What's New in Gamezebo
Just In - Mean Girls
Remember the Mean Girls movie starring Lindsay Lohan as Cady, a 16-year-old girl trying to navigate the fickle and treacherous social cliques of high school? Relive her adventure as a Puzzle Quest-style match-three game where you'll get to play either nice or mean by using more than a dozen specialized skills. Download Mean Girls, write a review, or talk about it in our forum.
Just In - Romopolis
Rome was not built in a day, but what about Romopolis? By Caesar, we'll review this new strategy game that just launched on iWin soon.
In the meantime, download Romopolis, write a review, and discuss the game in our forum.
Just In - The Serpent of Isis
Hop aboard the Mont Plu Express to search for a missing masterpiece that was stolen from the Egypt Museum in Cairo in The Serpent of Isis, the latest hidden object game to launch at Big Fish Games. Download the game, write a review, or talk about it in our forum. Our review and strategy guide are coming very soon.
Social Saturdays: Hotel iWin
If you've played any games from iWin recently, you might have noticed yourself earning dozens of shiny virtula opals. What are these jewels used for? They're currency for the company's brand new social gaming world, Hotel iWin, a place where fans can connect with each other, decorate their own rooms and avatar, and, most importantly, play games.
Camp Fu Weekend at Gamezebo
How do you top helping to create such PC Download hits like Diner Dash and Qbeez? If you are Nick Fortugno and Margaret Wallace, you start the new company Rebel Monkey and release a casual massively multiplayer game, CampFu!
CampFu is a casual massively multiplayer online game where you can play games for free online with your friends, win together, and customize your avatar with thousands of different looks. All of the games are free-to-play but you can earn tickets or buy FuCash to get extra special premium items.
Rebel Monkey is opening up CampFu for a special Gamezebo weekend because they love our community and you can be among the first to check it out with 200 free tickets.
Click here to be among the first to play CampFu!
Behind the Game: Emerald City Confidential
The idea to make an adventure game based on the Wizard of Oz novels was one that indie adventure gamer designer Dave Gilbert had been playing around with in his head for a while, but it took a meeting with PlayFirst at the Game Developer's Conference - and a subsequent publishing deal - to finally make it happen. Dave takes us "behind the game" for a closer look at the making of Emerald City Confidential, his witty "noir" take on the land of Oz.
Nanny Mania 2 Review
So, who's the worst celebrity Mom, at least according to the tabloids? If you're playing the time management game Nanny Mania 2, it's grown-up child star and academy award winner Sophia Ashford. She's 25, incredibly wealthy, and completely overwhelmed by raising a family. That's where Nanny Emma comes in to save the day.
Brick Addiction - The Sunken City Preview
Matt Lee, the head honcho at Magic Mask Games, told Gamezebo that he wanted to make a decent brick buster because he was "sick of waiting for someone else to do it." Other than the Redound/Ricochet series, he hasn't been overly impressed with Breakout-style games in the casual space, and he's hoping to make a splash with his upcoming offering, Brick Addiction - The Sunken City.
iPhone Friday: Tiki Towers
Maybe it's because I grew up watching those Kurt Russell movies with chimps, like The Barefoot Executive, or maybe it's because I used to play Monkeys in a Barrell with my little brother (I usually won) when were kids. Fact is, monkeys (or chimps) are synonymous with FUN! True to form, the monkeys in RealArcade's Tiki Towers deliver loads of monkey-style humor and merriment.
Casual News - Feb. 26, 2009
Gamasutra's Emily Short offers an in-depth analysis of Chocolatier: Decadence By Design; PlayFirst gets a new CEO; and InstantAction releases a technology that makes it possible to play 3-D games in your web browser. These headlines and more behind the cut.
Just In - Nanny Mania 2
Experience the lifestyle of the rich and famous (or at least their dirty laundry, leaking bathtubs and bratty kids) in Nanny Mania 2, which has just launched! Download the game, write a review, or talk about it in our forum.
Thanks to Carfixer1957 for the tip. Send him Kudos next time you see him!
Just In - Plant This
People ask me, how do you get your game reviewed on Gamezebo? Create a great casual game, of course. It does not hurt, however, if your game slogan is "Enter the wrath of the gopher!"
Plant This!, a new defense tower strategy game by Cupcake Games about a "mischievous gopher and his nefarious minions," has just released exclusively on Big Fish Games. Our review is coming soon. In the meantime, download this new strategy game, write a review, or talk about it in our forum.
