Dragon Age Legends on Facebook: BioWare's epic role-player goes social

Dragon Age, Bioware's popular role-playing game available on PC and game consoles will be making its way onto Facebook in the form of Dragon Age Legends. You will return to Theadas and save a viscount's son while battling demons and darkspawn.

OK, so it all kind of sounds like the lyrics from a Tenacious D song, but if this social game is anything like it's bigger brothers, it'll keep you engrossed for hours on end. Here's hoping anyway. Playing this game will also unlock items in Dragon Age II, which is set to arrive in stores in March 2011.

EA 2D General Manager Mark Spenner says their goal is to use Dragon Age Legends to raise the 'quality bar' in social games. "Dragon Age Legends will deliver a deep, sophisticated experience, and we will continue to delight gamers by adding new features and content far into the future," he says.

Dragon Age Legends will also give players a taste of the Free Marches, which will be the main setting in Dragon Age II, and it will have a 'gratifying' character customization options. Players will take on quests, earn loot and play the game with their fellow Facebook friends.

These details are a little vague, but if you're interested in being one of the first to get involved, you can sign up to be part of the game's January beta here.

Treasure Isle Black Friday Super Sale: Collect balloons for nifty in-game items

Black Friday -- the biggest shopping day of the year -- has arrived and while people are busting down doors in real-life stores for crazy deals, you can do the same in several of your favorite Facebook games including Treasure Isle.

Instead of just offering a straight up discount on virtual items, TI has turned the whole Black Friday experience into a mini-game. Collect black balloons from friends and then trade them in for in-demand items, like, for instance, an extra garden plot, which normally cost 100 Island Cash (roughly $20). So -- all in all -- begging friends for balloons can be worth your while. (On that note, if any of you would like to send me a black balloon, I'd certainly be tickled pink).


treasure isle black friday super sale items

If you're a double dipper, like myself, and also play FarmVille, you'll be more than familiar with Treasure Isle's Black Friday mini-game. Yes, you'll have to kneel on bended knee and ask friends to gift you black balloons (or if you don't like to beg, you can buy balloons using Island Cash). Once you've collected a certain number of balloons, you'll be able to trade them in for rare items. As I mentioned above, I say the Garden Plot is the must-have item (and the Fail Whale seems like the must-have decoration, just for the LOLs). Either way, here's a complete trade-in list below:

3 Black Balloons: Coffee Tray (Decoration)
13 Black Balloons: Raccoon Table
30 Black Balloons: Big Barn
56 Black Balloons: Fail Whale
60 Black Balloons: Swan Boat
100 Black Balloons: Garden Plot

treasure isle black friday super sale

There's also a gift stand part of this BF promotion, place it on your island, and as you collect more balloons the stand will grow more ornate. There was a glitch placing the stand this morning -- the pop-up window below prompted me to place my stand, but then there was no stand to be found. Not sure if many others are experiencing this -- if so, please sound off in the comments below. OK, I found my stand sitting right next to my Gem Mine, which is still under construction (see image below). Since my Treasure Isle island is littered with construction projects, it's hard to tell what's what. Or, maybe it's time to whip out the bifocals. Anyway...

treasure isle gift stand

Dragon Age: Legends dev becomes BioWare San Francisco; could a Mass Effect Facebook game be on the way?

EA2D may not be a readily familiar name in the social gaming space, but I bet many of you have heard of their popular Facebook game - a tie-in to the popular console game Dragon Age called Dragon Age: Legends. This past week, EA underwent some corporate changes, and a very big change has occurred with EA2D in the process: They've been absorbed into the BioWare developer group, and will be renamed BioWare San Francisco.

While no other details about the company's future games have been released, let's speculate a bit. Since Dragon Age: Legends on Facebook launched at around the same time as Dragon Age 2 on consoles, does this transition to a true BioWare development studio mean that we'll see other Facebook games based on BioWare's hugely successful console properties? With Mass Effect 3 launching next year, will we see a Facebook game tie-in that will allow users to earn rewards for the console game by playing (as was the case with Dragon Age: Legends)? As a huge Mass Effect fan, my brain is drooling at the thought of free, exclusive goodies for my console character, so if this does turn out to be the start of another tie-in (or 12) with BioWare's games on Facebook, we'll make sure to let you know.

