The Pokemon Company is set to bring an official Pokemon Online game to smartphone devices, marking the first time that an official Nintendo-copyrighted app will be available on the iOS and Android.
Called Pokemon Iie Tap (rougly Pokemon: Say Tap?), the app appears to be a rhythm game where players “tap on Pokemon indigo trading cards to the beat of a song from the anime,” according to a translation by consumer video game site GamesRadar.
According to the game’s official announcement, it will be available for most iOS devices, as well as Android devices running version 2.1 of the platform.
Though this is the first iOS or Android application to carry an official Nintendo copyright, it is not the first mobile app of any kind: a Pokemon mobile phone game called Pokemate was released in Japan in 2006.
Though it is a rarity, Nintendo does have a history of releasing official games on platforms that are not its own, including a promotional Flash game to promote its Tingle character.
A release outside of Japan has not been announced.
Thứ Hai, 12 tháng 12, 2011
Nick Jr., MTVN expand in Asia
Rugrats and music fans in Singapore and Malaysia will be able to tune in to “Dora the Explorer” and 24-hour music videos, docus and concerts with the launch of Viacom’s Nick Jr. and MTVN HD in the territories in coming weeks.
Nick Jr Games. will bow on Singapore’s Starhub from May 18, while MTVN HD will air on Telekom Malaysia Berhad’s HyppTV in Malaysia from June 1.
Nick Jr. will be available on the StarHub TV’s Kids Basic Upsize Group, while MTVNHD will be available to existing StarHub TV’s Entertainment Basic Group customers who are subscribed to the Basic HD Upsize group.
TM will offer the two channels a la carte to its subscribers on HyppTV, Malaysia’s newest pay TV service.
Nick Jr Games. will bow on Singapore’s Starhub from May 18, while MTVN HD will air on Telekom Malaysia Berhad’s HyppTV in Malaysia from June 1.
Nick Jr. will be available on the StarHub TV’s Kids Basic Upsize Group, while MTVNHD will be available to existing StarHub TV’s Entertainment Basic Group customers who are subscribed to the Basic HD Upsize group.
TM will offer the two channels a la carte to its subscribers on HyppTV, Malaysia’s newest pay TV service.
Thứ Sáu, 9 tháng 12, 2011
Zynga plans to play nice with indie game makers through Project Z
Forget getting our own nifty zTags, because Zynga's mysterious Project Z just got way more exciting. During an interview with CIOL, Zynga CTO Cadir Lee revealed a sweet little morsel of a detail about the upcoming project that could be huge. "To start with, we will allow only Zynga games on our sites and in future we are planning to allow others to host games, developed by individual developers," Lee said to CIOL, referring to Project Z (or Zynga Direct).
Project Z, a semi-independent social games network that will provide players with "zTags" used to connect more easily, was revealed by Zynga CEO Mark Pincus last month at Zynga Unleashed. Lee went on to say that this move is not an attempt at distancing itself with Facebook, and "Facebook will be heavily integrated into Zynga." We imagine he's referring to Project Z there, as the company is already at that point with all of its existing games.
For Zynga to host independent game makers' social games on its own website would be a boon to any interested developer. While we're unsure of the traffic Zynga's website garners (one website puts it at over 11 million monthly unique visitors), for an indie game maker's name to be attached to the biggest social game creator of them all would be quite the recommendation. At the very least, this will bring some much-needed gameplay variety to Zynga's lineup.
Are you excited to see new game creators to be featured on Zynga's Project Z? What new types of social games are you waiting to be brought into the fold through Zynga?
Project Z, a semi-independent social games network that will provide players with "zTags" used to connect more easily, was revealed by Zynga CEO Mark Pincus last month at Zynga Unleashed. Lee went on to say that this move is not an attempt at distancing itself with Facebook, and "Facebook will be heavily integrated into Zynga." We imagine he's referring to Project Z there, as the company is already at that point with all of its existing games.
For Zynga to host independent game makers' social games on its own website would be a boon to any interested developer. While we're unsure of the traffic Zynga's website garners (one website puts it at over 11 million monthly unique visitors), for an indie game maker's name to be attached to the biggest social game creator of them all would be quite the recommendation. At the very least, this will bring some much-needed gameplay variety to Zynga's lineup.
Are you excited to see new game creators to be featured on Zynga's Project Z? What new types of social games are you waiting to be brought into the fold through Zynga?
The Sims FreePlay on iOS takes cues from The Sims Social next month
The Sims FreePlay
Are you ready to live two lives with no escape? Then step right into The Sims FreePlay. EA's brand new Sims game for iPhone and iPad will live up to its title, taking a cue from the largely successful The Sims Social for Facebook. However, this game will operate differently than both traditional Sims games and its social counterpart in that it will operate on a 24-hour cycle.
