Thứ Ba, 6 tháng 3, 2012
Social gaming startup makes games ripped from the headlines
We've finally seemed to have moved past 'Ville' stage of social games, and into an era where games seem be more diverse. Some of the biggest game launches in the past few months have been casino games, hidden object games and addictive puzzlers that are already hits on other platforms, e.g. Angry Birds.
fiveonenine Games, a new studio that opened its doors this week, is looking to a new source for gaming inspiration (or maybe we should call it a news source), creating games that are ripped from the headlines. The company's debut game, Political Rampage, is a tongue-in-cheek match-3 puzzle game starring President Obama and Sarah Palin. That will be followed by other topical games, Campaign Story (iOS, Nook, Kindle Fire) and Real Politics (Facebook, IOs) in mid-April and another called Real Mystery (Facebook, iOS, Kindle Fire) in July 2012.
In a statement, fiveonenine CEO Lloyd Melnick says creating topical games is "the key to building a large, dedicated community of casual and social gamers." That may be true, but experience shows us that games also need to be well made and fun to play.
We'll see if this startup can live up to the brag on its website: "We will be one of the top five social gaming companies (both social web and social mobile) by the end of 2012."
FarmVille Pic of the Day: It's Nyan Cat vs Tac Nayn on Glosoli's farms
It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a cat soaring amongst the stars with a rainbow shooting out of its butt! FarmVille player Glosoli isn't the first to pay homage to last year's top feline meme, Nyan Cat. (One player built a Nyan Cat House in The Sims Social first.) But Glosoli is the first to make Nyan Cat's arch-nemesis a subject of Facebook game art.
Click the image to make it larger.
I bet you didn't know Nyan Cat had an arch-nemesis, eh? Well, his name is "Tac Nayn" (pronounced Tac-9), which is "Nyan Cat" spelled in reverse. In fact, almost everything about Tac Nayn is in reverse, even his song. Just as Robot Unicorn Attack has a Heavy Metal version, Nyan Cat comes with a darker twin complete with red eyes, black fur, a Belgian waffle body, a colorless rainbow trail, and a bloody red background with floating skulls. Glosoli couldn't squeeze those skulls into her hay bale portrait of Tac Nayn, but she did set him on her Lighthouse Cove farm, where the autumn foliage really brings out the red in his eyes.
Who do you like better -- Nyan Cat or Tac Nayn? What other memes would make great farm designs?
Tell grandma and grandpop: Zynga Bingo is offically live on Facebook
While you're at it, tell mom and dad, too. Zynga has announced that its take on Bingo, aptly titled Zynga Bingo, is now available to all on Facebook. The game has been in a closed beta test for nearly a month, and now it's finally ready. The release of Zynga Bingo marks the release of the developer's newest franchise, Zynga Casino, which includes Zynga Slingo and Zynga Poker. (Though, we're sure Zynga would be remiss not to launch its own slots game, given the new overarching brand.)
The short of Zynga Bingo is that it takes the experience normally found in your local nursing home and slaps some social features on it. The long of it, however, can be found in our in-depth preview of the game. Since then, Zynga got heat for allegedly copying Buffalo Studios' Bingo Blitz, a claim the developer was quick to deny.
Rich Sawel, product manager of the recently-released Zynga Slingo, likened Zynga Bingo to checkers, an analogy the developer echoes today. Maybe that's not to say that Bingo is any worse than Slingo, but rather a simpler game than the latter. At any rate, those looking to get their Bingo itched scratched without access to a local senior center might find something desirable in Zynga Bingo. And if you're looking for friends to play the game with, check out our "Add Me" page.
Click here to play Zynga Bingo on Facebook Now >
Are you excited to give Zynga Bingo a spin? What do you think of the game when stacked up against other Bingo games on Facebook?
The short of Zynga Bingo is that it takes the experience normally found in your local nursing home and slaps some social features on it. The long of it, however, can be found in our in-depth preview of the game. Since then, Zynga got heat for allegedly copying Buffalo Studios' Bingo Blitz, a claim the developer was quick to deny.