Side note: Whoever wrote the marketing copy for this game deserves a raise!
Just In - Sea Journey
DivoGames has released Sea Journey, a new 3-in-a-row puzzle game on their Web site. Our review is coming soon. Thanks to OrangeKnickers for posting this news on the site. Send him Kudos!
In the meantime, download this new puzzle game, write a review, or talk about it in our forum.
Tahiti Hidden Pearls Review
Here's what I know for certain about your mission in the hidden object game Tahiti Hidden Pearls: There are pearls, and they are hidden. There's also someone named Papeeth who may or may not also be hidden. She's either a ghost or a princess. Perhaps both. Deriving any other insight about the game's plot from the incoherent ramblings of the characters requires a mastery of the arcane that I simply do not possess.
Word Whomp Underground Review
Word games are serious business in the casual space. games like Text Twist and its popular Facebook counterpart Word Twist have hundreds of thousands of players. Remember the big brouhaha when Scrabulous was being taken away? People are passionate about their word games. So what makes Word Whomp Underground so different from the others? Believe it or not, it's the story.
The Legend of Crystal Valley Preview
Sandlot Games is gearing up to launch The Legend of Crystal Valley, a new point-and-click adventure developed by Cateia Games, and gave us a sneak peek.
Interview with Lennard Feddersen, Rusty Axe Games
As someone who grew up in a construction family and has flipped a few houses in his time, Rusty Axe Games CEO Lennard Feddersen knows a thing or two about real estate. He's poured that knowledge, combined with more than a decade of game design experience, into creating strategy games that deal with the nuances of buying and selling property. Fedderson spoke to Gamezebo about Real E$tate Empire and his latest game, Big$hot, and what he's got planned for the future.
Just In - Party Down
Party on Wayne. Party on Garth. Does my obscure reference to Wayne's World betray my age? Get your Party Down with Merscom's and Starz Entertainment's new time management game. Our review is coming really soon.
Download this time management game, write a review, or talk about it in our forum.
Amelie's Cafe Review
In Alawar's newest time management game, Amelie's Cafe, you'll help Amelie do everything from serving customers to decorating the cafe in order to bring new customers in. Can you help Amelie succeed in making her grandfather's cafe the city's new hot spot?
Unwell Mel Review
Unwell Mel, the first game from Big Fish Games' new studio in Vancouver, B.C., is the expanded version of the popular online match-3 puzzler that many fans have been waiting for. Without a doubt, it was well worth the wait. This intriguing, challenging version does not disappoint, and even adds a few changes and surprises that will delight players of all ages.
Nancy Drew: Ransom of the Seven Ships Preview
Her Interactive has just announced the 20th (yes... 20th!) installment in its Nancy Drew adventure game series: Nancy Drew: Ransom of the Seven Ships. (Read more.)
Dinertown Tycoon Preview
This spring, PlayFirst will be launching a brand new spin on Diner Dash with DinerTown Tycoon, a strategy game starring Flo and her DinerTown friends. You'll help oust the evil fast food chain Grub Burger using your restaurant savvy and business smarts to stock your restaurant, set menu prices and purchase new decor. Featuring five neighborhoods including Squid Row and Champagne Falls, more than 25 characters from the Diner Dash series, and more than 90 recipes to add to menus, DinerTown Tycoon will be all about bringing back wholesome food and local eateries to give Grub Burger the boot once and for all.
Web Wednesdays: Through Walls
How good are you at understanding shapes and patterns? In Through Walls you'll start with a 3-dimensional object floating in air, and a white wall off in the distance with a shape cut out of its center. Your goal is to rotate the object until its shape is the same as the hole in the wall so that it can pass through. A grid in the lower right corner helps you - once all of its squares are green, you're good to go. Click here to play Through Walls for free.
Steals & Deals: Mardis Gras Sale at Comcast Games
It's Fat Tuesday and Comcast Games is celebrating with a one-day Games Gluttony Sale where all games are 50% off. Type Coupon Code ‘Mardigras09’ at Check Out. This sale is only for Tuesday, February 24, 2009.
Go NOLA!
Super Stamp Review
With the Internet slowly replacing the postal service as the preferred method of sending messages, stamp collecting isn't as popular as it once was. That doesn't stop Super Stamp from being an enjoyable homage to the hobby - provided you like your puzzle games simple and uncomplicated.
