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The Mog Log: Dark Knight is a tank in Final Fantasy XIV
I can't really stop talking about Final Fantasy XIV when it's been weeks of news feasts for the game, can I? Hot on the heels of the last fanfest, the one-day London fanfest happened, and the development team compensated for the shortened overall time by filling the keynote with revelations. The Vanu Vanu are a thing which I currently want to cuddle, we will get personal airships, and we're getting Dark Knight -- a job that starts at level 1 with no base class, breaking all the established rules of the game. Oh, and it's a tank. There were basically two sets of reactions to this news. The first group was busy releasing its collective gasp of joy that it had been holding on to since Dark Knight was practically revealed in Las Vegas. The second group was screaming to the heavens about the fact that this job was going to be a tank instead of a DPS. So it merits some discussion, as do the other things we know about it because boy, Tank #3 is going to be a weird one.
Final Fantasy XIV unveils Dark Knight and more at London Fanfest
The second of three Final Fantasy XIV fan festivals is taking place now in London, and once again there's no shortage of information about the game's first expansion. While the Las Vegas gathering hinted at the new jobs, the first one was officially revealed today: Dark Knight, a new tank wielding a two-handed sword without any base class involved. No word on how the omission of a class will affect the leveling structure, but it was mentioned that the job will focus on dodging and parrying to reduce damage. The keynote speech also included revealing more about the game's flying mounts, which will allow free exploration of the Heavensward areas with no need for take-off or landing. Black chocobos and single-player airships were confirmed, with a grand total of six mounts currently in development. Two beast tribes were also linked, a birdlike race called the Vanu Vanu worshipping the primal Bismarck, and the insectoid Gnath who worship Ravana. There was also a hint that the next job to be revealed will be gun-focused. More news is likely to emerge as the fanfest continues.
Lego Batman 3 goes beyond Gotham with DLC, season pass
When Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham launches in November, players will have three pieces of DLC to pick up, each part of a season pass for the game. The season pass costs $14.99 and promises access to six add-ons in total, three of which will be announced at a later time. It will be available to PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360 and PC owners, but not Wii U, 3DS and Vita. The DLC packs set to arrive alongside the game are The Dark Knight Pack, the Man of Steel Pack and the Batman 75th Pack, each with themed missions with story elements and free play modes. The latter has players following the exploits of the Joker and Harley Quinn as they set up "a variety of celebration set pieces," then play as the varying Batmans (Batmen?) through the hero's many years of existence. Future packs will include new playable characters, vehicles and levels. Each piece of DLC can be purchased individually for $2.99. Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham will launch November 11 for PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Vita, Wii U and 3DS. The game will also be featured in a PS3 bundle, slated to launch with the game. [Image: WBIE]
New class rises to join Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen
The second class revealed for Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen isn't the hero that the world of Terminus needs, but it's the one the world deserves. The Dark Knight is exactly what it sounds like on the tin: Aside from striking fear into the cowardly and superstitious lot of Terminus' monsters, it's a fusion of melee abilities and destructive spellcasting that draws upon unholy might. It's a class with plenty of toys to mix with extensive martial training, and it serves nicely as a peek at the conceptual space of Pantheon's classes. Dark Knights have access to several choices of both weapon and armor, generally focusing on heavy plate armor along with two-handed swords, shield, and axes. They also possess the ability to drain life and strength from their foes, apply diseases, summon necromantic minions, and possibly hang upside-down from gargoyles. There's a bit more lore to be found in the official reveal; keep your ears open for more classes so that you'll be properly prepared.
You'd have to be at least a little bit crazy to use this Batman 'Tumbler' iPhone case
I love the new Batman trilogy, and judging by the fact that the last film in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight saga raked in more than a billion dollars, I'm clearly not alone. However, there's no way anyone in their right mind would be enamored with the Caped Crusader to the point that they'd slap this Batmobile case on their iPhone... at least I hope not. Modeled after the "Tumbler" version of the Batmobile from the Dark Knight series, the case is being sold by Bandai. As you can see from the product images, the ridiculous accessory increases the overall bulk of the phone by a huge degree, and from a protection standpoint, I imagine it actually does make the device rather bulletproof (so to speak). As if the size and detail of the case weren't enough to put it solely in the category of novelty, it even features a built-in four-LED projector that displays the Bat-Signal. According to Bandai's website, the Tumbler won't be available unit March of next year, so if you were planning on buying it as a gag gift, it'll just have to wait.
Man of Steel? Dark Knight? Transmogrifying DC's greatest superheroes
I think I've mentioned before that while I love comics of all sorts, I'm a DC girl at heart. While I've got a ton of obscure titles, I think my favorite from the DC portion of my collection has to be The Killing Joke, which I picked up when it was released. It was a horribly violent story, but the interplay between Batman and the Joker was an oddly chilling moment that showed more about both characters than any comic I'd seen before it. Batman is one of those utterly iconic figures. Dark and brooding, the Dark Knight has his own methodical way of handling situations that is a direct contrast from his millionaire playboy persona. Batman's a manmade hero, but his counterpart, Superman, is an alien from another world whose heroic deeds and super strength can be attributed to his otherworldly origins. Both of these characters are instantly recognizable, and hopefully with today's transmog tricks, your character will be instantly identified as one of DC's finest as well.
Batman Nokia Lumia 900 priced at £600, throws in some free movie tickets
We said it was coming soon, and the Dark Knight-themed WinPho hasn't disappointed. Phones 4u has just announced that pre-ordered laser-etched Lumia 900s will be delivered on June 1st; that's this Friday. Off-contract pricing is pegged at £600, although multiple contracts are also available from the UK retailer. There doesn't appear to be any extra functionality on the special edition, although bragging rights do count for a lot. The phone will arrive in limited numbers, but neither Nokia nor Phones 4u is spilling the beans on precise unit numbers. The retailer is also throwing in free tickets to see the Dark Knight Rises at UK cinemas (or theaters) this summer, plus the chance to hit up the premiere. Pre-ordering heroes can zip-wire their way to the source link below. Update: SlashGear's been told by Phones 4u that there will be 900 of the special edition phones.
Batman-themed Nokia Lumia 900 coming soon, utility belt clip not included
A befuddled Joker once pondered "Where does he get all those wonderful toys?" Soon you'll have a chance to inspire the same sort of wonderment amongst your friends -- at least the more eagle-eyed ones. Nokia has announced it's launching a Batman-themed Nokia Lumia 900, with the minimalist logo of (spoiler alert) Bruce Wayne's alter-ego laser-etched onto the back. It's the same treatment that was given to a special edition Lumia 800 earlier and, no surprise, it'll be available exclusively in Batman's favorite color. It's also exclusive to Europe, at least initially, where it's said to be going on sale in a few weeks. Act fast and you might have yours in time to listen to Christian Bale grumble his way through the conclusion of the Dark Knight Trilogy.
The Mog Log: Final Fantasy XI classes, round 3
There's a certain brilliance to the fact that the first six classes in Final Fantasy XI mirror your selections back in the first Final Fantasy game. Once you hit 30, you can start transferring into the more iconic and frequently bonus-laden advanced jobs, but your initial selection is meant to call back to the start of the game. Those are the classes that I've already covered in this column, first with a column on the three physical classes, then the three caster classes. But that's barely the tip of the iceberg. The core game only offered six advanced choices: Paladin, Dark Knight, Ranger, Beastmaster, Bard, and Summoner. Today, I'm going to be taking a look at the somewhat more physical side of the group, using criteria established way back when I started talking about class design philosophy. Bear in mind that this isn't meant to discuss strict power levels; that's the sort of thing that gets fiddled with easily enough and frequently enough that a unique mechanical identity matters more than who's on top at any given week. On with the first batch of advanced jobs!