Rich Sawel, product manager of the recently-released Zynga Slingo, likened Zynga Bingo to checkers, an analogy the developer echoes today. Maybe that's not to say that Bingo is any worse than Slingo, but rather a simpler game than the latter. At any rate, those looking to get their Bingo itched scratched without access to a local senior center might find something desirable in Zynga Bingo. And if you're looking for friends to play the game with, check out our "Add Me" page.
Click here to play Zynga Bingo on Facebook Now >
Are you excited to give Zynga Bingo a spin? What do you think of the game when stacked up against other Bingo games on Facebook?
Little Acorns: A review
For pocket platforming, Mr. Nibbles makes a choice companion.
Little Acorns is a game with a simple premise we're sure many of you are familiar with: Squirrels gathering as much food as they can before winter comes. Unfortunately for Mr. Nibbles and his family, it seems that many of their forest-dwelling neighbors are jerks, opting to raid the Nibbles' tree and steal all of the food they had packed away for the cold weather.
Gallery: Little Acorns
Taking on the role of the family patriarch, your job is to run, jump, and swing through each level, gathering all of the acorns and making your way to the exit door before time runs out (squirrels have a schedule to keep, after all). The game adds new elements incrementally over the first few stages, as your first objective is to simply gather all of the nuts in the stage. Following that, the next level has you gather pieces of fruit before exiting in order to unlock a bonus customization item. And the one after that has Mr. Nibbles playing "Daddy Day Care," in that he must not only round up all the nuts and ideally gather all the fruit, but round up all of the rambunctious young squirrel kids running around, too.
Little Acorns is a game with a simple premise we're sure many of you are familiar with: Squirrels gathering as much food as they can before winter comes. Unfortunately for Mr. Nibbles and his family, it seems that many of their forest-dwelling neighbors are jerks, opting to raid the Nibbles' tree and steal all of the food they had packed away for the cold weather.
Gallery: Little Acorns
Taking on the role of the family patriarch, your job is to run, jump, and swing through each level, gathering all of the acorns and making your way to the exit door before time runs out (squirrels have a schedule to keep, after all). The game adds new elements incrementally over the first few stages, as your first objective is to simply gather all of the nuts in the stage. Following that, the next level has you gather pieces of fruit before exiting in order to unlock a bonus customization item. And the one after that has Mr. Nibbles playing "Daddy Day Care," in that he must not only round up all the nuts and ideally gather all the fruit, but round up all of the rambunctious young squirrel kids running around, too.
World of Warcraft might do granny and pappy some good, study says
Wish you had some more ... mature friends to romp around Azeroth with? Then show grandmom and grandpop this new study conducted at North Carolina State University. According to the study, complex massively multiplayer online games (MMOs) like World of Warcraft (WoW) could help cognitive functioning in some older folks, VentureBeat reports.
Researchers, like NC State assistant professor of psychology Dr. Anne McLaughlin, from the university's Gains Through Gaming lab had a group of 60 to 77-year-olds play WoW on their home computers for about 14 hours over two weeks time. The university then tested their cognitive skills against a group of non-granny gamers, otherwise known as the control group. Interestingly enough, the granny gamers saw increased cognitive function when stacked up against those who didn't play.
"The people who needed it most – those who performed the worst on the initial testing – saw the most improvement," NC State associate professor of psychology and study co-author Dr. Jason Allaire told VentureBeat. In short, it looks like some dungeon diving in good old WoW might do your grandparents some good. However, the study apparently found no change in the memory department neither before nor after game play.
This might be enough to convince grandma and grandpop to pick up the virtual sword or spell book, but it might not be enough to help them remember to pick another game card. That said, if you're tapping the elderly for guild mates, then you might have another problem entirely.
Do you know of any older folks who play WoW or any other games, for that matter? What other benefits might these games have for those people?
Researchers, like NC State assistant professor of psychology Dr. Anne McLaughlin, from the university's Gains Through Gaming lab had a group of 60 to 77-year-olds play WoW on their home computers for about 14 hours over two weeks time. The university then tested their cognitive skills against a group of non-granny gamers, otherwise known as the control group. Interestingly enough, the granny gamers saw increased cognitive function when stacked up against those who didn't play.
"The people who needed it most – those who performed the worst on the initial testing – saw the most improvement," NC State associate professor of psychology and study co-author Dr. Jason Allaire told VentureBeat. In short, it looks like some dungeon diving in good old WoW might do your grandparents some good. However, the study apparently found no change in the memory department neither before nor after game play.
This might be enough to convince grandma and grandpop to pick up the virtual sword or spell book, but it might not be enough to help them remember to pick another game card. That said, if you're tapping the elderly for guild mates, then you might have another problem entirely.
Do you know of any older folks who play WoW or any other games, for that matter? What other benefits might these games have for those people?
The Surprising Adventures of Munchausen: A review
The Surprising Adventures of Munchausen
Munchausen's adventures are calmer and more predictable than most surprises.
In a far away fairytale kingdom, the land's prosperity and happiness is provided by a magical gem. When a would-be suitor to the kingdom's princess destroys the gem as a way to force the King to offer him his daughter's hand in marriage, the princess calls out for Munchausen's help. As the clumsy yet resourceful Munchausen, you'll travel far and wide through the kingdom, collecting pieces of the broken gemstone in an effort to stop the evil suitor from actually marrying the princess.
Gallery: The Surprising Adventures of Munchausen
The graphics in The Surprising Adventures of Munchausen are just one of the game's many unique properties. Items are skewed in size and shape, and character models lack the proportions of reality. It's a bright and colorful world, full of brief (too brief) interactions with characters that add little to the story, other than the fact that they happen to have (or know the whereabouts of) a piece of the gemstone.
Munchausen's adventures are calmer and more predictable than most surprises.
In a far away fairytale kingdom, the land's prosperity and happiness is provided by a magical gem. When a would-be suitor to the kingdom's princess destroys the gem as a way to force the King to offer him his daughter's hand in marriage, the princess calls out for Munchausen's help. As the clumsy yet resourceful Munchausen, you'll travel far and wide through the kingdom, collecting pieces of the broken gemstone in an effort to stop the evil suitor from actually marrying the princess.
Gallery: The Surprising Adventures of Munchausen
The graphics in The Surprising Adventures of Munchausen are just one of the game's many unique properties. Items are skewed in size and shape, and character models lack the proportions of reality. It's a bright and colorful world, full of brief (too brief) interactions with characters that add little to the story, other than the fact that they happen to have (or know the whereabouts of) a piece of the gemstone.
Thứ Bảy, 3 tháng 3, 2012
Turkish bank earns 500k fans by offering Facebook games
These days, many companies are turning to Facebook games as a way of connecting with and building their audience (e.g. Channel 4's Beauty Town). But one pioneering company, a Turkish bank called Akbank, is really throwing themselves into their official Facebook page.
As of this writing, Akbank's Facebook page has 508,397 fans. The bank itself has 913 branches serving 8 million customers, and they've been managing a total of 15 social media accounts between Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. They've also created 5 Facebook applications, some of which, are games promoting their brand.
One of these games, Kur Yönet, which translates into "Manage the Exchange Rate", allows users to build a virtual factory that involves everything from production to marketing to R&D. All banking, of course, is handled by the Akbank branch within the game.
Akbank Kur Yönet Facebook game
Another game, Kırmızı'nın Peşinde or "The Pursuit of the Red", is based on Pac-Man and comes with a super dramatic game trailer (shown below). Your characters run around each level collecting personal needs (e.g. education, vacation, home renovations). Ads are shown in-between level changes.
Aside from these two, there's also been a music trivia page offering free concert tickets that was targeted at the youth, a gift cards giveaway page on applying for personal loans, and another trivia game involving current events in Turkish history that later tells players how much money they could've made if only they opened a Cumulative Mutual Fund account on a certain date. These are all a bit of a stretch, but Akbank seems completely devoted to pushing their brand, wherever, whenever, and however possible. Moreover, it appears that all their efforts have paid off.
As of this writing, Akbank's Facebook page has 508,397 fans. The bank itself has 913 branches serving 8 million customers, and they've been managing a total of 15 social media accounts between Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. They've also created 5 Facebook applications, some of which, are games promoting their brand.
One of these games, Kur Yönet, which translates into "Manage the Exchange Rate", allows users to build a virtual factory that involves everything from production to marketing to R&D. All banking, of course, is handled by the Akbank branch within the game.
Akbank Kur Yönet Facebook game
Another game, Kırmızı'nın Peşinde or "The Pursuit of the Red", is based on Pac-Man and comes with a super dramatic game trailer (shown below). Your characters run around each level collecting personal needs (e.g. education, vacation, home renovations). Ads are shown in-between level changes.
Aside from these two, there's also been a music trivia page offering free concert tickets that was targeted at the youth, a gift cards giveaway page on applying for personal loans, and another trivia game involving current events in Turkish history that later tells players how much money they could've made if only they opened a Cumulative Mutual Fund account on a certain date. These are all a bit of a stretch, but Akbank seems completely devoted to pushing their brand, wherever, whenever, and however possible. Moreover, it appears that all their efforts have paid off.
Market Street becomes the seventh Playdom game to shut down
Players who attempt to log into Playdom's game Market Street right now will be greeted with a message stating that the game has been removed for good. This colorful and lively simulation game puts the player in charge of running their own virtual store. While the game was polished and relatively fun, it didn't bring anything new to the crowded world of Facebook sim games. Players could decorate their isometric shop and send away for shipments so that they could please the customers that come inside to purchase wares. Market Street launched approximately one year ago.
At its peak, Market Street hit over 9 million monthly active users and over 1 million daily players, however that was in 2010 and the Facebook game landscape has grown much more crowded since its heyday. Playdom has a history of closing down games that aren't faring so well, such as Treetopia, Tiki Farm, Tiki Resort, Verdonia, Fanglies, and Lil' Farm Life. In fact, Playdom have closed more games than most developers will ever launch. With the release of Gnome Town, it is clear that Playdom are now focusing on richer and more innovative titles to set them apart from the competition.
The sad thing about games closing down is that the players not only lose any progress, coins, or hard currency that they purchased, but they also lose all their hard work decorating their space. Many players become quite attached to these spaces and it is quite sad to have to say goodbye to something you worked so hard on. It's too bad that Playdom and other developers cannot keep the games up but cease to update them. Unfortunately, the operating costs are too high to keep a game running that isn't showing much traction.
Are you sad to see Market Street go?
Zynga goes bananas for Astro Ape, potential buyout in action [Rumor]
Can we finally give Zynga an ominous title ... like the Ape Assimilator? (It just rolls off the tongue.) Business Insider reports that Zynga, most recently creator of Pioneer Trail, has purchased self-proclaimed mobile social game competitor Astro Ape, most recently known for Monsterz Revenge for iPhone. And no "anonymous sources" even needed to be cited--just look at Linkedin.
Astro Ape CEO Chieh Huang, along with a number of his colleagues, have changed their profile information to positions within Zynga NY, one of the global companies few east coast studios. Specifically, Business Insider cites Astro Ape's director of engineering, who has taken the exact same title within Zynga's New York office.
So, the website deduces that Zynga has more than likely acquired Astro Ape. And what an interesting turn of events. Just recently, Huang called out Zynga, claiming that his studio was better than the omnipresent Facebook games creator.
"It sounds like a basic concept, but I think it's getting lost a bit today in social gaming. Our users come into our apps because they want to play our games, not because we spam them with invites, requests and other offers," Huang said months ago, indirectly referring to Zynga.
Monsterz Revenge
Has Astro Ape bended its stance in the name of the mighty dollar, or does it plan to bring a new breed of mobile game to Zynga? Who knows, but if this turns out to be true, Zynga just employed a brilliant strategy, sway the naysayers.
[Via VentureBeat]
Do you think this is enough proof that Zynga has bought Astro Ape? What do you think Astro Ape would bring to Zynga, and will it involve its existing games?
Astro Ape CEO Chieh Huang, along with a number of his colleagues, have changed their profile information to positions within Zynga NY, one of the global companies few east coast studios. Specifically, Business Insider cites Astro Ape's director of engineering, who has taken the exact same title within Zynga's New York office.
So, the website deduces that Zynga has more than likely acquired Astro Ape. And what an interesting turn of events. Just recently, Huang called out Zynga, claiming that his studio was better than the omnipresent Facebook games creator.
"It sounds like a basic concept, but I think it's getting lost a bit today in social gaming. Our users come into our apps because they want to play our games, not because we spam them with invites, requests and other offers," Huang said months ago, indirectly referring to Zynga.
Monsterz Revenge
Has Astro Ape bended its stance in the name of the mighty dollar, or does it plan to bring a new breed of mobile game to Zynga? Who knows, but if this turns out to be true, Zynga just employed a brilliant strategy, sway the naysayers.
[Via VentureBeat]
Do you think this is enough proof that Zynga has bought Astro Ape? What do you think Astro Ape would bring to Zynga, and will it involve its existing games?
Zynga slapped with yet another patent infringement suit over its games
Zynga is officially the proverbial guy who wins the lottery and suddenly "reunites" with hundreds of long-lost friends. Only those old friends are angry, money-hungry companies and the "reunions" have been swapped for nasty lawsuits. Zynga faces yet another patent infringement lawsuit, this time from Agincourt Gaming, seemingly the publisher of Pantheon, a greco-roman combat game on Facebook (pictured below).
Sun Herald reports that, according to allegations made by Agincourt Gaming, Zynga has violated two patents held by the company regarding credits-based online gaming since 1996. (You know, the model used by every Facebook game ever?) The company, who just recently entered the Facebook games biz, seeks monetary damages and a permanent injunction against Zynga that shut down several of its games.
More specifically, Agincourt Gaming named FarmVille, FishVille, PetVille, YoVille, Zynga Poker, Empires & Allies, Mafia Wars, Treasure Isle, FrontierVille, CityVille, Cafe World and Vampire Wars. In other words, all of Zynga's games (that matter) have been put under fire. According to Sun Herald the lawsuit also alleges that Zynga has a history of copying smaller developers' game ideas.
Pantheon on Facebook
Zynga knows the issue rather intimately, considering the company has been smacked with multiple infringement lawsuits over the past few months. Companies like Vostu, SocialApps and even The Learning Company have approached Zynga, which is said to be worth over $11.5 billion. Clearly this has become a growing trend for the global developer, but when or if Zynga will finally bite the bullet and respond to these claims is what we're all really waiting for.
Do you think Agincourt has a case against Zynga with its patents? Do you think Zynga will ever directly respond to the claims made that it copies game ideas?
Sun Herald reports that, according to allegations made by Agincourt Gaming, Zynga has violated two patents held by the company regarding credits-based online gaming since 1996. (You know, the model used by every Facebook game ever?) The company, who just recently entered the Facebook games biz, seeks monetary damages and a permanent injunction against Zynga that shut down several of its games.
More specifically, Agincourt Gaming named FarmVille, FishVille, PetVille, YoVille, Zynga Poker, Empires & Allies, Mafia Wars, Treasure Isle, FrontierVille, CityVille, Cafe World and Vampire Wars. In other words, all of Zynga's games (that matter) have been put under fire. According to Sun Herald the lawsuit also alleges that Zynga has a history of copying smaller developers' game ideas.
Pantheon on Facebook
Zynga knows the issue rather intimately, considering the company has been smacked with multiple infringement lawsuits over the past few months. Companies like Vostu, SocialApps and even The Learning Company have approached Zynga, which is said to be worth over $11.5 billion. Clearly this has become a growing trend for the global developer, but when or if Zynga will finally bite the bullet and respond to these claims is what we're all really waiting for.
Do you think Agincourt has a case against Zynga with its patents? Do you think Zynga will ever directly respond to the claims made that it copies game ideas?
Dustbin Bieber will see double in Moshi Monsters: Moshling Zoo for DS
And so will the little ones, we'd imagine. Mind Candy, creator of the hyper popular social game franchise Moshi Monsters, has announced Moshi Monsters: Moshling Zoo for the Nintendo DS. With the help of global publisher Activision, Mind Candy looks to put the adorable little creatures right in every kid's pocket this fall. (Because, seriously, what kid doesn't own a DS by now?)
The game sounds like it will expand upon the existing Moshi Monsters hook: Moshlings are pets that players collect for their pet monsters. Pet monsters with pets of their own--this is a little too meta for my taste already.
According to a release, the game will feature 52 Moshlings to collect including a brand new one that has yet tot be announced. The game will also feature new mini games that are, of course, educational, as well as trophies for players to collect.
Gallery: Moshi Monsters: Moshling Zoo
This is just one of the many ways Moshi Monsters will and has occupied the time of over 50 million kids worldwide since 2008 like the Moshi Monsters toys, books, trading cards and even a magazine. Being able to interact with your Moshi Monsters in new ways and in new places sounds cool and all, but we just hope Mind Candy cures our Dustbin Bieber fever while on the go. Something tells us we're not the only ones. Moshi Monsters: Moshling Zoo, is due out globally this fall.
Are you psyched (at least for the tikes) that Moshi Monsters are coming to Nintendo DS? Do you think this was the logical next step for the Moshi Monsters?
The game sounds like it will expand upon the existing Moshi Monsters hook: Moshlings are pets that players collect for their pet monsters. Pet monsters with pets of their own--this is a little too meta for my taste already.
According to a release, the game will feature 52 Moshlings to collect including a brand new one that has yet tot be announced. The game will also feature new mini games that are, of course, educational, as well as trophies for players to collect.
Gallery: Moshi Monsters: Moshling Zoo
This is just one of the many ways Moshi Monsters will and has occupied the time of over 50 million kids worldwide since 2008 like the Moshi Monsters toys, books, trading cards and even a magazine. Being able to interact with your Moshi Monsters in new ways and in new places sounds cool and all, but we just hope Mind Candy cures our Dustbin Bieber fever while on the go. Something tells us we're not the only ones. Moshi Monsters: Moshling Zoo, is due out globally this fall.
Are you psyched (at least for the tikes) that Moshi Monsters are coming to Nintendo DS? Do you think this was the logical next step for the Moshi Monsters?
Yar's Rutabaga Revenge: Atari's 'core focus' now on social, mobile games
Looks like Yar might exact his revenge on your farm next. Atari has announced three additions to its high-level staff, but more importantly, a big clue as to where the ancient company is headed next. According to a release, Atari will shift its "core focus to casual gaming experiences designed for mobile, social networks and emerging platforms."
The bolstering of the company's senior management with three new hires brings in collective experience from EA, Vivendi Games, King.com, Sprint and more. The lucky (lady and) gentlemen are Robert Mattes as CFO, Owais Farooqui as Senior VP of Digital Publishing, and Maria Pacheco as VP of Mobile.
Some might have seen this one coming, considering it will have released three Facebook games in less than a year once Dungeons & Dragons hits Facebook, but this the proverbial mission statement for the company going forward. Since December of last year, the company has released two Facebook games: Asteroids Online and most recently Fairies vs Darklings, neither of which have been particularly successful, according to AppData.
Alas, the company will press on into social games in search of its flagship Facebook game. Thankfully, it has a few ginormous properties up its sleeve like Missile Command, Centipede, Pong and Breakout. And with Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes of Neverwinter (pictured) headed to Facebook this fall, the company just might have a shot. Just look, those are some of the most well-known names in gaming. Come on, just try and tell me you wouldn't play (a legit version of) Pong on your iPhone.
Do you think Atari is making a good move, shifting its focus to social and mobile games?
The bolstering of the company's senior management with three new hires brings in collective experience from EA, Vivendi Games, King.com, Sprint and more. The lucky (lady and) gentlemen are Robert Mattes as CFO, Owais Farooqui as Senior VP of Digital Publishing, and Maria Pacheco as VP of Mobile.
Some might have seen this one coming, considering it will have released three Facebook games in less than a year once Dungeons & Dragons hits Facebook, but this the proverbial mission statement for the company going forward. Since December of last year, the company has released two Facebook games: Asteroids Online and most recently Fairies vs Darklings, neither of which have been particularly successful, according to AppData.
Alas, the company will press on into social games in search of its flagship Facebook game. Thankfully, it has a few ginormous properties up its sleeve like Missile Command, Centipede, Pong and Breakout. And with Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes of Neverwinter (pictured) headed to Facebook this fall, the company just might have a shot. Just look, those are some of the most well-known names in gaming. Come on, just try and tell me you wouldn't play (a legit version of) Pong on your iPhone.
Do you think Atari is making a good move, shifting its focus to social and mobile games?
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