Aside from the annual April Fool’s Day pranks and hoaxes, Google is known for hiding virtual easter eggs on their products. The latest Google easter egg is themed after one of the most popular computer strategy games ever – Starcraft and can be found by doing a search for the keywords “zerg rush” on Google Search.

If you’ve played the game of Starcraft then you know what I’m talking about. For the sake of those who don’t, “zerg rush” is a term used for a certain type of attack using the Zerg race (insect-like creatures) in which sheer numbers, not brute force is used to defeat the opponent.

Below is a sample of an actual zerg rush on Starcraft:

Here is the zerg rush easter egg on Google Search:

The zerg rush Google easter egg is not just an ordinary easter egg but is also a mini game. It even records the user’s APM or Actions Per Minute. Once the user types in the keywords, the zerglings represented by letter O’s start attacking the search results and the user can fend off and destroy these attackers by hovering the mouse over the O’s and clicking on them. If the user fails to protect the search results, the O’s gather to the top of the page and form into “GG” which in gaming jargon means “Good Game“. Users who are logged in to their Google account can share their scores on Google+.

If you have some time to spare, go try it out and type in the keywords “zerg rush” on Google Search.

[image sourch: Funny Corner]

I’ve always been an avid fan of Tycoon games, some of my favorites are Rollercoaster Tycoon, Zoo Tycoon and Lemonade Tycoon. Being a fan of these types of games, imagine my delight when I discovered a game on the iOS App Store called Streetfood Tycoon. I was even more delighted when I found out that the game was about Filipino streetfood and was developed by an indie Filipino game development company called Kuyi Mobile.

In Streetfood Tycoon, you play the role of a vendor selling french fries, corndogs, local Filipino streetfoods – kwek kwek (quail eggs in orange batter) and fishballs to walk-in customers while at the same time, restocking your ingredients and cleaning your stall. Coins earned can be used to upgrade ingredients, facilities, location and unlock new characters – Lady Gogo, Pee Noy, Moony Puhkyaw and Helen Degenerous.

Like Lemonade Tycoon, you can choose different locations to do business. In Streetfood Tycoon your choices are Village, Suburbs, Downtown and Bazaar. If you can’t wait to get enough coins to purchase upgrades and other stuff, you can use the in-app purchase options to get more coins.

Screenshots:

Here’s a short demo video of Streetfood Tycoon:

When I first installed Streetfood Tycoon it was still on version 1.0.1 and at that time the game didn’t have a pause button. There was no way to stop/pause the game so you had to finish it on-going game before you can take a break. I was gonna write a review on the App Store to make a suggestion to the developers but that same day, I saw that an update was just released – version 1.0.2 and one of the things that it included was a pause button. The developers must’ve read my mind. I think having new items, new unlockable characters or streetfood on the menu would make the game even more fun. If the game devs decide to do that there’s a lot of stuff to choose from – balut, banana que, isaw, chicharong bulaklak, kikiam, adidas, etc.

Anyways, it’s been more than two weeks now since I started playing Streetfood Tycoon and I’ve already maxed out all the possible upgrades but I still find myself playing it whenever I have spare time. Being away from home, this game brings a sense of nostalgia. Streetfood Tycoon is a must-have for Filipinos who own an iOS device. If you’re not Filipino, you can still enjoy playing the game because it’s simple and easy to learn yet fun and entertaining at the same time. Streetfood Tycoon is FREE and available only for iOS devices (compatible with the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and requires iOS 4.3 or later).

Download Streetfood Tycoon from the App Store

Anyone tried the Streetfood Tycoon game on any iOS device? How do you like the game? What other features or options would you like to see in future updates? Please share your thoughts.

The long awaited Android version of the massively popular and highly addictive iOS game Temple Run was finally released earlier this week. For those who aren’t familiar with this game, in Temple Run you control a character who stole a cursed idol from an ancient temple and is running away from the evil demon monkeys. This game tests your reflexes as you run, jump and slide through ancient temple walls, broken wooden bridges, tree roots, flames and cliffs. Game controls are simple and easy – swipe left or right to make turns, swipe up to jum, swipe down to slide and tilt the device to gather coins.

You start out with a character named Guy Dangerous but you can later on unlock new characters – Scarlett Fox, Barry Bones, Karma Lee, Montana Smith, Francisco Montoya and Zack Wonder with the coins that you’ve earned. You can also use the coins to purchase powerups, utilities and wallpapers. The object of the game is to run as far away as you can while gathering as much coins as you can get without dying.

Screenshots:

I already have Temple Run on my iPhone but for the sake of trying out the Android version, I downloaded and installed the game on my Nook Color running Android 2.3.7. Although it is still a bit glitchy and lags, the Android version of Temple Run works pretty much the same as the iOS version so users will have the same gaming experience. Temple Run is FREE to download and install but it does have in-app purchase options for users who want to get coins faster.

If you want to try it out on your Android device, you can download Temple Run from the Google Play App Store.

NOTE: If can’t find Temple Run from the Google Play App Store, try searching for “Imangi Studios“. Or you can also visit the Google Play App Store on your computer, login with your Google account then click on “INSTALL“. The app/game will be automatically downloaded and installed on your Android device.

Anyone who plays Temple Run? Have you tried the Android version?

Age of Empires Online is a freemium game, meaning it is free to play but have the option to purchase premium content like special items, blueprints, quests and other features. Players can choose to play the game in single-player or co-op and horde type mode in booster packs like the Defense of Crete booster pack. Age of Empires Online was developed by Gas Powered Games, the same company who developed the Dungeon Siege series.

If you’re not yet playing it or haven’t seen it, here’s the full cinematic trailer and several in-game screenshots.

Age of Empires Online Full Cinematic Trailer

Defense of Crete Booster Pack Preview

Screenshots:

Right now, players can only choose from two civilizations (free and premium content) – Greek and Egyptian but I’m sure they’ll be adding new civilizations like Persian, Celt, Roman, etc. soon. Graphics are very nice and the gameplay is basically the same as other Age of Empires versions. The only difference is that on Age of Empires Online, some features and options are only made available to players who purchase premium content. Premium civilizations cost $19.99, booster packs cost $9.99, extras (decors/blueprints) cost $4.99.

Some people are complaining about the art style which has a comic look & feel, lack of violence, etc. in this version. Personally, I find it fun and entertaining and I’m sure that most hard core Age of Empires fans will like this game because of the gameplay, not the graphics. I’ve been playing the game since it’s launch and I’m really enjoying and having fun with it. The only thing I don’t like with this game is that it requires an Internet connection and there’s no option to play it offline.

To check out or download the game, check out the official Age of Empires Online website.

Anybody else playing Age of Empires Online? Which civilization are you playing with? What features and options from this game do you like the most? Please share your thoughts.

Do you know the game Angry Birds? I’m sure you know about it or heard about it even if you haven’t played or seen it yourself. If not, then you must have been hiding under a rock. Hehe

The game was first released for the Apple iOS on December of 2009 and since then Angry Birds have been downloaded and purchased more than 12 million times from the App Store. It has become so popular that Rovio, the company that developed Angry Birds have created versions of the game for the Android operating system, other touchscreen smartphones as well as personal computer and gaming console versions.

I spent a lot of time playing Angry Birds on my iPhone when it first came out and it was very addicting. My 4-year old son loves the game and still plays it every now and then.

Anyways, I was browsing the web the other day and came across this video from Rooster Teeth – a trailer for Angry Birds: The Movie.

Angry Birds: The Movie Trailer


Angry Birds: The Movie starring Marshall Rimmer, John Erler, Gus Sorola, Joel Heyman, Becca Frasier, Brandon Farmahini, Chris Demarais, Kerry Shawcross. Music by Conor Brace. Production design by Griffon Ramsey. Special Thanks to Green Gate Farms and John-Mike Reed.

I doubt that there will be a real movie, but nevertheless the guys from Rooster Teeth did a good job producing this video. Based on the comments posted on the video, a lot of Angry Birds fans want to see a full length movie made from this video. Here’s my favorite line from the video:

“Is this some sort of game to you?” “No!”, “Yes?”

Any Angry Birds fans here? How do you like the Angry Birds: The Movie trailer? Would you like to see a real movie made from the trailer? Please share your thoughts.