Joe Jasko

News
January 3, 2014
PopCap CEO Dave Roberts to retire next week
By Joe Jasko
It has been reported today that Dave Roberts will be stepping down as CEO from PopCap Games effective next week, as the studio responsible for Plants vs. Zombies and Peggle plans to get back to their development roots for 2014. In addition, chief game designer Jason Kapalka will also been leaving the PvZ studio shortly. Taking over Roberts' position will be the last remaining co-founder of PopCap, John Vechey. Will this usher in a new era for the popular developer of casual games?If anything, it seems that PopCap's plans for the future are a little bit mixed right now. On the one hand, Vechey has been quoted in an exclusive interview with GamesBeat as saying "PopCap's mission right now is to create the greatest mobile game studio in the world, and we're going to do that by only making games that are beloved by players." Yet in the same interview, it is also stated that PopCap plans to expand beyond the realm of mobile going forward, in attempt to "get back to the place where we used to be.""For a while, it was looking like PopCap's efforts might be shifting to exclusively focus on free-to-play mobile games, but now that's looking less likely thanks to these recent comments. PopCap certainly had an interesting 2013 as far as game releases were concerned. They first caused controversy by releasing the long-awaited Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time exclusively on iOS platforms, with an Android release coming a few months after, and PC gamers still anxiously waiting for their turn at the game. And then in an even more surprising move, the highly-anticipated Peggle 2 was released exclusively for Microsoft's next-gen home gaming console, the Xbox One.But regardless of what systems they ultimately appear on, more original IPs and sequels from PopCap in 2014 could never be a bad thing: at least if you're planning on getting any work done this year (I've lost days of my life just to Peggle alone!).
Reviews
January 3, 2014
Feed Me Oil 2 Review
By Joe Jasko
Feed Me Oil 2 is the long-awaited sequel to the quirky and offbeat 2011 physics-puzzler Feed Me Oil from Holy Water Games. Featuring a complete visual overhaul and dozens of new puzzles to complete, players will need to put their thinking caps on to make sure that all of the mechanical inhabitants of this oily little world get their inner engines up and running again. It's just a shame that the gameplay itself constantly feels like it's running on empty.The game plays out like an incredibly simplified cross between Where's My Water? and The Incredible Machine. At the start of each stage, players are tasked with placing various objects on the screen to help guide a stream of oil from a starting faucet and into a finishing area, designated by a dotted white line. You'll then hit a play button to see if your setup worked, adjusting and trying again if your calculations were a little bit off: these mech-animals are pretty hungry after all, and you'll need to deliver a numerical amount of oil to each one of them. Players can earn three stars in each stage by using the least amount of available parts to complete their oil feeding requirements."The visuals are easily the best part of the game, and a huge step up from the original 2011 puzzler. The world of Feed Me Oil 2 is full of quirky and mechanical fun, with many of the robotic animals watching you play with endearing googly eyes. From turtles and foxes, to snails and other creatures I can't even categorize, you'll always be surprised to see what kind of fun new screen is waiting around the next bend. While the backgrounds themselves are brought to life through a whimsical and almost painted design, the bubbly texture of the oil itself forms a nice contrast that really allows the game's presentation to shine (especially when it clashes with the water in the game).
News
January 2, 2014
Games Like Candy Crush Saga
By Joe Jasko
In our nice little corner of the gaming world, King's match-3 puzzle hybrid Candy Crush Saga has become the Grand Theft Auto V, the Beyoncé, and The New York Yankees all rolled up into one. Simply put, the game is huge. And when a new game manages to take the entire industry by storm like Candy Crush did, well you know what that means: tons of clones from other developers begin popping up to try and recapture the magic of the original.You've probably already played a game or two that was somewhat "like" Candy Crush Saga before, and so we thought it'd only be fitting to gather a list of some of the best like-minded experiences we've seen in one convenient place for you right here. And if you're ever planning on making your own match-3 game that plays like Candy Crush Saga, you'll want to include candy, jewels, or fruit, and throw in the word "mania" at the end of your title!
News
January 2, 2014
Farm Heroes Saga is now available on iOS and Android worldwide
By Joe Jasko
At the beginning of December, we first told you that King's charmingly addictive Facebook game Farm Heroes Saga would be moseying on over to the mobile camp in the near future. But at the time of that writing, only those lucky gamers in Canada, Romania, Sweden, and Spain were able to partake in all of the farm-matching mayhem on the go. Well now the wait is finally over, as King has officially unleashed the mobile version of Farm Heroes Saga for iOS and Android devices worldwide today!In case you've never had the chance to play it before, Farm Heroes Saga takes the pitch-perfect match-3 and puzzle-infused gameplay of Candy Crush Saga and redresses it in a bubblier (and albeit healthier) environment full of tasty farm crops. But despite the change in the items you'll be matching, that addictive gameplay is still ever intact. And now that we can play it on our smartphones wherever we go? Well now that's just downright dangerous. But who really wants to make eye contact with other people these days anyways?"Farm Heroes Saga can be downloaded for free right now on the iOS App Store and Google Play Marketplace.
