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A bag for Cooking
Profession bags are a godsend for almost anyone leveling up a profession -- while the loss of bag space in favor of specialty slots can be a problem sometimes at the lower levels, almost all high level characters can definitely make use of at least one profession bag, to hold all of the extra ore, or gems, or leather, or whatever else you're hauling around all the time. But Natalia over on WoW LJ makes an excellent point: just where is our cooking bag? And how about a fishing bag? You might argue that only the gathering professions are meant to have bags (the Blacksmithing bag is actually a Mining bag, so even Engineers can make use of it), but that's not quite true: Engineering does have its own bags, as does Inscription. Cooking and/or Fishing, you'd think, should both have their own profession bags.Of course, they are both secondary professions, so maybe Blizzard believes that because they're more or less optional, you should be able to carry around all of your food and spices and lures in your regular bags. But cooking especially has gotten pretty complicated lately (there are a few foods that you've got to have in your bags regularly to do the daily quests, especially Chilled Meat), and so a lot of players would definitely find a use for a dedicated bag. First Aid, probably not, but Cooking and Fishing? Definitely.And if you want to really dream, maybe food could actually get a bonus from being kept in a special "refridgerated" bag -- nothing big, just maybe a few extra points of the bonus stat or a little longer duration when you actually take care of your food rather than just tossing it in with all of the Kobold eyeballs and oily swords and cloth that you're also carrying around. But that would be extra -- for now, just a bigger bag meant for cooking and fishing utensils would be fine, thanks.
Free Realms comic coming July 29, includes in-game bonuses
Looking for some supplementary materials for Sony Online Entertainment's utterly adorable, free-to-play MMO Free Realms? You're in luck. DC Comics brand WildStorm and SOE are teaming up to publish a comic book series based on the popular online game. J.S. Lewis, the author of the Grey Griffins children's book series, will be penning the story, but let's be honest -- you won't be picking up the comics for the story.No, we wager you'll purchase the comics because of the unlockable in-game items they'll contain. The first issue, which drops July 29, includes the "Spider Bite Sword." We imagine the following 11 issues will include equally enticing armaments. If you are interested in the story, you can check out a brief preview of Issue no. 1 right here.[Via Massively]
Nintendo reveals American Club Nintendo bonuses [update]
Nintendo loyalists that have been diligently registering their games can now pick up a reward through the Club Nintendo loyalty program. Those who have earned 300 or more Coins (equivalent to 6 Wii game purchases) are granted Gold status, while those who have earned 600 or more Coins are granted Platinum status. These members are now entitled to an exclusive members-only bonus.Platinum members have the choice of two prizes: Doc Louis's Punch-Out!! -- this downloadable WiiWare game is available exclusively to Club Nintendo Platinum members. In this special download, you'll be able to fight one-on-one against your coach, Doc Louis. Update: Screenshots now added. Mario Hat -- a "true-to-life" replica of Mario's signature headpiece. Nintendo notes that the hat "may be big for small children." Gold members will receive a special 2010 calendar. See more images after the break.%Gallery-67921%
Pre-order Trine on Steam, get Shadowgrounds for free
Usually, whenever we're offered free games as a pre-order bonus, there's some common theme between the reserved title and the aforementioned playable incentive. Perhaps the bonus game is the prequel to the upcoming release, or at least belongs in the same genre as the pre-ordered title. However, a recent deal on Steam seems to go against this convention -- if you pre-order the upcoming fantasy action-platformer Trine on Steam's download service, you get the frantic top-down shooter Shadowgrounds for free.Okay, so they're both made by indie developer Frozenbyte, but still -- there's a wide chasm between the worlds of Smash TV and ... well, we can't think of a pre-existing game to compare Trine to. Super Ultima-rio Bros?
