For this weekend's Online Saturday video i played the recently released Season 3 in Star Wars: Hunters on Switch, from developers NaturalMotion Games and Zynga.
Showing posts with label Zynga. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Zynga. Show all posts
Saturday, September 28, 2024
Saturday, June 15, 2024
Online Saturday - Star Wars: Hunters - My Second Hour
For this weekend's Online Saturday video i wanted to continue playing the recently released StarWars: Hunters on Switch, from developers NaturalMotion Games and Zynga Network , as at the end of the previous video, https://youtu.be/648VolmhSuA, we started actually playing against real people.
In this video i start with a couple of Casual Games, but once Ranked Games were unlocked i played 3 of them, even tho i said i played 5 in the video!. before having a break with another Casual Game and ending by checking out the Matchup Mixup Game Mode than i unlocked. i intially thought that was going to be similar to Killzone Zone 2/3 in that the game modes would switch during gameplay. ultimately it meant that we played a random game mode with a random character for a single match, there were no changes during gameplay.
Waiting times between games weren't a problem and it continued to run smoothly. the only issues that emerged were AFK players and in the Matchup Mixup Trophy Chase games the respawns seemed to always be in the same place and the teams all seemed to do the same play, hide in the corner and defend. so that mode wasn't that fun.
Saturday, June 8, 2024
Online Saturday - Star Wars: Hunters - The First Hour
For this weekend's Online Saturday video i wanted to try out the recently released Star Wars: Hunters on #Switch from developers NaturalMotion Games and Zynga.
It's a game i've been interested in since it was announced. But i was always a bit unsure about it. with it having a foot in mobile games, there's a concern that it's just been ported over from mobile, or that it's going to push the shop at us, or that it'll be very grindy. i don't have answers to all these after my first hour with the Nintendo Switch version, but i can say it was a very good first hour and i'm much less concerned.
As we've seen with Pokémon Unite, there's always a concern that the tutorial won't cover enough, with the game especially needing one for the home screen. But with Star Wars: Hunters, i feel like they did a great job. not the best, but good enough that i felt comfortable with the game. it took about an hour before i knew i was playing against other people, but when i did i didn't feel overwhelmed. the tutorial does a good job in going over the controls and basic ideas of combat. But the game also doesn't put you up against other people right away. each game you play seems to get a little more difficult and then when you play against people it jumps up again but not in a huge or scary way. i felt well prepared.
But the home screen wasn't fully explained and there were icons we weren't taught about. The game could've also done a better job at pointing us to go to the shop and get the free stuff, or showing us how to customise our avatar, or even just saying which is the options. so yes, the gameplay is well taught but outside of gameplay is a little patchy in places. Whilst i appreciate that i was ready for proper online gaming, the game could've told me what was happening as i was always second guessing if my opponents were real or not.
The in-game combat is where Star Wars: Hunters shines. the controls are simple and effective. i immediately found the controls to be as responsive as expected. I didn't use all the characters available to me as i was having a good time with Imara Vex. i really enjoyed her rocket attack and blaster ultimate moves. her grapple ability not only gave me traversal options but also added a way for her to escape when up against multiple enemies. it's easy to see why she's the first character we use and train with.
We have to unlock game modes types by playing, hence why there's a point in the video where it switches to the Capture game mode as i had to unlock it first. this also applies to the Ranked mode. personally, i don't mind this approach. when i first realized what was happening, there's the worry that it'll be a grind. but thankfully that wasn't the case. it felt like a natural progression towards each game mode.
It'll take a few more games to get a greater sense of Star Wars: Hunters, but after my first hour with it i'm comfortable recommending it not only to Star Wars fans but to many others. there's depth and strategy to it's gameplay, but it's also accessible. when Ranked mode gets unlocked, i feel that's were more "hardcore" players may play leaving the other modes more accessible to more "casual" players. it's not clear if there's crossplay, unlock Trackmania which has an icon showing where each player is playing from, but the waits today were very short. I hope it can come to more platforms as i think Zynga may have a hit with Star Wars: Hunters.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Zynga Announce They Have More Than Quadrupled Monthly Users From 30 Million To 129 Million Users
http://www.gamasutra.com/db_area/images/news2001/23583/zynga.jpgFarmville currently has over 50 Million users since its launch 3 months ago, making it the fastest growing game on the internet. Mafia Wars is the second largest game on Facebook, behind Farmville, and currently has over 25 million users a month. Zynga Poker has over 150 Million hands dealt a day with 250,000 concurrent players. YoVille has 17 million residents.
Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO --(Business Wire)-- Sep 30, 2009 Zynga (www.zynga.com), the largest developer of social games, today announced that it has more than quadrupled its monthly users over the last six months, making it one of the fastest growing applications on the Internet. In April 2009, Zynga had 30 million monthly active users playing its games, and since then the number has grown to 129 million. Everyday, approximately 34 million users worldwide play Zynga games according to Developer Analytics (www.developeranalytics.com). Zynga estimates its current monthly unique visitors are at 70 million.
Today, Zynga has four of the top 10 games on Facebook:
FarmVille – the largest game on Facebook lets players channel their inner farmer by enabling them to grow crops, build farms and interact with fellow farmers. FarmVille has grown to more than 50 million users since its launch three months ago, making it larger than the population of Canada and the fastest growing social game on the Internet. Users have built over 40 million farms, more than 20 times the number of actual farms in the United States, and on an average day, players purchase 500,000 tractors to till their land.
Mafia Wars – the second largest game on Facebook and a Zynga classic lets players become the boss of their own crime family. More than 25 million users play per month and on an average day undertake more than 140 million “jobs.”
Zynga Poker (formerly Texas Hold’Em) – the number one poker game on Facebook is the place for high rollers and amateurs alike to indulge in poker. An average day finds Zynga dealing about 150 million hands compared to 11 million hands dealt in Las Vegas. On any day and at any time, Zynga Poker hosts 250,000 concurrent players, making it the world’s largest live casual casino and seating more than 3.5 times the audience of the average NFL stadium.
YoVille – the largest virtual world in social games is the place where users decorate their own apartments, complete with furniture and animals. Today, YoVille has over 17 million residents, a community larger than Mumbai (the most densely populated city in the world), that engage in building their own habitat and hanging out with friends. Since August, residents have purchased approximately 10,000 pets and consumed about 400,000 funnel cakes.
“The rise in social gaming reflects the immense popularity of Facebook and the need for people to connect, play and express themselves with others,” said Mark Pincus, founder and CEO of Zynga. “While it is still early in social gaming, the success of our games with the user community underscores the sheer size and potential of this new movement which will finally let fun become the biggest way people interact.”
About Zynga
Zynga is the largest social gaming company with 129 million monthly users. Zynga’s games are available on Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, Hi5, Friendster, Tagged, Yahoo! and the iPhone, and include FarmVille, Zynga Poker, Mafia Wars, YoVille, Vampires, Street Racing, and Scramble. The company is funded by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, IVP, Union Square Ventures, Foundry Group, Avalon Ventures, Pilot Group, Reid Hoffman and Peter Thiel. Zynga is headquartered in San Francisco. For more information, please visit www.zynga.com.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Zynga Announce That FarmVille Has Become The Largest And Fastest Growing Social Game
http://www.zynga.com/images/games/gameBig_farmville.jpgPress Release
SAN FRANCISCO --(Business Wire)-- Aug 27, 2009 Zynga (www.zynga.com), the largest developer of social games, announced today that its wildly popular FarmVille game is the largest and fasting growing social game in history with more than 11 million daily active users. Since its launch on June 19th, 2009, FarmVille has attracted more than 1 million new daily active users a week, on average.
FarmVille is a light, fast and fun game where players create and manage their own virtual farm. Like all Zynga games, FarmVille lets you play, invest and express by plowing, growing and harvesting a variety of crops for money and game points. Players also have options to invest in their farms by purchasing fruit trees and farm animals such as pigs and cows, and compliment their crops with other farm assets such as barns, windmills and greenhouses. Nurturing the farm is the key to success for players and their network of fellow farmer friends--those who tend their crops diligently will see their farms flourish and their bank accounts swell. Players’ friends are a key element of success in FarmVille.
“FarmVille demonstrates the huge market potential of social gaming – in just 9 weeks the game has become a cultural phenomenon,” said Mark Pincus, founder and CEO of Zynga. “No other application has achieved what this game has in such a short amount of time. Who would have guessed that FarmVille is now the biggest online game in North America and quickly becoming the biggest online game in the world."
“FarmVille’s growth is nothing short of spectacular and a clear indicator that we have a winning formula for giving players around the world a virtual farming experience that they truly enjoy,” said Mark Skaggs, VP and GM of Zynga’s Social RTS studio. "By combining the best elements of social gaming, with people’s instinct to nurture, we’ve created an incredibly fun, wholesome and rewarding experience.”
About Zynga
Zynga is the largest social gaming company with 27 million daily users and 93 million monthly users. Zynga’s games are available on Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, Hi5, Friendster, Tagged, Yahoo! and the iPhone, and include FarmVille, Texas Hold’Em Poker, Mafia Wars, YoVille, Vampires, Street Racing, andScramble. The company is funded by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, IVP, Union Square Ventures, Foundry Group, Avalon Ventures, Pilot Group, Reid Hoffman and Peter Thiel. Zynga is headquartered at the Chip Factory in San Francisco. For more information, please visit www.zynga.com.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Zynga - Mafia Wars Celebrates It's 1 Year Anniversary - Press Release
http://www.zynga.com/images/games/gameBig_mafiawars.jpgPress Release
SAN FRANCISCO --(Business Wire)-- Jul 02, 2009 Zynga, the largest developer of social games, today announced the one year anniversary of social gaming’s most popular crime-based game, Mafia Wars. Since its launch in June 2008, Mafia Wars has grown to more than four million daily active users; in the last three months, alone, the game has doubled the number of daily players.
In celebration of Mafia Wars’ one year anniversary, Zynga also launched Cuba, an entirely new destination, and extends the amount of time players can enjoy Mafia Wars. Players who have reached the rank of “Consigliere” (level 35) can leave New York City and cross the Cuban border which has been outside the reach of the Mafia’s influence for almost 50 years. Now with Cuba as a destination, players can expand their influence and increase their power with new loot, weapons, businesses, collections and achievements. Cuba offers more than 100 levels of additional jobs, items, a unique property system, and opens up a wealth of new opportunities including:
40+ new jobs to carry out
52 brand new weapons, armor and vehicles
Four businesses that can be purchased and upgraded
“Mafia Wars is on its way to becoming a cult classic,” said Bill Mooney, executive producer, MMO Studios, Zynga. “We have the most dedicated and loyal players who have made the game a hit and we want to thank them by extending the game in a dynamic destination that makes the game unique and challenging.”
The Mafia Wars franchise has reached key milestones during its first year. The iPhone version which launched in April contains rich, high-quality graphics and interface including original animations and sounds, creating a fun and addictive gaming experience. Mafia Wars was also recently voted Best Game of the Year in the Webby People’s Voice Awards where more than 50,000 votes were cast by people around the world for their favorite sites, video, and ads. Additionally, Mafia Wars has garnered over two million fans on its Facebook Page making it the highest ranked page. The ranking can be found at: http://pagedata.insidefacebook.com/leaderboard/?official=0&fanbase=0&cat_id=38.
About Zynga
Zynga is the largest social gaming company with 12 million daily users and 50 million monthly users. Zynga’s games are available on Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, Hi5, Friendster, Yahoo! and the iPhone, and include Texas Hold’Em Poker, Mafia Wars, YoVille, Vampires, Street Racing, Scramble and Word Twist. The company is funded by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, IVP, Union Square Ventures, Foundry Group, Avalon Ventures, Pilot Group, Reid Hoffman and Peter Thiel. Zynga is headquartered at the Chip Factory in San Francisco. For more information, please visit www.zynga.com.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Zynga - FarmVille announced for Facebook as Free To Play Game - Press Release
http://www.zynga.com/images/games/gameBig_farmville.jpgZynga have announced a new free to play social game for Facebook. users can build and customise their Farm from the crops they grow, animals and Farm buildings. the aim is to earn the most money either individually, or together in your social group.
Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO --(Business Wire)-- Jun 23, 2009 Zynga (www.zynga.com), the largest developer of social games, announced the launch of a new farm simulation game, FarmVille, which will allow players to build and grow the farm of their dreams, with the help of their friends.
With this exciting new offering, Zynga brings its leading social game design to the broadest mix of Facebook users yet. FarmVille allows players to build and customize their farm from the very beginnings, plowing the land, and choosing what they want to grow from a large variety of crops such as strawberries, eggplant, wheat and soybeans. The farm is then theirs to cultivate how they choose. Players will also have options to purchase farm animals such as pigs and cows, and compliment your crops with other farm assets such as barns, windmills and greenhouses.
Nurturing the farm is the key to success for players and their network of fellow farmer friends: those who tend their crops diligently will see their farms flourish and their bank accounts swell. Players’ friends are a key element of success in FarmVille.
“We’re really excited about FarmVille. The farm category in social gaming has shown amazing growth over the past couple years, especially in Asia,” said Mark Pincus, CEO and founder of Zynga. “There is something universally appealing about farming which speaks to large, diverse audiences. FarmVille will take what players love about the farm genre, and add a mixture of new and delightful features and design elements that have been so successful for us in our previous games.”
About Zynga
Zynga is the largest social gaming company with more than 12 million daily users and 50 million monthly users. Zynga’s games are available on Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, Hi5, Friendster, Tagged, Yahoo! and the iPhone, and include Texas Hold’Em Poker, Mafia Wars, YoVille, Vampires, Street Racing, Scramble and Word Twist. The company is funded by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, IVP, Union Square Ventures, Foundry Group, Avalon Ventures, Pilot Group, Reid Hoffman and Peter Thiel. Zynga is headquartered at the Chip Factory in San Francisco. For more information, please visit www.zynga.com.
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