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Blizz publishes new Gadgetzan Times
This got somewhat lost in the news shuffle over the holiday weekend, but Blizzard has posted another issue of their extremely irregular Gadgetzan Times fan-fic-oriented newsletter, for the first time since May 2008. This time around it consists of two pieces of short-form fan fiction, an amusing "classifieds" section, and a slightly half-hearted crossword about the dungeons of WoW. It's an interesting thing for Blizzard themselves to come out with, as it has been from the start. I really like the idea -- characters from Azeroth report on events in and around their world -- but it could use a little more polish and effort, not to mention a more regular timetable. On the other hand, they're still publishing more regularly than my Illusionary Tactics column. Maybe I should not call this particular kettle black. Anyway, it's certainly a decent diversion for a few minutes if you're stuck at work or bored at home, so go ahead and check it out.
Blizzard launches Ulduar Bosstiary
Although this comes a little late for a few players, not everybody is raiding Ulduar yet, and those that are haven't necessarily cleared it. To help appease your curiosity about what creatures lurk within the latest raid, or if you simply want to know a bit about the background of the guys that have been handing you purples recently, check out Blizzard's latest web feature, the Bosstiary. It's an interactive map of Ulduar (same graphics as the in-game map), and if you click on any of the boss icons, it pops up a little paragraph about the boss. For instance, did you know that Auriaya is Ulduar's archivist? Makes sense - librarians love cats. Also, apparently Kologarn was created by Ignis. I guess Iggy must have been a big Monty Python fan. I think this is a neat way to learn a little more about the story behind the bosses. I hope they continue doing this for raids to come.
New features added to Killzone Command Center
We realize that the hardcore Killzone 2 fans among you are probably too busy enjoying the "Steel and Titanium" map pack to do any internetting right now, but if you haven't checked out the shooter's official site recently, you should really point your browser in that direction.The Killzone Command Center recently underwent a huge revamp, adding in a number of oft-requested features. Chief among these additions is the ability to upload and view battle replays, though the non-cinematically inclined have plenty to check out as well -- for instance, the site's improved tournament tracking page and live updates of featured matches are well worth a gander. Said gandering can be performed by clicking this here link.
Official site reveals two more mount galleries
The official World of Warcraft community site has added a couple more galleries of the cool Wrath of the Lich King mounts for those of you who love a little eye candy now and then. You might recall that they posted a gallery of the Hog/Chopper mounts last week or so, and this week they've continued that trend with a gallery for Flying Carpets and a gallery for Proto-Drakes.Neither of these two galleries have anything nearly as cool as the two Tauren in silly hats and lumberjack shirts contained within the Motorcycle gallery, but there's still some neat pictures. The one above is one of my personal favorites. They're kissing or possibly trying to eat eachother! How sweet! I'm also a big fan of the flying carpet that's either shooting or absorbing purple lightning bolts. You'll need to go to the official site to see that one, I'm afraid.
Blizzard puts advertising on the WoW front page
Bornakk has fessed up to Blizzard's little slip yesterday of letting gold buying ads sneak onto the official forums. As expected, he says it was a complete mistake, and that Blizzard is taking steps to keep it from happening. I'm surprised this isn't the action Blizzard took from the beginning -- when the ads first showed up yesterday, Blizzard's forum moderators were deleting (and presumably banning) anyone who mentioned the ads. But almost all of Blizzard's fansites (and even WoW Insider) have had problems with gold ads appearing in advertising content outside our control, so it doesn't seem like Blizzard need worry about it. Sure, it was a mistake, and sure, it was hilarious, but there was no reason to hide the fact that it had happened -- especially since there were screenshots aplenty right away.However, Blizzard apparently still hasn't learned their lesson: they've now also got external advertisements being served right on the game's front page. These ads are served up by the same company responsible for the ads on the forums, and thus clearly they have the same possible problems -- if one gold ad can appear, more can as well. And while the ad that appeared on the forums was not harmful (other than the fact that it linked to a website that offered a service that would get you banned from the game), anytime you're bringing outside content to your own site, you run that risk. Blizzard has decided to monetize their presence on the web, but it's costing their customers a little bit of security as well.
Doors to official Retro Game Challenge site creak open
Retro Game Challenge's official site recently opened to the public, with a design that is particularly righteous, to use appropriately '80s parlance. By using the on-screen TV remote to navigate the site, you'll be able to view the above trailer, read a synopsis of the utterly daft story, and browse screens of (some of) the games you'll have to beat to overcome the creepy Game Master Arino: games like Cosmic Gate, Guadia Quest: Feast of the Mad King, Rally King, and the very awesome-looking Star Prince. Feel free to peruse the 30 new English language shots in our gallery. Oh yes, and there are wallpapers. Very, very rad wallpapers. Wallpapers that are so unlimited in their supreme radness that they have totally replaced our self-made Josh Groban tribute background -- at least until tomorrow. %Gallery-27519%[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
7th Dragon gets 1st Trailer
The doors just swung open on the official site for 7th Dragon, Sega's new RPG with an all-star development team. This trailer appeared on the site, and though it tells us little about the actual game, it's a classy debut, complete with lots of churches, gothic architecture, and graveyards. The game's chibi characters make a few appearances, contrasting nicely with the sinister surroundings.Also over at the site, a couple of the character classes (a male Fighter and a female Mage -- remember that 7th Dragon uses preset characters, like Etrian Odyssey) are profiled; you can view the other five classes here.[Via Siliconera]
Attractive Environments Hunter 3
Hunting for monsters in Monster Hunter 3 (tri-) might prove trickier than we thought, considering how pretty and distracting the environments are (they're not exactly small, either). Track monsters? No thanks. We'd rather go inspect that balloon, or browse at those market stalls, or dip a toe in that lake.These shots come from the game's just-opened official site, which also contains some concept art of monsters, including Rayburn, a dragon that can exist on land or underwater. Here he is, in fact (we think)!%Gallery-32281%[Via Go Nintendo]
Phantasy Star Zero site launches, we totally geek out
Sega just launched the official site for Phantasy Star Zero. Although most of the screens on the site were present in scans earlier this week, it's always nice to see them in gallery form, right? (And see them you must, because seriously: this is some of the best 3D on the DS to date).Throughout these screenshots, we can spot bits of old Phantasy Star Online games (the brightly-colored levels, Rappies, huge bosses, and MAGs), something which delights us. Speaking of which, we really hope Sega-themed MAGs will be included, such as the Saturn, Master System, and ChuChu MAGs that could be found in PSO. Sega included some of its old consoles in English of the Dead, so maybe we'll get to slay dragons with a Dreamcast by our side in Phantasy Star Zero!The site reveals that the game will support online parties of four players, that characters can be created from three races and 14 classes, and there's also a small section on the ace-looking, sketch-compatible chat system, as seen here. In fact, the only part of Phantasy Star Zero we're unsure about is blowing into the DS microphone to send messages, but we're finding it difficult to object that strongly!%Gallery-31775%[Via NeoGAF]
Sing along to the Captain Rainbow theme
Because seriously, what else is there to do on a Friday evening that's more fun? Nothing, that's what. Socializing? Pah, whatever!This theme tune and its accompanying video appeared today on the brand new official Captain Rainbow site. There's not much at the site right now, but thankfully the song is as bizarre as everything else in this barmy game, not to mention catchy and even uplifting (like all good superhero themes). Fast-forward to the 1:00 mark, and you'll get to see some in-game footage of the bespectacled Nick change into his superhero alter-ego.Past the break, we've posted the lyrics to this, as translated by lovely YouTube user 23Makoto23, so head there to bring the house down with your caterwauling. All together now: Let fly with your yo-yo! Defeat them with your double yo-yo!
Rumor: Kingdom Hearts coming out this year in Japan [update]
Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days' teaser website has turned into an actual website now, with menus to click on and everything else you'd come to expect from a Square Enix website. It's still lacking in compelling content, however, aside from a downloadable wallpaper and a beautiful background song. (You can also see the Japanese character profiles for Roxas and Axel, as well as browse through a few screens in the "Story" section.)The other interesting 358/2 Days news is that in the manual for the DS remake of Dragon Quest V (which released last week in Japan), an ad for the game boasts "Coming 2008." We'll probably find out for sure at Square Enix's DKΣ3713 event whether this is true or just an advertiser's wishful thinking, although it's important to keep in mind that us non-Japanese gamers will have to wait for localization, anyway.[Update: Everything on the website is translated into English here. Thanks, Monkey!][Thanks for the original tip, supa_s!]
Death Knight class page slip-up
Remember a little while back, when someone accidentally added the Death Knight to the Classes page on the official site? Now the DK class description page is there, although it seems that this too is probably an accident (the DK entry is still gone from the Classes page). As expected, it contains nothing in the way of new information, aside from a fetching misspelling of "Alternative" and a frankly terrifying picture of what looks like a Dwarf Rogue (obviously faked; everyone knows there's no such thing). Still nothing mentioned in "standard bars" about runes or runic power. Also the "Allowable Weapons" (listed as Axes, Defenses, Polearms, Swords, Two-Handed Axes, Two-Handed Swords) still doesn't match up with what we expected (one- and two-handed Axes, Swords, and Maces are what we've been told before). And Blizz doesn't usually call it "Plate Mail;" typically it's just "Plate." Anyway, I vote "slip-up" on this one as well – anyone want to take bets on how long it'll stay up? [Thanks, Hasseo]
Blizz accidentally puts DK description on classes page
Ooh, someone on the Blizzard web team is going to get in trouble. I took the above screenshot straight from the official Classes page, and obviously it wasn't ready to be published quite yet (click for a slightly bigger version). But can we actually glean anything new from the Death Knight text? (The "Find out more about death knights" link returns to a 404, so no help there.) No. There is absolutely no new information here. There are some obvious mistakes though: Type: should probably be "Tank and melee DPS" or some such (so should Warriors, come to think of it). Available weapons: as far as we know, DKs won't be able to use daggers, fist weapons, staves, or polearms. I guess that may have changed, but I'm just not seeing "rune staff." Standard Bars: no mention of runes or runic power. And it's pretty amusing that they clearly made the Death Knight section by copying and editing the Warrior section (which is how these inaccuracies crept in there). Anyway, I take this as a sign that development on Wrath is moving forward and the beta is approaching (after all, the alpha is over). [Thanks to Fennrahn and Iggo]
GTA Chinatown website opens, hints at online modes
Well, that didn't take long. A mere few hours after it was announced on stage at Hollywood's Kodak Theater, an official site has materialized for Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars. A few logos aside, it's totally content-free at the moment, but one thing did catch our eye: the appearance of the light blue Nintendo WiFi Connection badge.This means that Chinatown Wars has some kind of online mode, but what, exactly? Expecting online play is probably overly optimistic, so we'd lean towards DLC, or the ability to share content.[Via Go Nintendo]
Samba de Official Website
An official website for Samba de Amigo has sprouted, full of soothing, subtle shades of lilac and sky blue, and accompanied by a gentle classical soundtrack.Oh wait, no, we got that wrong: said website is actually THE LOUDEST THING EVER. That's fine though, because this is Samba de Amigo, and as such any official website needed to be obnoxiously loud and bright, the visual equivalent of having Ricky Martin blasted into your eardrums through a loud hailer from within two inches. If you value your hearing whatsoever, you'll lower the sound on your computer before visiting, and keep the Tylenol nearby.Once there, you'll find a selection of screens, the same goofy trailer that we posted a while back, and some downloadable wallpapers. No sign of the maraca add-ons, yet -- but it's nice to know that they definitely exist.%Gallery-20601%
Clunky Sonic Chronicles site opens
The official U.S. site for Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood just opened its doors to the viewing public. Even as official websites go, it's particularly Flash-heavy and rather annoying to use at first, but the idea behind it is pretty neat. As in the game, you use your "stylus" to help Sonic navigate the lush environments. We just hope movement feels a little more fluent in Sonic Chronicles itself, because it comes across as fairly clumsy and graceless on the site. If there were two words we'd use to describe Sonic, those words would not be "clumsy" and "graceless," but "fast" and, erm, "blue" (look, it's Tuesday evening, what more do you want?).It's got all the official site stuff, which basically means screens and game information (locations, character profiles, etc.), and before you ask: yes, you can use the loop, yes, you can collect the gold rings (and collecting them all gives you a prize), and no, you can't hold Big's face beneath the water until his eyes bulge and his body goes limp.%Gallery-16398%[Via Go Nintendo]
Europe's turn for web site maintenance
You may remember a week or two ago when Blizzard's US web sites and related services went down for some scheduled maintenance. The same's happening tonight for the EU web sites starting at midnight Paris time. All related accesses (Account Creation, Subscription Renewal, WoW-Europe forums, the Armory) will also be down. The good news is that they'll be back up by 10am Paris time on June 19th. I doubt we'll see any of the oddities we saw the last time there was web maintenance, but we'll keep our eyes out. This could be the last step before converting Blizzard's online presence to something more thematically geared to the Wrath of the Lich King. If you're affected by this outage, you can use the time to see what Rob Parkins hasn't been up to, or get some overview of what has been happening in your World...of Warcraft.
Tenchu IV trailer and site appear from shadows, slit your throat
Keeping the ninja news flowing, From Software has put up a teaser page and a minute-long trailer for Tenchu IV. It has pretty much everything we look for in ninja videos -- namely, ninjas.All the people getting stabbed? While awesome (for us, not for the people getting stabbed), that's just a bonus that comes with the ninjas. Other ninja bonuses include people getting shivved, people getting their necks snapped, and people getting dealt with in general, all of that in this video!
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia trailer has some bite
If you've sworn off Igarashi's Castlevania titles, frustrated with rehashes of the same Metroidvania formula, stay away from this Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia video! It might be enough to bring you back! You'll see some reused sprites, and the general format doesn't look too different from previous entries, but the art direction in the first cinematic half is, as we've noted before, all the way live.As for the in-game clips, there's plenty to keep you interested, like action scenes with the Manges Glyph, a field that envelopes female lead Shanoa and can be used to cling to metal rods or fling the heroine across the screen. One of the boss fights also seems to herald the return of ... Mr. Crabs?! Back from the dead!So, are you excited yet?%Gallery-22992%[Via NeoGAF]
Blizz updates Death Knight site
They may be slower than all the fan sites to release info, but when they do put up pages, my do they make them pretty. Blizzard has updated their official Wrath of the Lich King page with some more information on the Death Knight class, including discussion of their class role and some sketches of their capabilities. This is nothing we haven't already seen, from that time a week or so ago when every site except us got invited to Blizzard HQ a few weeks back, but if you missed that, here's the highlights: All you need to be able to create a DK is to have a character of level 55. This allows you to create one DK per realm, on any realm(s) you choose. If you're on a PvP realm, the DK must be the same faction that you're already playing. DKs start at level 55, and can be made in any race you want (subject to PvP realm faction restrictions). The DK can tank for 5-mans and raids; Blizz claims that "his or her damage output while tanking will be respectable." DKs can also spec for DPS, using both melee and magic.