Ghostcrawler on the Jewelcrafting nerf and design philosophy
The Jewelcrafting nerf has been the subject of a lot of hot debate and flaming on the official forums, as might be expected. As people argue whether the nerf was justified, needed, too much, too little, or the wrong way to go about it, the blues have dipped their toes into the pool more than once, and have delivered some interesting insights into the design process in the process.If it was so overpowered, complain some, why did it take so long to nerf it? Ghostcrawler answers in this post.It's not that they don't notice that something is overpowered, he says, but it does take some time to find a proper fix. Sometimes, it just isn't overpowered until a certain gear level. Sometimes, there may be bug fixes or larger problems that need answering first.Sometimes, they may need to debate over the proper way to fix it. Finally, they may have a more ambitious long-term solution in mind, and may have finally decided they can't delay until that's done.
Pre-order The Conduit's 'Exclusive Limited Edition Special Upgrade with Bonus' at GameStop!
Boy, that GameStop sure has a way with words, huh? The retailer's game page for The Conduit declares an "Exclusive Limited Edition -- with Bonus!" It's the usual: Pre-order the game with a down payment and secure your "Special Edition upgrade." But just how limited/special/upgraded, you ask? Well, you're looking at it. Don't see it? Look harder: That's a custom-detailed A.S.E., pal, and a not-so-secret-looking "Secret Agent" multiplayer skin. Oh, and there's an art book. But, honestly, are you really ever gonna open that?See, around here, we believe the best art is art with no strings attached. And to prove it, we're opening up our vault of non-exclusive and unlimited [go on, keep clicking] multiplayer screens! But that's not all ... We've got the first online multiplayer trailer too! Continue on after the break to watch it, again and again, until your eyes bleed.%Gallery-50178%
Wolverine pre-order bonus: Dismemberment Room, other 'unique toys'
You are too much for us GameStop, you sonuva ... We wish we knew how to quit you! We swore, the last time was "the last time," but now here you are offering the most awesome-sounding DLC bonus of all time: The Dismemberment Room. And all we have to do is lay down five bucks toward X-Men Origins: Wolverine and it's ours -- all ours?! Fine, you win. But, for real, this is really: The. Last. Time. The Wolverine GameStop pre-order bonus includes four "exclusive" in-game rooms (and is exclusive to the "Uncaged Edition" for PS3 and Xbox 360, at that). The rooms are separate from the main game, contained within a mysterious laboratory, the Weapon X Area. Players are loaded into a hallway with access to each room. (It doesn't take an "analyst" to predict that this content will become premium DLC, eventually.) You'll find full details of the rooms after the break. %Gallery-47426%
Report: Midway trying to salvage Ed Boon's promised $1 million bonus
As pillars continue to topple all around Midway, the company has begun to search for new ways to stay relevant, reaching out to one of the last remaining assets left in the struggling publisher's corner. Despite reportedly offering up company darling Mortal Kombat for sale, The Cut Scene reports that Midway hopes to keep series co-creator Ed Boon around -- at least for a while longer -- by continuing to pay bonuses for his role in Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe and an unannounced series entry in 2009's fourth quarter.Midway has apparently asked bankruptcy court for approval to pay the designer some $900,000 for sales of last year's comic book crossover. Another $105,000 is promised for other MK franchise revenue to Boon, whom Midway describes as "critical to maximizing the value of one of the Debtors' primary assets." The report suggests that keeping Boon around makes Mortal Kombat more attractive to potential suitors, assuming that he tags along if a company happens to open up its wallet. Still, critical or not, paying out bonuses seems like a tall order to fill for an outfit that's up to its eyeballs in debt.
Dungeons and Dragons Online celebrates 3rd birthday
It may not feel like it to some of us, but Dungeons and Dragons Online is almost three years old already. Turbine announced that they'll be celebrating DDO's birthday in style, with bonus XP and loot for anyone who joins in: "Starting this Friday, February 27th, and running through February 29th March 1, DDO players will gain a 50% XP bonus and +1 tier bonus to loot quality! But the fun doesn't stop there! Once 50% XP and +1 loot are over with on Sunday March 1st, starting Monday March 2nd, enjoy 10% bonus XP for 2 weeks!" That's a lot of exclamation points but the message is clear; it's definitely a good time to jump into Dungeons and Dragons Online if you've been curious about the game, or have been away for a while. The third anniversary celebration is a limited window of XP opportunity so don't miss out.
