Gamezebo Archives - May 2010

Shrek Forever After has finally arrived in theatres, which means that tie-ins are appearing everywhere. Not surprisingly, one such tie-in is on the App Store for the iPod Touch and iPhone, aptly titled Shrek Forever After: The Game. This game is faced with the daunting perception that licensed properties are often underwhelming, but Gameloft seems determined to buck this trend by producing a substantial offering.

When a hotel in France starts experiencing some supernatural phenomenon, it only makes sense to call the NYPD, right? OK, maybe not. But that's the premise of Hotel, a point-and-click adventure from Cateia Games (The Legend of Crystal Valley, Iron Roses) that manages to make the genre more appealing to new players, though this will probably make it a far too easy experience for adventure game veterans.

Remember those "choose your own adventure" books where you you could end up with a totally different story depending on what path you chose for the characters by flipping to different pages at key moments in the plot? Vera Blanc is an upcoming mystery thriller game from indie developer Tycoon Games that was developed in the same spirit, with graphics that are drawn in the style of a comic book.

Maximize Games (2 Tasty) has some info and screenshots on its website for an upcoming fantasy-themed casual adventure game called The Seawise Chronicles: Untamed Legacy.

Chocolatier, a charming series for the PC where players travel the world buying and selling chocolates in the service of the powerful Baumeister chocolate empire, has made its way to Facebook in PlayFirst's Chocolatier: Sweet Society. Although still in early beta, the game's combination of shop management and chocolate-making feels like a natural fit on Facebook.

Thinking about grabbing Call of Atlantis after reading our review? There’s no better time than now! Playrix has just confirmed that the current price of 99 cents is merely a launch price sale. Wait too long and you’ll be stuck paying $2.99!

Free games are all around us, but they may not be as easy to find as you’d think. We help you sort through the App Store to find the latest price drops and limited time offers so that you won’t have to spend a penny. Today’s free games a line-drawing puzzle game, the return of full motion video, a fight for world domination in air hockey, and more!

Fans of Luc Bernard had spent months anxiously awaiting the release of Steam Pirates, his latest title that combines RPG and adventure elements with his own unique art style. Their long wait finally came to an end when it was released 3 days ago – but if you didn’t act quick it looks like you’re back to waiting. For reasons not yet known, the game has been removed from the App Store.

UPDATE: Luc Bernard has posted an explanation on his Twitter.

The overwhelming popularity of survival games on the iPhone in recent months has touched on about every formula we can imagine. It should come as no surprise, then, that Jungle Bug: Rock’n’Roll isn’t a title rooted in originality as much as it is in mimicry of other titles. This sort of copycat mentality is usually viewed as a negative when it comes to the App Store, but every now and then a copycat comes along and offers up a better experience than the original. Jungle Bug: Rock’n’Roll is one of those rare titles.

Welcome to The Heritage walkthrough on Gamezebo. The Heritage is a hidden object/adventure game played on a PC or Mac created by Bruto Memo Entertainment and Seven Sails. This walkthrough includes tips and tricks, helpful hints, and a strategy guide on how to complete The Heritage.

Miracle Garden is a Facebook game developed by IGG (I Got Games) that gives players the chance to become a floriculturist (or horticulturist) tending to their own garden by planting and growing flowers, crossbreeding different species, and selling them for a profit. This quick start guide will provide you with tips to get started playing Miracle Garden.

A dark dream. A mysterious woman with a glowing blue pendant. A dead FBI agent and a missing scientist. It's strange stuff, alright. The sort of strange stuff that makes up Strange Cases: The Lighthouse Mystery, a new hidden object game that gets just about everything right.

We’ve seen a lot of PC games ported over to the iPhone over the last couple of years. Namco Networks has done that with their own titles (such as Tinseltown Dreams). But rarely does a company move the other way around, from iPhone to PC. And rarer still is the ability to move your achievements from one game to another, or even play against others regardless of their platform of choice. But Namco Networks did it with Pool Pro Online 3.

Most people trust the National Geographic brand, which means there’s a sizeable built-in audience for a game that uses the magazine’s photography and writing as its foundation. Lilly Wu and the Terra Cotta Mystery, a new hidden object game published by National Geographic Games that turns the death of Chinese emperor Qin Shihuangdi into a whodunit, plays to this audience to mixed effect.

Free games are all around us, but they may not be as easy to find as you’d think. We help you sort through the App Store to find the latest price drops and limited time offers so that you won’t have to spend a penny. Today’s free games include a young pop superstar, an even more popular iPhone game, a Pac-Man clone just in time for his birthday, and more!

Puzzle Quest 2, the sequel to Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords, was announced for the Nintendo DS and Xbox Live Arcade platforms back in March, but we've just learned that the game is coming to the PC this summer as well courtesy of Namco Networks.

Welcome to the walkthrough for Robinson Crusoe and the Cursed Pirates on Gamezebo. Robinson Crusoe and the Cursed Pirates is a hidden object game for the PC by MagicIndie Softworks. This walkthrough includes tips and tricks, helpful hints, and a strategy guide to complete Robinson Crusoe and the Cursed Pirates.

Pirates get romanticized a lot, but if Robinson Crusoe and the Cursed Pirates is to be believed, it was a pretty lousy gig. Swipe one inappropriate bit of loot and all of a sudden you're marked with the Black Spot and doomed to haunt an island until the end of time. You do get to hang out with parrots and monkeys, though, which is kind of cool.

PAC-MAN's 30th birthday party continues with more goodies from Namco Networks. From now until June 4, PC gamers can get PAC-MAN for just $0.99 when they buy one of 15 select titles from NamcoGames.com. Save 10% on PAC-MAN merchandise from the Club Namco online store with the coupon code CLUBNAMCO at checkout. Finally, North American residents can enter to win an adorable PAC-MAN themed smart car in sweepstakes hosted on PAC-MAN's official site until August 20.

This just in via iPlay’s Twitter Feed:

Artist Colony is $2.99 for a limited time (not say when it ends on the page). Go here for this very good deal on an exceptional time management and simulation game. Our Artist Colony review is here (4.5 stars)

Sometimes it pays to follow our gaming friends on Twitter. . .