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Jim Squires is the Editor-in-Chief of Gamezebo. Everything you see passes his eyes first, so we like to think of him as "the gatekeeper of cool stuff." He likes good games, great writing, and just can't say no to a hamburger. Also, he is not a bear.
  • RollerCoaster Tycoon 4 is (probably) getting a proper PC release too
    News
    • PC
    RollerCoaster Tycoon 4 is (probably) getting a proper PC release too

    By

    When word broke earlier today that a new RollerCoaster Tycoon was in the works, we were elated. When we discovered that it was RollerCoaster Tycoon 4 Mobile - a game whose trailer bears a striking resemblance to Zynga's CoasterVille, we were… surprised, I guess? Disappointed isn't the right word. We liked CoasterVille, after all. But putting a big "4" in the title seems to suggest "a direct sequel that should deliver on fans expectations."If you were just as surprised as we were about today's announcement, you can breathe a little easier - Atari sensed the panic in the gaming community and has confirmed on Facebook that a PC entry in the series is scheduled for later in the year."RollerCoaster Tycoon is back and it's coming to mobile (first)!," reads a status update on the official RollerCoaster Tycoon fan page. "Rest assured, there is a PC experience in production now for release in Fall 2014. This is just the first step in bringing the series back to its fans this year! We are excited and hope you are too!"
  • Wormhole Games is “winding down,” CEO takes role at Google Play
    News
    • iOS
    Wormhole Games is “winding down,” CEO takes role at Google Play

    By

    It's a sad day to be part of a promising startup. Wormhole Games, who released their first (and it looks like, only) game last year with Tank Nation, and earned a spot as one of Gamezebo's best new games studios of 2013, is "winding down" according to a Facebook post from studio CEO and co- founder Jamil Moledina."We founded Wormhole Games as our contribution to innovation in free to play mobile games," reads Moledina's status update. "I'm immensely proud that our team achieved this goal with the launch of Tank Nation. Unfortunately, given financial challenges, we've been winding down the company. We've placed most of our staff at great new jobs, and the few that remain are in process."Tank Nation will continue to run for as long as they can keep it up, though if you're already a fan, I'd consider weaning yourself onto a new game soon. Forget about the future of Tank Nation though - what of Moledina? Before Wormhole Games, he was the man behind Crime City and Modern War studio Funzio, after all. As far as big names in free-to-play go, Jamil Moledina is one that should be on your radar.
  • Godzilla needs a match-3 game like I need a hole in my head
    News
    • Android
    • iOS
    Godzilla needs a match-3 game like I need a hole in my head

    By

    There's a pretty fantastic-looking Godzilla reboot on the horizon. If you haven't watched the trailer yet, you should go and do that now. Go on. I'll wait.Did you watch it? Amazing, right? Godzilla + Walter White = the only movie you need to see this summer. A monstrously huge movie like this deserves an equally monstrous video game tie-in. But instead of a crazy, over-the-top action game, the King of All Monsters is about to get saddled with a genre not terribly befitting of his city-crushing nature: the match-3 game.Godzilla Smash-3 looks to blend some pretty stellar visuals with the "draw-a-line" match-3 tactics of games like Dungeon Raid. The game's official announcement promises "RPG-style progression" as well, which usually pairs nicely with match-3 gameplay.And did we mention it's being developed by Pipeworks Software, the folks responsible for Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee and its two sequels?Ok, maybe this could be good after all.
  • RollerCoaster Tycoon 4 is happening, and it’s mobile
    News
    • iOS
    RollerCoaster Tycoon 4 is happening, and it’s mobile

    By

    When it comes to classic simulation franchises, few conjure up quite as many great memories as Roller Coaster Tycoon. So when you hear the words Roller Coaster Tycoon 4 Mobile, there's a very good chance that you have a "front car of the coaster with your arms up" level of excitement.That excitement might be justified. It might not. We just don't know.Details about the game are scant right now, though a trailer for the game showcases gameplay that… well, to be frank, looks a lot like Zynga's CoasterVille.  This isn't necessarily a bad thing - heck, I really liked CoasterVille - but it also means that this probably isn't the Roller Coaster Tycoon series you know and love. Considering how hostile most gamers became when they learned Dungeon Keeper wasn't Dungeon Keeper, a word of warning seems emphatically in order.
  • Gameloft’s Asphalt 8 will be the first mobile game with Twitch streaming
    News
    • iOS
    Gameloft’s Asphalt 8 will be the first mobile game with Twitch streaming

