launch-party
Latest
D3 throwing Puzzle Quest: Galactrix launch event -- and you could be there
What? The public being allowed into a game's launch event? We've never heard of such a thing. Okay, maybe we have. So has D3 Publisher, who is going to let the first 100 Joystiq readers that RSVP to PQGalactrixRSVP@d3p.us celebrate the release of its latest controlled substance Puzzle Quest game, Puzzle Quest Galactrix.The event is being held in Los Angeles on Thursday, February 19 from 6:30 to 10:00 p.m. -- so bear that in mind before emailing. The publisher isn't going to fly you there or anything.The first 50 "chosen ones" who show up with a Nintendo DS will receive a pre-release copy of the DS version of Galactrix. They'll also be able to play every version of the game pre-launch and have a chance to win T-Shirts, calendars ... and potentially even a customized Galactrix DS Lite. To your email clients, dear readers!Update: 2/15 - 11:40PM EST : Tickets are still available, feel free to email the address above.
PSA: Street Fighter IV launch party open to the public
We hope you've all been tightening up your Hadoukens and hitting the ceiling with your Flash Kicks, because when Street Fighter IV releases in the U.S. on February 17, you're going to need to bring your best moves. Capcom has dropped word that the fun begins before the game even releases, as the Street Fighter IV launch party is open to the public. At this launch party, producer Yoshinori Ono will be available for autographs, and Capcom has even enlisted the aid of performers DJ QBert, Supreme Soul, and The Knux, if live music is your kind of thing. There will even be customized sketching by Udon artists, and, of course, a chance of winning copies of Street Fighter IV.If you live near the Los Angeles area, then head past the break for full details on the event.
World of Warcraft en espaol hits retail July 25th
The Latin American-localized version of World of Warcraft, which was first announced in March, will finally reach store shelves on the 25th of this month. Initially, it will be available in México, Argentina, and Chile; no word yet on when other countries will get it too. Both the original game and its expansion, The Burning Crusade, will be on sale, along with 60-day prepaid gametime cards.Spanish language servers will be provided for new Latin America subscribers, but those already playing on the North American servers can download a Latin American Spanish "language pack," and even transfer to the new servers if they want to. Check out the FAQ for more info.Oh, and Blizzard will be hosting a midnight launch party on the 25th at the Blockbuster at Av. Universidad #697 en México, D.F., followed by another event at Plaza Satelite in Estado de México. ¡Diviértase!
Video, interview paint detailed picture of AoC raids
There's a two-pronged assault of Age of Conan raid content information at Ten Ton Hammer -- a 20 minute raid presentation video, and an interview with raid boss scripter Eirik Munthe. Both the presentation and the interview occurred at the AoC launch event in Oslo last week, and both were rich with information. It looks like the endgame content has some incremental innovations just like the lower-level stuff; that should make the hardcore crowd happy.In the presentation, bits and pieces of one of AoC's level 80, 24-person raids were shown to an audience with live commentary by Game Director Gaute Godager. Multiple bosses were shown, such as a poison-leaking monstrosity and two demons -- one ice, one fire -- who gain power when standing near one another. Godager explained the philosophy behind raiding and epic gear, and using collision detection in battle strategies. He revealed that raid groups will be able to call it a night halfway through a raid and finish any time they want (so long as it's before the raid expiration date -- one week after its start date). There was also a brief series of clips of a massive PvP siege.In the interview with Eirik Munthe we learned that Funcom put together strike teams consisting of designers, scripters, and writers. Each strike team focused its attentions completely on a 20-level span; for example, Munthe's team worked on content for player levels 60 - 80. Munthe described the challenges he faced when scripting encounters with some of AoC's unique features such as collision detection and CoE (cone of effect) healing in mind.
Age of Conan's composer talks inspiration, challenges
MMORPG met up with Age of Conan composer Knut Avenstroup at the Oslo launch event and spoke with him about the beautiful score he created for the game. During the four minute video interview, Avenstroup talked about adapting his creative process to the video game medium and staying motivated when faced with the intimidating task of creating three and a half hours of music.He explained that he wanted to learn about ancient forms of music, since the game is set just before the dawn of recorded history. Unfortunately, he had a bit of trouble because "there is very little material to look into because the only thing they know about ancient music or music from two thousand years ago is based on the instruments that have survived. They are basically trying to find out what kind of music would be possible to play on these instruments, so there's not a lot to go on."Despite that problem, he was able to draw on inspiration from several cultures -- including Arabic, Celtic, and Nordic -- and the scores of films set in the distant past.
Age of Conan launch event includes fire-breathers, Spellweaving
Earlier this week Funcom threw a giant bash in Oslo, Norway to celebrate the upcoming launch of their long in-development MMO Age of Conan. Ten Ton Hammer was on-hand to check out the festivities, and came away with a number of goodies showing off both the game and Funcom's ability as a party host. The event offered fire-eaters, rock music, and plenty of opportunities for game journalists to get a look at some long-hidden parts of the game.Most fascinating for caster fans, Funcom finally uncovered the concept of spellweaving. TTH describes it as 'going into a trance', unlocking greater potential within the class. The Priest of Mitra, the Necromancer, the Demonologist and the Tempest of Set will all receive this ability, a restriction that we find kind of interesting; we were under the assumption that this was supposed to be something of an answer to the melee class' real-time combat; if not all caster classes are getting this, what's the point?The site also walked away with a series of videos showcasing storyline basics and combat, followed by an interlude in the Thunder River zone to show off the real-time hack and slashery, as well as spellweaving. The final video is a whole piece touching on the lore of the game - with an appearance by Conan himself.
