Pioneer Trail Hank & Fanny's New Home: Everything you need to know

While Hank and Fanny have had a presence in Pioneer Trail even after leaving for their honeymoon in Yosemite, Zynga has announced that they are just now officially returning to the game by launching an event called "Hank and Fanny's New Home" within the game. This will see you - you guessed it - building a home for the newlyweds on your Homestead. You'll start by placing the foundation of their new home on your land, and from there can work on collecting building materials in order to upgrade it. The home has five different stages of "completeness," each requiring more and more building ingredients.

To start, you'll need to collect:

    2 House Blueprints
    2 Wood Studs
    2 Construction Tools
    4 Drafting Pencils


Everything but the Wooden Studs can be earned by asking your friends for help. The Wood Studs, meanwhile, can be crafted using Oak Lumber and Crosscut Saws. You'll need four Oak Lumber (earned by chopping Oak Trees) and three Crosscut Saws (ask friends to send them) to craft a single Stud.

Early on in this event, you'll learn that Fanny has come back from her honeymoon with more than just happy memories of the wedding - she's also pregnant. This all takes place through a series of goals. Here's how to finish them.

A Home of Their Own

    Talk to Fanny
    Chop Trees 40 Times on your Homestead
    Place Hank & Fanny's House


Simply click on Fanny and choose the "Talk to" command to trigger the cutscene where you'll learn she's pregnant. When you finish this goal, you'll receive 200 XP, 200 coins and two Fennec Foxes.

She's Having a Baby

    Craft 2 Baby Booties
    Harvest 30 Sunflowers on your Homestead
    Complete the Construction of Phase 2 of Hank & Fanny's House


At this point, you'll need to have finished the basic framework for their home (which is pictured above), along with the next step in the construction process. This next step requires five House Insulation, two House Framing, five Hardwood Flooring, four Construction Tools, six Drafting Pencils and two Steel Rulers. The House Framing is a craft project made using two Wood Studs and two Galvanized Nails (ask friends) each, while the Steel Rulers are earned at random when collecting the Blacksmith's daily bonus.

Meanwhile, the Baby Booties are crafted using nine Knitting Wools and six Tiny Bowls each. The Knitting Wool comes from tending Sheep. When you complete this entire goal, you'll receive 400 XP, 400 coins and two Pygmy Possums.

Fanny Needs to Relax

    Collect 2 Schoolhouse Daily Bonuses
    Tend 25 Standard Young Pigs on your Homestead
    Craft 1 Molten Cake


A Molten Cake is crafted using three Ganache and 10 Heavy Cream (ask friends). A single Ganache is crafted using eight Garnishes and seven Cocoa Powders, both of which can be earned by asking your friends to send them to you. When you finishing this goal, you'll receive 600 XP, 600 coins and a Pigs in a Blanket item.

Prepare for the Housewarming

    Collect Hoursewarming RSVPs
    Harvest 50 Crops on Neighbors' Homesteads
    Craft 2 Bowls of Punch


The Bowls of Punch come from three Cups of Punch and five Orange Slices each. Cups of Punch come from Apple Juice (tend Apple Trees) and Cranberry Juice (ask friends). By finishing this goal, you'll earn yourself 800 XP, 800 coins and two Skunks.

Moving In

    Harvest 60 Lemon Trees on your Homestead
    Clear 50 Wildflowers on your Homestead
    Complete Building Hank and Fanny's House


Finishing Hank and Fanny's House requires you to go through the rest of the building stages on your own. Stage three for example, requires three Eggshell Paints (a crafting item), two Hung Windoes (a crafting item), eight Gardening Rakes, eight Construction Tools and 12 Drafting Pencils, the latter three of which can be earned by asking your friends to send them to you. You'll also need two Gardening Kits, which are earned at random by collecting the Flower Shop's daily bonus. The rewards for completing the home and this goal in general are 1,000 coins, 1,000 XP and two Miniature Horses.

All told, this home construction will likely take you quite a while, especially if you're still working on any of the timed goals or other missions released during the holiday season. We'll make sure to let you know if any additional features launch in the quest to complete Hank and Fanny's new home, so keep checking back with us!

