Happy Aquarium Hammerhead Shark terrorizes tanks

    happy aquarium hammerhead shark
Last week Happy Aquarium released the first in a series of BIG fish. The Giant Sunfish was almost ten times the size of Happy Aquarium's other fish. This week, they're gone the large route again with the Hammerhead Shark. This toothy, hungry and sometimes dangerous fish will also dominate your tank with its size. However, this fish is only available while supplies last so head over to Happy Aquarium if you're interested.

The Hammerhead Shark costs 79 Pearls or 66 Facebook Credits, making him quite the investment. On the other hand, it is pretty great having a huge shark in your tank. Regardless, there are only about 26,000 left, so if you're considering a purchase, don't wait too long.

Click here to play Happy Aquarium>

Mafia Wars: Free gift RM Crumpet is a lemon

Mafia Wars released a new free gift, the RM Crumpet, for players to send to their friends. Unfortunately, you get what you pay for, and since we aren't paying anything in this case, it's no surprise this vehicle qualifies as lackluster. The RM Crumpet certainly won't be turning the heads of those looking for powerful weaponry, but it may appeal to collectors.

The vehicle boasts 19 Attack and 15 Defense making it a lower-end item. Nonetheless, it is free, so you might consider taking a break from sending red or blue mystery bags, and send your buddy a RM Crumpet. Thanks Zynga.

Click here to play Mafia Wars>

Pet Society: Set out on an adorable Treasure Hunt for unique items

pet society digging
Earlier this week, Pet Society was hinting at a new feature. All they had released was a silhouetted image of a pet with a shovel. As many fans correctly predicted, the feature was treasure hunting. To go treasure hunting, from your home, click the Hunt for Treasure button at the bottom of your screen and select the Town Forest.

There are a total of 13 items to collect in the Town Forest. Continue reading to see a complete list.
pet society treasure hunting     pet society hunt for treasure
Once at the forest, digging functions similar to a game of mine sweeper. If the treasure is more than 2 spaces in any direction from where you dug, it will say nothing found. If the treasure is 2 spaces away it will say, treasure nearby. Finally, if the treasure is one space away from where you dug, you will receive the message: treasure very close. Keep digging to hone in on that buried treasure. It is possible to find four items each session. Don't worry about running out of shovels, you can buy an additional five for 300 Coins.
forest aquarium     pet society dinosaur skeleton

The treasures in the Town Woods are as follows:

    Forest Aquarium
    Summer Sofapet society treasure hunting
    Divine Tiara
    Blue Fossil Shell
    Pink Monkey Plushie
    Pink Snail
    Running Pet Amphora
    Flower Seed
    Ancient Wall Painting
    Ceramic Flute
    Fish in a Jar
    Big Stone Dino Fossil (Requires finding all seven parts)
    Purple Mushroom


Everyone loves finding treasure and now you can carry out your treasure hunt right in Pet Society, no need to head over to Treasure Isle. The best part is: no Playfish Cash required. Head over to Pet Society to hunt for treasure yourself.

Click here to play Pet Society>

FarmVille Island Buildings: Tree Village, Island Resort, & Island Shanty

FarmVille Freak DarkFarmer's Island Resort
Three new limited edition Island themed buildings became available with tonight's FarmVille update.

The Tree Village, Island Resort, and Island Shanty can all be purchased with farm cash or coins during the next 12 days in the FarmVille Market.
FarmVille Island Shanty, Tree Villange, and Island Resort
FarmVille Island Buildings (June 10th 2010):

    Tree Village – 42 FV$
    Island Resort – 36 FV$
    Island Shanty – 55,000 Coins


This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.

FarmVille Unreleased Oats Crop, Mastery Sign, Market Stall, & Bushel

Thank you to FarmVille Freak Farhan for finding these unreleased FarmVille Oats Seed, Oats Mastery Sign, Oats Market Stall, & Oats Bushel.

This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.

FarmVille Unreleased Lemon Balm Market Stall & Lemon Balm Bushel

Thank you to FarmVille Freak Farhan for finding these unreleased FarmVille Lemon Balm Market Stall & Lemon Balm Bushel.

This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.

FarmVille Unreleased Rappi Crop, Sugar Beets Crop, Triticale Crop, & Triticale Mastery Sign

Thank you to FarmVille Freak Shiori for finding these unreleased FarmVille Rappi Crop, Sugar Beets Crop, Triticale Crop, & Triticale Mastery Sign!
FarmVille Unreleased Rappi Crop, Sugar Beets Crop, Triticale Crop, & Triticale Mastery Sign
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.


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FarmVille Unreleased Swiss Ibex Goat Image & Animation

FarmVille Swiss Ibex Goat
Thank you to FarmVille Freak Dr. Green Thumb for finding this unreleased FarmVille Swiss Ibex Goat!

From its name, the Swiss Ibex Goat definitely seems to be part of the limited edition Swiss Alps theme. Perhaps, we can expect to see this new FarmVille Goat sometime this week.

Note: Unreleased items have no official release date or guarantee that they will make it to the FarmVille Market. Zynga is the sole owner of all their copyrighted images.

This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.

Nightclub City on Facebook connects players with real-life artists

You love the nightlife? You got to boogie? Then you're probably not spending your nights playing games on Facebook. But, during those off hours, you can keep the beats thumping by playing Nightlife City, a game on Facebook that lets you take a small club and turn it into an A-list nightlife destination by upgrading your digs, spinning tunes and building a rep which attracts more partying patrons.

The game from Booyah has actually been on Facebook since April 2010, and has been fairly popular, gathering a steady user base of 4.5 million fans. Nightlife City is a simulation game, and its strength lies in the fact that it's about music and dancing rather than farming or feeding virtual pets. One of the overlooked (and more interesting) parts of the game is that the music you play in the clubs is from real-life artists, many of which you haven't heard before if you aren't a club music aficionado. Even so, the artists are saying that being in this game has led new fans to them.

"Nightclub City has proven to be an amazing portal for me to uniquely engage with my fans. I've received tens of thousands of new Facebook fans that now connect with me and my music," says Miri Ben-Ari aka The Hip-Hop Violinist, Grammy Award Winner.

Booyah is best known for another app that intersects the real world with the virtual -- an iPhone app called MyTown. My Town is a cross between Foursquare and social game and, as of May 2010, crossed the 2 million user milestone. Nightclub City is only available on Facebook for now, but Booyah hints that the club game might migrate to other apps in the not-too-distant future. See you on the virtual dance floor.

Play Nightclub City on Facebook >

Pet Society Blooper: Pumpkinhead

Pet Society Layering Issues
Recently, as I was visiting a friend, I ran into this funny situation. Pet 1, whose name is Poopy (I kid you not) is wearing an invisible ring and a pumpkin mask. Pet 2 is my pet peering through the pumpkin's eyes.

This bizarre moment is due to the layering issues of the game. If you've been playing Pet Society for some time, you've probably encountered a layering problem, when you see one thing on top of another that just doesn't look right. Sometimes, this is annoying, as it can mess up the design of your room. Other times, it can be a funny accident.

Credits: Poopy is owned by Rayan. Pet 2 is Sushi trying to imagine what his dad might look like.

Hi5 raises $14 million, Prez tells Facebook to bring it on

You may be familiar with Hi5, unless you live in Thailand or South America, but the social network continues to bring in the bucks -- 14 million in this latest round -- to put toward its strategy of moving from a plain Jane network to one that embraces social gaming, including a built-in e-commerce system and the promise of free promotion to developers who upload their games to the network.

"This round of financing will fund our continued project development, investment in our commerce platform and gaming partnerships," says a Hi5 source.

The network is working furiously to compete with market leader Facebook, and Hi5 President and CTO Alex St. John (a former Microsoft exec and Wild Tangent founder) throws down the gauntlet in this recent Financial Times interview: "Facebook will make missteps because it wants to be a general-purpose social network and will not focus properly on gaming, leaving it to more specialised [sic] companies like his own Hi5 to produce winning models." Them's fighting words, but we're fairly certain the outspoken St. John is always game for a good fight.

Happy Pets new Random Cat and the Price of Being Unique

Happy Pets Random Cat notice
Happy Pets Random Cat is unpleasedWow, 150 Facebook Credits for a Random Cat is akin to $15 USD! Can anyone be that determined to own the most unique kitty on Happy Pets? And just to make it clear, the Random Cat isn't as random as you forking over the $15 for whatever appears. You get to click the randomizer as many times as you want until you settle on a kitty that doesn't look like a glop of colorful goo and cobbled together by a mad scientist.

Right now, the jury is out on how good this option is. Because for 150 FB Credits, you can just get a cat with features you do like, and perform your own mix-and-match for free, which is what the game is set up for anyway.

I think Crowdstar would've made more people happy and still made some money if they put the Crowdstar Cat up for sale, instead of re-releasing for free it to promote their Gamebar. (Not that I'm complaining about that! Cause I'm glad I got a second chance at it.) it might even be better if they gave this option for horses or dinosaurs. They're so new, there's currently a dearth of designs for those animals.

FishVille Flash Sale offers discounts for today only

FishVille has launched a sale today that offers 20% of Sand Dollars, discounts on premium items in the FishVille store, and also a points system that allows you to unlock exclusive fish by purchasing Sand Dollar items. This sale only lasts for another 4 hours as of this writing, so you'll have to hop aboard quick if you want a chance to partake in the sale.

Here is how the sale works. When you log in to FishVille, there is a button for the Flash Sale on the left side of your screen. If you click this button, you will see a button to gain a 20% discount on Sand Dollars. There is also a Reward Earning Meter that shows your progress towards unlocking the special fish. These fish have been available exclusively in the past, so they are rare but not brand new to the game.

In the Store, the prices have been slashed on plants, decorations, and creatures that cost Sand Dollars. Almost all of these items have received discounts ranging from 10% - 20%. Even the new Bayou themed items are included in the sale!

Log in to FishVille to take part in the Flash sale for the next four hours only.

InstantJam taps into Rock Band and Guitar Hero lovers on Facebook

Yesterday, our sister site Joystiq reported that InstantAction has just debuted a "Rock Band-style music game" called InstantJam onto Facebook.

