Bejeweled soundtracks remastered and ready for your ears

If you're the kind of person who likes to kick back and relax with PopCap's classic gem-swapping game, then you might be a prime candidate for the newly remastered soundtracks for Bejeweled 2 and Bejeweled 3, now available on the online music store Bandcamp.

The Tangerine Dream-like stylings for both of these games are there in all of their glory -- they can be streamed for free or downloaded for roughly $4. Even though you can generally find both of these soundtracks for free on YouTube (listen to a sample below), the composer promises that these remastered ditties will deliver a more refined aural treat.


[Via Joystiq]

Top 25 Facebook games - April 2011

Top 25 Facebook Games MAU
"Will nothing end the indomitable tyranny that is CityVille?" cried the legions of social game developers as they watched Zynga's behemoth top the Facebook game charts for the fourth consecutive month. Inside Social Games has posted the Top 25 Facebook games for April 2011, thanks to AppData. Is anyone surprised that Zynga holds seven of the top 10 spots including CityVille at the top once again? Can I move on then? Thanks.

If you hadn't noticed, Inside Social Games has change how it tracks the Top 25: Now the list is separated into two for MAU and DAU, or monthly players and daily players, because of the increasing importance of daily players to social game developers. (And something PopCap has been crying about for awhile.)

So, the most interesting changes on the MAU end of things start with Bejeweled Blitz climbing three spots to number seven thanks to a 2.7 million boost in monthly players. Then, you'll notice that LOLapps snuck into the Top 10 this month just under PopCap with Ravenwood Fair in eighth place. The game has been on a steady climb since the beginning of the year, and this month Ravenwood Fair sees 591 thousand more faces.

There's only rookie addition to the Top 25 Facebook games this month: Zuma Blitz, one our personal favorites for 2010. The game enters the chart at 23rd place. And check out the amount of smaller games studios that moved up the ladder, while Playdom is nowhere to be found even after releasing a new game with another one the way. Hopefully, we'll see their rise on the monthly charts in May.

Top 25 Facebook Games DAU
The brand new DAU, or daily players, chart tells an entirely different story. In the daily players game, Zynga is still king. But it better watch out for PopCap who soared from the 10 spot to fifth place thanks to over 205 thousand new daily players. And while much of the middle of the chart is mostly the same, the lower introduces some international combatants. A seemingly Chinese social game with no named developer takes 17th place, while Elex, another Chinese developer, trails in the 18 spot. A dastardly Facebook app, Daily Horoscope, creeps into this list at number 20 with just under 1.1 million users. FInally, the list rounds out with SNSplus, another Chinese developer.

The main takeaway from this month's list is that there is a major different between MAU and DAU, and the future of these charts will respect that. Not to mention the amount of disruption going on between the power players for second place--so much so that Playdom has gone missing. Is Disney's social game division out of the picture for good, or is it biding its time with Deep Realms and soon Gardens of Time? Check back in May for the answer. But stop reading until then! We'll get lonely.

FrontierVille wants you to find friends to help 'dig your ass out'

One of my favorite things about Zynga's Wild West game FrontierVille is its suggestive, sometimes eyebrow-raising writing. No other Facebook game -- not even its siblings at Zynga -- have the brass knockers to ask its players to post messages that says "Libe's Toolbox needs Handlin'" or "Libe wants to pelt you with beaver" to their Facebook walls for all of their friends to see.

So, today, I was trying to help dislodge a sad brown mule from a puddle of mud on my frontier and got a pop-up with the following message: "You need six hearty friends to dig your ass out..." LOL. I'm sure more gentile FrontierVIlle players might feign horror, but if you have a sense of humor on par with a five-year-old (like me), well, you just might laugh your a-ess-ess off.

FrontierVille's tawdry humor: Funny or fail?
Funny!Fail!
VoteView ResultsShare ThisPolldaddy.com

EA, Madden face class-action lawsuit; Facebook games in danger?

According to Geoffrey Pecover and Andrew Owens, the plaintiffs in a 3-year-old, class-action lawsuit against Electronic Arts, EA has created "a monopoly in the market for interactive football software," USA Today reports based on court documents. While EA of course denied the allegations in 2009, the suit has been recently certified, allowing its class-action status. Gilardi and Co, a class-action claims administrator, then posted the e-mail that many EA Sports fans likely received this morning, declaring anyone who purchased an EA Sports football game since 2005 could be eligible for compensation.

It all boils down to exclusivity deals that EA signed with the NFL, NCAA and Arena Football League back in 2004 that effectively pushed developers like 2K out of the market. And now those who feel gypped out of some quality, cheaper football games want compensation for the price hike that EA instated on football games after it gained exclusivity. However, this exclusivity could also apply to Facebook, considering that of all the popular football games on Facebook, only one game other than Madden NFL Superstars features any NFL team logos and other specifics: Ultimate Fan.

Madden NFL Superstars is in no way mentioned in this lawsuit. However, could EA and Madden on Facebook face a similar lawsuit in the future? Only if Facebook or the web was somehow mentioned (highly unlikely) in that 2004 deal with the professional leagues. According to GameSpot in 2004, the deal does however mention NFL games for PC platforms and "manager games." If you play Madden NFL Superstars and try to say that it is not a "manager game," then you're playing a different game.

Based purely on this speculation, EA's flagship football game on Facebook could be the target of a future lawsuit, though it's a stretch considering Playfish doesn't charge for its paid currency much differently than other developers. EA, it looks like you're in the clear ... for now.

Universal Pictures & Cie Games take Fast Five promotion to a new level in Car Town

In one of the biggest and most in-depth cross-promotional activities I've ever seen in a Facebook game to date, Universal Pictures and Regal Entertainment have partnered with Cie Games' Car Town to promote Universal Pictures' upcoming film Fast Five, the fifth movie in the popular Fast & the Furious franchise. The film launches in theaters on April 29, but you'll have plenty of activities to keep you busy in the meantime.

This new promotion covers many aspects of Car Town's gameplay, from simply allowing users to watch a trailer for the film in the in-game drive-in movie theater, to allowing players to explore and interact with virtual representations of environments seen in the film. You'll be able to race in a virtual Rio de Janeiro (where this latest movie is set), and complete special missions that tie into the film's storyline. You'll even eventually be able to get your hands on some of the actual cars from the entire franchise in your virtual garage. For Regal Entertainment, their role in this cross-promotion comes when users actually decide to purchase tickets to see the film. Players will be offered prizes within Car Town for purchasing movie tickets, when they purchase these tickets from directly within the game. Car Town itself will then be integrated into the real-world movie theater environment, giving Cie Games exposure in places they've likely never been before.

"The Cie Games licensing partnership represents the most extensive full-scale integration to date of a Universal Pictures film property within an existing social game," said Gary Lokum, Senior Manager Digital Platforms, NBC Universal, via a company press release. "Our goal is to extend the film experience in innovative ways. This program accomplishes that on multiple levels: as a revenue generating social gaming platform, film marketing outlet, and as a new way to reward fans of the franchise via virtual gifts."

While this is an exciting time for those in the business, I simply can't get over this promotion as a player. I will gladly admit that the Fast and the Furious franchise is one of my favorite sets of films ever created, so to see it integrated so completely into Car Town is an exciting thing. It will be interesting to see if the game's 8 million other players agree.

FrontierVille Daily Energy Bonus bug leaves pioneers hungry

As if Zynga didn't have enough problems to deal with this weekend (see the Royal Steed, Royal Wedding Party, and Sheep Breeding glitches in FarmVille), a new bug has appeared in FrontierVille this week, limiting the ability for many players to collect their Daily Energy Bonus from their email inbox.

The bug comes in one of two forms: Either you don't receive the email entirely, so you have no link to click on to claim your free Food, or, once you do try to claim it, you're given an error message, presumably from Frontier Jack, stating that he has no idea "what the heck you're trying to do."

Either way, this bug has come to Zynga's attention, as they have flagged it as a known issue on the Zynga customer support website. You can either help further bring the bug to Zynga's attention by filing another bug ticket yourself, or you can simply click on the "Vote" button on the issue's acknowledgement page to throw your hate into the ring if this is the bug you'd like Zynga to work on most, and first. Personally, there are a few other issues with the game that should probably be fixed before the Daily Energy Bonuses, but here's the option if you want it.

[Image Credit: Forums user BruceAlmighty]

Have you experienced issued with the FrontierVille Daily Energy Bonus emails, or has everything been smooth sailing on your account?

FarmVille English Countryside Trees: Hawthorn Tree & Midland Hawthorn

Well, we predicted it. Just days ago, we brought you the news that Midland Hawthorn Mystery Seedlings were appearing in FarmVille, and like clockwork, they have appeared in the store available to purchase by those farmers that would rather be guaranteed to have one of these trees, rather than wait for a Mystery Seedling that might never come.

As is stands, the Midland Hawthorn tree is, as expected, the more expensive of the two, but unlike the last few tree releases, we've gone back to the normal price point of 5 and 10 Farm Cash per tree, with the regular Hawthorn Tree costing 5 Farm Cash. I'm personally glad to see the 7 and 12 Farm Cash prices go by the wayside, and I'm sure a lot of other farmers are happy about the returned "savings" as well.

With both of these trees bringing us back to the limited edition English Countryside item theme, could this mean we won't be seeing more in the specific Spring-related item theme? We'll make sure to let you know either way, so keep checking back.

Will you purchase either of these trees, or did you receive a Midland Hawthorn from a Mystery Seedling? What do you think about the return to the 5 and 10 Farm Cash prices?

FarmVille English Countryside Animals: Exmoor Pony and Hereford Cow

As part of the first real FarmVille update in the month of May, we see two new animals being added to the game, along with their appropriate offspring (baby animals - how cute!). The two animals give both horse lovers and cow collectors something to celebrate, as you can now pick up the Exmoor Pony for 24 Farm Cash and the Hereford Cow for 22 Farm Cash.

Both of these animals might be expensive, but your friends will definitely appreciate you purchasing them, as you'll be able to share your Exmoor Pony Foals and your Hereford Calves with them after you breed the animals in the Horse Stable or Dairy Barn, respectively. Or, you could just buy them for the experience point potential, as you'll gain at least 2200 points for either animal - not a bad prize for an animal you might have been interested in purchasing otherwise anyway.

Both of these animals come in the English Countryside theme, but are available to place on either of your farms. Remember though, if you'd like to have one of these animals on both of your farms, you'll have to buy two. The two animals will be available for the next two weeks.

Are you a horse or cow collector in FarmVille? How large are your collections? Will you add tonight's releases to your collection?

FarmVille English Countryside Buildings: Castle Tower and Knight's Store

Now that the Royal Wedding is over in the real world, FarmVille has transitioned back into the English Countryside limited edition item theme this evening with the release of two new buildings, one of which will go perfectly with any massive castle you happen to be building. The Castle Tower costs 250,000 coins, so if you'd like to buy two (for symmetry), be prepared to fork over a lot of hard-earned coins to do so.

The other building is even harder on the wallet, as it goes for Farm Cash. The Knight's Store is an intricately designed building that will set you back 20 Farm Cash. Still, for the price you have a fairly large building, which I personally find to be one of the nicest (in terms of looks) I've seen released in this theme so far. If you're going for the true medieval village look on your farm, this isn't one you want to skip.

Both of these buildings will be available in the game for the next two weeks. After that time, these items will expire from the store, and you may never have a chance at them again. You don't want that, do you? Shop now while you still can.

Have you built a medieval village on your English Countryside farm? Will you add either of these items to it?

FarmVille English Countryside Decorations: Misty Lake, Black Knight, Lion Statue and more

With tonight's FarmVille update, we've been given a six-item strong release, with two of these items costing Farm Cash and two altogether helping you complete any castle building project that you might have undertaken. These items are all part of the "normal" English Countryside item theme (that was interrupted by celebrations for the Royal Wedding). As for the two premium items, they are the Misty Lake and the Black Knight Gnome. Unfortunately, the prices for both of these decorations are rather high.

The Misty Lake, while impressive, huge and heavily animated costs 18 Farm Cash, while the Black Knight Gnome goes for the now standard gnome price of 15 Farm Cash. Make no mistake, collecting FarmVille's gnomes is one of the most expensive collections you can begin, so make sure to keep that in mind if this little fella inspires you to start gathering more.

There are four other decorations that are now available, so meet us behind the break for the rest of the details.


The other four items only reach 120,000 coins in terms of their "expensiveness." The most expensive item, the Court Yard Fountain, costs exactly that - 120,000 coins to purchase for your land. If you're a lover of fountains, water, or simply nicely animated items in the game, you'll want to make sure to take a closer look at this one, as it fits all three traits.

The other tree items are more basic, and come in the form of the Castle Wall (think of it as a piece of tall fencing) for 10,000 coins, a Lion Statue for 50,000 coins, and the Moat IV piece (to help you better create shapes with your existing moat pieces) for 5,000 coins.

All of these items will be available for the next two weeks, so may sure to shop fast to guarantee you'll have these items on your farm before they expire from the store. Sure, there's a chance some could come back to the game at a later time, but I've never been one to hold onto that hope. Are you?

What do you think of tonight's item releases overall? Will you build a moat now that this new piece has been released?

Xbox Live 'Beacons' will bring Facebook friends into the fray

Did Xbox Live just become a social gaming service? (And are Xbox gamers really that lonely? Sheesh.) Well, not in the traditional sense, though a relatively minor new feature headed to XBL brings it pretty darn close. GeekWire reports that Microsoft will soon add "Beacons" to Xbox Live, as announced at this year's E3 conference in Los Angeles. These Beacons, a variation on inviting friends to games, allow players to broadcast what games they'd like to play to their friends on XBL ... and on Facebook.

Marc Whitten, VP of the Xbox Live service provided a few more hints as to how Beacons will operate:

    We want to make it easy for you to connect with friends over your favorite games on Xbox LIVE, so we are introducing Beacons to the service. Beacons are a way to tell your Xbox LIVE and Facebook friends that you want to play a game on Xbox LIVE. By setting a Beacon, you tell Xbox LIVE what you want to play. Then, Xbox LIVE lets you know when friends are playing or want to play the same game. With Beacons, no matter what you're currently doing on Xbox LIVE your friends know that it's ok to ask you to play your Beaconed games. Imagine sending out a Beacon to let your friends know you're interested in playing "Halo," while watching a movie on Netflix.

While the details are somewhat scarce, we imagine that creating a Beacon would post a message to your Facebook News Feed or create a new status altogether. However, Whitten revealed more about a second feature headed for XBL, cloud storage for your game saves and profile:

    Here at Xbox LIVE we listen to your feedback. We are making it easier for you to sign into your Xbox LIVE account from any console at any time to access your game saves and full profile, including items such as Microsoft Points to make purchases, Achievements and friends. Cloud storage will allow you to enjoy the same great Xbox LIVE gaming experience even when you're not in your own living room by giving you the option to store your "game saves" securely in the Xbox LIVE cloud instead of on a portable memory unit or your console's hard drive.

Now, being "social" by heading over to a friends house to play Halo will be much easier than recovering your Gamertag only to have to recover it a second time when your return home. In fact, it seems that one of Microsoft's big words at this year's E3 is "social." The three-day event has to even officially begin, so there's plenty of time for last minute reveals, like that FarmVille-for-Xbox announcement we're all just dying to hear about--gotcha!

Sony PS Vita to scrap with Nintendo 3DS this year, starting at $249

Sony PlayStation Vita
Remember the NGP that Sony announced a few months back? It was confirmed tonight during the company's E3 2011 keynote event that it's actually called the PlayStation Vita, and it will be headed into your hands this year starting at $249. The PlayStation Vita is the successor to the PlayStation Portable (not to be confused with the PlayStation Phone) with full button controls, an OLED touch screen and touch pad in the back as well as two cameras and six-axis gyroscopic control. That's quite a bit of features for $249, but we forgot to mention that it's WiFi-capable ... and there's a 3G+WiFi model for $299.

The handheld console will meet Nintendo's new 3DS handheld face-to-face, in a, well, face-off for the winner of this generation's handheld gaming war. Well, unless Apple has anything to say about it, which announced several new features for its upcoming iOS 5 operating system at it's WWDC 2011 event coincidentally running this week as well. This year's E3 truly is setting the stage for the coming years of gaming in all forms. Tomorrow, Nintendo reveals its hand, so have your eyes glued here tomorrow for more coverage.

[Via Joystiq]

[Image Credit: PlayStation Lifestyle]

Are you interested in buying a PS Vita for mobile gaming? How about a 3DS? Where or how do you prefer your mobile gaming?

Cafe World Renaissance Feast Catering Order: Everything you need to know

While it seems many Cafe World users would prefer if Zynga slowed down on the game's many, many updates for new goals, building projects and catering orders, Zynga just hasn't listened. Tonight is no exception, as yet another Catering Order has come forward in the form of the Renaissance Feast.

This Catering Order is one of many that allows you just three days to earn a full three-star rating, so you'll want to meet us behind the break to see the three dishes and two collectible item tasks you'll need to complete to finish this one in time.


To complete the Renaissance Feast, you'll need to serve Royal Feast (a 12-hour dish) 216 times, Dino Drumstick (a 13-hour dish) 284 times and Blood Sausage (a six-hour dish) 88 times. While none of these dishes take an extremely long amount of time to cook, they're required in such quantities that it still makes this particular Catering Order far from easy to complete.

In addition to these three cooking tasks, you'll need to collect 42 items: 21 each of Victorian Dresses and Victorian Hats. These items are earned by asking your friends to send you them, or you can purchase a single unit of each collectible for 4 Cafe Cash each.

If you can finish this Catering Order within three days, you'll receive the 3-star rating, 12 Catering Points, 6,300 Cafe Points, 75,000 coins and the Ole Turkey Leg recipe. Unfortunately, you'll be required to earn the three-star rating in order to unlock this new recipe, but if you don't quite manage to finish within three days (but still finish within five days), you'll receive 2-stars, 8 Catering Points, 4500 Cafe Points and 50,000 coins. Finally, if you finish at any point after the first five days you'll receive just a single star, 4 Catering Points, 2700 Cafe Points and 30,000 coins.

All told, this Renaissance Feast Catering Order falls somewhere in the middle in terms of difficulty. You'll be able to ask up to 15 of your friends to help you out, and with a little determination, you should be able to work this one out in time.

FrontierVille 1-Year Anniversary Twitter Contest offers 500 free Horseshoes

Are you ready to celebrate FrontierVille's first anniversary? Zynga is offering tons of incentive to doing just that, as you can now enter in the "1-Year Anniversary Twitter Contest" for your chance at 500 free Horseshoes.

All you'll need to do to enter is to help spread the word about FrontierVille to your Twitter followers by tweeting the following message: "I want to win 500 free Shiny Horseshoes from @FrontierVille!" You'll also need to be following the FrontierVille Twitter account, but that's just as easy as actually posting a tweet! Each day from now until the end of June 10, Zynga will give away 50 Horseshoes each to 10 different winners. You can enter up to five times per day, so make sure to earn as many entries as possible for a chance at free Horseshoes.

But wait? Weren't we promised 500 Horseshoes as a prize? I'm glad you're paying attention, as one grand prize winner will be chosen on June 13 to receive the massive 500 Horseshoe prize. Of course, the more you tweet, the more chances you have at this grand prize as well. Good luck to all those who enter!

Will you enter the FrontierVille 1-Year Anniversary Twitter contest? What would you do if you won 500 Horseshoes?

Facebook Credits and Apple iTunes buddy up for cross-platform purchasing

If you're a huge fan of a particular game, you might try to play that game on every console on which its available. In this growing era of free-to-play games, that's normally not a big deal, as you won't really pay anything for any of your experiences. Of course, that's all depending on the game's availability, but if you happen to purchase something in a Facebook game and then want to access those points or items in an iOS version of the game, as an example, you simply couldn't, because iOS wouldn't accept that purchase as being valid in that version of the game.

That looks to be ready to change though, according to Ubisoft's VP of Digital Publishing Chris Early. All Things Digital has reported that Facebook and Apple have agreed to honor currency purchased on each other's platforms for the same game. According to Early, the first game that will receive this ability is Ubisoft's own Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon. Under this agreement, if you happen to purchase any premium currency in Ghost Recon on Facebook, you'll then be able to access those same points back on iOS.

While Ghost Recon from Ubisoft is one thing, it will be great to see if other developers end up adopting the same policy and we'll make sure to let you know if they do.

What do you think of this new announcement? Would you be more likely to purchase Facebook Credits if you knew those credits could be used in both Facebook and iOS versions of games?

CityVille Zoo Arctic Habitat: Everything you need to know

Penguins! Sorry for the outburst, but the fourth habitat for the Zoo in CityVille has arrived. It's the Arctic Habitat, and it has some adorable new animals to collect inside, namely penguins. However, you must be at least Level 20 to access the new critters, though it's doubtful many of you should be concerned with that.

What you should be concerned with, however, is that you must have unlocked every animal in the Mountain Habitat to unlock this one. The Arctic Habitat will appear with a new Goal simply titled "New Arctic Habitat!" that allows you to place and build the new area in your Zoo. Your reward for completing this Goal is a measly 80 Goods, but this is just the beginning.

Arctic Habitat:

    Size: 4 x 4
    Cost to Build: 6 Energy
    Population: 50


Dall Sheep     King Penguin     Musk Ox

Arctic Habitat Animals:

    Snow Owl: Common
    Walrus: Common
    Musk Ox: Common
    Dall Sheep: Uncommon
    King Penguin: Uncommon
    Polar Bear: Rare


Polar Bear     Snow Owl     Walrus

In order to acquire more animals for your Arctic Habitat, you must ask friends for donations to your Zoo. However, the items within those donations are random, and can contain anything from new animals to old animals and decorations. However, sending donations to your friends also gives you a freebie, which effectively doubles your chances of getting new animals. Well, you could always buy them for straight City Cash ... nah.

FarmVille Crafting Silo changes Craftshop recipes for better or worse

It's a matter of opinion, really. The introduction of the Crafting Silo to FarmVille hasn't just added a few new recipes to the existing Craftshop. It has also made a few recipes--okay, a lot of recipes--more complex than ever. This is thanks to Zynga hot fixing the game recently to include Crafting Silo materials in many of the existing Craftshop recipes.

Some might like the added level of depth to the crafting system, but others (myself included) might think it just adds a level of unnecessary complexity. To each his own, I guess.

You'll notice in the images below that many of the blue baskets are materials found through the Crafting Silo, while others like the Milking Cans and Manure Bags will stand out either way. Check out the rest of the changes below:
Craftshop Crafting Silo Changes 1

Craftshop Crafting Silo Changes 2

Craftshop Crafting Silo Changes 3

Craftshop Crafting Silo Changes 4

[Source and Image Credit: FarmVille Feed]

What do you think of the changes to the Craftshop thanks to the Crafting Silo? Will you keep on using these buildings despite the changes, or give them up entirely?

CityVille Bastille Day Goals: Everything you need to know

If you happen to be French, enjoy the day off (we hope). If you happen to be French and a CityVille fan, enjoy the day off and a new set of goals in the game, courtesy of Zynga. A set of three Goals in honor of Bastille Day has been released to the game.

And all three will unlock some interesting French-inspired buildings and decorations that you can enjoy even if you're from the states. (Well, unless you're still miffed about that whole French Fries fiasco.) Anyway, here's everything you need to know about these new Goals:

1. Vive La France!

    Have 1 Parisian Fountain in your City
    Collect from 25 Businesses
    Collect 4 Baguettes


The Parisian Fountain can be found in the Build menu under the Decorations tab for a simple 1,000 Coins. Then, collecting from 25 Businesses should be easy enough, unless you're the type who focuses on having just a few souped up ones. The four Baguettes are found through bugging your friends to send them. Once you finish these tasks, the French Cafe Business will be unlocked for you.

2. Bon Appetit!

    Ask for 7 Berets
    Build a French Cafe
    Collect from your French Cafe 5 times


Of course, the only way to find the seven Berets is to ask your friends. Building the French Cafe requires you to be at least Level 20, costs 3,000 Coins and takes 5 Energy to build. Then, all you need to do is collect from it five times, which should be relatively quick considering it only takes 150 Goods. Completing this Goal will reward you with 640 Coins.

French Cafe     Dordogne Duplex     Parisian Fountain

3. Fireworks du Jour

    Collect from the Dordogne Duplex
    Harvest 45 Cabbages
    Send 25 Tour Buses to your neighbors French Restaurants


The Dordogne Duplex can be found in the New tab under the Build menu, and is a residence that costs 6,000 Coins and requires 6 Energy to build. Then, just collect from it once and this task is complete. Harvesting 45 Cabbages will cost a total of 2,880 Coins and take at least 1.6 days at base Mastery. The challenge of this Goal is finding friends who are actually participating as well, but you'll finish it in due time. Once finished, the French Garden will be unlocked for you.

[Source: CityVille Wiki]

Have you started the Bastille Day Goals yet? What tips do you have for completing them even more quickly?

Lunchtime Poll: Is the FrontierVille One Billion Hammers event overkill?

The Pioneer Trail in FrontierVille is almost upon us, but it's up to you and I to make it happen. At least that's according to the One Billion Hammers event going on right now in the game. It's said that as soon as 1 billion Golden Hammers are created, Zynga will unleash the Pioneer Trail on homesteaders everywhere, and donate $200 thousand clams to Save the Children.

However, the event has been going on for two days now, and has just reached over 86 million hammers. At this rate, it could take weeks before the Pioneer Trail opens up. More importantly, you have to imagine that Zynga is already done with (or extremely close to finishing) preparations for the new expansion, if it was willing to leave the release up to the players.

And does the developer expect players to forget all of their other Goals (like the Beastly Land Expansion) or responsibilities in lieu of collecting a massive amount of Golden Hammers? Who knows, but what we do know is that you must feel some type of way about it, so we ask you:

Is FrontierVille's One Billion Hammers event overkill?
Yes! This event could take weeks if not longer.Not at all. This is a cool, community-driven event.I'm not even collecting the Hammers. I can wait.
VoteView ResultsShare ThisPolldaddy.com

Have some unique to add to the debate?

Earn 2 free FarmVille Farm Cash in The Lincoln Lawyer promotion

If you've yet to see Matthew McConaughey in The Lincoln Lawyer, let this be a friendly reminder. (But it can't possibly beat his performance in Tropic Thunder.) In this FarmVille sponsored link, a free 2 Farm Cash is up for grabs, and just for clicking on a few buttons. If the link has made it to your version of FarmVille, it will appear beneath the game screen and read, "Complete the Lincoln Lawyer poll..."

After clicking on that, the usual pop-up will appear with a wooden-looking border. The trailer for the film, which just released on DVD and Blu-ray, will play above a series of three easy questions. Answer the questions, and text should appear next to a blue "X" that reads, "You've earned your Farm Cash."

Once you see that, click the blue "X" to close the window, and the 2 Farm Cash should post to your total immediately. If not, just give it at least 30 minutes before contacting customer support. And go see The Lincoln Lawyer--I want to know how it is before I add it to my Netflix queue later on.

The Lincoln Lawyer FarmVille promo

[Source and Image Credit: FarmVille Freak]

How many free Farm Cash offers do you think you've completed thus far? What was the coolest item that those offers helped you grab?

CityVille Back to School Goals: Everything you need to know

What better way to celebrate the launch of another school year in the real world than to... play CityVille on Facebook? Ok, so maybe I'm grasping at straws with that one, but Zynga has done it too! Just look at these new goals! There are four new goals to complete in all, in a Back to School series that will see you ultimately rewarded with a Football Field, among other prizes. Without further ado (as we all know there's homework to be done), here's a guide to finishing these four goals off.

Too Cool For School / Brain Food

    Ask for 5 Pocket Protectors
    Visit 10 Neighbors
    Harvest 20 Wheat


The Pocket Protectors are earned through a general news post, rather than individual requests to friends. While you're waiting for those to arrive, you can plant your wheat, which takes a whopping 2.1 days to grow. For finishing this first goal, you'll receive just 35 XP.

Show & Tell

    Ask for 8 Text Books
    Collect from 20 Businesses
    Collect from Burger Joint 4 Times


For this goal, it looks as though you can collect from the same Burger Joint four times in a row, or collect from four individual Burger Joints, so keep that in mind if you happen to have more than one in your town. For finishing this second goal, you'll receive 960 coins.

Study Hall of Fame

    Upgrade a Library
    Collect from any Library 2 Times
    Have a Crossing Guard in your City


Back at the end of July, Zynga released the ability to upgrade your Library, and you can find our complete guide to doing so right here. For finishing this goal, you'll earn 480 Goods.

Playing Hooky

    Have 2 Pairs of High Heels from the Designer Collection
    Collect from Flower Kiosk 10 Times
    Collect from Diner 8 Times


The High Heels are available from the Shoe Store, Handbag Store, Sunglasses Store or Watch Shop, so just keep supplying and collecting from those businesses and you should get lucky (if you're impatient, you can also ask your friends to send you some extras from their own collections). For finishing this final goal, you'll receive the Football Field, which is a 6x4 decorative item that gives you a 30% bonus to surrounding businesses and residences. It is currently only available through this goal series, so make sure to keep track of them if you are interested in adding one to your town.

What do you think of these new CityVille Back to School goals? Is it too late for back-to-school fun, or will you do anything for exclusive new decorations?

FarmVille Lighthouse Cove loading screen gives us more to speculate about

Now that we know the official name of the third farm in FarmVille--that being Lighthouse Cove--new details are releasing all of the time. First, we were given just a sample image of what looks to be a dolphin-filled cove, and now we have a full loading screen that shows off a bit more, including the third farm's logo.

For one, we're given an overall theme for this new farm: Fall. That's fitting, as the farm will likely officially launch sometime this fall, and it looks like we'll see a set of appropriately colored trees released to go along with that (along with what looks to be some Autumn Ginkgo trees, which is also fitting). We also see some crop squares in this loading screen, though they are muted in the bottom-left corner of the screen. As an educated guess, I'd say those are American Cranberries, which is one of the crops we expect to launch in this new farm.

As for the rest of the screen, we see a dock, boat and mermaid, with the boat likely being our ride in and out of Lighthouse Cove. As for the mermaid, perhaps she'll be a part of a goal series, or will perhaps let us communicate with the dolphin and whale that appear in the water. Of course, we're completely speculating on that front, but it's a fun idea to keep in mind either way. Along with all of this, we see some new animals, and what looks to be a new garage (perhaps a boat garage?), making this an incredibly in-depth farm, if all of these items are interactive, and not just for show.

Regardless of how much of our speculation ends up being true, we'll make sure to keep you up to date with all of the details concerning Lighthouse Cove, including when you can expect it to release. Keep checking back with us for more.

What do you think of this new loading screen? Are there any particular details you're looking forward to more than others? Are you saving up your Farm Cash to take a fast trip to the Lighthouse Cove, or will you wait before jumping into a third farm?

SuperPoke! Pets creator 'working out the details' on post-closure access

To say even that SuperPoke! Pets fans are "pissed" is an understatement. (Seriously, just look at the comments on our first post regarding the sad news.) SuperPoke Pets and SPP Ranch players' rage at Slide's shuttering at the hand of Google has made headlines of nearly every major news outlet, and finally some details regarding Slide's response have come to light.

Namely, CNN reports that Slide and Google representatives have responded to complaints concerning players' hard-earned cash pumped into the now-defunct game. "One thing you can't do [with virtual goods] is bring them home and keep them forever," Slide's communications team wrote on the SuperPoke! Pets forums in response to complaints.

While Slide did say that it's "working out the details" on how to make some of the games' content and items available outside of the game, it also compared digital pets purchased with real cash to Halloween costumes, according to CNN. "You purchase it to dress up and enjoy the experience, but likely don't wear that costume day in and day out, or for every Halloween thereafter," the team wrote. (Um, was I the only kid who had to wear the same costume for a few Halloweens?)

Net Jacobsson, a former Facebook executive and adviser to companies like CrowdStar, told CNN that refunding players with their hard-earned, spent digital cash is far from simple. "The accounting issues can be massively complicated," Jacobsson told CNN. "They've already counted it as revenue. They've taxed it. Refunding $20 would cost more than $20, not to mention the man-hours involved in dealing with it."

CNN recalls that, when games like Pirates Ahoy! and Gangster City shut down, creator Playfish allowed players to take their earned currency into a new Playfish game and offered free incentives for the games' fans to enjoy new Playfish games. However, players wouldn't exactly have any other Slide games to go to. So, why not herd the disgruntled players into one of those shiny new Google+ Games with either some free in-game cash or other incentives? Or, here's just a thought: Bring the games into Google+ Games already.

How do you think Slide and Google should handle the unfortunate situation?

Top 25 Facebook Games - September 2011: Rise of The Sims Social

Will Zynga finally be dethroned? August saw one of the biggest upsets in Facebook gaming history, as EA and Playfish released The Sims Social. Short after its shoddy release in the middle of the month, the game has skyrocketed to third place this month with over 7.5 million daily players and fifth place on the monthly player charts with over 24 million players. While CityVille, Empires & Allies, Zynga Poker and FarmVille are on top of the charts yet again, all four games have suffered declines.

If this doesn't stir the pot a bit in the Facebook gaming world, nothing will. But The Sims Social isn't the only new game to upset the charts and displace a few hit games. Zynga's The Pioneer Trail expansion hit the monthly chart just under The Sims Social in sixth place at a healthy 19.7 million players. Words with Friends, the Facebook version of the popular mobile game, released in August to over 11.5 million monthly players, while Ubisoft set The Smurfs and Co. loose to over 8.6 million rabid fans and hit 16th place.

The casualties for this month include August's last five spot holders: Treasure Isle, Zombie Lane, Happy Aquarium, Mall World and Crime City. These games weren't just displaced because of the influx of new games hitting top spots, but all five were already on a decline. This allowed new additions like the Bubble and Ninja Sagas in the 21 and 22 spots at 6.6 million and 6.2 million monthly players, respectively.

Top 25 Facebook Games September
But look more closely at this month's chart, and you'll notice that each and every one of these brand new games to upset the charts is backed by a massive, recognizable brand. Perhaps this is what it takes to disrupt the status quo in Facebook games. And with ambitious branded games like Dexter Slice of Life on the way, our guess is that you'll be seeing a lot more from where The Sims Social and The Smurfs and Co. came from.

[Source and Image Credit: Inside Social Games]

What do you think of the charts this month? Do you think these branded games will continue to upset the Facebook games world?

Facebook Credits enter Asia, but what about Zynga Game Cards?

Now, it will be even easier for folks in southern Asia to waste money on buy virtual items in their favorite Facebook games. Facebook Credits, the platform's dominant currency, will enter several Asian markets through MOL, Asia's Internet services payment provider with over 600,000 locations.

The strategic partnership allows Asian Facebook gamers to purchase Facebook Credits online through MOLPoints, or what becomes of users' money when purchased, through a new MOLPoints application on Facebook. "MOL is committed to ensure that our consumers are able to acquire virtual currency for their digital lifestyle with safety and ease and we believe that this strong partnership with Facebook will continue MOL's momentum to provide highly effective monetization solutions for the social web." said MOL CEO Ganesh Kumar Bangah in a statement.

MOL says that it puts no surcharges on its MOLPoint transactions, which are conducted over a secure payment gateway. That's all well and good, but didn't Zynga just enter the same territory a few months back with the exact same company? Indeed, so what could this mean for the company's Game Cards? Judging from the wording in MOL's release (and the step-by-step guide on its website), this service will be online only.

This means that Zynga Game Cards would still be the go-to option for low-income families in Asia that can only buy in-game content with cash. Regardless, the news speaks volumes to the fact that Facebook gaming is huge in more places than just the U.S., Europe and Japan. And the social gaming scene can only grow from here.

Do you think southern Asia could become a power player in the social games world? And who do you think will gain dominance in the region: Zynga, DeNA, Gree ... or someone else?

GameStop sees the (iPhone back)light, will sell iOS devices [Rumor]

First Facebook, and now ... iPads? According to 9to5 Mac, the ubiquitous, brick-and-mortar games retailer plans to sell iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches. The website cites several anonymous sources that say the announcement was made at the company's annual private trade show in Las Vegas last week. And if you think that it's all poppycock, check out the below image that 9to5 Mac found, detailing the fact that GameStop will soon accept trade-ins of old iPhones, iPods and iPads in its stores.

Since that news was revealed earlier, the website guesses that GameStop looks to stock up on its trade-ins of these devices before offering the new models such as the imminent iPhone 5 (4S ... 4G?). Of course, this wouldn't be a terrible idea. Mobile gaming is in a renaissance of sorts at the moment, with everyone wanting a piece of that pie and putting their best foot forward to break out in a big way in the space.

With a storefront on Facebook and now reportedly embracing the mobile gaming revolution, GameStop appears to realize (finally) that it needs to adapt to the changing games industry. As a forewarning, however: If you're going to buy an iPad or iPhone from GameStop, make sure to buy it new--this is complex hardware we're talking about here. (And have you seen those used consoles the stores offer? I'll pass.)
GameStop iOS device trade in

[Image Credit: 9to5 Mac]

Do you believe that GameStop will start selling iOS devices? Do you think this would be a good or bad move on the company's part?

Game of the Day: Mystery Case Files - Ravenhearst

Rumors surrounding the dark and abandoned Ravenhearst Manor have circulated for decades. But new evidence may shed light on just what happened to its previous inhabitants. The manor is dark, mysterious, and it's up to you to unravel the tale behind the unsettling place. Use your trained eye to carefully survey the manor for clues and unlock the mystery.

I certainly hope you folks had a relaxing Labor Day weekend, because Mystery Case Files - Ravenhearst will have you on the edge of your seat, searching frantically for those hidden objects.

Click here to play Mystery Case Files - Ravenhearst!
mystery case files ravenhearst game of the day     mystery case files ravenhearst game of the day
Pro Tips:

    Use your hint sparingly because you don't get them often. Save it for the hardest hidden object.
    Don't get frustrated. The more you play, the faster you'll be able to spot items. Also, you'll remember where some previous objects are hidden.
    A common rookie mistake is visualizing a very specific version of what the object in question looks like. For example, if you're looking for a grasshopper, don't look specifically for a green grasshopper in a certain pose. Open your mind and instead look for a more general version of your grasshopper. Who knows, the grasshopper might end up being mid-flight and brown, and you'll have been searching for something totally different!


Click here to play Mystery Case Files - Ravenhearst!

Where you able to solve the crime? Where did you get stumped?

These Pioneer Trail Animal Mastery requirements look a tad ... crazy

Seriously, do you think you're going to tend to ... over 18,170 Badgers anytime soon? We didn't think so. Zynga recently released Animal Mastery to The Pioneer Trail in a big way. The new game component has its very own feature window and a complete set of lofty, challenging Goals.

However, what we didn't know was exactly how many of each animal we'd have to tend to before reaching Mastery milestones. Until now.

Thanks to FrontierVille Info, we now know how many times we'll be a tendin' to these creatures, and it's a lot. Like, in the tens of thousands "a lot." Check it out below along with the animal rewards that await you:

Sheep
Sheep Mastery
Sheep Journeyman: Tend 270 Sheep. Reward: 1,000 XP and Moflon Sheep
Sheep Expert: Tend 1090 Sheep. Reward: 2,000 XP Golden Sheep
Sheep Master: Tend 3,450 Sheep. Reward: 3,000 XP, Sheep Mastery Sign and Ram

Cows
Cow Mastery
Cow Journeyman: Tend 1,200 Cows. Reward: 1,000 XP and Belted Cow
Cow Expert: Tend 4,839 Cows. Reward: 2,000 XP and Holstein Cow
Cow Master: Tend 15,500 Cows. Reward: 3,000 XP and Big Buff Bull

Pigs
Pig Mastery
Pig Journeyman: Tend 750 Pigs. Reward: 1,000 XP and Spotted Pig
Pig Expert: Tend 2,950 Pigs. Reward: 2,000 XP and Giant Hog
Pig Master: 8,450 Pigs. Reward: 3,000 XP and Boar

Chicken
Chicken Mastery
Chicken Journeyman: Tend 80 chicken. Reward: 1,000 XP and Rhode Island Red
Chicken Expert: Tend 340 chicken. Reward: 2,000 XP and Speckled Sussex
Chicken Master: Tend 9450 chicken. Reward: 3,000 XP, Chicken Mastery Sign and Rooster

Moose
Moose Mastery
Moose Journeyman: Tend 190 Moose. Reward: 1,000 XP and Black Moose
Moose Expert: Tend 6,000 Moose. Reward: 2,000 XP and Red Moose
Moose Master: Tend 18,000 Moose. 3,000 XP and Elk

Badgers
Badger Mastery
Badger Journeyman: Tend 1,700 Badgers. Reward: 1,000 XP and Golden Badger
Badger Expert: Tend 5,900 Badgers. Reward: 2000 XP and Honey Badger
Badger Master: Tend 18,170 Badgers: Reward: 3000 XP and Red Panda

The rewards for each of these Mastery endeavors also unlocks those animals in the Market on your homestead. Regardless, I don't know that makes tending to over 18,000 Badgers any more worth the effort. FrontierVille Info hopes that some of these numbers get bumped down, while we just hope those new animals are made attainable at least by the end of 2011.

[Image Credit: FrontierVille Info]

What do you think of these requirements for Animal Mastery in Pioneer Trail? Do you plan on going for these rewards regardless of how daunting the tasks look?

FarmVille Pic of the Day: Thesupersandy's farm wins with a three-in-a-row

Today's FarmVille featured farm is a creative design by FarmVille Forums' Thesupersandy. I've seen a lot of farms in my time: hedge maze farms, Lady Gaga farms, and even island resort farms. But, somehow I've never seen the relatively simple tic-tac-toe farm before, and I think it's pretty neat.

Even though whoever was playing 'O's was silly to lose in that situation, the farm itself is very pleasant in appearance. Its mix of orchards, crops, and animals out on the English countryside, allow us to overlook the design's simplicity and flaws. Last week's farm had somewhat of the same effect. It was very simple and spacious, giving it a very appealing, relaxed look. Zynga seems to agree, because they named Thesupersandy's tic-tac-toe design the Farm of the Week. Keep up the good work Thesupersandy!

What do you think of this tic-tac-toe farm?

If you have an AWESOME FarmVille farm that you want to see featured on Games.com, please email a picture to editors@games.com, Include a few words about the inspiration for your design and maybe a few tips for people who need an assist!

FarmVille Sneak Peek: No angry birds in this upcoming Aviary

We already knew that Zynga would release a total of six Breeding Pens to FarmVille. In its mission to run this whole "breeding" concept into the ground forever (hopefully), the developer will most likely release the Aviary next. Based on these leaked images, the Aviary will host all sorts of fowl from Chickens to Ducks and Turkeys.

While we're going off on a simple promotional banner, we're going to guess that the Aviary won't operate much differently than its five counterparts including the recently released Zoo Habitat building. We also know that either building the Aviary or completing its Goals will require items like nests, binoculars, whistles and ... weird, dangly chimes. (Can you tell I don't know much about birds?)
FarmVille Aviary items
Once the Aviary releases, it will be accompanied by a whopping six Goals. As an added bonus, we get a glimpse at what the eggs will look like from when these little birdies get down. (Extra bonus points for the use of purple!) Stay tuned for more as we learn it.

[Source and Image Credit: FarmVille Feed]

Are you psyched for this new building to throw your birds into? What do you think of Zynga's new found love for breeding animals?

That's a big table: Zynga Poker hits the big screen on Google TV

Zynga Poker Google TV
Is that 13-inch laptop screen you're dealing in on in Zynga Poker simply not big enough? How does a 55-inch HD screen sound? We thought so. Zynga announced that its hit poker game has landed on Google TV, the search giant's ailing set-top box platform. Players can download the Zynga Poker app on Google TV, the first TV platform to offer the game.

VentureBeat points out that Zynga Poker (and we imagine other Facebook games) were already accessible through Google TV's support for Flash-based websites. But this dedicated version is "especially optimized for playing poker from the comfort of your own couch," Zynga said in a blog post. According to AppData, Zynga's age-old poker game has over 29 million monthly players across Facebook, iPhone, Android phones and more.

Of course, Zynga is looking to grow that player base with this release, but things aren't looking so hot for Google TV. Logitech, the primary partner for the platform, just ditched Google's effort after losing $100 million on its Logitech Revue box since last year, according to VentureBeat. Regardless, this could serve as a launchpad for Zynga Poker--and other games from the publisher, for that matter--to expand onto other connected TV options.

Devices like the Roku box have already invited big time casual games like Angry Birds, and PlayJam is making strides in smart TV gaming. In the grand scheme of things, it only makes sense. If companies like CrowdStar and Rovio want to hit that 1 billion fan mark, the most popular screen in the home is a fine place to start.

Would you rather play your social games on a bigger screen than what you play on now? Is mobile or TV-based social gaming more appealing to you?

CNN Games: When social games fever hits the virtual newstands

CNN has opened a spankin' new games portal on their site, named simply, "CNN Games" and powered by social games stalwart, Arkadium. Aside from having to put up with a 15-second ad before each game loads, all twenty-five of Arkadium's games are free, including established favorites such as Mahjongg Dimensions. You don't have to sign up as a CNN member to play (plus, Facebook Connect doesn't seem far behind), but CNN would like it if you did. Doing so allows you to "save your scores, get on the Leaderboard and challenge your friends".

We really shouldn't be surprised, but it's hard not to be. Certainly, there's been a trend where companies have been slapping games onto everything from banks to blogs. Some have even made it their core business to slap games onto other businesses. There's this belief that turning something into a social game will make it more popular. MySpace attempted a failed resurrection by investing in games. Social games killed the daytime soap, only for the soaps to attempt a comeback as games. Social games for social good are the watchwords of organizations such as Games4Change, and businesses such as GamesThatGive. But for an international news organization to invest in a generic, casual games portal is just mind-boggling. With the exception of Stop the Presses, a timed word game, nothing at CNN Games has anything to do with the news or the CNN brand (fancy a board game, anyone?).
CNN Games Arkadium
However, consider this -- it was the rivalry between Joseph Pulitzer's New York World and William Randolph Hearst's New York Journal in the 1890s that brought us the modern-day, newspaper comic strip. In 1895, Pulitzer had convinced comics creator Richard Felton Outcault to publish "The Yellow Kid" for his newspaper. But Hearst saw the value in it and snatched Outcault away for his paper. Suddenly, the funnies became serious business as both owners believed that comics were their ticket to more readers. It sounds absurd, but those of us who grew up on newsprint remember the value of the funnies.

As major news producers move from print to the web, they're going to need new ways to compete online. I wonder if social games are going to be for news sites, the way comic strips were for newspapers.

Do you think social games can hit it big on news sites or that news sites can win readers by adding games, social or otherwise?

Digital Chocolate's Galaxy Life on Facebook has quite a deceiving title

When you hear the words "Galaxy Life," what do you think? We don't know about you, but that sure sounds like living out life across the galaxy. No one ever said anything about epic intergalactic battles against friends and "the sinister dark forces." Nevertheless, that's what you'll be up to in Digital Chocolate's new strategy game game for Facebook and web, Galaxy Life.

The San Mateo, Calif.-based social game developer, best known for games like Millionaire City and Zombie Lane, launched the game simultaneously on Facebook and its own website in an effort to increase its reach. Galaxy Life lets players become leader of a colony of aliens called Starlings that look to create a peaceful planet amidst sinister (and ambiguous) dark forces. Players will vie for dominance over the new found territory amongst friends, or frenemies, both known and anonymous.

Of course, you'll do so by creating daunting armies and stalwart defensive structures with which to attack opposing colonies and defend your own. Players can also create alliances with fellow players--yup, this sounds like a strategy game, all right. Galaxy Life sounds like more of the same on paper, but its Facebook-connected social features are optional. If you decide to play on Digital Chocolate's website, you can build a network of friends without Facebook.
Galaxy Life in Action
"We've created a groundbreaking sci-fi game with great competitive and cooperative elements, along with fantastic characters," Digital Chocolate president Marc Metis said in a release. "Galaxy Life takes the best elements of the strategy and space genres to create an immersive game that players can engage with across different platforms."

At first glance, Galaxy Life has a ton of character, with smooth animations, fun tunes and sounds, and adorable artwork. However, the play hook doesn't seem all too different from games like Kabam's Edgeworld or Kixeye's War Commander. That said, this could change in due time. But give it a shot: This cartoon-like take on the genre could be your cup of tea.

Click here to play Galaxy Life on Facebook Now >

Are you a fan of strategy games on Facebook? Do you think there's room for even more games in the genre?

Finally, GREE reveals what everyone actually cares about: the games

GREE games
Japan's mobile social gaming network GREE has leaked details regarding its global expansion through OpenFeint ever so slowly. Painfully so, in fact. Now, Andriasang reports that DeNA's archenemy has finally announced a number of big time games that will be right there with GREE's launch on iPhones and Android phones in the US and abroad. How does some DDR sound?

Konami revealed that it's bringing the iconic dance machine arcade-gone-mobile game, DanceDanceRevolution, to GREE. Capcom is in on the global GREE launch, set to happen between April and June 2012, with a mobile version of Resident Evil Mercenaries VS and Monster Hunter Dynamic Hunting, which is already available for iPhone. Tecmo Koei is bringing over a version of its hit Dynasty Warriors franchise to GREE as well.

This is all well and good, but we have one concern: All of these games, including those from Japanese game makers we didn't mention, appeal to a very niche, dare we say "hardcore" audience. While part of GREE's global expansion is to merge with OpenFeint (and likely many of games under that Western service's umbrella), the network is going to need games that appeal to a mass audience to live up to its expectations of beating Nintendo.

GREE claims that, after the merge with OpenFeint, its games will be exposed to 150 million players. But 150 million players or not, those players are going to need all types of games to be interested in. Granted, we're still a long ways away from the GREE global launch. Oh ... about that.

[Via Pocket Gamer]

Do you think GREE can compete with DeNA and Zynga in the mobile social games arena with games like these? Do you already use OpenFeint in your mobile games?

Zynga thinks it could double its paying players after going public

How? No clue, but Zynga CEO Mark Pincus seems to think it's possible. That's what the head of the FarmVille maker told 100 investors at a luncheon (with chicken, mashed potatoes and spinach salad) held in a Boston hotel, according to Reuters. "We could see that doubling," Pincus told the room during a presentation likely similar to the one posted online last week ahead of going public.

However, the Zynga chief gave no time line for the lofty claim, nor how the company would make it happen. As it stands, about 7.7 million of the social game giant's 219 million monthly players were payers for 12 months prior to Sept. 30, according to Reuters. However, Zynga did reveal that it now welcomes 13 million daily players across mobile devices, way up from the recently reported 11.1 million

A hefty chunk of those daily players seems to come from Words With Friends. You know, the game so addicting that it supposedly drove Alec Baldwin to throw a fit on an American Airlines plane? That one. "He wanted to play it even if it meant getting off his flight to play it," Pincus said, revealing that the game gained some 8 million players in the past year.

And, when you think about it, mobile could be exactly where Zynga doubles its paying players. Zynga is full steam ahead on both iPhone and Android phones, having released eight games for the platforms in 2011 alone. The battle plan? Zynga could reach audiences outside of its massive network by gaining prominence on various app stores. And that just might work.

What do you think of Zynga's mobile games thus far? Could the company grow its 3 percent of paying players into 6 or even 10 percent through iPhone and Android?

Order & Chaos Online finds that subscriptions don't work on Facebook

Order & Chaos Online
And as a result, the game will be no more come Dec. 20. Mobile (and social) game developer Gameloft informed players from within the game. Order & Chaos Online for Facebook is the social version of the online mobile MMO (massively multiplayer online game) available on both iPhones and Android phones. So, if your one of the game's 2,000 daily players out there, bummer.

The message given to players in-game reminds them that they can join their friends on either their iOS or Android device to continue playing Order & Chaos. So, why did the game shut down after launching just in July of this year? While Gameloft hasn't provided an official explanation, we'd guess it's due to three things.
Order & Chaos Online closed
For one, 3D MMOs that require downloads (additional to the ubiquitous Flash), have control legends and list system requirements haven't done well on Facebook historically. Secondly, the game suffered severe security issues earlier this fall that could have very well scared many players away. And finally, when players in the game hit level 10, they were hit with a subscription fee to be paid in Facebook Credits in order to continue playing.

If there's one thing that's known about Facebook games, it's that nearly nobody likes to pay. And as for the 3 to 5 percent that do, they prefer to buy things at leisure, like new barns or an extra boost in energy to keep going. Order & Chaos Online threw the illusion of "free-to-play" out the window completely.

[Via Pocket Gamer]

Were you a fan of Order & Chaos enough to pay, an exception to the rule? What were your experiences in the game like? Could subscription-based social games ever work?

Club Penguin Coins for Change program gives us the warm fuzzies

This one will rate high on your "Aw, shucks" meter. Club Penguin, Disney's popular kid-centric virtual world, has kicked off its fifth annual Coins for Change program, inviting its young players to donate virtual coins for a real-life cause. If the number of coins reaches a certain amount, Club Penguin will donate $2 million to help other children, families and environmental causes.

The program will run December 15-27, and players will be able to vote -- with their coins -- as to how the contribution will be divided among several charities. Previous Coins for Change efforts have helped a million people in 40 countries by funding clean water programs, schools, libraries, health clinics and more.
club penguin coins for change info in game

"The Club Penguin community has already helped more than a million people all over the world through Coins for Change and I hope by doubling the donation, they can help even more," Disney Online Studios EVP and Club Penguin Co-founder Lane Merrifield says. "I am continuously amazed by the commitment and passion our players have for helping improve the lives of others."

And, of course, this is a fantastic way to turn game-playing, often considered a waste of time by the uninitiated, into a valuable lesson in global citizenship. And that, in turn, helps parents feel better about shelling out $5 to $8 for the virtual world's monthly membership fee (not that there's anything wrong with that). For more details on Coins for Change, check out clubpenguin.com.

Mario creator Miyamoto isn't retiring after all, and everything's peachy

That's what the legendary Nintendo game designer told The Wall Street Journal in an interview Thursday. After telling Wired this week that he was retiring from his current position at Nintendo to take on smaller projects (and after Nintendo was quick to deny it entirely), Shigeru Miyamoto told WSJ that he is not retiring from his position. However, he is making preparations for the future.

"We have to construct the structure so that the organization so that it can make it without me," Miyamoto told WSJ. "I should also admit that it might be better without me; I mean that a different approach and different talent might emerge, though I shouldn't dwell on this because then the article might indeed say 'Mr. Miyamoto is thinking about retiring,' because that is not the case."

Wired's Chris Kohler, whom Miyamoto first talked to this week about retirement, stands by his piece and its accuracy. Some chalked the Legend of Zelda maker's words up to an error in translation, but Kohler told G4TV, "Miyamoto's comments as presented in our story are exactly what Miyamoto said, and presented with the full context of his remarks. We are absolutely standing by those statements as reported."

Miyamoto's talk with WSJ appears to be an attempt to clarify his words with Wired. Now, we're left with three different statements (two only slightly different, really) and a Nintendo stock price that's down a bit. So what we do know, with absolute certainty, is that the creator of Mario isn't just important to Nintendo, but all video games.

Wilson washes up on Pocket God players' shores on Facebook

Boy, Pocket God seems to be killing it these days on Facebook. Well, it's more like the players are killing it in Pocket God on Facebook. Either way you look at it is a good reason for Canadian developer Frima Studio to update its social take on the hit mobile game. In "Episode 11 1/2," a new friend has arrived for all players to interact with and score goodies from: Wilson.

A clear nod to Tom Hanks's best, inanimate buddy in Castaway, Wilson sounds like the CityVille Sam or Frontier Jack of Pocket God. In that sense, he's a non-player friend for players to visit and get some free sacrifices from daily. Players can also drop Wilson on their islands for the same effect Frima tells us.

And speaking of curing "the lonelies," players can now use their friends' unlocked powers to clobber some pygmies while visiting their islands. And for checking out powers that you might not have, Frima will calm down your fit of jealousy with some free XP, SP and a devotion bonus.

And finally, a small power has been introduced to the game: the Glowfish. This power, according to Frima, will make your pygmies a whole lot brighter when eaten ... and probably make them explode or something else disastrous. With all of these changes, we could easily see the game's 170,000 players wiping out another 2 million pygmies by December 2012.
Pocket God update 11.5
Are you still plotting pygmies' demise in Pocket God? If not, what did you think of the game?

Cafe World Halloween Candy Bowl - Everything you need to know

While we've already brought you a complete guide to the eight Amelia's Treats goals in Cafe World's new Halloween event, this is but the beginning of the spooky content you'll have access to this month. For one, you can now build a Pumpkin Tree (which we've also told you about), and you can also collect Treats to redeem them for a variety of prizes.

To be specific, you'll be able to place a free Halloween Candy Bowl in your cafe. This allows you to browse through your various Cafe World neighbors, two at a time, and decide whether or not to send them a Trick or a Treat. You can also send a specific message to your friends if you'd like.

As your friends do the same, or as you collect Treats by asking your friends to send them to you (you'll need to ask for plenty of pieces of candy in the Halloween goals themselves), you'll be able to collect these pieces of candy and use them for (as of this writing) three prize within your Halloween Candy Bowl.

To be specific, here are the three prizes:

Fruit Flies - 5 Pieces of Candy
ScaryBerry Pie - 15 Pieces of Candy
Halloween 50% 4x Ultra-Stove - 30 Pieces of Candy

If appears that this Fruit Flies item is an ingredient used in the Taste Lab for Signature Dishes, while the Scaryberry Pie looks to be a full recipe in and of itself.

Another element to this feature is the ability to pass out candy to your customers in the same sort of way as you serve Coffee or Drinks (that is, if you still do that manually). Just wait for a red candy symbol to be over a guest's head, and then click on them to give them a piece of candy. You won't take candy away from your overall stockpile (used to earn the rewards listed above), but you will lost any of the "Available" candy that's listed inside you bowl. The more you participate in this event, the more candy you'll have free to give away, and the more rewards (coins, Special Delivery Boxes and the like), you'll earn as prizes!

With this feature, along with the series of Amelia's Treats goals, you're looking at a fairly time-consuming set of Halloween events in your Cafe. What's more - they'll apparently all expire in a matter of just 14 days! Is that enough time to complete everything? You tell us!

Check out the rest of our Halloween coverage right here.

What do you think of the Halloween Candy Bowl feature in Cafe World? Will you try to make your way through all of the goals in time, or are you more concerned with earning treats for these Candy Bowl prizes?

Family Feud & Friends on iOS makes the Facebook game mobile

While Family Feud on Facebook draws in around 1.6 million monthly players, developer Ludia is hoping to expand upon that number (or, at the very least, please established fans) by releasing Family Feud & Friends on iOS. The game is free on both iPhone and iPad (via a universal app), and both versions connect to Facebook, allowing you to experience all of the fun from the Facebook version right in the palm of your hand (or your lap, in the case of the iPad).

For those unfamiliar with the Facebook version, it's the same gameplay from the famous show, but streamlined. You're given three rounds of survey questions, with the top answers being hidden. It's your job to guess what a crowd of 100 average folks answered. Say you're asked: "What might men think women waste too much money on?" You could then answer things like "Makeup" or "Clothing," as those are things men might say stereotypically.

In this version of Family Feud, you're allowed to challenge complete strangers to earn a high score across these three rounds of asynchronous gameplay (meaning that you can come back at a later time to finish games without losing progress or points). Whoever has the most points goes on to play Fast Money. Like in the TV Show, you're allowed to answer a series of five questions with a single response, and can then post a request to your friends' Facebook walls, or even send them text messages or emails through your device to have them come help you out.

Gallery: Family Feud & Friends iOS


Like in the Facebook version of the game, you'll need to buy your way into episodes using coins. You'll receive coins for free on a daily basis, or will earn them by leveling up. You level up by earning more and more money from each episode you play. Technically, everything is as it should be, right down to the voice-actor you're used to on Facebook. You can even track your progress against your friends via high score charts or use the integrated Game Center support to earn achievements.

All told, we have had some slight server issues during our time with the game, that forced us to reconnect or even stalled our progress entirely until we came back a while later. Still, it's expected that Ludia will continually update the game to fix these issues, which would definitely make this one mobile social game to watch out for. Will Ludia release more "& Friends" versions of its Facebook game shows? We'll make sure to let you know if it does.

Have you tried Family Feud & Friends? What other game shows from Facebook would you like to see given the mobile treatment?

Angry Birds Seasons Halloween update means a new bird is in town

Oh, and let's not forget about the 30 "bone-chilling" new levels and the bunch of new Game Center achievements to earn. Rovio unleashed a new update to Angry Birds Seasons today, and confirmed our suspicions that a new bird was in the works.

We're not sure of the new avian's name, but at least we know what it does. This orange little bugger isn't much of anything when first launched, but tap the screen while it's in midair and the bird will balloon several times its size.

Of course, this means it'll gain an enormous amount of weight, so the bird might be ideally used once inside a pig structure. The list of Game Center achivements to earn includes defeating 300 skeletons, finishing all 30 new stages, earning three stars on every level and more. And, like all Angry Birds updates, this one is absolutely free.
Angry Birds Seasons update
Well, given that you've already purchased Angry Birds Seasons for the buck. Look, we may be sick of Angry Birds around here, but not even we can help getting just a little giddy over a newly announced bird. This must be the power Rovio has over everyone else--must ... fight it ... but, I need that bird. And I just bought it. Now we have a better idea as to how Angry Birds might be worth more than $1 billion.

[Via Pocket Gamer]

Check out the rest of our Halloween coverage right here.

You've already downloaded the update, too, haven't you? For how much longer do you think Rovio can keep up the Angry Birds planet-like gravitational pull?

Capcom veteran Inafune doesn't rely on social game metrics 'slavishly'

Since his 23-year stint with Capcom abruptly ended nearly a year ago, Japanese game designer Keiji Inafune (pictured) is already at work making new games, namely social games. With two games in the works for both DeNA and Gree--J.J. Rockets and Island of Dr. Momo, respectively--Inafune looks to do things a little differently in the mobile social games space, according to a talk with Gamasutra.