Age of Conan's launch party slated for the 13th
The official Age of Conan website is carrying the news that a huge launch party is planned for the soon-to-be-released MMO. May 13th is the date, and the location is beautiful Oslo, Norway. It's slated to be held at the Nobel Peace center, Latter Aker Brygge. Most of the seats are reserved for game journalists as part of a several day launch event, but some lucky Oslo AoC fans will be able to make it in too.We got a look at the press invite, and it sounds like a swinging time. The journalists who are there for the long haul get the full monty, including: Huge in-game events, including large-scale raiding, social aspects, the dancing game, Spellweaving and Conan's role in the game. All of these features will be demonstrated in a full-scale movie theater. Fjord Boat Ride – A "scenic tour of one of Norway's most beautiful geographical phenomenon". Live Soundtrack Concert – The orchestra that recorded the game soundtrack will be on-hand for a live performance. In the evening a festival is planned in the area of Holemkollen. It sounds like plans have changed a bit from the original, which had this fest taking place in an ancient fortress. From the original invite we looked at: "Norwegian death punk band, Turbonegro, will be on hand for a private concert in the fortress courtyard. Conan himself will be on-hand, offering his army of slave girls to meet the needs of every guest." Somehow the Nobel Peace Center and an "attack on a wizard's tower" sounds a bit tamer.
PotBS: Seattle launch party
A little more than five years ago, Flying Lab Software began nudging their pirate ship into the treacherous shoals of software development. As they navigated through the vagaries of deadlines and beta tests, constantly circled by the ever-present threat of player ennui, they made their way into the Bay of Beta Testing, and users got their first glimpses of a new, immersive world. As of yesterday, Pirates of the Burning Sea is live, and now everyone has the opportunity to participate in a battle royale between the naval forces of France, Britain, Spain, and the hordes of pirates that roamed the Caribbean in this version of 1720.Massively had the opportunity to attend the Flying Lab PotBS launch party in Seattle, and also had the opportunity to sit down with some of the movers and shakers who brought you this phenomenal title. What does all of this mean? It means we managed to get some more information about future patches and expansion plans. Now that we're back home, we can tell you what the developers, the producers, and the CEO of the company told us. So get a firm grip on your tricorns and batten down your hatches, you swabs, the seas are fierce ahead.%Gallery-14155%
24 hours of Tabula Rasa: Hour 24
Here we are, a full 24 hours since we started this crazy round of Tabula Rasa giveaways, and it occurs to us that we haven't really touched on the PvP aspects of TR too much. Now we can't speak for you all, but there's something about facing a superhuman whos-a-chargin-his-lazor that just sends a cold chill up our spine. Sure, the guy in the picture above has a great big gun and some pretty heavy armor, but it looks to us like he's about to become laser flambe. What's worse, it looks like he knows he's about to be burnt to a crisp. Luckily for you, we have no lasers -- we just have swag! So for this, our final round of the Massively Tabula Rasa giveaways, we're handing out one final TR hat and one final poster to two lucky commenters. (18 & up, US residents only, official rules, blahblah) Now this doesn't mean the fun is over -- far from it. As we mentioned in our post yesterday, we have two full weeks worth of goodies to give away! So even if you didn't win something in this round of giveaways, be sure to pop back and check us out. You may pick up some really cool game swag from any number of games.With that, we'd like to say a huge thanks to NCsoft for showering us with lots of birthday swag and this cool grand prize (you still have an hour to register for that one too) to give out to all of you, and you for making this the massive first day of our launch party. Good luck!
Neonode N2 launches in Europe on Vodafone, Wind
Intelligently waiting until after the iPhone lived out its (first) 15 minutes of fame, Neonode has just now went and threw a launch party to celebrate the official debut of the Neonode N2. Yesterday, the firm went wild at the Babae Club in Athens, Greece as it celebrated with MyPhone (its distributor for south-eastern Europe) and announced that the handset would play nice with "operators such as Vodafone and Wind." Sadly, exact releases dates were obviously muddled through all the jumpin' and jivin' going on, but the N2 should be in "select shops in south-eastern Europe" very soon, with the rest of Europe and "other major markets" to follow suit shortly thereafter.[Thanks, Sleepless]
DS Lite launch partay!
Engadget's Paul Miller and Ryan Block dropped by Nintendo's official DS Lite U.S. launch party in New York over the weekend. Their write-up features a few dozen photos of the interior of the Nintendo World Store, including the above picture of Ryan being molested hugged by a giant Mario. They also snapped shots of people in the queue playing with their imported DS Lites (oh, the sweet fanboy irony), the first person to officially purchase a DS Lite in the U.S. and a functional Gulf War-damaged Game Boy.Update: Should have been "Lite", not "lite."
