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Tax haven Jersey now wants to become 'Bitcoin Island'
There are advantages to being a tiny, self-governing speck in the English Channel, and the ability to create a "welcoming" financial habitat is certainly one of them. But Jersey has ambitions beyond just being a haven for regular cash. Its Treasury Minister, Senator Philip Ozouf, says he wants the island become a pioneer in the use of crypto-currencies too, and he's backed up by a campaign group that's dedicated to creating the world's first "Bitcoin Isle." The initial goal would be to use Bitcoin as local cash substitute, to pay for things like bus tickets and newspapers. But it's clear that Ozouf has his eyes set on a bigger prize: a Bitcoin banking sector that could make use of Jersey's "infrastructure of world-class financial services" and that would eventually become "central to Jersey's future prosperity." (Read: "STASH YER BITCOINS HERE, LADS!")
Dead island that inspired Skyfall comes to Google Street View (video)
It goes by the name of Hashima, or Gunkanjima ("Battleship Island"), or even "The Dead Island", since it inspired the water-locked cyberterrorist HQ in Skyfall. Explore it for yourself, courtesy of the new Google Street View (and official "making of" video) embedded after the break, and you'll see that it's a very real place off the coast of Japan's Nagasaki Peninsula, and it's even lonelier than its fictional counterpart in the Bond film (which wasn't actually filmed there). There are no tourist offices or giant Oedipus Complexes, as far as we can see, just long stretches of overgrown roads and collapsing apartment blocks that once housed 5,000 people, before they abandoned the island in 1974 following the demise of its coal industry. It took a Google employee two hours to map the place and preserve its crumbling visage for posterity using a special backpack, but don't be surprised if you want to leave it after just a few minutes.
The Daily Grind: Do Kickstarter perks put you off from MMOs?
Last week, drama swirled around Chris Roberts' Star Citizen pseudo-MMO when he announced and then clarified that certain early crowdfunders will receive lifetime insurance on their ships once the game launches. Potential players rightfully worried that such a move could taint the economy and create a special class of characters with pay-to-win perks that place everyone else at a serious disadvantage. MMO players are becoming inured to the idea that Kickstarting a game might land them a poster or tattoo or title or even beta access, but non-cosmetic advantages seem to rile everyone up. It's one thing when Camelot Unchained offers special chat and another altogether when it promises big-time donors their own in-game islands. Then again, without such generous Kickstarter pledges, the games might never be made for the rest of us to play at all, so maybe the trade-off is worth it. What do you think? Does it bother you that gamers with money can buy their way into godhood before a game is even made? Are there Kickstarter perks that put you off from future MMOs? 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 most expensive internet in America: fighting to bring affordable broadband to American Samoa
"You could argue that there's some value in it." That's New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, speaking candidly during a recent interview at D10 in California. The topic of conversation? Widespread WiFi, and whether or not the government should be the one thinking about its future ubiquity. More specifically, if WiFi hotspots should be treated like "roads or water supply," as aptly stated by AllThingsD's Kara Swisher. This obviously isn't the first time such an idea has crossed the minds of those connected to Washington, D.C. Muni-Fi (municipal wireless networks) projects were all the rage a few years back, but one spectacular failure after another swiftly extinguished that momentum. In more modern times, America (as well as other nations) has sought to solve the "rural broadband" problem, bringing high(er)-speed internet connections to places with a higher bovine population than human. But bringing broadband to places like rural North Dakota seems like an easy chore to a small, but passionate, group of 60,000 sitting some 4,770 miles from San Diego, California. American Samoa may be an unincorporated US territory located closer to pure bliss than the hustle and bustle of Wall Street, but it's no doubt being taken into consideration in recent mapping projects aiming to pinpoint the areas most lacking in terms of digital infrastructure. Unbeknownst to most mainlanders, this fragile island chain is home to the most expensive internet in America, and the political issues surrounding it are astonishing. Head on past the break to learn more on what I discovered.
The Daze of Darkfall week 4: The terror of Agon pt. 2
The second hamlet: Wherein we learn that fire is hotWe rode onwards to our next target when suddenly a fireball roared towards Wardragon, barely missing him. The next hamlet had already seen us, and a fire mage was casting spells from atop the main keep. We rode onwards, splitting up our formation to avoid the incoming fire (literally.)Once again, we quickly cleared the hamlet of everyone, except the fire mage, and three of our men started to clean out their quarry and their farm. The other three of us played an annoying game of cat and mouse with the fire mage who couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, keeping his interest while we cleaned them out and put their stuff into the bank.Once again successful, we jumped on our mounts and rode towards the sea. The last hamlet was on an island out from the mainland, so we reached the beach and jumped off of our mounts to swim across. It was here that our trailing 6th man reported that he was being followed by the people from the last hamlet. They were apparently angry, and concerned about the security of their shit.Wardragon noticed a smaller, desolate island on the map that was close to us, and we used that ground to make our stand. Initially we had counted 6 men in the force... then that was 8 men... then it was 12 men. Arrows were being flung from all sides as we darted between broken buildings. I peeked out from around a corner only to catch a sword to my chest from... Pluto Nash?Hamlets one and two had teamed up to end our reign of theft and tyrrany -- combining their forces to out-man ours. I danced around on the beach for a while with Pluto, who was now wearing a very nice sword and a full set of banded armor, jumping and parrying his blows while I asked for help over Ventrilo. Wardragon came to my aid, but it was too late. With one last slash I fell over onto the ground while Wardragon picked up where I left off.The end of an eraWhile I lay on the ground, coughing up blood, I thought back on all of the things I had seen and done in Darkfall. All of the harvesting, and then more of the harvesting, and then all of that time grinding PvE mobs, then more harvesting, then killing newbies, then more harvesting, then admiring my city, then AFKing on the bloodwall, AFKing on the bloodwall, AFKing on the bloodwall...Dying here was actually more fun than most of the things I had done in Darkfall. There was more action in one 30 minute stretch than my entire playing experience, and I'm not exactly sure how I feel about that. Plus, as I lay there dying, I was about to lose most of the work that I had done during those long stretches of playtime. Darkfall is an interesting game that varies between an intense grind and a game of cat and mouse. It is competitive and brutal in its nature, where only those with large amounts of time or a willingness to cheat the system prevail. On the flip side, however, when it all comes down to a battle or a clash of forces, Darkfall gets to be quite fun. I guess what remains is a very Machiavellian question -- "Do the ends justify the means?" Is it fun if the culmination of hours of tedious gameplay is an extremely fun sequence? Dear readers, I'm not touching that question with a 30 foot pole. As for that battle, I'm sure you're wondering about the outcome. Did Wardragon and his men win the battle? Or did they die horribly like I did? Well, I don't know much about that, but I can say that I love my new set of banded armor. My compliments to the designer -- Mr. Pluto Nash.
Back to the Second Life Lost island
Reader Campetin was nice enough to send along some new movies of the Lost island recreated in Second Life. For some reason, we MMO fans are also big Lost fans -- maybe it has something to do with something that compels us to wander around places we don't understand (those 815ers should just raid the black smoke!), but whatever it is, a few folks in Second Life liked the show enough to completely recreate the island in a sim. This is actually the second iteration of the island, as the first was lost (how ironic), but this second one promises to be even busier: you can watch orientation films, chat with fans, or even push the button. But we need the rest of the island on there, if only so we can find out what the hell is up with that freaky statue.
The world of Zack & Wiki
We're slightly disappointed by the levels in Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure. It's not that they don't look nice, but they're just incredibly cliched. You can see cute little representations up there on the world map: the Jungle Ruins, the Volcano Cave, the Ice Temple, and Barbaros' Castle.Maybe the underwater level and the forced-scrolling motorcycle level are unlockable! Seriously, as much attention as this game is getting, we hope it's a little more creative than the levels make it seem. We're just going to assume that so much attention went into the puzzles that the level concepts kind of suffered.
Breakfast Topic: Desert island mod
A few days ago, 1up was asking readers about their "desert island game". You know the scenario, you've probably done this with friends before. It's usually books or CD's or movies, but 1up's article got me to thinking. Let's say you're stuck in a desert island, you have a gaming laptop powerful enough to play WoW well, and have rigged up solar power and wireless internet. Unfortunately, for the sake of our conversation, your internet and power only work to get your laptop playing WoW, no other outside communication, and you inexplicably forget to ask your guildies to send a rescue plane to your island. Oh, and your account is free. Hmm, come to think of it, why would anyone WANT to leave this situation?? Great weather, we'll pretend there's ample food, and all the WoW you can handle! It's like a little gamer's paradise there, just hanging out, getting tanned, swimming with little Nemos in the nearby offshore coral reef, finding new and interesting ways to cook fish in coconut milk. Wait, where was I? Oh yeah, so you're on this island, with your WoW laptop and all that goodness, but you can only bring 1 addon/mod with you (no compilations). What would your addon/mod be, and why?
