Gamezebo
Open main menu
Search

  • King releases statement on their opposition to The Banner Saga
    News
    • iOS
    • PC
    King releases statement on their opposition to The Banner Saga

    By

    In this week's ongoing saga about King and their controversial "trademark trolling" of common dictionary words- oops, I just said the "s" word in that last sentence, I hope I don't need to call a lawyer now. Anyway, after the whole CANDY debacle on Monday, the internet then learned that King was also targeting recent indie darling The Banner Saga from Stoic as well, with reports claiming that the Viking-themed SRPG infringed upon the way the word "Saga" is a known extension of many of King's popular gaming brands.As you might expect, this story about King attacking The Banner Saga quickly spread like a wildfire across the gaming world, forcing King's PR department to make yet another statement to try and clear up all of the negative press about them. Spoiler alert: people are still disgusted. The latest statement reads:""King has not and is not trying to stop Banner Saga from using its name. We do not have any concerns that Banner Saga is trying build on our brand or our content. However, like any prudent company, we need to take all appropriate steps to protect our IP, both now and in the future."In this case, that means preserving our ability to enforce our rights in cases where other developers may try to use the Saga mark in a way which infringes our IP rights and causes player confusion. If we had not opposed Banner Saga's trade mark application, it would be much easier for real copy cats to argue that their use of 'Saga' was legitimate.
  • Boulder Dash – 30th Anniversary is coming in early 2014
    News
    • Android
    • iOS
    • PC
    Boulder Dash – 30th Anniversary is coming in early 2014

    By

    I've mentioned before how 2014 is already shaping up to be the year of long-awaited sequels, from Mega Jump 2 all the way to Jet Car Stunts 2. But I think this next one easily takes the cake for being the most long-awaited: because the original game came out in 1984! That's right, the iconic arcade game Boulder Dash will be getting a long-awaited 30th Anniversary revamp this year for mobile devices. This also marks the first time that original Boulder Dash creators Chris Gray and Peter Liepa will be working on a project together since the initial debut of the game all those years ago.Now 30 years is certainly a long time to wait for a sequel, so what new things can we expect to find when Boulder Dash - 30th Anniversary launches in early 2014? Well for one thing, Gray and Liepa have made over 50 levels full of brand-spanking-new worlds, creatures, and gem combos to encounter. Everything is rendered in beautiful 3D graphics and animations thanks to the power of the Unity Engine, and players will even be able to enjoy a cave editor mode and second playable character, Crystal."Boulder Dash - 30th Anniversary is the first planned project of Gray's newly formed studio, TapStar Interactive, which already has two other games in the works as well: a word game called Spell Slots and a zombie-themed running game called Run for your Life! But for the time being, it's all about the boulders. You can expect to see the free-to-play Boulder Dash - 30th Anniversary making its way to iOS and Android early this year, with PC and Mac versions to follow sometime after.
  • Mega Jump 2 Review
    Reviews
    • iOS
    Mega Jump 2 Review

    By

    A lot has certainly happened in the world of mobile gaming since Get Set Games' original Mega Jump was first released on the App Store in 2010. These days, smartphone and tablet gamers have come to expect things like console-quality graphics, the option for cross-platform play, and of course, a free-to-play model that's both fair and noninvasive. So can a purely simplistic endless jumping game still manage to take a firm hold today in 2014 as it did in the early days of the App Store? Well in the case of Mega Jump 2, I'll let my lack of sleep due to playing this game answer that for me: why yes it can, and yes it does.The gameplay of Mega Jump 2 is built on an interweaving system of jumping and falling, and the mid-game switches between the two are so seamless that you might not even realize it at first. For the majority of each game, you'll be on the offensive, so to speak: maneuvering your way side to side into gems and coins to keep your upward momentum going strong. But then you'll hit a stretch of sky where the items are scarce, and the appearance of breakable platforms quickly slows down the action to a careful and precise Doodle Jump experience. And then it's one more power-up and before you know it, you're skyrocketing through the clouds without a care once again."I encountered three different environments throughout my time with the game, although there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason as to when one background switches over to another: jungle, beach, and a rocky canyon. In addition to these, every environment is filled with all sorts of fun hazards and gameplay mechanics, from baddies that you'll need to bop on the head, to trickster coins that jump out of the way just as you're about to nab them, to even a ball-and-chain that serves to seriously put a damper on your jumping potential. Don't worry though: you'll have plenty of awesome power-ups to breeze by these obstacles in a jiffy, like my personal favorite, Mega Mode, which makes your monster grow to fill up the majority of the screen and completely wipe out anything and everything that's floating above him!
  • Midnight Castle Review
    Reviews
    • iOS
    • PC
    Midnight Castle Review

    By

    In Midnight Castle, the newest social hidden object adventure from Elephant Games and Big Fish Games, players are summoned to a dim and eerie castle after their uncle's strange and unexplained demise, which seems to have something to do with the castle's hidden Mystery Chamber. But one step onto the castle grounds and one interaction with the spooky cast of characters, and you'll quickly see how the game's stunning presentation and masterful exploration of the genre leave nothing dark or mysterious about its great and truly rewarding nature.Despite being a free-to-play "social" hidden object game rather than a premium and streamlined "adventure," Midnight Castle is presented in a way that would make any adventure fan feel right at home. Instead of some lifeless map you have to click around to move from scene to scene, every area in the game is beautifully laid out across an interactive landscape, where you will move from location to location, interacting with characters and entering hidden object scenes. Even the smaller details are incredibly cool, like the way you're able to click to interact with key items in your inventory, and serve as a much-needed breath of fresh air for both sides of the HOG genre at large."The hidden object scenes are pretty much what you'd expect from a social HOG, with speed and repetition being the primary focus. You'll breeze through each scene finding small lists of items until you know their locations by heart and can start chaining together some high score combos from clicking on them in quick succession. Once you've played through a given scene numerous times, you'll unlock its next tier of difficulty, which adds more items to the overall list and rearranges their positions for a nice and welcome changeup. Typical social HOG fare, yes; but the hidden object scenes themselves are still some of the most detailed and nicely drawn that I've seen from such like-minded games in a while.
  • Big Fish Games’ Midnight Castle is launching tomorrow
    News
    • PC
    Big Fish Games’ Midnight Castle is launching tomorrow

    By

    You didn't think that a dark and mysterious hidden object game would be called something like "Happy Afternoon Castle," now did you? Of course not! Well Big Fish Games has a brand new social hidden object game coming out tomorrow, and it's full of just as much mystery and secrets as it is darkness and shadows. Developed by Elephant Games in conjunction with Big Fish Games, Midnight Castle features a mysterious storyline, engaging social components, and you guessed it, lots of fun hidden objects to find!In the game, players will travel to a dark and dissonant castle that was once occupied by their eccentric uncle after his unexplained and peculiar death. There have long been rumors that an eerie Mystery Chamber exists somewhere within the castle, and that it has the power to grant the wishes of anyone who occupies the estate. Something tells you that if you find this Mystery Chamber, then the truth about what really happened to your uncle will finally be brought to light.Of course, doing so will involve scouring the massive castle for hidden objects across 16 different scenes, in addition to creating your own items and artifacts by using the castle's laboratory. As players complete over 350 different quests on their way towards uncovering the truth, they'll get to interact with a roster of 12 unique characters, who might be able to help them in a number of strange and exciting ways!While the game won't officially be released until tomorrow, you can still get a sneak peak of Midnight Castle in action from the exclusive debut trailer that's embedded right within this page. And be sure to keep your eyes peeled on Gamezebo tomorrow as well for our official review of the game, just as soon as we manage to find our way out of the Mystery Chamber!
  • Bejeweled Blitz adds Vaulted Rare Gems in latest mobile update
    News
    • Android
    • iOS
    Bejeweled Blitz adds Vaulted Rare Gems in latest mobile update

