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Pixies release new single 'Bagboy' as BitTorrent bundle (video)
Yes, there have been BitTorrent bundles from high profile artists before, but it's still a nice surprise to see The Pixies release its first original song since 2004's Bam Thwok on the service. If you want to be amongst the first to hear "Bagboy," then simply download the bundle and unlock it with your email address. Those who do will then receive a complete version of the band's 2004 Coachella set delivered straight to their inbox. For those of you who haven't yet discovered Frank Black and his friends, the new single (plus a classic for comparison) has been tucked after the break.
Pixies for iOS helps you create novelty photos
Pixies-Fun with Photos is a nice twist on regular photo-editing apps. The free app lets you take a picture, then add some graphics (objects, animals, symbols etc) so you can share the augmented whimsical results with family and friends. The developers have also partnered with Zazzle so you can send your favorite creations for printing on mouse pads, a coffee mug, T-shirt or other keepsake. Although the app is free, I suspect the real reason it exists is to push those printing services. The app works as you would expect, and there is a large variety of graphics you can put on a photo. The app lets you take a picture with your camera, or you can use an image you already have. There are plenty of little things you can add to your photos, or you can get more with an in-app purchase. I think there are enough bundled with the free app that you probably won't be tempted. This is the kind of app kids will enjoy, but adults will have some fun creating unique photos too. %Gallery-183920% The app runs on any iOS device, but is not universal.
See Ultima X: Odyssey in glorious action
One of 2004's most anticipated MMOs, Ultima X: Odyssey, was struck down by parent studio EA near to its completion date. The strong interest in this title coupled with the advanced state of its development has always been one of the most maddening "what if?" scenarios in the industry. While it is slightly outside of our power to restore the Ultima X project and push it out the door, the folks over at Ultima Codex unearthed a 34-minute gameplay video to at least show us how this title looked in action. Clear out a half-hour and check out what could have been with the following footage! [Thanks to John for the tip!]
The Game Archaeologist and the What Ifs: Ultima X: Odyssey
Last week on The Game Archaeologist: Murder most foul! A promising sequel to a hit MMO cut down in its prime, left to die on the front steps of EA's headquarters while its team was banished into exile! With special guest star, Richard Garriott's hair braid. And now, for the exciting conclusion! As disappointed that some MMO fans were over Ultima Worlds Online: Origin's cancellation, the truth is that the industry still was young, these MMOs still had their "new car smell," and hey, there was always Ultima Online to play. It was probably the right call at the time to not create your own competition, but if that was the case, EA should've never begun it to begin with. So did the company have a major case of cancellation remorse? Or did it look at other industry sequels like Asheron's Call 2 and EverQuest II and feel as though it was being upstaged? Whatever the reason, EA decided that it had been too hasty, and it greenlit development on yet another Ultima Online sequel, this one titled Ultima X: Odyssey. It would go deeper and further into development, gather more acclaim, and generate more hype than UWO:O, and in fact would get within spitting distance of launching.
[1.Local]: Gigantic
Reader comments -- ahh, yes, the juicy goodness following a meaty post. [1.Local] ducks past the swinging doors to see what readers have been chatting about in the back room over the past week. Yes, I am just naming this column after Pixies songs so I can embed them and not even attempt a theme. Thank you for noticing. I do have a gigantic love for many of our comments, though. They are fun to read and the threads are gigantically entertaining. I also really like when a gigantically different viewpoint is presented for discussion. My love for the new guild perks in Cataclysm is gigantic, and so is Cyanea's: This list is the reason why we couldn't have "guild talents" and why we get all of them instead. Any hardcore PVE or PVP guild that doesn't have either the Honor point or the Hero point gain talent is not going to be competitive. A lot of more casual guilds could've easily picked them both up, but when you're in a hardcore guild striving for world/realm firsts or whatever the equivalent is for PVP you're going to go for the most effective point distribution, forcing players who do both (like me) or who are in a primarily PVE guild and mostly PVP and vice versa to leave their friends and find other guilds just to stay competitive. All that whining about Guild Talents was pointless. Pointless indeed. Turn the page for some more gigantically fun and/or interesting comments from the past week.
Palm's official webOS 1.4 changelog leaked?
You know what's running out? February. That's a little alarming considering that Palm had promised that totally rockin' new cut of webOS, 1.4, before the month was out -- but while we wait for this thing to actually happen, at least we've now got an official (or official-looking) changelog of the build out of the good folks at PreCentral. Besides a host of bug fixes, 1.4 is said to have performance boosts within the phone and calendar apps, a handful of messaging enhancements, new email sorting options, custom alert sounds for reminders (finally!), and -- of course -- the addition of video recording and Flash support on the Pre. Interestingly, it won't have Flash out of the box -- you'll still need to download it from the Catalog, it seems. Head on over to PreCentral for the full log, and read really, really slowly just in case you've got a few more days to wait on this stuff.
Verizon-bound Palm Pre Plus and Pixi Plus specs leaked
And just like that, you've got specs. We'd already heard that the Palm Pre Plus and Pixi Plus were headed to Big Red for some more EV-DO action, and now we've got a leaked image of the phones' spec list. Guess what? Nothing much to see here -- just a storage bump for the Pre to 16GB, and WiFi enabled on the Pixi, unlike its Sprint counterpart. As for release schedule, we've got nothing, but you can expect hear more about these two dudes at Palm's CES event tomorrow, which we will -- of course -- be covering live.
Free Realms interview explains character customization options
Free Realms is a pretty hot topic in the MMO world right now, and with good reason. If the game can live up to expectations, Free Realms may just be a game that both adults and young kids can enjoy. The art style of Free Realms is distinctive and this carries over to the look of the characters themselves. Carolyn Koh from MMORPG.com recently caught up with Free Realms art director Rosie Rappaport and associate art director Sebastian Strzalkowski to talk about some of the game's character customization options. The interview kicks off with a discussion of the inspiration for the art style we'll soon see in Free Realms, but the discussion focuses heavily on the potential for customization. The game will launch with Humans and Pixies as the playable races, with some customization options unique to each race. The title will not have slider bars to scroll through the various character creation options as with some other MMOs, but will have more 'playful' icons that open up the various options for skin tone, face paint, hairstyles, and wings (in the case of Pixies). According to the SOE artists, "In the case of the Pixies, the wings can be customized to look very elegant and floral or they can be bat-like and scaly." If you're interested in the customization options available to Free Realms characters, have a look at the MMORPG.com interview with the title's artists.
Rock Band Weekly: Weezer gets set to Doolittle
Last week's announcement of The Pixies' Doolittle was a bit premature, but the full album is definitely coming next week. Additionally, three Weezer tracks from the new Red Album (none of which are titled Pork and Beans) are also coming out next week. All songs are master tracks for pristine rocking ability.Fun Fact: Weezer's Rivers Cuomo cites Pixies as a major influence. They recorded a cover of the song Velouria for the tribute album Where is My Mind?Weezer Pack (440 MS points / $5.49) -- All songs are also sold individually (160 MS Points / $2) "Dreamin" "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived" "Troublemaker" The Pixies' Doolittle (1520 MS points / $19) -- All songs are also sold individually (160 MS Points / $2) "Crackity Jones" "Dead" "Debaser" "Gouge Away" "Here Comes Your Man" "Hey" "I Bleed" "La la Love You" "Monkey Gone To Heaven" "Mr Grieves" "No 13 Baby" "Silver" "Tame" "There Goes My Gun" Videos for Doolittle can be found here. After the break, peep the three Weezer tracks. The songs will be available next Tuesday and Thursday on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 respectively.
Judas Priest to lead Rock Band's full album downloads April 22
First promised back in July of '07 and teased again just last month, Rock Band will finally see its first full downloadable album when Judas Priest's "Screaming for Vengeance" becomes available Tuesday, April 22. The set of ten master tracks will be available for $14.99 (that's 1200 Microsoft Points for those who can only make calculations in fake currencies) or individually for $1.99 (160 MS Points) per song. A Rock Band forum moderator also confirms two more albums coming down the pike sometime soon: The Cars' self-titled debut and The Pixies' "Doolittle." Still no word on The Who's "Who's Next," which was originally promised as the first album available for download, or Nirvana's "Nevermind," which was hinted at in last July's GamePro -- or Cyndi Lauper's "Time after Time," which we've been hoping against hope will be coming ever since the game's release. Oh Cyndi ... why did you ever stop recording?
Pixies frontman Frank Black wails for GRAW 2
Frank Black is a rock icon. So when the Pixies frontman teams up with 3volution Productions* to record an exclusive cover of The Stooges' "Gimme Danger" for a new Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 trailer, it's reason to take notice. The song has been paired with nearly 90 seconds of GRAW 2 gameplay footage; a different direction from the one taken in the more stylized Gears of War "Mad World" ad. Still, the Black laced GRAW 2 teaser is worth a gander -- or at least a listen. *3volution Productions, created by Fear Factory drummer Raymond Herrera, specializes in producing audio tracks for games.
