Northrend

I have a confession to make:  I’ve been looking at WotLK a lot lately.  Why?  Because a lot of the people I usually play with or have come to know and enjoy playing with have gone back to WoW to inhale the glorious aroma of that new car smell.  They’ve had nothing but good things to say so far.   I’ve read a few Wintergrasp articles back from September/October that talk about peoples’ experiences during the beta and most of them are informative to the facts of what “will be in” or “what we can expect” but I’m having trouble finding any that say “this is how it is”.

I haven’t read or heard many personal accounts of the content in WotLK or of the Wintergrasp PvP content specifically.  I would really like for anyone out there who has had any personal experiences or knows of anyone who has published a writeup about their experiences to share them with me.  I’ve watched a few videos and I have to say that it looks extremely fun.  The WotLK zones look like the ‘next level’ of Blizzard art direction and the actual gameplay in Wintergrasp looks astonishingly polished.  I saw this one video where someone was flying in a gyroplane thing while dogfighting someone on a wyvern.  I saw someone actually driving a siege weapon around and shooting stuff.  Then there’s the enormousness of Wintergrasp and the “keeps” which are breathtaking from an aerial view. I’ve also heard that everything is destructible - true?

Beyond the art direction (as I am a sucker for that if it doesn’t show) there’s this raid boss in Wintergrasp that I’m hearing about. From what I know, he spawns after one side takes control of the zone and is a single boss encounter.  Apparently he drops amazing loot - to the point of angering the hardcore’s - like it was Christmas morning for all to enjoy.   From what I have read, the gear is equivalent of Arena and Honor points - something called “Hateful or Deadly Gladiator”, which I admittedly know absolutely nothing about other than it’s decent stuff.  It sounds like gearing up in Wintergrasp’s open-world PvP won’t be difficult but rather the opposite; it may actually encourage raiders to PvP.

I want to know more about WoW now that WotLK is out.  The devil is in the details as you all know.   Here are a few of my more pressing questions:

1. I haven’t played since the beginning of Burning Crusade… can I jump in with a level 60 (or 55 Death Knight) and play without being behind?  Can I level from 55-80 and participate in the 10-man stuff like everyone else or am I forever going to play catch-up and be behind everyone.
2. I probably have no money on my account.  How necessary is money in the game now?  Am I kidding myself by going in to a level 55+ with nothing but Oldschool stuff?
3. Has the game recovered from being nothing but a “raid this to get gear to raid this to get gear to raid this to get gear to raid this to get gear” treadmill?  Is the carrot in a realistic position that it can be obtained and then enjoyed or will I always feel like I have to log in not to miss the chance to snag it?
4. What’s this Wintergrasp stuff REALLY like?  It looks great on paper and in movies but what is the REAL story here?  I know there are timers and lockouts - what impact are those having?  Are people actually doing the pvp?
5. Is the leveling experience from 60-80 enjoyable and well fleshed out or will I feel like it’s a quest-grind of nauseating proportions?
6. Is the Death Knight fun?  I hear he can be played several ways.  Are they so overplayed that they are a joke?  This class is the one that interests me.

I have more questions but that’s a good place to start.  I’m honestly looking for the reasons why I should not give it a shot at this point.  It LOOKS like Blizzard did a great job but I want to details.  You all know me well enough by now to know that the reasons why I do not like WoW are the end-game and what it turned out to be all about.  I’ve always thought very, very highly of the leveling process and the journey up until the point where the e-sport and raiding treadmills begin.  Did they fix all of that or is it more of the same?  I want your honest opinions but try and be a tad objective here as I am trying to be on the subject without the emotions and “omg WoW sucks u traitor!” stuff.

Thanks guys!

According to a post on GamesIndustry.biz, The New York Stock Exchange has informed Midway Games that since their stock prices have fallen below the set standard, the company may be up for delisting.

This warning came after the company failed to achieve the minimum closing price of $1.00 per share for over 30 days in a row. In addition, Midway now has only six months to improve share prices to keep from being delisted.

With losses exceeding over $76 million doubled with the fact that Midway has laid off approximately 30 staff members, things look pretty grim for the gaming company. The cherry on top though was when their company chairperson stepped down–which makes you wonder if they can recoup their back luck and financial loses and start anew in 2009.

On the bright side, if you are a gambling man (or woman), and you are looking to get into trading stock, Midway is about as cheap as they come. Who knows, you may get lucky. Then again, you could loose your ass too depending on how much you purchase.

Put me down for 5 shares–I spend that much at McDonald’s once a month anyway. Skipping one month would be no big deal.

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Wow, looks like there might be a lawsuit in the foreseeable future against the Ultimate Fighting Championship, because apparently they have dropped fighter Jon Fitch and several others from the American Kickboxing Academy championship after they refused to sign over their likeness for a videogame. Supposedly, according to Sports Illustrated, their refusal stems from the contract stating that the rights of their likenesses would be owned for life and to be used in games based upon the UFC and currently under production with THQ.

Number one welterweight contender Jon Fitch and some of his teammates–along with a number of the UFC’s biggest names–where axed when they refused to sign a contract which granted the lifelong merchandise and ancillary rights to someone other than themselves. One of the main reasons was that the promoter’s share of the revenue share was substantially larger than anyone else who had a stake in it. Go figure–that is a promoter for you.

During this past summer, a contract discussing toys and other merchandising reached a standstill, so to get things moving on the videogame deal and prevent yet another contract standstill, UFC President Dana White approached one of the head trainers for the AKA, Bob Cook, with the contract, and according to Jon Fitch, it was nothing short of signing over their souls.

“We thought that was kind of crazy,” Fitch said. “Why would you sign anything away for your lifetime?”

