61 Frames Per Second

Browse by Tags

(RSS)

At Least PopCap Has A Sense Of Humor

PopCap Games knows how to make crowd-pleasing casual PC time-wasters. Their back catalog of bonafide hits includes Bejeweled, Zuma and Peggle. Their next release is the rather hilariously titled Plants vs. Zombies.

Let's let that concept settle for a moment, shall we?

PLANTS

VERSUS

ZOMBIES

PopCap are clearly banking on the appeal of the game's humor, and let me tell you... it's going to work. Just look at this teaser/music video they've released:

Posted Apr 20 2009, 11:00 AM by Derrick Sanskrit with | with no comments

Filed under: derrick sanskrit, casual games, humor, bejeweled, peggle, pop cap games, plants vs zombies, zuma

There Is No Reason to Not Play Peggle

PopCap Games' Peggle has certainly picked up steam in its two years of existence. Even hardcore gamers (like me) have to give Peggle props for its addictiveness; the game may be extremely simple, but it knows how to tap into the reward center of your brain by providing an excess amount of flashing lights, growing scores, and Beethoven. And now that the game is available on XBox Live Arcade today (yes, today), you have no reason to be a Peggle virgin. Now, I'm not saying you have to go out and spend 10 bucks (800 Microsoft Points) on Peggle immediately, but you'll find that there is no other option after playing the demo. Prove me wrong.

Posted Mar 11 2009, 02:00 PM by Bob Mackey with | with 2 comment(s)

Filed under: casual games, xbla, bob mackey, peggle, casual gamers, pop cap games

Newsflash: Your DS Isn't Making You Smarter

It was almost three years ago that Nintendo's Brain Age hit the DS in America, bringing with it promises of increased mind power, as well as several dozen copycats. Like many others, I was caught up in brain training hysteria in mid-2006, though the novelty of tracking my progress at a handful of mini-games didn't really last more than a few weeks. But I guess in the long run, dropping my regiment of mind exercises didn't matter, now that there's more news of Brain Age's general uselessness as a grey matter stimulant. According to a report from Joystiq, "Consumer group Which assembled a panel of three neuroscientists to test the ideas that brain training games improve memory and help prevent dementia. The panel found 'weak' or no evidence to support the claims."

Of course, it's doubtful that anyone takes the claims (mostly, "for entertainment purposes only") of Brain Age seriously enough that this news will effect their life in any meaningful way. In fact, the intro of the game more or less proves its general valuelessness as a brain trainer; when Dr. Kawashima shows you the amount of prefrontal cortex activity that happens when you engage in one of Brain Age's reading activities, you don't have to be a neuroscientist to realize it might be easier to cut out the middleman and just pick up a book. And if you happen to be a nerd with an interest in how video games make us think (I'm not naming names), you'd know from books like James Paul Gee's What Videogames Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy that video games throw us into environments that require constant decision-making to solve problems, regardless of their content.

Besides, it's really hard to shake the icky aftertaste that comes with any adventure in edutainment.

Posted Feb 26 2009, 06:00 PM by Bob Mackey with | with no comments

Filed under: brain age, ds, casual games, bob mackey, education, brain training

Whatcha Playing: Puzzle Quest Galactrix, and You Can Too

No, the sequel to everyone’s favorite ultra-addictive puzzle RPG isn’t out yet—that won’t happen for another month. But there is an official Flash-based demo of the game’s puzzle component out right now. And you should try it, unless you needed some kind of support group to pry your hands off the first Puzzle Quest. Puzzle Quest: Galactrix looks like it will put you right back on that road to ruin.

Posted Jan 19 2009, 12:00 PM by Joe Keiser with | with no comments

Filed under: casual games, puzzle quest, puzzle, demo, joe keiser, galactrix

Trailer Review: Eyepet - Wii Killer?

Probably not, but this thing still looks like it would be a total blast for kids, moreso than any Wii game I've yet seen. It reminds me of those old Sega holographic laserdisc arcade games with the cowboy and the princess in which it was impossible to survive for longer than thirty seconds. I'd never play this, but I know plenty of munchkins who would.

Posted Aug 27 2008, 11:00 AM by Cole Stryker with | with 4 comment(s)

Filed under: little big planet, playstation 3, cole stryker, casual games, eyetoy

Toys are "Better than Video Games"?

"Who put this thing together? Me, that's who! Who do I trust? Me!" - Tony Montana

That's what I thought of when I read the following:

Since Wii Music has no discernible scoring system, no goals and little in the way of those squishy innards that makes a game a "game," isn't it just a "musical toy"? That was the question posed by one European journo.

"Yes, that's right," Miyamoto curtly replied "And that's why it's better than a video game."

OK, Miyamoto, you've used up your last "Get out of Jail Free" card with this one. I stuck with you through the turbulent N64/Gamecube years, and I was happy to see you take it to the top with the Wii. But the above quote is so screechingly wrong, so not what I wanted to hear from E3.

Posted Jul 18 2008, 12:00 AM by Cole Stryker with | with 3 comment(s)

Filed under: kotaku, cole stryker, casual games, shigeru miyamoto, wii music

World's Office Drones Rejoice: Cyberslacking Boosts Productivity

We're going to have to file this one in the "grain of salt" folder, but Popcap games, maker of the landmark casual game sensation Bejeweled, among scads of others, has published a report claiming that employers who ban internet use or social networking sites can cost British businesses up to $4 billion each year. Furthermore, a 10-minute video game break can increase efficiency and morale. According to psychometric trial results, casual games have the best effect on workplace morale and efficiency, as compared to social networking and casual internet browsing.

Posted Jun 06 2008, 12:00 PM by Cole Stryker with | with no comments

Filed under: cole stryker, casual games, bejeweled

about the blogger

John Constantine, our superhero, was raised by birds and then attended Penn State University. He is currently working on a novel about a fictional city that exists only in his mind. John has an astonishingly extensive knowledge of Scientology. Ultimately he would like to learn how to effectively use his brain. He continues to keep Wu-Tang's secret to himself.

Derrick Sanskrit is a self-professed geek in a variety of fields including typography, graphic design, comic books, music and cartoons. As a professional hipster graphic designer, his recent clients have included Nerve, Pitchfork and MoCCA, among others.

Amber Ahlborn - artist, writer, gamer and DigiPen survivor, she maintains a day job as a graphic artist. By night Amber moonlights as a professional Metroid Fanatic and keeps a metal suit in the closet just in case. Has lived in the state of Washington and insists that it really doesn't rain as much as everyone says it does.

Nadia Oxford is a housekeeping robot who was refurbished into a warrior when the world's need for justice was great. Now that the galaxy is at peace (give or take a conflict here or there), she works as a freelance writer for various sites and magazines. Based in Toronto, Nadia prizes the certificate from the Ministry of Health declaring her tick and rabies-free.

Bob Mackey is a grad student, writer, and cyborg, who uses the powerful girl-repelling nanomachines mad science grafted onto his body to allocate time towards interests of the nerd persuasion. He believes that complaining about things on the Internet is akin to the fine art of wine tasting, but with more spitting into buckets.

Joe Keiser has a programming degree from Johns Hopkins University, a tiny apartment in Brooklyn, and a fake toy guitar built in the hollowed-out shell of a real guitar. He writes about games and technology for a variety of outlets. One day he will stop doing this. The day after that, police will find his body under a collapsed pile of (formerly neatly alphabetized) collector's edition tchotchkes.

Cole Stryker is an American freelance writer living in York, England, where he resides with his archeologist wife. He writes for a travel company by day and argues about pop culture on the internet by night. Find him writing regularly here and here.

Peter Smith is like the lead character of Irwin Shaw's The 80-Yard Run, except less athletic. He considers himself very lucky to have this job. But it's a little premature to take "jack-off of all trades" off his resume. Besides writing, travelling, and painting houses, Pete plays guitar in a rock trio called The Aye-Ayes. He calls them a 'power pop' band, but they generally sound more like Motorhead on a drinking binge.