What's New in Gamezebo
iPhone Fridays: Getting Atomic with Tatomic
In the same week that PopCap released Bejeweled Twist, it only seemed natural to review a puzzle game for the iPhone. Tatomic is the opposite of Bejeweled in almost every way. It's clearly an indie effort, lacking the flare and pizzazz of the more famous puzzler, and frankly, you probably have never heard of this game at all.
However, it does share one quality with Bejeweled: It's addictively fun and hard to put down, even long enough for me to sit down and write this review.
Miss Teri Tale: Vote 4 Me Review
Miss Terri Tale: Vote 4 Me, a hidden object game, is less of a sequel to Miss Teri Tale than it is a do-over. A much better hint system and an excellent variety of mini-games are significant improvements. However, locations and characters are identical to the first game with just a few new extensions. In addition, translation errors and an incomprehensible story keep even this improved version out of the top tier of hidden object games.
Herod's Lost Tomb Preview
Merscom, National Geographic and developer Media Art have teamed up to present the upcoming hidden object game Herod's Lost Tomb, which will take gamers on an archaeological journey through the life and death of one of the most famous rulers of the ancient Middle East, King Herod the Great.
Just In - Redrum
If you're looking for a hidden object game with a more mature theme, check out the psychological thriller Redrum, which launched today. Click here to download the game, click here to talk about it on our forum, and click here to write a review. Gamezebo's review and strategy guide are coming soon.
Casual News - Oct. 31, 2008
RealNetworks appoints a new head of casual games; EA launches new For Dummies games, and the Beatles are getting their own music game. These headlines and more behind the cut.
The Beatles are getting a game!
If you're a fan of music games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero and/or the Beatles, then you'll want to listen up: MTV Games, record label Apple Corp., and Harmonix (the developers of Rock Band for the Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3) have announced that they're working on a brand new music game that will celebrate the classic music of the Fab Four.
Contest: Win a copy of Mortimer Beckett and the Time Paradox!
It's time for a contest here at Gamezebo! Tell us why you deserve a FREE COPY of Mortimer Beckett and the Time Paradox. Use your imagination give us the most outrageous stories, the saddest stories or the funniest stories you can think of. Or, be honest --- sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.
Click here to our forum to learn the rules, find out more about your judges, and start playing. Good luck!
Joel's Tip: Want to keep track on all replies to this contest? Click the box to subscribe for updates when you post a reply and we'll automatically email you every couple hours with updates of responses to your posts! You can unsubscribe from email updates anytime.
Spooky Spirits Review
Halloween is just around the corner and there's no better way to celebrate the festive season of ghouls and ghosts than playing a match-'em-up game with a spooky theme. Spooky Spirits fits the bill perfectly, but will this game add enjoyment to your Halloween? Well, that's what we're here to find out.
Townopolis Review
Construction simulations are all the rage lately, helping to prove that literally every genre - real-time strategy included - can benefit from a casual-minded extreme makeover. Townopolis certainly swears by this theory, reducing the core number of resources you must manage to just two (materials and workers). Unfortunately for aspiring foremen though, a weak presentation and tons of inherent drudgery serve to undermine what could otherwise be considered a strong foundation on which to build.
Steals & Deals: Boo! Halloween Savings (Oct 29, 2008)
RealArcade has announced that all games are 50% off between Oct 29 - Nov 4. Not to be left out, all games are 50% off over at iWin. Big Fish Games is not celebrating Halloween yet, but they are celebrating Octoberfest, with over 50% off over 60 titles.
PlayFirst has announced its new PlayPass service, with deep discounts on games on their site.
Call it a Halloween treat or an acknowledgment that game players deserve more games for less buck right now, but there are lots of steals & deals going on this week. If you see one, tip the editor and we'll share with all.
Gamezebo News: New Head of Real Games Announced
The big guessing game in casual games of who would be in charge of Real's Casual Games Business is now over. And the answer is. . . not Joel Brodie.
No, it's John Barbour. Mr. Barbour previously was President of Toys R Us' US operations, an executive at Hasbro, and founder of toy maker, Oddzon, which was acquired by, Hasbro. I'm personally fascinated by the interaction of casual games and toys so this is a story to watch. Click here to learn more.
In other Real Games news, they announced 19% year-over-year growth and a delay in its spin-off plan. Chalk that up to the slowing economy. Click here to learn more.
Gamezebo Exclusive: Mortimer Beckett Avatar!
Paprikari has shared with us an exclusive new Mortimer Beckett avatar from their upcoming game, Mortimer Beckett and the Time Paradox (previewed here).
To check out all the new Mortimer Beckett and all our new avatars, you can follow the instructions by clicking here. We also recently added new avatars from Peggle Nights and we have a lot more we'll be posting soon.
Show off your avatar at Gamezebo!
Just In - Vanilla and Chocolate
Enlight Software has just launched Vanilla and Chocolate over at PlayFirst. Bland title for a game that has tons of online buzz. Personally, I like chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, but vanilla and chocolate are the two most popular flavors worldwide.
Enough rambling! Click here to download Vanilla and Chocolate, click here to write a review, and click here to talk about it in our forum. Our review and tips are coming soon.
Bejeweled Twist Review
With more than 350 million copies downloaded and more than 25 million units sold, PopCap's Bejeweled games are without question the most popular casual game franchise of our time. Little did the developers know in 2000, when Diamond Mine launched (later to be renamed Bejeweled), this simple yet addictive puzzler would spawn countless clones, sequels and spin-offs for multiple platforms.
As you probably heard by now, PopCap is back with its most ambitious follow-up to date: Bejeweled Twist. Nearly four years in the making, this game attempts to reinvent the match-three genre. Did PopCap Succeed? Yes and no.
Art of Murder: FBI Confidential Review
Art of Murder from City Interactive is a point-and-click adventure with a Law & Order feel. Set in 2007, you follow Nicole Bonnet, a rookie FBI agent on the trail of a serial killer. A strong plot and sophisticated graphics are a plus, but some boring puzzles and illogical gameplay can be jarring. Add a violent storyline and a sprinkling of four-letter words, and you have a game that will please some and repel others.
Farm Mania Review
Agricultural simulations have been so inexplicably popular lately that perhaps this holiday season, Santa should be shouting "Hoe hoe hoe!" instead. Thankfully, Farm Mania provides one of the catchiest and most playable takes on barnyard life yet.
Web Wednesdays: Numbskull
This cartoonish puzzle game from Nitrome isn't as gruesome as my description's going to sound - it's actually quite cute. A skull has been separated from its skeleton body, and you have to reunite the two pieces by rotating the scenery so that the skull falls to the bottom of the screen. There are caveats though: you can only rotate the scenery in square-shaped chunks and you must contend with obstacles like metal walls that don't rotate, and electrified floors that will fry the skull if it touches them. Click here to play Numbskull.
Just In - Casebook
Casebook, Episode 1 has just launched on Big Fish Games. As you'll remember from our preview, this mystery game is unique in that it blends realistic 3D environments with characters that look like they're right out of a movie. Click here to download Casebook, click here to write a review, and click here to talk about it in our forum.
Casual News - Oct. 28, 2008
Gamasutra explores the "Missing Gamer" demographic - people who played games when they were young, but then stopped; Alawar Entertainment adds two in-house studios to its development team; and oh yeah, Bejeweled Twist launched. These headlines and more behind the cut.
Just In - Bejeweled Twist
Minutes ago, PopCap officially unveiled the next Bejeweled game, Bejeweled Twist, at a gala launch event in Seattle. Click here to head over to PopCap's snazzy new Bejeweled-ified Web site to grab a copy of the game for yourself, and click here to discuss the game in our forum.
While I sit here on a couch in Toronto dutifully typing this message, Gamezebo's Joel Brodie and Marc Saltzman are "twittering" the event live from Seattle. Click here to follow along as they report on the event and their first impressions of the game.
Big Casual Game Launch Tonight and We'll be there Live!
Marc Saltzman and I will be in Seattle at a launch party to annnounce the release of a very big casual game and we'll be twittering from the event.
What's twittering, you ask? Basically, it means we'll be reporting to you live from the event, telling you what we see at the exact moment we see it. To join us, click here to Gamezebo's Twitter Page this evening at 6.30 PM US PAC and follow the conversation. You can also be updated by all our twitters by joining and following us.
The moment this big game is released, we'll tell you so you can play yourself. Twitter with you later!
Megaplex Madness: Now Playing Review
Megaplex Madness: Now Playing starts with a simple premise: You decide to save the decrepit historical Bowmont Theater. As you play, new theaters will open up, and you'll have a chance to start up your own movie theater chain. Don't let the simplicity of the story dissuade you from playing this very enjoyable and addictive time management tycoon game with a lot of personality.
