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Must See HDTV for the week of April 8th: Desolation of Smaug, Mad Men and Justified
Now that the men's NCAA basketball tournament is over, it's back to the post-March Madness grind. The second Hobbit movie is out on Blu-ray this week, but TV viewers will be waiting until Sunday for the premiere of the final season of Mad Men. Tonight though, we're tuning in to the season finale of Justified as our favorite Elmore Leonard character stomps around the hills and valleys of Kentucky doing his U.S. Marshal thing. Today is also the day the world is introduced to Titanfall on Xbox 360. Check after the break for trailers plus our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and gaming.
Pantheon summons the spirit of the Shaman class
Each new day brings new information on Brad McQuaid's Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen in addition to pushing the game's Kickstarter campaign slightly closer to its February 22nd funding deadline. Today's update covers the Shaman, a healer/debuffer/support class that utilizes the spirits to enhance the power of his group while weakening enemies. The Shaman has two specializations from which to choose. Ritualist enables the Shaman to dance and chant in order to summon spirits that can be commanded to action, while Spirit Warden gives the Shaman the ability to buff teammates with the power of his spirit. Shaman players can choose between Ogre or Dwarf; more options may be made available if the game reaches one of several stretch goals that involve adding new races. Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen is currently at $365,667 raised of its $800,000 funding goal with 10 days remaining.
Pantheon talks 'The Gnome,' 12 days remain on Kickstarter campaign
Mysterious, diminutive creatures that love magic are standard fare for fantasy MMOs, and Brad McQuaid's Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen is no exception. Visionary Realms, which is attempting to raise $800,000 via Kickstarter to develop Pantheon, has posted an update diving deeper into the game's race of tiny "secretive sorcerers." Originating from the world of Aruska, gnomes are creatures whose mastery of magic has made them "one of the more proficient crafters of magical items and allowed them to unlock the arcane potential of even the most mundane of items." According to the lore, Pantheon's gnomes are slightly antisocial creatures with a penchant for hoarding who destroyed their magical troves after a conflict with a tribe of humans. The locations of the new troves are unknown, even to the gnomes left behind. Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen has raised $360,000 of its $800,000 funding goal with 12 days remaining. Gnomes (and halflings) will only be added if Pantheon reaches $2,000,000 in funding, which at this point is starting to look like a serious long shot.
Pantheon reveals class/race combos
If you're pulling for Pantheon, then you might be daydreaming about what class/race combination you'd want to play if the game is made. Visionary Realms hears you (it's inside of your head), and it released a chart showing the classes available for each race. Some of Pantheon's races are at an obvious disadvantage when it comes to the total number of available classes at the moment, as Humans have six while Dwarves and Ogres have three apiece. However, Ogres do get an exclusive class -- the Shaman -- and can use that to boost self-esteem if needed. The Kickstarter project also revealed a new stretch goal: the Halfling race. Halflings will be added to the game alongside Gnomes if Pantheon races $2 million or more. [Thanks to Josh for the tip!]
Middle Earth comes to life in epic Chrome experiment
We're go out on a limb here and say that the Venn diagram of Engadget fans and Tolkien fans looks something like this. So, we figure you'll probably want to hear about a brand new Chrome experiment that brings various parts of Middle Earth to life, including the Trollshaw and Dol Guldur. It starts with a pretty simple interactive map, but from there you're able to dive into several locations and learn about Hobbit lore through text, animations and audio. At the end of each lesson on Tolkien's fantasy world, you're challenged to complete a simple mini game that has you causing flowers to bloom or avoiding troll attacks. While the WebGL-powered games are pretty impressive, its the HTML5 audio and animations that are the real eye-candy here -- doubly so since they work just as well on a phone or tablet as they do your desktop. As you swipe through slides in the story, camera angles change in coordination with your finger and characters dart across bridges. Honestly, even if you're part of that tiny sliver in the diagram that can't stand Tolkien, it's worth checking out the latest Chrome Experiment, if only to remind yourself of the growing power of the web browser.
The Daily Grind: What's the niftiest MMO character title you've ever earned?
I don't usually bother with the achievement metagame in MMOs or anywhere else. Checking off a bragging-rights checklist generated by a studio whose entire goal is to waste as much of my time as possible is just not my idea of fun. But I make exceptions, chief among them being character titles. If a game is going to give me an awesome title for doing something bizarre like eating 36 Eggs and Onions, Delicious Crispy Bacon, Hobbiton Omelets, and Complete Hobbit Breakfasts, then by golly, I'm going to do it just for the giggles and wear that silly title with pride. Besides, it sounds delicious. What about you readerly types? Do you also collect titles rather than minipets and scouting badges? And more importantly, what's the niftiest title you've ever earned? 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!
The Daily Grind: Why do you play a short race?
Let me put my capital-b Bias up front and center here: Short races rock. Whether they be Gnomes, Gibberlings, Asura, Hobbits, or Dwarves, if I have the option to play a diminutive character in an MMO, I'll take it. Even my City of Heroes characters jacked down the slider to the shortest possible height. It's why I'm ecstatic that WildStar will be offering the Chua as an option, because my purpose in life is to play a small rabid kangaroo-rat-thing. So why do I play short races? Being somewhat short myself, I like putting my height out there in games as a point of pride instead of being ashamed of it. Plus, there's always something cool about watching a tiny dude beat up someone 1500% of his body mass. Plus plus, short races are often associated with a wicked sense of humor and irreverence. That's me, baby! Enough about me; why do you play a short race? Where are my gnomies at today? Speak up, tiny brothers and sisters! 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!
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey to receive the Dolby Atmos treatment
The CinemaCon crowd may not have been keen on 48fps footage of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, but we defy anyone to say they don't want the best sound possible. A select few will get just that, as Dolby and Peter Jackson's own Park Road Post Production have announced the film will be mixed for the speaker-packed Atmos technology. If you're lucky enough to live near one of the select establishments it's installed in, we doubt you'll be grumbling about the immersive audio, even if the frame rate makes those orcs look unsettlingly real. Update: That link of "select establishments" is somewhat out of date and, although the official list of locations you'll be able to see The Hobbit in Atmos has yet to be released, Dolby says there should be between 80 and 100 screens capable of delivering the over-the-top audio experience by the film's debut.
Red posts high frame-rate video demonstration to smooth out misconceptions
If you're still unsure about what you'll be getting into if you see the 48fps version of "Hobbit," Red has jumped into the fray with an article on its website and, most importantly, high quality HFR (high frame-rate) videos. It delves into all the aspects of the tech, starting with a primer on the minimum frame rate required to perceive motion, illustrated by a pair of clips to show the threshold. From there it details "judder" when panning at 24 fps versus 60 fps, motion blur, the possibility of brighter projection with HFR in 3D and of course, action at slower versus faster frame speeds. Finally, it demonstrates the hated "TruMotion" soap opera-esque interpolation method on modern TVs, and why that's different from true fast-frames. Sure, Red has a vested interest in seeing upcoming HFR films from its Epic camera succeed, but a little education might be what's needed to break old habits.
WoW Moviewatch: The Hobbit trailer in WoW
With all the hype surround The Hobbit, it was inevitable that someone would create a mash-up of WoW with Jackson's upcoming film. The honor goes to Grimalkins Machinima for the first such trailer we've seen. I was pretty pleased to see this trailer. While the graphics aren't enormously fancy, they're very true to the game. I give this video a journey there and back again. Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.
Peter Jackson's 48 fps version of The Hobbit said to be a 'limited release' only
All told, we can't deny Peter Jackson's caused some madness since announcing the scheme to shoot his upcoming Hobbit film at a high frame-rate, rather than sticking with the more common 24 fps, Hollywood-style method. Regardless, rumor now has it Warner Bros. is supposedly planning a "limited release" of the 48 fps version because, according to Variety, the studio "wants to protect the format" by choosing to go the select-viewing route -- that said, WB's allegedly hoping to "expand the HFR release for the second and third installments." Still, nothing's set in stone just yet, so we'd hold off on throwing any temper tantrums (or celebrating, depending on which side you're on) until we hear something official from Warner.
Comic-Con fans go crazy over Hobbit teaser, but not the 48fps version
Two different audiences and two very different screenings. After unfamiliar 48fps Hobbit footage was pretty universally panned back at Cinema-Con, Peter Jackson decided to play it safe and show Comic-Con fans the traditional low frame-rate teaser. Their response? They loved it. Which would, you'd think, give the head hobbit a clear message: his film works better without the wacky frame rate, but that's just not how he sees it. Writing on his Facebook page, he said "I've always been happy to bet on myself" and the 48fps version of Hobbit is "something really special" when you watch the entire movie. In other words, he's sticking to his orc sword, and in the meantime we're left to wonder what would have happened if the Comic-Con crowd -- who are perhaps more his kind of people than Cinema-Con goers -- had been shown the tricked out footage.
Editorial: Despite shaky 48 fps Hobbit preview, high frame rates will take off
Well actually, the Hobbit preview wasn't shaky, it was smooth -- maybe too smooth -- and that's the point. "It does take you a while to get used to," Peter Jackson has admitted, referring to the surprisingly fluid motion of his 48 fps movie footage. But is he right to think audiences will even give it a chance? The launch of high frame-rate (HFR) cinema is surrounded by publicity in the run-up to the Hobbit's debut on December 12th, but it equally has a lot going against it. For starters, the film's 48 fps preview wasn't exactly received warmly. On top of that, the video-style appearance of HFR has a long history of being disliked by movie-goers -- past attempts since the 1970s have all flamed out. 85 years after the first 24 fps movies, the same number of frames are still going stubbornly through the gate (digital or otherwise) each second, so that must be what "filmic" is, right? Or will we look back on 24fps as the bad old days? Read on to see if these new/old-fangled frame speeds might survive, and though a 48 fps Hobbit trailer isn't available, we've provided a couple of clips to help you judge what two-dimensional HFR looks like.
Leaderboard: Hobbits vs. Gnomes
We shorties have been looked down upon our entire lives, so it's not without some sympathy that I champion the cause of the shorter races in MMOs. Happily, there are a lot of them, and they have their ardent supporters, with the added bonus of seemingly irritating the "Tallies" around them. Yet out of all of the diminutive races in online games, two seem to stand out as the kingpins of the Shortie Empire. The first is Hobbits, the classic heroes of Tolkien's novels as well as Lord of the Rings Online. With their genial attitude, disregard for shoes, and fondness for multiple breakfasts, they've endeared themselves to millions and influenced the development of the RPG genre. The second is Gnomes, the tenacious inventors of the underworld who seem to pop up in every MMO that isn't afraid of a steampunk fringe. So if a Hobbit and a Gnome fell into a pit together and there was only one breakfast to be had, which would go hungry and which would be satisfied? In other words, which race rules more than the other? Vote after the jump!
The Road to Mordor: Six wonders of the newbie world
As I reported last week, I've recently rerolled as a Hobbit Minstrel in an effort to refresh my attitude toward the game, to get a different perspective, and to continue my series in which I go through all of the single-player quests in the game. It's been, in a word, smashing. Having been away from the tamer lands of Eriador for so long, I had forgotten the charm and serenity that these lowbie areas exude. Plus, it's always fun leveling up a brand-new character, since there are plenty of goals and ways to develop your character that your level-capped toons have long since surpassed. As I've been plugging away at Bree-land quests, I began to make a mental list of exactly what's so special about the low-level game in Lord of the Rings Online. The mental list became an actual one, and after a period of milling and refining, I've baked it into a nice loaf of observations to share with you.
The Road to Mordor: Thoughts on Update 5
Update 5: Saruman's Obviously Not Compensating for Anything With That Tower will undoubtedly be the last hurrah of Lord of the Rings Online -- this year, that is. It's an interesting update that looks to patch in the rest of Rise of Isengard's content (namely, the instance cluster) and provide a little something-something for players who have already reached the end of the epic storyline and are looking for more. Earlier this week I took a dev tour through some of the main parts of the update, and while I wasn't able to see all of it (such as the non-raid instances), what I did preview certainly filled my head with opinions, analysis and further questions. Generally I came away pleased with what we're going to experience next month, although the comments section of the tour showed split feelings on what's in store for the patch. Is this a case of too little, too late for those dissatisfied with Rise of Isengard's release? Will it breathe new life into dungeon-running, especially for the many soloers out there? Is it what this game needs right here and now? Hit the jump and I'll give you my honest thoughts on it all, both the good and the bad.
Peter Jackson reveals the Red Epic secrets behind The Hobbit (video)
Diet and filmmaking legend Peter Jackson's given us another insight into the making of the Hobbit movies, and this time he's talking about his envious collection of tech. Filming with no less than 48 Red Epic cameras at 48fps in full 5k resolution might sound fantastic, but it hasn't all been a bed of cotton candy. Two 3D cameras need to be mounted at the same "interocular" (the inch-or-so distance between your eyes) which is impossible given the size of the Epic and its lenses. The team had to hire specialist firm 3ality to build a rig where one camera shoots the action and the other is pointed vertically at a mirror. Those who would love to shoot with an Epic should also beware that the cameras naturally desaturate the action to such an extent that the makeup, costume and set design teams have to over-color everything to look natural in post production. For more interesting facts, head down past the break to catch the video in full, and try not to imagine how many years bad luck you'd get if you broke one of those mirrors during a key scene.
The Road to Mordor: Not all who wander are lost
These are exciting times for Lord of the Rings Online, for sure. The Fellowship -- and hundreds of thousands of groupies following in its wake -- has moved south, and we are growing ever closer to Mordor and Mt. Doom. In a month, Middle-earth will grow significantly with the addition of Rise of Isengard, and level-capped players will suddenly have a whole new buffet of content to devour. It's also a good era for exposure for the game, as plenty of people will get to see the expansion at Gamescom and PAX, not to mention those already in the beta proper. While we haven't heard anything about the game's finances or player numbers lately, there's no reason to believe that it's not still going strong. That said, I want to take a step back today, as I sometimes do, and look at the larger picture. How is LotRO positioned against the current competition and the heavy-hitters yet to come? What does Turbine need to be working on over the next year or two? Are we just wandering aimlessly, or is the path laid out for journey for a long time to come?
One Shots: Storyteller
I'm always captivated with NPC life in MMOs -- what these not-so-essential characters are doing in the background of our unbridled heroism. Here's a charming scene in Lord of the Rings Online's Hobbiton, where a matronly storyteller is spinning a yarn for two fascinated children and one sleeping slacker. My only regret is that you never hear the story; I guess that's between these characters and them alone. This past week, Massively writers spotlighted some of their personal favorite One Shots. Starting tomorrow will be free-for-all week for you, our readers. Send any eye-catching, beautiful, scary, or generally epic screenshot to oneshots@massively.com, and we'll pick the best of the best for this week's One Shots! %Gallery-112285%
LotRO gives us a glimpse into Isengard's Dunland
Dunland, one of Lord of the Rings Online: Rise of Isengard's three new zones, promises to be a treat for bold Hobbits and nebbish Elves alike. Today we've gotten a better picture of what Dunland will look like as Turbine's released six screenshots giving us a feel for the wide range of vistas we'll be encountering. Dunland is located at the southern reaches of the Misty Mountains, with hilly, swampy and woodsy areas awaiting our discovery. The zone is dominated by the many clans of the Dunland peoples who are being tempted by Saruman into joining the forces of the Enemy. We've got a little over two months to go until LotRO's latest expansion hits the streets, so take your time to peruse all six of these new screenshots in the gallery below: %Gallery-9579%
