One of my favorite things about a huge game like Fallout 3 is that everyone in the company had a chance to tuck little details into their work, and add a lot of love to the many dark corners of the world. A few of my favorite little touches I added to Fallout 3 (some of which may include minor spoilers):

* The Mechanist's pseudo-heroic line: "The scaly claw of tyranny must be destroyed by the cold, unfeeling pincers of justice!"

* Really, all of Moira's lines, from worrying about "those poor little Mole Ratties" to the many nasty ways the player can vent their frustrations at her, to the 20-years-later epilogue that she gives at the back of the game's special edition strategy guide.

* The Summer Release Schedule in the basement of Hubris Comics, where I got to come up with titles like "Drake Tungsten, Chrono-Cowboy" and "Grognak the Barbarian: An Axe For All Ages." I also got in touch with my inner fanboy with the furious Letter to the Editor, which refers to the Grognak's original, genius author, "Mr Moorellis" - a mashup of two of my own favorites.

* And finally, the most obscure reference I put in the game, the nearly impossible-to-find unique version of the Alien Blaster called "Firelance" - a reference to the Martian Firelances in the fake plot-text in the paragraph book for the original Wasteland.

Redstone to sell Midway stake for $100K originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 01 Dec 2008 09:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Report: EA shuts down Blueprint, Boom Blox sequel carries on originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 19 Nov 2008 12:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

You probably read that headline and said to yourself: “Great, another story about someone pirating some game.” Well let me assure you, this is definitely not that story. This is about real pirates, not some 30-year-old hacker who plays games in his mom’s basement. What could real pirates have to do with videogames? Alot. According to Reuters, increased attacks by Somali pirates in the Horn of Africa may interrupt trade in the area, including  videogame shipments. Pirates have been plaguing the horn of Africa for years, but what makes it extremely worrisome is that they seem to have moved to the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea. This threatens to disrupt trade through the Suez Canal — a major shipping route that connects Europe to the middle east and Asia.

The canal is used by firms to transport anything from oil, to toys, to  videogame hardware. Does this mean that the West will face a gross shortage of videogame product? PC world believes that if it does effect videogame shipments, we may see the consequences in Europe rather than the United States.  However, it is dependent on how the firms react to this threat, and if a crackdown is put into affect to stop these pirates. Basically what this all comes down to is you really shouldn’t count on getting that Wii come Christmas…

Want to start playing “World of Warcraft” and the new “Wrath of the Lich King” expansion, but don’t know what to do?

We’ve come up with a few things you should know about the game — both in the game and outside of it — if you’re thinking about joining the 11 million other people around the globe who’ve logged on.

Take a look at our 13 tips and see if you’re ready to begin your adventures in Azeroth…

1. Yes, you’ll need three games to enjoy “Lich King.” But it doesn’t cost as much as you think. You can purchase the “World of Warcraft” Battle Chest which includes the original game and the “Burning Crusade” expansion for $39.99; it also includes strategy guides for both (handy). Then add $39.99 for the new “Lich King” expansion. So if you want the content that everyone else has, you’ll spend around $80. It’s not cheap, but you will be getting a lot all at once.

2. Check your specs. Before you run out and buy anything, you should check to see if your computer, PC or Mac, can handle the game. Most computers can.

3. You need to have a level 55 to start playing a Death Knight. If you’ve heard about the new Hero class, which is a major feature in “Lich King,” you first have to have an existing level 55 character on the server you’re on to be able to create a brand-new Death Knight from scratch. The Death Knight will also start at level 55 in a new area specific to Death Knights.

4. It’s not as hard as you think. The interface may seem intimidating at first, but when you begin the game, you start off with only a few abilities. The menus are pretty self-explanatory, and if you need help, there’s also plenty of websites and guides dedicated to all things “WoW,” like Thottbot, Allakhazam, WoWWiki and Wowdb, to name just a few.

5. You’re not that far behind. The game has been adjusted to allow new players to level faster. Quests now give more experience points, and the experience points needed to go from level to level has been reduced. To boot, characters can now obtain mounts at level 30 instead of level 40, making questing easier and faster. Plus, if you have friends in the game, they could also start a new character with you — after all, there is power in numbers.

6. … But you don’t have to play with other people. While it helps to have a friend or two with you, or to group with other players, you don’t have to play with other people. Even though it’s a “massively multiplayer” game, some people play the game solo.