News
January 2, 2014
2014 Predictions from Gamezebo’s Associate Editor, Joe Jasko
By Joe Jasko
Making predictions can always be a dangerous thing, because when you're actually right about something, there's no quicker way to making you feel like the next Nostradamus. Well right now, I think there's only one gaming prediction that can be made with 100% certainty of it actually happening: 2014 is going to bring some wonderful new gaming experiences! But you didn't need me to tell you that, now did you? Let's try and make some more specific predictions about the future of video games, shall we?Yesterday we got to see some 2014 predictions from Gamezebo's Editor-in-Chief Jim Squires, but today it's my turn. And I've decided to delve into everything from book publishers creating more video games, to Nintendo's reluctant future in the mobile games space. Think I'm right? Think I couldn't be more wrong? Weigh in with your thoughts on my predictions down in the replies, and let us know what YOU think the gaming world will have in store for 2014!"
News
January 1, 2014
New iOS Games Tonight: Jet Car Stunts 2, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed and more!
By Joe Jasko
Well it looks like we made it fellow gamers: 2014 has arrived! And while most of us are either still recovering from a night spent out in the freezing cold at Times Squares to watch the ball drop, or battling a stomachache from eating one too many pigs in a blanket, there's nothing that cures those New Year's Day blues than a fresh batch of brand new mobile games. And luckily for you, in a few short hours you'll be getting just that!And since we're on the topic of ringing in the New Year, one of my immediate New Year's resolutions is to play every single new iOS game that will be hitting the App Store later on tonight: from a very transformative SEGA-themed racer, to a long-awaited sequel that has you pulling off some more exhilarating vehicle stunts. Of course, sitting in front of my iPad all night sure won't be helping my other "get more exercise" resolution, but I guess we all need to make sacrifices every now and again."
News
December 30, 2013
Create your own Prince of Persia levels
By Joe Jasko
If programming video games didn't take all sorts of incredible smarts and highly refined computer skills, I'd like to think I would have created my very own gaming classic back in the day. Well now it looks like I might actually get my wish, with the latest 2.0 update to "apoplexy" this week, the free and open-source DOS level editor for the 1989 classic Prince of Persia computer game. The initial release of "apoplexy" actually popped up online over five years ago, but now this newest version has added the ability to create levels for 1993's Prince of Persia 2: The Shadow and the Flame as well!I spent some time this morning fiddling around with the updated level editor and can happily say that it's not only super cool, but more importantly, super easy. The program basically divides up the classic levels of Prince of Persia and Prince of Persia 2 into a grid of vertical rectangles. By clicking on any given rectangle in the current level screen, you can swap it out for another rectangle that features a different environmental effect, such as spikes, enemies, or even just simple wall decorations. Each of these various building blocks is displayed for your quick perusal in an easily navigable grid-based menu of sorts."Additional features to the level editor include the option to change certain game events like music or checkpoints, and even cross-platform support that keeps the program interface both fast and stable during your editing. But of course, the best part of all is that you can then actually play your brand new Prince of Persia levels and bask in the glory of being the next greatest new-age DOS game developer! You can check out some more screenshots of the open source level editor and download the free application for Windows or Linux to give it a try for yourself by clicking right over here.
News
December 27, 2013
The Best New Game Studios of 2013
By Joe Jasko
There have been a ton of great new games to come out in 2013, there's certainly no question about that. But did you also know that a lot of our favorites from the past year were made by brand new development studios? It's true! We saw so many amazing high-quality debuts this year that we only thought it'd be best to point out which studios you'll want to keep an eye on in 2014 and beyond.At first glance, it's easy to see why every game on this list is positively stunning in its own right: from doing something vastly innovative, to just providing downright fun gameplay, it's evident that the teams behind them knew exactly what they were doing. But then once you realize that all of these games are merely the debut efforts of new studios that are still in their youth, then the excitement really starts to build when you start thinking about all of the second and third titles that are eventually going to come!"So here are our picks for the new developers and their amazing debut games that really wowed us in 2013. Want to rave about our choices? Know of a few other newbies that deserve a special mention? Leave us your thoughts down in the replies!