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  • Arkadium reveals new study on cross-play gaming habits
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    Arkadium reveals new study on cross-play gaming habits

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    As a gamer today in 2013, there are now more ways to play our favorite games than ever before: whether on home consoles, mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, or even social media platforms like Facebook. So after popular games creator Arkadium recently announced that the company would be using their latest funds received through Series A financing (a cool $5 million) to invest in cross-platform game development, they decided to take a look at just how gamers habitually use cross-platform gaming capabilities today.Their findings, which encompass a survey through Peanut Labs of 1,500 U.S. gamers above the age of 18 in the second quarter of 2013, provide us with some insightful data about how we, as gamers, tend to play both our favorite mobile and Facebook games. For one thing, 43% of cross-platform gamers were more likely to make an in-app purchase when playing a mobile game, as opposed to the close 38% that made purchases in a Facebook game. It was also found that almost half of those surveyed played 3 or more different mobile games in a single week, while a whopping 56% of surveyed gamers would tend to play more than 3 different Facebook games in a single week's timeframe.The percentage ratios of male to female gamers were more or less equivalent for all categories investigated, and it's also interesting to note that 63% of these cross-platform gamers had been alerted to new Facebook games through a friend's invitation via the popular social network.So there you have it. Do any of these numbers speak to the very same patterns that you yourself tend to be playing in during your favorite mobile and Facebook games? And I guess if there's one thing that's for certain after reading this study, it's that those always "endearing" Facebook requests from friends who are playing games that you've never heard of before, or that you don't necessarily even care about, are going to be here to stay. 
  • Halfbrick’s Band Stars is headed to mobile
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    • iOS
    Halfbrick’s Band Stars is headed to mobile

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    After a bit of a rocky start, Halfbrick's Band Stars is getting ready to rock out loud once again, as the cult music management game is packing up its dusty gear and setting off on a tour of your mobile screen soon.Band Stars was initially developed by Six Foot Kid and published by Fruit Ninja success story Halfbrick, where it appeared as a simple Flash game as part of Google+ Games before disappearing from the gaming world completely when the online games service was shut down in June of 2013. Well now it looks like both companies are returning to the oft-forgotten game in attempts to give it new life on the mobile platform.We reviewed the original web-based version of Band Stars last summer, and found it to be one of the rare instances where that Halfbrick name didn't sit alongside the utmost quality in casual gaming. The original Band Stars was buggy, lacked the depth of any great music management game, and just all-around wasn't a very fun time. So here's to hoping that Halfbrick was able to work out all the kinks this time around for the mobile release, and that we can all get to pumping out some much smoother jams soon!The mobile version of Band Stars already saw a soft-launch in Australia back in August, and now the Canadian version is next on the list with its own App Store release today. We'll be sure to let you know when Halfbrick's Band Stars will be playable in your country as soon as we hear those guitar solos ring!
  • Across Age sequel is coming this winter
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    • iOS
    Across Age sequel is coming this winter

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    FDG Entertainment and Exe Create have officially confirmed today that Across Age, often described as the very first "Japanese Action RPG" to find its way to the App Store, will finally be getting a sequel this winter. It's been a long time since we first got our hands on the original action RPG: back in January 2010, to be exact, which might as well have been decades as far as mobile gaming is concerned.Of course, we still have a ways to go before the eventual release date of Across Age 2, and as a result, we can't tell you too many details about the exciting return to one of mobile gaming's greatest RPG worlds: aside from a single sentence game description that promises 20 hours of engrossing RPG gameplay, including "environmental puzzles, 4 playable characters, diversified action, spells, boss monsters, and a huge world to explore."Thankfully, the debut gameplay trailer is much less mysterious, giving us our very first glimpse of Across Age 2 in all of its retro-inspired action. From sailing on giant galleons across the sea and firing cannonballs at the unruly underwater creatures that get in your way, to sidestepping around cracks in a dungeon floor that burst with hot lava, it seems that no terrain is off limits for this long-awaited mobile sequel.Across Age 2 will be headed to iOS devices "this Winter 2013/2014," so be sure to keep checking back on Gamezebo until then for all of the latest updates on all things concerning your favorite 2D pixelated retro extravaganza.
  • JoyBits talks the evolution of Doodle God and the road to Doodle God 2
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    • PC
    JoyBits talks the evolution of Doodle God and the road to Doodle God 2

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    What once started out as a simple idea for a text-based web game about combining elements to make new ones has since spawned a handful of sequels on dozens of platforms, and is currently reaping the accolades of having over 100,000,000 user-downloads across all titles combined. That's right: I'm talking about JoyBits' simple and addictive Doodle God elemental crafting franchise. From its old text-based days, to finding new life on the iPhone in 2010, and gaining colorful graphics, unique and stylized humor, and so much more along the way, the Doodle God series is one of the most played, and most recognizable names in casual gaming today.I recently had a chance to learn more about the evolution of Doodle God from JoyBits co-founders Anton Rybakov and Nick Kotlyarov, and to ask them a few questions about how their life lessons in mobile game development to date have since gone on to influence and shape the upcoming release of the highly anticipated Doodle God 2. Through emailing with Kotlyarov, I learned that the basic Doodle God formula was first expanded in two key areas: by creating thematic episodes such as Technology and Modern World, and populating each one with a series of thematic quests, like "Save the Princess from the Dragon." With this new content to the original Doodle God now in tow, JoyBits next set their sights on expanding the universe even further with spin-off games like Doodle Farm and Doodle Devil. Once those follow-up games got some good traction with players in the months after, it was time to revisit some of the now-classic Doodle God titles and reignite them with massive title updates. In particular, JoyBits is currently celebrating the launch of both "Doodle God 2.0" and "Doodle Devil 2.0," each of which contains an awesome amount of new content and features.
  • Free Games and Sales: Fez, Rush Bros and more!
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    • iOS
    • PC
    Free Games and Sales: Fez, Rush Bros and more!

