costumes
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New Super Street Fighter IV Ultra Combos, alternate costumes revealed
Recent Famitsu magazine scans have surfaced, revealing new Ultra Combos for Super Street Fighter IV's world warriors and friends. As an added bonus, Eventhubs has actually translated the descriptions of the attacks, so you can get a better idea of what you're squinting at. Chun-Li's Kikosho fireball returns, and now Ryu has a "Metsu-shoryuken" -- a super-powerful Dragon Punch, duh. Most interesting, however, is Cammy's new Ultra Combo: the "Cammy Quick Combo" -- or "CQC" -- a counter move. The Famitsu issue also features images of new alternate costumes for the upgraded fighting game -- Chun Li's, above, is the most visible from the scan. Thankfully, GameTrailers has posted a much clearer, wha-wha-wha-wooorld exclusive look at the costumes in action, along with some of the new Ultra Combos and rival battles, embedded after the break. [Thanks, Will]
Massively's Guild Wars costume set giveaway
With this year's Wintersday in Guild Wars comes quite a few new features to the game. One of the most significant is the costuming system. These costumes allow your character to dress as they like with costumes that fit into special costume slots, not affecting your normal armor stats. Sound like something you'd be interested in trying? Great! Because we have ten of these costumes to give away to our loyal readers. Simply reply to this post before 8am EST on December 23rd stating which costume you'd like -- either Dwayna or Grenth. We will pick and notify five random winners for each set (for a total of ten winners) on December 23rd. The giveaway is open to legal residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, and Canada (excluding Quebec), and everyone who enters must be 18 or older. You may enter only once, and any comments without Grenth or Dwayna will be ignored. The retail value of each costume set is $6.99 USD. Click here to read the official Joystiq Network contest rules. Follow along after the jump for a description of each costume, and complete instructions on how to claim your code if you're chosen as a lucky winner. [Edit: Comments are now closed.]
Farewell and thank you, WoW.com
I've told this story a few times before: I actually started out on WoW.com as a comment troll. A few years back, Jennie Lees was the lead blogger here, and she posted something silly about a wallpaper or a plush doll, I don't remember. I was also reading the forums at the time, and Blizzard had just dropped new priest patch notes. "Why are you posting this junk," I commented angrily, "when the priest notes just dropped?" She was nice about it -- she actually emailed me and said that the priest updates post was coming soon. And I felt so bad about it, I never activated the comment. But a little while after that, when WoW Insider posted that they were looking for some new writers, I applied, and said that I was sorry for that comment, but that I was working on becoming a writer and could help out with posting on the site when needed. When I started writing for WoW Insider (now WoW.com, obviously), I was working retail in Chicago, writing part-time in the evenings. The site itself got only a few thousand hits a month, with one or two weekly features and maybe ten comments per post. Now, over three years later, I'm a fulltime freelance writer, I've been to three BlizzCons, I've written over 1.7 million words in over 3,300 posts here about everything in Azeroth, and the site itself rivals some of the best blogs on the Internet, routinely garnering millions of hits a month. I helped build this site with my own two hands, and while I definitely can't claim all the credit (there was and is a huge team of people who keep this thing running), it's with a fair amount of sorrow that I'm here to tell you today will be my last day on WoW.com.
Guild Wars adds costumes just in time for Wintersday
Last night's fairly sizable patch in Guild Wars was a bit of a surprise to players who weren't expecting any Wintersday updates until today, and a quick round of "What was that?" throughout the game led to the discovery of a big surprise from ArenaNet: costumes! In what is hopefully the first of many, special Grenth and Dwayna Wintersday costumes are now available in the NCsoft store. Each version can be purchased for $6.99 US in the store, but NCsoft has an introductory deal until January 17th -- both sets for $9.99. The costumes are account-wide, headpieces are included, they can be dyed, and you'll get both male and female versions so none of your characters are left out. The costumes are purely cosmetic and can be worn over your existing armor without a change in stats, so feel free to charge into battle dressed as Grenth to put a little extra fear into your opponents. A brand new feature like this one is bound to bring an avalanche of questions from players, so we suggest you start with the costume FAQ before heading over to the NCsoft store.
Free costume parts galore in Champions Online
Cryptic has revealed the free costume pieces in next week's Nemesis Confrontation update, which come in addition to two unlockable costume sets. Among the new free costume items are some exceptionally sweet capes, although we're sure many players will be filled with glee to see new weapons being added to the costume creator. While these are only cosmetic costume options, they're important to players who wield specific guns or swords. It may seem like a minor issue to some, but having an outfit that makes sense -- and looks cool at the same time -- is surprisingly important to players who revel in a game like Champions Online. You can also now put guitars on the back of your characters; something that immediately reeks of potential. We have to wonder if guitars are going to be added as visual replacements for sword based powers, enabling us to whack enemies with our musical axes. If someone at Cryptic could make that so, it would be somewhere within the vicinity of pure awesome.
First Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 DLC released, revealing
Listen, it's scientific fact that as ninjas shed their clothes, they become better at executing their ninja duties. So, if you see us purchase the Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 costume pack, which was released on the PlayStation Store yesterday for $3.99, it's not because we're pervs or anything. It's because the skimpy outfits you see above were meticulously engineered to maximize our capacity for flipping out and killing people. Also, we realize Ryu's new costume (which was previously handed out as a pre-order bonus) isn't more revealing than his standard duds. See, the above rule only applies to female ninjas. Hey, don't look at us like that. We didn't write the ninja rulebook, okay?
DJ Hero and Assassin's Creed 2 Avatar items added to Marketplace
You know what would make becoming the "chosen one" in your late night 1 vs. 100 bouts a whole lot easier? Just imagine: The camera pans up to your seat -- but you're nowhere to be found. You're a white-garbed shadow, slipping through the crowd, silently executing other would-be contestants. It's a beautiful dream that could be realized if you pick up one of the new Assassin's Creed 2 Avatar costumes -- a set which includes Ezio and Altair's respective get-ups (400), Da Vinci's Flying Machine (240) and a whole mess of other items that no hitman (or hitwoman) should go without. Also, there's a whole slew of DJ Hero content, including a few turntables (240), a "Ghetto Blaster" (160) and some virtual vinyl (160). While the DJ lifestyle isn't nearly as attractive as that of an assassin, we suppose these accouterments are still pretty sharp.
Pre-order LittleBigPlanet PSP for a tank costume
Ready to start collecting Sackboy costumes all over again? Pre-ordering LittleBigPlanet for PSP at GameStop seems to be a good way to get a headstart on building a respectable LittleBigCloset. The retailer is offering a series of six outfits based on popular PlayStation franchises, including two each from Uncharted 2, MotorStorm and Killzone 2. The costumes will be e-mailed with online orders or handed out on cards with in-store purchases. One of the Killzone costumes is the tank revealed recently by LittleBigWorkshop. Hopefully, it'll be accessible for non-GameStop buyers, because we'd be heartbroken if every LBP player didn't get to run around in a lil' tank. [Thanks, Kevin!]
Blood Moon releases, hints of future content for Champions Online
Blood Moon is out and Cryptic is ensuring everyone knows all about what's being offered in the first free content update / seasonal event in their newest State of the Game address. First and foremost is the news that Cryptic will be keeping their promise of people being able to earn things like retcons and additional characters slots simply by playing the game. You can still buy this for cold hard- er, Cryptic Points, but it's not the only path to acquiring said bonuses. Also, remember those new costume pieces we told you about? They're real, and really free, too -- along with a handful of other new pieces that came with the update. In addition to the pieces everyone gets from patching, there are new unlocks earned by playing Blood Moon content.
Replica tabards and banners from Windlass Studios
Blizzard has announced that they've partnered with a company called Windlass Studios to release real-life versions of a couple popular in-game banners and tabards. $40 will get you a banner of the Alliance or Horde, while $80 will get you a real-life faction tabard to wear. Each of the pieces is apparently 100% cotton, and silkscreened with the familiar faction insignia. Very interesting -- we've seen some nice fanmade pieces before, but these are commercial releases bearing official logos. The company has also released a latex rubber version of Frostmourne -- it's not quite as nice as the Epic Weapons metal version, but then again, it's $149, and the metal version is over $400. I still wouldn't spend over $100 on a rubber sword, but hey, if that's your thing, there you go. And speaking of spending money on rubber costumes, the Blizzard store is also chock full of Halloween costumes this year, and there are a few other masks, including Illidan and a new Draenei mask, floating around the Internet for purchase as well.
Free Realms video answers player questions about Halloween update
We're noting that there's a slew of Halloween events happening in the MMO world this month, and it comes as no surprise that Free Realms is getting in on the fun as well with a "Super Spooktacular" Halloween update. This is the topic of the latest "Ask a Dev" video with Associate Game Designer Julie Burness and Lead Character Artist Matt Case. The Q&A is done in costume, with questions from the players themselves on the Free Realms forums. The Free Realms devs discuss the new content which includes Halloween themed quests, werewolf and dinosaur costumes, and all kinds of holiday items -- like candy that turns players into... something else. There's going to be trick-or-treating in Free Realms as well, where players will have to scare others to get treats. We've got the video for you, so stick with us after the jump for the Free Realms "Ask a Dev" devoted to the Super Spooktacular Halloween update.
