It might not be the most popular opinion in the world, but here at Gamezebo we really dig the OUYA. Friends may roll their eyes whenever we bring it up - and at least once I've had somebody say "oh yOUYA" at my microconsole affections - but once you get your hands on one, we know you'll feel the same way we do.Which is why you should do it. RIGHT NOW.Our 14 day deal on an OUYA + game credit is about to come to a close - but (depending on when you're reading this) it's not too late! For $85 you can grab an OUYA (normally $99) plus a $25 credit towards OUYA games, because Towerfall.Click here. Do the buying thing. Thank us later.
Zynga's new CEO is confident that he can get the company into the mobile future, or at the very least, to the present. But what mobile gamers can expect first are some offerings very much rooted in past successes.Former Xbox chief and EA executive Don Mattrick is that CEO, and he's ready to face Wall Street types today for the first time. He also gave an exclusive interview to the San Francisco Chronicle that detailed what the company has up its sleeve over the next few months as it finally launches a concentrated assault on the mobile market after floundering in its efforts for quite some time.Initially, Zynga is banking on a long overdue mobile-first FarmVille game called FarmVille 2: Country Escape. Unlike previous, half-hearted efforts to bring the brand to smartphones and tablets, this one is a full-featured game that has the company saying all the right things. Most notably, it can be played offline, and it won't require you to spam friends to advance (wait, can it really be FarmVille then?).
Even though February is always the shortest month of the year, this one brought us more amazing new games than we could possibly handle. With Valentine's Day sitting smack-dab in the middle of it all, we have a lot of love to share for some of the best games to capture our attention in all of their shiny new glory. And could that possibly be another early Game of the Year contender I see sitting at the top of the list?I know it must seem like I say this every time, but I really feel like February had some of the best new game releases that we've seen in quite a while. From a hopelessly addicting and charming number-based puzzler, to the most hilarious game you'll play in ages, to a breathtaking pop-up book world that you can play in real life, our top picks for the month are not only all innovative in their own unique ways, but they're all just a breath of fresh air for video games everywhere today (and the ongoing sea of Flappy Bird clones)."So did you happen to fall in love with any of the same games that we did this Valentine's Day? I know I'll personally be giving flowers and chocolate to all of our favorites. But be sure to hit the replies and let us know if you agree with our top gaming picks for the month of February, or if there were any other great games that managed to steal your heart away!
Android might be the #1 mobile platform in China, but Google Play sure isn't the #1 app market. According to our friends at Laohu.com, though, that might be about to change - or at the very least, Google is taking some steps that hint in that direction.This isn't the only interesting tidbit to come out of China this week, either. According to Laohu, their country might just be getting a mobile visit from the Avengers (in a game that sounds an awful lot like Avengers Alliance, but I'll let you be the judge of that).Thanks again to Laohu.com for sharing this weekly Chinese news roundup with the Gamezebo audience. If you're just as intrigued by the Chinese market as we are, be sure to give them a read.
Let me tell you, there's nothing quite like looking up great gaming deals online to help distract your mind from other things that might be going on. I'll be honest right now: about 10 minutes ago I saw this ENORMOUS centipede crawling on the wall right above my desk, and I don't know where it went, and that's all I can think about, and I'm kind of freaking out about it. I swear it had like 500 legs.But you know what? I'm not gonna think about that giant centipede anymore or what he might be up to, because now I have all of these amazing free games and sales to think about instead! While there may not have been too many new bundles to find this week, the iOS App Store sure made up for that in a big way, with an insane amount of acclaimed mobile titles going on sale all at the same time. And if that's not your thing, well there's also big savings on point-and-click adventures and indie darlings as well!"And as always, if I may have missed a great deal or two due to being distracted by things I don't need to mention here again, then be sure to hit the replies and let everyone know about them!
The reaction to free-to-play games that monetize by the use of in-app purchases (or IAPs, for short) depends on where you ask about them. They're a normal part of the gaming culture in Asia and looked upon with skepticism but warily accepted in North America.In Europe, though, they're now under the microscope. Eurogamer.net reported this morning that the European Commission is huddling with consumer protection groups in multiple nations to get some clarification on parts of the free-to-play model it finds troubling.The Commission's concerns include protecting children from IAPs (and preventing them from bugging parents to buy for them), games that opt-in players for IAPs without their consent, free games that aren't really free, and companies that don't provide a way for players to contact them by email for customer service purposes.
Late Thursday evening, Markus "Notch" Persson confirmed on his Twitter account that he has been discussing a potential Minecraft film with Warner Brothers."Someone is trying leak the fact that we're working with Warner Brothers on a potential Minecraft Movie," Persson posted. "I wanted to be the leak!"A movie about Minecraft? That'll never work! Well I'm sure plenty of people said the same about a movie based on LEGO, and now Warner Bros. is currently sitting atop $275,000,000 (and climbing) following the The LEGO Movie's release, earlier in the month.Details are still scarce, but Hollywood news and rumors website Deadline managed to confirm that Warner Bros. is putting The Lego Movie producer onboard for the Minecraft movie, and that it will be a live-action feature film.The news about the Warner Brothers deal comes days after Persson announced that Minecraft has surpassed 100 million registered users.Don't want to wait for a Minecraft movie? 2 Player Productions documentary Minecraft: The Story of Mojang is now available for free on YouTube. You can watch the whole thing in its entirety below:
"Why?," I asked my daughter. She's only six, and when these are the first words out of her mouth after returning home from school, you'd better believe my curiousity was piqued - especially considering how many countless hours she's spent with Outfit7's Talking games over the last few years."Because," she replied. "There are bad men that are using it to talk to kids, and they can even see you!"A bizarre schoolyard rumor, no doubt. I consider myself in-the-loop enough to know total hogwash when I hear it. But still, I'm always trying to instill a "safety first" attitude in my kids, and since she felt safer deleting, I didn't hesitate to let her. I explained how it's not true first, but hey - when a kid gets something in their head, it can stick there like glue.A few days passed and I thought nothing of it. Then last night I came across an article on the Vice tech site Motherboard: So a Paedophile Hoax Sent Your Kids' App to the Top of the App Store.