Crispy Gamer | Video Game News, Rumors and Updates

Fishdom for free at Playrix.com

James Fudge — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:05:59 +0000

Casual game developer Playrix has released free Web-based versions of their new titles – Fishdom: Harvest Splash and Fishdom: Frosty Splash. Available at Playrix’s official website, the new Flash-based versions of their farm and winter-themed match-3 games feature 24 levels each. In the web version of Fishdom: Harvest Splash, players create harvest-themed fish tanks as they progress [...]

Twin Sector gold, in stores in early Dec.

James Fudge — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:58:04 +0000

Got Game Entertainment’s physics-based action-adventure game Twin Sector has gone gold for the PC and will be available for an MSRP of $29.99 beginning Dec. 5. Set in a future post-apocalyptic world, Twin Sector takes players on an adventure that promises to give them free interaction with their environment - made possible using the HAVOC-Engine. In [...]

PSP tops Japanese console charts

James Fudge — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:25:26 +0000

Is there a paradigm shift occurring in the Japanese console market? Maybe. Sony’s consoles- the PSP and the PS3 - are on the top of the pile, beating out the Wii, DSi, and DS Lite. Part of the PSP’s success for the week may be temporary - it is selling well because of an oddly named [...]

Zynga claims 100 million unique users

James Fudge — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:05:48 +0000

Zynga, creators of the Facebook hit Mafia Wars, claims that it has hit the 200 million monthly active user mark, due mostly to games like Mafia Wars, FishVille, Café World and Farmville. The company also said that 100 million unique users play its games every month on Facebook. Zynga’s newest games, Café World and FishVille, [...]

Abandon inks deal with Hallmark for MMO toys

James Fudge — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:30:16 +0000

Abandon Interactive Entertainment has inked an exclusive deal with Hallmark Gold Crown stores to distribute its new interactive product, Freaky Pets, in 2010. Targeting children ages four and up, Freaky Pets brings to market a line of reversible plush toys with a web browser-based 3D game safe for consumption by children. The toys, which will [...]

It Came From Retail: Week of Nov. 23, 2009

James Fudge — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:11:25 +0000

What’s shipping this week? Barely anything at all. As 2009 winds down we can expect very little coming out of traditional retail - just a few stragglers that weren’t smart or savvy enough to be shipped before November. So who are this week’s fashionably late entries? Well, let’s see, we have Scene it? Twilight, Karaoke Revolution, [...]

VH1’s The Making of The Beatles: Rock Band

James Fudge — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:16:29 +0000

Harmonix and MTV Games have teamed up with VH1 (also owned by Viacom, for the record) to create a special look at how The Beatles Rock Band was created, including footage of surviving Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr at Abbey Road Studios being presented with work in progress by the Harmonix creative team. That [...]

Need for Speed SHIFT becomes a team sport

James Fudge — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:13:00 +0000

Electronic Arts revealed an all-new Team Racing pack for Need for Speed SHIFT to be released via PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Marketplace. The content pack features a new race mode and five racing cars - all for free. The Team Racing pack is the first downloadable content for Need for Speed SHIFT and will [...]

deviantART hosts Darksiders art contest

James Fudge — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:09:52 +0000

deviantART today is running Darksiders: These Are Your Last Days Contest, which revolves around the upcoming action-adventure game from THQ, Darksiders. The contest will challenge deviantART’s online community of millions to create artwork depicting an apocalypse of their own design. The winners will be personally selected by Joe Madureira, comic book artist and Creative Director [...]

Planet Calypso economy subject of academic study

James Fudge — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:03:54 +0000

MindArk subsidiary First Planet Company announced that it is working with a Florida State University doctoral student in the College of Business on a new study about virtual world industries and virtual economies. According to First Planet company, this study will help to determine if a player’s experience with a product in a virtual world [...]

King’s Bounty: Armored Princess released

James Fudge — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:54:13 +0000

1C Company has released King’s Bounty: Armored Princess. Developed by Katauri Interactive, Armored Princess is the sequel to King’s Bounty: The Legend which is a spiritual successor to King’s Bounty - which spawned the popular Heroes of Might and Magic series. Players take on the role of Princess Amelie as she travels the world of [...]

Inside Perfect World Entertainment

James Fudge — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:01:11 +0000

North American gamers probably aren’t too familiar with Perfect World Entertainment, beyond their association with Runic Game’s Torchlight and the handful of Asian MMOs the company is trying to bring to North America. But this seemingly small MMO company is really quite big in China and analysts that pay attention to the sector (and like [...]

Game over for the National Institute on Family and the Media

James Fudge — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:41:28 +0000

The National Institute on Family and the Media is shutting down, as the economy forces the media watchdog group to Minneapolis-based to close its doors. The National Institute on Family and the Media, founded by psychologist David Walsh and funded mostly by Fairview Health Services, is best known for its annual MediaWise Video Game Report [...]

City of Heroes HeroCon spawns Real World Heroes

James Fudge — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:50:43 +0000

City of Heroes players are decent people, as evidenced by a charity they helped create called Real World Heroes. This six week charity drive will help raise funds for three organizations dedicated to real world heroes and heroic and lofty causes. The charity will also get the support of NCsoft, who will help promote its [...]

Facebook cracks down on offer providers

James Fudge — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:14:28 +0000

It looks like the ban hammer has hit its mark on two of the biggest in-game offer providers on Facebook: Gambit and Tatto Media. Earlier in the month Facebook announced that it had shut down in-game offer providers for some shady and misleading offers, but didn’t name names. This week the social network did. Both [...]

The missing features of Shiren the Wanderer

James Fudge — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:27:52 +0000

Atlus U.S.A. has released new details on Shiren the Wanderer, the upcoming “rogue-like” RPG for Wii - including three online features from the Japanese version of the game will not be included in the North American release. According to Atlus U.S.A. public relations manager Aram Jabbari, “the North American version of Shiren will not include [...]

UMLOUD! A Rock Band Night for Child’s Play

James Fudge — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:18:02 +0000

Harmonix has teamed up with Penny Arcade’s Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik for ÜMLOUD!, a special Rock Band Night for the Child’s Play charity. Child’s Play is a charity that supports the National Children’s Hospital Organization by giving money, toys, games and gaming hardware to hospitals where children are going through often life threatening and [...]

No More Heroes coming to Xbox 360 in Japan

James Fudge — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:09:08 +0000

While we’re not sure when or if it will make its way to North America, we do know that an Xbox 360 of No More Heroes is in development for Japan. Developed by Marvelous Entertainment, the Xbox 360 version, roughly translated as “No More Heroes: Heroes Paradise,” will be released on Xbox 360 February 25, [...]

Global Game Jam 2010 registration opens

James Fudge — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:02:14 +0000

Registration for the 2010 Global Game Jam will begin this Saturday, November 21, allowing those interested in securing their spot at one of more than 90 locations worldwide. The 2010 GGJ will take place January 29-31, 2010 and is expected to eclipse last year’s success which saw 1,650 participants across 23 countries and 54 venues. Global [...]

Torchlight two-hour trial released

James Fudge — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:44:20 +0000

Perfect World Entertainment is offering a two-hour trial version of Runic Game’s excellent action-RPG, Torchlight. After trying out the game for a few hours, players will then be prompted to purchase the game for $19.99. I can tell you that you don’t need two hours with this game to know that it is a [...]