Games.com Blog: “PetVille: Alice in Wonderland costumes coming soon” plus 19 more |  |
- PetVille: Alice in Wonderland costumes coming soon
- Farmville Pic of the Day: Hope Joy Love
- Happy Pets' new backgrounds bring you a yard with a view
- Pet Society fans spoof Hollywood films
- Country Story existed circa 1955 - it's true!
- World at War on Facebook: Mafia Wars for the military set
- PSA: How to block Facebook game News Feed updates
- FarmVille Unreleased Forbidden Gate
- Fish Mating Guide for Happy Aquarium
- FarmVille Freak Techie: Gifting Changes Explained
- FarmVille Dog is on the way soon!
- Wild Tangent bets you'll watch ads in exchange for virtual items
- New Cafe World Dishes: Belgian Waffles, Eggs Benedict & Steak Dinner
- Farmville (and Flash games) struggle on smartphones
- Pet Society Product Test Drives: Motorbike & Petling Bed
- Restaurant City rolls out the dice with Vegas Items
- Happy Aquarium: Lost baby platypus swims into tanks
- FarmVille: Pagoda statue and kangaroo coming soon?
- Welcome to YoVille bonus *coming soon*
- More bouncy love from Zynga for YoVille players
| PetVille: Alice in Wonderland costumes coming soon Posted: 23 Feb 2010 11:00 AM PST  Just in time for Alice, the movie's release, PetVille will launch a series of Alice in Wonderland themed items and costumes in the store. There's no details on what they will be -- though we're sorta hoping for a big white bunny suit and Mad Hatter's hat -- but the official Facebook page says they're coming "soon." Pet Society released a big Alice in Wonderland lineup in December, and, we -- to say the least -- went on a massive shopping spree creating our very own Wonderland themed bedroom (see image to the right). We're looking forward to repeating this exercise in PetVille. Stay tuned for more details.
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| Farmville Pic of the Day: Hope Joy Love Posted: 23 Feb 2010 10:00 AM PST FarmVille is more than just an ultra-popular farming simulation -- it's a chance to express yourself artistically through unique and creative farm layouts. To that end, Games.com's FarmVille Picture of the Day features some of the most interesting and imaginative FarmVille layouts out there. Got a FarmVille pic you want to share? Send it to submit2gamescom@gmail.com. Today's pic: Hope Joy Love  I think my favorite thing about today's Farmville pic is the way it combines a simple format with a simple message. This farm layout proves you don't need a lot of expensive hay bales or rare animals or an overwrought theme to make an effective layout. Just take what's on your mind and spell it out for the world to see, in big, black and white block-plowed letters, and it'll turn out just fine. Browse the Farmville Picture of the Day archives
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| Happy Pets' new backgrounds bring you a yard with a view Posted: 23 Feb 2010 08:00 AM PST  From top to bottom, left to right, the new backgrounds are: Pastoral Farm, Green Pasture, Giant Sequoias, Autumn Leaves, Egyptian Mirage, and the Antarctic.
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| Pet Society fans spoof Hollywood films Posted: 23 Feb 2010 08:00 AM PST  In honor of the upcoming Oscars and other recent award shows, Pet Society has gone Hollywood. We're not talking about pets getting busted with naughty night vision tapes or visiting the Botox spa, we mean that the game stores have been flooded with Hollywood set props and clothes. Pet Society is also holding a contest where fans must use in-game items to recreate a scene from their favorite movie. Winners will take home a rare golden Mayor award, 1,000 in Playfish cash. So far there are about 13,000 entries -- some great, some totally nonsensical -- but we couldn't stop chuckling at the Pet Society-fied versions of Kill Bill, Avatar and the random Flavor Flav look-a-like thrown into the mix. See a few of our faves after the jump and visit the official contest Facebook page to see a few thousand more.            Which Pet Society spoof gets your vote?
