BSG
Latest
CE-Oh no he didn't! Part LVIII: NVIDIA CEO doesn't know what Larrabee is, doesn't care
NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang just can't resist throwing more jabs at Intel, distracting the inaugural NVISION crowd from Battlestar Galactica star Tricia Helfer with the claim that "Larrabee hasn't shipped so you don't know what it is and I don't know what it is." The fact that we do know what it is -- a next-gen hybrid CPU / GPU -- shouldn't be a concern according to Huang, because "By the time it does ship, Nvidia's technology will be so far advanced it won't matter." Besides stuffing Usain Bolt-type speed into a GPU the company will keep busy working on its WinMo smartphone hardware, and software for the not-exactly-Atom-killing VIA Nano, but forget about that rumored x86-compatible hardware 'cuz, as Jen-Hsun reminds us, "the Internet doesn't run on x86." For a company that lacks innovation, is "a joke," and at least four years behind, Intel must be doing something right, because the competition can't keep its name out of their mouths.
WoW Insider on the Arena Tournament server tonight!
After my weekly dose of Battlestar Galactica* the WoW Insider team will be logging onto the Arena Tournament Server for some hot arena action. What's hot about it you ask? Why our 3-11 record! Also hot is the spec I'll be going with - an actual honest to God Mortal Strike build.In all seriousness, we've got a great team of people getting together that are starting to learn to play with each other. Our record will improve, and we'll have some fun while playing some great matches. So if you haven't already signed up for the Arena Tournament (it's only $20), go do so now and come over and fight your favorite authors!Also, I'll be frapsing most of our matches tonight, so if you get lucky, you might just find yourself in a WoW Insider video. Who? The WoW Insider Arena Team and you!What? Arena BattlesWhere? Arena Tournament Server OneWhen? 10:00 p.m. CDT, tonight So what are you waiting for? Grab your sword and fight the Horde!
TV shows that could be MMOs: Battlestar Galactica
Watching the final season of the new Battlestar Galactica the other night, and getting only a taste of the amazing, chaotic, shaky-cam ship-to-ship action left us wanting more. But even better than a full episode devoted to space combat would be an MMO based in that world. How would that work, you ask? We're glad you did! Keep in mind that this article assumes basic knowledge of the show universe and its characters. If you haven't seen it, get thee to a torrent, or a rental store immediately!First, consider some of the great two-sided rivalries in MMOs: Horde vs. Alliance; AFS vs. the Bane; Humanity vs. Hell -- Mankind vs. the Cylons fits right in. In fact, since the show itself manages to portray both sides as sympathetic, there isn't too much storyline massaging to be done; the universe of Galactica is nicely morally ambiguous. All that really matters is survival.
One Kara Leaves: Karathress vs. Kara Thrace wrap up
On Friday I asked you what would happen if Karathress, the minion wielding sub boss of Serpentshrine Cavern, went up against Kara Thrace, the like-named heroine of Battlestar Galactica. You voiced your opinions, you voted. And you chose Kara Thrace, by a vote of 81.5% to 18.4%.Some of the defining user comments made it clear why Kara Thrace would win. SweetPoison said, "Kara would just bomb SSC with her Viper." Pappagallo tells us that I missed one of Starbuck's key abilities, and I fully agree with him: at 20% health Kara would cast "Summon Adama" in which there's a 99% chance Adama appears in either his old or young form and goes on a rampage, or a 1% chance that Colonel Tigh appears drinking, saying "Kill her, see if I care."Quite the interesting results, and I'm glad everyone had a chance to vote. And just to revise my opinion on who the final Cylon is, I'm now going to say it's Felix Gaeta. We know it's not Billy anymore because Six said "The final five are close."Of course, I could just be frackin' out of my mind.
Two Karas Enter: Karathress vs Kara Thrace
Our weekly column "Two Bosses Enter" pits one boss against another in a do or die battle of force. You, the reader, decides who wins and who is banished to the pits of wowlolcats hell. However for today, I want expunge some of that nerd in me and do something different. Let's pit Karathress, the multi-mob boss fight from Serpentshrine Cavern again Kara Thrace, her namesake from Battlestar Galactica."Why on Azeroth are you having these two fictional characters fight each other, Adam?" you ask. Because tonight at 10:00 p.m. EDT the final season of Battlestar Galactica begins. There's a lot of fans, including the WoW developers, who are in love with this show. After a year's absence I think many of us are sitting on the edge of our seats to learn who the final Cylon is. (It's going to be Billy, by the way. You heard it here first.) But enough of my fan bois loving. Let's get down to these two bosses fighting it out.
Battlestar Galactica XBLA price frak-ed on Saturday
This Friday marks the debut of the final season of Battlestar Galactica, and while we have no delusions that the 60 minutes of commercial interrupted TV will leave us any more stupefied than we were at the end of last season wondering what in the frak is going on, we nonetheless cannot wait to pick our jaws up off the floor. To celebrate the premiere, Sierra has chopped the price of its casual BSG-themed XBLA shooter in half to 400 points, and while playing the game still just serves as a painful reminder that we still lack a real Battlestar Galactica game, the new price is nonetheless a welcome treat. But get it while it's hot; the toasters are going to jack the price back up to 800 points 24 hours later. So say we all! Gallery: Battlestar Galactica (XBLA, PC) [Via Press Release]
This Wednesday: Cylons and Exit make their entrance on XBLA
This wednesday, in addition to the previously-announced Battlestar Galactica, escape-prone puzzler Exit will come to Xbox Live Arcade. Both games will be available for 800 MS points (US $10). Ire-inducing card game Uno is also receiving an update this week. The title now supports the Big Button Pad used with Scene It! as well as some camera and privacy improvements. New content for Bomberman, dubbed Bomb-up Pack 3, and Pinball FX is also due to arrive. All content will become available this wednesday at 5 a.m. ET.
Battlestar Galactica next week on XBLA
Alright, we should start by saying that we know nothing about Battlestar Galactica. So, don't expect any pithy in-jokes in this post. At least, don't expect any about Battlestar Galactica. So, let's just get to the meat then: Battlestar Galactica is making its way to Xbox Live Arcade next Wednesday. The game will feature 10 single-player missions as well as a multiplayer component that supports up to 8 players on Xbox Live. The single-player campaign features battles taken from the show, while the multiplayer allows players to dog it out as one of 8 different Human or Cylon ships (4 of each). Battlestar Galactica will be available for 800 MS Points.Finally, they'll have something new to talk about on Battlestar Galactica Forum.
Free TV spotlighted on iTunes store
Reader Matthew kindly sent us a tip (thanks!) that the TV Shows section of iTunes is currently featuring a five page listing of free television episodes available for download. As you might expect, lots of it is junk-- apparently Scott Baio has another television show, and someone thought it was a good idea to call it "Scott Baio is 45... and Single," but there are some shows worth watching in there, including a BSG wrapup (hey, gotta watch something to hold us over), a few Gray's Anatomy shows, and the pilot of Jericho (those are all iTunes links).So if you're looking for some free quality video (or just something to play on your iPhone for that trip you're about to head out on), looks like the iTunes store has it.Update: Our commenters also point out that there's lots of good free TV hidden in iTunes' podcast section as well-- two episodes of Flight of the Conchords is much better than anything you'll see highlighted in the free section.
Joystiq hands-on: Battlestar Galactica
Don't expect deep gameplay with this title based on the popular science fiction series. Battlestar Galactica, for Xbox Live Arcade and PC, is 3D space shooter played on a 2D plane. The controls are quick to grasp -- turning, shooting, activating shields and locking on for missiles -- although we had a bit of trouble initially with chasing enemies.We only had a chance to try out a couple of levels. There are four ships to choose from each side, humans and Cylons, each with various offensive, defensive and speed ratings. Death triggers a respawn, and the only penalty is lost time (beating levels is generally dependent upon time). There are 10 single-player missions based on battles from the show. Multiplayer has its own set of ten maps and two gameplay types: deathmatch and domination, where you capture turrets that destroy the opponent's base ship.According to producer Connie Brammeier, the game is intended for mass appeal. We get the feeling that hardcore Battlestar Galactica fans are going to be disappointed by the lack of depth in the title. The game is expected out in the third quarter of this year.%Gallery-4928%
Overheard@E3: the Toyota Cylon
Lines heard before Sierra Senior producer Connie Brammeier guided one journalist through the Battlestar GalacticaXbox Live Arcade. Don't worry, BSG fans, they were both in on the joke. You probably won't find this as funny unless you watch the show:"So, before we begin, do you know what a Cylon is?""Yeah, a Cylon is a car, right? By Toyota?""Yeah, it's a hybrid."
Today's mashiest game video: Battlestar meets Warcraft
If you were to take the opening sequence of Battlestar Galactica and make your own version of it with World of Warcraft in-game machinima, well then you'd have today's video. If they could pull off a Battlestar MMORPG, we'd be in there all day long, even if the subscription fee was $29.99 a month. There'd have to be enough copies of Number Six to go around, right?An enterprising fan of both put this together proving once more that the world does indeed have a lot of extra time on its hands. The Egyptians built the pyramids, and we make wacky videos for the web. Check out the mashup after the jump and join us in trying to patiently wait for the next episode to come out.
WoW Moviewatch: And they have a plan
I'm not sure if anyone has come up with a name for this video form yet. It's analogous to a cover in music, where one artist or group will play a song by another. Here, Nyteshade has taken the opening sequence from Battlestar Galactica and redone it, casting various mechanicals, from Gnomeregan and elsewhere, as the Cylons. It's quite well done; I especially like the fast cuts that start around 1:12. [via Metroblogging Azeroth]Previously on Moviewatch
It's the Great Robotic Overlords, Charlie Brown: make a Cylon jack-o-lantern
Charlie would be better off trying to kick that football than tracking down this jack-o-lantern. The guys at Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories put their l33t stenciling, carving and LED wiring skills into this Cylon Centurion née pumpkin, and naturally posted all the info necessary to create your own. This stacks up pretty well against the pumpkin PC and even the Engadget pumpkin. But for truly evil and mad status, we'd prefer a fruit-based rendering of Number Six, destined to be destroyed October 31st by Starbuck Power Mac -- only to download, re-emerge next Halloween and continue its plan of human genocide through sweet, pie-based deliciousness. Frak. [Via Make]
Battlestar Galactica moving to network television? NBC says no
The rumor going around has been that NBC is considering moving Sci-Fi network smash hit Battlestar Galactica to the big leagues. A lot of us here like the series and would love to be able to watch the episodes in HD when they originally air...instead of much later in reruns on Universal HD as is currently the case. Why great high definition programming is left to sit around when there's a huge audience for it is a mystery to us. Unfortunately, NBC told TV Squad there's no merit to the BSG rumors, but we can still hope, right?[Via TV Squad]