Facebook games partnerships gig given to former LiveJournal CEO

Sean Ryan (pictured), who previously worked for News Corp. creating an online games division, is now director of games partnerships at Facebook, VentureBeat reports. The position had been open since August before the decision was finally made to take Ryan on, who also previously served as CEO for Meez, a virtual world for teenagers and LiveJournal, a once popular blogging service before the turn of the decade.

Now, don't get too excited--Facebook will not be making its own games anytime soon if ever. Ryan will purely foster the social network's relationships with developers like Zynga, Playdom, Playfish and more. In other words, it's this guy's job to keep dudes like Zynga CEO Mark Pincus peachy keen.

This is a smart move by Facebook, which hasn't had a stellar track record of catering both to gamers and non-gamers alike. Though, the company did recently create a new development division solely for improving the gaming experience on the site. It seems as if Facebook is finally serious about the half of its users that enjoy these games, which aren't going away anytime soon.

Starz sending Spartacus Facebook game into the arena this month

Forget Mafia Wars, real warriors fight with sword and shield in hand, nothing but a loin cloth protecting their bodies. No? Well, Starz seems to think so as the network will soon launch a Facebook game surrounding its hit series, Spartacus. Fox News reports that the game, officially titled Spartacus: Gods of the Arena and published by 6waves (the same folks working on that mysterious Kobe Bryant game), will be available come Jan. 20. Just in time for the show's six-episode mini-series coming Jan. 21, this will be one of the first TV shows to get its own social game, according to Fox News. Well, unless you count that weird soap opera game in the U.K.

"Given its powerful characters and larger-than-life story lines, few television properties have as much potential for innovative social game play as does 'Spartacus," Marc DeBevoise, SVP of digital media and business development strategy for Starz Media, told Fox News. "We are excited to make our social media gaming debut and be one of the early networks to bring a branded TV property to the social gaming universe."

Unsurprisingly, the game will be similar to Mafia Wars in that it will allow players to run their own gladiator school and partake in Roman role play, according to Fox News. We almost don't want to know what that last part means. Stay tuned for a preview when the game finally launches sometime this month, because now we just gotta' know what this "Roman role play" nonsense is all about.

Aliens vs. Predator developer Rebellion opens social games division

Unfortunately, this does not necessarily mean that AvP is coming to Facebook. Develop reports that Rebellion, the UK-based studio behind the Aliens vs. Predator games, has opened a social gaming division. This internal team will focus on Facebook games after having recently released Evil Genius, its first social game. Rebellion will still focus on creating high-profile games with high production values, but after seeing its first social game leave the nest, Rebellion appears hungry for more.

"The release of Evil Genius has given us an appetite to look at other opportunities in the area," said Rebellion co-founder Jason Kingsley. "One thing that has become increasingly apparent over the last few years is that gamers can't be defined as just people who own consoles – people who use social media like Facebook or use smart phones all play games and this is an exciting new opportunity that we want to explore."

Rebellion follows several traditional gaming companies into the Facebook scene like EA, Konami, Sega and Ubisoft. If anything, this move is yet another example of massive shifts in the gaming industry. In other words, expect to see more (and even bigger) companies follow suit in 2011.

[Via Shacknews]

[Image Credit: Squidoo]

How do you think Rebellion will fare in the social games space? Do you think it's to traditional developers' benefit that they focus at least some talent toward Facebook?

Zynga CEO Mark Pincus doesn't like it when fans play for too long

Right. During an interview with MIT's Technology Review, FarmVille creator Zynga's CEO Mark Pincus said, "I don't like it when I find out that people are averaging long session times in any of our games. All of the newer games that we bring out are trying to reduce those session times. Because one of the biggest reasons people don't play games is they say that they don't have the time."

According to Technology Review, this comment was made before the CityVille maker agreed to a quiet period prior to its upcoming initial public offering (IPO). The butt of that quote may be true, but Pincus's words strike us as odd. They're especially odd considering the not-so-tiny 5 percent of paying players--about 54 million people--is likely the crop of players that spend the most time in games like Adventure World and CastleVille.

