EA sinks its teeth into Trade Nations developer Bight Games

Sometimes they're just way too easy to pass up. EA, veteran games publisher and now proud owner of PopCap Games, has purchased Charlottetown, Canada-based mobile game developer Bight Games for an undisclosed amount. (And just when you thought EA had little money left to throw around.)

Bight Games is best known for freemium iPhone games, or mobile games that take on the Facebook games payment model, like Trade Nations. In fact, the developer recently brought it's popular iPhone game published by Z2Live, Trade Nations, to Facebook.

Bight Games will join the existing EA Interactive (EAi) development division in Canada, though according to a blog post written by EAi lead Barry Cottle, EAi and Bight Games already go way back. The team has helped in the creation of several unnamed EAi mobile games, so I guess we can think of this as the two simply tying the knot after dating for so long--so cute!

"The freemium game model in mobile is here to stay, and it's growing fast," Cottle writes. And the guy has a point. Just look at games like Smurfs Village for iPhone by Capcom, which we all know probably did a little too well. But that's just one of likely hundreds of successful freemium games on smartphones. And EAi looks to dig deeper into that gold mine once the deal closes later this month.

Father's Day iOS Game Sale: Scratch dad's gaming itch on the go

Madden NFL 11 iOS
Alright, just admit it: Father's Day is less than two days away, and you still didn't get him something. (I got mine a grill ... shh!) Don't worry, we've got you covered--well, EA, Gameloft and Firemint do at least. We're just the messengers. All three iOS game creators have started Father's Day sales for tons of great games to give your pop on the cheap. With game's like Madden NFL 11, Real Racing and Real Soccer 2011 for just $.99, your dad is gonna' love these mobile gaming gifts. Here are the games you can find on sale in the Apple App Store (each link will direct you to the game's App Store page):

EA (Electronic Arts):

    Battlefield: Bad Company 2 – $.99
    Command & Conquer: Red Alert – $.99
    Command & Conquer: Red Alert HD – $1.99
    Dead Space – $2.99
    Dead Space HD – $4.99
    Dragon's Lair 2: Time Warp – $.99
    FIFA 11 – $.99
    FIFA 11 HD – $4.99
    Fight Night Champion – $.99
    Madden NFL 11 – $.99
    Madden NFL 11 HD – $.99
    Monopoly – $.99
    NBA Jam – $.99
    NBA Jam HD – $4.99
    Need For Speed Hot Pursuit – $.99
    Need For Speed Hot Pursuit HD – $4.99
    Need For Speed Undercover – $.99
    Need For Speed Shift -$.99
    Need For Speed Shift HD – $4.99
    Reckless Racing – $.99
    Reckless Racing HD – $.99
    RISK – $.99
    RISK HD – $1.99
    Sim City Deluxe – $.99
    Sim City Deluxe HD – $.99
    Tetris – $.99
    Tetris HD – $1.99
    Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 HD – $2.99


Real Soccer 2011
Gameloft:

    Eternal Legacy – $.99
    Eternal Legacy HD – $.99
    Fast Five: The Movie: Official Game – $.99
    Fast Five: The Movie: Official Game: HD – $.99
    Fishing Kings – $.99
    Gangstar: Miami Vindication – $.99
    Gangstar: Miami Vindication HD – $.99
    NFL 2011 – $.99
    NFL 2011 HD – $.99
    Order & Chaos Online – $.99
    Real Soccer 2011 – $.99
    Real Soccer 2011 HD – $.99
    Spider-Man: Total Mayhem – $.99
    Spider-Man – Total Mayhem HD – $.99

Real Racing 2
Firemint:

    Real Racing -- $.99
    Real Racing HD -- $1.99
    Real Racing 2 -- $4.99
    Real Racing 2 HD -- $6.99


It's safe to assume that each of those games with the letters "HD" at the foot of its title are for iPad only. And while EA and Firemint hit it on the nose with games a dad would go gaga for, we're a bit confused by some of Gameloft's choices. Unless your dad is a major nerd (like us), we doubt he'll dig Order & Chaos Online. Though, at least this company is the only one to offer a soccer game, so kudos to them for that. And even if you're no baby's daddy, you're free to treat yourself--just don't forget to get a little something for who truly deserves it: old poppa dukes.

EA's John Riccitiello speaks out on The Sims Social Facebook launch date... or doesn't

In EA's most recent earnings / conference call, CEO John Riccitiello was questioned about the expected popularity of EA's upcoming (and highly anticipated) Facebook game, The Sims Social. While the game's Facebook fan page already has 868,000 Likes, Riccitiello still wouldn't reveal just what percentage of the franchise's user-base are predicted to make the transition to this new social version.

That's not all Riccitiello held back though, as a launch date will likely never be released before the game suddenly appears on the platform. Why? Competitive advertising. As reported by Gamasutra, Riccitiello explained the company's decision, both on the lack of an announced release date, and on withholding any predictions as to traffic:

"We aren't going to put out the stats. They're highly sensitive competitive comparisons, which is one of the reasons we're also not giving you a launch date. It's relatively easy for a competitor to buy all the relevant advertising, say 24, 36, 48 hours prior to a release."

This, says Riccitiello, would greatly impact (and not in a good way) EA's chances of marketing the game itself, as its competitors will have beaten EA to the proverbial punch. Alas, for now, that seems to be all we'll be told about the game's launch date beforehand, but you can be sure that we'll let you know when the Sims Social finally goes live. We can't wait!

Do you have a prediction for when the Sims Social will launch? How many of the franchise's established fans do you think will immediately jump on board with this Facebook version?

Theme Park on iOS is an expensive, slow-moving experience

Back in August, we learned that EA would be bringing the classic Theme Park franchise to iOS as a freemium (free-to-play) experience. While the game has yet to be released in the US iTunes marketplace, Canadians can get their hands (or fingers, as it were) on the game via their store. We've taken the chance to play the game ourselves, and have found that while the transition to mobile has been a smooth one technically, it's a much more limiting experience than fans of the franchise would have hoped for.

To start, you'll be given a small theme park where the pathways, garbage cans and more have already been placed for you. You'll tap on squares of varying sizes to choose attractions and shops from a list, which vary in size according to the size of square you tapped on. For instance, the smallest squares can house many of your food and drink stalls, along with small rides like the series' famous Bouncy Castle. Items like the Ferris Wheel or Pirate Ship Ride go in "medium" sized boxes, while roller coasters require the largest boxes on the map.

Unfortunately, many of the game's attractions are locked based on your level, with leveling up being a fairly slow process of repeatedly tapping on existing attractions to earn a few experience points every few seconds / minutes / hours. As you play, you'll unlock other large areas in your theme park (complete with their own templates for item placement), with each area being themed according to your choice (a list of options like Knights vs. Cowboys and Pirate are available). However, the process of filling each area in your park is a slow one, due either to the aforementioned level-locked items and the fact that the rest of the "cool" items cost Tickets, or premium currency, to purchase. For instance, a Skull-Train roller coaster costs the equivalent of more than $60 to purchase. That's, again... $60 for a single ride (and it's one of the cheaper ones!). This doesn't appear to be a misprint, as the vast majority of the game's rides cost Tickets and are just as overpriced.

You can complete missions to earn extra experience points, helping you to level up faster, but either way, what we're ultimately left with is a set of rides that you'll likely need to build duplicates of, in multiple sections of your park, just to fill things out, unless you're willing to shell out Tickets to really make things "fun."

While there are some social features available, like the ability to visit your friends' parks, it doesn't look like you can actually do anything while you're there. You can also hire your friends as staff in your park, but, again, this seems to have little purpose in the grand scheme of things (and if you don't have enough staff to fill every role in your administration building, you'll be left to do so with even more Tickets).

Gallery: Theme Park iOS


Unfortunately, Theme Park's transition to the mobile platform is a bit of a disappointing one. While you are given a roller coaster for free after finishing the game's tutorial, the simple fact that so many items cost (lots of) Tickets to purchase puts a really negative feeling on the entire experience. Sure, playing around in Bouncy Castles and Hedge Mazes was fun as a kid, but what if that's all your theme park contained? Would you still want to go there? Perhaps, but only because it was free. That, I'm afraid, is the same deal with this launch version of Theme Park on iOS. As a free-to-play experience, there's a bit of joy to be had here in the short term, but it definitely loses the grandeur of past series installments.

Are you excited to try Theme Park on your iOS device once the game launches in the states? Would you pay as much as $60 or more for a single ride in a game?

NHL Superstars coming to Facebook in October

Adding to its popular brand of "Superstars" titles on Facebook, Electronic Arts has announced the production of NHL Superstars for Facebook. This new game, as reported by ShackNews, comes on the heels of EA's NHL 12 on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 breaking franchise records for the biggest launch week in the franchise's history.

As for the franchise's jump onto the Facebook ice, we're told this: "NHL Superstars will bring an all-new NHL experience to millions of hockey fans by enabling players to build and manage their ultimate team of professional hockey players. With dynamic and accessible gameplay, fans can compete head-to-head in games against their Facebook friends from around the world."

While specific details are still lacking as to what we can exactly expect from NHL Superstars, we can't imagine EA / Playfish breaking the mold. We'll likely be able to collect cards that contain professional hockey players, and then trade those cards out to create the best team possible. Each player will likely have stats, and we'll be able to use those players in virtual hockey games against others for supremacy.

We don't have a specific release date for NHL Superstars, although the game is set to take to the ice sometime in October. We'll make sure to give you a complete look at the game when we know more.

Are you excited to see NHL Superstars come to Facebook? Which players will you look for to create your perfect team? Sound off in the comments.