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The Great Snapchat Egg Hunt will have you exploring Snap Maps
Snapchat is hosting a virtual egg hunt that will still give you a workout. Starting today, you'll find decorated eggs hidden in your local neighborhood's Snap Map, which usually displays public Stories in your area, if you're in the US and Canada. You'll find them in public locations, such as coffee shops, airports, malls, parks and campuses, since you'll have to physically go there to collect the virtual egg.
Nintendo joins National Park Foundation for the White House Easter Egg Roll
Nintendo will bring along its fitness-oriented games when it joins the National Park Foundation, the official charity of America's national parks, in attending the White House Easter Egg Roll. This year's theme is "Hop into Healthy, Swing into Shape," which means Nintendo bringing Wii Fit U and Wii Sports Club to the event is sensible, especially considering that the Egg Roll supports First Lady Michelle Obama's "Let's Move!" campaign. Children will race each other at the Egg Roll, using long-handled spoons to roll eggs down rows of the White House's South Lawn. These eggs are actually crafted from hardwood and produced by the National Park Foundation though, presumably because letting a bunch of kids stomp yolks into the White House lawn is an awful idea. It's clearly a missed opportunity for a sponsored Yoshi egg hunt however, and we've taken the liberty to mock up what could have been in the above image. Dozens of kids ascending the White House, conquering Secret Service agents in CQC before cracking open dinosaur eggs and releasing our Jurassic Park-esque future? Sounds more fitness-oriented (and more fun) than Wii Fit U. [Image: Wikimedia/Nintendo]
GameStop Easter Weekend sale offers 'Buy 2, Get 1 Free' on used games under $20
GameStop is celebrating spring with an Easter Weekend event, offering a "buy 2 get 1" on a select stock of used games. The promotion begins today at all GameStop retail locations across the United States and online. The deal comes with certain stipulations, however: only games priced under $20 are eligible, with the free title coming at equal or lesser value. Though the promotion undoubtedly means PS4 and Xbox One titles are off the table, previous generation software is up for grabs. According to GameStop, the company "has recently reduced a large percentage of games from the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 libraries to $20 or less." The promotion ends on Sunday, April 20. [Image: GameStop]
Ultima Online patches in searchable player vendors
Ultima Online's new developer Broadsword announced earlier today that the latest patch for the legendary sandbox has arrived. Chief among the new additions is the long-awaited vendor search feature, which allows players to search existing player-owned shop vendors across the shard for specific items and then pay to teleport directly to that vendor to make the purchase. The patch also kicked off the game's Easter gift period because nothing says Britannia like Easter bunnies and marshmallow ducklings. In six different colors, mind you.
'Hoppy' Easter from team Joystiq
We've been informed that there is some ham that needs to be consumed today. Expect things to be a little slower than normal on this festive Sunday, especially if we overeat and wind up missing our egg hunt.To make up for it, we've hidden five special Easter eggs of our own on the site for you to find.* Enjoy your day off, we know we will!*Note: We totally didn't do this, but it would have been awesome if we did, right?
Mac 101: Easter eggs
For decades, programmers have hidden secret features and surprises inside the software they write. Such tidbits are known as Easter eggs, after the annual holiday hunt. (Note that undiscovered hard-boiled eggs may eventually create less pleasant surprises if left to mature in warm places.) As you're enjoying the Easter holiday, we've got a few links for Apple's Easter eggs. For OS X Easter eggs, the Easter Egg Archive has a fairly comprehensive list that includes some classics; the BSOD Windows icon and the "here's to the crazy ones" copy on TextEdit's icon are particular favorites. The classic Mac OS was populated with plenty of Easter eggs -- even inside the hardware itself -- but did you know that there was even an Easter egg in Inside Macintosh, the developer documentation for the Mac? Folklore.org has the story. As OS X is built atop the BSD flavor of UNIX, it carried forward some truly ancient Easter eggs from the older operating system. The command-line calendar program's data files include some mythological/fictional anniversaries, including a disputed birthday list from Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. Apple's newest (and most portable) OS is no stranger to the Easter egg tradition, but the new hidden items have a speakable twist. Siri's subtle movie reviews and silly answers to simple questions have taken over for some of the spontaneous/secret items you might find on the Mac.
Amazon wraps Disney, Lego, Sims, Skylanders games in Easter deals
Not all of us want chocolate for Easter. Some of us just want moar video games, and in particular ones involving Lego pieces, Disney characters, Simstuff, Skylanders goodies, and, er, Dance Central 3. You may say we're weird, fussy, and worryingly specific. But, as if by some holiday miracle, Amazon is here for us.The retailer's Easter sale brings savings across a ton of Lego, Disney, Skylanders, and Sims content - and yes, Dance Central 3. Harmonix's third moves-buster is down to just $19.99, while the Kinect Sports Ultimate Collection bundle is at $28.46.Meanwhile, Epic Mickey 2 falls to $19.99 on Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii U, Lego Batman 2 on 360, PS3, Vita and Wii is $14.99, and SimCity is already down to $39.99 - or $19.99 if you buy it alongside some clean-sounding stuff. You know what: there are a lot of Easter deals which you can check out on Amazon, and we'd love to tell you about every single one of them but chocolate here now so no*.*turns out we also want chocolate
Breakfast Topic: What's your favorite in-game holiday?
I love Halloween. I am a big fan of the spooky, the creepy, the gloomy, dark and dank. It enthralls me, it's mysterious, it's fun! I'm talking real life here, now, not candy buckets in cities. I'm not a huge fan of the in-game Halloween, it seems too jokey, too trick-or treat and candy-focused, missing the scary side. But, having said that, I do like the Headless Horseman. He, well, his head is very entertaining, with its constant issues with his disappearing body and horse. I also like Love is in the Air and Noblegarden, they're wonderfully corny and cute, with the bunny ears and the lovebirds. Winter Veil isn't bad either, but perhaps that's because I have a child-like love for Christmas. But my favorite in-game holiday by a long shot is Brewfest. I really like the music, for a while at least. With my habit of alt-tabbing to work while leaving the game running, leaving a character standing in a Brewfest zone for long periods of time is annoying at best! The games are really fun, and the in-game drunkenness does bring a smile. If Coren Direbrew was as entertaining as the Horseman, and the rewards were as fun as the Lovebird or the Picnic Basket, this could be a perfect holiday! What about you? Which in-game holiday tickles your fancy, and are there any that you despise?
Microsoft discounts Xbox Live for Windows Phone games for Easter, offers iOS / Android prices
If your smartphone Sunday lacks the holiday flair you were hoping for, Microsoft is serving up a basket full of economically priced Easter eggs. Seven Xbox Live Windows Phone games have shed their premium pricing for the weekend, letting patient gamers pick up titles like Angry Birds and Max and the Magic Marker for the standard 99 cents. Other titles in the hitherto unannounced sale include Burn the Rope, Doodle God, Toy Soldiers: Boot Camp, IonBallEX and De Blob. Just in time for folks who need more than bunny-shaped GPS routes to celebrate Easter.
Massively's Easter event roundup: 2012 edition
Whether you're an Easter traditionalist or you simply need an excuse to eat a chocolate bunny, it's that time of year again. It's also time for a few of our favorite MMO devs to don their silly hats and introduce all manner of egg hunts and contests into games like RuneScape, Runes of Magic, and World of Warcraft. That's just the tip of the Easter event iceberg; you'll find several more festively inclined titles in our roundup after the cut. Before you hop on over, have a look at the two bunnies above and repeat after us: d'awww.
Five apps that'll help you celebrate the Easter holiday
Easter is just around corner which means it's time for spring flowers, lovely dresses and time with family and friends. Below are five apps to help you celebrate the Sunday holiday. If you have any suggestions of your own, please add them to the list (all prices are USD). Wood Puzzles Easter Color HD ($0.99) Wood Puzzles Easter Color HD is an iPad app that features 15 different Easter-themed puzzles. The puzzles are your standard wood puzzles with colorful, chunky pieces that are perfect for the younger set. Easter Egg Coloring Book (Free) The Easter Egg Coloring book is a finger-painting app for children that chock full or rabbits and eggs for your child to color. It's cutesy and will keep your children busy coloring for hours. Olive Tree Bible Reader ($0.99; bibles and study guides available as in-app purchases) If you are a Christian, then you should consider adding Olive Tree Bible Reader to your list of must-have apps. It has a variety of bibles and study guides that you can add to your iPhone or iPad. Use it to bookmark and then review those passages that celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. iCookbook ($4.99) Eggs and candy are a big part of Easter, but we can't forget about the all-important Easter brunch or dinner. If you need some cooking tips or recipe ideas, then go no further than iCookbook. The cooking app features 2,000 recipes with detailed instructions and stunning photos. The app has some compelling features like voice command which lets you use your voice to work your way through a recipe, set timers and more. Egg Dyeing 101 from Martha Stewart ($0.99) Egg Dyeing 101 from Martha Stewart was on our list last year and is back again for a second round. The app has detailed instructions on how to cook and dye Easter eggs as well as fun crafts that you can do once the eggs are done. It's 99-cents and worth every penny.
Talkcast reminder: Holiday edition, 10 PM ET Sunday
It's talkcast time again, and since it's also Easter Sunday we expect that some of our usual gang of chatterboxes may be tied up with religious or family obligations (and possibly sleeping off an overdose of Peeps). With that in mind, we're not going to worry too much about polishing the agenda or sorting out our topics of conversation ahead of time; if you show up, and there's something you want to talk about, we'll talk about it. Rumored MacBook Air refresh? iPhone finally turning white? iOS location leaks and privacy concerns? Apple grabbing the lion's share of wireless profits? You name it, we'll tawk. To participate on TalkShoe, you can use the browser-only client, the embedded Facebook app, or download the classic TalkShoe Pro Java client; however, for maximum fun, you should call in. For the web UI, just click the TalkShoe Web button on our profile page at 4 HI/7 PDT/10 PM EDT Sunday. To call in on regular phone or VoIP lines (yay for free cell phone weekend minutes!): dial (724) 444-7444 and enter our talkcast ID, 45077 -- during the call, you can request to talk by keying in *8. If you've got a headset or microphone handy on your Mac, you can connect via the free Blink or X-Lite SIP clients; basic instructions are here (if you like Blink, the pro version is available in the Mac App Store). Talk to you tonight.
TUAW wishes you a happy Easter
To our readers across the world celebrating the holiday, TUAW wishes you a very happy Easter. Photo by jmurawski | flickr cc
Direct2Drive cuts orders over $20 by 25 percent this weekend
Direct2Drive is also getting in the ridiculous Easter discounts game this weekend, cutting the price of all orders totaling $19.95 or more by 25 percent. That includes pre-orders, as well -- just make sure you drop the promo code "BUNNY" during check-out!
Massively's Easter event roundup
Our ears invariably perk up when it comes to seasonal MMO events, and with a long Easter weekend in full swing, we figured it'd be a swell idea to collate the various holiday-related goings-on in our favorite virtual worlds. While many of you are no doubt gorging on chocolate-covered bunnies and/or hanging out with your families, just as many are taking advantage of the weekend festivities in your favorite MMOs. Whether it's anniversary celebrations in Lord of the Rings Online or Easter-themed shindigs in Vindictus and RuneScape, there's something for everyone. Hop past the cut for more details.
Karotz to start shipping, Nabaztag to return from dead for Easter
Cadbury aside, nothing says Easter quite like a good resurrection tale, and this story's got it -- starring a rabbit, no less. Owners of Nabaztag, the email-reading / weather-forecasting / and generally adorable WiFi-enable desktop buddy, have been reporting a massive die-off of their beloved ambient bunnies, a tragic end due to a recent server move. The rabbits' manufacturer tells us that the network issues should be resolved by next week -- something of a belated Easter celebration. The rebirth is also perfectly timed to welcome Nabataztag's second coming as Karotz -- those who pre-ordered should start seeing the glowing woodland creature in their mailboxes next week.
Apps and games for Easter and Passover
As with most holidays these days, there are now several iOS apps that come in handy when needed in a pinch. For Easter and its surrounding holidays, this can be anything from dying eggs to explaining why today is Good Friday. The New York Times recently recommended several apps for the holiday including: Egg Dyeing 101: This US$0.99 app from Martha Stewart Living will take you beyond the ordinary hard-boiled egg and has instructions for everything from blowing out eggs to little decorations you can use to turn eggs into animals. A glossary, color wheel and more are included in the app, making this not just a good Easter app, but useful for when you want to do any sort of project involving egg decoration. Those who want to have the fun of dying eggs without dealing with the mess of eggs and dye can go for the $1.99 iColor Easter Eggs. Read on for more apps that add to the fun of this spring holiday season.
TUAW's Daily App: Bunny the Zombie Slayer
Hothead Games, the developer behind DeathSpank, Swarm and the Penny Arcade series of PC and console games, just released Bunny the Zombie Slayer, its first title on iOS. Just in time for Easter, the game has you playing as a bunny fighting zombies by lobbing Easter eggs at them, taking them down by lining up your shots and using special eggs with various functions. The game's reminiscent of Pro Zombie Soccer as you take down shambling hordes with a very arcade-style weapon. It's fun, and Hothead's great art direction and design keep things fresh every time you load it up. The game's low on features, with no Game Center integration or multiplayer, but it's still a nice deal at US$0.99 for a universal version on iPhone or iPad. Bunny the Zombie Slayer is a nice debut for the iPhone from the increasingly impressive Hothead, and hopefully we'll see more from them on iOS in the future.
Easter App Store sale kicks off with deals from EA and Sega
It's Easter, and although that normally means stuffing your face with chocolate and a bit of a break, it also means it's time for another App Store fire-sale. Hot on the block this year is EA's impressive, console-quality, survival horror third-person shooter Dead Space for iPhone and iPad; it's been discounted from US$6.99 and $9.99 respectively to the absolute bargain price of $0.99. If you haven't checked out Dead Space yet, now is the time. But that's not all from EA mobile -- it's got a whole host of games on sale. For iPhone at $0.99: Monopoly Tetris Dead Space The Sims 3 Need for Speed Hot Pursuit NBA Jam Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Madden NFL '11 For iPad at $0.99: Dead Space Pictureka! Reckless Racing HD Command & Conquer Red Alert Sega's got a couple of games on sale as well, with ChuChu Rocket! HD down to $2.99, while Super Monkey Ball, SMB 2 and Altered Beast are all down to $0.99. Many other games and apps from all sorts of developers are also on sale this Easter weekend, so if you're after a new app or game to play with, now's the time to check and see what bargains you can pick up. If you've found an absolute steal worth noting, drop it in the comments and let your fellow TUAW readers know.
RuneScape readying Holly and Hawthorn event
Spring has officially sprung, and aside from going outside and enjoying the greenery, it's also time to savor the springtime events in your favorite MMOs. RuneScape is throwing an Easter bash called Holly and Hawthorn, and the event is based around the annual baton pass between the Queen of Snow and the Queen of Sunrise. Unfortunately, someone has stolen this year's baton, and players will need to commune with the elements in order to avoid becoming trapped in an eternal winter. There's also a bit of tree-chopping to be done, and all participants will receive exclusive holiday items. Finally, RuneScape community managers will be running competitive events from April 22nd through April 25th, and the player who chops down the most holly and hawthorn trees will win a prize pack full of RuneScape swag. Head to the official website for all the details.