What do you think of this Hank and Fanny's New Home feature? Will you start working on their home right away, or will you try to finish some other tasks before jumping into this new one?

FarmVille Sneak Peek: Valentine's Day animals coming soon

As animals are one of the biggest collectible items in FarmVille, it's no surprise that we'd see plenty of items being prepared by Zynga for the game's Valentine's Day celebration that will take place over the next month. FarmVilleFreak has discovered tons of those items that are ready to go, perhaps as early as tomorrow evening, with the game's scheduled update. Here's a look at them.

From left to right in the picture above, we have a Pink Pegacorn, Single Unicorn, Valentine Unicorn, Romance Horse, Romeo Cow, Romance Cow, Broken Heart Bear, Heart Boar, Valentine Goat, Kiss Ram, Heart Ram, Valentine Dog, Rose Pony, Valentine Giraffe and Pink Peacock.

Notice that a couple of these animals have broken hearts (the Single Unicorn and of course the Broken Heart Bear). Like last year, it looks like FarmVille will also have a sort of anti-Valentine's Day theme filled with these items for those players that may not appreciate this couples-centric holiday. In addition, we can see that at least two patterns will be added to sheep breeding (Kiss and Heart), so it's likely that a Kiss-patterned Boar will show up before all is said and done as well. Just don't be surprised if these animals are separated, with one being released in a Mystery Game and the other actually in the store.

Either way, we'll make sure to bring you complete details about these animals as they officially launch in the game, so keep checking back with us.

[Image Credit: FarmVille Freak]

Check out the rest of our Valentine's Day 2012 coverage here.

What do you think of these many Valentine's Day animals? Which ones are you most excited about buying for your farm(s)?

FarmVille Sneak Peek: Chinese New Year animals coming to Mystery Game?

Well, they might be. All we know right now is that a set of new animals will be launching in FarmVille very soon, potentially as early as tomorrow evening. As Sunday nights mark the Mystery Game rotation, could we see some of these animals released in a Lunar / Chinese New Year themed game? FarmVille Freak has found these images, so we're left to speculate on our own, but we'll do just that.

From left to right in the image above, there's a Thuringian Goat, Mountain Dog, Mongolian Gazelle, Golden Pheasant, Master Goat, Golden Dragon, Sun Bear and Takin. Since that's more than seven items, it goes without saying that not all of them can be found in a single Mystery Game, but perhaps they'll be released in the store tomorrow night all the same. Whatever the case ends up being, we'll make sure to let you know.

[Image Credit: FarmVille Freak]

What do you think of these Chinese / Lunar New Year themed animals? Would you pay Farm Cash for any of them outright in the store, or do you hope some of them come in a new Mystery Game?

Take your love of CastleVille everywhere by downloading its soundtrack on iTunes

While this isn't the first time we've seen a social / casual game soundtrack released for purchase (Bejeweled's soundtracks are already available, for instance), it doesn't make this news any less... interesting. If you're a huge fan of Zynga's kingdom-building Facebook game CastleVille, you can now show off your love of the game by downloading its "original soundtrack EP" from the iTunes Music Store. The price? Just $2.99 US.

As with other music on iTunes, you can purchase each song individually for either $0.99 or $1.29, depending on the song, but if you purchase them all in bulk, it will only set you back the three bucks. You'll receive 10 songs with your purchase, including the Main Theme and Character Suites for some of the game's major characters: Sonja, Rafael and so on (composed by Stephen Rippy of Halo Wars and Age of Empires fame). These are songs you'll likely recall hearing being played while you're actually playing the game on Facebook, so they are true to the game's "experience."

You never know - if this one goes over well, perhaps we'll see other official releases of social game soundtracks, from Zynga or otherwise. We'll leave it up to you to decide whether or not that's a good thing.

Would you ever purchase the soundtrack for a Facebook game? If not CastleVille, then which other games would you be interested in seeing soundtracks for?

