Restaurant City's Halloween dishes are almost too scary to eat

With Halloween rapidly approaching, Playfish has added a whole slew of new recipes to Restaurant City that will either delight, or perhaps sicken those guests that attempt to eat them.

There are three limited time recipes now available to learn (in addition to the Vampire Steak, Blood Orange Juice, and Pumpkin Risotto you also might have learned this holiday season). The first is the Gasping Goulash, a terrifying pasta dish that is literally haunted, with ghosts appearing at random from the dish's pasta noodles. Next is the Almond Brain Pudding. We're hoping that the "brain" part of this dish is simply its shape, as we can't imagine anyone wanting to eat raw brain, let alone a raw brain pudding. Finally, a Brain Drain drink is available to learn. Served in a clear skull-shaped mug with an orange and brown straw, this is perhaps the most appetizing of the three dishes, but we're not sure if that's saying much.

While the thought of these dishes is disgusting (not to mention mostly impossible) in the real world, when taken in the context of a game, they have to be some of the most clever Halloween-themed items we've seen yet. And luckily, you have a bit longer to learn them than you might expect - 11 days, meaning that you have a few days even after Halloween to track down the required ingredients to learn them.

FarmVille Huge Jack-O'Lantern Goals: Everything you need to know

To coincide with the launch of the Huge Jack-O'Lantern in FarmVille last night, Zynga has now launched a new nine-part goal series across all three farms that deal with Halloween tricks and treats. That's right, there are nine goals to complete in all, with a two-week limit being placed on the whole bunch. As you can complete them even back in your Home Farm, however, you aren't limited to how many plots you can plant at once (that is, unless you farm simply can't hold anymore due to its size), so at least farming-specific tasks won't be as difficult as those found in Lighthouse Cove's many goals. Either way, here's a complete guide to making your way through these Huge Jack-O'Lantern goals!

A Peculiar Place

    Get 6 Halloween Masks
    Expand Jack-O'Lantern to Stage 1
    Harvest 100 Black Tulips


The six Halloween Masks can be earned by posting a general news item to your feed asking your friends to help you out. As for the Black Tulips, these are a limited time crop that takes a full day to grow. For finishing this first goal, you'll receive 100 XP, a Cauldron and 1,000 coins.

Something Amiss

    Get 6 Candy Buckets
    Upgrade Jack-O'Lantern to Stage 2
    Harvest 150 Squash


The stages of the Jack-O'Lantern are reached at 25, 50, 75, 100, and 150 Treats (thus far). You should have no problem earning a few dozen, however, even if all you did was collect bonuses posted by your friends as I'm sure that the vast majority of your neighbors will be readily participating in this event as well. Squash, meanwhile, takes a full two days to grow. For completing this second goal, you'll earn 100 XP, a Creepy Plant decoration and 1,000 coins.

Et Tu, Duckula

    Get 6 Lollipops
    Harvest Duckula's Castle
    Harvest 150 Black Tulips


Again, the Lollipops are earned through a general news feed item. The Duckula's Castle - once constructed - can be harvested from once every 24 hours. Finish this goal and you'll receive 100 XP, 1,000 coins and a Pumpkin Chicken (that's a cute tan chicken dressed as a pumpkin, of course).

An Unexpected Guest

    Get 6 Banquet Invitations
    Harvest 1 Orchard
    Harvest Pumpkin Chicken


Just place your Pumpkin Chicken out on your farm as soon as you receive it and you'll simply need to wait for it to be ready to harvest. There have been bugs in the past that prevent things from counting if you place the animals in storage buildings, so I'd suggest leaving it out in the open until you've passed at least this goal. Finishing this goal gives you 100 XP, a Candelabra (a re-released decoration from previous years' themes) and 1,000 coins.

A Poignant Proposition

    Get 6 Party Favors
    Expand Jack-O'Lantern to Stage 4
    Harvest 150 Pumpkins


Pumpkins take eight hours to grow. Once you finish this goal, you will have officially reached the halfway point of these goals, and you'll receive 100 XP, a Gargoyle Statue (another re-released decoration) and 1,000 coins.

A Magnificent Banquet

    Get 6 Table Centerpieces
    Master Pumpkin Chicken to One Star
    Harvest 150 Black Tulips


If you only rarely clean out your Gift Box, you might have some extra Table Centerpieces in your inventory, as they've been used before in goals in Lighthouse Cove (as have a few other items we've already seen in these goals). If not, this one is earned through direct requests sent to individual friends. For finishing this goal, you'll receive 250 XP, 2,500 coins and a Vampiress Duck.

Wolf? Where?!

    Get 10 Spooky Decorations
    Harvest 300 Pumpkins
    Harvest Vampiress Duck


Spooky Decorations are earned through individual gift requests. Finish this goal and you'll receive 500 XP, a Tombstone and 5,000 coins. Yet again, this Tombstone is a re-released item that you might already have on your farm or in storage.

Hitting the Books

    Get 10 Old Books
    Harvest Duckula's Castle
    Harvest 400 Red Tulips


The Old Books are earned through a news feed post, while Red Tulips take a full day to harvest. Remember, these goals aren't specific to one farm, so if you don't have 400 individual plots on a single farm, feel free to plant some on multiple farms until you reach the required total. For finishing this goal, you'll receive 500 XP, a Pumpkin Horse and 5,000 coins.

