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The most expensive Apple Watch costs upward of $10,000
There's only one Apple Watch, but the company is happy to sell it to you one of three ways: as the Apple Watch Sport, Apple Watch or the Apple Watch Edition. Confusing names aside, it's the third on the list that has courted the most speculation. Now, the company has revealed that the watch, dressed up in a solid 18-karat gold case with an "exquisitely designed" band will set you back upward of $10,000. Yup, we're in "if you have to ask, it's too expensive" territory now, folks.
Knights of Pen and Paper gets a +1 edition, courtesy of Paradox Interactive
I've written here about Knights of Pen and Paper before -- it's a really great little role-playing game that portrays not just a party of fantasy adventurers fighting monsters, but the actual tabletop players behind those characters. It turns out I'm not the only one that really enjoys Knights of Pen and Paper, because Swedish publisher Paradox Interactive has picked up the game (which is developed by a company from Brazil named Behold Studios), and re-publishing it as Knights of Pen and Paper: +1 Edition. The new version of the game will play essentially like the old version, though a rep from Behold told us at GDC this week that it will have lots more of everything: more monsters, more skills, more dungeons and towns, and more quests, encounters, and everything else. There will be some new systems in the game as well, including a dungeon system where you can delve into a series of rooms trying to find a key and reaching random encounters, and a tavern system, which will allow you to change out new characters at the table right in the middle of your adventure. There's also a new equipment system, which will allow for things like elemental damage, so you might be able to build a mage with fire damage, or protect against specific types of attacks. The new version of game looks great, and besides a release on iOS, Paradox is also helping Behold to bring the game to other platforms, too. It's releasing on iOS as the new version, but also the PC, Mac and Linux on Steam, and on the Android platform as well. Behold says that Paradox has been a great partner for them, and they've even got proof: When both the Behold and Paradox teams sat down separately to make lists of suggestions for the game's new version, it turned out that a lot of the ideas from both teams were exactly the same, so that shows they're very much on the same page. I think the partnership should be great for both parties -- this is a great game already, and Paradox is helping to make it even better. Knights of Pen and Paper: +1 Edition is due out sometime later on this summer.
Baldur's Gate Enhanced for iPad is now available
After months of waiting, (we first heard about this one back in March), the Enhanced Edition of Bioware's classic D&D RPG Baldur's Gate has arrived on the iPad. This is the full version of the old party-based game, with more than 80 hours of story-driven gameplay to go through, tons of characters and settings, plus some new characters and content. The entire PC game has been adapted for the touchscreen, and while the graphics are still very old school (2D! Isometric!), the game's just how you'll remember it. I think Baldur's Gate is a great game, but there are definitely better-looking titles on the App Store these days, and more user-friendly RPGs. That said, however, this is a classic, and if you've never played through it, now's your chance. The game is available for US$9.99 in iTunes.
Acorn 3.3 adds Retina Canvas, Smart Export, more
Version 3.3 of the popular Mac image editor Acorn is out, and developer Gus Mueller writes up the biggest changes on his blog. The Retina Canvas is likely the coolest update: If you're using Acorn, you can now see any art you create at a 1:1 ratio on a Retina Display. So if you have a MacBook Pro with Retina Display and Acorn, you can now see your own work perfectly clearly. All of the other elements have been updated for the new display as well. The update also includes the option to trim a certain selection out of a picture, redo a selection if you lose it for any reason, and the Smart Export feature as well (which will automatically save layers in a piece separately for later use in code). Acorn 3.3 is a sandboxed, App Store-only version (which makes sense, given that Apple is cracking the whip on that lately). But Mueller also says that if you'd rather run the version downloadable straight from the website, it'll know whether you've run the App Store version before, so you still have your choice. Sounds like a nice solid update to a great app.
Turbine sweetens Riders of Rohan's editions, includes instance cluster
Frustration and confusion have been the name of the Lord of the Rings Online pre-purchase game these past couple of weeks, with some players feeling that the editions were overpriced and others bewildered over whether or not this fall's instance cluster would be included in the cost. Turbine announced today that all three of Riders of Rohan's editions will be boosted with Turbine Points and that the instance cluster will be given to all who buy one. In a forum post, CM Sapience said that the studio is dishing out bonus Turbine Points for all of the editions. Base and heroic edition holders will receive 1,000 TP, while legendary edition purchasers get 2,000. This applies to both players who have already bought the expansion and those who will in the future. He also addressed the confusion over the instance cluster: "While we are still not ready to talk about the details of the cluster, we did want to confirm that we will be releasing a new instance cluster in an update after Rohan launches, and that the cluster will be free to all players who have purchased the Riders of Rohan expansion."
The Road to Mordor: Breaking down Riders of Rohan's pre-purchase
This past week or so has been absolutely nuts with all the new information flooding in about this fall's Riders of Rohan. We've gotten confirmation about the release date, the expansion website, pricing information for the different expansion pack editions, a partial feature list, an official FAQ, word of a forthcoming instance cluster, and a first look at the mounted combat system. Expansions always rile up the Lord of the Rings Online faithful, and I'm pretty jazzed to see whether Turbine can pull off what's probably the most epic addition to the game since Mines of Moria. I'm going to save analysis of the expansion as a whole until next week because today I want to dive into the slightly confusing morass of pre-purchase options and pricing to see what's worth pursuing -- and what might be worth ignoring.
Datamining hints at Mists of Pandaria Collector's edition mount
A new round of datamining has uncovered an interesting string and spell in the new code pushed with recent updates to the beta -- specifically, a reference to a placeholder for a Mists of Pandaria collector's edition mount. Here's the string/spell change, courtesy of MMO-Champion: [PH] MoP CE Mount - [PH] Summons and dismisses a ???. This mount changes depending on your Riding skill and location. Traditionally, collector's editions of World of Warcraft expansions included a pet, usually a whelp that resembles a key figure or theme of the expansion. The original collector's edition of WoW included three pets, the Zergling, the panda cub, and the mini Diablo. No collector's edition has ever shipped with a mount before. Here's the kicker: There is also a string and spell in the new build for a collector's edition pet as well, which means more stuff packed in to this next release's premium package. Does upping the ante on cool in-game stuff, from pets to mounts, put the collector's edition of Mists of Pandaria closer to your shelf? As a consummate purchaser of Blizzard collector's editions, I will be shelling out the cash notwithstanding. However, it would be nice to see a bevy of new rewards in the collector's editions other than just the whelps. They will, however, be excellent editions to my Pet Battle Army. What do you think the collector's edition mount could be? It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!
CCP's EVE Online Commissioned Officer Edition throws a life preserver to newbies
It's never been a better time to get into EVE Online: The title is on the verge of releasing a new expansion, with another one on the way for the spring. However, many players who may find EVE appealing are hesitant to take the leap out of a fear of being so far behind that there's no way of ever catching up with the crowd. If this is you, then CCP is extending a rare helping hand to easing you into the hardcore world it has created. On October 19th in North America, the studio is releasing a new boxed edition of the game, titled EVE Online: Commissioned Officer Edition. The "commissioned officer" refers to an exclusive in-game item that comes with the package, a Cerebral Accelerator implant that will give a significant boost to new pilot skill development for the first 30 days. Senior producer Arnar Gylfason sees this as a great way to knock down the barrier to entry: "The Commissioned Officers Edition is the best way for a new player to get a running start in the highly competitive environment of EVE Online." The Commissioned Officer Edition also comes with a full month of game time and an EVE poster that has a slew of helpful hints and tips on it. This edition of the game will only be available in a physical form -- no digital download, sorry! -- and will hit European brick-and-mortar stores following the NA release.
The Daily Grind: How would you make a D&D MMO?
We've made it no secret here at the Massively offices that we love us some Dungeons & Dragons Online (especially with our regular Wednesday evening guild play), but we'd be naive to think that DDO is the last D&D MMO we'll ever see. Considering that the franchise has a long tradition of console titles, PC games and MMOs (dating back to 1991's Neverwinter Nights), we'd go as far as saying that another D&D MMO is probably closer than we'd expect. So if you could define the parameters of this theoretical new game, what would you choose? What studio would handle it? What D&D setting would you like to play in the most? What edition of the rules? How would you overcome the difficulties of transitioning the pen-and-paper game into a MMORPG? Would it follow DDO's highly instanced format, or be something else entirely? Cast your level one spell of Creative Thought, and let us know: how would you make a D&D MMO?
WoW Insider's Dell notebook giveaway continues
It is now Day 5 of the Dell WoW edition notebook giveaway on WoW Insider, and we have cracked a whopping 20,000 comments to enter the contest. But don't worry-- even though the number of people entering goes up every day, every day is also your newest chance to enter the contest-- you can leave a comment on the WoW Insider post once every 24 hours.So consider this your daily reminder to enter, and there's only three days left-- on Friday, we'll be choosing one random commenter on that post (not this one-- commenting on this post doesn't win you anything but holiday cheer from us at Massively) to win the WoW Edition notebook and all of those crazy goodies that come with it. Good luck!
GameDaily estimates Halo 3 sold 2.48 mil units day one
And now a reading from the book of GameDaily, who presents their breakdown of the Halo 3 sales. Using the knowledge of $170 million made figure by Microsoft and checking with retail sources, they used some fancy arithmetics to get themselves statistics. According to their source for "every four standard copies sold, two limited edition copies and one legendary edition is sold." Meaning the percentages are 14% Legendary, 29% Limited (or Scratched edition) and 57% Standard. They figure the breakdown is: Standard edition: 1,600,000 Limited edition: 694,000 Legendary edition: 187,000 GameDaily concludes that 2.48 million units sold on day one. Hopefully we'll get the full numbers from Microsoft in the near future for those who love themselves some statistics. So, who wants to start poking holes in the estimates first?[Thanks NJkid1]
Japanese hardware sales, Jun. 4 - Jun. 10: Harry Potter edition
The final release of Harry Potter, one of the most widespread, wonderful literary series ever written, is coming to a close come July 21st. We'd like to take a moment and salute J. K. Rowling for reintroducing the better part of a world to the joys of reading, because hey, if no one read, we'd be out of our jobs. Pick up Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows as soon as you can, guys. Trust us.Harry Potter and the Japanese Hardware Sales"Harry," said Ron, slightly out of breath, "Snape'll go nutters if we're late again. Remember what he did to Neville?""Yeah," replied Harry, throwing himself down a shifting staircase and sprinting through the corridors. Snape had used a particularly nasty hex on the frequently tardy Neville, turning his hands into N-Gages. Harry allowed himself a momentary shudder.They rounded a corner and began the descent into Snape's dungeon of a classroom, Harry's least favorite place at Hogwarts. Even disregarding his immense dislike of Severus Snape, Harry had never had much of a knack for Potions; it was always his lowest grade of the term.
Japanese hardware sales, May 28 - Jun. 3: Explanatory Aqua Teen edition
We know, you were disappointed. Last night, as you happily refreshed DS Fanboy every nine seconds or so looking for this week's Japanese hardware sales, the vim slowly faded from your eyes as the hours ticked into oblivion. We would never willingly deprive our readers so; we were unavoidably delayed! You see ....Thousands of years ago, before the dawn of man as we knew him ... there were the moon men, reigning over the Earth. But this was not the Earth you knew! It was covered in jelly and high-density motor oil, making the planet very slippery. The moon men blamed the corporations, and there was a war and many were killed. The battle raged for millennia until 8000 A.D., when the moon men realized they were not actually from the moon, but from rural Pennsylvania. They then built a monument to the moon but then the Quakers stole it and filled it with oatmeal, and no one knew what flavor. Californians were highly displeased and turned all the Quakers invisible, which is why you never see them anymore. And that ... is where babies come from.- DS Lite: 123,140 4,321 (3.39%) - Wii: 69,748 11,104 (18.93%) - PSP: 26,358 261 (1.00%) - PS2: 11,814 503 (4.45%) - PS3: 8,998 629 (6.53%) - Xbox 360: 2,219 175 (8.56%) - Game Boy Micro: 310 97 (23.83%) - GBA SP: 247 41 (14.24%) - Gamecube: 226 30 (11.72%) - DS Phat: 71 10 (12.35%) - GBA: 16 1 (5.88%)[Source: Media Create]
Japanese hardware sales, May 21 - May 27: Step by Step edition
Some of our readers wonder exactly what they're supposed to do with the Japanese hardware sales every week. To promote enlightenment and worldwide harmony, we've taken the liberty of creating a step-by-step walkthrough of a proper response to the weekly figures. Adhere to these rules whenever possible, and if you must deviate, remember to at least properly remove all semblance of standard English grammar from your comments.1. Look for any obvious outliers in the sales data, such as the Nintendo DS falling out of first place. This will never occur; advance to step 2.2. Statistical variation causes slight fluctuations every week. Immediately look for numbers that come close to dividing evenly into one another; this enables comments such as, "lol, wii sold 5x of PS3s this week, pwnage."3. Should any Nintendo systems suffer a decrease in sales, come up with reasons as to why they dropped. The usually accurate "supply is unable to currently meet demand" excuse is no longer sufficient in most cases. Come up with creative replies like, "redirected shipments of software caused a temporary instability in the retail market," or "lol ghost of kutaragi put a curse on teh DS kekekekeke."4. There will invariably be a Sony or Microsoft troll, defending his or her own system while attacking your own. Henceforth, we'll be posting IP addresses and relevant contact information*; please take it upon yourselves to attack and/or maim the aforementioned troll, preferably with some kind of mace that grants +7 strength while fighting trolls.*Really.**- DS Lite: 127,461 16,248 (14.61%) - Wii: 58,644 6,451 (12.36%) - PSP: 26,097 1,408 (5.12%) - PS2: 11,311 430 (3.95%) - PS3: 9,627 968 (11.18%) - Xbox 360: 2,044 18 (0.89%) - Game Boy Micro: 407 21 (4.91%) - GBA SP: 288 42 (12.73%) - Gamecube: 256 20 (7.25%) - DS Phat: 81 55 (211.54%) - GBA: 17 16 (48.48%)[Source: Media Create]**Not really.
Japanese hardware sales, May 14 - May 20: Satisfactory edition
Having issues with performance? Can't seem to keep those sales numbers up? Disappointed in your ability to satisfy Japanese schoolchildren? It's okay, Mr. Miyamoto. It's not you, it's just ... you know ... they've seen it all before. They want something new. They need something big, and yours just isn't big enough. But boy, do we have a product for you! Trust us. With regular use comes a guaranteed increase in size, or your money back! Girls will flock to you, women will be putty in your hands! After all, we've seen the results firsthand. Yes, that's right, we've sunk quite a bit of our own money and time into this product, and we're just absolutely 100% positive you'll start seeing results within a few weeks. And hey, it's not your fault nature didn't give you a little more to work with! So go ahead and start Training Your Brain, Miyamoto-san, and give those women what they really want: your astronomically high IQ. - DS Lite: 111,213 52,572 (32.10%) - Wii: 52,193 351 (0.67%) - PSP: 27,505 6,928 (20.12%) - PS2: 10,881 467 (4.48%) - PS3: 8,659 180 (2.04%) - Xbox 360: 2,026 79 (3.75%) - Game Boy Micro: 428 20 (4.90%) - GBA SP: 330 13 (3.79%) - Gamecube: 276 39 (12.38%) - GBA: 33 15 (83.33%) - DS Phat: 26 13 (33.33%)[Source: Media Create]
Japanese hardware sales, May. 7 - May 13: Office Space edition
David: Hey, Jason, yeahhhh, I'm gonna need you to get on those JHS reports ... did you see the memo?Jason: Uh, yeah, I saw it. Thanks, Dave.David: Good, good. I'll let you get to it, then.(Jason sighs, and begins to type frantically.)Alisha: Heyyyyy, Jason, did you see the mem--Jason: For the love of God, yes. I'm on it.Alisha: No need to snap, Jason. Sounds like someone has a case of the Fridays.(Jason mumbles as Alisha walks away. JC and Eric approach.)JC: I can't believe it. I told those fudgepackers I liked JC's music. Me! I've never despised any form of sensory input as I do those songs.
Japanese hardware sales, Apr. 30 - May 6: Deja vu edition
I see you're back, kid. No surprise there. You've hit the rarest of the rare candies, and Level 100 wasn't enough for you? You're flying high for awhile, but then even that's not enough. Believe me, I know.So let me tell you what's I've got here, kid. I call it shine. I have to grow 8,192 plants just to make one of these little pills, but kid, you've never seen a Psywave like this. It makes you stronger, faster, hell, even your skin changes color. It's luxury, it's lightning ....So, you wanna score some--whoa, whoa, not so fast, kid! Last time was a freebie, a little icing before the cake. I'm gonna need something more than just sales charts. I'm gonna need some sort of tripped-up magical cartoon dream sequence ... no, make that two tripped up cartoon dream sequences. Oh, baby, yes. I am rollin'.Don't forget those charts, too, kid, and remember ... you'll be back ... - DS Lite: 285,123 29,152 (11.39%) - Wii: 101,320 1,202 (1.17%) - PSP: 35,172 1,312 (3.87%) - PS2: 14,815 2,231 (17.73%) - PS3: 12,974 183 (1.43%) - Xbox 360: 3,205 43 (1.36%) - Gamecube: 394 227 (135.93%) - Game Boy Micro: 340 290 (46.03%) - GBA SP: 302 193 (38.99%) - DS Phat: 69 23 (25.00%) - GBA: 11 11 (Trippin%) [Source: Media Create](... it's signed by Fatal1ty ...)
Japanese hardware sales, Apr. 16 - Apr. 22: Civil War edition
Camp Lincoln Keokuk IowaOctober the 23rd, 1862To Miss Dorothy W. SullivanMy darling Dorothy,I will inform you that I am well at this time, in this God Forsaken regiment. Lest I should not be able to write you again, I feel impelled to write lines that may fall under your eye when I am to be no more. Death is coming, Dorothy, I can feel its stench in the blood-soaked battlefields on which we stand, in the eyes of my comrades as they see the fallen friends who once laughed and drank alongside.Would I were back with you, dear Dorothy, that all happiness should come to us as it once did. My country hath borne me on these winds away from you, and unseeing with my one eye 'gainst your two, I tread as they so commanded. Your bright smile still warms me as I lay in drought, and those who would care care not about me, and those who do not pay as much mind as they did.My forefathers have fallen, and yours live strong; our children might not remember the lineage which I bestow. O Dorothy! Do not mourn me dead; think I am gone and wait for thee, for we shall meet again.- Percy Sullivan- DS Lite: 172,359 39,034 (29.28%)- Wii: 77,913 2,154 (2.84%)- PSP: 29,459 4,609 (18.55%) - PS2: 11,398 1,474 (11.45%) - PS3: 11,000 948 (7.93%) - Xbox 360: 2,307 593 (20.45%) - GBA SP: 860 206 (31.50%) - Game Boy Micro: 449 168 (27.23%) - Gamecube: 266 99 (59.28%) - DS Phat: 81 65 (44.52%) - GBA: 55 29 (111.54%)[Source: Media Create]
Japanese hardware sales, Apr. 9 - Apr. 15: 433420-302039 Edition
"You n00b sunnuva bitch," said the legendary knight 3494-5541-9771. "Pwnage ... is inevitable.""Hah!" said his adversary, 7111-9463-2931. "If you wish to grok your princess once more, you'll taste the fury of my skillz!" He raised his arms high in the air. "363171-765491, I summon thee from the shades of hell! Rise forth and rock this bitch!"The ground shook, and from a spewing chasm came the beast, hideous and deformed. 3494-5541-9771 stood his ground. No creature would keep him from his princess. He dodged a 7612-8113-4353-1919 and drew his 1913-1564-8328, shining in the darkness. With one deft blow he severed the 363171-765491's head, and leapt toward 7111-9463-2931."Boom--" shouted 7111-9463-2931, raising his staff. The two collided--"HEADSHOTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!"And all was silent. 3494-5541-9771 had won. He sheathed his 1913-1564-8328 and approached his beautiful princess, 654232-918811. Her eyes fluttered open."Did you ... did you pwn him?""I did, fair princess.""Well done, knight. And now, your just reward..."She slowly began to disrobe..."Wait," she said suddenly. "Do I have your Friend Code?""What? I don't need your friend co--""Sorry, sweetie," said 654232-918811, donning her gown once more. "No code, no multiplayer." She walked away."I ... but ... FRAK!"(Seriously, Nintendo. This crap is ridiculous.)- DS Lite: 133,325 22,480 (20.28%) - Wii: 75,759 23,176 (44.08%) - PSP: 24,850 6,653 (21.12%) - PS2: 12,872 1,362 (9.57%) - PS3: 11,948 2,572 (17.71%) - Xbox 360: 2,900 63 (2.13%) - GBA SP: 654 179 (21.49%) - Game Boy Micro: 617 105 (20.51%) - Gamecube: 167 88 (34.51%) - DS Phat: 146 56 (62.22%) - GBA: 26 14 (116.67%) [Source: Media Create]
Subtle limited-edition DS Lite from Hudson
Hudson's Momotaro Dentetsu series of video board games (think Mario Party) has always been popular in Japan. It's so popular, in fact, that it justifies limited-edition hardware. That's a little unsettling, to us. It's hugely popular, but has never been released outside of Japan. Of course, Japan needs limited-edition DS Lites-- and all DS Lites, more than we do. Maybe this will add to the total supply.This DS Lite comes packaged with Momotaro Dentetsu DS Tokyo & Japan, and features very small character portraits and the series title on the top of the system. It's a very restrained approach to the special edition system, which contrasts to the recent BeDazzling approach. Check after the break for a closeup of the system!
