All Features List

From cupcake to wedding cake: The evolution of Cake Mania 3

For the first time in Gamezebo's history we're publishing a Behind the Game feature about a title before it launches. With expectations for Cake Mania 3 running high, Sandlot Games Founder & CEO Daniel Bernstein took us behind the scenes for an in-depth look at how the anticipated time management sequel came together.

Gaming with Gordon: Turning up the heat in Hell's Kitchen

Quebec-based studio Ludia created two video games based on television shows at essentially the same time, but they couldn't have been more different. One was based on the squeaky clean and family-friendly game show The Price is Right; the other, Hell's Kitchen, an edgy reality cooking show starring British bad boy chef Gordon Ramsay.

So long Scrabulous

If you've been following the Hasbro vs. Scrabulous saga then what happened this week wasn't all that surprising, but it still came as a kick in the teeth to the 4 million or so Facebook users who enjoyed playing the immensely popular multiplayer take-off on Scrabble.

On Tuesday, fans found that Facebook had shut Scrabulous down in response to a lawsuit that Hasbro, owner of the North American rights to Scrabble, was filing against the makers of the game.

Casual gaming - on a console

Video game consoles are no longer just for teenage boys - at least that seemed to be the prevailing message at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo, which wrapped up this week in Los Angeles. Traditionally the event where companies gather to show off the next Halo, Grand Theft Auto or Call of Duty, this year saw a ton of announcements that might convince more than a few casual gamers to ask for a Nintendo DS, Wii, or even an Xbox 360 this holiday season.

Women's Murder Club: How I-play found a perfect fit

Story is not always the top priority in casual game development. Sure, it's a great compliment to some games, adding an extra layer of satisfaction to the gameplay or a few laughs, but for other games it's a downright hindrance.

That's part of what put I-play in such an unusual position while developing Women's Murder Club. They wanted more than a threadbare way to get from Level A to Level B; their primary motivation was a solid narrative.

Games aplenty for the new iPhone

Studios like PopCap and EA have been developing mobile phone games for years, but they've never seen anything quite like Apple's iPhone. The device's multi-touch screen, motion sensors and high-definition graphics open up intriguing new possibilities for game design - and companies have already starting to take advantage of them.

Boarding pass: How Airport Mania made a safe landing

Some game companies use pretty pedestrian means to pick their projects; maybe doing some market research and testing what ideas have been popular in the marketplace, or by licensing an IP and going from there, or just making a sequel.

For Reflexive's Russell Carroll, the producer of Airport Mania, the process is much less regimented.

Notes from the Underbelly of Social Gaming

Place more than two casual game executives in a room together and the one thing they will agree on is that casual game downloads are dead. They are not, of course. The market is just changing, evolving into a whole new market with new genres, distribution channels, and pricing (unlike the price of gas, download games are cheaper, yea!).

Give the People What They Want

I would love to go to one store to buy every product I want. But shuttling from one retailer to another is the reality of the American consumer. That's what specials are all about. That's why Macy's has one-day-only sales and AT&T has the iPhone. People who sell stuff employ all kinds of strategies to get you into their establishments, because capitalism thrives on the better mouse-trap theory, and mouse-traps are not just products, but offerings and services. Such as, only available here.

How Build-A-Lot 2 got better by staying the same

Much like a real estate tycoon staring at an empty lot, HipSoft had a blank canvas in front of them as they pondered their next project. So why, with all those possibilities, return to Built-a-Lot, especially just a month after the first game was completed?