CityVille: Increase your Goods storage with three new items

As we've all come to learn, Goods storage is one of the most important factors around in CityVille. After all, if you don't have room to store Goods, you won't be able to harvest crops for goals, and if you can't store enough Goods to supply all of your businesses at once, you'll lose money as your businesses sit unused. While there are only a few Goods storage items available for coins in the game (ranging from 100 to 485 Goods of storage each), if you're willing to shell out some City Cash, you can now increase your Goods storage capacity by, well, a lot, thanks to the release of the some fairly new items.

There are three new options available for your Goods storage needs: the Storage Cellar, Red Shack and Oil Rig. The Storage Cellar is the cheapest, costing 78 City Cash and providing a storage capacity of 7,000 Goods. Next is the Red Shack (a red version of the basic Cargo Shed) which costs 100 City Cash and provides storage for 10,000 Goods. Finally, if you're willing to shell out just seven more City Cash - 107 in total - you can purchase the Oil Rig and boost your Goods Storage capacity by a whopping 15,000 units.

Should these items be available for free? Personally, I'd definitely say so. After all, if users can store more Goods in less space on their land (that is, instead of cluttering up their land with coin-based storage buildings), wouldn't that make them more likely to spend City Cash elsewhere, on larger limited edition items in the store? Perhaps not, but it sure would make things easier. If these buildings ever do go on sale for coins, you can be sure that we'll let you know.

Will you purchase any of these expensive Goods storage solutions in CityVille?

Game of the Day: Twin Shots 2

Today's Game of the Day is the cutest bundle of pixels we've ever seen, and it's got a co-op mode for double the fun. Created by British indie game developer, Nitrome, Twin Shots 2 features two adorably pudgy feline archers as they shoot down equally adorable-looking and colorful monsters.

The game comes with two themes: Good and Evil. Each theme is packed with 50 stages of platforming action and some environmental puzzle-solving. Let's say you're in a stage where you can't reach a ledge, but you can jump on the arrows that you shoot as a way to climb higher. Some surfaces, such as metal, are impossible for an arrow to stick to, but there's always ways to get around these difficulties, which is what makes the game fun.

Click here to play Twin Shot 2!
Twin Shots 2 Nitrome
   
Is the 2-player mode great? How many levels did you manage to beat in Twin Shot 2?

Risk: Factions invades again with three adorable Sims Social plushies

Not content with just a free arcade giveaway, Playfish/EA dropped three more Risk: Factions goodies into The Sims Social today to promote the global domination strategy game. The items are a trio of stuffed toys meant to represent the three generals of the Risk: Factions universe -- General William P. "Fatty" McGutterpants (jingo all the way, USA!), Generalissimo Meow (an obvious nod to Mao Zedong), and Colonel Claus Von Stiffenberg (modeled after Claus von Stauffenberg).

   
   

This generalissimo trio can be found in the Specials and Decorations sections of The Sims Social store. While the plushies don't add to your House Value, you'll still get House Value drops, so just click on them to be rid of them, or wait for them to go away. Also, unlike the free arcade machine, which you can sell for 150 Simoleons, these plushies don't sell for anything. But if you're a plushophile, you should grab them while you can, because they'll only be in the store for the next five days.

Do you love collecting Sims Social plushies? Are there any you'd buy if Playfish made them real?

First free, now mobile: Portal maker blasts iPhone, Android with Steam

Unfortunately, this doesn't mean you'll be launching portals on your iPhone anytime soon. But what it does mean is (almost) just as awesome. The Steam Store has hit iPhone, iPad and Android devices for absolutely free. Through the app, users can browse the current selection of PC and Mac games available on Steam, purchase them for download later and a bunch of other nifty stuff.

Of course, users connect their Steam account to the mobile app, and can connect with their friends through Steam Chat. According to the announcement website, you can also continue an existing chat on Steam Mobile from your Mac or PC. And what's a better conversation starter than, "What level are you on?" Steam Mobile allows users to see what games their friends are playing, just like on the desktop application.

Though, we're sure what Valve, creators of the Steam distribution service and games like the Portal series, are most excited about is the fact that users can shop for new PC and Mac games on their Apple or Android device. Valve has made several improvements to its Steam service, embracing the free-to-play games (you know, the games you like?) and mobile movements. Now, all we need is an HTML5 version of Team Fortress 2 to play on the go. Well, get to it, guys.

Click here to download Steam for both iOS and Android Now >

Have you already downloaded Steam for mobile? What other improvements do you think can be made to Steam?

Nintendo expects $837M loss, a lot rides on global 2012 Wii U launch

The House of Mario expects to lose a little more than previously thought. Bloomberg reports that Nintendo now projects to lose $837 million, increased from the previous estimate of $258 million made in October 2011, in the fiscal year ending this March. The Kyoto, Japan-based company blames a strong yen for having to reduce its financial forecast even further. But that's not all.

Nintendo also expects fewer sales in this fiscal year, a downgrade from $10.2 billion to $8.5 billion, according to Bloomberg. Everything seems to be on the downturn for the Mario maker, including shipped units and software: Nintendo projects 14 million 3DS units shipped during the year (versus a previous forecast of 16 million), and 38 million pieces of 3DS software shipped, down from a previously expected 50 million.

Wii hardware shipments for 2012 are expected to reach 10 million, while software remains at 100 million. Despite the sad news, Nintendo remains confident, saying that the strong Christmas season for the 3DS, thanks to games like Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7, will be supported by more strong games lined up in 2012. But Nintendo remains confident for a another reason.

Satoru Iwata, president of Nintendo, confirmed to Japanese reporters that the long-awaited Wii U will launch globally in 2012. Of course, no date was provided, just that the console with tablet-like controller will hit several countries this year. Bloomberg, like many news outlets, chalks Nintendo's losses up to the advent of smartphone and tablet gaming. Alas, don't expect to see "Mario Mobile."

[Via Gamasutra]

Are you surprised by Nintendo's downturn in numbers? Do you think the 3DS and the Wii U can turn things around for the Mario creator into 2013?

The Sims Social Delusions of Grandeur Quest: How to finish it fast

This week's theme in The Sims Social is just darling, don't you think. It's the oh, so very elegant Marie Antoinette Week in Playfish's hit social game. Of course, along with that comes a lovely quest to complete. Titled "Delusions of Grandeur," players must complete six different tasks within seven days to fulfill the quest and ultimately receive a red-headed doll.

In order to complete Delusions of Grandeur, players must have at least nine friends, 7,500 Simoleons and 2,050 Social Points. Without anymore delay, here's how to finish this new quest fast:

Delusions of Grandeur Part 1

    Clean or Polish 6 Items at Home
    Practice Blowing a Kiss 3 Times
    Practice Playing Harp


To clean or polish items, they must be dirty. If you have no dirty items, you must use them enough to have to clean them. Visit three different friends, click on them and choose the "Blow Kiss" option to complete this second task. Finally, Bella has a Harp at her house this week you can practice on.

Delusions of Grandeur Part 2

    Tell 5 Sims to Expect Royal Visit
    Have 12 Relaxation
    Clean or Polish 3 Items at Friends


The first task is as simple as visiting five different friends' houses, clicking on them and choosing the relevant option. Relaxation comes from sleeping, watching TV on a couch or directly asking friends. To clean or polish 3 friends' items, they must be different items, but can be in the same friend's house.
The Sims Social Elegance Perfume Table
Delusions of Grandeur Part 3

    Have 10 Bling
    Have 2 Items from New Collection
    Ask 3 Friends for Maid


Bling always comes from either Blue Plumbobs in the backyard, Treasure Chests (also in the backyard) or asking friends directly through the game. This task is what's going to cost you a nice chunk of Simoleons and Social Points. You may as well purchase the Petite Belle Marie Doll (1,050 Social Points) for a future quest, as well as the Elegance Perfume Table for 7,000 Simoleons. The final requirement for this task depends on how quickly your friends respond to your News Feed, so do this first.

Delusions of Grandeur Part 4

    Have Wig from New Week Collection
    Wearing the Wig, Bow or Curtsy to six Sims
    Learn to Speak Proper 10 Times


The cheapest wig in the new collection is the Gateau Wig, which costs 1,000 Social Points. To bow or curtsy six other Sims, you must perform chat actions with them until the option to either Bow or Curtsy appears. Just use the computer--choosing the right option, of course--10 times to complete this task. You can use friends' computers to save energy.

