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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.
  • Is Ticket to Ride’s train conductor in Broken Age?
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    Is Ticket to Ride’s train conductor in Broken Age?

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    It's funny how a little time and some outside influence can really help sway your opinion. When I first played Broken Age last month and met the train conductor, I turned to my wife and shouted "LOOK! IT'S THE TICKET TO RIDE GUY!!" I was promptly told that "all train conductors look like that," put my tail between my legs, and went back to saving the yarnpals on that runaway train.Now, a few weeks later, former Gamezebo contributor Dan Zuccarelli has noticed the same thing.Dan has stitched together a pretty handy comparison image that proves my original inclination right: that's totally the same guy. Every little detail is exact, from the bag to button count to the details on his hat. The only difference is that his positioning is mirrored from his original appearance in Ticket to Ride.Blatant rip-off, or loving homage/easter egg? I'm inclined to go with the latter. Besides, I'm still wondering why everybody in the game has Muppet noses.
  • King’s IPO is about to be crowned; registration statement filed
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    King’s IPO is about to be crowned; registration statement filed

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    Back in September, King was rumored to have taken the first steps towards offering an IPO when by filing an S-1 Form with the SEC (which, it turns out, wasn't true). Today they're taking one of the last. The company announced this morning in a press release that they have "filed a Form F-1 with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission relating to a proposed initial public offering of ordinary shares."This doesn't mean those share are for sale quite yet - or that we even know how many of them there will be or their initial price - but we're closer to finding out. The F-1 provides investors with all of the information they might need before making a decision regarding King stock. You can read the whole thing here.Once the IPO is live, King plans to trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "KING," and a whole bevvy of business names will be acting as joint book-running managers: J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, MofA Merrill Lynch, Barclays Capital Inc., Deitsche Bank Securities Inc., and RBC Captial Markets, LLC. The first three of these will act as representatives of the underwriters in addition to book-running managers.How the stock will perform once it is live, though, is anybody's guess. Some might be quick to point to the rise and fall of Zynga (ZNGA) as a cautionary tale for investors, but despite their similar nature in some respects (both are providers of free-to-play games, and both were #1 in that market at the time of their filing), the two are incredibly different companies. 
  • The Lickening is everything that’s right with OUYA
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    • Android
    The Lickening is everything that’s right with OUYA

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    With all the hype surrounding Soul Fjord lately, I thought it would be in my best interest to dust off the ol' OUYA this weekend and see what else had hit the console in the last few. One thing led to another, and after a few rounds of TowerFall (no matter what you planned on doing with your OUYA, as soon as you turn it on, it's always this) I somehow found myself trying to explain to my daughter how amazing the light cycle game from TRON was.How I got from a 2013 microconsole to a 1982 arcade game is anybody's guess. Let's just chalk it up to the organic nature of conversations.The OUYA has more than a few TRON light cycle knock offs in its store, so we downloaded a few in an attempt to blow her mind with early 80's awesomeness. Grid Racer was a functional enough clone, but it just didn't capture the spirit of the game that I was hoping to share with my daughter. Super Light Cycles was better, but it still left me wondering if my nostalgia was outpacing my enjoyment. Still, it was enough. The itch was scratched. It was time to move on.We proceeded to download a bunch of new games that we hadn't tried before (the OUYA is great for this, because even though the quality of games is all over the map, they're all free to try), and quickly found ourselves playing a bizarre little title called The Lickening.
  • This Week in China: Spring Festival ends, work begins
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    • iOS
    This Week in China: Spring Festival ends, work begins

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    After a short break for Spring Festival (or as we in the West like to call it, Chinese New Year), China's gaming sector is back at work. And as we try to do every Friday, we're back with another 'This Week in China' round-up courtesy of our friends at Beijing's Laohu.com.This week you'll see a little bit of IPO rumor, a little bit of copycat fighting, and a (not so) little bit of layoffs. If you're looking to stay on top of Chinese gaming news in a more daily manner (and love the power of Google Translate), be sure to add Laohu.com to your bookmarks.
  • Dungeon Keeper is free – the real one this time
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    • iOS
    • PC
    Dungeon Keeper is free – the real one this time

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    Hey internet - remember how mad you were last week that Dungeon Keeper on iOS was a free-to-play game? I didn't mind, but judging by the comments you left for me, it seems that the rest of you really did.Thanks to GOG.com, though - it doesn't even matter anymore. Now you can have your cake and eat it too. Dungeon Keeper - the original PC classic - is free on GOG today.I'd chatter more, but what's the point? The more time you spend reading, the less time you spend playing. Get on it, people!Want even more? Dungeon Keeper 2 is on sale for $1.49.
  • Deal of the Day: $85 OUYA (+$25 game credit)
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    • iOS
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    Deal of the Day: $85 OUYA (+$25 game credit)

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    In 2013, the OUYA seemed to be the micro-console that the press just loved to hate. But you know what? We didn't. In fact I still rock out with my OUYA on a regular basis. Despite all of the company's initial bungling, this little powerhouse delivers exactly what it promised - a living room portal for amazing indie games, with loads to discover.It's also become the defacto multiplayer gaming device in our house. Whenever friends come over, we're all too happy to break out Towerfall or Mrs. Dad vs. korv - and it's even easier to do when you realize that the OUYA supports additional controllers from other devices (we use PS3 controllers, for example).And with Toto Temple Deluxe coming soon, there's really no better time to pick one up.So what are the savings you'll be netting through the latest Gamezebo deal? The OUYA normally runs for $99, so you'll be saving $14 right off the bat. But we're also throwing in a $25 game credit that you can use on the OUYA Discover Store - so that's $39 in savings! And better yet, every game on the OUYA is free to try, so when you spend that game credit, you'll have done so wisely.If you've been thinking of picking one up, stop waiting. This thing has the Gamezebo Seal of Approval. I seriously love my OUYA. You will too. Click here to pick one up today.
  • King has bought an old trademark, and you’re not going to like how they’re using it
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    King has bought an old trademark, and you’re not going to like how they’re using it

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    Oops, they did it again. Back in January, Candy Crush Saga maker King underwent a great deal of public scrutiny about the choices they've made in the world of IP protection. Initially it was about a trademark on the word CANDY, but as the week unfolded it turned into a battle over Stoic's The Banner Saga trademark, and then even accusations of cloning. King CEO Riccardo Zacconi managed to quell the internet's furor with a seemingly heartfelt response on the issues that had been brought up.But now some new information has been brought to our attention that doesn't quite jive with what Zacconi was preaching.Lost in the shuffle of that January week was a little story about Albert Ransom, the creator of CandySwipe. As the creator of a match-3 game involving candy that pre-dated every incarnation of Candy Crush, Ransom had been fighting the CANDY CRUSH SAGA trademark for months. And he told Gamezebo that he intended to fight their mark on the word CANDY, too.Now, only weeks after our initial article, King is fighting back. 
  • Kentucky Route Zero Act III will be ready when it’s ready (so stop asking)
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    • iOS
    • PC
    Kentucky Route Zero Act III will be ready when it’s ready (so stop asking)

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    We love Kentucky Route Zero here at Gamezebo. Love love. It was our pick for 2013 Game of the Year, and that was based solely on the first two acts (of a planned five). And like most fans of the game, we've been waiting for Act III to surface so that we can continue the story. And it's been a long wait. Act II was released at the end of May 2013.So what's the hold up?The developers at Cardboard Computer recently took to their blog to explain the situation, reassuring everyone that development is coming along swimmingly (and when it comes out, it will have been worth the wait):