Treasure Island Z gets a new name; try to give it a chance anyway
Capcom has announced the official name for their fun-looking pirate adventure, formerly known as Project Treasure Island Z. It's still got "Treasure" in it, so it's still vaguely pirate-esque, but we just aren't sure. The new name is Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure. As if the bright, colorful graphics didn't do the job, the title drives home the point: this is a game for children. We hope you don't dismiss it based on the name alone, since it's gotten positive impressions.[Via press release]
Lost islanders snag an iPhone before the street date?
If you're one of the many former Lost fans whose interest slowly faded after the show became predominantly filled with mind-numbing flashbacks, all while the writers attempted to string us all along until the next commercial break, we're right there with you -- but for the folks still hangin' in there to catch the 10PM broadcasts, last night's episode was a treat. Thanks to the wonders of DVR, an eagle-eyed viewer noticed that the "satellite phone" discovered on the island seemed a bit too modern for the circumstances, and upon closer review, an actual iPhone was unearthed. Hidden beneath a makeshift enclosure sat an iPhone interface, complete with an OS X Home icon, which leads us to wonder if the entire show isn't based in the future. Regardless, the islanders no longer have reason to whine about being stranded, as we're fairly confident there would be quite a manhunt going on if they offered up the pre-release iPhone in exchange for a boat ride home.[Via TUAW]
Gamestop visits the future and brings back a list
Feel like planning your game purchases for the rest of the year? We can help, with this list of release dates and prices from EB/Gamestop's point-of-sale system. There's some reasonably exciting stuff on there, like Manhunt 2 (August 1st), Dewy's Adventure (September 3rd), and NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams (October 1st), as well as stuff that is slightly less mass-appeal, like Escape from Bug Island and CSI 4: Hard Evidence. There's a large cluster of EA stuff marked as being released on November 1st, but we suspect that date is a placeholder. For that matter, don't take any of these release dates as ironclad.The full list is available for browsing after the break. It's still useful even if you don't plan to go into Gamestop for some reason.
New screens from Treasure Island Z and Devil Kings 2
Famitsu got their hands on some great screens from two upcoming Capcom games: the colorful pirate adventure Treasure Island Z and the upgraded Playstation 2 port Devil Kings 2. We have good news and ... miscellaneous news for both.First, the good news: Devil Kings 2 looks like a hybrid of Dynasty Warriors and Devil May Cry, with cool characters and over-the-top stylish moves. Treasure Island Z's screens show off the interface, which involves-- could it be?-- a hand-shaped cursor interacting with objects on screen! Pointing and clicking, as it were!Now for the other news: for some reason, one of the playable characters in Devil Kings 2 looks like a samurai version of Ultraman, and we haven't decided how we feel about that. And in Treasure Island Z, the character has some kind of stylized Wiimote item in-game. That's kind of a cheap way to be immersive, isn't it? Check after the break for a couple of screens from each game.
Metareview: Cooking Mama Cook-Off
Between the bookends of Sonic and the Secret Rings and Super Paper Mario, there lies a game of quirk. Cooking Mama: Cook-Off , the successor to the DS sleeper-hit, has arrived at your Wii's doorstep and desperately wants to entertain you. But should you give it the time of day? Let's take a look: IGN (58 / 100) thinks the controls were far from spot on: "What really suffers in the game, however, are the actual cooking actions. Previously the core appeal to the game on DS, the moves needed to perform Wii cooking are a bit less defined." GamePro (65 / 100) feels as though the game has its moments, though: "At its best, Cook Off is an inherently fun experience; you'll probably invite your friends over, shove a Remote in their hands and say "You have to try this game." Unfortunately, for all its charm, the game is deeply flawed, and you can't help but wonder if it wasn't best served as an appetizer on the DS rather than as a main course on the Wii." GameBrink (63 / 100) is happy they at least added some multiplayer: "You each complete the same steps at the same time after which Hitler Mama gets pissed off and grades you. It's essentially the same thing as the normal mode but with a split screen and a score to beat. It will definitely keep those who like the game playing for many days to come." Do y'all agree with any of this? Circle gets the square (kudos if you get the joke)!
Avast! More Treasure Island Z scans spotted
A NeoGAFfer and frequent Wii Fanboy tipster named creamsugar posted these new, higher-quality scans of Capcom's Treasure Island Z, and later in the thread Xboxyde's Blimblim cleaned up the images, which we have provided for you. After a careful inspection, we must say, that if we were excited about the game yesterday, today we are in full hype hype hype mode! We're ready to start freaking out about this game without really knowing anything about it!The graphics look so great (and we aren't going to assume that it's because of Blimblim's filter)-- finally, next-generation cel shading is here! And the art style and general piracy motif reminds us of one of the best Capcom games ever, the Mega Man Legends spinoff The Misadventures of Tron Bonne. Please, Capcom, let it be like Tron Bonne.Click the post break to see the scans, and then click those to see them in their original resolution.
Hudson interviews the real-life Master Higgins
Takahashi Meijin ("Master Takahashi") is the nickname of a longtime Hudson employee named Toshiyuki Takahashi, who became famous in Japan for his ability to tap buttons really, really quickly -- up to 16 times a second. This amazing power lent itself to videogames, naturally.After making a few TV appearances, and becoming a Hudson mascot of sorts (along with that adorable bee), he lent his appearance to videogames, too. Specifically, the Adventure Island games, which were called Takahashi Meijin no Boukenjima ("Takahashi Meijin's Adventure Island") in Japan. When you play New Adventure Island on the Virtual Console-- which you should do, as soon as possible-- you're playing as a grass-skirted Takahashi Meijin.Hudson's US branch has posted an interview with this legendary figure, which is not only interesting for the novelty of being an interview with a videogame character, but because he really knows his stuff about Hudson and their history. We can't wait until they post an interview with Air Zonk.
Two more Hudson VC titles announced
If only Nintendo could be this forthcoming on their own VC releases, eh? Then again, every Monday is a veritable holiday, gifts cunningly wrapped in inauspicious boxes.Anyway, Hudson has announced yet another two Turbo-Grafx 16 games for release in February: New Adventure Island and Chew-Man-Fu. We hear good things about the first, but the name of the second is just so endearing. These days, it almost feels like Hudson is supporting the Virtual Console more than Nintendo is ... will today's releases shock and wow us? Stay tuned, readers! Same Wii time, same Wii channel!
Macworld coverage in Second Life
There are a lot of ways to cover the keynote, but Mac-Essentials has a neat twist. They're using an island in Second Life shaped like the Apple logo to convene continuous coverage of the event in real time. I visited the island and found a cool mockup of the Apple glass cube store you find in Manhattan, plus a bunch of folks speaking German. Makes sense, as Mac-Essentials.de is a German website! Of course in Second Life, there are folks from all over the world. Even if you don't speak the language, the apfelland is a neat tourist site today! To find it, either search your map for apfelland or go to coordinates 128/128/0.[thanks geezer!]
Your daily fix of funny
The "great and esteemed Ludwig" (his words, not mine) stumbled across this video today, and of course felt the need to validate his existence by immediately sending it to me. Though quite old (2003), the hilariously dubbed montage of several Nintendo classics has awesome to spare. Watch! And be merry.(A small warning: this is perhaps NSFW, due to a bit of profanity in the first few seconds.)
New adventure game coming for DS
Sinking Island, an adventure game coming to a PC near you come February, is to be available on a DS near you soon, as well. A mystery/adventure title from White Birds, Sinking Island is the first in what is to be a series of games starring a middle-aged PI named Jack Norm. The premise of Sinking Island actually has Jack traversing an island sinking from the massive weight of a hotel built upon it.Pre-production on the game has begun, however White Birds did not comment on a release date for the DS version of the game.[Via Go Nintendo]
Harvest Moon: The Island I Develop With You screens
While the title itself is different, it still contains one key element -- Harvest Moon. The popular series that took the sweat and toil out of real farming and made it fun in a game is branching out to sea. After a terrible disaster while at sea you are stuck on an island with a few other colleagues. Instead of just being stranded on an island, you are going to be stranded on an island and farm it. Genius! Take a look at the new screens and see the excitement yourselves. We are thinking pineapples. Lots and lots of pineapples.
