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A firsthand tour of a WildStar adventure
WildStar's beta test is ramping up further and further. It's ramping up enough that pretty much everyone who isn't in the beta already is looking for a way to get in on it. Now's your chance! Hit this link for a giveaway that will grant you a chance to win a beta key for Wildstar. And one of the things you'd be able to see within the beta, if you were in, are the Adventures that have been all the talk of press releases lately. So what is an Adventure? Well, the DevSpeak video past the break will give you a nice top-level overview of that, so you could just go with that. Or you could ask me, because I got to make my way through one with the development team at Carbine Studios, getting a firsthand look at how the content is supposed to work and what's cool about it. That's also past the break.
The Daily Grind: How do you choose your MMOs?
Being new on the Massively team, I've been getting to know the rest of the bloggers and learning about their MMO habits and they're certainly a varied bunch. I like to think I have a good knowledge of MMOs, even if I play World of Warcraft almost exclusively, but whilst chatting with the team, it became clear most of them are gripped either by WoW, Second Life or EVE Online. Personally I'm dying to play Aion.I've dabbled in most MMOs and virtual worlds but I'd never played EVE Online. So, after ascertaining there was just one server and quietly thanking the MMO gods, I downloaded the file, created a sexy female Reborn and logged in. Boy did I get a shock! After hundreds of hours playing WoW, I was stuck in a ship and the cursor keys didn't appear to come into play either! Talk about out of my comfort zone. I confess, I gave it an hour and then went back to the sanctuary of Azeroth.Anyway, I wanted to find out how you guys choose which of the numerous MMOs to play. I got into WoW because all my friends and colleagues were playing it and a friend sent me the box as a birthday present. Even then it took a good month for me to get hooked. Now MMOs are a dime a dozen and it seems physically impossible to play all of them, how do you pick which ones to play and which to let pass by?
Panasonic reopens Plasma Concierge to the masses this holiday season
Read enough horror stories lately to get you all scared about diving into the world of HDTV? Fret not, as Panasonic is reopening the phone lines to its toll-free Plasma Concierge service during the holidays. Usually, this line is reserved for those who already own a Panny PDP, but starting today, absolutely anyone can ring up the help line for a little one-on-one Q&A about flat panels. Reportedly, those on the other end will be happy to field any general / technical questions you may have, and unlike last year, the service will remain open until February 3, 2008 -- a full two months longer. Hit the read link for the digits, and be sure to grab some paper and a pen before you just start rattling off inquiries.
Guides to choosing and leveling your pet
Recently Lizzie experienced the joyful tribulation facing many hunters as they work their way through from levels 10 to 20, puzzling out the question of which pet suits them best. This is one of my favorite choices in the game, partly because there are so many pets to choose from, partly because your choice really makes a difference, and partly because you're not locked into it if you want to try something different later.For you hunters out there who are looking into what your first pet should be, there is a guide to choosing a pet available on the US forums, which for some reason has not been stickied. It gives you a good overview of the different issues involved in choosing a pet, and sets you in the right direction you'll need to make your choice well. For those of you who have already reached level 70, but decided that you actually want a pet that is only available at low levels (such as that pretty red kitty from Eversong Woods), there is a guide on the EU forums on how to level that pet up in the quickest way possible. You'll need patience for this, of course, and many hunters just don't have enough, even for picking up the highest-level boar in the game from the Eastern Plaguelands. Still, if you have the resolve, this guide can help you take lots of the pain out of the process.
DS Daily: Stylus Bling
The DS Phat's stylus was anemic. The DS Lite's stylus is serviceable. But is it good enough for you? We've seen quite a few people use far larger styluses, perhaps meant for a tablet laptop or giant ... touch-screen ... thingy. We've seen pimped out versions. We've seen accusatory gesture versions. Heck, we've even seen a few just use their fingers, provided the game doesn't require a high degree of accuracy. What do you guys use, and do you wish you had something better?
Nintendo offers prizes, likes Japan more than us
Nintendo of Japan has long supported a "Club Nintendo" program by which ridiculous fanboys (like us) get to register their purchased consoles and software for various rewards. Of course, we have a similar "registering" procedure at MyNintendo.com, but we rarely have anything to show for it ... we got a Metroid Prime 2 demo disc, once. Woo-hoo.It turns out that platinum members (a status obtained by magically accruing four hundred points in a year) of Club Nintendo get to choose between two wonderful prizes: Tingle's Balloon Fight, for the DS, or a custom battery pack cover with your very own Mii imprinted on the back. Such a difficult decision! Whilst they ponder, perhaps we may spirit away these prizes in the night. Who's in?
Japanese hardware sales, 20 November - 26 November: Choose-your-own-edition edition
We feel as though we've done you a great disservice. We've been forcing the sales numbers on you in the format we see fit, giving you no say in the matter. Is this not the era of user-generated content and massively open-ended game worlds? Our horrible linear approach to the matter is, quite frankly, embarrassing.How to rectify our horrendous errors? Why, with a classic choose-your-own-edition post! Follow the links you so choose, giving way to an ending entirely your own (except not really). Such innovation is unheard of in the Japanese hardware sales circles, and we're proud to be the first to deliver! Enjoy! (Or, if you'd like to cheat your way to the end, just check after the break.)The Case of the Missing Hardware Sales ChartYou, a wide-eyed yet street-smart rookie on the force, have travelled to Japan in search of a mysterious killer. He's been sabotaging children's grades and decreasing productivity all across your homeland, and your chief has decided that it's gone too far. Armed with your Baretta 9 mm and a standard taser, you step foot into the legendary Akihabara district in Tokyo, Japan.Asking around (in your rather broken, stilted Japanese), you learn that a shady figure has been seen on the corner of Sephiroth and Deku. As you approach the intersection, a shady figure with a loose trenchcoat notices your presence. He turns and tries to discreetly retreat, but as you begin to pursue, he breaks out into a dead sprint! You see a car nearby with its keys still in. What do you do?If you decide to try to track down the villain by foot, click here.If you decide to try and track down the villain in the car, click here.
Panasonic opens up Plasma Concierge service to the public for the holiday blitz
If your tiresome Black Friday campout left you incensed at that fellow ahead who snagged the very last HDTV that you had been eying, take heart. Panasonic feels your pain, and is opening up its exclusive help lines to help you deal with the hassles of searching for the perfect plasma. The company's Plasma Concierge service -- which opened earlier this year -- is stocking up on customer service representatives to field any questions you may have, regardless of whether or not you own a single Panasonic product. The program is open to the public through December 31st of this year to craft "customized flat screen profiles," determine which set would be better suited for your room, and even tips on mounting and wiring. So if you're befuddled over where to get some reliable, free information (aside from the site you're currently ogling) on which plasma to pick up this holiday season, give Panasonic a ring, but be sure to dodge those sure-to-come sales pitches while you're at it.
