now officially gone live on Facebook. Developed by Atari and set in the Neverwinter realm, the game already has 166,000 monthly players from its time in beta, but if you'd like to join them, here's a taste of what you can expect.
When first starting Heroes of Neverwinter, you'll be allowed to create a character using either set templates of a Fighter, Wizard, Cleric or Rogue (each with their own stats and specialties), or can create a custom character to customize your gender, stats, class, race and more. In this, the game can immediately start out being as complex or as straightforward as you like.
Upon launching into the game proper, you're met with a story of amnesia and will be introduced to Edrick, a scout that was guiding you on your way to Neverwinter before a pack of Goblins knocked you unconscious. Through this introduction, you're told of Neverwinter, a place of hope and civilization that has survived the Ruining, and that you had originally wanted to travel there to purchase a home and earn your fortune. With this as a base, you're sent on your way.
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.
In terms of actual combat, you'll have a wide variety of options, depending on the classes of characters in your party. You might be able to attack an enemy from far away, eliminating them before they ever become a threat, or surround an enemy with multiple characters, giving everyone a combat advantage. There's enough strategy here to keep more hardcore players satisfied, but the initial sections of gameplay are incredibly simple and work well to help an unfamiliar player get up to speed.
Gallery: Dungeons & Dragons Heroes of Neverwinter on Facebook
Back in Neverwinter proper, you can access a variety of buildings including the Adventure Board where you'll accept new Adventures (Adventures require energy and have multiple difficulty levels), the Tavern where you can purchase energy potions or Adventure boosts to your stats, the Trade house where you'll purchase similar potions or new equipment items, and even your own home, which you'll be able to fill with treasures as you complete different achievements or tasks within the game (collecting a certain amount of gold, for instance).
That being said, the main focus here (understandably) is in the Adventures themselves. There are plenty of them to undertake, each with an additional focus on bringing your friends in to help you (early on, it's entirely possible to fail even the most basic of Adventures by simply going it alone). The lore within the game is presented through text boxes at the beginning and end of most scenes and encounters, and will likely satisfy current D&D fans. Still, this isn't the first game of its kind of Facebook, so hopefully the D&D name alone will help draw more followers into the fray.
Will D&D Heroes of Neverwinter win over the "Zynga" crowd with its fairly in-depth, and somewhat slow-going gameplay? Likely not, but there's plenty of content here for fans who go out specifically in search for it.
Play Heroes of Neverwinter on Facebook -->
Have you tried Heroes of Neverwinter on Facebook? What did you think of it? Sound off in the comments.
When first starting Heroes of Neverwinter, you'll be allowed to create a character using either set templates of a Fighter, Wizard, Cleric or Rogue (each with their own stats and specialties), or can create a custom character to customize your gender, stats, class, race and more. In this, the game can immediately start out being as complex or as straightforward as you like.
Upon launching into the game proper, you're met with a story of amnesia and will be introduced to Edrick, a scout that was guiding you on your way to Neverwinter before a pack of Goblins knocked you unconscious. Through this introduction, you're told of Neverwinter, a place of hope and civilization that has survived the Ruining, and that you had originally wanted to travel there to purchase a home and earn your fortune. With this as a base, you're sent on your way.
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.
In terms of actual combat, you'll have a wide variety of options, depending on the classes of characters in your party. You might be able to attack an enemy from far away, eliminating them before they ever become a threat, or surround an enemy with multiple characters, giving everyone a combat advantage. There's enough strategy here to keep more hardcore players satisfied, but the initial sections of gameplay are incredibly simple and work well to help an unfamiliar player get up to speed.
Gallery: Dungeons & Dragons Heroes of Neverwinter on Facebook
Back in Neverwinter proper, you can access a variety of buildings including the Adventure Board where you'll accept new Adventures (Adventures require energy and have multiple difficulty levels), the Tavern where you can purchase energy potions or Adventure boosts to your stats, the Trade house where you'll purchase similar potions or new equipment items, and even your own home, which you'll be able to fill with treasures as you complete different achievements or tasks within the game (collecting a certain amount of gold, for instance).
