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The Anvil of Crom: Celebrating the selfless gamer
Oh sh... it's time for another installment of Massively's Anvil of Crom! If I sound a bit harried, it's because there's simply not enough time in the day for all the gaming goodness going on lately. Whether we're talking about the MMO space where I'm currently dabbling in AoC, DC Universe Online, EverQuest II, and Global Agenda, or the single-player smorgasbords of Arkham City, Uncharted 3, and Skyrim, sometimes it sucks to be an adult with responsibilities! Those "sometimes" are usually during the pre-Christmas release window when game publishers all get together and decide to make our entertainment lives miserable by releasing 35 badass titles at once. Hello geniuses, how's about we stagger the badassery throughout the year; you'll still be rolling in money and your customers won't be rushing through one title to get to the next. Anyway, I'm continually on the lookout for interesting tidbits from Funcom's Hyboria, and over the past couple of weeks I've been struck by a noticeable uptick in what I'm going to call the quality community. Since AoC's 2008 launch, the game's community has been alternately awful and tolerable, and whether that's because of the game's mature rating (and the immature people it attracts) or some other factor, it's been a rare occasion when I've had cause to highlight the nice folk.
THQ and Mattel enter game deal, includes Masters of the Universe rights
THQ will target kids with a new multi-year, multiplatform "alliance" with Mattel -- that's for sure. What we're not so sure about is whether those targets are intended to be kids of the 80s or their kids of today. A news announcement reads like a who's who of garage-sale name drops: Barbie, Hot Wheels, Fisher-Price, Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots, Masters of the Universe, and even Polly Pocket (who's apparently still going strong these days). While the deal with Mattel encompasses games that could appear on any platform imaginable, THQ did specifically note the potential in re-introducing the toy maker's brands through the uDraw GameTablet for Wii. "As we have shown with the combination of uDraw and Pictionary, there is enormous potential for the strategic relationship between THQ and Mattel," said Martin Good, executive veep of THQ's Kids, Family and Casual Games division. The brilliant part about all this is that when you hand over THQ's Tablet and a copy of the He-Man: By the Power of Grayscale drawing game to the GameStop clerk, you simply say, "It's for my kid" -- and he sort of has to believe you. [Image source: Madman Entertainment; credit: Mattel]
Engadget giveaway: win a Computer Engineer Barbie!
You probably already know this, but here at Engadget, we love our readers. And, whenever we get the chance, we love to give a little back. Today, we're happy to have a brand new Computer Engineer Barbie to offer up to one random, lucky commenter. This Barbie has a new career and a new attitude to match it, and we think she's pretty cool. All you'll need to do to win her is to leave a comment below -- after reading the rules, of course. Thanks to Mattel for providing us with the doll. The rules: Leave a comment below. Any comment will do. You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine. Contest is open to all residents of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Canada (excluding Quebec), 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad. Winners will be chosen randomly. Four winners will receive one Computer Engineer Barbie. If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Entries can be submitted until Wednesday, December 22, 2010, at 11:59PM ET. Good luck! Full rules can be found here.
Computer Engineer Barbie now available, and her phone has been upgraded since we last saw her
We were fairly impressed with Computer Engineer Barbie's Linux laptop and cellphone when we last saw her at the Toy Fair in New York City. Well, the doll is available now, and her gear has gotten an upgrade for the retail version. The pink laptop now boasts some kind of custom Barbie operating system, and yes, she seems to be sporting an iPhone these days. We assume this is a tie in with Mattel's Barbie 'I Can Be' iPhone app, but we also remember from our childhood that Barbie is an intense tech geek who always has to have the latest gear, so we can't say that we're surprised. Computer Engineer Barbie is available now for $12.99. A shot of the first Computer Engineer Barbie we met is after the break.
Canon 7D vs Barbie Video Girl... fight! (video)
Naturally, the $1,800 Canon 7D loses out to the $50 Barbie Video Girl in the "creating unrealistic body images" category. Preference for magenta, however, was a tie.
Barbie's Samsung X170 thin-and-light is her only part made to scale
As long as we're corrupting our daughters with an improbable baseline for bodily perfection, we might as well extend that reach to portable computing, right? Meet the Samsung X-series Barbie Special Edition with Intel Core 2 Duo CULV proc, 4GB of memory, 500GB disk, and scads of Barbie-branded trinkets and bloatware. The ultimate irony here is that the X170 is one of the least attractive and chubbiest thin-and-light devices we've ever seen. But hey, if you're lucky maybe it'll ship with a free copy of Cosmo to complete the cycle.
