Saga
Latest
The COVID-19 Humble Bundle pairs great games with a great cause
There's a new Humble Bundle on offer, and it's packed with great deals for a great cause. The special one-week COVID-19 Bundle features more than $1,000 worth of games and comics and can be yours for just $30 (£25.50) -- or more, if you're feeling charitable, as buyers are encouraged to give what they can. All of the proceeds will go to support organizations responding to the coronavirus outbreak, including those delivering protective gear to healthcare workers and providing healthcare to vulnerable patients.
Curtain Call DLC channels Chrono Trigger, SaGa, FF14, Secret of Mana
Just last month, Square Enix released what it stated was the last planned DLC for Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call. The developer's plans thankfully seem to have changed however, as a report from Dengeki Online (as translated by Siliconera) notes extra, impending DLC tracks featuring tunes from Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana, Final Fantasy 14 and the SaGa series. A bulletpoint outline is available after the break for this batch of tracks, which will arrive on Japan's 3DS eShop on December 24 for 150 yen apiece (though "Ultima" and "Hard to Miss" will be free for the first two weeks). Square Enix hasn't shared plans to bring the DLC encore stateside, but hopefully it will succumb to the gift-giving spirit and spread the love.
New entry in the SaGa series to reach Vita in 2015
RPG fans enamored with the Vita, get to work on your Suidoken ports – Gematsu reports that a new entry in the SaGa series will launch on the Vita within 2015, as was announced during Square Enix's presentation that recognized the series' 25th anniversary. Details are largely absent from the announcing trailer, with concept art from SaGa series character illustrator Tomomi Kobayashi serving as our only real clue as for what to expect. As far as the event's other announcements, a browser-based PC game called Imperial SaGa was announced for Japan, which will build a new story from worlds featured in previous SaGa games. Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song, the Japanese PS2 remake of the original Romancing SaGa, will also be brought to Japan's PlayStation Store as a PS2 Classic, but plans to offer either Imperial SaGa or Minstrel Song to Western audiences have not been announced. [Image: Square Enix]
The Candy Jam invites devs to make games using the industry's litigious vocabulary
In response to news that Candy Crush Saga developer King has trademarked the word "candy," and has begun enforcing it in a way reminiscent of patent trolling, indie devs Cariboo and UUAV have established The Candy Jam. The Candy Jam invites developers to make games involving the litigious world of sweets, throwing "bonus points" behind teams that make liberal use of other common words dredged up in recent outrageous trademark fillings, such as "scroll," "saga," "edge," and more. The game jam is open to developers from today through February 3. Why hold a gamejam revolving around the current candy saga? "Because trademarking common words is ridiculous and because it gives us an occasion to make another gamejam," the event's website proclaims.
Saga lifelogging app captures your every move
WIth the advent of devices like the iPhone that are generally at our fingertips wherever we go, there are a growing number of apps to capture your location over time, essentially creating a log of everywhere you went during every day. Saga (free) is a fairly recent addition to the world of lifelogging, and I've been testing out the app for the past two-plus weeks. If you're the type of person who would like a continuous log of your life without needing to meticulously note every move, Saga may be for you. To begin with, let's get one thing out of the way -- in order to provide this log, Saga uses your iPhone's Location Services all the time. I was initially worried that this would be a huge draw on my iPhone battery, but in reality I barely noticed an impact. Kudos to the Saga development team for figuring out how to minimize battery usage. Saga can be connected to many of your other favorite apps. For the purposes of my review, I connected Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, RunKeeper, Instagram, Fitbit and Withings. TripIt and BodyMedia can also be added. %Gallery-189810% Once you've set up Saga and begun your lifelog, the Location Services arrow will always be on in your iOS status bar. The app has three primary tabs -- Lifelog, Now and Me. Lifelog displays a reverse chronological listing of everywhere you've been as well as input from those other connected apps while you were at a location. For example, my current listing shows that I've been at TUAW Denver Office (aka my home) for 13 hours and 27 minutes, and shows a list of tweets, Facebook posts and my weight (courtesy of Withings). I can confirm that I was at that location -- that's one of the few actions that users need to take. Other information can be edited, notes added or photos added at a location. Tapping "Now" displays where you are at the current time -- hopefully, you already know that -- as well as a total of how many hours you've been running the app. There's a "Snaps" button that, when tapped, gives you an opportunity to take four quickly spaced photos in a photo booth format. Once again, information can be edited, showing that you're either in transit or in reality at another location. In kind of a meta move, you can share your information -- which may include input from those connected services -- on Facebook or Twitter. Finally, there's the Me tab. That's where the settings are, but more importantly where the "infographs" are viewed. What are infographs? Well, Saga takes your personal data and either displays it in graphic format or compares it with an average of all users. For me, this was the least interesting of the tabs, as the infographs really made no sense. A chart of time spent at the top three categories last week? Well, I spent most of my time in my home office, so there's a huge bar showing that I spent about 140 hours at "Home", with a few hours at a movie theater to see Star Trek Into Darkness and some time at the local community college teaching a class. One interesting chart showed the distance I traveled each day last week versus the average, but many of the other charts seemed pointless to me. Do I really care about the typical commute-to-work time when I don't commute to work? It seems that there should be some way to turn off some of the infographs in Saga if they're irrelevant. I found Saga mildly interesting, and to those who are struggling to find a way to capture their every move, it might be the app you're looking for. In the end, I personally decided to remove it from my iPhone and cancel my account. Since I started using Moves (free) as a replacement for a Fitbit Ultra that no longer wants to sync, I pretty much know where I've been and for how long, without the unnecessary fluff of the infographs.
