We cover plenty of new games here at Gamezebo every week, but the number of games we've already covered that show up on new platforms? It's staggering. This Wednesday and every Wednesday, Gamezebo is rounding up the games that aren't quite new, but might be new to you depending on your platform of choice. And who doesn't love new(ish) games?This week's highlights include enduring the Kingdom of Despair on PC and Mac, relearning the fundamentals of dungeon crawling on iPad, and engaging in a torrid love affair on Android.
Can't wait to catch your first real glimpse of CastleVille Legends, Zynga's first mobile entry in the franchise? Don't worry - waiting isn't our thing either. That's why we've teamed up with Zynga once again to give you a first look at the next big thing from the house of Z.Starting at 6:30pm PT tonight, we'll be interviewing CastleVille Legends executive producer Jason Everett on Twitch.TV, while Jason gives viewers a live demo of the game. You can watch it live on Zynga's Twitch channel, or if you'd rather spare your clicking finger, you can watch it live in the embedded video below.UPDATE: The live broadcast is now over, but a recording lasts forever. Check it out below!Watch live video from Zynga on TwitchTV
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.
Clash of Clans is huge. It's a monster of a game; the kind of success that other mobile developers could only dream of. It's been the #2 top grossing app for as long as anyone can remember, and before that? It was #1. Strange then, that the game is still an iOS exclusive.But the tides might finally be turning for Android gamers. "You can't be global without being in Asia, and you can't be big in Asia without being on Android," Supercell CEO Ilkka Paananen told the Financial Times last month. "I guess that's a long way of saying that we are very actively thinking about it."It's a thought that's long overdue. While Supercell has been hesitant to enter the Google Play storefront, their competitors haven't. Games like Castle Clash, Clash of Lords and Jungle Heat are among the top 25 grossing on Android, and all borrow pretty liberally from Clash of Clans playbook. If you're Supercell, that has to sting a little.Whether due to the frustrating success of copycats or the promise of global domination, it looks like the company has finally set its sights on Android - likely both for Clash of Clans and its popular farming sim, Hay Day. There hasn't been a formal announcement of any kind yet, but with talk like this brewing publicly, it seems to be less a matter of "if" and more a matter of "when."
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.
There was a time when Terraria looked like it was getting ready to step into the sunset. But that was 19 months ago, and to paraphrase Mark Twain, reports of Terraria's death have been greatly exaggerated.The popular 2D crafter game made its mobile debut on iOS just two weeks ago, and quickly burned up to the top of the charts (remaining in the Top 10 ever since). Now Terraria is available to folks who are fond of Google's mobile operating system - and it seems as though the folks behind Terraria might be fond of them too.Why, you ask? Because they've seen fit to include a Google Play exclusive - Android's cute little robot mascot is available in-game. Terraria on Android also incorporates Google Play Game Services leaderboards and achievements, as well as Facebook integration so that you can easily share screenshots of the world you create.Initially a free download, you can unlock everything the game has to offer for $4.99. Get it on Google Play now.
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)!
One of the more stunning hidden object adventures of the year, Nightmares from the Deep: The Siren's Call, had some big shoes to fill. The previous game in the series did everything right, providing plenty of challenge with great graphics and puzzles worth scratching your head over. How could a team possibly follow something like that? We sat down with the Artifex Mundi crew behind The Siren's Call and asked them just that!With the first game in the series having jusy launched its Steam Greenlight campaign (be sure to give it a vote!), series producer Krzysztof Szaton spoke with Gamezebo about everything that went into making its sequel a success.