What's New in Gamezebo
Week in Review
The Gamezebo Week in Review is the one place for you to go on the weekend to find out what you missed on Gamezebo this week and to get a sneak peak at what's coming up next week.
Friday Casual Games News Round-Up
It's Friday, so you know what that means. Time to check out what newsworthy events happened in casual games this week.
The answer: No major big deals signed (when oh when will that rumor I heard a month ago be announced if ever)? But, there are a lot of great articles about casual game trends, such as gaming on the Apple, in India, and by Moms around the world. The biggest scoop of the week came from us --- that Virtual Villagers 2 is coming out this winter along with exclusive screen art and teasers. Read On.
Word Krispies Review
If you used to munch on Alpha-Bits cereal as a young'un then you already know the joy of forming words in your bowl using the soggy letters. For the uninitiated, however, there's Word Krispies, which takes that pastime and turns it into a full-fledged word game.
Slingo Quest Preview
Slingo, a blending of Slots and Bingo, has been a favorite of casual gamers for more than a decade. A guilty pleasure and addictive game of chance, it debuted online in 1995 and became a successful multiplayer game a year later. As reported to date, more than 3.3 billion games have been played.
While it doesn't appeal to everyone, Slingo is still one of America's most played games. If you haven't tried it, the latest variant, Slingo Quest, could make a convert of you.
Trivial Pursuit Silver Screen Edition Review
Movie buffs willing to put their mouse where their mouth is can do so in Trivial Pursuit Silver Screen Edition, a downloadable casual game that brings the popular board game into the 21st century.
Arthur Humphrey's Developer Diary: Last Day Of Work & Virtual Villagers 2
Well, I have been invited to share some of the experiences and dramas of a tiny independent game developer here on Gamezebo. I've often found that our wonderful community and fans find it very interesting to hear about some of the behind-the-scenes decisions and craziness that can be involved in creating a game from beginning to end, and I'm all too happy to share the experience.
For those of you who are not familiar with us, we are Last Day of Work and our most recent release was Virtual Villagers, and just before that Fish Tycoon. I am the lead designer and captain of this fine ship. Well I think I'll jump right in and...
Ciao Bella Review
It's hard enough for Elena to juggle work, exercise, eating properly, shopping, and all her excitable Italian-Canadian relatives. But when a gorgeous new beau, Elio, and his meddling mother arrive on the scene, things become even more chaotic. It's My Big Fat Greek Wedding all over again - in Little Italy. Mama Mia!
Frima Studio's Ciao Bella is a life sim that follows in the footsteps of the mega-popular The Sims franchise and downloadable games like Kudos and Virtual Villagers.
15 Minutes of Game: Featured Web Game of the Week
Wheels of Salvation
Use the Wheels of Salvation to help Dr Carter escape the pit of Endless Torment in this fun Web Game puzzler.
Know of a good Web game that deserves 15 minutes of fame? Tell us about it at editor@gamezebo.com. If we post the game, we'll mention it came from your tip.
Mahjongg Artifacts Review
Mention treasure hunters and some folks will conjure up images of Angelina Jolie from the Tomb Raider flicks. Many more, however, will likely identify with the daring archeology professor Indiana Jones or earlier contemporary Alan Quatermain.
Regardless of who you associate with, it's an innately dangerous endeavor. Thankfully, Mahjongg Artifacts allows you to do your relic hunting from the ease and comfort of home.
Week in Review
The Gamezebo Week in Review is the one place for you to go on the weekend to find out what you missed on Gamezebo this week and to get a sneak peak at what's coming up next week.
Friday Casual Games New Round-Up
It's Friday, so that means its the day where we showcase all the casual game news fit to print. This week: Shockwave gets current, It's not Snakes, it's Pogo Games on the Plane (everyone made that joke online), and new casual game forum announced for Kiev in November (nothing like Ukraine in the winter).
Fruit Fall Deluxe Review
Are you hungry for puzzle-solving excitement?
Try sinking your teeth into Fruit Fall Deluxe, a delightfully simple yet difficult to master diversion suitable for all ages and interest types.
Behind the Game: Bejeweled
The guys from PopCap really weren't worried when they named their company Sexy Action Cool.
It was an in-joke, lifted from a poster for the Antonio Banderas flick "Desperado." But the way they saw it, their company name wouldn't be heard much, they'd just be a small developer, in the shadows of the major portals who would host their games.
What's New & Hot!
Every week, Gamezebo scours the web searching for the latest and
greatest games across the world's leading casual sites so you don't have
to.
Treasures of the Deep Review
The 80s arcade classics Breakout and Arkanoid have inspired a slew of titles that all use the premise of breaking blocks with a bouncing ball using a paddle that slides along the bottom of the screen. Each new Breakout-inspired game tries to introduce new innovations to keep the formula fresh, whether it's 3D graphics, state-of-the-art physics, unique power ups, or immersive storylines.
Treasure of the Deep's twist is combining 3-D graphics with an underwater theme.
