#2 All-Time Best-Selling Mobile Game Gets a High-Res, Next-Generation Makeover

Dublin, Ireland —December 7, 2011—PopCap Games, the worldwide leader in casual games, today announced the launch of an all-new adaptation of Bejeweled® as well as a standalone, freemium edition of Bejeweled Blitz both  for iPhone and iPod touch. The rollout of these titles initiates a new strategic direction for PopCap’s blockbuster puzzle game franchise on mobile platforms — now with expandable, evergreen game experiences suited to every gaming taste and budget.

With the launch of these new iterations of Bejeweled, PopCap will retire Bejeweled 2 for iPhone and iPod touch, making way for the next generation of the franchise with continuously evolving features and content. Players can visit the Apple App Store to download the all-new Bejeweled for €0.79 (UK £0.69). The standalone, freemium edition of Bejeweled Blitz is available at no cost. Both games will be rolling out worldwide in different geographies throughout the day.

“With nearly 40 million mobile units sold over the past eight years, Bejeweled is the second best-selling mobile game of all time, behind only Tetris,” noted Giordano Bruno Contestabile, Bejeweled franchise business director at PopCap Games. “As we strive to reach virtually everyone with a mobile communications device, PopCap will continue to make games that are even more accessible to that ever-expanding global audience. We’re taking a critical step toward this goal with the introduction of these new Bejeweled titles that will enhance our offerings on the iPhone for years to come.”

All-New Bejeweled for iPhone

The all-new Bejeweled for iPhone and iPod touch is the next major installment of PopCap’s flagship franchise on mobile, and will continually evolve with a range of new and exciting features well into the future. Initially, the all-new Bejeweled features popular game modes, eye-popping, enhanced high-res graphics, plus new, optimized gameplay, including:
◊             New high-res graphics and retina display support
◊             3 game modes: Classic, Zen (featuring 6 ambient sound tracks and 6 mantras) and Diamond Mine
◊             In-game leaderboards to track personal high scores
◊             User profiles with gameplay statistics and 30 PopCap icons to personalize the experience
◊             7 achievement badges with 4 levels each (bronze, silver, gold, platinum),  plus 3 elite badges
◊             A player ranking system

Bejeweled Blitz Standalone Freemium Edition for iPhone

Marking the first time PopCap has offered a freemium title, the new standalone edition of Bejeweled Blitz for iPhone and iPod touch is an exciting spin-off of the phenomenally popular game mode — available now as a free download with full Facebook integration and cool new content. The freemium edition offers the same riveting 60-second game action, just as in the original Bejeweled Blitz experience, but now adds a number of new features, including:

◊             An entirely new and irresistible user-interface
◊             The Daily Spin feature where players try their luck to get bonus coins
◊             A fun new tutorial system to help get new players moving up the leaderboards as quickly as possible
◊             Retina display support and more

About PopCap

PopCap Games is the leading global developer, publisher and operator of casual video games: fun, easy-to-learn, captivating games that appeal to all ages across PC, mobile, social and other platforms. Based in Seattle, Washington, PopCap was founded in 2000, was acquired by Electronic Arts in 2011, and has a worldwide staff of more than 500 people in Seattle, San Francisco, Vancouver, B.C., Dublin, Seoul, Shanghai and Tokyo. PopCap’s games have been downloaded over 1.5 billion times by consumers worldwide, and its flagship franchise, Bejeweled®, has sold more than 50 million units.

Arno the Hunter – $0.99USD – Arno the Hunter takes it format from the traditional space invaders type of game, were score is everything and your dodging skills are at there peak.

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House of Mice – $0.99USD – House of Mice is puzzler that uses a small amount of physics and a fair bit of brain power.

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Tri Tri Triobelisk – $0.99USD – Tri Tri Triobelisk is a one on one “top down” shooter – I can only describe it as two way space invaders with attitude.

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Red Ball 3 – $1.99USD – Red Ball 3 is a physics based platformer with your hero being …well a red ball.

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To-Fu: The Trials of Chi – $0.99USD – To-Fu: The Trials of Chi is Meatboy with a ninja chunk of To-Fu.

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Casey’s Contraptions – $2.99USD – Casey’s Contraptions is a puzzle game that at times will have you dreaming about solutions.

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Were a traditional tower defense would have a path that your attackers will follow Dofus: Battles has an open board which means you also need to pick your placement very well or the attaches will just pass on by and promptly kick your dragons butt, this adds a lot more depth to the game than expected and when you throw in the fact that every character is completely different and has a full set of armor/weapons/trinkets etc that can be upgraded the game starts to get quite complex. This being said I think the closest game I can think of to related it to would be Plants vs Zombies by Popcap games as the game play is very much the same.

Every time you kill an attacker crystals are dropped that can be collected and go to the cost of dropping more hero’s on the board. There are some mini games but you do not need to play them if you don’t choose to.

Overall the game is lots of fun and the graphics are very pleasing (even with the lack of Retina display support), the inventory system was a little annoying at times as there is no way to compare items to existing equipped items which mad it very hard to upgrade some times especially when the difference in stats was minimal but I’m sure that is a concern that will be addressed with coming patches.
Overall this is a fun game and well worth the $2.99 asking price.

