All of the rumors are true.

The next game in the Konami’s stable of Metal Gear Solid games is in fact a PHONE GAME!  No need for a 360 or PS3 if you have an iPhone Touch.

Metal Gear Solid is set right after Metal Gear Solid Four and will have eight different levels of custom content.  Kotaku is claiming unlockable Metal Gear iPhone wallpapers and there might be more levels at a later date.

I think that this is a smart/bold move for Konami.  Not only are they tapping into the MGS crowd of fanatic fans but they are also tapping into the fan base of the iPhone Touch that might not buy a MGS game for a consold.  Smart, very smart.

Release is set for Spring ‘09 with no news yet of price point.  Details will follow as I get ‘em.

Image Source: Konami

Post from: EveryJoe

Metal Gear Solid Touch Next Metal Gear Solid Game

Hi.  I’m Amy and I’m taking over Gamer Lite.  I figured I’d give you my take on casual gaming.  While I LOVE my PC and PS3 games, casual gaming holds a special place in my heart.  I write for several other sites, including SimsGamer.com, and when I’m not writing I’m usually playing some type of game.

In writing for Ironic Gamer, I found that most people don’t think that casual gaming is real gaming.

Well, try telling that to the”over 200 million people [who] play casual games each month over the Internet.“  I still remember my first experience with casual gaming.  [You always remember your first time, right?]  I  was a freshman in college and someone emailed me a link to Bejeweled.  I ended up missing the day’s classes because I couldn’t stop playing the damn game.

The addictive quality of casual games is one reason why they’re so freakin’ popular.  Another reason why these games are so popular is that they’re so accessible; anyone can play them.  My mother-in-law used to play hours of solitaire and I can guarantee you that she’s never picked up a PS3 or 360 controller.   The third reason that casual games have console and PC game companies green with envy is that the time investment for maximum payoff is relatively short.  I can spend fifteen minutes on Diner Dash and I’ve earned enough to upgrade my skates.  I spend fifteen minutes on Assassin’s Creed and I’ve learned how to control Altaïr well enough to not accidentally kill myself.

In our culture of procrastination and “get it now”, casual games satisfy both wants quickly and with bright colors and badges.  When’s the last time a PS3 or 360 game gave you a badge?  Wait, PS3 did introduce “trophies” but those take a long time to get.

The point of all of this is that casual gaming is addictive, fun and here to stay.  Console gaming is taking its cues from casual gaming and who would have ever thought that would have been possible when Bejeweled was released?

Image source: Incase Designs

Post from: EveryJoe

I’m New Here

1. Get good titles in your roster.
2. Build a flexible, easy to update and scalable.
3. Promote your site.
4. Keep up with the times, be updated with the industry.
5. Advertise.

Oh, and one more solicited advise from me, you might want to check out for those site widgets (add-ons) that offer game centered ads just like the one I previously wrote about here for additional income.

Image taken from InformativePost.com

Post from: EveryJoe

Online Gaming Business 101

But another gaming executive says otherwise. Handheld technology director of Spanish game developer and publisher Digital Legends, Unai Landa Bonilla is new to the iPhone and the Mac. He says that the problem will lie on the size of the content. Games for the iPhones should be smaller in memory footprint as compared to their Mac counterparts.

Not only that. Apple doesn’t have a viable option to sell smaller games online for the Mac, unlike the iPhone games, unless to go through a third party seller.

Here’s another question I’d like to pose to all Mac users out there. Are you willing to buy games that were originally designed for the iPhone?

What do you think?

Image taken from Wikipedia

Post from: EveryJoe

Iphone Games May Lead To A New Crop of Games for the Mac

Well he’s got a good point. The author, Mr. Chapman, gave a lot of examples. For starters, he mentioned why those casual game developers keep on rolling out rehashed, or worse, really bad clones of games that made a lot of money, thinking that people will purchase their versions.

Don’t they understand that its has “been there, done that”? They’re probably thinking that they can get a piece of the revenue pie that the original title have made. What more, it also gave them the idea that “quick and easy” games will make more since its easy to develop and deploy. This acceptation will eventually bring death to casual gaming.

According to him, there are two ways to end this kind of thinking.

First, casual gamers need to be educated about choosing which are the quality titles and which are good buys which will allow both adults and kids to enjoy these games together. A sample which he mentioned was the Lego adventure games. Casual games should be designed to cater too all players in concept and gameplay, according to Mr. Chapman.

Second, developers and publishers become more responsible in rolling out titles – not just for the money, but for the improvement of the industry and the better gaming experience for all.

Post from: EveryJoe

“Casual” Gamers Stupid?

The mobile gaming platform stated that 10.1 percent clicked on the ads which is far-off than the 1-2% of web ads. Hmm, sounds good to me.

They’re contemplating that this is due to the fact that web-based casual gaming sites’ demographic, mostly made up of older women, is also far more limited than that of the mobile which is 69% of U.S. users. And with data like this, they’re trying to make a wake up call to investors to make that shift from web-based to mobile.

Greystripe also promises a more detailed report on this soon.

Image courtesy of GameJump.com

Post from: EveryJoe

Mobile Game-based Ads Have Higher CTR Rate

Because of this, people who are usually considered as non-gamers are given a chance to play everwhere.  The game publisher is proud to provide quality entertainment and give them a chance to enjoy new games.

Mr. Alain Corr, Ubisoft Executive Director for Middle East and Europe reported to journalists all over Europe that they saw a growth spurt in the gaming market by 25% last year.  They’re bracing themselves for 15-25% more this coming year.

Image taken from Ubisoft.com

Post from: EveryJoe

2007 – The Year of the Games

Chick Games, just like Chick Flick, are games specifically designed for women gamers. If you haven’t heard of it, well is because its a self made term. Heehee.

Check out these Chick Game news from the past week:

• ‘Women being under-served by games’
• eGames, Big Fish Fashion Exclusive Publishing Agreement for Upcoming Casual Game
• Ubisoft goes casual gaming crazy for Wii and DS
• More Chick Flick Games on the Way?
• James Patterson Enters the Game Space
• Game plans for girls
• Product Review: Nintendo Wii Fit
• PC: Over 100 Million Sims Served
• The Social Media Gender Gap

So gear up ladies, we’re going to have a whole lotta fun gaming in the next years.

Image courtesty of Corbis.com

Post from: EveryJoe

New Term: Chick Games!

This article from MCV UK stated that 74% of paying casual gamers are, gasp, women! (Hmm, then why am I not surprised?) And that’s according to the Casual Games Association.  Game Factory’s European marketing manager, Lucinda Digweed also believes that the “male-dominated core gaming is already saturated” that’s why they’re giving more importance in catering to the other types of gamers.

Image taken from Game Factory

Post from: EveryJoe

Another Advise for the Industry

According to the DevelopMag site, a research by Advergame Network claims that a whopping 34% of US households spend their time playing on a weekly basis.  And that’s versus 29% who watches short online videos and another 19% on social networking site.

Wee, more and more people playing like us!  Scrabulous, anyone?

Post from: EveryJoe

Guess What America’s Most Popular Activity Is?