Pillar of the community: Vindictus adds a new character and events in 1.31
The always over-the-top Vindictus has released its latest update on the game world, Karok: Pillar of Strength. Actually, more like "Pillar of Smash Your Face In," although that doesn't fit as well on business cards. The 1.31 update comes with a host of additions to the game, chief among them the ability to play a completely new character. The titular Karok is a hulking 400-pound giant who swings a barbed pillar, knocking foes out of the park. While he boasts great strength and power, his slower speed and lack of AoE attacks make playing him a challenge. The Karok update also includes new transformations for the Dark Knight and Paladin, a leaderboard ranking system, party member ranking, new avatars for characters, and the end of the game's token system. To celebrate the update, Nexon is throwing three in-game events. The Blood Brothers Event (June 15th to July 13th) gives your lowbie characters an XP boost if you have a level 40 or higher toon. During the New Recruit Event (June 15th to the 28th), baby-faced characters that hit level 10 will receive a welcome package. And finally, the Power Personified Event (also June 15th to the 28th) will reward new level 20 characters with three dye ampoules. You can watch the Karok: Pillar of Strength trailer after the jump!
Nightwing leaps into DC Universe Online
Sony Online Entertainment's newest character reveal for DC Universe Online happens to be the ex-boy wonder himself, Nightwing. No longer the young man fighting at the dark knight's side, Dick Grayson is capable of some incredible feats of athleticism, some even more impressive than Batman's repertoire. He's also known to fight alongside the Teen Titans, and it's nice to see them standing with him in these new screens. All-in-all there are nine screens for you to check out. There's a long list of heroes and villains from the DC universe to reveal, giving us cause to question whether we'll ever see an end to these announcements. It's not that we're uninterested in seeing the in-game counterparts of these classic characters -- we're simply ready to see more of the actual game itself. Chris Cao did recently answer some fan questions, which was a great start. Here's hoping 2010 plays host to all sorts of awesome DC Universe Online information.%Gallery-50201%
Canceled Pandemic Wii title wanted to be 'The Next Big Thing'
After EA shuttered the Australian arm of Mercenaries dev house Pandemic Studios, a few projects were lost to the ether. A game based on the enormously popular film Dark Knight for 360 / PS3 as well as an "open-world Nintendo Wii game" were both rumored to be on the way from the Brisbane, Australia-based studio.Australian Gamer has apparently found footage of the Wii title -- said to still be owned by ex-Pandemic Australia employees -- to be called either "The Next Big Thing" or "No Limits Racing" (depending on your interpretation of the footage). The trailer (found after the break) teases a handful of pseudo-celebrity appearances, the ability to turn existing Miis into in-game characters, and show off your high scores on advertisements in friends' game environments. EA confirmed to us yesterday that the Australian arm of Pandemic is closed, and said of the trailer, "On any given day, there are a lot of great game ideas under consideration at EA ... not all of them go all the way to market."
More adjustments to Final Fantasy XI jobs with the next version update
More information pours in regarding the upcoming Final Fantasy XI July version update, and the news is all very positive. No nerfs are hiding on the horizon for the game -- instead it's just clear sailing with improvements to combat skill progression, circle protection spells, and blue magic.All players will be happy to see Square-Enix has noted that combat and magic skills are suffering while players level quicker via the Fields of Valor quests and level sync. Because players are spending less time in each level, their skills in combat and magic are simply not advancing fast enough. To combat this, the rate of advancement for skill in weapons and magic has been boosted for the low and mid levels of the game.
Rumor: Tech issues ruined Dark Knight game, pushed Pandemic AU to ruin
At this point, we don't even have confirmation that Pandemic Brisbane is gone, but according to a report from Kotaku Australia, the axe dropped after the studio couldn't finish the oft-rumored Dark Knight game in time for the film's DVD / Blu-ray release. Blame allegedly goes to the short timeframe allotted to development and a lack of technology / tools needed to make the open-world title the team had in mind.Reportedly, a second team was working on an open-world Wii title and managed to retain rights to the project after the studio closed. We're still waiting to discover the studio's fate, but in the meantime, the report is definitely worth a read. After the break, check out footage from a different -- some would say fake -- Dark Knight game.
DISH Network adds The Dark Knight to 1080p on-demand movie lineup
Here's an indication of just how important The Dark Knight is to the movie / content industry. DISH Network has just pushed out a bona fide press release solely to announce that the aforementioned film is now available via its 1080p on-demand service. Customers of the satcaster who skipped out on the Blu-ray version and would rather just rent can spend their New Year's Eve trying to figure out if Batman's voice can possibly go any deeper without exploding for just $6.99.
The Dark Knight director hungry for more IMAX
IMAX has been around for years, while 3D is just now starting to really infiltrate the theater scene. Curiously, it looks as if 3D will have more of the alternate cinema market share than IMAX in no time flat, despite IMAX's tremendous advantage in launch time. Thanks to The Dark Knight, however, IMAX could receive that much-needed breath of life it has been waiting for. Director Christopher Nolan has reportedly stated that he'd like to shoot an entire film for IMAX, even though it would undoubtedly be down-converted for playback on traditional screens. He did admit that the noisiness of the camera could cause issues, but that's nothing a hard-working set pusher couldn't overcome. For those who viewed the latest installment of Batman in theaters, many were most captivated by the expansive IMAX sequences -- in fact, we'd be hard pressed to find someone who wouldn't want an entire film to look like that.[Via FirstShowing]
The Dark Knight fastest selling Blu-ray of all time; over 25% format share
We had high hopes for The Dark Knight's Blu-ray release. But boy, we didn't expect such phenomenal results. The Dark Knight has become the fastest selling Blu-ray yet, besting the last king of the hill, Iron Man. Nearly 3 million copies of the movie were sold on Tuesday, with 600,000 units being sold on Blu-ray. That means about 25-30% of the disc sales were on Blu-ray -- an impressive feat for a relatively new format."It's encouraging," said Ron Sanders, president of Warner Home Video. "The Blu-ray sales of 'Dark Knight' were exceptionally strong and much higher than our projections." Considering The Dark Knight is an obvious addition to an HD home theater set up, we doubt their projections were much lower. Besides, all that money should make up for the Golden Globe snub, amirite?
The Dark Knight shatters sales record, moves 600,000 Blu-ray Discs on day one
The numbers are in, and they're big. Just as predicted, Warner Brothers' The Dark Knight was a huge day-one success, with consumers in the US, Canada and UK snapping up three million copies during the first 24 hours (give or take a few) that it was on sale. More germane to our conversation, however, is this 600,000 figure, which tells exactly how many Blu-ray Discs were sold. We already know that around one-sixth of those were moved in the UK, leaving us to determine that North America did some serious shopping. The studio has now projected it to sell one million BDs by Saturday, and curiously enough, current sales have been "especially strong at grocery stores, indicating that the format is broadening beyond early adopters to more mainstream buyers, notably women." Needless to say, this title took down Iron Man's record of moving 250,000 BDs on day one, which just ratchets up the bar for the next big one to take down.[Thanks, Geoff]
Deal: Buy PS3 80GB get Dark Knight and Resistance 2 CE free [Update]
[Update: All gone already!]Amazon is offering a free copy of The Dark Knight on Blu-ray and Resistance 2 Collector's Edition with the purchase of a PlayStation 3 80GB for $399.99 with free shipping. Just click here, add all three items to your cart, then enter the coupon code PSKNIGHT during checkout.The weird thing is, some parts of the site are claiming the deal is valid for today (December 9th) only while the official rules are stating the offer is "valid 12 AM Pacific time, December 9, 2008, through 11:59 PM. Pacific time, December 10, 2008." Our suggestion? If you are interested, take advantage of this today and not wait until tomorrow to find out if the offer is still valid. The deal is right through here.[Via Slickdeals]
107,000 The Dark Knight Blu-ray Discs sold in UK on day one
We'll warn you -- these numbers are likely very preliminary and subject to change, but Pocket-lint is reporting (via Official Charts Company data as revealed by the British Video Association) that some 513,000 copies of The Dark Knight were sold on day one in the UK (but isn't the day still ongoing?), 21% of which were Blu-ray. If our abacus is to be trusted, that's just north of 107,000 Blu-ray Discs, and it falls right in line with the apparent BD boom going on across the pond. Just for comparison, it took the white hot Casino Royale a full week in the UK to move just 10,000 BD units. Looks like the flick is off to a solid start -- we'll be keenly watching for US numbers as soon as they become available.
