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MGS: Ground Zeroes learns to share DLC across all platforms today
When Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes launched in March, it featured additional content exclusive to both the PlayStation and Xbox platforms. As was announced last week, those add-on missions are now available across all platforms for free starting today, following updates on the respective consoles, because sharing is caring. Specifically, the previously PlayStation-exclusive Classic Snake skin and Deja Vu mission is now available to Xbox One and Xbox 360 owners. As for PS4 and PS3 players, the formerly Xbox-only Jamais Vu mission is now free to download, and features Metal Gear Solid: Revengeance star Raiden kicking the crap out of "body snatchers" that have taken over a U.S. Naval facility in Cuba. Konami revealed that it shipped over one million copies of Ground Zeroes globally as of this week. As the prelude to Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, Ground Zeroes is "too good to be a cash-in, too calculated to be satisfying and too intriguing to spurn," according to our review. [Image: Konami]
Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes gets classic Snake skin, mission on PlayStation
During the PlayStation All Access event tonight on Spike, it was revealed that Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes will feature an exclusive classic Solid Snake skin on PlayStation. In addition to the skin, Hideo Kojima also revealed a PlayStation-exclusive mission called "Deja Vu" in the teaser trailer above. Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes launches in the spring of 2014 for Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3 and PS4.
The Game Archaeologist answers Asheron's Call 2: The fansite managers
Back when I covered Asheron's Call for The Game Archaeologist, I got an impassioned email from a former fansite operator who made me promise that I'd drop her a line when the time came to talk about Asheron's Call 2, as she was not only a huge fan of the title but still in contact with many former players who carry a torch for Turbine's long-departed MMO. One thing led to another, and I ended up talking to both her and a fellow AC2 fansite manager about the ups and downs of covering the second coming of Dereth... The Game Archaeologist: Please introduce yourself, your current job position, and how you got involved with Asheron's Call 2 back in the day? Kiersten Samwell: I'm Kiersten Samwell, Community Relations and Social Media Manager for KingsIsle Entertainment, the creator of Wizard101. I used to be the Site Manager for Warcry's Crossroads of Dereth/Asheron's Call site as Ellen Ripley, so it was natural to work with the site manager of their Asheron's Call 2 fansite as well. His name is Roberto, and he was just an incredible site manager. Of course, being an avid AC1 player, I enjoyed AC2 for both its similarities to and its differences from AC1. Robert Hackett: Hi, I'm Robert Hackett, the Managing MMO Editor of GamersInfo.net. I actually got invited to one of the betas along with a friend of mine. The lag was so bad (the day I logged in may have been a stress test; I can't remember) that I told my friend that there was no way my rig could handle that. Fast forward to the month after release and Ophelea from the old AC Crossroads site begged me to come over to AC2 and be an editor for the database she was trying to build. Logged in and the game was a million percent better. I stayed to work on the database and eventually fell in love with it beyond "work!"
The Game Archaeologist and the What Ifs: Ultima Worlds Online: Origin
Two months ago, we heard a rumor (which has since gone quiet) that a new Ultima Online sequel might be in the oven in Electronic Art's kitchen. As with any rumor, it was important to take it with a grain of disbelief, although a pinch of hope seems appropriate in this case as well. After all, Ultima Online's been begging for a sequel ever since the hit MMO started facing stiff competition in the form of 3-D worlds like EverQuest and Asheron's Call. For some of us gamers, word of a UO sequel feels like deja vu, and rightly so. This wouldn't be the first time that EA embarked on a project to make a more modern Ultima Online, nor would it be the second time. Indeed, the saga of Ultima Online's canceled sequels is as torrid as it is steamy and lusty. Ignore the words in the previous sentence, as those are just to up the hits on search engines. In our continuing series on the "what ifs?" of axed MMOs, we're going to head into a two-parter full of savage truth, dangerous decisions, and full-frontal nerdery. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the saga of Ultima Online 2.
Palm's ad agency 'loves that you're creeped out' by new TV spots
Advertising Age has taken a deep dive into Palm's latest string of unsettling, polarizing ads -- you know, the ones with the girl -- in an attempt to explain the company's intention with the creepy spots. The industry paper spoke with Gary Koepke, the co-founder and executive creative director at Modernista, the company which developed and produced the short clips. According to Gary, he's happy that viewers find the commercials upsetting, stating that "The Pre is probably being talked about more than other phones right now because of the marketing and advertising, and that's a good thing. Could the ads work harder to show exactly how the phone works? Yes, but we knew it would be polarizing people to have a woman not shout at them and tell an interesting story." Apparently the agency is taking its own stab at Microsoft's Seinfeld / Bill Gates strategy, which means viewers don't necessarily have to like (or even understand) the ads... as long as they keep talking about them. Of course, that game plan may work for a company like Microsoft, which arguably has nothing to lose if they run a few ill-received spots. Palm, on the other hand, won't get a second chance to make a first impression with a lot of people, and since its fortune is currently riding on the device these ads attempt to sell to consumers, it's a pretty risky proposition. C'mon, how could the folks that brought you the Foleo be wrong?
Amazon offers up to 43% off select Blu-ray titles
More good news for high-def fans. The discounts on Blu-ray titles just keep on coming. Amazon announced plans to offer up to 43% on select Blu-ray and HD-DVD titles, starting today. After discount, titles like The Terminator, Species and King Arthur: (Director's Cut) can be had for as little as $16.99. New entries to Blu-ray format are apparently also being sliced with deep discounts. Payback: Straight Up - The Director's Cut and Deja Vu were released on Blu-ray less than two months ago and are at $17.99 and $21.49 respectively, after discount. With savings like these, it'll be easier on the wallet to start rebuilding that high-def Blu-ray library.
