Italian rental site, Roman Rentals Co, says that the only animals allowed to stay in their apartments are virtual ones from Pet Society.
According to the rental site's blog, one Pet Society pet -- named Robottomatospace -- thoroughly enjoyed her stay in one of their apartments. She even left this testimonial:
"This was the first time away from Pet Society and into the real world. I loved Apartment Paradiso... it was so charming! But I did miss my soap bar and the Mystery Boxes I'm addicted to. But I must admit that shopping in Rome is great... I got a good exchange rate for my gold coins."
The site also points out that they offer rentals with broadband access, so avid Pet Society fans can go on vacation and keep up with their bir
While you have to wonder who's behind such a wacky post, it's also a genius viral marketing ploy to get people to their site. I went to Rome earlier this year and would have definitely considered renting from these guys just for their sense of humor.
Thanksgiving has arrived in Pet Society. Starting today, you can turn your pet's pad into a veritable den of Thanks with the new Fall Candle Set, Fall Wreath, Fall Forest Wallpaper, a Thanksgiving sign, Deluxe Turkey Feast Table, Pumpkin Pie and, of course, a Roast Turkey. Rather than eat the food, however, we're going to buy it and go fishing with it to catch the coolest new item in the game this week -- the Turkeyfish.
Clothing-wise, dress your pets in Pilgrim and Wampanoag outfits for the occasion, including our second favorite item this week -- the Wampanoag Dress and Shoes that are just too cute for words. See the entire lineup of new Turkey Day goodies in the images below.
Yesterday, Playfish released "Nannybots," that will feed, clean and play with your pet 24 hours a day. Nannybots are sold at the Gadget and Furniture Shops for 400 coins. Playfish has thrown in a free battery good for the first three days, but if you want to recharge it, you have to fork over some real money--5 Playfish coins.
My pet Sushi got a chance to meet the Nannybot during a visit to a friend. The scene above, which looks like he's being hit with a toaster, actually raises his health level.
A matter of hours after Playfish announced its acquisition by gaming giant Electronic Arts, we're already seeing ads for The Sims for iPhone and Pogo games integrated into Pet Society and Restaurant City, et al. Even though the deal was sealed this morning, according to the Playfish COO, this is an indication that the deal has been in the works for a while (or the EA ad team works extra fast).
On an editorial note, we're intrigued by the prospect of these two companies working together. We're curious to see what popular EA game series will be turned into social games and if the recently launched Spore Islands and Pogo Puppies on Facebook will change (if at all) under Playfish's tutelage.
Hollywood! Nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh Hollywood! That's the theme this week in Pet Society as the stores are filled with Tinsel Town items, such as red carpets, premiere night duds, film cameras and our must-buy new item this week -- a Chihuahua Plushie. Look out Paris H., you're about to get some serious competition. Here's the new stuff, where to find them and how much they cost:
As a side note, my pet Bluer also stopped off in the clothes store to try on a Marilyn Monroe inspired pink dress with a necklace dripping with diamonds. You know what they say, diamonds are a pet's best friend.
Following this morning's dramatic announcement that game giant Electronic Arts is buying casual gamer maker Playfish for a reported $400 million, Playfish COO Sebastien de Halleux talked to Games.com first about the implications for the social gaming industry, and for hit games such as Pet Society and Restaurant City.
"The basics is that this is not going to change anything much for users, specifically -- only that some of the franchises in the hardcore space will be looked at more seriously [in terms of social gaming]," de Halleux says.
de Halleux hesitated to tell us any specific EA franchises (like Madden, Burnout, Tiger Woods) that he'd like to turn into social games ("I'd like to turn that question back to you," he says), but he did namecheck Scrabble and Spore specifically during the conversation.
Even though Playfish will be working closely with EA to bring some of its 'hardcore' games to the social gaming world, Playfish will still operate independently (for now) and de Halleux and the other founders will stay with the company post-sale.
"When we started two years ago in a small room in London, we never imagined that this would go so quickly," he says.