Just In - Amelie's Cafe
Amelie was a French film a few years back staring Audrey Tautou which everyone loved except me. What does this have to do with Alawar's new time management game, Amelie's Cafe? Absolutely nothing. I just really hated that movie.
But what do we feel about the game? Our review is coming soon. Download this time management game, write a review, or talk about it in our forum.
Just In - Women's Murder Club: A Darker Shade of Grey
James Patterson's Women's Murder Club: A Darker Shade of Grey has launched on MSN. Download this hidden object mystery, write a review, or talk about it in our forum. Stay tuned for our review and strategy guide.
Winemaker Extraordinaire Preview
When Maria Bellaventura finds out that she has inherited an Italian winery, she must leave her stress-filled life as a corporate lawyer to take over the family business. That's the premise of Winemaker Extraordinaire, an upcoming strategy game that publisher Merscom describes as Chocolatier meets Ernest & Julio Gallo.
Casual News - Feb. 24, 2009
Crispy Gamer interviews Mousechief's Keith Nemitz about his award-winning game Dangerous High School Girls In Trouble! being pulled from Big Fish Games; iWin will be implementing new customer service software; and apparently President Obama is a casual gamer! These headlines and more behind the cut.
Jewel Quest Solitaire 3: Klondike Preview
iWin's Jewel Quest Solitaire 3: Klondike will continue the adventures of Rupert and Emma and their friend Ratu when it launches next month. When Ratu discovers a valuable artifact and his assistant Yumi is inexplicably abducted, Ratu is propelled into a treacherous cat-and-mouse game with a gang of thugs. Gameplay combines Solitaire layouts with Jewel Quest board puzzles. There are 100 boards to play, fresh power-ups, hidden treasures, and a "cards only" option for uninterrupted Solitaire play. We'll let you know when the game launches; in the meantime, check out these screenshots.
Majestic Forest Review
A Crumb by any other name would play as sweet - or at least that's what publisher Merscom would like you to think with Majestic Forest. A re-engineering of the puzzle game Crumb from 2008, Majestic Forest shares much of the original title, but has a few important changes.
Eternal Eden Review
Blossomsoft's Eternal Eden is an epic role-playing game in the tradition of Aveyond. The player controls up to four characters who set out to correct a sin that threatens their once-idyllic world. During this challenge you'll encounter giant spiders, slimes and other creatures that look as though they're straight out of the worst possible nightmare. The game is a blend of combat, puzzles and lengthy - but fortunately witty - dialogue.
DS Casual: Build-a-lot
HipSoft's real estate tycoon game Build-a-lot has been given a new home on the Nintendo DS courtesy of MumboJumbo. It's basically the same game as the PC version aside from slightly different appearance and controls, which is bad news if you were hoping for something new, but good news if you want a portable version of Build-a-lot to help you kill time on a train or bus.
Just In - Unwell Mel
Because one can not live on hidden object games alone, Big Fish Games releases the 3-in-a-row puzzler, Unwell Mel, the first download game out of their new Vancouver studio.
How well or sick is Mel? We'll tell you soon. In the meantime, download the game, write a review, or talk about it in our forum.
Undiscovered World - The Incan Sun Review
Here comes another hidden object game, but at least the Incan theme sounds like a nice change from all too oft-used Egyptian and Greek themes. Undiscovered World: The Incan Sun sends you into the South American jungles near the water where the Incans lived, with a map resembling scenes from photos of the Incan ruins.
Just In - Tahiti Hidden Pearls
When will someone create a hidden object game based on Thailand, my favorite country in the world to visit? In the meantime, I guess I'll have to do with exploring Tahiti in the new hidden object game, Tahiti Hidden Pearls.
Download the game, write a review, or talk about it in our forum.
Emerald City Confidential Review
"Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Oz anymore." At least, not in the Oz you might remember from reading Frank L. Baum's original fantasy novel The Wizard of Oz, or from watching the classic 1939 musical starring Judy Garland as Dorothy. No, the Oz in Emerald City Confidential is a much grittier place, inspired by the film noir tradition of hard-nosed detectives, mob bosses and femmes fatales.
Steals & Deals: 50% off Fashion Week at Zylom
Fashion Week is almost over in New York City, but not at Zylom. All fashion-related games on Zylom are 50% off until February 22. This being Zylom, I must impress you now with my foreign language skills: 50% outre des jeux de mode, 50% weg von den Art und Weisespielen, and el 50% de juegos de la manera.