7. Try different characters. You can create multiple characters of different races and classes — up to 10 per server — and you can create characters on multiple servers. So it wouldn’t hurt to create a bunch and try everything until you find ones that you like.

8. The more you plan to play, the cheaper it will be. The game costs $14.99 a month, but if you pay for three months at a time in full, it comes out to $13.99 a month, or $12.99 for six months in full. There are also subscription cards you can purchase where you pay month-to-month ahead of time if you’re worried about paying and not playing.

9. You can always come back. If you decide to quit or just don’t want to pay for the game for a while, you can turn off your account. But when/if you decide to come back, your characters will still be there (unless you manually delete your characters). Blizzard will save your characters forever so that you can easily come back whenever you want to.

10. Learn the lingo. There are a lot of abbreviations and terms in the game — AFK (away from keyboard), LFG (looking for group), NPC (non-player character), lag (slow Internet speeds or high latency), main (main character). Usually a quick Google search will explain it, so don’t post questions in the general chat about that stuff or you’ll end up looking like a n00b.

11. Use common courtesy. Just because you’re in a virtual world doesn’t mean real-life rules don’t apply. The game is monitored and all it takes is a click of a button to report someone who’s saying or doing something unacceptable in the game.

12. Player vs. Player isn’t mandatory. When you create a character, you can either choose the Horde or Alliance faction. You don’t have to participate in PvP unless you’re on a PvP server, area or battleground, and those will be demarcated accordingly. When in those areas, which you’ll have to go into intentionally, players on the opposing faction are your enemies and from there, anything is fair game.

13. We’re not all nerds. Many “WoW” players are not socially inept basement-dwellers. In fact, a slew of celebrities play the game, including Mila Kunis, Macaulay Culkin, Felicia Day, Brandy, Corpsegrinder… And according to this forum post, there’s many more, like William Shatner, Mr. T, Hulk Hogan, Dave Chapelle, Robin Williams, Vin Diesel, Cameron Diaz, Kanye West, Ben Affleck and… Jessica Simpson? If she can play it, anyone can.

***

“WoW” veterans, got any more suggestions to add? And new players, are you going to get started this weekend?

Related Posts:
‘World of Warcraft’ Fans Lining Up At NYC Launch [pictures]
What To Name Your Death Knight In The New ‘World of Warcraft’ Expansion
On The Eve Of ‘Lich King,’ My Boyfriend Is Ditching ‘World of Warcraft’
One Week Until The ‘World of Warcraft’ Expansion: The ‘WoW’ Gamer’s To-Do List
My Weekend With ‘World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King’

And the Trogdor comes in the niiiiiiiiight!

By "Trogdor," we mean Trogdor the Burninator, the peasant-stomping dragon from web cartoon Homestar Runner. And by "night" we mean the fifth and final chapter of Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People, the episodic series of adventure games for PC and Wii.

Developer Telltale Games gave Wired.com these exclusive screenshots, which show Trogdor starring in the final Strong Bad game. Gaze upon them and witness Trogdor's stick-legged might, now in three glorious dimensions. Imagine all the peasants he will "burninate" with his 3-D flames.

"Whenever we mentioned that we were making a Strong Bad game, inevitably someone would start screaming Trogdor!!!!!!! at the top of their lungs," said Mark Darin, the game's lead designer. "Naturally, we wanted to harness this energy and excitement and unleash it on the world for the season finale."

Trogdor quickly became a Homestar fan favorite after he was introduced in one of the early Strong Bad e-mails. A fan asked Strong Bad to draw a dragon to show off his "skills of an artist," and Trogdor -- a dragon with a single beefy arm growing out of his back -- was born. The Flash cartoon that introduced the dragon included a ridiculous heavy metal song about Trogdor that became so inexplicably popular that it was included as a playable track in Guitar Hero II.

Trogdor's popularity is most evident, though, when one watches Trogday, which chronicles all the ways fans have proven their love for the awkward beast: Trogdor vanity plates, tattoos, cakes, costumes and Magna Doodle art for starters.

Fan service aside, Trogdor's starring role in the final episode of the Strong Bad game is significant because the ridiculous creature has been central to the Homestar team's videogame efforts.

