FarmVille April Showers Spring Countdown: Everything you need to know

Last year, Zynga launched a Spring Countdown in FarmVille, giving dedicated players a way to earn plenty of then exclusive prizes for simply playing the game for 12 days in a row and asking friends for a bit of help. Now a year later, another installment in the Spring Countdown has arrived, this one being tag-lined with "April Showers."

Once again, there are 12 days of prizes ahead of us, with Day 1's prize being the only one available as of this writing. It's an April Flower Patch, and you'll earn it by asking your friends to send you three Wheelbarrows. This is accomplished via a general news item posted on your wall, so if you have plenty of active neighbors, you could finish this day's task in a matter of minutes. If you wish to purchase additional Flower Patches, you can do so for 5 Farm Cash each.

For the next 11 days, a new prize will be given away, but you can unlock the ability to earn further prizes right now for Farm Cash if you don't want to wait. As with previously released countdowns in FarmVille, if you can manage to secure each of the 12 prizes in this event, you'll win a special bonus prize. We're not quite sure what the prize is as of this writing, but we do know that impatient players can find out immediately by buying it outright for 195 Farm Cash (that number will decrease as you earn each daily item).

We'll make sure to let you know just as soon as we discover what the rest of this event's prizes will be, so stay tuned!

Are you excited to have a chance at more free decorations and items via this April Showers Spring Countdown in FarmVille? Sound off in the comments.

FarmVille English Garden Items: Juneberry Tree, Garden Cottage and more

If you liked the first set of English Garden items in FarmVille, but are still looking for more goodies to revitalize your English Countryside farm, look no further than the game's marketplace, as yet another set of English Gardens has been released in the store for your shopping pleasure. We're here with a look at these new items, and we have one word of warning: I hope you've been saving up your Farm Cash.

Trees

Juneberry Tree - 6 Farm Cash
Kilimarnock Willow Tree - 12 Farm Cash
European Horse Tree - 8 Farm Cash
Red Horse Chestnut Tree - 14 Farm Cash

Animals

English Foxhound - 12 Farm Cash
Bashkir Curly Horse - 26 Farm Cash
Tea Party Cow - 20 Farm Cash
Big Tea Party Cow - 22 Farm Cash
Tea Party Pig - 16 Farm Cash

Buildings

Garden Cottage - 20 Farm Cash

Decorations

Allium Flowerbed - 10,000 coins
Rose Fountain - 10 Farm Cash

Avatar Clothing

Lady Dress - 7 Farm Cash

See all of these items for Farm Cash? At least you can't say we didn't warn you. Unfortunately, you'll need to shell out plenty of real cash to get your hands on the coolest of these English Garden items, but at least we have the Garden Tea Party feature to complete in order to get a bit of the fun of the theme for free. If you're interested in purchasing any of these items, make sure you do so fast, as they'll only be available for the next two weeks.

What do you think of these latest English Garden items? How many of them do you think you'll purchase? Will you place them all on your English Countryside farm, or will you use them elsewhere? Let us know in the comments.

The Sims Social hits the slots and shows in Vegas Week

The Sims Social will never sleep ... at least for this week. Playfish takes its numero uno social game to lovely Las Vegas this week, complete with new items, outfits and quests for players to complete and collect. The update takes the whole "Vegas" thing literally, as players can now transform their homes into miniature casinos with slot machines, shiny floors and drinks all around.

The theme also features plenty of pristine or feathery colors, like whites, pinks and purples, throughout. If you've ever been so lucky to visit Las Vegas, you'll know how close Playfish comes to hitting it on the nose. (You know, aside from the creepy dudes that try to shove "calling cards" in your face.) Of course, players stand to win plenty of Simoleons--a 10,000 jackpot, to be exact--from in-game slot machines, like the VegasLadyLuck available.

In this week's quest, players stand to win a Vegas Tiger Pal, which is just one part of a collection needed to craft the Vegas Card Trick Table. Players can also hang loose in the Vegas Ritzy Dip Pool. Basically, this week is your chance to experience Vegas without leaving your computer chair ... but we do highly recommend you make it out there. It's kind of awesome.

Are you liking Vegas Week in The Sims Social? What other themes do you hope Playfish takes on in its game? Sound off in the comments.

The Sims Social 'One Week Only' Quest: How to finish it fast

The Sims Social is knee-deep in slots, shows and shiny neon lights this week. It's Vegas Week in Playfish's crown jewel, and with it comes yet another weekly quest. Titled "One Week Only," players must help a stage performer--that clearly wants to be just like Sigfried or Roy ... we can't decide which--successfully wow your fellow Sims through seven quests in total.

To complete this storied quest, you'll need at least six neighbors, 1,850 Simoleons, six White Essence, five Buzz, 10 Joker Cards, 15 Herbs, an Athletic Skill item and a Music Skill item. Now, let's see how to complete "One Week Only" as quickly as possible:

One Week Only Part 1

• Become Inspired
• Have splash in ShowTime Ritzy Pool
• Collect 6 White Essence

All you need to do is fulfill all your Sim's needs to get Inspired. Luckily, Bella has a ShowTime Ritzy Pool, so visit her, click on the pool and choose the "Splash" option--not the "Splash About" option. While you're there, try to click on as many white objects as possible and choose the "Collect White Essence" option. And Bella just so happens to have six white items. Then, plant four Watermelons--you'll see why.

One Week Only Part 2

• Have 5 Buzz
• Harvest 4 Watermelons
• Have the Vegas Ritzy Fountain

Buzz comes from fulfilling your Sim's Fun need with any item, as well as from individual friend requests. Four Watermelons will cost a total of 76 Simoleons and take at least 12 hours to harvest. Finally, pick up the Ritzy Fountain for free and get to building. We highly recommend you keep working at this as you complete these quest, since the final requirement is to have this finished.
One Week Only Part 3

• Ask Friends to Watch Card Trick
• Have 10 Joker Cards
• Make Shuffle Cards Twice

To ask friends to watch the trick, you must post to your Wall and have at least two friends click on it--comment on your own post to make it more visible. To get Joker Cards, you must ask your friends directly. Finally, Bella happens to have ShowTime Card Trick Table that you must interact with twice over two days consecutively, a perfect time to work on the Fountain.

One Week Only Part 4

• Earn 500 Simoleons from Athletic Skill Item
• Check Mailbox in 24 hours
• "Dance Like Nobody's Watching" 10 Times

The best Athletic Skill items to earn the 500 Simoleons with include the Simiyoga Mat, Runner3000 and the Archery Range. Then you must wait for 24 hours to check your Mailbox. (Again, keep working on the Fountain!) Finally, visit Bella's house to use her ShowTime Nightlife Stage 10 times.

One Week Only Part 5

• Earns 800 Simoleons from Music Skill Items
• Have 3 New Furniture from Vegas Week
• Conjure Fluffy Two Days in a Row

It seems like any Music Skill item will do, so why not use the free guitar? Luckily, the Vegas Ritzy Fountain counts as a furniture item, so the next cheapest items would be the Vegas Flowers and Vegas Table, which go for 600 and 750 Simoleons, respectively. For the third and final task, visit Bella's house two days in a row, click on her ShowTime Card Trick Table and choose the "Magic Time" option. In the meantime, keep at that Fountain.
One Week Only Part 6

• Have 15 Herbs
• Harvest 4 Lettuces
• Feed Fluffy 10 Times

First, you must also plant four Lettuce, which will take 30 minutes to harvest and cost a total of 32 Simoleons. Herbs can be found while trimming weeds in your Sim's yard as well as when harvesting crops. Finally, pay Bella a visit, click on her ShowTime Card Trick Table and choose the "Feed Me" option 10 times. You should plant the Lettuce first.

One Week Only Part 7

• Clean 6 other Sims' Dirty Items
• Tell 5 Friends to See the Grand Finale
• Complete ShowTime Ritzy Fountain

First, post the News Feed on your Wall for five friends to click on. (Remember to comment on your own post!) Then, visit six friends and find dirty items to clean. By this time, you should have completed the ShowTime Ritzy Fountain. For completing this quest, your reward is a Vegas Tiger Pal, which you'll need to finish your own ShowTime Card Trick Table.

Have any tips for completing this week's quest even faster? Sound off in the comments

Expect way more The Sims Social ads where Dove Soap came from

Like, way more. Playfish parent company EA and consumer products company Unilever recently announced a huge deal that will bring lots of in-game advertising to The Sims Social, its number one Facebook game. Unilever is responsible for big time brands, including Hellman's, Axe, Lipton, Slim-Fast and yes, even Dove.

While the two companies only just recently announced their year-long partnership, according to All Things D, it actually started at the beginning of 2012 with the Dove Hair Spa. In that event, players could visit the Dove Facebook page and score a free Dove item for their Sims--this is just the beginning. Unilever and EA plan to bring brands like Magnum Mini ice cream bars and Heartbrand ice cream to The Sims Social in a spring and summer ad campaign.

EA even laid out exactly how it goes about advertising in its games through everything from video ads to branded in-game quests--ahem, Toyota. Of course, advertising in Facebook games is noting new: Zynga has been at it for years in games like FarmVille. But a deal this huge and far-reaching certainly says something about where social games are headed.

"Everyone knows the audience is there, and that they are spending a lot of time in the games, but from a media standpoint, it's still been fairly new," EA SVP of global media solutions Dave Madden said during the announcement. "For a global company like Unilever to want to partner with EA and launch a campaign globally, it's an indication that gaming is finding a stage."

Are you a fan of ad content in The Sims Social, or are you against it? What effects does it have on gameplay? Sound off in the comments.

The Sims Social takes Interactive Achievement Award to Littlehaven

In the minds of the games industry's best, Playfish was certainly on onto something with The Sims Social. Its most popular Facebook game won the Interactive Achievement Award (IAA) for Social Networking Game of the Year at last night's 15th annual IAAs during the D.I.C.E. Summit. The game was joined other impressive nominees like Triple Town, CastleVille, Gardens of Time and Army Attack.

"Each year the Interactive Achievement Awards sees the top minds and personas of our industry coming together to not only celebrate, but recognize one another for the achievements of the year," Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences president Martin Rae said, according to IndustryGamers. "2011 produced an outstanding number of fantastic games in all areas of the industry – console, PC, social and mobile – we are truly witnessing a new golden age of gaming. Bravo to our winners!"

Of course, Bethesda's sword swinging and spell slinging adventure Skyrim took home the coveted Game of the Year award. (And four others last night.) As for best casual game, it also went to a Facebook game, at least in proxy. Fruit Ninja Kinect received the honor, which has been released on Facebook as Fruit Ninja Frenzy. As for The Sims Social, EA COO Peter Moore recently mused about what he wished the game could do, and if Playfish can pull it off, their game could be back next year.

Are you surprised that The Sims Social took home the IAA? If so, which game do you think deserved it? Sound off in the comments. 

Angry Birds Land is headed to a theme park relatively near you [Video]

Remember that Angry Birds theme park that's about to land in Finland? According to Mashable, we could get in on that fun, too. On the heels of the massive Angry Birds Space launch, Rovio is in talks to open Angry Birds theme parks in the U.K, the U.S. and parts of China at a later date. The move would all but solidify Rovio as more than a game company, which the Finnish game maker has looked to make clear for some time.

"Zynga is a game company. We stopped looking at ourselves as a game company," Rovio CMO Peter Vesterbacka told SFGate.com. "We sold 25 million plush toys last year. For us, it's about making Angry Birds available everywhere."

These Angry Birds attractions will follow the example of the first-ever Angry Birds Land, an addition to Särkänniemi Adventure Park in Tampere, Finland, meaning that they'll be additions to existing Western and Eastern theme parks. Lappset, the company designing the playground equipment for Angry Birds Lands, looks to blur the lines between the physical and digital worlds with Angry Birds-esque sandpits, arcade games, slides and more. Angry Birds Disney, here we come?




Would you go out of your way to visit an Angry Birds Land? Does Angry Birds have the staying power to support its own theme parks? Sound off in the comments.