Holly 2 - Magic Land Review
In Holly 2 - Magic Land, the visually appealing sequel to Holly - A Christmas Tale, we find Holly, the suburban wife, mother and clandestine fairy, on another magical hidden object adventure after her daughter goes missing. Holly, along with her adorable friends, will need your help as she travels and searches through beautiful lands to findthe items needed to get her and her daughter home safe and sound.
iPhone Friday: Westward
I sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have lived in the Wild West of the 1800's here in my home state of California: the gold rush, the building of missions, and every man for himself. With wonderful games like Westward, I can play cowgirl and never have to worry about getting bit by mosquitos.
Casual News - Feb. 20, 2009
Gamezebo interviews the makers of Mortimer Beckett; Upper Deck launches a sports-themed virtual world; and certain casual game publishers are still grumbling about Amazon. These headlines and more behind the cut.
Just In - Emerald City Confidential
Emerald City Confidential, the much-anticipated new adventure game from Wadjet Eye Games and PlayFirst, has launched. Download the game, write a review, or talk about it in our forum.
Interview with Duke Kostic and Aleksandar Kostic, Paprikari
Dusan "Duke" Kostic and Aleksandar Kostic (no relation) both dreamed about making computer games as teenagers, and a chance meeting through a mutual friend more than 20 years ago convinced them that they should found their own studio together, Paprikari. Whoever that friend was, casual gamers have him to thank for one of the most succesful casual game adventures of all time: Paprikari's Mortimer Beckett. Gamezebo caught up with the guys at Paprikari to chat about the studio, Mortimer Beckett and the Time Paradox, and the upcoming third Mortimer Beckett game.
Elizabeth Find M.D. - Diagnosis Mystery Review
As an immunologist at a busy hospital, Dr. Elizabeth Find works as part of a team of specialists diagnosing patients who come through the emergency room doors with mysterious illnesses. You'll sit in on three of her cases in Elizabeth Find M.D. - Diagnosis Mystery, a blend of hidden object gameplay and medical-themed mini-games.
Wonderland Adventures: Mysteries of Fire Island Review
Had enough of hidden object games? Had your fill of match-3 puzzlers? Need a break from time management simulations? Casual gamers in search of a different kind of head-scratcher might opt for Midnight Synergy's Wonderland Adventures: Mysteries of Fire Island.
Web Wednesdays: Stack Cards
If you're a fan of Blackjack, check out Stack Cards. Like Blackjack, the goal is to create card stacks that add up to 21 by turning over one card at a time - go over 21 and you're "busted." You can have up to four stacks on the go at once, so try to create multiple stacks of 21 in a row for bonus points. Play Stack Cards for free.
Gamezebo Store: Buy Gamezebo T-shirts, Mugs, and More!
Introducing the new Gamezebo Store on CafePress, where you can purchase a variety of Gamezebo t-shirts, mugs, and more!
We have white shirts, black shirts, maternity shirts, and dog shirts. We have simple designs ("Gamezebo!") and more "insider" fare ("I can't start my day. . . without the Gamezebo Breakfast Club!").
Now that I got your attention, check out all our merchandise designs at our new store. Don't just read Gamezebo. . . live it!
Behind the Game: Totem Tribe
After developing a string of puzzle games including Emerald Tale and Jewel of Atlantis, Enkord decided it was time to make something different. Really different. Enkord's CEO Yaroslav Yanovsky talked us through the highs and lows of working on Totem Tribe's ambitious blend of adventure, strategy and hidden object gameplay.
Loco Mogul Review
Everyone who has dreamed of creating a model railroad but lacked the time or money for such an exclusive hobby should check out Loco Mogul. By laying tracks, shaping the landscape and managing your funds to create effective and profitable routes, you'll build up your own successful railroad company. This new game by Apezone defies categorization, and its unique and addictive gameplay is definitely worth a try.
Egypt III: The Fate of Ramses Review
Mystery is afoot amidst the desert sands. Determined to prolong his reign, the pharaoh Ramses II has, at the behest of deit Amun-Re, begun construction of a giant obelisk. But when accidents begin to abound at the site, you (as young female magician Maya) are called in to investigate in pleasingly atmospheric, if all too predictable, 3D adventure Egypt III: The Fate of Ramses.