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| Country Story existed circa 1955 - it's true! Posted: 23 Feb 2010 07:00 AM PST  Did you know that Facebook games, namely Playfish's Country Story, has been around since the days of poodle skirts, greasers and the dawn of rock 'n' roll? Well, it has, and Country Story historian Rachel Steen explains how the game worked, you know, back in the day. "In 1955 [Country Story] was played on paper sheets. Each week, Playfish would mail an updated individual game sheet for each player to them -- who would colour & fill them in -- and then mail them back to Playfish. Here is an original CS game-sheet from July 1955. As you can see, there were some differences." OK, so Country Story wasn't around in the '50s. Steen created the black and white image and story for a recent Playfish contest. This talented fan won the grand prize and was rewarded with 2,000 Playfish Cash for her retro homage to the virtual farming game. Nine others were also called out for their great in-game designs. If you're in need of some design inspiration, check out the 10 winners on the official Playfish blog.
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| World at War on Facebook: Mafia Wars for the military set Posted: 23 Feb 2010 06:30 AM PST World at War is the latest in the long line of role-playing games on Facebook. The game borrows heavily from Mafia Wars except instead of a mobster, you play a soldier, climbing the ladder to military greatness by completing missions, leveling up and acquiring more firepower along the way. If a military-themed Mafia Wars sounds up your alley, check out World at War on Facebook. Take a peek at our the game's intro video below: Click here to play World at War on Facebook --> Will you play World At War? Let us know in the comments below.
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| PSA: How to block Facebook game News Feed updates Posted: 23 Feb 2010 06:10 AM PST Sharing in-game needs and achievements with all your virtual friends is one of the things that makes Facebook gaming so unique. But to non-players, these constant News Feed updates about a new level earned in Farmville or a quest completed in Mafia Wars and the like can get pretty annoying. Since I started writing for this site, I know I've gotten plenty of complaints from Facebook friends asking me to stop clogging their feeds with updates about games they don't play and don't care about. The complaints got so bad that I started getting reluctant to post news of my in-game happenings, for fear of pissing off my real world friends. But I'm tired of hiding my Facebook gaming. If my friends are so adamant about not being bothered with my game-related posts, Facebook makes it pretty easy to automatically filter out the updates. Yes, the setup process is a little annoying, especially when you have to repeat it for dozens of different games, but it literally takes five seconds and only has to be done once for every game you care to ignore. I set up this little post as a quick reference for anyone other Facebook friends who might complain that I'm sullying their News Feed. Feel free to forward it on to the next person who complains that they don't want to hear about your cute little puppy in Pet Society or whatever. How to block Facebook games/applications from clogging up your News Feed with updates you don't care about: 1) Hover your mouse over the update in question until a "Hide" button appear in the upper right corner.  2) Click the hide button, then click the "Hide [Application]" button that appears next.  3) You're done! Click on "Edit Options" if you ever want to undo this setting later. 
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| FarmVille Unreleased Forbidden Gate Posted: 23 Feb 2010 05:20 AM PST  FarmVille Forbidden Gate:  For fun, FarmVille Freak Ed also found the animated file of the FarmVille Coffin. This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
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| Fish Mating Guide for Happy Aquarium Posted: 23 Feb 2010 05:15 AM PST  How do you mate your fish in Happy Aquarium? It's really simple and you can start doing it as soon as you start playing: you need two fish of the same species, one male and one female and wait until they are grown adults. Next, make sure that your tank is clean and the fish are fed, and you can click any of the two fish and select the Mate option. There's a chance that mating will fail, so don't be too disappointed if that happens. Also have in mind that you can only mate two fish every two hours (but you can mate as many fish per day as long as you have them). What's the point of mating fish in Happy Aquarium? You can earn higher profits for mating fish instead of simply purchasing them from the market. Also, the higher the value of the fish your mating is, the more money you will make in the long run. So, no matter how cute they are, you should dispose of the cheap fish as soon as possible and start mating the more expensive ones. That's why mating fish in Happy Aquarium is something you should consider doing if you're not - there are risks that your mating will fail and you have to be active to fully take advantage of this, but in the long run, there's nothing to lose! I hope this fish mating guide for Happy Aquarium was really useful to you! This article originally appeared on Social Games Help.
