Gamezebo Archives - September 2008

If ever a case could be made for a game being so bad it's good, it's House of Wonders: Kitty Kat Wedding. It's an absurd and kooky premise accompanied by a patchwork of gaudy hidden object challenges and mini-games with eye-bleeding graphics, yet there's something strangely endearing about it all the same.

Larry's sorry-looking tomcat, Mr. Bones, is in love with the neighbor's cat Ms. Felicity and they want to get married. The problem, as Larry explains, is that they don't have any money – because they're cats. (Hmm... so it's strange that cats should have money, but not strange that they're getting married...)
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Legacy Interactive is getting ready to release the next game in the Pet Pals series, Pet Pals: New Leash on Life, as a PC download at LegacyGames.com on October 1.

The game lets animal lovers step into the shoes of a veterinarian to diagnose and treat more than 15 different breeds of dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, and exotic animals like iguanas and chinchillas.
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Scrapbook Paige, the hidden object game that we previewed earlier this month, has just launched over at the website of developer Aisle 5 Games. Click here to download the game, click here to write a review, and click here to discuss it in our forum. Our review and strategy guide are coming soon! Read more »

We have 3 new games that we are adding to our beta test program early next week.

If you are interested in joining our Beta Test program to play games first and provide  your valuable feedback to developers, click here to contact us and include the words "Beta Tester" in the subject line.  We'll add you to our list.

If you are already on our beta test program, do not worry.  We'll continue to email you with our beta tests. Read more »

This week in San Francisco, the technology industry's leading lights gathered for the second annual TechCrunch 50 (nee 40, 20) to pick the best and most exciting new companies and business ideas. The event, spearheaded by the insidery blog TechCrunch, is designed to ferret out the best new companies and ideas regardless of their stage, ability to pay, or PR savvy.

As usual, there are myriad doubts about the honesty of the process and politicization of the choices, but the basic premire is sound: filter a large number of ideas to 52 good ones and let the experts decide on the best and brightest.

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Slingo Supreme has launched! Download the game, write a review, or discuss it in our forum. Review and strategy guide coming soon. Read more »

iWin has just launched Jewel Quest Mysteries: Curse of the Emerald Tear, the first hidden object game in the Jewel Quest franchise. Click here to download the game, click here to write a review, and click here to talk about the game in our forum. Review and strategy guide coming soon. Read more »

Hidden object mystery games are so popular these days that developers can't seem to make them fast enough to keep up with the demand! The latest seek-and-find whodunit is Mystery Chronicles – A Murder Among Friends, a game that puts your sleuthing and puzzle-solving skills to the test in 19th-century France.

The story, told through watercolor-style illustrations, begins when the Parisian main character gets a letter from his cousin Charles in Lyon saying that strange things have been happening. You travel to Lyon to help only to find Charles and his wife dead and their children missing.
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Redrum is a reference to Stephen King's horror classic The Shining, and it's a clear indication that Anarchy Enterprises had something a little different in mind when they designed this upcoming mature-themed hidden object game.

Based on the sneak-peak that Anarchy Enterprises gave us, Redrum isn't a game that you'd want to play with the kids. But a juicy mystery-horror plot and a mature tone reminiscent of games like Women's Murder Club indicated a casual game that isn't afraid to push the envelope with edgier content.
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There goes an old saying that you'll find a prince if you kiss enough frogs. Boomzap's Frogs in Love manages to kiss an awful lot of frogs (well, mini-games) and finds itself a pondful of princes. Too bad that the whole package has a bit of a pauper problem.
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Big Fish Games raises $83 million in financing, XComony runs down 45 game companies in the Greater Seattle area (21 of which are casual), and Mytopia launches the first cross-platform gaming community for social networks and smartphones. These headlines and more behind the cut. Read more »

Turbo Fiesta launched today. Click here to download the game, click here to write a review, and click here to talk about it in our forum. Review and strategy guide coming soon! Read more »

The Princess Bride is a film that could truly be considered a "new classic." One that has been passed from parents to children and become a pop culture touchstone in the process, as well as one of the most universally loved films of the past quarter century.

So, to say that Worldwide Biggies was "a bit cautious" about turning the film into a casual game might be something of an understatement.

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Check out our strategy guide for Home Sweet Home 2:Kitchen and Baths, including a visual walkthrough of all levels.   GENERAL TIPS To give a worker a cup of coffee you can either give it to them directly or you can place the coffee pot on the icons that are located at the bottom of the page. A worker can be taken off a job at any time if you need them to work on something else instead. You can still get the Gold Medal even if you use a hint but you have to make sure that you w... Read more »

Try to imagine crossing pinball with a brick and paddle (Pong) game, and that's more or less what you'll find in Real Arcade's semi-action title Globey – On the Roll!

The preface of Globey – On the Roll! is the usual hero-rescue story. Dragon's Land was once a paradise, where dragons had responsibility to care for all living things. Then one day, a band of evil trolls came and captured all of the dragons – that is, all but one. Globey had been taking a nap and missed the commotion, leaving him as the last free dragon. Determined to save his fellow dragons, he sets off to track down the trolls and rescue his kin one by one. As his Fairy Godmother, it's your job to guide him toward success.
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If you're looking for a head-scratching collection of puzzles to solve then downloading Crazy Machines is a real no-brainer.

These Rube Goldberg-style contraptions challenge players to drag and drop items onto the screen in order to accomplish a specific goal. One might be for a ball to fall into a bucket, steam to blow out of pipes or aligning gears and rubber bands to move an item from one area to the other.

In short, while the game isnt much to look at (its sequel is much prettier), Crazy Machines gives you one fantastic cerebral workout.
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Tikgames just released Cinema Tycoon 2: Movie Mania.  Click here to download the game, click here to discuss it in our forum, and click here to write a review.

Our review and avatars are coming soon.

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You may have noticed that both PopCap and Freshgames are running sweepstakes and contests and promoting them on Gamezebo.  Not only am I encouraging you to click because these promotions help to support Gamezebo.  I also recommend you check them out because they are fun and you can win cool prizes!    

Click here to learn more about Peggle Nights and enter to win over $10,000 in prizes in the Peggle Nights Sweepstakes.

Click here to discover your inner level designer and participate in the Ranch Rush Best Level Contest. Read more »

In the casual game market, there is a lot riding on a game's replay value. Sure, a game could have only one level and be successful, but it has to be something that players can tune in to over and over.

That's why when Isaac Shepard designed Music Catch, he knew that it had to be, well, catchy.

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Given the continued popularity of interior design shows, it should come as no surprise that Home Sweet Home is receiving a sequel. Playing almost identically to its predecessor and emphasizing quantity over innovation, Home Sweet Home 2 is a fun but strictly by-the-numbers return to form, and one that’s beginning to lose its novelty value at that.
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