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King of Fighters XIII review: Sweep the leg
It's tough living in someone else's shadow. Your achievements may be numerous and impressive, but existing outside of the limelight can be disheartening after a while. Constantly fighting for relevance in a crowded genre is a consuming, arduous fight; one that SNK Playmore has waged ever since Fatal Fury: King of Fighters went toe to toe with Street Fighter II in 1991. The result of that fight may be contentious in the mind of the fighting game community, but Joe Public and his Mortal Kombat Blu-ray feel otherwise; while series like Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat invaded American pop-culture and became household names, King of Fighters continued to toil away in obscurity, releasing game after game for its dedicated cult following. Things are different now, though. Street Fighter IV kick-started a renaissance in fighting games, reigniting the mainstream consumer's interest in the genre, which paved the way for impossibilities like Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and the incredibly successful rebirth of Mortal Kombat. In this new age of fighters, could it finally be SNK Playmore's time to shine? Will their latest entry, King of Fighters XIII, capture the minds and hearts of those unfamiliar with series? Probably not. SNK Playmore remains so unplugged from what is happening in the rest of the genre that its latest excursion feels like an old friend, rather than a revolution. Because of this, however, King of Fighters XIII is the best KOF game ever made, despite the fact that it isn't as flashy or user friendly as its contemporaries.%Gallery-126135%
Irrational's Ken Levine on BioShock's final boss and how Infinite's solution is 'more in our wheelhouse'
"So every game we make, we always say to ourselves -- back on BioShock 1, we had that terrible showdown fight at the end -- we're not good at that, let's not do that again. And then somehow, we end up ... it's like ... 'Baby I'll never hit you again, I'm changed, I'm changed!' And then we did it!" Irrational Games head and BioShock 1 creative lead Ken Levine struggled through that explanation this past weekend, pausing often, sighing a lot, and doubling back to be extra clear. His sentiment was certainly definitive, though: even he wasn't a big fan of the game's final boss fight with Atlas. "I think the boss battle in BioShock 1 -- the real boss battle -- is Andrew Ryan." I had asked about how BioShock Infinite, the studio's next game, would deal with boss fights, as the Atlas battle in the first BioShock title was seen by many as the lowest point in an otherwise spectacular experience. "I think we need to stay in our wheelhouse," he explained. "We're not Shadow of the Colossus. Those guys have a genius for that. We don't have that particular genius." Without getting into anything specific, and recognizing that it would be a "missed opportunity" not to do something with Songbird (Infinite's airborne antagonist), Levine said gamers should expect something more akin to the Andrew Ryan resolution in BioShock 1.
Boston Dynamics Cheetah and Atlas robots get DARPA funding, getting ready to find you
Okay, so it may not look quite as impressive as some other mechanical cheetahs we've seen in the past, but this new one from Boston Dynamics certainly has a lot of potential. That robot, plus a new humanoid called Atlas, have won DARPA contracts and so will be put into at least limited production, much like the company's earlier BigDog. Cheetah is said to run "faster than any existing legged robot and faster than the fastest human runners," while Atlas can "move through difficult terrain using human-like behavior," meaning neither running nor hiding will work. That leaves only fighting, so get ready to buck up. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Google Earth missive inscribed using GPS and 12,328 miles of dedication
Ah, the curious uses modern technology can be put to. Latest in our pantheon of heroically individualistic tech expression is Nick Newcomen, who took his car, his trusty GPS module, and a Qstarz BT-Q1000XT Bluetooth data logger and went road-trippin' through 30 different states. His goal? To inscribe a message to the Google Earth-viewing public, imploring them to "Read Ayn Rand." Rand herself might arguably have preferred it if Nick had used the railways to perform his transcontinental homage, but that's just nitpicking really. Skip past the break for a few videos from his journey.
One Shots: The war rages on
In EVE Online you never know precisely what will happen when you turn around. One sector might be peaceful, and the very next you could stumble into a war raging for control. These types of struggles are the lifeblood of CCP's sandbox world -- and we're very lucky to get the occasional war correspondence from our EVE Online readers in the form of One Shots! Today's image comes to us from Arial, who writes: This screenshot was taken Friday night during an invasion of Atlas forces into Providence in Eve. This is part of a major war that is ongoing between many alliances. In the picture are 3 super capitals (Titans) that had just jumped into system after the defenses were dropped. It looks like a long siege is coming. MMOs from big to small -- we love to see them all. If you'd like to show off a place we may not get to see all that often, why not send in a screenshot. It's easy to do! Just email it to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the name of the game, and a quick description. We'll post it out here and give you the credit. %Gallery-85937%
Zeno Clash trailer brings the co-op pain
There's an old saying: "Beating the snot out of people is better with friends." At least, we think that's a saying. It really doesn't matter, though, as the video above pretty much proves it anyway. When Zeno Clash: Ultimate Edition lands on XBLA, it will bring with it new co-op modes that weren't seen in the PC version. Specifically, the game will feature split-screen and online co-op in the Pit and Tower challenge modes, which will also include leaderboards. So, if ganging up on helpless bad guys and pummeling them to death sounds like fun, you should probably keep an eye on Zeno Clash.
Leaked BlackBerry Atlas gives Curve 8900 its CDMA counterpart?
Gemini had its Aries, and now it seems Javeline (a.k.a. the Curve 8900) has found its own CDMA equivalent in the BlackBerry Atlas. (Isn't a shame that RIM's device codenames are so often catchier than their final designation? But we digress.) A new BlackBerry has hit the internet in grainy photograph form, and according to Salomondrin with additional notes from Crackberry, the pictured leak (it's the one on the left) boasts CDMA bands, WiFi, and a 8900 series keyboard. Mum's the word, officially and otherwise, on pretty much any other details, but hopefully RIM won't keep us waiting too long.[Via Crackberry]
Addon Spotlight: Atlasloot Enhanced updated for Wrath
That's right, Atlasloot Enhanced has been updated to include the Northrend instances and raid. Personally, I've been waiting to be able to browse and try-on the gear from the new dungeons and raids since the expansion launched.Atlasloot Enhanced is absolutely one of my must-have addons, and I've watched it grow with loving admiration since the day I realized I could see what my toons looked liked wearing Sunken Temple loot.For those of you not using this one, it's a wonderful way to spend your time while waiting for your groups to get situated, double check drop rates on certain items, or even link items from your wish list for typically uninterested group-mates. (Go ahead and take advantage of the captive audience.)Although we've featured this one before, Atlasloot Enhanced has some great features for the curious player, and in light of all the new content, I thought we'd review some of the reasons to install and use this very useful mod.
Floor dropdown on the beta map interface hints at instance maps
The latest beta build has brought a new twist to the good old map interface. As MMO Champion reports, there is now a dropdown box on the map screen, letting you choose from a few different "floors." What this means exactly, we aren't sure -- the obvious conclusion is that you'll now be able to look at different sections of the world map (for example, see into different levels of buildings or caverns). And Dalaran (which this map is a part of) is one of those areas that has two different levels, so this particular menu will let you see both halves of the city.But this also suggests an even bigger change: including maps of instances in the official interface. Since launch, Blizzard hasn't ever shown us ingame instance maps (though we're not sure why -- maybe they want to require players to explore instances rather than follow a map through them). But lately, addons like Atlas have made them easily available to players, so maybe Blizzard has decided it's time to map out dungeons as well. We'll have to see what use they put this new dropdown to.
Baroque sale won't leave you broke
It's hard enough to convince gamers to buy a roguelike, but asking them to pay $39.99 for a dressed-up remake of a Sega Saturn dungeon crawl? Fuhgeddaboudit!If pricing has been that barrier keeping you from exploring Baroque's Neuro Tower dungeons, look to Amazon for a deal-of-the-day discount. The online retailer has slashed $14 off Baroque, bringing it down to $25.99. That makes this Sting-developed, Atlus-published title eligible for free shipping!Make sure to read our review for Baroque first to get an idea of what you're jumping into! It's not a game for everyone!%Gallery-11716%[Via CAG]
Gaming without Guides
Is WoW really player friendly? Tobold doesn't seem to think so. Says he, there's a lot of things that it doesn't tell you or you can miss the first time around, such as spending talent points, and that at the end game, he constantly has to check outside sites to figure out what he needs to grind to get certain drops and recipes. WoW does things better than most other MMORPGs, he says, but it is far from perfect. But, me, I'm not sure he has it quite right.
