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Know Your Lore: King Varian Wrynn
The World of Warcraft is an expansive universe. You're playing the game, you're fighting the bosses, you know the how -- but do you know the why? Each week, Matthew Rossi and Anne Stickney make sure you Know Your Lore by covering the history of the story behind World of Warcraft. The King of Stormwind, ruler of the last remaining human kingdom of the original ones founded by the Arathi people. He became king as a child, his father killed right before his eyes by a trusted advisor who betrayed him. Before long, he saw his nation in ruins as he was forced to flee, taken to safety by Anduin Lothar, possibly the greatest warrior humanity had ever produced. His childhood was spent in a foreign court, raised alongside the children of King Terenas Menethil of Lordaeron, and it wasn't until after the orcs and their Horde were defeated and Stormwind was finally rebuilt that he could return home. The cost was losing Lothar, his second father. His closest friend as he grew up became a monster. His wife died in a riot over the cost of rebuilding his city, a riot manipulated by someone he believed a close ally. He was kidnapped, tortured with magic, and torn into two people who lived two different lives, then forcibly rejoined. Since the death of King Llane Wrynn, he has not known many moments of peace -- and it seems unlikely that the future intends to allow him any for quite some time to come. Who, then, is the King of Stormwind, Varian Wrynn, and what is likely to be his response to the challenges that are coming?
The kingdom comes to Fat Princess
Okay, so let's backtrack a bit here. Titan Studios has already invited pirates, ninjas and chefs to the Fat Princess party. Now, it looks like we might see some other royalty: the kings? Titan's been very tight-lipped about all these reveals so far. Makes sense, too, considering the addition of four new classes would change up the game quite a bit! We're wondering if the kings can also succumb to the deadly allure of cake. If so, the battle lines are drawn: pirates versus ninjas, chefs versus kings. We can't wait![Thanks, Kgg!]
Forum Post of the Day: Get your mum to draw the Lich King
Adding your mom's worldly wisdom to any situation always makes it better, and clearly the EU forums agree with this sentiment! Elbonio of the European WoW forums wants you to ask your mum to draw the Lich King, even if she's never seen him before. If she asks what he looks like, just ask her to draw what she thinks he'd look like. I'm pretty sure I've seen this meme before, on the SomethingAwful forums, replacing Arthas with Homer Simpson, but the results are still pretty hilarious. Elbonio's been kind enough to compile a gallery of the kid-tested, mother-approved images that resulted from the experiment. If you get your mom or significant other to do it, but don't have an EU forum account, feel free to post it in the comments below and I'll assemble them for laughs at a later date. What are you waiting for? Go ask! But be nice, because after all, she's your mum.
Mac: The platform fit for a king
Saudi Arabian King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, or just King Abdullah for short, is among the expanding league of world leaders who choose to 'think different' and use Apple products. In a photo provided to us by TUAW tipster Mohammed Al-Muhaidib, King Abdullah is seated on the right, in front of a 30-inch Cinema Display. His highness was monitoring the procession of the hajj in Mecca, the holy annual pilgrimage. Michael Rose and I joked before last night's talkcast that former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, who sits on Apple's board of directors, sure is busy selling Macs to all these leaders at home and abroad, including Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, and U.S. Vice President-Elect Joe Biden. Thanks, Mohammed!
Players respond to the cinematic
Welp, the cinematic is out now for your viewing pleasure, and the response is... mixed. While pretty much everyone praises the technical quality (Blizzard's got that cinematic magic, which makes it all the more surprising that they went with live action for the movie), there is some back and forth on whether this cinematic stands up to the other two. While fans of Arthas definitely got their fill (and it was interesting to hear Terenas' voice echoing from the past, which hearkens back to perhaps the best cutscene Blizzard's ever done), other players were disappointed to see that this cinematic doesn't follow the standard "various classes and races battle it out" formula. And that only shows that this expansion will be very much more about the guy in the Lich King suit than anything else.We'd point out, too, that this trailer didn't really have a "You are Not Prepared"-style catchphrase (though the word "King" definitely echoes with significance right at the end there). Clearly, Blizzard chose to go a different direction this time around, and whether it worked or not, of course, is up to you.Unfortunately, Gnomes didn't get their day... or did they? When players cry foul on the forums, Vaneras (in official blue text) answered with the picture above. Can you see the Death Knight Gnome hidden in among the Undead army? I like Schwick's answer even better, though -- there's probably a Gnome Rogue stealthed right behind Arthas. Those little buggers are everywhere.Update: A few people are suggesting that there is more to the trailer that we haven't seen, but Nethaera has confirmed that that's everything. She commented on the forums that the trailer only showed half the battle, but later confirmed that she meant the story was incomplete (and that we needed to complete it by going to Northrend), and not that there was more of the trailer to show.