Comixology claims responsibility for banning Saga #12, rescinds ban
Yesterday, we posted about Apple reportedly banning issue 12 of a comic book called Saga, due to a couple of graphic sex scenes included in it. The book's creator, Brian K. Vaughan, had posted that Apple wasn't allowing his book to be sold on the App Store, though it was available through a number of other channels. But today it turns out that Apple isn't to blame -- instead, the book's digital publisher, Comixology, has confessed that they made the decision not to sell the book. Comixology runs the very popular Comics app on iOS, and they publish the digital versions of books from a number of different publishers, including Image Comics, who publishes the Saga series. The company's CEO, David Steinberger, has posted on the company blog that Comixology made its own decision to not publish the book, based on its assumption of Apple's policies. Of course, after the news yesterday, Apple says it would not have a problem with the book being published in Comixology's app, and Steinberger says the issue will be available soon, and apologizes to Vaughan and Image Comics for the confusion. So there's both good news and bad news here. The good news is that this decision did not come from Apple -- instead, it was Comixology that jumped the gun and decided to not publish the book on the App Store. But the bad news is that while Comixology did make the mistake, I can't really blame them for being concerned about Apple's retribution. Just yesterday, the company did threaten an App Store developer with removal over some adult content, and we've seen examples before of Apple being overly concerned about content that was already labeled for users 17-plus. That's why we here at TUAW jumped on this story and took the comic's creator, Vaughan, at his word -- because it's not hard to believe, given Apple's unclear and inconsistent polices on this matter, that they would have a problem with this book. Fortunately, they don't, and all credit to them for confirming that. Macworld followed up with Apple to confirm the supposed ban, and in hindsight, we should have done the same. But as long as Apple's policies and their enforcement on what's OK and not OK for the App Store remain unclear, we may see more issues like this pop up, either driven by developers dependent on the App Store for revenue, or by Apple itself.
Apple bans Brian K. Vaughn's Saga #12 comic book due to graphic sex scenes [Updated]
Update: It turns out this is not true -- the ban came from the book's digital publisher, Comixology, not Apple itself. Comixology has since rescinded the ban. Original Post: I never thought I'd write two stories in one day about Apple attacking the comic book industry over adult content, but that's indeed what's happening today. The latest controversy comes from writer Brian K. Vaughn, who writes a terrific series called Saga. The just-released issue number 12 of the book contains "two postage stamp-sized images of gay sex," according to Vaughn in a press release, and as a result, Apple has officially banned it from the App Store, commanding various comic publishers to not carry the book digitally for sale on the iPhone or iPad. Vaughn says he could have considered changing the images, but "everything we put into the book is there to advance our story, not (just) to shock or titillate," so the material is staying in. In the meantime, he says, you can find the book at any brick-and-mortar comic book store, on Image Comics' website outside of Apple's marketplace, or even (and here's the real laugher) in Apple's iBookstore, where apparently the company is less lenient than it is for third-party publishers. Obviously, these images and this book aren't appropriate for children, so it makes sense to be cautious about how the images are shown. But Saga is hardly pornography -- it's an excellent, well-written and insightful piece of art. Apple's censorship on this is at least more timely than some of its other attacks on "adult" material, but still, the fact that Apple is trying to block specific content from its store for arbitrary reasons is disturbing.
Saga Kingdoms MMO and movie rev up dual Kickstarter projects
Gnome Templar, the maker of Saga and Captains of Darktide, is hard at work on the next step of its franchise with Saga Kingdoms. That the studio is looking to fund the project via Kickstarter might not surprise you in this day and age, but the fact that its also running a second fundraiser to finish its film based on the same IP might. Saga Kingdoms is a persistent MMORTS in which players customize a hero avatar and look to expand their island nation through quests and conflict. One of its most interesting features is that it connects to a mobile RPG that acts as a two-way street for experience and loot. The devs love the world they've created so much that they are also wrapping up a film in that universe called The Shadow Cabal. They claim that the movie's scenes have been fully shot, but it still needs about $20,000 for additional special effects and editing. Watch the trailer after the jump and let us know whether this is worth a few bucks or not!
Introducing 'Follow The Saga': the whole story, regardless of where you jump in
Over the years, stories have become more than just single bursts of information. These days, there's as much drama in the consumer technology world as there is sports, politics or your average episode of Days of our Lives. Take SOPA, for example. We'd be remiss of our duties here if we simply reported on what it was, without ever following up on protests, delays, judgments and other vitally important developments. In fact, it's tough to think of too many stories covered today that don't correspond with some sort of saga -- even the departure of RIM's co-CEOs represents just a single slice of a far larger tale. For those that follow this stuff 24/7, jumping in at any point in the story is no issue; piecing together the past with the present is second nature. But if you're actually working during the day, hopping aimlessly into an ongoing saga mid-stream can be downright disorienting. Painful, even. We've been working hard to come up with an unobtrusive solution, and we think we've found it.We've actually had our Follow The Saga functionality since January of last year -- we quietly debuted it with the launch of Verizon's iPhone 4 -- but today's iteration is far more interactive. We've been testing these out over the past few weeks, and today we're happy to officially introduce them. If you see the badge shown after the break in any post that pops up here at Engadget, just give it a click to be taken to the full saga, and scroll up and down to see related stories before and after the one you happen to be looking at. We're hoping it'll be particularly helpful to those who happen to stumble upon a saga somewhere in the middle, but want to get caught up on what happened prior and where we stand now. As with everything we do, we'll be continually tweaking and evolving the tool in the months ahead. Enjoy!Psst... want to see it in action? Have a look under the body of this SOPA post to see how we got to where we are today.
Sensics head-tracking 3D Smart goggles hands-on (video)
When we first caught wind of Sensic's head-tracking 3D Smart goggles a few days ago, we couldn't help but think of it as a Sony HMZ-T1 on Android-flavored steroids. We've just spent some time with the prototype here on the show floor playing a virtual demo that had us smashing buildings in a virtual world -- notably running entirely on the headset, thanks (in part) to its 1.2GHZ dual-core CPU. If you can't tell from the picture, the headset is absolutely massive. In-hand it's quiet hefty, but once it engulfed our noggin, we found that it was actually quiet well-balanced and comfortable, to the point that we almost forget that it was on our head -- almost. Notably, this proto is a "one size fits all" type deal rght now, so we did have to wrap a circle-scarf around our head to keep its 1280 x 1024 screens within our eyes view. Thankfully, our horn-rimmed glasses did fit inside with no issue.So, what's it like? An array of cameras on it's face scan the environment to react to your heads position and any movement you make. We were able to spin, tilt, walk around and even jump, with the virtual world on screen following suite -- all while looking like a confused and lost puppy to anyone passing by. We're told video refreshes at 60hz, but sadly, we were faced with stuttery visuals in our use. The unit is also capable of tracking hand movements, but we can't say we were able to make use of the privilege -- instead, a controller made up for the interim. Considering that Sensic's head-tracking 3D goggles do all of the above in a completely self-contained fashion, we can't help but think that there's lots of potential for the tech. The question remains, however, as to whether the experience and the hardware can be smoothed to bring the Minority Report-style of AR closer to a retail reality. Head on past the break for a video of us trying out Sensic's headset for ourselves-- trust us, you're in for a treat.
Sensics Natalia head-tracking 3D goggles work alone or with PCs, consoles and phones
Well, it looks like Sensics is going to give Sony some competition in the high-end, head-mounted display arena with a new 3D head-mounted display. Like the HMZ-T1, Sensics' Natalia headset has dual OLED screens and can connect to consoles, PCs, or phones to let you see your favorite movies and games in 3D. Unlike the Sony, Natalia sports higher-res 1280 x 1024 screens, and isn't simply a display: it has a 1.2GHZ dual-core CPU and 1GB of memory, an SD card slot, WiFi, Bluetooth, and runs Android 4.0. That means that it can be used as a standalone device, and the company's libSensics app programming interface gives devs the tools needed to create software for the new platform. Oh, and did we mention that Sensics' headset does 360-degree head tracking, and can track your hands to allow for immersive AR user experiences (think Minority Report). The final feather in her cap? Though Natalia can run on DC power, she also has hot-swappable batteries so you aren't tethered to an outlet. Sensics isn't telling how much this nifty bit of kit will cost, but the company's aiming for a late 2012 release and will be showing the headset off at CES next week -- where we'll be getting hands on with it and will let you know how well (and if) it works.
BioWare documents the beginning of your SWTOR saga
The launch day of Star Wars: The Old Republic is upon us, and while most any interested parties are fully immersed in BioWare's mega-MMO, there are always those who are still on the fence about the game or haven't heard about it yet. To give a proper nudge in the right direction, BioWare's released an eight-minute documentary titled Your Saga Begins to give a broad overview of SWTOR's strengths and direction. The team spends the time making a case for not only why the game is special but how it should appeal to the Star Wars fan in all of us. Covering the bases of story, voiceovers, companions, exploration, graphical style, and more, the developers hit on all of the selling points of the game while giving first-time viewers a good reason to give this title a shot. Even if you're a veteran of the Mandalorian War, there should be a tidbit or two in this documentary that's new to you, whether it be absorbing the behind-the-scenes voice recordings or seeing just how big and bushy some of the devs' beards have become. You can watch the full documentary after the jump -- and don't forget to check out our comprehensive guide to launch and beyond!
Judge to reconsider DoJ's AT&T antitrust suit
Late last month AT&T withdrew its application with the FCC to acquire T-Mobile, in an attempt, it said, to focus on winning approval from the Department of Justice, first. Now a district court judge is considering dismissing the US' antitrust suit against ole Ma Bell. According to Bloomberg, the DoJ is looking to either "withdraw without prejudice" or "stay" the suit, as a result of AT&T pulling its application from the FCC. Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle scheduled a hearing for December 15th to decide whether the deal is still possible in the proposed timeframe and the suit still worth pursuing. She had this to say: We don't have any confidence that we are spending all this time and effort and the taxpayers money and that we're not being spun. The landscape has changed. AT&T's lawyers remained steadfast, however, demanding the company's "day in court," and reiterating that approval from the DoJ would improve its chances of getting the thumbs-up from the FCC. For more sordid details on this legal ping-pong match, hit the source link below.
HTC's flagship Android spotted again with 2.2.1 OS and unibody design
Oh boy, looks like HTC's having some real trouble with leaks in its home town lately. Spotted again in Taiwan is this Android device that looks awfully familiar, and for the first time, we get to see a clear shot of its somewhat homely backside. The lucky phonespotter claims that this unibody phone -- codenamed Saga and running 2.2.1 -- belongs to a "client" of his, and from his brief hands-on he reckons it's about as thick as the 7 Mozart and the Legend. Well, that's pretty much all we've been told -- stay tuned in case we hear more in this remaining week before MWC. [Thanks, Sam]
Final Fantasy Legend 3 remake on the way to DS
Last year, for the 20th anniversary of the SaGa series, Square Enix released a DS remake of the Game Boy's SaGa 2, which we knew as Final Fantasy Legend 2. This year, Square Enix is remaking SaGa 3: The Ruler of Space and Time (our Final Fantasy Legend 3), though there isn't a particular occasion for it. Early Famitsu scans show the same kind of slightly cutesy visual makeover given to SaGa 2. Siliconera reports that it'll retain the freaky class system from the original, in which characters can change classes immediately either by equipping cyborg parts from downed enemies -- or eating meat made of defeated monsters. Following the usual pattern for these Famitsu leaks, we expect to learn more about SaGa 3: The Ruler of Space and Time - Shadow or Light later this week.
