Thứ Tư, 26 tháng 10, 2011
Nordeus passes Top Eleven's stat-crunching soccer to Android devices
This means that, if you started something with Top Eleven on Facebook, you can easily pick it back up on Top Eleven for your Android phone later. For all intents and purposes, the game is essentially the same as it is on Facebook, which currently caters to 3.1 million monthly players, according to AppData. However, there are certain advantages that Android users might have over the non-mobile competition.
Facebook mobile social games will grow industry at once, CTO expects
It sounds like Taylor and Facebook look to grow the mobile and social games industries all at once across all platforms including Android, Windows Phone and Blackberry. To do that, Facebook is encouraging more developers to create HTML5 or native mobile app versions of their social games that Facebook Mobile can redirect to, which is about the only way we see this method working. However, with game shares (at least for non-gamers to see) almost entirely in the Ticker--which doesn't exist on mobile--where do the new social gamers come in?
NHL Superstars coming to Facebook in October
While specific details are still lacking as to what we can exactly expect from NHL Superstars, we can't imagine EA / Playfish breaking the mold. We'll likely be able to collect cards that contain professional hockey players, and then trade those cards out to create the best team possible. Each player will likely have stats, and we'll be able to use those players in virtual hockey games against others for supremacy.
It Girl maker CrowdStar looks beyond Facebook for 1 billion players
TechCrunch reports that, as part of its plan to diversify beyond Facebook, CrowdStar will launch It Girl (and Top Girl for iOS) franchise in Asia across Japan, Korea and China. Starting with NHN Japan, the company plans to introduce both It Girl and Top Girl to five Asian social networks in Q4 (October through December) alone. According to TechCrunch, Top Girl has already been downloaded from the App Store 4 million times.
G5 builds a free download of Virtual City Playground on iPhone, Android
Recently released to the iPad in August, the game appears to take numerous factors into consideration as players develop their cities like mass transit, recycling and general eco-friendliness. Players get to launch community events in their cities to keep citizens happy, which contribute to the balance players must keep between Time, Income, Environment, Population, and Happiness for a successful city.
Since Lady Gaga v. Lady Goo Goo, Mind Candy CEO remains defiant
The decision was reached last week in a London courthouse, but oddly enough the ruling only prevents Mind Candy from creating musical material with Lady Goo Goo--she can still exist within the game. Just as the developer readied to release the video as a single on iTunes, the lawyers swooped in. But Acton Smith told GamesIndustry.biz that he plans to press onward with an album of Moshi Monsters music and a live tour featuring the critters.
Beat down wizards for sweet deals with Wizardia on Facebook and mobile
Taken separately, none of these features are particularly novel, since Parallel Kingdom is another fantasy mobile title that's already well-known for its use of Google Maps. Games And Prizes is entirely devoted to the namesake. But Yummi Apps, which just recently remodeled itself from a commercial apps producer into a social games developer, plans to bring all these elements into one package. And they plan to pull it off sometime this fall, too
Thứ Ba, 25 tháng 10, 2011
What Happened To Evony?
Come play, my Lord”, the ad beckons. “Save your lover!” it cries, as two seductive porcelain-skinned women lean into each other. “Start your journey now, my Lord”, says another ad, this one featuring a busty, blonde bombshell in the process of removing her clothes. Any of this ring a bell?
The year was 2009. Ads began appearing on the internet for a game called Civony, later renamed Evony. They started innocently enough – “Free Forever” one banner ad claimed while an image of a knight wielding a sword took up half the ad. Then a woman appeared. “Start your journey now, my Lord!” this ad said, an attractive woman dressed as a fairy standing to the side. Over the next few months, the ads became progressively more risqué, first featuring CGI women displaying ample bosom, proceeding to real models undressing. Eventually the medieval theme of the ads was abandoned and replaced with models in lingerie.
The internet was buzzing with criticism over Evony’s advertising. Many people were upset that such sexualised images were being used to market a game, with claims being made that it was a poor Civilization clone that wasn’t worth anyone’s time. It was a controversial ad campaign that attracted criticism from both the game development and game playing community alike. It was also a successful one.
The year was 2009. Ads began appearing on the internet for a game called Civony, later renamed Evony. They started innocently enough – “Free Forever” one banner ad claimed while an image of a knight wielding a sword took up half the ad. Then a woman appeared. “Start your journey now, my Lord!” this ad said, an attractive woman dressed as a fairy standing to the side. Over the next few months, the ads became progressively more risqué, first featuring CGI women displaying ample bosom, proceeding to real models undressing. Eventually the medieval theme of the ads was abandoned and replaced with models in lingerie.
The internet was buzzing with criticism over Evony’s advertising. Many people were upset that such sexualised images were being used to market a game, with claims being made that it was a poor Civilization clone that wasn’t worth anyone’s time. It was a controversial ad campaign that attracted criticism from both the game development and game playing community alike. It was also a successful one.
Pro Battlefield 3 Gamers And "Real World" Stars Team Up For A Shot At $50,000
Well this certainly sounds fun-slash-frustrating. On CBS Interactive’s upcoming show The Controller, six pro gamers will be competing against one another in Battlefield 3, but not in the way that you’d think. Rather than sitting down and demonstrating their skills in the game itself, the pros will be competing in real-world physical challenges, then training amateurs to compete against one another in the video game.
The pro gamers in question–Tsquared, MrsViolence, Bravo, Proofy, Mr X and neighbour according to the press release–will not be allowed to touch the controller at all, and instead will be forced to coach their assigned “N00bs” in the ways of war. I anticipate some suuuuuper-frustrated people here, especially considering that several of the n00bs in question are former cast members of “The Real World,” a show which I believe is contractually obligated to cast only jerkholes who don’t work well with others.
The Controller will be hosted by Jonny Moseley, and premieres on Gamespot this friday at 11:00 AM Eastern. Each episode will be around 10 minutes long, and they’ll air through December 9th, at which point a winner will be announced, and walk away with $US50,000. Not bad at all.
Side note: How much do I love that there is a pro gamer whose handle is “Neighbor?” So much.
The pro gamers in question–Tsquared, MrsViolence, Bravo, Proofy, Mr X and neighbour according to the press release–will not be allowed to touch the controller at all, and instead will be forced to coach their assigned “N00bs” in the ways of war. I anticipate some suuuuuper-frustrated people here, especially considering that several of the n00bs in question are former cast members of “The Real World,” a show which I believe is contractually obligated to cast only jerkholes who don’t work well with others.
The Controller will be hosted by Jonny Moseley, and premieres on Gamespot this friday at 11:00 AM Eastern. Each episode will be around 10 minutes long, and they’ll air through December 9th, at which point a winner will be announced, and walk away with $US50,000. Not bad at all.
Side note: How much do I love that there is a pro gamer whose handle is “Neighbor?” So much.
Thứ Hai, 24 tháng 10, 2011
EA Caught Pressuring Publications Over Battlefield 3 Reviews
It’s an ugly thing, and one that sadly rears its head from time to time when big games are released: the practice of a publisher exerting a little too much pressure on gaming press.
Of course, pressure is applied all the time! That’s the people in marketing and PR’s job, to try and make sure their game is well-received. But there’s a point where that pressure stops being a mild annoyance, one easily shrugged off, becoming something obstructive and distasteful, and some EA reps in Europe seem to have crossed that line when it comes to Battlefield 3.
Scandinavian outlets requesting review copies of the game were asked for their mailing addresses. Standard question! They were then, however, asked a bunch of other questions, like:
Did the reviewer personally review BFBC2 or Black Ops?
What score did he give it?
What is his past experience with Battlefield?
Is he a fan of Battlefield?
Is he a fan of Call of Duty?
Has he been playing BF Franchise? BFBC2? 1943? BF2?
Has he expressed enthusiasm or concern for BF3? What are they?
Did he play the beta? Did he enjoy it / get frustrated with it?
What is his present view on the game?
Each question may seem harmless on its own, but together they make it clear the publisher was trying to filter the reviews so they’d be handled by people that would be pre-determined to give the game a positive score and/or slag off Modern Warfare 3 in the process.
So clear, in fact, that rather than deny the fact, or soften it, EA Norway marketing manager Oliver Sveen came out and said “It is a human error that was sent out. We have made a mistake and we apologise. It is not something that should have happened earlier or [that] we intend to continue.”
It’s nice he apologised, I guess, but calling it “human error” is a bit rich. Human error is sending out a press release with typos in it. This kind of business is more like “institutional error”. It’s also sad, as rather than enhance a game’s reception, it can lead to doubts that the game is good enough to earn great scores on its own merits.
For the record, my request for a copy was met with two questions: if my mailing address is still my mailing address, and which platform I want it on.
Of course, pressure is applied all the time! That’s the people in marketing and PR’s job, to try and make sure their game is well-received. But there’s a point where that pressure stops being a mild annoyance, one easily shrugged off, becoming something obstructive and distasteful, and some EA reps in Europe seem to have crossed that line when it comes to Battlefield 3.
Scandinavian outlets requesting review copies of the game were asked for their mailing addresses. Standard question! They were then, however, asked a bunch of other questions, like:
Did the reviewer personally review BFBC2 or Black Ops?
What score did he give it?
What is his past experience with Battlefield?
Is he a fan of Battlefield?
Is he a fan of Call of Duty?
Has he been playing BF Franchise? BFBC2? 1943? BF2?
Has he expressed enthusiasm or concern for BF3? What are they?
Did he play the beta? Did he enjoy it / get frustrated with it?
What is his present view on the game?
Each question may seem harmless on its own, but together they make it clear the publisher was trying to filter the reviews so they’d be handled by people that would be pre-determined to give the game a positive score and/or slag off Modern Warfare 3 in the process.
So clear, in fact, that rather than deny the fact, or soften it, EA Norway marketing manager Oliver Sveen came out and said “It is a human error that was sent out. We have made a mistake and we apologise. It is not something that should have happened earlier or [that] we intend to continue.”
It’s nice he apologised, I guess, but calling it “human error” is a bit rich. Human error is sending out a press release with typos in it. This kind of business is more like “institutional error”. It’s also sad, as rather than enhance a game’s reception, it can lead to doubts that the game is good enough to earn great scores on its own merits.
For the record, my request for a copy was met with two questions: if my mailing address is still my mailing address, and which platform I want it on.
This Could Be The Prettiest MMO In The World
all Jeremy Clarkson on you for a second, but after seeing this trailer for upcoming MMO Bless, that’s the first thought that popped into my head.
The game, developed by Korean studio Neowiz, has teamed up with Epic to bring us one of only a few Unreal Engine 3-powered in existence, finished or otherwise.
Massively Multiplayer Online games normally have to make concessions in terms of visual detail for two reasons: so everything runs smoothly, and so more people with shitty computers can play. Bless obviously doesn’t give a damn about concessions!
The game, developed by Korean studio Neowiz, has teamed up with Epic to bring us one of only a few Unreal Engine 3-powered in existence, finished or otherwise.
Massively Multiplayer Online games normally have to make concessions in terms of visual detail for two reasons: so everything runs smoothly, and so more people with shitty computers can play. Bless obviously doesn’t give a damn about concessions!
Aonuma Felt ‘Intense Pressure’ To Use Wii MotionPlus In Skyward Sword
The latest episode of Iwata Asks focuses on the development of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, and has thrown up some very interesting details about the early development of Skyward Sword. Perhaps the most interesting detail is just how much internal debate went into the inclusion of Wii MotionPlus into the game.
Iwata: Aonuma-san, how did development of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword begin?
Aonuma: After we finished The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, we began work on the new game in the series. After awhile Fujibayashi-san had finished making The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, and he showed us a planning document saying he wanted to make it. We had him be director and discussed something that would use Wii MotionPlus, which was developed right around that time, so players could freely operate the game. For about half a year after that, I have to say the mood was very nasty! (laughs)
Iwata: I heard. (laughs)
Fujibayashi: We tried a bunch of things for Wii MotionPlus, but it was really quirky. Iwata: Wii MotionPlus is an incredibly sharp device, but a little distinctive. It’s like an unruly horse. Aonuma: Yes, exactly. No matter what we did, we couldn’t tame it. Then Wii Sports Resort6 came out as the first game for Wii MotionPlus. Iwata: That’s right.
Aonuma: We played that and realized all you could do with it. Wii Sports Resort has all kinds of games like Swordplay and Archery and you can play each one as its own separate game, but in The Legend of Zelda, you play everything on the same field.
Fujibayashi: That’s right. You may be fighting with your sword and the next instant use the Clawshot or shoot an arrow or throw a bomb, so it was really difficult to make the game so you could use Wii MotionPlus to do those things smoothly all on the same field.
Aonuma: So I proposed to the staff to not use Wii MotionPlus afterall.
Iwata: You gave up once.
Aonuma: Yes. Then we started making a Legend of Zelda game that you would play using the original Wii Remote and Nunchuk. But then I fell under intense pressure from some other producers, who said, “Aonuma-san, why aren’t you using Wii MotionPlus?!” (laughs)
Iwata: They were like, “Don’t run away from it!” (laughs)
Aonuma: Exactly. (laughs) So I was like, “We got to do it!” I gathered the staff and we puzzled over how we could make it work. As a result, Kobayashi-san and those guys had a hard time. (laughs)
It’s yet another fascinating, behind the scenes look at the development of what will most likely end up being the swansong for the Nintendo Wii.
Iwata: Aonuma-san, how did development of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword begin?
Aonuma: After we finished The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, we began work on the new game in the series. After awhile Fujibayashi-san had finished making The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, and he showed us a planning document saying he wanted to make it. We had him be director and discussed something that would use Wii MotionPlus, which was developed right around that time, so players could freely operate the game. For about half a year after that, I have to say the mood was very nasty! (laughs)
Iwata: I heard. (laughs)
Fujibayashi: We tried a bunch of things for Wii MotionPlus, but it was really quirky. Iwata: Wii MotionPlus is an incredibly sharp device, but a little distinctive. It’s like an unruly horse. Aonuma: Yes, exactly. No matter what we did, we couldn’t tame it. Then Wii Sports Resort6 came out as the first game for Wii MotionPlus. Iwata: That’s right.
