Come explore the sunny new Nevis Island today. It’s pretty much a Caribbean vacation without all that pesky traveling.

In recent times, however, you may have noticed that we have, ahh, not released very many new games.  But the good news is, after making you wait an unusually long time, for us, we are on the verge of releasing a deluge of new, great games. And when I say “great,” it’s not because I am being paid to say it. I am not actually paid to love our games. Granted, I probably wouldn’t write a treatise on why one of our games sucked, because, well, that would just be stupid and probably career-limiting, and I have a kid in college. Still, in two years I’ve never been pressured to come out and go “YAY THIS GAME IS AWESOME!” either.  So when I tell you I’ve played four of our upcoming games, and seen two others, and am thrilled with what I’ve played and seen, I’d like to think you can at least sort of trust me. You’ve all been very patient with us, especially regarding Plants vs. Zombies 2, but, to paraphrase cultural giants Hans and Franz, listen to me now and believe me later when I tell you there is good stuff awaiting you.

In case you’re wondering, the reason I’m in Xtreme Cheerleader Mode for PopCap today is that for the first time in a little while I have now found myself unreasonably addicted  to one of our own games: Solitaire Blitz for iOS. I played this game for a bit on Facebook, and always liked it, but it wasn’t until its recent conversion to iOS that I truly found the love. Because playing Solitaire Blitz on the iPad just feels like the way it was meant to be played. The problem now, as was the problem I had in that Peggle column from 5 years ago, is that I simply cannot stop playing. Every spare moment I get – including in the middle of conversations with my wife when it’s her turn to talk – is spent trying to increase my high score for the week. I play at night in bed until my eyes close and the iPad hits my forehead. (And then when that wakes me up I play a few more rounds.) I’m dreaming of the game, too, counting up and down the stacks of cards while otherwise occupied with other dream activities, like flying over my neighborhood or sitting in class in my underwear with no term paper to turn in. The point is, while I’m not required to love our games, I am now, completely accidentally, utterly hooked. It feels good. It’s a reminder of why I came here in the first place. It’s a reminder that PopCap is not done making great games. There is so much good stuff on the way. But right now, if you haven’t picked it up yet, go get Solitaire Blitz on iOS. You won’t be sorry – unless you have a life to live.

Mark B. – Studio Artist, Plants vs. Zombies

I had a total blast but oh my gosh did it wipe me out. Between what seemed like hundreds of boxes of swag to get out, running the “Test Your Strength” machine, keeping the booth tidy, and trying to contain Wall-nut hat mania, it was hard to find time just to get a bite to eat. Saturday afternoon, in the chaos, my lunch order didn’t come through. It was 2 or 2:30, and I was STARVING! Jeff saw the situation and came over, “Hey man, you can have half my sandwich.” Then, Philip came in and shared his lunch as well. I had a lot of fun being on panels, seeing all the amazing cos-players, and mingling with people who love PopCap games. But a small act of kindness when you need it the most, it stays with you. Thanks for having my back guys. It was awesome to have the opportunity to be at PAX East with ya.

Dana S. – Customer Service Content Manager

First of all, I sustained some major hits on this trip. I came back with a touch of con crud, and I got so dehydrated throughout the weekend that my hands cracked and bled, and then my nose started bleeding as well. On the way back to Seattle, I broke a tooth on airport food, and when I picked up my suitcase at baggage claim, it looked like this:

American Airlines customer support is awesome though, so I got a new bag. However, my Batman belt was lost along the way. Circle of life.

So, all that said, it really says something that I am so completely happy with my PAX East experience! I loved every minute of it (in retrospect, I guess — I mean, in the moment, I do remember never wanting to hear that hammer strike/bell ding sound combination again). I made some awesome new friends, saw a couple of cool panels, brought home a pile of card games to start playing, and best of all, hung out with the coolest group of friends I could have hoped for.

I also especially dug getting to talk to Peggle fans, as ever. Between the Peggle Master plushies we were giving out and the free Peggle download offer, that game was on everyone’s mind, and I love that. Extreme Fever forever!

