Gamezebo: Features | News

Hotel Dash: Suite Success - Just In

joel — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:11:47 -0600

Waitress. Detective. Hotel-keeper? Is there anything our friend Flo can't do?

PlayFirst has released Hotel Dash: Suite Success. Our review comes soon. In the meantime, you can download a free trial of Hotel Dash: Suite Success (both PC or Mac), write a review, or discuss the game in our forum.

Return to Ravenhearst for $2.99 and other deals

erin — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:25:56 -0600

Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst is on sale for $2.99 at Big Fish Games until Nov. 22. (use coupon code RTR299 at checkout.) Westward is still free over at Sandlot Games too, so grab this great strategy game while you have the chance! The Settlers strategy games are 50% off on GOG.com until Nov. 23.

Casual News - Nov. 20, 2009

erin — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:00:35 -0600

Big Fish Games announces release dates for Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove; Zynga raises $15.2 milion in new funding; and class action lawsuits could be brewing against social networks over the scam offers scandal. These headlines and more below.

News

Gamezebo's Back Up! All is good again!

joel — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:48:31 -0600

As they say, you can never keep a good site (or is that man/woman?) down.

The site gremblins were running amuck, now we are back up. Sorry for the inconvenience. I'll make sure the reason we went down never happens again.

Back to writing and posting about great new games to play (and there are many this and next week!

Do you Beta? You betcha! Join GZ's beta test program

joel — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:02:54 -0600

Beta test casual games before they come out and provide developers with your insight. Game developers are looking for your feedback to make their games better and they really do listen and change their games based on your advice. We'll be sending out an email with new games to beta test soon.

If you are interested in being a member of our prestigious beta test program, sign up here. If you are already a member, no worries; you don't have to sign up again.

Natalie Brooks: Mystery at Hillcrest High - Just In

erin — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:35:33 -0600

Alawar has just launched the third game in the Natalie Brooks hidden object adventure series. Download Natalie Brooks - Mystery at Hillcrest High, write a review, or chat about it in our forum.

Luxor Adventures - Just In

erin — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:39:23 -0600

Luxor Adventures has launched, a game that takes the Luxor puzzle game franchise in a new hidden object direction. Download the game, write a review, and chat about it in our forum.

Escape the Museum 2 - Just In

erin — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:33:43 -0600

Escape the Museum 2 has launched! Download the game, write a review, or chat about it in our forum.

Exclusive - Hotel Dash: Suite Success video

erin — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:35:58 -0600

PlayFirst sent us a trailer for the upcoming time management game Hotel Dash: Suite Success, which is launching very soon! The video gives you a glimpse of how elevators will be used in the game to allow Flo to go between floors to reach demanding guests in different rooms of the hotel. Watch the Hotel Dash: Suite Success trailer here, and chat about the game in our forum.

Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove release dates announced!

erin — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:52:12 -0600

We can finally share with you the release dates for Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove, the hotly anticipated sixth game in the Mystery Case Files hidden object/adventure series from Big Fish Games Studios. For the first time in the series' history, Big Fish Games will be releasing two different versions of the game: the Collector's Edition will launch on Nov. 25 for $19.99, followed by the standard version in early December which will sell for the usual $6.99.

Cute Knight Kingdom - Just In

joel — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 13:10:45 -0600

Hanako Games has released Cute Knight Kingdom. Of course, a review and strategy guide shall come soon.

Download a free trial of Cute Knight Kingdom now, write a review, and discuss in our forum.

Just In - Cat Wash

erin — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 23:33:02 -0600

Cat Wash, the time management games about washing dirty kitties to a disco beat, has just launched over at Namco Games. Download Cat Wash, write a review, or chat about it in our forum.

Just In - Westward IV: All Aboard

erin — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:24:43 -0600

Sandlot Games has just launched Westward IV: All Aboard, the fourth game in its Wild West-themed real-time strategy series. Download the game, write a review, or chat about it in our forum.

Just In - Casebook Episode 3 - Snake in the Grass

erin — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 20:57:52 -0600

Clocktower Games has just released the third chapter its Casebook interactive mystery series, Casebook Episode 3 – Snake in the Grass. Like its predecessors (Casebook Episode 1 and Casebook Episode II - The Watchers), Episode 3 features unique photorealistic 3D graphics that use footage of real actors and scenery.