That being said, the main focus here (understandably) is in the Adventures themselves. There are plenty of them to undertake, each with an additional focus on bringing your friends in to help you (early on, it's entirely possible to fail even the most basic of Adventures by simply going it alone). The lore within the game is presented through text boxes at the beginning and end of most scenes and encounters, and will likely satisfy current D&D fans. Still, this isn't the first game of its kind of Facebook, so hopefully the D&D name alone will help draw more followers into the fray.
Will D&D Heroes of Neverwinter win over the "Zynga" crowd with its fairly in-depth, and somewhat slow-going gameplay? Likely not, but there's plenty of content here for fans who go out specifically in search for it.
Play Heroes of Neverwinter on Facebook -->
Have you tried Heroes of Neverwinter on Facebook? What did you think of it? Sound off in the comments.
FarmVille Lighthouse Cove: Coastal Patch expansion now available for coins
If only they had released it sooner! In a move that is sure to both infuriate and excite plenty of FarmVille players (trust me, it's possible to do both at once), Zynga has released a coin option to purchase the first land expansion in Lighthouse Cove, called the Coastal Patch. Why would this be a bad thing? If you recall, we needed to reach at least this expansion for the first set of Bonus Challenge goals in the Lighthouse Cove, but many people (myself included) decided to skip it (and all of the prizes available therein) due to the Farm Cash cost.
Either way, this new coin-option itself does come with a catch. As of this writing, it looks like the vast majority of users need to add more Neighbors to their game in order to unlock it. This isn't a case like in the English Countryside where you must simply ask your friends for help; this is a case where you legitimately need to add new farmers to your account (and whether or not the new FarmVille Friends feature neighbors count remains to be seen).
The amount of neighbors you'll need to add seems to vary across users, but I personally only had to add two (for your reference). Once you've fulfilled whatever the game asks of you, you can then purchase the Coastal Patch expansion for 750,000 coins. If we're starting out with that price, which I wouldn't consider to be inexpensive, I can only imagine how high the prices will soar for additional expansions in the future. In the meantime though, I suppose it's best not to argue and accept this land expansion for coins while we can.
Did you already expand to the Coastal Patch farm for Farm Cash? Will you add new neighbors just to expand for coins? Sound off in the comments.
Either way, this new coin-option itself does come with a catch. As of this writing, it looks like the vast majority of users need to add more Neighbors to their game in order to unlock it. This isn't a case like in the English Countryside where you must simply ask your friends for help; this is a case where you legitimately need to add new farmers to your account (and whether or not the new FarmVille Friends feature neighbors count remains to be seen).
The amount of neighbors you'll need to add seems to vary across users, but I personally only had to add two (for your reference). Once you've fulfilled whatever the game asks of you, you can then purchase the Coastal Patch expansion for 750,000 coins. If we're starting out with that price, which I wouldn't consider to be inexpensive, I can only imagine how high the prices will soar for additional expansions in the future. In the meantime though, I suppose it's best not to argue and accept this land expansion for coins while we can.
Did you already expand to the Coastal Patch farm for Farm Cash? Will you add new neighbors just to expand for coins? Sound off in the comments.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Adventure World Cave of Montezuma Expedition: Everything you need to know
If you've already made your way through Adventure World's "starter" Expeditions, you might be surprised when scrolling through the list today to find a new entry has been added. While we know that Expeditions are already available all of the way to Level 40, this entirely new Expedition sits in between Jungle Run and Mountain Pass, making it now the fourth Expedition on the list. If you're thorough and wish to complete all Expeditions at least once, we've got a guide to help you do just that.
This particular Expedition requires 175 Supplies and two each of Food, Fuel and Water. Your overall goal is to defeat a spider infestation and find Montezuma's Headdress, and you only have two days to accomplish it all. Let's get started!
Montezuma's Headdress
* Recover the Blue Feather
* Recover the Green Feather
* Recover the Red Feather
* Recover the Headdress
While the Professor has successfully located Montezuma's Headdress, you'll quickly learn that it's in pieces and must be gathered bit by bit before this Expedition can be completed. The pieces of the headdress are scattered throughout this fairly complex map, with some of the feathers being perched high atop pillars that must be lowered by activating statues, not entirely unlike the ending of the Treasure Trail Expedition.