VC Tuesday: The Case of the Custom Wrestling
We love it when a bunch of previously Japan-only games come out on the VC, because that improves the chances, however slightly, of a release outside of Japan, like Sin & Punishment got. It's even a decent number of games! Well done. Three of the four games this week fall into that import-only category; unfortunately, they're also pretty text-heavy and would require serious localization. Tantei Jinguuji Saburo is the first in a series that is finally coming to the U.S. as Jake Hunter: Detective Chronicles. Aksys may be tempted to localize the Famicom game to promote the DS game, but with the amount of text required, it's not likely.Atlas is a simulation game like Colonization or Civilization, about Portuguese sailors in the 1500s. So, again, text. The sepia-only graphical style is neat, though. Custom Robo you may be familiar with from the Gamecube or DS. This N64 version has four-player robot fighting -- not bad for 10 bucks!The only U.S.-released game in the bunch is Wrestleball, which we absolutely would have bought had it been released under that name instead of the non-awesome Powerball. Tantei Jinguuji Saburo: Shinjuku Chuuo Kouen Satsujin Jiken (Detective Saburo Jinguuji: Shinjuku Central Park Murder Case (Famicom, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points) Custom Robo V2 (Nintendo 64, 1-4 players, 1000 Wii Points) Wrestleball (Mega Drive, 1-2 players, 600 Wii Points) Atlas (PC Engine CD-ROM, 1 player, 800 Wii Points)
Addon Spotlight: WhoDrop
Lots of us have encountered those wide-eyed and eager WoW players who walk up to anyone with epic gear and say, "WoW! Where'd you get that? That's uber-cool lol!" We may even be that sort of player from time to time, if we see a piece of gear we think looks really wonderful or seems particularly useful. WhoDrop answers that question for you before you even ask. Whenever you inspect another player (I'm using Examiner for that in the screenshot above), WhoDrop will insert a line at the bottom of the tooltip for each item you examine, telling you where exactly that item can be found. It'll tell you which boss drops it, whether it's crafted or not, or even how many Honor or Arena points it'll cost you to buy. Another addon which has a similar function is called Mendeleev, but I found that it overloaded me with too much information, so I went with WhoDrop instead. (Incidentally, the other two tooltip-info addons prominent in this screenshot are RatingBuster, with the stats, and Auctioneer, with the price information.)Additionally, if you're approaching a certain boss fight, grinding a certain reputation, or PvPing for certain rewards, WhoDrop also features an expandable list of the items you can get from these various sources. It was also recently updated to include the Arena Season 3 gear, so you can now drool over that any time you wish. If you want a prettier interface just for looking at boss drops and such, you might consider AtlasLoot, which has most the same information and is easier to browse through (but it has no tooltip info -- you'll still need WhoDrop for that). AtlasLoot is a plugin for Atlas maps, which can help if you ever get lost in instances.You can get WhoDrop at IncGamers, but I prefer to get mine direct from wowace.com, and keep it up-to-date with the WoW Ace Updater for the Mac.
Blizzard posts a Flash WoW Atlas
Blizzard has put a pretty neat little Flash-y WoW Atlas online, featuring clickable and cool-looking maps of almost everything there is to find (officially) in World of Warcraft. It's a pretty solid, if basic interface, so if you're just looking for the closest profession trainer, or want to know where the latest and greatest flight paths are, you're all set.However, there is of course lots more information online about what there is to find in Azeroth. MapWoW is a pretty invaluable unofficial resource-- it'll show you not only the Alliance and Horde flight paths and towns, but it utilizes the Google Maps API to show where Herb, Ore, and even overworld Treasure Chests show up. It's not quite as groovy as Blizzard's official interface, but there's a lot of extra info too that Blizzard doesn't want to give away.And the other problem with the WoW Atlas is that while it's up to date for the live realms, there's stuff coming that doesn't yet appear on there. Zul'Aman is seen (just like on the ingame map), but isn't listed as a real instance in the Ghostlands. And unfortunately there's no sign at all of the Sunwell, and not a single mention of Northrend. I clicked around a while and couldn't find any easter eggs, either (unlike Blizzard's other Flash features). Still, it's a neat way to see the official side of Azeroth.[ via Murdering Murlocs ]
Azentek stocking DiMora's $2 million ride with in-car electronics
If you thought the MyGIG or even Bose's Media System was high-class, Azentek is out to change your perception. Recently, the firm inked a deal with DiMora Motorcar "to provide high-performance computers for the Natalia SLS 2 sport luxury sedan." The ride, if you weren't aware, will be a hand-crafted $2 million, 16-cylinder production automobile, and will sport "at least two Atlas units" which boast voice recognition, FM / XM Radio / Sirius / HD Radio, Bluetooth, CD / MP3 / WMA / DVD support, GPS navigation, VoIP / cellphone integration, "over a terabyte" of storage, and Windows Vista for good measure. Additionally, users will be able to interface with the machines via touchscreen, keyboard / mouse, a handset, USB, auxiliary inputs, etc. Sure makes Blue&Me look like child's play, no?
NAViBLUE NBC3500 3.5-inch GPS rings up at $155
Don't be alarmed if you've never heard of NAViBLUE, but the company's NBC3500 navigation system is nevertheless aiming for the budget-conscience set with its remarkably inexpensive 3.5-inch GPS. The device reportedly packs a 300MHz Atlas II processor, 32MB of NAND Flash ROM, 64MB of RAM, USB 2.0 connectivity, an SD flash card slot, rechargeable Li-ion, and a Samsung touchscreen as well. Moreover, you'll find a SiRF Star III receiver, headphone jack, built-in speakers, and a multimedia player and image viewer that handles MP3, WMA, OGG, JPG, BMP, and GIF formats. The unit measures in at 4.5- x 3.1- x 0.9-inches in size and weighs 7.1-ounces, holds a map of the USA on an included SD card, sports turn-by-turn guidance, and best of all, rings up at just under $155. Of course, this thing isn't the sleekest navigator on the market, but for $154.99, we'll give it a pass on aesthetics.[Via NaviGadget]
T-Mobile Wing hands-on
The T-Mobile Wing is a Windows Mobile 6 phone, alright -- and the specs aren't anything to write home about, especially not for $400. 200MHz CPU, EDGE data, QVGA display. And yet we find ourselves mysteriously attracted to the T-Mobile Wing. It's nigh-sticky soft-touch finish, it's thin profile (for a WM QWERTY slider, anyway), it's divinely clicky d-pad and keys, it's rubbery keyboard that we just didn't think HTC could make any better. Check out the pictures, decide for yourself; but if you're a T-Mobile customer, if you're willing to plunk down this thing is kind of a no-brainer.%Gallery-3345%
T-Mobile Wing takes flight
Well, it's finally done: T-Mobile Wing née HTC's Atlas / Herald has lifted off. Obviously there are absolutely no surprises here for anyone who's been following this launch, but the thinner- hotter successor to the MDA comes out swinging with Windows Mobile 6 (Professional), quad-band EDGE data, Bluetooth, a 2 megapixel camera, WiFi, myFaves, a 2.8-inch QVGA display, microSD slot, soft-touch finish, and new and improved QWERTY keyboard. It'll be available tomorrow for $300 (with service agreement); stick around for some high res photography sure to tide you over until then. Early review roundup posted after the break.
T-Mobile "Wing" to change name, see Q2 release?
Call it a T-Mobile device... just don't call it "Wing." Word has it that execs at the nation's number two GSM carrier were less than pleased with the naming for its latest Pocket PC phone (but "Dash" somehow made the cut?), though it's unknown what the new name will be. But wait, we haven't gotten to the good part yet: the same rumor claims that the release date has been pushed up (not a typo) to May 27 for a mere $249 on two-year contract, perhaps a nod to perceived pressure from Sprint and Verizon's latest round of HTC superdevices. That's quite a launch bump from the original estimate of August; we'll believe it when we see it, but we're doing our best to stay optimistic.[Thanks, Seth]
The T-Mobile MDA is dead, long live the Wing?
Sweaty palms, darting eyes, hyperventilation -- the anxiety attack induced by the knowledge that T-Mobile is without a clear-cut QWERTY solution from HTC can be downright frightening, we know. After seemingly euthanizing the MDA, customers of T-Mobile's US outpost have been sans a replacement in the wings, but it seems that this sucker might be the lucky winner. A variant of the HTC Atlas (new to us!), the T-Mobile "Wing" appears to take some cues from HTC's newer QWERTY-based Pocket PCs by adding Function and Caps lights, a spring-loaded slide, and a more traditional numeric keypad layout. The whole shebang is said to be covered in a rubberized blue material, which we suspect should be comfortable and easy to grip as long as it's not too sticky, thick, or soft. If this holds up, look for it to hit around August -- Windows Mobile 6 Professional and all.[Via Boy Genius Report and Gadgets on the Go]
