Gamezebo Archives - September 2008

If you think you’ve seen it all when it comes to gem-matching game variations, Rain Talisman will prove you wrong. The game takes a unique approach to the time-tested match-three genre. But whether it’s worth your time or not is the real question.
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Jesper Juul, a researcher at the Singapore e-MIT GAMBIT lab in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is writing a research study and book on casual games and wants to interview Gamezebo users to get your opinions.

Mr. Juul's research will seek to answer the questions of who plays casual games and why they are so popular lately.  The online survey is voluntary, anonymous, and should only take 10 - 15 minutes to complete.  

Please click here if you are interested to participate. Read more »

If you're artistically inclined and handy with a glue-stick, scrapbooking is a great way to commemorate family milestones like weddings and children. But even if you've never actually participated in the popular craft, the upcoming hidden object game, Scrapbook Paige, lets you try your hand at helping to run a scrapbooking store.

Paige's store is a little cluttered, so before she can start a scrapbooking project you'll have to help her find the things she needs by looking through drawers of buttons and pins, pegboards of sticker packets, and a table top of ribbons and tags.
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Ask someone to name their favorite “casual” game and chances are they’ll mention a time management sim, such as Diner Dash, a match-3 game a la Bejeweled, or a hidden object game, like the Mystery Case Files puzzlers.

Fortunately, many other game genres are now part of the casual space, including real-time strategy games, point-and-click adventures and sports titles.

Even fantasy role-playing games (RPGs) are available as try-before-you-buy downloads, such as Basilisk Games’ Eschalon: Book 1, the first in a planned RPG series not unlike the classic Ultima or Wizardry adventures of yesteryear.
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If you haven’t yet heard of bizarre machines like the “Penguin Distracter” or “Theoretical Hoover” then you probably haven’t played Pi Eye Games’ System Mania, a wonderfully frantic arcade game that puts your multitasking skills to the test.

Your job is to help the spunky Fiona start her own fix-it shop, responding to calls from local businesses that need help fixing their weird machines. OK, so at first I totally thought this game was one of those Diner Dash-like time management games, where I’d be clicking on different machines while customers waited and such, but boy was I wrong. System Mania offers a completely different experience that what’s currently available in the casual gaming space.  
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A New Jersey couple gets a Bejeweled-themed wedding courtesy of PopCap after the groom proposed to his bride by hacking her copy of the game so that it would pop the question when she achieved a certain score. Read all about it behind the cut as part of our semi-weekly news roundup.

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One question: How in the world does Jane learn so many businesses? She's done Jane's Realty and Jane's Hotel. Now she jumps into fashion in Dress Up Rush. While the title has no "Jane" in it, you know it's the same Jane when you see Jane's hotel lurking in the corner of a scene.

Like Jane's Realty, the only thing this one has in common with the others is Jane.  The cluttered story finds Jane and a friend enjoying the beach when her friend suggests she should open a boutique because Jane has great taste in clothes. They catch a beach-side fashion show where Jane meets the designer and makes a deal with him.
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Looking for a new card game? Magic Aces adds some fresh spins to classic poker, creating an original card game variant that's both challenging for veterans and still accessible to casual poker players.

There's a minimalist story involving a country club which hosts a yearly Magic Aces tournament, but this has little relevance to the game and is presented only in sparse details. Like most solitaire games, it's really just about the cards. As you play, you're introduced to a variety of opponents with different playing styles. Some basic strategic hints are given in their biographies, so it pays to read those before you start a new series of rounds. Your first opponent is Bill Basics, who will tutor you on the rules of the game.   Read more »