Upon Fitch’s and the others refusal to sign, he said he was told “either you’re in if you sign this, or you’re getting cut.” Fitch and some of the others chose not to sign and then latter received an email from the UFC stating that their current contracts were now officially terminated.

“To have this happen is crazy,” Fitch added. “This sport is definitely not about fighting anymore. It used to be about finding out who the best guy was, what the best style was. It’s not about that anymore. It’s about the top company making the most money.”

In response to the fighters not signing their rights away, UFC President Dana White proved he was a class act when the old an interviewer for Yahoo!: “F*** them. All of them, every last f***ing one of them.” This statement was directed not only at Fitch, but also Josh Koscheck and Cain Velasquez–but not Mike Swick, because he signed the deal.

Coach Cook is in agreement with the fighters though:

“Basically, they didn’t want to sign all their rights away. [With] Fitch, he wants to be in control of what his image is on. He doesn’t want to just sign blankly away, and be endorsing a product he might not believe in. He’s got his beliefs, and some of the other guys, they want to be in charge of their own deals. They don’t want someone else brokering their deals for them, and then getting the crumbs of what’s left.”

Agreed. Most promoters are shady, scum sucking individuals anyway.

So now, if the game is made after all, and you go out and buy it, just remember who is a sell out and who is not.

(Thanks VG247)

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That s right. We re trying to manage the review scores at the request of Eidos. Just that we re trying to get the Metacritic rating to be high, and the brand manager in the US that s handling all of Tomb Raider has asked that we just manage the scores before the game is out, really, just to ensure that we don t put people off buying the game, basically.

Barrington Harvey is not in the position of telling reviewers what they can and cannot say. We love Tomb Raider and believe it merits a score of at least 8/10, but if someone disagrees that s entirely their prerogative. No problem at all. Seriously: no problem.

Our original NDA stated that in order to receive an advance copy of the game, reviewers agreed not to post reviews ahead of 5:00pm, Wednesday 19th November 2008. Nothing else. No further obligations whatsoever.

• Video: Tomb Raider Underword: Hot Lara-on-Bike action
• Tomb Raider: Underworld Dangerous gameplay video
  

That s right. We re trying to manage the review scores at the request of Eidos. Just that we re trying to get the Metacritic rating to be high, and the brand manager in the US that s handling all of Tomb Raider has asked that we just manage the scores before the game is out, really, just to ensure that we don t put people off buying the game, basically.

Barrington Harvey is not in the position of telling reviewers what they can and cannot say. We love Tomb Raider and believe it merits a score of at least 8/10, but if someone disagrees that s entirely their prerogative. No problem at all. Seriously: no problem.

Our original NDA stated that in order to receive an advance copy of the game, reviewers agreed not to post reviews ahead of 5:00pm, Wednesday 19th November 2008. Nothing else. No further obligations whatsoever.

• Video: Tomb Raider Underword: Hot Lara-on-Bike action
• Tomb Raider: Underworld Dangerous gameplay video
  

In order to maintain continued listing on the New York Stock Exchange, stock has to maintain a minimum average closing price of $1.00 per share over 30 consecutive trading days. For Midway Games, they've fallen below that, which would have them removed from the listing.

According to the press release, Midway has the standard six months to "cure the definciency." Midway received word today from the NYSE that they have fallen below the standard.

What have they got to bail them out. Hmm. We gave a "good" rating to Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. Wheelman launches early next year, and Nick said some good things about it. Just trying to be positive here.

Best of luck, Midway.

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Club feature is added.

※ To learn more about how to create a club, please refer to Menu Pad > “Help” > “Clubs”.
※ You have to set up your PlayStation®Network wallet before purchasing a club.
※ Club is a service that requires regular payment. During Closed Beta test users can enjoy this service free of charge.
※ Note: all the clubs and clubhouses will be deleted at the end of Closed Beta test.

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I like the idea of a club. I’d like to create one for PS3Blog.net readers. But I have a two worries:

1. Just 32 users? So there’s me, Tosh, Darrin, Gary, and Trev. Add a couple friends of mine, and that leaves just about 22 slots for my readers. That’s not enough! Tosh and I thought that maybe “32″ means “32 people in the clubhouse space at the same time”, with more members allowed. But the wording I’ve seen contradicts that.
2. I really don’t like the line that reads “Club is a service that requires regular payment.” I hate having to continuously pay for something. That’s one of the reasons I like PSN - it’s free! I can stomach paying a one-time fee for a club, but I’m not so sure I’m willing to continue paying month after month.

What do you all think?

Tags: Sony, PS3, PLAYSTATION 3

The 360 and PS3 have their fair share of Super Mega Awesome Collector’s Editions of games. The Wii? Not so much. Luckily Capcom likes the sound of money and thinks that their forthcoming House of the Dead: OVERKILL is well worth a Collector’s Edition. We’re inclined to agree, since anything the reinforces the whole grindhouse style of the game gets a big thumbs up from us. Even better is that the Collector’s Edition is free with pre-order of the game.

As if it didn’t get sexier than free Collector’s Editions of games with zombies in them, the package will include not only a special slipcase (OK, not that exciting) but also Prelude to an Overkill, a graphic novel starring series staple Agent Washington and newcomer Varla Gunns. It tells the breasticle filled tale of the two on the night before the events in OVERKILL occur. The graphic novel will be illustrated by Steve Copter, of dissident punk band ‘Black Mekon.’ I’m not sure why an illustrators credentials would be a band, but from the image above it looks like he’s doing a decent job. How great is the intentional wear and tear on the cover there. Thank god SEGA is stepping up the awesome on the Wii.