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Ghostcrawler: If you're 80, you're hardcore
We had quite the firey argument yesterday here on the site -- first, Adam postulated that raiding was so easy we didn't even need to track it, and then I responded by saying that anyone who'd already beat the raid content was just going too fast. And now we have a response from Ghostcrawler (even though he beat us to the punch anyway by posting on Wednesday -- that's just how awesome he is). "If you're 80 already," he says on the forums, "you are a relatively hardcore player."That will ruffle a few feathers, and I should know, because I ruffled a few of the same feathers yesterday. But the stats back GC up -- it's true that most of the players in the game haven't gotten to 80 yet, and of course it doesn't mean that you're a no-life loser if you're 80; it just means that you're faster than the average player. Congrats.But in the hopes of actually bringing this whole thing home to a place we can all agree on without flaming each other, let's take a look at the new way of doing the endgame: the regular, show up-and-fight PvE content is now for casual players. Ulduar will be harder than the current endgame, says GC, but it still won't be as hard as AQ40 and the original Naxx were in their day. And for the hardcore players, Blizzard is offering achievements and special runs -- have you finished Sartharion with three drakes yet, he asks? Have you finished all of the achievements yet (and if you have, let us know, because we'd love to post about you)? There are really hardcore, really challenging things to do in the game, still, and Blizzard is working on offering appropriate rewards for them, says GC. But the average endgame is no longer the domain of people who raid three times a week or more, and that's the way Blizzard wants it.
Hello Kitty C1 netbook packs a lotta 'tude into a small package
There's been a serious dearth of Hello Kitty-branded products these days, but the dry-spell is thankfully at an end, with the arrival of the Hello Kitty C1. The crazy cat's apparently first-ever netbook is (as you can see in the photo) quite a looker, and it's packing a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 CPU with 1GB DDR2 SDRAM, a 945 GSE Express chipset and a 120GB hard drive. The 10.1-inch netbook's also got two USB ports, a 1.3 megapixel webcam and WiFi. It's going to cost you 890 smackers to make this yours, but the sassiness alone kind of makes it worth it, doesn't it?[Via CNET]
Adventure released for the iPhone
Part of me just wants to post this screenshot, link this app, and say "go get it," but I have a feeling that my blogging overlords here would think I was just being lazy -- they might not understand that this is a screenshot from Adventure, which is available for free on the iPhone. Anyone who ever played an Atari 2600 and owns an iPhone won't need any more explanation than that to install this.But I don't want to be seen as lazy (any more than I already am), and so I'll also say that Adventure basically pioneered the action-adventure genre of games, and that though its art is spare and its noises are little more than bleeps and bloops, both are classic and coated with pure nostalgia. While Adventure is currently controlled on the iPhone with tilt controls, its designer will add touch controls as well in the future.Other than that: go get it. It's free.
Skull belt buckle / LED "display" / MP3 player wants to fight your battles for you
So, we're not going to say this is the greatest thing we've ever seen, because we've seen some pretty awesome things in our years and years of living on the edge, but it's pretty, uh... heavy metal. Regardless, the so-called "Punk Skull" belt buckle is one multi-talented reminder of Death: he holds up your pants, but can also play MP3s (1GB player included) or display fascinatingly terrifying LED light patterns (LED module included) -- though sadly, not both at once. If that's not enough uses for you, the manufacturer suggests that the buckle is solid enough for you to use "as a handheld weapon," which is great, because we suspect that suddenly, a lot of people are going to start wanting to fight you. Available now for wholesale, we're pretty sure they'll be making their way to high-end retailers near you soon, and that they'll be horrifically affordable. A few more shots of the carnage after the break. [Via Random Good Stuff]
