August 19, 2008 -

TD Gaming Podcast 84: A Mount That PoopsTD Gaming Podcast 84: A Mount That Poops

August 19, 2008| schommer| 0 Comment| 10:43 pm

This week we take a walk back in retro gaming history at Super Mario World, covering a bunch of great user questions and chat a bit about our favorite RTS of all time based on a user question. In the news this week:

Xbox 360 Out Sells PS3 in Japan
Rock Band 2 Bundle Delay
Harmonix Says “No” to Exclusive Artist Deals
Diablo 3, Finite Health and Loving It

We also announce the winner of Galactic Civilizations II: Dread Lords – Collectors Edition! This show was packed with content and material, we had to hold off on the Gaming History for this week, but we’ll hit it next week.

PopCap’s Bejeweled Franchise Hits 25 Million Units Sold MarkPopCap’s Bejeweled Franchise Hits 25 Million Units Sold Mark

August 19, 2008| schommer| 0 Comment| 2:03 pm

Congratulations to PopCap for showing why casual games will always be a viable market. Let’s put this in perspective, investors believe GTA IV will push 13-million sales by the end of 2008 and, as of January 2008, Halo 3 had sold 8 million copies. PopCap’s little casual game has hit 25 million units sold, that’s fairly impressive considering these blockbuster titles haven’t achieved such numbers.

You may say “well, these titles sold 3+ million in the first week, what about Bejeweled?” True, Bejeweled probably didn’t hit 3 million in a week, but which game will still be played in 2010? Bejeweled or GTA IV and Halo 3?

Casual games age well, they’re not competitive on the graphic space and, instead, focus on fun value. Fun value is a lasting appeal and is immortal in the time line of video games. The same reason people still find fun in Pac-Man gamers still find cash to pickup their copies of Bejeweled.

Which game had the smallest budget? Bejeweled or GTA IV? We’re pretty sure PopCap did not give the bejeweled team $100-million to make it! Investors take notice, casual games have a long lasting appeal.

Read on for full press release details.

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Castle Crashers, Win A Free CopyCastle Crashers, Win A Free Copy

August 19, 2008| schommer| 0 Comment| 1:43 pm

Although we weren’t able to get a free copy to give away for Castle Crashers due to limited supply, GameStooge has one, and has the ability to hand one out. If you’re looking to get in on the contest and potentially get a free code to download Castle Crashers upon its release, checkout GameStooge’s contest.

The rules are simple: “Write in the comment section what is your favorite movie with a castle, and why it’s the castle is so great in it – minimum 30 words.” The game looks crazy fun, so I highly suggest you put in a contest entry if you’ve got an Xbox 360 gamer tag and 360 console to play it on!