We last heard of InstantAction in March, where the company hoped to revolutionize online gaming by giving games the versatility and portability of YouTube videos. InstantAction's embed technology would allow people to play games without the need for logging into games portals or sites like Facebook, in a way similar to how viewers can place and load YouTube videos anywhere on the web.

At the time, the company's passenger for this flagship project was The Secret of Monkey Island™: Special Edition, which set sail on the Facebook seas for $9.99 USD back in April. But now, it seems that InstantAction is sold on developing its own online music game.

But the company isn't exactly blazing a new trail here -- similar games such as Foo Brew's JamLegend and Acclaim's RockFREE were reported closed last week. What InstantJam promises are special features, such as using songs from your computer and synching up with iTunes and Amazon to let you purchase music. You can also hook up a guitar controller to play the game instead of using a keyboard.

Facebook users can click here to check out the game, but be warned, the title is currently in closed beta, so there's a waiting list to get in. For those without Facebook, you can get a visual tour on InstantJam's official website.

Treasure Isle heats up with new Volcano Isles maps

Treasure Isle Volcano Isles map
It has been awhile since Treasure Isle released plain old regular maps, so players should be excited to see that a new set of seven volcano-themed maps have been launched today. These new maps are named the following:

Burning Phoenix - 15 Island Cash
Imp Fort
Old Gem Mine - 10 Island Cash
Phoenix Roost
Jeweled Palace
Fairy Castle - 5 Island Cash
Wrong Turn!

Players will be disappointed to see that three of the new maps require Island Cash to unlock, but that is the nature of these types of games. A post on the Treasure Isle Official Forums has explained that the new maps contain Phoenix Gates that need to be unlocked. These gates can be unlocked by digging up Phoenix Feathers in the Fire God Mountain, or buy purchasing them for 5 Island Cash each. It's interesting that gems don't seem like they will be important in these new maps, especially with the new Gem Mine that has been released.

What do you think of the new Volcano Isle maps?

Is Zynga about to rock Facebook with a new music game?

FarmVille maker Zynga purchased the Boston-based Conduit Labs, the creators of Super Dance and Music Pets on Facebook, on August 17. Neither of these games reached critical mass on Facebook (and in fact, Music Pets and Super Dance are now both officially closed), but this does seems like a possible indication that the Big Z is preparing to kick off the music game revolution on Facebook.

Think about it -- some of the the most popular social games outside of Facebook are music games. For years, many iterations of Rock Band and Guitar Hero have brought groups of people together to jam out on plastic instruments to hits from the past several decades. The games have brought in billions of dollars, and have helped make games more accessible to the masses. We've seen this music phenomenon translate fairly well onto iPhone with Tap Tap Revenge, Rock Band for iPhone and several other games, but we haven't seen a music game rock the Facebook gaming world.

That's starting to change, though. Booyah's Nightclub City, a nightclub simulation game that features dance music from real-life indie artists, broke into the top 25 Facebook games this past month. Heatwave's Platinum Life Web Edition, a hip-hop superstar sim game with licensed music and cartoon likenesses of real-life artists like Ludacris, has also been growing at a steady pace. The Las Vegas based Instant Action just launched a beta of its new music game Instant Jam -- a Guitar Hero clone that lets you play along to music in your personal digital library.

No one is better situated than Zynga to create a music game using the talent at Conduit Labs (now renamed Zynga Boston), launch it and then crank it up to 11 using the all-powerful game cross-promotion bar that sits atop FarmVille, Mafia Wars and all of Zynga's other wildly popular games, which means millions of guaranteed eyeballs for any new game.

Of course, this is all wild speculation, but just in case Zynga is on the hunt for a few ideas, these are mine: Mafia Wars: The Musical and The FarmVille Follies. What those would actually be like, I don't know -- I'll just leave it to the pros at Zynga to fill in the blanks.

Deadliest Catch coming to Facebook, developer sees future in branded social game

The hit TV series from Discovery Channel, Deadliest Catch, will soon go viral with an unnamed Facebook game developed by Hive Media. According to Hive Media CEO Brian Laing, the game will allow players to navigate treacherous waters while crab fishing on the Bering Sea, complete with a "crab count leaderboard."

Laing hopes that the brand attachment will help Hive Media's game turn out to be a winner on Facebook. "I think you can still be successful on other platforms, but Facebook is the one place to start, Laing said to Brand-e. "Once you have a winning game there, you can look to bring it out on other platforms."

As for the future of social gaming, Laing thinks, "[more branded social games will] bring in new game types and game mechanics that will be specifically tied to those brands." "I think when this happens we will start to see game mechanics combined to form very interesting games."

Deadliest Catch for Facebook is slated for a November 2010 release and will show up after the release of Deadliest Catch: Sea of Chaos November 9, 2010 on Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii.

While branded Facebook games surely are taking off, whether they'll drive innovation has yet to be seen. Hopefully there is still room for originality in social games, but don't tell Zynga that.

Wild Ones Flying Pig Mini Pet soars into battle [video]

Wild Ones' new Flying Pig Mini Pet is so fast, no one has been able to capture him on film...until now. After tracking the Flying Pig for three weeks through the treacherous Andes Mountains, I was able to snap the picture above, just as the Flying Pig screamed past me at ludicrous speeds.

Okay so maybe that's not exactly true, but the picture above is not fake. The Flying Pig is real and it is most certainly ludicrous. In fact, Wild Ones' newest Mini Pet is the most powerful mini pet yet.

Continue reading to see the Wild Ones Flying Pig Mini Pet in action.


wild ones flying pig mini petAs seen above, the Flying Pig strikes only at close proximity. However, what it lacks in range, it certainly makes up for with its power. When you move into attack, the otherwise harmless looking pig snaps into action, pounding it's calloused snout into the sternum of it's foe. As if that doesn't sound painful, remember a Wild Ones battle pet has no doubt just hurled a bomb your way. And as you lay in the rubble after the explosion, in severe pain, burned, wondering how your life could get any worse... BAM! A flying pig smashes into your chest. Talk about a night-ruiner.

To get your own Flying Pig, head to Wild Ones and check out the shop. The Mini Pets can be found in the accessories section with the clothes and other such items. You can even "try on" a Flying Pig before buying. So if you play Wild Ones, you may as well go check it out. See how the Flying Pig looks next to your pet and if it strikes you, purchase that sucker for 16 Treats.

But be warned, next time you run into me on the battlefield you may run into a team of battle pets, me and my new friend Sir Francis Bacon Esquire, the honorable Flying Pig.

Click here to play Wild Ones>

Football Games on Facebook: Which one should you play?

               

As of last Sunday, the 2010 NFL Season has officially begun. Fans around the nation held parties complete with chips, dip, beer, soda and whatnot to huddle around the HDTV and watch in awe as their favorite team dominated the field (or got creamed in Philly's case). But something... different was going on alongside just watching the games this year.

Amongst the chest bumping and high-fives, there were a select few clicking away on their mouses to the first football-themed Facebook games. But were they playing the good ones? Here we'll rate five of the newest Facebook games all about one of America's favorite sports: football. Join us after the break to find out which games make the cut or will end up on the sidelines.
Ultimate Fan Match
Ultimate Fan

Features:

    Prove that your favorite team has the most fans each week through Boost Meter
    Win Fan Points and Tickets to make the best tailgate party and rate others' parties
    Predict the outcome of this season's games to win more Fan Points
    Rate members of the team before and during every NFL game on several criteria



Recommended: No. While Ultimate Fan has fun visuals and exciting music, there isn't much else here than showing your home team pride. "Boosting" a team doesn't have any consequences other than being able to say you were right or the other team's fans got served, so to speak. Simply creating the most intense tailgate party isn't going to make itch for more. Wouldn't you rather play football instead?

Play Ultimate Fan Now >

NFL Superstars Gameplay
Madden NFL Superstars

Features:

    Manage a team of NFL players to greatness by playing fun, interactive cut-scene-style season matches
    Train your team through practice drills to keep your rating at its maximum
    Buy Player Packs for more players and rare high-level players
    Play in the NFL Pro League against the real teams of the NFL to win the Super Bowl
    Predict every week's real NFL matches for points, player cards and free games



Recommended: Yes! Madden NFL Superstars has the most enduring franchise in football video games to live up to. And EA Sports keeps the Madden name strong with entertaining visual, music and gameplay. While we've yet to see a real time, fully controllable football game on Facebook, this gem gets close with Game Changers. These one-time-use power ups can be used at any time during a game and add a layer of strategy that has yet to be seen in a football game on Facebook. Not to mention that NFL Superstars doesn't forget everyone's favorite management elements with Practice Mode and the ability to upgrade your stadium. Honestly, if you consider yourself a Madden fan, you need to at least give this one a shot.

Play Madden NFL Superstars Now >

Franchise Football win
Franchise Football

Features:

    Manage your own NFL team in a league populated entirely by Facebook players
    Win games against real players to entice free agents to sign on to your team
    Winning games also earns you draft picks to participate in the ongoing NFL draft
    Earn or buy Reputation Points to boost your team's stats
    Join discussions with other players in the in-game forum, Sports Bar



Recommended: No. CBS Sports came out strong with a football simulator that brings on the features. Personally, hardcore stat crunching was never my thing and Franchise Football has it in spades. Nearly every aspect of the game boils down to a statistic, from team ratings to Reputation Points to team worth. Now, don't misunderstand, we all know sports are driven by statistics. The game cannot be faulted on revolving around them, but when there is quite literally nothing else to look at on the screen but numbers, eyes begin to glaze over and that "Back" button is pressed on the browser before you can even yawn.

Play Franchise Football Now >

Title Town Football Screen
Title Town Football

Features:

    Raise revenue and fan numbers for your team by completing daily tasks like conducting interviews
    Upgrade your playing grounds from a forgettable field to a spectacular stadium
    Manage a team of real NFL players by maintaining a salary cap and signing exempt contracts
    Participate in the "Tailgate," and in-game forum designed to connect players without having to leave




Recommended: No. Essentially, Title Town Football is your standard football manager game with cheeky dialog and hilarious animations. However, once the charm of the quirky characters wears off, all you'll see is your run-of-the-mill team management game. While it wins bonus points for realism, players won't exactly be waiting anxiously to gather enough stamina to do the next menial task that will boost his salary cap. Not many people that I know want to play a football game without actual football.

Play Title Town Football Now >

SI Fantasy Football Live Scoring
Sports Illustrated Fantasy Football

Features:

    Join a create a public or private fantasy league right within the game
    Participate in live, scheduled drafts within your league
    The Sport Illustrated Draft Kit available for download
    Live scoring during football games, no need to refresh
    Get fantasy football news from within the game



Recommended: Yes! While all of the other football games on Facebook feature fantasy football elements, this game is a fully fledged fantasy league backed all of your friends on the network. You can do everything in SI Fantasy Football from hold a live draft to watch your scores update live during the real games. While it has a ways to go before it can replace the titans of the genre like ESPN and Yahoo, this fantasy football game shows promise if only because of where it's located. If you're looking for the true fantasy football experience on Facebook, come to a game that's at least taking it seriously.

Play SI Fantasy Football Now >

Treasure Isle: Davy Jones' Locker doubles as storage and decor

Mafia Wars Armory
Hot on the heels of the Las Vegas updates, Zynga will be adding another property to your sprawling array of New York real estate in Mafia Wars. Set to sit between the Chop Shop and the Weapons Depot, the Armory will be able to produce Defense items for your mafia.

Like the Chop Shop before it, the Armory will require a list of unannounced items to construct it. Unfortunately, these construction items will not drop from jobs or fights like the Weapons Depot or the Chop Shop. You'll have to ask your friends to gift you the parts or buy them with Reward Points.

This new piece of property will have 10 levels of progression and will be able to make one Defense item daily. Stay tuned to Mafia Wars as the Armory is scheduled to release later tonight!

Mafia Wars: Armory Property coming to New York soon

Mafia Wars Armory
Hot on the heels of the Las Vegas updates, Zynga will be adding another property to your sprawling array of New York real estate in Mafia Wars. Set to sit between the Chop Shop and the Weapons Depot, the Armory will be able to produce Defense items for your mafia.

Like the Chop Shop before it, the Armory will require a list of unannounced items to construct it. Unfortunately, these construction items will not drop from jobs or fights like the Weapons Depot or the Chop Shop. You'll have to ask your friends to gift you the parts or buy them with Reward Points.

This new piece of property will have 10 levels of progression and will be able to make one Defense item daily. Stay tuned to Mafia Wars as the Armory is scheduled to release later tonight!

More FarmVille Halloween items sneak into the game

FarmVille has been updated tonight, and the shop is now featuring a few more Halloween items to add to the existing items with a spooky theme. What a surprise for your Thursday night! Of course, we already have a list of the new items for you so you can decide if you want to buy these Halloween items before they leave the game when the season is over. Without further ado, here are the new Halloween items!

Caramel Apple Tree - 5 Farm Cash
Count Duckula - 14 Farm Cash
Candy Corn Home - 38 Farm Cash
Pumpkin Tower - 18 Farm Cash
Giant Spider Web - 8 Farm Cash
Spooky Bush - 4 Farm Cash
Witch Scarecrow - 80,000 coins
Cat-O'-Lantern - 40,000 coins
Plant Monster - 30,000 coins

Right now, many players are reporting that the game is getting stuck at 98% and will not allow them into the game. We do not have screenshots of the new items for this reason. A few players have reported that they were able to get in to the game just fine, but the forums are filled with posts from angry FarmVille players who want their farm.

FarmVille farmers go from frumpy to fab with new clothing options

FarmVille has started to roll out a revamped customization system for your farmer, which will make it a billion times easier to change your farmer's hair and facial features on a win. But the coup de grace of the new customization system is the 'Clothing' tab, which will allow you to trade in your farmer's dusty overalls for something a little more fashion forward.

Only a few farmers have access to the new clothing options right now, but based on the image above, it looks like you'll be able to buy new types of clothes (like button-down shirts or a hoodie) for either Farm Cash or coins.

This new fashion feature will presumably roll out to everyone else pretty quickly, because this is clearly how you'll be able to dress up your avatar in these FarmVille Halloween costumes that we've been eyeballing for weeks.

FarmVille brings back in-game gifting (hopefully for good this time)

The long awaited in-game FarmVille gifting center has finally gone live! The center can be accessed by simply clicking on FarmVille Requests in the upper right hand corner.

farmville in-game requests




The in-game gifting center is much quicker than accepting and sending gifts through the Facebook Game area. For example when your neighbors request an item, sending it is now only one click. After accepting a gift you do have the option to return it in-game through the regular Facebook pop-up window.

farmville gift requests

You can also access your other Zynga game requests with a simple click.

This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.

Mafia Wars Las Vegas items now giftable, but not very useful

Mafia Wars Las Vegas
You know, Zynga could have really wowed us with the new set of giftable items the team alluded to yesterday in Mafia Wars, changing the way Trading was done to increase its usefulness. Unfortunately, a list of weapons, armor, vehicles and animals were made available for Trading that will almost certainly become obsolete once Italy hits by the end of this month. We expected Las Vegas job unlock and Collection items and to help the stragglers finish this content before everyone makes the big trip, but nay. (Though, we were right on target with Mystery Animals.)

Well, check behind the cut nonetheless to see what soon-to-be aged junk you can now gift along with official rules from Zynga and our explanation of how all this works.
Trading
Zynga needs to make up its mind on what's Gifting and what is Trading in Mafia Wars. To clear up the company's usual cryptic fashion and lack of desire to explain anything, these are items that are gifted to others from your own loot. Just click the "Gifting" button on the navigation bar, then click the "Trading" tab. From there, you can now gift items from Las Vegas loot and more, in addition to what was already giftable, directly from your loot to your mafia. Gifting like this thankfully doesn't affect your Free Gifting totals.

If only being able to gift dated items wasn't enough, there are three stipulations to this new feature. First off, if an item was bought for Reward Points, it cannot be traded. Second, unique items like boss fight and challenge mission rewards cannot be traded. Lastly, energy boosts of any kind cannot be gifted. Now that the official rabble is through, here's a full list of what can be gifted.

Vegas Weapons:

    Carver
    24k Chainsaw
    Biohazard
    El Escorpión
    Pump Shotgun
    Gilded RPG
    Belt Fed Shotgun
    Two Pair
    Precision SMG
    Range Finder Rifle
    Arcturion Assault Rifle
    Pitbull Sentry Gun
    Ripper Assault Rifle



Vegas Armor:

    Football Jersey
    Rhinestone Cowboy
    Reinforced Boots
    Reinforced Tuxedo
    Motorcycle Helmet
    Femme Fatale
    Ventilated Blast Cap
    Biker Leathers
    Police Riot Helmet
    Reinhardt & Otto
    Ares Power Armor
    Hopped-Up Thug
    Cooling Vest



Vegas Vehicles:

    Moving Truck
    All Terrain
    Road Tractor
    Sand Storm
    Highrise Sport
    Classic Convertible
    High Society
    Hard Four
    Dune Buggy
    Mojave Mike
    Performance Sports Car
    Goldsmobile
    X-22 Peregrine
    Foo Fighter
    Ballista Missile Launcher
    Amphiquad



Vegas Animals:

    Bison
    Bark Scorpion
    Bighorn Ram
    Gila Monster
    Diamondback
    Pronghorn Antelope
    Bighorn



Bangkok Animals:

    Attack Cobra
    Riding Elephant
    Komodo Dragon
    Forest Scorpion
    Chain Viper



Mystery Animals:

    Arabian Leopard
    Badger
    Buffalo
    Dingo
    Cassowary
    Piranha
    Electric Eel
    Kangaroo
    King Cheetah


It's unfortunate that more useful items weren't made available for trade like Collection and job unlock items, but these might be useful to players trying to get through the tougher boss fights and survive high-level fights in Las Vegas. But don't worry, it'll all be useless when we make the move to Italy. Hey, at least Zynga can always update it.

Mafia Wars Natural Disaster Crates have catastrophic loot inside

The Zynga team have added yet another set of Crates to Mafia Wars with Natural Disaster Crates. For 12 Reward Points each or 35 Reward Points for three (around $3 and $7, respectively), you'll have a chance at one of eight disaster-themed weapons, vehicle and armor. Like the usual loot crates, each Natural Disaster Crate will have a 60 percent chance of containing a common item, a 30 percent chance for uncommon items and just a 10 percent chance of holding a rare item.

Check behind the break for a full list of the items you can win by picking up a few of these new crates. Here's a full preview of what you have to look forward to finding inside the Natural Disaster Crates:

Landslide     Avalanche     Lightning Strike
Common Items (60 percent chance)

Tornado     Eruption     Famine
Uncommon Items (30 percent chance)

Tsunami     Earthquake
Rare Items (10 percent chance)
These new crates have cool looking items, but whether they're worth buying when more powerful items can be found in Las Vegas jobs alone should be taken under serious consideration. But hey, if you're a collector, there's no stopping you anyway.

It'sa Mario Party!

One of the world's most popular characters is turning 25, and our friends at Nintendo invited us to a party at the Nintendo World Store this weekend to celebrate with Mario and his creator, Shigeru Miyamoto.

Hundreds of Nintendo fans lined up in front of the newly-relaunched Nintendo World Store, some donning costumes from Mario to Luigi, Princess Peach and even Fire Mario. Nintendo treated their devoted fans to a cake-cutting ceremony with Nintendo president Reggie Fils-Aime who had the crowd rocking as he introduced Nintendo's famed developer and father of Mario, Shigeru Miyamoto, to take the first slice of the Super Mario-inspired cake.

Miyamoto and his Mario games have sold over 210 million units, and still has games coming out on the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS, including the upcoming Super Mario All-Stars on Wii.

It's always great to see the smiles and throngs of fans come out for a gaming event, and we hope more gaming companies take a cue from this Mario party. Head over to Joystiq for more coverage of Mario's 25th Anniversary party!

FarmVille My Mastery function tracks farming prowess

farmville mastery page
farmville my masteryFarmVille has placed a new button in our toolboxes. Under the Ribbons menu, you can now find a button for Mastery. The icon pictured at the right has three stars and will bring up a new page titled: My Mastery.

The new function will show you all your crop and tree mastery levels, all in one simple window. Unfortunately, most of my crop mastery levels are super low, making this page a bit demoralizing. As you can see, I usually just stick to Watermelon farming (Yum!), so my own My Mastery page is pretty boring at the moment.

I think it's great that FarmVille has adding more stat tracking features, but there are bigger fish to fry. What FarmVille really needs is some much needed performance improvements.

Zynga versus DeNa : A new challenger approaches, ready... fight!

    Zynga
While Zynga has been the king of the social gaming ring in the U.S. for some time now, across the Pacific social gamers answer to a different ruler: DeNa. The Tokyo-based Japanese social gaming company has amassed $336.4 million just this quarter and aspires to over $1.4 billion in total revenue by the end of the year, Gamezebo reports. Compared to Zynga's expected $700 million, according to Softpedia, DeNa is quickly on their way to ousting the current social games titan.

Not to mention that DeNa claims to make 30 times more revenue per user than Zynga, which basically means that players within the Japanese network on average spend that much more than players of Zynga games. Gamezebo speculates that the reason why DeNa would frame its quarterly earnings like this is because the company is more than willing to take Zynga head on as the number one social games creator around the globe. And we can't blame it when the current wearer of the crown is buying up studios left and right in the U.S. and internationally. Not to mention Zynga has also made large investments in Japan, which DeNa surely finds more than threatening.

Though, DeNa isn't scot-free; just this year the company took Ngmoco, a U.S.-based mobile gaming company, under its wing. With both players aiming for the same territory (i.e. the world), it looks like the battle for social gaming supremacy isn't going to take place in just U.S. pipelines, but in tubes and cellular towers around the globe. The year before the end just got even more interesting.de

Happy Aquarium Wizard Items honor Harry Potter, make tanks magical

Just in time for the release of the seventh Harry Potter flick (well, the first of two at least), Happy Aquarium is celebrating with a few Hogwarts-inspired items like the Wizard Boy ($3.30) who surprisingly looks nothing like old Scar Face. There is also a new background for players' tanks called "Wizard's School" as well as the Flying Sphere (pictured), which for 22 Facebook Credits, or $2.20, looks an awful lot like the infamous Golden Snitch from the popular game of Quidditch from J.K. Rowling's universe.

Lastly, the Magical Wizard Fish for 57 Facebook Credits, or $5.70, is said to perform a magic trick when the glass is tapped in your tank. So, if you're looking for yet another place to get hyped up for the new movie (as if some of us need it), you could always bring the excitement underwater.

Restaurant City: Bust some ghouls for free Halloween Mystery Boxes

No one told the ghouls that the Halloween party was over, but no one's complaining, because ghouls-busting still remains a daily treat in the game.

Case in point, for the next four hours, you can earn the much coveted Halloween Mystery Box from Restaurant City for free as today's ghouls-zapping Gold Award. (Today's Bronze Award is 150 Coins, while the Silver Award is a free Milk ingredient.) After you get your free Halloween Mystery Box, you should post about it on your Facebook Wall, cause the first friend lucky enough to see your link can click it to nab a free box of his or her own!

After you've earned your free box, click on the Halloween Mystery Box icon floating on the left side of your game screen to access it. (Note: It's the gray box with the green question marks on it.) From there, you can open your box, to see what you got, or send the box to a friend. I received a Wizard Recipe Master from the Witchy Wonders Series box set, which is one of three themes available. (The other two are Paranormal Series and the Trick or Treat Series.) It's also the one set that best matches the currently running Harry Potter -- er, I mean, Wizard School theme.

FarmVille New Co-Op Farming Job: Candy Canes for the Kids

If you're one of the many FarmVille players that have purchased the Candy Cane permit to grow Candy Canes to help support the UCSF Benoiff Children's Hospital, then you might want to take a look at a new Co-Op Farming job that was released in association with this limited time charity crop.

The job is called "Candy Canes for the Kids" and it asks you to grow 1000 Candy Canes within a 3 day time limit. Three days gives you the bronze medal, while finishing the job in less than a day will earn you the Gold medal, and a Candy Cane Sheep as the reward.

If you're interested in tackling this job with a few of your friends, you'll all need to start within the next 13 days and 3 hours, from the time of this writing, before the job expires, likely for good.

Game Studio Story is Game Dev Story, only on Facebook, and free

Back in October, Kairosoft launched Game Dev Story on the iPhone, a simulation game that allows users to run their very own gaming studio, creating video games from the ground up, making sure they have great sound design, pleasing graphics, an instant fun factor and overall polish. The game was an instant hit among hardcore gaming fans, and with the blessing of Kairosoft, Drecom is hoping to find the same success with a Facebook version of the game, aimed at the social audience.

Drecom's Facebook version is entitled Game Studio Story, and we've taken some time to go hands-on with the game to let you know what to expect from this version of the formula.

Meet us behind the break for all of the details.

Thankfully, Game Studio Story plays very much like Game Dev Story on the iPhone. You'll start by choosing your own gender, and will then be introduced to gameplay by your personal secretary.

From there, you'll go through a tutorial laying out the basics of gameplay. Basically, you'll need to start development of each game individually, first choosing the console that they game will be released for, from options like the PC, and imitation versions of some of the industry's popular consoles, spanning the generations.

Next, you'll choose the genre and theme of the game, with different genres and themes adding to the time limit that you'll need to wait for the game to complete. In this is the biggest difference from the iPhone version, in that you'll likely need to come back to the game after a few hours to check on the status of your game, whereas in the original game, you can finish an entire game in a matter of minutes.

You'll be limited to the themes and genres you can choose based on the amount of money you currently have in your account, but you are more than welcome to create as outlandish or as safe a theme for a game as you'd like. For instance, you can make a Reversi Table game, which would be a logical choice, or you can create an Educational Robot game, which wouldn't fit as well.

In order to set the game's development into motion, you'll need to let your staff (your Facebook friends that you can hire into the shop) know how hard to work - whether they should just take the development casually, or go all out with research, etc. At certain intervals you'll also earn Direction Points, which affect the rest of your time with the Facebook game, and not just a particular title that you'll be creating. These Direction Points can go to help the originality of your titles, the details, the reality, the elaboration (the game's depth) and so on. It's a completely customizable set of stats, making your own experience unique.

As you play the game, your experience making each genre of game will increase as you create them repeatedly, and you'll be able to hire staff with better stats (better graphic design capabilities, better sound design abilities and so on), create higher quality games, and therefore earn more funds in the process.

It's entirely understandable if the gameplay sounds a bit complex, as there is a lot going on in the development process of each game, but just like Game Dev Story on the iPhone, Game Studio Story looks to offer the same intuitive user interface that makes the game very easy to dive into.

If you've ever wanted to try your hand at game development, head over to the Game Studio Story page and jump right in (note, the game is in Alpha, meaning bugs and a few English translation issues are present as of this writing).

FarmVille New Winter Holiday Items: Dancing Snow Lady, Winter Cafe, Candy Cane Cow & Much More

In tonight's FarmVille update, Zynga has expanded the Winter Holiday theme by leaps and bounds, adding a new series of animals, buildings and decorations to the game's store. Some of these items we've seen coming via Sneak Peeks, while other are brand new.

Meet us behind the break for a complete look at these new items.

First, the animals. There are two new animals available to purchase, and they come in the form of the Snow Goose and the Candy Cane Cow. Both are premium items, meaning that you can purchase them either for your own farm, or you can make them an early holiday present by sending them to a friend. The Snow Goose costs 16 Farm Cash and can be harvested every 2 days, while the Candy Cane Cow can be harvested once per day and can be purchased for 24 Farm Cash.

In terms of new buildings, there are also two new items to choose from. These buildings are the Toy Shop and the Winter Cafe. The Toy Shop is a premium item, available for 20 Farm Cash, while the Winter Cafe is available for 250,000 coins.

Finally, we come to the decorations, with five new items to choose from, three of which are premium. The first is the Dancing Snow Lady, a very animated snow woman that shakes her snow-hips to music only she can hear, and can be purchased for 20 Farm Cash. A Mrs. Claus Gnome and an Eggnog Fountain round out the premium options at 18 and 15 Farm Cash each, respectively.

The other two items are the Pink Holiday Tree, which is priced at 80,000 coins, and the Holiday Planter (full of three colors of Poinsettias) which costs 5,000 coins.

All of these items are marked with a time limit of 23 days from this writing, giving you plenty of time to not only purchase these fun decorations, but also have time to enjoy them before the holiday season ends.

New FarmVille Crop: Winter Holiday Poinsettia

If you decided to pass on the Candy Canes in FarmVille, but still want to grow a holiday-themed crop this December, you can now do so with the re-release of the limited edition Poinsettia crop in the game's store. Farmers that were playing the game last year will remember this crop from last year's Winter Holiday event.

Like last year, the Poinsettia can be grown for just 45 coins per square, and you'll gain 3 experience points for each square planted, which is actually a large number when compared to other crops. The Poinsettia grows for a full day and is then sold for 126 coins. It can be mastered, with the first star of mastery coming at 500 harvests.

If you did choose to purchase the Candy Cane permit in FarmVille, however, don't worry about running out of time to master this crop, as the Poinsettias will be available in the store until the end of January, giving you plenty of time to master both crops with little trouble.

FarmVille Gingerbread House: Everything you need to know

A new Winter Holiday building has been released in FarmVille, but unlike all of the others, this is actually a buildable project that can be completed with the help of friends.

What's the building, you ask? Why, it's the Gingerbread House, and we have everything you need to know about this new building behind the break.
The Gingerbread House project must be purchased from the game's store for 5,000 coins. This will give you a plain brown and white iced Gingerbread House, without any of the decorations you would expect from the finished product.

From there, you'll need to collect ingredients with friends in order to add these finishing touches to the house. You'll need to collect 18 each of Wooden Boards, Nails and Bricks, with one ingredient (most likely a Brick) being given to you automatically upon purchase of the base to get you started.

To collect the other ingredients, you can click on the "Ask for More" button underneath each of them to be taken to a reverse of the game's free gifts page, where you are shown the friends that currently have that particular item available to send, and you can then ask them specifically to send you that part.

Once you finish collecting all of one particular item, you'll be able to post a few extras to your wall for your friends to collect. If at any time you'd like to finish the building without waiting for your friends to help, you can do so by purchasing the remaining ingredients for Farm Cash at a rate of 1 Farm Cash per individual item. To be clear, that would be 18 Farm Cash to complete all of the bricks, as an example.

Once you have finished gathering the necessary parts, your Gingerbread House will expand into a much larger version of itself, and will become covered with bright candy pieces and other assorted goodies to make it truly look like a gingerbread house. As of this writing, it seems as though the Gingerbread House will serve no real purpose, other than being a decorative item, just like the Fun House released in the game during the Country Fair theme.

Many farmers chose not to build the Fun House due to its "decoration-only" status, but it will be interesting to see if the Gingerbread House faces equal boycotting since it is a Winter Holiday item, which should sit better with the community.

Mix Mafia Wars with an in-depth storyline and you have Chronicles of Herenvale on Facebook

An evil Lord is threatening to return to the land of Herenvale thanks to the Cult of Marras. A hero is needed to stop such a return, as the land will be overcome, and all goodness swept aside. You are that hero, if you'll answer the call of the Chronicles of Herenvale, a new game from the small Austin development studio Mososh, Inc.

The game is text based, with images as accompaniment, and would be perfect for those who use Facebook on a slower internet connection. For everyone else, the detailed storyline might be enough to draw one in for an extended period of time (as it has already worked to draw in more than 12,000 players in the short time the game has been available). Meet us behind the break to see if Chronicles of Herenvale is something you'd like to try.
chroi
The game offers some very (very) light character customization, in terms of allowing you to pick whether or not you are a girl or a boy, and to give yourself a name, but afterwards, you're quickly shoved into your first battle. You're told that you've come across a group of crows fighting some deadly worrocks. The worrocks are attempting to kill an innocent bystander, and you must turn the tide of the battle by jumping in on her behalf.

Attacks in battle are achieved by simply hitting the attack button. You'll use Energy for each attack you begin, and you'll receive experience points and gold (along with the occasional random loot drop) after you've successfully ended a conflict. Any loot items that can be equipped on your warrior are placed in your inventory, and you'll be able to equip these items from the Profile screen. Items have types, and your warrior's body is separated into zones, where only certain items can be equipped - one item in each particular zone.

As you go along, the story is played out through lots of text, and the world map is represented by various star markings on a stationary map. Impressive graphics, no, but the game's story seems to be a rather deep one, considering the nature of the title. As you earn experience points, you'll go up levels, increasing your maximum energy, allowing you to do more work in a single sitting. You'll also earn Stat Points that will increase your Energy even further, or can be manually assigned to a number of different traits, like Knowledge (increases your accuracy), Fortitude (health), or Strength, among others.

Just as Mafia Wars separates missions based on your progress in the game (chapters, regions, and so on), so too does Chronicles of Herenvale separate missions based on the storyline at the time. For a particular battle, it might be represented by a number of circular stars, with each stars representing a different stage of the battle. Only after you complete the steps necessary at each star within a particular cluster will you unlock the next step of the storyline.

Your quest will take you all through the land, with eight main cities, or areas, being represented as eventual travel points on the map, along with what appears to be a slew of other outcroppings where you can complete quests. You'll be able to purchase new equipment along the way, making your character even stronger, and giving you a better edge in battle.

As for social elements, you'll be able to add friends as "Allies," at which point you'll be given a better advantage in large battles, which increases depending on the number of Allies you happen to have at the time.

Chronciles of Herenvale will be incredibly familiar to those that have played Mafia Wars, or even (more specifically) Castle Age, as the fantasy storyline and unique monster races hearken back that particular title. Still, if you haven't tried a new text-based mission game in a while, Chronicles of Herenvale might be worth a shot.

Play Chronicles of Herenvale on Facebook -->

Zynga Poker now available on Android devices

Back in November, we told you that Zynga's Justin Cincolo had revealed that Zynga Poker would soon be coming to Android devices everywhere, and the time for that launch is now. That's right, everyone with an Android device will be able to head into the Android Market and download a free copy of Zynga Poker, that can be instantly connected with your Facebook account to allow you to play a quick hand (or 50) on the go, no matter where you happen to be at the time.

To be clear, the app is free, and requires you to sign in with Facebook in order to play. From there, you'll see all of your Facebook friends that have also been playing the game (either recently or in the past), whether they've been playing it on Facebook proper, or on another Android device. From there, you can jump into a room, take a seat at a table, and start betting on hands, just as you would from a traditional desktop computer. How neat is that?!

If Zynga Poker is as successful as other Android, or even iPhone releases that Zynga has launched in the past, this may potentially open up the door for other Zynga games to be launched on the service(s), so make sure to download the game on your Android device to show the developer some support!

Do you plan on playing Zynga Poker on your Android device?

FrontierVille 12 Days of Christmas Goals: Everything you need to know for Day Three

With nine days behind us in this long, arduous series of FrontierVille Goals known as the 12 Days of Christmas, we arrive at Day Three. In "On the Third Day O' Christmas," players will have to make lots of chicken soup. On a completely unrelated note, you'll first have to fulfill three items on friends' wish lists. It doesn't seem as if there are too many stipulations to this portion of the Goal, meaning that if one friend has three different items in their wish list that you can fulfill, sending one of each of those items will fulfill this requirement.

Secondly, you will need three Chicken Drumsticks, which are found at random while tending to Chickens. And remember, these are part of the Chicken Collection, so do not turn them in as you attempt to complete this Goal no matter how tempting the 4 Energy reward is. Lastly, it's back to the begging as you will need 10 Chicken Soup Recipes and only your friends will have them. Finish this and enjoy 3,000 coins and three Chickens. Alright, being rewarded with items we could have used in the Goal is getting tired, but the extra coins ain't too shabby. Not to mention that you're now one step closer to that elusive Partridge in a Pear Tree.

Find the rest of our Holiday 2010 coverage right here.

Have you started this Goal yet? Have any tips of your own to make this go along faster?

CityVille Cheats and Tips: Reputation by the numbers

In CityVille, Reputation is more important than you might think. Anyone who has read our guide on Neighbor Visits might agree. As many probably know already, doing each of the five actions you're allowed for a Neighbor every 12 hours drops a single Heart. These Hearts act exactly like the blue stars that stand for XP while tending to your own city, but increase your Reputation level.

However, few might have known exactly how many Hearts it takes to get your Reputation to the maximum level of 50. Here's a hint: it rhymes with "heaven" and ends in "thousand." That's right, it takes a whopping 7,000 Hearts to reach Reputation Level 50

Join us after the break for a full breakdown of how many Hearts it takes to achieve each Reputation level in CityVille.

Reputation in CityVilleAnd here you are: the number of Hearts needed for every level of Reputation in CityVille:


    Level 2 – 10 Hearts
    Level 3 – 25 Hearts
    Level 4 – 45 Hearts
    Level 5 – 70 Hearts
    Level 6 – 100 Hearts
    Level 7 – 200 Hearts
    Level 8 – 300 Hearts
    Level 9 – 400 Hearts
    Level 10 – 500 Hearts
    Level 11 – 600 Hearts
    Level 12 – 700 Hearts
    Level 13 – 800 Hearts
    Level 14 – 900 Hearts
    Level 15 – 1000 Hearts
    Level 16 – 1100 Hearts
    Level 17 – 1200 Hearts
    Level 18 – 1300 Hearts
    Level 19 – 1400 Hearts
    Level 20 – 1500 Hearts
    Level 21 – 1750 Hearts
    Level 22 – 2000 Hearts
    Level 23 – 2500 Hearts
    Level 24 – 3000 Hearts
    Level 25 – 3500 Hearts
    Level 26 – 4000 Hearts
    Level 27 – 4500 Hearts
    Level 28 – 5000 Hearts
    Level 29 – 6000 Hearts
    Level 30 – 7000 Hearts
    Level 31 – 8000 Hearts
    Level 32 – 9000 Hearts
    Level 33 – 10000 Hearts
    Level 34 – 11000 Hearts
    Level 35 – 12000 Hearts
    Level 36 – 13000 Hearts
    Level 37 – 14000 Hearts
    Level 38 – 15000 Hearts
    Level 39 – 16000 Hearts
    Level 40 – 17000 Hearts
    Level 41 – 18000 Hearts
    Level 42 – 19000 Hearts
    Level 43 – 20000 Hearts
    Level 44 – 21000 Hearts
    Level 45 – 22000 Hearts
    Level 46 – 23000 Hearts
    Level 47 – 24000 Hearts
    Level 48 – 25000 Hearts
    Level 49 – 30000 Hearts
    Level 50 – 35000 Hearts



As you can see, things get a little crazy around Level 28, doubling the amount of Hearts required for each level to one thousand. The best way to level your Reputation as quickly as possible is to make as many friends as you can and master the 12-hour timer system attached to Reputation. As silly as it sounds, scheduling your Neighbor visits around your daily life will maximize your daily Reputation games. But it's up to you if you want to take it that far.

Check out the rest of our CityVille Cheats & Tips right here.

Godswar Online: Facebook game and MMO unite

Godswar Online
Since free-to-play massively multiplayer online games (MMOs) like Maple Story and Dungeons and Dragons Eberron Unlimited gained popularity in the U.S., their similarities with Facebook games became crystal clear. Each are free to play and download, both have item shops that deal in real world currency, and finally, most are playable on a wide range of computers. In short, it was only a matter of time before the two worlds merged, and Godswar Online, developed by Kalydo and IGG, aims to do just that.

The two companies have brought the Grecian-themed MMO to Facebook using Kalydo technology, which allows complex 3D games to run directly in the browser without a full download. However, a small Java applet download is required to play Godswar Online. Do that and soon enough you'll be in the thick of an ancient war between Athens and Sparta complete with wizards, minotaurs and walking tree creatures. Alright, so none of that really happened, but it makes for a pretty robust, entertaining Facebook game. Is it even a Facebook game?

See for yourself in our impressions after the break.

Character Creation
Through and through, Godswar Online is an MMO. With customizable, full-3D characters, four playable classes (warriors, champions, priests and wizards) and full quest and combat systems, this game could be described as nothing else. Frankly, this is going to be a shock for folks who have only played games like FarmVille or FrontierVille seriously. While seasoned MMO players will have no issue with navigating the game, fully aware of common MMO tropes and tendencies, those new to this type of game might go cross-eyed from looking at the walls of text, the littered icons and randomly moving shapes that resemble children in battle armor.

And that's exactly why the Newbie Guide is here to help. A series of pop ups that tell players exactly what to do and where to click, it's pretty tough to get lost in this game with the Newbie Guide around. The guide will hold your hand as you complete quests, which are visible at any time by pressing the scroll icon on the bottom right of the screen. Quests are the primary mode of advancement in Godswar Online like in most MMOs, granting players precious Experience Points along with new armor, weapons and skills. Those will be extremely useful if not vital in combat with the various monsters of Godswar Online.

Combat
Ranging from your standard deer to vicious tree creatures and quaint pixie fairies, there are a ton of mythical beasts to slay in the world of Ancient Greece. Fighting enemies is simple enough, requiring a double click of an enemy. Aside from clicking on your various combat skills mapped to the center area on the bottom of your screen, your character will take care of the rest. While the combat may sound a bit dry, things will spice up as you gain more abilities and when monsters become more difficult to defeat, requiring you to team up with fellow players to defeat them.

All of this probably sounds somewhat daunting, so IGG and Kalydo included a feature in the game known as the Search function. In the text of any given quest and through the Search menu beneath the mini map, players can click on highlighted portion of text to cause their character to walk in the direction of the item, place, person or monster it refers to. Think of it as effortless navigation to nearly anywhere in the game. Better yet is an AFK, or away from keyboard, option. This setting, activated by clicking on the small crossed swords icon above the action bar lining the bottom of the screen, will automatically cause your character to endlessly attack monsters if he or she is surrounded by them. Just set the skills you want your avatar to use, select healing and mana (a resource used for skills) potions for automated use, and press "Start." Go read a book, make a sandwich and watch the Experience Points flow in.

City Life in Godswar
Keep in mind that the entire game, including combat, occurs in real time. Just about everyone you see in the game is an actual player. However, this raises somewhat of a conundrum. Godswar Online, because it's successfully crossed genres, seems to be having trouble figuring out what it is. In the traditional sense of play time limitations, gifting and News Feed posts, this is not a social game. Though, with full blown guild (persistent groups of players with similar interests) support, the ability to add friends within the game and the need for adventuring parties to defeat larger monsters in real time, perhaps this is a social game in another sense.

In the sense that it allows for natural social connections through real time gameplay where players will face obstacles that require them to join forces. Players don't necessarily need friends to play Godswar Online, but at least they can make them on their own terms. Whether this type of game can survive on Facebook has yet to be seen, but Godswar Online certainly makes a strong first step in a potential new direction for social games--or whatever we're supposed to call them these days.

Click here to play Godswar Online on Facebook Now>

Have you tried Godswar Online yet? If so, what are your thoughts? What do you think of traditional gaming genres creeping up on Facebook?

Bigpoint, Spil Games try the Facebook alternative: The Buddy System

Facebook is the largest social game platform out there, so what do you do when you can't beat 'em? Shack up with somebody else, that's what. And that's exactly what Bigpoint, the developer behind hit MMOs like Battlestar Galactica Online and most recently RamaCity (a blatant competitor to CityVille by Zynga), has opted for. The Hamburg, Germany-based developer has joined forces with Spil Games, based in the Netherlands, to increase its potential player base to 130 million players.

"We're thrilled to bring our already hugely successful game ZooMumba to Spil's platform," Bigpoint CEO Heiko Hubertz said in a release. "Spil's audience of like-minded gamers is unique in the industry. We're certain this collaboration will ensure high amounts of exposure to ZooMumba and more of our games in the future."

Bigpoint will first take a dive on the deal with ZooMumba, its hit zoo-keeping social game, though there are other Bigpoint games headed for Spil Games' collection of European and Asian social gaming websites, according to a release. Considering Facebook's arguable stranglehold on game developers with its new Credits initiative, it's tough to blame companies for making partnerships to avoid it (and its 30 percent cut). It makes one wonder what Zynga might do ... in five years.

CivWorld on Facebook might be a blast, if we could play already

CivWorld is down
If you're one of the 73 thousand players who seem to have brought the CivWorld servers to their knees, you already know that the first Firaxis game on Facebook is currently offline for many players. But considering how small of a number that is, we're going to guess you might be out of the loop. Well, the game has suffered connection issues since its launch last week, really. After much complaining and dreaded 004 error codes, Firaxis decided to respond recently with:

    We've had a large volume of people join the game in a very short amount of time (which is great!), and that has led to some technical challenges that we're addressing right now. Restoring access to everyone is our team's top priority. We've put some fixes into place and the team is working diligently on the remaining issues. We'll continue to keep you updated on our progress and have you back ruling the world soon!

Despite the poor first steps, we're sure Firaxis is working on a resolution as of this writing. While you wait, why not try some Empires & Allies so you can make an educated vote in one of our future Facebook Game Faceoff features? It's the American thing to do, really. In the meantime,

Rumors: First PopCap, now Ohai--EA looks for leg up in social games

Remember that mystery buyer that was rumored to pick up PopCap for an insane $1 billion? How about the scuttlebutt that a mystery shopper was eying up Ohai? As it turns out, they're both EA, the veteran games publisher that has tailed Zynga on Facebook with games like Madden NFL Superstars and Pet Society for some time. According to VentureBeat, unnamed sources have revealed that the company has purchased Ohai for an undisclosed amount, though the website guesses that it wasn't much.

While an opt to buy a company like PopCap with hit properties like Bejeweled and Plants vs Zombies (even if for $1 billion) is fairly obvious, a move to purchase a company like Ohai is a bit more ... puzzling. (Though, the company did just release a new game, Unicorn Parade.) Especially considering the fact that EA owns companies in the social games industry like Playfish and Chillingo, publisher of Angry Birds in the U.S.

However, some considerable talent has passed through Ohai, like former CEO Susan Wu, a professional gamer turned former venture capitalist. But with most of that talent long gone after a few lukewarm releases, why else would EA want Ohai? Our best guess is for good talent at a cheap price, but we know just about as much as you do.

Regardless of whether either rumor turns out to be true, know this: EA is on the hunt, and if it isn't PopCap or Ohai it'll be someone else. With lots of cash and lots of reason to close that gap between its now third-place 31 million players, EA looks like it's ready for another shopping spree.

Yup, it's true - Electronic Arts lassos Bejeweled maker PopCap for $650 million

Turns out (one of) the rumors from the past few weeks are true -- Bejeweled-creator PopCap has been purchased by Electronic Arts for upwards of a billion dollars, an unnamed source confirms for Games.com this afternoon. The official news should be breaking shortly... stay tuned...

And the news is out. Electronic Arts has purchased PopCap for $650 million, adding its slate of critically acclaimed, best-selling games like Bejeweled, Plants vs. Zombies, Zuma, Bookworm (and other) to EA's already vast library of games.

"We picked EA because they have recast their culture around making great digital games," said PopCap CEO David Roberts says in a statement. "By working with EA, we'll scale our games and services to deliver more social, mobile, casual fun to an even bigger, global audience."

"EA and PopCap are a compelling combination," EA CEO John Riccitiello says. "PopCap's great studio talent and powerful IP add to EA's momentum and accelerate our drive towards a $1 billion digital business. EA's global studio and publishing network will help PopCap rapidly expand their business to more digital devices, more countries, and more channels."

EA will pay $650 million in cash and $100 million in shares of EA common stock will be issued to select PopCap stockholders. PopCap sellers will also be eligible for additional cash, based on PopCap's performance through December 2013.

This is an unexpected development, especially after PopCap had been very forthcoming about its plans to go public earlier this year. It will also be interesting to see how EA will help PopCap reach a new audience and how PopCap, in turn, will enhance EA's casual games business.

Like playing games on Facebook? Try playing on your Samsung TV

The final frontier for social games might be what you sit in front of all night long: your television. (Do people still call it that?) GamePro reports that PlayJam, a social gaming company that specializes in TVs as its platform(s), has signed a deal with Samsung. This partnership will bring PlayJam's stable of casual games to web-enabled Samsung TVs through Smart TV software.

More specifically, London-based PlayJam games will be found through Samsung Apps, reportedly the first app store on an HDTV. While specific games weren't mentioned, a statement said that players will have access to a variety of "in-house and leading brand titles" and "thousands of casual games at the touch of a button on the remote control."

PlayJam's system has full support for social games including leader boards, cross-network tournaments, and--most importantly for some--virtual currencies. It's a brilliant idea, in theory. Where do most casual or non-gamers spend a bigger chunk of their leisure time than anywhere else? You guessed it.

GamePro guesses that social games for TV could grow even larger than Facebook games, but that all depends on the quality of the games, which we've yet to see. Regardless, the potential for growth and notoriety is certainly there, according to PlayJam CEO Jasper Smith:

    I have a fundamental belief that games on TV will evolve into a huge commercial opportunity, and our combined aim is simply to provide the best games experience possible to our customers. To help make that a reality, we offer great game developers simple access to our global games network -- so that they can monetize their IP and make their games famous. TV has some extraordinary advantages over the Web and mobile, and the ability to make standout formats has never been greater.

And thanks to Facebook's recent ... rewording of its Facebook Credits terms, Facebook game developers are allowed to place their games elsewhere as long as pricing is identical. Empires & Allies on the old 55-inch, anyone? We've contacted PlayJam for more details.

