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Lost Pages of Taborea: Beating the economy
Last week, I expounded on Runes of Magic's current economic situation. Prices are crazier than the obligatory car salesman's, only in reverse. That is to say, prices are extremely high for everything right now. It doesn't stop the game from functioning, but it does put a lot of gear and upgrading tools out of reach for new and free players. This week in Lost Pages of Taborea, I want to look at a handful of ways that you can continue to enjoy RoM until the storm blows over (if it blows over). Even though prices seem out of hand, you can still get equipped well enough from new quests to start running dungeons. The minigames have been rejuvenated into farming grounds, thanks to the introduction of crimson stats. And even though it is often scoffed at, arena gear is an option for those willing to grind honor points or materials.
First Bungie Aerospace project detailed, Crimson: Steam Pirates hits iPad next week
The very first project setting sail under the Bungie Aerospace flag is Harebrained Schemes' Crimson: Steam Pirates and it's leaving port on September 1, with its compasses pointed towards the free-to-play frontiers of the iPad. Promising turn-based gameplay coupled with a "mystery" that, as mysteries are wont to do, needs uncovering, Crimson: Steam Pirates certainly has presentation in the bag. But what else will your $0.00 buy you? The site details eight "voyages that begin the tale of Thomas Blood's adventures in the Caribbean," two "'Pass-and-Play' multiplayer scenarios," oodles of ships, subs, airships, and unique crew members, and of course, Bungie.net stats, Leaderboards, and the unavoidable Facebook integration. If you're wondering how anyone makes money off this would-be treasure hunt, it's simple: while the first eight missions are free-to-play, "Chapter 2, 'Tales of Captain Blood' will feature another eight missions for $1.99." That's what we call buried treasure. %Gallery-131494%
Bungie Aerospace a partner program with social, mobile devs
If you were hoping that Bungie Aerospace would be a new action-packed game from the venerable Halo developer, well ... we don't think we could disappoint you more than we're about to right now. Bungie Aerospace (the trademark for which first popped up in early 2010) is a partner program in which the AAA powerhouse will team with social and mobile devs, giving them "creative freedom and the resources they need, like access to the Bungie.net platform and an audience with the incredible Bungie community." The release stops short of calling Bungie the publisher of these products, but it certainly reads that way. The first dev getting the Bungie bump is Seattle's Harebrained Schemes, a studio run by Jordan Weisman, of I Love Bees/FASA Interactive/Wizkids fame. It's an intriguing partnership, but we won't get our hands on the results until this summer when a game codenamed "Crimson" (which Aerospace trademarked in May) hits iOS and Android. You know, we're excited by the news, but we can tell this isn't what some of you were hoping for. ... Hmm. Well, what if we told you "Crimson" has Master Chief in it? It doesn't, but what if it did? (It doesn't.)
Rumor: Bungie working on an iOS app
Here's another interesting rumor (to match the one about Duke Nukem the other day) featuring a major gaming property coming to the iPhone. Touch Arcade spotted a trademark by game developer Bungie for something called "Crimson," supposedly related to "computer game software for use on mobile and cellular phones." That would hint at an iOS and/or Android release from the legendary Halo developer, who recently split ways with Microsoft to work on an original IP for Activision. Bungie started out making games for Mac, and this latest game is rumored to be an online shooter, possibly with MMO elements, which would make it perfect for going cross platform on Windows, Mac, consoles and smartphones. Of course, none of this is confirmed by any of the companies involved. All we have so far is this trademarked name, Crimson. But iOS is clearly growing in popularity as a platform among even more traditional developers, and Bungie, free as it currently is from the reign of Microsoft (who itself has even relented to the popularity of iOS), has got to be interested in the iPhone and the iPad as gaming platforms.
Bungie Aerospace Corporation trademarks 'Crimson,' mystery continues
Bungie's trademark frenzy continues with the discovery of a trademark filing for "Crimson" within the past several days. GameSpot UK spotted the listing on the US Patent and Trademark Office website, which denotes "Crimson" as being "Computer game software downloadable from a global computer network; Computer game software for use on mobile and cellular phones; Downloadable computer game software via a global computer network and wireless devices." Presumably, whatever "Crimson" is won't be all three of those things. Interestingly, the filing applies to newly incorporated Bungie Aerospace (rather than Bungie Studios proper), while Bungie's previous trademark applications were all filed by a proxy corporation (as to hide their origins). As with previous reports, we've contacted Bungie for a comment, but don't expect to hear much back. Nor do we expect to hear anything at E3, as the studio has specifically said it won't be attending this year's show.
DS Lite discontinued at GameStop
We caught wind of an internal GameStop memo this morning announcing the discontinuation of Nintendo's DS Lite. The memo (pictured above) asks employees to remove displays of Crimson, Black, and Metallic Rose models, once they've burned through their stock -- we've since confirmed the fact with an employee of the gaming chain. Not a huge shocker, of course, given the fact that the five-year-old system has since been eclipsed by 2009's DSi and, more recently, the company's glasses-free 3D portable, the 3DS. We have reached out to Nintendo for comment on the matter and will update this post with official word once received. Update: We heard back from Nintendo, receiving the usual "Nintendo doesn't comment on rumor and speculation."
Crimson Red Dell XPS 16 in the wild?
So about that apparently canned crimson red Dell XPS 16 laptop. We received a handful of pics from a tipster who claims to have gotten one about a month ago when he returned his other, decided un-red model for a screen replacement. We don't want to say this is 100 percent legit without holding it in our hands, but if this is the beauty we once had the option to purchase, Dell, please, bring crimson back. [Thanks, P]
World of Warcrafts: Crimson Serpent
Every Thursday, Shelbi Roach of The Bronze Kettle guides you in creating WoW-inspired crafts using real world mats with World of WarCrafts.Behold the Crimson Serpent Figurine. This real world trinket probably won't give you any additional stamina or intellect, and the increase to magic power is debatable. But it is guaranteed never to go limp in your time of need and there's no pesky 2 minute cool-down. Just don't whip it out in an inappropriate setting like work or school.Here is what you will need: Porcelain Clay Acrylic Paint (Red & Black) Paint Brushes Krylon Crystal Clear Glaze Toothpick Click on the images below to view a gallery of step-by-step instructions. %Gallery-33326%
Nintendo teams up with distributor to bring DS to Taiwan
For all of you in Taiwan who have relied on non-official distribution to satisfy your need for Nintendo, know that a new third-party distributor has made a deal with Nintendo to supply the region with video games from the Kyoto-based company. FarEasTone (FET) will be teaming up with Nintendo to provide the region with DS units and hopefully find as receptive a market as the handheld has in all other regions of the world it's available for sale. Two specific models of DS Lite were mentioned, in the crimson black (or "senior") unit and a "New Super Mario DS Lite console." The handheld will be available from July 3rd on.
Rumor: Australia to get two more DS colors
If those of you in the Land Down Under are tired of the same old DS Lites, some new colors might be on the way to freshen things up a bit. It's true that they aren't "new" in the purest sense of the word, as the two-toned crimson and cobalt colors have been around in the U.S. for a while now, but they'd be new to Australia.Yet, if you're reading DS Fanboy, there's a pretty high chance you already own a DS, so new colors like this are nothing more than evil temptations. With that said, do any of you in the Australian region want this rumor to be true, or for the safety of your wallets, are you hoping otherwise?[Via Go Nintendo]
Red, titanium BlackBerry Curve 8310s get pictured for AT&T
We've been trying to picture in our heads just what a red Curve would look like ever since we heard AT&T's updated 8310 model would rock the hue, but RIM's all-business image -- an image it's increasingly trying to shake as of late -- has more or less blocked that mental rendering for us. Wonder no more, though: Boy Genius Report has scored a picture of AT&T's two 8310 shades, showing the traditional titanium and red, which will apparently be known as "crimson" at launch. Unlike T-Mobile's offering, this one won't have WiFi, but at least it picks up GPS in the process. Look for both to hit any day now.
Red/black DS goes Brainless in October
If you find the crimson/black DS Lite as delicious as we do, but can't stand the sight of that polygonal know-it-all Dr. Kawashima, we've got some good news for you. As was recently revealed for Japan, the two-toned DS Lite will be sold in the US as a standalone unit in October. An "announcement" of this new release can be found on Zelda: Phantom Hourglass store displays.The news was first reported by N+ (the Opera community, not the awesome ninja platformer) blogger LUTHERJW, but we're using the picture found on GoNintendo, because you can see it.
Crimson / black DS Lite for sale in America?
Alright kids, no more complaining that Canada gets all the good stuff. 'Course, all of us North Americans still have a bone to pick with Japan and South Korea, but that's another story for another day. Apparently, the crimson / black DS Lite that snuck up on us last week at Future Shop has made its way south to the US of A -- or at least, it had. According to DSFanboy, GameStop had the specially colored bundle (which included Brain Age 2 but sadly omitted the carrying case) listed on it's website for $149.99, but now it seems that the item has been yanked. Keep your eyes peeled Americans, it ought to pop back up in due time.[Via DSFanboy]