Guitar Hero: Metallica pre-orders come with bonus drum pedal
There's a thick cloud of fear hanging over fans of faux-drumming in games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero: World Tour -- fear inspired by the near-impossible rhythms which will need to be kept when Guitar Hero: Metallica hits store shelves. We're not sure how familiar you guys are with the speed with which Mr. Ulrich is capable of producing percussion, but we assure you, his work will be most unpleasant to attempt to mimic.Thankfully, an uncharacteristically useful pre-order bonus from GameStop will give the game's quick-to-act reservers an extra bass drum pedal and input splitter. This will allow the player to use both pedals to tackle the game's more heel-punishing tracks. It's certainly a better option than splitting your foot down the middle, and training yourself to control both halves independently, which, now that we think about it, would be pretty rock-and-roll.
Dead Space has gone gold, pre-order bonus at Play.com
Dead Space has gone gold and should be hitting shelves on its scheduled release date. That is, October 14th in the US and October 24th in Europe. EA has also revealed some pre-order bonus DLC for the game for Europe, which will be made available from Play.com. The Obsidion Suit is the PlayStation 3 exclusive suit based, we suspect, on the look of the console. It features extra toughness and additional inventory spaces. No doubt it will also be made available in the US. We'll keep you informed.
Drugs aren't bad in EVE, m'kay?
One of the interesting features of EVE Online is that it has a drug trade in which players are actively engaged. Rather than merely being an illegal commodity, drugs -- called boosters -- enhance the performance of EVE's pilots, albeit with some potential side effects. To understand boosters though, we'll need to look into the game's setting a bit first. The thing to remember is that as a player, you're a capsuleer. You're not standing on the bridge of your ship barking orders at subordinates. Rather, you're floating inside a metallic capsule deep within your ship. Your mind is interfaced with the ship you pilot via neural implants, thus your vessel is an extension of your body and its senses; you regulate the ship's activities merely by thinking about them. Not all people in EVE's setting of New Eden have the raw potential to become a capsuleer, making your character one of the elite. However, when faced with others of your caliber in combat, every possible edge you can gain over rival capsuleers helps. That's where boosters come in... they're your edge. Boosters augment aspects of your mental processes and thus provide certain bonuses when piloting your ship.
77 Hunter solos Onyxia
Chalk up another piece of evidence for just how trivial the old world stuff will be when Wrath releases -- here's a video of a Hunter at level 77 (on the beta servers, obviously) soloing the original raid boss herself, Onyxia. There's a little more info about how it was done over on the WarcraftMovies page -- the only way to deal with all the whelps was to max out AoE, so he used a special talent blend just to do this. And it looks like he just dodged or ate the Deep Breaths, as I doubt even a 77 Hunter would be able to put up enough "dots" to down her before she can do too many. Roar of Sacrifice also got a lot of usage -- it's a pet talent that lets a Hunter avoid half of his pet's health in damage. And he says the two-piece set bonus from Hunter T5 helped a lot, too -- over the fight it added up to quite a bit of healing.Not too shabby. And at 77, this means there's still three levels (not to mention all the endgame gear) to grow. Maybe the fact that Blizzard is revamping/replacing the old endgame isn't so bad after all -- when it's this easy for the highest level players, it's time to move on. Unless, of course, they make soloing Ony an achievement.[via BRK]
Forum post of the day: Broken records incoming
Although at times contentious, the current recruitment promotion has certainly sped up leveling. The triple experience point bonus comes to mind first, but the ability to give levels at a rate of one per two gained is also a real boon. The rule is that the levels can be applied to a character lower than the givers current level, capped at level 60. Theoretically someone who has reached level 60 could donate enough levels to raise another character from 30-59* in a matter of minutes. This new mechanic is pretty easy to use and potentially abuse. Málfurion of Wildhammer is not happy with the change. To quote "I just saw a Warlock go from level 31-59 in 10 seconds in front of my eyes... The new recruit a friend is bull > <.... NERF NERF NERF!" The post was met with some disbelief, but it clearly is a possibility. Some players indicated that they have something similar in mind. Abilene of Aegwynn believes that this practice ruins the game for some.