Tara T. – Community Manager, Core Franchise

Couldn’t agree more with Mark. You were all so fun, amazing, and wonderful to work with. Even in the frustrating, starving, tired moments.

My favorite memories of the booth were the kiddos for sure. Each lil’ smile just from a simple plushy was worth every effort! The magic show was a highlight for me too. He brought a nice crowd and was super engaging. The strong man never-ending line was the biggest surprise for me. The popularity of that activity was crazy cool! The worst part of the whole event were the greedy folks who took 10 of everything without thinking twice. Seeing the inflation on ebay today is just slightly annoying. I’m still exhausted and sore, but all in all I can’t wait for the next event and can only hope we have a group as great as this one was! Thanks so much, everyone!

The gang's mostly all here!

Philip S. (hey, that’s me!) – Copywriter

Quick impressions: super noisy and I can’t believe how popular our decidedly analog High Striker hammer game was. Beyond that, I didn’t get out of our own booth too much (except to escort our zombie to and from his Kissing Booth) so I missed most of what I’m sure was a lot of great stuff on the floor. But what I took away from the whole event was that there are tons of great people in this business. From the groovy cats on my own team who worked hard and stayed loose the whole weekend, to the thousands of fans who stopped by to grab some swag or just to say ‘hey’ and ‘thanks,’ plus the two indie developers I ran into repeatedly in the break room (what up Ackk Studios and ClutchPlay Games?), and the dynamite crew of Enforcers including our most-awesome “XA” (Exhibitor Assistant) Laura, who was traffic cop, civil engineer, valet and den mother, and who we all agreed should come home with us. I spend a lot of time online where some days it seems like endless negativity. It was great to be face-to-face with so many fans and colleagues and to see how much passion and enthusiasm still exists in our industry. Oh, and the back-room swag deals with other developers was fun and sort of hilarious.

We killed it good.

Stephanie B. – Community Manager, Plants vs. Zombies

This was sent to me via the PvZ page yesterday:

Dear PopCap,

I just wanted to thank you for being the coolest booth at PAX East. I visited your booth often over the weekend but I had the best experience on Friday. I noticed people lining up to ring a bell with a mallet; I’m not sure if that game has an actual name. I’ve personally never tried those types of games before due to not having a lot of upper body strength. I normally wouldn’t attempt hitting anything with a mallet but I saw you were giving out Disco Zombie Figures and I knew I had to have one. I saw many girls fail to push their upper body strength to hit the bell and they were walking away with an energy drink. I really didn’t want an energy drink so I knew I had to give it my all for the figure! After waiting in line I got up to the green mat… and failed miserably. After three attempts I handed in my mallet. It was sad; I was sad. The guy said “Nice try” and I sighed. I was almost angry because I felt this game was really unfair for the average girl unless she had the extra muscle or had a hulky boyfriend. I didn’t have either of those things. However, after I walked away one of the the PopCap guys ran after me to give me a figure. I thanked him and I was really happy, even though I was still sad on the outside. So please thank whoever was giving out the prizes that Friday afternoon for running after the girl who was incredibly unhappy she failed at ringing the bell.     –Jennifer

Everyone did such a fantastic job. Seriously. Awesome. I heart all of you for the hard work at the event and PAX always reminds me of why I love my job and our fans. You all should feel super proud you pulled off a fantastic show! Everyone loved our booth and my favorite part was all of us working together and becoming better friends because of it.

Jeff G. – Nobody Really Knows What He Does Around Here

Other than our own booth, which we are contractually obliged to say was the best thing ever, I had a few other favorite moments at PAX East, including: Learning how to play Cards Against Humanity, being relieved that my daughter wasn’t with me while playing, attending the always hilarious Giant Bomb panel, and not breathing one molecule of clean air for three days. No, wait. That last one was awful. But overall the show was awesome, as it always is! By far my favorite gaming show, every time. And hanging out with PopCap friends outside of the office? Priceless.

If you haven’t played for a while, or if you play all the time, there’s something new to explore. Oh, and you’ll have to take on some interesting quests along the way. I won’t spoil it all, but one may or may not involve way too many rubber duckies!

Go play Solitaire Blitz today. And say hi to Pearl for me.

Whether you’re giddy with infatuation, deeply in love, comfortably solo, or wistfully longing, there’s a cuddly catfish who can relate. Sophie, the hopeless romantic of the seven seas, needs your help to catch her dreamboat!

Sophie likes poetry, sardines and long sunset swims along the shoreline.

On the island of Trinidad, you helped Sophie gather up presents to woo the handsome lighthouse keeper of her dreams. (Wait, you didn’t? Then get to it! She’s waiting for you!)  You can also go back and do it all again to see her delight as you collect secret admirer gifts for her.

To replay quests in Solitaire Blitz, click on an earlier island and choose Play Again. Or to simply see the items you collected, you can choose Review Quests.

On the island of St. Vincent, she’s got more amorous adventures for you!

Love Potion #9 is a very underrated movie.

If you have not yet visited the island of St. Vincent, you’re in for a special treat with this quest! Just last week, you may have noticed that a brand new boost was available in Solitaire Blitz. Tempest in a Teacup is also a quest reward for helping Sophie gather ingredients for her love potion! If you have yet to try this boost, or if you’re not quite sure what it does, hurry over to St. Vincent to earn 10 free Tempest in a Teacup boosts (if you’ve already completed the quest once, you will earn Silver for replaying it). Believe me when I tell you, this boost is the best! Check out what it does:

Time is running out! I've got a huge stack over there and no place to put the cards... there's no time!

But I activate my Tempest in a Teacup, and all the remaining cards get shuffled and re-dealt into even stacks!

Very quickly I was able to make a few key plays and clear the Time Line. Now I can clean up!

Finally, don’t forget about the newest islands! Stormy Rocks has just been discovered, and a special Valentine’s Day card back awaits you there. Whether you’re counting the minutes till a romantic dinner or counting the minutes until February 15, there’s no better way to spend those minutes than playing Solitaire Blitz!

Oh, how I, too, wish for such an island. And yet, when I think of all the islands in the world, I cannot help but remember: in life, rough waves and ragged shores can tear down the facades of even the most majestic islands and reveal a lonely chamber of harrowing despair.

But, thankfully, Solitaire Blitz isn’t real life! (You can tell by the mermaid and the mustachioed shark.) In this awesome game, PopCap brings you new islands that offer the wonders of their real-life counterparts, plus lots of helpful sea creatures and tons of treasures. Best of all? You can go visit new islands without even leaving the comforts of your friend-filled Facebook world.

One of the new places you can explore today is called Martinique Island. Plus, there’s a Whale Grave, too… 100% imaginary, we promise. Of course, not all is perfect: there’s a new villain called The Claw, and he’s out to steal your treasure. But at least he’s a fun villain!

New islands are popping up often in Solitaire Blitz — and that means there’s always something new to explore. So if you haven’t played for a while, go see what you’ve been missing. And if you’ve never played: If you are wise and of good will, swim out from under that rock and discover all the treasures of Solitaire Blitz.

And if you have one of your own to share, add them in the comments section. Because, at least for today, we love haiku!

Jeff

Blue chuzzles in flight
I just popped you and you’re gone
Are you home, or dead?

Julie

Stressful solitaire
The countdown is bugging me
Cannot think clearly

A.J.

Chuzzle, chuzzle, chuz
zle, chuzzle, chuzzle, chuzzle,
chuzzle, chuzzle, chuz

Curtis

My dearest Bonnie:
Your heart, an open bookstore;
Mine, an e-reader.

Dana

Prehistoric eggs
Looming, steadily encroach.
Quick! Whirley’s coming!

Philip

What are you doing
With all the c-clamps I find
Hidden Object game?

To all those who did not win, or those who did not enter, do not despair. You will have another chance, another day. Soldier on as best as you can for now, and we’ll be back soon with another contest, and another chance for you to be a Genuine Internet Winner!

Honey, you’ve GOT to do something about that hair!