Game of the Day: Checkers

checkers game of the day
Hooray! Today's Game of the Day is good ol' Checkers. You know the rules: you can only move diagonally and you can't move backwards. If you're in position to jump over an opponent's piece, you have to do it. If you get a peice to the other side you'll be Kinged, allowing you to move diagonally in all directions.

The classic game of Checkers never ceases to provide amusement, and Games.com's online version is no different. Depending on what you're in the mood for, you'll be able to play against strangers or against the computer. So take a quick break from what ever you're doing and kick back with a game of Checkers. Remember to make some friends in the chat! Check out Checkers below.

Click here to play Checkers!
checkers game of the day     checkers game of the day
Were you able to win any games?

FarmVille Pic of the Day: The Farm Must Flow (and Float) by mykos

Today's farm design is a killer combination of two awesome elements. Watery farms have always been a popular choice amongst FarmVille players because it never fails to look good. But Mykos is the first to use water in a floating design, making this the third and, frankly, best floater we've seen. Joelr's farm-sized flying fortress was the first known floater and featured a gigantic, elevated platform with castles and sheep sitting atop it. Anthonyyuen managed to pull off a floating terrace in a small section of his farm. But what I like about mykos' floating farm is its monumental, uncluttered, and pristine look. (The nerdy part of me is also reminded of 16-bit RPGs.)

By using a winter background, the shadows and the water stand out more. The pyramid configuration totally makes the terraces pop out so that the fake water looks like it's flowing from top-to-bottom. To cement the idea that the blue hay bales are water, mykos placed a spring or a lake on the uppermost terrace. While the entire farm looks very rigid and artificial, it also looks polished, like a bonsai tree that someone's trimmed to perfection. But it'd be more impressive if mykos can expand this network of floating waterfall terraces to cover the rest of the farm.

Do these floating farms float your boat? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment

If you have an AWESOME FarmVille farm that you want to see featured on Games.com, please email a picture to editors@games.com, Include a few words about the inspiration for your design and maybe a few tips for people who need an assist!

The phony Pokémon games are no more, Pokémon Company responds

Nobody makes a fake Pokémon game and gets away with it, nobody I tell ya. Develop reports that the two Pokémon game scams that slithered their way through Apple's stringent approval process onto the App Store are kaput. Both Pokémon - Pocket Edition and Pokémon Yellow are no more, but only after one managed to hit the top five on the App Store paid apps chart and gyp thousands of hopeful Pokémon fans out of a buck.

"We continue to combat the unauthorized release of games, applications and merchandise that trick our fans into purchasing something that does not meet our quality standards," The Pokémon Company, a Nintendo subsidiary and rights holder of the Pokémon brand told Develop. "Fans who encounter questionable products should report to us immediately so we can keep other fans from falling victim to these scams."

While it's a wonder that either "app" managed to slip past Apple's approval process onto the App Store, it's equally mind-blowing that it took this long for either scam to be removed from the iPhone and iPad ecosystem. According to Develop, the Pokémon Yellow "game" alone could have made more than $10,000 before Apple ripped it from the App Store. It makes you wonder what kind of damage the real deal could do, huh?

[Via PocketGamer]

Are you more surprised that it took so long for the game to be brought down or that it could have tens of thousands? Would you play a legit Pokémon on iPhone?

Monopoly, Mahjong and more take to the skies through Pogo and Gogo

Gaming on the go knows no bounds, and neither does EA. The veteran games publisher announced that three games from its popular web gaming service, Pogo, will be available on US Air, Alaska Airlines and select Delta Airlines flights. Soon, passengers will be able to play Monopoly, First Class Solitaire and Mahjong Safari on flights equipped with Gogo, an in-flight Internet service.

Players who want to get their game on will first have to pay for Gogo's in-air Internet access, which can cost anywhere from $1.95 to $14.95, depending on the length of the flight. Then, would-be airborne Monopoly pros can log into their Pogo account from an Internet-enabled device (i.e. a tablet or smartphone) and get to gaming. (We hope Gogo is available from the screens behind the seats.)

"Pogo games offer the perfect distraction for the plane. Sometimes you just need five minutes of fun to improve your mood on a long flight," EA VP of publishing for Pogo Beatrice Spaine said, according to IntoMobile. "Our games are easy enough to pick up and play and entertaining enough to keep you seated for an entire cross-country flight."

Depending on how successful this move is, we wouldn't be surprised to see more Pogo games become available through Gogo. At any rate, here's to seeing more social games go airborne through Gogo or otherwise. But not everyone has an iPad, you know, so let's get on with putting these games in the seats.

Is this a trend you'd like to see continue? Where else would you like to have access to your favorite games while in transit?

PopCap goes for broke on Facebook with Lucky Gem Casino

Consider the rumors confirmed: PopCap, creator of hits like Bejeweled and Plants Vs. Zombies, has released Lucky Gem Casino on Facebook. A slots-based social game, Lucky Gem Casino allows players to pull the lever in seven games of chance based on popular PopCap franchises, including Bejeweled, Bookworm, Chuzzle and Zuma. Of course, the winnings are merely virtual.

"The strength of PopCap's game brands and the quality of the Lucky Gem product combined with our experience in luck-based games outside of Facebook means we are perfectly positioned to deliver the ultimate online free casino game experience – PopCap style," PopCap VP of worldwide publishing Dennis Ryan said in a release. "Enlivening traditional casino games with our franchises will delight millions of PopCap fans while introducing our world-class brands to a new and enthusiastic audience of online gamers."

Players can enjoy the slots game alone or with friends, like all PopCap games on Facebook. Much of Lucky Gem Casino's social elements come through in players' ability to compare winnings and chat in real-time. The play hook is largely what you would expect from a slots game, with the added ability to share the results of each spin. However, PopCap plans to mix things up a bit with mini games to play and more community features.

PopCap joins a number of other social game makers in entering the casino games arena, including Zynga with its Zynga Slingo and Zynga Bingo. (Games like DoubleDown Casino and Slotomania led the pack.) It looks like all the top social game makers are prepared for the online gambling explosion, and PopCap looks to come out on top with the help of its iconic characters.

Click here to play Lucky Gem Casino on Facebook Now >

Are you psyched or surprised to see PopCap come out with its own casino game on Facebook? What would you like to see PopCap do differently with its slots game?

Zynga CEO tightens reigns on IPO with 70 times more voting power

Zynga CEO Mark Pincus (pictured) likes his four-year-old company just the way it is, and he's going to keep it that way. Bloomberg reports that the FarmVille creator's board has approved a new stock structure with three levels of voting power. More specifically, the change grants Pincus 70 votes per share he owns, 10 votes per share for early investors and just 1 vote for whomever buys shares once the company opens itself up to the market.

This effectively gives Pincus the final say in where the company goes during future shareholder meetings. And that's even with the tiny 16 percent of the company he owns (though, is the largest share). Lise Buyer, principal at Portola Valley, Calif.-based IPO advisory firm Class V Group, told Bloomberg that the unprecedented move may be to keep too much voting power from early shareholding employees. (Very sneaky, sis.)

"Maybe there are so many early employees that even 10-to-1 would put the ultimate decision power in the hands of too large a group of employees or investors," she told Bloomberg. Current shareholders must agree to the change by Sept. 2 and, if approved, the new structure--which even massive, publicly-traded companies like Google don't have--would go into effect along with the imminent initial public offering.

"Zynga is holding the trump card here in that they do not need the IPO," research director at New York-based GreenCrest Capital Management LLC Nitsan Hargil told Bloomberg. "This is the kind of company that the market needs more than it needs the market." In other words, the ball is in Zynga's court, and will continue to stay there even after folks like you and I can buy stake in the company. Smooth moves, Zynga.

[Via GamesIndustry.biz]

Would you ever buy stock in Zynga now that you'll have even less of a say in where the company goes? Do you think this change will scare away the big-time investors, too?

Zynga shows mad StarCraft 2 skills in the After Hours Gaming League

Maybe it was all that time spent working on Empires & Allies, huh? Zynga showed that it can hang with the hardcore gamers after all, as it placed second to Microsoft in the After Hours Gaming League (AHGL). The AHGL is a new, recurring nine-week long StarCraft 2 tournament in which teams comprised of staffers at eight major tech companies go head-to-head for charity.

Representing one of the company's long time charity partners, Save the Children, Zynga ended the epic tournament with five wins and two losses. However, it unfortunately couldn't best Team Microsoft's seven-nothing winning streak. Regardless, Team Zynga showed that while its company makes some of the most accessible games around, at least some of its staff has major gamer cred.

The other companies represented in the AHGL include Google, Amazon, Twitter, Dropbox, Facebook and Yelp ... most of which did terribly. But hey, not everyone can be awesome at hotkey management and clicking things really, really fast.

The AHGL is returning this fall for season two, and we can't wait to see if Zynga finally snags that number one spot and gets to donate $5,000 to Save the Children (they did get ping pong paddles...). Until then, the team better practice upping its actions per minute. Check out the awards ceremony below, and watch the matches between Team Microsoft and Team Zynga right here.

Facebook wants its games selection to match consoles' variety

And they're getting mighty close. During an interview with MCV, Facebook director of games partnerships Sean Ryan said, "There is a range of sophisticated games we want to get on our platform." He's referring to the fact that there is simply more of a variety of games on consoles when compared to Facebook. To him, Facebook doesn't have that wide selection because, as a games platform, it's only 3 and a half years old.

"We are a pure platform – we don't invest in games or make them," Ryan said to MCV. "But we ask ourselves how we can make games like a football manager title rise up and become a success." When asked about whether this would harm larger traditional game firms, he said to MCV that this is a chance to reach bigger audiences with high-end games. Um, does this mean we'll see Halo soon on the old Facebook?

"Our aim is to have more people playing on Facebook or via games on consoles using the Social Graph," Ryan said. "There is no question the hours spent on Facebook have to come from somewhere and that may mean eating into other traditional gaming areas." OK, so maybe not on Facebook ... but so close!

However, we've already seen full 3D graphics on Facebook in its early stages. It's also important to consider that we already have made game types that dominate the console space--shooters like N.O.V.A. and RPGs like King's Bounty--work on Facebook. These changes are already in motion.

Ryan and crew might have big ambitions for Facebook when it comes to games, but so does another massive web company. And based on Ryan's recent words in regards to Google+ Games, Facebook is ready to defend its position. Not to mention those recent changes--neat-o, huh?

Do you think Facebook could one day have a games selection on par with what's available on Xbox and PlayStation? Would you ever trade in your beefy console to play "hardcore" games over Facebook?

Study: In the year 2013, we'll have over 73 million U.S. social gamers

Every time one of these studies comes in, it feels like we're all at the World's Fair, doesn't it? (And we'll play them while being driven in our hover cars!) A study by eMarketer released today reveals the projection that, by 2013, there will be 73.6 million social gamers in the U.S. of A. This number will explode from today's estimated 61.9 million Facebook gamers in the country, which already sounds a bit low to us. And because of these growing numbers, eMarketer thinks it's thanks to shifting demographics.

"Gone are the days when only males ages 18 to 34 were hardcore gamers or only moms were pelting their Facebook friends with requests for hens or heifers in social games like FarmVille," eMarketer senior analyst Lisa E. Phillips--and author of this very report, "Online Gaming Audience: Lines Blur as the Market Grows--said. "Today's core gamers are also playing casual games. More women are using game consoles beyond the Nintendo Wii, and their game choices include many genres."

And, you know what, she might be right. Just recently, it was estimated that by the same time, 2013, hardcore social games will grow five-fold. Not to mention that there already are nearly 80 million strategy gamers on the platform. While the casual, FarmVille-loving sector will certainly continue to grow, this is hardly the last we've heard from the "hardcore" gaming crowd on Facebook. Check out even more about these rapid yet expected demographic shifts right here.

Do you think Facebook gaming is going to change the general games landscape this drastically? Do you think all forms of gaming would be better or worse if they took onto the general language of Facebook games?

The Sims Social explodes, the third most played Facebook game daily

Wait, so this is where my mom was during this weekend's mess? The Sims Social, the ambitious social version of EA's massive franchise by Playfish London, has grown into the third most played social game on Facebook. Better yet, that measure is through daily players, which is far more telling of a game's success early on than monthly players. As of now, according to AppData, The Sims Social enjoys over 7.2 million daily players.

More importantly, that beats out two more of Zynga's most popular games, Empires & Allies and Zynga Poker. The game already surpassed Pioneer Trail last week, and now EA as a little over a million daily players to go to become the first Facebook game to trump FarmVille in a very, very long time, if ever. (The game begins to flinch a bit at 8.4 million daily players.)

Of course, The Sims Social is a far cry from the behemoth that is CityVille, but hot diggity is it gaining fast. Yes, use of the word "diggity" is deemed appropriate in such impressive circumstances. Remember, this is especially significant considering the game got off to a rocky start, with outages and performance issues aplenty upon its release. If anything, it speaks volumes to the fact that this brand may have found new life on Facebook, and everyone else better watch out.

Do you think The Sims Social could surpass FarmVille in daily players? How's about ... CityVille?

FarmVille maker spooked by market woes, delays IPO to Nov. [Rumor]

As it turns out, even the mighty Zynga isn't immune to the wear and tear of the market. (But you better bet CEO Mark Pincus [pictured] wants his say.) The New York Post reports, citing two sources with knowledge of the company's plans, that Zynga will call in a delay of its imminent initial public offering (IPO) to November.

After beelining for one of the biggest IPOs in a long time, the creator of hits like FarmVille and CityVille follows a dozen of delayed IPOs due to rickety market conditions after the nation's credit rating dropped earlier this month. "It wouldn't be illogical for the bank to delay a sale, given the markets," said one source to NY Post. "It makes sense for a bank to protect its clients from a market that could potentially be a bottomless pit."

What the source is referring to is "the bubble," or the possibility that all the expectations for this market--social games and virtual goods sales--driving up its value could be inflated, meaning that if these expectations aren't fulfilled, prices could plummet and lose investors quite a lot of money. (Look up the infamous Dot-Com Bubble for more of what I'm talking about.)

Regardless, the NY Post writes that Zynga is still pursuing an IPO in earnest, most likely complete with its CEO's most recently-approved edits. It looks like nothing will stop the company from becoming potentially the most valuable gaming company in the world. Well, nothing save for maybe one game. We've contacted Zynga for comment.

[Via Silicon Valley Business Journal]

Do you think this delayed IPO will affect Zynga negatively? Does this news come as disconcerting to you even as simply a fan of Zynga games?