Pet Society: Homes of High Society Pets

Ever wonder what it's like to be royalty? Jean-Pierre has always been a little prince, living it up in 5-star luxury. He was especially excited when the Versailles-themed items were released earlier this month. Kellie from High Society Pets gives us this exclusive tour of her pet's palace, including the Hall of Mirrors, where Jean-Pierre takes tea with visiting pets of importance, his conservatory playhouse, and his dressing room.

I think Kellie did a fabulous job of decorating, don't you? Check out more of her pet's home at High Society Pets.

Hall of Mirrors:
Pet Society Hall of Mirrors
Sleeping Chambers:
Pet Society Sleeping Chambers
Conservatory Tea Room (made from Playhouse):
Pet Society Conservatory Tea Room
Dressing Room (made from Display Room):
Pet Society Dressing Room
The picture below comes from another player, Jessica, who re-created the Versailles Hall of Mirrors or Galerie des Glaces. Looks like this little princess could be a good match for Jean-Pierre!
Pet Society Galerie des Glaces
This article originally appeared on Pet Society Anonymous.

EA signs deal with Live Gamer; doubles down on microtransactions

Paying nickels and dimes to buy additional content in games isn't going away anytime soon, and, in fact, it looks like EA may be doubling down on microtransactions by announcing a new partnership with Live Gamer, which will run all of EA's "microtransaction projects" and will help "accelerate the company's online gaming strategy."

The press release doesn't mention any specific games, but just off the top of my head, this deal seems particularly relevant to EA's social gaming arm, Playfish, responsible for Pet Society and FIFA Superstars on Facebook, as well as its casual gaming portal Pogo, which has had microtransactions for a while now. EA has also started to integrate more microtransactions in its blockbuster console games as well: Madden NFL Football debuted microtransactions in the 2010 edition, Dragon Age and Dead Space (among other EA console games) also rolled out additional downloadable content.

A recent study says microtransactions will grow to $7 billion globally by 2015, so it's no surprise that Live Gamer's picking up new clients, which includes THQ and Real Networks' GameHouse. I'm sure we'll be hearing similar news from other traditional game publishers in the near future -- the success of selling virtual goods has everyone seeing dollar signs.

Restaurant City's Bazaar Week provides a taste of Moroccan Luxury

restaurant city bazaar morocco
Falafel lovers rejoice! Restaurant City has rolled out a Moroccan Bazaar theme that is both luxurious and exotic. A Bazaar is a permanent market selling a great variety of things, similar to what you might call a flea market. Yet, traditional Bazaars have taken on a now iconic look, and with Restaurant City's new theme you can fill your eatery with the eastern items. As usual, the Restaurant City update features new items, appliances, decor, and recipes. You can even turn your restaurant into a full-fledged, trendy hookah bar. Let your imaginations run wild my friends!

Continue reading to see pictures and prices of all the new Bazaar Week items.
restaurant city bazaar morocco
Chairs
Turkish Sofa - 1,200 Coins or Free Gift
Blue Moroccan Chair - 1,500 Coins
Red Moroccan Chair - 1,800 Coins
Pink Moroccan Chair - 2,000 Coins
Blue Moroccan Sofa - 2,600 Coins
Pink Moroccan Sofa - 2,600 Coins
Red Moroccan Sofa - 2,600 Coins


restaurant city bazaar morocco
Tables
Large Gilded Table - 3 Playfish Cash
Star Side Table - 900 Coins or Free Gift
Octagon Side Table - 1,300 Coins
Small Gilded Table - 1,600 Coins
Large Octagonal Side Table - 1,800 Coins


restaurant city bazaar morocco
Wall Decorations
Moroccan Wall Lamp - 6,000 Coins with email permission


restaurant city bazaar morocco
Decorations
Exotic Vase - 4 Playfish Cash
Red African Floor Lamp - 5 Playfish Cash
Tunisian Rug - 6 Playfish Cash
Moroccan Archway - 8 Playfish Cash
Moroccan Market Archway - 14 Playfish Cash
Pink Moroccan Corner Sofa - 1,000 Coins or Free Gift
Silver Kettle - 1,000 Coins or Free Gift
Moroccan Divider - 1,700 Coins
Moroccan Divider Block - 1,700 Coins
Red Moroccan Corner Sofa - 2,800 with email permission
Gold Kettle - 3,000 Coins with email permission
Hookah - 6,500 Coins
restaurant city bazaar morocco
Blue African Floor Lamp - 10,000 Coins
Hookah Customer - 14,000 Coins
Turkish Rug - 15,000 Coins
Humble Waiter - 17,000 Coins


restaurant city bazaar morocco
Functional
Mosaic Toilet - 8 Playfish Cash - Works without breaking 8 times longer and works 60% faster
Mosaic Sink - 12,000 Coins


restaurant city bazaar morocco
Wallpapers
Dark Tunisian Wallpaper - 3,200 Coins
Light Tunisian Wallpaper - 3,200 Coins


restaurant city bazaar morocco
Floor Tiles
Brown Moroccan Tile - 35 Coins
Red Imperial Tile - 45 Coins
Brown Imperial Tile - 45 Coins
Turkish Stone Tile - 70 Coins


restaurant city bazaar morocco
Kitchen Appliances
Turkish Stove - 20 Playfish Cash - serves 15% faster


restaurant city bazaar morocco
Recipes
Mint Tea - Tea Leaves, Mint, Water
Doner Kebab - Flour, Lamb, Onion, Salad
Moroccan Lamb Shank - Lamb, Lamb, Mint, Coriander

Click here to play Restaurant City>

Pet Society Steampunk items now available

Last week, we let our excitement boil over to 11 with the announcement that this week would be Steampunk Week in Pet Society. We were given a small taste of the items that would be available then, and we can even more excitedly share the full theme of items that have actually hit the market now.

Meet us behind the break for all of the Victorian furniture, mechanical wonders and leather clothing that you can handle!

This theme begins with a truly awesome start, as you can now add fully brass flowers to your garden, via the Glow in the Dark Mechanical Flower Seed that's available for 3 Playfish Cash.

From there, the brass color theme gives way to a mass amount of Victorian furniture, most of which will only be available in the game for one week only. You can pick up a brass table, complete with parchment and magnifying glass, a stately armchair, two versions of curved staircases, and an animated desk that is to die for (figuratively, of course), with a code scrolling across a computer screen, and steam raising from quaint little tea-cup.

You can purchase a Vintage Brass Bed for the the bedroom for just 900 coins, a robot named Brass Bob that dances (at the price of 10 Playfish Cash), and even a mechanical bird that will be only available for a limited time (less than a day, as of this writing).

This theme contains quite a few functional or simply animated items, like an awesome Mechanical Camera that allows you to take sepia screenshots, a set of animated, mechanical wings (available tomorrow evening), a red and copper colored floating airplane, and a wallpaper and flooring set that looks as though you are inside a tall tower, or even inside a flying airship. This duo is particularly interesting, in that it changes color as the day turns from day to night. There are four settings available - Dawn, Daytime, Sunset and Night, with the scene changing according to the time in your own time zone.

With all of these swoon-worthy items (this only scratches the surface of what's available), it's only fitting that your animal friend should also receive a bit of pampering, along with their home, and you can now buy a Vintage Leather Outfit for both girl or boy pets for 800 and 700 coins each, respectively. For reference the boy's costume is cheaper because it has one less element. Regardless, you can also outfit your pet with a stylish monocle for 150 coins, and a Short Circuit Hat for 500 coins.

What can we say? We love Steampunk, and this week's theme in Pet Society definitely doesn't disappoint. Keep in mind the limited time availability on some of these items, and make sure you pick them up while you can!

Quote of the Moment: Thank Zelda for Zynga's big success

"[C]ompanies like Zynga, Playdom, and Playfish .... are tapping into the historic user experiences gamers obtained from systems like the Odyssey, Atari, and NES. Their look and feel is reminiscent of the 8-bit, low-fidelity standard of that earlier time, and their simple, but addictive style of gameplay recycles the interaction design models of original favorites like Asteroids and Zelda. [G]ames like Mafia Wars combine the nostalgic feeling of historic games like Dragon Warrior (1986) with the new frontier of social connectivity. This creates a very powerful psychological connection between users and, ultimately, a very large fan base."

Vador News' Bryan McClain says FarmVille-maker Zynga and its peers are harnessing the addictive power of classic game mechanics to fuel the social gaming revolution.

Do you think Zynga games like Mafia Wars and FarmVille are popular due to their simple game mechanics -- or does having a built-in social experience make all the difference?

The Sims Social runs on Dunkin' with in-game items and boosts

Look, The Sims are people, too (sort of), and deserve a cup 'o joe every once in awhile. EA has come out of the gate swinging with The Sims Social, backing it up already with an in-game promotion by Dunkin' Donuts. The American coffee and donuts chain officially announced that several of its menu items have been given the Simlish treatment in an ambitious six-month long campaign.

Once a month for the next six months, players can send their friends one coffee and one food item (pictured) for an extra boost. (Well, then these better be pretty massive boosts.)

Aside from the usual gifting, players will also unlock Dunkin' Donuts-themed consumables as they progress through the game. Finally, if players "Like" the Dunkin' Donuts Facebook page, they'll score two more items to decorate their Sims' homes with, one of which is a beach chair that their Sims can relax on and drink Dunkin' Donuts coffee.

However, a point driven by EA and Dunkin' Donuts is that this brand integration is relevant to The Sims Social and adds a level of realism. Regardless of how relevant it is, while it's much appreciated, this is still a marketing push. However, it speaks volumes to not only how quickly The Sims Social is growing--it's already reached over 7 million players despite its launch issues--but how confident EA is in the game.

If not built around a brand entirely, most Facebook games need to hit several millions of players before even considering bringing in brand integration. It seems as if The Sims brand is speaking for itself in The Sims Social's rapid growth, but what we're all waiting for is to see how far that will take the game and for how long can it keep the momentum. One game has to touch FarmVille numbers eventually, and perhaps we're looking right at it.

Are you digging the Dunkin' Donuts branding in The Sims Social? Do you think this game is EA's way into the ring with Zynga?

Quote of the Moment: 'A brand is never a replacement for a good game'

Branding
That's all well and good, but it's also not to say that brands aren't "extremely important" to Facebook games today. Playfish GM John Earner made the quip to GamesIndustry.biz during a recent interview. According to Earner, the Facebook game space is growing increasingly crowded. In other words, big time creators like Zynga, Playfish and wooga have a competitive advantage.

"So I think brands are now extremely important, and I think that you either are a big player in the space already and you have an installed base of users, or you have a... man, otherwise I think you're in big trouble," Earner said to GI.biz. "It has just become a much more mature platform, and I'm not saying somebody can't rise up from the bottom--sure they can--but the barriers to entry now have changed in a big way and it's become a lot harder. I see that trend continuing, but at the end of the day, though, a brand is never a replacement for a good game. If you have a great product and a great brand, you'll have a lot of success."

Branding in Facebook games has become almost a norm among the top developers and games. While Zynga has been a bit slow on the uptake when it comes to branded games, the company has employed the pull of major celebrities and companies for some time now. And soon, the company will have its very first branded game: Adventure World: An Indiana Jones Game.

We've been told before that the day of the indie game creator on Facebook is through. However, Earner may be right--just look at games like Weeds Social Club and Dexter Slice of Life. While the latter does add refreshing new gameplay, neither of which have exactly taken off, according to AppData. Sadly, it'll eventually be first instinct to see whether Feature Film A, TV Show B or Video Game C has a Facebook game. Check out the interview in full here to learn much more about The Sims Social.

Are you digging The Sims Social still? Are you excited or disappointed at the prospect of branding gaining popularity in social games?

Sims Social: Claim your free Plants vs Zombies Sunflower

Among the free Social Points, Simoleons and SimCash given away by Playfish on the Sims Social fan page on Facebook, you can occasionally find the rare, exclusive treasure. Sure, Social Points and SimCash are definitely appreciated, but when it comes to cross-promotions between the Sims Social and Playfish's Plants vs Zombies, well, that's something a bit more special.

For a limited time, you can now claim a Sunflower from Plants vs Zombies for use in your own home as a decoration. If you've spotted this Sunflower hanging around Bella's House when you visit her, you can now claim one for yourself by clicking on this link right here. This link is universal, so anyone can click on it, but you can only do so once (unfortunately). Believe me, I'd love to have an army of Sunflowers lining my garden as well (for the inevitable zombie apocalypse), but hopefully this one will be able to offer enough sunshine to last us a short while, at least until we can dig out the heavy artillery - shotguns and the like. Have I thought too far into this? Probably.

All I know for sure is that this plant is awesome, and Plants vs Zombies is awesome, and you should definitely claim a Sunflower for your house! Just make to do so fast - there's no telling when the link will become inactive, taking your chance at a free Sunflower right along with it!

Have you already claimed your free Sunflower from this Plants vs Zombies cross-promotion? What other games would you like to see incorporated into Sims Social?

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

The Sims Social celebrates fans with a week of free stuff

Free stuff? Yes, please, I'll take some of that! With almost 61 million players (and climbing), the folks at EA / Playfish have a lot to be thankful for when it comes to the Sims Social on Facebook. As a way to thank their ever-growing player base for their support (even when the game suffered from some nagging loading and gameplay issues), the developers have launched a week long celebration involving free stuff that will be given away, apparently on a daily basis.

To start, we're given a gift of Social Points - a whopping 400 Social Points at that. Since your other methods of earning Social Points normally come in small increments (of 10 or less per action) when visiting friends, this really is a substantial prize. Remember, these Social Points work as a form of third currency in the game, and can be used to purchase exclusive decorations or other home items that aren't available through any other method or currency.

We've also been told that we'll be able to increase our land size in the future, although that wasn't exactly announced in as many words. To be specific, we're asked if we "need more space to build your dream home" and that with that question comes a secret that the developers just couldn't hold in anymore. We're even asked "If you could expand your land, what is the first room you'd build on it?"

Put two and two together here, and you're left with the answer that land size will soon be increasing, although no particular release date was announced (unfortunately). If you're like me, your home has already filled most nooks and crannies of land in our admittedly small square, and is surrounded by outdoor goodies to boot. Being able to increase the size of our house plot is a huge deal, and we'll make sure to let you know when that feature / ability launches as soon as it does.

In the meantime, keep checking back with the game's Facebook fan page for additional links / announcements of free prizes, and click right here to claim your free 400 Social Points.

What sorts of prizes are you hoping to receive in this week-long event of free stuff? What will you purchase with your 400 free Social Points? Sound off in the comments.