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The Daily Grind: Has something in-game ever creeped you out?
Final Fantasy XIV has recently patched in its egg-hunting holiday for the year, and the results have been an entirely new level of creepy. The holiday is quite explicitly described as the result of an insane religious zealot passing around eggs based off a dream she had, while in the skies over each city, eggs hover in the air like a pending alien invasion. It's actually far creepier than it sounds, despite the fact that the salient goal is to just get your character a silly looking hat. Of course, the holiday events are not usually the big creepy parts of a given game. But there are many times when a specific quest line or zone or even character model will just make you a little uneasy. So has something in a game ever creeped you out? World of Warcraft's long-standing demonic Goldshire children? The mass sacrifices taking place in Guild Wars? Or something even more innocuous? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Flow my tears, the newly-built robotic head of Philip K. Dick said
Yes, this is definitely a post (and video!) about a hand-built, robotic head of author Philip K. Dick, who died in 1982, leaving the world a trove of literature which could be turned into films like Blade Runner, Total Recall, Minority Report and A Scanner Darkly. Sadly, he did not leave a robotic head of himself. It may surprise you to find out that this is actually not even the first robotic head of Philip K. Dick, it's apparently the second. This newly-built robo-PKD is meant to replace one that was famously lost in 2006, and was built by Hanson Robotics and Dutch public broadcasters VPRO. The video after the break is creepy and amazing, but it's nothing compared to the VALIS Trilogy.
Old Navy pilots iPod-based point-of-sale system, still has creepy mannequins
Old Navy, the retail clothing store chain that owned by another retail clothing store chain (The Gap, former employer of onetime Apple retail exec George Blankenship), is reportedly piloting an iPod touch-based point-of-sale (POS) system like that used in Apple Stores. The system, known as EasyPay in the Apple retail world, uses a Linea-Pro barcode scanner and card reader sled from Infinite Peripherals to capture product and payment information and allow Apple Store customers to complete purchases from anywhere in the store. 9 to 5 Mac reports that Old Navy is now running a limited pilot of the same POS system at several of their stores. Apple has been marketing the EasyPay POS to third parties as "ZipCheck", and it appears that Old Navy is the first to give it a try. Some of the employees using the system wear small printers attached to their belts to provide receipts on-the-go. There is no word from Old Navy on whether or not the creepy "Supermodelquins" used in the chain's TV spots will be equipped with ZipCheck devices to haunt your nightmares and check you out at your local store.
PlayStation Moves into creepy ad business
We all know Sony likes to be a bit off the wall with its commercials, so this dystopian vision of a grown-up baby's trudge through corporate monotony shouldn't surprise us at all. And yet, somehow, it does. It's part of a pair of new ads destined for Latin America, the second of which awaits you after the break.
TERA creeps us out with a monster movie
En Masse Entertainment has presented beautiful render after beautiful render of its highly anticipated action MMO TERA. We've seen revealing armor sets, robust cities, thunderous monsters, and creepy villains. The vampires of Popolion were pretty freaky when we showed them off a couple of weeks ago, but when coupled with the silent-film motif, the evil chills cause your body to shudder. Who doesn't like the classic monster movies? Bela Lugosi's Dracula is still the best. To say Happy Halloween to the fans of TERA, the developers have put together their own version of a spine-tingling monster movie. Don't miss the baby-dolls with cleavers, clowns with sinister sneers, and, of course, the vampires with top hats. Follow after the break for the full video, and prepare to be TERA-ized.
Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition's new enemy is all kinds of creepy
Capcom has updated its official Japanese Resident Evil 5 site, revealing the new enemy featured in the upcoming Gold Edition retail and (assorted) DLC release of the game. The new nemesis is an unnamed and extremely grotesque behemoth who carries a large key-like anchor, stalking the underground of Spencer's Mansion in the content's Lost in Nightmares episode. According to an English translation of the character card, players can hunt down the beast to obtain heavy weapons such as a sickle. If the design proves one thing, it's that Capcom continues to create characters with terrible skin afflictions. Someone get this guy an ointment.[Via Andriasang]
Talkcast reminder: Macs that go bump in the night! 10 pm ET
It's the Sunday before Halloween, and that can mean only one thing! No, not that you should have set your clocks back an hour -- that's next weekend. Tonight is about scary tech and the users that love it: Apple's most frightening products of all time. Whether the fuzzy-scary iPod Socks or the just-plain-scary Performa series, there are plenty of bonechillers out there... pick your favorites over at Apple History, the Apple Museum or Wikipedia and bring your nominations to our chamber of terrors tonight! To participate on TalkShoe, you can use the browser-only client, or you can try out the classic TalkShoe Pro Java client; however, for maximum fun, you should call in. For the web UI, just click the "TalkShoe Web" button on our profile page at 10 pm Sunday. To call in on regular phone or VOIP lines (take advantange of your free cellphone weekend minutes if you like): dial (724) 444-7444 and enter our talkcast ID, 45077 -- during the call, you can request to talk by keying in *-8. Talk with you then!
Miruko wearable gaming eyeball robot turns the creep factor up significantly
Miruko is the creepiest gaming device we've seen in a while -- but it's also downright awesome. A robotic interface boasting WiFi and a built-in camera, it's designed to be worn and used in augmented reality, real life gaming situations, able to detect things -- like monsters -- that are invisible to the human eye. Once the robot detects the presence of said monster (or zombie), it fixes its gaze on the object, allowing the gamer to follow its line of sight and then.. you know, destroy it -- using an iPhone camera. It's also capable of locating and locking in on specific objects and faces, making it really useful in hunting down whatever imaginary creatures that have been following you lately. Check the coolness in the video after the break, but keep in mind -- we've been able to see the invisible monsters all along.[Via Pink Tentacle]
Video: Pocket Pain Doctor is the worst iPhone app. Ever.
The Pocket Pain Doctor is an iPhone app "guaranteed to invigorate your mind" and rid you of such pesky things as fatigue, drowsiness, and acne. Of course, it also has all the telltale signs of modern day snake-oil: questionable claims about "Bluwave" and "Redwave" technology, "clinical proof" that has nothing to do with the product, and the faux sophistication of using "exacting nanometers" to adjust the, uh, brightness. Cherry on the cake? It's made by the same creepy one-man clown show responsible for the Pocket Cemetery app. Read - Pocket Pain Doctor website
Give Dementium II's box art a hand
Regardless of how good Renegade Kid's Dementium II turns out to be -- probably pretty good, given the reception of the first game -- one thing is not in dispute: It's got the creepiest damned box we've seen in a long time. It's the sort of thing you don't keep out in the open, the sort of box you make sure is stuffed deep down in the darkest drawer you have. You know, right next to your copy of Elf Bowling.
Silent Hill My Little Ponies are adorable, disturbing
When one conjures up thoughts of Silent Hill, rarely do such thoughts wander in the direction of My Little Pony. That is, unless you're clickclackcat, an enterprising eBay member who readily connected the two incredibly disparate franchises. Currently up for auction are the gruesomely darling ponies seen above, one in the likeness of Pyramid Head, and another made to resemble a member of Alchemilla Hospital's famed nursing staff.If you have eccentric tastes (or a particularly macabre little girl), feel free to place a bid.[Via Hawty McBloggy]Source - eBay: My Little Pony Silent Hill Custom: Zombie NurseSource - eBay: My Little Pony Silent Hill Custom: Pyramid Head
Big Brother! ActyMac DutyWatch spies on your employees
Employers: do you want to know exactly what your employees are doing every second of the day on their Macs? Would you like to be able to log every keystroke they make, take screenshots of their Macs every once in a while, or even take pictures of them with the iSight that's built into their Mac to make sure that they're working? If so, ActyMac DutyWatch is just your cup of tea. Without your employees knowing, you can monitor everything they post, open, and use. DutyWatch captures all keystrokes and logs every program that is launched or quit. If an employee uses certain keywords, DutyWatch sends you an email so you can scrutinize that person even more closely. DutyWatch also records every email, chat, website visit, or web search. Make sure that your employees aren't reading TUAW on your dime!In the example above, your employee Michael has been spending a lot of time watching QuickTime movies and IM'ing in Adium. Of course, he'll lie to you and tell you that he's been watching training movies and texting the Miami office, but you've got just the proof you need to fire him. That'll get those other slackers in line!You can purchase ActyMac DutyWatch for US$99.95 direct from the website, and quantity discounts are available.
Lips commercial: You will never sleep again
We're a little very confused as to what Microsoft is attempting to achieve through this TV spot for its karaoke title, Lips, which releases this week. Is it trying to sell the game – or cure any suffering narcoleptics who happen to see it of their inability to stay awake?If the latter's the case, we salute Microsoft on trying to make life better for sufferers of the condition. If not, and it's just a video game ad, we're not sure people will even want to leave their houses to buy the game, for fear of running into this ... thing. Or even ordering Lips online ... only to have a bipedal mouth appear at their door, the package clutched in its teeth.Weird, wonderful, or WTF? Watch the spot after the break and tell us what you think.
One Shots: A (slightly creepy) fan favorite!
Today we bring you what Lockwood of The Shadows kinship from the Laurelin server has called a "fan favorite" -- Gollum! He tells us that this screen was taken in the South Trollshaws in Lord of the Rings Online, and before he bumped his graphic settings up. Even with lower graphic settings, it's creepy to think of the idea of Gollum playing peeping-tom at anyone's window. Do you have some interesting screen of a lore-figure from your game? (They need not be creepy!) If so, bundle that screen up, toss in a few words about what we're looking at, and send it to us at oneshots AT massively DOT com! Yours could be here next.%Gallery-9798%
Wik devs plant The Great Tree for PC
With 14 titles to its credit, developer Reflexive Entertainment is feeling mighty proud of itself, sticking out its chest and passing out cigars as it awaits the arrival of its 15th and latest progeny, a "grown-up story of good and evil" called The Great Tree. Set for release for the PC on December 19, the game is illustrated by the same artist behind Wik and the Fable of Souls, and even a cursory glance at this latest game's initial screens shows much in common between the two titles, namely with characters and designs that creep us right out. Even so, the game certainly looks interesting, as it lets you control a diminutive (and customizable) fairy throughout 100 different tree-filled levels, though if they are populated with creatures like that eerie tree-face thing, we're likely not to make it very far.
Dream recorder
If I were giving out awards for creepiest Mac application Dream recorder would be the front-runner. This app, as the name implies, aims to help you record your dreams and get a sense for how well you are sleeping. As you can see in the illustration to the right, the proper usage of Dream recorder involves: Placing your Mac on a night table next to your bed (the Mac must have a camera attached to it). Take a picture with Dream recorder in the dark, so it can adjust its settings. Go to sleep. Dream recorder will take a picture of you every 2 minutes by slowly brightening the screen. Dream recorder will determine the best time to wake you, based on a range you enter and what sleep cycle you are in. When you wake up, hit the space bar to stop the picture taking and to start the audio recording (this is where you tell the Mac about your dreams). The developer has kindly uploaded a sample of what the resultant movie, constructed from all those pictures, looks like. Creepy, huh?There is a 15 day trial, after which a 3 license pack costs $45. Dream recorder requires OS X 10.4.8 and Quicktime 7.
