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World of Warplanes is adding dragons for that extra kick of historical accuracy
In a press release from early this morning, Wargaming.net has announced that it's adding dragons to its upcoming World of Warplanes. I'll just let that line sink in a bit before I continue. Yes, the studio is adding dragons; there's a video and everything (included past the cut). According to the release, the "initial tech tree will include 12 dragons and will eventually expand to more than 60 creatures. Each mystical animal will have its own peculiarities and strategic employment. Players can upgrade several key characteristics including fire intensity level, color, number of claws, horns, wingspan and skin thickness." Now, I should remind you what this Sunday is, so you can put two and two together, but it's an interesting thought nonetheless. Will we see more early April Fool's jokes today? Stay tuned!%Gallery-151846%
Breakfast Topic: Has your opinion about the pandaren changed?
The introduction of the pandaren to World of Warcraft as a playable race has finally arrived, after years of requests. Fans split into different camps. Some love the idea of having the pandaren race in WoW, but others still believe the pandaren to be an April Fool's gag and nothing more. Now that the beta has arrived, we've had a much better look at our new pandaren allies. While not the strongest supporter of the pandaren in the beginning, I was of the mindset that it wouldn't be the most ridiculous thing added to WoW, so I wasn't going to complain. In a world where cow people walk side-by-side with the living dead and green linebackers from outer space, panda people didn't seem like too much of a leap of logic. Actually seeing the implementation of the pandaren, though, changed my mind about them -- the realization of the idea rather than the idea itself is what allowed me to accept the thing. Now that the pandaren are out in the wild, has your opinion about them changed? Were they once a jokey race now elevated to nod-worthy status? Do you need more time to see where Blizzard develops the pandaren story? Have pandaren not moved on your radar?
WoW Archivist: Patch 1.11 for fools
The WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold? Today's Archivist topic would have been a grand one to save for the next April Fools' Day, but that's half a year away! Sticking strictly to chronological patch order, what the heck, let's just tackle it today. In the early months of 2006, World of Warcraft players were eagerly anticipating patch 1.11, Shadow of the Necropolis, which would implement the original 40-man version of the Naxxramas raid. On April 1, 2006, former Blizzard community manager Caydiem decided to go fishing for trolls: She posted what is known as Evil Patch Notes. Some of the false patch notes released for patch 1.11 on April Fools' are timeless, immediately obvious jokes that just click, even five years later. Others are relics of their time, references to popular complaints and hatreds of 2005 and 2006. Players who have only just started playing World of Warcraft in the last year or two may not understand them at all. Others, years later, are closer to the truth than Caydiem may have ever expected. Patch 1.11's Evil Patch Notes will now be presented in full, where they may speak for themselves. Enjoy!
Rumor: World of Warcraft's next expansion has been named
First there was The Burning Crusade, then Wrath of the Lich King, and, most recently, Cataclysm. World of Warcraft's expansions have been the lifeblood of literally millions of gamers' playtime, which is why many fans are anxiously awaiting word of the fourth expansion pack to the hit MMO. Today we may know the name of the expansion: Mists of Pandaria. According to MMO Champion, Blizzard filed a trademark with this title on July 28th, which is exactly in line with how the company has procured titles for the previous expansions. The trademark specifies that this is for "computer game software." The Pandarens are one of the more light-hearted races in the Warcraft franchise, with kung fu panda bears from a secret empire somewhere in Azeroth. Despite being fan favorites, the Pandarens have been rarely seen in WoW, while Blizzard has used them in a couple different April Fool's jokes in the past. We'll be keeping our eyes on Blizzard for any official confirmation.
The Perfect Ten: MMO mascots
Everyone knows that a good mascot can make a difference between a video game's death and rabid popularity. Mario, Master Chief, Duke Nuke 'Em, Pac-Man, Samus Aran, Pyramid Head -- each one of these mascots isn't merely an aspect of the game, they are the virtual spokesperson (or spokesthing) which represents the game itself. Yet when you think about it, MMOs have had a tougher time producing mascots than other video game genres, partially because unlike other games, you don't play as the mascots, and partially because when you have a cast of thousands of NPCs, picking out one to elevate above the rest is a difficult job. Difficult, that is, but not impossible. Today we're going to look at ten MMO mascots (MMOscots?) that studios have tried to promote as the face of these games, to varying degrees of success.
April Fools: Nyko offers 3D glasses for 3DS
For those of you who find glasses-free 3D unnatural, Nyko (doesn't actually) have a solution: 3D glasses for use with the 3DS. Featuring "Lens-less is More" technology, the $100 frames accurately bring the 3D movie experience home -- at least the part of the experience that involves wearing giant, stupid glasses. The April Fools' Day joke on the Nyko website acted as a lead-in for a Facebook contest, in which fans were asked to send in pictures of their own useless 3D glasses. The prize was a free Charge Base/Power Pak+ package -- a product which, unlike these glasses, has been proven by a reliable authority to have a function. [Thanks, Mike]
First real and fake BurgerTime HD trailers
MonkeyPaw Games is going back to the kitchen to create a new serving of BurgerTime -- which is a good idea, considering the original burgers are now 29 years old, and that's disgusting. For those of you interested in sampling BurgerTime HD's new recipe, you'll find a trailer after the break. Also after the break is MonkeyPaw's heartbreaking April Fools' Day joke, a trailer for the "Delicious Edition" DLC, which replaces Peter Pepper with Burger King's eponymous, creepy monarch. It was a joke, but ... we would have been totally into playing as the King. So much so that we would have walked into a Burger King and purchased Burger King food to make that happen. We were willing to go that far.
Global Chat: Best of April first edition
Friday was April Fool's day, and while we at Massively didn't want to stop bringing you all the latest real news, we wanted to get in on the fun as well. In the end, we compromised by making a few little additions to our schedule in the first half of the day. While we had regular news at the top of the hour as always, on the :30s we handed the virtual printing press over to you, our readers. Several of our writers created Mad Libs-style news stories, leaving out the important parts and allowing you, the readers, to create whatever news your hearts desired. Today we're looking at the ones that kept us laughing, so follow along after the jump for the best of April first!
Forza 4 pitch video pulled by Microsoft
If you must suffer an unforeseen failure in confidentiality on any day of the year, what better day than April 1st? It's the one time when the internet can muster some skepticism, even while presented with purportedly leaked footage of a high-profile sequel. Doubt over the authenticity of an "internal" pitch video of Forza Motorsport 4 might have obscured the news, had Microsoft not pulled it from Youtube. According to a Microsoft statement received and published by several gaming news sites, the video "was not intended for public distribution and may not accurately reflect features and functionality that ship in Forza Motorsport 4." The company's concern may lie in promising features that have yet to be finalized, such as 16-player online races, the contribution of over 80 automobile manufacturers and the introduction of social car clubs. (One promoted feature we can rule out with ease, however, is the career mode that has you "literally" traveling the globe. Forza 4 isn't likely to include a bundle of plane tickets -- if it did, you'd have a cheap opportunity to swing by this year's semantics nazi convention.) Considering the glossy, flattering nature of the video, and the presence of already-announced additions like Kinect head tracking, it's possible that April Fools' Day marked the start of a viral marketing campaign for Forza 4. Let's see how long this version of the video stays up, and whether Microsoft comes knocking on our door. Not literally.
Steam offering 13 indie games (including Super Meat Boy!) for 75% off
Rather than go the "make up a fake game/product/service" route that so much of the game industry takes on April Fool's Day, Valve instead put together an indie bundle and heavily discounted it, making those who didn't buy it fools in the process. It's what we like to call "the old switcheroo." Including Joystiq Game of the Year awardee Super Meat Boy, terror simulation Amnesia: The Dark Descent, and Gaijin Games' synesthetic masterpiece Bit.Trip Beat, "The Potato Sack" drops all 13 games by 75 percent off their normal asking prices (or 50 percent when purchased a la carte). Considering that all of those games would normally cost around $160 if you bought them individually, you're looking at a savings of approximately $120. Also, you'll do untold wonders for your invaluable indie cred. And hey, if none of that does it for you, there's a potato hat for Team Fortress 2 included. Also of note, each of the bundle's games have been modified with a potato-themed update -- head to the gallery below for a look at Super Meat Boy and Bit.Trip Beat's starchy additions. Update: Added AaAaAA!! -- A Reckless Disregard for Gravity to the gallery, courtesy of NoodleGunshot. [Thanks Joseph Leakey!]%Gallery-120268%
Breakfast Topic: How did you like our April Fools' Day joke?
You know, we've had a pretty good run of April Fools' Day jokes here on WoW Insider. A few years back, it was HKO Insider. Last year, for the space a few hours each, we devoted ourselves to the love of Mass Effect, Lady Gaga, Twilight, and Muscle March, among others. But this year just took the cake. I can't tell you how proud I am of the entire team for working so hard to pull it off. From our columnists to our editors, we all worked so incredibly hard, and I'm sure if you were watching the site yesterday, you have to agree: It paid off. This was most definitely our best April Fools' Day joke of all time. So here's my question: What did you think of our joke this year? What was your favorite moment? I'd share mine, but it was all so amazing, that picking just one thing would be a total Sophie's Choice.
April Fools: CD Projekt Red reveals The Bard: Saviors of Queens
Sorry guys, we just don't get it. Maybe if we were more familiar with the Witcher franchise, we'd be able to wrap our minds around CD Projekt's April Fools' Day goof. It's created a fake game titled The Bard: Saviors of Queens, a trailer and dev diary for which are posted below. It's about a guy who kills dragons and bandits while bedding as many women as humanly possible. Here's our problem: Isn't that also what The Witcher is all about? It's been a while since we played it -- there's a very real chance that we're confusing it with CD Projekt's earliest title, The Lusty Swordhand. Still, on the April Fools outrageous-o-meter, this one falls on the "potentially could become a real thing" side of the spectrum.