USB Digital Endoscope: you will see what you want to see
USB Fever has a real eye-opening item on offer: the USB Digital Endoscope. While they claim this product is for "medical" uses, looking at it, it strikes us as an unlikely candidate for actual, legitimate endoscopy. Luckily, the seller offers a helpful slew of other suggested uses, including forensics, tinkering, industrial inspection, science education, serial number identification, unicorn hunting, and crime scene investigation. You can order it now for $139.99 and it'll supposedly be shipped out the week of November 17th. Oh, and Mac users -- go ahead and get indignant -- this instrument is compatible only with Windows and Linux. [Via Book of Joe]
EA hints at Dead Space movie and sequel
Dead Space may only just be releasing in Europe today, but it seems EA's plans for the game don't stop there. Talking to Variety, Executive Producer Glenn Schofield talked about his plans for licensing the story out to other media. There are already Dead Space comics and an animated prequel movie, Downfall, but they are also "talking about novels. We don't have a toy deal yet, but we're but looking into that."Not only novels and toys, but Schofield is also "talking with movie studios right now. We have been all along. By doing this now, we could have a movie that bridges the gap between the two games." Hold on, did he say "two games"? It's obvious they're willing to franchise the hell out of this game, but it's also clear they're not willing to compromise on quality. Schofield goes on to say that "the difference with this is we need to go in and say, "This is not a $10 million movie." Sure somebody could make it, but that's not what we are looking for. It's an expensive movie. What we're doing, say, with movie producers is handpicking our producer. We get approval on the scriptwriter, director and those sorts of things." We're really enjoying Dead Space and would love to see a live action feature film and a sequel, as long as they're not shameless cash ins. From the looks of it, that's the last thing the dev team wants. We look forward to further developments.In the same article EA's president, Frank Gibeau, mentions sequels for both Battlefield: Bad Company and Army of Two. No specific details were given regarding the whats and whens.[Via GameIndustry.biz]
Captain Rainbow questions your sexual orientation
Riiiight. If you ever wanted to play a game as a nerdy dweeb who runs happily along beaches and fields, occasionally transforming into a Captain America lookalike named Captain Rainbow, all while receiving running commentary from Birdo -- then this is the game for you. Just, watch.According to some of the GAF regulars, the main character (ie. nerd version of the Captain) is named Nick, he's an American hero, and the game is scheduled for a Japanese release in summer 2008. More details can also be found at Hatena, where we learn the game is a registered trademark of Nintendo, and it's an "orgy of high tension." One word for that -- LOL.[Via NeoGAF]
Leveling Mom and Dad through Zul'farrak
I think there's something so awesome about this story from Rufus on Livejournal-- his mom and stepdad have never gamed before, but they've leveled two characters up to 40, and during a run in Zul'farrak, they actually took on a whole gang of mobs, and lived.We've talked about playing with older folks before, but that's not even the best part of this story-- the best part, in my view, is the thought of two people discovering that they can do something they never thought possible. There is definitely an accomplishment and a thrill that comes with gaming (and this game especially-- taking out trolls is always fun), and it's awesome to think that these two were able to discover that.I did a run of Dire Maul last night on my up-and-coming Hunter, and just like that Blackrock Depths run a little while back, there were a few newbies in the group-- we had to explain tanking and aggro a couple of times, and I had to use Feign Death. But even through just the chat channel, you could tell they were having a ball running through all the demons in the old elven city. That kind of stuff definitely makes me happy this game is around.
