Fruit Ninja: Puss in Boots slices into Android for free through Amazon

If you love turning watermelons and oranges into gushing half-circles of juicy deliciousness, then today is your lucky day. Halfbrick announced that the movie-themed sequel to its hit Fruit Ninja is available for Android for free once again. That's right, Fruit Ninja: Puss in Boots is available for Android for the fine price of zilch on the Amazon Appstore one more time.

We personally adored the Puss in Boots edition when it released in time for the Dreamworks flick for iPhone and iPad. As you know, we're quite accustomed to ... branded properties here at Games.com, but Halfbrick truly treated this sequel as if it were Fruit Ninja 2. With a refreshingly challenging Bandito Mode that puts players through the gauntlet of fruit-based tests of finger flinging dexterity, there's no way we couldn't recommend downloading this gem immediately.

Seriously, because this deal is only good for today. So, get to it already. And don't hang too tightly on that "Fruit Ninja 2" quip, because that's coming too. If you love Fruit Ninja even remotely as much as this guy, you owe to yourself to pick this one up.

Click here to download Fruit Ninja: Puss in Boots for Free Now >

[Via Joystiq]

Are you a Fruit Ninja fan? What do you think of the Puss in Boots version, and what do you hope to see in Fruit Ninja 2?

Game of the Day: Little Shop - Memories

The Game of the Day brings you hidden object happiness. Little Shop - Memories: Say goodbye to your little shop, and get ready for an exciting future, in 'Little Shop - Memories', the latest chapter in the hugely popular Little Shop series of hidden object games. When the opportunity to open a Little Shop in paradise comes knocking on your door, you just can't resist! But there are so many memories in your Little Shop it's going to be hard to leave.
Click --> Play Little Shop - Memories

Important side note: Just by playing The Game of the Day you will be entered into a monthly drawing to win a FlipCam HD. You don't need to do anything else, just play! The more you play, the more chances you have to win. For more information on the Game of Day check out the official Game of the Day hub.

When did we throw ourselves away?

I joined this site a year ago, a youngling fresh on the gaming scene, intrigued by the growing world of social online gaming. What I failed to realize is that I had walked onto a battlefield in which a war is being fought, a war without sense or purpose. but a war that will continue for the foreseeable future. So I have a simple question to pose to you, the denizens of N4G.

When did you throw yourselves away?

When I was 14, my best friend got a new PS2 and gave me his old one, which was in great condition. I was ecstatic because I'd grown up playing great games like Spyro, Crash Bandicoot, SOCOM, Sly Cooper, and others with my friend on the PS1 and 2 and now he was giving me my very own. Also, because my parents never saw the worth in buying me a console, so I was left to drool after the neighbors.

Prior to my emergence on the online gaming scene, I was unaware that people fought over things like games. Was it too much to assume that people had different tastes and that they'd play that which pleased them?

But boy, have I come to several revelations while on N4G. Never before have I seen people go after each other so aggressively for preferring a specific thing on the internet. On this site particularly, there's been a vicious brawl for the past few years between rival "factions" over which console is the "best" which game is the "best". Things like Graphics are now in some people's eyes what decides if they'll buy a title or not.

What bothers me the most is the fact that these disturbing mindsets aren't just influencing the rank and file gamers that frequent this site and others, but also the journalists that we go to for news. Things have now gotten to the point where Reviewers and so called Journalists will mark down games simply because they are popular or well loved on a particular console.

Why is this happening? Are we not all brethren, united under one banner, which is gaming? Don't we all find pleasure in this our hobby? Why have we fallen to disparaging one another based on inevitably varying tastes?

This site seems to be the seat of corruption, but this can only be expected as it's the largest if not the only gaming news aggregation on the web. Fanboys spoiling games for other people, trolls spewing useless caustic remarks about a game that they don't care for, and possibly can't even play, and Moderators doing absolutely NOTHING about keeping the peace.

It seems this issue has come to an especially fierce boiling point in the advent of the long awaited Gran Turismo 5. And it has finally hit close to home to some people that their actions are like a never ending cycle.

360 Fanboys approving ridiculous reviews, PS3 Fanboys denouncing those who would comment on a game which they do not own and vowing revenge for Gears of War 3, and on, and on, and on.

Is it that you all are devoid of common sense? Why is it that before this, PS3 trolls were content to troll games they didn't own, yet they didn't anticipate that the same thing might be done to a game in the future? Has this not happened in the past?

I've heard things from members I won't name akin to "They hit us first! So we're going to hit back!"

Are you three year olds? Are you not aware that an eye for an eye means everybody loses? Where's the mature leadership that says, "Looks guys f*ck what anyone says, this is what we want to play, and we'll be damned if we let what anybody thinks about it affect us".

Instead, what I see is a tit-for-tat attitude. I hear folk all the time salivating for the day when the PS3 will surpass the Xbox 360 in worldwide sales. They say, that then the 360 fans will be put in their places and will finally shut up.

HA! Fat chance. You think for a moment that this constant fighting is going to let up just because of a small change in sales leadership? Hell no. They'll keep on trolling, and you'll keep on feeding them, and you'll keep on trolling and they'll keep on feeding you, and so a never-ending cycle will continue.

Do you throw gasoline on a fire?

Do review scores determine which games are good, and which are not?

As an avid gamer, I'm also an avid reader of gaming media. I regularly check N4G for material to satisfy my insatiable hunger for gaming media. I also regularly visit sites like IGN, Gamespot, Kotaku and more.

This lends itself to being a game review junkie. I love reading game reviews and finding out which games are worth my money, and which games aren't. I regularly base purchasing decisions on reading reviews. Some people might say 'how retarded- game reviews don't mean squat'. Believe me, I know. I often purchase games only to find out this point. I've been slowly learning this lesson too. For example, some major gripes a reviewer has won't annoy me too much or some elements they consider a weakness I consider a strength, and so on.

So naturally with the release of GT5 recently, I was a little perturbed at the scores it was getting. This was one of the most hyped games of the decade, with one of the longest production schedules and it got mostly 8's. In context, that seems like a let down. I have to admit here, that I have what I consider to be a fair sized PS3 library at 23 games (most of my friends don't have close to 10 games), and most of them I've purchased based on reading reviews.

Gran Turismo 5 I purchased without reading its review, as I pre-oredered it- not something I do often. A pre-order locks in your decision to purchase a game, and once it arrives at your door there's no turning back. So a game I figured I'd hold out on, I ended up getting. Reviews I read the night previous had me believing I'd be more than a little disappointed with GT5. But how wrong I've been.

I personally am loving GT5 right now. I'm really into just about every aspect of the game. The standard/premium car divide isn't bothering me that much at all (one of my favourite cars to drive right now is a 'standard' Mugen/Motul Honda Civic), I think the graphics are stunning and the driving experience is just unrivalled. I personally like the course editor and the way it creates tracks, I really dig photo mode and I think the way online is set out is actually a good thing. I can see where a lot of the criticisms lie, but the point is- I really don't care about them. I'm not bothered by loading screens, jagged shadows. In a day and age where every big release game seems centered around killing or maiming people, aliens or monsters in some way or another, GT5 has been a breath of fresh air for me.

Then it got me thinking. Those review scores. Did they matter? Not in the slightest. What matters is how much I like the game. Not how much some guy does, who is paid to play games and write good and bad things about it.

Then how about all the other games I own? Well many that have had great review scores didn't turn out so good. Heavy Rain for example. The reviews I read labeled it as revolutionary and a great game. I played it and found it was just poorly executed and I never finished it. I just didn't like it. One day I might try at it again- but that's just my opinion of it.

Another game I previously owned, NBA2K10, was reviewed very highly at the time. But I found it to be horrible, and wished I had not traded NBA2K9 for it (sports games are the only ones I trade). It was full of glitches and issues and really pissed me off. Luckily 2K11 saved the franchise.

Black Ops is another classic example. Gamespot's review in particular is that it's a tremendous game worth every accolade, and many sites gave this game a glowing endorsement. Yet to me its the most disappointing release of the year. It's buggy, it has worse graphics than its predecessors and its campaign is confusing and at times very boring. This isn't to mention its near unplayable (on PS3 at least) multiplayer, which is plagued with issues, glitches and bugs. I loved Modern Warfare 2 (online at least, I didn't touch the campaign), and in comparison Black Ops is just a let down to me.

The point is, reviews in many cases don't matter. For someone who bases a lot of decisions on reviews, I often come to a different conclusion to the reviewers. It's not to say I don't agree with all reviews either. Many encapsulate exactly how I feel about a game too. Yet what needs to be remembered is they're just opinions, and opinions will always differ.

So the lessons learned? Review scores don't determine what a good game is- you do. If you think GT5 sucks and was a major disappointment, then it is, because your the one that matters. If you love Black Ops to death, then it's the best game ever- to you at least. But just don't be too peeved to find out that someone thinks differently to you and writes it down in a review,. There may not be another Zynga game in which Energy is more important than in Adventure World. Every switch thrown, every puzzle solved and beastie whacked costs you the Facebook game juice. Players often find themselves without Energy minutes into an Expedition. But this isn't the time for whining--it's time to show you the value of upgrading your Tools and how to do it.

Tools: The Game Changer
If you noticed, each piece of debris and monster has a life bar, and normally take multiple hits with your Whip or Machete to whittle down. This, of course, quickly becomes a waste in later Expeditions purely due to the amount of obstacles in your path. But increasing the amount of damage your various Tools inflict against said baddies could considerably reduce the Energy spend in-game.

For instance, say a Snake has three hit points and is Level 5. Since monsters can hit back in this game, it could take three to five Energy before an enemy goes down. Now, imagine if you had upgraded your Whip to Level 2. Offing that Snake would take just two to four Energy with a beefier Whip. The same situation applies to Tools like the Machete.
Adventure World Tool Shop inside
And Now For Your How-To
Adventure World Tool Shop outsideUpgrading your Tools in Adventure World is simple. All you need to do is head back to Base Camp from an Expedition, and look for a makeshift hut that should already be in place in your headquarters. When you click on the Tool Shop, a window will appear featuring all the Tools you've found thus far on your journeys. Click on the Tool you wish to upgrade.

Once you click on a Tool to upgrade, you'll notice that each Tool costs Coins to upgrade. That's it--no asking friends to help you out with materials or farming certain crops for special items. Just the goods you find during your travels in search of El Dorado. However, Coins are actually quite rare in this game, so you'll need to save and spend wisely.

When you have enough Coins for an upgrade, just click on the appropriate icon to pay up. Tool upgrades are also level-locked, meaning you must reach a certain level for most Tools before being able to upgrade them using Coins. If you're feeling impatient, you could always unlock access to those higher level Tools early using Adventure Cash.

Just One Small Catch...
However, some Tool upgrades do require an extra boost: your Tool Shop. Yes, the building itself can be upgraded, too. And this time, you will need items from your friends. (Just think of how things work in CityVille.) Luckily, you only have to do this about twice to unlock access to all of the game's Tools. Then, it's back onto leveling up to access new upgrades for Coins.
Adventure World Tool Shop Upgrade
Upgraded Tools are hands-down the way to go, if you want to save precious Energy for the good stuff, that is. You know, exploring ... uncovering the secrets of El Dorado? That kind of stuff. Your wallet might thank us later.

Click here to find all of our Adventure World Tips in one spot >

[Source: Zynga]

Have you upgraded your Tools in Adventure World yet? What other Energy-saving tips might you have for your fellow adventurers? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment