Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Triple Town, 'Civilization of match-3 games', goes Kindle to Facebook
Like most match-3 games--Bejeweled Blitz and Diamond Dash, for instance--you'll receive random pieces one at a time, but you get to control where they go on your grid. But unlike those traditional games, matching stuff doesn't make it disappear. Instead, matching stuff creates other stuff that's worth a lot more, thereby, netting you more points. The goal of the game is to get as high a score as possible by continuing to merge objects and not running out of space to put things.
'Zynga is making games for accidental gamers,' studio VP says
The studio head was implying that Zynga doesn't create video games for hardcore or traditional gamers. Sure, that's stating the obvious, but it's vitally important to remember when looking at Zynga's games. They're not exactly technological marvels, accessible to those who just don't get the complexity of controllers and traversing 3D space. But as players progress, they become well-versed in increasingly complex interfaces, thus becoming, well, gamers.
Zynga studio VP Lou Castle leaves for Las Vegas casino games maker
Castle is best known for his contributions in creating the famed strategy game series, Command & Conquer, as co-founder of Westwood Studios. The former Zynga executive most recently joins Treasure Isle GM Jeremy Verba in leaving the company. Verba also entered a completely different industry, becoming the CEO of famous (or infamous?) online dating website eHarmony.
You might be able to invest in Zynga just in time for Turkey Day
The company has delayed its IPO in fear of a shaky market, but recently held Zynga Unleashed, a press event that announced a number of new games and initiatives like Project Z. While this was certainly to show off what the company had in store for its fans (and to show off its spiffy new offices), we're sure Zynga was looking to impress investors and analysts. If successful, this move could set the big red dog on the track to becoming the most valuable game company around. And with 70 times voting power on his share of the company, you can be sure that CEO Mark Pincus (pictured) will be at the reins.
Facebook has more gamers than Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo combined?
Social games have no doubt garnered more players in such a short amount of time than any gaming platform to date. But, if you look at the amount of consoles shipped and sold by all three major manufacturers, Beard's claim appears to fall a bit short. That is, unless Beard is talking online gamers. Then Facebook just might have the big three beat, to which Beard said, "These aren't games with friends sprinkled on top; it's more about social interactions with gaming on top."
Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes of Neverwinter goes live on Facebook
Movement is achieved on a grid, with this turn-based game automatically allowing you to move at the beginning of each turn. When commanding a party, you'll be able to complete multiple actions, including attacking or opening your inventory with each character before needing to manually end their turn and start over with the next character. Once each "adventure" in the game is complete, you'll receive experience points for the battles you won and the tasks you completed in the process. For immediate prizes, you'll sometimes be able to loot your fallen enemies, selecting a prize from a list of ten. You can choose randomly from ten cards, or can use a potion to reveal items before you choose.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Akihabara Stabbing Massacre Inspiring New Motion Picture
June 2008 was tragic. Then 25-year-old Tomohiro Kato went on a stabbing rampage in Tokyo’s geek district, leaving seven dead and 10 injured. He was sentenced to death earlier this year. Not exactly the feel-good backdrop for a movie.
Written and directed by prolific filmmaker Ryuichi Hiroki, the movie, dubbed River, follows a young woman who lost her otaku boyfriend in the attack. She slowly rebuilds her life, interacting with Akihabara inhabitants and even working in a maid cafe.
The film’s director has made an array of films on difficult topics, but online in Japan, many are complaining that a movie like this is unnecessary and too soon.
Written and directed by prolific filmmaker Ryuichi Hiroki, the movie, dubbed River, follows a young woman who lost her otaku boyfriend in the attack. She slowly rebuilds her life, interacting with Akihabara inhabitants and even working in a maid cafe.
The film’s director has made an array of films on difficult topics, but online in Japan, many are complaining that a movie like this is unnecessary and too soon.
Japanese English Versus Siri
Siri is not only miffed by Scottish English, it also doesn’t follow English spoken with a Japanese accent.
“Work” and “walk” are notoriously difficult for Japanese speakers — largely because the Japanese loan word for “work” is “waaku” (ワーク). Japanese people are used to saying “waaku” for “work”.
The gentlemen who recorded this video has a good accent and more patience than I.
“Work” and “walk” are notoriously difficult for Japanese speakers — largely because the Japanese loan word for “work” is “waaku” (ワーク). Japanese people are used to saying “waaku” for “work”.
The gentlemen who recorded this video has a good accent and more patience than I.
China’s First Game Console Dated And Priced
The iSec, Lenovo’s home game console, was supposed to be out soon. According to Chinese reports, it will get a limited release this December in the Mainland. Previously called the eBox, the iSec has Kinect-style controls and will cost 3000 yuan ($460).
How iSec’s release will factor into China’s ban on game consoles, we shall see.
How iSec’s release will factor into China’s ban on game consoles, we shall see.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Best-Ever Zombies Ate My Neighbours Arcade Machine
Frankly if you’re not, right now, building your own paper-mache arcade machine to house a ZSNES-powered laptop to play Zombies At My Neighbours, then you’re doing something horribly, horribly wrong.
It would be an understatement to declare myself inadequate as both man and gamer after seeing this gorgeous monstrosity, constructed by Reddit user “resslx” for an upcoming Halloween shindig. Can you believe it’s just five cardboard boxes on a black filing cabinet with two coats of suitably fearsome spraypaint? Oh, and all that paper-mache business.
Hit up resslx’s blog at the link below for a slightly longer explanation than what I’ve posted here.
[Rezlmix, via Reddit]
It would be an understatement to declare myself inadequate as both man and gamer after seeing this gorgeous monstrosity, constructed by Reddit user “resslx” for an upcoming Halloween shindig. Can you believe it’s just five cardboard boxes on a black filing cabinet with two coats of suitably fearsome spraypaint? Oh, and all that paper-mache business.
Hit up resslx’s blog at the link below for a slightly longer explanation than what I’ve posted here.
[Rezlmix, via Reddit]
In Real Life Ask Me Stuff: Game Developer Edition
Here’s a different angle on your regular dose of Ask Me Stuff, which the impregnable Mark Serrels does a mighty fine job of tackling from the journo side of the equation. But what about the poor developers he and Tracey harass on a daily basis?
Over three years in professional games development, the majority spent as a game designer, and now indie games dude, I’ve seen and done some things. Or at least I like to think.
Anyway, if there’s anything you’re curious about, be it games development local or abroad, in a proper studio or enveloped and partially comatose in the vivid stench of a basement, ask it here in the comments section and I’ll do my best to answer.
Over three years in professional games development, the majority spent as a game designer, and now indie games dude, I’ve seen and done some things. Or at least I like to think.
Anyway, if there’s anything you’re curious about, be it games development local or abroad, in a proper studio or enveloped and partially comatose in the vivid stench of a basement, ask it here in the comments section and I’ll do my best to answer.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Who tried for the Killzone 3 beta?
I have downloaded the necessary theme to have a chance to be in the Killzone 3 beta. Sat for 15 mins refreshing the store until it popped up, which it finally did around 20:02, according to my PS3 clock. Even got a half day off work to get home to catch it. Pity the theme is pretty crappy lol guess they needed the beta invite to get people to download it. Nothing to do now but keep my fingers crossed and hope for an e-mail. Hopefully I can contribute something useful towards the development of the multi-player, which is looking awesome!
Delay Turismo 5
What we thought was finally etched in stone, disappeared like it never happened. Obviously I’m talking about the release date of the most anticipated game of the Holiday season, Gran Turismo 5. Set for a November 2nd release in the US, it is now set for a Holiday 2010 release but no official date yet. Sony promised that it will see the light of day before 2011 hopefully to calm down the angry fanboys that were counting down the days to the release.
Speaking of the angry fanboys, reading those blogs and comments made me realize how people are so impulsive on the internet! They absolutely want to know why it happened, and no matter what answer they get (For polishing or marketing reasons) they won’t be satisfied with it. They’re so mad about the delay that they reconsider their excitement they had 3 seconds before learning the bad news. They also flood the internet with negative comments about the game and the fact that sales will drop significantly. I could go on and on about this…
GT5 is hyped as the next best thing to Jesus and with reason. Feature wise, no racing game as far as I know boasts this much content on a single disk. On top of the quantity, there is no reason to believe that quality won’t be part of the equation. I won’t lie, I’m disappointed about this delay but if it means a more polished game, and/or a better spot for Sony on the Holiday calendar, then I can wait. Polyphony Digital doesn’t owe anything to anyone, if they want to release the game in 2014 on the PS4, it’s their decision and that’s it. The day of release when gamers will dish out their 60$, that’s the moment when people can start complaining to PD if they’re not happy about something. But for now PD owes you jack s***. (Those with pre-orders that paid the full amount, well that’s the risk to take!!)
So to the impulsive kind, I say take a chill pill, unwrap and play some of those games you bought but haven’t started yet. Maybe you should also finish some of those games you have ongoing. Or simply enjoy the beautiful colors of the fall season! Hopefully all of this will pass the time until the release of GT5.
Speaking of the angry fanboys, reading those blogs and comments made me realize how people are so impulsive on the internet! They absolutely want to know why it happened, and no matter what answer they get (For polishing or marketing reasons) they won’t be satisfied with it. They’re so mad about the delay that they reconsider their excitement they had 3 seconds before learning the bad news. They also flood the internet with negative comments about the game and the fact that sales will drop significantly. I could go on and on about this…
GT5 is hyped as the next best thing to Jesus and with reason. Feature wise, no racing game as far as I know boasts this much content on a single disk. On top of the quantity, there is no reason to believe that quality won’t be part of the equation. I won’t lie, I’m disappointed about this delay but if it means a more polished game, and/or a better spot for Sony on the Holiday calendar, then I can wait. Polyphony Digital doesn’t owe anything to anyone, if they want to release the game in 2014 on the PS4, it’s their decision and that’s it. The day of release when gamers will dish out their 60$, that’s the moment when people can start complaining to PD if they’re not happy about something. But for now PD owes you jack s***. (Those with pre-orders that paid the full amount, well that’s the risk to take!!)
So to the impulsive kind, I say take a chill pill, unwrap and play some of those games you bought but haven’t started yet. Maybe you should also finish some of those games you have ongoing. Or simply enjoy the beautiful colors of the fall season! Hopefully all of this will pass the time until the release of GT5.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Who do so many people buy a PS3, but end up playing nothing else but Call of Duty?
This is something that is annoying me for quite some time now.
And i just dont get it.
"Who do people buy a PS3, with TONS of great exclusives, and only end up playing CoD?".
Many friends on my PSN (including real-life friends) only play CoD.
When i look at their trophies, the only trophies they have are the following:
Modern Warfare 2
Call of Duty: Black Ops.
This is getting so annoying!
Why buy a PS3 if you play nothing else but CoD? You are better off buying an Xbox360 then, because thats the good version of Black Ops. Or just play it on PC!
One lame example was yesterday. I convinced someone to download the open beta of Killzone 3. He downloaded it, installed it, and played it with me. We both had our mics on!
So i asked him: ''So you like it?''
His answer: ''Yeah its cool. But i got a 5 kill streak, and where is my reward?''
what? i didnt even respond to that question. Unfortunatly, an hour later, i had to go to work. Came back after a couple of hours, and guess what? He was playing Black Ops again.
I just dont get it. What is so special about Call of Duty? Im not trolling about CoD, because i think its a pretty decent game. But not THAT great, so that everybody has to play it 24/7.
Hell, everywhere i go (School / Work) everybody is talking about Call of Duty.
And i just dont get it.
"Who do people buy a PS3, with TONS of great exclusives, and only end up playing CoD?".
Many friends on my PSN (including real-life friends) only play CoD.
When i look at their trophies, the only trophies they have are the following:
Modern Warfare 2
Call of Duty: Black Ops.
This is getting so annoying!
Why buy a PS3 if you play nothing else but CoD? You are better off buying an Xbox360 then, because thats the good version of Black Ops. Or just play it on PC!
One lame example was yesterday. I convinced someone to download the open beta of Killzone 3. He downloaded it, installed it, and played it with me. We both had our mics on!
So i asked him: ''So you like it?''
His answer: ''Yeah its cool. But i got a 5 kill streak, and where is my reward?''
what? i didnt even respond to that question. Unfortunatly, an hour later, i had to go to work. Came back after a couple of hours, and guess what? He was playing Black Ops again.
I just dont get it. What is so special about Call of Duty? Im not trolling about CoD, because i think its a pretty decent game. But not THAT great, so that everybody has to play it 24/7.
Hell, everywhere i go (School / Work) everybody is talking about Call of Duty.
Black Ops .. Win or Fail ?
So Call of Duty Black Ops has been out for a while now.. some people love it and some people hate it..
Me .. ? I'm on the fence so to speak .. why..?
I don't know so maybe writing it down in Blog form may help .. and it may not either.
So Black ops was released back In November 2010 .. I was one of those fools that headed out at the ungodly hour of 10 pm at night to try and secure a copy.
Me and Friend make our way to the local excuse that is the Supermarket to stand in line.. we turn up and there is a fair few people in there already about 70 or so and this is at 11pm. By 12am its heaving to about 200 + so we manage to bag a copy and head home with the game Ive been waiting for what feels like a day and an age and Install to the HD ..
It boots up ..so far so good.. I head online ..Nuketown is up 1st.. and the obvious set ups for nOObs is there so I pick the SMG class and proceed to get my ass handed to me.. I think to myself I cannot play this like MW2 so take it slow and do better and laugh at the people who choose the sniper class STILL trying to quickscope .. I chuckle to myself FUCK YOU BIATCHES .. No scoping is dead..
Anyway I keep playing getting used to the mechanics but it just doesn't feel right or look right..is it because of the "Solid" more organic mechanics of MW2 still..the Graphics of MW2 looking good still to this day.
Either way I plod on But the cracks start to show after a week or so ..Horrendous lag.. the maps not being all that great .. Ballistic knife being terrible due to some weird and down right game robbing hit detection and that bastard stuttering this outing suffers from on every occasion along with some weird glitches.. and don't get me started on the sound !
Many a time I have seen a target in the distance and try to track them through ADS for them to just jump about 10 meters in the opposite direction .. or even worse disappear even though there is nothing for them to hide behind etc.
Well seeing as this has turned into a rant of sorts ..lets focus on the positives.. if you can call them that
First up Class selection .. not sure what to think in all honesty as it doeslet you choose what you want but cosmetic stuff like face paint and fancy red dots for you scope just don't cut it really for me along ..although Shotguns as a primary now is a good move.
I was looking forward to hardcore free for all but turned out to be pile of shite .. so CORE modes are the norm for me if i am ever to play .
I decided to trade it at the back end of December due to the frustrations pointed out and didn't look back ..then I seen my friends playing and felt a urge to play it again all the time but they seen the light as well in a sense and have almost gave up on it .. but they do still play now and again but feel the same frustrations as myself and the patches IMO don't seem to have done much except nerf a few guns.
Sure I was supposed to mention positives but not sure there is ..
I think in a sense it does win as I do feel the urge to want to play it but when I do after borrowing a copy ..I just feel all the old frustrations come back and don't want too and then it fails...and comes the vicious circle of wanting to play because everyone else is and then the FAIL that the game is kicks in ..and so on and so on .
Hopefully MW3 if it is actually a reality ..may restore my faith in the COD franchise but as such Black Ops has killed it ..
Me .. ? I'm on the fence so to speak .. why..?
I don't know so maybe writing it down in Blog form may help .. and it may not either.
So Black ops was released back In November 2010 .. I was one of those fools that headed out at the ungodly hour of 10 pm at night to try and secure a copy.
Me and Friend make our way to the local excuse that is the Supermarket to stand in line.. we turn up and there is a fair few people in there already about 70 or so and this is at 11pm. By 12am its heaving to about 200 + so we manage to bag a copy and head home with the game Ive been waiting for what feels like a day and an age and Install to the HD ..
It boots up ..so far so good.. I head online ..Nuketown is up 1st.. and the obvious set ups for nOObs is there so I pick the SMG class and proceed to get my ass handed to me.. I think to myself I cannot play this like MW2 so take it slow and do better and laugh at the people who choose the sniper class STILL trying to quickscope .. I chuckle to myself FUCK YOU BIATCHES .. No scoping is dead..
Anyway I keep playing getting used to the mechanics but it just doesn't feel right or look right..is it because of the "Solid" more organic mechanics of MW2 still..the Graphics of MW2 looking good still to this day.
Either way I plod on But the cracks start to show after a week or so ..Horrendous lag.. the maps not being all that great .. Ballistic knife being terrible due to some weird and down right game robbing hit detection and that bastard stuttering this outing suffers from on every occasion along with some weird glitches.. and don't get me started on the sound !
Many a time I have seen a target in the distance and try to track them through ADS for them to just jump about 10 meters in the opposite direction .. or even worse disappear even though there is nothing for them to hide behind etc.
Well seeing as this has turned into a rant of sorts ..lets focus on the positives.. if you can call them that
First up Class selection .. not sure what to think in all honesty as it doeslet you choose what you want but cosmetic stuff like face paint and fancy red dots for you scope just don't cut it really for me along ..although Shotguns as a primary now is a good move.
I was looking forward to hardcore free for all but turned out to be pile of shite .. so CORE modes are the norm for me if i am ever to play .
I decided to trade it at the back end of December due to the frustrations pointed out and didn't look back ..then I seen my friends playing and felt a urge to play it again all the time but they seen the light as well in a sense and have almost gave up on it .. but they do still play now and again but feel the same frustrations as myself and the patches IMO don't seem to have done much except nerf a few guns.
Sure I was supposed to mention positives but not sure there is ..
I think in a sense it does win as I do feel the urge to want to play it but when I do after borrowing a copy ..I just feel all the old frustrations come back and don't want too and then it fails...and comes the vicious circle of wanting to play because everyone else is and then the FAIL that the game is kicks in ..and so on and so on .
Hopefully MW3 if it is actually a reality ..may restore my faith in the COD franchise but as such Black Ops has killed it ..
2011 - 'The' Year to be a Gamer
User blog
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few months, I’m sure many people on N4G are aware that there are a ‘hell’ of a lot of AAA titles being released/that have been released this year. Now, I’m sure many are in the same predicament as me where, for the first time for this generation, I actually have to ‘choose’ one game over another because of financial constraints. Before, the amount of games which piqued my interest were always just enough to have my gaming budget be kept at a reasonable level. Now however, especially towards the end of this year, we have so many games coming out in such a small timeframe and many of them are ones I would like to purchase.
Sure you can argue that you can just leave some games for a while until you have the money/time to pick them up but the point of this blog that I am interested in is why you as a consumer are going to pick up one game over another? Below is my planned list of day one buys but I’m intrigued as to why others may not be the same. Please be aware that I only own a PC and PS3 (no 360 I’m afraid, I just don’t need one)
Day One:
Elder Scrolls Skyrim V (PC)
Need I say more? Anyone who's played the Elder Scroll's series before knows why it is so good and that mainly resides in the player being able to pretty much do want they want in a fantastical open world. Bethesda's games are always a long time in coming considering the last iteration (Oblivion) was released in 2006 and I am sure this comes down to the sheer scale and quality with they approach all of their games. This is a must-buy for me, and in my opinion will be my game of the year without question.
Battlefield 3 (PC)
Battlefield 3 see's the return of the FPS king to its rightful home, the PC. While the 'Bad Company' games were in no way bad at all (I consider Bad Company 2 to be the best FPS on the market right now), the series was always known for its large scale battles with 64 players on PC. Sure player count may not be everything, but it surely adds to the feeling of immersion and of being a small cog in a grand machine? Combine this with the power of the Frostbite 2 engine and its brilliant destruction and we are really in for a treat. Also I am of no object to the game appearing on consoles, I believe that even if I only had a PS3 DICE are skilled and experienced enough to scale everything down to cater for the 24 players, while still retaining the epic battlefield feeling. This is one game that simply cannot be missed as its going to be, in my eyes, a revolution of the FPS genre and will raise the bar for all future FPS games (i'm looking at you COD).
Infamous 2 (PS3)
For those not familiar with the game, Infamous is a game which puts you in the shoes of Cole Mcgrath; a person who for some reason some gets a hold of electrical superpowers. Sucker Punch (the developers) really nailed it with regards to the superhero feeling as you can climb over many of the objects you see in the world, can jump off of huge buildings and can utilise all of the various powers you pick up through the course of the game to pull of greater and more awesome looking electrical feats (electrical lighting storm anyone?). However the really brilliant aspect which they incorporated was the karma system, and while it may not be as deep as people would like it really makes you think about your actions and whether what you are doing would cause harm to nearby citizens.
With the sequel, everything looks to be amped up. The graphics are much more polished from the looks of things and the introduction of fire and ice powers (depending on your karma) seems like it can really mix up the gameplay even more so than what was achieved in the first outing. Everything I liked about the first game seems to have only been improved upon and made better for the sequel, so I for one cannot wait to boot this up in my PS3 this June.
Future Buys:
Portal 2 (PC)
Uncharted 3 (PS3)
Mass Effect 3 (PC)
L.A. Noire (PS3)
Batman: Arkham City (PC)
Duke Nukem Forever (PC)
Witcher 2 (PC)
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few months, I’m sure many people on N4G are aware that there are a ‘hell’ of a lot of AAA titles being released/that have been released this year. Now, I’m sure many are in the same predicament as me where, for the first time for this generation, I actually have to ‘choose’ one game over another because of financial constraints. Before, the amount of games which piqued my interest were always just enough to have my gaming budget be kept at a reasonable level. Now however, especially towards the end of this year, we have so many games coming out in such a small timeframe and many of them are ones I would like to purchase.
Sure you can argue that you can just leave some games for a while until you have the money/time to pick them up but the point of this blog that I am interested in is why you as a consumer are going to pick up one game over another? Below is my planned list of day one buys but I’m intrigued as to why others may not be the same. Please be aware that I only own a PC and PS3 (no 360 I’m afraid, I just don’t need one)
Day One:
Elder Scrolls Skyrim V (PC)
Need I say more? Anyone who's played the Elder Scroll's series before knows why it is so good and that mainly resides in the player being able to pretty much do want they want in a fantastical open world. Bethesda's games are always a long time in coming considering the last iteration (Oblivion) was released in 2006 and I am sure this comes down to the sheer scale and quality with they approach all of their games. This is a must-buy for me, and in my opinion will be my game of the year without question.
Battlefield 3 (PC)
Battlefield 3 see's the return of the FPS king to its rightful home, the PC. While the 'Bad Company' games were in no way bad at all (I consider Bad Company 2 to be the best FPS on the market right now), the series was always known for its large scale battles with 64 players on PC. Sure player count may not be everything, but it surely adds to the feeling of immersion and of being a small cog in a grand machine? Combine this with the power of the Frostbite 2 engine and its brilliant destruction and we are really in for a treat. Also I am of no object to the game appearing on consoles, I believe that even if I only had a PS3 DICE are skilled and experienced enough to scale everything down to cater for the 24 players, while still retaining the epic battlefield feeling. This is one game that simply cannot be missed as its going to be, in my eyes, a revolution of the FPS genre and will raise the bar for all future FPS games (i'm looking at you COD).
Infamous 2 (PS3)
For those not familiar with the game, Infamous is a game which puts you in the shoes of Cole Mcgrath; a person who for some reason some gets a hold of electrical superpowers. Sucker Punch (the developers) really nailed it with regards to the superhero feeling as you can climb over many of the objects you see in the world, can jump off of huge buildings and can utilise all of the various powers you pick up through the course of the game to pull of greater and more awesome looking electrical feats (electrical lighting storm anyone?). However the really brilliant aspect which they incorporated was the karma system, and while it may not be as deep as people would like it really makes you think about your actions and whether what you are doing would cause harm to nearby citizens.
With the sequel, everything looks to be amped up. The graphics are much more polished from the looks of things and the introduction of fire and ice powers (depending on your karma) seems like it can really mix up the gameplay even more so than what was achieved in the first outing. Everything I liked about the first game seems to have only been improved upon and made better for the sequel, so I for one cannot wait to boot this up in my PS3 this June.
Future Buys:
Portal 2 (PC)
Uncharted 3 (PS3)
Mass Effect 3 (PC)
L.A. Noire (PS3)
Batman: Arkham City (PC)
Duke Nukem Forever (PC)
Witcher 2 (PC)
My Project Cafe Wishlist
I've been a member here at N4G for a while and today decided to make my very first Blog Post I'am not a fan of hard work so please excuse any grammatical errors I may have.
So as you can tell by the title this is my Project Cafe(also known as Wii2)wishlist which brings me to the first thing on my list:
-A new name: When I first heard that the Nintendo Revolution was now being called "Wii" I literally thought it was a joke. It is probably the worst name I've heard for a console. Call it something that actually means something and does not have "Wii" in the title.
-A real online network:To be honest I haven't hooked my Wii up to the internet and honestly I'am not interested. With the whole Wii Friend Code hassle,lack of games that actually support online and lack of any type of services other than Netflix who would be? This is probably the main issue to be addresd in Nintendo's next console other than the graphics, so don't worry too much about this.
-Competitive Graphics: Talking about big issues being addresed this is the other big one. Rumors have been flying that it's slightly more powerful than the 360 and maybe more powerful than the Ps3, this is not even close to enough. We all saw how the new Unreal Engine looks like and this generation looks bad already. I'am not expecting the Wii2 to be the most powerful console next gen but compare the Ps3,360 and Wii to the Ps2,xbox and GC.The Ps3 and 360 look like they are from the same gen while the Wii looks like its from last gen. The point is graphics evolve along with consloes and so do games, so if the Wii2 isn't changing the graphics it isn't changing the game.
-A better control: This issue is already being addrese;but, will it be better or just a step back? Rumors say it has a 6 inch HD screen.To put that in perspective the Dualshock cotroller is 6 inches.If its really that big then they don't need new fitness game because people will get a workout just trying to hold that thing up! In all seriousness that's one huge control. Not only that but if the control is that big and has an HD screen just imagine the price tag, it could well be over $100.The Wii wouldn't be the party console anymore considering most people will only have one control.
-Achievment Support:This isn't for everyone but it's a big deal to me. Since Nintendo is late to the achievement party they have to make it better. Maybe make it for everyone, make it feature a hefty reward system better than any other. Imagine every XXXX poits you unlock a free amount of points you could use on the Nintendo Shop(I don't know how it's called).If they do it right it can defineatly make the Wiii2 the best place to play Multi-Plat games.
-An App Store:Apple has it, and it's time to take away ideas from them obviously not all apps are as handy in a console as they are in a Phone but some are, for example: Pandora, Youtube, Twitter, Facebook,Rhapsody, Sound Hound, Shazam,Hulu,PhotoShop Apps, SketchBook Apps, WebBrowsing Apps and things like that.
-Blu-Ray:While the DVD format is slowly dying Nintendo has to take advantage of Blu-Ray while it's still rising. Not only does it have the best quality in movies, it also comes in handy for making large and detailed games like Sony has been doing for some time now.
-Backwards compatibilty:For Wii and GC;a feature that every console should have.
-Consistent Good Games:The most important thing for me in this list. The Wii started out great with Super Mario Galaxy, Zelda:Twilight Princess,Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and Metroid Prime: Corruption, but then nothing.The last game I bought for my Wii was Mario Kart.The Wii had a few good games afterwards but nothing caught my attention enough to buy it.It's sad that I got my Wii in December 28 2007 and have 9 games for it and got my Ps3 June 29, 2008 and have 37 games for it.
So as you can tell by the title this is my Project Cafe(also known as Wii2)wishlist which brings me to the first thing on my list:
-A new name: When I first heard that the Nintendo Revolution was now being called "Wii" I literally thought it was a joke. It is probably the worst name I've heard for a console. Call it something that actually means something and does not have "Wii" in the title.
-A real online network:To be honest I haven't hooked my Wii up to the internet and honestly I'am not interested. With the whole Wii Friend Code hassle,lack of games that actually support online and lack of any type of services other than Netflix who would be? This is probably the main issue to be addresd in Nintendo's next console other than the graphics, so don't worry too much about this.
-Competitive Graphics: Talking about big issues being addresed this is the other big one. Rumors have been flying that it's slightly more powerful than the 360 and maybe more powerful than the Ps3, this is not even close to enough. We all saw how the new Unreal Engine looks like and this generation looks bad already. I'am not expecting the Wii2 to be the most powerful console next gen but compare the Ps3,360 and Wii to the Ps2,xbox and GC.The Ps3 and 360 look like they are from the same gen while the Wii looks like its from last gen. The point is graphics evolve along with consloes and so do games, so if the Wii2 isn't changing the graphics it isn't changing the game.
-A better control: This issue is already being addrese;but, will it be better or just a step back? Rumors say it has a 6 inch HD screen.To put that in perspective the Dualshock cotroller is 6 inches.If its really that big then they don't need new fitness game because people will get a workout just trying to hold that thing up! In all seriousness that's one huge control. Not only that but if the control is that big and has an HD screen just imagine the price tag, it could well be over $100.The Wii wouldn't be the party console anymore considering most people will only have one control.
-Achievment Support:This isn't for everyone but it's a big deal to me. Since Nintendo is late to the achievement party they have to make it better. Maybe make it for everyone, make it feature a hefty reward system better than any other. Imagine every XXXX poits you unlock a free amount of points you could use on the Nintendo Shop(I don't know how it's called).If they do it right it can defineatly make the Wiii2 the best place to play Multi-Plat games.
-An App Store:Apple has it, and it's time to take away ideas from them obviously not all apps are as handy in a console as they are in a Phone but some are, for example: Pandora, Youtube, Twitter, Facebook,Rhapsody, Sound Hound, Shazam,Hulu,PhotoShop Apps, SketchBook Apps, WebBrowsing Apps and things like that.
-Blu-Ray:While the DVD format is slowly dying Nintendo has to take advantage of Blu-Ray while it's still rising. Not only does it have the best quality in movies, it also comes in handy for making large and detailed games like Sony has been doing for some time now.
-Backwards compatibilty:For Wii and GC;a feature that every console should have.
-Consistent Good Games:The most important thing for me in this list. The Wii started out great with Super Mario Galaxy, Zelda:Twilight Princess,Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and Metroid Prime: Corruption, but then nothing.The last game I bought for my Wii was Mario Kart.The Wii had a few good games afterwards but nothing caught my attention enough to buy it.It's sad that I got my Wii in December 28 2007 and have 9 games for it and got my Ps3 June 29, 2008 and have 37 games for it.
Chinese Couple Sells All Three Kids to Play Online Games
A young Chinese couple has sold all three of their children in exchange for money to play online Nick jr games at Internet cafes, reports a southern Chinese newspaper.
According to Sanxiang City News, the couple met in an Internet cafe back in 2007 and bonded over their obsession with online video games. A year later, the parents — who are both under 21 — welcomed their first child, a son. Days after his birth, they left him home alone while they went to play online agame at an Internet cafe 30 km away.
In 2009, Li Lin and Li Juan welcomed their second child, a baby girl, and came up with the idea to sell her for money to fund their online game obsession. They did so, receiving RMB 3,000 (less than $500), which they spent entirely shortly after. The couple then proceeded to sell their first child and got 10 times as much for him — RMB 30,000, or about $4600.
Upon having their third child — another boy — the parents followed in their previous footsteps and also got RMB 30,000 for him.
They were finally turned into authorities when Li Lin’s mother found out what her son and his girlfriend had done.
When asked if they missed their children, the parents answered, “We don’t want to raise them, we just want to sell them for some money.”
Sanxiang City Newsreports the couple didn’t know they were breaking the law.
According to Sanxiang City News, the couple met in an Internet cafe back in 2007 and bonded over their obsession with online video games. A year later, the parents — who are both under 21 — welcomed their first child, a son. Days after his birth, they left him home alone while they went to play online agame at an Internet cafe 30 km away.
In 2009, Li Lin and Li Juan welcomed their second child, a baby girl, and came up with the idea to sell her for money to fund their online game obsession. They did so, receiving RMB 3,000 (less than $500), which they spent entirely shortly after. The couple then proceeded to sell their first child and got 10 times as much for him — RMB 30,000, or about $4600.
Upon having their third child — another boy — the parents followed in their previous footsteps and also got RMB 30,000 for him.
They were finally turned into authorities when Li Lin’s mother found out what her son and his girlfriend had done.
When asked if they missed their children, the parents answered, “We don’t want to raise them, we just want to sell them for some money.”
Sanxiang City Newsreports the couple didn’t know they were breaking the law.
Official Pokemon Game Coming To Smartphones
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.
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.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
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!
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!
Comic-Con Game Report
I was lucky enough to attend San Diego Comic-Con this year and got the chance to play a few upcoming titles. These are my impressions:
Dead Island - For those unfamiliar with the premise, you play a few different characters set on a tropical island when, what else, a zombie outbreak occurs. Doing their damnedest to set their zombie game apart from the pack, Teachland has created a vibrant, open world rich with places to explore. The main draw to the game is it's unique RPG elements in which you will quest to rescue survivors, receive XP, level up, and inevitably turn into your very own zombie killing machine. The game is fixed on a first-person perspective and melee combat is the focus. I was told firearms will be available, but I found none in the demo I played. This wasn't a concern being as how the melee combat was responsive, fun, and absolutely brutal. Have a machete? Swing away and see body parts fly independently and realistically. There is a fatigue meter you need to keep an eye on and weapons do eventually deteriorate, but neither presented problems enough to frustrate me. This was a quick demo, one running at about 4-5 minutes long, but if the full game can maintain the fun of first-person zombie slaying and addictiveness of constantly evolving and leveling up, Dead Island could be the next great zombie game. 4-player co-op never hurts, either. Initial Recommendation: RESERVE IT
Deus Ex: Human Revolution - A prequel set before the original Deus Ex, you play Adam Jensen, a private security officer for Seriff Industries, the company responsible for the soon-to-be biomechanic revolution. Jensen and his company get attacked, leaving him disfigured and left for dead. Luckily, in Six Million Dollar Man style, he gets his broken parts replaced with biomods, essentially making him a complete badass. The game mainly plays from a first-person perspective, but switches to third-person when in cover. The best way to describe this game would be to call it the RPG player's Metal Gear Solid. Stealth is a main focus, and while it is possible to run and gun, it's not necessarily the right or most fun way to play. The developers did a good job of supplying multiple paths and ways to get through a level. Want to go in guns blazing? Want to stealthily take each thug out, one-by-one? Want to sneak around and conserve ammo? Maybe a combination of the three? Deus Ex presents gameplay-oriented choices not seen in many other games nowadays. My only complaint was touchy controls, but that could be solved with a quick change of sensitivity in the full game. Other than that, shooting was solid and biomods were fun to use. Cloaking, turret hacking, seeing through walls, and super strength were all present and many more augmentations were promised to be available from the game's start. XP is gained to be spent on these. Overall, the Human Revolution demo was a fun, refreshing return to the tactical first-person RPG genre and I cant wait to see how the full game plays out. Initial Recommendation: RESERVE IT
Dragon's Dogma - A brand new IP from Capcom boasting development talent such as Hideaki Itsuno and Hiroyuki Kobayashi, Dragon's Dogma is a third-person action RPG in a medieval fantasy setting. You control a central character and issue commands to your party members. In the demo I played, I was tasked with defeating a group of goblins, then a giant griffin creature in an expansive, open field. The first thing you'll notice when playing this game is the graphics. The character models are impressive and the settings are large and often beautiful. It's immediately easy to tell this is a passion project for the dev team, as the animations are incredibly smooth and intuitive for a Japanese-developed title. Where the real fun is at, though, is the gameplay. Initially, you're presented with two skillsets for each class system that is chosen. In the demo, my character was fixed on archery and dual-wielding daggers. Damage is impactful and satisfying, with arrows sticking out of enemies where they were struck. The skills available to me were a cool arrow-rain attack where a reticule shows you the path of your arrow, unleashing a storm of them on a group of enemies, and another being a skill-shot, which must be charged to deal a crazy amount of damage on a single enemy. As for the dagger class, an impressive flurry of slashes, swipes, and kicks are directed at an enemy and lasts nearly as long as you can mash the action button. The rest of the party consists of who you'd expect, complete with a ragtag group of mages, scouts, knights, etc. They respond to orders well and not once did they put themselves in any stupid situations. In fact, they would frequently yell out to me, suggesting what moves I should make next. This was especially useful in the griffin boss fight when one of them would crouch down and suggest I run over to them to get a boost up to the creature. This plays out smoothly and impressively, as my character desperately grasps the creature and starts stabbing away with either light or heavy attacks until it loses energy and comes crashing to the ground, leaving it open to attacks from the rest of my team. This all played out very similarly to a boss encounter in Shadow of the Colossus. I was awestruck by this little demo and if the full game can maintain the greatness I experienced, I could see Dragon's Dogma being the sleeper hit of next year. Welcome back, Capcom. Initial Recommendation: RESERVE IT IMMEDIATELY
Final Fantasy XIII-2 - I still have yet to play FFXIII, so I went into this demo with a bit of optimism. Bad idea. I was tasked with defeating an enormous boss monster, but to do so I had to reach a lever at the end of the map that would inexplicably cut it's health in half. The demo may have been more enjoyable if they gave me more than two actions to perform. There's only so much enjoyment you can get out of a standard melee and magic attack, especially when you're forced to battle through dozens of random encounters before reaching the end. The voice acting was decent at best, but the lip syncing was absolutely atrocious. Not once did I feel any sort of connection with the two characters I was playing. If you liked XIII, you'll probably end up liking this game, too. And who knows, once they work the kinks out and I'm allowed to perform more than two different actions, I may end up enjoying it too. But as it stands, I wouldn't put XIII-2 anywhere near my list of most anticipated games. Oh, and there's finally a jump button. So there's that. Initial Recommendation: SKIP IT
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword - Nintendo had a massive showing at Comic-Con, renting out their own ballroom to demo their various first-party titles. With Skyward Sword, I was presented with three demos to choose from: a boss battle, a dungeon, and a flight mini-game. I chose the boss battle while a buddy of mine took on the dungeon. I was immediately impressed with what Motion+ brought to the equation. The controls were responsive and very nearly 1-1 to your very own motion. To swipe with your sword, the wiimote is used, and to use your shield, the nunchuck is shaken. The boss was what you'd expect with a Japanese developer: a skinny, effeminate, makeup-wearing she-man with anger issues. From what I could tell from the "dialogue," he's out to kidnap Princess Zelda (who else?) for his own nefarious reasons, blah blah blah. The real fun was in the battle itself. Timing and skill was required to shake the nunchuck at the right moment to parry attacks and and engage in your own impressive flurry of attacks. It was challenging, not frustrating, and very rewarding. After whooping he/she's ass I received my heart container and that was that. My buddy was playing at the same time I was, so I didn't get to see much of the dungeon portion of the demo, but he says he was impressed with the new mechanics like the flying beetle. The art style is clearly a blend between Twilight Princess and Wind Waker, and the results are pretty stunning, even on a "dated" system such as the Wii. Initial Recommendation: RESERVE IT
Mass Effect 3 - AKA Mass Effect 2 with the ability to use an omni-blade attack. If you had told me that the demo I had played was just DLC for ME2, I would've believed you. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely loved ME2 and thought it was one of the best games of last year, hands down, but the demo of ME3 felt almost too familiar. Classes were the same, weapons were the same, powers were the same. The level up system is a bit refined and intensive, but not to the extent of the original ME's. I have no doubt that ME3 will be a great game complete with characters I'll care about and a solid storyline to enjoy, but from the small demo I played I can't help but feel like Bioware is taking the whole "if it aint broke, don't fix it" thing a bit too seriously. Initial Recommendation: RENT IT (unless you liked the others)
Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City - To all those Resident Evil fans who have feared the series has become a middling, action-packed shooting fest, this is your nightmare. The game is designed to be played with friends, and I was in a team with three others. Initially, you choose your character, their skills (which range anywhere from cloaking to creature-controlling), and your weapon. From there, you're tossed into some point of RE2's timeline, tasked with eliminating any evidence of Umbrella's involvement in the outbreak. The game is a third-person shooter, straight up. There were a few very cheap scares, but nothing that could be considered survival horror. In the demo, my team and I mowed down zombies, BOW's, and soldiers from the US military, culminating to a boss encounter with a Tyrant and the end of the demo. Grenades, melee attacks, and a ton of firepower are your tools of destruction, with various herbs and anti-virus items scattered around the map to be used to heal, obviously. If you are harmed too much, you'll start to bleed out and attract groups of zombies around you. It's also possible to become infected in this game and, yes, turn into a zombie for a short period of time and attack your friends. If you have a couple friends who are RE fans this game could supply some good fun, but it won't be winning any awards. Let's hope RE6 is a return to form. Initial Recommendation: SKIP IT
Resident Evil: Revelations - Capcom has heard your complaints, RE faithful, and they're doing their best to bring survival horror back to the series with Revelations on the 3DS. In the demo I played, I was in control of Jill Valentine. The controls and camera angles are very reminiscent of early Resi Evil games. Ammo is scarce, puzzles are aplenty, and enemies pop into view unexpectedly. I was most impressed with how the game looks, both in 3D and standard 2D. The 3D effect does a commendable job adding to the scare factor, with enemies jumping out at you and settings being fittingly eerie. If you miss your old Resident Evil games, be sure to give this one a look-see. Initial Recommendation: RENT IT
Resistance 3 - If you enjoyed the previous two games, you'll like R3. The graphics have taken a substantial leap forward and the art style is appropriately grim. Controls are still solid and the shooting mechanics are still satisfying. I didn't get to experience any new weapons sadly, but Insomniac ramped up the amount of XP gained in the demo to show off how the weapons upgrade this time around and it truly doesn't disappoint. If you ever thought the weapon upgrade system in many of the Ratchet & Clank games were addicting, you'll have a blast in R3. I admit I hadn't been too excited for this game based solely on the footage I had seen, but after playing it I believe it'll be a solid, fun shooter and a good addition to the series. Initial Recommendation: RENT IT
Starhawk - Remember that kinda crappy Xbox 360 game The Outfit where you could call in turrets, vehicles and the like? Imagine that on a much more massive scale, in space, and you've got Starhawk. In the demo I was tasked with taking out an enemy faction and using their massive satellite to relay a transmission. The game is a third-person shooter, and the mechanics are solid, if familiar. I had a assault rifle and shotgun to use, and both were satisfying. But that's not where Starhawk shines. About half-way through I'm given the ability to call in various structures to use in the battlefield in real-time. Have enemies about to drop in? Plant a set of turrets at their drop location. Taking heavy fire? Call in a wall to supply some cover while you regroup. In true Transformer fashion, a Warhawk can be called in, a massive mechanical robot that can traverse both land and air, to dispose of enemies and engage in some truly awesome dogfights. While I don't see the game winning any awards for outstanding writing or plot progression, Starhawk is looking to be a fun, fresh shooter that fans of Warhawk will absolutely eat up. Initial Recommendation: RENT IT (unless you were a fan of Warhawk)
Twisted Metal - Oh Twisted Metal, how I've missed you. The demo at Comic-Con was strictly multiplayer-centric, but it was an absolute f***ing blast. This time around, the focus isn't on the characters, but the vehicles. You have a wide range to choose from including favorites such as Axel, Sweet Tooth, and Grimm. New vehicles such as helicopters were also available. Gameplay was classic Twisted Metal fun. You drive around, collecting various weapons scattered around the map, and blowing the hell out of your opponents. Specials were still present and car-specific, such as Sweet Tooth's ability to morph into a crazy mech-like vehicle. Playing the game immediately brought me back to my childhood, spending countless sleepless nights playing Twisted Metal 2. I may have some bias, but TM is shaping up to be one of the most purely enjoyable games to release this year. Initial Recommendation: RESERVE IT
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception - This demo was strictly multi-player focused as well. If you played the recent beta, you didn't miss anything here. For those who didn't, the game is frantic, fast-paced and an absolute blast. Like Call of Duty, you're constantly gaining XP and collecting new items, skills, weapons, and mods. People will be sinking hundreds of hours into it, and will love every minute of it. Initial Recommendation: RESERVE IT
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Game of Show: Dragon's Dogma
Dead Island - For those unfamiliar with the premise, you play a few different characters set on a tropical island when, what else, a zombie outbreak occurs. Doing their damnedest to set their zombie game apart from the pack, Teachland has created a vibrant, open world rich with places to explore. The main draw to the game is it's unique RPG elements in which you will quest to rescue survivors, receive XP, level up, and inevitably turn into your very own zombie killing machine. The game is fixed on a first-person perspective and melee combat is the focus. I was told firearms will be available, but I found none in the demo I played. This wasn't a concern being as how the melee combat was responsive, fun, and absolutely brutal. Have a machete? Swing away and see body parts fly independently and realistically. There is a fatigue meter you need to keep an eye on and weapons do eventually deteriorate, but neither presented problems enough to frustrate me. This was a quick demo, one running at about 4-5 minutes long, but if the full game can maintain the fun of first-person zombie slaying and addictiveness of constantly evolving and leveling up, Dead Island could be the next great zombie game. 4-player co-op never hurts, either. Initial Recommendation: RESERVE IT
Deus Ex: Human Revolution - A prequel set before the original Deus Ex, you play Adam Jensen, a private security officer for Seriff Industries, the company responsible for the soon-to-be biomechanic revolution. Jensen and his company get attacked, leaving him disfigured and left for dead. Luckily, in Six Million Dollar Man style, he gets his broken parts replaced with biomods, essentially making him a complete badass. The game mainly plays from a first-person perspective, but switches to third-person when in cover. The best way to describe this game would be to call it the RPG player's Metal Gear Solid. Stealth is a main focus, and while it is possible to run and gun, it's not necessarily the right or most fun way to play. The developers did a good job of supplying multiple paths and ways to get through a level. Want to go in guns blazing? Want to stealthily take each thug out, one-by-one? Want to sneak around and conserve ammo? Maybe a combination of the three? Deus Ex presents gameplay-oriented choices not seen in many other games nowadays. My only complaint was touchy controls, but that could be solved with a quick change of sensitivity in the full game. Other than that, shooting was solid and biomods were fun to use. Cloaking, turret hacking, seeing through walls, and super strength were all present and many more augmentations were promised to be available from the game's start. XP is gained to be spent on these. Overall, the Human Revolution demo was a fun, refreshing return to the tactical first-person RPG genre and I cant wait to see how the full game plays out. Initial Recommendation: RESERVE IT
Dragon's Dogma - A brand new IP from Capcom boasting development talent such as Hideaki Itsuno and Hiroyuki Kobayashi, Dragon's Dogma is a third-person action RPG in a medieval fantasy setting. You control a central character and issue commands to your party members. In the demo I played, I was tasked with defeating a group of goblins, then a giant griffin creature in an expansive, open field. The first thing you'll notice when playing this game is the graphics. The character models are impressive and the settings are large and often beautiful. It's immediately easy to tell this is a passion project for the dev team, as the animations are incredibly smooth and intuitive for a Japanese-developed title. Where the real fun is at, though, is the gameplay. Initially, you're presented with two skillsets for each class system that is chosen. In the demo, my character was fixed on archery and dual-wielding daggers. Damage is impactful and satisfying, with arrows sticking out of enemies where they were struck. The skills available to me were a cool arrow-rain attack where a reticule shows you the path of your arrow, unleashing a storm of them on a group of enemies, and another being a skill-shot, which must be charged to deal a crazy amount of damage on a single enemy. As for the dagger class, an impressive flurry of slashes, swipes, and kicks are directed at an enemy and lasts nearly as long as you can mash the action button. The rest of the party consists of who you'd expect, complete with a ragtag group of mages, scouts, knights, etc. They respond to orders well and not once did they put themselves in any stupid situations. In fact, they would frequently yell out to me, suggesting what moves I should make next. This was especially useful in the griffin boss fight when one of them would crouch down and suggest I run over to them to get a boost up to the creature. This plays out smoothly and impressively, as my character desperately grasps the creature and starts stabbing away with either light or heavy attacks until it loses energy and comes crashing to the ground, leaving it open to attacks from the rest of my team. This all played out very similarly to a boss encounter in Shadow of the Colossus. I was awestruck by this little demo and if the full game can maintain the greatness I experienced, I could see Dragon's Dogma being the sleeper hit of next year. Welcome back, Capcom. Initial Recommendation: RESERVE IT IMMEDIATELY
