Mr.Farmville

Have a few spare minutes at work? Then this is not the five-minute coffee break for you.

After striking a deal with Hugh Hefner first, Dublin-based Jolt Online released the new social media game “Playboy Party” on Facebook today.

We couldn’t play it much at work for fear of our boss looking over our shoulder, but we gather it works like this: In this game you get to interact with hot babes and live the high flying lifestyle you’ve always wanted. What’s not to like?

When the game launches you get to select an avatar of your choice who will be the up-and-coming playboy hosting a party in the playboy mansion.

You then build your party by decorating it with furniture, stocking it with drinks, and bringing the crowds out. You greet new guests (or kick guests out), make sure party revelers’ drinks are always full, and kick out paparazzi snapping photos of your celebrity guests. If you do well, you get to unlock photos of bikini-clad women with a sweet thank-you note for throwing such an awesome party, “Here’s something to remember me by…”

“This is our Christmas present to the Internet”, said Dylan Collins, Chairman of GameStop-owned Jolt Online Gaming in a press release. “We almost went blind developing this game but we think that Playboy Party will keep you entertained anywhere you can access your Facebook account”.

Playboy Party can be played for free by anyone with a Facebook account by going to apps.facebook.com/playboyparty or search for ‘Playboy Party’.  Just be careful, because like with most apps, if you launch the game, it will be displayed on your wall for the world (and your girlfriend) to see.

Source: All Facebook

Just Dance 2
by UBI Soft
111 days in the top 100
Platform:   Nintendo Wii
(106)

Buy new: $39.99
13 used & new from $38.00

(Visit the Bestsellers in Video Games list for authoritative information on this product's current rank.)

Source: Amazon.com: Bestsellers in Video Games

It’s been about a year since virtual aquarium applications splashed onto Facebook, but that doesn’t stop the occasional iteration from seeping through to mobile now and again. The most recent is a game by the name of Tap Reef HD on the iPad. Developed by Jirbo, it’s free, and also available on the iPhone. It could be the app for aquarium lovers who prize high-quality visual effects more than innovative social features — in fact, it already is for many, having reached some top positions on the iTunes App Store leaderboards.

Bef0re we get into the details, here’s a refresher in virtual aquarium games. Essentially, players are tasked with caring for a digital fish tank and raising a wide variety of colorful salt water fish in the process. With Tap Reef, the functionality is no different from previous titles in that players purchase fish from the store and feed them periodically so they don’t die. Most apps we’ve seen let users sell fish for a profit assuming they’ve cared for them properly.

Each fish also comes with a set happiness meter which is affected by regular feeding, the cleanliness of the tank (users must sponge the algae every few hours), and “petting” one’s fish. It’s a bit odd, for sure, but this is merely tapping on the fish itself. What is curious, is that this is one of the visual perks of the game. The app is actually 3D, and tapping on a fish allows the user zoom in on the animal, following it closely with the camera.

For an aquarium genre that has ranged everywhere from cartoon-fish to stiff, Photoshop cutouts, Jirbo’s title actually looks very nice with actual 3D fish models. Are they perfect? No, when zoomed in, there are a number of visible texture seams or z-buffering issues, but for a mobile game, it’s certainly one of the better titles out there.

Despite all the colorful fish swimming in all directions, it is surprising that the game has no real decorum. The focus of Tap Reef is solely on the fish (and there are a lot) and the only decorations involve new backgrounds and some soothing musical scores (well, there’s also a clam and a diver).

Obviously, this is one of the negatives of the game, as other fish titles, such as Fish World, had the décor affect the fishes’ happiness level, creating a function to the aesthetic, and allowing the fish to sell for more. Here, happiness still affects the value of the fish, but there is less involvement to it.

Another aspect worth noting, is that each type of fish comes with a “hardiness” rating which is indicative of how easy it is to care for. The hardier it is, the less it has to be fed, pet, or the tank need be cleaned. As with real salt water fish, however, the fancier ones require much more attention, but are also worth more coin. Also, once fish reach adulthood, they can also be bred. Doing so will cause a pair of fish to swim together for a time until the new baby is born. Of course, once again, aside from the visual, this is a mechanic that has been seen and done before.

On the social front, Tap Reef is integrated with Facebook directly. This allows for automatic importation of any Facebook friends that also play the game, as well the ability to easily share achievements and screenshots. Also ,within one’s profile is a visible set of stats (fish born, fish deaths, fish sales, etc.) that display just how good a fish keeper one is. Additionally, there are global leaderboards that compare all Tap Reef players together.

Source: Inside Social Games

Call of Duty: Black Ops
by Activision Publishing
213 days in the top 100
Platform:   Xbox 360
(420)

Buy new: $59.99 Click to see price
71 used & new from $45.00

(Visit the Bestsellers in Video Games list for authoritative information on this product's current rank.)

Source: Amazon.com: Bestsellers in Video Games

Wii Fit Plus with Balance Board
by Nintendo
456 days in the top 100
Platform:   Nintendo Wii
(672)

Buy new: $99.99 $89.99
126 used & new from $79.00

(Visit the Bestsellers in Video Games list for authoritative information on this product's current rank.)

Source: Amazon.com: Bestsellers in Video Games

Kinect Sports
by Microsoft
Platform:   Xbox 360
(46)

Buy new: $49.99 $39.99
25 used & new from $39.00

(Visit the Most Gifted in Xbox 360 list for authoritative information on this product's current rank.)

Source: Amazon.com: Most Gifted in Video Games > Xbox 360

Fable III
by Microsoft
212 days in the top 100
Platform:   Xbox 360
(210)

Buy new: $59.99 $49.96
81 used & new from $38.00

(Visit the Bestsellers in Xbox 360 list for authoritative information on this product's current rank.)

Source: Amazon.com: Bestsellers in Video Games > Xbox 360

Call of Duty: Black Ops
by Activision Publishing
Platform:   PlayStation 3
(374)
Release Date: November 9, 2010

Buy new: $59.99 Click to see price
62 used & new from $50.00

(Visit the Hot New Releases in Video Games list for authoritative information on this product's current rank.)

Source: Amazon.com: Hot New Releases in Video Games

Just Dance 2
by UBI Soft
Platform:   Nintendo Wii
(105)
Release Date: October 12, 2010

Buy new: $39.99 $38.49
12 used & new from $38.00

(Visit the Hot New Releases in Video Games list for authoritative information on this product's current rank.)

Source: Amazon.com: Hot New Releases in Video Games

Call of Duty: Black Ops
by Activision Publishing
Platform:   Xbox 360
(420)
Release Date: November 9, 2010

Buy new: $59.99 Click to see price
69 used & new from $51.90

(Visit the Hot New Releases in Video Games list for authoritative information on this product's current rank.)

Source: Amazon.com: Hot New Releases in Video Games

Halo Reach
by Microsoft
Platform:   Xbox 360
(447)
Release Date: September 14, 2010

Buy new: $59.99 $49.96
223 used & new from $35.00

(Visit the Hot New Releases in Video Games list for authoritative information on this product's current rank.)

Source: Amazon.com: Hot New Releases in Video Games

It seems as though the sales-based battle lines have been drawn this year, as deal-savvy consumers have declared allegiance to the retail-based Black Friday and the online-focused Cyber Monday. We polled our Twitter followers to find out which one reigns supreme.

With our Thanksgiving meals finally finishing their route through our collective digestive systems, we've moved onto the next phase of the holiday season--deal seeking. With one major sales-related day done and another one currently running, we posed the following question to our 22,000-plus Twitter followers:

With this being an online community, it wasn't surprising to see few Black Friday supporters. Here's the people that got out of bed early to score great gaming deals:

With Amazon cited as a frequent purchase source, we're going to assume that online retailers have assumed a strong hold on this purchase period, even if these sales weren't made on "Cyber Monday." Here's the folks that went online to snag deals:

Our winner for the top tweet of the day goes to meowcenary, who astutely pointed out that another one of the year's biggest shopping days lay ahead, when people come armed with gift cards and returns. Hopefully the swag meowcenary scores (by sending a message to GamePro on Twitter) will keep him (her? it?) out of harms way on December 26:

While many folks online have made declarations about their support for a certain retail method or a particular shopping day, it behooves everyone to have an open mind when shopping during the holidays. With amazing deals popping up online and in stores all the time over the next month, it's in every deal-seeker's best interest to keep all doors open.

What do you think of the replies above? Do you have a story you'd like to add? Please keep the conversation alive by commenting below or by replying to GamePro on Twitter.

Source: Daily News from GamePro.com