As one of the most recognizable casual game brands on the market, it's a surprise that this hasn't happened any sooner. PopCap has announced that it has finally finalized a number of licensing deals that will bring its properties to the non-digital world.

The first products to come out of this agreement will represent Plants vs Zombies. Bejeweled and other franchises will be adapted next year.

See: Wallets and calendars ahoy! »

Queue the dramatic orchestral music. God of War is back, this time in a brand new prequel for the PS3: God of War: Ascension. Then, it appears Prey 2--feared to be canceled--has been delayed. But is there more to this story? Finally, everyone's favorite horticulture combat game gets a significant update.

Check out today's episode of Shacknews Daily.

Watch: Shacknews Daily: April 19, 2012 »

It's that time of year again: the PlayStation Network "Gamers' Choice Awards" are opening tomorrow, letting your votes determine which games will get deep discounts. The nominees were announced today, across the 4 categories from last year and six new categories.

Read more: The full list of nominees and categories »

While the titular plants and zombies of PopCap's Plants vs Zombies may get the most attention, Crazy Dave holds a dear place in our hearts. No longer content with selling over-priced seeds and fertilizer, Dave is pursuing a new career: rapper. (And given the economy, who can blame his moonlighting?)

PopCap has released his "first single" on iTunes today, and promises that all proceeds from the sale of the song will go to charity.

Listen: 'Wabby Wabbo' »

Of course Plants vs. Zombies was coming to the PS Vita. Considering PopCap's penchant to port their games to every platform imaginable, the addictive game developer needed to have a game ready for the Vita launch in February.

Plants vs Zombies will be distributed via PlayStation Network for Vita, and apparently it looks just like the SOE-ported version for PlayStation 3.

Read more: Any special features for Vita? »

Today's PlayStation Store update holds a number of excellent perks for PlayStation Plus members. If you haven't jumped in yet, the Assassin's Creed Revelations beta has begun, and is available for Plus members. In addition, today's update grants free access to five games: Plants vs. Zombies, Astro Tripper, Altered Beast, Bashi Blocks (Minis), and Jet Moto (PS1).

Plus subscribers will be able to get additional games as part of their membership later in the month. However, the most noteworthy additions come from the Resident Evil franchise.

Read more: Get Resident Evil 1-4 at a discount »

It must be a sign of the times and the increasing popularity of mobile games: PopCap has decided to revise its development process to start considering mobile interface options like touch from the very beginning. In a Gamasutra interview with senior producer of core IP Matt Johnston, he revealed that the company has had to rethink its design stages to make workflow and ports easier on the team for the long-term.

"We have a lead platform [for our unannounced game], but we're actually going to do something pretty different," he said, "which is we're going to build our game to be as accepting of the main, dominant input mechanisms out there. So we're going to build our game for platform A as the lead platform, but we're also going to build our game so that it also considers platform B, and that adaptation process is a little bit more smooth, and it's not as work-intensive."

READ MORE: Touch games shaking up industry »

PopCap is planning on bringing two of its most popular casual games, Plants vs. Zombies and Peggle to Facebook "eventually." The ball got rolling when Games.com noticed a slide at an EA investor meeting that posed the two games under "Success on Facebook" next to planned EA games Risk: Factions and The Sims: Social.

The Escapist reports that PopCap's Garth Chouteau later confirmed the reports, but was hazy on the details. "Sure, they're coming to Facebook eventually," he said. "No timetable available yet, however." The word "eventually" doesn't sound like it will be terribly soon, so you might have to rely on old-fashioned methods of bragging to your friends about your zombie-killing abilities.

Read more »

Almost every PopCap game on Xbox 360 can be downloaded for half-off this week. Xbox Live Gold members can pick up Plants vs. Zombies for 600 Microsoft Points ($7.50), Peggle for 400 Microsoft Points ($5), and Bejeweled Blitz Live for only 200 Microsoft Points ($2.50).

The full list of discounts is below: Read more »

PopCap's addictive reach has once again emerged on PS3 soil. Today, Sony Computer Entertainment announced it will bring a port of the PC fan-fave Plants vs. Zombies to the PlayStation Network in February.

If you're tired of hearing that cute song, SOE also revealed a slew of original PSN experiences: In March, Fire Hose Games will launch its build and brawl title Slam Bolt Scrappers. Sometime in the "Spring," Playbrains and Fuel Industries will release Sideway--a game set in the art culture of New York. Read more »

PopCap Games and NCSoft have partnered to bring the developer's games to Korea within a new service, dubbed PopCap World. The platform will launch later this year and include access to 13 PopCap games including Plants vs. Zombies, Bejeweled, Zuma, and "an all-new multiplayer game, Super Zuma, built exclusively for Korean players."

Access to these games will be free "with optional, premium paid elements to be added later," as is common for PC games in Asian territories. PopCap World is being developed by PopCap's Shanghai studio and it will be operated by NCSoft in South Korea. Read more »

Xbox Live's Major Nelson has released the Live Marketplace content schedule for the month of September.

Headlining the month are the Xbox Live Arcade releases of Sonic Adventure and Plants vs. Zombies. At the end of September, Microsoft will kick-start a new promotion -- dubbed the "Game Feast" -- which will spotlight four new Xbox Live Arcade titles under the new promotional banner.Major Nelson also revealed that from September 17 to September 20, Xbox Live Silver members will have free access to online multiplayer and other subscription-exclusive bonuses, which are ordinarily reserved for those who pay for Xbox Live's "soon-to-be more expensive" Gold service. Read more »

Valve Software has announced that it will be upgrading Steam PC copies of PopCap's Plants vs. Zombies to the new 'Game of the Year' Edition, which brings support for Valve's Steam Cloud, "introduces the Zombatar, enabling players to incorporate their own custom zombie creations directly into the game," and adds new content and 20 new achievements.

Additionally, the Mac version of Plants vs. Zombies GOTY Edition is now available through Steam, supporting Steam Play, Steam Cloud, Steam achievements, and the aforementioned Zombatar. As with all Steam Play titles, ownership on one platform grants ownership on the other. Steam Cloud will sync save games and data across all computers, PC or Mac. Read more »

Shacknews receives a slew of new screenshots and trailers for upcoming games everyday. The most anticipated titles receive their own post, because we know you're eager to see that content. For the rest, we have the Daily Filter, a place to feature all of the media we add to our enormous database on a daily basis.

Today's Daily Filter adds a series of 'Timeline' trailers for Star Wars: The Old Republic,a behind-the-scenes trailer for Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days, as well as gameplay for Plants vs. Zombies. Read more »

The Xbox 360 version of PopCap's adorable tower defense title Plants vs. Zombies will finally see the light of day on September 8, according to IGN UK.

The confirmation comes from an event on August 2--a date many outlets presumed a sequel for the lawn-loving title would be announced. Read more »