    By

    Well that didn't take long. Earlier this month, Twitch let the world know that they wanted to expand beyond the world of desktop computers and home consoles; that they wanted to show their audience what games in your pocket look like. A new mobile SDK, they announced, will allow developers to embed Twitch-streaming functionality right into their games.And it looks like Asphalt 8 is going to be the game to kick things off.A racing game that earned a damned near perfect score in our review last summer, Asphalt 8 will add in Twitch-functionality in a free update "soon." Not only will players be able to stream gameplay, but video and audio courtesy of your iOS device's front-facing camera. Streaming will be optimized for A7 chip devices (iPhone 5S, iPad Air, iPad Mini). There no word on whether older devices will be supported.
  • Pivvot update brings Daily Challenges and a new mode
    News
    • iOS
    Pivvot update brings Daily Challenges and a new mode

    By

    Whitaker Trebella is a cool guy. And like a lot of cool guys - especially in this industry - he makes some pretty cool games. The most recent of these, Pivvot, has just seen its first big update that introduces a new mode. Better yet, it also introduces two very special words: Daily Challenges.If you're wondering where Trebella got the idea for the latter, he recently told Gamezebo of his love for Spelunky - aka, the roguelike platformer with the Daily Challenges. "I've died thousands of times," he said, "but I keep coming back, mainly because of the Daily Challenges."The challenges in Pivvot will be similar in spirit, giving players one chance each day to "prove themselves," as Trebella tells us. And if that's not enough, this update also introduces the new Looper mode, where players will need to do as many 360's as possible while dodging everything the game throws at you.If you're already a Pivvot fan, the update is free and available now. If you're not, you can pick this one up for 99 cents on the App Store. (and if you're a PC or Mac gamer who'd like to try it out, be sure to tell Valve you'd buy it with an upvote on Steam Greenlight).
  • Glorkian Warrior: Trials of Glork Review
    Reviews
    • iOS
    Glorkian Warrior: Trials of Glork Review

    By

    Like most 30-somethings with a love for video games, I have fond memories of the days when arcades reigned supreme. And when I was a kid playing games at my local pizzeria (it sounds clichéd, but it's true!), I put an embarrassing number of quarters in the ol' Galaga machine.My story, I have to assume, is not unique. If I were to speculate, I'd say that Miles Tilmann (aka Pixeljam) and James Kochalka would have very similar stories to tell. After all, they teamed up to make Glorkian Warrior: Trials of Glork -- a game that loves Galaga just as much as I do.Like Galaga, players of Glorkian Warrior control a character at the bottom of the screen that navigates back and forth to shoot hordes of enemies above. Instead of a spaceship, though, you'll be playing as the titular Glorkian Warrior - a three-eyed alien dweeb with little self-confidence and a heavily weaponized backpack.
  • So long, ShiftyLook: Namco shuts down a very cool side project
    News
    • Android
    • iOS
    • PC
    So long, ShiftyLook: Namco shuts down a very cool side project

    By

    Back in 2011, Namco had a very bright idea: create a team to breathe new life into some of their long-forgotten franchises and characters. ShiftyLook was born out of this idea, and through a series of webcomics (and games and other media), they succeeded admirably at their mission.But now, like the characters they were tasked to resurrect, ShiftyLook is destined to fall into obscurity; a soon to be distant memory."Now that we have successfully revived so many franchises," reads the latest update on the ShiftyLook website, "the heavy lifting is completed - and so is our work. We battled the video games abyss and won, which means it's time for us to move on and let the hit-makers play with some new toys."The early retirement of ShiftyLook spells a similar fate for many of its creations. Namco High, a fantastic dating sim/interactive fiction release that earned a near perfect score in our review last year, will have its servers shut down on Jun 30, 2014. Their mobile game BRAVOMAN: Binja Bash! will be suffering a similar fate, disappearing from iTunes, Google Play and Amazon at the end of this month.