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It’s that time of year again- FarmVille’s birthday! This year, FarmVille is celebrating it’s fourth birthday with a special 30 Days of prizes which will reward players with a free prize every day.  The 30 Day of prizes will begin on May 20th, 2013 and will run until June 19th, 2013. Today is officially day four of the 30 days of prizes. Simply login to your FarmVille farm and click on the birthday icon (right side, see below) to claim your free prize. The FarmVille Birthday 30 Days of Prizes, has its own quick button with a “4″ birthday candle icon that can be found on the right side of your in-game play area. FarmVille Birthday Day 4: Atlantis Buildable Part Package FarmVille 30 Days of Prizes Day 4 Daily Prize: Atlantis Buildable Part Package FarmVille Daily Fun Fact: The first animal not typically found on farms to appear in the game was an Elephant! Sneak Peek of all the Birthday Prizes after the jump! 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 FarmVille Birthday Day 11: 4th Birthday Chicken FarmVille Birthday Day 12: 3 Pack of Turbo Chargers FarmVille Birthday Day 13: Sunlight & Mushroom Package FarmVille Birthday Day 14: 10 Farmhands FarmVille Birthday Day 15: 4th Birthday Mare FarmVille Birthday Day 16: 4th Birthday Sheep FarmVille Birthday Day 17: 4th Birthday Bouncy House FarmVille Birthday Day 18: 3-Pack of Instagrows FarmVille Birthday Day 19: 4th Birthday Bedazzled Horse FarmVille Birthday Day 20: 10 Arborists FarmVille Birthday Day 21: Atlantis Treasure Parts Package FarmVille Birthday Day 22: Book of XP FarmVille Birthday Day 23: 4th Birthday Cake Pop Tree FarmVille Birthday Day 24: 20 Fuel Refills FarmVille Birthday Day 25: 4th Birthday Gnome FarmVille Birthday Day 26: 4th Birthday Party Horse FarmVille Birthday Day 27: Australian Vineyard Package FarmVille Birthday Day 28: 4th Birthday Cotton Candy Tree FarmVille Birthday Day 29: 4th Birthday Unicorn FarmVille Birthday Day 25: 4th Birthday Pegacorn

Stage 3 of the FarmVille Scrapbooking Spectacular escapade is now available! The previous stages have expired. The Scrapbooking Spectacular escapades will start on May 21st, 2013 and finish on June 11th, 2013! This multi-stage escapade can be found on the outskirt of your FarmVille farm. Simply click on the feature to get started. Each stage has a specific time frame and the requirements will have to be met within that time frame to receive the reward for each stage. FarmVille Scrapbooking Spectacular Escapade Stage 3 Requirements: Collect 6 Glues Time: May 24th, 2013 – May 25th, 2013 Reward: Stamp Sheep Sneak peek of all the upcoming escapade stages and their rewards after the jump! FarmVille Scrapbooking Spectacular Escapade Stage 1 (Expired) Requirements: Get 6 Scissors, Get 6 Blank Pages & Get 6 Book Jackets Time: May 21st, 2013 – May 23rd, 2013 Reward: Buttons n Beads Tree FarmVille Scrapbooking Spectacular Escapade Stage 2 (Expired) Requirements: Collect 6 Colorful Ribbons Time: May 23rd, 2013 – May 24th, 2013 Reward: Ribbon Goat FarmVille Scrapbooking Spectacular Escapade Stage 3 Requirements: Collect 6 Glues Time: May 24th, 2013 – May 25th, 2013 Reward: Stamp Sheep FarmVille Scrapbooking Spectacular Escapade Stage 4 Requirements: Collect 6 Buttons Time: May 25th, 2013 – May 26th, 2013 Reward: Stencil Pig FarmVille Scrapbooking Spectacular Escapade Stage 5 Requirements: Collect 3 Photos Time: May 26th, 2013 – May 27th, 2013 Reward: Glitter Fountain FarmVille Scrapbooking Spectacular Escapade Stage 6 Requirements: Collect 7 Stamps Time: May 27th, 2013 – May 28th, 2013 Reward: Scrapbooking Gnome FarmVille Scrapbooking Spectacular Escapade Stage 7 Requirements: Collect 7 Glitter Time: May 28th, 2013 – May 29th, 2013 Reward: Sticker Cow FarmVille Scrapbooking Spectacular Escapade Stage 8 Requirements: Collect 7 Construction Paper Time: May 29th, 2013 – May 30th, 2013 Reward: Book Pedestal FarmVille Scrapbooking Spectacular Escapade Stage 9 Requirements: Get 8 friends to help Time: May 30th, 2013 – June 1st, 2013 Reward: Buttons n Beads Horse FarmVille Scrapbooking Spectacular Stage 10 Requirements: Get 5 Stickers, Get 6 Stencils & Get 8 Paper Flowers Time: June 1st, 2013 – June 5th, 2013 Reward: Paper Mache Tree FarmVille Scrapbooking Spectacular Escapade Stage 11 Requirements: Collect 6 Gel Pens Time: June 5th, 2013 – June 7th, 2013 Reward: Glitter Peacock FarmVille Scrapbooking Spectacular Escapade Stage 12 Requirements: Get 5 Brads, Get 6 Sequins & Get 8 Bows Time: June 7th, 2013 – June 11th, 2013 Reward: Scrapbooking Unicorn What do you think of this escapade and its rewards? Will you be working on it?