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| FarmVille Freak Techie: Gifting Changes Explained Posted: 23 Feb 2010 05:10 AM PST  The FaceBook Developer Roadmap dictates that all applications will adhere to this method. FarmVille Freak FarmerJones explains below: Its not just FarmVille that is moving everything to emails... Haven't you noticed in all of your apps its asking you to share your email now at the top of the page? The little power bars at the top promising you to be a great player if you complete? and the last step is giving your email usually? Facebook has given them a certain amount of time to make these changes ..... ALL APPS will be in emails. Its part of the new changes that are taking affect(effect?) affect lol Facebook changing it's layout is only the beginning of many other changes to come. ANYWAYS - it's the first change listed on this page http://wiki.developers.facebook.com/index.php/Developer_Roadmap It says "Application-to-user and user-to-user notifications will be removed, and instead developers will use stream, Inbox, and Email. " DATED FOR "Monday, March 1, 2010. (30 days after launch of email permission.)" -FarmVille Freak FarmerJones This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak .
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| FarmVille Dog is on the way soon! Posted: 23 Feb 2010 05:00 AM PST In a recent FarmVille podcast, Zynga commented that the much anticipated FarmVille Dog would be "coming soon". Seasoned farmers know that "coming soon" can mean weeks or months in FarmVille terms. However, in the latest FarmVille podcast, they dropped a few more details about Dogs and said specifically that Puppies would be coming in a matter of weeks and that it would be a special interactive animal in which you will be able to pick out, name and train as it grows. So here's more good news for all the FarmVille Freak dog lovers. There is actually a placeholder icon for the FarmVille Dog in the Zynga game. No picture yet except for the one that appears above the forum.  Will it be the same dog we've seen sneak peeks at in the Official FarmVille Forum banner? Or can we expect a better and new dog? I hope that Zynga will eventually consider adding different breeds of dogs! The possibilities could be endless. This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
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| Wild Tangent bets you'll watch ads in exchange for virtual items Posted: 23 Feb 2010 05:00 AM PST  Everyone who follows the Facebook gaming world knows that the direct marketing offers in FarmVille, et al, generally ask users to give up personal information in exchange for virtual coins that would, otherwise, cost real-life cash. It's not exactly the best way to play it safe on the Web. But, what if you could simply watch a Sprint ad and, in exchange, get a one-of-a-kind storage barn for FarmVille, or a rare vehicle for Mafia Wars? That's the gist of WildTangent's new BrandBoost advertising platform, creating ways for advertisers to get the word out, while rewarding viewers for their time and attention. In a recent Nielsen survey of 27K players, more than 85% say they do not want to pay for virtual items, so this is a way players can score a virtual item in exchange for time, instead of cash. We asked WildTangent biz dev head Dave Madden and ad sales VP Bill Clifford how this program is different than the direct marketing ads already on FarmVille (some of which caused a major controversy last year). The duo says ads served by BrandBoost don't require any sign-ups, exchange of personal info and will cater to more upscale type of marketer. "It's sort of like watching Primetime TV, whether you're watching Lost or the Super Bowl, there's a certain caliber of marketer and if you're watching that same channel at 4 a.m., you might see the Video Professor and other direct marketing commercials," Madden says. "It's the same medium but the marketers are completely different." Companies signed up for BrandBoost, include Kraft, General Mills, Toyota, Disney and other big name companies, has the program has already been implemented on the MMO FreeRealms as well as Outspark.com and OMGPOP.com. WildTangent also has deals in the works with "two top social game developers," which will be announced in early March. The question remains, would you be willing to watch an ad in exchange for a virtual item? WildTangent says 95% of people who've interacted with BrandBoost decided to interact with the ad. While our first reflex is to say 'no way,' it would also be very tempting.
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| New Cafe World Dishes: Belgian Waffles, Eggs Benedict & Steak Dinner Posted: 23 Feb 2010 04:30 AM PST  Belgian Waffles - These goodies cost 200 coins and are ready in 2 hours. When done, you'll have 150 servings that will generate you 600 total coins in income. Cafe Points earned: 9 for cooking, 20 CP for serving. Eggs Benedict - This recipe costs 300 coins and it's ready in 6 hours. When done, you'll get 190 servings that will give you 1140 coins. Cafe Points earned: 21 for cooking, 70 for serving. Steak Dinner - It costs 3,000 coins and it's ready in 16 hours. There are 650 servings, generating 5850 coins. Cafe Points earned: 30 for cooking, 160 for serving. Nice new recipes, right? This article originally appeared on Social Games Help.
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| Farmville (and Flash games) struggle on smartphones Posted: 23 Feb 2010 04:00 AM PST So how will the Farmville experience translate from a 17" monitor to a 5" phone screen? The answer for now seems to be: not perfectly. A writer over at Redmond Pie got an early version of the upcoming Flash player running on Google's Nexus One Android phone and tried playing a bit of Farmville on the diminutive device. The results, as you can see in the video above, are less than perfect. The phone seems to have trouble removing the title screen from behind the super-zoomed image of a 3x2 farm area, and takes a few moments to load menu items and respond to even basic button presses. It's definitely playable, but just barely. These problems will definitely get better once Flash 10.1 is actually released and social game developers create versions of their games specifically meant to be played on mobile phones. For now, though, the dream of playing Farmville on your smart phone will have to remain a dream little while longer. [Via TechCrunch]
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| Pet Society Product Test Drives: Motorbike & Petling Bed Posted: 23 Feb 2010 03:30 AM PST Are you overwhelmed by the dozens of items coming out each week? Do you get lost in the Pet Society shops? If you like to make informed purchases, check out the product test-drives here before spending all your coins. Starting this week, this blog will offer reviews of some of the latest items in Pet Society.  Verdict: The Futuristic Motorbike gets 2 1/2 paws, because it's nothing but a glorified chair.  Petling BedsI've been loving the petlings since they were released on Feb 1, and now they have a proper place to sleep. Two versions of petling beds are available at the Garden Shop. I test-drove the more affordable one at 800 coins. I was skeptical a bout how the beds would work since the petlings jump around so much. When they are hungry, they run and turn somersaults, and don't ever seem to rest. But when they're full, they will perform random movements, including jumping, scratching themselves, and sleeping. They don't always want to be in the bed, but when they do, it's a picture-perfect moment. Verdict: Cute overload! This gets a rating of 4 out of 5 paws. Your Reviews Do you have an opinion about a new item? Share your thoughts and help out other Pet Society players! Send a picture of your pet using the item to petsocietyanon@gmail.com or attach the picture on the PSA fan page. Tell us why it's good or bad, and rate the item between 1-5 paws. 1 = Awful. 5 = Excellent. The best product reviews will appear here and on AOL games.com. Be sure to include the name of your pet.  This article originally appeared on Pet Society Anonymous.
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| Restaurant City rolls out the dice with Vegas Items Posted: 23 Feb 2010 02:30 AM PST  While prices have yet to be announced, Restaurant City's official blog offers a sneak peak at what the items will look like. There's 8 new outdoor items, and 22 new indoor items; the latter of which, are viewable from the in-game screenshot above. Now if only they could get Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" as an option for my restaurant's Music Player.
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| Happy Aquarium: Lost baby platypus swims into tanks Posted: 23 Feb 2010 02:00 AM PST  There's seems to be a whole bunch of lost critters floating into our Happy Aquarium tanks -- walruses and sea turtles. The new lost animal du jour is a baby platypus, a little orange guy with a purple bill and feet. Like the rest of 'The Lost' a notification will pop up during the game and will ask if you want to help. If so, it'll place a post on your Facebook Wall, asking friends to adopt the platypus.If you want to add a platypus to the tank, keep an eye out in your news feed to see if any of your friends have found one. If so, click the link to adopt them and give them a home in your cozy tank. If you have pics of the platypus, send it to libe@games.com and we'll post it here!
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| FarmVille: Pagoda statue and kangaroo coming soon? Posted: 23 Feb 2010 12:30 AM PST
Don't you love getting a sneak peek at what might be coming next to FarmVille? We don't know how they get these images (and we don't want to know), but fan site FarmVille Freak has secured concept art of a kangaroo and a pagoda statue, two not-yet-released items that might be 'coming soon.' We follow these 'coming soon' items pretty closely, and find that about 75% of the time, they actually show up in the game. It's uncertain whether these will be giftable items (probably not) or some rare items found in a premium mystery box (probably), but keep your eyes peeled for these new items on a virtual farm near you.
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| Welcome to YoVille bonus *coming soon* Posted: 22 Feb 2010 11:30 PM PST This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
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| More bouncy love from Zynga for YoVille players Posted: 22 Feb 2010 11:00 PM PST  Looks like Zynga will continue celebrating Valentine's Day till the last day of February. A new bouncy castle was added to the Furniture Store today. Get the pink heart shaped bouncy now for 28 YoCash. This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
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