According to PocketGamer, this will entice players to check out what their Sims are up to throughout the day, rather than play for extended sessions. Well, if you ask the 6 million daily The Sims Social players, that sounds more like the Facebook game than we thought. Of course, the game will be supported by microtransactions for things like furniture and in-game speed boosts. (This little factoid leads us to believe your progress in the game is limited somehow.)
But here's where the differences begin: Players will be able to manage up to 16 Sims at a time. Better yet, you'll also get to customize your Sims' town with shops and parks--neither of which you can do in The Sims Social. Based on early screens, this version of The Sims looks more like its traditional counterparts than what's on Facebook. In other words, it looks a helluva lot better. The Sims FreePlay hits iPhone and iPad next month, and we'll be all over it like Sims on Simoleons.
Are you psyched about a free version of The Sims on your iPhone? Are you still digging The Sims Social?
Are you ready to live two lives with no escape? Then step right into The Sims FreePlay. EA's brand new Sims game for iPhone and iPad will live up to its title, taking a cue from the largely successful The Sims Social for Facebook. However, this game will operate differently than both traditional Sims games and its social counterpart in that it will operate on a 24-hour cycle.
According to PocketGamer, this will entice players to check out what their Sims are up to throughout the day, rather than play for extended sessions. Well, if you ask the 6 million daily The Sims Social players, that sounds more like the Facebook game than we thought. Of course, the game will be supported by microtransactions for things like furniture and in-game speed boosts. (This little factoid leads us to believe your progress in the game is limited somehow.)
But here's where the differences begin: Players will be able to manage up to 16 Sims at a time. Better yet, you'll also get to customize your Sims' town with shops and parks--neither of which you can do in The Sims Social. Based on early screens, this version of The Sims looks more like its traditional counterparts than what's on Facebook. In other words, it looks a helluva lot better. The Sims FreePlay hits iPhone and iPad next month, and we'll be all over it like Sims on Simoleons.
Are you psyched about a free version of The Sims on your iPhone? Are you still digging The Sims Social?
Mafia Wars 2 begs the question: Do Facebook games really need sequels?
Mafia Wars 2 apparently isn't doing as well as it should be. Zynga insiders tell BusinessWeek that the sequel to Mafia Wars on Facebook is not meeting expectations after peaking in popularity shortly after launch (with 2.5 million daily players) and then taking a nosedive, losing 900K players in just over a month. Execs are purportedly pointing fingers in an attempt to figure out why this game is turning off players at such a rapid pace.
One of the most likely reasons? Mafia Wars 2 isn't different enough from the original game to keep people interested. The new game is, in essence, a 3D version of the original game, but the underlying game mechanics are largely the same. Michael Pachter, a research analyst at Wedbush Securities, agrees. From the article:
"The drop-off may stem from players becoming bored with the same old thing. "All the old Mafia Wars guys who finished everything you could do came over here and said, 'This is the same game with different missions.' They are already tired of it, so they are dropping off," Pachter says. "I think it's a good case study for what can go wrong."
It also begs the larger question -- do Facebook games really warrant sequels? Video games are a very sequel driven business, mostly due to the fact that game makers only get paid when someone drops $60 for a physical copy of a game. In Facebook games, players can spend money during the life of the game. Until recently, video games could not be augmented once it was in players' hands and Facebook games can be updated on a moment's notice. And, as it gets more difficult to market new Facebook games to players, there needs to be a seriously compelling reason to create a Facebook game sequel -- and, apparently, a slightly repackaged version of the original game just won't cut it.
One of the most likely reasons? Mafia Wars 2 isn't different enough from the original game to keep people interested. The new game is, in essence, a 3D version of the original game, but the underlying game mechanics are largely the same. Michael Pachter, a research analyst at Wedbush Securities, agrees. From the article:
"The drop-off may stem from players becoming bored with the same old thing. "All the old Mafia Wars guys who finished everything you could do came over here and said, 'This is the same game with different missions.' They are already tired of it, so they are dropping off," Pachter says. "I think it's a good case study for what can go wrong."
It also begs the larger question -- do Facebook games really warrant sequels? Video games are a very sequel driven business, mostly due to the fact that game makers only get paid when someone drops $60 for a physical copy of a game. In Facebook games, players can spend money during the life of the game. Until recently, video games could not be augmented once it was in players' hands and Facebook games can be updated on a moment's notice. And, as it gets more difficult to market new Facebook games to players, there needs to be a seriously compelling reason to create a Facebook game sequel -- and, apparently, a slightly repackaged version of the original game just won't cut it.
Zynga CEO Mark Pincus's approval rating is a hair above Obama's
Look at this way, Mr. Pincus: At least you don't have to make decisions that impact the entire planet--just 3,000 employees. Glass Door, a career services firm, reports that Zynga CEO Mark Pincus has a 46 percent approval rating among employees, according to VentureBeat. Of course, that means more than half of his workers might not like him very much.
The average CEO has an approval rating of 62 percent, according to Glass Door. (CEOs like Yahoo's former Carol Bartz had an approval rating of 33 percent before she was given the boot.) As a result of Pincus's below-average approval rating, the company has an overall rating of 2.6, while Glass Door says that the average is 3.1. However, the survey only includes the responses of 20 Zynga employees--tiny compared to the company's overall workforce.
At any rate, the report includes comments from those surveyed that might serve to paint a better picture. Take this Zynga software engineer, for instance: "You'll work 8-18 hours per day 5-7 days per week. Company leaders demand creativity of employees after overworking them, and ignores most ideas that don't follow the same technique/code base that most of their games currently use. Not much of a social life."
If anything, comments like these echo recent reports from both The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. Of course, stories, reports and surveys like these are bound to crop up as Zynga approaches its initial public offering. (With that, grains of salt to be taken.) Besides, when you try too hard for your employees' affection, you turn into this guy.
[Image Credit: Jeff Chiu / AP]
How do you feel about Mark Pincus based on what you've heard or read? Do you think these reports and surveys will affect the company at all?
The average CEO has an approval rating of 62 percent, according to Glass Door. (CEOs like Yahoo's former Carol Bartz had an approval rating of 33 percent before she was given the boot.) As a result of Pincus's below-average approval rating, the company has an overall rating of 2.6, while Glass Door says that the average is 3.1. However, the survey only includes the responses of 20 Zynga employees--tiny compared to the company's overall workforce.
At any rate, the report includes comments from those surveyed that might serve to paint a better picture. Take this Zynga software engineer, for instance: "You'll work 8-18 hours per day 5-7 days per week. Company leaders demand creativity of employees after overworking them, and ignores most ideas that don't follow the same technique/code base that most of their games currently use. Not much of a social life."
If anything, comments like these echo recent reports from both The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. Of course, stories, reports and surveys like these are bound to crop up as Zynga approaches its initial public offering. (With that, grains of salt to be taken.) Besides, when you try too hard for your employees' affection, you turn into this guy.
[Image Credit: Jeff Chiu / AP]
How do you feel about Mark Pincus based on what you've heard or read? Do you think these reports and surveys will affect the company at all?
FarmVille Pic of the Day: Christmas takes to the sky on Brayzdin's farm
Happy holidays, players! Brayzdin has done it again with another fantastically, fantastical FarmVille farm. He didn't just build a Christmas tree; he built a ginormous tree made out of trees, and even uses trees for the trimming. The tree's body is home to a large variety of FarmVille trees, but the trimming is clearly formed by rows of the inexpensive Plum Trees, while Silver Bell Trees (a red, white, and blue 2011 Winter Holiday premium) masquerade as tree ornaments. Rockerfeller, eat your heart out.
But Brayzdin also likes depth in his farm designs, and this one uses a few tricks to make the center of the farm resemble a deep ravine. To the right is a cliff with rocky sides built out of fences, just like one from last week. Another cliff is built on the left, but this one is topped with the clever use of Modern Benches to mimic floating railroad tracks. (Brayzdin used this trick before, in his Castle in the Sky farm.) Riding on the red floating track is the Wild West train set, while beneath it, another optical trick makes it look like the Evergreen Train is chugging below.
Finally, in the spacious 'sky' above, Brayzdin populated the farm with hot air balloons from the Haiti "School of Choice" charity, FarmVille's First Birthday, and 1 Million Fans Anniversary Weekend. There's also the AVG Biplane, Balloon Gnome, Duke's Airship (from the English Countryside event), and a Gold Sleigh that looks like Santa's cause Brayzdin set a group of Reindeer in front of it.
What's your favorite winter holiday FarmVille farm? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
If you have an AWESOME FarmVille farm that you want to see featured on Games.com, please email a picture to editors@games.com, Include a few words about the inspiration for your design and maybe a few tips for people who need an assist!
But Brayzdin also likes depth in his farm designs, and this one uses a few tricks to make the center of the farm resemble a deep ravine. To the right is a cliff with rocky sides built out of fences, just like one from last week. Another cliff is built on the left, but this one is topped with the clever use of Modern Benches to mimic floating railroad tracks. (Brayzdin used this trick before, in his Castle in the Sky farm.) Riding on the red floating track is the Wild West train set, while beneath it, another optical trick makes it look like the Evergreen Train is chugging below.
Finally, in the spacious 'sky' above, Brayzdin populated the farm with hot air balloons from the Haiti "School of Choice" charity, FarmVille's First Birthday, and 1 Million Fans Anniversary Weekend. There's also the AVG Biplane, Balloon Gnome, Duke's Airship (from the English Countryside event), and a Gold Sleigh that looks like Santa's cause Brayzdin set a group of Reindeer in front of it.
What's your favorite winter holiday FarmVille farm? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
If you have an AWESOME FarmVille farm that you want to see featured on Games.com, please email a picture to editors@games.com, Include a few words about the inspiration for your design and maybe a few tips for people who need an assist!
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