Outsmarting Spiders
* Defeat 5 Spiders
* Clear 5 Spider Webs
* Ask friends for 10 Bat Houses
* Place Bat Houses on Gnarled Trees
Unfortunately, while a few Bat Houses can be found on this map, you won't be able to find all 10, so you do need to ask for your friends' help, and quickly! As for the Spiders, these guys may not immediately be visible on the map, as they fall down from the "ceiling" using lines of web. Spider Webs themselves can be found around the map like a normal piece of debris. As for the Gnarled Trees, these are also found on the map, which put your Bat Houses to good use. In the second picture below, you'll see a Gnarled Tree highlighted in red. By clicking on it when you have a Bat House in your inventory, the Bat House will be hung from the tree.
Montezuma Says
* Solve the First Puzzle
* Solve the Second Puzzle
* Solve the Third Puzzle
As I said above, two of the feathers to the headdress are blocked by puzzles, while a Ruby Vase sits at the end of the third. Even if you'd rather not, you will need to spend some energy going after this Ruby Vase to complete this particular quest, as you must complete all three puzzles. These puzzles give you a series of pillars that animate in order. You must then repeat the animation by clicking on the appropriate statues like in a game of "Simon Says." You'll be able to push a nearby button to see the puzzle repeatedly, if you can't remember the exact order to activate the statues in, so don't worry if you forget to pay attention. Once you complete each puzzle appropriate, its prize will lower so that you can collect it (note: you may not be able to walk directly up to it, but might have to go around, or even use a Grappling Hook to get there).
By finishing these three quests, you will have successfully complete the Cave of Montezuma Expedition. Remember though - even though this is a new addition to the game, it can still be mastered like all others, requiring multiple runs through the Expedition in its entirety. The more you master an Expedition, the higher the rewards become, so feel free to master them all for the best rewards in the end.
Check out the rest of our Adventure World Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of this Cave of Montezuma Expedition? Do you think it's too difficult to be placed this early in the Expedition "timeline?" Sound off in the comments.
This particular Expedition requires 175 Supplies and two each of Food, Fuel and Water. Your overall goal is to defeat a spider infestation and find Montezuma's Headdress, and you only have two days to accomplish it all. Let's get started!
Montezuma's Headdress
* Recover the Blue Feather
* Recover the Green Feather
* Recover the Red Feather
* Recover the Headdress
While the Professor has successfully located Montezuma's Headdress, you'll quickly learn that it's in pieces and must be gathered bit by bit before this Expedition can be completed. The pieces of the headdress are scattered throughout this fairly complex map, with some of the feathers being perched high atop pillars that must be lowered by activating statues, not entirely unlike the ending of the Treasure Trail Expedition.
Outsmarting Spiders
* Defeat 5 Spiders
* Clear 5 Spider Webs
* Ask friends for 10 Bat Houses
* Place Bat Houses on Gnarled Trees
Unfortunately, while a few Bat Houses can be found on this map, you won't be able to find all 10, so you do need to ask for your friends' help, and quickly! As for the Spiders, these guys may not immediately be visible on the map, as they fall down from the "ceiling" using lines of web. Spider Webs themselves can be found around the map like a normal piece of debris. As for the Gnarled Trees, these are also found on the map, which put your Bat Houses to good use. In the second picture below, you'll see a Gnarled Tree highlighted in red. By clicking on it when you have a Bat House in your inventory, the Bat House will be hung from the tree.
Montezuma Says
* Solve the First Puzzle
* Solve the Second Puzzle
* Solve the Third Puzzle
As I said above, two of the feathers to the headdress are blocked by puzzles, while a Ruby Vase sits at the end of the third. Even if you'd rather not, you will need to spend some energy going after this Ruby Vase to complete this particular quest, as you must complete all three puzzles. These puzzles give you a series of pillars that animate in order. You must then repeat the animation by clicking on the appropriate statues like in a game of "Simon Says." You'll be able to push a nearby button to see the puzzle repeatedly, if you can't remember the exact order to activate the statues in, so don't worry if you forget to pay attention. Once you complete each puzzle appropriate, its prize will lower so that you can collect it (note: you may not be able to walk directly up to it, but might have to go around, or even use a Grappling Hook to get there).