Zynga's Adventure World gives Facebook the Indiana Jones treatment

Going on a trek with your buddies down the Pioneer Trail is a hoot and all, but how about something more ... adventurous? Adventure World, Zynga's next big Facebook game, will give you just that. This brand new Zynga game will launch soon with what appears to be a slightly new take on what Facebook games are all about.

We already know, based on the action-packed trailer below, that players will journey through multiple tropical, volcanic and even ancient environments with their friends. Wild beasts, traps and puzzles will be thrown at eager adventurers as they traverse what looks to be a litany of detailed, animated locales.

Speaking of animation, look at what these explorers are doing: climbing ropes, triggering traps and leaping around levels. This game already looks more action-packed than possibly even Empires & Allies--and I didn't see one tank in that trailer. (And is that the voice of Duke Nukem, John St. John, narrating?)

More questions completely different from these will be answered in the coming weeks on Adventure World's Facebook page. Until then, sit back and enjoy the cel-shaded, '30s comic style characters run and jump around what looks to be Indie Jones's stomping grounds. Soon enough, we'll have more than just a trailer to show you about Adventure World.


[Video Credit: Zynga]

Are you excited to dive into the mystery and intrigue of Adventure World? How do you think this game will do compared to its existing Facebook games?

A Twix bar, Facebook and Breakout combined makes FeedBreaker

You know, at least advergames have become more entertaining as of late on Facebook. Keeping the much-preferred tradition alive is Twix and Matmi's FeedBreaker, a Breakout-inspired game in which players control a Twix bar to continually bounce a white ball into blocks. Yeah, it sounds entirely too familiar, but what advergame hasn't?

And, if it's fun ... meh. Matmi, a Manchester, UK-based design firm, has experience creating branded social and online games for everyone from Nokia to Iron Maiden. (You know, the hair metal band?)

Designed by Matmi both to get you to buy a Twix bar and to mildly entertain you with familiar but branded gameplay, FeedBreaker has players essentially playing Breakout (Arkanoid ring a bell for anyone?) to delicious candy bars and thumping techno beats.

The brick-breaking, which can be controlled through either your mouse or keyboard, hasn't changed one bit. What has changed is the inclusion of "Social Bricks," which will be adorned with your Facebook friends' faces at random.

When destroyed, the game will take that friend's most recent status update and feed it through a marquee below the moving Twix bar. It's an interesting social twist on a tired genre (both advergames and Breakout), at least.

Twix FeedBreaker in action
Oh, and the game has nifty power-ups like stretching paddles, double balls, and multiple paddles to play with. (Though, the game also has power-downs, so watch out.) As players progress in the game, they can gift power-ups or power-downs to their friends. Throw in some achievements and you got yourself a fine way to waste a few minutes ... and get really hungry. If you'll excuse me.

[Via All Facebook]

The Secret World MMO plots mysterious Facebook advergame

The Secret World Secret War beta
Unleashing one incredible trailer after another, EA and Funcom's The Secret World is an MMO (massive multiplayer online) set for Windows-based PCs and (possibly) Xbox 360. Standing outside your typical MMO, the game seeks to do away with levels and classes, focusing instead on skills and abilities. There's an overarching storyline and side quests among three ancient, rival organizations banding together to save the world from evil. It's all very modern, urban, and full of super dramatic secret stuff.

Gallery: Secret War: Personality test for beta registration

While it isn't clear if the game will be launching on Facebook, beta registrations for a "Phase One" Facebook social game called "Secret War" have opened up online. Prospective applicants just need to sign up on the official website after taking a personality test to decide which of the three factions you'll play -- the Dragons, Templars, or Illuminati.


Trailers for each group were released, represented by the following characters, "The Firestarter" (her milkshake brings all the demons to the yard), "The Puritan" (holy shotgun, Batman!), and "Alex McCall" (who doesn't care if he's a John Constantine knockoff, because at least he's not being played by Keanu Reeves).

The Secret War on Facebook
You'll also have the option to register for the beta without Facebook, but Facebook is the one that promises to deliver "the full experience". The Secret World MMO itself is set for release on April 2012. To keep track of this game and interact with other excited fans, follow its official fan page here. A direct link to the Secret War app is here.

NASA to create space-themed social game combining in-depth education with fun

A few years ago, NASA held a research challenge looking for a developer and game proposal for an educational, space-themed video game that could not only be extremely educational, but also fun and commercially viable. Now, four years later, we've started to see the fruits of that challenge, as Canadian developer Project Whitecard has created a Kickstarter video preview, asking the public at large for donations to boost the project along (for the record, its goal has already been met).

The game is called Astronaut: Moon, Mars & Beyond, and it will play like an MMO set in the year 2035. Space flight for the average citizen is now not only available, but actually encouraged, as players will make their way through our solar system (and potentially beyond), landing on Mars and exploring other celestial bodies with both friends and strangers alike. In the game's story, a threat to "civilization as we know it" has emerged, and you'll need to build a base somewhere in outer space (yes, Mars is an option) and eventually outfit a team of other players or potentially NPCs (non-player characters) with high-tech gear to fight back.

Astronauts is described by the developers as being Harry Potter in space, as players are centered around the Arthur C. Clarke Astronaut Academy Station, which is the game's version of "Hogwarts." We'll be assigned missions in this fictional version of outer space, and can then go about our business in either player vs. environment or team vs. team modes. True scientific challenges will appear in the game, as we'll need to worry about radiation, extreme heat or cold and other elements that true-to-life astronauts and NASA as a whole must deal with everyday.

If everything goes well for Project Whitecard, we can expect to see the full launch of Astronaut: Moon, Mars & Beyond on PC, Mac and iOS in December of 2012. Sure, that's a long time to wait, but hey - space is a pretty big place to recreate.

Bungie's first game since Halo is a freemium pirate combat iPad game?

Why yes, and it's hitting the App Store globally (in phases) as of this writing, Pocket Gamer reports. It was recently revealed that "Crimson," the mysterious first project by Halo creator Bungie's new label, Bungie Aerospace, is a free-to-play steampunk pirate ship combat game for the iPad. Developed by Harebrained Schemes and published by Bungie, this is far of a cry as it gets from the legendary developer's previous work.

Officially titled "Crimson: Steam Pirates," the game throws players into an alternate Civil War era in which steam technology has taken off and powers technologically-advanced pirate ships. You're Captain Thomas Blood as he conquers the Caribbean Sea in turn-based battles of strategy and smart move-making. Of course, thanks to Bungie, players will be able to track their Crimson stats and progress on Bungie.net (and hopefully even in the Bungie iOS app).

Bungie is far from the first developer to enter the free-to-play mobile or social games space. Valve is already knee-deep in freemium goodness, thanks to multiple updates to its Steam game store and network like free-to-play game offerings. Atari recently reiterated its focus on social and mobile games, as did a number of big time game designers like John Romero, Will Wright and Richard Garriott, to name a few.

Crimson Steam Pirates iPad
While the game is available for free, additional content is available for an in-game download that costs $1.99. That does sound pricey, but based on the fact it's Chapter 2 in the storyline, "Tales of Captain Blood," this sounds like a collection of new missions. Crimson: Steam Pirates is exclusive to iPad at the moment, and should hit western App Stores later today.

FrontierVille Bess Goals: Everything you need to know

Finally, the time has come to reveal probably the most hyped character in all of FrontierVille's short history: Bess. As it turns out, she's kind of a freeloader. With nowhere to stay, it's up to you to prepare a place for Bess to live for a while... like your Barn! In here very own set of Goals, Bess comes to the homestead after having "her heart broken by a two-timin' rodeo clown." But before you begin working with Bess, Zynga reports that you must have a Barn built already and have started the "Get Ready for a Baby" Goal.

Bess
The first Goal, titled simply "Here Comes Bess," is fairly simple. All you need is to have one thousand coins, 20 planks and to move 10 Cows. (Pro tip: Moving the same cow 10 times has the same effect.) If you don't have 20 Planks, you'll have to spend 140 Wood and five thousand coins crafting them in the Covered Wagon. Finish this Goal for a reward of 25 XP and three Cows.

Find out how to complete the rest of Bess' Goals after the break.

Late as Usual
The second Goal in the series, "Late as Usual," is even simpler than the last. Seriously, this shouldn't take more than a minute. Just hire one friend from your Friends List on the bottom half of the screen, buy one Lunch for 165 Food and customize your Barn once. And that's it. For completing this Goal, you'll be 75 XP and 75 coins richer.

The third and final Goal of the series "Sure Beats Wrasslin' Steers fer a Livin'," which is probably true for both Bess and us pioneers. It's in this Goal that we discover something special about Bess: she can help around the homestead. Much like your spouse and kids, Bess is a controllable character that can do chores as well as the rest of them. Well, as far as clicking glowing things goes. But on with the Goal (pictured below).

Sure Beats Wrasslin' Steers for a Livin!
First, give Bess one chore to do--feed the animals, tend the fruit trees or anything, really. Second, sell one Cow and lastly collect 10 Milking Stools, which is business as usual (ask your friends). Finish this Goal for a sweet 75 XP and 25 extra Energy. Alright, Bess might be a freeloader, but at least she works for it. With Valentine's just around the corner and Bess sending this letter before her arrival, expect to see a lot more of her in future events.

FarmVille intros three new limited edition ducks: Green Mallard, Female/Male Mandarin

On the heels of the release of the new FarmVille Duck Pond, a trio of new limited edition ducks have flocked to the in-game Market and will be available for the next 14 days. The Green Mallard, Female Mandarin and Male Mandarin each cost 16 Farm Cash, and once they're purchased, you can set them afloat in your brand new pond.

Zuma Blitz producer teases trophy rooms, powers as potential updates

Jeff Green and Isaac Aubrey
If you have a spare 17 minutes, PopCap just posted an extremely long informative video interview between editorial director Jeff Green (left) and Zuma Blitz producer Isaac Aubrey (right). Their casual chat among classic arcade machines on a seemingly comfy red couch dives into everything from the future of Zuma Blitz to little-known facts about the game and explanations for a few of the game's drawbacks.

According to Aubrey, Zuma Blitz was in development for about one year before it launched on Facebook in late 2010 while the recent upgrade to Bejeweled Blitz--a project Aubrey also worked on--took somewhere around five months to complete. Early on, Green spoke his mind about the Heart system in Zuma Blitz (think Energy in FrontierVille), saying it was particularly punishing to begin with. Aubrey responded saying that while Hearts are clearly to get some players to pay up for more, PopCap also can't exactly make games entirely for free.

"We need to build these games in such a way that we can continue to work on them, continue to improve them and bring more games onto Facebook," Aubrey said. "It's a new environment that we're starting to get into. We're ready to bring in new features and pull out features that don't work. You can't please everyone, but certainly we try."

Green later expressed his concerns over the leveling system, which might discourage newer players from continuing the game after witnessing the immense scores of higher-level players (like this guy). Aubrey was quick to point out that players who have just started but improve their skills quickly can still outscore more "advanced" players.

As for the future of the game, Aubrey mused over a few ideas including full screen support, but warned that it would likely cause longer load times and "that's not really what we want to do." Possibilities for future features include new powers, cosmetic upgrades and even trophy rooms, according to the producer. When talking about the future, Aubrey told Green, "Let you're imagination run wild, but we haven't got there yet." For more details, check out the full interview here. And if it's up to Jeff Green, there could be plenty more where this came from.

What would you like to see come next in Zuma Blitz? Would you take a full screen mode if it meant waiting to play the game longer?

FarmVille Green House Cube: Sorry, it's for iPhone, iPad only

Another FarmVille iPhone, iPad-only item hits the market -- a Green House Cube with a rainbow apple tree and a few flowers inside. The Green House Cube costs 25,000 coins (you gain 250 XP when you buy it and earn 1,250 Coins if you decide sell it) and just in case you were wondering if this thing has some other function than just sitting and looking pretty -- well, it doesn't. But, if you're a big fan of the Apple Store that sits in the middle of Manhattan (see pic below), maybe you'll want to give this virtual replica a special spot on your farm.

FarmVille Disco Pony grooves back onto the farm for limited time

Missed your chance to break it down this New Year's Eve in FarmVille with the Party Barn? Zynga feels for you (sort of), so it brought back the Disco Pony to the game for a limited time. Once the grand prize for throwing the greatest New Year's party your farm has ever seen, the Disco Pony is available in the Market for 24 Farm Cash for the next 14 days. However, those who earned it the hard way might not be too thrilled about it being for sale. You have two weeks to save up for this dancing fool, so get to it, jive turkey.

Will you be taking advantage of this second chance at bringing serious cool to your farm? If you already have one, do you feel like you've been gipped of an achievement?

Facebook: Changes to News Feed may cause you to miss out on game posts

Facebook is an ever-changing landscape, especially where the technical, user-interface portions of the site are concerned. It seems that with every new change to the site, whether it be for users' privacy or just for an ease of navigation, there is an effect on Facebook games that rears its ugly head. So too is the case with the latest change that Facebook has recently implemented - that being with a "trimming" of the information shown on your news feed.

This new change has happened automatically on your account, and will change your News Feed from displaying posts from all of your friends and liked Pages to just those "Friends and pages you interact with most." While this likely won't be noticed by the average Facebook user, for those game players that have tons of in-game neighbors that they may not necessarily talk to everyday (ie: you may look at their posts, but you don't comment or like them) you might have found that your neighbors have vanished, or at least become mute over the last few days.

If you'd like to ensure that you're seeing all game related posts (and are therefore able to claim each and every bonus technically possible), follow our quick steps for reversing this change behind the break.

This is one of the easier switches to make on your account, really only taking a few simple clicks. First things first, head to the very bottom of your News Feed (click on the Facebook icon in the top left of any page on Facebook - this is your News Feed page). Click on the "Edit Options" button, as seen below.

This will bring up a new window, where you'll see a list of friends, pages, and the like that you've previously hidden from your News Feed. If you haven't done this, the window will be blank. You'll see a drop-down menu with "Show posts from:" next to it. This is what needs to be changed. Click on the drop down menu, and change your setting from "Friends and pages you interact with most" to "All of your friends and pages." Make sure to click Save after changing your setting to confirm your choice.

This won't change any of your "Hide posts from" settings, so don't worry about unhiding those friends and pages that you've hidden in the past. This will simply allow you to ensure that you're seeing all of the posts that you want to, without Facebook removing anything without your knowledge.

Step off the train into Wild West Town on Facebook

While many games have tried to take on FrontierVille's gameplay style, but have failed to overcome Zynga's massive popularity, it looks like Wild West Town from Clipwire Games might actually have the gameplay necessary to put at least a dent into FrontierVille's player base. Released just four days ago, the game has already amassed over 100,000 players.

While the gameplay here is the established mold created by FrontierVille, having you clear debris and collect supplies for your ever-growing town, there is a wide range of characters here (even a few villains), and a railroad mechanic that do give the game its own identity. To start, you'll create your avatar, and will be given a small plot of land in the middle of the desert - an area called Deadman's Hollow. From there, you'll be greeted by one of the more colorful in-game characters, a bully who won't leave until you've fed him food (for free, mind you).

More friendly characters quickly take his place, along with Ranger Chip (think Frontier Jack), who will show you the ropes of surviving in the desert. New characters will travel in on a train, and you'll need to click on an icon above their head to see what they'll be able to add to your game's story. Meet us behind the break more details about building your own town in the wild west.
You'll be quickly taught how to plant crops and then find water to help those crops grow. This is done by digging for a geyser with your shovel, and then placing a water well on top of your newly discovered geyser. The game's initial portions play out through text-based dialog sessions, and a few simple quests that have you complete construction on your land's dilapidated cabin, build a Bank, and so on. The Bank introduces the concept of premium currency to the game, with one free Bank Note being available each and every day you play the game, just for collecting from your Bank daily.

Quests will last long after the game's introduction, and contain the expected tasks - clear a certain amount of debris, purchase certain animals or decorations, plant specific crops and so on. Most actions you'll complete will cost energy, save for some like watering crops, which is a free action. Some types of debris also take more than one click to remove, but you'll be able to see how many are required before starting to clear them.

As you go along, your inventory will start to fill with your harvested crops and items that you'll receive from your livestock (eggs from chickens, etc.), and you'll be able to sell these items for additional profits. This money can then be used to purchase various buildings for your town, like a Saloon, Sheriff Station, Vegetable Stand, and even an Oil Derrick. While some of your first buildings are completed after simply whacking the frame, eventually, you'll need to gain the help of friends to be staff in your buildings before they'll be open for business.

Technically, Wild West Town has a lot going for it. You'll be able to level up extremely fast as the beginning of the game, constantly raising your maximum amount of energy. On the other hand, there is no bonus meter present, which negates any incentive to click on the many bonus items that appear when completing actions on your land. Additionally, there is no button available to stop your character's cue of actions should you change your mind.

All told, the game's technical differences from FrontierVille add both positives and negatives to the experience. With a clever art style, and a seeming boom in users in such a short time, we can see this one being worth trying at least once, especially if you find yourself stuck on a particular mission in FrontierVille, but you'd still like to play the same type of game.

FarmVille Double Mastery on now through February 16

If you're looking to quickly master some crops in FarmVille - perhaps the new crops released in the Greenhouse feature, or the limited edition Cupid Corn crop - but don't want to spend Farm Cash activating your instant-grow Biplane, you'll be happy to know that Zynga has just launched the latest round of Double Mastery in the game, as a way to say Happy Valentine's Day to each and every player.

For those that aren't familiar with how Double Mastery works in FarmVille, it's incredibly simple. If you harvest a normal crop, without a bushel activated, you'll receive two points of mastery for each one square of a crop that you harvest. If you do activate a bushel, you'll then gain three points of mastery for a single square, allowing you to rack up those mastery points in no time flat!

This round of Double Mastery will last from now until February 16 at 9:00 PST, so make sure to use this time wisely to master as many crops / as much of a crop as you can in that time.

Mafia Wars Love is Hard to Find: Everything you need to know

A new collection event has launched in Mafia Wars in celebration of the current Valentine's Day holiday, but as you might expect in the world of Mafia Wars, no event is full of light-hearted candy and roses, and this is no exception. The new event is called "Love is Hard to Find" and it has you collecting as many Broken Hearts as you can within a specific time limit (now sitting at around eight and a half days remaining).

You'll be able to collect Broken Hearts through a number of different ways, including receiving them as free gifts (or receiving them as free bonuses on your friends' wall posts), or as loot drops from Jobs, Fights, and Robbing. There are unfortunately limits in place for the number of hearts you can collect each day, as you can only receive 10 Hearts at most from each of the Jobs, Fights, and Robbing sources, while you can only receive 20 Hearts in total each day from the gifting method.

While Red Hearts are worth just one point in the overall collection feature, you also have a chance to come across special Golden Hearts, which count as five points. Find out what these points will earn you behind the break.

There are just four rewards up for grabs in this event, but each comes with some fairly decent stats. Here's a full rundown of the four items, including their Attack / Defense stats, and their prices.

Lovebird - Costs 25 Broken Hearts - 52 Attack and 36 Defense
Bullet Proof Heart (armor) - Costs 50 Broken Hearts - 42 Attack and 67 Defense
Total Eclipse (vehicle) - Costs 100 Broken Hearts - 76 Attack and 45 Defense
Cardiac Arrest (weapon) - Costs 150 Broken Hearts - 51 Attack and 89 Defense

If you'd like a quick boost in your Broken Heart count, you can purchase Hearts outright for 1 Reward Point each. As for the other methods, you have more than a week to earn these hearts, so keep asking your active Mafia Wars neighbors for help in receiving these Broken Hearts as free gifts. By the time the event expires, you should have at least enough for the Lovebird, if not the Cardiac Arrest item as well, which definitely shouldn't leave you broken hearted.

Check out the rest of our Valentine's Day 2011 coverage right here.

What do you think of the prizes in this newest collection event?