A Kingdom for Keflings coming to PC

erin — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:13:01 -0600

NinjaBee's award-winning Xbox Live Arcade strategy game, A Kingdom for Keflings, will soon be available to PC gamers as a digital download, the company announced today.

"Bringing A Kingdom for Keflings to the PC audience has been a priority for us," said Brent Fox, NinjaBee's Art Director. "It's been a runaway hit on XLA [Xbox Live Arcade] and we are offering the same, high-quality game on the PC. We are proud and we're excited to finally make it available to so many of those who haven't been able to play before."

Just In - Murder, She Wrote

erin — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:31:32 -0600

Murder, She Wrote, the hidden object game a lot of us have been not-so-patiently waiting for, has launched! Download the game, write a review, or chat about it in our forum.

Casual News - Nov. 13, 2009

erin — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:23:05 -0600

EA buys Playfish for $300 million; PlayFirst announces Hotel Dash: Suite Success; and the developers of Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor challenges the idea that selling games for cheap is the only way to be competitive on the Apple App Store. These headlines and more below.

News

Playdom acquires two companies; raises $43 million

erin — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:32:57 -0600

On Wednesday Playdom, the social networking company responsible for Facebook hits like Mobsters and Sorority Life, announced that it had raised $43 million in its first round of outside financing. The very next day the company demonstrated how the money was already being put to use by announcing that it had purchased two game companies: Facebook developer Green Patch, and Trippert Labs, an iPhone and social game developer.

"We are focused on growing Playdom into a world-class gaming company. A number of compelling games are in development for 2010, and we're bullish about our future and the potential to bring people together through social gaming," said John Pleasants, CEO of Playdom, in a prepared statement.

Just In - Fishdom: Frosty Splash

erin — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:50:29 -0600

If you just can't get enough of Fishdom's match-3 / aquarium building gameplay, Playrix Entertainment has released yet another instalment of the puzzle game just in time for the winter season. It's called Fishdom: Frosty Splash, and like the name immplies you'll get to create festive-looking fish tanks with more than 100 winter-themed decorations. Download the game, write a review, or chat about it in our forum.

Just In - Season of Mystery: The Cherry Blossom Murders

erin — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:00:06 -0600

Season of Mystery: The Cherry Blossom Murders has launched. Download this hidden object game, write a review, or chat about the game in our forum.

PlayFirst announces latest Dash game, Hotel Dash: Suite Success

erin — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:43:51 -0600

PlayFirst has announced the upcoming launch of Hotel Dash: Suite Success, the latest addition to the company's Dash series of time management games. Hotel Dash will feature Flo and Quinn (the stars of PlayFirst's Diner Dash and Wedding Dash series', respectively), as they embark on a new business venture as the managers of a chain of themed hotels.

Starting with a ramshackle hotel in DinerTown, players help Flo launch Quinn's new travel business by running themed hotels, managing the flow of new and familiar guests, and fulfilling their unique needs and requests in order to earn tips to refurbish hotels.

Just In - Treasures of the Serengeti

erin — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:51:45 -0600

I-play has just launched Treasures of the Serengeti, a game featuring music, match-3 and jigsaw puzzles set in the Serengeti villages of Africa. Download the game, write a review, or chat about it in our forum.

Just In - Kellie Stanford: Turn of Fate

erin — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:48:57 -0600

Kellie Stanford: Turn of Fate has launched. Help Kellie discover the truth about the Hollywood studio she works for and its mysterious owner in this cartoony hidden object adventure. Download the game, write a review, or chat about it in our forum.

EA buys Playfish for $300 million

erin — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:08:51 -0600

Last month we reported that video game publishing giant Electronic Arts was planning to purchase a social games company, and today it was confirmed that EA has purchased Playfish -- the makers of popular Facebook games like Pet Society, Crazy Planets, Geo Challenge and Restaurant City -- for approximately $275 million in cash, $25 million in stocks, and further variable cash bonuses of up to $100 million dependent on achieving certain performance-based milestones over the next two years.

Just In - Lost Realms: The Curse of Babylon

erin — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 08:33:31 -0600

Lost Realms: The Curse of Babylon has launched. Download this hidden object adventure, write a review, and chat about it in our forum.

Casual News - Nov. 6, 2009

erin — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:59:05 -0600

RealArcade and GameHouse are merging into one online game portal; MumboJumbo responds to the StoneLoops vs. Luxor iPhone controversy; and TechCrunch exposes a dark side of social gaming: offers scams. These headlines and more below.

News

Just In - The Return of Monte Cristo

erin — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:58:58 -0600

The hidden object game The Return of Monte Cristo has launched. Download the game, write a review, or chat about it in our forum.

RealArcade and GameHouse to merge into one online game portal

erin — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:09:38 -0600

Game portals RealArcade and GameHouse will soon be merged into a single online gaming destination designed to offer members more features and a larger variety of games, according to RealNetworks, the parent company that owns both game sites.

RealNetworks launched RealArcade in 2001, then acquired GameHouse in 2004. RealGames' General Manager of Product Marketing for North America, Chris Young, told Gamezebo that since RealArcade was running on substantially older technology than GameHouse, it made sense to migrate RealArcade members over to GameHouse where they could experience benefits like stabler downloads, more game releases per week, user reviews, forums, and the ability to gift games.

Merscom expands to social media; 8 Facebook games in development

erin — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:34 -0600

Merscom has announced plans to combine casual gaming and social media networking by developing games for Facebook. The company currently has eight Facebook/social media games in development, all of which are scheduled for release later this year or in early 2010.

According to a press release, Merscom already has relationships in place with the five largest offer providers in North America, two largest European offer providers, top two direct pay merchants, top US and top European mobile payment provider and a leading offer analytics firm.

Valerie Porter and the Scarlet Scandal - Just In

joel — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:13:27 -0600

Playfirst has released their latest hidden object adventure game, Valerie Porter and the Scarlet Scandal.

Download a free trial of Valerie Porter and the Scarlet Scandal, write a review, and discuss the game in our forum.

Zynga Acquires GoPets?

joel — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 12:45:35 -0500

According to a Facebook post by GoPets CEO Eric Bethke, Zynga, the largest social games company to date, has acquired GoPets, a virtual pet 3-D game world where you can play and dress up your pets with customizable clothing.

You download GoPets to play and socialize on your desktop, so this could be an indication that Zynga wants to expand from social networks like Facebook onto your actual PC itself -- or, maybe I am just reading into this too much....

According to the post, he's been there "for a couple of months." This news has been reported also by Virtual World News.

Win a free copy of Campfire Legends: The Hookman!

erin — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:00:13 -0500

Now's your chance to win a free copy of Campfire Legends: The Hookman, which has been described as one of the scariest hidden object games of all time by Gamezebo readers! We'll be running the contest from now until tomorrow (Saturday, Oct. 31, Central Time). Head over to the forum to learn how to enter.

Just how scary is The Hookman? Here's what a few of our readers had to say:

Steals & Deals - Oct. 30, 2009

erin — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:24:35 -0500

PlayFirst's weekend Halloween sale has started!

Just In - Torchlight

erin — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:16:27 -0500

Torchlight, an action/role-playing game from the makers of FATE, has just launched on WildTangent. Download the game, write a review, or talk about it in our forum.

Just In - Big City Adventure: New York

erin — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:10:30 -0500

Big City Adventure: New York has launched! Download the game, write a review, or chat about it in our forum.

Casual News - Oct. 30, 2009

erin — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:02:49 -0500

The iPhone version of Codeminion's marble popper SoneLoops! of Jurassica is removed from the Apple App Store due to a copyright complaint; 1UP looks back on five years of the Nintendo DS; and a casual games panel concludes that the days of paying for games up front are numbered. These headlines and more below.

News

Amazing Adventures The Caribbean Secret - Just In

joel — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:27:55 -0500

SpinTop Games has released its latest hidden object game, Amazing Adventures The Caribbean Secret.

Download a free trial of Amazing Adventures The Caribbean Secret, write a review, and discuss the game in our forum.

Just In - Trapped: The Abduction

erin — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:26:39 -0500

Trapped: The Abduction has launched! Help a young woman escape a serial killer in this hidden object thriller. Download the game for PC or Mac, write a review, or chat about it in our forum.