One Shots: It's good to be the (GM) king
We have to admit, we were a little bit surprised when this particular Age of Conan screenshot landed in our One Shots in-box. While we have no way of verifying if the person in question is actually a Funcom GM or if they're just really good at Photoshop, we still thought this one was highly amusing. Confused? We were too, until we read the attached note:After a long hard day of assisting players, sometimes a Game Master just needs a good sit. Where better than the throne of Conan himself? It's good to be the king.-- your friendly neighborhood Funcom employee who happens to read MassivelyIf that really is a GM, we think that's a pretty funny/cool thing to do after a long hard day -- and we certainly don't begrudge them the chair! If you're a GM in a game, feel free to send us screenshots of your particular game (no names required) and if not, feel free to send your screenshots in anyway! All games are welcome, from indie to mainstream! Just send those cool screenshots to us here at oneshots AT massively.com along with a note describing what we're seeing. Pretty easy way to give your favorite game exposure, no?%Gallery-9798%
How NOT to make your DS look classy
We're all about the cool arts and crafts people come up with (especially our readers), but this is just too much. King, the company responsible for the ugly DS you see above, will take your handheld and, for a nominal fee, jazz it up with all kinds of different decorations. We're all for classing up our sleek and simple handheld, but these decorations just come off as too busy and tacky. Of course, such a service is only available to folks in Japan. For once, we're glad that is the case.[Via Game | Life]
Wednesday XBLA update adds Carcassonne 'King & Baron'
Sierra and Microsoft have revisited the grid-based fortified town of Carcassonne, as the XBLA rendition of the popular European board game has gotten a new downloadable expansion titled "The King and Baron" as part of today's regular XBLA update, which also includes block dropper Tetris Splash. With an asking price of 300 Microsoft Points ($3.75), the download is the second such expansion following the already available "River I & II," and adds a set of five additional tiles described as 'interesting configurations of Town pieces,' as well as pair of new rules. We're not exactly sure what they mean by "interesting" ... perhaps they glow.The new rules are designed to award those players with either the largest city or the longest road at the end of the game with a pair of icons placed next to their avatars and Gamertags. But it's not just for looks or bragging rights, no sir! With this expansion, the player with the biggest city, identified by a newly added 'portly' King icon, will receive one point for each completed city in the game, while the player with the mightiest of roads, denoted by a 'crafty' Robber Baron, will take home one point for each completed road in the game -- and you know how much we love to pile up them points.
Mysterious Mysteries: Highlord Bolvar Fordragon cuts off his own head!
Highlord Bolvar Fordragon, bodyguard to the King of Stormwind, was not previously known to be suicidal -- but today in Stormwind Keep a shocking sight was unfolded before the eyes of all citizens on their way to greet the child-king, Anduin Wrynn. As seen here, Bolvar repeatedly used his own sword to slice his head off!Mysterious Mysteries questioned King Wrynn, as he stood there, seemingly oblivious to the horror taking place right beside him. His only reply was to gaze at us meaningfully, and confess in a whisper: "I see dead people."Lady Katrana Prestor, who is actually the dragon Onyxia in disguise, agreed with the King on this matter. "Obviously you are too stupid to see the obvious. Bolvar here may be slicing his head off, but do you see any blood? I didn't think so. Now... go die in a fire."It is a mysterious mystery indeed: Why does Mister Fordragon repeatedly kill himself without success? Why does he allow Onyxia to keep coming back and standing next to him? The draenei emissary to the court of Stormwind, mister Taluun, had this to say: "This is but one of the Light's miracles, my son. The blessings of the Naaru prevent the great ones of the world from perishing -- as you can see, this powerful blade passes right through him."One careful listener, however, was able to get close enough to Highlord Bolvar's mad whisperings as he muttered words to himself before each slice: "She just won't leave me alone... she keeps coming back... they cut off her head a thousand times and she's still here! Aaaargh!" Gift of the Naaru? or curse of agony? It is for you to decide! Have you witnessed any other abnormal behavior on the part of Azeroth's denizens? Send your insider information to Mysterious Mysteries through the top-secret drop off box below this article!