"So I don't rely on metrics slavishly; I give them quick looks, absorbing them and reflecting them against my own thoughts to analyze what they mean," Inafune told Gamasutra." Game creators have to be really good at that internal sort of analysis; otherwise you're just looking toward marketing data for your game ideas, and a computer can do that."

Inafune went on to say, "If you rely on those, then basically what you've got is a set of numbers that don't necessarily tell you anything. Just because you know what someone's favorite food doesn't mean you really know the person." Compelling, huh? The creator of storied franchises like Mega Man thinks social games might herald of the future of video games. Period.

"I think that eventually, we're see a new kind of game which is neither console nor social, one that overcomes the obstacles that both current game styles have to deal with," Inafune said to Gamasutra. "I don't know what that's going to be yet, though, so that's why I'm trying to learn more about this market."

The designer went on to say that the persistent "me-too" trend in social game creation needs to stop if we're to see this happen. And Keiji, we couldn't agree more. In pursuit of this fresh new form of social game, Inafune recently opened his own studio, Comcept. Now, how do we make such games profitable enough for more designers to bite?

What do you think of Inafune's approach and expectations from social games? Are you waiting for something totally new in the social games space, too?

Google: Games platform 'is not ready to handle' opening up to creators

There's a reason that Google+ Games has been a slow burn since its launch this summer: It can't handle much more. Speaking exclusively with Gamasutra, Google+ game developer advocate Todd Kerpelman said, "And that is our larger goal, to bring in more developers, and eventually open it up to anybody that wants to develop on Google+. Just right now the system is not ready to handle that."

Google has been quite exclusive with which developers it allows to bring their games onto Google+ Games, working with only the biggest names in casual and social games like Rovio, Zynga, PopCap and Kabam to name a few. (Well, there aren't many more than that, really.) While this is partially due to the fact that Google+ would likely be crushed if the gates were opened to everyone at once, the company is still working out how exactly it wants to handle developers.

"I'm not sure what our plans are - to be completely open versus something like an Apple-style, curated business - that's still to be determined, and we're still working it out," Kerpelman said to Gamasutra. "...The platform has only been out a couple of months, so we've got a way to go."

Gamasutra notes that, if Google opted to open up Google+ Games like it has the Android Market--which is essentially a wild west of games and apps--it would almost certainly have to handle counterfeit games. And that's something, according to Kerpelman, Google simply doesn't want in its online marketplaces anymore. (Who else just screamed hallelujah?)

This news comes just as a Google engineer name-dropped the Google+ Games platform specifically in a rant, implying that the initiative was an afterthought for Google. We're impressed by the platform's pristine presentation (and we're sure game makers love that tiny 5 percent price tag), but Kerpelman's right: Google's got a way to go, and updates like this are certainly steps.

Have you tried playing social games on Google+ yet? What do you think of the experience compared to Facebook and other networks, and what do you think it needs?

Game of the Day: Blackjack

Hit, stand or bust; double down or split. Blackjack or 21 is by far the most popular table game offered in gambling establishments, and on Games.com it's free for you to play anytime.

Games.com lets you play Blackjack with people all around the world. Chat with folks and make friends, while (hopefully) making a killing in this addictive gambling game. This game is super solid and really easy to pick up. It's so much fun, sometimes I wonder whether it should be illegal... So check it out and let me know how you fare against the dealer!

Click here to play Blackjack!
blackjack game of the day     blackjack game of the day
Pro Tips:

    Be chatty and make friends! The Games.com Blackjack community is awesome.
    Make an avatar! You can customize your appearance in the game settings.


Click here to play Blackjack!

How much money were you able to accumulate?

CrowdStar's Wasteland Empires on Facebook: Both fresh and decayed

Mel Gibson would be proud to discover that the spiritual, social tribute to Beyond Thunderdome has arrived on Facebook. (Well, after he stops talking to that infernal puppet.) CrowdStar has released its next big Facebook game for all to play: Wasteland Empires. Wait a tick ... that doesn't sound happy or girly at all. You're absolutely right, imaginary dissenter--this real time strategy (RTS) social game marks marks the company's interest in the supposedly burgeoning male audience.

According to lead producer Jonathan Cook, Wasteland Empires draws inspiration from the tower defense genre and classic strategy games like Warcraft and Starcraft. Simply put, CrowdStar is looking to emulate the hardcore strategy game experience, but without the massive amount of time that most strategy games demand. Not to mention in a setting that has admittedly been largely under-served on Facebook: Wasteland Empires takes place in the not-so-distant future, 58 years after the apocalypse.

"We picked the style because it's something that we wanted to see, and hadn't really seen anything else like that," Cook tells us. "We don't have as much time as we used to when we were in college, but to be able to build something that reminds us of games being fun, and bringing that to the Facebook environment, is just really exciting."
Wasteland Empires concept art
Players assume the role of a leader of sorts over a growing shanty town of colonists that have just found their first pure source of water in years. Not governed by an energy system, actions in Wasteland Empires like expansion and creating new troops and buildings merely takes resources and time. As you send colonists to scavenge the outskirts of your village, you'll acquire more resources and uncover more land to place buildings like houses, farms and water towers upon.

These motions will surely increase your population, which is split 50/50 between workers and attack units. There are multiple units to choose from like Scouts (small, fast units with speedy attacks), Clubbers (larger, beefier guys with slower attacks) and later on even gunners and troops piloting bipedal war machines. Attacking other players' or NPC (non-player character) outposts on the map is simply a matter of directing your squad of units to destroy any defensive buildings first and clean up what's left.
Gallery: CrowdStar's Wasteland Empires on Facebook
On the other end, it's up to you to build a tiered defense of sniping towers, ones that deal explosive damage and makeshift mines. When you're attacked, you'll lose some resources based on how much the enemy managed to destroy in the time they're allotted during their invasion. But your friends can help replenish those resources by gifting them to you.

On paper, Wasteland Empires doesn't sound too different from the lot of strategy games already on Facebook. And, aside from its decidedly fresh setting and multifaceted approach to combat (it's not as simple as sending in a few meat shields while your long range snipers do the dirty work), you would be right. But Cook thinks that if there is one thing that separates this social, strategic wheat from the chaff, it's the story.
Wasteland Empires Battle
"I think a lot of the other Facebook RTS-ish games have interesting gameplay mechanics, but there isn't a story," Cook admits. "You're not in a world, [but] you're kind of just thrown down and told to go fight people, be engaged. We're definitely trying to balance that with [saying] that there is a world behind this and we're moving that world forward."

The story in Wasteland Empires unfurls with NPCs popping in from time to time and giving you things to do to progress. The main storyline is presented in chapters with specific quests and tasks. But CrowdStar plans to introduce other ways that the world's lore will be revealed to the player, namely through scavenging. Even now, you can see chunks of rubble with tags attached to them that read, "Coming Soon." Ultimately, the goal of the story is to explain how exactly this cataclysm happened.
Wasteland Empires mech concept
While the game has existed on Facebook since earlier this summer in an alpha testing phase, CrowdStar plans to add more features to Wasteland Empires like alliances for players to form. As to how the company plans to garner an audience for the decidedly different game, Cook jokes that throwing a banner ad for Wasteland Empires on top of, say, Happy Pets probably wouldn't be a good fit. That said, CrowdStar is looking to build a new player base with the game.

Wasteland Empires might make a lot of the same moves that competitors like Kabam and Kixeye have in the sub genre, but CrowdStar has clearly taken some notes. CrowdStar's first foray into what the company plans to flesh out into a full-blown franchise is a fresh take on strategy gaming on Facebook, if only through its dreary, post-apocalyptic setting. That said, in time we could easily see Wasteland Empires become the Mad Max of social gaming.

Click here to play CrowdStar's Wasteland Empires on Facebook Now >

Do you think a game with a post-apocalyptic theme could do well on Facebook? Do you plan on giving it a shot? Is there room for anymore strategy games on Facebook?

Pioneer Trail Legend of the White Buffalo: Everything you need to know

As another way to celebrate Thanksgiving and the fall season in general in Pioneer Trail, Zynga has released the "Legend of the White Buffalo" event, that sees you once again growing your relationship with the Wikiwah Tribe. Laughing Bear has told you stories of a majestic White Buffalo that grants "prosperity to the pure of heart." That prosperity in this case is a boost that will allow you to move faster and doubles the amount of experience points you'll earn for a short time. Of course, you'll need to put forth some effort before simply receiving this reward, as you'll need to first create a shrine for the White Buffalo itself.

This White Buffalo Shrine requires six building materials to construct, as you can see below:

    10 Polished Stones
    10 Buffalo Hooves
    10 Poppy Flowers
    15 Spirit Woods
    15 Bison Horns
    15 Birchwood Charcoal


The Polished Stones, Poppy Flowers and Buffalo Hooves are earned through general news items posted on your wall, while the other three items are earned through individual gift requests sent to friends.

To go along with this new shrine are two goals, with one unlocking access to a new animal in the store.

Legend of the White Buffalo

    Place White Buffalo Shrine
    Harvest 40 Peas
    Collect 10 White Buffalo Sightings


The White Buffalo Shrine itself costs a little over 1,000 coins and 20 wood to purchase from the store. It costs 35 Wood and 5 energy to complete its frame. As for the Peas, these take two full days to grow, if you don't use boosts to speed up the process. Finish this first goal and you'll receive 500 XP, 375 coins and four Plains Buffalo. Completing this goal also gives you access to purchasing more of these Buffalo from the store.

Legacy of the White Buffalo

    Complete the White Buffalo Shrine
    Tend 12 Adult Plains Buffalo
    Collect 15 Spirit Lures


So long as you purchase enough Buffalo to give you at least 12 on your land at once, you'll be able to finish this goal with relative ease. It may be a time consuming one, but there doesn't appear to be any sort of in-game time limit rushing you to completion. Once you do finish this goal however, you'll see that your Buffalo Shrine has done its job, as you'll receive a Legendary White Buffalo, 500 coins and 750 XP.

Once you've completed both of these goals, and have fully built your White Buffalo Shrine, you'll be able to collect its Daily Bonus for access to this "gift of prosperity," offering faster in-game movement and increased experience points. It's a fairly simple feature, all things considered, so why not give it a shot?

Check out the rest of our Thanksgiving-themed coverage right here.

What do you think of this White Buffalo Shrine? Were you worried when you heard another White Buffalo was coming to the game, since the Injured Critters practically took over our homesteads?

Cafe World Fall Feast Fred's Goals: Everything you need to know

The time we've been dreading waiting for has arrived chefs. The second set of goals in the massive Cafe World Fall Feast event has launched, giving us plenty of work to do both during the Thanksgiving holiday and even beyond. Taking a page from Amelia's Goals, we see Fred's Goals being just as lengthy and time consuming. If you can complete them all, however, you'll receive a free 4x 50% Lightning Stove. Whether or not you can make it there in time (this Fall Feast event is as the 12 day time limit mark) will be the real test of your dedication to the game. Here's a look at the goals in Fred's portion of the event.

Note: The dishes here will be random across each user's cafe. The total time spent cooking each dish will end up being the same, if you finish every single goal in Fred's series, but until then, you may find yourself cooking longer cooking-time dishes than your friends, or vice versa. There's unfortunately no way for us to predict which dishes each user will have to cook individually. Sorry!

Fred's Feast

    Place the Cornucopia
    Collect 4 Spice Books
    Serve 24 Dishes


The Cornucopia is a new building project for this set of goals. Once it's finished, it will give you a "mysterious new stove" in your cafe that cooks random dishes. This random dish will have no-spoil protection, and will come with a +1 mastery boost when you do serve it. Of course, you'll need to collect building materials before you can ever use the Cornucopia, as you'll need 7 Assorted Squash (news feed post), 9 Autumn Leaves (individual requests), 8 Ears of Corn (news feed post) and 10 Rafia (individual requests).

Finish this first goal and you'll receive 1,000 coins, 100 Cafe Points and 5 Fall Feast Invites. Remember, these Invites work as contest entries, giving you a chance to win Cafe Cash.

Gathering Fixings

    Spice 3 Dishes
    Serve 18 Sandwiches
    Collect 5 Fresh Fixings


As with the rest of these goals, you'll need to "collect" items by asking your friends to send them to you, and then cook a random dish, as we mentioned earlier. At least here, you can also complete the "spice 3 dishes" task relatively simply by using extra salt or pepper that you might have on hand. Your rewards for this second goal are a Six Hour Thyme and 10 Fall Feast Invites.

Succulent Squash

    Ask for 8 Butternut Squash
    Collect 7 Spice Books
    Serve 25 Dishes


Reward: 2000 coins, 200 Cafe Points, 15 Fall Feast Invites

Restock the Feast

    Collect 8 Fresh Fixings
    Serve 24 Dishes
    Ask for 7 Dried Rosemary


Reward: Crackers ingredient, 20 Fall Feast Invites

Fresh Ideas

    Serve 20 Taste Lab Dishes with Crackers
    Collect 10 Spice Books
    Complete the Cornucopia


Reward: Mystery Prize and 50 Fall Feast Invites

Meat and Veggies

    Collect 6 Assored Meat
    Collect 4 Fresh Fixings
    Serve 24 Dishes


Reward: 1000 coins, 100 Cafe Points and 5 Fall Feast Invites

Fresh and Spicy!

    Spice 3 Dishes
    Serve 25 Dishes
    Collect 6 Spice Books


Reward: Six Hour Thyme and 10 Fall Feast Invites

Picking Peppers

    Ask for 8 Fresh Red Peppers
    Collect 5 Fresh Fixings
    Serve 25 Dishes


Reward: 2,000 coins, 200 Cafe Points and 15 Fall Feast Invites

Secret Ingredient

    Collect 8 spice Books
    Serve 24 Dishes
    Ask for 7 Fresh Asparagus


Reward: Chicken Stock ingredient and 20 Fall Feast Invites

A Fresh Request

    Serve 20 Taste Lab Dishes with Chicken Stock
    Collect 7 Fresh Fixings
    Mastery Caramelized Flatbread to Level 2


Reward: Mystery Prize, 50 Fall Feast Invites

Fetching Fixins'

    Ask for 6 Assorted Meat
    Collect 3 Fresh Fixings
    Serve 24 Dishes


Reward: 1,000 coins, 100 Cafe Points, 5 Fall Feast Invites

A Flavorful Feast

    Spice 4 Dishes
    Serve 20 Dishes
    Collect 6 Spice Books


Reward: Twelve Hour Thyme, 10 Fall Feast Invites

Heat Up the Feast

    Ask for 8 Hot Peppers
    Collect 5 Fresh Fixings
    Serve 25 Dishes


Reward: 2,000 coins, 200 Cafe Points, 15 Fall Feast Invites

Smooth as Butter

    Collect 5 Spice Books
    Serve 24 Dishes
    Ask for 7 Sticks of Butter


Reward: Butter ingredient, 20 Fall Feast Invites

Pumpkin Pride!

    Serve 20 Taste Lab Dishes with Butter
    Collect 7 Fresh Fixings
    Mastery Cream Corn Pudding through Level 2


Reward: Mystery Prize, 50 Fall Feast Invites

Meaty Fixin's

    Ask for 7 Assorted Meats
    Collect 5 Spice Books
    Serve 30 Dishes


Reward: 1,000 coins, 100 Cafe Points, 5 Fall Feast Invites

Spicing the Feast

    Spice 4 Dishes
    Serve 24 Dishes
    Collect 6 Fresh Fixings


Reward: Twelve Hour Thyme, 10 Fall Feast Invites

Going for Gravy

    Ask for 8 Cans of Gravy
    Collect 7 Spice Books
    Serve 25 Dishes


Reward: 2,000 coins, 200 Cafe Points, 15 Fall Feast Invites

Fresh Baked

    Collect 7 Fresh Fixings
    Serve 24 Dishes
    Ask for 7 Table Bread


Reward: Sourdough ingredient, Turkey Gravy ingredient, 20 Fall Feast Invites

Totally Turducken

    Serve 20 Taste Lab Dishes with Turkey Gravy
    Collect 10 Spice Books
    Master Pumpkin Gingerbread to Level 2


Reward: Mystery Prize, 50 Fall Feast Invites

A Friendly Feast

    Ask for 7 Assorted Meat
    Collect 5 Fresh Fixings
    Serve 24 Dishes


Reward: 1,000 coins, 100 Cafe Points, 5 Fall Feast Invites

Fresh Fall Flavor

    Spice 5 Dishes
    Serve 24 Dishes
    Collect 6 Spice Books


Reward: Instant Thyme, 10 Fall Feast Invites

A Honey of a Dish

    Ask for 8 Honey Jars
    Collect 7 Fresh Fixings
    Serve 25 Dishes


Reward: 3,000 coins, 300 Cafe Points, 15 Fall Feast Invites

Turkey Necks!

    Collect 8 Spice Books
    Serve 24 Dishes
    Ask for 7 Sacks of Seasoning


Reward: Turkey Neck ingredient, 20 Fall Feast Invites

Fred's Catering

    Serve 20 Taste Lab Dishes with Rice Pilaf
    Collect 8 Fresh Fixings
    Master Turducken through Level 1


Reward: Mystery Prize, 50 Fall Feast Invites

Across these goals, the Mystery Prizes look to be recipes, save for the final Mystery Prize, which will be the Lightning Stove we spoke of earlier. Also, while many of these goals look identical, keep in mind that they are all separate, requiring different dishes to be cooked and items to be collected from friends. I hope you have a lot of time on your hands this Thanksgiving season, as you'll need to dedicate as much time as possible to the game to finish all of these goals in time.

Check out the rest of our Thanksgiving-themed coverage right here.

What do you think of Fred's Goals in the Fall Feast event? Are these worse than Amelia's Goals, or easier? Will you attempt to complete them all, or have you already given up on the Thanksgiving event in Cafe World?

FarmVille: Best Selling Boxes offer you trees, horses and gnomes in bulk

Are you a horse, tree or gnome collector in FarmVille that has lapsed on your collection recently? Are you disappointed that you missed out on some limited edition items because you didn't have Farm Cash at the time to purchase them? The folks at Zynga hope so, as they've released a series of new "Best Selling" box packages in the game's store, that will give you different groups of popular trees, horses or gnomes, depending on which items you'd like to purchase, and how much you'd like to spend. All of these boxes cost Farm Cash, but if you purchase them right now, you'll save on their prices. We're also here to give you a complete rundown of what these boxes contain, should you choose to purchase them.

10 Top Trees - 30 Farm Cash

    Dogwood Tree
    White Willow Tree
    Ribbon Flower Tree
    Damson Tree
    Rowan Tree
    English Elm Tree
    Juniper Tree
    Cherry Plum Tree
    Chestnut Tree
    Pink Hanging Flower Tree


5 Top Trees - 20 Farm Cash

    Rainbow Tree
    Pink Bubble Gum Tree
    Confetti Tree
    Chrome Apple Tree
    Candy Apple Tree


3 Top Trees - 15 Farm Cash

    Gem Tree
    Pink Crystal Tree
    Magic Peach Tree


10 Top Gnomes - 90 Farm Cash

    Fairy Gnome
    Princess Gnome
    Cupid Gnome
    Eskimo Gnome
    Prince Gnome
    Werewolf Gnome
    Knight Gnome
    Master Gnome
    Venus Gnome
    Cowboy Gnome


5 Top Gnomes - 50 Farm Cash

    Miss Swiss Gnome
    Trawler Gnome
    Surfer Gnome
    Autumn Gnome
    American Gnome


3 Top Gnomes - 33 Farm Cash

    Mariachi Gnome
    Black Knight Gnome
    Piper Gnome


10 Top Horses - 140 Farm Cash

    Clydesdale Stallion
    Pegasus
    Brown Gypsy Horse
    Shire Horse
    Valentine Mini Horse
    Shetland Pony
    Carnival Horse
    White Thoroughbred
    Purple Ponytail Horse
    Royal Horse


5 Top Horses - 80 Farm Cash

    Black Cherry Horse
    Knight Steed
    Fjord Horse
    Shamrock Pony
    Fairy Horse


3 Top Horses - 60 Farm Cash

    Nightmare Stallion
    Irish Cob Horse
    Suffolk Punch Horse


Unfortunately, if you want to start an entirely new collection in the game, you'll need to purchase all three packages of each type, as items don't duplicate. These are nine entirely different sets of items, and while they may give you a break at their current sale prices, over what you'd pay for these items individually, it's still a really costly endeavor. Sure, it would be great if we could choose from individual trees, horses and gnomes in the store, but I suppose we really can't complain when this many previously retired items all come back at once. If you're at all interested in filling in those holes in your collections, do so fast, as these boxes will only be available in the game's store for the next nine days.

What do you think of these nine different packages? Do you collect gnomes, trees or horses in FarmVille? Do you think you'll purchase any of these kits? Which ones?