World of WarCrafts: Scarlet Crusade stalks Dragon*Con
World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music and fan fiction. Show us how you express yourself; contact our tips line (attention: World of WarCrafts) with your not-for-profit, WoW-inspired creations.There may be dragons at BlizzCon, but the Scarlet Crusade itself was spotted making their mark at this year's Dragon*Con. An enterprising group of players loosely allied with the guild Suncrown from The Venture Co-H made it into CNN's video coverage of Dragon*Con, so colorful and detailed were their costumes. "We had Mograine, Whitemane and two Scarlet Marksmen with us," writes Samanthiel of The Silvermoon Academy (Wyrmrest Accord-H). The Scarlet Crusade cosplay crew was made up of friends split up between Houston, Texas, and New Orleans, La., who play WoW together in order to keep in touch. "We had a really great time, but the footwear killed us," Samanthiel says. "Those heels and boots were massacre on our feet, so we only wore the costume for Saturday morning of the con and sometime into the afternoon." While none of the group are professional costumers, they did reap the benefit of Vexander's (Scarlet Commander Mograine) years of experience costuming, armorcrafting and leatherworking for Society of Creative Anachronism (SCA) events. Peek behind the cut for a gallery of his Mograine project in progress, plus a closer look at a druid-themed hoodie that's attracted much love from WoW craft fans.
WoW latex Elf ears on Amazon
It's that time of year again -- I just saw a seasonal costume store opening up near my apartment here in Chicago, and that means that we're almost to October, when all kinds of official and unofficial Halloween costumes from all of the year's biggest brands appear. Last year we had some Orc masks and old-school armor and gear (and we may see some of that stuff again this year), but so far the only new thing we've seen is these latex ears, in Night Elf and Blood Elf style, over on Amazon. For just $12, you too can have inordinately large pointy ears, signifying that you're a magical creature from Azeroth.Cheesy? Maybe so, but then again, that's pretty much what dressing up on Halloween is all about these days. If you happen to see any other Warcraft-related costumes during the season (either officially licensed by Blizzard or knocked-off by some shady costume designer), make sure to take a picture and send us a tip. And of course if you enjoy seeing real people dress up as fictional Warcraft characters, you'll love our pictures from BlizzCon. Enjoy.%Gallery-70668%
Dragon*Con 2009: A look back at the mayhem
Some of us go for the excellent panels featuring stars like William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Terry Gilliam, Adam Savage, and so many more. Others of us go for the fun events like concerts by Arc Attack, Faith & The Muse, or the kilt-blowing by Jennie Breeden. Amongst all the comic, fantasy, sci-fi, and other sundry forms of nerditry, there is a steadily growing MMO and video game presence at Dragon*Con. For the last three years, Massively and our sister site WoW.com have been on the ground helping grow this East coast gaming presence either as panelists or staff. Some of the highlights for this year included: Guiness World Record set for 905 people doing Michael Jackson's "Thriller" dance at the same time. (You haven't lived until you've seen Alien do Thriller, though there's lots of footage.) 2600+ units of blood donated to the Dragon*Con blood drive, with 250+ people being tied to the Alliance vs. Horde World of Warcraft competition we held as part of the D*C MMO track. (Horde won, but just barely.) 40+ different fan tracks, with 50 panels worth of content for MMOs alone! $25,000 raised for charity! So if you missed the fun, here's a gallery of some of the random images from D*C this year. If you're East coast and looking for something fun to do on Labor Day weekend next year, perhaps we'll catch you at Dragon*Con 2010!%Gallery-72473%[Thanks to Ian W., Michael McG., Scott B., Shawn Schuster, and especially Tiffiany M. for contributing pictures!]
Dragon*Con 2009: Costumes, the parade and more!
Didn't get a chance to check out the costumes at Dragon*Con this year? No problem! We spent the last weekend grabbing literally hours of video footage to stuff into a small, digestible 10-minute chunk for our readers. We have some footage of the costumes around the hotels, the mass of people outside and of course, the epic parade that is held every year.Follow along after the jump for just a tidbit of our favorite moments from Dragon*Con 2009, and look for a photo gallery of even more wonderful imagery coming soon.
PAX 2009: Cosplaying in Seattle
In the aftermath of PAX this year, we almost forgot to post one of our favorite event pastimes: a cosplay gallery. We've been too busy slapping on facemasks and hazmat suits to quell the nerd flu outbreaks. There weren't nearly as many people dressed up as last year, but we're hoping that Tycho and Gabe add a full-on costume contest to the mix next year for PAX East or West. Did you see that Big Daddy costume we posted about? Well, that guy wasn't at PAX ... but we wish he would have been. Still, there were some impressive efforts up in Seattle this year, and you can take a gander at them in the gallery below. And yes, we've included a photo of War's horse Ruin from Darksiders, because he was a mechanical bull who just happened to be wearing a giant, killer horse skin. Cheater. Anyhow, knock yourself out in the gallery below. After all, we braved a freakin' virus to get these pictures for you.%Gallery-72343%
The best of WoW.com: August 25 - September 1, 2009
We're still reeling from everything we saw at BlizzCon a few weeks ago over at WoW.com, from all the news we heard about the next expansion, Cataclysm, to everything else about Icecrown and the anniversary celebration in the upcoming patch 3.2.2. There's a ton of big news lately over on the site, but here's our most popular posts for you to browse through. Don't forget to hit the costume galleries -- we've got tons more pictures like the gem above. News Patch 3.2.2 Onyxia achievementsAchievements from the second go-round of the big bad dragon fight for the game's 5th anniversary. BlizzCon 2009: First impressions of Cataclysm racesOur staff breaks down their first impressions of the new races announced in the next expansion. BlizzCon 2009: The Guild's Michele Boyd and Jeff Lewis hands-on with the WorgenTwo stars of The Guild webseries take on the playable Worgen demo available at BlizzCon. BlizzCon 2009: The Cataclysm trailerThis is where it all began -- the expansion trailer revealed at BlizzCon's opening ceremony. Battle.net conversion to become mandatory soonWith the onset of the new Battle.net, everyone's going to have to move over eventually. Features BlizzCon 2009 Insider Trader: Cataclysmic professionsThis big feature (here's part two and part three) takes a look at what's new with professions in Cataclysm. BlizzCon 2009: Bingo failOur bingo card for BlizzCon fails again. We need to stop making these so hard. BlizzCon 2009: Costumes, part twoHere's a roundup of all the costumes we saw on the show floor. What does Blizzard have planned for an ingame launch event?We know there's going to be a launch event for the new expansion, but what will it look like? Guildwatch: "ur name is remembered"Here's our weekly look at guild drama, downed, and recruiting news from around the realms.
Behind the scenes of the Dragon Queen costume
It's totally fun to browse through the costume gallery or the pictures of the costume contest we took last weekend and marvel at the different costumes that showed up at BlizzCon, but what you don't see in those shots is all of the hard work that went into making each outfit. Sure, there are probably some store-bought purchases in there, but for the most part, each costume was assembled with lots of hard work and care, most of the time by the person actually wearing it.Mariecannabis is the woman wearing this Alexstrasza costume that we saw at the costume contest, and she has posted a gallery over on Flickr showing some of the behind-the-scenes work of making the molds and putting the costume together. The end costume looks great, but the process is all shapes and molds and paint and construction -- fascinating to see how it all comes together. And while this costume is terrific, it does make you wonder about the stories behind some of the even more complex costumes up there.Stay tuned for more -- we'll be seeking out a few of the best costumes we saw at BlizzCon, and we'll show you some more of their stories in the future here on WoW.com. It's fun to see all of those on the show floor, but you sometimes don't realize just how much work and time is actually put into them.%Gallery-70720%%Gallery-70668%
BlizzCon 2009: Costumes, pt II
Elizabeth gave you heads up during the BlizzCon 2009 weekend that your intrepid WoW.com staff was keeping an eye on the amazing costumes on your behalf. We were even able to give you a huge gallery of the costume contest taking place, with great pictures as the cosplayers strutted their stuff on stage. Then, we were able to bring you the 2009 costume contest video to make sure you had a good idea of how the costumes looked in live action.We've now updated our costume gallery with tons of extra pictures, with many of them focused on making sure you get to see the amazing detailing these cosplayers put into their outfits. From gloves to weapons, the cosplayers really raised the bar on how to do a "real life" interpretation of in-game gear. Check out the gallery and see it all for yourself.%Gallery-70668%%Gallery-70720%
BlizzCon 2009: Costume contest video
Last night at BlizzCon featured the string of contests (costume, sound-alike, and dance), hosted by Jay Mohr. The costume contest was pretty spectacular at times, and I don't want to spoil it, but I was definitely rooting for the winner as soon as I saw him or her. Watch the contest above, and enjoy! It's times like this that make me realize what a wonderful community WoW has. BlizzCon 2009 is here! WoW.com has continuing coverage, bringing you the latest in Cataclysm news, live blogs, galleries, and reports right from the convention floor. Check out WoW.com's Guide to BlizzCon for the latest!
