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The Daily Grind: What's the best character name you've seen?
The other day I learned the word "onomastics," because Bree likes to club us over the head with big words so that we'll go away whimpering and leave her to playing Guild Wars 2. Anyway, we were talking about how we both have a character name file, although on my computer it's just called "character names" and not something that makes me think of doing back flips off of a high beam. I love a good name. A good name, in my opinion, sets you apart from the pack. It tells others that you didn't just slap letters together like a common monkey learning how to type for the first time. It may even generate respect among some. It gets you noticed, is what I'm saying, and it gets you remembered. So what is the best character name you've seen that wasn't one you used yourself? Was it just a great word, a clever pun, or something else that exuded awesomeness? 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!
BBC comedians ridicule tech naming schemes, make us laugh along the way (video)
They say all good comedy has a modicum of truth to it, and there's no denying that the jargon that's built up around technology is littered with opportunity for mockery, fun-poking, and general satire. Leave it to two old pros from the UK, then, Harry Enfield and Ronnie Corbett, to summarily dispatch Apple, BlackBerry, Orange, Microsoft and everyone in between in one of the better tech-related sketches we've seen. See them do their thing after the break, but be warned: the video contains (a lot) more than your recommended daily allowance of fruit puns. [Thanks, Thanasis]
The Game Archaeologist's fear and loathing in the Kingdom: The highlights
It is, in so many ways, the antithesis of a modern MMORPG. It has crude stick figure drawings instead of lush 3-D graphics. It limits your daily activities to a handful of encounters. It often mocks, belittles and berates you for your stupidity. It uses meat for currency and has a character class that dabbles in pasta-based magic. It's been in open beta for the better part of a decade now. And its endgame is actually an end-of-the-game instead of an eternal raiding grind. I speak, of course, about The Kingdom of Loathing, one of the oddest online RPGs on the net -- and one of the most beloved. When I mulled over the game for this month's retrospective, I found myself really wanting to talk about KoL but a little unsure whether it truly belongs in the pantheon of accepted MMOs. At best, it's on the fringe; while you do play in a world populated by hundreds, if not thousands, of other players at any given time, it's mostly a solo exercise apart from the chat channel. However, it is a persistent world, it does hold many of the trappings of MMORPGs, and the creators have come up with clever ways for players to interact within a turn-based RPG. I'm also a huge fan, having dabbled in KoL off and on for over four years now, and I love recommending it to friends. So what the heck -- we're doing it. Kingdom of Loathing is a great success story in its own right and has a lot to teach the rest of the MMO industry about unconventional methods of structuring and presenting these games. Hit the jump and we'll run down eight highlights that separate KoL from the rest of the pack and make it a game well worth your spare time.
Supreme Commander 2 demo now available on Steam
As if you didn't have enough to play this week, RTS fans, with Starcraft II in beta and Command and Conquer 4 about to drop, here comes the Supreme Commander 2 demo, now available for download over on Steam. The demo features 4GB (!) of complex Gas Powered Games RTS goodness, in which you'll be able to try two levels of the tutorial, as well as play through two missions as the United Earth Federation faction. You'll also get to see some of those new units at work, and, we presume, do some supreme commanding. No peerless or incomparable commanders here -- supreme only! One of those new units you can try out is a sea-based experimental submarine for the Cybran faction that's modeled and named after a legendary sea monster. So what are you waiting for? Go download the demo and get kraken!
Snag the Ruins of Threnal and other DDO goodies on sale
With the recent free-to-play restart of Dungeons and Dragons Online, lots of people are jumping in and checking it out. If you're looking to expand your play, there are lots of adventure packs and options in the store, too. And to welcome all the new players checking out Dungeons and Dragons Online, there's a big sale this weekend in the MyDDO store. Adventure packs are currently 30% off; leveling sigils are 25% off; character slots are 20% off, and if you are into stat-raising potions, they have 10 for the price of 5... or buy 5 get 5 free! Or 50% off a stack of 10! Really all kind of the same thing, anyway. To whet your appetite for adventure, the team at Turbine has also put out a video for The Ruins of Threnal. This adventure pack is for those players between levels 8-10 who are looking for a new source of fame, loot, and fun. The pack contains 12 adventures and two additional optional quests. Sounds like a pretty good deal to us at 30% off the regular price. Check out the video after the break and see why people say it's all in the eye of the Beholder.