Orcs, elves, magic, and... pirates: Silverlode unveils Captains of DarkTide
Silverlode Interactive, the developer best known for fantasy MMORTS SAGA, has unveiled a project that's been in "stealth development" for the past year: Captains of Dark Tide. This pirate-themed free-to-play game is set in the SAGA universe, creating an unusual and potentially very exciting mix of fantasy and piracy -- the swashbuckling kind, not the software kind -- on the open seas. What this means is that players will be able to do things like crew their ships with dragon-summoning dark elves, create cannons that shoot fire or lightning, or bring the lich and his minions aboard to join you in your search for buried treasure. If it sounds like something that you'd like to try, Captains of Dark Tide is accepting signups for the US closed beta now. Only US servers will be available for the time being, but EU players are welcome to join the US servers. A EU closed beta will launch sometime in the future. If you're worried about not getting into the closed beta, don't: the servers will scale as beta progresses in order to admit everyone. You can sign up for closed beta on the main CoDT page, and be sure to check out the gallery below for a first look at Captains of Dark Tide. %Gallery-92743%
Nokia 'Saga' accidentally outed in AccuWeather ad? (update: nope, it's just the N97 Mini)
We're not quite sure what to make of this, but it appears that the AccuWeather app for S60 5th Edition devices has gone ahead and leaked an unknown Nokia device -- the "Saga" -- which appears to be a sort of N97 Mini Mini (two "Minis" on purpose there) that trades the tilting screen for a more traditional flat sliding one. As Symbian-Guru points out, Nokia itself doesn't typically assign names to its handsets -- it leaves that job to its carrier partners -- so this might simply be a branded version of one of the existing N97 variants, but naturally, the leaked device theory is juicier. At any rate, if this were to come Stateside, they might have a bit of trouble slipping it by Samsung since they've already got a Saga in the mix here, so we'll be keeping an eye out for some blander N, E, or X series label if this gets real. Update: David Fields of the Nokia Messaging team is saying over on Symbian-Guru that it's simply an N97 Mini -- but that still doesn't explain where the Saga name comes into play. The mystery continues! Update 2: Another Nokia spokesperson has contacted us to let us know that "Saga" was Nokia's internal codename for the N97 Mini... so yeah, no new hardware here.
Square Enix countdown reveals Final Fantasy/SaGa/Magic the Gathering crossover card RPG
The latest Square Enix teaser countdown displayed a big Roman numeral that counted down each day, causing a lot of excitement when it struck "VII." The countdown has elapsed, revealing that no, it's not the Final Fantasy VII remake, nor is it something remotely as exciting, though Lord of Vermilion II is at least interesting in its own right.Lord of Vermilion II is the sequel to Square Enix's popular arcade collectible card game, which uses real trading cards to summon monsters, allies, and such in-game. The sequel is particularly noteworthy because, as the new site reveals, it includes characters from Final Fantasy IV, Romancing SaGa II, and even creatures from Magic: The Gathering.Of course, since we don't really have card RPGs or arcades in North America, the chances of playing this ourselves are slim. Although, as Siliconera noted, Square Enix trademarked Lord of Arcana in the US. So, it's possible.
Limited SaGa 2 DSi celebrates 20 years of SaGa, looks great
While we continue to wrap our minds around the idea that a SaGa game (specifically the SaGa 2 remake) can be worth playing, Square Enix has easily convinced us that a SaGa-themed DSi is worth playing games on. The company revealed the limited-edition SaGa 20th anniversary system, which will be sold with a copy of SaGa 2 and will release on the same September 17 date as the standalone version.The system features the SaGa logo and a circular logo with the title of each game in the series. It looks so refreshingly different from the usual limited-edition system. It remains as expensive as usual: 24,880 yen ($262).[Via Siliconera]
Verizon's Samsung Saga gets updated with new AKU and unlocked GPS
We still think that the Saga is one of the better portrait QWERTY WinMo phones currently on the market -- the optical mouse is awesome and global roaming is a more-than-welcome capability -- and it's only gotten better with the release of an official update from Samsung. The new build features Microsoft's latest Windows Mobile 6.1 AKU (1.5.1, if you're curious) and adds the capability to send MMS messages when you're roaming on GPRS, but most importantly, it unlocks GPS so that third-party applications can take advantage of it. This is a trend that Verizon's been pursuing full-force this year, and needless to say, it's a welcome one.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