Forum post of the day: Retroactive recruitment
Blizzard does not particualry appreciate petitions on the official forums. This does not stop players from starting them. Lyccan of Ner'zhul started a petition in the Suggestion forum to make the Recruit-a-Friend benefits retroactive. At this time Blizzard has announce no current plans to give these rewards to folks who have brought players into the game in the past. Most of us are pretty open about our love or World of Warcraft, and many of us have invited our friends and family to join us in WoW. In the past, the joy of sharing the game and a potential game-time buddy was enough to bring our friends into the game.
Details flow about The Ultimate Matrix Collection on Blu-ray
We know you're hungry for every last morsel of information on Warner's hotly-anticipated Ultimate Matrix Collection on Blu-ray, so here goes. Warner Home Video just released information confirming that the data we already had was true, and that a seven-disc BD box set would be landing on (and shortly departing from) store shelves on October 14th. Aside from housing the complete trilogy with lossless 5.1 Dolby TrueHD audio, the package will also include an hour of special features on each film. More specifically, you'll see the studio's In-Movie Experience alongside The Animatrix (which is debuting in high-definition here), 35 more hours of undisclosed bonus material and a digital copy of The Matrix. Yeah, $129.95 is still the asking price, but you know it'll be going for a bit less on launch day.
Activision execs receive millions in bonuses
Activision CEO Bobby Kotick and co-chairman Brian Kelly have each received bonuses from the company of approximately $3 million each. Michael Griffith, CEO of Activision Publishing, also received a bonus according to SEC filings, but his was only for around $1.5 million -- poor guy. The bonuses were given due to Activision's incredible success last year.With the Vivendi merger imminent, it's worth noting some analysts find Activision an excellent investment. It's not every day you can clearly point to a game publisher and see guaranteed profits in the near future.
DS Daily: Gotta collect 'em all
Preorder a game and you can get anything from a plush chicken to a boobtastic poster, to the worst stuffed Phoenix Wright we've ever seen. But, all complaints aside, extra free stuff is always nice when it comes with something you were going to buy anyway, even if it's not the best quality. But our question on this fine Monday morning is: has a preorder bonus ever tempted you to buy something you might not have purchased? Do they dicate where you buy your games?
Handing out massive damage in Disgaea DS
If there's one thing we know you can do in the upcoming Disgaea DS, it's inflict a lot of damage. Well, we know that and the game will be awesome. It's Disgaea. This isn't rocket science, people! As said above, the video features Nippon ichi showing off the many ways you can inflict ridiculous amounts of damage. Like, in the millions. The other notable thing about the video above is the pre-order bonus for Japanese gamers. It's possible we could be receiving the same bonus when the title releases to North America in August, but nothing has been set in stone, yet. %Gallery-17933% [Via Siliconera]
Monster Farm DS 2 buyers can become Monster Librarians as well
Though the game was just announced, Tecmo has already revealed a preorder bonus for early purchasers of Monster Farm DS 2, the latest in their Monster Farm/Rancher series of monster-collecting RPGs. The Monster Farm Official Memorial Book covers the 10-year history of the series, starting with its origins on the PlayStation. For fans of that era of Monster Ranching: Tecmo has said that Monster Farm DS 2's system will be similar to Monster Farm 1 and 2.The Dengeki article that reveals the Memorial Book also features a series of old and new screens, one of which shows something interesting: the "character input" monster creation mode using our familiar Roman alphabet. Which means that you don't need to know kanji to create monsters.