Final Fantasy XIII-2 - I still have yet to play FFXIII, so I went into this demo with a bit of optimism. Bad idea. I was tasked with defeating an enormous boss monster, but to do so I had to reach a lever at the end of the map that would inexplicably cut it's health in half. The demo may have been more enjoyable if they gave me more than two actions to perform. There's only so much enjoyment you can get out of a standard melee and magic attack, especially when you're forced to battle through dozens of random encounters before reaching the end. The voice acting was decent at best, but the lip syncing was absolutely atrocious. Not once did I feel any sort of connection with the two characters I was playing. If you liked XIII, you'll probably end up liking this game, too. And who knows, once they work the kinks out and I'm allowed to perform more than two different actions, I may end up enjoying it too. But as it stands, I wouldn't put XIII-2 anywhere near my list of most anticipated games. Oh, and there's finally a jump button. So there's that. Initial Recommendation: SKIP IT
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword - Nintendo had a massive showing at Comic-Con, renting out their own ballroom to demo their various first-party titles. With Skyward Sword, I was presented with three demos to choose from: a boss battle, a dungeon, and a flight mini-game. I chose the boss battle while a buddy of mine took on the dungeon. I was immediately impressed with what Motion+ brought to the equation. The controls were responsive and very nearly 1-1 to your very own motion. To swipe with your sword, the wiimote is used, and to use your shield, the nunchuck is shaken. The boss was what you'd expect with a Japanese developer: a skinny, effeminate, makeup-wearing she-man with anger issues. From what I could tell from the "dialogue," he's out to kidnap Princess Zelda (who else?) for his own nefarious reasons, blah blah blah. The real fun was in the battle itself. Timing and skill was required to shake the nunchuck at the right moment to parry attacks and and engage in your own impressive flurry of attacks. It was challenging, not frustrating, and very rewarding. After whooping he/she's ass I received my heart container and that was that. My buddy was playing at the same time I was, so I didn't get to see much of the dungeon portion of the demo, but he says he was impressed with the new mechanics like the flying beetle. The art style is clearly a blend between Twilight Princess and Wind Waker, and the results are pretty stunning, even on a "dated" system such as the Wii. Initial Recommendation: RESERVE IT
Mass Effect 3 - AKA Mass Effect 2 with the ability to use an omni-blade attack. If you had told me that the demo I had played was just DLC for ME2, I would've believed you. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely loved ME2 and thought it was one of the best games of last year, hands down, but the demo of ME3 felt almost too familiar. Classes were the same, weapons were the same, powers were the same. The level up system is a bit refined and intensive, but not to the extent of the original ME's. I have no doubt that ME3 will be a great game complete with characters I'll care about and a solid storyline to enjoy, but from the small demo I played I can't help but feel like Bioware is taking the whole "if it aint broke, don't fix it" thing a bit too seriously. Initial Recommendation: RENT IT (unless you liked the others)
Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City - To all those Resident Evil fans who have feared the series has become a middling, action-packed shooting fest, this is your nightmare. The game is designed to be played with friends, and I was in a team with three others. Initially, you choose your character, their skills (which range anywhere from cloaking to creature-controlling), and your weapon. From there, you're tossed into some point of RE2's timeline, tasked with eliminating any evidence of Umbrella's involvement in the outbreak. The game is a third-person shooter, straight up. There were a few very cheap scares, but nothing that could be considered survival horror. In the demo, my team and I mowed down zombies, BOW's, and soldiers from the US military, culminating to a boss encounter with a Tyrant and the end of the demo. Grenades, melee attacks, and a ton of firepower are your tools of destruction, with various herbs and anti-virus items scattered around the map to be used to heal, obviously. If you are harmed too much, you'll start to bleed out and attract groups of zombies around you. It's also possible to become infected in this game and, yes, turn into a zombie for a short period of time and attack your friends. If you have a couple friends who are RE fans this game could supply some good fun, but it won't be winning any awards. Let's hope RE6 is a return to form. Initial Recommendation: SKIP IT
Resident Evil: Revelations - Capcom has heard your complaints, RE faithful, and they're doing their best to bring survival horror back to the series with Revelations on the 3DS. In the demo I played, I was in control of Jill Valentine. The controls and camera angles are very reminiscent of early Resi Evil games. Ammo is scarce, puzzles are aplenty, and enemies pop into view unexpectedly. I was most impressed with how the game looks, both in 3D and standard 2D. The 3D effect does a commendable job adding to the scare factor, with enemies jumping out at you and settings being fittingly eerie. If you miss your old Resident Evil games, be sure to give this one a look-see. Initial Recommendation: RENT IT
Resistance 3 - If you enjoyed the previous two games, you'll like R3. The graphics have taken a substantial leap forward and the art style is appropriately grim. Controls are still solid and the shooting mechanics are still satisfying. I didn't get to experience any new weapons sadly, but Insomniac ramped up the amount of XP gained in the demo to show off how the weapons upgrade this time around and it truly doesn't disappoint. If you ever thought the weapon upgrade system in many of the Ratchet & Clank games were addicting, you'll have a blast in R3. I admit I hadn't been too excited for this game based solely on the footage I had seen, but after playing it I believe it'll be a solid, fun shooter and a good addition to the series. Initial Recommendation: RENT IT
Starhawk - Remember that kinda crappy Xbox 360 game The Outfit where you could call in turrets, vehicles and the like? Imagine that on a much more massive scale, in space, and you've got Starhawk. In the demo I was tasked with taking out an enemy faction and using their massive satellite to relay a transmission. The game is a third-person shooter, and the mechanics are solid, if familiar. I had a assault rifle and shotgun to use, and both were satisfying. But that's not where Starhawk shines. About half-way through I'm given the ability to call in various structures to use in the battlefield in real-time. Have enemies about to drop in? Plant a set of turrets at their drop location. Taking heavy fire? Call in a wall to supply some cover while you regroup. In true Transformer fashion, a Warhawk can be called in, a massive mechanical robot that can traverse both land and air, to dispose of enemies and engage in some truly awesome dogfights. While I don't see the game winning any awards for outstanding writing or plot progression, Starhawk is looking to be a fun, fresh shooter that fans of Warhawk will absolutely eat up. Initial Recommendation: RENT IT (unless you were a fan of Warhawk)
Twisted Metal - Oh Twisted Metal, how I've missed you. The demo at Comic-Con was strictly multiplayer-centric, but it was an absolute f***ing blast. This time around, the focus isn't on the characters, but the vehicles. You have a wide range to choose from including favorites such as Axel, Sweet Tooth, and Grimm. New vehicles such as helicopters were also available. Gameplay was classic Twisted Metal fun. You drive around, collecting various weapons scattered around the map, and blowing the hell out of your opponents. Specials were still present and car-specific, such as Sweet Tooth's ability to morph into a crazy mech-like vehicle. Playing the game immediately brought me back to my childhood, spending countless sleepless nights playing Twisted Metal 2. I may have some bias, but TM is shaping up to be one of the most purely enjoyable games to release this year. Initial Recommendation: RESERVE IT
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception - This demo was strictly multi-player focused as well. If you played the recent beta, you didn't miss anything here. For those who didn't, the game is frantic, fast-paced and an absolute blast. Like Call of Duty, you're constantly gaining XP and collecting new items, skills, weapons, and mods. People will be sinking hundreds of hours into it, and will love every minute of it. Initial Recommendation: RESERVE IT
---
Game of Show: Dragon's Dogma
Has the Media and the Government gone ballistic on the subject of video games?
Recently this year we have seen much violence that many believe is caused from violent video games. Now there are video games that have shown excessive gore, strong language, and other themes that promote violence(bulletstorm, ninja gaiden, gta 4,god of war, etc) but I'm sick of biased people who don't understand that we have other things violence and terror.
If you ever took United States history in high school you may remember a certain movie called "Birth of a Nation" that I believe is a very controversial movie and racist that should be banned, now I know what your saying it was made in 1915 and it was a silent movie what can it do, it brought back the KKK but even bigger and powerful.
Now for books, the most purchased book and most robbed book in the world is the bible. I've seen many stories where psychopaths who commited acts of violence because "God" told them too now I have nothing against the bible but if it was a video game and this certain psychopath said that someone told him to commit the act with the words "would you kindly" that confession would cause an uproar and give bad credit to video games. Aren't we all tired of when the father or friend of a killer says that he plays MW2 or GTA san andreas that we auto automatically that we forgot what we think off and focus on video games. I bet everyone remembered when fox said "bulletstorm is the worst video game" now I bet they didn't even play it once they just watched 5 minutes of gameplay and said there opinion.
People and the media has to stop with this nonsense what we need is better parents to buy for their kids these days and actually read the rating labels and friends of non matured adults, sometimes tell them your opinion if they shouldn't buy this game and an off topic question but take a break from video games for every few hours it could save your life and your name on The Sun.
If you ever took United States history in high school you may remember a certain movie called "Birth of a Nation" that I believe is a very controversial movie and racist that should be banned, now I know what your saying it was made in 1915 and it was a silent movie what can it do, it brought back the KKK but even bigger and powerful.
Now for books, the most purchased book and most robbed book in the world is the bible. I've seen many stories where psychopaths who commited acts of violence because "God" told them too now I have nothing against the bible but if it was a video game and this certain psychopath said that someone told him to commit the act with the words "would you kindly" that confession would cause an uproar and give bad credit to video games. Aren't we all tired of when the father or friend of a killer says that he plays MW2 or GTA san andreas that we auto automatically that we forgot what we think off and focus on video games. I bet everyone remembered when fox said "bulletstorm is the worst video game" now I bet they didn't even play it once they just watched 5 minutes of gameplay and said there opinion.
People and the media has to stop with this nonsense what we need is better parents to buy for their kids these days and actually read the rating labels and friends of non matured adults, sometimes tell them your opinion if they shouldn't buy this game and an off topic question but take a break from video games for every few hours it could save your life and your name on The Sun.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Angry Birds for PC
Finally, those birds that everybody likes has arrived on PC. After iPhone, iPad, Android and other mobile versions, also iPhone cases and toys, Angry Birds has finally arrived on the PC thanks to the Intel App Up store. It’ll work fine and dandy on laptops and netbooks and will cost you only $4.99 to download. Nice price for this lovely game.
Angry Birds is a global phenomenon in mobile gaming and the top grossing iPhone app of 2010. So if you’re not a smart-phone wielding hipster, you no longer have an excuse not to be part of this franchise.
Overall it’s pretty much an identical game play experience to the iPhone app, with some minor differences. It’s snappy, gorgeous, and it sounds amazing. On the netbook version you use a mouse or trackpad instead of touch. There is an open hand icon when the mouse is in hover state, and a closed hand icon when you are clicking or dragging. This visible clue when pulling the slingshot is a nice aid. It allows you to fine tune shots more than just observing the angle of the slingshot band.
Angry Birds for PC
Larger screen means more visibility in the game. On many levels you can see the target that can’t be seen on the iPhone. The previous shot trail is more easily seen, allowing fine tuning of your next shot. Overall the animations and physics seem to have more fluidity.
In terms of features, options, menu etc it’s pretty close to the original. On the netbook the replay level icon has been added to the game space. So you don’t need to pause first then replay. If you start off with bad shot, just click the replay icon, then you can start over. Saving a click is nice. There is a Menu button in the Pause menu that gets you back to the Start screen. There are some things not in play on the netbook version. The leader board and achievements are not available in the main menu. The Golden Eggs are there.
Angry Birds strikes an interesting balance of repetitive, simple tasks and challenging game play working for the many scenarios. So, if you liked this game on your iPhone or Android phone, you’ll sure like it on your big PC screen. If you are new player, don’t hesitate and join the fun now.
You must know and recognize the game from the Rovio, Angry Birds.
This game consists of seven birds with super abilities are different. By using slingshots, you can control the jump and the height of ill-tempered birds to tear down the building where the collection of green pork fat is shelter.
Where is a funny collection of birds swelled, turned into a grumpy group of birds which destroy the kingdom of lustful pigs these cunning thieves.
Angry Birds now not only for the iPhone, Android OS, PS3 and PSP. even Angry Birds has been available in Ovi Store for Nokia. And now Angry Birds have been available for Windows XP and Windows 7
Free Angry Birds for PC
Plenty of dodgy website owners want to rip off Google and push traffic towards their sites on the bogus promise of the free version of Angry Birds for PC. This is only a scam but in fact there exists a download free Angry Birds for PC nevertheless, you will need to move quickly to take advantage of that offer
Finland games producer Rovio Mobile has produced their very 1st version of Angry Birds Game for the Apple iPhone. This particular game was immediately caught by the iPhonesters, and Rovio understood that they will become successful. That has been fine. However, Rovio needed to get going by recoding Angry Birds Games for several programs, which become easier for small companies to get done.
Several weeks went by and finally, the Nokia and Android users could get themselves the Angry Birds Game. After that, the RovioMobile switched their attentions to the huge users of the PSP or the Play Station Portable and the PS3. That has been an additional huge porting project for Rovio operations.
During that time, the PC users have been reading and hearing rumors regarding Angry Birds for PC. Ultimately, in January, Angry Birds for PC was released, and downloading is not for free. However, not everybody is willing to pay for $5 for just a game, even if they will enjoy playing with it. These days, several users have grown to be familiar of getting some thing for free, so there are many who are on the lookout for a totally free Angry Birds for PC download. It can be downloaded via Windows 7 and Windows XP and Vista, or Mac support. But downloading can only be downloaded if you have an internet connection for the process to activate successfully.
Angry Birds pc is one of the well-known games that have taken the popularity with over 200 million downloads. The availability of this game is taking place in almost all of the popular platforms. In addition to playing the game online in the browser you can now download it on your laptop and take it wherever you may go to enjoy the amazing games, enabling you to play whenever, wherever you go. Take it to your workplace or even in the park, while resting and basting under the sun. Probably launching the Angry Birds for PC the wisest and the best move the game maker ever made. This availability made for the millions of platform owners, even made the popularity of Angry Birds known to more video-gaming enthusiasts more than over.
Incoming search terms:
* angry birds for pc
* activate free angry birds for pc
* angry birds FLASH SCAM
* angry-birds-online scam
* free angry birds games full version for window xp
*
- Angry Birds PC Updated
The PC version was updated last week which we talked about in this post. This update will finally include all episodes of Ham ‘Em High and the two chapters of Mine and Dine. I’m sure this is welcome news for all the PC players who have been feeling left out. It shouldn’t have taken this long to get all the episodes out but that’s in the past now so lets just get to playing. Since all the chapters are available you also have access to all of the golden eggs. You can finally complete your collection!
As a side note because I didn’t want to do an entire post about the subject, have you all seen the Angry Birds bra? It’s available over on etsy you should go check it out. I personally don’t know anyone who would wear it but i’m sure there is someone out there who would. I don’t recommend buying this for you girlfriend or wife unless she
Angry Birds is a global phenomenon in mobile gaming and the top grossing iPhone app of 2010. So if you’re not a smart-phone wielding hipster, you no longer have an excuse not to be part of this franchise.
Overall it’s pretty much an identical game play experience to the iPhone app, with some minor differences. It’s snappy, gorgeous, and it sounds amazing. On the netbook version you use a mouse or trackpad instead of touch. There is an open hand icon when the mouse is in hover state, and a closed hand icon when you are clicking or dragging. This visible clue when pulling the slingshot is a nice aid. It allows you to fine tune shots more than just observing the angle of the slingshot band.
Angry Birds for PC
Larger screen means more visibility in the game. On many levels you can see the target that can’t be seen on the iPhone. The previous shot trail is more easily seen, allowing fine tuning of your next shot. Overall the animations and physics seem to have more fluidity.
In terms of features, options, menu etc it’s pretty close to the original. On the netbook the replay level icon has been added to the game space. So you don’t need to pause first then replay. If you start off with bad shot, just click the replay icon, then you can start over. Saving a click is nice. There is a Menu button in the Pause menu that gets you back to the Start screen. There are some things not in play on the netbook version. The leader board and achievements are not available in the main menu. The Golden Eggs are there.
Angry Birds strikes an interesting balance of repetitive, simple tasks and challenging game play working for the many scenarios. So, if you liked this game on your iPhone or Android phone, you’ll sure like it on your big PC screen. If you are new player, don’t hesitate and join the fun now.
