masochism
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One Shots: Mutant masochists
One of the quickest ways to my heart -- and to the top of a weekly One Shots column -- is to send me in something that I haven't seen before or an MMO that hardly ever makes it to my inbox. That's why I'm kicking off with this submission from Zulika featuring Auto Assault, the post-apocalyptic vehicle game that lived but for a brief time. "Notice the faint quest marker above the head of the lady suspended by chains and hooks. If I remember correctly, this was taken in some quest hub full of mutant masochists. Even though it was just in a game, it still felt odd," wrote Zulika. Odd in most situations, true, but for MMO players it's just the latest in a long calvacade of weirdness that we witness every day. Let's get this parade going!
French hackers connect a shock collar to a Sega Genesis, let obscenities fly (video)
There are masochists, and then there are masochists. We'd have to put French hackers Dyak and Furrtek in the latter category. The two ingenious and self destructive modders tweaked the beloved Sega Genesis to send signals to a pair of controllers any time the player takes damage. That signal doesn't produce rumbles or blinking lights, however, it's passed through a port to a shock collar meant for dogs. That's right, every time you get hit, you get zapped. The jolt of electricity you receive is hardly deadly, but it's certainly not pleasant, as you can tell from the barrage of obscenities bleeped out of the above video. The hack isn't exactly easy but, if you're bold, and don't mind a bit of pain, you'll find full details of the mod at the source link.
Spiritual Guidance: On the subject of Shadow Word: Death
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Spiritual Guidance for discipline, holy and shadow priests. Every Wednesday, shadow priesting expert Fox Van Allen provides stellar, thoughtful advice ... when not sabotaged by Tyler Caraway. Over the past few weeks here at Spiritual Guidance, we've been talking a bit about the simple mechanics of shadow priests, ultimately exposing them as anything but simple. In April, I put the inner workings of shadow priest mastery on display, spending over a thousand words to explain a concept that some other specs can wrap up in a few sentences. Last week, we talked about shadow priest spell haste and DOT mechanics, something so complex that even I messed up a bit when explaining. Today, we're giving Shadow Word: Death the same treatment. No other single spell generates so many questions in the shadow priest community, because no other single spell has so many complicating modifiers. You can improve it through three different talents and two different glyphs. The spell's effect changes depending on whether the target's health is above or below 25%. And, if that wasn't enough, the effect also changes depending on whether the target dies as a result of your SW:D cast. Oh, and unlike all your other spells, Shadow Word: Death can kill you. That seems important to work in there somehow.
A sneak peek at Salem
Are you tired of the same Orcs-Elves-and-Dwarves high fantasy in your MMORPGs? Perhaps you're looking for something more grounded in reality? Then Salem might just be for you. Instead of dropping you into another Azeroth, it sticks you in Colonial America during the time of the Salem Witch Trials. Not a whole lot is known about the browser-launched MMO from newcomer studio Paradox Interactive, but MMORPG.com has a scoop that reveals a few details. For one, it's not another themepark MMO. It's a sandbox game with a focus on crafting and open PvP. Oh, and one more thing: When you die, you're dead for good. That's right, Salem will feature permadeath. While your new character will inherit your dead one's belongings, you'll still have to develop that new character from scratch. For full information on this unique new MMO, check out the full article.
Mega Man 9 DLC adds special stage, harder difficulty levels
click to enlarge We're not sure which in-game parameters have been tweaked or how enemies have been modified, but Capcom has somehow managed to make its retro-vitalized platformer, Mega Man 9, even more challenging. If you're the sort who enjoys having your confidence smashed to a squirming pulp and would gladly pay for the privilege, the second round of Mega Man 9 DLC is sure to be right up your trap-laden alley. Three downloadable $1 packs arrive on the WiiWare Channel today (XBLA and PSN versions following on October 21st and October 23rd, respectively), adding a Special Time Attack Stage, Hard Mode and Expert Mode, which "triples the level of difficulty from the default Mega Man 9 game." Need more? Rumor has it that next week will see the release of Ultra Expert Mode, which issues crippling electric shocks via the controller every time you plummet down a bottomless pit. Full descriptions of the DLC can be found after the break. %Gallery-34881%
DS Daily: Masochism
We like m-words around here! First we discussed a little machismo, and now we're moving onto masochism. Some days, we even like to discuss the ol' medulla oblongata! That's somewhere near your prefrontal cortex, by the way. But we're talking about masochism today -- that is, the things we do to punish ourselves in the name of fun ... like erasing your files on Clubhouse Games on purpose just for the fun (horror?!) of replaying Stamp Mode all over again. How about no-sword Zelda runs? We can't imagine why anyone would do that, but apparently, it happens. We'd also like to nominate playing the old game Deadly Towers at any time, for any reason. You obviously hate yourself if you do that (but don't worry, we did it, too).So what have you done just for the hell of it, to make a beloved game even harder than usual? We love a good challenge, and we want to hear about yours.
