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You can help two lovelorn hamsters reunite with Google's Valentine's Day doodle
Winning this mini-game will lift your spirits and (almost) make you forget you're single.
New 3DS easter egg turns Mario beats into Breakout fun
Over in Japan, one clever customer found a mini-game hidden in the New 3DS browser. Tap out in rhythm the first six notes of the Super Mario Bros. theme and voila, Breakout! Here's a suggestion for a name when the New 3DS heads West: "URL only break my heart." [Image: Nintendo]
EVE Evolved: First impressions of Odyssey
The Odyssey expansion has been live for a couple of days now, but it's already starting to have a massive impact on EVE Online. Traffic through low-security space has increased significantly for the first time in years thanks to explorers hunting data and relic sites, and some players are even hunting asteroid belt NPCs in lowsec for the new security tags. New wars have erupted in nullsec following the redistribution of moon wealth, mining has become a more valuable profession, and the rebalanced battleships feel powerful again. Unfortunately, Odyssey has seen its fair share of problems too. The new jump effect looks spectacular the first few times you see it, but long-term play is reportedly causing motion sickness in some players. Some players have also been objecting to the ice mining changes, and the revamped radial UI menu hasn't done much to fix the game's usability problems. Explorers in low-security space and nullsec are reporting incomes in the billions of ISK per day range thanks to the scan probe changes and new hacking minigame, but not everyone is happy with the new loot-scattering mechanic. In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at the early impact of Odyssey on the EVE Online universe and discover the secrets behind collecting all the valuable loot when hacking.
EVE Evolved: Archaeology and Hacking in Odyssey
EVE Online's Odyssey expansion is set to land in just over a week's time, kicking off the game's second decade with a focus on exploration, immersion, and resource rebalancing. Developers plan to shake up nullsec by redistributing the value of various moon minerals and buffing player-owned outposts, and lowsec will become a more tempting place to visit with the addition of valuable new tags to asteroid belt NPCs. But what's in it for highsec players? In addition to new navy issue battlecruisers and immersive new jump and death sequences, players from all corners of EVE will find new exploration content in their back yards. A big part of the new exploration system is a complete redesign of the Hacking and Archaeology mini-professions, which have been in EVE for as long as I can remember and have remained relatively unchanged. Odyssey will add new sites for both professions and replace the boring old chance-based system with a new minigame that emphasises co-operation with other players. In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at the history of Hacking and Archaeology in EVE and what the new system brings to the table.
Revolutionary new minigame datamined in patch 5.3
We've asked for other minigames in WoW, but so far there's been no official word of anything on the horizon. The Plants vs. Zombies minigame is loads of fun, and the battle pet system is by far the most expansive minigame that's ever come to the game. Not everyone has the interest or time to invest in pet battling, so it was very exciting to stumble across the newest WoW minigame, just datamined in patch 5.3. It's a game any player can have fun with. A game many of us have enjoyed ... Say hello to Rock, Paper, Scissors! That's right! Forget about the Singing Sunflower. Whether you're bored or want a new and improved way to decide who get's that Thunderforged weapon, this is it. OK, so this may not really be a new minigame -- datamining is a fickle thing -- but the spells are there for one purpose or another. We can dream, right?
Sony patent wants to make advertising more interactive
We all know adverts are a necessary evil, which is why different companies are trying to make them more personalized, more engaging or just plain get rid of them. In a recently granted patent, Sony outlines its ideas for next-gen advertising on network-connected devices -- essentially to make it more interactive. Many of the instructional diagrams involve PS3 accessories in the home setting, but the focus isn't just on adverts as mini-games, which itself is nothing new. Other suggestions for keeping your interest include in-ad purchasing, casting votes or selecting the genre of commercials. To speed up, or get ads off your screen, Sony would have you performing small tasks or -- more sinisterly -- shouting brand names when prompted. Whether such immersive advertising will ever be employed is anyone's guess, but we're sure you're smart enough to know they're just tricks. So who's up for a McDonald's then?