Technology Review says that the burst-style gameplay of its games can spur players to eventually pay up, quoting one player in particular that plays up to four hours daily in short 15-minute spurts. "You start spending time playing a game, and you find that you care about it for any host of reasons, if we [design] it well," Pincus told Technology Review, "and at some point you may see that by spending some money you can save yourself a bunch of time [or] get something that has status or changes your friends' view of you."
Sure, these in-game boosts can save players time, but they can also serve to keep players in-game for longer. The more virtual items bought outright, the less energy spent on procuring them, and thus more time spent doing other things in the game. This writer is willing to bet that the average whale, a casino term used to describe social gamers that spend large amounts of money, spends way more time than the average player that throws up maybe a few bucks a week. And we're sure Zynga likes them just teeny, tiny bit more.

Would you consider yourself a "whale" or know someone that might be a whale? How much time do you or they spend playing Facebook games daily?

Zynga's Brian Reynolds trying deeper, more clever social game design

Hey, you asked for it. Zynga's chief game designer Brian Reynolds never rests, and even now he's working to bring deeper game mechanics to social games without increasing their complexity, Gamasutra reports. Good call, Reynolds, because we're not sure these games could become more complex, really. (Have any of you seen Kingdoms of Camelot?)

In an interview with the game industry news site, the FrontierVille creator was asked whether he expected to social games to become deeper. Reynolds replied, "I think we'll continue to learn how to design games that way. We'll be better and better at hiding the friction, but making there be depth."

In fact, that's what the former Civilization designer has been up to all along. The mechanics you see happening in FrontierVille today were intentionally designed to intuitively teach you how to play without reading a manual or 700 pop-ups. How close he got to that point is up for debate, but he presses on regardless in the name of deeper Facebook games.

    So extremely simple parts that just happen to have very subtle interactions with each other -- that was what we were trying to do with FrontierVille. For example, have a lot of little systems, but we don't make the player have to read a book on how to play before they can start. It's more like, 'Oh look, there's a whole world of stuff; just click on stuff. No matter what you click on, something good will happen!' And then, eventually, you notice that animals work a little bit different from plants, and then maybe you notice, 'Oh look, if I put a sheep here, then the grass doesn't grow back.'

Reynolds continues to explain (check the full interview here) that positive reactions this garners from players, and that this feeling is one he wants to create in his games more regularly without introducing too many complexities like menus and guides. While some would argue that games like FarmVille and CityVille could use even less complexity, this is at least exciting for what Reynolds aspires to in social games. And if the next innovation in social games comes from Reynolds and Zynga, we know it will stir massive waves.

Are you excited to see what Reynolds has in store for Zynga, and inevitably, social games? How would you make social games deeper without being complex?

Rockstar, L.A. Noire gets talkative with Social Club features

I doubt the second thing Rockstar and 2K Games said when creating L.A. Noire was, "You know what this technological feat of a storytelling game needs? Social features!" Nonetheless, here they are, as Rockstar has thrown is its much-awaited interactive crime drama, L.A. Noire, into the Social Club, Gamercast reports. Alright, so maybe "interactive crime drama" is a bit much for a game that just released, but considering it was the first video game ever accepted into the Tribeca Film Festival, it might be fitting. The Social Club is not only a social hub for Rockstar fans, but a source of information and a repository for special in-game items.

The Rockstar Social Club has been around since the release of Grand Theft Auto way back when, and the company has consistently added new titles including GTA: Chinatown Wars and Red Dead Redemption. Sure, having a community to consult for help on difficult cases with L.A. Noire is handy, but we know why everyone comes flocking: the items. Luckily for you, joining the Rockstar Social Club by linking your Xbox Live or PlayStation Network account could net you an exclusive item in the game.

It's the Chicago Lightning Detective Suit, and its enhancements to your shotgun and machine gun accuracy will come in handy when dispatching perps. While plenty of developers and publishers are using social media to enhance console games--just look at what EA2D is up to for EA with Dragon Age Legends--few are creating their very own platforms like Rockstar. Recently, Naughty Dog teased some social features in its upcoming Uncharted 3. Regardless of whether developers are using Facebook directly to introduce social features to their console games, the allure of social games was likely an inspiration. And free stuff--that's always inspiring.

[Image Credit: Rockstar]

Have you signed up for the Rockstar Social Club? Do you think social layers add or detract from a console game experience?

Six Gun Galaxy brings a violent, dreary wild west to Facebook

Six Gun Galaxy from KlickNation sees you creating a character in a post-apocalyptic world on Facebook, where you're left to rebuild a town and help other survivors in various towns by completing quests. The storyline is filled with the expected elements from the theme. A war has devastated the planet, leaving military men feeling responsible and outlaws to feel they can ravage what's left. The average citizen needs your help with hunting for food from the wild animals that roam even the cities' streets, and while cash is still a factor, objects like tobacco have been given just as much value in society.

While Six Gun Galaxy contains a theme that's not overly common for Facebook games, the gameplay itself doesn't really revolutionize the city-building or quest-based adventure genres. You'll have your own town to build, starting with nothing but a home and Blacksmith's shop. You can add new items like Laundry Facilities or Gun Shops, and also add decorations and roads to customize the look of your town even more. Buildings payout profits over time, including cash and experience points, along with Iron, which is another form of "currency" used for building additional buildings.

Apart from the game's city-building aspect, an even larger portion of the game is dedicated to traveling from town to town (more locations unlock as you level up) and completing quests for the locals. You'll have to gather and trade supplies at the Market, help chase off wild animals, deliver items to different locations, and so on. Combat comes into play fairly early on, as you'll fight bandits in term-based battles by simply clicking on their avatars on the map. Unfortunately, there doesn't look to be a way to tell exactly how strong an enemy is before entering combat, so you very well may end up on the losing end before you can even pull out your weapon. Luckily, you can turn the tides of battle by having teammates join you along the way (teammates can be purchased with cash), or by upgrading your character with new equipment and weapons.

As you might expect, most every action in the game requires energy, which therefore runs out far more quickly than you might like. You can collect food from wild animals and then spend that food on energy refills, or spend Platinum, the game's premium currency.

Gallery: Six Gun Galaxy Facebook


While each location in the game has a specific amount of quests available to complete, you can play the game with relative freedom, only undertaking quests when you really feel like it. The rest of the time can be spent tracking down wild animals, goods to trade, building up your own city, and so on, completely outside of pushing the story forward. Of course, that can only last you for so long, so we hope that more quests will continually be added to Six Gun Galaxy in the future to keep us coming back for more.

Play Six Gun Galaxy on Facebook -->

Have you tried Six Gun Galaxy on Facebook? What do you think of frontier-based games on Facebook? Does the fact that this game is actually post-apocalyptic, rather than simply "old" influence your likelihood to play it?

Sims Social survey lets you sound off on item prices, favorite features and more

It's that time folks - time to let your collective voices be heard! EA wants to know how much fun (or not) you're having with the Sims Social on Facebook, and they've released a fairly long survey to help you tell them. This survey contains all sorts of questions, ranging from the basics of how often you play the game, to allowing you to rate your opinion on item pricing (are they too cheap? too expensive?) and what some of your favorite features are in the game.

Of course, the point of all of this is to gather enough opinions to actually sway the way the game develops in the future. Hopefully, with questions dealing with how much we like to "build" items with parts (bookcases, double beds, etc.), and the option to say that you don't like it at all, we may actually see a lessening in those kinds of items, if enough users agree. You can even rank various gameplay features (decorating your house, visiting friends, customizing your Sim, etc.) in the order that you like them. In this way, perhaps we'll see more focus being placed on the most (overall) liked feature, and you'll be able to say you helped to make that happen.

Unfortunately, this isn't the kind of survey that will allow you to give your opinion on future item sets, but there are plenty of blank text boxes for you to say exactly what you want to the developers in a place that you know they'll see it. Again, this survey is prety lengthy (when compared to other Facebook game surveys anyway), so you'll want to make sure you have around 5-10 minutes to set aside to take it.

We've taken this survey as well, and if we start to notice any gameplay changes arising because of options listed here, we'll make sure to let you know. In the meantime, head over to this link right here to take the survey for yourself.

