As the game begins, players enter the Mascot Park world as a customizable mascot with a single goal, to become the star of the show. Players put on performances to entertain friends. Better shows gain more fans and coins, thus giving players the ability to buy new costumes, unlock new mascots and add stage props and sets. Participants can invite their friends to join the show and add their own personal flavor by dropping a cartoon-style TNT box that splats a friend’s mascot or by choosing the classic pie-in-the-face maneuver. In Mascot Park, social collaboration exists on every level. For anyone looking to watch, create or disrupt a show, Six Flags Mascot Park spins together a fun-for-all Facebook experience with unique twists like hip-hop dancing rhinos and exploding bunny guns – both a first for any social networking game.

What are some of your favorite Facebook games that you have played so far, and do you think hardcore gamers will give these a go on a sustained basis? We don’t think so for the latter as they would most probably be more interested in seeing high quality framerates and non-stop action going on on their displays instead of clicking on cute little buttons or wait for turns as with most casual titles.

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Featuring over 7,500 of the best soccer stars in the world to choose from, gamers can emulate the way real-world coaches and managers build the truly great soccer teams. Choose how to manage your team –- focusing on creating one formidable squad, or managing multiple squads to match dynamic requirements for tournaments and competitions. Buy, sell, trade and acquire the biggest stars to build your team. Be strategic and tactical in preparing your squads for the various in-game competitions. A completely redesigned chemistry system built around player relationships on the pitch means that managing teams and squads to their full potential is even more critical to success. Take carefully assembled squads into standard tournaments and themed competitions against the most formidable teams from around the world – and then out wit and out play them.

So do you think that you have the managerial mind of Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho? Give FIFA 10 Ultimate Team a go and find out – the hard way, as you battle your way through thousands of players, giving your tactical nous and acumen a good workout to reach the very summit.

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Bejeweled Twist was originally released to critical acclaim in October 2008, revolutionizing the award-winning Bejeweled franchise with its new “twist” on the traditional match-3 format that PopCap pioneered almost ten years ago. In the game, players rotate 2×2 blocks of gems to create a line of three or more gems of the same type. They don’t have to make a match on every move – instead they can freely rotate gems anywhere on the board, allowing increased strategic freedom to plan combinations, cascades and chains of various matches. The Nintendo DSiWare adaptation of Bejeweled Twist features non-stop action and infinite replayability throughout two dynamic game modes — Classic and the multiplayer Battle mode. Classic mode bedazzles players with a host of power-ups, including Flame, Lightning and Fruit gems that produce fiery explosions and other powerful effects. Players will also encounter obstacles such as Bomb and Locked gems as well as Doom gems that challenge them as never before. In the multiplayer Battle mode, gamers can play against one another over the DS Wireless Communications network.

Sounds like this is something worth checking out if casual games are the order of the day for you, and you have an extra five bucks to spare.

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In this Nintendo DS adaptation, players will spell their way to a higher rank across three different game modes. Players can link letters in the fast-paced Action mode; if laid-back wordplay is more their style, Classic mode provides plenty of action at their own pace; or for the ultimate challenge, players can compete against friends in the Multiplayer mode. The Multiplayer mode is a new feature offered for the first time in any version of Bookworm, and is played over the DS WirelessCommunications network. Players will test their vocabulary might with 20 themed Bonus Book Collections and the ability to build out 18 unique library rooms. They can also build their spelling skills and track their progress with in-depth stats and charts. Additionally, all features have been specifically tuned for dual-screen, vertical gameplay, allowing players to hold their DS like an actual book, while enjoying endless challenge and fun.

Interested in giving your kids a game that can help them improve their vocabulary and word power instead of just zapping aliens and saving the world for the umpteenth time? Then you might just want to consider Bookworm for the Nintendo DS which retails for an extremely affordable $19.95.

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Ghostbusters: The Video Game, based on the smash hit motion picture franchise, is penned by original Ghostbusters writers and stars Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd and reunites many of the original cast members to recapture the unique blend of humor and fright that established Ghostbusters as a pop culture sensation. In collaboration with Sony Pictures Consumer Products and acclaimed development studios Terminal Reality and RedFly Studios, Atari published this completely all-new chapter of the blockbuster Ghostbusters saga to advanced gaming platforms to coincide with the 25th Anniversary celebration of the film’s original theatrical release. Ghostbusters: The Video Game on the PSP systems offers the ability to switch between four equipment sets to access eight unique proton pack functions and use gadgets like the PKE Meter and Paragoggles to scan and analyze targets. Get pulled into the world of the paranormal, unleash your blast stream and tear it up on the go.

