If you're a 'Wheel Watcher,' aka a fan of the classic TV game show Wheel of Fortune, you'll be happy to know that your favorite letter-turning game has finally landed on Facebook. The game, created by GSN Digital, combines the aspects from the TV Show -- the wheel, buying vowels and the trademark sound effects -- with some very Facebook game-centric features.
You start the game by playing a 'Main Round' on your own and then playing a 'Bonus Round' where you can ask friends for help via a Facebook Wall post. Just like the TV show, you can spin the wheel and pick a consonant, choose to buy a vowel and/or choose to solve the entire puzzle. After the round is over, you are rewarded with 'Wheel Bucks,' which can be used to buy bonuses for your game -- Letter Reveal, Timer Pause, Double Bucks, Free Play -- or used to buy collections. Once a collection is complete, you'll score Wheel Gold, which can be used to buy more bonuses or purchase additional episodes (each player is given three free episodes to play daily). facebook game wheel of fortune friends leaderboard
Like other Facebook games, you can invite friends to be your neighbors, and their profile will show up in a leaderboard at the bottom of the screen. From there, you can send game bonuses to friends as free gifts and, more importantly, keep an eye on your standing in the ranks. And, while you can ask friends for help, you will be given ample opportunity to help friends solve puzzles as well, which will earn you additional Wheel Bucks.
wheel of fortune help friends
Microtansactions are baked into the game -- of course -- and players have the option to buy Wheel Gold for real-life cash, via credit Card or PayPal.
games.com buy gold with cash
Wheel of Fortune isn't exactly new to the online game space -- there are several versions floating around the web (including this one on Games.com), but this socialized version of the game does a great job at harnessing the power of Facebook and adding a more personal (and maybe even competitive) experience to the the game we all know and love. We're also looking forward to seeing what exactly the Wheel Greeting and Compete for Wheel Gold features that are labeled as 'coming soon' on the game's main page will be all about.
The only thing that's keeping this 'Wheel' from nearing perfection? There's no way to hire a virtual Vanna White to turn the letters for us.
wheel of fortune featuring Vanna White Nintendo
Play Wheel of Fortune on Facebook >
Hiển thị các bài đăng có nhãn FacebookGames. Hiển thị tất cả bài đăng
Hiển thị các bài đăng có nhãn FacebookGames. Hiển thị tất cả bài đăng
Thứ Hai, 6 tháng 2, 2012
Thứ Hai, 9 tháng 1, 2012
CityVille beats FarmVille's best numbers, shatters and sets records
CityVille is huge
It looks like Zynga and the CityVille team have received a New Year's gift now, too. (In fact, CityVille doesn't seem to need an occasion anymore.) TechCrunch reports that CityVille has become the biggest social game to ever grace Facebook, breaking FarmVille's record-setting peak of nearly 83.8 million monthly players in March 2010 with 84.2 million monthly players. Zynga's most recent social-gaming juggernaut has been shattering records since it launched early in Dec. 2010, but this is a first for both CityVille and the Facebook game genre altogether.
We've all said that the growth has to plateau at some point, but continues surging upward, blowing away our expectations and doubts without much more than a few stutters, according to a chart provided by Inside Social Games (ISG). It's ISG that also predicts CityVille to reach 125 million players at some point in 2011. Well, if the game keeps soaring at this rate of almost two million new monthly players daily, it's only a matter of time before CityVille at least reaches 100 million. Either way, CityVille is already the most popular social game to date in the genre's infantile lifespan. That is until Zynga launches something else, of course.
It looks like Zynga and the CityVille team have received a New Year's gift now, too. (In fact, CityVille doesn't seem to need an occasion anymore.) TechCrunch reports that CityVille has become the biggest social game to ever grace Facebook, breaking FarmVille's record-setting peak of nearly 83.8 million monthly players in March 2010 with 84.2 million monthly players. Zynga's most recent social-gaming juggernaut has been shattering records since it launched early in Dec. 2010, but this is a first for both CityVille and the Facebook game genre altogether.
We've all said that the growth has to plateau at some point, but continues surging upward, blowing away our expectations and doubts without much more than a few stutters, according to a chart provided by Inside Social Games (ISG). It's ISG that also predicts CityVille to reach 125 million players at some point in 2011. Well, if the game keeps soaring at this rate of almost two million new monthly players daily, it's only a matter of time before CityVille at least reaches 100 million. Either way, CityVille is already the most popular social game to date in the genre's infantile lifespan. That is until Zynga launches something else, of course.
