Social Gaming

Gamezebo Rating: Willow Ridge isn't doing so well these days. The trees have come to life and are keen on destroying the town and its inhabitants. And with the lighthouse busted, there's no source of cleansing light to keep the monsters at bay. It's time to strap on your Save the World Boots and get to work in Rite of Passage: Child of the Forest, an extremely well-made adventure from Mad Head Games.

Click here to receive the Morning Social Media Newsfeed via email. Report: Yahoo Will Announce Acquisition of Tumblr Today (SocialTimes) Yahoo’s board met Sunday and agreed to acquire Tumblr for $1.1 billion in cash, according to AllThingsD. The company was quickly targeted by incoming CEO Marissa Mayer as a larger acquisition target, according to AllThingsD reports. AllThingsD It’s not clear when the official vote was taken, but sources close to the board said the acquisition was a foregone conclusion and was unanimously approved by the directors of Silicon Valley Internet giant. The deal will likely be announced this morning, said numerous sources. The Wall Street Journal Tumblr’s board also has approved the deal, one of the people said. The transaction would add Yahoo to the list of established Internet companies, including Google and Facebook, that have spent $1 billion or more apiece to buy startup companies in hopes of gaining an edge in growth. The New York Times The deal, the seventh since Mayer defected from Google last summer to take over the company, would be her biggest yet. It is meant to give her company more appeal to young people, and to make up for years of missing out on the revolutions in social networking and mobile devices. Tumblr has over 108 million blogs, with many highly active users. Adweek While it remains to be seen how the two companies will mesh and what lies in store for the Tumblr brand and its management team, the pair do seem to present a good fit. Yahoo needs Tumblr’s cachet among both engineers and advertisers, while Tumblr needs big help taking monetization to the next level. Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn Signs Crackdown on Social Media ‘Flash Mob’ Attacks (Chicago Sun-Times) Gov. Pat Quinn signed legislation on Saturday that doubles the maximum prison term — to six years — for anyone who uses social media and text messaging to organize violent “flash mobs.” The legislation was in response to recent incidents in Chicago that left business owners fearful that tourists and others would be scared off. WGN “We don’t want flash mobs harming anyone, anywhere, but especially where many people come from other states, other countries,” Quinn said. “We want to make sure we protect other people.” The Guardian Express Chicago police report that several hundred people – mostly teenagers – used Facebook, Twitter and text messages to organize a flash mob on Michigan Avenue in March. They ran through the fashionable shopping district bumping into people and yelling as they ran back and forth. Facebook Launches Offers for Android (AllFacebook) Facebook announced Friday that it is making Offers available to Android users. Facebook pointed out that these offers posts will have a simplified layout with larger images and clear call-to-action buttons (Get Offer/Shop Now). Twitter Will Damn Your Soul, Saudi Cleric Says (CNET) As the BBC reports, Sheikh Abdul Latif Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh mused that anyone who uses Twitter “has lost this world and his afterlife.” It may well be that the Sheikh’s biggest concern is that so many of his people are now enthusiastically posting uncensored thoughts on Twitter. YouTube Reveals Users Now Upload More Than 100 Hours of Video Per Minute, as the Site Turns Eight (The Next Web) These days there are few things bigger than Facebook on the internet, but Google-owned YouTube is one of them, and the world’s top online video service marked its eight-year anniversary by revealing that it is now seeing more than 100 hours of video uploaded every minute. That’s right, every minute. 12 Percent of Americans Commit ‘Netflix Adultery’ [Infographic] (LostRemote) Netflix, the streaming giant that’s about to release a new season of Arrested Development just launched a genius marketing and PR campaign that hilariously explains the binge-watching internet culture they’ve defined and invigorated. New York Magazine’s The Cut coined the term “Netflix Adulte

FarmVille Beat Australia Loading Screen FarmVille Beat Australia Task 1 Requirements: Build Australian Vineyard to Level 10 Rewards: 3 Pack of Turbo FarmVille Beat Australia Task 2 Requirements: Get 3 Star Mastery for Each of the Australian Crops (Canola, Field Peas, Sweet Corn, Muntires Semillon Grape, Shiraz Grape, Lillipilli, Kutjera Tomato, Fava Beans, Australian Sugar Cane, Yellow Myrtle Flower, Kangaroo Paws) Rewards: 4,000 Aussie Points FarmVille Beat Australia Task 3 Requirements: Build Daydream Island to Level 10 Rewards: 2,000 Aussie Points FarmVille Beat Australia Task 4 Requirements: Upgrade Aussie Winery to Level 5 Rewards: Instagrow FarmVille Beat Australia Task 5 Requirements: Complete All of the Above Tasks Rewards: Beat Australia Trophy & Australian Shipping License FarmVille Beat Australia Task Preview FarmVille Beat Australia Gift Preview FarmVille Beat Australia Shipping License Preview

FarmVille 4th Birthday Notice FarmVille 4th Birthday Prizes: FarmVille Birthday Day 1: 4th Birthday Cupcake Cow FarmVille Birthday Day 2: 4th Birthday Candle Tree FarmVille Birthday Day 3: 10 Fuel Refills FarmVille Birthday Day 4: Atlantis Buildable Part Package FarmVille Birthday Day 5: Fertilize All Package FarmVille Birthday Day 6: 4th Birthday Bush FarmVille Birthday Day 7: 2 Mystery Game Darts FarmVille Birthday Day 8: 4th Birthday Party Tree FarmVille Birthday Day 9: 20 Watering Cans FarmVille Birthday Day 10: 3 Unwithers

It’s Day 14 of the FarmVille Mother’s Day countdown! Today’s daily prize is the Mama’s Girl Bunny and you will need to collect twelve stamps to make it yours. Collect stamps for each daily prize by posting a Facebook News Feed share. When one of your friends clicks on your share, you will get one item per friend that clicks. Remember, when you click on a neighbor’s share, you will also get one item for yourself. Help a friend, help yourself! You can request help every 6 hours. After fulfilling the collection requirements, you can find the the Daily Prize in your FarmVille Gift Box. Once you complete each of the countdown’s Daily Prizes, you also get a bonus prize. There are 16 days of prizes and one exclusive  bonus prize, the Supermom Pegacorn when you collect all 16 daily prizes. FarmVille Mama’s Girl Bunny FarmVille Mother’s Day Countdown Day 13 Daily Prize: FarmVille Mama’s Girl Bunny Requirements: Collect 12 stamps Sneak peek of all the daily prizes and bonus prize below! FarmVille Mother’s Day Countdown Prizes: FarmVille Mother Duck FarmVille Mother Hen FarmVille Mama’s Boy Pig FarmVille Flower Burst Tree FarmVille Spilling Love Fountain FarmVille Breakfast Cow FarmVille New Mom Gnome FarmVille Baby Carriage Tree FarmVille Mother Dragon FarmVille Cat with Crate of Kittens FarmVille Arts & Crafts Tree FarmVille Mammy Goat FarmVille Papillon & Puppies FarmVille Mama’s Girl Bunny FarmVille Career Mom Horse FarmVille 50′s Mom Unicorn FarmVille Supermom Pegacorn

Sneak peek for upcoming FarmVille Australia Chapter 5 Quest Guide! FarmVille Chapter 5 Australia quests will arrive on Monday, May 20th, 2013 and ends May 27th, 2013. Use this guide to speed through your questing and be sure to share the news with your farmin’ friends! Please note, the information in this guide is accurate at time of publishing, but is subject to change without prior notice by Zynga. See an error? Kindly report any findings to farmgoddess@farmvillefreak.com or leave a comment on this post. FarmVille Australia Chapter 5 Master Guide FarmVille Australia Chapter 5 Quest 1: Give it a Burl Requirements: Get 7 Tied Boot Strings, Harvest 30 Muntires & Harvest Daydream Island 2 Times Rewards: Tripping Tiger FarmVille Australia Chapter 5 Quest 2: Beware of Rats Requirements: Get 8 Rodent Notices, Harvest 40 Lilli Pilli & Harvest Tripping Tiger 1 Time Rewards: Rat House Tree FarmVille Australia Chapter 5 Quest 3: Beware the Drop Bear! Requirements: Get 9 Beware of Drop Bear Sign, Harvest 50 Aussie Purple Pepper & Craft Muntrie Chutney 1-Time Rewards: Drop Bear FarmVille Australia Chapter 5 Quest 4: Waiter, There’s a Fly In My… Requirements: Get 10 Fake Insect Ice Cubes, Harvest 60 Kutjera Tomato & Master Tripping Tiger to 1-Star Rewards: Duck Cube FarmVille Australia Chapter 5 Quest 5: Hot Sauce Requirements: Get 12 Super Hot Sauce, Harvest 70 Fava Beans & harvest Duck Cube Twice Rewards: Hot Sauce Tree FarmVille Australia Chapter 5 Quest 6: Get Out! Requirements: Get 14 Fake Eviction Notices, Harvest 85 Semillon Grape & Harvest Drop Bear 2 Times Rewards: Aussie Dragicorn What do you think about the FarmVille Australia Chapter 5 Quests?  Will you be paying for early access or skipping these quests?