X3F Week in Review: November 16, 2007 - November 22, 2007
Happy Thanksgiving, 360 fans. Enjoy this week's wrap-up, and enjoy your turkey-fueled gaming binge. Just remember, switch to something a little less sleep-inducing if you're planning some late night Live sessions. And please, before you go, enjoy the above video of a two-year-old rocking out.Community stuff: Fanswag Weekly: Live turns five mega giveawayFive games, limited edition controller, and MS Points. Nice X3F: the 382nd reason to love your Xbox 360Only because the list is alphabetical, we're sure Xbox 360 Fancast 043 -- MultiplatformA bit too much Wii discussion perhaps News: Canade gets in on the Mass Efect LCE funCanada's Mass Effect deal becomes un-raw How to get your 500 point Live is 5IVE presentBeen on Live since '02? Get your free points 360 predicted to outsell PS3 2 to 1 this holidayAnd also the Wii (not) Ghostbusters website and footage materializeWho ya gonna call? X3F! 1UP previews Ninja Gaiden II, tons of videoGOTY 2008 indeed Rocky and Bullwinkle headed to XBLAWhat about Fractured Fairytales? Central Dark site teases Alone in the Dark (probably)A bit more than probably, really Adorable alert: two year old on Rock Band drumsCuter than the cutest thing you've ever seen
X3F Week in Review: November 9, 2007 - November 15, 2007
Some big news this week, from Xbox Originals to DivX to Xbox Live's birthday. Check out all the latest headlines below and get yourself caught up. Once you're done doing that, make sure to enter for your chance to win Need For Speed Pro Street. Then you can check out our latest Fancast and Fanpoll. And then, you can join us this evening for some Halo 3 action. Or not, but we heartily suggest that you do. Community Stuff: Xbox 360 Fancast 042 -- InterventionHelp us stop someone from playing Yaris Fanswag Weekly: Need for Speed Pro StreetEnter now, drive later Fanpoll: will you use the Xbox Original ServiceShare your opinion with us X3F Live: celebrating a birthday with Halo 3Celebrate by playing Halo 3 with X3F News: The Club tutorial talks speed, precision, styleKill that guy. No, you're not doing it right! Rumor: 360 DivX support to be a fall featureNot just for the PS3? Halo 3's latest tool of destruction: a traffic coneNow let's see you use one on purpsoe Xbox Live is 5IVE events roundupCelebrate Xbox Live's birthday in style Screwjumper and Shrek N Roll release to XBLADon't bother with either Xbox Originals to be achievementlessNo disc, no achievements
X3F Week in Review: November 2, 2007 - November 8, 2007
We're back again with the X3F weekly roundup of news and community happenings. Rather than rehash it all in this paragraph, we suggest you simply scan the neatly organized list below. We're also going to stress that we're giving away a free copy of Call of Duty 4 this week. Is Joystiq doing that for you? No. No they're not. Just imagine what other wonders you could uncover if you made the short trip to X3F.Community Stuff: Xbox 360 Fancast 041 -- Organized SportsFootball, Guitar Hero III, ninjas, pirates, and more Fanswag Weekly: Call of Duty 4: Modern WarfareWe're giving away COD4. Go enter. Win. News: We got 'em, Mass Effect achievementsSpoilers and romantic rendezvous await Which MP maps we'd like to see remade for Halo 3Turf. 'Nough said The Club videos shoot up the placeSelect generic character. Shoot. Repeat. X Marks the Spot: search, find, and winWinning stuff: made easier with the internet! Big Daddy figurine replacement (mini) updateNot too much longer now Find the perfect avatar with Gamerpic ScoutTime to replace that Master Chief icon, doncha think? Party Time! Xbox Live is turning 5IVEHappy birthday, Xbox Live Target's Black Friday Xbox 360 DealsFree Halo 3? Orange Box for $48? Count us in. Home made Assassin's Creed wrist bladeEqual parts creepy and cool
Second steampunk laptop wants to be clockwork
You like Steampunk, do ya? Well, looks like we've got another laptop iteration for you today, this time entitled "A Clockwork Laptop." Yeah, it's got a bunch of brass and copper fittings -- plus some gothic looking legs -- and an overall retro fantasy style that some people like and others may hate. Make sure to check out the hundred or so cogs inside a glass screen on the back of the real screen. To turn it on you even have to turn a rusty key embedded inside the thumb rest: although you'll still be booting into an anachronistic Ubuntu install if you do so. Check out s'more pics at the link below, and know that you'll never be arsed to make anything even half as impressive. Also, anyone getting a strange craving for a glass of milk after seeing this?[Via UberReview]
X3F Week in Review: October 26th, 2007 - November 1st, 2007
Here we go, another exciting edition of the X3F Week in Review. This week we got a chance to talk with Burnie Burns from Rooster Teeth productions. He tells us about the new Red Vs. Blue miniseries, Recovery One. He also talks about some terrifying moments of being a gaming parent. We've also got a super sexy Rock Band unboxing. Check it all out below.Community Stuff: Xbox 360 Fancast 040 -- Roosters don't have teeth!We talk with Burnie Burns of Rooster Teeth Fanswag Weekly: Two Worlds and moreWin Two Worlds and some bonus swag News: New Blue Dragon items now on XBLMWant the best equipment in the game? Pay for it Build it yourself, a paper Halo 3 Legendary EditionCheaper (and smaller) than the real thing First RvB Recovery One episode will cost youNew miniseries on XBLM ... for a price McFarlane planning los of Halo figures in 2008Three different series detailed Halo: Contact Harvest releasedDon't just play Halo. Read it! GHIII: Foo, Velvet Revolver, and BB DLC discoveredNew songs spotted on GHIII leaderboard Come one, come all for a Rock Band unboxingShow me those drums, you sexy thing No Mass Effect CE for Canada, Australia, Latin AmericaNot quite massive enough
An overview of Leopard for developers
If you haven't seen this roundup yet, Matt Gemmell's huge list of everything Leopard can do for developers is pretty amazing. It's a bit on the technical side, but worry not-- about 1/4 of the way down the page you'll think that this is a list only for developers, and if you keep scrolling you'll start to see that (somewhere around the "HUD windows" part) Apple has broken open almost all of their interfaces to developers of all makes and models. Everything from menus to date formatting is updated in Leopard's developer applications, and there's lots of "freebies" that will make even smaller programs better-- icons and images, an image editor, and a built-in grammar checker can all be easily implemented in any Leopard apps.As hot as this operating system is (and yes, despite the problems that folks are having with it), the really good stuff is yet to come. When talented programmers and designers get their hands on these tools, then we'll really see why it's so great to be a Mac user.Thanks, Tony!
X3F Week in Review: October 19th, 2007 - October 25th, 2007
Time for another weekly X3F recap, folks. In case you missed it, X3F and Gamertag Radio had an community Halo 3 match this week, and we whipped up a little highlight reel -- we're the lightish red team -- for you viewing pleasure. Enjoy. Once you're done with that, check out last week's community news and headlines below.Community Stuff: Fanswag Weekly: Halo 3 Legendary Edition w/ bonusWin the Halo 3 Legendary Edition and some Game Fuel Xbox 360 Fancast 039 -- Dual BubblersTaking bets on Game of the Year Fanpoll: Rock Band vs. Guitar Hero IIIWhich one will you buy? Fanfight: X3F vs. GTR in Halo 3 - RecapThe tale of our glorious (losing) battle against GTR News: Heelys to offer Xbox 360 footwearWhere's the wheel? Frontlines demo expected in time for ChristmasCelebrate by blowing things up GHIII event details roll inFestivities for the weekend following GHIII's release A really real Halo 3 Da Vinci code easter eggAn Easter egg that's actually an Easter egg New Forza 2 racing turf releasing this FridayPretty self-explanatory, really Xbox 360 stencils + pumpkin = great HalloweenMake your own RRoD-o'-lantern Europe: help MS sell 360s, get 10 free XBLA gamesA killer deal for European 360 proselytizers
X3F Week in Review: October 12th, 2007 - October 18th, 2007
It's time yet again for another X3F Week in review. Come with us and reminisce about all the wonderful things that happened in the last seven days. While you're at it, you should really enter our weekly giveaway too. You could win Forza 2. Forza 2. Sounds pretty good, right?Community Stuff: Xbox 360 Fancast 038 -- Road RageYaris sucks X3F Achievements 101: The Way the World EndsAn achievement streak comes to an end Fanswag Weekly: Forza Motorsport 2Win Forza 2. Accepting entries until Noon ET Friday News: A Famous Master Chief Suit Up for AuctionThe perfect accessory for real life corpse humping Is it the Orange Box? Non, c'est La Boîte Orange!The tragedy of bilingual packaging X3F hands-on: Virtua Fighter 5The best fighting game. There, we said it Project Offset is making its way to the 360Off-handedly confirmed by developer, plus new screens New McFarlane toys include armor variant ChiefsHalo toys come in more flavors than just Master Chief Bungie talks Halo 3 EXP boostingRemember kids, EXP boosting is only for NBA players Grunt says "Hey demon, the jerk store is out of you"Video of Halo 3's hidden "Jerk Grunt"
X3F Week in Review: October 4, 2007 - October 11, 2007
It's time for the first ever Xbox 360 Fanboy Week in Review, kiddies. If you haven't quite ascertained the portents of the headline above, it means we're breaking down all the best stories from the previous week and sticking them right here in an easily digestible list format. For the Joystiqers out there unfamiliar with our little establishment, Xbox 360 Fanboy is your one stop repository for all things Xbox 360. Please peruse, click, and enjoy.Fanswag Weekly: Win Project Gotham Racing 4Quick! Enter to win PGR4. We give something away every Wednesday, just so you know. Xbox 360 Fancast (you do listen to our podcast, right?): Xbox 360 Fancast 037 -- Ebb and FlowTalkin' bout Bungie and MS breakin' up News: Japanese developers talk Xbox PerformanceIs there any hope for 360 in the land of the rising sun? Shchizoid video is Pac-Man-esqueNew video of the first XBLA game created with XNA Frankie talks Bungie's independenceThe face of Bungie talks about the split from MS Viva Piñata toys busting out of BKA little piñata with your Whopper Does this armor match my Needler?Find the perfect Halo 3 armor combo without powering up that pesky Xbox Halo 3 Gaming with Fall Out BoyCompletely unrelated to The Simpsons Molyneux on games as art: "Of course they are."Peter Molyneux chimes in on the games as art debate Party Animals achievements hide gamer in jokesViva Piñata Party Animals achievements allude to Contra, Resident Evil, etc. Halo 3 stats missing? Fear notDon't worry. They'll be back Truckloads of new movie content on Video MarketplaceFinally, The Wiggles: Getting Strong is up for download
Woz recreates "awesome" commercial for charity sale
Woz, always ready to entertain for charity's sake, has remade his old 280Z commercial ("It's awesome," if you didn't remember from the last time you watched it) to promote the charity sale of his Nissan 350Z. Unfortunately, rather than split-screening it, the old commercial fades up for the "awesome" line, so we don't actually get to see 2007 Woz talking about how awesome his car is. But he more than makes up for it with some nice lipsyncing, a short Segway ride, and the inclusion of a Weird Al song. Roll on, Woz!The sale itself is to benefit the IEEE lab at UC Berkeley, because Woz says that "on a global scale we are seeing America losing its competitiveness in engineering and technical skills. That is disappointing." And in addition to picking up Woz' own car (too bad it's not the Prius), you get lunch with the man himself, and the opportunity to "talk about anything that interests you."Surely that's worth the $100,000 he has listed for the sale, right? But it is for charity. If you've got an extra $100,000 sitting around, there are probably worse ways to spend it.[ via Macenstein, who has a very brown redesign going on ]
The Short Cuts entry that better freaking win
We thought we'd given up posting Nintendo Short Cuts entries as a veritable flood of applicants submitted their works shortly before the deadline, but sister site Joystiq posted one that's simply way, way too good.The above "movie trailer" for the NES classic Punch-Out!! is rife with 8-bit references, as the creators shrewdly blend recognizable game artwork into live-action scenes. The acting (especially Von Kaiser's) is top-notch, production values sky-high, and the music made us replay the last minute of the trailer nine times just to rock out. If Hollywood really knew what was up, this would have been made instead of the lukewarm Rocky Balboa last year. We officially stamp our vote of approval on Team Awesome, and wish them the best of luck.They probably won't need it.
An actual Mario Party
So, tomorrow is Mother's Day. Now, before you go off and attempt to make reservations for some swanky brunch (which you're already two weeks too late doing), we've got some ammo to use against the lady that never really appreciates your Xbox gamerscore. Today was apparently some little boy's birthday and his parental unit(s) threw him a Mario-themed party with piranha plant centerpieces and coin boxes (with chocolate gold coins inside!) as party favors. Was your mom ever that cool?So, if your mom never threw you a Mario-themed birthday party, you can always throw this in her face and say she'll get brunch when you get the party you always wanted. Not on your birthday, mind you. You want it now! You go Veruca, tell that woman who birthed you who's boss![Via The Tanooki]%Gallery-3095%