Jungle Quest Review
In the match-three market, it takes a strong, unique idea or mechanic to really stand out, and Jungle Quest, the latest puzzler from Friday's Games, just might have it. Unfortunately, though, it's hampered by some quality issues.
Just In - Miss Teri Tale: Vote 4 Me
Peeking Town has election fever, and it's up to world-renowned mystery writer Miss Teri Tale to, er... snoop around gathering information about everyone's voting habits. Click here to download Miss Teri Tale: Vote 4 Me, click here to write a review, and click here to talk about the game in our forum.
Just In - Interpol 2: Most Wanted
Big Fish Games has just released the sequel to Tikgames' crime-solving hidden object game Interpol: The Trail of Dr. Chaos. In Interpol 2: Most Wanted, you'll join the elite International Criminal Police Organization and hunt down the world's most evil criminals. Click here to download the game, click here to write a review, and click here to talk about it in our forum.
Daycare Nightmare: Mini-Monsters Review
Releasing Daycare Nightmare: Mini-Monsters right before Halloween will get any player into the spirit fo the holiday. Except that the monsters in this time management game don't wear disguises, they're real monsters. Some of them, however, wear human disguises as more move into the suburbs where humans live.
House of Wonders: Babies Come Home Review
House of Wonders: Kitty Kat Wedding, where you had ot help an annoying little man named Larry raise money to pay for his cat's nuptuals, was perhaps the tackiest and most absurd hidden object game yet created. And less than two months later, there's already a sequel.
To be fair, though, House of Wonders: Babies Come Home is a better game that retains the quirky, off-beat charm of the first but offers much-improved production values.
Just In - Art of Murder: FBI Confidential
City Interactive has released its hidden object game Art of Murder: FBI Confidential (how Mulder and Scully of them) over at Big Fish Games. Thank you Vimsen for the tip.
Click here to download the game, click here to write a review, and click here to talk about it in our forum.
Just In - 7 Wonders: Treasures of Seven
MumboJumbo just released moments ago the puzzle game, 7 Wonders: Treasures of Seven. This is the sequel (or is it tri-quel?) to the incredibly popular 7 Wonders puzzler, which apparently, is the first casual game our very own Margie B played!
Click here to download the game, click here to write a review, and click here to talk about it in our forum. Thank you, Carfixer1957, for the tip.
Just In: Gourmania
Alawar just released Gourmania, a game best described as a classic mix cooking and hidden object games. Though, if a restaurant boasts a kitchen as many as what I'm seeinng in the screen shots, no way would I eat at that establishment!
Click here to download the game, click here to write a review, and click here to talk about it in our forum.
Nancy Drew: The Haunting of Castle Malloy Review
Her Interactive has found a lucrative niche in its clever Nancy Drew adventure series, now in its 19th release. The latest game, Nancy Drew: The Haunting of Castle Malloy, lives up to the series' reputation of delivering a fun and atmospheric tale.
Casual News - Oct. 24, 2008
Reflexive Entertainment is acquired by Amazon.com; Gamasutra discusses the impact and legacy of the Nintendo Wii; and in a case of apparent cyber-rage a woman is jailed (in real life) for deleting the avatar of her online husband after he "divorces" her without warning! These headlines and more behind the cut.
Mortimer Beckett and the Time Paradox Preview
If you thought you'd heard the last of Mortimer Beckett after he managed to evict the ghosts from his uncle's house in Mortimer Beckett and the Secrets of Spooky Manor, think again! RealArcade and Paprikari granted us a first look at the upcoming sequel, Mortimer Beckett and the Time Paradox, where we learn that the pesky ghosts are still causing trouble.
Steals & Deals - Oct. 23, 2008
Get Mystery Case Files: Ravenhearst for only 99 cents at Big Fish Games until Oct. 27. Shockwave is offering 50% off select games for Halloween, and RealArcade is offering Azkend at half price until Nov. 4.
Codeminion talks about Saqqarah (and other things)
It takes a very special game to earn a perfect 5 out of 5 score from Gamezebo, and Codeminion achieved that rare honor with their magnificent puzzle game, Ancient Quest of Saqqarah. We wanted to learn more about what makes this Polish game studio tick, so we spoke with its co-founders, Konrad Olesiewicz and Maciej Biedrzycki.
Call of Atlantis Preview
Playrix has announced the next game in its Atlantis series, which also includes Atlantis Quest and The Rise of Atlantis. The new title, Call of Atlantis, will feature a blend of match-three, hidden object and adventure gameplay.
