neopets posts

Last August the start up game company Meteor Games (founded by the creators of Neopets) announced plans to launch Twin Skies, a 3D fantasy themed MMO that would also include allowing players to participate in web based and cell phone based 2D mini-games. Well, things have changed a lot since that announcement. Apparently the current economic slowdown has also resulted in Meteor Games changing their plans considerably.

On a post on the game's official message boards, Meteor Games co-founder and CEO Adam Powell stated, "...creating a 3D MMO is really, really hard, especially in this economy." Thus they have abandoned their plans to make Twin Skies a full 3D MMO game. Instead it will now be a free-to-play Flash based 2D game. The game will be set in the same fictional world but before the events of the planned 3D MMO. According to Powell, "You'll still be able to go on adventures, craft items, join guilds, raise pets, grow magical plants, trade, and play minigames for points, it's just going to be more accessible, a little bit cuter and hopefully easier to make."

Meteor Games does not have a timeline for when the new version of Twin Skies will launch but said, "We really hope that we can put something up in 2009..." In the meantime the company is working on a number of games that will launch on social networking web sites like Facebook and MySpace.

[Via Massively]

One of the busiest casual game web sites is the virtual pet site Neopets. Launched in 1999 by Adam Powell and Donna Williams, it has spawned separate console games, a magazine and even an upcoming feature film.Viacom bought the Neopets web site back in 2005 for $160 million. Now Powell and Williams have charged back into the game industry again. Today they officially launched a new Hollywood, California based gaming development studio called Meteor Games.

According to a press release, Meteor Games plans to release titles that combine traditional MMO features with web based casual gameplay and social networking features. While details on their first title are to be announced later they did offer some artwork that gives a hint about their plans.

Gamespot writer Ricardo Torres recently had the chance to go hands-on with the PC version of Neopets Puzzle Adventure, a Neopets / Puzzle Quest hybrid. After their time with the casual title, Gamespot confessed to being "downright shocked at how well the blend of Puzzle Quest and Neopets is working out."

Players will be able to choose from over 12 different species, each with typical RPG stats such as strength and defense. After customizing your character's name and appearance, you'll be able to explore the world of Neopia. A diverse landscape spanning various cultures, Gamespot's jaunt "featured an Asian theme, but there will also be a tropical island and pirate, desert, and futuristic locations."

Combat is loosely based on Othello, with the player flipping markers on each battlefield to his color. Collecting gems allows the player to use either a sword or a shield, each offering different benefits. Gems can also be used to "unleash your Petpets--pets for your Neopet--which function as spells. You can equip several different pets, each with its own unique attacks that you can level up via a minigame." Over 150 different Petpets can be found in Neopets Puzzle Adventure.

Gamespot walked away from the preview with positive feelings, stating that "Infinite Interactive's ridiculously addictive Puzzle Quest formula looks to be a smart fit with the license," which should be good news to RPGers who might otherwise be inclined to turn away from the casual-oriented game. Gamespot also stated that, according to Capcom, the PC version will definitely feature online play.

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Neopets is the cute web based kids game with lots of cuddly creatures to collect and play with. Soon the franchise will expand into more genres thanks to publisher Capcom and developer Infinite Interactive (best known as the creators of the Puzzle Quest series) with their just announced game Neopets Puzzle Adventure.

The game, which is currently scheduled for release this winter for the PC and other platforms, is actually based on the classic board game Reversi. With 150 pets, over 150 quests and a number of mini-games, it looks like this will have a bit more depth than the normal puzzle game. Once more, players can earn special codes by achieving certain goals in the game. Those codes can later be used on the Neopets.com web site to unlock exclusive items in the web based game. Our sister site Joystiq has a hands-on preview of the game for you to check out right now.