FarmVille Tie Dye Unicorn FarmVille Syrah Pegacorn FarmVille Footbag Hog FarmVille Cabernet Grape Sheep FarmVille Sommelier Goat FarmVille Limited Edition Northern California Animals: FarmVille Tie Dye Unicorn – 30 Farm Cash FarmVille Syrah Pegacorn – 25 Farm Cash FarmVille Footbag Hog – 16 Farm Cash FarmVille Cabernet Grape Sheep – 16 Farm Cash FarmVille Sommelier Goat – 14 Farm Cash FarmVille Hipster City Gnome FarmVille Toasting Ducks FarmVille Seagull Deco FarmVille Haight & Ashbury Sign FarmVille Limited Edition Northern California Decorations: FarmVille Hipster City Gnome – 12 Farm Cash FarmVille Toasting Ducks – 12 Farm Cash FarmVille Seagull Deco – 4 Farm Cash FarmVille Haight & Ashbury Sign – 50,000 Farm Coins

Yahoo’s board met today and agreed to acquire Tumblr for $1.1 billion in cash, according to AllThingsD. The company was quickly targeted by incoming CEO Marissa Mayer as a larger acquisition target, according to AllThingsD reports. The Sunnyvale, California-based media company sees Tumblr as a way to play to its strengths while also appealing to the younger audiences Tumblr attracts. Tumblr founder David Karp will reportedly stay on at Yahoo with say-so over the fast-growing blogging platform. Neither Yahoo nor Tumblr would confirm the deal, but a Yahoo press event is set for tomorrow afternoon in New York City, where Tumblr has its offices. New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

It’s Day 13 of the FarmVille Mother’s Day countdown! Today’s daily prize is the  Papillon & Puppiese and you will need to collect twelve stamps to make it yours. Collect stamps for each daily prize by posting a Facebook News Feed share. When one of your friends clicks on your share, you will get one item per friend that clicks. Remember, when you click on a neighbor’s share, you will also get one item for yourself. Help a friend, help yourself! You can request help every 6 hours. After fulfilling the collection requirements, you can find the the Daily Prize in your FarmVille Gift Box. Once you complete each of the countdown’s Daily Prizes, you also get a bonus prize. There are 16 days of prizes and one exclusive  bonus prize, the Supermom Pegacorn when you collect all 16 daily prizes. FarmVille Papillon & Puppies FarmVille Mother’s Day Countdown Day 13 Daily Prize: FarmVille Papillon & Puppies Requirements: Collect 12 stamps Sneak peek of all the daily prizes and bonus prize below! FarmVille Mother’s Day Countdown Prizes: FarmVille Mother Duck FarmVille Mother Hen FarmVille Mama’s Boy Pig FarmVille Flower Burst Tree FarmVille Spilling Love Fountain FarmVille Breakfast Cow FarmVille New Mom Gnome FarmVille Baby Carriage Tree FarmVille Mother Dragon FarmVille Cat with Crate of Kittens FarmVille Arts & Crafts Tree FarmVille Mammy Goat FarmVille Papillon & Puppies FarmVille Mama’s Girl Bunny FarmVille Career Mom Horse FarmVille 50′s Mom Unicorn FarmVille Supermom Pegacorn

Massively multiplayer online games have long suffered from a nauseating lack of originality, smothered in an endless monotony of grinding away on dire rabbits for experience points and completing a never-ending strings of cookie-cutter, carrot-on-a-stick fetch quests. That trend continues even to this day, as unimaginative clones promise a revolution while blatantly clamoring to be the next World of Warcraft. GamesBeat has sifted through dozens of current and upcoming MMO titles to see if any of them are actually worth a damn so that you don’t have to. In the following pages, you’ll find the six most innovative and exciting MMOs available or coming soon as well as four more that look promising but that we haven’t had the chance to test out yet. You’ll notice that these MMOs mostly stray away from the typical fantasy settings as well as the mindless point-and-click combat that has dominated the scene for far too long. Please feel free to share any standout MMOs of your own in the comments below or your thoughts on our picks. Not every game resonates the same way with every player, but we can’t denying that these handful of titles are at least pushing the genre in interesting new directions. Blade & Soul We listed Blade & Soul among last year’s most anticipated MMOs, and many months later, a Western release has yet to come. Still, the wait has only allowed the anticipation for this fantastical, highly stylistic martial arts epic to intensify. Centered around famed Korean artist Hyung-Tae Kim’s beautiful visual design with gameplay inspired by Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and House of Flying Daggers, Blade & Soul really is positioning itself to stand out from its innumerable competition. The game’s story arc has also seemingly received more attention than most MMOs, but we’ll have to judge that for ourselves at a later date. Either way, Blade & Soul is already one of the best-looking games in the world, period. Guild Wars 2 publisher NCSoft is in the process of localizing Blade & Soul, but no release date or even beta details have been given at this time. For me, personally, Blade & Soul seems like it will be an excellent replacement for TERA, which featured equally beautiful graphics and similar action-based combat but became a little too grind-heavy around level 30. Now that TERA’s free-to-play, definitely check it out if you haven’t already. Filed under: Games Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6