Lucy's Expedition Review
Interested in a time management game that doesn't involve waitressing, fashion or anything stereotypically "pink?" Considering that most service games fall into this trap, it's neat to see something different. Lucy's Expedition lets you organize archaeological sites and dig up all kinds of ancient artifacts and relics in order to put together a mysterious map.
Big Fish Games announces next Mystery Case Files game
Big Fish Games has confirmed that the next Mystery Case Files download game, Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst, will be launching before the end of the year. Details are scarce at the moment, but according to Big Fish Games the new game will continue the story of Charles Dalimar, his love Emma Ravenhearst, and the mysterious Ravenhearst Manor.
Click here to check out the teaser website for the game, and click here to talk about it in our forum.
Dr. Lynch Grave Secrets Review
With a record that includes Women`s Murder Club, Agatha Christie: Peril at End House, and the Zeeby Award-winning Agatha Christie: Death on the Nile, I-Play (formerly Oberon Media) is no stranger to publishing hidden object games with great stories. That tradition continues with Dr. Lynch: Grave Secrets.
Mushroom Age Review
Mushroom Age hardly sounds like a puzzle and hidden object game. Don't let it throw you, and get ready for a big surprise. Meet the latest wonderful addition to the genre that involves more than finding objects. It blows away many of these games as it lasts much longer than other titles infamous for their short length. Furthermore, the lack of a clock takes away pressure so you can relish the experience.
Just In - Megaplex Madness: Now Playing
Restore movie theaters to their former glory in the time management game Megaplex Madness: Now Playing, which has just launched. Click here to download the game, click here to write a review, and click here to discuss the game in our forum. Review and strategy guide coming soon!
Web Wednesdays: Gemstone Hunter
In Gemstone Hunter from LongAnimals Games, the goal is indeed to create a long animal - in this case, a snake. Use your mouse to move the snake's head around the screen to collect different colored power pills to add to its length. Try to collect pills of the same color in a row to score bonus points, or just make your snake as colorful as possible - it's up to you! Click here to play Gemstone Hunter.
Just In - Daycare Nightmare: Mini-Monsters
Daycare Nightmare: Mini-Monsters, the sequel to the original Daycare Nightmare, has launched. If you want to get into the Halloween spirit by babysitting little vampires, dragons and other monsters, head over to PlayFirst and download the game. Click here to write a review, and click here to talk about the game in our forum.
Reflexive Entertainment acquired by Amazon.com
Reflexive Entertainment put rumors to rest by confirming today that the comapny is being acquired by e-commerce juggernaut Amazon.com.
Carnival Mania Review
Funny thing about so-called “tycoon” games: Hardcore business simulations at heart, apart from their surroundings (zoos, hospitals, malls, etc.) and candy-colored window dressing, there’s often very little casual about them. In a happy turn though, Carnival Mania – which, like retail pioneers RollerCoaster Tycoon and Theme Park, challenges you to build your own fairground – actually does simplify play mechanics to heighten mainstream accessibility.
Spooky Spirits Preview
The Swedish-based creators of Dracula Twins, Legendo, are working on another spooky game that's scheduled to launch just in time for Halloween. Spooky Spirits is a puzzle game that centers on the adventures of two "spirit wardens" named Becky and Tim, who are tasked with hunting down runaway ghosts that have escaped from the Netherworld.
Casual News - Oct. 21, 2008
GigaOm asks where the money is in casual Web game development; the Washington Post examines why there aren't more women making games; and Barack Obama proves to be popular with casual gamers. These headlines and more behind the cut.
Just In - Townopolis
A new strategy game called Townopolis has launched over at iWin. Click here to download the game, click here to write a review, and click here to talk about it in our forum.
Veronica Rivers: Portals to the Unknown Review
It's not the usual scenario for a hidden object game: you play as a rescue pilot, Veronica Rivers, stationed at the north pole, who one day receives an S.O.S. distress code from a team of geologists in Alaska. Little do you know that this mission will lead to a life-altering journey, as you stumble upon portals that whisk you away to different parts of the globe, beginning in the jungles of Laos.
Season Match 2 Review
The Snow Queen in the original Season Match returns. In Season Match 2, Prince January has taken over his sister's fairytale kingdom and turned it into a nightmare. He also holds all of the artifacts giving him control of the seasons. Ice and snow covers the castles of the three princesses of seasons and the Snow Queen. The kingdom's little dwellers -- ladybirds, bees, dragonflies and butterflies -- struggle to survive the bitter winter.