    By

    To celebrate the start of 2014 and the last remaining winter months, the mobile version of Bejeweled Blitz has dished out a brand new Rare Gem title update today, which adds in - you guessed it - Vaulted Rare Gems! A fan-favorite feature from the Facebook iteration of the game, the Vaulted Rare Gems allow players to swap their Bejeweled Blitz gems with a number of explosive new effects on the game board.While each of the newly implemented Vaulted Rare Gems is only available for a limited time, players will also be able to unleash the power of another rare winter gem: the Ice-Burrrst Gem! All Vaulted Rare Gems can also be shared directly as gifts within a player's Items tab, and everyone who uses their Daily Spin for 5 Days in a row will be rewarded with a shiny Blazing Steed Rare Gem delivered right into their items.The free Rare Gem title update is now live in both iOS and Android versions of Bejeweled Blitz, and you can also check out the new Ice-Burrrst Rare Gem in action by watching the accompanying trailer that's embedded in this page!
  • Free Games and Sales: Joe Danger Infinity, Toki Tori 2+ and more!
    News
    • Android
    • iOS
    • PC
    Free Games and Sales: Joe Danger Infinity, Toki Tori 2+ and more!

    By

    We have an interesting topic of debate this week instead of my usual "BAH! FREE GAMES! LOOK AT ALL THESE DEALS!" introductions that you've grown to know and love so well. And believe it or not, but this topic has to do with certain games actually going on sale a bit too soon after their initial release. Intrigued? Well read on!It's hard not to notice that three of the biggest game deals going on this weekend over at the App Store are for hot new mobile games like Joe Danger Infinity, Archangel, and Alpha 9, which were all barely released more than a week ago. And for some of these games, the price cuts are pretty dramatic (Archangel in particular went from $4.99 to $1.99 in a manner of days). So the question then becomes: will gamers keep buying Day One mobile releases if the pattern shows they could potentially get the game for far cheaper if they wait a few days?"I could certainly see how something like this could burn loyal gamers who support a developer by buying their new games at full price on the day they come out, so it's definitely an interesting subject to think about. So why don't we all mull that over for a bit while we purchase all of the hotly discounted games appearing in the list below, and don't forget to let us know if there are any others that we may have missed in the comments section!
  • Niantic Labs announce ambitious multimedia experience with author James Frey
    News
    • Android
    • iOS
    Niantic Labs announce ambitious multimedia experience with author James Frey

    By

    Remember a few weeks ago when I made a 2014 prediction that more book publishers and big-name authors would be experimenting with mobile gaming? Well not to toot my own horn, but things are looking pretty good on that front so far! And that's because Google's Niantic Labs, the studio behind the incredibly unique and innovative location-based mystery game Ingress, have just announced their next mobile project today: an all-engrossing multimedia experience that's inherently connected with an upcoming trilogy of young adult books by author James Frey (A Million Little Pieces).Frey's new trilogy of books will be titled ENDGAME, with the first installment, ENDGAME: THE CALLING, slated for publication on October 7, 2014 by HarperCollins. Now in addition to the main three books of the core trilogy, the entire ENDGAME experience will also involve fifteen original e-Book novellas, interactive gaming, YouTube videos, and even various social media, Google image search, and map coordinate components. I'll stop typing for a minute to let your heads stop spinning."But now listen to this: the incredibly ambitious project will also be expanding well beyond the books or the games to feature actual real-life events and prizes as well. For instance, for ENDGAME: THE CALLING, a literal block of gold will be put on public display somewhere in the world behind a case of bulletproof glass. When a player manages to solve the intricate system of puzzles in the book and accompanying game, a key will be revealed that will allow them access to the gold: and a video of them opening the case and claiming their reward will be broadcast live on YouTube. Players will be able to unlock these momentous prizes through various clues and interactive puzzles within the actual text of the books themselves!