 

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We have just released a new update to Fruit Ninja HD which remedies some unfortunate crash issues that some users were experiencing with the latest version. Everything is now silky smooth and running great, so to celebrate we are putting Fruit Ninja HD on sale for the weekend, down from $2.99 to just 99 cents!

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With over 70 levels to complete as well as the ability to edit them and make your own levels the replay value looks good. You can also email your edited levels to friends for them to solve.
There is also no “fixed” solution so you could do it one way and your friend another, this makes for some interesting possibilities and again some good replay value. Casey’s Contraptions is available now in the New Zealand iOS App Store and later tonight all the others and from what we have seen so far well worth the asking price of $2.99. See the video below for a taste of what Casey has to offer.

[Update]: Available in all stores now.

 

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PopCap Unveils First Ever Social Adaptation of Plants vs. Zombies™ on Renren.com

Plants vs. Zombies Social Edition To Launch on Leading Chinese Social Networking Site

SHANGHAI, China – May 18, 2011 — PopCap Games, the worldwide leader in casual video games, today announced details of the exclusive partnership with Renren Inc. (NYSE: RENN), a leading social networking platform in China, that will see the first ever social adaptation of PopCap’s Plants vs. Zombies™ launch on the Chinese social networking site.

The game, expertly adapted in the PopCap® tradition, was developed by PopCap’s Shanghai studio and features a host of new content including new game modes as well as personalisation and social features. The partnership marks the first time a Western game developer has received an exclusive game launch with the social networking giant in China.

Players can invite their friends to visit their own personal towns, custom-built to reflect the individual’s style – and strategy! In the all-new Rampage mode, players will test their zombie-zapping skills in a 2-minute non-stop zombie attack. Every week there’s a new Rampage challenge and a new opportunity for players to show their friends who’s boss of the leaderboard.

James Gwertzman, VP of Asia/Pacific at PopCap Games, said, “The passion for Plants vs. Zombies here in China is incredible. PvZ has tremendous, unprecedented brand awareness and popularity in China with almost one million people already signed up to a PvZ page on Renren.com. There is superb demand for the game and we are excited to deliver the world’s first online multiplayer adaptation of Plants vs. Zombies in China very soon.”

Joseph Chen, Chairman and CEO of Renren Inc., said, “There has been spectacular worldwide demand for a social adaptation of Plants vs. Zombies.  Renren is honored to be PopCap’s exclusive partner in bringing Plants vs. Zombies Social Edition to our users and providing them with a new way to play this world-famous game.  I am also glad to see that PopCap, as a leading international games company, has made China a focus for its world-class games. It is a wonderful development for Chinese high-tech companies such as Renren and the Chinese market as a whole.”

Plants vs. Zombies Social Edition will be available exclusively on Renren.com. With new zombies and power-ups added each week to ensure the fun never ends.

About PopCap Games

PopCap Games is the leading global developer, publisher and operator of casual video games: fun, easy-to-learn, captivating games that appeal to all ages across PC, mobile, social and other platforms. Based in Seattle, Washington, PopCap was founded in 2000 and has a worldwide staff of more than 400 people in Seattle, San Francisco, Vancouver, B.C., Dublin, Seoul, Shanghai and Tokyo. PopCap’s games have been downloaded over 1.5 billion times by consumers worldwide, and its flagship franchise, Bejeweled®, has sold more than 50 million units.

About Renren INC.

Renren INC. (NYSE: RENN) operates the leading real name social networking internet platform in China. It enables users to connect and communicate with each other, share information and user generated content, play online games, listen to music, shop for deals and enjoy a wide range of other features and services. Renren’s platform includes the main social networking website renren.com, the online games center game.renren.com, the social commerce website nuomi.com, and the newly launched professional and business social networking service website jingwei.com. It had approximately 117 million activated users as of March 31, 2011.

Update: Apple released iMac refresh today, upgrading the processors to Quad-Core CPUs across the entire range.

Apple updated its iMac range today with quad-core processors, new graphics, high-speed Thunderbolt I/O technology and a new FaceTime HD camera.
Starting at $1,199, the new iMac is up to 70 percent faster and new graphics deliver up to three times the performance of the previous generation.
The new iMacs feature quad-core Intel Core i5 processors with an option for customers to choose Core i7 processors up to 3.4GHz.

The 21.5-inch iMac has a single Thunderbolt port while the 27″ features two Thunderbolt ports.

21.5″ 2.5GHz Quad Core i5, AMD 6750M, 500GB, $1199
21.5″ 2.7GHz Quad Core i5, AMD 6770M, 1TB, $1499
27″ 2.7GHz Quad Core i5, AMD 6770M, 1TB, $1699
27″ 3.1GHz Quad Core i5, AMD 6970M, 1TB, $1999

Core i7 Processors are available as configure-to-order options.

iPhone / iPod games:
GAME	OLD PRICE	NEW PRICE	BUY
Battlefield: Bad Company 2		$0.99
Cause of Death: Can You Catch The Killer?		$0.99
Heroes Lore III	$1.99	$0.99
High Caliber Hunting	$2.99	$0.99
Pictureka!	$1.99	$0.99
Reckless Racing		$0.99
Mirror’s Edge	$4.99	$0.99
Need For Speed Hot Pursuit	$4.99	$0.99
Need For Speed Shift	$4.99	$0.99
Need For Speed Undercover	$4.99	$0.99
NBA Elite 11 By EA Sport	$4.99	$0.99
MMA By EA Sports	$4.99	$0.99
Fifa 11 By EA Sports	$4.99	$0.99
Fifa 10 By EA Sports	$4.99	$0.99
Madden NFL 11 By EA Sports	$4.99	$0.99
NCAA Football By EA Sports	$4.99	$0.99
Tiger Woods PGA Tour By EA Sports		$0.99
The Sims 3	$6.99	$0.99
The Sims 3 Ambitions	$4.99	$0.99
The Sims 3 World Adventures	$2.99	$0.99
SimCity Deluxe	$2.99	$0.99
Spore Creatures		$0.99
Spore Origins		$0.99
Lemonade Tycoon		$0.99
Monopoly	$2.99	$0.99
Monopoly Here & Now: The World Edition	$2.99	$0.99
Risk: The Official Game	$4.99	$0.99
Battleship		$0.99
Connect 4		$0.99
Boggle		$0.99
The Game Of Life Classic Edition	$2.99	$0.99
Clue		$0.99
Trivial Pursuit		$0.99
Yahtzee Adventures		$0.99
Scrabble	$2.99	$0.99
R Type	$1.99	$0.99
Star Trek		$0.99
Skate It		$0.99
The Simpsons Arcade	$2.99	$0.99
Dragon’s Lair		$0.99
Surviving High School		$0.99
Command & Conquer: Red Alert		$0.99
Zombies & Me	$1.99	$0.99
Mass Effect Galaxy	$1.99	$0.99
Wolfenstein RPG	$1.99	$0.99
Anytime Pool	$1.99	$0.99
Tetris	$2.99	$0.99
Sudoku		$0.99
American Idol: The Game	$1.99	$0.99
Littlest Pet Shop	$2.99	$0.99
Pandemonium		$0.99
Snood		$0.99
Mystery Mania	$1.99	$0.99
Jewel Quest Mysteries		$0.99
iPad games:
SimCity Deluxe for iPad	$6.99	$0.99
Need For Speed Hot Pursuit for iPad	$9.99	$0.99
Need For Speed Shift for iPad	$9.99	$0.99
Madden NFL 11 By EA Sports for iPad	$12.99	$0.99
Mirror’s Edge for iPad	$9.99	$0.99
Reckless Racing HD	$4.99	$0.99
Pictureka! for iPad	$4.99	$0.99
Tetris for iPad	$7.99	$0.99
Yahtzee HD	$4.99	$0.99
Boggle for iPad		$0.99
Scrabble for iPad	$9.99	$0.99
Command & Conquer Red Alert for iPad	$4.99	$0.99
Clue: Secrets & Spies – A Hidden Object Game	$4.99	$0.99
Snood for iPad	$4.99	$0.99

Some of those iPad games have dropped quite a bit – go go

In short Puzzle Quest 2 is a match 3 gem game the likes of Bejeweled – “Another one” I hear you sigh – No not just another one, Puzzle Quest 2 blends your basic match 3 with a whole lot of RPG aspects. On top of that there is a fairly decent quest system and weapon upgrade system.

RPG aspects:
You play a specific class and character within the game and this character levels up from combat and completing quests just like you would in most RPG games. Your class will determine what spells/skills you can get and there are a good many to choose from. You will only be able to equip and use 5 of these at any time.

You also get to choose new stats as you level up which enhance various aspects of your characters attach. You will need these as most of the game is spent in combat.

Combat:
The combat is the biggest part of the game and were all your RPG bits pay off, the match 3 is the basis of the combat with each opponent taking a turn to either match gems or use an ability or both as I found out with a few annoying opponents. Many of the battles are quite long and you will need to use good strategy to come out on top of them. I like the combat system as it is different but still fun…even when the %$$#^%^ monster keeps getting 4 in a row (which gives him another turn).

Performance:
The performance on iPhone 4 and iPad was fine and the game played fairly smoothly however on an iPhone 3Gs it was clunky and hiccupped often, it was not unplayable just a bit annoying and I’m sure with a little patch here and there they will smooth these hiccups right out.

Graphics:
You will definitely add the graphics to the plus column as they are bright and vibrant and even on the smaller iPhone screen you can see what is going on. The only beef I have is again on the 3Gs screen it was not easy to see what color gems were needed for each spell and I found it necessary to click on the ability to check this in the spell details. Obviously the iPhone 4 and iPad screen were a lot clearer and bigger respectively so this was not an issue.

Conclusion:
For the price of $9.99 you get a universal app that will have you saying “just one more level” into the early hours. We would recommend this game because despite it abusing our 3Gs it is REALLY fun and I still find myself going back to it often to “just kill that next monster”.  If you are already a match 3 addict then this is a given for your purchase list.

 

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