Bejeweled Blitz fans say 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it!'

Bejeweled Blitz new stats screen
Bejeweled Blitz 600k noviceEvery time a game makes a change, it's not without controversy. The puzzling basics of PopCap Games' Bejeweled Blitz was a winner three years before Facebook itself came into existence in 2004. Players of the game have also been climbing steadily this past week.

Well, today, PopCap whipped out a new acheivements system with a flourish, which features 131 ranks, where the first hundred have corresponding badges, the oldest being the "Elder Bejewelian". (But you can go higher than Rank 131, since PopCap admits they simply "ran out of cool names at that point.") Even without checking out the revamped game, the first thing I knew was that the change will upset veteran players.

When Bejeweled Blitz finally got the 25k bar to work, it meant that people had to deliberately play badly to fill it up again. Another issue was when they allowed players to hit beyond 500k, but didn't introduce the 500k Star Medal 'til much later, prompting players to try again. All these things happened because the new features couldn't be applied retroactively. And then they had to go and introduce the Boosts system, which injected the game with a freshness we didn't think was possible, but it definitely lowered the bar for newbies to score higher than previously before.

The immediate reaction by fans to this latest change is that the screen has SHRUNK. By this, I doubt they mean the play area. Because I've noticed that the player roster on the right has this unpleasant varnished look to it, indicative of a smaller screen size. And yet, this isn't so important as how silly it is for a player like me, to have scored over 620,000 points at one point, reduced to the rank of Novice. Oh well, at least the race to the top will be fun.

PopCap launches Bejeweled 3 from English mum's living room tea party

Bejeweled 3 Tea Party
Forget those glitzy and glamorous launch parties for the year's biggest games like Halo: Reach or Call of Duty: Black Ops. The sequel to one of the best selling casual games of all time, Bejeweled 3, launched from a British mother's living room. A bold move by famed casual game developer PopCap, the comfier launch was made in honor of recent research targeting the largest demographic of Bejeweled players: middle-aged, tech savvy mothers.

According to a survey of 2,000 casual gamers conducted by 72 Point, the average player of games like Bejeweled is "a 43-year-old married mum called Sue with two grown up children who counts watching Midsomer Murders and playing on her own games console as among her favourite pastimes." While this is an especially personalized and hilarious account of a statistic, it checks out with claims made elsewhere.

Guests invited to the launch party included a Women's Institute secretary, a granny, a Welsh librarian, a glamorous banker and a trendy dad to name a few. And what did they once they arrived in the Northern London living room of this British mother of two? Why, they had a tea party over Bejeweled 3, of course.

Despite containing twice the game modes, better visuals and sound and eight mini games, what has to be the game's most unique and interesting feature is its Zen Mode. Neil Shah, a member of the Stress Management Society, was invited to the launch tea party to test this new game mode and says, "Bejeweled 3's new Zen mode is a great idea for helping players chill out even more and put all their worries to one side." According to PopCap, Bejeweled 2 was proven to reduce stress levels by 47 percent and the new Zen Mode is designed to create a "mental vacation" for players. Players can find their very own mind escape first thing tomorrow.

PopCap launches Bejeweled Blitz LIVE on XBLA with blazing speed

Consider your Xbox 360 assimilated. PopCap announced today that the company has launched Bejeweled Blitz LIVE on Xbox Live Arcade. The game costs 800 Microsoft Points, or $10 USD, and is essentially Bejeweled Blitz without the Facebook connectivity. However, the game does make liberal use of Xbox Live, allowing 16 players at once to compete in 60-second matches. You can also battle your friends one-on-one on the same console or over Xbox Live. The question is: Will your Xbox Live friends be as impressed by your Bejeweled score as your Facebook friends? Check out our preview of Bejeweled Blitz LIVE before rushing to the Xbox Game Marketplace and decide for yourself.

[Image Credit: PopCap]

Have you tried Bejeweled Blitz on Xbox 360 yet? What PopCap game would you like to see on consoles next?

Plants vs Zombies's Crazy Dave finds his calling: hip hop music [Video]

Unintelligible stammering backed by some smooth zombie croons, but hip hop nevertheless. In this new video by PopCap, Crazy Dave (you know, the guy who sells you stuff?) from Plants vs Zombies takes a shot at making a hip hop video. Of course, you'll never know what the guy is spitting out rhymes about, as he can't say much more than "wabby" and "wabbo."

In fact, that's exactly the title of Cray-Z's--Crazy Dave's most fitting stage name--debut video, "Wabby Wabbo." According to its description, Ded Jam Records decided that the world deserved to hear Crazy Dave's mindless blabbering in a more appropriate format: rap music. (Let the flaming in the comments commence!)

We don't want to ruin all the surprises, but just know this: Cray-Z, like just about all successful hip hop artists, seriously loves his bling, expensive cars and collaborating with back-up vocalists for seconds at a time. Oh, and a fan-favorite zombie makes a show-stopping vocal contribution ... literally.

Considering all the work PopCap has been up to on the game already, we're guessing this is just how the team prefers to spend their free time. And please, guys, if your free time results in more comedy gold like this, definitely squeeze in more of that free time. Check out the video below.


[Video Credit: PlantsVsZombies]

Are you a fan of Plants vs Zombies? What about PopCap's hilarious videos surrounding its games? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment