Pet Society Holiday Competition: Dress up the Mayor for Playfish Cash

It's that time of year again for giving, good food and... heated competition. Knowing how to create a good challenge and even better stakes, Playfish is bringing back the Pet Society Holiday Competition, a contest to test the creativity of the Pet Society community. And this year, it's all about our favorite mustachioed Mayor.

This time around, you'll have to either write some funny dialog for a screen shot of the Mayor or design new outfits from him to wear. Oh, and 1,500 Playfish Cash is up for grabs, which is probably important. As for the phrases portion of the contest, players will have to write a short, festive phrase for the Mayor to say to all the boys and girls this Christmas. When 50 winners are chosen for this contest, each receiving 20 Playfish Cash, the Mayor will visit your houses with one of these 50 phrases to say.

As for the dress up portion of the contest, you will be required to design a seasonal outfit for the Mayor to wear this holiday season. One winning design will receive an immense 300 Playfish Cash while two runners up will win 100 each. Keep in mind, all of these submissions--both funny phrases and fancy designs--need to be focused on the holidays. Both parts of the competition close this Friday and voting begins on Dec. 3, so get to writing or designing if you want a piece of that 1,500 Playfish Cash. Be sure to check out the forum thread for more information.

FIFA Superstars' Tactical Joe hints at things to come, isn't real

Now I've seen everything. Promoting a product through fictional events like interactive stories and games is one thing, but Playfish decided to preview future changes in FIFA Superstars through a fictional character, Tactical Joe. This imaginary F.C. manager will be interviewed "every fortnight about game hints, current features and upcoming new FIFA Superstars additions" about future changes, according to the blog post.

As for news of recent changes from the world of animated community managers, there is no restriction on the 24-hour training sessions for players before Level 11. To further boost team rating, there is now a Personal Trainer in FIFA Superstars, ready to increase your team's rating by 10 with a training boost between matches.

In addition to new Superstars of the Week, new competitions and leagues are on the way, according to Tactical Joe. Not to mention that a new feature inspired by community feedback is coming soon. Because of players reaching out to the Playfish team, you'll soon be able to change your lineup in the middle of a game as player cards start to suffer injuries or penalty cards.

E3 2011: Playfish hee-haws in 'Risk: Factions' debut trailer

Last week at E3, Playfish debuted a trailer of their latest Facebook title, Risk: Factions, a game that looks to be setting itself up as competition to Zynga's latest hit, Empires & Allies. But unlike E&A, which borrows heavily from another Zynga game, CityVille, Playfish's game is spun off of a platform game by its parent company, Electronic Arts. And also unlike E&A, Playfish is definitely after a different demographic than Zynga.

So while a carrot-chomping donkey with 'Bad Ass' tattooed on its rear doesn't exactly scream 'grizzlied, battle-hardened space Marine', if you're a fan of the critically acclaimed StarCraft II (made by Blizzard, the same folks who created 'World of Warcraft'), then Playfish has you in on the joke.

Even if the Playfish spoof is pretty funny as a standalone sequence, if you want to fully appreciate the silliness, I recommending seeing the original StarCraft II trailer here.

Dunkin' Donuts pushes its brand with a free Sims Social Lawn Chair

Dunkin' Donuts strikes again in The Sims Social. On top of all the free fan gifts from Playfish and EA rolling out daily on the game's official fan page, the American coffee-and-donuts chain has chipped in for the first Sims Social-branded virtual item in the form of an exclusive Dunkin' Donuts Lawn Chair.

To get the chair, you've got to 'like' the official Dunkin' Donuts Facebook page here and then head over to the section of the page titled "DD & The Sims Social".

Owning the lawn chair adds 250 points to your house value, which is a modest, but no small amount. It also sells for 15 Simoleons, which is chump change, but hey, free furniture! And lastly, the chair comes with a bit of extra animation.

Just click on the chair, and your Sim will get the option to "Sit" or "Drink Dunkin' Donuts Coffee". So kick back, and watch your Sim lie down on the chair to sip from a steamy cup.
Dunkin Donuts Sims Social Lawn Chair
Do you enjoy branded goods in games? Do you think it makes them more realistic?

The Sims Social: Celebrate the last days of summer with new Summer House theme

With the mass popularity of the Sims Social on Facebook, it's no surprise that Playfish / EA are continually adding new decorative items to the game's store, allowing you to personalize your home in new ways. Specifically, this week sees the launch of a "Summer House" theme of items, with items being available for your living room, bedroom and even outdoor areas. There are also plenty of decorative items here to take a look at, so we'll do our best to give you a complete guide to these new items. Check them out!

SolTrain Cubic (Shelving Unit)

    * Costs: 35 SimCash
    * Value: $5,150


SolTrain Chair (Buildable item)

    * Costs: 2,250 coins
    * Value: $1,800


SolTrain Kingsize (Bed)

    * Costs: 79 SimCash
    * Value: $11,700
    * Sleep Stat: 11


SolTrain Rays (Lamp)

    * Costs: 3 SimCash
    * Value: $450


BasketCase Travel (Requires Level 30)

    * Value: $350


SolTrain UV Lite

    * Costs: 12 SimCash
    * Value: $1,750


BasketCase XL (Requires Level 30)

    * Value: $600


SolTrain UV XL (Lamp)

    * Costs: 22 SimCash
    * Value: $3,250


Summer Tones (Painting - requires level 30)

    * Value: $750


Woody Divider (Requires Level 24)

    * Value: $1,300



SolTrain BagelUp

    * Costs: 5 SimCash
    * Value: $750


Woody Boxout B (Kitchen cabinet - requires Level 26 - Buildable item)

    * Value: $1,650


Woody Boxout L (Kitchen Cabinet - requires Level 26 - Buildable item)

    * Value: $1,650


SolTrain Panama (Outdoor Bed)

    * Costs: 49 Sim Cash
    * Value: $7,250


SolTrain Snug (Buildable item - requires Level 30)

    * Value: $2,200


Palm Tree

    * Costs: 1,750 coins
    * Value: $1,650
    * Happiness Stat: 3
    * Social Stat: 3


SolTrain Parasol

    * Costs: 59 SimCash
    * Value: $8,700


SolTrain Swing (Buildable item - requires Level 30)

    * Value: $4,850
    * Sleep Stat: 3


UltiMax Top Deck (Stereo)

    * Costs: 59 SimCash
    * Value: $8,700
    * Fun Stat: 5


In addition to all of these items, there's a full set of windows available in the Build menu is a new "Alpine" theme, which consists of a dark tan, almost orange colored frame. Four flooring options are available for either Social Points or (at most) a single SimCash per tile, and the theme is rounded out with a "SolTrain Beach" wallpaper that costs 55 Social Points per square.

As with previously released themes, these Summer House items don't appear to be limited edition; rather, they should be available permanently in the game's store. That being the case, you should be able to save up coins, or Social Points, or have time to purchase SimCash long into the future to create this theme in your home as far into the future as you like. If we see this change, we'll make sure to let you know.

What do you think of these Summer House items in Sims Social? What kinds of items would you like to see released next in the game? Sound off in the comments.