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    When I was a little kid with two pockets stuffed to the brim with candy, there was nothing I loved more than when some of my favorite candy products like Starbursts or Jelly Belly Jellybeans issued out a promotional mystery flavor. True, you'd be buying something that could very well turn out to be gross or not something that you would have paid money for knowing what it was beforehand, but what's life without a little mystery every once in a while?I tell you this seemingly random tale about mysteries and jellybeans because we actually have such a dash of tantalizing mystery in this week's free games and sales list as well! In fact, one particular bundle is offering a bonus "mystery game" for everyone who picks up the collection, and who knows what it could possibly be! But for those of you who like knowing exactly what you're in for before making an extremely discounted purchase, then fear not, because we also have plenty of other great gaming deals outlined for you below in full detail (and even including a very special one from us here at Gamezebo)!
  • Where’s My Water? 2 is out today! Here’s everything you want to know about the sequel
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    Where’s My Water? 2 is out today! Here’s everything you want to know about the sequel

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    There's no denying that the water-based physics puzzler Where's My Water? from Disney has become one of the biggest success stories in the entire history of the App Store, and the entire history of mobile gaming in general. So after taking some time to extend Swampy's adventure in numerous updates, not to mention in spin-off games like Where's My Perry? and Where's My Mickey?, the folks at Disney decided it was finally time to give Swampy and friends the proper sequel they deserve: that's right, a full-fledged Where's My Water? 2.But of course, the big question still remained: what new things would Where's My Water? 2 bring to the table that we haven't already seen in previous Where's My…? titles? Well as it turns out, the game is gearing up to bring a whole lot of new ideas to the beloved series, whose original game first launched two years ago this month. I recently had a chance to chat with Where's My Water? creator Tim FitzRandolph and view a live demo of Where's My Water? 2 in action a few days before the game's official release, and all I can say is that Where's My…? fans are going to be in for quite a treat.The first thing that gamers are likely to notice upon launching Where's My Water? 2 for the first time is the new inclusion of a moving world map. Taking a page from PopCap's recently released Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time, this world map features each level of a level set depicted as a floating square icon, and spread throughout a water channel in a number of interactive sewer-themed environments. The adventure will take players through three distinctly fun and quirky worlds, like the Soap Factory which is responsible for the production of those addictive Rubber Duckie collectables, as they complete levels and move across each separated map.
  • Crowdfunding becomes crowd-developing with Big Viking Games’ Tiny Kingdoms
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    Crowdfunding becomes crowd-developing with Big Viking Games’ Tiny Kingdoms

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    Who wants a free t-shirt or a measly "Thank You" note in the game credits for your hard-earned pledging dollars, when you could become a part of the actual development team yourself? Well that's precisely what Big Viking Games has in mind, as the studio's new Kickstarter campaign for their free-to-play RPG adventure game Tiny Kingdoms is truly a first of its kind: in bypassing the usual reward packages of Kickstarter projects, and instead offering backers to play a direct role in the actual production of the game!Characters, environments, items, features, and tactical game modes are just a few of the areas where Tiny Kingdoms Kickstarter backers will be able to shape the overall nature of the game as it is being developed, via live web chats with the Big Viking Games team, as well as providing other helpful feedback through developer diaries and special polls. All participating project backers will be able to start giving their input on the direction of the game as soon as Tiny Kingdoms enters its beta phase, and will continue their consulting duties on the game well after its initial release.  Tiny Kingdoms is currently being made to provide seamless gameplay integration between the Facebook and mobile versions of the game. Alongside the official announcement of the innovative new Kickstarter project, Albert Lai, CEO of Big Viking Games, has stated: "We want our fans to be [able to] go beyond just pledging their dollars to also lend[ing] their ideas and creativity. The ultimate goal will be to reimagine the way players interact with game developers, through both Kickstarter and collaborative online platforms."It's certainly a very ambitious undertaking, and we'll be looking forward to seeing exactly how the idea is going to play out in the months down the road. The official Kickstarter page for the project has just gone live this morning, so be sure to head on over to learn more about the game in question, and the specifics on how you can even lend a helping hand to the overall experience. And what kind of experience will that ultimately be? Well that's entirely up to you to decide!
  • New iOS Games Tonight: Joust Legend, Heroes of Loot, and more!
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    • iOS
    New iOS Games Tonight: Joust Legend, Heroes of Loot, and more!

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    If I had to take four of tonight's most anticipated new mobile games and wind their premises together into one descriptive sentence that outlines what I'll be doing for the rest of my night, this is how I would do it: "After eating a champion's meal at Chipotle, I quickly mounted my jousting steed, rode through a randomly generated dungeon that was practically teeming with loot, and joined up with my little squid friend to determine the fate of the world."