So our friends at NevoSoft have released their new game and Jenkat is one of the first to feature it.  Laura Jones and the Gates of Good & Evil kind of feels a little like Indiana Jones meets Tomb Raider (Lara Craft).  In fact, if you combine Lara Croft and Indiana Jones, you might get La(u)ra Jones.  Interesting.

Would you have guessed that Laura Jones would be anything but a hidden-object game, plus it has a cool name like “the Gates of Good & Evil” - Snazzy.

Laura Jones and the Gates of Good & Evil Game
http://www.jenkatgames.com/download/Laura-Jones-and-the-Gates-of-Good-and-Evil/

Heart: In the Studio, written by biographer Jake Brown, with exclusive interview contributions from Heart principles Ann and Nancy Wilson, fellow band members, as well as all of the groups producers, chronicles the behind-the-scenes story of the hit-making process.  Included are the stories behind such classic-and-pop-rock staples as ˜Magic Man, ˜Crazy On You, ˜Barracuda, ˜Straight On, ˜These Dreams, ˜Alone, ˜All I Wanna Do (Is Make Love to You), and countless others over 3 decades and 30 million+ albums sold. Heart is still beloved by rock fans worldwide, and this summer is co-headlining a tour with fellow classic-rock legend Journey, as well as working on material for a new studio album, due in 2009, in time with the bands rumored pending-induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

I personally don’t know too much about James Patterson, just that he’s been around forever, so he must be a popular writer.  I’ve seen parts of Kiss The Girls, one of his books that became a movie and starred Morgan Freeman. 

Working the causual games industry, I know a lot of companies have been shy about putting the word “murder” into the title of their game name.  Looks like we’ve broken through that barrier. 

Give Women’s Murder Club a try - It looks like its very popular with other Jenkat’r’s!

Women’s Murder Club - Death In Scarlet Download
http://www.jenkatgames.com/download/Womens-Murder-Club-Death-in-Scarlet/

Hey Barack, you better stick to the teleprompter. 

As for The Amazing Brain Train, it’s definitely a game that you can play with your kids.  I played the game with my eight-year-old niece and she loved it.  Check it out when you want to spend some quality time with the kids - not only will they love the game, they’ll love that you’re playing it with them.

The Amazing Brain Train Download
http://www.jenkatgames.com/download/The-Amazing-Brain-Train/

AC/DC will follow The Eagles, Bryan Adams and most recently Journey as artists who’ve made their albums exclusively available for the retail giant.  The Eagles reportedly sold amost three million albums via Wal-Mart and the new Journey album is on its way to 100,000 already, after only week.  Impressive for Journey, considering that their previous album didn’t sell that many copies and has been out several years.

I’m looking forward to the AC/DC record and maybe seeing them on tour.  Or a live DVD. 

As a result, not too many movies and games are set in casinos.  However, Mystery P.I. - The Vegas Heist is breaks the mold.  In fact, I believe this is only the 2nd game in the casual game world to be set in Vegas.  The first is a game near and dear to my heart - Gold Miner: Vegas.  GMV is a game that I developed while at MySpace/Fox.  Since then, the assets for GMV have been sold off to another company.  And when it all comes down, I think I like Finders Keepers more now.

Mystery P.I. - The Vegas Heist Game
http://www.jenkatgames.com/download/Mystery-PI-The-Vegas-Heist/

So, today I see a story that the New Kids are currently making plans to tour, and have recorded a new single called “Summertime” - in spite of their silly band name that was chosen without any consideration or plan for musical longevity. 

I jumped on the NKOTB Official MySpace to find the song and give it a listen, hoping that the track would be filled with the glorious pop hooks, dance beats and melodies of old.  Alas, ’twas not to be.  I am more thana little disappointed - maybe they should have head-hunted Timbaland to collaborate with them… You may speak with a crazy British accent, but you are a thinking diva, Madonna.  Just saying, Timbaland is King Midas when it comes to keeping artists that should by now be considered “has-beens”, relevant. 

Maybe it’s because I currently have my house on the market - but these guys all look like real estate agents to me now.  Jonathan isn’t exactly my type anymore, either - he’s just a little too pretty for my tastes.  Give me furry and funny over pretty and plastic any day!

Just wondering if anyone out there has plans to re-live their first boy band obsession by seeing these guys on tour?  If so, we expect a review! 

And to make matters worse, my allergies appear to be out of control today - the runny nose, scratchy throat, watery eyes, the whole deal.  Doesn’t that just figure?  Ah well, at least this little guy can relate.  And since my mom is in town visiting Jenkat headquarters, I can sneak up behind her just when I am about to sneeze, and get my jollies at the expense of her similar reaction:

*Chuckle* 

Anyway, I will be posting my favorite songs weekly, and I hope you guys will leave your comments and suggestions about the songs that you are currently listening to, as I rarely hear stuff I like on the radio anymore.  So, without further ado, here is my first installment of Jovi’s Friday Jams:

5. Losing Me (Perdido en Ti) by Diego - This one is a current free download on iTunes (this week only), and I suggest you download it posthaste if you love a soaring melody.  I believe that rising Latin sensation Diego’s first language might be Spanish, but you wouldn’t know it when he sings this song in English.

4. My Way by Butch Walker - This one is a bit of an oldie (released in 2002), but it’s got one heck of a hook.  Butch is the former frontman of the band Marvelous 3, which enjoyed some moderate success in the late 1990’s.  This guy is an amazing songwriter - you gotta trust me!  If you have never heard of him, this is definitely a good one to check out.

3. The Music of the Night (American Idol Studio Version) by David Cook - If you read my American Idol blogs, you all know by now that David Cook is the dark horse coming on strong at the end, and I think this was the song that sealed his fate in the top two… is it too early to assume that he’ll be there?  Methinks no.  The studio version of this performance is just dreamy - who would have thought Daughtry Junior had such a lovely falsetto?

2. Nine Lives by Def Leppard featuring Tim McGraw - A very solid uptempo ditty by my favorite band of all time.  Now would be a good time to prepare you to expect to see Def Leppard on this list frequently.    Joe Elliott and Tim Mc Graw perform the verses in sort of a call out and response fashion, and I admit, at times it is hard to tell them apart.  I have this entire CD (natch), and this is nowhere near the best song on the album - but as a single, I gotta admit it’s pretty catchy.  And did I mention I live next door to a guy that looks just like Tim McGraw?  Well, I do.

1. Shake It by Metro Station - This one was a totally random iTunes find for me, but I am so digging on it!  Very poppy, very synth heavy, and a little retro sounding.  Even their name reminds me of the 80’s.  The song itself sounds like it came off of a John Hughes movie soundtrack - and that’s a GOOD thing!  This one could be my Memorial Day jam of choice.

Have a great weekend, and I’ll see ya next week!