amalgam

Latest

  • The Daily Grind: Which two MMOs would you mash together?

    by 
    Eliot Lefebvre
    Eliot Lefebvre
    01.11.2014

    Remember our MMO Blender series? It was pretty fun; we cherry-picked a whole bunch of mechanics from various games and smashed them together into one game. That is not exactly what we're asking for today. We don't want you to cherry-pick mechanics; we want you to pick two distinct games and shove them together without regard for what gets broken. No plucking crafting from Ryzom and combat from TERA; just pile both of them together into one big mass. Yes, parts of it would probably be messy. But what would a fusion of Final Fantasy XI and Guild Wars look like? Or WildStar and Star Trek Online? Just take two games, maybe two of your favorites, maybe two that each has half of the features you'd like, maybe even two that you dislike separately. Smash them together and tell us about the resulting collision. Which two MMOs would you mash together? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!

  • Japan creates frankenstein pop idol, sells candy

    by 
    Sean Buckley
    Sean Buckley
    06.23.2011

    Sure, Japan's had its fair share of holographic and robotic pop idols, but they always seem to wander a bit too far into the uncanny valley. Might an amalgam composite pop-star fare better? Nope, still creepy -- but at least its a new kind of creepy. Eguchi Aimi, a fictional idol girl created for a Glico candy ad, is comprised of the eyes, ears, nose, and other facial elements of girls from AKB48, a massive (over 50 members) all-female pop group from Tokyo. Aimi herself looks pretty convincing, but the way she never looks away from the camera makes our skin crawl ever so slightly. Check out the Telegraph link below to see her pitch Japanese sweets while staring through your soul.