By finishing these three quests, you will have successfully complete the Cave of Montezuma Expedition. Remember though - even though this is a new addition to the game, it can still be mastered like all others, requiring multiple runs through the Expedition in its entirety. The more you master an Expedition, the higher the rewards become, so feel free to master them all for the best rewards in the end.
Check out the rest of our Adventure World Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of this Cave of Montezuma Expedition? Do you think it's too difficult to be placed this early in the Expedition "timeline?" Sound off in the comments.
CityVille Metropolis items take the fun to the big city
If all of the small-scale businesses and homes in CityVille just aren't doing it for you, and you want some larger skyscrapers to sit beside your (probably) large franchises, you're in luck with the release of new Metropolis items in the game today. These items will be available for 15 days, and you'll be able to purchase either a Mystery Crate to try your luck at receiving a random item, or purchase some of these items outright. Fair warning: these items cost City Cash, so I hope you're ready to bust out your wallet.
Infinite Towers II (Home)
* Costs: 110 City Cash
* Population: 4000 - 7000 citizens
* Rent: 532 coins every day
Destiny's Calling (Home)
* Costs: 55 City Cash
* Population: 1350 - 2650 population
* Rent: 150 coins every two hours
Oasis Apartments II (Home)
* Costs: 65 City Cash
* Population: 1850 - 3650 citizens
* Rent: 200 coins every four hours
Visual Art Academy (Community Building)
* Costs: 70 City Cash
* Raises maximum population cap by 5,000 citizens
In addition to these four items, the Metropolis Mystery Crate will give you a chance at one additional item - the Oasis Apartments I - along with three other items above (the Infinite Towers II, Destiny's Calling and Visual Art Academy). A single crate costs 55 City Cash, so unless you only win the Destiny's Calling, you'll really come out ahead over purchasing items individually. Keep in mind though, you might win duplicates in your quest to get all three at a "discount." As for the Oasis Apartments I, the exclusive item to this crate, it comes with a population of 2,000 - 4,000 citizens and provides 251 coins every eight hours in rent.
Again, these items, including the Mystery Crate are only available in the game for a limited time of around 15 days. We'll make sure to let you know if any themed decorations or businesses launch in this theme in the future, so keep checking back with us!
Will you purchase any of these Skyscrapers for use in your town, or will you try your hand with the Mystery Crate to see if you can walk away with an expensive item for "cheap?" Sound off in the comments.
Infinite Towers II (Home)
* Costs: 110 City Cash
* Population: 4000 - 7000 citizens
* Rent: 532 coins every day
Destiny's Calling (Home)
* Costs: 55 City Cash
* Population: 1350 - 2650 population
* Rent: 150 coins every two hours
Oasis Apartments II (Home)
* Costs: 65 City Cash
* Population: 1850 - 3650 citizens
* Rent: 200 coins every four hours
Visual Art Academy (Community Building)
* Costs: 70 City Cash
* Raises maximum population cap by 5,000 citizens
In addition to these four items, the Metropolis Mystery Crate will give you a chance at one additional item - the Oasis Apartments I - along with three other items above (the Infinite Towers II, Destiny's Calling and Visual Art Academy). A single crate costs 55 City Cash, so unless you only win the Destiny's Calling, you'll really come out ahead over purchasing items individually. Keep in mind though, you might win duplicates in your quest to get all three at a "discount." As for the Oasis Apartments I, the exclusive item to this crate, it comes with a population of 2,000 - 4,000 citizens and provides 251 coins every eight hours in rent.
Again, these items, including the Mystery Crate are only available in the game for a limited time of around 15 days. We'll make sure to let you know if any themed decorations or businesses launch in this theme in the future, so keep checking back with us!
Will you purchase any of these Skyscrapers for use in your town, or will you try your hand with the Mystery Crate to see if you can walk away with an expensive item for "cheap?" Sound off in the comments.
