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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.
  • Make a game to fight trademark trolling in Candy Jam
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    Make a game to fight trademark trolling in Candy Jam

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    If there's one word I'd use to describe independent game developers, it's… well, independent. They don't like being told what they can't do. So what a big company like King comes along and trademarks a word like 'candy,' indie game devs get understandably grumpy.In response to King's actions (which Gamezebo broke the news about on Monday), Cariboo (developer of the upcoming Berserkgangr) and uuav (check out their Ludum Dare entries here) have just launched Candy Jam, a game jam that tasks developers with making a game that involves candies. Why? "Because trademarking common names is ridiculous and it gives us an occasion to make another gamejam :D," or so says the Jam's Tumblr account.Interested developers must submit their games before the February 3 deadline. The only rules are that it has to have candy, and that you should consider using the word 'candy' several times. Bonus points for other trademark problem words like 'scroll,' 'memory,' 'saga,' and 'apple.'Also, there's always a high five from me if you get the word 'Gamezebo' or 'jimmycanuck' in there somewhere. ;)
  • King: We don’t enforce against all uses of CANDY
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    King: We don’t enforce against all uses of CANDY

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    On Monday morning, Gamezebo broke news of a story too strange to be believed. King, the makers of Candy Crush Saga, had trademarked the word CANDY. While this won't affect the likes of Skittles or SweeTarts, app developers whose games have 'candy' in their name braced for the oncoming storm.But according to a King spokesperson, that storm may not really be coming."We have trademarked the word 'CANDY' in the EU, as our IP is constantly being infringed and we have to enforce our rights and to protect our players from confusion. We don't enforce against all uses of CANDY - some are legitimate and of course, we would not ask App developers who use the term legitimately to stop doing so."
  • Broken Age: Act 1 Review
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    Broken Age: Act 1 Review

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    For years, people have been insistent on saying that the point-and-click graphic adventure is a dead genre. And to that, I say "bullcrap." It doesn't have the mainstream appeal that it once had, sure - but thanks to the likes of companies like Wadjet Eye Games, Daedalic Entertainment, Telltale and more, the selection of great point-and-click adventure games has been bigger than ever in recent years.The problem, though, is that there was one person we all really wanted to see make adventure games, and he just wasn't doing it. That person co-wrote the first two Monkey Island games, gave us Day of the Tentacle, Full Throttle and Grim Fandango, and walked away from the genre completely once public interest died off. That man was Tim Schafer.And now that man is back.
  • King has trademarked the word CANDY (and you’re probably infringing)
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    • iOS
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    King has trademarked the word CANDY (and you’re probably infringing)

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    When you have an intellectual property - especially one that's worth millions of dollars - you want to protect it. But can such protections ever go too far? That's the question a lot of industry watchers are asking this morning, as developers far and wide whose games include the word 'candy' are getting emails from Apple on behalf of King, the makers of Candy Crush Saga.In a filing with the US trademark office dated February 6, 2013, King.com Limited registered claim to the word 'candy' as it pertains to video games and, strangely, clothing. On January 15, 2014 the filing was approved for publication. And now, a mere five days later, reports are coming in from developers that they're being asked to remove their app (or prove that their game doesn't infringe upon the trademark)."Lots of devs are frustrated cause it seems so ridiculous" says Benny Hsu, the maker of All Candy Casino Slots - Jewel Craze Connect: Big Blast Mania Land. Benny's game, which shares no similarities with King's properties aside from the word 'candy,' is one of a number of games that have been targeted by King. 
  • Super Crate Box meets Braid in Extreme Exorcism
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    • PC
    Super Crate Box meets Braid in Extreme Exorcism

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    It's turning out to be a pretty busy January for Golden Ruby Games. Earlier today, the indie developer announced that their previous effort, Worm Run, is now available on Android devices. But that's not all they have in the hopper: a quick glance at their developer blog shows gives a pretty great first glimpse of what's next for the team.Extreme Exorcism is a game with more of an action/multiplayer bent. The team is describing it as "Super Crate Box meets Braid," which should be more than enough to get the imagination of any gamer running wild. Unlike Worm Run, which has its home on mobile devices, Extreme Exorcism is being aimed more at the PC (and possibly console) audience.There's no word on a release date, but they're hoping to show off the latest build at IndieCade East next month, so if you're in the NYC area, be sure to check it out. The rest of us will just have to settle for the enticing concept art above (or if you're really itchin' for a play, you can check out a very early version on Kongregate).
  • This Week in China: Cut the Rope is king
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    • iOS
    This Week in China: Cut the Rope is king

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    Having a big hit in North America is one thing, but what about when that same hit works in China? According to Cut the Rope 2's Chinese distribution partner Yodo1, it becomes the game's #1 market.Lawsuits, Square Enix games, and more help round out this week's news from China. As always, we'd like to thank our friends at Laohu.com for keeping us in the loop on all things China pertaining to the mobile games market. If you're looking for even more Chinese mobile coverage, be sure to add Laohu.com to your bookmarks folder. 
  • Watch us live on Twitch RIGHT NOW
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    • iOS
    Watch us live on Twitch RIGHT NOW

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    Another Thursday's new iOS releases, another Twitch livestream to show you the top picks for the week. This week we're actually skipping the biggest title to hit the App Store, because as much as we loved Across Age 2, you don't really want to watch us play a story-heavy RPG, do you? Besides, if you felt like reading, you'd already be checking out our review.Instead, we're going to take a look at the ninja-friendly Shadow Blade, Mega Jump 2, and a possible hidden gem in Tap & Blast. We say "possible," because our first experience with it will be your first experience with it. Stay tuned to see what it's all about!If you miss the show live (and shame on you if you did), don't worry: we'll be sure to archive it right here for later viewing. But wouldn't you rather watch it now and jump into the chat? UPDATE: Our broadcast day has now concluded, though it's saved forever in the video below.Watch live video from Gamezebo on TwitchTV
  • 5 very good reasons you should be excited about Broken Age’s January 28th launch
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    5 very good reasons you should be excited about Broken Age’s January 28th launch

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    If you were one of the 87,142 backers of Double Fine Adventure, congratulations! You should have a code in your inbox to start playing Broken Age, the game that result from your dollars, by the end of the day. The rest of the world, however, won't have a chance to pick up Tim Schafer's return to adventure gaming until January 28.There are plenty of good reasons to be excited about this one, folks - the least of which is that January 28th is only two weeks from today. And while we could sit here listing all of the facts and figures that make this terribly exciting (after all, this is the project that put Kickstarter on the map for most gamers), there's really only one reason you need to know to buy this: it's Tim Schafer's first point and click adventure in 16 years.With that in mind, we're going to step into the Chrono-O-John to remind you of five very good reasons from the past that should sway your buying decisions in the future.