Latest Gear Live Videos
Zynga acquires OMGPOP, picks up Draw Something and other social games
Posted by Andrey Malskiy Categories: Corporate News, Software, Video Games,
For those on the go, iPhone and Android smartphones have been a lifesaver for mobile entertainment and keeping in contact with friends on the go. Once in a while, an app comes along that even uses your social network as the basis for an entertainment experience with something so addicting that even its competitors are threatened by it.
We’re taking about the game Draw Something, made by OMGPOP. It climbed its way to the top of the App Store and Android App Market and stayed there, out growing Zynga’s Words with Friends in popularity. Zynga wasn’t having any of this, so only one option remained—Zynga acquired Draw Something for a rumored $180 million, plus another $30 million for employee retention payouts, in an insanely smart move. Zynga is also acquiring a portfolio of over 35 social games aside from Draw Something, and the takeover is effective immediately. Current OMGPOP CEO Dan Porter is now Vice President and General Manager of Zynga New York.
Read More 
| Yahoo! Finance
Advertisement
Unboxing Live 088: Plantronics GameCom 780
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, Features, Peripherals, Video Games, Videocasts,
We show you the Plantronics Gamecom 780 7.1 surround sound PC gaming headphones in this episode! Powered by Dolby technology, the Gamecom 780 delivers 7.1 surround sound with Dolby Headphone and Dolby Pro Logic IIx. The speakers in the earcups are 40-millimeter and provide thumping bass and immersive stereo sound. For chat and in-game communication, there's a built-in noise-canceling microphone that eliminates background noise so that the people you're playing with can hear you clearly, and for those times when you want silence (or when you want to remain stealthy,) there are volume controls and a microphone mute switch right on the earcups. One other nice touch is the swiveling earcup joints that make for easy storage. You can pick up the Plantronics GameCom 780 on Amazon for $79.
Big thank you to GoToMeeting and JackThreads for sponsoring the show - be sure to check them out! GoToMeeting with HDFaces provides rich, super-simple collaborative virtual meetings. As for JackThreads, we've got exclusive invite codes that give you $5 to use towards anything you'd like on the site.
Bleeding Edge TV 425: Duo Plink, Duo Pop, and Atari Arcade for iPad
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Full Episodes, Accessories, Apple, CES, CES 2012, Features, Podcasts, Toys, Video Games, Videocasts, Videos,
We chat with Discovery Bay about their iPad game accessories that turn the Apple tablet into an actual game board. The accessories include Duo Plink, Yoomi Duo, and Duo Pop. In addition, they've got the Atari Arcade joystick that, in conjunction with the Atari games app, lets you control the old-school retro games with a bona fide controller. You can pick up these Discovery Bay products on Amazon. This was recorded at CES 2012.
Big thank you to MozyPro and JackThreads for sponsoring the show - be sure to check them out! MozyPro provides simple, automatic, and secure data backup. As for JackThreads, we've got exclusive invite codes that give you $5 to use towards anything you'd like on the site.
Angry Birds Seasons brings the Easter goodness
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Games, App Updates, $0.99,
Rovio on Monday launched an Easter version of Angry Birds Seasons, available now for iOS, Android, Symbian, and Palm devices.
"Spring is upon us and the time is ripe for some chocolate eggs and Easter bunnies! So shed the winter gear and get in—Easter Eggs have never been this delicious!" Rovio said in its update notice. "If you think St. Patrick's Day was a blast, well, you ain't seen nothing yet! This episode will again prove that Angry Birds is the most generous update giver of them all!"
The Easter update includes 15 new springtime levels. Rovio also promised that it "will soon launch the biggest alternate reality game with Angry Birds ever—be prepared to seek for clues around the world to discover the secrets hidden in Angry Birds Seasons!"
Angry Birds Seasons is available for $0.99 on the App Store and free from Android app stores and the Ovi Store. Players who have already downloaded Angry Birds Seasons will get the Easter version as a free upgrade.
Click to continue reading Angry Birds Seasons brings the Easter goodness
Weekend Reading: Batman, Clint, Shooter, Granito And Rozum!
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Interviews, Movies, Reviews, DC Comics,
.jpeg)
I have an idea for a great drinking game. Surf the internet and every time you come across a link to Bleeding Cool’s expose of Rob Granito, take a drink. You’ll be Lohan’ed before Monday. In the meantime, I await the Bluewater biography of Mr. Swipey McSwipe-swipe.
Let’s see what else is out there:
Batman: The writer Lance Mannion tries to teach his sons about Batman.
Liberty: Writer Martin Powell gets interviewed at Broken Frontier. Subject: his children’s books and The Halloween Legion and Liberty Unlimited, both of which I’m really looking forward to.
Blood: Mark Wheatley, Marc Hempel and Ricky Shanklin’s graphic novel Blood Of The Innocent is marching toward the big screen. Breck Eisner (The Crazies) is attached to direct and Bill Marsilii (Deja Vu) is writing the screenplay. According to Scoop: “The original comic book series set Dracula against Jack the Ripper and was published by Warp in 1985.”
Click to continue reading Weekend Reading: Batman, Clint, Shooter, Granito And Rozum!
Tech Deal of the Day: Bulletstorm for 33% off
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Hot Deals, PC / Laptop, Video Games,
Just a quick Deal of the Day heads up for the gamers out there - Amazon has Bulletstorm for 33% off today only - a great game at $20 off, and you'll get guaranteed access into the Gears of War 3 multiplayer beta to boot. Not a bad deal at all.
Don’t forget, if you’re looking for other deals, be sure to check out our Newegg Promo Code thread.
Man vs. Machine: Jeopardy-Style
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Games, Reality, Specials, Syndication, Video,
IBM is taking computer gaming to an epic level.
Monday marked the debut of the supercomputer Watson, a machine so smart it’s capable of playing a game of Jeopardy . . . and maybe, winning it. The three-day game pits the computer against the show’s two greatest champions, Brad Rutter and Ken Jennings, and at the end of Round 1 Watson is tied for first place.
Watson ruled categories like “Beatles People” and “Literary Characters APB,” though it struggled and offered wrong answers to other categories, including “Name the Decade.”
Still, the computer’s prowess was such that at the end of the episode, it’s tied with Rutter with $5,000 in the Jeopardy game bank . . . and champion Ken Jennings trails behind the machine with only $2,000 in the till. Check out the video above to get a look at Watson in action.
Read More | E! Online
Is a Farmville for Dummies book really necessary?
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Internet, Video Games,
How do you justify the existence of a book that lays out the concept and strategy to succeed in Farmville? Especially when there are sites that can help you free of charge. Co-author Kyle Orland of Farmville for Dummies sat down with Ars Technica to make an argument for putting the casual Internet game into layman's terms.
"Sure, Farmville isn't a particularly difficult game—it practically holds your hand in telling you how to play, and there's a limited amount of strategy to playing," Orland told Ars. "Some of the sections of the game—especially the farmer's market and some aspects of animal tending—require multiple, time-lapsed steps to complete successfully, and the game only gives one screen of text-heavy explanation for how to go about them."
Click to continue reading Is a Farmville for Dummies book really necessary?
Today I Die Again for iPhone available free today only
Posted by Drea Avellan Categories: Games, App Updates, iPad Apps, Sales, Free Apps,
In conjunction with Free App A Day (FAAD), Atakamalabs has released the popular IndieCade Jury Award winning title rewrite, Today I Die Again by Daniel Benmergui, completely free. Today I Die Again is a thought provoking adventure using words as means to action.
The scene opens underwater with the body of a dead woman floating lifeless in the dark. The rock tied around her waist suggests that her demise was no accident. A poem floats above her: “hopeless world / full of shadows / today I die”
Players must use the floating glowing words or reveal hidden ones to help you transform the ever-present poem in order to progress through the game. All along the way you battle the dark creatures from the depths in effort to break through to the surface. The oddly creative music score sets the mood perfectly as you are immersed deeper into this pixelated world. Today I Die Again is truly a unique game unlike any other, exploring new ways to express emotions through a video game experience.
Today I Die Again is available free on the iTunes store for iPhone and iPod Touch.
Coke Zero releases first location based game, LiveCycle
Posted by Drea Avellan Categories: Games, New Apps, Free Apps,
Who knew Coke Zero would be in the forefront of gaming innovation? Last week, Coca-Cola released "the first ever location-based videogame" called LiveCycle.
LiveCyle is based on Disney's TRON: Legacy film and the premise of the game is to move around the real world real to create a Light Wall and derezz your opponents, and avoid being derezzed by theirs. The Coke Zero websites offers a trailer of the game which makes it seem like a pretty fun idea, though there is a lack of actually gameplay. Real gaming innovation or interactive advertising? You decide! Play the game and let us know in the comments!
Live Cycle is available in the iTunes stores for the low, low price of $0.00. Download it here.
Advertisement
© Gear Live Inc. {year} – User-posted content, unless source is quoted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Public Domain License. Gear Live graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, videos, articles, blogs, forums, scripts and other service names are the trademarks of Gear Live Inc.