FarmVille Lighthouse Cove Chapter 2 Goals: Everything you need to know
Since Zynga has changed the layout of goals in FarmVille's newest Lighthouse Cove expansion, so that everyone is on the same page via quickly expiring goal series, you might be currently left with little to do (as the goals will disappear whether you've finished them or not). In order to make us all busy again, Zynga has launched a series of three new goals in the game which bring us to Chapter 2 in the overall Lighthouse Cove story. This chapter contains more of the same in terms of tasks. You'll need to collect some items, plant some crops and so on, so nothing should be overly difficult. You'll have a week to finish these three goals, so let's get started.
Get a Moove On
* Collect 3 Cow Treats
* Harvest 55 Hay
* Harvest Lighthouse Cove
For this particular goal, it doesn't matter what level you've reached in the repair of your Lighthouse Cove, so long as you harvest it when it's "ready." Your opportunity comes around once per day (if you're routine in collecting from it), so at least you won't be too delayed if you've already harvested your Cove before these goals roll around to your account. As for the Cow Treats, they're earned though a general news post on your wall. Finishing this first goal gives you 100 XP, a River Otter and 5,000 coins.
A Leash on Life
* Get 3 Cow Tethers
* Harvest 55 Kennebec Potatoes
* Improve the Cove to Level 2
If you've been working on repairing your Lighthouse Cove ever since you landed in the new farm, I would be incredibly surprised if you haven't already reached Level 2, but if not, here's our guide to upgrading so you can finish the task quickly. As for the Cow Tethers - you guessed it - they're earned through another general wall post. Complete this goal and you'll earn 200 XP, a Sailor Gnome and 2,500 coins.
A Spoonful of Sugar
* Get 3 Sugar Cubes
* Harvest 55 Butter & Sugar Corn
* Make Creamed Corn Two Times
The Sugar Cubes are earned through one final news feed post on your wall, while the Creamed Corn is a recipe inside your Restaurant. A single Creamed Corn preparation requires three Butter & Sugar Corn bushels, along with three Tarragon bushels and a Pepper bushel. Finishing this final goal gives you 300 XP, a Black Gum Tree and 2,500 coins.
While the rewards for these goals may not be overly exciting, at least the goals themselves are relatively easy to match. We'll make sure to let you know when Chapter 3 of these goals releases, so keep checking back with us!
Check out the rest of our FarmVille Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of these Chapter 2 Lighthouse Cove goals in FarmVille? Sound off in the comments.
Get a Moove On
* Collect 3 Cow Treats
* Harvest 55 Hay
* Harvest Lighthouse Cove
For this particular goal, it doesn't matter what level you've reached in the repair of your Lighthouse Cove, so long as you harvest it when it's "ready." Your opportunity comes around once per day (if you're routine in collecting from it), so at least you won't be too delayed if you've already harvested your Cove before these goals roll around to your account. As for the Cow Treats, they're earned though a general news post on your wall. Finishing this first goal gives you 100 XP, a River Otter and 5,000 coins.
A Leash on Life
* Get 3 Cow Tethers
* Harvest 55 Kennebec Potatoes
* Improve the Cove to Level 2
If you've been working on repairing your Lighthouse Cove ever since you landed in the new farm, I would be incredibly surprised if you haven't already reached Level 2, but if not, here's our guide to upgrading so you can finish the task quickly. As for the Cow Tethers - you guessed it - they're earned through another general wall post. Complete this goal and you'll earn 200 XP, a Sailor Gnome and 2,500 coins.
A Spoonful of Sugar
* Get 3 Sugar Cubes
* Harvest 55 Butter & Sugar Corn
* Make Creamed Corn Two Times
The Sugar Cubes are earned through one final news feed post on your wall, while the Creamed Corn is a recipe inside your Restaurant. A single Creamed Corn preparation requires three Butter & Sugar Corn bushels, along with three Tarragon bushels and a Pepper bushel. Finishing this final goal gives you 300 XP, a Black Gum Tree and 2,500 coins.
While the rewards for these goals may not be overly exciting, at least the goals themselves are relatively easy to match. We'll make sure to let you know when Chapter 3 of these goals releases, so keep checking back with us!
Check out the rest of our FarmVille Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of these Chapter 2 Lighthouse Cove goals in FarmVille? Sound off in the comments.
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