Delusions of Grandeur Part 5

    Tell 8 Sims You Only Eat Cake
    Remove Bread from 8 Sims' Fridge
    Tell 3 Friends You Don't Mix with Commoners


Telling eight Sims this is as simple as visiting, clicking on them, and choosing the corresponding option. The same goes for the second task, only with fridges rather than other Sims. Finally, post a News Feed to give three friends the message, so do this first.
The Sims Social fountain
Delusions of Grandeur Part 6

    Have 3 Dirty or Broken Items in your House
    Warn 9 Sims Against being Taken by Madame de Pomposim
    Paint Mustache on Madame Pomposim Painting


To get three dirty or broken items in your house, you must use the items until they become either. To warn nine Sims, just visit them, click on them and press the relevant option. Bella owns a painting of the woman, so visit her house and paint the mustache there. When you finally complete this set of goals, you'll earn the red-headed doll.

[Source: Aude06]

Have you started the Delusions of Grandeur quest in The Sims Social? Have any tips for finishing it even faster?

Fox officially announces Family Guy Online, and dammit, Meg is in it

Really, Meg? Do you have to ruin this game, too? Fox has officially announced Family Guy Online, the upcoming browser-based 3D multiplayer game surrounding the not-so-lovely town of Quahog and its ... charming residents. In fact, when the game launches "exactly later this year," you can become of those residents. It's thanks to the Family Guy Online Character Creator, which fans can take advantage of now after registering, of course.

The Character Creator allows you to base your customized avatar off of existing characters from the Griffin family like Lois, Stewie, Peter, Chris and Brian, though he's locked at the moment. (Hey, at least Meg isn't a playable character.) Each family remember represents a character archetype, though they're pretty nebulous characteristics like "Throws Weight Around" and "Spaz Attack."

The amount of options you have to customize your character is remarkable, you know, for a game based on Family Guy. It shows that developer Roadhouse Interactive is taking great care with the franchise. And, according to an interview with Gamasutra, the game will be free to play and is aimed to fit in a sweet spot "between social games and hardcore online games called accessible games."

Family Guy Online Character Creator
Other than that, what we know about the game is two writers for the show, Andrew Goldberg and Alex Carter, have an important role in the game's creation, and the game is being built on the Unity engine. How "accessible" gamers will deal with an extra download has yet to be seen, but maybe the news that at least Meg isn't heavily involved will entice them. Stupid Meg.

Are you now more or less excited about Family Guy Online? Are you that one person that's sad to see that Meg isn't a playable character?

Gaia Interactive and Fever Studio partner to bring "new breed" of games to Facebook

Late last year, Gaia Interactive launched Monster Galaxy on Facebook. This monster collection game was influenced heavily by titles like Pokemon, and came with enough charming, colorful graphics and gameplay to make players want to catch them all. The game did so well that it peaked at over 19 million monthly active users, and now currently sits at a very respectable 14.9 million players.

Hoping to continue in this success with future games, Gaia Interactive has announced a new partnership with South Korean social game developer Fever Studio, that will see the companies bringing a localized version of "Everytown" to Facebook. Everytown is, as of this writing, the most successful game on the top South Korean social networks, so Gaia hopes that Facebook's extensive user base of over 750 million users will adopt it into their gameplay schedules just as regularly. In addition, Gaia and Fever Studio plan to create a "new breed of social games" for the site, using their previous experience with Gaia Online (an incredibly active social community based around dressing up an online avatar, forums, and virtual shopping) to determine what users like and how to bring those elements to Facebook.

"With Monster Galaxy as a catalyst, we aim to integrate high-quality social gaming into everyone's daily lives as Facebook has done for social networking," said Charles Park, co-founder and creative director of Gaia Interactive, via a company press release. "The partnership with Fever Studio will allow us to continue to offer a unique mix of highly-creative storylines, stunning visuals and engaging game mechanics that blur the lines between serious and casual games at an accelerated pace."

Sure, this might all sound like fluff language at this point, but Gaia has been able to continually bring players into Gaia Online since its launch eight years ago, so they've already exhibited a track record in longevity. Facebook, though, is an entirely different monster. Can Gaia Interactive's new partnership with Fever Studio help it tackle the big players like Zynga? We'll keep an eye on things, and will let you know either way.

Are you a fan of Monster Galaxy on Facebook? Do you frequent the Gaia Online social community?

Zynga vs Vostu: Brazilian developer fires back with a lawsuit of its own

And the saga of Zynga vs Vostu continues, as Vostu, the Brazilian social game developer, has filed a countersuit against Zynga after being sued by the gaming juggernaut last June. As a recap, Zynga sued Vostu for copyright infringement, after Vostu's MegaCity was shown to have incredibly similar designs and gameplay elements to Zynga's CityVille, which was released four months prior.

Not willing to take these serious accusations lying down, today Vostu filed a countersuit against Zynga stating the company has no right to "claim copyright over the design of everyday objects and places, including barns, farms and chairs." As reported by the NY Times, Vostu also goes on to call out Zynga for copying many designs from other games in the past as well.

But it's not just Zynga or Vostu that seem to have found the copy and paste mechanic, as Vostu compiled images showing release dates and screenshots of popular city-building and cafe games. Starting with Playdom's Social City in March of 2010, we see games from all sorts of developers, including Quepasa and Gamester, releasing similar games that all allow for the design of a fairly identical city using in-game items.

As for the restaurant games, the similarities are just as striking. Taking a cue from Playfish's Restaurant City, Zynga, Vostu, You Dong Network and Metrogames all released similarly themed cafe games, as seen below.

While this might seem like Vostu is incriminating itself by including its own games in these comparisons, it seems instead that it's simply trying to show that Zynga shouldn't be allowed to throw its weight around, when it's just as guilty of "borrowing" ideas. What's more, Vostu's suit claims that Zynga went so far as to entering into talks with the company over a potential partnership that would see Vostu revealing information about how Zynga could branch into the Brazilian social gaming market, but these talks quickly dissolved and Vostu was sued shortly thereafter.

While this entire legal drama seems to have spawned from the phrase "pot calling the kettle black," it is promising to see a smaller company standing up to Zynga (and its surely massive legal team). With all of these examples to back it up, could Vostu actually turn things around and win this thing, or at least force Zynga to quietly crawl away from the courtroom? As this drama is sure to continue to unfold, we'll make sure to let you know what comes of it.

[Image Credit: NY Times, Vostu]

Do you think Zynga has the right (or should) sue Vostu for copyright infringement based on images of MegaCity and CityVille, or is Zynga just as guilty of borrowing gameplay ideas and designs as the other companies mentioned?

Dexter will cut Facebook into itsy bitsy pieces with his new social game

Michael C. Hall has been slicing bad guys (and sometimes innocent folk) for what's been six seasons of incredible TV--though some of us might be ashamed to admit that, since it's about ritualistic murder and whatnot. But come this September with the launch of Dexter's sixth season on Showtime, fans of the morally ambiguous serial killer can live out their guilty pleasure on Facebook. The game, developed by Mark Ecko Entertainment's Ecko Code studio, is called Dexter: Slice of Life, and it sounds like no Facebook game we've ever heard of.

According to Gamerlive.tv, which had an in-depth preview of the game at this year's Comic-Con in San Francisco, players will become Dexter Morgan and stalk criminals in a real-time stealth feature. You, or Dexter, will have to explore Miami for clues and evidence, and eventually collect special items to complete missions. And since this next season of the game heavily explores spirituality in Dexter's life, so will Slice of Life.

And Mark Ecko Entertainment has experience with the brand, granting us a feeling of confidence for this seemingly unique social game. (Let's just hope it pushes the envelope a bit further than the recent Weeds Facebook game.) The company, with the help of developer Icarus Studios, released Dexter: The Game last year on PC and iOS devices.

"Dexter: The Game is the next step in what we hope will be a long line of Dexter products," said Executive VP of Marc Ecko Entertainment Marc Fernandez. "Every time we release a new Dexter game the fans continue to support us." And, if this game turns out to be as interesting as it sounds, we're sure that love of killing dudes slowly Dexter will thrive.

