Christmas 2012
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Chitika: iPad web share falls after Christmas holiday
In what will probably be seen by some pundits as "proof" that Apple is going to fail, Chitika Insights today reported that the web share for Apple's tablet fell by 7.1 percent after December 25, 2012. Chitika gathers this information by looking at hundreds of millions of impressions on its ad network by various devices. Before Christmas Day, the iPad's share of the web market was about 86 percent; after December 25, it dropped to 78.86 percent. The biggest winner was Amazon's Kindle Fire, which jumped 3.03 percent to a post-holiday share of 7.51 percent, while Samsung's Galaxy tablet gained slightly to a 4.39 percent share. Not surprisingly, Microsoft's Surface tablet barely showed up on the Chitika figures, with a minuscule 0.17 percent gain to a whopping share of 0.40 percent. There's good news for Apple in the smartphone numbers from Chitika. The iPhone 5 saw a gain of 1.11 percent share after the holidays, the largest gain among all smartphones. The current web share for the iPhone 5 is at 8.27 percent.
The Daily Grind: Did you get yourself a gift this season?
When I was a kid, I always thought it was strange that my mother would get herself Christmas presents. It wasn't until sometime later that I realized that she did this so she'd open something she'd actually use instead of just another macaroni plate or a misshapen ash tray. Since then, I've been pretty lenient on folks who tell me that they purchased themselves a present during the holidays. So if you want to brag about what you got yesterday or this month, feel free in the comments below. However, I'm genuinely curious if you've decided to treat yourself to an MMO nicety for the holiday. Maybe you're giving yourself a marathon gaming session, that cash shop item you've always wanted, or a game that nobody thought to get you. It's okay to share, I give you permission! 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!
WRUP: Final push for 'Best of 2012'
With Joystiq's annual 'Best of the Year' awards around the corner, each staff member has a short window to complete any outstanding adventure deemed a major contender for a spot on the site's year-end top ten list.Joystiq will reveal its 'Best of 2012' during the first week of the new year; the culmination of hours of intelligent debate ... and probably a lot of chair throwing and hair-pulling.We've been preparing for this list all year, but there are still a few games we each need to complete. Here's what the Joystiq staff will be playing during the final hours of 2012.
Jukebox Heroes: Christmas music
Merry Christmas and happy holidays from the staff at Jukebox Heroes! When it comes to the season, I have to admit that I'm a bit of a Christmas music junkie. Not nearly as bad as some I know, and I'm totally for a ban of hearing such music in public spaces before Thanksgiving and after New Year's Eve. I just love how it's so cheery and makes me feel warm in my tummy. A couple of months ago when I realized that this column would fall on Christmas day, I entertained the notion of just featuring MMO Christmas music. That seemed a bit silly to me; there's no way that there could be more than a scarce handful of tunes, right? It turns out that there's quite a bit, actually. So whether you're celebrating, taking some time just to game, or bored out of your gourd, why not hit the jump and see how MMOs have contributed to the enormous library of Christmas music?
The Daily Grind: So what did you get?
It's a big holiday for a lot of people today, and the Massively offices are quiet while we engage in traditional and not-so-traditional festivities. The Massively staffers are not as quiet as many of us have been giving and receiving gifts from our family, friends, loved ones, and random strangers (shouts of woohoo can be heard all the way through the internets). And odds are good that a good chunk of our readers are doing the same. Of course, if the people in your life know you, they probably got you a gift that has something to do with gaming because of course they did. So today we're just throwing open the doors and asking you to just brag. What's the best gaming-related gift you received this holiday season? Was it a new game you've been waiting for? An old game you couldn't find? An accessory? A game system? Or was it a humble in-game gift from a friend or family member playing the same game, proving that it's really the thought that counts over the physical value of something? 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!
EVE Online's holiday celebration trailer is all over the naughty list
If you woke up this morning thinking to yourself, "Will today be the day that I see the strangest MMO trailer of my entire life," then we're happy to let you know that yes, yes it is. CCP wasn't just content to slap together a humdrum video highlighting the cool EVE Online snowball-slash-fireworks launcher that it's giving out to players this season; it decided to dial the crazy up to 11 and film the resulting mayhem. So once you hit the jump and watch this (and you will watch it), you'll be treated to such jolly activities such as Santa being incinerated, a charming fairy tale about a witch that eats kids, close-ups of a developer's slack jaw munching on masticated sausage, peeping toms, bleeped swears, and a snowball fight in space. Really, we have no words to sum it up. We best just give it to you and let you be the judge.
The Daily Grind: What's on your MMO gift wish list?
With the holiday season in full swing, plenty of birthdays going on, Wookiee Life Day approaching, and the apocalypse looming over it all, it's definitely a time to be giving and getting lots of presents. As members of a particular and peculiar subset of gamers, it stands to reason that our gift desires might be a tad different than those of Muggles. So what's on your MMO gift wish list this month? Is there a game that you'd love to find in your stocking? Have you had your eye on a particular cash shop item -- and dropped enough hints to your friends that this is your heart's desire? Would you love to get MMO-themed clothes, toys, or other physical objects to show off your hobby to the world? Lay it on us: What does your wish list look like? While Massively writers might not be so rich as to get you everything on your list, you never know when a secret admirer might be reading the comments looking for ideas to make your day. 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!
Winter holidays around the virtual world
Ho, ho, holy crap -- there are a lot of in-game events this time a year! It must be that people are in a celebrating mood or something. Well, we've survived a rocky and exciting 2012, and with any luck we'll make it through the apocalypse to open gifts and eat large dead animals with loved ones. Getting around to all of your favorite in-game festivities can be a full-time job, especially if you don't know what's new and when the events are wrapping up. We've tried to help you out with our annual holiday guide, so pack a snowball and leap with us into the thick of the excitement!
Pocket Legends adds Paladin and Ranger classes
Three's company no longer; Spacetime Studios is adding two new classes to its smash hit Pocket Legends, bringing up the grand total of available characters to five. The new classes to be included in today's update are the Vixen Ranger and the Rhino Paladin. The Ranger looks to be a dual-wielding fighter while the Paladin is geared out as a classic tank. The new classes aren't the only things being added today. The update has a new level 76 red dragon to defeat, additional dungeons, a heroic instance, a 3v3 capture-the-flag map, more options for existing classes' skills, and the game's Winterfest holiday event. [Source: Spacetime Studios press release]
RIFT releases Update 2.1, begins Fae Yule
You've gotten a taste of the new festival content, you've seen the huge raid, but nothing will prepare you for RIFT's 2.1 update quite like this post will. Trion Worlds took the curtain off of its first post-Storm Legion update today, triggering the game's seasonal Fae Yule celebration as well. The centerpiece of Update 2.1 is a 20-person raid called Endless Eclipse. The new endgame raid is not the only challenge being added, as Trion's patched in a new expansion-themed chronicle, updated the PvP conquest system for level 60 battles, and added weekly crafting quests for high-level adventurers. With Fae Yule's second round in the game, Trion's shoved in plenty of more activities and rewards. There's a nifty sledding minigame, holiday-themed instant adventures, lots of dailies, and merry decorations for players' dimensions. This update comes out on the heels of Trion's announcement that the studio was suffering layoffs.
APB locks and reloads for Christmas
All Points Bulletin is preparing for a bloody Christmas siege -- and if you can get through this holiday event without saying, "Now I have a machine gun. Ho ho ho," then you are better people than we. The game is kicking off its holiday festivities on Wednesday, December 12th, and has a few twists from last year's event. During the event, players will need to seek out Elves for a few new missions. These Elves aren't messing around, either; they're prepared to hand out weapon skins and cool threads for the street-tough. The studio also floated the rumor that there will be a snowball grenade launcher up for grabs. The studio has a 12-day promotion starting on December 13th for shoppers. Each day, the cash shop will hand out a different surprise gift to those dropping money on the title. [Source: Reloaded Productions press release]
Star Trek Online reveals holiday rewards
If the sound of Q's Winter Wonderland returning in Star Trek Online got you excited yesterday, then just wait until you see the rewards. The developers posted on the bounty of goods that players can earn and win during this holiday event. To earn the rewards, players will need to accumulate collectables by participating in the various holiday activities. Those collectables can be traded with other players and cashed in to purchase Tribbles, winter jackets (now with stylish midriffs!), scarves, winter weaponry, and snowmen pets. Fleets can work together to build a Breen ship ornament in their starbase. However, the big prize of the event is a Breen Chel Grett Warship. The warship is free for the taking to captains who run the footrace 25 times out of the 35 days of the event.
Star Trek Online expands Q's Winter Wonderland
Q's Winter Wonderland -- Star Trek Online's holiday event -- is preparing to return to the sci-fi title on Thursday, December 6th. When it arrives, players will discover a few new tricks up Q's sleeve in this enchanted wonderland. The dev team has added a central gazebo with vendors, a snowball fight against magically animated snowmen, and a footrace down a slippery path. There are plenty of new rewards as well, including costumes, winter gift boxes, and the ability to breed epohh pets. All of the old activities will be returning as well. The event continues through January 14th and can be accessed by talking to Q at Qo'noS or Earth Spacedock.
Anarchy Online moves forward with graphics overhaul and server migration
Executive Producer David Williams is completely pumped about the new graphics engine coming to to Anarchy Online, and in his most recent developer update, he gushes about it while explaining why it's not quite ready for prime time. There are a set of new pictures to help with the wait, however. One of the more interesting features of the new game engine is that it gives the developers the ability to both import old art assets and create brand-new ones for the game. "Since AO is huge, for most assets we don't have time to remake them," Williams explains. "The new player experience, for example, has all new assets. Most things won't." He also mentions that the team is finalizing some issues regarding the upcoming server merge and that this winter's holiday content will go live in the game next week. [Thanks to David for the tip!]
Vanguard expands F2P perks, introduces lockboxes
Vanguard has become even more accommodating to free players as today's update lifted the restriction against such players using uncommon items. SOE says that this now opens the door for free players to equip almost 20,000 additional items and weapons. It seems that Vanguard isn't able to escape all the trends of free-to-play, however. As the Festival of Gloriann rolls in next month, so do new lockboxes to the game. These lockboxes have a chance of containing a rare item like festive horses and cool pets, but are only openable by using cash shop-purchased keys. The patch also contains tweaks to the newly opened City of Brass, a resurrection gem in the marketplace, and performance tweaks.
Guild Wars 2 welcomes Wintersday next month
While hardcore Guild Wars players probably knew to expect it, the news that Wintersday is coming to Guild Wars 2 is welcome nevertheless! ArenaNet has just announced that the game's second holiday will be arriving on December 14th and will continue until January 3rd. Modern Wintersday is a Tyrian holiday that binds several different celebrations together with the mutual love of toys. An Asuran Santa Claus, Toymaker Tixx, will be traveling to all of the major cities to hand out toys to the good little boys and girls. And yes, that means you, even though you've been flirting with the "naughty list" this year. The official Wintersday page is sparse as of yet, but keen-eyed visitors can spot some cool pieces of concept art, including one of Tixx's awesome airship.
Get your Black Friday MMO deals here!
If our gift ideas for MMO gamers wasn't enough to get you started with your holiday shopping, then how about a full-fledged roundup of the many, many great deals floating around on Black Friday? That's right: Without putting on your pants, you'll be able to get in on some incredible promotions for this busy shopping day. Even if you're just buying for the most special person in your life (yourself), we still give you permission to splurge. All of the big deals are past the cut, so what are you waiting for?
RuneScape's oracle predicts through 2013
With the clock running down on 2012, one might be forgiven for overlooking the rest of the year in favor of what the next will bring. That's a mistake with RuneScape, as the devs have promised that they've saved the best for last with a couple of sizable updates to the game. On tap for the remainder of the year is the addition of a super-tough Grandmaster-level quest, player-owned ports, and a very lonely dog that will need help come Christmas-time. Looking ahead to 2013, Jagex revealed its ambitious plans for a variety of content as well as something called RuneScape Next Gen. The description of the latter is quite intriguing: "Featuring our innovative new browser-based technology and with big investments in graphics and gameplay, RuneScape is set to take a monumental leap forward in 2013. Higher visual and audio fidelity, improved camera mechanics and a much more customizable interface system are but a taste of what you can expect."