Don’t count me among the people who think Microsoft’s Xbox One announcement was an unmitigated disaster. It wasn’t. In fact, it was exactly what I expected. Why everyone else in the gaming community seemed to be blindsided by it is beyond me. Now, I’m a news journalist but not one who deals full-time on the subject of games. I don’t talk to industry insiders. I don’t get press releases on new games. I don’t attend trade shows. I play games, I read about games, and occasionally I write about them. Despite the basic level of knowledge this exposure gives me to the inner workings of the industry, I knew exactly where Microsoft was going with its next Xbox. The writing has been on the wall for the last couple of years, displayed daily by the very Xbox 360 consoles sitting next to so many televisions. Did no one notice the less than subtle transition? Did they assume it was a fluke? Or did they simply think Microsoft wouldn’t dare poke the bear that is the gaming subculture, a loud and sometimes fatalistic collection of voices crying deep into the night on Internet message boards? Yes, Microsoft is now fully comfortable in placing the Xbox at an intersection where video games, TV, movies, music, and sports meet. Microsoft execs feel confident that the Internet is becoming a more ubiquitous and pervasive entity — something that will consistently be there and available to people at all times. They feel the digital age will usher in a new way to share games with friends as well as buy and trade on the second-hand market. They have the notion that, on the whole, somewhere down the road, people will stop regularly playing their old games in favor of new ones. I don’t find any of these ideas to be particularly groundbreaking. Microsoft isn’t revolutionizing gaming with Xbox One, it’s simply bringing it up to code with the rest of our modern amenities. “But what happens if my Internet goes down?” ask people who certainly must be eyeing warily their stove tops and microwaves pondering the implications of an interruption in gas or electric service. I suppose it won’t work, but catering to the exceptions rather than the rule makes you a better doomsday prepper than a gamemaker. I live in and around some of the most backwoods areas of the continental U.S. you could imagine, but four-wheel drives and smartphones are still pretty commonplace. If your high-speed Internet service is spotty or nil, talk to your local government officials because your situation is far more dire than access to video games given the trend of digitally transferring for all types of information (medical records included). There’s actually not a lot to hate about the Xbox One once you settle your mind on the fact gaming has become an accepted part of the entertainment spectrum and will be treated as such from here on out. Perhaps we have spent too long skulking in basements and bedrooms, becoming set in our ways partaking in our niche interests. Perhaps this kind of mainstream exposure will ultimately be a good thing for the evolution of the gaming culture. Perhaps getting out there will help us all see the forest for the trees next time. Filed under: Games GamesBeat 2013 is our fifth annual conference on disruption in the video game market. You'll get 360-degree perspectives from top gaming executives, developers, and analysts on what’s to come in the industry. Our theme this year is “The Battle Royal.” Check out full event details here, and grab your early-bird tickets here! .blurb-cat-games hr { margin: 10px 0 10px 0; }

Earlier tonight, a hacker named Reckz0r claimed that he hacked Xbox Live. Reckz0r posted a list of emails and passwords online supposedly from Xbox Live users. That isn’t the case. We contacted Microsoft and the company assured us that it is aware of the hacking claims but that they are completely fabricated. “Xbox Live has not been hacked,” a Microsoft spokesperson told GamesBeat. “Microsoft can confirm that there has been no breach to the security of our Xbox Live service.” Xbox Live OWNED! – pastebin.com/zEjieFtr (48 Million Users EXPOSED)—   (@Reckz0r) May 23, 2013 That doesn’t mean these email and passwords are fake, but that is also unlikely. As usual, this is probably a good reminder to change your passwords often and to not use the same password on multiple accounts. Filed under: Games, Security GamesBeat 2013 is our fifth annual conference on disruption in the video game market. You'll get 360-degree perspectives from top gaming executives, developers, and analysts on what’s to come in the industry. Our theme this year is “The Battle Royal.” Check out full event details here, and grab your early-bird tickets here! .blurb-cat-games hr { margin: 10px 0 10px 0; }