Aonuma: We played that and realized all you could do with it. Wii Sports Resort has all kinds of games like Swordplay and Archery and you can play each one as its own separate game, but in The Legend of Zelda, you play everything on the same field.
Fujibayashi: That’s right. You may be fighting with your sword and the next instant use the Clawshot or shoot an arrow or throw a bomb, so it was really difficult to make the game so you could use Wii MotionPlus to do those things smoothly all on the same field.
Aonuma: So I proposed to the staff to not use Wii MotionPlus afterall.
Iwata: You gave up once.
Aonuma: Yes. Then we started making a Legend of Zelda game that you would play using the original Wii Remote and Nunchuk. But then I fell under intense pressure from some other producers, who said, “Aonuma-san, why aren’t you using Wii MotionPlus?!” (laughs)
Iwata: They were like, “Don’t run away from it!” (laughs)
Aonuma: Exactly. (laughs) So I was like, “We got to do it!” I gathered the staff and we puzzled over how we could make it work. As a result, Kobayashi-san and those guys had a hard time. (laughs)
It’s yet another fascinating, behind the scenes look at the development of what will most likely end up being the swansong for the Nintendo Wii.
Thứ Bảy, 22 tháng 10, 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.
13 Reasons Apple Should Stay out of the Gaming Market
Why no apple? Let me take a go:
1) The OS will shut down and you will only see the Swirling Wheel of Death. No explanation can be found ANYWHERE because there is no real reason, warning, or error message for why it happened. (At least the Blue Screen of Death told you why.)
2) You have played a game for exactly 1 hour each day for the last 20 days. But today it just stops functioning like it should. No warning. No error message. No task manager to figure out what is wrong. No online solution. Your game just stops working.
3) Every time you plug in your controller to charge it, iTunes starts up, installs a ton of unneeded "updates", then tries to charge you 99 cents for every MB of DLC.
3a) This also slows down the OS and everything else so that your game looks like you are in constant slow motion (aka lag).
4) For no reason whatsoever, Apple releases a new product that is advertised as better than the current technology, but once you buy it, you realize it is a buggy mess that is actually inferior to what you already own. Worse yet, a third party creates a technology ten times better, ten times cheaper, and ten times faster even though it only works through cellular towers.
5) You are completely unable to upgrade any of the parts, such as a hard drive, disk drive or anything else. You cannot upgrade your headset, controller, or anything else unless it comes only from Apple. The OS cannot be updated with your current tech so you must buy new tech along with the OS.
6) Even though you try to catalog your music, games, and pictures, None of the names associated with those media work or are relevant.
7) Steve Jobs holds press conferences all the time assuring you that the product you bought is actually good. If that doesn't succeed he will do some slick marketing that costs more than Nintendo's, Microsoft's and SONY's advertising expenditures combined.
8) Sure, now you own the "coolest" product, the problem is that it just doesn't work. And since when does broken tech = cool?
9) All criticisms will be inexplicably positive.
10) Development for the system will SUCK. In fact, many of the games that are out on the other 3 consoles and PC will never come out on the Apple. All first party.... wait.... first party? Sorry, there will be no 1st party games. You will be stuck buying App games, playing Zynga games (that are free) and maybe minesweeper.
11) The software will be the least secure software ever made (ala Safari)
12)The WiFi connection will occasionally work regardless of the amount of distance between your Apple console and the Router. Further, it will work sometimes and sometimes not. (Tech Support for this problem: Turn off Airport. Turn Airport back on. Viola! it works. No one really knows why.)
13)Steve Jobs will deny that anything is wrong.
1) The OS will shut down and you will only see the Swirling Wheel of Death. No explanation can be found ANYWHERE because there is no real reason, warning, or error message for why it happened. (At least the Blue Screen of Death told you why.)
2) You have played a game for exactly 1 hour each day for the last 20 days. But today it just stops functioning like it should. No warning. No error message. No task manager to figure out what is wrong. No online solution. Your game just stops working.
3) Every time you plug in your controller to charge it, iTunes starts up, installs a ton of unneeded "updates", then tries to charge you 99 cents for every MB of DLC.
3a) This also slows down the OS and everything else so that your game looks like you are in constant slow motion (aka lag).
4) For no reason whatsoever, Apple releases a new product that is advertised as better than the current technology, but once you buy it, you realize it is a buggy mess that is actually inferior to what you already own. Worse yet, a third party creates a technology ten times better, ten times cheaper, and ten times faster even though it only works through cellular towers.
5) You are completely unable to upgrade any of the parts, such as a hard drive, disk drive or anything else. You cannot upgrade your headset, controller, or anything else unless it comes only from Apple. The OS cannot be updated with your current tech so you must buy new tech along with the OS.
6) Even though you try to catalog your music, games, and pictures, None of the names associated with those media work or are relevant.
7) Steve Jobs holds press conferences all the time assuring you that the product you bought is actually good. If that doesn't succeed he will do some slick marketing that costs more than Nintendo's, Microsoft's and SONY's advertising expenditures combined.
8) Sure, now you own the "coolest" product, the problem is that it just doesn't work. And since when does broken tech = cool?
9) All criticisms will be inexplicably positive.
10) Development for the system will SUCK. In fact, many of the games that are out on the other 3 consoles and PC will never come out on the Apple. All first party.... wait.... first party? Sorry, there will be no 1st party games. You will be stuck buying App games, playing Zynga games (that are free) and maybe minesweeper.
11) The software will be the least secure software ever made (ala Safari)
12)The WiFi connection will occasionally work regardless of the amount of distance between your Apple console and the Router. Further, it will work sometimes and sometimes not. (Tech Support for this problem: Turn off Airport. Turn Airport back on. Viola! it works. No one really knows why.)
13)Steve Jobs will deny that anything is wrong.
Thứ Sáu, 21 tháng 10, 2011
Gran Turimo comment gets my friend banned from Gamespot.
I understand a sites need to keep things under control. I understand that criticism hurts a bit, we've all gone through it. But my friend was banned from Gamespot for criticizing a video of tips for Gran Turismo. There was no cursing, no insulting, no name calling. He said the guy didn't know what he was talking about, and that got him banned.
Seriously, here the whole quote:
"These are stupid tips. You can win a ton of races just getting the right tires, flywheel, clutch, intake and exhaust. Just like in real life. This guy doesn't know what he's talking about."
Seriously, here the whole quote:
"These are stupid tips. You can win a ton of races just getting the right tires, flywheel, clutch, intake and exhaust. Just like in real life. This guy doesn't know what he's talking about."
Infamous Movie Leak?
There have been a lot of leaks lately, the latest one being an alleged leak of the main theme from the upcoming Infamous movie based on SuckerPunch's sandbox superhero game.
The song seems to fit the mood and theme like a glove but whether this is authentic I have no idea. Check it out for yourselves and let me know what you think.
The song seems to fit the mood and theme like a glove but whether this is authentic I have no idea. Check it out for yourselves and let me know what you think.
Top picks for 2011: most anticipated titles?
A extremely solid lineup of multi-platform titles was complemented by strong exclusive titles for both PS3 and Xbox marking 2010 as the most solid year for quality titles on record.
So as the year winds down, time to look forward to 2011's most anticipated titles, and here's my most wanted list:
Rage
Post-Apocolyptia from the iD Software- the guys who invented the FPS?! What's not to like? Think Fallout if it were a heavily action oriented FPS with better graphics... and vehicles! Might not be the freshest setting, but when done right it's one we can't have enough of- mutants, wastelands and all forms of human depravity and deviance on display for you to aim a gun at! Bring it on!
Killzone 3
What can I say about this game that hasn't been said already? Starting right from where KZ2 left off, your stranded on Helghan, the ISA army is crushed and the Helghast are in disarray with the death of their leader. It's Sony's next-to-release big note exclusive title, and if the multiplayer beta is anything to go by, it's going to wipe the floor with its predecessor- and probably a lot of other online FPS titles. Sony exclusives have seemed nearly bullet proof this gen and have become synonymous with quality, so expect big things.
LA Noire
Rockstar set to continue to develop their mastery of all things open world and story driven with a post-war American cop story. Who didn't love GTAIV and Red Dead: Redemption? Well expect something along those lines- except this time your enforcing the law, not breaking it. Add to this all the perks of being a detective, as well as Rockstar's amazing ability to create some of gaming's most absorbing environments and you've got a sure fire winner.
Gears of War 3
Gears is my favourite 360 franchise, and I can't help but be excited for the 3rd installment. This series, along with Halo, defines the Xbox, and why? Because it's downright awesome! TPS on steriods, Gears 3 promises to go above and beyond the past two titles in every way, and I can't wait. Big alpha males with massive guns fighting butch muscle hunk aliens resulting in insane brutality- it'll be like a testosterone injection straight to the gonads!
inFamous 2
The first one was great, and the second looks better. Taking cues from the developers of the acclaimed Uncharted series, developers Sucker Punch want to raise the bar for PS3 exclusives, and here's hoping they do (if it gets any higher?)! Free running open world action mixed with electroshock super powers sound good enough for you? It's every geeks wet dream to be Cole, and it's mine to own this game already!
Batman: Arkham City
Arkham Asylum was perhaps the most surprisingly good game of 2009, so the 2011 follow up of Arkham City looks to further develop a successful formula for the caped crusader. From what we know, Arkham City is a lawless walled city where all of Gotham's psychos are dumped to fend for themselves. The Joker seems to have yet another plan up his sleeve, and Batman has to foil it... yet again. Showing the Unreal engine still has guts, Arkham City promises to be the same updated twist on the classic Arcade beat-em-up that the last game was, and I say the more the merrier.
Dead Space 2
Dead Space was perhaps the scariest game I've ever played. In fact, it was the scariest entertainment I've ever experienced. Many times I got too scared to even play it- but the quality of its narrative kept me coming back. Dead Space 2 promises more scares, more twists, and more opportunities to explore an incredibly interesting universe created by EA's Visceral Studios where a strange religious death cult seems to be at the centre of a conspiracy to enable an alien life form to prosper from the their own carcasses- and of those innocents caught in the middle! It's a cool plot line and borrows from many great horror and sci-fi flicks, so look out for this one!
So as the year winds down, time to look forward to 2011's most anticipated titles, and here's my most wanted list:
Rage
Post-Apocolyptia from the iD Software- the guys who invented the FPS?! What's not to like? Think Fallout if it were a heavily action oriented FPS with better graphics... and vehicles! Might not be the freshest setting, but when done right it's one we can't have enough of- mutants, wastelands and all forms of human depravity and deviance on display for you to aim a gun at! Bring it on!
Killzone 3
What can I say about this game that hasn't been said already? Starting right from where KZ2 left off, your stranded on Helghan, the ISA army is crushed and the Helghast are in disarray with the death of their leader. It's Sony's next-to-release big note exclusive title, and if the multiplayer beta is anything to go by, it's going to wipe the floor with its predecessor- and probably a lot of other online FPS titles. Sony exclusives have seemed nearly bullet proof this gen and have become synonymous with quality, so expect big things.
LA Noire
Rockstar set to continue to develop their mastery of all things open world and story driven with a post-war American cop story. Who didn't love GTAIV and Red Dead: Redemption? Well expect something along those lines- except this time your enforcing the law, not breaking it. Add to this all the perks of being a detective, as well as Rockstar's amazing ability to create some of gaming's most absorbing environments and you've got a sure fire winner.
Gears of War 3
Gears is my favourite 360 franchise, and I can't help but be excited for the 3rd installment. This series, along with Halo, defines the Xbox, and why? Because it's downright awesome! TPS on steriods, Gears 3 promises to go above and beyond the past two titles in every way, and I can't wait. Big alpha males with massive guns fighting butch muscle hunk aliens resulting in insane brutality- it'll be like a testosterone injection straight to the gonads!
inFamous 2
The first one was great, and the second looks better. Taking cues from the developers of the acclaimed Uncharted series, developers Sucker Punch want to raise the bar for PS3 exclusives, and here's hoping they do (if it gets any higher?)! Free running open world action mixed with electroshock super powers sound good enough for you? It's every geeks wet dream to be Cole, and it's mine to own this game already!
Batman: Arkham City
Arkham Asylum was perhaps the most surprisingly good game of 2009, so the 2011 follow up of Arkham City looks to further develop a successful formula for the caped crusader. From what we know, Arkham City is a lawless walled city where all of Gotham's psychos are dumped to fend for themselves. The Joker seems to have yet another plan up his sleeve, and Batman has to foil it... yet again. Showing the Unreal engine still has guts, Arkham City promises to be the same updated twist on the classic Arcade beat-em-up that the last game was, and I say the more the merrier.
Dead Space 2
Dead Space was perhaps the scariest game I've ever played. In fact, it was the scariest entertainment I've ever experienced. Many times I got too scared to even play it- but the quality of its narrative kept me coming back. Dead Space 2 promises more scares, more twists, and more opportunities to explore an incredibly interesting universe created by EA's Visceral Studios where a strange religious death cult seems to be at the centre of a conspiracy to enable an alien life form to prosper from the their own carcasses- and of those innocents caught in the middle! It's a cool plot line and borrows from many great horror and sci-fi flicks, so look out for this one!
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.
Thứ Năm, 20 tháng 10, 2011
Filters I would like on N4G
This probably is best to be a forum post or even a PM, but it's a blog because really it's just my personal opinion and will likely never be intergrated and also I would like to hear if anyone encounters similar (or different) issues.
Firstly, get rid of all translated web sources. This is an English site, all articles are in English, EXCEPT for Google translated ones. Most likely it's not new information, or just a really small snippet (remember Gran Turismo 5? Every little video being posted by a translated site with no link to Youtube -- even though they were being stolen from there).
Secondly, an option for news soruces to be classified a bit more accurately, "article" for me means it's an article about a game. Like a preview, rumour or even a quick "top 10" list. There is something I don't really classify at ALL as GAMING news and that's these "40 year old woman has sex with 14 year old boy via Xbox Live", I come to N4G for really light-hearted and POSITIVE news about games. This is the kind of stuff I'd much rather be oblivious to. I never actually read the comments or even click these articles so I AM doing my best to ignore this type of "news" but I do tend to read every headline.
Another, an entire section devoted to "deals", these often end up on the front page and I encourage that but it'd be even better to filter these by clicking one of the tabs at the top ("All, PS3, XB360, WII etc") a new one named "deals" or "offers".
The last one is to block an entire site, similar to an ignore feature. I migrated to N4G from Kotaku, and I REALLY don't want to see their articles anymore.
Now I'm totally aware that I'm being a bit of a cry baby here, but it's a blog for a reason! I honestly do enjoy being here (unlike others who say stuff like "typical N4G" or "this site sucks").
Do you agree with any of these? Which ones would you like yourself?
Firstly, get rid of all translated web sources. This is an English site, all articles are in English, EXCEPT for Google translated ones. Most likely it's not new information, or just a really small snippet (remember Gran Turismo 5? Every little video being posted by a translated site with no link to Youtube -- even though they were being stolen from there).
Secondly, an option for news soruces to be classified a bit more accurately, "article" for me means it's an article about a game. Like a preview, rumour or even a quick "top 10" list. There is something I don't really classify at ALL as GAMING news and that's these "40 year old woman has sex with 14 year old boy via Xbox Live", I come to N4G for really light-hearted and POSITIVE news about games. This is the kind of stuff I'd much rather be oblivious to. I never actually read the comments or even click these articles so I AM doing my best to ignore this type of "news" but I do tend to read every headline.
Another, an entire section devoted to "deals", these often end up on the front page and I encourage that but it'd be even better to filter these by clicking one of the tabs at the top ("All, PS3, XB360, WII etc") a new one named "deals" or "offers".
The last one is to block an entire site, similar to an ignore feature. I migrated to N4G from Kotaku, and I REALLY don't want to see their articles anymore.
Now I'm totally aware that I'm being a bit of a cry baby here, but it's a blog for a reason! I honestly do enjoy being here (unlike others who say stuff like "typical N4G" or "this site sucks").
Do you agree with any of these? Which ones would you like yourself?
Operation Boycott Sony? Really?
So, found this on the the, supposed, new blog of our favorite hacker, GeoHot.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W...
I wanted to address a few things here, specifically each of the "Why?" items. So, without much fanfare, here we go.
===
Quoted: "Sony continually removes features from the Playstation 3 hardware that were a major ADVERTISED selling point for the system. This is a form of false advertisement and it is ILLEGAL."
Response: The _only_ feature Sony has ever removed from an advertised item is OtherOS, something they confirmed as being used than not even close to one half the percent of people and done because hackers found a way to use it to hack the software.
Removal of BC, extra USB ports, and similar in later models wasn't illegal as those models were updates and were not advertised as having those features.
So, the statement of "continually removes" is completely false. I will grant that there was the removal of OtherOS, but it wasn't a focus of advertising, used by even half a percent of the current users, and was removed because of the attempt for users to obtain data that is reliant on ensuring the security of every PS3 out there.
===
Quotes: "Sony places customer's security at risk by allowing credit card information to be transmitted over the internet in plain text every time someone signs into the Playstation network."
Response: Actually, all they know is that the information is stored in plain text. They still have not been able to detect how it is sent. It's far from unusual to store items in a text format on the client's end and then send it as a package of bits via the Internet.
While I agree it could be more secure, the information being sent isn't insecure. It's pointless information that does nothing to identify the person on the account or anything worthwhile that could be used to collect and use the CC data for fraudulent purposes.
===
Quoted: "Sony permanently bans Playstation 3 hardware from accessing the PlayStation Network for suspected (not proven) custom firmware."
Response: Actually, they can confirm exactly if you are running CFW or not. From comparing the local XML/text files (such as the ToS text file), to checking the digital signatures of installed software to make sure it's not running any that aren't found on their end, to even just detecting if the account has enabled previously disabled features, such as OtherOS. No one has been banned that hasn't run CFW. It's very easy to tell who is running CFW and who isn't, since if you're not, everything would match up exactly with what the latest FW put out. Any changes to this requires that you had installed or otherwise hacked your PS3.
As far as the leap that they are taking in saying that "hackers found a way to change the hardware id of the Playstation 3 hardware" in order to ban an honest user. Total pablum and a pipe dream. The exact same thing could have been done with the 360 by now since Microsoft utilizes the exact same method of banning accounts/consoles. The reality is that knowing that information is sent isn't the same as being able to properly spoof the necessary information being sent; which includes decrypting it, generating a method for creating new valid keys, and then re-encrypting the data to be sent; and then sending it to Sony via a PSN connection without it being recognized as spoofed data by their Intrusion Detection/Prevention Systems. So far, this is just fear mongering. An attempt to get legitimate PS3 users scared and angry at Sony by saying it's possible without even attempting it.
===
Quoted: "Sony secretly sends micro updates to the Playstation 3 firmware without the user's knowledge anytime a user connects to the internet in order to prevent the installing of customer firmware."
Response: Completely false. Like all things, Sony validates the access a console and account has upon each attempt to connect to PSN and updates any cached data used for validating this information on the PS3. This is the exact same as N4G validating you being logged in and updating a cookie in your temporary internet files to mark your last visit and that you are still logged in.
In order to install any new code onto your system, they must halt you from using the OS. The newly compiled code cannot just be placed on your system without having to restart the OS as well. This isn't taking a PHP or similar page and overwriting the new one. The C++ code that is used on the PS3 requires that it be compiled and that the necessary configuration and relative files be compiled with it and updated at once.
Again, more fear mongering to get legitimate users worried and angry at Sony without any substance to it.
===
Quoted: "Jailbreaking or custom firmware are legal and completely within your rights to use."
Response: Jailbreaking a phone is completely legal if used for custom programs and opening them up to use with different providers; jailbreaking is not legal for illegally obtaining the IP of others or adjusting any software that isn't related to allowing custom programs or unlocking the phone for use with a different service provider.
What is not legal at this time is jailbreaking a console nor taking Sony code (firmware) and modifying it as your own custom firmware. The reason behind this is that the CFW modifications made aren't illegal because they can run homebrew, they're illegal because they allow a person to bypass the security protocols and limitations set by Sony with the PSN code, which is illegal to modify.
Unlike phones, the firmware for the PS3 and similar consoles contains specific data for processing sensitive data and purchases on the provided network (XBL/PSN). The modification of this code is akin to customizing a credit card processing machine to send the person's personal information to a source not specified for the machine's design.
Furthermore, this isn't about allowing people to run homebrew, it's about A) the sharing of sensivite and secure information that is integral to Sony's ability to provide a secure environment for their business and therefore each of their users (metldr key data); and B) the modification of Sony IP, specifically the firmware code which also acts as the framework for PSN.
===
Conclusion: I'm not one to stop someone from boycotting. Go right at it, it's your right. But this stuff kind of pisses me off only because it's riddled with a lot of misinformation. It's fear mongering at its worst, knowing that the general public doesn't know enough to question what they're being told and immediately worrying if Sony is keeping their purchase and personal information safe.
The people who are spreading this information are liars or some of the most ignorant people I've yet to see on the Internet. I find it hard to believe that they don't know that what they are saying is false. I do know that they are, unfortunately, getting the attention they want, and this will only force Sony to have to work harder to fight against the poor publicity.
All of this because Sony needs to protect their business from people who didn't care how their actions would affect them or the legitimate customers of their hardware. And as gamers, we tell people every day to support the people who make the games we like. Looking at 2011 and what Sony is doing for the gamers, I wonder where people's heads are at the moment.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W...
I wanted to address a few things here, specifically each of the "Why?" items. So, without much fanfare, here we go.
===
Quoted: "Sony continually removes features from the Playstation 3 hardware that were a major ADVERTISED selling point for the system. This is a form of false advertisement and it is ILLEGAL."
Response: The _only_ feature Sony has ever removed from an advertised item is OtherOS, something they confirmed as being used than not even close to one half the percent of people and done because hackers found a way to use it to hack the software.
Removal of BC, extra USB ports, and similar in later models wasn't illegal as those models were updates and were not advertised as having those features.
So, the statement of "continually removes" is completely false. I will grant that there was the removal of OtherOS, but it wasn't a focus of advertising, used by even half a percent of the current users, and was removed because of the attempt for users to obtain data that is reliant on ensuring the security of every PS3 out there.
===
Quotes: "Sony places customer's security at risk by allowing credit card information to be transmitted over the internet in plain text every time someone signs into the Playstation network."
Response: Actually, all they know is that the information is stored in plain text. They still have not been able to detect how it is sent. It's far from unusual to store items in a text format on the client's end and then send it as a package of bits via the Internet.
While I agree it could be more secure, the information being sent isn't insecure. It's pointless information that does nothing to identify the person on the account or anything worthwhile that could be used to collect and use the CC data for fraudulent purposes.
===
Quoted: "Sony permanently bans Playstation 3 hardware from accessing the PlayStation Network for suspected (not proven) custom firmware."
Response: Actually, they can confirm exactly if you are running CFW or not. From comparing the local XML/text files (such as the ToS text file), to checking the digital signatures of installed software to make sure it's not running any that aren't found on their end, to even just detecting if the account has enabled previously disabled features, such as OtherOS. No one has been banned that hasn't run CFW. It's very easy to tell who is running CFW and who isn't, since if you're not, everything would match up exactly with what the latest FW put out. Any changes to this requires that you had installed or otherwise hacked your PS3.
As far as the leap that they are taking in saying that "hackers found a way to change the hardware id of the Playstation 3 hardware" in order to ban an honest user. Total pablum and a pipe dream. The exact same thing could have been done with the 360 by now since Microsoft utilizes the exact same method of banning accounts/consoles. The reality is that knowing that information is sent isn't the same as being able to properly spoof the necessary information being sent; which includes decrypting it, generating a method for creating new valid keys, and then re-encrypting the data to be sent; and then sending it to Sony via a PSN connection without it being recognized as spoofed data by their Intrusion Detection/Prevention Systems. So far, this is just fear mongering. An attempt to get legitimate PS3 users scared and angry at Sony by saying it's possible without even attempting it.
===
Quoted: "Sony secretly sends micro updates to the Playstation 3 firmware without the user's knowledge anytime a user connects to the internet in order to prevent the installing of customer firmware."
Response: Completely false. Like all things, Sony validates the access a console and account has upon each attempt to connect to PSN and updates any cached data used for validating this information on the PS3. This is the exact same as N4G validating you being logged in and updating a cookie in your temporary internet files to mark your last visit and that you are still logged in.
In order to install any new code onto your system, they must halt you from using the OS. The newly compiled code cannot just be placed on your system without having to restart the OS as well. This isn't taking a PHP or similar page and overwriting the new one. The C++ code that is used on the PS3 requires that it be compiled and that the necessary configuration and relative files be compiled with it and updated at once.
Again, more fear mongering to get legitimate users worried and angry at Sony without any substance to it.
===
Quoted: "Jailbreaking or custom firmware are legal and completely within your rights to use."
Response: Jailbreaking a phone is completely legal if used for custom programs and opening them up to use with different providers; jailbreaking is not legal for illegally obtaining the IP of others or adjusting any software that isn't related to allowing custom programs or unlocking the phone for use with a different service provider.
What is not legal at this time is jailbreaking a console nor taking Sony code (firmware) and modifying it as your own custom firmware. The reason behind this is that the CFW modifications made aren't illegal because they can run homebrew, they're illegal because they allow a person to bypass the security protocols and limitations set by Sony with the PSN code, which is illegal to modify.
Unlike phones, the firmware for the PS3 and similar consoles contains specific data for processing sensitive data and purchases on the provided network (XBL/PSN). The modification of this code is akin to customizing a credit card processing machine to send the person's personal information to a source not specified for the machine's design.
Furthermore, this isn't about allowing people to run homebrew, it's about A) the sharing of sensivite and secure information that is integral to Sony's ability to provide a secure environment for their business and therefore each of their users (metldr key data); and B) the modification of Sony IP, specifically the firmware code which also acts as the framework for PSN.
===
Conclusion: I'm not one to stop someone from boycotting. Go right at it, it's your right. But this stuff kind of pisses me off only because it's riddled with a lot of misinformation. It's fear mongering at its worst, knowing that the general public doesn't know enough to question what they're being told and immediately worrying if Sony is keeping their purchase and personal information safe.
The people who are spreading this information are liars or some of the most ignorant people I've yet to see on the Internet. I find it hard to believe that they don't know that what they are saying is false. I do know that they are, unfortunately, getting the attention they want, and this will only force Sony to have to work harder to fight against the poor publicity.
All of this because Sony needs to protect their business from people who didn't care how their actions would affect them or the legitimate customers of their hardware. And as gamers, we tell people every day to support the people who make the games we like. Looking at 2011 and what Sony is doing for the gamers, I wonder where people's heads are at the moment.
Thứ Hai, 17 tháng 10, 2011
Voice-commands & Zork-inspired conversations
. Blog games, games free, free games, games online, playing games online, games news, aetion games, top gamesThe title itself is both vague and clear. There are two features that I would like to see in games in the future.
Imagine sitting there and playing an RPG of some sort. What if you could "shout" out, or simply say the name of the spell to make your character cast it? Why haven't this been done? What is it that makes it so complicated?
The only thing I could see that is a problem is that they would have to create a very dynamic system that recognizes dialects and different languages. But why not create a system that when you start the game you get to record the basic commands based on what class you choose, like the spells or abilities that you start out with? And then when you gain a new spell you record a command for that one. I would love this. Although I probably wouldn't want to use it in the presence of others or maybe that would be even better :D
The second thing is actually talking to characters. I do realize that this cannot, at least for a long time, be done. However, I would love to see the ability much like that in the old text-based Zork-games. If I want to ask an npc about something, I approach him or her and type my question and the npc responds to that. Why isn't that done? Or at least available as an option?
I do realize that you would have to phrase your questions in a certain way like "What do you know about..." , "Where can I find..." , "Where can I buy..." and so on. It would feel a lot more personal that way. Why are there no games that does that?
If you have examples of games that does this, please tell me about them below :) And please add your own thoughts about how all of this could work, and why you would like it/dislike it!
Imagine sitting there and playing an RPG of some sort. What if you could "shout" out, or simply say the name of the spell to make your character cast it? Why haven't this been done? What is it that makes it so complicated?
The only thing I could see that is a problem is that they would have to create a very dynamic system that recognizes dialects and different languages. But why not create a system that when you start the game you get to record the basic commands based on what class you choose, like the spells or abilities that you start out with? And then when you gain a new spell you record a command for that one. I would love this. Although I probably wouldn't want to use it in the presence of others or maybe that would be even better :D
The second thing is actually talking to characters. I do realize that this cannot, at least for a long time, be done. However, I would love to see the ability much like that in the old text-based Zork-games. If I want to ask an npc about something, I approach him or her and type my question and the npc responds to that. Why isn't that done? Or at least available as an option?
I do realize that you would have to phrase your questions in a certain way like "What do you know about..." , "Where can I find..." , "Where can I buy..." and so on. It would feel a lot more personal that way. Why are there no games that does that?
If you have examples of games that does this, please tell me about them below :) And please add your own thoughts about how all of this could work, and why you would like it/dislike it!
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!
Anonymous - Let's Just Ignore Them
I am sick of these guys - so why don't we just ignore them?
If they have a problem with Sony then why don't they take it up with Sony, instead of the millions of innocent PSN users that have been dragged into this feud? There are millions of kids right now who can't play games and they are off school for Easter. They are simply a bunch of criminals if they are responsible for the PSN outage and I have had enough. I am sick of the propaganda and BS that we are having to listen to everyday on this site.
To all of you that are posting stories, rumours, videos, press releases please just stop.
Anonymous are getting all the attention they want whoever they are and whatever they want; if we just ignore them they might just go away!
If they have a problem with Sony then why don't they take it up with Sony, instead of the millions of innocent PSN users that have been dragged into this feud? There are millions of kids right now who can't play games and they are off school for Easter. They are simply a bunch of criminals if they are responsible for the PSN outage and I have had enough. I am sick of the propaganda and BS that we are having to listen to everyday on this site.
To all of you that are posting stories, rumours, videos, press releases please just stop.
Anonymous are getting all the attention they want whoever they are and whatever they want; if we just ignore them they might just go away!
Thứ Sáu, 14 tháng 10, 2011
N4G Explained: A Story Within A Story
Questions, we get a lot of them, and for the ones that achieve some sort of critical mass I thought it would be helpful to post about them for all you information go-getters!*
"A Story Within A Story" is part of our News Guidelines ( http://n4g.com/site/newsgui... ). Here's the relevant bit:
________
"Sometimes a site does an interview with an industry professional where newsworthy information is revealed deep inside the interview. Other websites often create separate news stories focusing on specific bits of information that are of special interest to their readers. Even if the original interview is already posted it is ok to also post these side stories if the original post did not focus on this newsworthy information."
________
The first criteria is that it be revealed "deep inside the interview". This means it probably shouldn't be on the first page of the interview, and definitely shouldn't be included in the summary for the interview - the one at the source or on N4G. Don't think about just the title, think about the information in the interview, what the questions are, and how the answers relate. Think about the N4G reader, because that's what the Mods and Admins are thinking about when they review a submission.
Next up, "separate news stories focusing on specific bits of information that are of special interest to their readers". Think in terms of interviews with celebrities that go on and on about their workout routine and the latest awards show but maybe they mention in one question that they're going to be co-starring in the Uncharted movie. That tiny part of the interview is gaming related - the rest? Not so much. Also, think of financial reports or similarly boring things that people discuss around conference tables while drinking bad coffee. If on page three of a financial report from a publisher or game company something interesting or relevant is revealed, that fits the bill.
IMPORTANT: Notice how in this criteria both examples also fit the first and primary criteria - it's buried information. The first criteria should always be met.
"Even if the original interview is already posted" - if that original interview/story/whatever belongs on N4G (doesn't fit the above paragraph), it should already be submitted here. Otherwise your submission is going to get hit with "Wrong Source".
IMPORTANT: Notice how in this criteria it should still fit the first and primary criteria - it's buried information. The first criteria should always be met. Am I sounding redundant yet? :)
And lastly, "if the original post did not focus on this newsworthy information". This is a double whammy - it reminds us again that the original post didn't focus on the information, but it also mentions that the information should be newsworthy. Mainly, it should be timely, significant and relevant to the NewsBoiler site it is on.
IMPORTANT: Yeah, you know...
Stating the obvious for fun: correct sourcing and citation is needed. None of the above is going to fly if you don't give credit where credit is due. This means that on your site you need to be correctly attributing information, and on N4G you should be making use of that "credit URL' field. Also, copy-pasting work without any of your own content or with the bulk of the source material copy-pasted is PLAGIARISM even if you cite the source! We don't like thieves.
"A Story Within A Story" is part of our News Guidelines ( http://n4g.com/site/newsgui... ). Here's the relevant bit:
________
"Sometimes a site does an interview with an industry professional where newsworthy information is revealed deep inside the interview. Other websites often create separate news stories focusing on specific bits of information that are of special interest to their readers. Even if the original interview is already posted it is ok to also post these side stories if the original post did not focus on this newsworthy information."
________
The first criteria is that it be revealed "deep inside the interview". This means it probably shouldn't be on the first page of the interview, and definitely shouldn't be included in the summary for the interview - the one at the source or on N4G. Don't think about just the title, think about the information in the interview, what the questions are, and how the answers relate. Think about the N4G reader, because that's what the Mods and Admins are thinking about when they review a submission.
Next up, "separate news stories focusing on specific bits of information that are of special interest to their readers". Think in terms of interviews with celebrities that go on and on about their workout routine and the latest awards show but maybe they mention in one question that they're going to be co-starring in the Uncharted movie. That tiny part of the interview is gaming related - the rest? Not so much. Also, think of financial reports or similarly boring things that people discuss around conference tables while drinking bad coffee. If on page three of a financial report from a publisher or game company something interesting or relevant is revealed, that fits the bill.
IMPORTANT: Notice how in this criteria both examples also fit the first and primary criteria - it's buried information. The first criteria should always be met.
"Even if the original interview is already posted" - if that original interview/story/whatever belongs on N4G (doesn't fit the above paragraph), it should already be submitted here. Otherwise your submission is going to get hit with "Wrong Source".
IMPORTANT: Notice how in this criteria it should still fit the first and primary criteria - it's buried information. The first criteria should always be met. Am I sounding redundant yet? :)
And lastly, "if the original post did not focus on this newsworthy information". This is a double whammy - it reminds us again that the original post didn't focus on the information, but it also mentions that the information should be newsworthy. Mainly, it should be timely, significant and relevant to the NewsBoiler site it is on.
IMPORTANT: Yeah, you know...
Stating the obvious for fun: correct sourcing and citation is needed. None of the above is going to fly if you don't give credit where credit is due. This means that on your site you need to be correctly attributing information, and on N4G you should be making use of that "credit URL' field. Also, copy-pasting work without any of your own content or with the bulk of the source material copy-pasted is PLAGIARISM even if you cite the source! We don't like thieves.
What's in the Call of Duty Water?
It's now the day of the next big Call of Duty map pack release (for 360, anyway), and at my particular GameStop, people are eager to get their codes or buy Microsoft points so they can be ready. That's cool. I don't have a problem with that. But at about 8:30 last night(thirty minutes before we close), one customer in particular came in, one that I don't think I'll ever forget.
He was bringing back Borderlands to buy Microsoft points, but had forgotten his receipt. He had left it at home, and spent nearly ten minutes trying to convince us to do the return without it. After conversing with him, we discovered he'd bought every map pack thus far, and two or three copies of Black Ops- he couldn't recall. All told, we calculated that he'd spent nearly $200 on Black Ops, and he was looking to spend more. We asked him what it was that made him want to spend so much.
"I don't know, man," he said. "I gotta have it."
If you've never seen a drug addict before, take my word for it: this guy is addicted.
He needed his fix. He came back shortly after we'd closed, and I can only say he should consider himself lucky that we went through with the transaction. Borderlands, which he'd just gotten the day before and thoroughly enjoyed, was sacrificed for Microsoft points. And those points will go on to fuel his addiction.
What the hell is in this game? I know people who've gotten married and divorced over Warcraft, and yet even THEY didn't act like this. The Call of Duty phenomenon has scores of people unable to get away, and for the life of me, I can't figure out how Activision does it.
Now let me go on the record as saying I'm not the biggest fan of the franchise. I don't HATE the series, but I've been disappointed with them in recent times. I came onboard with World at War; it was my second ever FPS- after Time Splitters 2- and my first of this generation. I loved it. I thought it was an absolutely amazing game. By the time Modern Warfare 2 came out, I was a much better FPS player, having honed my skills with Killzone 2, Battlefield 1943, and more World at War. I was hyped for the game.
... but somehow, it just didn't seem the same. The story was evocative, but too short; It took me forever to finish World at War, and I never actually DID finish Killzone, but I saw the end of Modern Warfare 2 over the course of two days and about five hours. The multiplayer was crisp, but it was barely a week before guys were running around with akimbo shotguns, filling the sky with so many jets and choppers that if you spawned outside, you pretty much just sat and got ready to spawn again.
People loved it, though. Enough to make it the highest selling- and most pirated- game of all time... at the time. Don't get me wrong: I did enjoy the game. But it somehow got old to me, real fast.
Black Ops has seen even more success, culminating in this fourth map pack.
But what is it about the games that makes them so desirable? Most of the things people point out aren't things I consider good in a FPS. Camping, quick-scoping, spawn camping (no, I'm not being an ass; multiple people have literally said these things make the game fun). To be honest, there are better FPS titles available, games that do what Call of Duty does, only better. But none of them have sales numbers anywhere NEAR the last few Call of Duty games.
Another longtime customer came in last week, talking about Call of Duty. Just days before, he'd traded in loads of games, including ones he hadn't even played yet. Turns out he'd gotten so absorbed playing Black Ops that he hadn't bothered to even unwrap a game he paid sixty bucks for.
This guy isn't somebody new to gaming, like most (whether you want admit it or not, it's the truth) Call of Duty players are. Like me, his PS2 collection was heavy with rpgs, and he played a variety of games and genres before Call of Duty. But it was ten minutes before he even REMEMBERED that he used to play something OTHER than shooters.
He was bringing back Borderlands to buy Microsoft points, but had forgotten his receipt. He had left it at home, and spent nearly ten minutes trying to convince us to do the return without it. After conversing with him, we discovered he'd bought every map pack thus far, and two or three copies of Black Ops- he couldn't recall. All told, we calculated that he'd spent nearly $200 on Black Ops, and he was looking to spend more. We asked him what it was that made him want to spend so much.
"I don't know, man," he said. "I gotta have it."
If you've never seen a drug addict before, take my word for it: this guy is addicted.
He needed his fix. He came back shortly after we'd closed, and I can only say he should consider himself lucky that we went through with the transaction. Borderlands, which he'd just gotten the day before and thoroughly enjoyed, was sacrificed for Microsoft points. And those points will go on to fuel his addiction.
What the hell is in this game? I know people who've gotten married and divorced over Warcraft, and yet even THEY didn't act like this. The Call of Duty phenomenon has scores of people unable to get away, and for the life of me, I can't figure out how Activision does it.
Now let me go on the record as saying I'm not the biggest fan of the franchise. I don't HATE the series, but I've been disappointed with them in recent times. I came onboard with World at War; it was my second ever FPS- after Time Splitters 2- and my first of this generation. I loved it. I thought it was an absolutely amazing game. By the time Modern Warfare 2 came out, I was a much better FPS player, having honed my skills with Killzone 2, Battlefield 1943, and more World at War. I was hyped for the game.
... but somehow, it just didn't seem the same. The story was evocative, but too short; It took me forever to finish World at War, and I never actually DID finish Killzone, but I saw the end of Modern Warfare 2 over the course of two days and about five hours. The multiplayer was crisp, but it was barely a week before guys were running around with akimbo shotguns, filling the sky with so many jets and choppers that if you spawned outside, you pretty much just sat and got ready to spawn again.
People loved it, though. Enough to make it the highest selling- and most pirated- game of all time... at the time. Don't get me wrong: I did enjoy the game. But it somehow got old to me, real fast.
Black Ops has seen even more success, culminating in this fourth map pack.
But what is it about the games that makes them so desirable? Most of the things people point out aren't things I consider good in a FPS. Camping, quick-scoping, spawn camping (no, I'm not being an ass; multiple people have literally said these things make the game fun). To be honest, there are better FPS titles available, games that do what Call of Duty does, only better. But none of them have sales numbers anywhere NEAR the last few Call of Duty games.
Another longtime customer came in last week, talking about Call of Duty. Just days before, he'd traded in loads of games, including ones he hadn't even played yet. Turns out he'd gotten so absorbed playing Black Ops that he hadn't bothered to even unwrap a game he paid sixty bucks for.
This guy isn't somebody new to gaming, like most (whether you want admit it or not, it's the truth) Call of Duty players are. Like me, his PS2 collection was heavy with rpgs, and he played a variety of games and genres before Call of Duty. But it was ten minutes before he even REMEMBERED that he used to play something OTHER than shooters.
Disney-branded Facebook games coming in 2012, Playdom head says
Can we all just say, “finally?” During a panel named “The Rise of Social Games” at the f8 Facebook Developers Conference in San Francisco, Disney Interactive and Playdom head John Pleasants revealed that two to four Facebook games surrounding Disney xd brands will hit Facebook in 2012. The general topic of the panel was the fact that branded social games are taking off.
Pleasants was joined on the panel by Kabam CEO Kevin Chou, EA Interactive head Barry Cottle and Zynga CBO Owen Van Natta. Facebook director of games partnerships Sean Ryan moderated the panel with the preface that branded games will take over the Facebook platform. And he might be right: EA just released The Sims Social, Zynga will soon re-brand its new Adventure World with Indiana Jones and Kabam recently announced The Godfather: Five Families.
Playdom, which Disney acquired in July 2010 for a whopping $740 million, is ahead of the pack with two branded games on Facebook: ESPNU College Town and ESPN Sports Bar & Grill. Both games performed well, thanks to advertising through the ESPN TV network. While Disney owns the ESPN brand, notice how neither of those actually involve the insanely popular Disney characters we’ve come to love.
Honestly, we’re surprised this didn’t happen sooner. Consider this: Disney has its own cable TV channel through which it could, in theory, advertise whatever it wants. Pleasants didn’t get into why it’s taken this long for disney channel games to throw its cast of characters into Facebook games, but did reveal the power of the Disney name.
Gnome Town, which Playdom launched in the summer–and we enjoyed quite a bit–peaked at 530,000 daily players. But just plopping the Disney logo on top of the existing one made users more likely to spend in the game just through trust of the company’s name, according to Pleasants. “We think it’s an advantage, if you put game play first,” Pleasants said.
It’s comforting to hear this emphasized by these developers. (Kabam’s Chou shared the same sentiment.) Branded games on Facebook are OK in my book, but the last thing anyone wants to see is the genre become a branding machine.
Pleasants was joined on the panel by Kabam CEO Kevin Chou, EA Interactive head Barry Cottle and Zynga CBO Owen Van Natta. Facebook director of games partnerships Sean Ryan moderated the panel with the preface that branded games will take over the Facebook platform. And he might be right: EA just released The Sims Social, Zynga will soon re-brand its new Adventure World with Indiana Jones and Kabam recently announced The Godfather: Five Families.
Playdom, which Disney acquired in July 2010 for a whopping $740 million, is ahead of the pack with two branded games on Facebook: ESPNU College Town and ESPN Sports Bar & Grill. Both games performed well, thanks to advertising through the ESPN TV network. While Disney owns the ESPN brand, notice how neither of those actually involve the insanely popular Disney characters we’ve come to love.
Honestly, we’re surprised this didn’t happen sooner. Consider this: Disney has its own cable TV channel through which it could, in theory, advertise whatever it wants. Pleasants didn’t get into why it’s taken this long for disney channel games to throw its cast of characters into Facebook games, but did reveal the power of the Disney name.
Gnome Town, which Playdom launched in the summer–and we enjoyed quite a bit–peaked at 530,000 daily players. But just plopping the Disney logo on top of the existing one made users more likely to spend in the game just through trust of the company’s name, according to Pleasants. “We think it’s an advantage, if you put game play first,” Pleasants said.
It’s comforting to hear this emphasized by these developers. (Kabam’s Chou shared the same sentiment.) Branded games on Facebook are OK in my book, but the last thing anyone wants to see is the genre become a branding machine.
Phineas And Ferb 3D Game – Disney XD Games 63
New Disney Game – Phineas and Ferb
Disney released a new game. Phineas and Ferb 3D online game. Klick here to read the complete review.
The new game is available at the Disney XD discovery channel. Get ahead of the game before its officially released next week!
Disney is introducing the brand new DisneyXD game. Phineas and Ferb in: The Transport inators of Doooom!
Doofenschmitz is up to his old tricks again, and who has gone missing? Phineas! Help Ferb find his brother and try to help Agent P thwarth Doofenschmitz evil plans!
Check out this new exciting Disney XD online game before all others do at the Disney Cartoon network games website!
Check out Disney’s cartoon network to find a lot of amazing games and news. Disney offers a lot of cartoon games on their site. So head over to the Disney XD site and play the new Phineas and Ferb – The Transport-inators of Doooom! game!
Have Fun!
Disney released a new game. Phineas and Ferb 3D online game. Klick here to read the complete review.
The new game is available at the Disney XD discovery channel. Get ahead of the game before its officially released next week!
Disney is introducing the brand new DisneyXD game. Phineas and Ferb in: The Transport inators of Doooom!
Doofenschmitz is up to his old tricks again, and who has gone missing? Phineas! Help Ferb find his brother and try to help Agent P thwarth Doofenschmitz evil plans!
Check out this new exciting Disney XD online game before all others do at the Disney Cartoon network games website!
Check out Disney’s cartoon network to find a lot of amazing games and news. Disney offers a lot of cartoon games on their site. So head over to the Disney XD site and play the new Phineas and Ferb – The Transport-inators of Doooom! game!
Have Fun!
Play the Scary Maze Game With Your Friends!
Have you ever played the Scary Maze Game 8 now? If not, brotha you haven’t lived!!! This maze game is the most awesome game on earth! But in order to play it you MUST have a partner in the room with you. So go find a friend, co-hort, or even an enemy – it doesn’t matter! Then match your wits and your mouse skills with the game and see if you’re awesome enough to win the BIG prize at the end!
Thứ Năm, 6 tháng 10, 2011
The Sims Social celebrates fans with a week of free stuff
Free stuff? Yes, please, I'll take some of that! With almost 61 million players (and climbing), the folks at EA / Playfish have a lot to be thankful for when it comes to the Sims Social on Facebook. As a way to thank their ever-growing player base for their support (even when the game suffered from some nagging loading and gameplay issues), the developers have launched a week long celebration involving free stuff that will be given away, apparently on a daily basis.
To start, we're given a gift of Social Points - a whopping 400 Social Points at that. Since your other methods of earning Social Points normally come in small increments (of 10 or less per action) when visiting friends, this really is a substantial prize. Remember, these Social Points work as a form of third currency in the game, and can be used to purchase exclusive decorations or other home items that aren't available through any other method or currency.
We've also been told that we'll be able to increase our land size in the future, although that wasn't exactly announced in as many words. To be specific, we're asked if we "need more space to build your dream home" and that with that question comes a secret that the developers just couldn't hold in anymore. We're even asked "If you could expand your land, what is the first room you'd build on it?"
Put two and two together here, and you're left with the answer that land size will soon be increasing, although no particular release date was announced (unfortunately). If you're like me, your home has already filled most nooks and crannies of land in our admittedly small square, and is surrounded by outdoor goodies to boot. Being able to increase the size of our house plot is a huge deal, and we'll make sure to let you know when that feature / ability launches as soon as it does.
In the meantime, keep checking back with the game's Facebook fan page for additional links / announcements of free prizes, and click right here to claim your free 400 Social Points.
What sorts of prizes are you hoping to receive in this week-long event of free stuff? What will you purchase with your 400 free Social Points? Sound off in the comments.
To start, we're given a gift of Social Points - a whopping 400 Social Points at that. Since your other methods of earning Social Points normally come in small increments (of 10 or less per action) when visiting friends, this really is a substantial prize. Remember, these Social Points work as a form of third currency in the game, and can be used to purchase exclusive decorations or other home items that aren't available through any other method or currency.
We've also been told that we'll be able to increase our land size in the future, although that wasn't exactly announced in as many words. To be specific, we're asked if we "need more space to build your dream home" and that with that question comes a secret that the developers just couldn't hold in anymore. We're even asked "If you could expand your land, what is the first room you'd build on it?"
Put two and two together here, and you're left with the answer that land size will soon be increasing, although no particular release date was announced (unfortunately). If you're like me, your home has already filled most nooks and crannies of land in our admittedly small square, and is surrounded by outdoor goodies to boot. Being able to increase the size of our house plot is a huge deal, and we'll make sure to let you know when that feature / ability launches as soon as it does.
In the meantime, keep checking back with the game's Facebook fan page for additional links / announcements of free prizes, and click right here to claim your free 400 Social Points.
What sorts of prizes are you hoping to receive in this week-long event of free stuff? What will you purchase with your 400 free Social Points? Sound off in the comments.
Dress up a real turtle and win a trip to New York with Bravo's Turtle Time
Are you ready to help embarrass a turtle on cable TV and make life difficult for set designers on a weekly basis? If the answer is no, that's fine. I don't think most of us are ready for such a thing either. But for those of you who are, there's a new Facebook game that lets you do this called Turtle Time.
First announced last Thursday, Turtle Time is Bravo TV's little promotional stunt for Andy Cohen's Watch What Happens Live show. Cohen supposedly found the turtle, love blossomed and he decided to go steady by making her his show's mascot. Since the announcement, Bravo TV has launched a Facebook game for the turtle, given her a Twitter account (that now has 1,889 followers) and a name: "Tramona."
The game involves dressing up the turtle, and while the concept sounds innocuous, there might be some PG-13 material in the game, such as the presence of alcoholic items and profanity by the users. So I repeat, this is not a game targeted for kids. Right off the bat, when you try to play the game, it'll ask you for your birth date.
Gallery: Turtle Time
For the time being, players get 14 free items (nine Goods, three Costume pieces, and two Scenes) with 53 for sale at the store. Possibly the most outrageous item is "Gay Guys Holding Hands in Speedos," which surprisingly costs 150 Lettuce instead of Facebook Credits. Lettuce (a turtle's favorite food) is the in-game currency of Turtle Time, and you start off with 1,000 of it. But I managed to snag an extra 100 Lettuce, because I correctly answered a completely random, pop-up quiz question. And while there's no dedicated free gifts option yet, you can buy items and gift them to your friends.
Turtle Time Crowds Make Me Crabby
We can see this getting fun as more people play. Already, there's some killer entries, like surrounding the turtle with crabs or balancing the turtle on a pyramid of wine glasses or whiskey bottles--sorry, I can't rightly recall which. Overall, this is a simple game and the chance for a free trip to New York doesn't hurt either. This game has only been up for less than two days, and it's got 1,486 players. To follow the game, check out its official Facebook page.
Click here to play Turtle Time on Facebook now >
Are you playing for fun or for the free trip to New York? What's the wackiest costume and backdrop can you come up with for the turtle? Sound off in the comments. 2 Comments
First announced last Thursday, Turtle Time is Bravo TV's little promotional stunt for Andy Cohen's Watch What Happens Live show. Cohen supposedly found the turtle, love blossomed and he decided to go steady by making her his show's mascot. Since the announcement, Bravo TV has launched a Facebook game for the turtle, given her a Twitter account (that now has 1,889 followers) and a name: "Tramona."
The game involves dressing up the turtle, and while the concept sounds innocuous, there might be some PG-13 material in the game, such as the presence of alcoholic items and profanity by the users. So I repeat, this is not a game targeted for kids. Right off the bat, when you try to play the game, it'll ask you for your birth date.
Gallery: Turtle Time
For the time being, players get 14 free items (nine Goods, three Costume pieces, and two Scenes) with 53 for sale at the store. Possibly the most outrageous item is "Gay Guys Holding Hands in Speedos," which surprisingly costs 150 Lettuce instead of Facebook Credits. Lettuce (a turtle's favorite food) is the in-game currency of Turtle Time, and you start off with 1,000 of it. But I managed to snag an extra 100 Lettuce, because I correctly answered a completely random, pop-up quiz question. And while there's no dedicated free gifts option yet, you can buy items and gift them to your friends.
Turtle Time Crowds Make Me Crabby
We can see this getting fun as more people play. Already, there's some killer entries, like surrounding the turtle with crabs or balancing the turtle on a pyramid of wine glasses or whiskey bottles--sorry, I can't rightly recall which. Overall, this is a simple game and the chance for a free trip to New York doesn't hurt either. This game has only been up for less than two days, and it's got 1,486 players. To follow the game, check out its official Facebook page.
Click here to play Turtle Time on Facebook now >
Are you playing for fun or for the free trip to New York? What's the wackiest costume and backdrop can you come up with for the turtle? Sound off in the comments. 2 Comments
Cafe World Farmers Insurance promotion comes with Professor Burke Statue
If anything, the folks at Zynga definitely know how to setup a good cross-promotion. After Capital One recently set up shop in a slew of Zynga's games (and practically took over FarmVille), we now see a new promotion launching in Cafe World with another company: Farmers Insurance (remember, we were told that Farmers would be making an appearance in the game back in June). If you watch a lot of TV, you might recognize this promotion's mascot of sorts - Professor Burke - from recent Farmers Insurance commercials.
Now, Professor Burke has come to your cafe as a character and as a statue, plated in gold. This "Professor Burke Statue" has a limited time of effectiveness, but will "insure" your cafe, granting you spoil protection on all of the dishes you cook from now until October 2. Luckily, the statue is free, and it doesn't require any "building" to gain its effect. You can either simply place the statue from the in-game pop-up that appears, or you can head into the game's build menu manually to drag your free statue out and into your cafe.
If there's one thing to remember about this, it isn't that the statue itself comes with a time limit that can be turned on and off depending on when you place it in your cafe; rather, it's a case where you'll want to place it in your cafe as soon as possible as the overall countdown timer ticks down until October 2. If the Farmers Insurance promotion grows in Cafe World, we'll make sure to let you know.
Would you have liked the Professor Burke Statue to have another effect, rather than wither protection? Or, will you take advantage of this opportunity to cook some quickly cooking dishes while you're busy doing other things since they won't spoil? Sound off in the comments.
Now, Professor Burke has come to your cafe as a character and as a statue, plated in gold. This "Professor Burke Statue" has a limited time of effectiveness, but will "insure" your cafe, granting you spoil protection on all of the dishes you cook from now until October 2. Luckily, the statue is free, and it doesn't require any "building" to gain its effect. You can either simply place the statue from the in-game pop-up that appears, or you can head into the game's build menu manually to drag your free statue out and into your cafe.
If there's one thing to remember about this, it isn't that the statue itself comes with a time limit that can be turned on and off depending on when you place it in your cafe; rather, it's a case where you'll want to place it in your cafe as soon as possible as the overall countdown timer ticks down until October 2. If the Farmers Insurance promotion grows in Cafe World, we'll make sure to let you know.
Would you have liked the Professor Burke Statue to have another effect, rather than wither protection? Or, will you take advantage of this opportunity to cook some quickly cooking dishes while you're busy doing other things since they won't spoil? Sound off in the comments.
Cafe World Manny's Mobile Meal Catering Order: Everything you need to know
Last week, we gave you a look at the second portion of the Cafe World two-year anniversary event, which takes us to the Philippines to help Manny on a Journey. While that may have been an already complex series of goals (and even a building project), Manny's story becomes even more in-depth today, as the accompanying catering order has finally launched. This order asks you to cook up a storm for a Filipino feast, and comes with the usual free recipe for completing this order with a three star rating.
Unfortunately, this is another order that will likely be impossible for some chefs to complete, unless they've already completed Manny's goals enough times to unlock all of the new Filipino recipes launched in this particular event. To be specific, you'll need to serve Lechon 475 times, Sisig 45 times and Filipino Paella 140 times. I suppose you could get lucky and have some really, really helpful friends do the cooking in these tasks for you (while you showered them with thanks, of course), or you could even pay your way through the goals with Cafe Cash to unlock the dishes more quickly that way. Either way, you're looking at some lengthy gameplay before you can even be eligible for completing this catering order on your own.