Barbie slides into the cubicle, becomes a computer software engineer
It only took 126 career hops -- the first one being a soulless teen model -- for Barbie to land a job as a computer software engineer. All we know now is that she has a dual monitor setup and a picture of Ken at her cubicle. Oh, and she uses Linux on the world's smallest netbook. %Gallery-85490%
App Review: Fashion Fix by Roiworld
Ever wanted to play an iPhone memory game about dressing up an avatar? Ever wish that the cute brother of your best friend would admire your fashion sense and want to go out on date with you? Well, now there's Fashion Fix for iPhone. And...let me be blunt. Fashion Fix is the most inane waste of time and money you could possibly imagine. And for some reason I cannot begin to fathom, my tween daughters love it. Available in both a free lite [iTunes link] and paid [iTunes link] version, this incredibly stupid app has captured the hearts of my girls. The game goes like this: You select a level (5 in the free version, 50 in the paid version) and tap through a little "scene". In the one shown at the top of this post, a particularly vapid girl makes smalltalk with Ben, the brother of her friend. Here, Ben is impressed by her complete lack of conversation and intellect, offering to go out on a date with her. After this conversation, you study 4 preset outfits, committing one to memory in the 15 seconds allotted. You then shop at the "Boutique" to choose a hair style, outfit, shoes, accessories, makeup and so forth. No, I am not kidding. When you're done matching the style you studied, you tap Done. Once you do so, the program grades your accuracy, awarding up to 300 points based on how well you matched the suggested outfits. Get over 200 points and Ben returns, inviting you on a date because you have awesome fashion sense. Miss too many points, and Ben returns to say "Sorry. I forgot about an important lecture. Gotta run." Apparently, Ben is deeply, deeply into fashion. Unless you dress exactly according to the mandates of the application, you lose. And the cute (albeit effeminate) boy ditches you because he doesn't approve of your looks. Could this get more shallow? For anyone who has a feminist bone in their body, or knows a feminist, or once saw Maude on TV, this application is politically incorrect kryptonite. It will suck every neuron from the user's brain, replacing them with soft pink cotton. That pink cotton will, however, be able to memorize fashion plates and duplicate them on demand. For everyone who has tweenager daughters, make sure you have a nice talk about how inanely stupid this application is, even as you fork over your two bucks. Because the powers of tweenage persuasion cannot be overestimated. Reminder: there are more app reviews on the TUAW App Hub.
Fan-made Draenei Barbie
Reader Amanda S sent us this picture of a Draenei Barbie (that is a Draenei, right? Not a Night Elf? Oh yeah -- check the hooves) she says she and a friend made when they were bored. It's not the most involved craft we've ever seen, but it looks pretty good and it's an interesting idea: make Warcraft characters out of existing dolls, rather than completely from scratch. GI Joe would probably be perfect for putting together a figure of the new King Wrynn. But we do like the dress and the shoulders -- nice job. Whenever Blizzard figures out how to do player housing, we can put her in a dream house as well.Got a WoW-related craft that you'd like to share? We'd love to see it -- send us a tip through the tipline and we'll check it out.
