Look, last week in The Sims Social was a little too ... inspired for some of us when it comes to item themes. Thankfully, Playfish has brought the true meaning of Halloween to the game in The Ultimate Horror Movie Week. This week, a slew of items hit the in-game that embody the spirit of Halloween: really gory, disgusting and generally spooky decorations.
Take the MSS Doll of Doom for instance--that thing might just be too creepy to purchase altogether. Frankly, decking your pad out in all of these items, including the numerous wallpapers and windows, might scare your friends away. But without further delay, let's take a look at how much it might cost you to spook up the place:
MSS Zombie Plan
Costs: 300 Simoleons
House Value: 300
MSS Loose Connection
Costs: 10 SimCash
House Value: 1,500
MSS Doll of Doom
Costs:10 SimCash
House Value: 1,500
3 Fun; 3 Social
MSS Sink of Despair
Costs: 350 Simoleons
House Value: 250
5 Hygiene
MSS Hand of Hazard
Costs: 12 SimCash
House Value: 1,750
Metal Trapdoor
Costs: 375 Simoleons
House Value: 250
3 Fun; 3 Social
MSS Toilet of Relief
Costs: 400 Simoleons
House Value: 250
9 Bladder; -1 Hygiene
MSS Stool of Havoc
Costs: 200 Social Points
House Value: 400
Wooden Trap Door
Costs: 15 SimCash
House Value: 2,200
3 Fun; 3 Social
Necronomicon
Costs: 15 SimCash
House Value: 2,200
Side Table Prop
Costs: 250 Social Points
House Value: 550
MSS Chest of Horrors
Costs: 19 SimCash
House Value: 2,200
3 Fun; 3 Social
Axe Prop
Costs: 300 Social Points
House Value: 650
MSS Experiments
Costs: 300 Social Points
House Value: 650
3 Fun; 3 Social
MSS Mirror of Shame
Costs: 600 Simoleons
House Value: 450
19 Social; 11 Sleep
Creepy Window Prop
Costs: 600 Simoleons
House Value: 450
MSS Doomsday Plans
Costs: 350 Social Points
House Value: 800
Hoojamaflip Doll of Doom Experiments Haunted TV Hand of Hazard
Small Table Prop
Costs: 400 Social Points
House Value: 900
MSS Door of Death
Costs: 900 Simoleons
House Value: 800
MSS Well of Fear
Costs: 500 Social Points
House Value: 1,150
11 Social; -1 Bladder
Lab Barred Window
Costs: 500 Social Points
House Value: 1,150
MSS Shower of Chaos
Costs: 500 Social Points
House Value: 1,150
7 Hygiene
MSS Radio of the Dead
Costs: 35 SimCash
House Value: 5,150
3 Fun; 3 Social
Haunting Chair Prop
Costs: 35 SimCash
House Value: 5,150
Haunted items
Haunted Door Prop
Costs: 1,200 Simoleons
House Value: 1,250
MSS Desk of Evil
Costs: 1,250 Simoleons
House Value: 1,350
Haunting Sofa Prop
Costs: 45 SimCash
House Value: 6,650
3 Sleep
Haunted TV
Costs: 1,500 Simoleons
House Value: 1,550
7 Fun; 3 Social
MSS Lamp of Terror
Costs: 1,500 Simoleons
House Value: 1,550
Coffee Table Prop
Costs: 750 Social Points
House Value: 1,900
MSS Workbench
Costs: 1,800 Simoleons
House Value: 1,700
3 Fun
Haunted Desk
Costs: 2,500 Simoleons
House Value: 2,000
Poltergeist Bed Prop
Costs: 1,300 Social Points
House Value: 3,850
11 Sleep
Thingymajig
Costs: 1,400 Social Points
House Value: 100
19 Fun
Haunted Wardrobe Prop
Costs: 1,500
House Value: 4,300
This week's set of items also includes an MSS Hoojamaflip decoration that's worth 3,050 House Value and 11 Sleep, but it requires players to complete the timed Ghost Town quests to unlock. Of course, the majority of the super cool items cost SimCash to acquire. But at least there are a number of items worth Social Points and Simoleons to at least give the feeling that you're house has been reclaimed by the Jigsaw Killer for whatever reason. Isn't that Halloween is all about anyway?