Friday Video: It's-a me! On the PS2! And kind of creepy!
Normally we don't feature Playstation 2 games on Wii Fanboy (unless they're ported to the Wii, am I rite) but this week's video is all about someone we're all familiar with, looking somewhat less familiar. We're happy to feature games from other consoles when they're so reverent of our icons. Garakuta Studio's Graffiti Kingdom allows players to make their own 3D characters for use in a platforming adventure. Someone went to the trouble of making a Mario that is almost dead-on. We say "almost" because the movements are slightly weird, but for something made in-game this is quite an achievement. It's good enough for a Graffiti Kingdom character, right? Check out the video of "Mario" doing some adventuring and some basically 3D Mario moves after the break.And while we're talking about Graffiti Kingdom, we can't help but link to these fanmade versions of the King of All Cosmos and a weirdly accurate Razor Ramon HG-- how disturbing, as the King would say.
He's finally back to kick some tail
DK! Donkey Kong! DK! Donkey Kong is here! Sorry, we can't think about Donkey Kong anymore without the DK Rap blaring in our heads. Much like how Rare permanently left their mark on DK through his character design, the rap has been irrevocably stuck to the character. Having the horrifying song stuck in our heads is the price we pay for playing Donkey Kong 64 or Super Smash Bros. Melee. Luckily, scanned images don't have audio tracks, so we can live without fear of coconut guns that can fire in spurts.Jeux-France has some magazine scans of Donkey Kong Jungle Climber, the sequel to the GBA's King of Swing, and it looks as good as any game that features a giant talking banana as a character, which is to say it looks excellent. And they kept the shoulder-button control scheme instead of tacking on a touch-screen system! Good Nintendo.%Gallery-3481%
Burger King games available at BK online store
So, did you miss your chance back in November to pick up any of the three Burger King games with your Whopper? Well, the franchise's official website has you covered, since they are now available to order online. Each game costs $3.99 individually, or you can grab all 3 for $10.99, netting you a savings just a couple pennies shy of a buck. But watch out, the shipping is an extra $11.50 on top of your purchase, so you might just be better off going to your local EBStop and trying to nab them used for $6.99 or so.[Via MGC]
Game with Fame: the BK King
Love him or hate him, everyone knows that cultural icon the BK King and who wouldn't want to head to head against him on Xbox Live? With the recent release of the Burger King series of Xbox 360 games, the King wants to challenge you to some online gaming, winners play for pride and maybe a Whopper or two. Also, NY Jets linebacker Jonathan Vilma will be playing online the same night. So, if you want to play against the BK King go to BKgamer.com and sign up for the Game With Fame session and cross your fingers. The Game With Fame festivities are going down Tuesday, December 12th from 4:30PM - 6:30PM EST, be prepared.
Burger King picture pack is FREE!
If you are a fan of that scary BK King we all know and love from Burger King, then go to the XBLM and download the free Burger King picture pack. It includes a few BK King pictures, the big buckin' chicken, Whopper Jr. and others. And if you're having a little trouble locating the picture pack, (as I did) it's under the Xbox Community section. I think this subliminal advertising is taking effect, I have a weird jonesing for a Whopper and some fries. Don't be greedy, pass the ketchup packets!
Mr. Katamari not interested in Revolution
For how quirky and unique a game Katamari Damacy is, I find it odd that its creator is not interested in the Revolution at all. When conversing with Gamasutra's sister-publication Game Developer at GDC, Keita Takahashi claimed "So, there's nothing I really want to do with it right now." He went on further to say "I'm not really interested in it. I don't think a controller should have that much influence on the enjoyment of games."Don't you think he's kind of missing the point? Isn't it not so much that the remote influences the game, but more that it adds a whole new dimension to the gameplay? Red Steel isn't a brand new type of game forced to compromise to the remote's characteristics, it takes the unique properties of the remote and aims to mix it with conventional first-person gameplay to create something new. How can you possibly not be interested in that?! Of course, comparisons to Red Steel aren't all that valid since noone has tried it, but you get the point, right?