April Fools: Razer's Talon Bio-Exoskeleton
Razer's April Fools gag is aimed at players who find their StarCraft performance utterly hopeless and their Call of Duty: Wisconsin skills in the dumps. Were it real, the Razer Talon would be "the world's first gaming bio-exoskeleton," capable of driving your in-game actions per minute (APM) well past the boundaries of human limitations. "The Razer Talon will learn your primary mouse and keyboard actions. The Razer Talon will take over and begin to execute your actions at a lighting fast pace," reads the Razer website. Just be sure to stock up on the also fictional Razer Snake Oil Hyperesponse Lubricant in order to slow the progress of Talon-induced tissue damage.
April Fools: Guild Wars 2 introduces modern Commando warfare
Not to be outdone by Blizzavision's World of Duty: Modern Warcraft, it appears NCsoft's Guild Wars 2 will counter with a Commando profession for the upcoming MMO. Featuring the motto: "If it bleeds, I can kill it," the contemporary military unit will "Oscar Mike" into the fight on land, sea or air across the fantasy realm. Some may argue that the profession is overpowered against evil bunny and dragon tangos, given that the class can equip grenades, drive all types of modern vehicles, and call in gunships, Predator air strikes and naval bombardment... but allow us to assure you that it totally is. Good thing the profession is just another April Fools joke.
April Fools: Bungie docks the Pimps at Sea on Facebook
Bungie's classic Pimps at Sea series has seen its highs and lows during its storied history -- Pimps at Sea 64, Call of Pimps: Sea Warfare, Ar Tonelico Navale: Pimps of Ar Sea El -- but fans are assuredly in for a treat with the company's latest iteration: PimpsVille for Facebook! Bungie COO "and trans-media marketing guru" Pete Parsons explains the new project by saying, "I was talking to Mark Zuckerberg yesterday – who just so happens to be a really close friend of mine – and he said Facebook has something like 500 million users. I'm thinking if we can get one dollar from every one of those guys, we can easily make a billion dollars." Truer words, Pete! No time has been given for the launch of PimpsVille, but we imagine that Bungie will wanna get out ahead of kids going on summer vacation. Or it'll never come out, because it's totally fake, but you never know. Weirder things have happened, right?
Gaijin hints at Bit.Trip for 3DS (again)
Oh, Gaijin Games -- you truly are a cruel mistress. Not only have you teased us once again with the Bit.Trip franchise's arrival on the 3DS by emailing us the red-and-blue Commander Video posted below, but you've done so on the day where absolutely nothing is believable. This is Bit.Trip.Sadistic.
Massively's April Fools' Day [adjective] roundup
The favorite day of the year for anyone named April has [verb ending in ed] the internet, making some web surfers [emotion] and others [emotion]. In [adjective] Massively fashion, we felt it best to gather all this news [adverb]. After all, what would an event be without a [adjective] Massively roundup? World of Warcraft [past tense verb] not just one internet prank but four for the [plural noun] of BattleNet. Turbine invited its [plural noun] to be the broccoli for [adjective] race in Dungeons and Dragons Online. The [plural title] of Star Wars: The Old Republic did not want to leave the Wookiee [plural noun] from playing their [adjective] game, so they created a Shyriiwook interface for all those [adjective] people. However, the prank that takes the [food] has to be ArenaNet's new Guild Wars 2 class, the Commando; Anet created [adjective] videos complete with jiggle physics and placed helicopters into the current Guild Wars game. After the cut, we have [past tense verb] all the [adjective] pranks in this year's batch of favorite MMOs. Now you won't have to [verb] around the internet to find them yourself! But if you do [verb] something not on our list, let us know in the comments.
Storyboard: Archetype discussion -- the Strawman
We've saved the best for last in our archetype discussions, because this character is the best. Without a doubt. He is pure, unadulterated awesome distilled into walking, talking form, and you could only hope to be half as great as he is. He saves princesses, slays dragons, and wins kingdoms, even if the game doesn't feature any of the above, because he is just that great. Whatever you do, he knows about it, and whatever you think you've mastered, he's even better. Don't hate him just because he's outdoing you at everything you try. The Strawman is our last archetype out of the initial round, and he's without a doubt better than any of the other loser types that we've covered up until now. After all, they all had one crippling flaw or another, and the Strawman neatly sidesteps all of those problems. He's the man with the plan, the dude with a justified attitude, and the solution rather than cause of all the problems your group of fellow players will encounter.
April Fools: Telltale puts you in the game with Envelotech
Sure, the totally-fake Envelotech device shown off in Telltale's April Fools' Day video below has terrifying properties -- but was Puzzle Agent really the best way to showcase its potential for terror? We probably would have gone with Jurassic Park, or, at the very least, Torturetown.
April Fools: The Old Republic localized into Wookiee language
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