A Hairy Situation

    Get 12 Spooky Grails
    Harvest 500 Black Tulips
    Master Black Tulips to Two Stars


If you had already started planting Black Tulips before this goal series even launched, you very well may have mastered the entire crop (again, before the goal series started). That being the case you'll simply need to make your way through these various requirements until this mastery task completes itself in the end. Wasted time? Sure, but at least you'll receive some pretty cool prizes along the way. Speaking of, finishing this final goal in the Huge Jack-O'Lantern goal series gives you 500 XP, one Pegacorn and 5,000 coins.

While this goal series is a lengthy one, I wouldn't put it past the big Z to release another goal series, or even another Halloween-themed event in the game before things are said and done. If that happens to be the case, we'll make sure to let you know.

Check out the rest of our Halloween 2011 coverage right here.

What do you think of these Huge Jack-O'Lantern goals in FarmVille? Are you excited to earn these prizes, or were you hoping for something more / different?

FarmVille Halloween Items: Dark Peach Tree, Black Guinea Pig and more

In tonight's FarmVille update, we see some Halloween items from previous years coming back to the farm, along with plenty of new items if you've got some Farm Cash or coins on hand to spare. There are two pairs of trees, along with some animals and decorations, and even another costume idea if you've yet to decide what you want your avatar to be this year. Check out all of the items below in our complete rundown.

Trees

Black Cherry Tree - 5 Farm Cash
Giant Black Cherry Tree - 5 Farm Cash
Dark Peach Tree - 8 Farm Cash
Giant Dark Peach Tree - 14 Farm Cash

The pair of Black Cherry Trees are re-releases here, which explains their cheaper price tags (too bad all tree couldn't still go for those prices, huh?). There's nothing different amount them, and the mastery points are the same, so there's no reason to purchase more if you already have a supply growing on your farm(s). As for the Dark Peach Trees, the Giant version can be earned for free from Mystery Seedlings (as you might have suspected), so there's also no reason to purchase it either (unless you simply can't wait for Mystery Seedlings and have to have one of these trees right now.

Animals

Hackney Palomino - 26 Farm Cash
Black Cherry Horse - 26 Farm Cash
Black Guinea Pig - 700,000 coins
Nightmare Chicken - 20 Farm Cash
Witch Cat - 12 Farm Cash

Here, the Black Cherry Horse and Witch Cat are re-releases, while the Hackney Palomino is yet another animal being released in the Halloween theme that really has nothing to do (visually, I mean) with the holiday. Still, if you're a Horse collector, get ready to spend some Farm Cash adding it to your collection.

Buildings

Pumpkin Tree House - 25 Farm Cash

This one's only animation is a crow that sits on the top of the actual Pumpkin House, which is disappointing, as it would've been great to see the spider webs or lantern swinging in the breeze. Still, the item looks cool enough; I just don't know if it looks 25 Farm Cash cool enough. Maybe that's just me.

Decorations

Eyeball Flower Bush - 80,000 coins
Eyeball Lake - 18 Farm Cash
Halloween Table - 100,000 coins
Bat Tree - 5 Farm Cash
Halloween Planter - 30,000 coins

Here, the Bat Tree is technically a new item, even though a very similar item has been released in the game in the past with the same name. This version of the Bat Tree is skinny, with a pumpkin resting alongside the trunk, while the older Bat Tree is much larger with a face that lights up through cutouts in the trunk. I point out these two differences as the in-store picture of this newest Bat Tree does look pretty similar to the item you might already have on your farm. If you're a collector, keep in mind that they are indeed different.

Also, if you purchase six of these items (trees and the like included), you'll receive an Owl Pumpkin for free. This Owl sits atop a barrel decorated with pumpkins and is therefore just a decoration, unable to be "harvested."

Avatar Costumes

Ghost - 150,000 coins
Skeleton Suit - 5 Farm Cash

You might already have the costume in your closet if you purchased it last year, so don't panic if it's not showing up in your market. As for the Skeleton Suit, this one's one of the cheapest options available (so far) this year, so if you'd like to dress up as a classic Halloween character, there you go.

These Halloween items will be available in the game's store for the next two weeks. Make sure to do some shopping fast, as it's likely that many more items will be released between now and Halloween proper, and you won't want to get overwhelmed!

Check out the rest of our Halloween coverage right here.

What do you think of tonight's new and re-released Halloween items? Which ones will you purchase for decorations on your farm?

FarmVille: Halloween Black Belgian horse available for coins

If you're a Horse collector in FarmVille, you'll likely be happy with the following news: a new Horse called the Black Belgian is now available in the game's store for coins. However, unless you've been saving up, you may not be able to afford its high price tag. How high? How does the million coin mark sound to your wallet? Good? Then you're just fine, as that's its exact price.

Interestingly, this Black Belgian horse is marked in the Halloween limited edition item theme, but it doesn't do anything to scream "Halloween" other than being black. Still, I suppose this gives Zynga a way to bring more attention to it in the store, as its part of the theme that will only last for a limited time. The Black Belgian will only be available for the next two weeks, but you'll receive one heck of a bonus for purchasing it: 10,000 XP.

At that point, you can either place the Horse into your Horse Paddock to be able to collect from it once daily, or you can keep it outside on display and collect from it once every three days. Remember, if you store it, you have a chance to breed a Black Belgian Foal, which would of course be even more limited. Whatever the case, make sure to head into the store sooner, rather than later, if you have any interest whatsoever in purchasing one of these expensive Horses for your farm(s).

Will you purchase the Black Belgian Horse for the whopping price tag of 1 million coins? Sound off in the comments.