Top 25 Facebook Games - January 2011
Inside Social Games has released the top 25 Facebook games for January and -- to no surprise -- Zynga's new darling CityVille has gone straight to the top of the charts, overtaking FarmVille, which until recently, seemed darn near impossible. The real question is how long CityVille will stay at the top or if this number is inflated due to extra promotion and the 'new'ness of it all.
Other newcomers to January's Top 25 list include PopCap's Zuma Blitz, which is a timed version of the classic PC game,and CrowdStar's uber girly game, It Girl, which grew 1.2 million last month.
top 25 facebook games 2011
A few other things to point out in this list:
- CityVille gained 80 million users in one month. Wow. It's surprising to see how a city-building game, which isn't drastically different from the many other city-building games out there, gained that much traction. It's a true testament to the power of Zynga's cross-promotion (and it also might be a sign that Zynga's learning how to make more compelling games).;
- FarmVille has been losing players for monthy (roughly 30 million so far), but in December, managed to gain 4 million players One would assume that's due to a combination of all of the special events in the game for the holiday season, the return of game notifications on Facebook and a cross-promotional synergy among all of Zynga's games, many of which were also up last month (with exception of Mafia Wars).
Other newcomers to January's Top 25 list include PopCap's Zuma Blitz, which is a timed version of the classic PC game,and CrowdStar's uber girly game, It Girl, which grew 1.2 million last month.
top 25 facebook games 2011
A few other things to point out in this list:
- CityVille gained 80 million users in one month. Wow. It's surprising to see how a city-building game, which isn't drastically different from the many other city-building games out there, gained that much traction. It's a true testament to the power of Zynga's cross-promotion (and it also might be a sign that Zynga's learning how to make more compelling games).;
- FarmVille has been losing players for monthy (roughly 30 million so far), but in December, managed to gain 4 million players One would assume that's due to a combination of all of the special events in the game for the holiday season, the return of game notifications on Facebook and a cross-promotional synergy among all of Zynga's games, many of which were also up last month (with exception of Mafia Wars).
Little War on Facebook: Stone Age game at a Stone Age pace
If there is one niche that Facebook games have yet to hit, it might very well be the Stone Age. Thanks to Chinese social game developer Five Minutes, that's no longer an issue with Little War. Set in prehistoric times, Little War puts you in the role of chieftain, overseeing a fledgling tribe as they kill, expand and cultivate their way to caveman supremacy. Drawing obvious similarities from established warfare and city-building games like My Empire, Little War brings a lot to the table in presentation as one the most visually appealing Facebook games out there. Unfortunately, the game moves at a fossilized snail's pace, forcing players to wait for sometimes days before seeing the fleeting moments of combat.
Find more detailed impressions of Little War after the break.
Little War Tirbe
Your nascent tribe begins already facing the stony tips of an opposing tribe's spears, which serves as the training ground for you, the only person this small community has to look up to. While that sure sounds pretty intense, it quickly boils down to "harvest this" and "train this." Worse off, these processes will take hours outside of the tutorial, which grants you with Hourglasses to instantly finish training cycles and push the invaders back with your own pointy weapons.
Unlike most games that operate in coins, Little War is all about Food, which is at least historically accurate to a point. Everything from building dwellings and warrior training grounds to decorations costs Food. Harvesting crops, completing quests, killing roaming monsters and leveling are all sources of Food. Of course, harvesting is the most readily available and reliable source of food, but also the least entertaining. There is also your population cap to worry about, which fills up with the more soldiers you train and increases with the more dwellings you create. Admittedly, it has the potential to become an interesting balance considering it all draws from a single resource.
Little War Monster Hunt
To mix things up, your tribe can also tap ancient magics to summon more monsters to hunt, increase your tribe's statistics, damage other tribes and more. These are accessed by creating new Wonders, or buildings whose only purpose is to fuel new magic powers. Once built, Wonders can be upgraded using parts collected from defeating monsters, purchasing from the shop, completing quests or even--dare I say--asking friends. Yes, asking and helping friends with requests is a major component to Little War like most social games.
On to what should the most exciting part of Little War: combat. Unfortunately, I've yet to enter a combat experience with another tribe on any scale since the tutorial. And while it hasn't been a terribly long time since then, why should it be? When there are plenty of other games out there that are much more rewarding of building and maintaining a community, combat should be more frequent and far more exciting than it is. When fighting monsters, all that decides the outcome is a small cartoon-style scuffle cloud accompanied by a loading bar. When fighting opposing tribes, scale that same goofy animation to fill the entire screen, add some more oomph to it with more warriors and that's how large scale combat is decided. The only statistic that contributes to your success in combat is Combat Power, which is merely a measure of the amount of warriors you possess in your army. In short, the combat won't exactly have you running back to your computer screen for more like in games such as Mighty Pirates or Monster Galaxy.
Little War Level Up
As mentioned before, getting into combat takes long enough--but so does everything else. Training even the smallest regiment of warrior takes two hours, most of the more meaningful magic powers take almost a day to recharge and harvesting a worthwhile amount of Food takes a full day. You're going to spend a lot of time either staring at timers or setting alarms around events that aren't exactly enthralling. Little War has an incredibly charming art style and smooth presentation, but sadly is sitting on a gold mine of potentially exciting content while emulating elements of other popular social games so well. Just because your game is about the Stone Age doesn't mean it has to move like it.
Find more detailed impressions of Little War after the break.
Little War Tirbe
Your nascent tribe begins already facing the stony tips of an opposing tribe's spears, which serves as the training ground for you, the only person this small community has to look up to. While that sure sounds pretty intense, it quickly boils down to "harvest this" and "train this." Worse off, these processes will take hours outside of the tutorial, which grants you with Hourglasses to instantly finish training cycles and push the invaders back with your own pointy weapons.
Unlike most games that operate in coins, Little War is all about Food, which is at least historically accurate to a point. Everything from building dwellings and warrior training grounds to decorations costs Food. Harvesting crops, completing quests, killing roaming monsters and leveling are all sources of Food. Of course, harvesting is the most readily available and reliable source of food, but also the least entertaining. There is also your population cap to worry about, which fills up with the more soldiers you train and increases with the more dwellings you create. Admittedly, it has the potential to become an interesting balance considering it all draws from a single resource.
Little War Monster Hunt
To mix things up, your tribe can also tap ancient magics to summon more monsters to hunt, increase your tribe's statistics, damage other tribes and more. These are accessed by creating new Wonders, or buildings whose only purpose is to fuel new magic powers. Once built, Wonders can be upgraded using parts collected from defeating monsters, purchasing from the shop, completing quests or even--dare I say--asking friends. Yes, asking and helping friends with requests is a major component to Little War like most social games.
On to what should the most exciting part of Little War: combat. Unfortunately, I've yet to enter a combat experience with another tribe on any scale since the tutorial. And while it hasn't been a terribly long time since then, why should it be? When there are plenty of other games out there that are much more rewarding of building and maintaining a community, combat should be more frequent and far more exciting than it is. When fighting monsters, all that decides the outcome is a small cartoon-style scuffle cloud accompanied by a loading bar. When fighting opposing tribes, scale that same goofy animation to fill the entire screen, add some more oomph to it with more warriors and that's how large scale combat is decided. The only statistic that contributes to your success in combat is Combat Power, which is merely a measure of the amount of warriors you possess in your army. In short, the combat won't exactly have you running back to your computer screen for more like in games such as Mighty Pirates or Monster Galaxy.
Little War Level Up
As mentioned before, getting into combat takes long enough--but so does everything else. Training even the smallest regiment of warrior takes two hours, most of the more meaningful magic powers take almost a day to recharge and harvesting a worthwhile amount of Food takes a full day. You're going to spend a lot of time either staring at timers or setting alarms around events that aren't exactly enthralling. Little War has an incredibly charming art style and smooth presentation, but sadly is sitting on a gold mine of potentially exciting content while emulating elements of other popular social games so well. Just because your game is about the Stone Age doesn't mean it has to move like it.
Thứ Bảy, 7 tháng 1, 2012
Spend those free Facebook Credits before they expire Feb. 15
You freeloaders better get to spending fast, because any Facebook Credits received for free from Facebook will expire Feb. 15. The company has been doling out Credits for about six months as it solidified five-year exclusivity deals with several developers including Zynga, Playfish and Playdom. All Facebook reports that the social network is killing the free credits because the idea behind the promotions was to spur in-app (ahem, in-game) spending, not hoarding.
However, Inside Facebook reports that this change will only effect a small number of the lazier folks to receive promotions. All Facebook guesses that this implies that Credits will only be removed from accounts that have yet to long into a Facebook app since receiving the free Credits. Of course, this has yet to be seen.
Clearly this all ties back into Facebook's July 1 deadline for all applications on the platform, including games, to use Facebook Credits as their one and only currency. Console gamers will already be used to this type of transition given how many of you are used to buying games and expansion packs through services like the Xbox Game Marketplace and the PlayStation Store. But for terribly non-traditional gamers on Facebook, the company is doing everything it can to educate them in time for the change.
Even if you're a frequent Facebook gamer, I would recommend spending those free Credits as soon as possible to play it safe. Refilling the old Energy bar once or twice never hurt anyone, huh? Or maybe it's time to indulge in one of those lovely Unwither Rings.
However, Inside Facebook reports that this change will only effect a small number of the lazier folks to receive promotions. All Facebook guesses that this implies that Credits will only be removed from accounts that have yet to long into a Facebook app since receiving the free Credits. Of course, this has yet to be seen.
Clearly this all ties back into Facebook's July 1 deadline for all applications on the platform, including games, to use Facebook Credits as their one and only currency. Console gamers will already be used to this type of transition given how many of you are used to buying games and expansion packs through services like the Xbox Game Marketplace and the PlayStation Store. But for terribly non-traditional gamers on Facebook, the company is doing everything it can to educate them in time for the change.
Even if you're a frequent Facebook gamer, I would recommend spending those free Credits as soon as possible to play it safe. Refilling the old Energy bar once or twice never hurt anyone, huh? Or maybe it's time to indulge in one of those lovely Unwither Rings.
Thứ Sáu, 6 tháng 1, 2012
MySpace game developers shutter games amidst plummeting traffic
Byespace?
Let's not beat around the bush here: MySpace is hurtin'. Overall traffic is down, while the company lays off unfortunate employees and considers a sale, according to Inside Social Games. As a result, games are doing so hot on MySpace--at least when compared to the Facebook. That said, developers like Playdom, RockYou and Zynga have shut down many of their MySpace offerings in favor of focusing their full attention on Facebook and mobile.
ISG reports that Playdom, one of the most dominant MySpace developers, has shuttered Overdrive and Bloodlines, two text-based role-playing games. The company will still run Mobsters, Sorority Life and World Series of Poker, but who knows for how long is MySpace keeps sinking. RockYou, the folks behind games like Gourmet Ranch, has essentially boarded up shop on MySpace in closing RockYou Pets, Speed Racing and a few more social applications.
Oddly enough, Zynga hasn't completely given up on Tom yet. According to Inside Social Games, it seems as if Zynga has only shut down Street Racing on MySpace (and Facebook), a role-playing game. At the moment, the company still dominates the MySpace Top 25 with seven games: Mafia Wars, YoVille, Zynga Poker, Vampires, Fashion Wars, Special Forces, and Friend Factory. How long these games will be around is entirely up to Zynga, but gaging the MySpace situation overall doesn't bode well for games on the platform.
Let's not beat around the bush here: MySpace is hurtin'. Overall traffic is down, while the company lays off unfortunate employees and considers a sale, according to Inside Social Games. As a result, games are doing so hot on MySpace--at least when compared to the Facebook. That said, developers like Playdom, RockYou and Zynga have shut down many of their MySpace offerings in favor of focusing their full attention on Facebook and mobile.
ISG reports that Playdom, one of the most dominant MySpace developers, has shuttered Overdrive and Bloodlines, two text-based role-playing games. The company will still run Mobsters, Sorority Life and World Series of Poker, but who knows for how long is MySpace keeps sinking. RockYou, the folks behind games like Gourmet Ranch, has essentially boarded up shop on MySpace in closing RockYou Pets, Speed Racing and a few more social applications.
Oddly enough, Zynga hasn't completely given up on Tom yet. According to Inside Social Games, it seems as if Zynga has only shut down Street Racing on MySpace (and Facebook), a role-playing game. At the moment, the company still dominates the MySpace Top 25 with seven games: Mafia Wars, YoVille, Zynga Poker, Vampires, Fashion Wars, Special Forces, and Friend Factory. How long these games will be around is entirely up to Zynga, but gaging the MySpace situation overall doesn't bode well for games on the platform.
Đăng ký:
Bài đăng (Atom)