The Trogdor web game, released in 2003 just a few months after Strong Bad's fortuitous dragon e-mail, is a surprisingly addictive and clever time-waster patterned after retro arcade games. It has you stomping on peasants and burninating thatched-roof cottages while avoiding getting "sworded" by knights.

The web game begat Peasant's Quest, one of the most complex games on the Homestar Runner site. It's a parody of classic point-and-click adventure games like King's Quest in which a peasant attempts to get revenge on Trogdor for burning his cottage.

In the recent downloadable Strong Bad games for PC and WiiWare, a Trogdor arcade cabinet appears in Strong Bad's basement -- but if you try to play it, it's always out of order. Will the arcade game finally be playable in the fifth episode? Or, as shown in the screenshot, will Trogdor simply burst forth from the cabinet's innards and hang out on the couch to watch TV? Telltale won't tell.

While there's no release date yet for the Trogdor series wrap-up, the penultimate episode, titled Dangeresque 3: The Criminal Projective, will launch Nov. 17. It, too, will be built around a fan-favorite theme from the Strong Bad e-mails -- Homestar fans have been waiting for this third installment in Strong Bad's buddy cop series of badly shot movies, and now they'll get to play it instead of just watching it.

Images courtesy Telltale Games

See also:

• Review: Strong Bad Laughs It Up on WiiWare
• Mini Review: Strong Bad Episode 2 Still Awesome
• Homestar Runner Rejects TV to Stay True to Web
• Homestar Runner Hits a Homer

Along with Call of Duty: World at War and Street Fighter IV, Gears of War 2 proved to be one of the more popular games at the Eurogamer Expo. Tucked away at the very back of the exhibition hall, behind an impermeable 10 foot high barrier, hid the frantic multiplayer action, safe from those who didn’t fit the ‘+18 only’ bracket. Despite there being a queue that was constantly increasing in numbers, those with extreme patience were able to get multiple rounds of 4 v 4 annex on the brand new maps in Gears of War 2.

Having played the first Gears of War an insane amount of times (see what I did there?) I was keen to see whether a number of the criticisms directed towards the multiplayer have been fixed.

Most noticeably, the Halo 3 style matchmaking menus ensure that playing with a group of friends is significantly easier than it was in the original. Immediately, as I rolled into my first Gears 2 match on River, I could feel an improvement in the fluidity of the action. Transitioning between rolling, roadie-running and snapping to cover felt smoother. There seemed less of the pauses in between animations that plagued the first Gears of War.

As I made my way through the map, prior to any enemy encounters, I directed my attention towards the graphical improvements in Gears of War 2. Most of the tweaks Epic mentioned have made there way into the multiplayer. Much like in Canals, River has a bridge over a section of water that stretches the length of the map. Here, I noticed the water reacting to movement, gunfire and explosions with greater detail than in the first game. Character and weapon models also appear slightly more detailed, and pretty much everything in the environment benefits from the improved lighting.

I quickly cast aside the improved water physics, and made my way into one of two wooden towers that look over the map from opposite sides of the bridge. It was here that I picked up my first power weapon; the Torque Bow. With increased splash damage, players need to worry more about those torque bow shots that land in close proximity.

Shifting to the Lancer, the inclusion of stopping power — slowing enemies down by concentrated fire — makes Gears of War’s marque weapon much more deadly than it was in the original. However with the Lancer’s increased recoil, the longshot (sniper rifle) is still the weapon to use over long distances, even though its active-reload boost has been nerfed. Another good addition is prior to every game you can choose between the Hammerburst or Lancer as your starting weapon.

In the middle of this map sits the Mulcher, a weapon that can be fired from standing and can also be mounted on cover (the former slows down player movement considerably). Built like a minigun, the mulcher can rip through enemies with incredible power. It’s probably the most suppressive weapon in the Gears 2 arsenal. I was able to keep two members of the opposing team behind cover as they watched the other two try to make a run towards the capture point, only to be mowed down meters from where they started. Mounted on cover, the mulcher provides immense stopping power, but also leaves you very exposed to any one-hit-kill weapon.

As this was a LAN set-up, I obviously couldn’t recognize any sort of lag related problems, e.g. host advantage. But the shotgun appears to be much less effective without careful aim. Don’t expect a shotgun blind-fire to be as much of a instant kill as it was in the first Gears of War. Of the new additions, the flamethrower has a much greater reach than you would expect and the smoke grenades now have a concussive effect to them, knocking down those within range (although only for a couple of seconds).

Moving onto another new map, Pavilion, I participated in my first ever chainsaw battle. As I went into this play session with an impressive knowledge of weapon tweaks and adjustments, I immediately mashed the B-button until the minigame victory was mine. Minutes later, in my second chainsaw battle of the round, I came up against a worthy opponent who was able to turn our epic duel into a disappointing draw. This was something that I was unaware of - and I may be completely wrong about this - but it appears chainsaw battles can end in draws. However, I expect that those with turbo buttons on their controllers will never experience this.

As my last round of the day on River came to a close, I regretted not being able to try the improved Hammerburst, the burst-fire Gorgon pistol, or the scenic Avalanche map. It was in the dying seconds that I picked up the mortar, a weapon requiring both careful aim and a heap of luck, and proceeded to crush the final enemy push by shelling them at their spawn. Much like the Hammer of Dawn, it is a devastating weapon in the right hands, but completely useless in most other players.

Whilst Gears of War 2 multiplayer is by no means perfect (you’d be pushed to notice any improvements in between all that blood) it seems to play smoother and fairer than its predecessor. Anyone who has ever screamed “HOST!!!” down the microphone, as a random blast of the shotgun takes their head clean off, will appreciate the adjustments that Epic have made. But who knows how differently the game will play over Xbox LIVE on November 7. All it could take is the “blatantly dial-up” connection of a 10 year old kid in his basement to have most players cursing the unfairness of online multiplayer. Host advantage could be the deciding factor in whether this is a worthy contender to Halo 3 and Call of Duty 4, or simply just their annoying younger brother.

If you play Halo 3 or frequent Bungie.net on a semi-regular basis, chances are you are familiar with the awe-inspiring screenshots of Predator5791. The mastermind behind well-known Forge creations such as Gargoyle, ALIEN, and the controversial (and since deleted) 9/11 Memorial, Predator has proven himself time and time again to be the premier Forge artist in the Halo 3 community. When I initially approached him for an interview, I suggested we forge a screenshot together as a joint project. His idea was to make an angel with each of us completing a wing, his of which would have been mind-blowingly elaborate and mine of which would have been humorously crappy at best. Having never forged before, that was quite the undertaking for me but I was up for the challenge. Predator was as well until we began to work on our screenshot and I said, “How do I change into the ball thingy again?” ten times within the first five minutes. He promptly shelved that idea but came up with another one instead that simply involved me standing still. You can see our screenshot (where he did 99.9% of the work) and hear about our antics after the interview. For now, enjoy getting to know Predator just a little better.

What was your introduction to gaming?
My first console was the original NES. I was playing it at two years old. I pwnd in Super Mario.

How long have you been playing Halo?
I’ve been playing Halo since Halo CE; it was actually the first game I bought for the Xbox.

You and me both. It was the entire reason why I purchased an Xbox actually. Which one is your favorite out of the trilogy?
Halo CE without a doubt. Halo 3 might have more options and all around better graphics and gameplay but the memories I have playing Halo CE can never be beaten. Unless they put some kind of Super Forge in Halo 3. If they do that then Halo CE can go screw itself.

As long as they don’t switch the controls for changing into the ball thingy, I’m sure Super Forge would be super awesome! You were my first experience with Forge but when did you first discover it?
A lot earlier than you Hawty! I went into Forge the first day I got Halo 3 so that I could get a good view of the maps.

You officially beat me by about a year then. How do you get your ideas for your creations anyways?
Most of the time I would sit in Forge and just stare into the distance thinking of what I could possibly make. Fooling around with objects in Forge helps a lot. I guess I just have a very active imagination. When I was a teenage boy I used my imagination a lot around bedtime. : P

In all seriousness though, it sometimes can be pretty rough trying to come up with ideas. There are many variables. Sometimes I cannot make something in Forge simply because I don’t have enough resources (weapons) so I just have to think of both a possible and cool idea for a screenshot.

I didn’t realize how difficult it was working within the Forge limitations until I tried to spell my gamertag. (I gave up on B by the way.) How long does each picture usually take you?
Each screenshot usually takes me about four hours to make. This includes making the platform, placing the weapons, finding the right perspective and camera angle, having a friend pose in the correct position and then going into theater to take the screenshot.

I think it took us four hours just for me to not fall off the platform, jeez! Besides reminding people what up on the d-pad does, what advice can you give to new forgers who are considering making their first official Forge art screenshot?
Play around with EVERYTHING. Be very observant with your surroundings and the objects you have at hand. Think outside the box. Try to create something nobody else has created. Originality is the key to being a successful forger.

When you’re not forging, what other games do you play?
Right now nothing but Halo 3. I don’t feel like going out and buying any other video games, but I do like strategy games a lot. I like the Splinter Cell series, Super Smash Bros. series, and Oblivion. I like RPGs a lot. The irony is that I don’t like first-person shooters that much. The only FPS game I ever really enjoyed other than Halo was GoldenEye 007 for the N64.

No Perfect Dark Zero? Luckily for you, you didn’t miss much. And by much, I mean anything. Do you dabble in any other art besides those created in Forge?
I love to sketch; I’m best at drawing people, animals, and creatures. I’m not good at painting or scenery. I love sculpting and creating anything on the computer from Photoshop to CGI.

I think I’ve seen some of your drawings on Bungie.net actually. What are some other hobbies you enjoy doing in your spare time?
Hobbies?? There are things to do outside of my mother’s basement?? No just kidding, I live in my grandparent’s basement! I love to go swimming and just hang out with friends. I enjoy going on trips and making memories. I often play paintball with a big group of my friends. I love MMA and practiced it for a couple of years.

Your grandparents must have a big ass basement to do all that stuff in it! Assuming they have a computer down there as well, how many messages do you get on a daily basis?
I have 84 pages of messages on Bungie.net. On my Xbox Live account I get about 20-40 a day.

84 pages? That’s crazy. What is the stupidest message you have received out of all of them?
Any message from bs angel : P

You thought they were stupid before, wait until the ones I start sending you because you made that comment. How about the best message? And feel free to use me as your answer again.
I don’t really have a best message, but I do love getting messages from people telling me that I inspired them to start making Forge art. Messages like that make everything worth it.

Well I haven’t sent you any of those, damn it. Do you answer all your mail? All 84 pages?
I reply to almost every message that is sent to me. I think that if the person takes the time to send me a well thought out message that I should at least have the common courtesy to do the same. I actually had to recently buy a keyboard for my 360 to make that matter easier. The only messages I don’t respond to are ones that are asked way too frequently or just stupid messages.

Well the whole stupid thing explains why you never answer mine. What are your future goals as it pertains to your Forge creations and also just in general?
Most of my goals in the game have been reached. As far is my big plan goes, I want to get a job at Bungie. I know many say this but few are serious. I am in college right now majoring in Multimedia. I would like to be a graphic/concept artist or designer. I’m getting the education I need and have the skills to hopefully one day work for Bungie.

An honorable goal indeed. Now for some fun and fast questions! Spartan or Elite?
Hello Kitty!

That so doesn’t count. Plasma or Frag?
Plasma for sure.

Better! Sniper or shotty?
Shotgun and a bubble shield!

Now that answer was pure win. Having me on your team or on the other team?
Do I have the option to boot?

You, Mr. Master Forge Artist, are feisty. Lucky for you, I like that. Now that Predator is done picking on me, I’m proud to introduce his newest screenshot. Appropriately titled The Living Dead, it was painstakingly forged by Predator and features yours truly as the creepy dude coming out of the ground. I’m actually Arm #2 too! Predator had originally planned on having me pose as Arm #1 and Arm #2 but after I relentlessly bitched about such a minor role, he agreed to let me be the one who shows their face as well. Something about how my face was scary enough to add to the overall creepy feeling of the shot. Whatever, because now I’m a superstar! Enjoy The Living Dead and feel free to download it and sport it in your File Share in the spirit of Halloween. Be sure to tell your friends that’s me in there. I freakin’ fell off the map about 20 times to get that picture. And no, I didn’t even manage to switch into the ball thingy before dying. Forge is hard. Well, to some of us at least.

*A special thank you to Predator not only for doing the interview but also for putting up with my endless n00bish Forge ways. From forgetting how to turn into “the ball thingy” to falling off the platform to moving left when you said right, somehow it still managed to be an extremely pleasurable experience. It must have been the evil laughter or the repeated assassinations. My favorite quote of yours? “It is going to take around 5 hours to teach you how to place a weapon down in Forge and 8 hours to teach you how to turn into the ball thing.” You know it!