You must know and recognize the game from the Rovio, Angry Birds.
This game consists of seven birds with super abilities are different. By using slingshots, you can control the jump and the height of ill-tempered birds to tear down the building where the collection of green pork fat is shelter.
Where is a funny collection of birds swelled, turned into a grumpy group of birds which destroy the kingdom of lustful pigs these cunning thieves.
Angry Birds now not only for the iPhone, Android OS, PS3 and PSP. even Angry Birds has been available in Ovi Store for Nokia. And now Angry Birds have been available for Windows XP and Windows 7
Free Angry Birds for PC
Plenty of dodgy website owners want to rip off Google and push traffic towards their sites on the bogus promise of the free version of Angry Birds for PC. This is only a scam but in fact there exists a download free Angry Birds for PC nevertheless, you will need to move quickly to take advantage of that offer
Finland games producer Rovio Mobile has produced their very 1st version of Angry Birds Game for the Apple iPhone. This particular game was immediately caught by the iPhonesters, and Rovio understood that they will become successful. That has been fine. However, Rovio needed to get going by recoding Angry Birds Games for several programs, which become easier for small companies to get done.
Several weeks went by and finally, the Nokia and Android users could get themselves the Angry Birds Game. After that, the RovioMobile switched their attentions to the huge users of the PSP or the Play Station Portable and the PS3. That has been an additional huge porting project for Rovio operations.
During that time, the PC users have been reading and hearing rumors regarding Angry Birds for PC. Ultimately, in January, Angry Birds for PC was released, and downloading is not for free. However, not everybody is willing to pay for $5 for just a game, even if they will enjoy playing with it. These days, several users have grown to be familiar of getting some thing for free, so there are many who are on the lookout for a totally free Angry Birds for PC download. It can be downloaded via Windows 7 and Windows XP and Vista, or Mac support. But downloading can only be downloaded if you have an internet connection for the process to activate successfully.
Angry Birds pc is one of the well-known games that have taken the popularity with over 200 million downloads. The availability of this game is taking place in almost all of the popular platforms. In addition to playing the game online in the browser you can now download it on your laptop and take it wherever you may go to enjoy the amazing games, enabling you to play whenever, wherever you go. Take it to your workplace or even in the park, while resting and basting under the sun. Probably launching the Angry Birds for PC the wisest and the best move the game maker ever made. This availability made for the millions of platform owners, even made the popularity of Angry Birds known to more video-gaming enthusiasts more than over.
Incoming search terms:
* angry birds for pc
* activate free angry birds for pc
* angry birds FLASH SCAM
* angry-birds-online scam
* free angry birds games full version for window xp
*
- Angry Birds PC Updated
The PC version was updated last week which we talked about in this post. This update will finally include all episodes of Ham ‘Em High and the two chapters of Mine and Dine. I’m sure this is welcome news for all the PC players who have been feeling left out. It shouldn’t have taken this long to get all the episodes out but that’s in the past now so lets just get to playing. Since all the chapters are available you also have access to all of the golden eggs. You can finally complete your collection!
As a side note because I didn’t want to do an entire post about the subject, have you all seen the Angry Birds bra? It’s available over on etsy you should go check it out. I personally don’t know anyone who would wear it but i’m sure there is someone out there who would. I don’t recommend buying this for you girlfriend or wife unless she
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!
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!
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.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Command and Conquer 3: Mod Wars
Command & Conquer is a popular series of real-time strategy war games. Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars is one of the series’ most successful titles. Here are some mods to enhance your C&C 3 experience and continue your work for Kane.
Alternate Warfare by ravagecn Alternate Warfare by ravagecn Ravagecn’s highly rated C&C 3 mod, Alternate Warfare, sets the player in an alternate Cold War era battlefield. As the general, you are given access to a vast arsenal of experimental weapons. Additionally, the conflicts range in size from regional unrest to full-scale nuclear war. Download this mod! It is regarded as one of the more epic C&C 3 mods to date.
AlternateWarfare1
AlternateWarfare2
AlternateWarfare3
Download C&C 3 Alternate Warfare
Mideast Crisis 2 by ISOTX This mod completely overhauls the original C&C campaign, changing the setting to focus on conflict in the Middle East. A very prevalent group of C&C developers put a lot of hours into this mod, creating a realistic multi-faceted campaign. The main focus of this mod is referred to as “occupation warfare” emphasizing the importance of budgeting wartime funding, ammunition and other limited resources.
Mideast1
Mideast2
Mideast3
Download C&C 3 Mideast Crisis 2
Talon Mod by Talon Clan This mod totes itself as the return to strategic thinking for C&C 3. With Talon Mod, you will no longer have instant victory by spamming tanks, rather, this mod encourages strategic planning and using a variety of units. This mod focuses less on adding new shiny things to the game, and more on creating more deep and immersive gameplay. If the original C&C3 campaign was just too easy for you, give Talon Mod a try.
Talon1
Talon2
Talon3
Download C&C 3 Talon Mod
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Related Posts
1. More Countries To Conquer In Civ 5
2. Monday Mod: Star Wars: Empire At War – Republic At War
3. Half Life 2 Wars: Antlions vs. Combine
4. Monday Mod: Red Alert 3 – Shock Therapy
5. Play Dune 2 Again: Acquire More Spice
This entry was posted in Strategy and tagged Command & Conquer series, Mods. Bookmark the permalink.
Alternate Warfare by ravagecn Alternate Warfare by ravagecn Ravagecn’s highly rated C&C 3 mod, Alternate Warfare, sets the player in an alternate Cold War era battlefield. As the general, you are given access to a vast arsenal of experimental weapons. Additionally, the conflicts range in size from regional unrest to full-scale nuclear war. Download this mod! It is regarded as one of the more epic C&C 3 mods to date.
AlternateWarfare1
AlternateWarfare2
AlternateWarfare3
Download C&C 3 Alternate Warfare
Mideast Crisis 2 by ISOTX This mod completely overhauls the original C&C campaign, changing the setting to focus on conflict in the Middle East. A very prevalent group of C&C developers put a lot of hours into this mod, creating a realistic multi-faceted campaign. The main focus of this mod is referred to as “occupation warfare” emphasizing the importance of budgeting wartime funding, ammunition and other limited resources.
Mideast1
Mideast2
Mideast3
Download C&C 3 Mideast Crisis 2
Talon Mod by Talon Clan This mod totes itself as the return to strategic thinking for C&C 3. With Talon Mod, you will no longer have instant victory by spamming tanks, rather, this mod encourages strategic planning and using a variety of units. This mod focuses less on adding new shiny things to the game, and more on creating more deep and immersive gameplay. If the original C&C3 campaign was just too easy for you, give Talon Mod a try.
Talon1
Talon2
Talon3
Download C&C 3 Talon Mod
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Related Posts
1. More Countries To Conquer In Civ 5
2. Monday Mod: Star Wars: Empire At War – Republic At War
3. Half Life 2 Wars: Antlions vs. Combine
4. Monday Mod: Red Alert 3 – Shock Therapy
5. Play Dune 2 Again: Acquire More Spice
This entry was posted in Strategy and tagged Command & Conquer series, Mods. Bookmark the permalink.
GameSpy's Battlefield 3 Questions and Concerns
In July 2010, Electronic Arts and DICE revealed Battlefield 3 was in development. While you would expect such a major franchise announcement to be delivered on stage at a blockbuster industry event like E3 – complete with laser lights, smoke machine, and eye-popping teaser trailer – it was actually made in a brief marketing promo for Medal of Honor pre-orders. If you missed it, which you probably did, here it is in all its two-sentence glory:
"People who own the Medal of Honor Limited Edition will receive an invitation to the beta for another highly-anticipated EA shooter, Battlefield 3. Battlefield 3 is the latest entry in the award-winning shooter franchise from DICE in Stockholm, Sweden."
Woohoo! Battlefield 3, baby! Ahem. We've seen bigger reveals from EA for its Facebook games. Seriously.
The underwhelming reveal would be the first of a handful of peculiar decisions made by EA and DICE over the past year, and as amazing as the jet-infused, Frostbite 2-powered, 64-player PC version of Battlefield 3 looks, those decisions have created some serious questions/concerns about the game.
Origin Over Steam
Whattayamean no Steam?
Battlefield 3 is PC first. It's a message we've heard from DICE since day one… well, more like day 30, but you get the picture. That's why it's so surprising the anticipated shooter will not be sold on the biggest digital PC gaming distribution hub in the world, Valve's Steam.
EA claims Valve's restrictive terms of service are to blame (a claim we've actually heard repeated by Minecraft creator Markus "Notch" Persson of all people), but regardless of why, not only will gamers not be able to download Battlefield 3 from Steam, they'll be forced to download EA's untested Origin client in order to play Battlefield 3 no matter where they buy the game – even if it's a hard copy. That fact created even more of an Internet ruckus when gamers got a closer look at Origin's scary original end-user license agreement (EULA), which read like the legal definition of spyware:
You agree that EA may collect, use, store and transmit technical and related information that identifies your computer (including the Internet Protocol Address), operating system, Application usage (including but not limited to successful installation and/or removal), software, software usage and peripheral hardware, that may be gathered periodically to facilitate the provision of software updates, dynamically served content, product support and other services to you, including online services. EA may also use this information combined with personal information for marketing purposes and to improve our products and services. We may also share that data with our third party service providers in a form that does not personally identify you.
After the online outcry, the publisher tweaked the language of the Origin EULA, stating, in part: "EA would never sell your personally identifiable information to anyone, nor would it ever use spyware or install spyware on users' machines."
Funny, I don't feel reassured.
Preliminary Verdict: This could turn into a launch day train wreck. Forget about the scary EULA, EA and DICE already have enough trouble launching online games on their existing backend (see Battlefield: Bad Company 2). Throw in the new backend they've created for Battlefield 3 and EA's untested Origin client, and we could have a recipe for disaster. To borrow a line from Han Solo, I've got a bad feeling about this. And to think this potential catastrophe could have been avoided simply by releasing the game on Steam, complete with Valve's reliable, tested, and trusted Steamworks.
No SDK, Hell, Not Even a Map Editor
You'll get nothing and like it.
Battlefield 2 was released in 2005. Six years later, modding teams like the folks behind Project Reality: BF2 and Forgotten Hope are still releasing major updates for their stellar modifications. Given the passionate modding community's effort to keep Battlefield 2 fresh all these years later, you would think DICE would put releasing an SDK at the top of its Battlefield 3 To Do list. Unforgivably, DICE has decided not to release modding tools with BF3.
The studio cited the complexities of Frostbite 2, the potential for hacks, and time constraints as the reasons why it won't be releasing an SDK, none of which satisfied PC gamers. The studio has softened its stance of late, though, saying that it will do its best to throw the modding community a bone, or at least a digital treat. Before you get your hopes up, those statements have been bracketed by "no promises."
Preliminary Verdict: Like the decision not to sell BF3 on Steam, this one just doesn't make sense. Calling Battlefield 3 PC first and then choosing not to include an SDK or even a map editor with the game is an unfortunate contradiction.
Pay to Play
If you don't pre-order, get ready to pay to go back to Karkand.
"We don't ever want to charge for our maps and insisted to EA that this attitude was crucial when it came to keeping our community happy and playing together. We're owned by EA but we're still very much DICE."
Those are the words of DICE Senior Producer Patrick Bach. He made the comment shortly after the launch of Battlefield: Bad Company 2 in March 2010, stating that his studio didn't want to follow Call of Duty down the $15 map pack path. All that will go out the window on launch day for Battlefield 3.
In pimping pre-orders for BF3, DICE and EA have included the Back to Karkand map pack, featuring four of the most beloved battlegrounds from the Battlefield franchise: Strike at Karkand, Wake Island, Gulf of Oman, and Sharqi Peninsula. Those maps are free for those who pre-order the game. But if you pick up Battlefield 3 on launch day or after, you'll have to pay anywhere from $10 to $15 to get Back to Karkand.
DICE has yet to announce pricing, and while the map pack is a terrific pre-order bonus, it will also be a huge cash cow for EA on launch day, as literally millions of gamers will realize they don't have access to four of the game's best maps and go scrambling for their credit cards.
Preliminary Verdict: Yup, it appears DICE's "we'll never charge for maps" policy is out the window with Battlefield 3, and in this gamer's mind, the franchise will be worse for it.
The Game Isn't Ready
Can't... move... laaaag!
Millions of gamers flocked to DICE's recently concluded Battlefield 3 multiplayer beta (with the count reportedly as high as 12 million simultaneous players combined across all platforms), diving into a decidedly un-Battlefield experience. The Battlefield franchise sets itself apart with massive maps, vehicles, teamwork, and more players. All of those things were missing during the game's Operation Metro, Rush mode-focused beta. With a new engine, new backend, new out-of-game server browser/social network, the Origin client, and the return of 64-players and jets, you would think DICE would want to put its key features through their paces in the beta to work out the kinks. Strangely, it didn't do that until opening up the Caspian Border map to PC gamers during the final weekend of the beta.
And it's not as if Operation Metro was a highly polished experience. Terrain stability, poor hit detection, and a variety of other bugs and glitches impacted the multiplayer experience. And what's up with that Killcam? What is this, COD? Yes, it was a beta, and that's exactly where you would want these issues to be discovered and addressed. The question is, why not do it on the larger, vehicle-filled, 64-player maps?
Preliminary Verdict: We've still got just over two weeks before launch, so DICE does still have a small chunk of time to crunch and work out the kinks. But let's be honest, the studio has a checkered history with launches, and it would be a surprise if Battlefield 3 really was ready for prime time on October 25. I just hope the studio has learned from its previous launch missteps and will at least show improvement for what's being billed as the potential game of the year. Given the $100 million marketing hype behind the game, a launch day stumble would be especially painful.
I've been playing Battlefield since the first wing-riding days of Battlefield 1942 back in 2002. Ah, memories. It's one of the reasons why I'm so excited about Battlefield 3's potential and critical of the decisions that DICE and EA have made leading up to the game's launch. Will it end up being worthy of the hype? In the end, I think it will. But I can't help but feel that day won't come until a solid month after launch.
Spy Guy says: You might recall a similar questions/concerns preview piece we published for Rage, a few weeks back, an article that turned out to be surprisingly prescient. What do you think of these types of previews, and would you like to see more of them in the future?
"People who own the Medal of Honor Limited Edition will receive an invitation to the beta for another highly-anticipated EA shooter, Battlefield 3. Battlefield 3 is the latest entry in the award-winning shooter franchise from DICE in Stockholm, Sweden."
Woohoo! Battlefield 3, baby! Ahem. We've seen bigger reveals from EA for its Facebook games. Seriously.
The underwhelming reveal would be the first of a handful of peculiar decisions made by EA and DICE over the past year, and as amazing as the jet-infused, Frostbite 2-powered, 64-player PC version of Battlefield 3 looks, those decisions have created some serious questions/concerns about the game.
Origin Over Steam
Whattayamean no Steam?
Battlefield 3 is PC first. It's a message we've heard from DICE since day one… well, more like day 30, but you get the picture. That's why it's so surprising the anticipated shooter will not be sold on the biggest digital PC gaming distribution hub in the world, Valve's Steam.
EA claims Valve's restrictive terms of service are to blame (a claim we've actually heard repeated by Minecraft creator Markus "Notch" Persson of all people), but regardless of why, not only will gamers not be able to download Battlefield 3 from Steam, they'll be forced to download EA's untested Origin client in order to play Battlefield 3 no matter where they buy the game – even if it's a hard copy. That fact created even more of an Internet ruckus when gamers got a closer look at Origin's scary original end-user license agreement (EULA), which read like the legal definition of spyware:
You agree that EA may collect, use, store and transmit technical and related information that identifies your computer (including the Internet Protocol Address), operating system, Application usage (including but not limited to successful installation and/or removal), software, software usage and peripheral hardware, that may be gathered periodically to facilitate the provision of software updates, dynamically served content, product support and other services to you, including online services. EA may also use this information combined with personal information for marketing purposes and to improve our products and services. We may also share that data with our third party service providers in a form that does not personally identify you.
After the online outcry, the publisher tweaked the language of the Origin EULA, stating, in part: "EA would never sell your personally identifiable information to anyone, nor would it ever use spyware or install spyware on users' machines."
Funny, I don't feel reassured.
Preliminary Verdict: This could turn into a launch day train wreck. Forget about the scary EULA, EA and DICE already have enough trouble launching online games on their existing backend (see Battlefield: Bad Company 2). Throw in the new backend they've created for Battlefield 3 and EA's untested Origin client, and we could have a recipe for disaster. To borrow a line from Han Solo, I've got a bad feeling about this. And to think this potential catastrophe could have been avoided simply by releasing the game on Steam, complete with Valve's reliable, tested, and trusted Steamworks.
No SDK, Hell, Not Even a Map Editor
You'll get nothing and like it.
Battlefield 2 was released in 2005. Six years later, modding teams like the folks behind Project Reality: BF2 and Forgotten Hope are still releasing major updates for their stellar modifications. Given the passionate modding community's effort to keep Battlefield 2 fresh all these years later, you would think DICE would put releasing an SDK at the top of its Battlefield 3 To Do list. Unforgivably, DICE has decided not to release modding tools with BF3.
The studio cited the complexities of Frostbite 2, the potential for hacks, and time constraints as the reasons why it won't be releasing an SDK, none of which satisfied PC gamers. The studio has softened its stance of late, though, saying that it will do its best to throw the modding community a bone, or at least a digital treat. Before you get your hopes up, those statements have been bracketed by "no promises."
Preliminary Verdict: Like the decision not to sell BF3 on Steam, this one just doesn't make sense. Calling Battlefield 3 PC first and then choosing not to include an SDK or even a map editor with the game is an unfortunate contradiction.
Pay to Play
If you don't pre-order, get ready to pay to go back to Karkand.
"We don't ever want to charge for our maps and insisted to EA that this attitude was crucial when it came to keeping our community happy and playing together. We're owned by EA but we're still very much DICE."
Those are the words of DICE Senior Producer Patrick Bach. He made the comment shortly after the launch of Battlefield: Bad Company 2 in March 2010, stating that his studio didn't want to follow Call of Duty down the $15 map pack path. All that will go out the window on launch day for Battlefield 3.
In pimping pre-orders for BF3, DICE and EA have included the Back to Karkand map pack, featuring four of the most beloved battlegrounds from the Battlefield franchise: Strike at Karkand, Wake Island, Gulf of Oman, and Sharqi Peninsula. Those maps are free for those who pre-order the game. But if you pick up Battlefield 3 on launch day or after, you'll have to pay anywhere from $10 to $15 to get Back to Karkand.
DICE has yet to announce pricing, and while the map pack is a terrific pre-order bonus, it will also be a huge cash cow for EA on launch day, as literally millions of gamers will realize they don't have access to four of the game's best maps and go scrambling for their credit cards.
Preliminary Verdict: Yup, it appears DICE's "we'll never charge for maps" policy is out the window with Battlefield 3, and in this gamer's mind, the franchise will be worse for it.
The Game Isn't Ready
Can't... move... laaaag!
Millions of gamers flocked to DICE's recently concluded Battlefield 3 multiplayer beta (with the count reportedly as high as 12 million simultaneous players combined across all platforms), diving into a decidedly un-Battlefield experience. The Battlefield franchise sets itself apart with massive maps, vehicles, teamwork, and more players. All of those things were missing during the game's Operation Metro, Rush mode-focused beta. With a new engine, new backend, new out-of-game server browser/social network, the Origin client, and the return of 64-players and jets, you would think DICE would want to put its key features through their paces in the beta to work out the kinks. Strangely, it didn't do that until opening up the Caspian Border map to PC gamers during the final weekend of the beta.
And it's not as if Operation Metro was a highly polished experience. Terrain stability, poor hit detection, and a variety of other bugs and glitches impacted the multiplayer experience. And what's up with that Killcam? What is this, COD? Yes, it was a beta, and that's exactly where you would want these issues to be discovered and addressed. The question is, why not do it on the larger, vehicle-filled, 64-player maps?
Preliminary Verdict: We've still got just over two weeks before launch, so DICE does still have a small chunk of time to crunch and work out the kinks. But let's be honest, the studio has a checkered history with launches, and it would be a surprise if Battlefield 3 really was ready for prime time on October 25. I just hope the studio has learned from its previous launch missteps and will at least show improvement for what's being billed as the potential game of the year. Given the $100 million marketing hype behind the game, a launch day stumble would be especially painful.
I've been playing Battlefield since the first wing-riding days of Battlefield 1942 back in 2002. Ah, memories. It's one of the reasons why I'm so excited about Battlefield 3's potential and critical of the decisions that DICE and EA have made leading up to the game's launch. Will it end up being worthy of the hype? In the end, I think it will. But I can't help but feel that day won't come until a solid month after launch.
Spy Guy says: You might recall a similar questions/concerns preview piece we published for Rage, a few weeks back, an article that turned out to be surprisingly prescient. What do you think of these types of previews, and would you like to see more of them in the future?
Fanatec Racing Peripheral Review
To play a hardcore PC driving sim like iRacing or rFactor with a control pad or -- even more disgustingly -- a keyboard, is like taking a Ferrari for a test drive in a speed-limited school zone; a disgusting waste of a potentially amazing experience. To truly immerse yourself in the delights of these professional-level sims requires a steering wheel and pedals, and Fanatec has established itself as one of the premium brands in the business. They've turned their Germaneering experience to a sexy new product in the CSR Wheel and CSR Elite pedals, and as an owner of their earlier wheels I just had to take this package for a test drive.
The Wheel Deal
1.jpg
The key new feature of this wheel is its support for Xbox 360, evident by the prominent Forza 4 branding plastered all over it. This makes it a very rare creature indeed, being the only wheel on the market that is on friendly terms with the PS3, 360 and PC. It uses a wireless connection to communicate to the 360, while a USB cable is used for PC and PS3 use. This focus on 360 compatibility has seen the face of the wheel change dramatically from the earlier 911 GT3 RS wheel I own, and from which the CSR has evolved. The buttons are now clearly labeled to represent the 360 controller's buttons, while an analogue stick makes its debut. This is fantastic for Forza players, but if you want to use the CSR on your PC there's one major problem with the button renovation -- they're now much, much harder to reach while driving.
You'll need extra-long thumbs to reach the buttons and you'll probably resort to taking your hand off the wheel to activate them. This strange decision is the one major flaw in an otherwise excellent design, so you'll need to ask yourself how often you need to use your buttons if you're thinking of upgrading. Thankfully the new shifter paddles alleviate these issues somewhat -- they're big and clicky, much better than previous Fanatec paddles.
2.jpg
The second major change is a total redesign of the wheel's ergonomics. Where the earlier 911 wheels looked more at home in a gentleman's Mercedes Benz, the CRS has been raised on pit lane, force fed a diet of pure adrenaline and kerosene. It looks much more like a real racing car's wheel, and is comprised primarily of plastic and aluminum. Unlike the GT3 it's got just a couple of patches of leather at the 9 and 3 o'clock positions, so I had to adjust my 10 and 2 positioning to better fit the wheel. Not only does it look better, the new lightweight construction has a major impact on the way the wheel feels. The CSR might be packing the same Mabuchi RS 550 Motor for force feedback effects, but it feels very different. I strapped it into my beautiful Obutto racing frame for a spot of iRacing, and was immediately impressed by how alive if felt in comparison to the already excellent 911 GT3 RS. When the wheel starts kicking like a bucking bronco as you start to snap into oversteer, it feels much more powerful; the engine has less weight in the wheel to drive, so more of the oomph gets transmitted to the driver. The wheel also rotates more easily, making corrections through the full 900 degree of range snappier and more responsive. This reason alone has made me swap out the CSR as my full time weapon of choice.
Pedal to the Metal
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Debuting with the CSR is a new set of pedals from Fanatec, the CSR Elite Pedals. Like the ClubSport Pedals that Fanatec is famous for, this cheaper version uses the famous load cell technology for the brake. This means that the brake pedal works based on the amount of foot pressure, like a real car, as opposed to the moving brake position used in Logitech and Thrustmaster products. Unlike the CSP's, the load cell adjusting dial now has markings, making it easy to see what level you've tuned them to.
$50 cheaper than the CSPs, at $149.95, the CSR Elite pedals have cut costs by swapping out the all-metal construction of the CSPs with a hybrid aluminum/plastic design. Given the immense pressure pedals go through in the heat of battle I'm a little concerned about how the plastic will hold up over time. The gas pedal is also extremely light, needing a featherweight touch to activate. They've got one major strength though -- the ability to be configured in a more realistic hanging configuration, which the CSPs can't do without some major modding. Still, the light gas pedal and plastic construction leaves me still more than happy with my CSP purchase.
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The H-shifter and sequential shifter have also seen some love, now using a metallic construction that feels much more sturdy and is reassuringly cool to the touch. Despite the tougher build quality, the sensation of swapping gears still feels a little bit soft, a problem it has in common with its ancestor. Finding first gear can sometimes be a little tricky, but it's still a decent shifter kit for the price.
The Wheel Deal
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The key new feature of this wheel is its support for Xbox 360, evident by the prominent Forza 4 branding plastered all over it. This makes it a very rare creature indeed, being the only wheel on the market that is on friendly terms with the PS3, 360 and PC. It uses a wireless connection to communicate to the 360, while a USB cable is used for PC and PS3 use. This focus on 360 compatibility has seen the face of the wheel change dramatically from the earlier 911 GT3 RS wheel I own, and from which the CSR has evolved. The buttons are now clearly labeled to represent the 360 controller's buttons, while an analogue stick makes its debut. This is fantastic for Forza players, but if you want to use the CSR on your PC there's one major problem with the button renovation -- they're now much, much harder to reach while driving.
You'll need extra-long thumbs to reach the buttons and you'll probably resort to taking your hand off the wheel to activate them. This strange decision is the one major flaw in an otherwise excellent design, so you'll need to ask yourself how often you need to use your buttons if you're thinking of upgrading. Thankfully the new shifter paddles alleviate these issues somewhat -- they're big and clicky, much better than previous Fanatec paddles.
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The second major change is a total redesign of the wheel's ergonomics. Where the earlier 911 wheels looked more at home in a gentleman's Mercedes Benz, the CRS has been raised on pit lane, force fed a diet of pure adrenaline and kerosene. It looks much more like a real racing car's wheel, and is comprised primarily of plastic and aluminum. Unlike the GT3 it's got just a couple of patches of leather at the 9 and 3 o'clock positions, so I had to adjust my 10 and 2 positioning to better fit the wheel. Not only does it look better, the new lightweight construction has a major impact on the way the wheel feels. The CSR might be packing the same Mabuchi RS 550 Motor for force feedback effects, but it feels very different. I strapped it into my beautiful Obutto racing frame for a spot of iRacing, and was immediately impressed by how alive if felt in comparison to the already excellent 911 GT3 RS. When the wheel starts kicking like a bucking bronco as you start to snap into oversteer, it feels much more powerful; the engine has less weight in the wheel to drive, so more of the oomph gets transmitted to the driver. The wheel also rotates more easily, making corrections through the full 900 degree of range snappier and more responsive. This reason alone has made me swap out the CSR as my full time weapon of choice.
Pedal to the Metal
3.jpg
Debuting with the CSR is a new set of pedals from Fanatec, the CSR Elite Pedals. Like the ClubSport Pedals that Fanatec is famous for, this cheaper version uses the famous load cell technology for the brake. This means that the brake pedal works based on the amount of foot pressure, like a real car, as opposed to the moving brake position used in Logitech and Thrustmaster products. Unlike the CSP's, the load cell adjusting dial now has markings, making it easy to see what level you've tuned them to.
$50 cheaper than the CSPs, at $149.95, the CSR Elite pedals have cut costs by swapping out the all-metal construction of the CSPs with a hybrid aluminum/plastic design. Given the immense pressure pedals go through in the heat of battle I'm a little concerned about how the plastic will hold up over time. The gas pedal is also extremely light, needing a featherweight touch to activate. They've got one major strength though -- the ability to be configured in a more realistic hanging configuration, which the CSPs can't do without some major modding. Still, the light gas pedal and plastic construction leaves me still more than happy with my CSP purchase.
4.jpg
The H-shifter and sequential shifter have also seen some love, now using a metallic construction that feels much more sturdy and is reassuringly cool to the touch. Despite the tougher build quality, the sensation of swapping gears still feels a little bit soft, a problem it has in common with its ancestor. Finding first gear can sometimes be a little tricky, but it's still a decent shifter kit for the price.
Tools of the Trade: New Weapons and Gadgets of Assassin's Creed: Revelations
Much of Assassin's Creed: Revelations has us rejoining the formerly fresh-faced Ezio a couple of decades after we last saw him. He's rocking a worldly beard and a much darker costume when he arrives in Istanbul (occasionally known as Constantinople, or so a song told me,) where the local Assassins are only too eager to introduce him to some of their more entertaining innovations. We recently had a chance to play about a third of the game, but rather than spoiling the hell out of the plot I thought it'd be more fun to talk about some of these additions to the Assassin's toy box.
"...the hookblade allows for much more rapid scaling of buildings..."
First among these is the hookblade, which does exactly what it says on the tin. A wrist mounted grapple, the hookblade allows for much more rapid scaling of buildings and, even better, enables Ezio to utilize ziplines that have been strung between rooftops all over town. Not only does this make traversal of the city about 30% faster, but opens up new combat options like dropping off the line to assassinate a target below. This new mobility is brilliantly showcased in several set-piece sequences, including a subterranean ravine full of inconveniently collapsing scaffolds, or a race down a canal to catch up to a boat full of fleeing Templars. Actually, the hookblade is an instrument of such shocking utility that it's almost baffling that word of the thing has never made its way to Rome. I realize in the ancient world the Istanbul Assassins couldn't just shoot off a text message telling their buddies to try duct taping a hook to their arm, but they could have at least sent a note.
The city's new transportation system made getting to work a breeze.
"Bombs are the second major addition to the series..."
Bombs are the second major addition to the series, and easily the feature that offers the most opportunity for creative (or just plain sadistic) use. Now, bombs initially seem an uncharacteristic thing to be employed by a secret society that prizes subtlety and finesse over brute force, but in Revelations they can be surprisingly subtle tools. Assembled from bits and parts found or bought around the city, dozens of components make for literally hundreds of possible bomb combinations. Several different powders can be found or created, and depending on their potency will provide either small, focused blasts, or large explosions that will scatter the bomb's contents over a wide area. A smaller cherry bomb can make for an excellent localized distraction, while a larger charge might be used to scatter a load of caltrops all over a street or rooftop to impede pursuit.
Casings offer other effects prior to explosion. A more standard fuse shell will provide a time delay, but others provide more interesting possibilities. A tripwire offers almost endless opportunities for booby-trapping, including the classic tactic of attaching a grenade to the body of an already dispatched opponent, which will go off when one of their friends comes to investigate. Leaving a trapped body near a convenient haystack is an excellent way of clearing an area of guards without ever showing your face.
Whatcha doin' Ezio? Just hangin' round.
The sticky pouch has to be my personal favorite, and I think the opinion will be especially shared by any Halo fan. They can be used to create sticky bombs, which will either fasten themselves to a surface, or more entertainingly, a civilian or guard. This naturally causes a few moments of panic in the victim before the bomb goes off and deploys its contents, which is particularly gratifying when the poor sap runs toward their buddies for help.
"...make a blood bomb for that "Carrie at the prom" effect."
The most important aspect of bomb making is what you choose to fill it with in addition to powder. Simple explosives are enough fun on their own, but not nearly so amusing as filling one with pyrite coins to create a money bomb. Toss one of those into a crowded square and the resulting frenzy of greed will create a distraction that would enable a pink, breakdancing gorilla to walk through the middle of town unnoticed. Or, if you happen to come across lamb's blood at some point, go ahead and make a blood bomb for that "Carrie at the prom" effect. Even the most stoic guard will be a little bit distracted when subjected to a loud noise and a sudden abundance of gore covering everyone and everything around them. Or you could just fill a bunch of sticky bombs with skunk oil and go around attaching them to random passersby. No, it may not accomplish much, but I think I could do that all day.
Happy wife, happy life. Unhappy wife, kick in the face.
Revelations has a compelling plot, but it's surprisingly easy to get distracted from it with so many gadgets and toys to screw around with. I'm greatly anticipating the resolution of Ezio's story, but I'm surprised to find myself just as much looking forward antagonizing Templars with improvised gadgets like an ancient griefer MacGuyver.
"...the hookblade allows for much more rapid scaling of buildings..."
First among these is the hookblade, which does exactly what it says on the tin. A wrist mounted grapple, the hookblade allows for much more rapid scaling of buildings and, even better, enables Ezio to utilize ziplines that have been strung between rooftops all over town. Not only does this make traversal of the city about 30% faster, but opens up new combat options like dropping off the line to assassinate a target below. This new mobility is brilliantly showcased in several set-piece sequences, including a subterranean ravine full of inconveniently collapsing scaffolds, or a race down a canal to catch up to a boat full of fleeing Templars. Actually, the hookblade is an instrument of such shocking utility that it's almost baffling that word of the thing has never made its way to Rome. I realize in the ancient world the Istanbul Assassins couldn't just shoot off a text message telling their buddies to try duct taping a hook to their arm, but they could have at least sent a note.
The city's new transportation system made getting to work a breeze.
"Bombs are the second major addition to the series..."
Bombs are the second major addition to the series, and easily the feature that offers the most opportunity for creative (or just plain sadistic) use. Now, bombs initially seem an uncharacteristic thing to be employed by a secret society that prizes subtlety and finesse over brute force, but in Revelations they can be surprisingly subtle tools. Assembled from bits and parts found or bought around the city, dozens of components make for literally hundreds of possible bomb combinations. Several different powders can be found or created, and depending on their potency will provide either small, focused blasts, or large explosions that will scatter the bomb's contents over a wide area. A smaller cherry bomb can make for an excellent localized distraction, while a larger charge might be used to scatter a load of caltrops all over a street or rooftop to impede pursuit.
Casings offer other effects prior to explosion. A more standard fuse shell will provide a time delay, but others provide more interesting possibilities. A tripwire offers almost endless opportunities for booby-trapping, including the classic tactic of attaching a grenade to the body of an already dispatched opponent, which will go off when one of their friends comes to investigate. Leaving a trapped body near a convenient haystack is an excellent way of clearing an area of guards without ever showing your face.
Whatcha doin' Ezio? Just hangin' round.
The sticky pouch has to be my personal favorite, and I think the opinion will be especially shared by any Halo fan. They can be used to create sticky bombs, which will either fasten themselves to a surface, or more entertainingly, a civilian or guard. This naturally causes a few moments of panic in the victim before the bomb goes off and deploys its contents, which is particularly gratifying when the poor sap runs toward their buddies for help.
"...make a blood bomb for that "Carrie at the prom" effect."
The most important aspect of bomb making is what you choose to fill it with in addition to powder. Simple explosives are enough fun on their own, but not nearly so amusing as filling one with pyrite coins to create a money bomb. Toss one of those into a crowded square and the resulting frenzy of greed will create a distraction that would enable a pink, breakdancing gorilla to walk through the middle of town unnoticed. Or, if you happen to come across lamb's blood at some point, go ahead and make a blood bomb for that "Carrie at the prom" effect. Even the most stoic guard will be a little bit distracted when subjected to a loud noise and a sudden abundance of gore covering everyone and everything around them. Or you could just fill a bunch of sticky bombs with skunk oil and go around attaching them to random passersby. No, it may not accomplish much, but I think I could do that all day.
Happy wife, happy life. Unhappy wife, kick in the face.
Revelations has a compelling plot, but it's surprisingly easy to get distracted from it with so many gadgets and toys to screw around with. I'm greatly anticipating the resolution of Ezio's story, but I'm surprised to find myself just as much looking forward antagonizing Templars with improvised gadgets like an ancient griefer MacGuyver.
GDC Online: PopCap Interview
John Vechey helped start PopCap Games in Seattle back in 2000. The maker of Plants Vs. Zombies was purchased by mega-publisher Electronic Arts in July for some $750 million. He'll be delivering a keynote at GDC Online, and we caught up with him in advance to ask a few questions…
GameSpy: Why do gamers love PopCap games?
John: You know, when we first started, Bejewelled was kind of ragged on, because people were like, 'it's not even a game'. And we were like, 'Ah, it's pretty fun. People are playing it.' And from our side of things, we're gamers—we're making things for ourselves.
Why do people who love good stories love Pixar? Well, because they're telling good stories. That's probably why gamers love our games and non-gamers love our games, because we're making them so that anyone can find that fun we find in it.
GameSpy: They do seem to appeal universally.
"...there was this game that we worked on for a couple years, that was like PopCap meets NetHack."
John: I think it's because we first focus on making games for us. And then we spend a huge amount of effort to make that fun accessible for everyone. A game that can't meet both those demands equally…we cancel. So we'll have games that we worked on for a couple years – there was this game that we worked on for a couple years, that was like PopCap meets NetHack. And it's a super-fun game for us, but we could never get everything to gel in a way where a person who doesn't play games can really get the fun out of it.
Who'd have thought such a simple concept could grow so big?
GameSpy: Should we expect larger productions from PopCap?
John: We're always trying to do different things. Increase our production value, Bejewelled 3, which we released last year had huge production value. We did full high-def mode, multiple game modes, it was gigantic. Now, as we become more and more social – first as a platform, that scope goes down again, but only for us to increase it more and more. I don't think we'll be getting into—we're not doing Battlefield 4.
"You know, we've had a lot of interest from Hollywood."
GameSpy: Another company, Rovio, has the ambition to go transmedia. Are we going to see PopCap doing Bejewelled plushies and Plants vs. Zombies feature films?
John: You know, we've had a lot of interest from Hollywood. We've just hired someone to explore merchandising for us. So I definitely think we're going to do more of it. "Transmedia," I think is like metrics-driven-game-design: it's like, 'okay, cool in theory, but it's not really how the world works.' So yeah, are we going to try to give our customers cool plushies if they want them? Yes. Is that our new company strategy? No, we're a game company. I think that's where we're a little different than Rovio, even, I think Rovio would admit this as well, Rovio is the Angry Birds company. Their whole focus – and they're doing an amazing job of it – is to be the Angry Birds company. And one of the best ways to do that outside of platform expansion is to kind of accent the brand with all those other things. And they've done a great job of it. You know, we made a decision a long time ago to not be the Bejewelled company. To be PopCap. To be a greater games company. And it doesn't make any one strategy better or worse, but they're definitely different.
GameSpy: You were acquired by EA. Are they going to ruin you?
"So, is EA going to f%$k it up? I don't think so..."
John: I don't think they're going to ruin us. I think it's ours to f$1k up, I mean honestly. One of the things we liked about EA is they've done a fair amount of acquisitions in the last decade, they've screwed up a couple of them, and they've gotten a lot of them right. And more recently, their track-record of getting them right has been increasing more and more. I myself feel, my co-founders, our CEO, the executives at PopCap are just as in-charge as they were before. So, is EA going to f%$k it up? I don't think so, because really, I think it's ours to screw up. And if it gets screwed up, it's really on us.
Digital crack the whole family can enjoy!
GameSpy: You're rich now. Is it true you still drive a Prius?
John: I actually bought a Volt in February of this year. I don't think a Volt is hippie. I think a Prius gives you more hippie cred, Volt gives me like electric car cred. I never use the gas part of the Volt. I love my Prius, though. It's one of my favorite cars.
"...the challenge that PopCap is going to have is 'how do we handle 200 million people per day playing our games?'"
GameSpy: What are you most excited about?
John: PopCap has been a very conservative company. We've never been great at scale. And so one of things that in the future I think we're really going to have to challenge ourselves with is scale – from both a users and technology standpoint, as well as a scale from consumer marketing. So in the next five years, I think you're going to see us transform, instead of a company that has 5 million play Bejewelled Blitz per day – that's a lot of people when you compare it to your neighborhood bookstore – but I think the challenge that PopCap is going to have is 'how do we handle 200 million people per day playing our games?' That's going to be our challenge over the next five years.
GameSpy: Did we leave anything out?
John: A lot of people ask, 'how does it feel to not own your company anymore?' or 'how is it to be rich?' And it's always a complicated answer that I don't think people have a full appreciation for. I still feel like it's my company. Except now I fell more stress, because I feel like the rest of EA is my company, too. It's one of the great things about John Riccitiello that he did, he instilled that 'hey, there's a creative leadership at this company, and you guys are part of it. Not only do we not want to screw you up, but we also want you to be a part of EA, and to help influence the rest of EA.' So I now feel like this gigantic burden to like, not let Frank Gibeau down, or the BioWare guys, or DICE. I'm like, 'wow, we've got to make sure we're bringing it—cause they are.' You know, I see Battlefield 3, and I'm so giddy about it. And I want to make sure they feel just as giddy about our stuff.
Spy Guy says: It's so refreshing to speak to a developer who hasn't had the f-word media trained out of him. John's obviously a rather switched on dude – what do you think PopCap should focus on in this EA-stage of its life?
GameSpy: Why do gamers love PopCap games?
John: You know, when we first started, Bejewelled was kind of ragged on, because people were like, 'it's not even a game'. And we were like, 'Ah, it's pretty fun. People are playing it.' And from our side of things, we're gamers—we're making things for ourselves.
Why do people who love good stories love Pixar? Well, because they're telling good stories. That's probably why gamers love our games and non-gamers love our games, because we're making them so that anyone can find that fun we find in it.
GameSpy: They do seem to appeal universally.
"...there was this game that we worked on for a couple years, that was like PopCap meets NetHack."
John: I think it's because we first focus on making games for us. And then we spend a huge amount of effort to make that fun accessible for everyone. A game that can't meet both those demands equally…we cancel. So we'll have games that we worked on for a couple years – there was this game that we worked on for a couple years, that was like PopCap meets NetHack. And it's a super-fun game for us, but we could never get everything to gel in a way where a person who doesn't play games can really get the fun out of it.
Who'd have thought such a simple concept could grow so big?
GameSpy: Should we expect larger productions from PopCap?
John: We're always trying to do different things. Increase our production value, Bejewelled 3, which we released last year had huge production value. We did full high-def mode, multiple game modes, it was gigantic. Now, as we become more and more social – first as a platform, that scope goes down again, but only for us to increase it more and more. I don't think we'll be getting into—we're not doing Battlefield 4.
"You know, we've had a lot of interest from Hollywood."
GameSpy: Another company, Rovio, has the ambition to go transmedia. Are we going to see PopCap doing Bejewelled plushies and Plants vs. Zombies feature films?
John: You know, we've had a lot of interest from Hollywood. We've just hired someone to explore merchandising for us. So I definitely think we're going to do more of it. "Transmedia," I think is like metrics-driven-game-design: it's like, 'okay, cool in theory, but it's not really how the world works.' So yeah, are we going to try to give our customers cool plushies if they want them? Yes. Is that our new company strategy? No, we're a game company. I think that's where we're a little different than Rovio, even, I think Rovio would admit this as well, Rovio is the Angry Birds company. Their whole focus – and they're doing an amazing job of it – is to be the Angry Birds company. And one of the best ways to do that outside of platform expansion is to kind of accent the brand with all those other things. And they've done a great job of it. You know, we made a decision a long time ago to not be the Bejewelled company. To be PopCap. To be a greater games company. And it doesn't make any one strategy better or worse, but they're definitely different.
GameSpy: You were acquired by EA. Are they going to ruin you?
"So, is EA going to f%$k it up? I don't think so..."
John: I don't think they're going to ruin us. I think it's ours to f$1k up, I mean honestly. One of the things we liked about EA is they've done a fair amount of acquisitions in the last decade, they've screwed up a couple of them, and they've gotten a lot of them right. And more recently, their track-record of getting them right has been increasing more and more. I myself feel, my co-founders, our CEO, the executives at PopCap are just as in-charge as they were before. So, is EA going to f%$k it up? I don't think so, because really, I think it's ours to screw up. And if it gets screwed up, it's really on us.
Digital crack the whole family can enjoy!
GameSpy: You're rich now. Is it true you still drive a Prius?
John: I actually bought a Volt in February of this year. I don't think a Volt is hippie. I think a Prius gives you more hippie cred, Volt gives me like electric car cred. I never use the gas part of the Volt. I love my Prius, though. It's one of my favorite cars.
"...the challenge that PopCap is going to have is 'how do we handle 200 million people per day playing our games?'"
GameSpy: What are you most excited about?
John: PopCap has been a very conservative company. We've never been great at scale. And so one of things that in the future I think we're really going to have to challenge ourselves with is scale – from both a users and technology standpoint, as well as a scale from consumer marketing. So in the next five years, I think you're going to see us transform, instead of a company that has 5 million play Bejewelled Blitz per day – that's a lot of people when you compare it to your neighborhood bookstore – but I think the challenge that PopCap is going to have is 'how do we handle 200 million people per day playing our games?' That's going to be our challenge over the next five years.
GameSpy: Did we leave anything out?
John: A lot of people ask, 'how does it feel to not own your company anymore?' or 'how is it to be rich?' And it's always a complicated answer that I don't think people have a full appreciation for. I still feel like it's my company. Except now I fell more stress, because I feel like the rest of EA is my company, too. It's one of the great things about John Riccitiello that he did, he instilled that 'hey, there's a creative leadership at this company, and you guys are part of it. Not only do we not want to screw you up, but we also want you to be a part of EA, and to help influence the rest of EA.' So I now feel like this gigantic burden to like, not let Frank Gibeau down, or the BioWare guys, or DICE. I'm like, 'wow, we've got to make sure we're bringing it—cause they are.' You know, I see Battlefield 3, and I'm so giddy about it. And I want to make sure they feel just as giddy about our stuff.
Spy Guy says: It's so refreshing to speak to a developer who hasn't had the f-word media trained out of him. John's obviously a rather switched on dude – what do you think PopCap should focus on in this EA-stage of its life?
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Supernatural show, Being Human, gets Facebook game in time for Halloween
News has been circulating that Being Human--a popular British supernatural drama with an American remake about a vampire, ghost, and werewolf that share a flat--will finally get its own Facebook game. Televisual reports that it's "available globally." DigitalSpy claims the game has been "released" and even has a screenshot.
The same screenshot was used by SFX, though to its credit, it doesn't claim the game has launched. Instead, Broadcast claims that. I guess everyone was excited to tell folks about the game, but no one could provide a link to the actual game.
If you love this show and don't mind being teased beyond your sanity trying to figure out where this game is, then let us fill you in on what we do know. As of this writing, there's no official announcement about a game on either the Syfy or the BBC website. Neither is there any news on the official Syfy and BBC Facebook fan pages for either the American or British version of the show.
So, perhaps it's safe to say that the game is totally not launched and available yet. But given those involved in the game's creation, it's clear this game will be based on the original BBC show and won't be originating state-side on Syfy's budding games portal.
Being Human Facebook Game
Zodiak Active, which manages the rights to the BBC show, had partnered with developer Utinni Games to bring Being Human to Facebook. Zodiak Active senior VP Edward Humphrey has this to say about it:
The Being Human social game will build upon the creative inspiration of the TV drama and allow players to take the roles of vampire, werewolf and ghost in compelling new storylines that they will play, rather than watch. . . The game is a mix of exploration, combat and problem-solving that immerses users into an intriguing world of supernatural creatures that exist just beyond the surface of everyday life.
That definitely sounds like this will be a role-playing game. In fact, SFX also reported that you can "play as a ghost, werewolf or vampire." The game has got the blessing of Toby Whithouse, the BBC show's creator, and thumbs-up from the show's producer, Touchpaper Television. Enough screenwriters from the series have been brought in to make sure that the content and banter will be top-notch. Currently, the BBC version of Being Human just ended Season 3. Season 4 will premiere sometime next year. So this game will obviously be filling the void for the duration.
Have you ever watched Being Human on either Syfy or BBC? What other shows would you like to see Facebook games for? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
The same screenshot was used by SFX, though to its credit, it doesn't claim the game has launched. Instead, Broadcast claims that. I guess everyone was excited to tell folks about the game, but no one could provide a link to the actual game.
If you love this show and don't mind being teased beyond your sanity trying to figure out where this game is, then let us fill you in on what we do know. As of this writing, there's no official announcement about a game on either the Syfy or the BBC website. Neither is there any news on the official Syfy and BBC Facebook fan pages for either the American or British version of the show.
So, perhaps it's safe to say that the game is totally not launched and available yet. But given those involved in the game's creation, it's clear this game will be based on the original BBC show and won't be originating state-side on Syfy's budding games portal.
Being Human Facebook Game
Zodiak Active, which manages the rights to the BBC show, had partnered with developer Utinni Games to bring Being Human to Facebook. Zodiak Active senior VP Edward Humphrey has this to say about it:
The Being Human social game will build upon the creative inspiration of the TV drama and allow players to take the roles of vampire, werewolf and ghost in compelling new storylines that they will play, rather than watch. . . The game is a mix of exploration, combat and problem-solving that immerses users into an intriguing world of supernatural creatures that exist just beyond the surface of everyday life.
That definitely sounds like this will be a role-playing game. In fact, SFX also reported that you can "play as a ghost, werewolf or vampire." The game has got the blessing of Toby Whithouse, the BBC show's creator, and thumbs-up from the show's producer, Touchpaper Television. Enough screenwriters from the series have been brought in to make sure that the content and banter will be top-notch. Currently, the BBC version of Being Human just ended Season 3. Season 4 will premiere sometime next year. So this game will obviously be filling the void for the duration.
Have you ever watched Being Human on either Syfy or BBC? What other shows would you like to see Facebook games for? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Apple's Game Center hits 67M users, new version hits Oct. 12 in iOS 5
Mark your calendars, proud iPhone owners. Apple announced today at its iPhone 4S event that the next version of its mobile operating system, iOS 5, will launch Oct. 12 as a free update. And with it comes a brand new Game Center, Apple's answer to existing mobile social game networks like OpenFeint and Mobage (and before that, Ngmoco's Plus network). You see, the company has been dragging its feet somewhat into the mobile social games space.
Regardless, the existing version of Game Center has welcomes 67 million able-thumbed mobile gamers, Apple CEO Tim Cook said at the event. (OpenFeint boasts 115 million users for comparison.) The service will be vastly improved next week with achievements, the ability to find new friends to play with and customizable profiles.
These features have been a part of Game Center's mobile competitors for some time, but despite being a latecomer, the service has managed to garner tens of millions of players. When Apple first revealed Game Center, it was already behind these independent services that have gone on to become, or rather be acquired by, major gaming companies.
Game Center, even with the advantage of being baked directly into iOS rather than individual games like Openfeint, has lots of work to do before it will trump its competitors. It proves that even if the iPod Touch is "the most popular portable game player in the world," according to Cook, it's still not the most popular social mobile game player in the world. That's gonna' take some time.
[Via Gamasutra, Gdgt]
Do you think Apple's Game Center could ever catch up to OpenFeint or even Mobage in the mobile social game space? What do you think the company needs to do in order to make that happen? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Regardless, the existing version of Game Center has welcomes 67 million able-thumbed mobile gamers, Apple CEO Tim Cook said at the event. (OpenFeint boasts 115 million users for comparison.) The service will be vastly improved next week with achievements, the ability to find new friends to play with and customizable profiles.
These features have been a part of Game Center's mobile competitors for some time, but despite being a latecomer, the service has managed to garner tens of millions of players. When Apple first revealed Game Center, it was already behind these independent services that have gone on to become, or rather be acquired by, major gaming companies.
Game Center, even with the advantage of being baked directly into iOS rather than individual games like Openfeint, has lots of work to do before it will trump its competitors. It proves that even if the iPod Touch is "the most popular portable game player in the world," according to Cook, it's still not the most popular social mobile game player in the world. That's gonna' take some time.
[Via Gamasutra, Gdgt]
Do you think Apple's Game Center could ever catch up to OpenFeint or even Mobage in the mobile social game space? What do you think the company needs to do in order to make that happen? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
To pick up Fast Five on Blu-ray, DVD at Walmart, better try Car Town
Car Town Fast Five
Branded Facebook game promotions are a dime a dozen these days, but turning a Facebook game into a store front? Now, that's something to twirl the mustache at. Cie Games announced that Car Town was the only place Fast Five fans could pre-order the Fast Five Blu-ray/DVD combo pack at Walmart. But since the movie released today in stores, fans can also take a trip to Walmart to score some in-game rewards.
Within Car Town, players could click on a giant Walmart-themed big rig to pre-order the pack through Walmart's online store, which would have scored them an exclusive in-game locker with a Fast Five-themed bullet-proof vest to display in their garages. Though, anyone who buys the game through Car Town or in stores will net themselves a virtual Armet Gurkha armored vehicle to race their friends with.
This is the culmination of a six month-long event made possible by Universal Partnerships & Licensing that displayed the movie's trailer within Car Town. And now players can complete missions inspired by the movie's storyline by racing cars directly taken from the film. And Car Town, which enjoys over 5.2 million monthly players, has had its branding throughout the Fast Five release.
"This program is one of the most extensive and successful efforts to date by a major film studio to leverage the nexus between real-world marketing and promotion via social gaming," said Cie Games CEO Justin Choi. "Since the program began in April 2011, Car Town players have completed more than 200 million races in the virtual Rio de Janeiro race environment modeled after the movie's key location."
In other words, this was one giant Facebook game branding event, and Cie Games is far from the only developer that's in on the action. Zynga has already begun to integrate Indiana Jones into its Adventure World completely, while other studios like Ecko|Code build their business entirely around branded Facebook games. We've said it before and we'll say it again: Branding is huge in Facebook games. Our concern, however, is whether the games can grow in terms of gameplay amidst the allure of branding.
Have you followed the Fast Five event in Car Town since it started? What do you think of branding in Facebook games--has it gone too far or are you digging it? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Branded Facebook game promotions are a dime a dozen these days, but turning a Facebook game into a store front? Now, that's something to twirl the mustache at. Cie Games announced that Car Town was the only place Fast Five fans could pre-order the Fast Five Blu-ray/DVD combo pack at Walmart. But since the movie released today in stores, fans can also take a trip to Walmart to score some in-game rewards.
Within Car Town, players could click on a giant Walmart-themed big rig to pre-order the pack through Walmart's online store, which would have scored them an exclusive in-game locker with a Fast Five-themed bullet-proof vest to display in their garages. Though, anyone who buys the game through Car Town or in stores will net themselves a virtual Armet Gurkha armored vehicle to race their friends with.
This is the culmination of a six month-long event made possible by Universal Partnerships & Licensing that displayed the movie's trailer within Car Town. And now players can complete missions inspired by the movie's storyline by racing cars directly taken from the film. And Car Town, which enjoys over 5.2 million monthly players, has had its branding throughout the Fast Five release.
"This program is one of the most extensive and successful efforts to date by a major film studio to leverage the nexus between real-world marketing and promotion via social gaming," said Cie Games CEO Justin Choi. "Since the program began in April 2011, Car Town players have completed more than 200 million races in the virtual Rio de Janeiro race environment modeled after the movie's key location."
In other words, this was one giant Facebook game branding event, and Cie Games is far from the only developer that's in on the action. Zynga has already begun to integrate Indiana Jones into its Adventure World completely, while other studios like Ecko|Code build their business entirely around branded Facebook games. We've said it before and we'll say it again: Branding is huge in Facebook games. Our concern, however, is whether the games can grow in terms of gameplay amidst the allure of branding.
Have you followed the Fast Five event in Car Town since it started? What do you think of branding in Facebook games--has it gone too far or are you digging it? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
FarmVille Express: Zynga working on mobile browser version? [Rumor]
According to this single image found by a FarmVille Freak tipster, that very well may be the case. A mobile browser-based version of FarmVille may be in the works at Zynga. The website reports that readers are reaching this screen when attempting to log into their mobile farm via the existing. However, those readers' claims strike us as odd considering what's displayed is clearly the Safari browser on an iPhone.
FarmVille Freak goes on to say that the app isn't completely functional at the moment. When we attempted to reach this same page through the native FarmVille app for iPhone, we simply arrived at our existing farms. But when trying to access FarmVille from Safari by typing in "www.farmville.com," we were redirected to "m.farmville.com/fx/" and a message that reads, "Howdy Partners! FarmVille is currently not available for this device."
The fact that we were redirected to that web address suggests that perhaps mobile web version of FarmVille really is in the works, but the release of this image was accidental. If you remember, Zynga approached players earlier this year with a survey asking players what they would want from a mobile web version of the game. Why Zynga would suddenly release a mobile web version of its flagship game after working so hard to bring the native FarmVille app up to speed is beyond us.
FarmVille Express full
This news follows the mild announcement of a new Mafia Wars game for iOS, Shakedown. More importantly, this news comes just after Zynga's mobile head David Ko told The Guardian that he thought HTML5, commonly used by game developers to make mobile web game like what FarmVille Express appears to be, is still too early. Though, there is Facebook's Project Spartan to consider. We've contacted Zynga for comment.
[Image Credit: FarmVille Freak]
What do you think this leaked image means? Would you rather play a mobile web version of FarmVille on your iPhone than the native app that's available now? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
FarmVille Freak goes on to say that the app isn't completely functional at the moment. When we attempted to reach this same page through the native FarmVille app for iPhone, we simply arrived at our existing farms. But when trying to access FarmVille from Safari by typing in "www.farmville.com," we were redirected to "m.farmville.com/fx/" and a message that reads, "Howdy Partners! FarmVille is currently not available for this device."
The fact that we were redirected to that web address suggests that perhaps mobile web version of FarmVille really is in the works, but the release of this image was accidental. If you remember, Zynga approached players earlier this year with a survey asking players what they would want from a mobile web version of the game. Why Zynga would suddenly release a mobile web version of its flagship game after working so hard to bring the native FarmVille app up to speed is beyond us.
FarmVille Express full
This news follows the mild announcement of a new Mafia Wars game for iOS, Shakedown. More importantly, this news comes just after Zynga's mobile head David Ko told The Guardian that he thought HTML5, commonly used by game developers to make mobile web game like what FarmVille Express appears to be, is still too early. Though, there is Facebook's Project Spartan to consider. We've contacted Zynga for comment.
[Image Credit: FarmVille Freak]
What do you think this leaked image means? Would you rather play a mobile web version of FarmVille on your iPhone than the native app that's available now? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
Gundam's giant fighting robots even bigger on Japan's Gree, DeNA
Just in case you haven't noticed, Japan kind of has a thing for gargantuan fighting robots. The incredible growth of mobile social games based on the popular Gundam franchise reflects this, as Gundam Masters by Gree has reached over 1 million players just over a month since its Sept. 1 release on Japanese mobile phones. Serkan Toto reports that the number breaks down to 1,262 players registered per hour since its launch.
Even more impressive is that the Gundam game available through DeNA's Mobage network, Gundam Royal, reached 1 million players in just six days when it launched in December of last year. According to Serkan Toto, the game now enjoys around 3 million players on the Mobage network, which just launched in China and across the English-speaking world through Ngmoco.
While these numbers certainly pale in comparison to, say, CityVille's meteoric growth going into 2011, there's likely more Gundam where this came from. DeNA just embarked on a joint venture with Bandai Namco, the company that holds the Gundam license, to make a 100 million yen joint studio project called BDNA Inc. And Serkan Toto reports that Bandai Namco is also working with competitor Gree to release four more mobile social games this year.
Mobile social games are clearly far bigger across the Pacific than they are in the U.S., but they're gaining traction in the western world as well. Several secret Zynga projects have been cropping up like Mafia Wars Shakedown and FarmVille Express. Not to mention companies like Capcom making major moves in the space with its Smurfs games. If 2011 was the year of social games, 2012 will certainly be the year of mobile social games.
[Via and Image Credit: The Next Web, Gunjap.net]
Do you think mobile social games are going to take off in the U.S. and abroad like they have in Japan? What social game are you dying to get to play on your mobile phone? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Even more impressive is that the Gundam game available through DeNA's Mobage network, Gundam Royal, reached 1 million players in just six days when it launched in December of last year. According to Serkan Toto, the game now enjoys around 3 million players on the Mobage network, which just launched in China and across the English-speaking world through Ngmoco.
While these numbers certainly pale in comparison to, say, CityVille's meteoric growth going into 2011, there's likely more Gundam where this came from. DeNA just embarked on a joint venture with Bandai Namco, the company that holds the Gundam license, to make a 100 million yen joint studio project called BDNA Inc. And Serkan Toto reports that Bandai Namco is also working with competitor Gree to release four more mobile social games this year.
Mobile social games are clearly far bigger across the Pacific than they are in the U.S., but they're gaining traction in the western world as well. Several secret Zynga projects have been cropping up like Mafia Wars Shakedown and FarmVille Express. Not to mention companies like Capcom making major moves in the space with its Smurfs games. If 2011 was the year of social games, 2012 will certainly be the year of mobile social games.
[Via and Image Credit: The Next Web, Gunjap.net]
Do you think mobile social games are going to take off in the U.S. and abroad like they have in Japan? What social game are you dying to get to play on your mobile phone? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Enrique Iglesias says, 'I Like How It Feels' in CityVille, visits next week
CityVille Enrique Iglesias
Man, why can't an act like Metallica crash CityVille? Oh, excuse my inner metal head, but you ladies out there are gonna' love this one: Zynga has announced that Grammy-winning pop star Enrique Iglesias is coming to its top Facebook game. Starting next week on Oct. 4, players will get the chance to help Mr. Iglesias kick off his recently-launched Euphoria Tour in-game.
Once Enrique lands in CityVille--and if you're over Level 6--you will be graced by his digitized presence in the game. But there' far more to this promotion than just clicking on the guy to hear witty sayings: Players will be able to collect various items fond to Enrique to score a thematic speed boat and Miami high-rise to place in their cities. The event will run through Oct. 10, and there is a grand finale in store for Enrique fans.
Enrique Iglesias in CityVille
Toward the end of the event, you will have the chance to build Enrique his very own Euphoria Arena in-game. Once you do, the guy will be so nice as to show you a sneak preview of his brand new music video, "I Like How It Feels" (featuring Pitbull and The WAVs). Of course, this is far from the first time a Zynga game has enjoyed celebrity exposure.
Just recently, the company announced that Indiana Jones will swoop into Adventure World through its work with Lucasfilm, and who can forget when Lady Gaga ran FarmVille for a few weeks earlier this spring? Even before that, both Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg had their fun with Mafia Wars. Are you sensing a trend yet? Good, because we doubt this is the last time a celeb will hit Zynga with a touch of fame. In fact, if you ask Facebook's major game creators, branded games are on the up and up.
Are you psyched to see that Enrique will hit up CityVille on his Euphoria Tour? Which celebrity or artist do you hope makes their way into a Zynga game next? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment.
Man, why can't an act like Metallica crash CityVille? Oh, excuse my inner metal head, but you ladies out there are gonna' love this one: Zynga has announced that Grammy-winning pop star Enrique Iglesias is coming to its top Facebook game. Starting next week on Oct. 4, players will get the chance to help Mr. Iglesias kick off his recently-launched Euphoria Tour in-game.
Once Enrique lands in CityVille--and if you're over Level 6--you will be graced by his digitized presence in the game. But there' far more to this promotion than just clicking on the guy to hear witty sayings: Players will be able to collect various items fond to Enrique to score a thematic speed boat and Miami high-rise to place in their cities. The event will run through Oct. 10, and there is a grand finale in store for Enrique fans.
Enrique Iglesias in CityVille
Toward the end of the event, you will have the chance to build Enrique his very own Euphoria Arena in-game. Once you do, the guy will be so nice as to show you a sneak preview of his brand new music video, "I Like How It Feels" (featuring Pitbull and The WAVs). Of course, this is far from the first time a Zynga game has enjoyed celebrity exposure.
Just recently, the company announced that Indiana Jones will swoop into Adventure World through its work with Lucasfilm, and who can forget when Lady Gaga ran FarmVille for a few weeks earlier this spring? Even before that, both Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg had their fun with Mafia Wars. Are you sensing a trend yet? Good, because we doubt this is the last time a celeb will hit Zynga with a touch of fame. In fact, if you ask Facebook's major game creators, branded games are on the up and up.
Are you psyched to see that Enrique will hit up CityVille on his Euphoria Tour? Which celebrity or artist do you hope makes their way into a Zynga game next? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment.
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