Check out the rest of our Halloween 2011 coverage right here >
[Image Credit: Playfish]
Which of these in-game items have you picked up in The Sims Social to ring in Halloween? What else are you doing this holiday to celebrate?
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Monday, December 12, 2011
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Quote of the Moment: 'PC gaming press is discovering what to cover'
And they're mumbling and grumbling the whole way too. During an interview with [a]list daily, A Bit Lucky CEO Frederic Descamps said that "hardcore" games and social games are merging as more complexity and depth is introduced to Facebook games. However, the company's (which just launched hardcore Facebook game Lucky Space) CCO Jordan Maynard alluded to social gaming's effect on games media too.
"I think the PC gaming press is discovering what to cover," Maynard said to [a]list daily. "While initially there was a lot of rejection of the F2P space, games like League of Legends are making them rethink that. Facebook is on your PC so it is sort of PC gaming, but they didn't want to believe it."
And perhaps Maynard has a point: It's only recently that most traditional video game news outlets began to cover the social game scene. And even then it's been generally limited to Zynga and Playfish's efforts. Does this mean that Facebook games have "arrived"? Well, social games can only go up from here, one would guess.
As the two disparate game genres continue to close the gap, surely they'll garner even more attention from mainstream PC gaming press. But it makes you wonder: Do Facebook games even need to be legitimized by big time press outlets?
[Via IndustryGamers]
Well, do they? Are you happy with the possibility that hardcore games and social games are slowly becoming more similar?
"I think the PC gaming press is discovering what to cover," Maynard said to [a]list daily. "While initially there was a lot of rejection of the F2P space, games like League of Legends are making them rethink that. Facebook is on your PC so it is sort of PC gaming, but they didn't want to believe it."
And perhaps Maynard has a point: It's only recently that most traditional video game news outlets began to cover the social game scene. And even then it's been generally limited to Zynga and Playfish's efforts. Does this mean that Facebook games have "arrived"? Well, social games can only go up from here, one would guess.
As the two disparate game genres continue to close the gap, surely they'll garner even more attention from mainstream PC gaming press. But it makes you wonder: Do Facebook games even need to be legitimized by big time press outlets?
[Via IndustryGamers]
Well, do they? Are you happy with the possibility that hardcore games and social games are slowly becoming more similar?
Are social games cool now? Gen Y is 30 percent of US social gamers
Social games aren't just going "hardcore", but it seems they're no longer just for old middle-aged folk. According to an eMarketer report citing data from Information Solutions Group (ISG), 30 percent of US social gamers are between 18 and 29 years old. That figure is as of September of this year, and in January 2010, Generation Y made up for just 15 percent.
With that change, the average age of the social gamer has dropped from 45 to just above 41 years old. So, social gamers are getting younger--how did this happen? Well, "hardcore" games are generally for younger audiences, so perhaps the recent boom in strategy games on Facebook accounts for at least some of this shift. Generally speaking, social games are slowly becoming more visually attractive and action-packed. Take The Sims Social, CastleVille and Mafia Wars 2, for instance.
As for what this could mean, social game makers are likely going to create games that are more appealing to this younger crowd. That's especially considering the data from ISG finds that younger social gamers are more likely to pay up for virtual items. Will 2012 be the year of the Facebook shooter? Probably not, but you can probably expect more games like this.
Will social games change now that younger players are getting into the mix? If so, how will they change, and if not, why should they remain the same?
With that change, the average age of the social gamer has dropped from 45 to just above 41 years old. So, social gamers are getting younger--how did this happen? Well, "hardcore" games are generally for younger audiences, so perhaps the recent boom in strategy games on Facebook accounts for at least some of this shift. Generally speaking, social games are slowly becoming more visually attractive and action-packed. Take The Sims Social, CastleVille and Mafia Wars 2, for instance.