While you're cooking (or waiting on your friends to cook), you can ask your friends for the two collectible items in this order: 12 Monster Skewers and 16 Banana Leaves. Both of these are earned by sending out individual requests to friends, so earning all 28 may take you a few days, depending on the number of neighbors you have available to ask for help.
If you can complete this entire order within the first three days, you'll earn the three-star rating, 12 Catering Points, 3,200 Cafe Points, 70,000 coins and the Cassava Cake recipe. In addition, since this order is technically part of the two-year anniversary event, finishing with the three star rating also gives you a bonus of 10,000 Travel Passes. If three days proves to be too short, but you can finish within five days, you'll receive two stars, 8 Catering Points, 2,300 Cafe Points and 50,000 coins. Finally, if you finish at any point after the first five days have passed, you'll receive just a single star, 4 Catering Points, 1,400 Cafe Points and 30,000 coins. Again, you must finish with the three star rating to unlock the new recipe and the extra Travel Passes, so feel free to "cancel" your order if you run out of time and start over for another try.
What do you think of this newest catering order? How many of these three required dishes have you already unlocked in your cafe? Let us know in the comments.
Unfortunately, this is another order that will likely be impossible for some chefs to complete, unless they've already completed Manny's goals enough times to unlock all of the new Filipino recipes launched in this particular event. To be specific, you'll need to serve Lechon 475 times, Sisig 45 times and Filipino Paella 140 times. I suppose you could get lucky and have some really, really helpful friends do the cooking in these tasks for you (while you showered them with thanks, of course), or you could even pay your way through the goals with Cafe Cash to unlock the dishes more quickly that way. Either way, you're looking at some lengthy gameplay before you can even be eligible for completing this catering order on your own.
While you're cooking (or waiting on your friends to cook), you can ask your friends for the two collectible items in this order: 12 Monster Skewers and 16 Banana Leaves. Both of these are earned by sending out individual requests to friends, so earning all 28 may take you a few days, depending on the number of neighbors you have available to ask for help.
If you can complete this entire order within the first three days, you'll earn the three-star rating, 12 Catering Points, 3,200 Cafe Points, 70,000 coins and the Cassava Cake recipe. In addition, since this order is technically part of the two-year anniversary event, finishing with the three star rating also gives you a bonus of 10,000 Travel Passes. If three days proves to be too short, but you can finish within five days, you'll receive two stars, 8 Catering Points, 2,300 Cafe Points and 50,000 coins. Finally, if you finish at any point after the first five days have passed, you'll receive just a single star, 4 Catering Points, 1,400 Cafe Points and 30,000 coins. Again, you must finish with the three star rating to unlock the new recipe and the extra Travel Passes, so feel free to "cancel" your order if you run out of time and start over for another try.
What do you think of this newest catering order? How many of these three required dishes have you already unlocked in your cafe? Let us know in the comments.
Thứ Ba, 4 tháng 10, 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 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 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.
[Source and Image Credit: VentureBeat]
Are you on board with the growing trend of branded games on Facebook? Do you think developers will maintain integrity as the focus on branded content in their games intensifies? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
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 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.
[Source and Image Credit: VentureBeat]
Are you on board with the growing trend of branded games on Facebook? Do you think developers will maintain integrity as the focus on branded content in their games intensifies? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
New Pioneer Trail World Map: Are four more expansions on the way?
Pioneer Trail World Map
That's the logical guess, at least. Zynga recently updated The Pioneer Trail with a brand new World Map that hints at four unreleased areas. Instead of showing the four areas on the Pioneer Trail, the "Travel" button now shows a condensed icon representing the recently-released expansion in a larger map. What's more important, however, is what surrounds it.
Considering this is all we have right now, prepare for some wild speculation. The Pioneer Trail icon is surrounded by four grayed out icons. Moving from most left to right, what first appears is either a castle or a fort, with no trail marks leading to it. Perhaps this is a new area for players to tend to much like the Homestead (maybe players claim Fort Courage for themselves.) To the bottom left is a canyon, which is most likely the long-teased Rattlesnake Canyon.
Directly below The Pioneer Trail icon is what appears to be a Gold Mine, likely alluding to the Gold Rush expansion that has been hinted at since almost day one. (You know, way back when this game was still known as FrontierVille?) Finally, a haunted graveyard of sorts is featured. We seriously doubt Zynga would create an entire expansion's worth of content with a Halloween theme, so maybe this will be the home of future season-specific events.
At this point, who knows what the developer is up to. What we do know, however, is that Zynga has big plans for Pioneer Trail well into 2012. And considering the game has lost the majority of its daily players since it was re-branded in August, we're not surprised Zynga would be working hard to keep the major content releases flowing.
What do you make of this brand new World Map in Pioneer Trail? Do you think Zynga can recover its lost fans with a flurry of major expansions in 2012? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
That's the logical guess, at least. Zynga recently updated The Pioneer Trail with a brand new World Map that hints at four unreleased areas. Instead of showing the four areas on the Pioneer Trail, the "Travel" button now shows a condensed icon representing the recently-released expansion in a larger map. What's more important, however, is what surrounds it.
Considering this is all we have right now, prepare for some wild speculation. The Pioneer Trail icon is surrounded by four grayed out icons. Moving from most left to right, what first appears is either a castle or a fort, with no trail marks leading to it. Perhaps this is a new area for players to tend to much like the Homestead (maybe players claim Fort Courage for themselves.) To the bottom left is a canyon, which is most likely the long-teased Rattlesnake Canyon.
Directly below The Pioneer Trail icon is what appears to be a Gold Mine, likely alluding to the Gold Rush expansion that has been hinted at since almost day one. (You know, way back when this game was still known as FrontierVille?) Finally, a haunted graveyard of sorts is featured. We seriously doubt Zynga would create an entire expansion's worth of content with a Halloween theme, so maybe this will be the home of future season-specific events.
At this point, who knows what the developer is up to. What we do know, however, is that Zynga has big plans for Pioneer Trail well into 2012. And considering the game has lost the majority of its daily players since it was re-branded in August, we're not surprised Zynga would be working hard to keep the major content releases flowing.
What do you make of this brand new World Map in Pioneer Trail? Do you think Zynga can recover its lost fans with a flurry of major expansions in 2012? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
The CityVille French Riviera Casino: Everything you need to know
Nearly a year after the game's release, it's finally time to unlock the first CityVille Wonder: The Eiffel Tower. We've guided you through building both the Sailboat Hotel and the Tonga Tower, and now Zynga has released the French Riviera Casino to the game. It's the third and final building required to access CityVille's first Wonder, and follows about the same pattern as its predecessors. But that doesn't make it any simpler of a task, so here's everything you need to know:
Players must be at least Level 30 to access the French Riviera Casino. Once you reach that point, you'll come across a new Goal from Edgar. It simply asks that you place the foundation for the building, and rewards you 2 XP for doing so. Keep in mind that you don't have to complete the Sailboat Hotel and Tonga Tower to access this Goal.
However, you will have to finish all three to access the Eiffel Tower. Once you place the new building, it will appear complete with massive tarps, scaffolding and a giant crane. Click on it again to reveal the next giant steps in constructing this massive building in a window featuring three tasks.
Unlock French Riviera Casino
Unlock the French Riviera Casino
* Gather parts to Unlock
* Upgrade one French Business to Level 2
* Master one French Crop to Level 2
Like most buildings in CityVille, you must ask your friends for a list of items, though this time that list is more like a litany. You must ask friends for 12 of each of these items: Roulette Wheel, Dice, Slot Machine, Deck of Cards and Poker Chip. Once you receive one of each, you can place them on your Wish List to possibly make this part pass by more quickly.
Of the French Businesses listed in the Goal, we recommend upgrading the French Restaurant, as it costs the least at 4,500 Coins and holds just 110 Goods, meaning it will be open for collection more often and thus more upgrade points. Choosing the best French crop to upgrade is easy: Go with what's cheapest. That would be the Sun Flowers, which cost just 51 Coins and take 15 hours to harvest.
Inside French Riviera Casino
Once you completed all three daunting tasks, click "Finish Building" to unveil the French Riviera Casino. Of course, the building is functional, but operates much like a standard Hotel. Click on the building to supply it with a whopping 500 Goods. Click it again, and a menu similar to the Hotels will appear. While your city's residents will populate the French Riviera Casino, you can invite friends to boost the building's payout up to three times the normal value.
You can even invite friends as VIP guests after the Casino is ready to be collected. Just click on the hovering VIP icon to select five VIP friends. This is the final building to unlock the Eiffel Tower, so go on and build the first Wonder ever to hit CityVille.
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]
Have you finished all three buildings to unlock the Eiffel Tower yet? What do you think of how Zynga has handled this new set of buildings? Sound off in the comments. 4 Comments
Players must be at least Level 30 to access the French Riviera Casino. Once you reach that point, you'll come across a new Goal from Edgar. It simply asks that you place the foundation for the building, and rewards you 2 XP for doing so. Keep in mind that you don't have to complete the Sailboat Hotel and Tonga Tower to access this Goal.
However, you will have to finish all three to access the Eiffel Tower. Once you place the new building, it will appear complete with massive tarps, scaffolding and a giant crane. Click on it again to reveal the next giant steps in constructing this massive building in a window featuring three tasks.
Unlock French Riviera Casino
Unlock the French Riviera Casino
* Gather parts to Unlock
* Upgrade one French Business to Level 2
* Master one French Crop to Level 2
Like most buildings in CityVille, you must ask your friends for a list of items, though this time that list is more like a litany. You must ask friends for 12 of each of these items: Roulette Wheel, Dice, Slot Machine, Deck of Cards and Poker Chip. Once you receive one of each, you can place them on your Wish List to possibly make this part pass by more quickly.
Of the French Businesses listed in the Goal, we recommend upgrading the French Restaurant, as it costs the least at 4,500 Coins and holds just 110 Goods, meaning it will be open for collection more often and thus more upgrade points. Choosing the best French crop to upgrade is easy: Go with what's cheapest. That would be the Sun Flowers, which cost just 51 Coins and take 15 hours to harvest.
Inside French Riviera Casino
Once you completed all three daunting tasks, click "Finish Building" to unveil the French Riviera Casino. Of course, the building is functional, but operates much like a standard Hotel. Click on the building to supply it with a whopping 500 Goods. Click it again, and a menu similar to the Hotels will appear. While your city's residents will populate the French Riviera Casino, you can invite friends to boost the building's payout up to three times the normal value.
You can even invite friends as VIP guests after the Casino is ready to be collected. Just click on the hovering VIP icon to select five VIP friends. This is the final building to unlock the Eiffel Tower, so go on and build the first Wonder ever to hit CityVille.
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]
Have you finished all three buildings to unlock the Eiffel Tower yet? What do you think of how Zynga has handled this new set of buildings? Sound off in the comments. 4 Comments
Game of the Day: Sudoku X
sudoku x game of the daySudoku X is a challenging rendition of the classic puzzle game. It's everything you're used to in Sudoku, but with one mine-bending twist. The object of Sudoku is to completely fill the grid with numbers. You aren't allowed to repeat the same number in any row, column, or 3 by 3 box. In Sudoku X you also aren't allowed to repeat a number in either of the purple diagonals running from corner to corner.
If you manage to finish today's puzzle, try attempting some of the other ones by clicking through the archive at the top!
Click here to play Sudoku X!
sudoku x game of the day sudoku x game of the day
Were you able to complete today's puzzle?
If you manage to finish today's puzzle, try attempting some of the other ones by clicking through the archive at the top!
Click here to play Sudoku X!
sudoku x game of the day sudoku x game of the day
Were you able to complete today's puzzle?
Video Game Roundup: Gears of War 3, Star Fox 64 3D, The Gunstringer
Gears of War 3 has only had, let's say, a billion of advertisements all over the airwaves, so we figured we'd kick off this edition of the Video Game Roundup with a look at the the final game in the popular Xbox 360 trilogy. Then we'll delve into the outer space adventures of Fox McCloud in Star Fox 64 3D, and finish up with a look at the Kinect-only The Gunstringer on Xbox 360.
gears of war 3
Gears of War 3
Gears of War 3 continues the trilogy as you play Marcus Fenix, head of a team of super soldiers known as "Gears" who are intent on combating the various plagues that are infesting the planet Sera (got that?). Human resistance to the hostile enemies known as the Locust have all but wiped civilization out, but that's sooooo previous-game-in-the-series. In Gears of War 2, you made a dent in their forces, but they're still around, and now are joined by some crazy zombie aliens called the Lambent.
If this sounds confusing, we assure you, it isn't, mainly because you'll be way too busy blowing up stuff to care! The action is almost non-stop, and while we were able to complete the game in about a week, it always keeps you guessing with what they'll throw at you next. Our favorite part is... well, we won't spoil it!
The greatest thing about Gears is the fact that this is definitely not meant to be played just by one person. The real draw is when you get a group of buddies together to play through the story at the same time. Instead of protecting some computer-controlled player, having your friends in the roles of these characters makes the game a lot more dramatic!
Of course, instead of saving them, you may just want to throw a grenade at their feet, so the famous competitive modes are also in this version of Gears, and one play is definitely not enough. This game will have you hooked as you score medals and experience to unlock new weapons and characters.
Overall, Gears of War 3 is the best in the series, and our contender so far for video game of the year. Visually, it's a stunner, and while the story does try to add depth, the action is what it's all about. Amazing stuff.
Games.com Score: Five zombie aliens (out of five)
star fox 3d
Star Fox 64 3D
Star Fox 64 3D is the second Nintendo 64 title to get the Nintendo 3DS treatment (the first being the amazing The Legend if Zelda: Ocarina of Time), and in a lot of ways, it's a better fit for the 3D portable. You take control of Fox McCloud as he leads his cohorts (my personal favorite is Slippy) into some very cool space adventures, both in space and on land, and all of which uses the Nintendo 3DS in some pretty innovative ways.
