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Farmville Picture of the Day: Stay Frosty

Kyle Orland — 2010-02-08T18:00:00+00:00

Farmville is more than just an ultra-popular farming simulation -- it's a chance to express yourself artistically through unique and creative farm layouts. To that end, Games.com's Farmville Picture of the Day features some of the most interesting and imaginative Farmville layouts out there. Got a Farmville pic you want to share? Send it to submit2gamescom@gmail.com.

Today's pic: Frosty the Snowman

With much of the country currently digging out of a historically brutal snowstorm, it seemed appropriate to start off this new feature than with a smiling, top-hatted snowman. I especially like the use of two sheep as Frosty's eyes -- because pieces of coal are in short supply in Farmville.

Browse the Farmville Picture of the Day archives

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FarmVille Valentine's Box Prizes! (Spoiler)

Angela Morales — 2010-02-08T17:30:00+00:00

Having fun collecting your Valentines?

If you want the prizes to be a surprise, please do not read this post. After collecting enough Valentines in your Valentine Box, you can then trade them in for a special limited edition Valentine's themed prize that you will not be able to purchase elsewhere.

Here are the Confirmed Valentines Trade-In Prizes:

10 Valentines = Love Ewe (animal)
20 Valentines = Giant Teddy (decoration)
30 Valentines = Pigs in Love (balloon)
40 Valentines = Pecking Ducks (bench)
50 Valentines = 3 Hearts Fountain
150 Valentines = Eiffel Tower

This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.

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New FarmVille Tree: Almond

Angela Morales — 2010-02-08T17:30:00+00:00

The Almond Tree is not available in the FarmVille Market. Currently the only way to receive an Almond Tree is through a FREE Mystery Gift that you get from one of your FarmVille neighbors.

The Almond Tree is ready to harvest in ___ days and yields almonds for ____ coins.

This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.

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Additional FarmVille "Send Love" Gifts

Angela Morales — 2010-02-08T17:00:00+00:00

Valentine's Day is booming in FarmVille.

Along with the other sendable Valentines Gifts used for your Valentine Box, there are also additional gifts that can be sent.

Whenever you receive Valentines requests from your neighbors you will have the option to "Send Love" free gifts. Notice that when you open these gifts they give you an instant prize and do not go into your Valentine Box or count as part of those Valentine gifts.

These gifts include:

1/5 Fuel Refill
free Mystery GIFT *
20 Free XP
1,000 Free Coins
Pink Cow

*More on free Mystery Gift: This is NOT the Mystery Box that is available in the Market for 16 FV$. The prizes are extremely different and none of them are current Mystery Box prizes.

::: Spoiler Alert :::

Here are some confirmed free Mystery Gift Prizes:

Heart Teddy (new)
Wise Bear (new)
Hot Pink Haybale (new)
Almond Tree (new tree)
Buffalo Topiary
Horse
Olive Tree
Passion Fruit

What did you receive in your current free Mystery GIFT?

This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.

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FarmVille free Giftable Valentines

Angela Morales — 2010-02-08T17:00:00+00:00

FarmVille has added five new free giftable Valentines.

You may send these gifts to your FarmVille neighbors for a limited amount of time, and likewise, the only way to receive one of these gifts is as a gift from one of your neigbhors.

They cannot be purchased in the FarmVille Market.

Any of these items can be placed in the Valentine's Box!

The Valentines Giftables include:

Red Heart-Shaped Candy Box
Purple Roses
Blue Teddy Bear
Valentines Cards
Blue Round Box

FarmVille Red Heart-Shaped Candy Box Giftable	FarmVille Purple Roses Giftable	FarmVille Blue Teddy Bear Giftable
FarmVille Valentines Cards Giftable		FarmVille Blue Round Box Giftable

This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.

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VW's Punch Bug: From Super Bowl game ad to Facebook ad game

Kyle Orland — 2010-02-08T17:00:00+00:00

When it comes to the storied game of Punch Buggy I'm a bit of a traditionalist. To be a legal punch, for me, it's got to be a Volkswagen Beetle (either classic or new styles) or a classic VW bus. So I was a bit upset when I saw last night's new Volkswagen's Super Bowl ad feature all sorts of people punching whoever was nearby when they saw any Volkswagen drive by, not just the traditional "buggies."

Well, my Punch Buggy traditionalism took another hit today when I noticed a Facebook ad for the new VW Punch Bug Facebook game. Yes, now you don't even have to see a real car or even be standing near your target to play Punch Bug (Where's the trailing "gy," VW?) -- just send a virtual punch through Facebook any time you want.

You can customize your punch by choosing any of 13 Volkswagon models (if you choose anything but the Beetle we can't be friends anymore), any of 13 ridiculously named punches (including "The Smacktastic" and "The Punch Bowl") and 18 different sound effects (each sillier than the last, if ranked on a scale of increasing silliness). Then choose up to 13 Facebook friends you don't mind annoying and punch away.

OK, it's not really much of a game. In fact, the whole thing is a thin excuse to try and get you and your friends to buy a Volkswagen -- it even prompts you to customize your own VW or request a brochure after each punch. But each punch also enters you in a weekly drawing for a 6-month VW lease, and punching with all 13 models gets you a chance at the grand prize of a VW CC, so it might not be a total waste of time. Plus, I think this is the first time a Facebook game has been inspired by a Super Bowl ad, making it a watershed moment in the history of new media marketing, if you're into that sort of thing.

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FarmVille Unwither Feature Released

Angela Morales — 2010-02-08T16:30:00+00:00

FarmVille Unwither Crop Icon

Unwithers can be purchased in the FarmVille Market for 30 FV$ or farm cash and can be found under the "Upgrade Farm" tab.

FarmVille Unwither Feature Announcement

The Unwither package contains 3 Unwithers that you can use to save your withered crops or your neighbors withered crops for a total of three times. Each usage will cover the entire withered crop and will automatically restore the withered crops to their fully grown ready-to-harvest state.

FarmVille 3 Unwithers

Additionally, you may receive free Unwithers by visiting your FarmVille neighbors when helping tend to their farms.

What do you think of Unwithers? Will you purchase?

This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.

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FarmVille new Valentine's Decorations Set

Angela Morales — 2010-02-08T16:00:00+00:00

In a very delayed update, FarmVille has added lots of new Valentine's themed decorations to help get your farm in love mode.

These special limited edition decorations can be purchased in the FarmVille market for the next 7 days. They require either farm cash or coins to purchase. Those items purchasable with farm cash only, are also sendable items that may be purchased and then sent as gifts to your FarmVille neighbors.

All of the new Valentines decorations except two require farm cash.

Valentine's Decorations (farm cash only)

Swan Fountain - 24 FV$
Cupid Gnome - 18 FV$
Love Balloon - 18 FV$
Cupig - 15 FV$
I Love You I - 2FV$
I Love You II - 2FV$
XOXO - 2FV$
5 Valentines (works with the Valentines Box) - 5FV$

Valentines Decoration (coins)

Love Arch - 2,200 coins
Valentine's Box - 1 coin, if needed for replacement due to deletion error. You may only own ONE.

Which Valentines decoration is your favorite?

FarmVille Swan Fountain	FarmVille Cupid Gnome	FarmVille Love Balloon
FarmVille Cupig	FarmVille I Love You I	FarmVille I Love You II
FarmVille XOXO	FarmVille Love Arch	FarmVille Valentines Box
	FarmVille 5 Valentines

This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.

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FarmVille Farms pay homage to Super Bowl XLIV

Angela Morales — 2010-02-08T15:00:00+00:00

In honor of today's Super Bowl 2010, Indianapolis Colts versus the New Orleans Saints, several FarmVille Freaks paid homage to their favorite NFL teams by decorating their farms.

You can check out their farms after the jump. Thanks to everyone that shared their football farms with us. Geaux Saints!

FarmVille Freak Crop Crazy's Cows vs Chicks Farm

FarmVille Freak Alejandro's Super Bowl Stadium

FarmVille Freak Tracy's Super Bowl Football Field

FarmVille Freak Kimberly's Go Saints!

FarmVille Freak Claudiu's Colt's Stadium

FarmVille Freak Eric Shelton's Super Bowl Farm

FarmVille Freak Matt Nesto's Peyton Homage

FarmVille Freak Mr. Tall One's Super Bowl Farm

FarmVille Freak Josh's Farm Super Bowl Game

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FarmVille introduces the Valentine's Box

Angela Morales — 2010-02-08T14:30:00+00:00

Valentine's Day in FarmVille is even sweeter with the introduction of a Valentine's Box.

FarmVille Ask for LOVE Icon

FarmVille Valentine's Day Gift Announcement

Everyone will receive a free Valentines Box in their Gift Box.

FarmVille Valentines Day Mail Box Gift

FarmVille Valentines Day Mailbox

You will be able to send and receive Valentines cards to your FarmVille neighbors. Then you will be able to trade them in for special limited edition Valentines Day themed decorations.

FarmVille Valentines Box Information

Upon clicking on your Valentines Box you will be able to track your progress of the gifts that you received and a new competition element will allow you to also see a Comparison chart of the gifts your neighbors received. There is also the option to click on an "Ask for Love" tab which will ask your friends to send you Valentines.

FarmVille Valentines Box Progress

FarmVille Valentines Box Comparison

Just in case you accidentally delete or lose your Valentines Box, you may purchase another one in the FarmVille Market for only 1 coin.

::: Spoiler Alert :::

Once you trade in your Valentines you receive a special edition prize.

Here are the Confirmed Valentines Trade-In Prizes:

10 Valentines = Love Ewe (animal)
20 Valentines = Giant Teddy
30 Valentines = Pigs in Love
40 Valentines = Pecking Ducks
50 Valentines = 3 Hearts Fountain

Will you be my Valentine?

This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.

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PetVille limited edition Valentine's gifts -- Day 1: Pet Lisa painting

Libe Goad — 2010-02-08T13:00:00+00:00

For those who want to say "I care" to fellow players, PetVille's unleashing a new series of limited edition giftables in honor of Valentine's Day.

For one day only, the Pet Lisa Painting can be sent to friends who would surely be honored to hang such a masterpiece in their pet's pads. Also, if you give, you're more likely to receive, and if you collect them all -- you'll "win special prizes" for your pet.

There's no other hints to what those prizes will be, but even so, how can we possibly resist the Pokemon-like command to "catch 'em all?"

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Zoo World gains lots of installs, not many players

Kyle Orland — 2010-02-08T12:30:00+00:00

InsideSocialGames' weekly list of the quickest growing Facebook games shows some explosive growth for RockYou's Zoo World this week. The application gained over 1.8 million new monthly users over the week, an increase of over 10% of its previous user base. For context, Zynga's Farmville only gained a little over 1.2 million monthly users over the week, despite having a much larger existing user base to help spread the word.

But Zoo World's impressive topline growth hides a potential weakness in its daily user statistics. Only 13% of the game's monthly users visit the game daily, well below the 20 to 25 percent average for many successful games. One potential reason for the discrepancy: RockYou has been including a copy of Zoo World for free with its popular Birthday Cards application. While this seems to be a good way to get new users and pad the statistics for Zoo World, it doesn't seem to be translating into as many regular Zoo World players as RockYou might want.

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Pet Society "Help for Haiti" Plushie rolls out for V-Day

Jenny Ng — 2010-02-08T12:00:00+00:00

The Valentine's Day-themed items keep rolling out in Pet Society, but we couldn't help but fall in love with this adorable "Help for Haiti" Plushie. The huggable brown bear with dreadlocks and a heart bandage can be found in the the Furniture store and bought for 10 Playfish Cash, roughly the equivalent of $2. Every cent spent on these virtual bears will go to helping disaster relief in Haiti through Mercy Corps.

So far, Playfish has raised $25,298 from the sale of this special edition plushie, which will be available until February 21.

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Mafia Wars Bangkok Episodes 3-5 unlocked, fighting enabled

Libe Goad — 2010-02-08T11:00:00+00:00

Mafia Wars Bangkok Episodes 3, 4 and 5 have officially opened, giving would-be mobsters more opportunity to expand their criminal empire to the Far East. Episode 3 is titled Pirates, Episode 4 is titled Golden Triangle and Episode 5 is called 'Hong Kong" -- we assume that means our bloody trip through Thailand will make a stop in Hong Kong. Each of new Episodes will be unlocked after finishing the preceding Episode.

Fighting has also been enabled in Mafia Wars Bangkok, meaning mafiosos can go head to head for extra Baht (the in-game currency), experience points and for the first time -- faction points. Attack enemies aligned with the Yakuza to score points with the Triad and vice versa. Players can declare war on friends and put others on hitlists, which both require the rest of your mafia to lend a hand to win.

Mafia Wars Bangkok is the new expansion to Zynga's mobbed up Facebook game, which launched on January 29 for players level 18 and up. If you're ready to take over Thailand, learn everything you need to know in this Mafia Wars Bangkok guide.

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Happy Pets gets new room expansions, dog breeds

Kyle Orland — 2010-02-08T10:30:00+00:00

While you were busy stuffing your face with nachos and watching the Super Bowl this weekend (you PIG!), Happy Pets was keeping busy rolling out new updates to its popular Facebook game. First, on Saturday, the game finally offered the option to expand your room, offering more side to side space and also more depth, allowing your pets to cavort in the foreground or the backgroundfor the first time. Like the corner drug pusher, Happy Pets will give you the first such expansion for free, but the rest are gonna cost you Facebook dollars. [Via SocialGameCentral]

Then, on Sunday, a set of eight new dog breeds joined the Happy Pets family. Poodles, Dobermans, Spotted Dogs, German Shepherds, Labrador Retrievers, Rottweillers, Hound Dogs, Huskies, Dalmatians are all available in exchange for your hard earned coins. How can you say no to those big, round eyes? YOU CAN'T! IT'S IMPOSSIBLE!

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Mafia Wars offers Valentine's-themed missions, items

Kyle Orland — 2010-02-08T09:45:00+00:00

St. Valentine's Day might be almost a week away, but Mafia Wars isn't waiting to give gifts to its beloved players. Starting today, Mobsters will be able to take part in a new job -- "The Valentine's Day Massacre" -- made up of three timed sub-jobs, each with "unique Valentine's Day bonuses" and a "cool mastery item" at the end of the chain. Completing the jobs also gives you a chance at limited edition loot drops, which can be collected together in the vault to gain what Zynga calls the "coveted Cupid's Arrow." We're not sure how they know it's coveted, since almost no one has it yet, but come on, we bet you're coveting it already, aren't ya?

Zynga is also putting an interesting social-gaming twist on the holiday this year with the "Gift Safehouse -- Mafia Love Edition." If you want yet another special, limited edition item this Valentine's day, you have to get members of your Mafia to send you special love-themed gifts to fill up a special "Love Meter." (Since when are gangsters so obsessed with love? Sheesh!). Be careful, though... if your fellow Mafia-mates don't respect you, they can send gag gifts that actually lower your love meter when opened. Cute idea, but a word of advice -- don't send a gag gift to your real life love... unless you enjoy sleeping on the couch.

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Playfish's next big game -- MaddenVille

Libe Goad — 2010-02-06T15:00:00+00:00

When Electronic Arts bought Playfish for $300 million last year, the intentions seemed clear. Buying the burgeoning social gaming company would 1. Give EA instant entree into the burgeoning Facebook gaming scene courtesy of Pet Society and Restaurant City and 2. Give Playfish a chance to spread its wings and turn popular EA gaming franchises into social gaming.

Looks like the first blockbuster EA franchise that's getting the Playfish treatment, via Bloomberg.com, will be Madden -- the best-selling football game, which has been around just over two decades.

"We have to make 'Madden' more accessible," EA Sports President Peter Moore says in a TV interview. "You'll see us on Facebook going forward."

Other than the fact that Madden for Facebook will be a 'simpler' experience, there are no details on an official name, the actual game or a release date. The annually released Madden always arrives in August, so it's plausible to think this new rendition of the game will arrive around the same time.

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Happy Aquarium shares the Valentine's Day love

Alexander Armero — 2010-02-05T18:00:00+00:00

This week, all sorts of Valentine's Day goodies have started to appear in our favorite Facebook games. YoVille, Pet Society, Restaurant City, and FarmVille are just a few of the Facebook games jumping in on the love-fest.

Today Happy Aquarium has added new Valentine's Day themed gifts and props. The gifts (below) include a cute Plush Teddy Bear holding what we would imagine to be a plush heart. If your Valentine prefers flowers, Happy Aquarium has that, also -- the Romantic Rose. (Though we aren't sure how romantic one runty rose is...)

The Valentine's Day festivities don't stop there. Happy Aquarium also has released some exclusive props to spice things up, down on your tank's cold gravel floor. Personally, I love the "beautiful crystal shaped heart for your fish to fall in love with." It really captures the essence of what Valentine's Day has become all about: expressing love in the most ridiculous way possible.

This Valentine's Day, spread the love buy sporting these cute props for all to see. You could even send that special someone a Romantic Rose gift on the day itself. Luckily, you have till Sunday, February 14 to scroll through your Facebook friends and decide who deserves that Plush Teddy Bear.

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The exotic Bird Wrasse and Discus fish swim into Happy Aquarium

Alexander Armero — 2010-02-05T17:00:00+00:00

So you've used new stackable props to create a thriving fish metropolis of wonder and might, but maybe your tank still just doesn't feel right. Maybe you still need to find that one special fish.

Designing an aquarium is an art, and a misplaced fish can make or break a tank if it doesn't compliment the decor. More importantly however, a fish has to be happy in your aquarium (hence the title Happy Aquarium). After all it is the fish that eats and sleeps in your tank while you play Mafia Wars, waiting for you to return and observe its mysterious beauty. Fortunately, two new fishes have come our way, and who knows, one of them could be that special fish you've been looking for.

Starting today, two beautifully unique fish are available in the Happy Aquarium store. First is the Discus Fish available at Level 19 for a mere 88 coins. Native to the Amazon River Basin, these gorgeous creatures are named for their shape, appear in various colors in the wild, and are aquarium favorites around the world.

The second fish is the peculiar Bird Wrasse. This friendly fish hails from the Indo-Pacific Region, where the Indian and Pacific Oceans collide. In the wild it grows to a sizable 30 cm in length, which is just about a whole twelve inches long! This vibrant fish lures us in with its anteater-like snout. The Bird Wrasse can be unlocked at level 34 and costs 540 coins.

So, if you've been waiting for that special fish, maybe the Discus Fish or the Bird Wrasse is the one. These exotic fish look good among most scenery so everyone should give them a shot, assuming you're above level 19. If you're below 19, keep those fish happy by feeding them and cleaning your tank, and you'll be able to buy these exotic fish in no time.

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Did the Facebook redesign break Mafia Wars?

Libe Goad — 2010-02-05T15:00:00+00:00

That's sheer speculation of course, but the Facebook redesign launched and suddenly we're having problems playing Mafia Wars -- namely, the right-hand scroll bar in the game is missing. With only half the game accessible on screen, that means jobs can't be completed and no one can check in and see what friends have been doing in the game.

Zynga's mobster game has some scheduled downtime this afternoon, so we expect the case of the missing scroll bar will (hopefully) be solved shortly.

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