Casual Friday: Update for January 9 – 15, 2010

Big news this week in the casual game world. Remember how GameHouse and RealArcade joined forces and became one big site? Well, now Big Fish Games and PlayFirst are teaming up, though it looks like PlayFirst will remain open for now. I guess that explains why PlayFirst hasn’t been having as many new games debut on the site as usual.

As for new casual games, this week’s lineup is sparse, but diverse. There’s a lot for hidden object fans, and even an RPG for those who like a little more action and strategy elements in their games. There’s even a Big Fish Game Club Members exclusive sneak peek game out.

This week’s best bet is: The Fall Trilogy (PC).

The Fall Trilogy
Genre: Adventure / Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: Big Fish Games, Harmonic Flow
Retail Price: $6.99
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: You’re an amnesiac who has awoken trappd in temple ruins, and must find out who you are, why you’re there and how to get out.
Demo Available: Yes

Mary Kay Andrews: The Fixer Upper
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: Big Fish Games
Retail Price: $6.99
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: Based on the bookThe Fixer Upper by Mary Kay Andrews, Mary Kay Andrews: The Fixer Upper follows former lobbyist Dempsey Jo Killebrew as she starts to fix up and repair Birdsong, the family home in Guthrie, Georgia.
Demo Available: Yes

Unseen World: Magical Lense
Genre: RPG
Availability: Oliveair Games, Amaranth Games
Retail Price: $14.99
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: Kumiko receives a magical lense for her 12th birthday, and discovers that when she uses it she can teleport to another world. And of course, as in all RPGs, that world is in trouble and Kumiko might just be the only person who can save it.
Demo Available: Yes

Penny Dreadful’s Sweeney Todd Collector’s Edition
Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)
Availability: Big Fish Games
Note: At the moment, only Big Fish Game Club Members can access and purchase this game.
Retail Price: $6.99
Platform: Windows XP and Vista
Premise: Sweeney Todd is on the loose, and you must use your hidden object finding skills to find and stop him from harming anyone.
Demo Available: Yes

Editor’s Note: Due to so many casual games sites offering game plans or preferred member prices, which can cause a game to have multiple price-points, the games’ average retail prices is mentioned in Casual Friday.

Site [Big Fish Games] Site [PlayFirst] Site [GameHouse] Site [eGames] Site [Alawar Games] Site [Amazon] Site [Reflexive Arcade] Site [Harmonic Flow]