Popular Facebook game FarmVille raises $487,500 for charity

erin — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:23:19 -0500

Players of FarmVille, the most popular game on Facebook, have so far contributed $487,500 towards the welfare of children in Haiti, reports FarmVille's developer Zynga. The Sweet Seeds for Charity campaign, which has been running for the last three weeks, introduced a special kind of sweet potato into the game as an exclusive item that players could purchase for a small amount of real-world cash. Half the proceeds from the sale of the sweet potatoes goes to two Haiti-based charities.

Just In - Hidden Expedition: Devil's Triangle

erin — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:01:00 -0500

Hidden Expedition: Devil's Triangle has just launched. In this hidden object game you'll help track down Phoebe, a famous pilot lost in the infamous Bermuda Triangle. Download the game, write a review, or talk about it in our forum.

Casual News - Oct. 23, 2009

erin — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 08:46:28 -0500

Merscom announces a new game based on the Mary Higgins Clark suspense thriller On The Street Where You Live; Ubisoft's virtua world Ubiworld is now accepting citizenship applications; and Majesco launches Cooking Mama 3 for the Nintendo DS. These headlines and more below.

News

Merscom to create game based on Mary Higgins Clark novel

erin — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:06:43 -0500

Mary Higgins Clark's best-selling novel On The Street Where You Live will serve as the inspiration for a upcoming causal game for PC and Mac to be developed and published by Merscom, the company announced today.

First published in 2002, On The Street Where You Live tells the story a woman who is haunted by two grisly murders separated by more than a century, yet somehow inextricably linked.

Just In - Nat Geo Games: Mystery of Cleopatra

erin — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 08:26:57 -0500

Mystery of Cleopatra, the latest hidden object game from National Geographic and Merscom, has launched. Download the game, write a review, or chat about it in our forum.

Just In - 1912: Titanic Mystery

erin — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:54:12 -0500

On the 100th anniversary of the ill-fated Titanic cruise ship, the Titanic II is set to launch on its maiden voyage. But someone has hidden a bomb aboard the new ocean liner, and it's up to you to find out where the bomb is concealed and save the ship and its passengers. Download 1912: Titanic Mystery - a new hidden object game from on SpinTop Games, write a review, or talk about it in our forum.

Just In - The Dracula Files

erin — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:34:38 -0500

The Dracula Files has launched! Dracula has risen from his grave, and only the descedants of the Harker and Van Helsing families can stop him. Download this hidden object game, write a review, or talk about it in our forum.

Just In - Dragon Hatchery

erin — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:37:54 -0500

Dragon Hatchery, a combination of match-3 and time management gameplay where you raise baby dragons, has just launched. Download the game, write a review, or chat about it in our forum.

Just In - Danger Next Door: Miss Teri Tale's Adventure

erin — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 08:40:42 -0500

Miss Teri Tale's friend and neighbor, Monty, has been murdered and it's up to Teri to solve the case in the lastest Miss Teri Tale hidden object game. Download Danger Next Door, write a review, or chat about it in our forum.

Just In - Fishdom: Harvest Splash

erin — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 08:34:06 -0500

October is turning out to be a great month for Fishdom fans, as not one but two new Fishdom games have launched from Playrix Entertainment. The latest is Fishdom: Harvest Splash, a farm-themed match-3 game featuring almost 100 farm-themed accessories and fish. (This follows on the heels of the Halloween-themed puzzler Fishdom: Spooky Splash.) Download Fishdom: Harvest Splash, write a review, or chat about the game in our forum.

Steals & Deals - Oct. 16, 2009

erin — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 10:56:41 -0500

Get the "Blackwell Bundle" at Wadjet Eye Games - all three Blackwell adventure games for $27.50. At Zylom, Blood Ties, Zeal, Can You See What I See, and The Great Chocolate Chase are $1.99 until Oct. 28. Fishdom: Spooky Splash is 50% off at Playrix until the end of the month. Select hidden object games are 10% off at iWin - just enter the code "pier1" at checkout. Casebook Episode 1 is $1.99 at MumboJumbo.

Casual News - Oct. 16, 2009

erin — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 08:45:48 -0500

Gamezebo interviews Realore; Virtual goods sales are expected to hit $1 billion; and as the recession bites, more gamers are turning to downloads. These headlines and more below.

News