[Image Credit: Showtime]

Are you psyched to see everyone's favorite serial killer make way onto Facebook? What do you think of this heavy-handed approach to branded Facebook games?

Nintendo goes Wii U trademark crazy, will U and I enjoy these games?

Now that we know a great deal about Nintendo's upcoming tablet console, Wii U, it's time for some good old speculation. That's about all we can do with the news from Siliconera that the Mario creator has registered trademarks for a number of Wii game brands given the "U" treatment like "Wii Sports U, " "WiiWare U" and 23 more potential projects. Take a look at the list in full:

    Wii U + logo
    Mii U
    Wii Fit U
    Wii Sports U
    Wii Music U
    Wii Party U
    Wii Play U
    WiiWare U
    Wii Balance Board U
    Balance Wii Board U
    Wii Wheel U
    Wii Zapper U
    Wii U Fit
    Wii U Music
    Wii U Party
    Wii U Sports
    Wii U Play
    Wii U Ware
    Wii U Balance Board
    Balance Wii U Board
    Wii U Wheel
    Wii U Zapper
    Wii Speak U
    Wii U Speak
    Shield Pose


Alright, so some of these are obvious, not to mention that it's entirely possible that Nintendo simply registered these to avoid other companies hopping on the coattails of its good name. (Though, we're surprised these didn't come about sooner.) However, don't you think Nintendo would be, well, dumb not to release "U" versions of its crazy successful Wii-branded games and controllers? And besides, we've already seen tech demos for a bunch of these trademarks in tandem with the Wii U's 6-inch tablet like the Wii Balance Board and Wii Zapper connected to a Wii U controller.

And that "Shield Pose" trademark was actually the name of one of the demo's Nintendo showed at this year's E3 event. So, there's definitely a possibility that, since Nintendo went so far as to trademark it, that it could be included as a mini game in something like "Wii Play U." But that's all these trademarks are at the moment--possibilities. We know, 2012 cannot come soon enough.

[Via Kotaku]

What do you make of this list of Nintendo trademarks? Do you think it's just Nintendo squatting to keep other companies out, or that some of these might lead to actual Wii U games?

FarmVille Sneak Peek: Tasty Truffle Trees joined by Merens Pony

You know, I think there's a reason why advertisers have fallen in love with FarmVille. After looking at these Truffle Trees in this next Sneak Peek, I (and probably you) just can't help but crave something sweet. There's not much information available on these upcoming fudge-filled pieces of foliage.

However, FarmVille Feed guesses that they'll release with an extension of the Parisian Theme. Like most trees, and this is just a guess, these will probably release through Mystery Seedlings and later into the Market for Farm Cash.

As for this adorable Merens Pony, which will also likely be part of an extension to the Parisian Theme, as these doe-eyed horses reign from the Pyrenees mountains in southern France (and Spain). However, Horses have been released outside of a theme plenty of times, like the random Dartmoor Pony gift many of us received recently. Well, until you can see these items in-game, enjoy the pretty pictures.

Merens Pony
Truffle Trees
[Image Credit: FarmVille Feed]

Which of these two unreleased items are you more excited about? How badly do you want a truffle right now?

Try Fruit Ninja for free on Android before it dices up Facebook

Look, we know Fruit Ninja is coming to Facebook (and Kinect, mind you) soon enough. But if you've yet to try it, do yourself a favor and correct that now. After minutes turned into hours of slicing juicy digital fruit with the tip of my finger on (my friend's) iPad, I can't say I've had a better time with a mobile game. And, for the Android fans out there, you're in the best of luck, as developer Halfbrick announced that Fruit Ninja is available for free on the Android Market. Forever.

Pocket Gamer reports that, like Zynga games Hanging with Friends and Words with Friends, its razor sharp game will now be ad-supported. That means, in lieu of a price tag, Android players can enjoy the game for zilch--but with a dash of adverts. And better yet, the game includes Classic, Zen and Arcade modes. (Well, that's like ... the whole game, right?) Pretty much.

Look, if you haven't downloaded the game after reading two paragraphs on it, there's pretty much no excuse for it. The game just entered its alpha testing phase on Facebook, so you have a while to get addicted adjusted.

Click here to download Fruit Ninja for Android free >

Have you downloaded Fruit Ninja on Android yet? Um, why? Do you think the game will be as much of a hit on Facebook as it is elsewhere?

Activision actively working on Facebook games, says CEO Bobby Kotick

xAt the end of June, Activision Blizzard Publishing head Eric Hirshberg gave off the impression that Activision would be focusing on Call of Duty: Elite and Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure as their main casual and social properties, but it turns out that the company's jump into Facebook might actually be coming sooner than we might have originally thought. As reported by Business Insider, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick confirms that "a lot of work is being done on Facebook games" within the company. The delay, he says, was due to the time required to build up a social games division after analyzing the particular kinds of talent needed to develop in the space.

Speaking with Forbes, Kotick explained: "[T]he skills that are required to do social games on a Facebook platform include analytical skills that are different than what we have in our business intelligence unit today. So we've had to go out and find people who have these unique kinds of skills –and there are very few of them that actually have proven their skills. So you have to find people who have the characteristics of being able to develop systems to analyze game play or game behavior."

As for what kind of games the company is currently developing, Kotick didn't say, although he did say that Activision has come to understand that many of the most popular Facebook games are ultimately resource management games, bringing back a genre that was incredibly popular a decade ago. Could this mean that Activision's Facebook games will include some form of resource management? Or, will they pull a 180 and take a risk to develop something never before seen on the platform? As more details of Activision's future social projects come to light, we'll make sure to let you know

With the big players like Zynga and EA holding the majority of the Facebook gaming pie, is it too late for Activision to come in and take a slice? Should they stick with the basic Facebook gaming mechanics of farming and city-building, or should they just adapt some of their console games for a social experience?

Gameloft beats FarmVille to the Android harvest with Green Farm

Alright, so you Android users and your fancy Flash can run FarmVille from the browser--big deal! It's still not dedicated app, and it looks like Gameloft, the French developer that recently brought Facebook it's unofficial World of Warcraft with Order & Chaos Online, has released Green Farm to the Android Market.

For those looking for a dedicated mobile game to farming on the go, it looks like Green Farm might be the place to go. (That all depends on whether it's fun, of course.) Seriously though, could you deny a game that justifies itself so boldly with bullet points like these:

    ADDICTIVE: Get hooked on farm life as you raise crops, trees & livestock.
    UNIQUE: Earn coins to buy a variety of seeds, animals and buildings.
    AWESOME: Make juice & cheese, or develop specialties like carpentry.
    NEW: The fun never ends thanks to frequent updates!
    And MORE: Customize your avatar, take on missions & utilize tractors, robots and more.


However, the game is only available on certain Android sets, though most seem up-to-date with current phones, according to the download page. Keep in mind one is also the Xperia Play, Sony Ericsson's new PlayStation-branded smartphone. With Gameloft entering the social game field and encroaching upon unclaimed territory, it'll be interesting to see how Zynga responds on Android. HTML5-based FarmVille, anyone?

Click here to download Green Farm for Android Now >

Have you tried Green Life on Android yet? Are you still waiting for a native FarmVille app on Android, or have you moved on?

Google Games says, 'When you can't beat 'em, undercut 'em' [Rumor]

Man, I don't know if that's even considered undercutting anymore. That's just plain crazy talk. According to All Things D, the recently revealed Google+ Games platform will only charge developers 5 percent of revenue from in-app purchases like, say, FarmVille (oh, wait).

If the website's anonymous sources are correct, and Google decides to charge a similar amount for in-game purchases, this undercuts Facebook's current service charge of 30 percent by an incredible amount.

And, if true, this appears to the strategy Google is going with. No need to sign on major talent in dangerously symbiotic contracts--ahem, Zynga--just undercut the hell out of the competition and make developers like you better.

Who knows exactly what Google+ Games will look like, but you can bet it'll have a metric ton of games at launch. That offer would simply be too goo to pass up. We've contacted Google for comment, stay tuned.

[Via Mashable]

Do you think Google can win this battle undercutting the competition alone? How else do you think Google could up the ante on Facebook?