As for what this could mean, social game makers are likely going to create games that are more appealing to this younger crowd. That's especially considering the data from ISG finds that younger social gamers are more likely to pay up for virtual items. Will 2012 be the year of the Facebook shooter? Probably not, but you can probably expect more games like this.
Will social games change now that younger players are getting into the mix? If so, how will they change, and if not, why should they remain the same?
Your mission, should you accept, is to play this branded Facebook game
Hey, no one said you had to dig it. Paramount Pictures and New York-based Funtactix have launched Mission: Impossible The Game on Facebook to coincide with Mr. Cruise's fourth flick in the series, Ghost Protocol. The game puts players through the gauntlet of missions set to take down enemies of the IMF--the Impossible Missions Force, not the International Monetary Fund.
Players are sent on a series of eight missions through heavily-guided quests that tell them exactly what needs to be done. That amounts to clicking enemies to take them down, clicking items to search or hack them and--you guessed it--clicking things to add more gear to your home base. Mission: Impossible The Game will take players across the globe in over 200 missions, all accomplished through the almighty click.
"Mission: Impossible The Game goes well beyond a typical social game and brings an unprecedented level of detail and authenticity," Funtactix CEO Sam Glassenberg said in a release. "It allows fans of the action-packed Mission: Impossible movies to create an agent in the official M:I universe and live a life of espionage and covert operations with their real-life friends as accomplices."
Mission Impossible The Game
However, it's not exactly what one would expect from a game revolving around explosions and espionage. At least there is something in it for you ... should you choose to accept it. (Sorry, it's just too easy.) In the coming weeks before the movie's Dec. 21 release date, Paramount Pictures will dole out prizes that Mission: Impossible fans can only get through the this game.
Want free tickets to see the Ghost Protocol US premiere, or a hometown screening for you and 30 friends? How do free tickets to the movie when it releases and signed memorabilia sound? Well, then you better stick with the game through Dec. 21. Hey, it's not like clicking things around is hard labor--just don't expect giant explosions or epic chase scenes with doves.
Click here to play Mission: Impossible The Game on Facebook Now >
Are you a Mission: Impossible fan? What do you think of branded games on Facebook?
Players are sent on a series of eight missions through heavily-guided quests that tell them exactly what needs to be done. That amounts to clicking enemies to take them down, clicking items to search or hack them and--you guessed it--clicking things to add more gear to your home base. Mission: Impossible The Game will take players across the globe in over 200 missions, all accomplished through the almighty click.
"Mission: Impossible The Game goes well beyond a typical social game and brings an unprecedented level of detail and authenticity," Funtactix CEO Sam Glassenberg said in a release. "It allows fans of the action-packed Mission: Impossible movies to create an agent in the official M:I universe and live a life of espionage and covert operations with their real-life friends as accomplices."
Mission Impossible The Game
However, it's not exactly what one would expect from a game revolving around explosions and espionage. At least there is something in it for you ... should you choose to accept it. (Sorry, it's just too easy.) In the coming weeks before the movie's Dec. 21 release date, Paramount Pictures will dole out prizes that Mission: Impossible fans can only get through the this game.
Want free tickets to see the Ghost Protocol US premiere, or a hometown screening for you and 30 friends? How do free tickets to the movie when it releases and signed memorabilia sound? Well, then you better stick with the game through Dec. 21. Hey, it's not like clicking things around is hard labor--just don't expect giant explosions or epic chase scenes with doves.
Click here to play Mission: Impossible The Game on Facebook Now >
Are you a Mission: Impossible fan? What do you think of branded games on Facebook?
FarmVille Pic of the Day: Score a goal at Famramcas' soccer stadium farm
Calling all footy fans, this one's for you. We haven't seen a sports themed farm since turtle derby stadium, but now, FarmVille player Famramcas has created a soccer stadium from his farm by crafting the playing field with grass, hay bales, and hedges. In fact, all the green of the football pitch (which is what the field is called in soccer) is made out of hedges. You can see that the pitch rises above the ground by looking at the bottom right edge, where a row of Crops Mastery signs stand halfway above it. All the goal lines are drawn by white hay bales. Darker patches of green highlight the goal boxes and center spot, which appear to be done with Tall Grass.
To fill out the pitch's surroundings, Famramcas put out a Shamrock Castle as a watchtower to the left, benches for stadium seating around the top, two silos to the right, some flags, a crop cart by the entrance along with a wreath on the ground made of seven White Star Hay Bales.
Although FarmVille did release a soccer theme for the 2010 World Cup, the items were meager and the soccer field they offered was pretty small. Though it'd be nice if he can squeeze some soccer critters in there, such as the Kick Ewe and Referee Cow. But those probably won't come around again until 2014.
When you see or hear the word "football" do you think American Football or Soccer?
To fill out the pitch's surroundings, Famramcas put out a Shamrock Castle as a watchtower to the left, benches for stadium seating around the top, two silos to the right, some flags, a crop cart by the entrance along with a wreath on the ground made of seven White Star Hay Bales.
Although FarmVille did release a soccer theme for the 2010 World Cup, the items were meager and the soccer field they offered was pretty small. Though it'd be nice if he can squeeze some soccer critters in there, such as the Kick Ewe and Referee Cow. But those probably won't come around again until 2014.
When you see or hear the word "football" do you think American Football or Soccer?
CastleVille beats CityVille as Zynga's fastest growing Facebook game
It's a good day to be the king. Zynga tells us that CastleVille has amassed over 5 million daily players in just six days. (However, AppData tells a different story, though we're told it will reflect this number in a few days.) That's leaps and bounds beyond how quickly the developer's top Facebook game, CityVille, grew. The city-builder took on just 3.2 million daily players in the same time frame when it launched in December 2010. Zynga provided more fun facts.
The San Francisco-based social games giant says that 68 percent of CastleVille fans are logging in twice daily, and that 135,176,035 quests have been completed. Players have expanded their kingdoms in the Gloom 4,594,750 times, all the while bashing 23,845,983 beasties with their bare hands. If anything, that's one helluva lot of clicks.
CastleVille launched just last week to fanfare, but likely exploded over the weekend thanks to cross-promotions in FarmVille and CityVille--two of the developer's most popular games. In CityVille, players can earn 20 free Zoning Permits for reaching Level 5 in its medieval counterpart, while FarmVillers will score five Instant Grows for doing the same.
These rewards are far more substantial than usual cross-promotions, and we bet there will be more where that came from. Adventure World failed to grow on its own for its first few weeks of existence, but Zynga stepped in with liberal use of cross-promotions to skyrocket its player base to over 16 million monthly. While the big Z might be more reliant on its existing players than it would like, this growth is nevertheless ... insane? Yeah, we think that's the word.
Are you enjoying CastleVille so far? What do you think Zynga will need to put out in order to top this potential milestone?
The San Francisco-based social games giant says that 68 percent of CastleVille fans are logging in twice daily, and that 135,176,035 quests have been completed. Players have expanded their kingdoms in the Gloom 4,594,750 times, all the while bashing 23,845,983 beasties with their bare hands. If anything, that's one helluva lot of clicks.
CastleVille launched just last week to fanfare, but likely exploded over the weekend thanks to cross-promotions in FarmVille and CityVille--two of the developer's most popular games. In CityVille, players can earn 20 free Zoning Permits for reaching Level 5 in its medieval counterpart, while FarmVillers will score five Instant Grows for doing the same.
These rewards are far more substantial than usual cross-promotions, and we bet there will be more where that came from. Adventure World failed to grow on its own for its first few weeks of existence, but Zynga stepped in with liberal use of cross-promotions to skyrocket its player base to over 16 million monthly. While the big Z might be more reliant on its existing players than it would like, this growth is nevertheless ... insane? Yeah, we think that's the word.
Are you enjoying CastleVille so far? What do you think Zynga will need to put out in order to top this potential milestone?
Saturday, October 29, 2011
This is What Battlefield 3 Looks Like in Ridiculously High-Definition
A gamer has uploaded a video that shows just how pretty you can make the PC version of EA's Battlefield 3 look. The ultra high-res video above was taken with a PC rig powered by 2 GTX 580 in SLI in 1920 X 1080.
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