| The biggest new addition to our site is GameSpring (it was the thing that was soooo hard not to mention in my last column but I was sworn to secrecy until its debut). GameSpring is a supercool subscription game service. With GameSpring you have unlimited access to a bunch of great games. There are no ads, no time limits and tons of features in each of the games. I, for one, love this idea for I am the ultimate bargain hunter. I'm not cheap (because believe me I splurge on a few items now and then) just thrifty and I always enjoy my possessions more if I know they were a steal. GameSpring is the thrifty gamer's dream!
Right now, you can get 40 games for one monthly price and there are gonna be even more games added to the GameSpring catalog in the weeks ahead. So let me break this down for you bargain hunters - 40 games, $14.99 a month. That means you can get a game for 37.5 cents – less than a price of a stamp! I'm sold on that alone – where do I sign up? Okay, so other than the amazing price we have an awesome selection of games – some you know and love (Bejeweled 2 and Granny in Paradise) and some that are making their debut on our site (Delicious, Puzzle Inlay – Safari Edition). If you're hesitant to purchase a deluxe game this is a great way to try out a bunch of games and figure out which ones you like enough to buy. Heck, if you're an ultimate player you may just finish all forty games in one month… now that would be impressive and thrifty!
What else is new on our site other than GameSpring? Loads! We've made the whole site easier to navigate. Your most recently played games and your badge album are now prominently displayed at the top of our main page so you'll be able to jump into your favorite games and have easy access your badge album. The new Top Games and New Games sections on the home page will let you see what games are new to the site and what games are most popular. The new Fun & Challenges and Community & Events sections make it a snap for gamers to view the new badge challenges, enter sweepstakes, and read up on the latest MSN Games happenings. One more change that may not be apparent to some of our gamers – you can now adjust the text size for our site! This makes all of MSN Games easier on the eyes of our players and I know from experience, bumping up that font size really helps when your eyes are tired. To read up on all our new additions take a look at this article.
So we hope you like our new site. We all worked really hard to make a great experience for our gamers. Now go gaming and tell us what you think. Wait! No - read the rest of the column first then go gaming! | |
| Halloween Happenings
I love Halloween! When October 1st rolls around I start thinking of the Great Pumpkin, candy-induced comas and great costume ideas. And I can't believe Halloween is oh-so-close and I still don't know what I'm going to be. When I was little, my mom made my costumes so I had some pretty snazzy get-ups. I was Annie (more than once), a wooden soldier, and a clown that was so good I think I could have snuck into Barnum and Bailey and no one would have noticed. This year I'm thinking of being something casual games themed – Flo from Diner Dash? The Zuma frog? A Bejeweled gem? Oooh the wheels are turning…I might have to enlist my mom's talents. I gotta look good because I'm sure some of my creative co-workers will have amazing costumes. Well I may not have decided on a costume but I have pumpkins that are awaiting a carving (I must confess I use patterns from the internet now – they might not be original but they do prevent a gourdy disaster) a stash of candy for the kiddies, and I have "Monster Mash" all cued up. Even my desk is all decked out for Halloween!
MSN Games has caught Halloween fever too. We have Horror Film Trivia (I did mighty well despite my inability to watch a horror film with my eyes open), Halloween Bejeweled and a slew of other Halloweenie games you can play here. It's just the ticket to get you in the Halloween spirit. Also, all month we'll be offering ultra-special and ultra-spooky Halloween-themed badges. So snatch up those badges before they disappear like they are full-sized candy bars in a bucket of dum dums and candy corn.
Speaking of challenges, in my last column I offered a gaming challenge to my readers and I must say… the response hasn't been overwhelming. Are my fellow gamers scared of a little competition? Don't be! I know you guys have some great scores and badges under your belt. There's been a thread going in the forums where players are declaring their number of badges and their highest scores and some of those numbers are mighty impressive. So send in screen shots of your badge album or end game screens to zdeluxe@microsoft.com. I can't wait to see those high scores… and I know my competitive streak will kick in once I see someone has bested me in Jewel Quest! Oh, and feel free to send in any tips and tricks you might have that will help your fellow gamers in their quest for the elusive Mastery Level 10 badges.
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| Tech Time
So in my last column I also casually mentioned that some of my badge album game scores had been reset to zero. I got a few notes from players who have experienced this also and they wanted to know how they can avoid it. Well, unfortunately the only way you can avoid your scores being reset is by playing you favorite games regularly - once a month oughta do it. If you stay away for longer than that your scores might be reset but the good news is that your badges won't! That Mastery Level 10 badge you nabbed playing Hexic will never be ripped from your grasp.
See you next time, Coffee Breakers! | |