Xbox 360 cures gamers' loneliness, goes social in Dashboard update

Alright, so maybe they weren't lonely, but we'll bet that, after this Xbox 360 Dashboard update, players friends list will magically grow. Microsoft's Major Nelson, or Larry Hryb, made the announcement earlier this week that the next major Xbox update will hit Dec. 6 on his blog. Come the week after next, players will be able to share to Facebook straight from the Dashboard.

But the updates go a bit deeper with the addition of Beacons, which allow players to broadcast status updates to their friends that share what games they would like to play with anyone interested. These open call-outs for in-game teammates can be pushed to players' Facebook Walls too. Other changes include cloud storage for games, meaning more space on players' hard drives and access to games from any Xbox 360.

In a way, you could say that makes games more "social" as well, lowering the barrier to playing games with friends in person (IRL, if you will) ever so slightly. But we can't help but notice Microsoft's growing focus on social, and wonder if it's a response at all to the arrival potential game changers like these to Facebook. It may only a matter of time before that competition heats up.

[Via Inside Social Games]

Are you excited at all by these changes to Xbox gaming? Do you think Xbox-like games could ever be popular/successful on Facebook?

Zynga CEO Mark Pincus doesn't like it when fans play for too long

Right. During an interview with MIT's Technology Review, FarmVille creator Zynga's CEO Mark Pincus said, "I don't like it when I find out that people are averaging long session times in any of our games. All of the newer games that we bring out are trying to reduce those session times. Because one of the biggest reasons people don't play games is they say that they don't have the time."

According to Technology Review, this comment was made before the CityVille maker agreed to a quiet period prior to its upcoming initial public offering (IPO). The butt of that quote may be true, but Pincus's words strike us as odd. They're especially odd considering the not-so-tiny 5 percent of paying players--about 54 million people--is likely the crop of players that spend the most time in games like Adventure World and CastleVille.

Technology Review says that the burst-style gameplay of its games can spur players to eventually pay up, quoting one player in particular that plays up to four hours daily in short 15-minute spurts. "You start spending time playing a game, and you find that you care about it for any host of reasons, if we [design] it well," Pincus told Technology Review, "and at some point you may see that by spending some money you can save yourself a bunch of time [or] get something that has status or changes your friends' view of you."
Sure, these in-game boosts can save players time, but they can also serve to keep players in-game for longer. The more virtual items bought outright, the less energy spent on procuring them, and thus more time spent doing other things in the game. This writer is willing to bet that the average whale, a casino term used to describe social gamers that spend large amounts of money, spends way more time than the average player that throws up maybe a few bucks a week. And we're sure Zynga likes them just teeny, tiny bit more.

Would you consider yourself a "whale" or know someone that might be a whale? How much time do you or they spend playing Facebook games daily?

Frogger is 30 years old, still bouncin' in Frogger Pinball on Facebook

Alright, so 30 is far from old, but that's ancient in frog years. Konami celebrates the 30th anniversary of gaming's favorite jaywalker with Frogger Pinball on Facebook. The game, created by Silverball Studios, is definitely a departure for Frogger, having the little green guy save his Lily from the clutches of the evil RoboCroc ... as a pinball. We at least hope the villain drives a red sedan.

Frogger Pinball takes cues from games like Bejeweled Blitz with its weekly leaderboards and tournaments, but attempts to add a light storyline to its naturally twitch-reflex play style. Come on, did you expect anything less from a Frogger game, and a pinball-themed one at that? The game's story mode spans three different tables: the Swamp, City and Space Station.

Players can unlock special characters from there to compete with their friends for the high score in Challenge Mode. Of course, unique power-ups and bonuses are rewarded throughout for leveling up, hitting targets and completing loops. We're sure each pinball table features unique obstacles, and you'll have to complete them with both Frogger and Lily to play Challenge Mode with all three characters.
Frogger Pinball in action
Konami has been no slouch when it comes to social gaming, either. The company has already released a few Facebook games, including an original in Viva! Mall. While that game has since shut down, the company has reported that social games helped the company double its profits year-over-year, according to Joystiq. That said, expect way--and we mean way--more where Frogger came from.

Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and that red thing just might get a social game

You know, that thing that looks like a walking, furry Valentine? Wait, that thing has a name, and it's "Gossamer?" (What kind of name is that?) Anyway, Fusible has tracked down a lengthy list of domain names registered by Warner Bros. Entertainment on Nov. 29, nearly all of which seeming to refer to an online game that could be in the works: Looney Tunes Cartoon Universe.

Of course, the game could be named anything. But it's a safe guess for now that domains like "CartoonUniversegame.com", "Playtheuniverse.com" and "Looneytunescu.com," refer to a game titled at least similarly to that. There are other domains that WB registered this week, like "Toontokens.com" and "Wbcash.com", that suggest the game would be supported by in-game purchases using a currency like Toon Tokens.

A Looney Tunes Cartoon Universe game would make a whole lot of sense both on Facebook and elsewhere. Disney is arguably WB's biggest competitor, and the company has already stated plans for its cast of characters to enter Facebook games through developer Playdom. The company has even release a console game titled "Disney Universe." Perhaps WB is eying up a piece of the same pie.

While this game--if it even is a game--could appear on any platform, it's also important to consider the audience. Looney Tunes have always been the more mature cartoon troupe, and the majority of Facebook gamers are adults. Who knows, maybe Bugs, Daffy (and Gossamer) can beat Mickey and crew to the punch.

Would you play a Looney Tunes game on Facebook or elsewhere? Who do you think would be more successful in Facebook games: Disney or Warner Bros.?

Bubble Saga maker King.com hires Microsoft exec as marketing head

Can none resist the dollar signs allure of Facebook games? King.com, maker of Facebook game ports like Bubble Saga, announced that it has hired ex-Microsoft exec Alex Dale as its chief marketing officer. Dale joins King.com after overseeing Microsoft's marketing efforts on products including Bing, Internet Explorer and Windows Phone.

"We have made several strategic hires recently in an effort continue this growth and even take it one step further, becoming a clear leader in the space," King.com co-fonder and CEO Riccardo Zacconi said in a release. "We are confident that Alex will be instrumental in helping us further grow our global user- and partnership-base and are thrilled to have him on board."

Dale joins a list of executives that have found themselves in the social games space. Sean Ryan, director of Facebook games partnerships, was at one time the CEO of now-defunct social network LiveJournal. Zynga head of mobile games David Ko comes from Yahoo, and most recently Flickr founder Stewart Butterfield moved on to make his own social game, Glitch.

King.com, which most recently launched Bubble Witch Saga on Facebook, now joins the ranks of companies like Zynga in its willingness to source talent from other industries. And King.com says in the announcement that Dale will be at helm of the companies global expansion. It seems that the company is looking abroad to reach the top five game makers on AppData--it sits pretty at number seven with just over 17 million monthly players.

Do you think King.com, making hires like this, can become an even bigger competitor in Facebook games? What do you think of games like Bubble Witch Saga? Sound off in the comments. 2 Comments

Coco Girl on Facebook: For the fervent fashionista in all of us

Alright, so the fashion game has already been done on Facebook. But Damian Harburger, CEO of Argentina-based social game developer MetroGames, thinks that it hasn't been done right. Well, until now. We know, you're used to seeing hardcore-skewed social games come from the developer like AutoHustle.

Consider this most recent release a fundamental shift for the studio. Harburger tells us that, from here on out, MetroGames will focus largely on women when it comes to Facebook games, and on the more hardcore crowd (mostly men) in its mobile efforts.

Coco Girl is a Facebook game designed for the fashionista in every girl (and guy, in this writer's very particular case). Every girl has her opinions on fashion--some are just more vocal than others, no?--and Coco Girl provides the medium through which to express them.

At every turn in Coco Girl, you're given the opportunity to voice your take on various outfits and in a multitude of situations. In fact, rating your fellow females' outfits is the basis of the game. Sure, players can visit various shops and dress their heavily customized avatar (seriously, even I spent at least 30 minutes fine-tuning my lady). But it's the ability to give other players' clothing choices your two cents, or Rubies in this case, that's the star of this fashion show.

Coco Girl isn't governed by an energy system or too much of a gameplay structure, though you are given daily tasks to complete and quests to embark on. The quests are simply introductory, tiny tasks designed to introduce you to the game's myriad features and customization options. Your Daily Ruby-Maker Checklist is the bread and butter of Coco Girl, and is essentially what's going to get you the Rubies you need to purchase now outfits, make-up and accessories.

Gallery: Coco Girl on Facebook
While in your character's home, you will notice a magazine called Fashion Expert. Every day, you'll open it up and rate at least 20 outfits based on whether you dig them, or whether they're appropriate for certain situations like, say, a job interview or a casting call for a horror movie. However, the amount of Rubies you earn for doing this depends directly upon whether you're opinions gel with the rest of the Coco Girl player base.

While this does well to keep you in line with "what's hot" at the moment, it has the potential to limit daring or unique fashion statements. Nevertheless this is perhaps the most elegant approach yet to having opinions play a meaningful role in a Facebook game. Players can then participate in various mini games in the Coco Carnival to add a dash of variety to simply voting on get-ups, which of course will result in precious Rubies.

The first of which is Fashion Slots, a game in which you must successfully complete an outfit that a fellow lady is looking for. You do this by stopping a spinning wheel of various clothing items in a particular category. As you continue to try and select the correct items, the wheel will spin faster. Then there is Elusive Treasures, a hidden object game that times you on how many, well, hidden objects you can spot within the time limit. The Final mini game is Love Machine, a puzzle game that has players rearranging pipes to create a direct path between two lovers.
Coco Girl Home
All three mini games offer a considerable challenge and refreshing variety to Coco Girl. More importantly, they also provide Tickets, a currency that can only be spent in Coco Carnival on more Rubies or accessories for your avatar to hold. Finally, you can create Daily Looks and Quest Looks--an important aspect of Coco Girl, if you want to be a respected fashion expert in-game.

Every look you create in the game, once saved, can and probably will be voted upon by other players--friend or not--in the Fashion Expert feature. The Daily Looks are voted upon using a star system, while Quest Looks, the outfits you create to best fit certain situations, are a simple thumbs-up or thumbs-down affair. And at the end of the day in Coco Girl, it's all about the votes, it seems.

The ultimate Goal of Coco Girl is to have one of your outfits make it into the Daily Looks Hall of Fame. The get-ups that get the most positive votes are featured every day, and those that the score the most of all time get a spot and recognition forever. You can even buy those top-ranking outfits for Facebook Credits, if you want a competitive edge.

Coco Girl, on top of its detailed artwork, slick animations and varied gameplay, is all about what matters in a Facebook game about fashion: the looks and what people think about 'em, because we all have an opinion.

Click here to play Coco Girl on Facebook Now >

Have you tried Coco Girl on Facebook yet? What do you think of Facebook games directly geared towards women? Do you think any game thus far has been one that "gets it?" Sound off in the comments. Add Comment

Bossa Studios's Facebook debut, Monstermind, will crush your dreams

But in a good way, we promise. Like the U.S., folks in the UK are super cereal (isn't that what kids are saying these days?) about the social games movement. The Guardian reports that Shine TV has acquired London-based social game startup Bossa Studios for an undisclosed amount.

Elisabeth Murdoch's TV production company (recently bought out by daddy's News Corp) has reportedly been eying social gaming for a long time. And what do you know--her timing could not have been better.

According to The Guardian, 11-month-old Bossa Studios looks to unveil its first project, Monstermind (pictured), next week on Facebook. However, it looks like the game is available now on Facebook, though in an "open beta." (For all intents and purposes, the game is live and available for all to play.)

"We have long identified social gaming as a critical component to this strategy, and in Bossa Studios we discovered an entrepreneurial, creative team that shared our passion for creative excellence," Miss Murdoch told The Guardian. "They have bold ideas for this space which we naturally welcome and will be a significant addition to the Shine Group."

Monstermind looks to be a fresh take on the city-building genre that CityVille has done so well to popularize. Well, fresh in the sense that, in addition to building cities, you can sic giant monsters to crush your friends' towns. The game features nearly full 3D visuals and an art style that screams "The Blob meets Sim City." Check out the game's trailer below to see what we mean.



Click here to play Monstermind on Facebook Now >

Were you waiting for a new approach to city-builders on Facebook? What do you think so far of this new studio's first contribution to Facebook gaming? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment