FarmVille: Play CastleVille for 10 free Instant Grows

No, this isn't a case of deja vu. After launching a cross promotion between FarmVille and CastleVille late last month, Zynga apparently decided that 5 free Instant Grows (the prize in that last promotion) just wasn't good enough. Why? Well, it's now offering yet another promotion, this time to users that can reach at least Level 10 in CastleVille.

The same rules apply to this promotion as before - you'll simply need to play CastleVille until you reach Level 10, and will the be able to come back to FarmVille to receive a new batch of 10 free Instant Grows. However, there is a slight catch. Instead of being given these Instant Grows, well... instantly, we'll have to wait until December 19 when they'll be given away. At that point, there should be a mass release of these potions to anyone that was eligible for them, which actually gives you plenty of time (almost two weeks) to reach Level 10, if you've yet to do so.

For a better look at getting ahead (and fast) in CastleVille, make sure to check out our tips and tricks.

Will you continue to play CastleVille until you reach Level 10 in order to earn the 10 free Instant Grows in FarmVille? Have you already used the five you received from the first promotion?

Zynga has launched a new cross-promotional event in FarmVille this evening, teaming the game up with video game retailer GameStop to offer "exclusive mystery goods" to users that purchase and redeem Zynga Game Cards from GameStop. That is, in addition to simply earning the appropriate amount of Farm Cash based on the card value you redeemed (whether that be $10, $25 or $50), you'll also receive a free gift.

So far, it looks like you'll receive one of four items all wrapped up in a red and white box. All of these items are themed for Halloween, with three being re-releases. Specifically, there's a Wizard Gnome and Spooky Bush from last year's Halloween theme, while a Plant Monster from both Halloween 2009 and 2010 is also available. In terms of new goodies, you have a chance to earn the Candy Corn Chicken, although the loading screen above doesn't detail whether or not we'll be able to choose our prize, or if we'll just need to get lucky. For someone that already has the three previously released items, that's definitely something to keep in mind. On the other hand, there's also the slight possibility that a single card will guarantee you all four items, but again, that wasn't detailed either.

We'll be able to learn more about this promotion by visiting GameStop's website, but as of this writing, the promotion link doesn't work (it instead redirects to GameStop's downloads page). We'll make sure to keep checking on things and will let you know when the link goes live, along with exactly what you'll find there (hopefully answers to our questions). Either way, we do know one thing: this promotion will end November 6.

Will you purchase a Zynga Game Card for a chance at these Halloween-themed items in FarmVille? Sound off in the comments.

FarmVille: Visit the Capital One farm for a free Capital One Goat

As we told you earlier this week, Zynga has officially launched a three-part cross-promotion with Capital One that sees the brand returning to FarmVille (and also making an appearance in CityVille and the Pioneer Trail). For FarmVille, we see the Capital One farm being added to our neighbor bars, and an incentive being offered for actually visiting said farm.

Once you visit the Capital One farm (don't worry if it doesn't show up in your friends list; an in-game prompt will appear allowing you to access it), you'll find that you don't really need to do anything here, except take in the scenery and click on the "Help Out" button that quickly appears. This sees the Capital One Goat (you'll know it's him as he's wearing sunglasses) harvesting crops and boosting animal storage buildings before being given to you as a gift.

What's more, if you agree to visit the Capital One Facebook Page, and then "Like" it, you'll receive one free application of "Capital One Grow," or instant grow for your farm. On top of this, there's also a Capital One Gift available to send to your friends on the FarmVille free gifts page, that can contain all sorts of goodies, so make sure to send some while you can. It will only be available to send for the next nine days.

Any and all of these prizes will appear in your Gift Box when you return to your farm, so make sure to check them out!

What do you think of this newest Capital One promotion? Will you save your Capital One grow for a Double Mastery event, or will you use it right away? Sound off in the comments.

CityVille Capital One Bank: Everything you need to know

While we already knew that Capital One would be appearing via a new bank building in CityVille, we didn't know the exact details until now. That's right - the promotion has launched in the game this evening, bringing with it the "branded business" in the form of the Capital One Bank. This bank looks like a fairly modern building, and has Capital One written along the top corner, but overall isn't overly "advertising." It costs 5,000 coins to add to your town, and must be built using four energy to build the frame.

From there, you won't be able to actually name your building, but you can operate it using Goods like other businesses. Specifically, the Bank requires 100 Goods to put into service and will reward you with 500 coins once those Goods are used. What makes this particular business special however is that it introduces "branded business mastery" to the game.

