Nowadays Capcom is on board the freemium bandwagon in a big way.  One such example of that is their upcoming title Monster Petshop.  Modeled as a hybrid of time management games and Tamagotchi animal raising simulators, the upcoming time sink looks to dip into your inner nurturer, while still forcing players to be ruthless business people.

Players are placed in the kitty litter covered shoes of a pet store owner, specializing in raising unique breeds of monsters.  These interactive creatures that you raise from an egg are you ticket to success, as long as you can avoid becoming too attached to the little buggers.  Any number of different processes that might be done with a traditional Tamagotchi pet are intimately necessary to the creature’s survival and ultimate well being, including such tasks as feeding, cleaning up after and even scratching them in their “special spot.”  Don’t worry, the person demoing the game for me admitted to feeling creepy after uttering the phrase.

Once your pet has reached some level of maturity it can either be bred with other creatures owned by your friends or sold for a profit.  The trick is keeping enough balance that these pixelated little beasts can be constantly reproducing and either building or replenishing your store’s stock, while still keeping the critters at peak happiness.  It is a juggling act to be sure, but if you manage to succeed, the imaginary financial windfall could prove to be rather lucrative.

As you become a bigger success as a store owner, abilities to add in new decorations to your shop and options for your breeds will open up, allowing for players to do what they love most in freemium games, customizing the ever-loving hell out of everything.  You can look forward to more details on the game hatching as the title’s June/July peak incubation window draws nearer.

Namco, of worldwide PAC-MAN fame, is having a huge iOS Christmas sale that will last until January 3rd. With a ton of apps that are going for $0.99 and $1.99, there’s just no reason for people to not play the heck out of all the Namco games they can get their hands on. Enough talk though, here’s the Christmas sale!

House of Glass – in-app purchase lowered to $2.99
BIT.TRIP BEAT Blitz – in-app purchase levels lowered to $0.99

BIT.TRIP BEAT – $0.99
BIT.TRIP.BEAT was definitely one of my favorite retro experiences over the past year. Taking the classic Pong game and pumping in some heavy interactive beats and crazy graphics, BIT.TRIP.BEAT will definitely entertain anyone looking for an extremely stylish retro gaming remix. It won’t haunt your Pong loving dreams like Be2: Escape From Pongland, but it is definitely a game worth playing.

$0.99

BIT.TRIP BEAT

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2010-09-30 :: Category: Games

BIT.TRIP BEAT HD – $0.99
Isaac Newton’s Gravity – $0.99
Mishap – $1.99
Mishap for iPad – $1.99

More Brain Exercise with Dr. Kawahsima – $1.99
Dr. Kawashima is the pioneer of tying brain exercise to video games with the huge success of Brain Age on Nintendo DS. After selling millions of copies of his book, many more millions of copies of his branded game on the DS, Namco decided to bring the brain training guru to the App Store. More Brain Exercise isn’t quite as advanced as Brain Age, but if brain training is what you are looking for you’ve come to the right place. At this discounted price you definitely won’t be disappointed.

$1.99

More Brain Exercise with Dr. Kawashima

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2010-10-21 :: Category: Games

More Brain Exercise with Dr. Kawahsima HD – $1.99
Mr. Driller – $0.99

Ms. PAC-MAN – $1.99
Ms. PAC-MAN, whether you like it or not, was the very first game to tie into Apple’s Game Center. While I prefer regular PAC-MAN, gamers looking to capture a bit of gaming history can download the game and attempt to crack the global top 50 list… a list littered with hard core gamers that were patiently waiting for other games to populate the Game Center system. Good luck! The competition is stiff.

$4.99

Ms. PAC-MAN

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2008-07-11 :: Category: Games

PAC-MAN – $1.99
PAC-MAN for iPad – $1.99
PAC-Match Party – $0.99
PAC-Match Party HD – $0.99
Pole Position: Remix – $0.99
Pool Pro Online 3 - $0.99
Pool Pro Online 3 for iPad – $0.99
Star Trigon – $0.99

Tamagotchi: ‘Round the World – $0.99
Tamagotchi? In the App Store? As an app reviewer I feel like I should hang my head in shame, but as an adult stuck in the late 90′s, all I can say is O.M.G. The App Store’s description says that I can “Eat, dance, play and even poop your way to a happier and healthier planet!” Perfect.

$1.99

Tamagotchi: 'Round the World

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2009-02-19 :: Category: Games

There was a time, not so long ago, that Tamagotchi’s ruled the hearts and minds of little kids everywhere. Mindless children would feed, pet, and train these little creatures as if their deaths would be the end of their worlds. Maybe I’m wrong in the head, but all I wanted to do with the little critters was mess up their limited digital lives.

“Sure I’ll watch your Tamagotchi!” I’d say to my classmates, “It might not eat for a few days, but what’s the harm.”

Later on, the makers of the evil little toy were forced to add a pause button due to pressure from school teachers nationwide. Apparently kids were sneaking off to the bathroom during class to feed their Tamagotchi’s when the little buzzer came on that indicated hunger. After awhile the critters lost popularity and their time slaughtering ways evolved into Farmville and ngmoco:)’s “We” games, but a spot in our collective hearts were holding out for this very day. The day Zombigotchi arrived.

Zombigotchi is, as you can imagine, the zombie version of Tamigotchi. Like it’s namesake, your goal in Zombigotchi is to raise your little zombie to be the best brain eating zombie out there. Instead of being nice to the zombie though (which you can still do), you can poke it and maim it without consequence. You also have to feed it, but I’m pretty sure it eats blood and body parts… perfect for a tiny little brain eater.

The game comes complete with five unlockable characters, two unlockable subgames (ragdoll and giblets), and 25 unlockable zombie cards. If you want a good chuckle this Halloween season, be sure to pick up Zombigotchi today. Also, be sure to check out the promo clips below, they’re really pretty funny.

$1.99

Zombigotchi

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2010-10-21 :: Category: Entertainment