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Year in Review: 2006, the Year of Casual Games
Forget all the hoopla surrounding new video game systems, such as the impossible-to-find Sony PlayStation 3 or the TV-breaking Nintendo Wii - the real gaming story in 2006 was the explosion of so-called "casual games."
Magic Ball 3 Review
If it were measured by graphics alone, Alawar's Magic Ball 3 would receive an undisputed A+ on the Gamezebo report card. It's a visually stunning adventure with colourful 3-D visuals that will truly impress even the most finicky of players.
But after you strip away the eye-candy, the game-play is simply a barely-above-average brick-breaking arcade game that's not too different than similar titles, and with relatively low replayability.
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.
Tasty Planet Review
The concept behind Tasty Planet, a new causal game from Dingo Games, will be immediately familiar to fans of Namco's PlayStation 2 hit, Katamari Damacy or PopCap's popular Feeding Frenzy games: you must grow bigger and bigger by absorbing objects smaller than you, until you reach a predetermined size.
But despite the lack of originality and a few other annoying niggles, Tasty Planet is quirky, fun and strangely addictive.
WordWeb Deluxe Review
Help!
Super-powered spiders have invaded a quaint suburban home and only you can come to the rescue in all-new addictive brainteaser WordWeb Deluxe, sure to challenge players' wits and vocabulary.
15 Minutes of Game: Featured Web Game of the Week
Christmas may have passed, but that's no reason to stop playing Christmas-themed web games, especially if they are this fun and unique. Help Santa collect all the presents.
Know a good Web game that deserves 15 minutes of fame? Email us at editor@gamezebo.com.
Flower Shop Review
Most games require fast thumbs, but in Flower Shop, you need only a green one.
After Meg has a hard day at a noisy design firm in the city, she exits the building, screams, and sits down on a park bench amid the traffic and construction noises. What's this? A newspaper advertising a florist shop for sale on a remote island? Just what the doctor ordered.
Rainbow Mystery Review
Match-three games are a dime a dozen these days. Well, actually, they're still twenty bucks. But, there are a slew of them. What makes one better than another? It's the "twist" employed to the tried-and-true formula we've come to know and love.
In Rainbow Mystery, that twist involves a story about flowers and the manner in which blossoming combos are fashioned.
Flip Words 2 Preview
Word game fanatics who flipped over Flip Words -- HipSoft's addictive casual game that can best be described as Boggle meets Wheel of Fortune - will love what the company has done with its upcoming sequel, Flip Words 2.
Even if you haven't played the original, Flip Words 2 is a fun, challenging and feature-rich word game that is easy to pick up but hard to put down.
Super Granny 3 Review
Who says octogenarians lead tranquil, sedentary lives?
Apparently, those who haven't met the hyper-powered, grey-haired and lavender jumpsuit-wearing star of hilarious arcade outing Super Granny 3 - that's who.
Wii for Victory
Congratulations, casual gamers - you've just won a major victory for mankind, common sense in general, and the entire interactive entertainment industry as a whole. So go claim your trophy: Its name, Nintendo's Wii.
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.
Magic Ball 3 Preview
With Christmas just around the corner, millions of wide-eyed gaming enthusiasts worldwide are already drooling with anticipation, wondering just what goodies Santa will bring.
Ironically enough though, the best gift of all you're likely to receive will come courtesy not of Saint Nick, but rather Alawar Entertainment, who's actually releasing ambitious new brick-basher Magic Ball 3 on December 25th itself.
Mystery Case Files: Ravenhearst Review
Just when it seemed like the Mystery Case Files series was settling into a comfortable formula, the folks at Big Fish Games have shaken things up with the third game, Mystery Case Files: Ravenhearst.
15 Minutes of Games: Featured Web Game of the Week
Catapult your favorite polar animal as far as you can in this fun Web game on Miniclip.
Know a good Web game that deserves to be featured? Email us at editor@gamezebo.com.
Steals & Deals - 50% Holiday Sale at iWin!
This just in. Our friends at iWin are in the Holiday Spirit. From now until January 7, iWin is offering 50% on all games to celebrate the Holiday season.
Click here to learn more about this 50% Off Holiday Special and be sure to type in "PeaceOnEarth" as the coupon code when you are ready to check out.
Jewels of Cleopatra Review
Archeology is portrayed hand-in-glove with show-stopping adventure in films such as Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Mummy. In real life, however, it's a much more tedious, slow-paced endeavor. Albeit, still exciting when a unique discovery is made.
Fortunately, Jewels of Cleopatra, a tile-matching puzzler with an Egyptian premise, shares more in common with the flicks than archeology itself.
Reaxxion Review
Those who grew up dumping quarters into arcade games in the early '80s may smile upon launching Reaxxion (pronounced "reaction"), a new downloadable diversion based on the classic brick-breaking game-play found in titles such as Breakout or Arkanoid.
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.
Captain BubbleBeard's Treasure Review
Ahoy, Matey! Swab the deck, raise the mizzenmast and hoist anchor! It's time to set sail for adventure! There's treasure to be had, by jiminy, and it's ours for the taking! Pirates or not. All we've got to do is find it!
Fortunately, that's no problem in the light-hearted Captain BubbleBeard's Treasure. Neither is a lack of "monkey business" thanks to an apish sidekick named Chimpy.
Mahjong Escape: Ancient Japan
The first Mahjong Escape took players on a jaunt through Ancient China, where they absorbed Chinese history and proverbs while playing the tile-matching game of Mahjong. In part two, the adventure continues in Ancient Japan with beautifully-rendered Japanese settings and lush, authentic Japanese music.
I Spy Fantasy Review
Many a car ride has gone by faster thanks to a guessing game that begins with the line "I spy with my little eye," where one person chooses an object from the surrounding scenery and the other people have to try and guess what it is.
Children's publisher Scholastic has taken this beloved time-passer and developed it into a series of books and interactive CD-ROM games - one of which is the downloadable I Spy Fantasy.
15 Minutes of Game - Featured Web Game of the Week
Santa is hungry! Open his mouth to feed him Christmas treats but don't feed Santa any sprouts. Thanks to Mark Inman for showing us this game.
Know a game that deserves 15 minutes of fame? Email us at editor@gamezebo.com.
Believe in Santa Review
For those who haven't already gobbled their fill of Diner Dash and overdosed on holiday cheer, there's no better way to ring in this Christmas than with similarly-styled outing Believe in Santa.
Gamezebo Week in Review
What happened this week in Gamezebo-land? A lot actually: a review on Westward, preview on Turtle Odyssy 2, Tips & Tricks for both Westward and Bookworm Adventures, and a Behind the Game look at the making of Bookworm Adventures. If you missed any of this on Gamezebo, now's your chance to catch up.
Turtle Odyssey 2 Preview
Given that Nintendo's Super Mario Bros - the most successful interactive outing ever with over 40 million copies sold - is, essentially, the original casual game, it's surprising that desktop fans haven't seen more activity on this front.
Thankfully, Realore Studios are hoping to remedy the situation by bringing happy-faced terrapin mascot Ozzy back for more keyboard-mashing fun in upcoming jump-n-run romp Turtle Odyssey 2.
Lex's Big Adventure: How the bookworm busted out
PopCap's latest title was a game in search of a theme.
Their new word game had briefly been titled "Word Fall," because, you know, letter tiles fell down, followed by the marginally more creative "Block Droppers."
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.
Westward Review
Forget everything you know about how the west was won. In Westward, it's up to you to decide the fate of brave settlers as you set up camp, harvest resources from the ground and eventually build a thriving community that will attract other passersby.
So if you're bored of the countless gem-swapping puzzlers out there in cyberspace and want to try on a tougher strategy game,Westward is for you. And dagnabbit, it's one helluva good time.
The Sky is Falling . . . NOT!
Last week, PopCap Games released Bookworm Adventures, and with it, a little bit of controversy. Costing $700,000 to make and taking 2 ½ years to complete, PopCap also announced that it was pricing the game at $30, instead of the "traditional" $20 per game.
This raised quite a ruckus on Gamezebo, with half the people writing in that they would never pay $30 for a casual game and the other half saying that this particular game is worth it. This raises many questions: Is the sky falling on casual games? Is this a trend toward higher prices? Are casual games worth $30?
Angkor Review
Despite being one of the most exotic and storied destinations on Earth, southeast Asia has yet to enjoy time in the limelight as the setting for any major casual game release.
Here to finally fix the problem is Angkor, a pattern-matching puzzler which uses attractive imagery and catchy remixes of native melodies to bring the region to life right on your very own desktop.
15 Minutes of Games - Featured Web Game of the Week
Nitrome, one of our favorite Web game developers, have released Gift Wrapped for the Holiday Season. Find the hidden Christmas presents beneath the tree! Click on the present that you think matches the image at the top. Thanks for FreeGamesNews, one our favorite sources to find cool Web games online.
Steals & Deals
It's the Holiday season which means you have to buy gifts for your friends and family (why not casual games?) and you have less money in your wallet or purse to do it. So, we at Gamezebo commit that everytime we see casual games discounted this Holiday season, we'll tell you. It's Steals & Deals, Holiday edition.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Review
Take one of the most successful casual game formulas and fuse it with one of the most beloved stories of our time and you'll end up with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
LEGO Clikits Chic Boutique Review
Inspired by the LEGO Clikits brand of snap-together jewelry, Chic Boutique lets players sell rings, bracelets, necklaces and other stuff in designer boutiques around the world using a combination of match-three gameplay and shop management features.