Most Played This Week Ending December 27st

With the Holidays season winding down,  Christmasville continued to be the most played game.  Who says Christmas spirit is gone?
#1    Christmasville
#2    Super Collapse! Puzzle Gallery
#3    Finders Keepers
#4    Bingo
#5    Jewel Quest II
#6    Bejeweled 2
#7    Family Feud (TM)
#8    SCRABBLE Blast
#9    Classic Solitaire
#10    Bookworm
#11    The Rise of Atlantis
#12    Text Twist
#13    Cradle of Rome
#14    Jewel Quest Solitaire
#15    Mystery P.I. - The Lottery Ticket
#16    Burger Island
#17    Big Island Blends
#18    TriPeaks
#19    Wedding Dash
#20    Gold Miner Vegas
#21    Zuma
#22    Yahtzee
#23    Cafe Mahjongg
#24    Flip Words
#25    Chuzzle

Games.com Chart: Top 25 Week ending December 23th

Top 25 Games
Top Sales December 17th to December 23th
#1    Christmasville
#2    Agatha Christie: Peril at End House
#3    Cradle of Rome
#4    Finders Keepers
#5    Monopoly Here & Now Edition
#6    JewelQuest II
#7    The Rise of Atlantis
#8    Monopoly by Parker Brothers
#9    Bejeweled 2 Deluxe
#10    SCRABBLE Blast
#11    Home Sweet Home
#12    Family Feud
#13    Big Island Blends
#14    Mystery P.I.™ - The Lottery Ticket
#15    Wedding Dash
#16    Hidden Expedition - Everest
#17    Jewel Quest Solitaire
#18    Burger Island
#19    Big City Adventure: San Francisco
#20    Alice Greenfingers
#21    Neptune's Secret
#22    Super Collapse! Puzzle Gallery
#23    Download Insurance
#24    Holiday Bonus
#25    Bookworm Deluxe

Tags: games.com top 25 sales

Like Slots? Four Slots games in One!

Like I said yesterday,  we have a new game that is ALMOST ready for prime time.  May I introduce to you all The Slots Lounge (Beta)
The Slots Lounge is really four Slots games in one.  We've got some casino favorites included in the game.  Included in the Slots Lounge are:
Double Jackpot Diamond Line
Blazing 7's
Black & White Double Jackpot
Stars and Bars.

Please log in and play.  Tell us what you think of the game.  We're looking for your feedback, thoughts and ideas on how we can make the game better.  It's your gaming community and you can make a difference in the development of our games.

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Holiday Daze.... What's Happening at Games.com

Hey folks,

Yes!  I am still here.  Rested and rearing to go. Couple of things that I want to let you folks know that I am up to.

First off,  I want to wish everyone an WONDERFUL New Years!  I didn't have a Christmas post for you all but I really wanted to wish you all a wonderful holidays.  It has been a wild ride so far and it is going to get wilder!  We've got games, games and more games coming and that is all we all want!

 If you read our games comments on the game pages you'll notice that many of the big games are having their comments purged. It is not some bug or crazy destruction of our site.  It's something we decided we needed to do.  We're in our third month of beta and we are learning from our comments.  We're going to start fresh and let the comments work from there.  We're going to implement some guidelines so the comments actually mean something useful.  I believe that people want to form games communities but right now,  the comments are just too all over the place.  We're going to really outline what is the purpose of the comments.

The other thing I'm doing here is getting a new game into beta.  You can expect to see a new Slots game with stars out the door in the next 24 hours.  The game is wonderful and the machines are gorgeous.  Should be a good time.  I'll be sure to let everyone know when its out.

Anything else you folks want me to discuss?  Drop me a line.

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Most Played This Week Ending December 21st

The Christmas spirit is in full swing and the hidden object game Christmasville is taking the cake.  Everyone must be looking for the dang hedgehog!
#1    Christmasville
#2    Bingo
#3    Cradle of Rome
#4    Bejeweled 2
#5    Super Collapse! Puzzle Gallery
#6    Jewel Quest II
#7    Big Island Blends
#8    Finders Keepers
#9    SCRABBLE Blast
#10    Classic Solitaire
#11    The Rise of Atlantis
#12    Bookworm
#13    Text Twist
#14    Family Feud (TM)
#15    Jewel Quest Solitaire
#16    Shangri La 2
#17    TriPeaks
#18    Burger Island
#19    Mystery P.I. - The Lottery Ticket
#20    Gold Miner Vegas
#21    Flip Words
#22    Zuma
#23    Cafe Mahjongg
#24    Wedding Dash
#25    Zenerchi

Games.com Chart: Top 25 Week ending December 16th

Top 25 Games
Top Sales December 10th to December 16th
#1    Cradle of Rome
#2    Christmasville
#3    Mystery P.I.™ - The Lottery Ticket
#4    Finders Keepers
#5    Monopoly Here & Now Edition
#6    JewelQuest II
#7    Bejeweled 2 Deluxe
#8    Monopoly by Parker Brothers
#9    The Rise of Atlantis
#10    Wedding Dash
#11    Neptune's Secret
#12    SCRABBLE Blast
#13    Hidden Expedition - Everest
#14    Fab Fashion
#15    Alice Greenfingers
#16    Big City Adventure: San Francisco
#17    Lottso! Deluxe
#18    Holly: A Christmas Tale
#19    Diner Dash: Hometown Hero
#20    Little Shop of Treasures 2
#21    Jewel Quest Solitaire
#22    Family Feud
#23    Gold Miner Vegas
#24    Bookworm Deluxe
#25    Zuma Deluxe

Quiet Before the Storm. Ideas Brewing.

Not a whole lot in cool lists and data coming out of me so far this week.  What I do have is ideas brewing.  Stuff that I am thinking about;

1.  How can we communicate to you folks better.
2.  Are our game comments useful?  Are they helping or hurting our site.
3.  Making our games more reliable for more people more often.
4.  How can I empower you fine folks to tell me what you want to see on the site? 
5.  Is there a better way to surface our best games,  while promoting the entire games catalog?
6.  How do I recruit community leaders and find out who believes in what we're doing.

If you have any thoughts or comments about what's floating around in my brain,  please do not hesitate to comment.

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Most Played This Week Ending December 14th

An old favorite back in it the top slot for most time spent.  Bingo is BACK! I must correct my last entry. These posts are not most time spent,  but most played online game.
#1    Bingo
#2    Finders Keepers
#3    Christmasville
#4    Bejeweled 2
#5    Super Collapse! Puzzle Gallery
#6    Jewel Quest II
#7    SCRABBLE Blast
#8    Classic Solitaire
#9    Bookworm
#10    Jewel Quest Solitaire
#11    The Rise of Atlantis
#12    Text Twist
#13    Cradle of Rome
#14    Mystery P.I. - The Lottery Ticket
#15    Family Feud (TM)
#16    TriPeaks
#17    Wedding Dash
#18    Cafe Mahjongg
#19    Flip Words
#20    Zuma
#21    Burger Island
#22    Gold Miner Vegas
#23    Zenerchi
#24    Mind Medley
#25    Yahtzee

Games.com Chart: Top 25 Week ending December 9th

Top 25 Games
Top Sales December 3rd to December 9th

#1    Finders Keepers
#2    Mystery P.I.™ - The Lottery Ticket
#3    Monopoly Here & Now Edition
#4    JewelQuest II
#5    SCRABBLE Blast
#6    Little Shop of Treasures 2
#7    Bejeweled 2 Deluxe
#8    Holly: A Christmas Tale
#9    Jewel Quest Solitaire
#10    Monopoly by Parker Brothers
#11    Family Feud
#12    Alice Greenfingers
#13    Hidden Expedition - Everest
#14    Death on the Nile
#15    Cafe Mahjongg
#16    Hidden Expedition Titanic
#17    Delicious 2 Deluxe
#18    Big City Adventure: San Francisco
#19    Miss Management
#20    Bookworm Deluxe
#21    Lottso! Deluxe
#22    Super Collapse! Puzzle Gallery
#23    SCRABBLE
#24    GameHouse Word Collection
#25    Mind Medley

New games this week 12/13

VOTE on your favorite new game:



NEW Games:

1.  Neptune's Secret - (downloadable, puzzle)
http://www.games.com/game/neptunes-secret/
Help a young archaeologist in this eye-popping adventure that's full of seek-and-find fun.

2.  Fab Fashion - (downloadable, arcade)
http://www.games.com/game/fab-fashion/
A fabulous frenzy of fashion fun that's sure to bring out the fashionista in everyone.

3.  Solitaire Race - (web, card & board)
http://www.games.com/game/solitaire-race/
Solitaire with a twist! Play with others or test your skills against the computer.

4.  Big Island Blends - (web, arcade)
http://www.games.com/game/big-island-blends/
Serve smoothies in paradise in this original challenge that's full of tropical fun!

5.  Cradle of Rome - (web, puzzle)
http://www.games.com/game/cradle-of-rome/
Build the gorgeous heart of the Ancient Roman Empire in this engaging puzzle game!

6.  Star Defender 4 - (web, downloadable, arcade)
http://www.games.com/game/star-defender-4/
Pilot your way through over 100 breathtaking levels!

7.  Shangri La 2 - (web, downloadable, word)
http://www.games.com/game/shangri-la-2/
Embark on a lexical journey through a word gamer's paradise in this adventurous sequel.

8.  Christmasville - (web, downloadable, puzzle, seasonal)
http://www.games.com/game/christmasville/
Help amazing creatures of Christmasville discover the truth about missing Santa Claus.

Slingo is Not Better!

Looks like our relaunch did not go as well as I would have liked to.
It seems that the updates automatic refresh was causing problems.  Not only that something needed to log in twice.
I of course was lambasted on the message boards.  I know,  I'm the messenger.  What we all need to remember is that the game is wholly owned and operated by our long standing partner in Slingo.
Unfortunately,  Games.com and AOL games does not own the code and we can't get at it.  It's frustrating to have the game go out and it not be the best experience for everyone.
That being said,  Slingo was very responsive to game issues and is working to get it sorted out. 
Here are some help files:

If you have begun having issues with Slingo since 12/11, it is because your browser is storing old web pages in your ‘browser cache’ – and subsequently you are seeing old web pages rather than the new ones we put up as part of the 12/11 re-launch. This problem does not affect all people, but if you are affected you will need to clear your Java and browser caches in order to properly play the new games. Here’s how you do it – it is important that you follow these instructions step by step;

 

Step 1: Clear your Java Cache

Here’s how you clear your Java cache;

 

1. Go to your Windows Start Menu (in the bottom left corner of your Desktop)
2. Click on “Control Panel”
3. Click on “Java”
4. Under the “General” tab, click on the “Settings” button listed under “Temporary Internet Files”
5. Click on “Delete Files”
6. Press “OK”
7. Now follow the Browser Clear instructions below.

 

Step 2: Clear your Browser Cache (choose one below)

 

For AOL Client Users (Important: Follow these instructions ONLY if you are using the AOL Client to access the Internet. If you are simply using the AOL Games Website from another browser, follow the Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox instructions below):

 

1. Sign out of AOL and completely shut down the AOL Client
2. Go to your Windows Start Menu (in the bottom left corner of your Desktop)
3. Click on “All Programs” in the bottom left corner)
4. Go to “AOL” and then click on “AOL System Information”
5. Click on the “Clear” button listed next to “Current Cache”
6. Click on the “Clear” button listed next to “Clear All Footprints”
7. Close this Window.
8. Sign into AOL and try again.

 

 

For Internet Explorer Users:

 

1. Click on “Tools”
2. Click on “Internet Options”
3. Under the “Temporary Internet Files” section, click on “Delete Files”
4. Check the box for “Delete all offline content”
5. Click “OK”
6. Close Internet Explorer completely (no windows open), then re-open and try again

 

For Mozilla Firefox Users:

 

1. Click on “Tools”
2. Click on “Clear Private Data”
3. Check the box for “Cache”
4. Click “Clear Private Data Now”
5. Close Firefox completely (no windows open), then re-open and try again

 

 

If you are still having issues after following these steps, restart your computer and try again.

 

Comments on games.com

When we relaunched games.com back in October we were entering a brand new frontier.  Games.com was for the first time ever going to have live comments on the games pages.  I was excited about it and God knows it was a long time coming for the Games.com site. 
Now that we've had comments for over a month there are things that I have learned.
1. You have to and I mean HAVE TO; moderate public posts.  People will post just about ANYTHING, any time.  
2.  People won't talk about what you want them to.  People form communities around our games but that doesn't mean they want to talk about them.  Our game players want to talk about anything but the games they are playing.
3.  You'd better damn well have your games working,  or people will let you know they aren't working IN PUBLIC.

Some of these things we were not entirely aware of so we had to start from scratch. Thankfully we now can moderate the comments section and slowly but surely we're getting the peoples thoughts under control.

What would you do if you were in our shoes?  Just let people post whatever they want?  Moderate with an Iron fist?  Maybe you'd just take the boards down entirely.  I'd love to hear your thoughts.

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Slingo is better!

Today we relaunched Slingo and added the necessary improvements to make the game that much more playable.
If you haven't checked the game out for a couple of weeks it is accessible
here http://www.games.com/game/slingo

Most Time Spent Played This Week Ending December 6th

New game this week as the most played.  Most played is a little volatile. I wonder what makes people play a game from week to week?  Do you have an answer?
#1    Finders Keepers
#2    Super Collapse! Puzzle Gallery
#3    Bejeweled 2
#4    Bingo
#5    Cafe Mahjongg
#6    Jewel Quest Solitaire
#7    Jewel Quest II
#8    SCRABBLE Blast
#9    Family Feud (TM)
#10    Text Twist
#11    Zuma
#12    Bookworm
#13    Mind Medley
#14    The Rise of Atlantis
#15    Classic Solitaire
#16    Wedding Dash
#17    TriPeaks
#18    Mystery P.I. - The Lottery Ticket
#19    Flip Words
#20    Gold Miner Vegas
#21    Zenerchi
#22    Burger Island
#23    Yahtzee
#24    Chuzzle
#25    Atlantis Quest

Slingo Update

Like Moses through the desert I believe we are being led out of the wilderness.
The latest revision of Slingo is near completion.  It is not perfect but it is a step forward from what was released in September. 
The tentative re-launch date is December 12 in the AM Eastern Time.
If there are any delays or issues,  I will be sure to let the community know.

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Games.com Chart: Top 25 Week ending December 2nd

Top 25 Games
Top Sales November 26th-December 2nd

#1    Mystery P.I.™ - The Lottery Ticket
#2    JewelQuest II
#3    The Rise of Atlantis
#4    Finders Keepers
#5    Wedding Dash
#6    Bejeweled 2 Deluxe
#7    Monopoly Here & Now Edition
#8    Monopoly by Parker Brothers
#9    Jewel Quest Solitaire
#10    SCRABBLE Blast
#11    Holly: A Christmas Tale
#12    Diner Dash: Hometown Hero
#13    Little Shop of Treasures 2
#14    Hidden Expedition - Everest
#15    Alice Greenfingers
#16    Liong: The Dragon Dance
#17    Dream Chronicles
#18    Big City Adventure: San Francisco
#19    Hidden Expedition Titanic
#20    Gold Miner Vegas
#21    Bookworm Deluxe
#22    Burger Island
#23    Lottso! Deluxe
#24    Cake Mania 2
#25    Mystery Case Files - Ravenhearst

Cheating. People Do it. Let's talk about it

Yes. It is a dirty word but something we have to talk about with our games. There has been dramatic little conversation on some of our Poker games with regards to cheating.  First off,  what is cheating?
Here is the definition on Wikipedia: Cheating:

Cheating is defined as an act of lying, deception, fraud, trickery, imposture, or imposition. Cheating  characteristically is employed to create an unfair advantage, usually in one's own interest, and often at the expense of others.

HOW PEOPLE CHEAT
In our poker games,  cheating is most often associated with people creating more than one screen name and playing against themselves or using using another method of conversation (chat, phone, text) to tell a friend what cards they have.  These are things people would do to cheat at our online free poker. 

CAN IT BE STOPPED
Unfortunately,  we do not have an effective method of stopping people from doing this.  Essentially,  once poker is being played remotely there really is no way for us to prevent cheating. 

In fact,  people cheat each other when they are sitting directly across from each other!  How the heck can we stop them when they are spread across the web!

WHAT CAN BE DONE?
Well,  we have a lot of tools in our game that can ensure you won't be gamed online.  Here are couple of things.

1.  Set up a private table.  From the rooms lobby you can set up a room and play privately. Only you and the people you trust will be in the room with you playing.  People can still cheat! But at least they won't be strangers.

2.  Tournaments.  Playing in tournaments prevents their from being more than one member name.  How you ask?  Well,  people arerandomly placed in a tournament table.  It is much more difficult to make sure your fake screen names are in the rooms together.

3.  Report people.  There is a help button inside of the poker game page and their is an email link on the Poker play page.  Please contact our help team with real data.  Not,  I THINK they are cheating but....real stuff.  Hearsay is very difficult to prosecute on. 

There may be more.  I would love to hear everyones ideas on how we can prevent cheating and what would you do if you were in AOL, Masque's position.  It is not easy to stop....BELIEVE ME!

Getting Help!

It's come to my attention that people have troubles with our games.  I'm not going to go into a whole spiel about it.  I'm just going to put the links up so you know.
1.  Technical Assistance for games
2.  Pogo and Club Pogo games help
3.  Java installation help (Java,  you know,  the software that runs many of our games)
4.  You downloaded a game and need help with it
There are a ton more questions but these are the top level.
Please do not hesitate to email me if you have any issues.
laurent.courtines@corp.aol.com

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Checking in on the people

What have I been up to?

1.  Slingo version 2 is still being worked on and we expect that the game will be available tomorrow.  Still working out who has to do what,  but we're getting there.

2.  Getting a new secret game out to the public (I already talked about it) We should see Solitaire Race out later today.
3.  Working on getting the recommendations on the site to be real!  You know like using data to make smart recommendations.  Pretty cool stuff.

4.  Monitoring the crazy comments that you fine folks keep on posting on the games. It's a new thing and we're learning slowly but surely what works and what doesn't.  We're open to suggestions.

Is there anything else you would like to see done?  Question?  Comments?  Ideas.  I really would love to hear them.

Most Time Spent Played This Week.

Ever wonder which game is the biggest time waster?  Well,  we've got the list for you.  Here are the games with the MOST time spent playing over the last week.
#1    Bookworm
#2    Bingo
#3    Flip Words
#4    Classic Solitaire
#5    Family Feud (TM)
#6    TriPeaks
#7    Zuma
#8    SpongeBob Collapse
#9    Gold Miner Vegas
#10    Atlantis Quest
#11    Sudoku
#12    Clayside
#13    Letter Linker
#14    Liong - The Dragon's Dance
#15    Jewel Quest
#16    Chuzzle
#17    Cubis 2
#18    Brickshooter Egypt
#19    Mahjong Fortuna 2
#20    Yahtzee
#21    Tumblebugs
#22    Alchemy
#23    Collapse
#24    Fish Tycoon
#25    Delicious 2

New Games This Week

NEW Games:

1.  Super Elf Bowling - (seasonal, downloadable, sports)
http://games.aol.com/game/super-elf-bowling/
This ain't your daddy's Elf Bowling! It's the biggest and baddest bowl-o-rama yet. Santa's elves have gone on strike refusing to make any more toys for Christmas and now its payback time.

2.  Holly: A Christmas Tale - (seasonal, downloadable, puzzle)
http://games.aol.com/game/holly-a-christmas-tale/
Grab a cup of cocoa, put on your favorite Yuletide music and play 'Holly: A Christmas Tale', a wonderful new hidden object game guaranteed to fill you with the spirit of the season!

3.  Believe in Santa - (seasonal, downloadable, arcade)
http://games.aol.com/game/believe-in-santa/
Two cheerful elves are along for the ride, decorating toys for all the shops choosiest customers. Can you satisfy clumsy clowns and tacky tourists?

4.  Gift Shop - (seasonal, downloadable, puzzle)
http://games.aol.com/game/gift-shop/
Your Gift Shop is open for business, just in time for the holidays!

5.  Little Shop of Treasures 2 - (downloadable, puzzle)
http://games.aol.com/game/little-shop-of-treasures-2/
Help the shoppers of this charming little town find the items they desire and earn enough money to restore and reopen your Uncle Roy's gas station.

6.  Cafe Mahjongg - (web, downloadable, card & board)
http://games.aol.com/game/cafe-mahjongg/
Match tiles to earn your favorite coffees from around the world!

7.  Finders Keepers - (web, downloadable, arcade)
http://games.aol.com/game/finders-keepers/
Join Floyd Finders and his trusty sidekick Goldie in more than 150 levels of aquatic adventure for all ages!

8.  Alice Greenfingers - (downloadable, arcade)
http://games.aol.com/game/alice-greenfingers/
Step into the gardening business in this intriguing simulation game, where you build and decorate your own garden of flowers, animals and vegetables.

9.  Miss Management - (downloadable, arcade)
http://games.aol.com/game/miss-management/
You'll have to juggle incoming work tasks, keep everyone from getting stressed out, and help the coworkers achieve their goals.

Game.com Chart: Top 25 Week ending November 25th

Top 25 Games
Top Sales November 19th-25th
#1    Mystery P.I.™ - The Lottery Ticket
#2    Wedding Dash
#3    The Rise of Atlantis
#4    Monopoly Here & Now Edition
#5    JewelQuest II
#6    Hidden Expedition - Everest
#7    Mystery Case Files - Ravenhearst
#8    Bejeweled 2 Deluxe
#9    Jewel Quest Solitaire
#10    Diner Dash: Hometown Hero
#11    Monopoly by Parker Brothers
#12    Dream Chronicles
#13    Family Feud
#14    SCRABBLE Blast
#15    Big City Adventure: San Francisco
#16    Gold Miner Vegas
#17    Cake Mania 2
#18    Liong: The Dragon Dance
#19    Super Collapse! Puzzle Gallery
#20    Hidden Expedition Titanic
#21    Delicious 2 Deluxe
#22    Burger Island
#23    Yahtzee
#24    Big Island Blends
#25    Zenerchi

What's been going on!

1.  We have a new build of Slingo to review. So far so good.
2.  We're working on getting several new and exciting games out the door. 
The biggest of course is Solitaire Race.  People are going to like this one.
3. We have a few other places that people can join the game information scene.
Games.com Group on Facebook
Games.com Page on Facebook
4. We're making a minor change to the Blackjack game.  We're adding a link to play multiplayer blackjack.

Please hit me up with anything you'd like to hear about

Thanksgiving celebrations

I want to wish everyone who reads this blog a very happy Thanksgiving!
It has been a five weeks since the launch of Games.com and we've all overcome some hurdles together.  I am thankful that there is a strong community out there that has passion for the games.  I can't tell you how much easier it is to be passionate about this job knowing that what I do matters to the people who play the games.

Of all the passionate people on the AOL games and Games.com site none was more passionate than  BatmanLVegas aka Sentinel.  Terry  led his community and helped get important changes on our site.  He was instrumental in mahking sure AOL and Slingo knew that te game that was released was unacceptable and help us understand what the game meant to the community. 
I was informed this week that he passed away last week.  The games team sends their condolences and wants everyone to know that he made a difference in his community. 
We dedicate this Thanksgiving to his family and the people he helped.
Have a great weekend everyone and we'll see you on Monday.

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Syndicating Games

We're working hard over at AOL games/games.com to get ourself out to the web at large.  We've been trying so many things to get out there.
Some of the initiatives I've been working on
1.  Games.com Group on Facebook.
2.  AOL games application on facebook
3.  Twitter updates from this blog on to the web.
4.  Managing the day to day of our community.

If you know of any places you'd like to see games.com please do not hesitate to let me know.

Game.com Chart: Top 25 Week ending November 11th

Top 25 Games
Top Sales November 5th-11th
#1    Mystery P.I.™ - The Lottery Ticket
#2    Wedding Dash
#3    Hidden Expedition - Everest
#4    Diner Dash: Hometown Hero
#5    JewelQuest II
#6    The Rise of Atlantis
#7    Monopoly Here & Now Edition
#8    Bejeweled 2 Deluxe
#9    Burger Island
#10    Delicious 2 Deluxe
#11    Zenerchi
#12    Jewel Quest Solitaire
#13    Monopoly by Parker Brothers
#14    Hidden Expedition Titanic
#15    Cake Mania 2
#16    SCRABBLE Blast
#17    Gold Miner Vegas
#18    Big City Adventure: San Francisco
#19    Lottso! Deluxe
#20    Mystery Case Files - Ravenhearst
#21    Luxor 3
#22    Bookworm Deluxe
#23    Plant Tycoon
#24    Clayside
#25    Family Feud

I'm Back!

Hey folks,  just letting everyone know I've returned from vacation.  Just a few days of fun and sun in Florida do the trick.
I'll be reviewing forum posts shortly.  Good to be back!

New Games This Week

NEW Games:

1.  Super Granny 3 - (downloadable, arcade)
http://games.aol.com/game/super-granny-3/
Help Granny navigate an exotic theme park and rescue her precious kitties in this exciting, all-new adventure.

2.  Big Island Blends - (downloadable, arcade)
http://games.aol.com/game/big-island-blends/
Serve smoothies in paradise in this original challenge that's full of tropical fun!

3.  Mahjong Roadshow - (web, downloadable, card & board)
http://games.aol.com/game/mahjong-roadshow/
'Mahjong Roadshow' will take you on a 50 day antique adventure in search of the hidden treasured tiles.

4.  5 Card Slingo Classic
http://games.aol.com/game/5-card-slingo/
The fast-paced fun of 'Slingo' with strategic poker playing action.

6.  Aerial Mahjong - (web, downloadable, card & board)
http://games.aol.com/game/aerial-mahjong/
Never-ending challenges await in the mystical land of Aerial, with earthquakes and unique variations never seen before in a mahjong game.

7.  Liong: The Dragon's Dance - (web, puzzle)
http://games.aol.com/game/liong-the-dragons-dance/

Out for the week.

Well folks,  there will not be many updates this week.
I'm going on a little vacation.  I will be back on Friday.
Enjoy the time without me.  You'll all be missed.

New games this week.

NEW Games


1.  Wedding Dash - (web, downloadable, arcade)
http://games.aol.com/game/wedding-dash/
Can you keep the bride and groom happy and Quinn's business afloat?


2.  Mind Medley - (web, downloadable, mac, puzzle)
http://games.aol.com/game/mind-medley/
Have a blast boosting your brain with 16 fun mini-games!


3.  Mystery P.I - The Lottery Ticket - (web, puzzle)
http://games.aol.com/game/mystery-pi-the-lottery-ticket/
You are the world famous Mystery P.I. and you've been hired by Grandma Rose to find her winning $488 Million lottery ticket!


4.  Slingo Classic - (web, free casino)
http://www.games.com/game/slingo/
Cover all the numbers on your game card in 20 spins or less.


5.  Diner Dash: Hometown Hero - (downloadable, arcade)
http://games.aol.com/game/diner-dash-hometown-hero/
Can you help them restore some of Flo's favorite places?


6.  Super Dominoes - (web, Club Pogo, card & board)
http://aol.pogo.com/games/superdominoes
Super Dominoes is an entirely new domino experience, giving you maximum flexibility for your moves.


7.  Plant Tycoon - (downloadable, arcade)
http://www.games.com/game/plant-tycoon/
Cross-breed plants until you find the 6 Magic Plants of Isola and solve the genetic puzzle.


8.  Sweet Tooth 2 - (web, pogo, puzzle)
http://aol.pogo.com/games/sweet
Match up candies 3 in a row, horizontally, vertically and diagonally.

News Flash a couple of things....

Two things have come down the pipe for games this week.
1.  We have a feed of the top 11 games.  What does that mean?  It means you can subscribe to a feed to have the top games delivered to you.  You can access that feed here;
Top Games Feed

2. Less apparent but MUCH more important is that when you go to Pogo games from AOL games,  you are no longer logged out!  Since the launch on October 8th that was a problem.  Now,  you can seamlessly move between both Pogo and AOL games. 

Other news? Let me know.  I'll be glad to answer any questions anyone might have.

Got Java Problems? Learn how to get to square one!

We give people an answer that will fix 90% of peoples technical problems.  The real snafu occurs when the newest version of the Java software is what is causing the headache.  In that case,  folks have to GO BACK to the old version.   As you can imagine it is hard to get people to tell people "Ignore what I have been saying and go back"

Here is what I suggest you do.  I want to tell you up front.  it is going to be a mild pain and take some time,  probably 15 minutes.
1.  Got to your start menu.
2.  Click control panel
3.  Add Remove Programs
4.  Look for all the instances of Java on your computer (The logo is a little coffee cup)
5.  Uninstall them all.
6.  It is likely at this point that you'll have to restart you computer (I told you it was tedious)

What we are doing is removing ALL instances of Java.  This is the software that runs all the games on Pogo's site and many of the games on AOL games.  We are trying to get your computer to its most basic level with regards to the Java software.

After you have done all that uninstalling and restarting your computer,  log into  http://games.aol.com and access the games you want to play. 
What will happen is that when you go the game you want to play it will prompt you to download the Java version it requires to play.  Follow the prompts and accept the software. 
This should work.  (Just tried it and it worked for me, I used internet explorer 7.)

Please let me know how it goes.

Do you Like to Win.....DESPERATELY? Here is the game for you.

Solitaire Race in Beta :

Solitaire race is back in beta and we need your help to make sure that it is up to the AOL games standards. 
What is solitaire race?  Well its a fast paced competitive four player solitaire based game.  You don't have to have four players as you can play against the computer. Don't be fooled by the computer,  this game is hard and beating the computer will be a feat in an of itself.
Enjoy the game and let us know what you think.

Game.com Chart: Top 25 Week ending October 28.

Top 25 Games
Every Thursday I compile a list of sales from the week before.  Why is this important? Well,  you can find out what your game playing friends are buying!
Top Sales October 22-28

1. Hidden Expedition - Everest
2. JewelQuest II
3. The Rise of Atlantis
4. Jewel Quest Solitaire
5. Burger Island
6. Cake Mania 2
7. Monopoly Here & Now Edition
8. Bejeweled 2 Deluxe
9. Delicious 2 Deluxe
10. Monopoly by Parker Brothers
11. Mahjong Garden Deluxe
12. Gold Miner Vegas
13. Hidden Expedition Titanic
14. SCRABBLE Blast
15. Clayside
16. Super Collapse! Puzzle Gallery
17. Family Feud
18. Dream Day Honeymoon
19. Mystery Case Files - Ravenhearst
20. Big City Adventure: San Francisco
21. Lottso! Deluxe
22. GameHouse Word Collection
23. Risk
24. Build-a-lot
25. Zenerchi

New games this week.

NEW Games:

1.  Luxor 3 - (downloadable, puzzle)
http://www.games.com/game/luxor-3/
Embark on an ethereal mission to release the essences of some of the most powerful Egyptian gods of all time.

2.  Thousand Island Solitaire - (web, Club Pogo, card & board)
http://aol.pogo.com/games/thousand-island
Help your fleet sail from island to island in order to pick up and deliver items.

3.  Dominoes - (web, Pogo, card & board)
http://aol.pogo.com/games/dominoes
Demolish the competition with the most dynamic dominoes game online.

5.  Ricochet Infinity - (downloadable, arcade)
http://www.games.com/game/ricochet-infinity/
Ricochet across the Galaxy, brick-busting an endless supply of awesome levels!

Take me to your LEADER! Leaderboards on Games.com

 

Take me to your leaderboad!  Leaderboads are back on AOL Games and Games.com solitaire games.

You can view all the Solitaire games with leaderboards here:

Solitaire Central
http://www.games.com/solitaire

AOL and Pogo games.

  DOES NOT EQUAL
We're buddies but not the same.

With the re-launch behind us and the most annoying bugs repaired, I would take an opportunity to address something that the AOL games team learned about you, our members.

We found out that you are very passionate about your games!  We always knew you loved playing by the numbers of people who play, but never heard your voices.  Now we have and it is great to talk with many of you.  Your passionate pleas for changes and repairs to the site alerted us to what was needed and we were able to make changes on the fly through your feedback.  As I have said a couple of times before.  We are listening.

The other thing that we learned is that you folks believe that AOL and Pogo are one and the same.  It makes sense that you folks would think that as Pogo and AOL have been LONG standing game partners.  For a very long time, Pogo was the only game provider for AOL games.  So I don't fault anyone for thinking we are one and the same.  However, over the years AOL games has  added more game providers.  We now have a strong offering of both Pogo and non-Pogo offerings.  It's important that you folks know the difference so you can get the help you need.

Pogo is a WHOLLY OWNED and operated division of Electronic Arts.  Electronic Arts (EA for short) is the probably the largest publisher of games in the United States.  There are a couple of games you may have heard of that they put out; Madden Football, The Sims etc.  This is important to know as so that you can get the help you need.  When you go to Pogo game and it is not working, contacting AOL help may not be the answer.  Our member service team may not have the expertise to help you with a Pogo game.  It’s very likely contacting AOL help will end in frustration (Many of you have let me know that!)

So, what should you do?  When you go to Pogo game and it doesn’t work you should go directly to Pogo.  You can contact them at http://help.pogo.com  Well, what about all the other games? In that case go to our on site help section at http://games.aol.com/help

If you have any question or just want to leave a comment feel free.  I’d love to hear from you all.

AOL news on Club Pogo

Good morning everyone,

I want to thank everyone for their continued feedback and help on our redesign.  You have all made this site better.  First time in a long time, the AOL games team is listening. This is a credit to the people on this board. We're making changes to the site as quickly as we can. It's not the fastest but it is change and change for the good.

Pogo, our long standing game partner, as was posted in the five free Club Pogo games, has decided that they will no longer be offering their five free Club Pogo game previews.
We regret no longer being able to offer the games you know and love for free.

Pogo is offering free access to Club Pogo for those who love the games.
Free Two-Week Trial of Club Pogo
http://www.pogo.com/marketing/oct-guestpass/index.jsp?site=aolf

This offer will be available until November 11th.

I know AOL and Pogo have made a lot of changes lately and not everyone has agreed with them.  Understand that these were changes made independently by two companies who are trying to position themselves for the future. We are all upset with the timing of the change and hope that this will be the last major change to the site for a while.

I will be here to answer any questions you all may have.
Again, thank you for your time and I appreciate everyone's passion for their games.

EDIT January 11th:  I just want to clarify something.  AOL and Pogo.com are partners and AOL does share revenue with them via terms of our contracts. We are not the same company however.  Pogo.com is wholly owned by Electronic Arts,  the largest game publisher in the United States.

The Fix is in!

AOL games and games.com repairs.

It took a while but some important things have now been repaired.
1.  You will no longer be sent to Games.com if you play on AOL games. 
Tremendous as you can now find all the games you normally play all the time.

2. Game pages can have unique promotion.  This is important because we can put our leaderboards back up!

3.  We've added sort links to the all games page and genre pages.  You can now get a list of all the games you play by genre like it used to be available on the old site.

Please let me know if these changes are helpful!

Give me a title damnit!

Games issues that are being repaired.
Well folks it took a week longer than I wanted it to but here are the things that will be repaired next week:

1.  You will no longer be directed to Games.com.
If you go to AOL games, you’ll stay on AOL games.  This is going to remove the confusion of Pogo Games disappearing.

2.  We're bringing back leader boards.  The game pages will now be able to their own game specific information on them.  This is important so that we can bring you information particular to each game.

3.  The voting system for games (the stars on the game launch pages) are now working properly.  You could just vote over and over.

4.  Drop down menus at the TOP of the search section to help you to select the number of results that appear.   Why is that important? So you can see ALL THE GAMES rather just some of them.  You will be saved the trouble of clicking through pages.

Game Chart: Top 25

Top 25 Games
Every Thursday I compile a list of sales from the week before.  Why is this important? Well,  you can find out what your game playing friends are buying!
Top Sales October 15-21
1. Hidden Expedition - Everest
2. JewelQuest II
3. The Rise of Atlantis
4. Cake Mania 2
5. Monopoly Here & Now Edition
6. Gold Miner Vegas
7. Monopoly by Parker Brothers
8. Bejeweled 2 Deluxe
9. Clayside
10. Jewel Quest Solitaire
11. SCRABBLE Blast
12. Dream Day Honeymoon
13. Mahjong Garden Deluxe
14. Lottso! Deluxe
15. Mystery Case Files - Ravenhearst
Build-a-lot
16. Big City Adventure: San Francisco
17. Fairy Godmother Tycoon
18. Mystery P.I.™ - The Lottery Ticket
19. Burger Island
20. Super Collapse! Puzzle Gallery
22. Death on the Nile
23. Dream Chronicles™
24. Family Feud

Enjoy!

Games News. The latest.

We're quiet on the news front but that is good.  The development team at AOL games is working hard to repair the issues with our site and the hope is that we'll have some repairs up this week.

It is taking along time but there is a reason for that.  We're trying to rectify issues that would have delayed the launch of the site several weeks.  Many of the issues people are having;
1.  Being redirected to Games.com
2. Having to log into Pogo games.

will be rectified with the latest update.   For me this is great news.  I have heard a many of our members display a passion and caring for the AOL games site.  You all deserve a site that works, is easy to find things on and is fun. We're crossing our fingers that we'll be adding to the fun and working part of things.

Again, I want to thank all the members of the AOL games community for making sure that the issues on our site are brought to the forefront.  There will be no more running and hiding as long as I work here and these boards are up.  You will be heard I can assure you of that.

ALERTS! Why you need them.

Click here to sign up for this Alert
Many of you have signed up for this in the past but we've been lacking in getting any alerts out. 

Alerts let you know when new games come out and if there is important information that the AOL games team needs to get out to the community.
 There are about 300,000 people signed up for these.   We're looking to expand the Alerts program and expect to let people know about big online game events to come.  Sign up,  get involved, its fun!
Click here to sign up for this Alert

Most Popular Games Listed

 
Just added this sub-genre to the all games genre.  Should be very helpful for those who don't know which games are the best.  I made this list by combining the games with the most plays and the games with the most sales.  
Its no coincidence that there is some over lap.  Anyway,  enjoy.

Solitaire Race in Beta

Solitaire Race in beta.
We have a new game that we hope to release in the next week or so.
Please help us check it out.
Solitaire Race

Beta Testing coming to AOL games?

Game beta testing to leverage the wisdom of our users may be coming to AOL games.
With the AOL layoffs AOL games may have take the testing of its games into its own hands.  We're thinking of letting the community do the test. 
Let us know what you think!

Goodbye GameTap on AOL

GameTap games are bidding AOL Adieu.

Today, we have some sad news.  The Time Warner owned classic game website GameTap is leaving AOL games.  GameTap suffered some budget cuts as I understand it and could no longer afford to promote their games on our site. 
We wish GameTap games well.
If you still would like to play GameTap games you can access them at GameTaps website:
GameTap Games

New Games on Games.com

NEW Games:

1.  Delicious 2 - (downloadable, web, arcade)
http://www.games.com/game/delicious-2-deluxe/
Emily's back for more delicious fun in this fast-paced sequel.

2.  Burger Island - (downloadable, web, arcade)
http://www.games.com/game/burger-island/
Help our heroine Patty turn around a run-down burger stand located on deserted Mount Tikikola Beach in 'Burger Island'.

3.  Zenerchi - (downloadable, web, puzzle)
http://www.games.com/game/zenerchi/
Find your zen as you match the vibrantly colored rings, filling your color containers with energy and eventually encountering your inner chi.

4.  Rainforest Adventure - (web, puzzle)
http://www.games.com/game/rainforest-adventure/
Follow a path of puzzling fun through a vibrant rainforest in this colorful new challenge.

5.  Dream Day Honeymoon - (downloadable, arcade)
http://www.games.com/game/dream-day-honeymoon/
'Dream Day Honeymoon' is second in a series of romantic and unique seek-and-find adventures.

Things That Everyone Should Know.

The Top 11 box on AOL games is just that.  The top 11.  I am sure you're wondering how it programmed.  Well,  I'm here to tell you.

The top 11 online games are the top 11 games by usage (total game plays) for the week.
They haven't been updated in a while (about ten days) I am waiting for the latest reports.
We get them weekly and I update them as I get them

The top 11 downloads can be accessed by clicking on the tab labeled "downloads" This tab is populated by taking the top selling games for the week by total sales (total sales - refunds) 

Just thought you all would want to know.

Email Subscriptions to the Games Blog

The AOL games blog has been revived. 
In continuing to try and get the word out that I have added the opportunity to subscribe to the posts in this blog.
It should help people hear the latest news.
The subscription link is available on:
AOL Games Help
and
Games.com Help

Subscribe to Games Community Blog by Email

Stay in touch.

I've set up a Games.com Group on Facebook. Join here
Games.com Facebook Group

The plan is to get the word out that we've got good games,  and there are lots of them.  This is just the beginning of getting the word out and making it happen.   I want to be sure everyone knows what we're up to,  when new games come out and just news in general.

Things to help people play

There seems to be a lot of confusion as to the how to get to Pogo games on the AOL games site:
I posted this before but I am going to post it again.

Pogo Links that used to be on the AOL Pogo page:
AOL Pogo
Pogo Prizes
Pogo Profiles
Pogo Messages
Pogo Account

ALL POGO GAMES ON AOL

Update to the Community Blog Navigation

As many of you can see,  on the left side of the blog entires,  I have no replicated the navigation of the AOL Games help section.
This should help people get back to the games and make sure they can get to AOL Games when they get directed to Games.com.

Let me know if there is anything else that can be placed in the Blog that you think will help.
I am all ears!

AOL Games Blog from email.

AOL Games Blog from email.

If I am going to make this blog happen,  I need to be able to update it from anywhere.  I am in the process of finding as many ways to aggregate all this information as possible.  It's really making a difference to everyone as we move towards full integration on blogging and presence.

I want AOL games and games.com to be out there on the web.  I want people to be aware of what we are up to,  and what is going out.

If we can do that,  the we'll be in business.

What I owe you; Info AOL games is to Provide

I have been posting a lot across the message boards and and I just want to consolidate some of the things I've already been talking about.
1.  A Slingo time line.  There has been some confusion as to what has gone on and some he said, he said.  AOL is going to outline our view of the Slingo launch and get that out on the web.  It is important that we disclose the information we have so that you all are aware.  It may be too little too late,  but we own that to you all.
2. What is going to be repaired on AOL Games, Games.com.  I asked our product manager and project manager here to give me a detailed list of what issues will be repaired and when.  While dates are never set in stone I would like to make sure everyone knows what is being fixed and when. 

3.  Issues concerning Java. Java is the software that runs many of the games on our site and runs ALL of the Pogo games.  Sometimes two-weeks ago an automatic update of Java came out and updated people AOL Client software.  While that is well and good,  it also created havoc with our games.  We've found that people using the latest Java (1.6 version 3) are getting errors  or denials of service in the client.
This is ruining many people game play.
I know most of you are not willing to get in there and go changing your whole computers,  so the best fix in the short term is to use ANY BROWSER ASIDE FROM AOL.  I know that sounds terrible but right now,  we're having trouble getting the latest Java to work.

Layoffs and what it means to AOL games players

As many of you know there was a layoff of 20% of the AOL staff world wide.  The games group was not unscathed.  We lost two very, very cool people who did a great job over the years.  Our thoughts go out to those who have to find work.

What is means to you all?  Well it means that we have some things that need to shake out.  Some of the people who we relied on with regards to support are gone.

 Many of us will have to re-establish contacts for services across the AOL network.  Its going to take some time.  Unfortunately,  that may mean some slow down on changes and my availability on the message boards.

I'll be sure to keep you all informed as to the goings on here.

Updating the AOL games Blog

Afternoon everyone.  Its been a good weekend and people are still having problems with their games.

I thought,  what a good time to get my blog back into the fray. 
I have recently linked the blog to the help section (which has not been linked YET)

Anyway,  here is where I am.
1.  The site still has issues.  This is what they are;

2. People still can't find games.  I don't know why because we have the search box,  but people like lists.  I hope that we'll all learn to use the search box. It's really easy.  Give it a try at least.

3.  Our site is sending people to Games.com.  Wouldn't be a big deal if everyone didn't love Pogo games so much.  But,  alas,  people love Pogo.  If you see you are on games and you see the top left logo says "Games.com" and not "AOL games"  You need to go back to http://games.aol.com
I know,  its confusion and stupid,  but we're working at getting it sorted out.

4.  Some games just aren't working (Bingo,  Solitaire etc)  Recently Java updated and the AOL Client didn't.  So what happened?  Well,  one of our partners games got labeled as dangerous software.  Now,  people can't play those games inside the AOL client.  It sucks.  We're TRYING DISPARATELY to get this fixed. But its taking WAAAAY to long.  Lets hope its fixed sooner rather than later.  The good thing is there is an EASY workaround.  All you need to do is not use the AOL client!  How simple is that!  Log onto AOL,  minimize the Window and open Explorer.  You should have no trouble with the game after that.

5.  Slingo
Slingo is what it is at this time.  We're waiting for an update in November and we'll see where we are then.  I recently posted an excellent help file provided by Dan who leads the http://www.bringbackslingo.org campaign.  It should be the post after this one.


(note:  edited as I had Dan's name wrong!  Sorry Dan)

AOL Games Help For Slingo

This was posted on Dan's fine message board.  I had the information but unfortunately, did not have the time to get it on the site.

1) Make SURE you have the latest version of Java by clicking here (www.java.com) and installing Java (the games need Java to run properly)

2) You will see more of the screen if you use Internet Explorer or Firefox instead of the AOL browser. Just sign onto AOL, minimize the AOL running but leave it running in the background and then open Internet Explorer and go to (www.games.com) You will find Slingo in the Casino section of the AOL games site.

it is important to open those games in a browser OUTSIDE of the AOL environment. IT WILL CRASH AOL if they are opened in AOL.

3) If you cannot see the entire game screen, adjust your screen size (the resolution) to 1024x768. Then you should see the game AND the chat.

4) You can play in ANY of the game rooms regardless of what state you are from by clicking on the “Play” button in the lobby