Crispy Gamer News

What happens in NY doesn’t always stay in NY… 

  (more…)

Electronic Arts has opened a new studio in Austin, Texas to develop games for its popular casual online game portal, Pogo.com. The new studio, Pogo Austin, will focus on creating family-friendly casual titles based on Hasbro properties. The initial team of 12 features a strong foundation of Austin natives who boast more than 108 years of collective game experience and have shipped titles at companies such as LucasArts, Aspyr Media, Acclaim, Amaze Entertainment, Human Code, Origin Systems and Family Time Interactive.

The first title to be released from Pogo Austin is PICTUREKA! MUSEUM MAYHEM. a “quirky seek and find game” based on the Hasbro game of the same name. In the digital version, a player becomes the new curator for a museum and investigates some odd things that are afoot. The game is set to launch online in November at Pogo.com for $19.95 (US) and GBP11.95 (UK); it will be available at retail in early winter.

Sure, i’ll admit that America has its fair share of dumbasses. Some of us are out and out dumbasses, while others are dumbasses in distinct areas. That’s probably why the For Dummies series of books has done so well here. These books have taught millions of stupid people how to do everything from web design to business math and investing in precious medals. From the mundane to the complicated, Wiley Publishing’s books have helped millions stop being stupid.

So it’s interesting that DS has licensed the brand name to create video games that draw new players into the fold. Given the widespread brand recognition of the For Dummies brand, EA make a lot of money off these games. The first of these For Dummies games to appear on the DS will be Poker For Dummies, which will teach window lickers how to play popular games like Texas Hold ‘Em, Omaha and Seven-Card Stud.

Other For Dummies titles will become available via PC download including Solitaire For Dummies in September, Brain Training For Dummies (an oxymoron) in October, Sudoku For Dummies in November, and more into 2009. Poker For Dummies and Brain Training For Dummies will also be available for PC at retail stores in October 2008, but you can check out the poker game now by visiting Pogo.com.

Electronic Arts today announced OPERATION Mania, a variation on the classic Hasbro board game Operation. The game challenges players to diagnose and treat both standard and emergency patients, running through a series of medical procedures and process, sometimes leading to surgical procedures and treatments through 35 levels. The game also promises rankings through a story mode as well as a Marathon mode that throws a gauntlet of medical cases at you. OPERATION Mania also offers multiplayer.

You can try it out by visiting www.pogo.com.

Remember when EA told the makers of Scrabulous, that free Scrabble-like game on Facebook, to go pound salt? Well no worries, because now EA, the anointed license holder of all things Hasbro, now has a Scrabble game of its own. Can you guess where it will be available?

That’s right, a brand new Scrabble game is in town and this time it’s the real deal.. or something. The game will be available later this month on Facebook as well as Pogo.com. Many more Hasbro game properties are in development and slated to launch
on social networking sites later this year.

Scrabble on Facebook offers the word crafting gameplay of the original along with built in chat, “dynamic animations,” and customizable difficulties.

Login to Facebook and have at it I guess..

EA Casual revealed the first fruits of its licensing deal with Hasbro today. EA’’s casual brand label will publish games based on Littlest Pet Shop, and NERF N-Strike, both in production at EA’s Salt Lake Studio. Littlest Pet Shop is being developed for Wii, DS and PC, while NERF N-Strike is set for release on Wii and DS. Both titles will be released this fall.

EA also is developing new Monopoly and Scrabble titles in North America for multiple platforms, as well as games for its casual game portal and mobile games from EA Mobile. EA Mobile will be delivering Monopoly Here & Now, Trivial Pursuit, Risk, and Yahtzee Adventures to mobile phones. Pogo.com will get some Monopoly, Yahtzee and Trivial Pursuit action this fall. Additionally, Pogo.com is launching two connected downloadable titles, Operation and Pictureka, which can be played offline or online. The connected titles will be ready for prime time this fall.

Electronic Arts is releasing two new games for the PC from its The Sims label today: The Sims Carnival SnapCity and The Sims Carnival BumperBlast. This casual line from The Sims label is priced to move at just under $20 and offers simple, casual Sims-themed game experiences.

The Sims Carnival SnapCity is a city-building puzzle game that challenges players to position falling colored blocks in just the right places to build up a city. The Sims Carnival BumperBlast is an arcade-style shooting game in which players take out Sims-style bumpers before their shots run out. Both games can be found at retail as well in digital download format at EA.com and Pogo.com.