The Mog Log: Final Fantasy XIV's baroque crafting
If you liked absolutely nothing else about the launch of Final Fantasy XIV, you have to admit that the development team really went the distance to try and make crafting relevant and unique. Even though a lot of games add some depth to crafting beyond waiting for a bar to fill, most of those games make the actual craft process start and stop with a click. Not so in the advanced and in-depth synthesis that the game has always sported, from the needlessly ornate original version to the more streamlined system the game now features. A claim that Final Fantasy XIV's crafting is one of its biggest draws is just a statement of fact. But the crafting system isn't flawless, and since we know it's due for more revision with version 2.0, now's a fine time to look at what about it is so spectacular and what could use some serious revisions, especially after I've spent most of my time in-game over the past week hammering, burning, and grinding may way to the higher levels of a craft.
Star Trek Online answers a fleet's worth of questions
The one-year anniversary for Star Trek Online is just around the corner, and the game has quite a number of irons in the fire to go along with that milestone. Player-generated content and weekly episodes are two of the game's big features on deck for the near future, and the latest installment of Ask Cryptic certainly addresses those, but that's only the tip of the iceberg. With nearly three dozen disparate questions answered, this month's offering covers everything from Vulcan ships to an open PvP environment. Among the more interesting answers is the fact that the development team is looking into ways to model rather unique ship traits such as the multi-vector attack mode of the Prometheus class. The team is also hoping to give players the ability to fly shuttles and yachts, along with reasons to do so. The next minigame after dabo is still on the table, but at the moment the team is focused on more meaty content. Take a look at the full rundown for all of the Star Trek Online questions for this month -- there's plenty of information to be found within the lengthy answers.
New Star Wars online game revealed: Clone Wars Adventures [Update]
While we've heard the rumors of a third Star Wars online title coming our way, today it's confirmed: Clone Wars Adventures will launch this fall! Unlike Star Wars Galaxies and Star Wars: The Old Republic, Clone Wars Adventures is aimed at a younger demographic (but may appeal to the older as well), in the vein of what SOE did with Free Realms. Sony is shying away from calling this an "MMO," preferring the term "virtual world" instead as there won't be leveling or quests. Capitalizing on the Clone Wars TV series' popularity, CWA offers a pick of three playable classes (Jedi, Padawan and Clone Trooper) and will be more minigame focused. Players will socialize in hubs, meet iconic Star Wars characters, and head off together or solo for a variety of activities, including spaceship battles, tower defense, card games, droid programming and speeder bike racing. Destructoid is reporting that about 20 minigames will be present at launch. Fun amenities, such as pets and player housing, will be offered as well. Clone Wars Adventures will be free to play with an optional membership, so everyone will be able to sample the goods without worry. The official website is chock-full of info and screenshots, although a lot of the smaller details are obviously forthcoming. We'll be able to get a closer look at this title when we travel to E3 later this month, so stay tuned! [Update: We've gotten our hands on a trailer for the game! Follow along after the break to check it out!]
Heavy Rain detective puzzles coming to PlayStation Home
Finally! You can put your CSI knowledge to good use. Starting tomorrow, PlayStation Home will be updated with a brand new Space: The Backstage Pass. At first glance, it may not seem related to Heavy Rain, but keen minds will be able to find a way to unlock a secret adventure, the Heavy Rain "Evidence Analysis" mini-game. The PlayStation.Blog is scant on details, but promises Home denizens "will receive a rather special reward" when completing the game. "This prize is definitely one you Heavy Rain fans won't want to be without." That certainly sounds like the most enticing reason to visit the PS3 online community in quite some time.
Massively proclaims victory and rage over all citizens of Norrath!
See, this is what happens when we let Seccia write titles for us. Ughs... sorry about that readers. We don't proclaim any victory, nor do we have any rage towards the citizens of Norrath or EverQuest II. We are, as always, unbiased in our viewpoints... unlike some new Dark Elven interns. However, Seccia has noted that we've received a package today from a member of her elven bretheren, a certain community management elf by the name of Kiara. Enclosed were two pieces of a shattered tablet, one named "Victory" while the other was entitled "Rage." We're not sure what this whole thing will form once it's put together, but we do know that other fansites have more pieces of the tablet. (Oh, Dark Elves and their puzzles.) We've put the pictures of victory and rage after the break, so good luck with assembling the tablet and we can't wait to see what it reveals!
Confirmed: Car-bashing bonus stage returns in Super Street Fighter IV
After scans from Famitsu all but confirmed it, Capcom today revealed that the crescendo of humanity vs. his own creations – car bashing – will return in Super Street Fighter IV. Though the image of Juri above is all we're offered by Capcom-Unity for now, various Capcom staff Twitter accounts lead us to believe we'll be hearing more about this bonus stage next week. In the meantime, we've dropped an excellent video of John Cleese beating up a car with a stick for you just after the break. You're welcome.
PSP Minis, Digital Comics get their own promo videos
The PS3 Slim might be getting all the attention today, but the new PSP Minis bite-sized games and PSP Digital Comics service are actually potentially game-changers as well -- so of course they get their own promo videos. Minis are 100MB or smaller games that will launch on the PlayStation Store the same day the PSP Go arrives, and while the launch lineup doesn't have any standout must-haves, we think they'll be quite popular. The real sleeper might be the Digital Comics service, though, which will launch with Marvel titles and eventually add more publishers -- although pricing and other details haven't been announced, we've got a feeling quite a few PSP owners will be into the idea of getting comics on the go. Innovative new ideas or clever reaction to games and ereaders on the iPhone? Hit the break, watch the videos, and sound off.
The Daily Grind: What game mechanic do you dislike?
No MMO is perfect, although some cut it pretty close (I'll leave it up to you to decide which). Regardless of which game you play, whether it's WoW, EVE, City of Heroes, AoC or even a fremium like Free Realms, there will always be something about the game that not everyone will like. For me it's mainly little things: the minigames in Free Realms, the vehicle interface in WoW. But sometimes, it's mechanics like this which can make or break a game and help a player decide whether they should continue past the 7/10/14-day trial and actually pay good money for a game. For some it's an ability or a particular boss, for others it's something not in game that probably should be. I want to know what game mechanics -- which are in your game of choice -- you really don't like and why. Speak up, readers, and drop your thoughts in the box below.
The Daily Grind: How difficult do you like your crafting?
Once, long ago, when you wanted to craft in EverQuest, you had to know precisely what it was you wanted to put into your crafting box/bag/spit/etc. - or you could sit there swapping things in and out in combination for hours. Once you'd hit upon a combination that would create something, you then had the potential chance to lose your materials if you didn't manage to craft it. While this wasn't such a big deal when you were sitting around cranking out Batwing Crunchies, if you were making items that required hard to get materials, you can imagine the frustration when your combine whiffed. On the opposite side of things, we have the extreme ease of World of Warcraft, which allows you to pop to the auction house, buy everything if you have enough gold, and then craft piles and piles of items with those mats by pressing one button on a handy menu that shows you everything you can make. The crafting system there has no failures, nor does it have the chance of making a greater or lesser item; all of the items are exactly the same on the basic level. While many felt this was a great improvement, some others prefer at least some small risk for reward - making it more like a mini-game - and thus we still have at least marginally harder crafting scenarios in several MMOs. This morning we thought we'd ask you; do you feel that crafting should be easy, guaranteeing a successful combination every single time? Do you think there's something to be said for slightly harder crafting, where you may risk commonly-gathered materials, but not rare ones? Do you think we need a return to extremely hard crafting? Or do you just not really care, and would rather pay someone else gold to craft things for you?
Noby Noby Boy on PlayStation Network February 19 [Update]
Before delving into some of February's bigger, disc-based games like Killzone 2 and Street Fighter IV, Namco Bandai invites you into the zany world of Noby Noby Boy. It's the game where -- seemingly -- your imagination and insatiable hunger for eating things can take you to the moon -- literally. It will also allow you to record whatever strangeness you can procure which can then later be posted and viewed on YouTube. Gamers in Europe can expect this spiritual successor to the Katamari series to hit the PS Store on February 19. It'll go on sale for a measly €3.99. While pricing for the UK was not mentioned in the latest press release, a quick look at previous pricing on PSN suggests to look forward to putting away £2.49. With recent news of a delay in Japan to coincide with the Feb. 19 release, we're thinking that North Americans should expect to see the game appear on that day too. Update: We were right. Namco Bandai has announced a US release of Noby Noby Boy for Feb. 19th. It will be available for $4.99.%Gallery-34693%
Hard Working American People
Because there's nothing like heading to work as soon as you get home from work, Hudson is planning on bringing Hard Working People to North America. There's just one thing: it may not actually be called Hard Working People when it gets here. The game's final title is up for debate, or rather, vote; on Hudson's website, you can choose from possible titles like Help Wanted (currently in the lead), the good ol' Hard Working People, and Job Heroes, among others.While this one looks pretty hilarious, we're always a little wary of games that require work (see also: Animal Crossing and more), but when that game is centered around working, we're doubly uncertain. Maybe we shouldn't be translating everything into a waggling mini-game simply because we can. Then again, Hard Working People really does look like Everything Mama, and thus could be promising. The jury, as they say, is still out. Out working.%Gallery-29606%[Via Siliconera]
BlizzCon ticket fiasco sparks fan-created game
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/BlizzCon_ticket_fiasco_sparks_fanmade_game'; If you've been one of the many frustrated players attempting to purchase BlizzCon tickets online since yesterday, then you'll really get a kick out of BlizzCon 08, a mini-game created by Belneiros of Moon Guard (or Toneslice of Exodar). It's extremely simple to learn how to play, and follows a classic arcade pattern. The premise is that, as a Failbot aka Blizzard employee, you arrive at work only to learn that (gasp) Blizzard forgot that the BlizzCon tickets are going on sale that day! In order to save face, you're going to have to start shooting as many down as possible. After all, there's no superior diversionary tactic. Armed with your gun, you must do everything possible to prevent the sale of BlizzCon tickets. The more customers that get tickets, the closer you are to death. It's actually a fun little pass-time that doesn't use much processing power at all. It's a quick play, and its inspiration came from the same refreshing, Failoc ordeal that we've all had to endure. If you sift through our live coverage yesterday, you'll notice that Belneiros wasn't the only bored player that got creative!Stay tuned to our live blog today for news on ticket sales and our luck (or lack thereof) with acquiring some of the elusive tickets.
Shaun the Sheep is the best character ever
There's nothing quite as charming as a Nick Park creation. After the worldwide success of Wallace & Gromit, a show with 7-minute episodes was devised starring an above-average farm animal. This animal now has its own DS game, and it's awesome. Why? It just is, man -- Shaun the Sheep owns all.The premise of the game involves Shaun herding the rest of the flock back to the barn before the nondescript "Farmer" character returns home. Not much else is known about the gameplay at this point, beyond maneuvering around obstacles to safely guide the other dumb-as-donuts sheep. However, an additional mini-game mode is included - standard fare for children's games these days. Hey, if you're a kid or not, this is a fantastic game -- Shaun rules. Check out the trailer above and the first screens in our new gallery!%Gallery-26222%[Via press release]
DS Fanboy Review: Disney Friends
No, this one isn't new, and it's probably not the kind of game most of you are looking for when you browse the racks, but if there are young gamers (or Disney freaks) in your life, Disney Friends is worth a second look. It's one of those games that's mystifying in its invisibility, the sort of thing that should be advertised until we desperately hunt down the remote just so we don't have to see that damned commercial again. Instead, it slipped by with nary a wave in the pool of DS games, and that's just criminal.If you know a younger gamer who loved Nintendogs (or one of these people), this may be a surefire recommendation. Surprisingly, it's that good. But that seems to be par for the course when it comes to developer Amaze Entertainment -- who also worked on the GBA's incredible Spyro title last year. They take old franchises and licenses that no one seems to care about, and sometimes put out gems no one notices. Not all the time ... but when they're good, they're great. And for what it is, Disney Friends is pretty great.%Gallery-26006%
