Gamezebo Archives - January 2011

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 every table from the sublime Pinball HD as a standalone release, a hungry cat, zombies falling from the sky, and more!

Play enough hidden object games, and it becomes so easy to spot the bowling balls, quill pens, and boots that you can practically finish a level without even checking your item list. One can only arrange a room full of junk so many ways, after all; it's inevitable that they all start to feel a bit alike. Then there's Mishap 2: An Intentional Haunting, a HOG with levels so intricately arranged and deftly layered that you may, for the first time in ages, find yourself reaching for that hint button – repeatedly.

If there is one truth in casual games, it is that casual gamers love hidden object games. In 2010, we continued to view and review at least 3 new hidden object games released per week and I predict this trend will continue even more so in 2011. But I also predict you’ll buy and play hidden object games in different ways in 2011.

If you thought 2010 was a year flooded with mergers and acquisitions, just wait for 2011. After all, we’re only four days into the new year and the first surprise purchase has already hit the newswire! Firemint, the developer best known for iOS games like Flight Control and Real Racing 2, has just purchased Puzzle Quest creators Infinite Interactive for an undisclosed amount.

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 chance to prove your knowledge of New York City sports teams, an action-packed endless runner, a journey inside the human body, and more!

According to AllThingsD, Facebook has finally filled its Head of Game Partnerships position. And the winner is . . . Sean Ryan, the now-former EVP and GM of Games at News Corp.

Sean Ryan is a very interesting, and dare I say, good appointment for this position.

Beachtown takes the traditional city-building elements found in other games, but inserts some rather interesting twists. While this certainly makes the game unique, is the departure from the norm for the better?

Lost in Time: The Clockwork Tower is one of those games that simply works and works well throughout the vast majority of gameplay. The game’s storyline is complex, with a nice dose of humor, the hidden object scenes are simplistic yet satisfying, and there are plenty of smaller touches that make up for the game’s few flaws.

Welcome to the Mishap 2: An Intentional Haunting walkthrough on Gamezebo, written by Lynne Basinet. Mishap 2: An Intentional Haunting is an interactive, Hidden Object played on PC, created by Virtual Prophecy and available at Namco Games. This walkthrough includes tips and tricks, helpful hints, and a strategy guide for how to complete Mishap 2: An Intentional Haunting.

Regardless of which end of the deal they’re on, ngmoco has frequently been at the center of iPhone gaming’s hottest acquisitions. Their first big purchase came back in late 2009 when they acquired Epic Pet Wars developer Miraphonic. Now ngmoco will be eliminating all traces of that once promising social developer, as they’ll be removing all four Miraphonic-developed games from the App Store later this month.

At a glance, Anomaly: Warzone Earth might look like little more than yet another tower defense game making its way to the App Store. Looks, however, can be deceiving. There may be towers, and they may be firing on a marching army – but this time that army is controlled by you.

Welcome to the Tamara the 13th walkthrough on Gamezebo. Tamara the 13th is a Hidden Object Game played on the PC created by PoBros and PlayFirst. This walkthrough includes tips and tricks, helpful hints, and a strategy guide on how to complete Tamara the 13th.

Tamara the 13th is one game that I wanted so desperately to like. PlayFirst has rarely disappointed me in the past, and the concept of the game showed a lot of promise. However, this isn’t your typical hidden object game (it should be called “impossible-to-find” instead), the cutscenes are more laughable than enjoyable, and the entirety of gameplay is more frustrating than fun.

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 man-eating monster worm, a box of logic games, a chance to slide along power lines, and more!

It’s January 3rd, and that means two things. Vacation time is over (sorry, kids of the world). And, it’s time for me to put on my thinking cap and proclaim 5 casual gaming trends you’ll see in the upcoming year. That way, in the small event they happen, I’ll be proclaimed a genius!

Every day this week, I’ll make a casual game prediction that will either astound you or make your shake your head.

Today’s prediction: Apple and iOS eclipses Microsoft and Windows to become the #1 platform to developer casual games for. I told you I am swinging for the fences! My explanation on the other side.

Penguin World is a game that goes beyond “novel.” It’s honestly a bit strange, by Facebook or anyone else’s standards. The basic concept is that you’re a penguin and apparently what penguins do all day is forage for lost pottery in the Arctic, or possibly Antarctic, wilderness while fighting off polar bears. The game plays like a novel fusion of treasure hunting games like Treasure Isle and the Club Penguin virtual world for kids. The game might be intended more for children than adults, though it’s a little hard to tell at times.

Farmandia can best be described as a “tried and true” farming game. While there is technically not much wrong here, the problem lies in the fact that there are much better alternatives out there with much more interesting ideas and activities.