I must admit that when I first tried the new Bejeweled Blitz with bonuses and boosts, I thought that the boosts tainted the purity of the game. I believed that a high score should be based on the skill of playing the game without the extras, and that if I used the boosts to get a higher score, it meant that I was somehow cheating.

Well, I've had a change of heart. I don't think of it as cheating anymore. The boosts are yet another level of strategy which makes Bejeweled Blitz a startlingly fun, multi-layer game playing experience.

Two people on my Facebook list this week so far have reached scores of over 600,000, and one of them admitted to using the boosts and feeling that the score was less than a stellar accomplishment. His comment was "I was well pleased, though I did use boosts so I guess it wasn't that special. 600ks will probably be the new 400ks if you know what I mean =]".

I believe that the game was special... I bet he had the same mental rush when the gems crashed together and he came to the realization that this was more than one of many ordinary one-minute games. I also bet that if he weren't always at the top of my leader board, he wouldn't have gotten a 600K game.

The boosts aren't an automatic trip to the top of the score list.

A) The bonus points must be earned by dedicating time to play the game.

B) The five boosts each perform differently, and it takes skill to know how to combine them for their full potential.

C) Even with the boosts, the gems have to fall into place for the optimum matches. It can take several games using the boosts to get a game that has good combination possibilities from the very beginning through to the end.

D) And even with the boosts, the player needs to know how to manipulate the gems to reach the higher scores. It does take practice, and usually lots of it.

I haven't used any boosts this week yet, but I plan to. I've accumulated 158,000 bonus points and I'm planning an full-on assault of the game with boosts very soon. I'm at 512,400 points right now, and I want to challenge the three people who have scores higher than mine on my Facebook list. So watch out, world - here comes Julia Gemstone! ;-)

My advice is to take advantage of the new capabilities of Bejeweled Blitz, and get those "it's cheating" thoughts out of your head. Think of the new Bejeweled Blitz as a new challenge to master, and it will not only open yourself to a new learning experience, but free your mind from all kinds of mental blocks. Change isn't always a bad thing.

Happy Gem Matching!
Julia Gemstone
 
 
New scoring levels were added to the high scores display.

Now they increment every 25,000 up to 250,000, then every 50,000 up to 500,000.

So now if you go over 250,000 and post it on Facebook, people won't have to look at your score to see how well you did.

Very cool!

Julia G
 
 
Hi All,

People keep leaving comments on my last post that the new version of Bejeweled Blitz isn't working, and not reading my responses, so I thought I'd write a new post.

PopCap is installing the new version of Bejeweled Blitz with the bonuses and boosts, and the new version is not yet stable.

This is a big upgrade, and you may experience errors, changes in high scores, the need to refresh your game, changes in you bonus points and other problems until they can get everything running smoothly.

As a Bejeweled Blitz addict, I know this is frustrating, but the new version is really cool and worth the wait.

Just know that the problem is not you or Facebook, that everyone is having the exact same problems you are having, and that PopCap is burning the night oil to get everything running smoothly again.

If you want to be ready for the new version when it IS stable, get my guide! ;-)

http://www.bejeweledlover.com/bjsales.html

Julia G
 
 
I just updated my Bejeweled Blitz guide and added a big section on the new Bejeweled Blitz whichi is being released today. The new version allows you to accumulate bonus points that can be used to purchase "Boosts" for your game.

You may use your points to purchase a special gem placed on the board at the beginning of a game, a special gem that detonates all of the special gems on the board when used, a gem that scrambles the gems in case you can't find a fast match, a boost that adds 5 seconds more of play to the end of the game, and one that adds a multiplier gem to the board at the beginning of a game.

The more you play, the more bonus points you can accumulate, and the more boosts you can "buy" to help increase your score.

My lateste Bejeweled Blitz Guide explains all of the boosts, and provides different strategy combinations that I think work best.

You can get this guide and my Bejeweled 2 Classic guide here:

http://www.bejeweledlover.com/bjsales.html

If you already purchased my guide and didn't get an email with a link to the free update, write to me at: bejeweled2 @ cableone . net

Happy Gem Matching!

Julia G
 
 
Gaming Angels named Bejeweled one of the most inspiring games of the decade.

I knew I loved the game for a reason! :-)

Check out the article:

http://www.gamingangels.com/2010/01/the-most-inspiring-games-of-the-decade/

Julia G
 
 
The Guinness World Records 2010 named Bejeweled the Most Popular Puzzle Game of the Century!

Read about it here:

http://www.dailyworldbuzz.com/guinness-world-records-2010-gamers-edition/10920/

Julia
 
 
From the "Edge" eZine:

http://www.next-gen.biz/features/the-friday-game-bejeweled-blitz

Julia G
 
 
Comment from Bejeweled Blitz Player Sue:

I have much trouble with Bejeweled Blitz, not in playing but it seems I cannot see my teammates scores at all. No one I know that plays has this trouble and was wondering if anyone knows how to get the running scores along side of my game. I played last week on my Mom's computer 700 miles away and it showed everyone on my team.

I called this Bejeweled Blitz player and she allowed me to take a look at her computer. We discovered that the problem was in her ad blocking software. We had to add this url as an "unfiltered" url in her Ad program:

http://labs.popcap.com

After this was done, the scoreboard appeared with the teammates' scores and the week's rankings!

Thanks for letting me check out your PC, Sue!

Julia G
 
 
I can't find an "official" page of high games, but you can become a fan of Bejeweled Blitz on Facebook, you can post your high score to the "Discussion" section. I've seen scores in the 700,000s there - this new game gives you the opportunity to reach really high scores!

To become a fan, click on the "Become a Fan" button at the top of the Bejeweled Blitz play board. You will also get any special announcements about the game on your Facebook wall.

I had a personal high last night and it was a big rush (see screen capture below!) 

Hope you're having fun with the new version.

I've decided to open my Julia Gemstone Facebook page to friends. If you'd like to be a friend, just look up "Julia Gemstone" and add me.

I don't use this for my "personal" facebook page, but I do spend a little time playing each week. I'm not a fan of smack talk, but you can try to beat me! :-)

Julia Gemstone
http://www.bejeweledlover.com
Picture
 
 
I thought I'd reply to a couple of the recent comments posted on my blog...

From Anne May
Sun, 11 Oct 2009 07:42:14
The new game seems a lot easier than the original version, I'm getting epic scores without much effort. I just scored 355,350.

It's not so much that the new game is easier. It's more that the score range is now higher.

It appears that the scale has now doubled, so where it used to be difficult to get many scores in the 200,000 range, now it's difficult to get scores in the 400,000 range.

That's one of the reasons they've removed the 25K medal scale in the stats - now it's almost a given that you'll get at least 25K.

I'm looking forward to when they add medals for 300K, 350K, 400K and 450K.

********************************

From rich (who posted on the Bejeweled Blitz Cheating post)
Sun, 11 Oct 2009 14:10:47
what does it matter? the thing on facebook has to be fake where it says you can win a laptop. because i didn't cheat before and our whole team got over 1 million points and did we win anything? nope. so i have the cheater program just to piss off this girl i dont like

Well, I just checked and there are now 7,688,337 monthly active Bejeweled Blitz users, so your expecting to win as soon as your team reached a million is a bit ambitious. Just because you didn't win, it doesn't mean that they don't give away a laptop each week. They absolutely do.

And as for your cheating, according to the Tips and Tricks tab at Bejeweled Blitz:

"Also keep in mind that if another player cheats, it does not affect your chances to win our contest in any way. Our contest is based on a drawing, and is NOT a competition. If there are players out there with higher team scores than you, they are no more likely to win the contest than you are. In fact, players with scores that were obviously obtained via cheating will be disqualified from the contest."

So your immature, infantile antics won't affect the girl's chances to win. :-)

Julia Gemstone
http://www.bejeweledlover.com