Kenny's Adventure Review
Let's get philosophical for a sec. If a game is far too easy for an adult, does that mean the developer probably had a younger audience in mind? Or is it just a game that's not challenging enough?
That's the question regarding Kenny's Adventure: In Search Of Family Treasures, a breath of fresh air for lovers of Mario-like platform games.
Pizza Panic Review
I'm no skateboarder. I don't know the difference between a fakie and a goofyfoot, a cave and a grind, or an ollie and a nollie. If I ever tied using one of those "wheel boards" I would certainly land myself in the local ER and end up on America's Funniest Home Videos.
Even so, I had an entertaining and pain-free experience skating my way from one delivery to the next in Pizza Panic.
Size Doesn't Matter
Twenty-two minutes, eleven seconds. That's how long I waited. And I've got broadband, and a brand new wicked-fast Dell lap-top. Twenty-two minutes and change. That's roughly how long it takes a photon to reach Earth from the Sun. That's a full episode of Entourage, for God's sake. Twenty-two minutes. That's how long it took me to download the whopping 754Mb Nancy Drew: Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon from Big Fish this morning, and that's not counting the three minutes it took to register and the four minutes to complete the install. Why did I choose this game above all others? Why didn't size matter to me? Read on.
Kudos Review
Now that The Sims has earned the rank of best-selling PC game of all time, it's no wonder we're now witnessing a handful of other "life simulations" created for players with a yen to live a different life vicariously though a digital alter-ego.
15 Minutes of Game: Featured Web Game of the Week
Ping Pong
Bounce the ball as many times as you can. How long can you go in Miniclip Games' ultimate ping pong puzzler.
Know of a good Web game that deserves 15 minutes of fame? Tell us about it at editor@gamezebo.com. If we post the game, we'll mention it came from your tip.
Temple of Bricks Review
Faithful followers of block-busting arcade action, rejoice! You're hereby invited to worship at the altar of the Temple of Bricks.
While play hardly proves a religious experience, rest assured none will walk away disappointed from a jaunt amongst its hallowed (and heart rate-boosting) halls. Or, for that matter, fail to find themselves tempted by the prospect of tithing in exchange for a complete look at the game's 200-odd, habit-forming levels.
Week in Review
The Gamezebo Week in Review is the one place for you to go on the weekend to find out what you missed on Gamezebo this week and to get a sneak peak at what's coming up next week.
Friday Casual News Wrap-Up
It's Friday, so that means its the day where we showcase all the casual game news fit to print. This week: more acquisitions, more studies that show casual games are good, and a Mossberg review of My Big Fish Games.
But the big news this week is Apple is releasing casual games for the iPod. Check out our full coverage.
Sudoku Maya Gold Review
For some time I've watched my wife play pencil-and-paper Sudoku games and been overwhelmingly...bored. "Yawn!" Come on now, I mean, how dull can you get. Well, it turns out Sudoku is not as mind-numbing as I once thought, at least not in digital form.
Interview with Amanda Fitch, Amaranth Games
The story of Amanda Fitch (also known as Amanda Fae) and Aveyond is as unlikely as any in casual games. A female (if you have ever been to a game conference, you will understand this is a rarity) with a college degree in English creates a role-playing game (RPG) that becomes one of the most popular casual games of 2006 so far.
How'd she do it? The answer: by creating a RPG accessible to everyone with great depth and storyline (with over 250 pages worth, in fact!).
Flower Quest Review
Got a green thumb? Great! You'll love Flower Quest, a title happy to sew the seeds of puzzle-solving excitement in impressionable young minds.
What's New & Hot!
Every week, Gamezebo scours the web searching for the latest and greatest games across the world's leading casual sites so you don't have to.
Mahjong Fortuna 2 Deluxe Review
Not too many games teach you about yourself, but this is precisely what Mahjong Fortuna 2 Deluxe sets out to do - this tranquil tile-matching game separates itself from the many other Mahjong titles on the market by giving players personalized information, such as horoscope, birth stone and flower, element, and more.
Xbox Live Files: Card Games Come to the Xbox
People used to playing online Hearts and Spades on their computers might be interested to know that competitive card games are making headway on the Xbox Live Arcade. Two recent releases, Uno and Texas Hold 'Em Poker, show the promise of the system for online card games, despite some flaws in presentation and game design.
DS Casual: All The Marbles!
In the inaugural edition of DS Casual, we indulged in some cerebral gaming via Big Brain Academy and Brain Age. Now, functioning with a much enhanced cortex (though, my wife won't confirm it), I'm going to turn our attention to a more action-oriented indulgence.
And, what's that? Well, read on and I'll spill the marbles.
SandScript Review
Many of you likely have fond memories playing Hangman as a kid, be it playing against a friend during a boring day at school or doodling on an airplane napkin with a sibling to stay entertained on long flights (before laptops, iPods and portable DVD players!).
15 Minutes of Game: Featured Web Game of the Week
Feed Me
Guide the venus fly trap safely through the greenhouse avoiding dangerous thorns and poisonous insects! Use the mouse to grab onto walls, floors and ceilings to pull the plant (and pot) along.
Know of a good Web game that deserves 15 minutes of fame? Tell us about it at editor@gamezebo.com. If we post the game, we'll mention it came from your tip.
Big Kahuna Reef Review
Reflexive Entertainment's match-three underwater adventure, Big Kahuna Reef, might take a relaxed approach to the match-three genre, though it still sucks you like a mighty, deep-water whirlpool.
Ancient Tripeaks 2 Review
One of the hallmarks of a good casual game is that it's easy to pick up but virtually impossible to put down.
Perhaps this is why Toy Box Games' Ancient Tripeaks enjoyed both critical and commercial success for its simple but addictive game-play, so the talented team is back with a stellar sequel that kicks it up a notch, as Emeril Lagasse would say.
Week in Review
It's Gamezebo Week in Review, highlighting the best reviews, stories, and special features this week all in one convenient place. The theme this past week: Chris Raymond and his dispatches from the Austin Game Conference. We also reviewed a lot of Classic Games.
Shangri La Deluxe Review
When I think of Shangri La, I envision a lush, tranquil paradise, a mystical Himalayan utopia isolated from the outside world. No worries, no pressures, an extended "retirement" with plenty of time to relax!
Shangri La, from Zylom, delivers a refreshing escape to a gorgeous realm of flourishing panoramas and soothing melodies. But, the experience, for some, may not be too relaxing.
Friday Casual Games News Round-Up
Blame it on the Austin Game Conference (or call it coincidence) but a lot of casual games industry news came out this week. Welcome to the Friday Casual Games News Round-Up.
Fairies Review
Believe in pixies: Those slinky, gossamer-winged harbingers of whimsy and delight not only exist, but do so within the confines of your very own desktop.
Tangible proof rests in Fairies, one of the sharpest, most polished puzzle games we've ever had the pleasure of laying trembling fingers upon. Filled with magical moments and boasting an equally enchanting presentation, it won't be long before you too fall under the game's spell.
Family Feud Online Party Review
Survey says?!
Ah those two little words are heard throughout millions of living rooms as the Family Feud television game show has become a time-tested American institution - beginning, of course, with the boozy kisses from Richard Dawson in the mid-70s!
Mahjongg Fortuna Deluxe Review
Supposedly created hundreds of years ago by philosophers or debutantes in faraway China, tile-matching game mahjongg remains one of the world's most treasured pastimes.
Credit for the hobby's continued popularity is no small part due to interactive tributes such as Mahjongg Fortuna, which cleverly update the ancient amusement for modern audiences by adding novel audiovisual enhancements.
Gamezebo News: Big Fish Games and Shockwave New Offerings
- Big Fish Games has launched beta of My Big Fish Games, where you can create you can create your own personal Web page, pick your favorite games, share with friends, and earn rewards (such as money for charity or free games).
- Shockwave has launched both Mobile Store for casual games, where its just as easy to purchase Diner Dash for your phone as it is for your PC.
You can read about them both in Red Herring's article.
Jewel Quest Review
Indiana Jones, eat your heart out.
Rather than wait another two long years for the much-anticipated sequel to 1989's so-called The Last Crusade, you can instead satisfy your craving for exploration and adventure instantly with chart-topping blockbuster Jewel Quest.
School's Back - Time to Hit the Games
Labor Day Weekend marks the end of the summer and the beginning of the new school year. If you are a parent (and a lot of you on Gamezebo are), this is the time to purchase school supplies for your kids:
Paper (check). . . Notebook (check). . . Pens (check). . . Games (check)? That's right --- Games!
Four Houses Review
With its storybook backdrop of warring states, feisty general-kings and an age-old, opulent culture, ancient China makes a fine setting for any electronic amusement.
The latest to take advantage of the period's rich historical context and stunning imagery: Four Houses from Oberon Games, a delightful little puzzler that'll simultaneously set your imagination ablaze and mind at ease.
15 Minutes of Game: Featured Web Game of the Week
Show Jumpingl. Select your horse and rider and compete over 4 challenging levels in this amazing 3D show jumping game as provided on Miniclip Games.
Know of a good Web game that deserves 15 minutes of fame? Tell us about it at editor@gamezebo.com. If we post the game, we'll mention it came from your tip.
Da Vinci's Secret Review
It seems Leonardo Da Vinci just can't keep a secret these days, as books, movies and television shows keep popping up with new insights gleaned from the smallest details of his celebrated works. Now, video game designers are taking their own look and have found an intriguing puzzle challenge that's perfect for those who enjoy methodical, strategic problem solving.
Friday Casual Game News Round Up
Every Friday, we scour the Web for all the casual game news fit to print.
Gamezebo will blogging LIVE from the Austin Game Conference next week. If anything happens in Austin related to casual games, we'll tell you first! Unless we're eating BBQ at that time, in which case you may have to wait a few moments. Priorities. . .