As for Electronic Arts tolerance on upselling offers (some considered 'scammy') to consumers in exchange for free virtual currency, de Halleux says the transactions in Pet Society, et al will move forward status quo. "There's no plan to change any of the games or any motivation or techniques that we use, which are all very respectful of the users," he says, adding that a small portion of Playfish's total revenue comes from these offers.
Some say the kitchen is the most important room in a house, but Pet Societyholics know the closet is the true heart of a fashionista's home. Where else do you spend so much quality time with yourself as you ponder the question, "What will I wear today?"
Organizing a wardrobe is one of the most difficult design challenges in Pet Society, but we'll show you how to build a fabulous closet worthy of Stella McCartney.
You asked,and we listened. Pet Society players are curious about the Pet Society coins: how do they work, how much do they cost and what the heck are they for?
Coins in Pet Society are the basic unit of currency for buying clothes, food and decorating your pet's home. Playfish has been very good about not requiring people to purchase items to advance. Instead, you can play forever, accumulate coins by completing tasks and there's little pressure to spend extra cash on additional coins for big ticket items.
However, if you love the game, but don't have as much time to play and collect coins -- you can buy additional coins using real-life cash.
Buying coins in Pet Society is a snap. To buy them, click on the button on the top of the screen that says 'Add Coins.' Then you'll be able to pay using five options: Visa/Mastercard, PayPal and more.
The pricing for paying with credit card is:
26,000 coins for $39.99
12,000 for $19.99
5,000 for $9.99
Bebo's 'Social Game Experience' officially launches today, after a two-week beta period, and the social network says they've seen a 54% rise in game installs during that time.
The Bebo games page highlights a few noteworthy games, such as Pet Society from Playfish, in addition to a leader board that lists top-ranking players for a variety of games and an area where in-game updates appear. There's also a list of Most Addictive Games based on how many minutes they're played per user.
More features will be rolling out for the Bebo games hub, including the ability to challenge other players using Bebo Messenger, in the games hub page and inside the actual games. Players will also be able to see who is actively playing games, who is idle, etc.
This launch follows Facebook's announcement last week that they will soon be adding a game-specific hub to the popular social networking space. We've also seen similar game consolidation on hi5 and on MySpace in the past year, but those serve more as game aggregators than Bebo's more robust 'experience.'
We're curious to see if Facebook will settle for a simple game list or follow Bebo's model, offering a little something 'extra' for social game fanatics.
Remember, remember the 5th of November? If that rhyme doesn't ring any bells, that a phrase spoken in remembrance of the night that Guy Fawkes and other conspirators attempted (and failed) to blow up Parliament. In honor of that night, the Brits celebrate by lighting fireworks and bonfires, eating toffee apples, jacket potatoes (and put away a few pints as well).
When you log into Pet Society this week, you'll find a handful of items in honor of this UK holiday, including a bonfire, toffee apples and -- the one item we definitely plan to buy -- a Pet Fawkes Doll.
There's slew of other Brit-inspired items as well, including a Beefeater uniform and Big Ben replica. Any items labeled "This Weeks Special" will only be available until midnight GMT November 8. See the rest of the items after the jump.
If your pet in Pet Society is an avid fisherman, they'll want to jump in the chance to catch 16 spooky fish that are making a brief appearance in the in-game pond for Halloween. The list of bizarre fish include the Skeleton Fish, Frankenstein Fish, the Incubus Fish and the scariest of all -- the Scary Clown Fish. Seriously, what's scarier than a scary clown in a fish form? I get the chills just thinking about it.
To collect all 16 fish, head to the Cash Shop and buy special Halloween Fish biscuits (they cost 4 Playfish Cash each) and then go to the pond and start fishing. Fishing with this special bait will ensure that you catch one of the spooky fish, just make sure you don't let the fish get away with your bait, or you will be one unhappy fisherman.
Social gaming company Playfish turns two this week and celebrated with custom-cocktails named for some of their premier games -- the Playfish Martini, Restaurant City 'Rita, Geo Club and the Quiztastic! Cooler.
We snagged this pic of the entire drinks menu from Facebook so you can try to recreate these bottoms-up concoctions. Or, at least be inspired to make your own. Pet Society's Peachy Gin Fizz anyone?
The Halloween goodies just keep coming in Pet Society. The most recent update include a raft of items, including new Halloween masks and other wearables. We completely adore the Frankenstein Mask (900 coins), and if we hadn't spent our cash on Bat Wings and Skeleton Potion, we might be able to afford it.
Other stand-out items include the Spooky Fish Tank, Haunted Mirror, Spooky Chair 3,500 coins), Monster Tentacle (600 coins) and the Zombie Doll (750 coins). Plus, the new Skeleton Potion that we wrote about here.
Like the rest of the Halloween items, these will no longer be available starting midnight, November 2 GMT. We're trying to rack up enough points to get both the Frankenstein Mask before then.
A new batch of Halloween goodies has made its way to Pet Society, but there's one stand-out item that's worth every coin -- a brand new Skeleton Potion that, when ingested, turns your Pet into bare bones for three days. The spooky new potion can be found in the game's Mystery store (right next to the Bat Wing potion that arrived earlier this October). The potion costs 800 coins and, if not used, will disappear after 14 days.
Naturally, we had to buy the potion immediately and take it home for Bluer to drink post haste. After dragging the potion from the chest into her Halloween-themed room, Bluer drank it and immediately lost her skin.
And we thought the new Pet Cemetery game for iPhone was creepy. OK, the skeleton version of Bluer is really more cute than creepy, but we're loving these new magic potions on the game.
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Like the rest of the Halloween-themed items, the Skeleton Potion will be gone forever starting midnight November 2 GMT, so you'd better move fast if you want your pet to bare its bones.
Apparently the gaming world doesn't slow down on a Friday. So we captured a stack of quick stories to fill your time as you wait for your next energy pack refill.
- Halloween fiends with a love of Zynga's new Roller Coaster Kingdom can now gain coins for their creations. Simply add any of the game's new holiday themed items and submit a pic of your park and drop it in the Halloween Decoration Contest Entries folder in the Zynga forums. Win and you'll score 500,000 Coaster Coins.
- Everyone started believing the rumor that EA had already bought Playfish. Now there's word that the makers of Pet Society and Restaurant City) might be considering other (read: higher than the rumored $250 million) offers from companies looking to get into the social gaming world. (TechCrunch Europe)
- Social games as child labor? Just as the world felt modern enough that kids could go to school, one blogger discusses a recent company deal that seeks to monitize younger players without their parents' consent. Might social games become the new youth sweatshops of tomorrow? Hopefully not.
- Bloomberg finally catches on to the social gaming fire by equating Facebook's success to the increase in users playing Mafia Wars, Pet Society and FarmVIlle. You already knew this, right? (Bloomberg)
- Big companies like Electronic Arts are catching up to the social gaming buzz by creating things like Dragon Age: Journeys, a free browser-based game that's based on the company's Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 game, Dragon Age: Origins. It's got a Lord of the Rings vibe, we like it. (EA)
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Italian rental site, Roman Rentals Co, says that the only animals allowed to stay in their apartments are virtual ones from Pet Society. 
Thanksgiving has arrived in Pet Society. Starting today, you can turn your pet's pad into a veritable den of Thanks with the new Fall Candle Set, Fall Wreath, Fall Forest Wallpaper, a Thanksgiving sign, Deluxe Turkey Feast Table, Pumpkin Pie and, of course, a Roast Turkey. Rather than eat the food, however, we're going to buy it and go fishing with it to catch the coolest new item in the game this week -- the Turkeyfish. 
Hollywood! Nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh Hollywood! That's the theme this week in Pet Society as the stores are filled with Tinsel Town items, such as red carpets, premiere night duds, film cameras and our must-buy new item this week -- a Chihuahua Plushie. Look out Paris H., you're about to get some serious competition. Here's the new stuff, where to find them and how much they cost:
Following this morning's dramatic announcement that game giant Electronic Arts is buying casual gamer maker Playfish for a reported $400 million, Playfish COO Sebastien de Halleux talked to 
The Halloween goodies just keep coming in 
- Halloween fiends with a love of Zynga's new Roller Coaster Kingdom can now gain coins for their creations. Simply add any of the game's new holiday themed items and submit a pic of your park and drop it in the 
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