While this doesn't give us any sort of indication as to what other "branded" businesses will be coming to the game, we do know that we have just over a month to master this one. As with upgrading businesses, mastering the Capital One Bank will require you to continually stock and collect from the business whenever possible, with each round giving you a single point. Once you reach 50 points, you'll receive your reward, which we know is some form of decoration (probably a statue), but don't have the specific name as of this writing.

As for purchasing the building, it has a different time limit than that for actually earning your decorative reward. You can only purchase the Capital One Bank from the store for the next 28 days, giving you around a week to earn the decoration even after that point. Good luck!

Check out the rest of our CityVille Cheats & Tips right here.

What do you think of this Capital One Bank and the new branded business mastery feature? What sorts of branded businesses do you hope Zynga releases in the future? Sound off in the comments.

Will Zynga finally promote Adventure World in FarmVille and elsewhere?

According to the numbers, it just might have to. FarmVille Freak has found an unreleased piece of Adventure World in Zynga's first big time Facebook game, FarmVille. The website discovered that soon (if not already), Zynga might cross promote the first Facebook game by its Boston studio through the familiar billboard method that players are used to seeing.

This might come in addition to a neighbor card featuring the Adventure World logo that will likely take players directly to the brand new game. Adventure World, Zynga's largest, most ambitious (and different) Facebook game to date isn't doing so hot after its first week of existence, according to AppData.

The game has only managed to garner just over 419,000 monthly players since its launch last week, and just a maximum of over 203,000 daily players. What's worse is that number is already on the decline, as today it reads just over 190,000. This news may seem premature, as the game has only been on Facebook publicly for a week. However, consider games like Empires & Allies and CityVille, which soared within their first two weeks on Facebook to tens of millions of players.

Adventure World doesn't seem like it will enjoy that astronomical growth, judging from what the first seven days have shown us. In the game's defense, Adventure World hasn't enjoyed much cross promotion between Zynga's existing games, if any at all. Based on the differences from my early look at the game and playing it since, there are some features to the game I could do without, such as the Base Camp (let's just focus on the adventures, hm?).

Nevertheless, if there is one Zynga game that deserves at least the same growth Empires & Allies earned in the first few weeks after its release, it's Adventure World. While it includes a few of the common trappings that many believe hold Facebook games back today, it's also treading new ground with its interactive environments and huge scope. So, here's to hoping Zynga Boston's debut finds its second wind--and fast.

[Image Credit: FarmVille Freak]

What do you think of Adventure World so far? Do you think the game deserves the millions of players that the company's more traditional games cater to? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment

Will Zynga finally promote Adventure World in FarmVille and elsewhere?

According to the numbers, it just might have to. FarmVille Freak has found an unreleased piece of Adventure World in Zynga's first big time Facebook game, FarmVille. The website discovered that soon (if not already), Zynga might cross promote the first Facebook game by its Boston studio through the familiar billboard method that players are used to seeing.

This might come in addition to a neighbor card featuring the Adventure World logo that will likely take players directly to the brand new game. Adventure World, Zynga's largest, most ambitious (and different) Facebook game to date isn't doing so hot after its first week of existence, according to AppData.

The game has only managed to garner just over 419,000 monthly players since its launch last week, and just a maximum of over 203,000 daily players. What's worse is that number is already on the decline, as today it reads just over 190,000. This news may seem premature, as the game has only been on Facebook publicly for a week. However, consider games like Empires & Allies and CityVille, which soared within their first two weeks on Facebook to tens of millions of players.

Adventure World doesn't seem like it will enjoy that astronomical growth, judging from what the first seven days have shown us. In the game's defense, Adventure World hasn't enjoyed much cross promotion between Zynga's existing games, if any at all. Based on the differences from my early look at the game and playing it since, there are some features to the game I could do without, such as the Base Camp (let's just focus on the adventures, hm?).

Nevertheless, if there is one Zynga game that deserves at least the same growth Empires & Allies earned in the first few weeks after its release, it's Adventure World. While it includes a few of the common trappings that many believe hold Facebook games back today, it's also treading new ground with its interactive environments and huge scope. So, here's to hoping Zynga Boston's debut finds its second wind--and fast.

[Image Credit: FarmVille Freak]

What do you think of Adventure World so far? Do you think the game deserves the millions of players that the company's more traditional games cater to? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment