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Blue Toad Murder Files coming March 25 to North American PSN
Just because a game exclusively features powerful British accents doesn't mean said game can't be released outside of Europe. The episodic PSN mystery series Blue Toad Murder Files will make its way to North America on March 25. Episodes One, Two and Three can be purchased as a single bundle for $14.99, or separately for $7.49 apiece. If you've got a hankering for some Layton-esque brainteasers wrapped in an overarching, cartoonish story, Blue Toad will probably scratch that itch. If you just want to hear a manly-voiced gentleman bellow the word "maaaahdaaaaahhh" over and over again, it should satisfy that desire too.
Olympus teases mystery camera, new Micro Four Thirds?
Well, there's not much to go on with this one, but Olympus has just put the above notice on its website, which teases a camera of.. some sort. Given the apparent form factor, however, some folks are speculating that it could be a new Micro Four Thirds camera to complement Olympus' PEN offerings, or possibly something along the lines of Sigma's DP2 compact. Either way, it seems pretty likely that we'll be hearing more about it at PMA next month.
Sony's secret kill switch: myth, rumor or hearsay?
Could there be something lurking deep inside your Sony laptop or TV programmed to break the device as soon as the warranty expires? That may sound like a crazy conspiracy theory not far off those involving the mysterious deaths of engineers, but it's a theory that continues to persist to some degree in Japan, and even seems to have grown in recent years. As Telegraph.co.uk reports, the belief in a secret timer or "kill switch" has been around for the past twenty years or so, but it apparently took on some newfound momentum amid the rash of Sony laptop battery failures, which even prompted some Sony execs to publicly deny that such a switch exists. The kill switch apparently isn't completely pervasive though, as the PlayStation 3 is supposedly "exempt," thereby explaining its considerable success in Japan -- although there's some talk that's because it's a Trojan horse for Sony's next big scheme: mind control disguised as 3D glasses.
Blue Toad Murder Files teaser has the best accent ever
If you happen to pass us on the street within the next few days, you're probably going to hear us exclaim "maaaaahhdaaaaah" at seemingly random intervals. There's a good reason for that -- the latest teaser for the episodic, co-op mystery series Blue Toad Murder Files features the single greatest narrator ever featured in any trailer, ever. There's something strangely poetic to his cadence, and, of course, to his impassioned dialect every time he utters the third word in the game's title: "Maaaahhdaaaah." Absolutely brilliant. Check out the trailer above, and make sure you stick around until the very end. That's when the narrator really hits his stride.
Nvidia CEO loves Apple, possesses mysterious alien device
Talk about burying the lead -- Shufflegazine did a piece on Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Hwang during a visit to Dubai recently, in which he talks about how much he and his family love their Macs, and Apple's machines add value, and in his house it's just "Mac, Mac, Mac," and OH MY GOD, what is that SITTING ON THE TABLE in front of him? OK, it's probably not definitely not an Apple tablet (yet), as there's no clear Apple logo on it, but man that's a nice looking tablet device, and even Engadget says they have no idea what it is. The thing is, this picture just appeared with Shufflegazine's piece, and while Hwang did go on and on about how much he loves Apple stuff (and yes, the two companies have a long history of sharing some hardware), there's not word one about that tablet or anything like it in the piece, no hint of any other hardware or partnership announcement. It could be a prototype, it could be another tablet we're just not recognizing, or yes, Hwang could have just thrown it down on the table during the interview, and Shufflegazine could have just completely missed it. [They didn't. -Ed.] Though if that last one is true, we have no idea how it happened. How do you cover Apple and their gadgets and avoid being drawn to that tablet. It's so... thin and well-designed. We'll be honest, if we were in the room, we might have licked it then and there to claim it as our own. Thanks to Nemanja for the tip.
NVIDIA CEO shows off mystery tablet, makes zero statements about mystery tablet
You think maybe the cats at NVIDIA are a little hot to trot on the tablet concept? Not only did Mike Rayfield (the company's general manager of its mobile division) spout off on a "3G capable touchpad" a few months ago, but CEO Jen-Hsun Huang has been spotted in Dubai with some seriously radical looking hardware. When we hit a post on Huang and his love for all things Apple earlier today, we somehow missed a pic of the CEO hanging tough with that handsome slab you see up above. We're not going to speculate on what it all means, but from the looks of things, NVIDIA is trying to drum up hype around the concept of a Tegra-powered handheld that's just a bit more sizable than your standard PMP. Of course, if you were hoping for more than a tease (like, you know, a partnership announcement or something), you can just keep on waiting. [Thanks, Ron]
RAmos Android event scheduled for next week, mystery MID getting real?
Any time a good conundrum is solved there's bound to be mixed feelings -- and The Case of the Mysterious Android MID was certainly no different. Has it really only been a month? Certainly you remember the affair -- how pictures (and eventually video) of this handheld Internet device, running Android, kept popping up all over the place? Well, we were somewhat comforted to discover that it was a Rockchip-powered concept device, although at the same time we felt a little cheated: how dare RAmos flaunt such a thing and fail to deliver? But not so fast! According to a teaser that's made its way to us on the Internet machine, a press event scheduled for September 25th will feature some combination of: "Android" and "ramos digital." Whether or not its the Rockchip-powered device we've been taunted by remains to be seen, but it's definitely a fair guess to say that it will be. Besides, RAmos, after Apple's recent iPod event, we need this. [Via Pocketables]
The Daily Grind: What are your expectations of The Secret World?
Massively was on the ground at the Penny Arcade Expo over the weekend, and one of the games we saw that really has some promise is The Secret World. It's quite a departure from the fantasy genre in MMOs, with elements of horror, mysteries and conspiracies, hidden knowledge sought by secret societies... ok, we can say no more. But it's killing us that we can't talk about it quite yet. We've seen the gameplay but Funcom will unleash unspeakable occult forces upon us, like lawyers, if we spill what we know. Of course we'll have a feature story on The Secret World up on Massively soon -- but in the meantime, we want to ask what you think about the impending arrival of horror to the MMO scene. Funcom is clearly trying to set the tone for the game with their latest trailer, which might have given us clues about the kinds of things we'll see in TSW. But as we all know, a cinematic isn't always the best representation of a game title. So do you think The Secret World will be a dark, mature title? Or will it be Cthulhu-lite? Sound off and let us know about your expectations of The Secret World!
Spiritual successor to Ace Attorney: Capcom's 'Ghost Trick'
With Ace Attorney creator Shu Takumi directing and a look that evokes a futuristic Lupin the 3rd, Capcom's new Ghost Trick has immediately attracted our attention. The concept, a mystery with shades of Time Hollow and D3's The Saibanin, is equally gripping. The game stars a man named Sisal who has just been shot dead. Now a ghost with no memories, he attempts to solve his own murder and put together the details of his own life before his soul dissipates. To carry out his investigation, Sisel can travel back and forth in time to see the events surrounding his death. He can also possess objects and use them to change history. Takumi told Famitsu (as translated by 1UP) that he came up with the idea for Ghost Trick during the production of Gyakuten Saiban 3 five years ago, in an effort to make "a new type of mystery, something different in style from Ace Attorney." The style might be different, but the involvement of dead people's spirits in murder cases is basically an Ace Attorney staple.
Unsolicited laptops sent to state governments never get used, now under investigation
Tempting though it may be, shipments of HP and Compaq (another HP brand) laptops sent to various US state governments have been sent either back to the manufacturer or to local investigators with nary even a game of Spider Solitaire in its account logs. As it turns out, the packages of three to five machines sent to each state -- West Virginia, Vermont, Wyoming, and Washington -- were never ordered, and in at least three of the cases were purchased with fraudulent credit cards of unknown origin. Even with the shipments apparently coming from HP directly, officials are playing it safe and working under the guise of the machines possibly having malicious code running through its circuitry. You know who the biggest victim in all this is? That guy in Human Resources who legitimately bought a Mini 1000 and had it shipped to the state's office for pickup. Worst. Timing. Ever.
Mysterious Android MID poses for yet more pics, reads Engadget
You know, if you're trying to get our attention, there are worse ways to go about it than by releasing photos of a mystery gadget proudly displaying our homepage. And though there is no credible word yet on the origin of all these Android MID pics that keep making the rounds, there has been much speculation. As SlashGear points out, the device has more than a passing resemblance to the Wallet, which France's eviGroup has been threatening to lay on the world since back in May (a 5-inch touchscreen device touted as "halfway between a cellphone and a TabletPC"). And if that isn't enough, someone named focus3G has been furiously posting new pics of the thing on his Twitpic account for two weeks now -- we've contacted him for an explanation to no avail (not yet, at least). But what do you think? Hit the gallery below, and let the speculation begin. Read - Wallet MID gets closer to release, US launch possibleRead - Even more photos of unknown Android MID appear
Creative posts World of Warcraft teaser
Computer audio manufacturer Creative Labs sent us a note that their Soundblaster page has a brand new teaser on it, which appears to be hinting at... something. Something World of Warcraft-related, apparently: the Lament of the Highborne song plays in the background while an image of the Maelstrom and some circular hardware gives way to a glowing Horde symbol and the message "to be continued..."What is it? Given that Creative makes audio equipment, it's probably something audio-related, and given that BlizzCon is later this week, it's probably something released in partnership with Blizzard. But other than that, the guessing is up to you. A new WoW-branded sound card? Something music-related? It's anyone's guess. Stay tuned to WoW.com to find out more soon.
Mysterious Android MID gets more pictures, still no name
The Pocketables crew keep teasing us with more visuals of a purported unbranded Android MID, this time throwing up a good size comparison in the form of a Sony VAIO P lurking in the background. Very little can be said at this point without exploding the story into wild speculation -- we'll leave that part to you, dear readers -- so we'll stick to the seemingly self-evident stuff. The above screenshot indicates SD expansion and phone capabilities, and there are a few more after the break that show off an impressively svelte physique. Of course without a substantiated source and millions of skilled Photoshop artists out there, these pictures could still be fake -- but aren't they pretty? [Via Slashgear]
Mysterious Android touchscreen MID pics surface, Charles Fort notified
It sure seems like the world is ready for an Android MID or, until it gets one, rumors and leaks to that effect. Tell us, what do you make of a slate-style device featuring the word "android" in the appropriate font, pics of the thing browsing the web (which, truth be told, look just as real as they could be 'shopped in), a couple perfunctory specs (Rockchip CPU, somewhere between a 4.3 to 5-inch display, 3G, MSN Messenger and GTalk, WiFi) and a source for the images that fails to cough up names / links to the "handful" of Chinese tech sites that are allegedly all a-buzz about this thing? Well, we don't know either -- but if you do get your hands on one of these guys, send it our way, will you? Thanks -- and in the meantime, hit that read link for the whole sordid tale (and a couple choice pics).
The Daily Grind: Is space the "final frontier" for MMOs?
"Space: the final frontier." Sounds a bit short-sighted, doesn't it? I mean, no offense to the ghost of Gene Roddenberry, but we've barely scratched the surface of what's out there beyond our atmosphere. To claim that it is the "final frontier" to be explored, charted, and colonized may not be entirely accurate. But, it does make for a catchy slogan and a great series of TV shows, movies, and games (ok, games... historically, not so much).Thus far, "space" may appear to be the final frontier in MMOs as well, but to claim it as such is also short-sighted. The creativity of the human mind is a great thing. I'm sure we'll conjure up some novel concepts or twists on old themes or settings and make them work. The two biggest MMO sub-genres so far are undoubtedly Fantasy and Science Fiction (often space-oriented). Superhero MMOs are making a run for it and so are MMOs in post-apocalytic settings. There are even a plethora of oddly-themed kids games too. Are there any genres we haven't thoroughly tapped yet? What about Horror? Mystery? Crime? Modern warfare? As for settings, what about Earth present? Earth historic? Alternate dimensions? Fairly tales? What genres and settings are you itching to explore?
EVE Evolved: Untangling the mystery of the Sleepers
When EVE Online's Apocrypha expansion was released, details on how wormholes and the 2500 new systems that came with them worked were sketchy. The advanced Sleeper AI found protecting these systems were a force to be feared, unknown and mysterious. There were no guides, no stories of encounters on the forums and anyone that had mounted a successful expedition was keeping their closely guarded secrets to themselves and raking in the ISK.My corporation (Pillowsoft) were among the first to launch their expedition, having previously prepared an Orca with a medium POS, fuel, equipment and everything else we thought we'd need. We set up in an unknown system and explored this new frontier with a cautious optimism. Over the months that followed, we learned a great deal about EVE's new wormhole systems and the Sleepers that lived in them. After striking gold many times and making each of our expedition members over a billion ISK richer, we began telling our story and giving up those secrets we had been so careful to protect. Today, a great deal is now known about the "unknown" wormhole systems and with ever more corporations launching their own expeditions, it's now more important than ever to research the Sleeper menace before venturing into the abyss.Join me for this extensive three-page article where I dole out the fruits of my research on wormholes and begin to untangle the mystery of the Sleepers.
Ubisoft and Telltale serving up justice with CSI: Deadly Intent
If you've always wanted to get elbow-deep inside a human chest cavity in the name of scientific justice, here comes your shining moment. Ubisoft and CBS are teaming up once again to release the seventh gaming adaptation of the popular crime-solving TV show, titled CSI: Deadly Intent (the debut trailer for which is posted after the break).This time around, Telltale Games is developing it for the Wii, DS, 360 and PC, and it guest stars Lawrence Fishburne as lead investigator Dr. Raymond Langston. Sounds like a recipe for success. We bet it'll make (puts on sunglasses) a killing in the NPDs."YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"%Gallery-68279%
Square Enix trademarks 'Gyromancer'
The inquisitive minds at Siliconera have spotted a trademark filing from Square Enix for a game titled Gyromancer. Unfortunately, details on what the game is -- or which platform it will be for -- are slim. Siliconera speculates the title could be a new downloadable title, considering the Japanese publisher has been pushing more digital delivery titles recently.Square Enix is currently prepping Death by Cube and 0 Day Attack on Earth for Xbox Live Arcade takeover, while Final Fantasy IV: The After Years has slowly been trickling out for the Nintendo Wii over the last few weeks. Unless Gyromancer is code for another Final Fantasy remake or spin-off, it looks like Square Enix is on pace to deliver something new. Let's hope it works out this time.
EA announces MySims Agents for Wii, DS
We always had this sneaking suspicion during our time in MySims' adorably rendered township -- an inkling that some great criminal presence was operating just below the surface of those colorful suburbs. Your quiet, saucer-eyed neighbor, Julia? Drug pusher. Mike, the lawyer from down the street? Human trafficker. Allie, the six-year-old daughter of Julia? Terrorist.If bustin' scoundrels makes you feel good, you'll be pleased to hear Electronic Arts just announced MySims Agents for the Wii and DS. Though there will probably be some slight variations in gameplay, both titles place you in the patent leather shoes of a special agent tasked with bringing down some scurrilous lawbreaker using gadgets, Columbo-esque clue tracking and a little help from some similarly skilled neighbors. Look for the games to sneak out this Fall.
WoW Moviewatch: The Harvest Chapter 1
The Harvest - Chapter 1 is the first, full-length machinima movie attempt by UltraViolet. She's the same author who created Buff My Warlock back in January, and I think you can see the growth of her skills over time. "The Harvest" is somewhere between a horror and mystery drama.As the story goes, there's been a recent rash of deaths in Elwynn Forest. (Presumably, not Hogger's fault.) All the victims are young women, lacking any tell-tale signs of how their deaths may have occured. The story's focused on a young barmaid named Elane, whose greatest concern in life is dodging every bit of work that comes her way. Hijinks ensue, including the appearance of a mysterious figure.The first thing I want to say about UltraViolet's work is that I'm strongly encouraged that the main character isn't a "Mary Sue." If you're not familiar with the term, a "Mary Sue" is an escapist character written by an author. The character is usually the most awesome, coolest thing ever. (This is a criticism often applied to Bella in the Twilight series.) By virtue of Elane's faults and characterization, I'm pretty sure Elane isn't serving as a prop for UltraViolet's fantasies, and that gives me a lot of hope for the continuing series.The dialogue and action is a little awkward. The voice acting and scripting all seem in earnest, and the heart's in the right place, but there are a few too many tropes and cliches scattered through the character interaction. I chalk this up to this being UltraViolet's first piece. Her pacing, plot plan, and basic flow all seem pretty good. She just needs some more time working with her actors, and putting pen to paper, to get away from some of the easy-fallbacks for dialogue. I'm eager to see how the plot develops for Chapter 2, given the promise I see in this installment.If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com.Previously on Moviewatch ..