For example, you can use the gyroscope in the Nintendo 3DS to tilt your ship any which way you want, so leaning into turns actually makes a difference. It feels very natural, and when used with the analog controls, you're able to get out of some pretty hair-raising situations. All that moving the system around makes the 3D fuzzy, but you can just turn the 3D slider down all the way for a clear view of the action.
Or you can play without the gyroscope and crank that 3D effect because the game is gorgeous. The stars and backgrounds have a great layering effect that makes this one of the best looking Nintendo 3DS games to come out. It's just a shame you almost have to choose either the gyro controls or the 3D effect, as both don't work too well at the same time.
Still this is a great game that is worth a purchase even if you have played the Nintendo 64 original. And if you haven't? You're in for a treat, as the story takes you from battle to battle, with a few variations that keeps things fresh. The main style of play will have you flying straight ahead as enemies come at you, and you just have to move the target around the screen to fire your lasers and bombs. This happens during many flying missions, although you'll hop in a tank for a very cool diversion a bit later in the game. There's also a free roam style that has you dogfighting against different enemies, including a few characters from the original game that are back to make life a pain for Fox.
The hardware shows off a great experience, although it's not perfect. It's still a lot of fun though (wait until you play against some of your friends in a very cool multiplayer mode) and worth a look!
Games.com Score: Four old rabbits in space (out of five)
the gunstringer
The Gunstringer
The Gunstringer is another Xbox 360 title worthy of a closer look. Made by the guys behind the indie sensation 'Splosion Man on Xbox Live, The Gunstringer uses the Xbox Kinect to bring to life the story of a cowboy with a sordid past out for revenge. And he happens to be an undead puppet. So, yeah, there's that.
Controlling the cowboy puppet is as simple as using your left hand to move him around like a marionette, while using your right hand to point like a pistol and shoot. This is as simple as it gets, folks, but it is a very fun time.
The story is full of laughs (just take a look at some of the audience members in your play), and the game changes it up quite a bit. One chapter will have you swinging your arm from side to side while avoiding boulders, while another will have you swiping at ninja enemies with your very own samurai blades.
Simple to pick up and play (since you're not actually picking up anything) and a great sense of humor make The Gunstringer a must-play game.
Games.com Score: Five wavy tube men -- you'll see (out of five)
gears of war 3
Gears of War 3
Gears of War 3 continues the trilogy as you play Marcus Fenix, head of a team of super soldiers known as "Gears" who are intent on combating the various plagues that are infesting the planet Sera (got that?). Human resistance to the hostile enemies known as the Locust have all but wiped civilization out, but that's sooooo previous-game-in-the-series. In Gears of War 2, you made a dent in their forces, but they're still around, and now are joined by some crazy zombie aliens called the Lambent.
If this sounds confusing, we assure you, it isn't, mainly because you'll be way too busy blowing up stuff to care! The action is almost non-stop, and while we were able to complete the game in about a week, it always keeps you guessing with what they'll throw at you next. Our favorite part is... well, we won't spoil it!
The greatest thing about Gears is the fact that this is definitely not meant to be played just by one person. The real draw is when you get a group of buddies together to play through the story at the same time. Instead of protecting some computer-controlled player, having your friends in the roles of these characters makes the game a lot more dramatic!
Of course, instead of saving them, you may just want to throw a grenade at their feet, so the famous competitive modes are also in this version of Gears, and one play is definitely not enough. This game will have you hooked as you score medals and experience to unlock new weapons and characters.
Overall, Gears of War 3 is the best in the series, and our contender so far for video game of the year. Visually, it's a stunner, and while the story does try to add depth, the action is what it's all about. Amazing stuff.
Games.com Score: Five zombie aliens (out of five)
star fox 3d
Star Fox 64 3D
Star Fox 64 3D is the second Nintendo 64 title to get the Nintendo 3DS treatment (the first being the amazing The Legend if Zelda: Ocarina of Time), and in a lot of ways, it's a better fit for the 3D portable. You take control of Fox McCloud as he leads his cohorts (my personal favorite is Slippy) into some very cool space adventures, both in space and on land, and all of which uses the Nintendo 3DS in some pretty innovative ways.
For example, you can use the gyroscope in the Nintendo 3DS to tilt your ship any which way you want, so leaning into turns actually makes a difference. It feels very natural, and when used with the analog controls, you're able to get out of some pretty hair-raising situations. All that moving the system around makes the 3D fuzzy, but you can just turn the 3D slider down all the way for a clear view of the action.
Or you can play without the gyroscope and crank that 3D effect because the game is gorgeous. The stars and backgrounds have a great layering effect that makes this one of the best looking Nintendo 3DS games to come out. It's just a shame you almost have to choose either the gyro controls or the 3D effect, as both don't work too well at the same time.
Still this is a great game that is worth a purchase even if you have played the Nintendo 64 original. And if you haven't? You're in for a treat, as the story takes you from battle to battle, with a few variations that keeps things fresh. The main style of play will have you flying straight ahead as enemies come at you, and you just have to move the target around the screen to fire your lasers and bombs. This happens during many flying missions, although you'll hop in a tank for a very cool diversion a bit later in the game. There's also a free roam style that has you dogfighting against different enemies, including a few characters from the original game that are back to make life a pain for Fox.
The hardware shows off a great experience, although it's not perfect. It's still a lot of fun though (wait until you play against some of your friends in a very cool multiplayer mode) and worth a look!
Games.com Score: Four old rabbits in space (out of five)
the gunstringer
The Gunstringer
The Gunstringer is another Xbox 360 title worthy of a closer look. Made by the guys behind the indie sensation 'Splosion Man on Xbox Live, The Gunstringer uses the Xbox Kinect to bring to life the story of a cowboy with a sordid past out for revenge. And he happens to be an undead puppet. So, yeah, there's that.
Controlling the cowboy puppet is as simple as using your left hand to move him around like a marionette, while using your right hand to point like a pistol and shoot. This is as simple as it gets, folks, but it is a very fun time.
The story is full of laughs (just take a look at some of the audience members in your play), and the game changes it up quite a bit. One chapter will have you swinging your arm from side to side while avoiding boulders, while another will have you swiping at ninja enemies with your very own samurai blades.
Simple to pick up and play (since you're not actually picking up anything) and a great sense of humor make The Gunstringer a must-play game.
Games.com Score: Five wavy tube men -- you'll see (out of five)
Chủ Nhật, 2 tháng 10, 2011
New Pioneer Trail World Map: Are four more expansions on the way?
Pioneer Trail World Map
That's the logical guess, at least. Zynga recently updated The Pioneer Trail with a brand new World Map that hints at four unreleased areas. Instead of showing the four areas on the Pioneer Trail, the "Travel" button now shows a condensed icon representing the recently-released expansion in a larger map. What's more important, however, is what surrounds it.
Considering this is all we have right now, prepare for some wild speculation. The Pioneer Trail icon is surrounded by four grayed out icons. Moving from most left to right, what first appears is either a castle or a fort, with no trail marks leading to it. Perhaps this is a new area for players to tend to much like the Homestead (maybe players claim Fort Courage for themselves.) To the bottom left is a canyon, which is most likely the long-teased Rattlesnake Canyon.
Directly below The Pioneer Trail icon is what appears to be a Gold Mine, likely alluding to the Gold Rush expansion that has been hinted at since almost day one. (You know, way back when this game was still known as FrontierVille?) Finally, a haunted graveyard of sorts is featured. We seriously doubt Zynga would create an entire expansion's worth of content with a Halloween theme, so maybe this will be the home of future season-specific events.
At this point, who knows what the developer is up to. What we do know, however, is that Zynga has big plans for Pioneer Trail well into 2012. And considering the game has lost the majority of its daily players since it was re-branded in August, we're not surprised Zynga would be working hard to keep the major content releases flowing.
What do you make of this brand new World Map in Pioneer Trail? Do you think Zynga can recover its lost fans with a flurry of major expansions in 2012? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
That's the logical guess, at least. Zynga recently updated The Pioneer Trail with a brand new World Map that hints at four unreleased areas. Instead of showing the four areas on the Pioneer Trail, the "Travel" button now shows a condensed icon representing the recently-released expansion in a larger map. What's more important, however, is what surrounds it.
Considering this is all we have right now, prepare for some wild speculation. The Pioneer Trail icon is surrounded by four grayed out icons. Moving from most left to right, what first appears is either a castle or a fort, with no trail marks leading to it. Perhaps this is a new area for players to tend to much like the Homestead (maybe players claim Fort Courage for themselves.) To the bottom left is a canyon, which is most likely the long-teased Rattlesnake Canyon.
Directly below The Pioneer Trail icon is what appears to be a Gold Mine, likely alluding to the Gold Rush expansion that has been hinted at since almost day one. (You know, way back when this game was still known as FrontierVille?) Finally, a haunted graveyard of sorts is featured. We seriously doubt Zynga would create an entire expansion's worth of content with a Halloween theme, so maybe this will be the home of future season-specific events.
At this point, who knows what the developer is up to. What we do know, however, is that Zynga has big plans for Pioneer Trail well into 2012. And considering the game has lost the majority of its daily players since it was re-branded in August, we're not surprised Zynga would be working hard to keep the major content releases flowing.
What do you make of this brand new World Map in Pioneer Trail? Do you think Zynga can recover its lost fans with a flurry of major expansions in 2012? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
The CityVille French Riviera Casino: Everything you need to know
Nearly a year after the game's release, it's finally time to unlock the first CityVille Wonder: The Eiffel Tower. We've guided you through building both the Sailboat Hotel and the Tonga Tower, and now Zynga has released the French Riviera Casino to the game. It's the third and final building required to access CityVille's first Wonder, and follows about the same pattern as its predecessors. But that doesn't make it any simpler of a task, so here's everything you need to know:
Players must be at least Level 30 to access the French Riviera Casino. Once you reach that point, you'll come across a new Goal from Edgar. It simply asks that you place the foundation for the building, and rewards you 2 XP for doing so. Keep in mind that you don't have to complete the Sailboat Hotel and Tonga Tower to access this Goal.
However, you will have to finish all three to access the Eiffel Tower. Once you place the new building, it will appear complete with massive tarps, scaffolding and a giant crane. Click on it again to reveal the next giant steps in constructing this massive building in a window featuring three tasks.
Unlock French Riviera Casino
Unlock the French Riviera Casino
* Gather parts to Unlock
* Upgrade one French Business to Level 2
* Master one French Crop to Level 2
Like most buildings in CityVille, you must ask your friends for a list of items, though this time that list is more like a litany. You must ask friends for 12 of each of these items: Roulette Wheel, Dice, Slot Machine, Deck of Cards and Poker Chip. Once you receive one of each, you can place them on your Wish List to possibly make this part pass by more quickly.
Of the French Businesses listed in the Goal, we recommend upgrading the French Restaurant, as it costs the least at 4,500 Coins and holds just 110 Goods, meaning it will be open for collection more often and thus more upgrade points. Choosing the best French crop to upgrade is easy: Go with what's cheapest. That would be the Sun Flowers, which cost just 51 Coins and take 15 hours to harvest.
Inside French Riviera Casino
Once you completed all three daunting tasks, click "Finish Building" to unveil the French Riviera Casino. Of course, the building is functional, but operates much like a standard Hotel. Click on the building to supply it with a whopping 500 Goods. Click it again, and a menu similar to the Hotels will appear. While your city's residents will populate the French Riviera Casino, you can invite friends to boost the building's payout up to three times the normal value.
You can even invite friends as VIP guests after the Casino is ready to be collected. Just click on the hovering VIP icon to select five VIP friends. This is the final building to unlock the Eiffel Tower, so go on and build the first Wonder ever to hit CityVille.
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]
Have you finished all three buildings to unlock the Eiffel Tower yet? What do you think of how Zynga has handled this new set of buildings? Sound off in the comments. 4 Comments
Players must be at least Level 30 to access the French Riviera Casino. Once you reach that point, you'll come across a new Goal from Edgar. It simply asks that you place the foundation for the building, and rewards you 2 XP for doing so. Keep in mind that you don't have to complete the Sailboat Hotel and Tonga Tower to access this Goal.
However, you will have to finish all three to access the Eiffel Tower. Once you place the new building, it will appear complete with massive tarps, scaffolding and a giant crane. Click on it again to reveal the next giant steps in constructing this massive building in a window featuring three tasks.
Unlock French Riviera Casino
Unlock the French Riviera Casino
* Gather parts to Unlock
* Upgrade one French Business to Level 2
* Master one French Crop to Level 2
Like most buildings in CityVille, you must ask your friends for a list of items, though this time that list is more like a litany. You must ask friends for 12 of each of these items: Roulette Wheel, Dice, Slot Machine, Deck of Cards and Poker Chip. Once you receive one of each, you can place them on your Wish List to possibly make this part pass by more quickly.
Of the French Businesses listed in the Goal, we recommend upgrading the French Restaurant, as it costs the least at 4,500 Coins and holds just 110 Goods, meaning it will be open for collection more often and thus more upgrade points. Choosing the best French crop to upgrade is easy: Go with what's cheapest. That would be the Sun Flowers, which cost just 51 Coins and take 15 hours to harvest.
Inside French Riviera Casino
Once you completed all three daunting tasks, click "Finish Building" to unveil the French Riviera Casino. Of course, the building is functional, but operates much like a standard Hotel. Click on the building to supply it with a whopping 500 Goods. Click it again, and a menu similar to the Hotels will appear. While your city's residents will populate the French Riviera Casino, you can invite friends to boost the building's payout up to three times the normal value.
You can even invite friends as VIP guests after the Casino is ready to be collected. Just click on the hovering VIP icon to select five VIP friends. This is the final building to unlock the Eiffel Tower, so go on and build the first Wonder ever to hit CityVille.
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]
Have you finished all three buildings to unlock the Eiffel Tower yet? What do you think of how Zynga has handled this new set of buildings? Sound off in the comments. 4 Comments
Game of the Day: Sudoku X
sudoku x game of the daySudoku X is a challenging rendition of the classic puzzle game. It's everything you're used to in Sudoku, but with one mine-bending twist. The object of Sudoku is to completely fill the grid with numbers. You aren't allowed to repeat the same number in any row, column, or 3 by 3 box. In Sudoku X you also aren't allowed to repeat a number in either of the purple diagonals running from corner to corner.
If you manage to finish today's puzzle, try attempting some of the other ones by clicking through the archive at the top!
Click here to play Sudoku X!
sudoku x game of the day sudoku x game of the day
Were you able to complete today's puzzle?
If you manage to finish today's puzzle, try attempting some of the other ones by clicking through the archive at the top!
Click here to play Sudoku X!
sudoku x game of the day sudoku x game of the day
Were you able to complete today's puzzle?
Video Game Roundup: Gears of War 3, Star Fox 64 3D, The Gunstringer
Gears of War 3 has only had, let's say, a billion of advertisements all over the airwaves, so we figured we'd kick off this edition of the Video Game Roundup with a look at the the final game in the popular Xbox 360 trilogy. Then we'll delve into the outer space adventures of Fox McCloud in Star Fox 64 3D, and finish up with a look at the Kinect-only The Gunstringer on Xbox 360.
gears of war 3
Gears of War 3
Gears of War 3 continues the trilogy as you play Marcus Fenix, head of a team of super soldiers known as "Gears" who are intent on combating the various plagues that are infesting the planet Sera (got that?). Human resistance to the hostile enemies known as the Locust have all but wiped civilization out, but that's sooooo previous-game-in-the-series. In Gears of War 2, you made a dent in their forces, but they're still around, and now are joined by some crazy zombie aliens called the Lambent.
If this sounds confusing, we assure you, it isn't, mainly because you'll be way too busy blowing up stuff to care! The action is almost non-stop, and while we were able to complete the game in about a week, it always keeps you guessing with what they'll throw at you next. Our favorite part is... well, we won't spoil it!
The greatest thing about Gears is the fact that this is definitely not meant to be played just by one person. The real draw is when you get a group of buddies together to play through the story at the same time. Instead of protecting some computer-controlled player, having your friends in the roles of these characters makes the game a lot more dramatic!
Of course, instead of saving them, you may just want to throw a grenade at their feet, so the famous competitive modes are also in this version of Gears, and one play is definitely not enough. This game will have you hooked as you score medals and experience to unlock new weapons and characters.
Overall, Gears of War 3 is the best in the series, and our contender so far for video game of the year. Visually, it's a stunner, and while the story does try to add depth, the action is what it's all about. Amazing stuff.
Games.com Score: Five zombie aliens (out of five)
star fox 3d
Star Fox 64 3D
Star Fox 64 3D is the second Nintendo 64 title to get the Nintendo 3DS treatment (the first being the amazing The Legend if Zelda: Ocarina of Time), and in a lot of ways, it's a better fit for the 3D portable. You take control of Fox McCloud as he leads his cohorts (my personal favorite is Slippy) into some very cool space adventures, both in space and on land, and all of which uses the Nintendo 3DS in some pretty innovative ways.
For example, you can use the gyroscope in the Nintendo 3DS to tilt your ship any which way you want, so leaning into turns actually makes a difference. It feels very natural, and when used with the analog controls, you're able to get out of some pretty hair-raising situations. All that moving the system around makes the 3D fuzzy, but you can just turn the 3D slider down all the way for a clear view of the action.
Or you can play without the gyroscope and crank that 3D effect because the game is gorgeous. The stars and backgrounds have a great layering effect that makes this one of the best looking Nintendo 3DS games to come out. It's just a shame you almost have to choose either the gyro controls or the 3D effect, as both don't work too well at the same time.
Still this is a great game that is worth a purchase even if you have played the Nintendo 64 original. And if you haven't? You're in for a treat, as the story takes you from battle to battle, with a few variations that keeps things fresh. The main style of play will have you flying straight ahead as enemies come at you, and you just have to move the target around the screen to fire your lasers and bombs. This happens during many flying missions, although you'll hop in a tank for a very cool diversion a bit later in the game. There's also a free roam style that has you dogfighting against different enemies, including a few characters from the original game that are back to make life a pain for Fox.
The hardware shows off a great experience, although it's not perfect. It's still a lot of fun though (wait until you play against some of your friends in a very cool multiplayer mode) and worth a look!
Games.com Score: Four old rabbits in space (out of five)
the gunstringer
The Gunstringer
The Gunstringer is another Xbox 360 title worthy of a closer look. Made by the guys behind the indie sensation 'Splosion Man on Xbox Live, The Gunstringer uses the Xbox Kinect to bring to life the story of a cowboy with a sordid past out for revenge. And he happens to be an undead puppet. So, yeah, there's that.
Controlling the cowboy puppet is as simple as using your left hand to move him around like a marionette, while using your right hand to point like a pistol and shoot. This is as simple as it gets, folks, but it is a very fun time.
The story is full of laughs (just take a look at some of the audience members in your play), and the game changes it up quite a bit. One chapter will have you swinging your arm from side to side while avoiding boulders, while another will have you swiping at ninja enemies with your very own samurai blades.
Simple to pick up and play (since you're not actually picking up anything) and a great sense of humor make The Gunstringer a must-play game.
Games.com Score: Five wavy tube men -- you'll see (out of five)
gears of war 3
Gears of War 3
Gears of War 3 continues the trilogy as you play Marcus Fenix, head of a team of super soldiers known as "Gears" who are intent on combating the various plagues that are infesting the planet Sera (got that?). Human resistance to the hostile enemies known as the Locust have all but wiped civilization out, but that's sooooo previous-game-in-the-series. In Gears of War 2, you made a dent in their forces, but they're still around, and now are joined by some crazy zombie aliens called the Lambent.
If this sounds confusing, we assure you, it isn't, mainly because you'll be way too busy blowing up stuff to care! The action is almost non-stop, and while we were able to complete the game in about a week, it always keeps you guessing with what they'll throw at you next. Our favorite part is... well, we won't spoil it!
The greatest thing about Gears is the fact that this is definitely not meant to be played just by one person. The real draw is when you get a group of buddies together to play through the story at the same time. Instead of protecting some computer-controlled player, having your friends in the roles of these characters makes the game a lot more dramatic!
Of course, instead of saving them, you may just want to throw a grenade at their feet, so the famous competitive modes are also in this version of Gears, and one play is definitely not enough. This game will have you hooked as you score medals and experience to unlock new weapons and characters.
Overall, Gears of War 3 is the best in the series, and our contender so far for video game of the year. Visually, it's a stunner, and while the story does try to add depth, the action is what it's all about. Amazing stuff.
Games.com Score: Five zombie aliens (out of five)
star fox 3d
Star Fox 64 3D
Star Fox 64 3D is the second Nintendo 64 title to get the Nintendo 3DS treatment (the first being the amazing The Legend if Zelda: Ocarina of Time), and in a lot of ways, it's a better fit for the 3D portable. You take control of Fox McCloud as he leads his cohorts (my personal favorite is Slippy) into some very cool space adventures, both in space and on land, and all of which uses the Nintendo 3DS in some pretty innovative ways.
For example, you can use the gyroscope in the Nintendo 3DS to tilt your ship any which way you want, so leaning into turns actually makes a difference. It feels very natural, and when used with the analog controls, you're able to get out of some pretty hair-raising situations. All that moving the system around makes the 3D fuzzy, but you can just turn the 3D slider down all the way for a clear view of the action.
Or you can play without the gyroscope and crank that 3D effect because the game is gorgeous. The stars and backgrounds have a great layering effect that makes this one of the best looking Nintendo 3DS games to come out. It's just a shame you almost have to choose either the gyro controls or the 3D effect, as both don't work too well at the same time.
Still this is a great game that is worth a purchase even if you have played the Nintendo 64 original. And if you haven't? You're in for a treat, as the story takes you from battle to battle, with a few variations that keeps things fresh. The main style of play will have you flying straight ahead as enemies come at you, and you just have to move the target around the screen to fire your lasers and bombs. This happens during many flying missions, although you'll hop in a tank for a very cool diversion a bit later in the game. There's also a free roam style that has you dogfighting against different enemies, including a few characters from the original game that are back to make life a pain for Fox.
The hardware shows off a great experience, although it's not perfect. It's still a lot of fun though (wait until you play against some of your friends in a very cool multiplayer mode) and worth a look!
Games.com Score: Four old rabbits in space (out of five)
the gunstringer
The Gunstringer
The Gunstringer is another Xbox 360 title worthy of a closer look. Made by the guys behind the indie sensation 'Splosion Man on Xbox Live, The Gunstringer uses the Xbox Kinect to bring to life the story of a cowboy with a sordid past out for revenge. And he happens to be an undead puppet. So, yeah, there's that.
Controlling the cowboy puppet is as simple as using your left hand to move him around like a marionette, while using your right hand to point like a pistol and shoot. This is as simple as it gets, folks, but it is a very fun time.
The story is full of laughs (just take a look at some of the audience members in your play), and the game changes it up quite a bit. One chapter will have you swinging your arm from side to side while avoiding boulders, while another will have you swiping at ninja enemies with your very own samurai blades.
Simple to pick up and play (since you're not actually picking up anything) and a great sense of humor make The Gunstringer a must-play game.
Games.com Score: Five wavy tube men -- you'll see (out of five)
Pioneer Trail Shaman Lodge Goals: Everything you need to know
Finally, Halloween approaches. Zynga is already preparing its in-game festivities with the release of the Shaman Lodge to Pioneer Trail. Laughing Bear the Shaman has arrived on the Homestead, and he foresees a terrible spookiness on your land. It's up to you (if you're at least Level 17) to help Laughing Bear build his lodge to collect as many charms as possible in preparation for a seriously spooky event.
Once you complete the Lodge, you will be able to collect shiny charms from it daily. We assume these will come in handy in this year's Halloween event in Pioneer Trail, so it's in your best interest to get started on this new building right away. Since we know the suspense is killing you, here's everything you need to know to build the Shaman Lodge:
Clearin' the Ground
* Place the Shaman Lodge
* Clear 12 Skulls
* Harvest 30 Sunflowers
When the even appears in your game, it will present you with the option to place the Lodge in a pop-up. Select "Build Lodge" to get started. Then, simply search your Homestead for Skulls--they're also a reward for completing the Cow and Graveyard Collections. Harvesting 30 Sunflowers will cost a total of 9,300 Coins and take at least 18 hours to grow. Your reward for completing this Goal includes one Mystery Animal Crate, 500 XP and 500 Coins.
Staffin' Up
* Chop 30 Oak Trees on a Neighbor's Homestead
* Collect Two Daily Bonuses from the Shaman Lodge
* Collect 15 Eerie Gems
By this point, the Goals assume you've already completed the Shaman Lodge, so give the foundation a few whacks (which we imagine will cost Energy and Wood). Once that's complete, a window will appear with what's needed to complete the building, pictured below. Based on previous Goals, we imagine the first three items are requested through News Feed posts, while the latter three are found by asking your friends directly.
Finish your Shaman Lodge
After that's through, visit at least six friends to chop 30 Oak Trees. Collecting two Daily Bonuses from the Shaman Lodge will take at least two days. The 15 Eerie Gems will, again, come from your friends. Your rewards for this Goal include a welcome nod to the popular Internet video, the Double Rainbow, 500 XP and 500 Coins.
Final Preparations
* Clobber six Snakes
* Harvest 30 Peppermint
* Collect 15 Monsterbane Arrows
Snakes appear most frequently beneath Skulls and Rocks, so try to avoid clobbering any Snakes from collecting Skulls in the first Goal. Peppermint acts more like a fruit tree than a crop, so you can choose to buy all 30, but I wouldn't recommend that. Regardless, this portion of the Goal will take you at least four hours at the very least. The Monsterbane Arrows are sourced from your friends like the Eerie Gems before them. Enjoy a Mystical Charm Totem, 700 XP and 700 Coins for completing this Goal.
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]
Have you started your Shaman Lodge yet? What do you think these Charms will be used for this Halloween? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
Once you complete the Lodge, you will be able to collect shiny charms from it daily. We assume these will come in handy in this year's Halloween event in Pioneer Trail, so it's in your best interest to get started on this new building right away. Since we know the suspense is killing you, here's everything you need to know to build the Shaman Lodge:
Clearin' the Ground
* Place the Shaman Lodge
* Clear 12 Skulls
* Harvest 30 Sunflowers
When the even appears in your game, it will present you with the option to place the Lodge in a pop-up. Select "Build Lodge" to get started. Then, simply search your Homestead for Skulls--they're also a reward for completing the Cow and Graveyard Collections. Harvesting 30 Sunflowers will cost a total of 9,300 Coins and take at least 18 hours to grow. Your reward for completing this Goal includes one Mystery Animal Crate, 500 XP and 500 Coins.
Staffin' Up
* Chop 30 Oak Trees on a Neighbor's Homestead
* Collect Two Daily Bonuses from the Shaman Lodge
* Collect 15 Eerie Gems
By this point, the Goals assume you've already completed the Shaman Lodge, so give the foundation a few whacks (which we imagine will cost Energy and Wood). Once that's complete, a window will appear with what's needed to complete the building, pictured below. Based on previous Goals, we imagine the first three items are requested through News Feed posts, while the latter three are found by asking your friends directly.
Finish your Shaman Lodge
After that's through, visit at least six friends to chop 30 Oak Trees. Collecting two Daily Bonuses from the Shaman Lodge will take at least two days. The 15 Eerie Gems will, again, come from your friends. Your rewards for this Goal include a welcome nod to the popular Internet video, the Double Rainbow, 500 XP and 500 Coins.
Final Preparations
* Clobber six Snakes
* Harvest 30 Peppermint
* Collect 15 Monsterbane Arrows
Snakes appear most frequently beneath Skulls and Rocks, so try to avoid clobbering any Snakes from collecting Skulls in the first Goal. Peppermint acts more like a fruit tree than a crop, so you can choose to buy all 30, but I wouldn't recommend that. Regardless, this portion of the Goal will take you at least four hours at the very least. The Monsterbane Arrows are sourced from your friends like the Eerie Gems before them. Enjoy a Mystical Charm Totem, 700 XP and 700 Coins for completing this Goal.
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]
Have you started your Shaman Lodge yet? What do you think these Charms will be used for this Halloween? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
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