| If you've logged into your favorite online world recently, you might have noticed a change or two: a strange floral smell in the air, an unusual feeling, a few...extra hearts around the place. Yes, it's Valentine's time again, and from pastoral phenomenon Farmville to the soaring spires of Warcraft's world, Cupid's well and truly here. Check out some of the lovely events happening in an online world near you. Farmville Valentine's Day is going to be a busy time down on the farm. Farmville developer Zynga has rolled out an astonishing variety of Valentine-themed goodies over the last few weeks: everything from giant flowers to candy stores to pink elephants. Backing that up is a new quest line, which'll set you to work gathering Valentine messages from your friends and make you substantially richer and more experienced along the way. Or if you prefer more creative outlets for your talents, there's a Valentine-themed farm decoration contest that'll give you the chance to win the admiration of the Farmville community -- not to mention a small fortune in Farmville cash. Head over to the official forums for the skinny. World of Warcraft The world's biggest online role-playing game is kicking off what might well turn out to be the world's biggest Valentine's party. Dubbed "Love is in the Air," it rolls out daily quests, one-off achievements, and a special boss, Apothecary Hummel, who you'll find in Shadowfang Keep. Check out WOWHead for the gory details. DC Universe Online Superheroes and heroines need love, too. Sony's latest online game might be barely a month old, but it's already getting down with the Valentine's celebrations. Players can enter the cherub shadow realm via fountains that have appeared around Metropolis, shoot love arrows at other citizens, and tackle a new boss fight against none other than the Goddess of Love herself. If that's leaving you wondering "Why so serious?", check out the game's new appearance items: a harlequin clown suit and a cherub disguise. The citizens of Metropolis will never be able to look at you with a straight face again. Zuma Blitz Thought there wasn't much scope for Valentine-themed fun in this ball-shooting romp? How about a double heart-shaped board for the week? Not only is it seasonally appropriate, its layout ought to be conducive to some good scores. Frontierville Much like Farmville, Frontierville's Wild West settlements have caught the love bug, pardner. You should already have seen the "Hearts and Flowers" mission appear; you have until the end of the month to complete its goals, which involve putting a spark back into your love live with plenty of flowers, gifts, and other rootin' tootin' shenanigans. Lord of the Rings Online Though Frodo, Gandalf, and the rest of the crew never seemed to have much time for love, there's plenty of it in this Tolkien-licensed online world. But you'll have to find it on your own. Snap a Valentine-themed screenshot, enter it into the official contest, and you could win a Mount Doom-sized pile of hobbitbucks. Beardy John Rhys-Davies lookalikes need not apply...we hope. Cityville Zynga's newest -- and, by some measures, biggest -- social game is doing Valentine's Day in a big way. Hit the red heart on the side of the screen, and in no time you'll be creating and sending custom cards to all your friends. Yes, just like in kindergarten. Collect enough of your own -- you social butterfly, you -- and you'll unlock a set of exclusive decorations. |