Barbie's 50th anniversary MP3 player - Waylon Smithers approves
This isn't the first time we've seen a Barbie-branded MP3 player -- and this form factor does seem awfully familiar -- but the whole thing really is a no-brainer. If you're looking to reinforce young girls' unrealistic body image expectations (or if you're the post-modern / post-feminist / ironic type, or if you just really like the color pink) this is definitely one for you. Shaped like a makeup compact and designed by INNO Design, this thing sports 2GB storage, FM radio and a mirror. You know, for checking yourself out with. Or possibly for signaling rescue planes. And if that weren't enough, the device comes with mic input and a necklace strap. If you should happen to find yourself on Melrose Avenue, you can pick one up for yourself at Fred Segal, where they're really pulling out all the stops for Barbie's 50th anniversary. The price varies from $93-$165, and there's more pics after the break.Update: We know, we know... this one does look a little familiar. Nothing says "Happy 50th!" like trotting out an old DAP. [Via Chip Chick]
Barbie P520 cellphone turns up in China
Now, it's entirely possible that this isn't an official Barbie cellphone (or even an actual cellphone) but, if you're looking for something that's more Barbie-ish and, well, less cellphone-like than your usual phone, you may want to consider this new P520 model that recently turned up in China. Apparently, this one includes 2-inch,176 x 220 display, a 1.3 megapixel camera, "up to 2GB of expandable memory" (we're guessing a microSD card slot), built-in Bluetooth, not one but two SIM card slots and, yes, an actual mirror. Sold? Then you can apparently pick one up now for 780 yuan (or $114), although getting one over here will likely take a bit more doing.[Thanks, Daniel]
MissBimbo -- When satire turns serious
With a name like MissBimbo.com, you probably won't expect to find a reasoned, measured website where girls are taught the finer points of economic theory. Its founders, however, have definitely learned that lesson. Since launching in France two years ago as Ma-Bimbo.com, girls have created over 1.3 million "bimbos" which they teach to become fashion superstars. Like superstar celebrities Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan, success for a girl is defined by these sites not by what they do, but by how they look. We live in a Barbie world, with Bratz dolls all around, constantly discussing fashionable celebrities' every moves. Aren't girls continually soaked in an increasingly confined prison of society's expectations? Parents turn a blind eye while their daughters eagerly learn the answer to the only question the world wants to ask them -- Hot or Not?Where parents were content to let the television raise their children, now they have the Internet to do their babysitting for them. Soupy Sales asked children to reach into their sleeping parents' wallets and send him those "funny green pieces of paper" (in return they'd receive a lovely postcard from Puerto Rico!). Parents were outraged! Now the Internet asks the children to text MissBimbo for $1.99 per text, and the parents gladly pay. Perhaps it isn't only the children that are learning a lesson. Kids should not be set free, unsupervised, on the Internet. Villainous marketers are waiting for them there. If it takes an over-the-top satirical (yet profitable) website like MissBimbo to make parents understand what's happened, then it has provided a real service. We come here not to bury MissBimbo, but to praise it.
Virtual Worlds 2008 overview
The 2008 Virtual Worlds conference has come and gone, and the aftermath is gracing news sites all over the web. In a particularly in-depth article at Virtual World News, we get a first hand account of what went on. It's a no-brainer that the majority of business attendees focused on how to make money in virtual worlds. The Wall Street Journal calls this "virtual business 2.0", which is basically a few buzz words thrown together in an attempt to look hip and cool. We're certainly not saying that business has no place in a VW, but it can become a scary thought, ultimately.Another prominent avenue explored at this event is that of children's virtual worlds, which are becoming increasingly popular. Neopets, Nickelodeon, Barbie and Dinokids were all on-hand to make sure their piece of the pie was well-represented.
Kids are the focus at VW08
Businesses have tried marketing to adults in Second Life. It's not working out for them. Instead, adults are gravitating toward casual games, while it's children who have shown themselves to be most receptive to marketing in virtual worlds. Such is the feeling at the Virtual Worlds 2008 conference in New York City, where aside from a single booth promoting Linden Lab's Second Life Grid, the place seemed like a toy fair. Barbie Girls Online, Nickelodeon, Neopets and Dino Kids are getting the big buzz at VW08. Teen-oriented sites like MTV's vLES are mature by comparison.Electric Sheep's Giff Constable says over the last three years, while he feels more people know what avatars are, he doesn't know any people over the time who have gotten one of their own. Part of that may be just what your definition of avatar is -- if it's meant to be an avatar on Second Life, that's one thing. An avatar in a social space like Facebook, perhaps something else.
Barbie Girls Online: Been there, done that, got the tiara
How will you ever tell your little girl that her friend Jane is a special VIP in Barbie Girls Online, but you won't even give her a dented copper tiara? Jane's tiara is made of diamonds, platinum and unicorn hair! Your daughter: No tiara. You: resented in real life. But you're a good mommy or daddy, and you'll buy your little girl her VIP membership and her tiara will be gold, with rubies, because you love her just that much. Welcome to the wonderful world of getting to your wallet through your children. It's not entirely new; Kid-oriented web sites such as Webkinz and Neopets have offered dolls with codes for use on their website for some years now, but they were real dolls, and the special perks on the website were theirs forever. They had something to keep when the computer was off. Now, your daughter's tenuous reign as VIP lasts only so long as you keep paying for a VIP membership. (Barbie Girls Online also requires a Barbie-shaped dongle/MP3 player to be plugged into the computer for full access but is not required for most of the site).
Barbie B2 touchscreen MP3 player in pink and bearskin
If you've ever wondered how Barbie will prey upon the insecurities of the future generation of robot-assimilated little girls -- this is it. Somewhere in that Planet of the Apes, dystopian fembot horde sits the touchscreen Barbie B2 MP3 player. Unfortunately, without any clues for scale, the device is either the size of a fingernail, or giant Barbies with even more preposterous breast-to-hips ratios are invading Korea as we speak. We'll guess something closer to the former (while secretly hoping for the latter).Update: We found the site pushing the B2. Of course, the makeup case design comes with a mirror to remind your little princess that she'll never quite meet the corporate beauty standard. Picture after the break.[Thanks, MadHat]
The Barbie iPod dock: yes, it's pink and flowery
One man's idea of hell is another 10 year old girl's idea of heaven: in this case the difference of opinion is a Barbie iPod dock / FM radio / alarm clock so pink we could puke. We gotta say though, the flowery speaker enclosures are pretty well done, and the extremely out of place model number -- officially, this is the BAR710 -- is worth a few chuckles. Desperate parents everywhere will no doubt be shelling out for one of these very soon as the empty wallet season rapidly approaches: even if there was information about pricing, you wouldn't want to know, right?
When good toys go bad IX: Barbie's Fashion Fever fosters bad credit
Note to parents: if you'd like your tweens not to run up extraordinary bills on the shared credit card when they head out to the mall, start by passing on Barbie's Fashion Fever Shopping Boutique playset. This innocent looking package allows youngsters to shop 'til they drop with fake plastic, but rather than actually hitting a credit limit and getting rejected, the card delivers the wrong message by simply allowing kids to spend as much dough as they'd like without any negative consequences. Take a look at the commercial after the jump.[Via Gearlog]
Barbie Girls MMO and Barbie Girl MP3 player, for little nerds in training
Alright, so it's not quite Azeroth, but girls who log onto Mattel's new Barbie Girls online community can play games, chat and "hang out" with other tween-ish participants, which sounds just as good preparation as any for the chaos that they'll soon be able to experience (as in, as soon as the parents' credit card gives the green light) in more "mature" communities such as WoW, Second Life and the upcoming PlayStation Home. Girls can naturally customize and accessorize their avatars, with up to 2.64 quadrillion combinations available, and "B Chat" with one another in a moderated and as-safe-as-reasonably-possible environment. In July, Mattel will launch a companion Barbie Girl MP3 player, which will allow girls who have met in person and synced the player with each other's computer to participate in "Secret B Chat," which allows more privacy and more open conversation. The $60 device includes 512MB of memory and a miniSD expansion slot, and unlocks additional content for the girls, alongside $10 accessory packs that we're sure will make similar methods of extortion, such as the Oblivion "horse armor" incident, seem positively generous in comparison.
J Allard loves XBL Barbie
Intrigue swirled yesterday when HiroProtagonist (aka J Allard) and other Microsoft glitterati showed up at the top of the leaderboard for Barbie: Horse Rally, the "amazing" next-gen sequel to Barbie Horse Adventures: Wild Horse Rescue. Indeed, a glance at Allard's and Major Nelson's gamercards on MyGamerCard.net show the plastic princess in heavy rotation (note the Barbie icon). Did Dollhouse Diva somehow slip into the Xbox 360's stable under the internet radar? Sadly for hopeful gamers who grew up posing their little sister's dolls in sexual positions, I'm forced to report that Barbie: Horse Rally is horse hocky. Allard's pony-riding expertise appears to be an April Fools joke crafted by MyGamerCard and Achieve360Points.com, to the cruel disappointment of 6-year-old girls and Mattel stockholders. The screenshot is from the 2003 Xbox game, which did not have an Xbox Live component. It's not known if Barbie's all-too-brief appearance on the 360 will affect Rockstar's Malibu Stacy project. Barbie's long-time boyfriend, who shall remain nameless, and her jailbait pal Skipper were unavailabe for comment. [Thanks Morgon]
