Pride
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Explore Faxion Online's seven deadly sins
Does the angel on your right shoulder take a lot of union-approved time off, so much so that you end up listening to the devil on your left shoulder more often than not? Then Faxion Online has a temptation that's right up your alley -- seven sinful zones, each revolving around one of the classic seven deadly sins. Taking heavenly and hellish themes with a strong dose of humor, Faxion Online's world becomes a literal battleground for the soul. By taking each of the deadly sins and turning them into a zone to be fought over and conquered, Faxion has created a unique twist on the genre. If the forces of heaven take over a zone, it turns nicer, and if the forces of evil are triumphant, then there will be hell to pay. UTV True Games' Frank Lucero says that the PvP over these areas will keep players transfixed: "These zones offer all of the competitive combat play that players desire including PVP, innovative territory control and an ability ranking system that will keep players engaged in the timeless struggle of good vs. evil." Hit the jump to read up on Faxion's themed zones and see for yourself what your sins have wrought!
The Daily Grind: Which of the deadly sins have you committed in MMOs lately?
You know the seven deadly sins, right? The "Devil's Most Wanted" that pop up in Morgan Freeman movies from time to time? If nothing else, the seven deadly sins are an instructional list of words like "sloth" that nobody uses on a daily basis. Since we tend to take our real-world failings into virtual space, it stands to reason that our bad habits follow as well. So which of the seven deadly sins have you committed in MMOs as of late? Let's run down the list: Wrath: Have you wigged out on your guild, engaged in nerd rage, or cussed out your PUG? Greed: Are you never satisfied with your wealth and gear, but always need more, more, more? Pride: Do people know you as "that player who's always waving around his or her e-peen"? Lust: If there's a naked elf dancing on a mailbox, do you stop to look -- and take screenshots? Sloth: Are you too lazy to get off your butt and finish that major project in game that you've been putting off? Envy: Do you constantly find yourself on edge because other players have the cool uber-loot that you lack? Gluttony: Have you played a little too much -- OK, way too much -- when you know you have other things to be doing? Confess, my child. Confess and clear your virtual soul! 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!
Microsoft's 'Turtle' and 'Pure' phones linked to Tegra chipset, expected in both GSM and CDMA varieties
They might not have been revealed at MWC, but that doesn't mean the news flow on Microsoft's long-rumored Pink phones needs to stop. Following the FCC entries that hinted at the future character of these devices, we now have word of an industrious hacker getting hold of the firmware for both the Turtle and Pure handsets. According to his data, the Turtle (believed to look like the square-ish creature on the left) will sport a 320 x 240 screen, while the Pure will have a more generous 480 x 320. Neither would encourage much hope for seeing these as the vanguard handsets of the Windows Phone 7 movement, but a litany of references to Premium Mobile Experiences would both confirm our earlier information and suggest that Microsoft is still going to hit us with something more than a simple feature phone. This is backed up by "a strong connection" to NVIDIA's Tegra chipset, which would be powerful enough to service the rumored video and media management capabilities. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, separate codenames of Lion and Pride have been uncovered, indicating CDMA versions of the Pure and Turtle, whose names are attached to the GSM variants of the two phones. Now if we can just get a release date, we'll be all set.
The Daily Grind: What are you proudest of crafting?
Crafting in MMOs is a fairly impersonal thing most of the time. Even with a complex system such as those found in Fallen Earth, Star Wars Galaxies, or Final Fantasy XI, a larger portion of what you can craft has been determined by the structure and programming of the game before you ever start up your efforts. But that doesn't mean there's nothing personal about what winds up happening, nor does it mean that you don't find yourself attached to the process. The feeling of "I made this" is just as strong, even if all you're talking about are a pair of pants you won't be wearing for more than two levels. Considering the time of year, most of us are probably placing a high premium on craftmanship these days to find the ultimate gift for our loved ones. So today, we ask you: what in-game crafted item are you most proud of? Was it a high-end piece that no one else you knew could craft before you? A silly low-level item that was your first taste of effective crafting? Or something else entirely? Do you still have it, or have you long since sold it or reduced it to component parts?
The Daily Quest: "Looking for Waldo"
We here at WoW.com are on a Daily Quest to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. The Pink Pigtail Inn is collecting nominations for a "list of the year," picking the best in a few different categories from the World of Warcraft in 2009. Go leave a nom for their awards, and then come back here -- we'll have our own year-end list of top stories as well. Kinless Chronicles has not had such a great experience with the Dungeon Finder so far. Low level DPS might be out of luck on finding groups fast. Tank Like a Girl examines some good tanking gear in the new Frozen Halls 5-mans. And while Alliance pride is hard to find, Kimberly D knows exactly why she's Horde. Click here to submit a link to TDQ
A lack of Alliance pride
Larisa makes an interesting observation about the Battlecry mosaic that's being assembled over on Blizzard's website. There certainly are a lot of Horde symbols there, and not quite so many Alliance symbols. The best information we have access to actually says that Alliance outnumber the Horde, and ancedotally, we know that's probably true. So why aren't the Alliance representing? Now, it could just be specific to this outlet -- perhaps Horde players spend more time online, or have more free time in general, and thus have the knowhow and chance to submit their pictures. But this issue has come up before (on our podcast as well): while many Horde players are ready to jump in and shout "For the Horde!" at a moment's notice, not so many Alliance players are as open about their allegiances. As Larisa asks: where's the faction pride?
Blizzard unveils anniversary minisite
Monday wasn't only the fifth anniversary of World of Warcraft, it also kicked off the 15th anniversary of the Warcraft property at large (which makes sense -- you might remember that the original WoW intro started off with "Ten Years of Warcraft"). And so Blizzard has created a brand new minisite to commemorate the occasion -- they've got a full video interview with many of the staff members (no women, though, Blizzard -- what's the deal there?), and there are other Blizzard and community interviews coming as well. They've also got a feature called the "Battlecry Mosaic," in which they're inviting fans to take pictures of themselves showing Horde or Alliance pride with printable logos, which will then be assembled into a mosaic of up to 20,000 pictures. That should be a sight to see -- it'll eventually all be posted online, but I wouldn't be surprised to see something like it at the next BlizzCon also. Neth also says that whoever reaches set limits on pictures will get a faction exclusive piece of art revealed. Sounds fun. I thought for a moment that this was what the Warcraft twitter account was referring to the other day, but they specifically said whatever they were talking about would be revealed on 11/25, and obviously that's still in the future. So we'll have to see what else appears this week. Still, the minisite is an excellent homepage for Blizzard's look back at their first and biggest franchise. Especially if you're a Warcraft fan, it's a must-see.
Phat Loot Phriday: Pride
Fist weapon! And a pretty cool looking one, at that.Name: Pride (Wowhead, Thottbot, Wowdigger)Type: Epic Off-hand Fist WeaponDamage/Speed: 251-467 / 2.50 (143.6 DPS)%Gallery-33600%
Encrypted Text: Emblem of Heroism rewards for Rogues
Every Wednesday, Chase Christian of Encrypted Text invites you to enter the world of shadows, as we explore the secrets and mechanics of the Rogue class. This week, we'll be talking about Heroic gear available in Northrend.So, I have been hearing that many of you have put in the time and effort to level your Rogues to 80. Congratulations to all of you who have the perseverance and dedication to stick it out and focus on the goal! You do us Rogues proud. It takes a special kind of player to pull those all-nighters on the road to Icecrown. Unfortunately, I'm not one of those players.I've been leveling casually through Northrend, exhausting every single quest in a given zone before moving on to the next. In addition, I've been focusing on leveling my tradeskills to 450 and also helping my friends and family as they quest as well, with a little bit of World PvP mixed in when the opportunity presents itself.However, that hasn't stopped me from looking ahead at all of the "badge reward" gear available for us in Dalaran. I guess we should start calling it "emblem gear" or something, but it just doesn't roll of the tongue. Whatever you call it, I've compiled a list of the 5/10 man loot that is of interest to us subtle shadows. Read on for the details.
Breakfast Topic: Shame
I am not ashamed to be a World of Warcraft player. I spend on average about two hours a day playing the game. That takes into account the weekends when I overindulge and the weekdays when I may log in for a few arenas, if at all. I have accomplishments in-game that I'm proud of, and I find it really thrilling to share my thoughts and experiences with the readers of WoW Insider. I proudly wear geeky, WoW-oriented shirts, and proclaim myself as a gamer. Every once in a while I think to myself that I should do something different with my time. But then I remember that it's some good clean (not to mention cheap) fun that I can share with my friends and family. On top of that, I really enjoy my play time. For an extra-added benefit, I can't remember the last time I was actually bored, with the game or anything else. An interesting news article hit my inbox today. Dr. Jerald Block is a psychiatrist who specializes in treating pathological computer use. His most stunning statement was that many of his clients were more ashamed of their World of Warcraft addictions than obsessions with internet porn. I can't quite wrap my brain around that. Dr. Block also believes that previous studies of gaming addiction have been focused on the wrong group. He claims that adults, rather than teens, obsess over online gaming. He is probably right on both accounts. This may lead to a paradigm shift in gaming research. Do you ever find yourself ashamed of playing WoW? [Via Boston.com]
Breakfast Topic: How does a raiding guild avoid the fate of Death and Taxes?
So it's been a day or so since we first heard that Death and Taxes was disbanding, and since then, DnT member Xi- has posted a somewhat lengthy explanation as to why. In the end, the biggest reason Xi- gave is pride. Many people, he says, just stopped thinking about the raid and the guild as a whole, and were more focused on their own advancement and their own needs, and became impatient when a boss did not fall easily. When it was time to progress, many of them, even officers, would disappear and stop supporting them. He also does get in a few Risen style digs about how none of the BC content was half as good as Naxxramas up until Sunwell Plateau, but he did manage to sound a lot more classy than Risen did. But the point about pride, about guild members who disappear for a while and expect to pick back up where they left off when they return, and about people who never show up for progress kills, or show up and complain if the boss doesn't fall after one or two tries, that rings true with me, as I am sure it rings true with a lot of current and former MMO raiders, whether from WoW or other games.
HDNet Fights looks to score KO with DREAM fights
Fledgling MMA player HDNet fights has signed up with an even fresher face in the MMA game, DREAM, to air six DREAM Japanese fight cards here in the US. The DREAM organization kicked things off in Japan on March 15, but don't confuse its newcomer status with a lack of experience; the organization looks an awful lot like K-1 HERO'S combined with the now-defunct PRIDE, right down to several of the fighters and staff (and apparently, an affinity for all caps). From the sound of things, DREAM is having a hard time getting off the ground in its home of Japan, so we're pretty sure HDNet was able to pick up the deal under some pretty favorable terms. Could HDNet Fights' take-all-comers approach get us some HD competition for the UFC over here? We certainly hope so.
Pride (in the name of the Horde)
Lok'Tar! For the Horde! Strength and honor! Ew, I'd never play an Alliance character. Look, it's another stupid night elf female. If it's red, it's dead! All the kiddies play Alliance ... If you're Horde, you hear things like this every day. The Horde has a large number of loyal partisans who take great pride in being a member of the faction, and think less of anyone on the other side. The Alliance are pretty boys, little kids, ezmode, uncreative. The Horde has all the best heroes, the Horde are the real players, the Horde are the true good guys of WoW. You can't go five minutes in Orgrimmar without hearing one of these sentiments. But, as Soy of Auchindoun points out, Alliance players don't seem to have the same vocal pride in their faction as Horde do. I've played both sides, and the most I've heard Alliance players call the Horde is ugly and evil. Which admittedly aren't good things to be called, but that's more about the lore than a direct attack on the players behind the avatars. Several players noted that underpopulated races seem to have more pride than overpopulated ones -- you'll see more troll, dwarf and draenei pride than undead, night elf and human. Perhaps that's the reason the Horde feels the need to claim superiority -- since they're the underdog on most servers, they have to do something to keep from feeling like scrubs. Also, the Horde has less prettiness, sparsely populated cities, and are widely perceived as evil. With all that on our heads, it's no wonder we need Horde pride. Adversity has strengthened our spirit and caused us to band together. I started out as a night elf and ended up as a troll, so I don't really have too much faction pride. I feel a little proud whenever a Horde guild gets a world first, and I do like being a rare class/race/gender combination, but eh ... there are as many annoying people on my side as on theirs. Or, as Borogove of Proudmoore says, "Alliance has more idiots, Horde has more jerks. Pick your poison." Are you proud to be a member of the Alliance or the Horde? What about your race or class? Do you really hate the other faction? Who do you think has more to be proud of?
Proudest PSP gaming achievement [Update 1]
I was playing Killzone: Liberation today and it's quite a challenging game. I began to fantasize about how proud I would be once I beat the game. That thought made me think back on all my prior gaming victories and wonder which one was the biggest accomplishment. I think for me it was probably beating Mega Man: Maverick Hunter X. When I was a kid I was as good at Mega Man games as I now am at remembering other people's birthdays, so it made me especially proud to beat it. So what PSP game did you find the most challenging? Also, what PSP gaming achievement (winning a game or doing something amazing) are you most proud of? [Update 1: Fixed formatting error.]