Expect to fork out $29.99 for Ghostbusters: The Video Game for the PSP system, where it picked up an E10 rating. Of course, that doesn’t mean you can’t check out other versions on different platforms, eh?

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According to Brian Fargo, founder and CEO of inXile entertainment, “We felt it was time to give the game some needed attention and add features commonly discussed by the community. Sparkworkz will continue to inquire further into Line Rider’s loyal community for future updates. What is most important is that we give the community what they want in order to make the game fun and enjoyable for everyone who plays it.”

This simple yet overwhelmingly addictive title has seen it pick up the Most Innovative Game of 2007 at The Game Developers Conference, where more than 100,000 people visit the Line Rider site each day as a testament to its popularity. Have you given Line Rider a go before? If the answer is in the negative, it is about time you start as you won’t know what you’ve been missing out on.

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Star Trek Online boasts a combination of space and ground gameplay and for the first time ever, bringing to the table Cryptic’s penchant for unrivaled customization, players will be able to truly become a captain by designing a unique character and heavily customizing their own ships. In addition, gamers will be able to create their own unique alien races, outfit and captain a succession of ships throughout their careers, lead their own away teams in planetary exploration, and battle Klingons, Romulans, Cardassians and more.

Hardcore or softcore Star Trek fans – it doesn’t matter, as anyone who is interested or curious will soon be able to join Starfleet, help defend the Federation during times of peril as well as promote peace within the war torn Alpha Quadrant. Perhaps something could be learnt from this game, where people start to look forward to building bridges with one another instead of walls of emnity. You can sign up for the Star Trek Online Closed Beta here – http://www.startrekonline.com/preview_application.

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No superhero, however unique, can be complete without a super villainous Nemesis or two. With Champions Online’s powerful customization tools, players can also design the perfect Nemesis to oppose their superheroes. These ultimate adversaries appear throughout a hero’s career, sometimes issuing challenges, other times ambushing their heroic foe. Champions Online brings epic superheroism to the MMORPG genre with depth that challenges the most experienced online gamers, while its fast-paced action promises to engage new entrants to the online superhero universe.

You can be one of the first few to experience this one-of-a-kind online superhero gaming universe by signing up for the open beta which is currently run on an exclusive basis by IGN’s Fileplanet. To do so, you must register at Fileplanet beforehand, and if you find yourself sold, there is always the option to place a pre-order at Wal-Mart, GameStop, Best Buy, Direct2Drive, and Amazon where the game ships this September.

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“Halo Legends,” which will officially debut at a panel presentation today at Comic-Con International in San Diego, is being produced by Microsoft’s 343 Industries and features creative direction from anime pioneer Shinji Aramaki, director of the critically acclaimed “Appleseed” and “Appleseed EX Machina” anime features, and Mamoru Oshii, director of the landmark “Ghost in the Shell” movies, with additional production from Joseph Chou of J-Spec Pictures. The compilation will include a series of short stories that explore different times, themes and characters from the “Halo” universe and will be distributed globally by Warner Home Video, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. company. Influential studios that are part of the project include the creators behind some of the most popular and celebrated anime to come from Japan, such as “The Animatrix,” “Cowboy Bebop,” “Fullmetal Alchemist,” “Ghost in the Shell,” “Dragon Ball” and more.

Selected “Halo Legends” episodes will be available on a preview basis on (where else) but Xbox LIVE from this fall onwards through a new experience known as Halo Waypoint. This is the epicenter of all things Halo, where it will include a career system alongside player rankings that are tied to both in-game and out-of-game accomplishments related to “Halo.”

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In Farm Frenzy 3, Scarlett travels to Africa, South America and other exotic locations to manage five different farms and try her hand at penguin breeding and jewelry making. Her goal is to become the president of the farmers union by earning the votes of the people she helps. This task will be easier than before thanks to improved gameplay. Players can breed birds instead of buying them, for example, and dress the bears they catch in silly outfits and sell them for more money. Players will be also challenged to beat 90 levels, tend to 15 animals (including walruses and llamas) and purchase more upgrades than in previous Farm Frenzy games. What’s more, as players grow crops, feed animals, collect produce and manufacture goods, they’ll be treated to some of the zaniest animation to ever grace a casual game!

Interested? You can always download a free trial here, and something tells me that casual games are the ones which are strangely engrossing, although I have no idea why. Perhaps it is the clarion call of “just one more level” that keeps us going…

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