Stage 2 of the FarmVille Scrapbooking Spectacular escapade is now available! The previous stages have expired. The Scrapbooking Spectacular escapades will start on May 21st, 2013 and finish on June 11th, 2013! This multi-stage escapade can be found on the outskirt of your FarmVille farm. Simply click on the feature to get started. Each stage has a specific time frame and the requirements will have to be met within that time frame to receive the reward for each stage. FarmVille Scrapbooking Spectacular Escapade Stage 2 Requirements: Collect 6 Colorful Ribbons Time: May 23rd, 2013 – May 24th, 2013 Reward: Ribbon Goat Sneak peek of all the upcoming escapade stages and their rewards after the jump! FarmVille Scrapbooking Spectacular Escapade Stage 1 (Expired) Requirements: Get 6 Scissors, Get 6 Blank Pages & Get 6 Book Jackets Time: May 21st, 2013 – May 23rd, 2013 Reward: Buttons n Beads Tree FarmVille Scrapbooking Spectacular Escapade Stage 2 Requirements: Collect 6 Colorful Ribbons Time: May 23rd, 2013 – May 24th, 2013 Reward: Ribbon Goat FarmVille Scrapbooking Spectacular Escapade Stage 3 Requirements: Collect 6 Glues Time: May 24th, 2013 – May 25th, 2013 Reward: Stamp Sheep FarmVille Scrapbooking Spectacular Escapade Stage 4 Requirements: Collect 6 Buttons Time: May 25th, 2013 – May 26th, 2013 Reward: Stencil Pig FarmVille Scrapbooking Spectacular Escapade Stage 5 Requirements: Collect 3 Photos Time: May 26th, 2013 – May 27th, 2013 Reward: Glitter Fountain FarmVille Scrapbooking Spectacular Escapade Stage 6 Requirements: Collect 7 Stamps Time: May 27th, 2013 – May 28th, 2013 Reward: Scrapbooking Gnome FarmVille Scrapbooking Spectacular Escapade Stage 7 Requirements: Collect 7 Glitter Time: May 28th, 2013 – May 29th, 2013 Reward: Sticker Cow FarmVille Scrapbooking Spectacular Escapade Stage 8 Requirements: Collect 7 Construction Paper Time: May 29th, 2013 – May 30th, 2013 Reward: Book Pedestal FarmVille Scrapbooking Spectacular Escapade Stage 9 Requirements: Get 8 friends to help Time: May 30th, 2013 – June 1st, 2013 Reward: Buttons n Beads Horse FarmVille Scrapbooking Spectacular Stage 10 Requirements: Get 5 Stickers, Get 6 Stencils & Get 8 Paper Flowers Time: June 1st, 2013 – June 5th, 2013 Reward: Paper Mache Tree FarmVille Scrapbooking Spectacular Escapade Stage 11 Requirements: Collect 6 Gel Pens Time: June 5th, 2013 – June 7th, 2013 Reward: Glitter Peacock FarmVille Scrapbooking Spectacular Escapade Stage 12 Requirements: Get 5 Brads, Get 6 Sequins & Get 8 Bows Time: June 7th, 2013 – June 11th, 2013 Reward: Scrapbooking Unicorn What do you think of this escapade and its rewards? Will you be working on it?

I currently have a 1-0 win record against one of the biggest names in the fighting-game community. Seth Killian is a lead game designer at Sony Santa Monica Studio by day, but the developers at Iron Galaxy Studios recently put his likeness into their own game, the upcoming two-button parody fighter Divekick. Why? Because Killian used to be a special advisor on the Street Fighter series, a prominent play-by-play announcer in the EVO fighting-game tournament series, and a renowned competitive player himself. Yeah, he’s sort of a big deal in this world. Killian was at a recent press event in Santa Monica, Calif. to help promote his new character in Divekick, S-Kill. He issued a friendly challenge to me. As a fighting-game novice, I was reluctant to engage in fisticuffs (or kickicuffs, rather) against a guy who certainly knows how to throw down. Why would I subject myself to a public ass-whooping? But I figured that saying yes and losing would be more honorable than declining the offer. In Divekick, you get two buttons: One for jumping and another for divekicking in a forward direction. That’s it. No moving back and forth, no joystick or directional pad. Just the two buttons. The funny thing is, I could not seem to remember which was which, and that worked out to my advantage. I ended up zigging when I intended to zag. Killian likely expected me to move the way I wanted to, but in an almost drunken master style, I ended up in the perfect striking range several times and was able to land some solid kicks (and each attack does an absurd amount of damage, resulting in one-hit knockouts). As I took the lead in our race to take five rounds, Killian reassured me several times that he wasn’t intentionally letting me win. I wasn’t intentionally winning, for that matter, but that’s besides the point. I wanted to play more cautiously against such a formidable opponent, but mistakenly pressing the two buttons in the opposite order made me the aggressor. By the time the score was tied at 3-3, Killian misjudged one of his attacks (resulting in a 4-3 advantage for me), leaving S-Kill dizzy at the beginning of the next round. I then somehow managed to unleash a special move that I had built up and took the match. Was my win beginner’s luck? Absolutely. I think my success also plays into the whole gag of Divekick, where the move the game takes its name from is cheap and is something less-skilled players can abuse. I have nothing but love and respect for Killian and what he has done for the competitive fighting-game community and now as a game designer. Nevertheless, I beat him — and he was playing as himself. This makes my record in all fighting games against Killian 1-0. I would now like to take this time to announce my retirement. Divekick will be available for download on the PlayStation Network (for PS3 and Vita) and PC sometime this summer. Filed under: Games GamesBeat 2013 is our fifth annual conference on disruption in the video game market. You'll get 360-degree perspectives from top gaming executives, developers, and analysts on what’s to come in the industry. Our theme this year is “The Battle Royal.” Check out full event details here, and grab your early-bird tickets here! .blurb-cat-games hr { margin: 10px 0 10px 0; }

FarmVille has finally added another Farm Coin expansion option for the FarmVille Australia farm! In your FarmVille Market you can find the new options for Australia expansions available for purchase at the cost of Farm Coins. Note, there are still options available for Farm Cash, so be careful what you click. Also, note FarmVille has a message running in the top message box above the game that states, “You asked, we have ‘em! 18×18 expansions for Australia are now available for coins! Expand yours today!” but there is currently no 18×18 Farm Coin expansion available for Australia in the FarmVille Market. FarmVille Australia Land Expansions Farm Coins FarmVille Australia 14×14 land expansion – 10,000 Farm Coins (or Farm Cash) FarmVille Australia 16×16 land expansion – 25,000 Farm Coins (or 18 Farm Cash) Will you expand your FarmVille Australia farm with the Farm Coin expansions?

EA appears to be contemplating the revival of the Star Wars: Battlefront franchise. While the publisher/developer conglomerate has promised tounveil its Star Wars plans during E3, CFO Blake Jorgensen has already teased one of the possible titles -- Battlefront 3. "The opportunity to do a newBattlefront, for example, which is one of the very popular Star Wars games, or some of the other traditional games that were made, is very exciting," Jorgensen said during the Stifel 2013 Technology Conference. Star Wars: Battlefront 3 has had one of the more ugly development stories. Despite never being announced, the game was reportedly 99% complete before it was scrapped due to "financial reasons." That report was later disputed by a former LucasArts employee who estimated Battlefront 3 to be "75% of a mediocre game." Since the war of words, we've since seen several videos showing apparent footage of the game while it was still in development. While I personally wasn't blown away with anything I saw, there seems to be plenty of demand for a newBattlefront game. I'd like to see DICE work their FPS magic on a new Battlefront game. What about you? Check out more gaming news at GameZone > Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Target has lowered the price of the basic Wii U by $60 and the deluxe by $10. It would be hard to ignore a deal like this. Check out more deals here. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

One of the most anticipated "features" of the PlayStation 4, for me, is Sony's willingness to work with independent publishers. Why, you ask? Simply put, it's not always about the money with them. Yes, a profit is nice, but as you can see from the attitude of current PS4 developer Jonathan Blow, the gameplay experience comes first. As it should. In a Sony blog "Conversations with Creators" post, Jonathan Blow, who is currently developing The Witness for the PlayStation 4, explains a point-of-view that I think many of the larger publishers seem to forget -- it shouldn't always be about the money. "With that independence that we have the ability to be free in what project we choose, we also have the freedom not have to make a huge profit if we don't need to. I would definitely like to make our money back on this game and I would like to make a profit on it, but it's not actually the number one priority," said Jonathan Blow. Check out the rest of the interview > Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments