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The European connection in 9Dragons
Acclaim's martial arts MMORPG 9Dragons is about to gain some more European fans, with the launch of Bardo Euro -- their new European server. Bardo Euro promises to offer the European playerbase an improved game experience with better connections all around.Apparently the players have been calling for a European 9Dragons server for some time; Acclaim is delivering on their promises to improve the game and is holding a number of special events to celebrate the launch: 30% off sale: All items in the 9Dragons Item Mall will be 30% off for 3 days only. June 6-8. Bonus exp rate events: Earn 2 times experience points by playing on the Bardo server. June 3-9. Monster spawn event: High level monsters will invade Bardo. June 3-5, 6, 8-9. VGM/GM PvP event: Test your martial arts skills battling against Acclaim VGM and GM staff. June 3-6, 8-9. Fireworks in Bardo: To celebrate the official launch of the European server, fireworks will light up the sky at random times from May 30 to June 8 on the Bardo server. If you're in Europe, why not give 9Dragons a shot? Roll yourself a Shaolin or Wu-Tang badass and see if you can take down a GM or two in martial arts combat. Via Warcry
Have a picnic in a living world
Where can you go to see a sea dragon, read art books, have your fortune told, and play music, all in the one spot? Well, Svarga in Second Life certainly has all of this. And that's not all you can do in this wonderful simulation. The most wonderful things about Svarga don't show on the surface. You can roam the island for hours and still miss details - such as the variety of underground spaces. As with most virtual world sites, words and pictures don't do it justice -- which is part of what virtual worlds are all about. %Gallery-21726%
Struggling MMO Horizons renamed "Istaria"
Virtrium LLC, the new stewards of the MMO Horizons: Empire of Istaria, announced that Horizons will now be known by the name Istaria: Chronicles of the Gifted. Virtrium President Rick Simmons explained in a press release blurb and also in an interview with RPG Vault's Jonric that the name was changed because the game is about the world of Istaria and its people, and because it has lived at the domain istaria.com since the beginning. "You have no idea how stupid I've felt explaining that the game was called Horizons, but you had to go to www.istaria.com," he told RPG Vault.Horizons -- err, Istaria -- has had a rough time of it. After some truly savage corporate politics in the original development studio, the game launched incomplete, buggy, and honestly ... well, lame. It does, however, feature a great crafting system, and it lets you play as a dragon. Simmons was eager to point out both of those things in the RPG Vault interview. It looks like Virtrium is doing as much as a small team can to make the game attractive. Simmons explained: "our niche is very much the crafter, non-competitive gamer, and we're very happy being in it." He also said that the game has seen a lot of fine tuning in recent months, and that its due for a big content expansion called "the Blighted Labyrinth."
What is wrong with the world today?
Does this count as a furry pinup? Is "fur" a requirement for these sort of dealings? And if you're the kind of person who is really into dragons, wouldn't these anthropomorphised features (e.g. blonde hair, humanoid limbs, and dragon breasts all up in your grill) turn you off?Apparently not! Upon seeing the above piece, deviantART member RajginKisaragi commented, "Very beautiful job! I'm glad to be a dragon looking at this ... *Boing*" There you have it, straight from the dragon's maw! A real-life dragon, at that!Natasha "Dark Natasha" Mleynek painted the lid of this Black GBA SP back in 2004 for a friend. While the subject doesn't fit our tastes in either women or dragons, we recognize that Natasha is very skilled in her craft; there are few, if any, technical flaws with this customization. Believe us, she could have done a lot worse. Also, she added a layer of clear coat paint to protect her artwork from any man-handling. See also: Orcs & Elves & a John Carmack autograph
'Amazing, exciting, fantastic and training body reaction'
var digg_url = 'http://www.digg.com/nintendo/Nintendo_Wii_Weapons_pics'; This '8 in 1' set of Wiimote attachments from the beloved Dragon Electronics has so many weapons. There's an axe, a pistol, a scimitar, a sword, two daggers, and even a shield. Wait, that's seven things (and the shield isn't really a weapon, so it doesn't fit in our classification system.) Apparently, the gun comes in two pieces, each comprising one of the "8 in 1." They couldn't call it "7 in 1?" Dragon's ability to sell useless remote adornments is that contingent on there being eight of them in the package? We'd think the awesome rusty finish on the swords, shield, and axe would be enough of a draw.In addition to the quote used in the title, the box declares its contents " Physical exercise ideal Wii accessories product and good for health," while assuring prospective buyers that there is "no hazaro." If it's both ideal and free from hazaro, we see no reason not to buy this!We were going to make a joke about playing Golden Axe with the axe attachment, but we remembered that the Wiimote is terrible for the Genesis games with which it is functional, meaning that in all likelihood you'd have the axe sitting on your lap as you played. And that would be ridiculous.[Update: corrected the bit about Wiimote incompatibility.][Via Aeropause]
Dragon lets loose cheapo DuoShock 3 PS3 controller
Dragon's new DuoShock 3 may not be anything more than a pale imitation of Sony's own PS3 controller, but at least it's a dirt cheap pale imitation, with it setting you back just $17. For that price you will get 2.4GHz wireless capabilities, but it seems that you'll have to make do without the SIXAXIS' motion sensing capabilities, which could pose quite a problem depending on the games you plan to play with it. On the upside, you'll also be able to use the controller with your PC, as well as your PS2 with the included adapter. The controller does also boast a vibration function, although it seems pretty safe to assume that it'll only work with the PS2. If that's not too much of a deterrent, you can pick one up right now.[Via PS3 Evolution]
Around Azeroth: Ever wanted to be a dragon?
Conc the Druid from Vashj (EU) asks if we've ever wanted to be a dragon to which we can only answer, "Of course -- who hasn't?!" In this particular shot, Conc is using a quest item (sadly three charges only, though it looks like you can keep getting more) to turn himself into a charming black dragon whelp. The dragon-appropriate flame is provided by an easy food choice for the perfect whelp look.Do you have a unique shot of Azeroth or Outland that you'd like to show off to the rest of the world? Tell us about it by e-mailing a copy to aroundazeroth@wow.com, with as much or as little detail as you'd like to share with us. %Gallery-1816%
Callpod's Dragon Bluetooth earpiece sports 100-meter range
If you're cool with a circular gizmo flanking one of your ears, Callpod's Bluetooth earpiece is probably right down your alley. Aside from rocking a dual-microphone design, noise cancellation technology and multi-device pairing support, this headset promises to stay connected even if you stray 100-meters (give or take) from your mobile / computer. Additionally, you can count on 8-hours of talk time (300-hours in standby) to handle those all-night sobfests, and it's even firmware upgradable should the future hold some extras not yet available. If you're all ready to sign up, hit the read link and throw down your $119.95 -- Callpod says they'll be shipping soon.[Via Uber-Review]
The EVE Challenge
Hardcore Casual has thrown down the gauntlet, and challenged all comers to prove something interesting: that EVE Online hasn't yet solved our MMO problems. That's a strange thing to prove, but we here at Massively love nothing more than a challenge, so here goes.HC's point is that in EVE, you can pretty much do anything the way you want to, anywhere at any time. EVE is limitless in terms of both progression and size-- skills can be leveled for months and years, and even if all the skills are maxed out (they won't be, because CCP keeps adding new ones), there's always more ISK to be made. And because the game is so big and mostly empty space, everyone can play on one world, and there's no need for the sharding that other games must do to keep their servers up.However, as much as I love EVE, it is not a perfect MMO.
Another day, another crazy Wii peripheral
The next in a line of worthless Wii peripherals is this Fishing Rod Advance from Dragon Electronics, to use for games such as Fishing Master and Rapala Tournament Fishing ... oh, and we guess there's also that short fishing bit in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Yet, as our own JC Fletcher suggested, you'd probably just be better off using this to make your cat go insane. Sure, this will only set you back $9.95, but we bet you could probably spend those ten dollars better somewhere else. We have to wonder -- do they keep making these ridiculous peripherals because people keep on buying them? Here's a chance to cleanse your soul and fess up, folks![Via Technabob]
Wii Warm Up: Standard issue
The Zapper is nothing more than a big handle for your Wiimote and Nunchuk. It's about as inert as a game accessory can get. There's no circuitry, no wiring, and no real technology of any kind. It's just a thing that you hold, that itself holds things.Which means that, unlike more sensitive items like GameCube controllers or memory cards, there's no real harm in eschewing the Nintendo-branded shell for a different option. Would you even consider a third-party gun shell? Or is Nintendo loyalty and fear of product failure locking you into a first-party purchase? For the purpose of discussion, let's pretend that Link's Crossbow Training isn't a factor. We're actually considering a nonstandard Zapper ourselves, because we're nonplussed by Nintendo's design, and we think we'd enjoy the lulz provided by one of the more out-there gun shells. Not to mention the fact that some of them have features the Zapper lacks, like extra vibration (nice!), or ... a laser sight.
Sparkling Vibration Gun Controller makes your 'pew pews' feel like 'pow pows'
Third-party accessory manufacturers have been rushing out their Zapper-esque controller shells as fast as they can manage, hoping to cash in before Nintendo's official product dominates the market. This newest variation to the light gun lineup, Dragon's Sparkling Vibration Gun Controller, claims to add some extra kick to your shots with its "mega vibration."Requiring only $9.95 and a pair of AAA batteries, it sounds like a good deal, but is anyone actually looking for more rumble with their Wii games? And what's with listing "Exciting" and "Fantastic" on the packaging's bulleted list of features? Those aren't features! Who are they to state whether the peripheral is exciting or fantastic? We'll be the judge of that!Try not to drop your convulsing pistol during the gunfight, and take cover past the post break for more photos of the shell's "cyber-looking design" (another exaggeration).
It's the year of the ... Game Boy Advance SP?
Nintendo's Chinese operation, iQue, has released some very cool Game Boy Advance SP systems that may make you rethink your need for an SP and your impression of the Chinese gaming market, where you can apparently get very cool systems that aren't hilarious knockoffs.While it's possible these are old, we have a suspicion that the Year of the Dog system is recent as of this year, at least. There's also a two-tone Mario edition, and a very cool dragon system that uses the black/red case design from the Boktai GBA. Some of these are available online at amazingly high prices, so we're stuck playing games on our stupid DS Lites.[Via Siliconera]
Know Your Lore: Good dragons
Before we get into this week's KYL, we have a little bit of business to take care of. Some of you may have noticed that this feature has been rather inconsistently published in the past month. This is due to my beginning a new job and classes at the same time. So to keep up our publishing schedule, and to bring a fresh face to the column, Matthew Rossi will be taking over KYL every other week, beginning next week. Please do not throw eggs at him. And, now, on with the show! It's pretty much a given that in any fantasy game, you're going to have to kill a dragon or two, and WoW is no exception. There are tons of dragons hanging around, so much so that it becomes a problem to tell exactly what they're doing. Because of this, a concerned (and confused) reader wrote in a few weeks ago asking us to do a piece on the different dragonflights that were sent by the Titans to guard the world of Azeroth. As you wish, reader. As you wish. However, there are a LOT of dragons, so today we'll cover the "good" dragonflights: Red, Bronze, Green, and Nether. Next time we'll get the "Bad Dragons": Black, Blue, Chromatic, and Infinite.
Wii Projector does not inspire confidence
Okay, we'll start with the good news: this projector, while compatible with everything with an A/V out, was designed with the Wii in mind. It even includes a Wii composite cable in the package. And it's white, which is the universal sign of "this thing is made for the iPod Wii"The bad news (which sounds like good news at first): this projector is cheap. We appreciate it when things are inexpensive, but $170 is suspiciously cheap for a projector. Even one that doesn't display in HD. Of course, we aren't sure we'd trust sensitive equipment like this from the same company that brought us the dashboard sensor bar stand at any price. According to the website, it displays in a resolution of 960*234, which is definitely a mistake of some kind. We hope it's a mistake in the product description and not in the product design. Check after the break for a screenshot from Ghost Squad, resized to 960*234. We didn't use a widescreen game for this exercise, but at a vertical resolution of 234 pixels, it wouldn't be much better.[Via MaxConsole]
Around Azeroth: Incoming!
While I'm a big fan of the philosophy behind letting sleeping dragons lie, I find that this rarely helps me complete quests. In this shot, sent in by reader Lienn of Boulderfist, we see one of the many game encounters that does not quite fit to my more peaceful view of life. In Shadowmoon Valley, a lengthy quest chain results in you fighting this dragon, the ghost of Vhel'kur.Do you have a unique shot of Azeroth or Outland that you'd like to show off to the rest of the world? Tell us about it by e-mailing aroundazeroth@gmail.com! Or perhaps you'd just like to see more of your pics from Around Azeroth. %Gallery-1816%
Enryu T-53 service robot cleans up Japan post-earthquake
It's been far too long since we've seen the Enryu support robot out on the streets of Japan, and unfortunately, it was called into action once again recently after an earthquake reportedly rocked Niigata. The newest edition, dubbed the T-53, has received a number of improvements over the prior T-52 model, and aside from being able to hoist 220-pounds per arm without a stressing a joint, this rendition is supposedly a registered, street-legal vehicle to boot. Check it in the work zone after the break.
DS releases for the week of August 6th
Want a little Mega Man in your life? We sure hope so if you're looking for a new game this week, because it seems that's what there is. And perhaps Pet Alien, which didn't seem to make it out last week. Mega Man Star Force Dragon Mega Man Star Force Leo Mega Man Star Force Pegasus Pet Alien To see what's coming out in the rest of the world this week, take a stroll past the break.
Dragons are cool: BlizzCon Body Art
BodyArt by Cat is providing free body art -- Blizzard themed or otherwise -- at BlizzCon.There are standard BlizzCon related stencils as pictured above, such as being branded with the Wrath of the Lich King logo as shown above.
Engadget at Digital Experience New York
Digital Experience is a bi-annual press event wherein dozens of your favorite tech companies corral hundreds of your favorite tech journalists, fill them up with free food and booze, and attempt to squeeze a little more coverage out of already-announced products. The theme for this year's New York show -- held last night at the Metropolitan Pavilion -- was British Invasion, and while we certainly appreciated the Beatles cover band, darts competitions, and of course the Bass- and Boddingtons-serving HP Notebook Pub (pictured above, although we still prefer the Sun beer server), the choice to offer traditional English cuisine was, quite frankly, not that well thought out. Nonetheless, we braved numerous flying darts and sketchy-looking meat pies to photograph a few devices we thought you'd enjoy; click on to check out the highlights...
