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CoX community choice costume contest
When the CoX team announced their annual Halloween costume contest, they knew they'd get a boatload of entrants, and they were right. They've sorted through them to cull their pics; however, they always save one of the best moments for the very end. While the judges have already chosen the three top selections -- Grand Prize, Best Hero and Best Villain -- you need to help them decide who gets to claim the honor of creating the costume that's chosen as a winner by the players. It's time, my friends, to cast your votes. Show your support for our spandex-clad colleagues, and choose who you think best deserves the "Community Pick" prize. There are seven contestants, and each of you gets one vote to try to push your candidate to the top of the pile. But hurry: NCsoft is ending the voting at 10 a.m. Pacific on Monday, 26 November.
One Shots: We miss Halloween
Oh, how we miss Halloween. There were cool events going on in every MMO and the worlds seem so drab without their holiday splendor. However, at least we can relive the fun in screenshots like this one, taken by our own Krystalle Voecks in City of Heroes, where a group of adventurers are taking down Eochai for a Hallow's Eve event. And it's more than fun and games here: Krystalle tells us that this is how she spends time with her brother (the black cyborg) despite living far away. Do you have a screenshot of your own that you think expresses a unique or memorable moment in your favorite MMO? Send them to us with a description (including game name and location) and you may see it posted here for tomorrow's One Shots. %Gallery-9798%
WarioWare costume makes cosplay not fun anymore
Theresa Murphy's intentions were well-meaning when she planned out this costume, dressing up as Kat, half of the WarioWare series' ninja-sister duo. There must have been some misstep during the creation process, however, some supernatural treachery, that produced this absolutely creepy paper mache head. Our best guess is that a dying killer snuck into Theresa's house and performed a voodoo ritual to imbue the mask with his evil soul, all while she was distracted by a Geico TV commercial.Gone are our memories of Kat as a cute minigame ninja. In their place, we see a black and white scene of Kat pulling herself out of a well, her fingertips crusted with blackened blood and her skin sallow. She tramps toward us, and the only thing we can hear is the smack of her wet, sock-covered feet on hard ground. Our eyes are wide with horror, screaming, but we cannot move.
Looking back at a CoX Halloween
Halloween has come to an end in CoX, and many of us are looking back at the event with fond memories. Van Hemlock this week talked about the run in he had with Echoias, the massively tall pumpkin-headed monster that was terrorizing Paragon City. I didn't get a chance to track him down myself, but Van Hemlock got the Hallowed Spirit badge for his troubles, a nice memento of the holiday.My personal triumph this holiday was collecting some 30 odd costumes, so now I'm "Fashionable," or so says the badge. Yeah, I went a little crazy with the trick-or-treating thing, but it was an excellent way to level, and I got myself a system during the last days of the holiday. I figured out the doors were timed, so I would find one that had a group of baddies near it, and would cycle between slaughtering the Clockwork and knocking on doors. In the end, I got two sets of costume pieces, which allowed me to not only get an extra costume slot for my main, but also to give one to my friend. Not bad for what at its core was level grinding. And the costumes have stuck with me even after the holiday, so if I feel the need to hit the streets as a ninja or a PPD cop, I can. What was your favorite part of the holiday?
The Joystiq Weekend: November 3 - 5, 2007
Joystiq reader Spindash54 sent us a handful of adorable, reportedly "ancient" pictures of himself in a Sonic costume. This was our favorite of the collection -- and before you go bashing this relic of Halloween, we'd like to see you post your childhood costume images. No, really, we'd love to see it. Check out the highlights for this weekend:JoystiqueryJapanese hardware sales, Oct. 22 - Oct. 28: Meager eager editionLast Week in Warcraft: October 27th - November 3rdLive at the Jack Thompson debate in PhiladelphiaMetareview: Hellgate: LondonMetareview: The Simpsons Game (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PS2)PS Fanboy Week in Review: 10/29 - 11/4Rock Band impressions ... from a Best Buy kioskToday's just-add-Wii video: Fan-made Goonies gameToday's no-greenlight video: Contra movie trailerWeekly Webcomic Wrapup says good riddance to HalloweenNewsRock Band audio director talks song selectionMartinet: SMB3 to hit Virtual Console tomorrowSensible Soccer coming to XBLA in NovemberNew games this week: Call of Duty 4 editionTivo Alert: South Park takes on Guitar Hero WednesdayMore of Rock Band's bonus tracks unveiledNiGHTS 'My Dream' mode features real-time weather, poor graphics New on Virtual Console: Super Mario Bros 3, Alien Soldier and Power Golf ESPN brings shows, games to Xbox Live MarketplacePlayboy shows game character digi-boobs for 4th yearN-Gage relaunch pushed back to DecemberCapcom reveals mediocre Devil May Cry 4 special editionEuropean PS3 ad takes a step back ... into crazytownCruis'n (ironically) looks like a train wreck'Dark Mist' enshrouds Japanese PSN this weekThis Wednesday: Switchball and Word Puzzle [verb] XBLARock Band done, sent off to manufacturingHomeworld trademark acquired by THQSpeedball 2 Tournament hits Steam this NovemberRumors & SpeculationRumor: Xbox 360 parental timer coming in DecemberMTV's Totilo thinks Nintendo's done with single-playerCulture & CommunityFinality with Final Fantasy retrospective: Part XIIITetris L-block wins GameFAQs character battleBethesda designer makes Portal levelThompson says he'll debate at GDC, GDC says otherwiseNew James Bond is a gamerGoing kamikazee in Halo 3
Weekly Webcomic Wrapup says good riddance to Halloween
Important notes about the above comic from Monday Night Crew (larger version): Notice the sign on the door says "Resident Evil 4 party" Realize that the recently-arrived guest is not in RE4 attire If you don't recognize the out-of-place guest's costume, shame on you Doesn't this make you want to see an episode of Arthur where the gang fight off anthropomorphic zombies and ultimately learn a life lesson about family and proper viral containment procedures? It's November, so put your costumes away and start thinking about next year's attire. While you enjoy shopping for discounted candy and debating whether or not you should provide a link to your gamer costume in the comments below (we think you should), here are our picks for the week's best game-related webcomics. Be sure to vote for your favorite! No Ghost Left Behind Boss fight Shine spike Painstaking market research Lost without you 3-for-1 special Domestic bliss Neurons and hammer-ons
Xfire chats with Hellgate devs, transcript online
For those too busy trick or treating Wednesday night to make it to the chat with the Flagship Studios folks hosted by Xfire, a transcript has been made available online for your viewing pleasure. Word has it that it was the most popular chat session that Xfire has ever hosted, which is no surprise to us, because excitement for Hellgate: London has been off the charts. Among the things that stood out to us during the chat, which featured at least one developer in nearly every area of production, including art, sound, design, graphics, programming and more, was a heavy focus on future content. One listener complained about the lack of visual diversity in the game, to which graphics programmer Amir Ebrahimi replied, "HGL's dynamic level technology was built with the idea that we'd be extending well into the future. As with any big-budget game today, building environments are costly in terms of man-hours. We've yet to tap the flexibility of our DRLG technology and you'll see more in the future. As we add more areas and tilesets, our designers will be able to mix and match to create new environments for your enjoyment."The transcript runs over 8000 words in its entirety, so there's a lot of content in there for you hungry Hellgate fans.
Last day for the Hallow's End ingame costume contest!
Just a reminder that we are in the final stretch of our Hallow's End costume contest-- the entry period ends at 6pm EST this evening, so if you have screenshots of ingame costumes to send, get them in to wowinsidercontests@gmail.com right now!Don't forget, too, that we're giving away a whole trick-or-treat bag of prizes from the very crafty Mana Princess-- she's sending along ribbons, key chains, and a few different varieties of Hearthstones to our chosen winner. And just for fun, we're also tossing in a t-shirt and a 60 day game card. You know the rules by now-- must be a US resident and 18 years of age or older to enter. If the shoe fits, send a jpg of your ingame costume (can be of anyone, in WoW or real life) to wowinsidercontests@gmail.com, and make sure to include your name, age, email, and street address, so we know where to send the prizes to!And even if you don't enter, stay tuned-- we'll have the winner and all the best entrants coming up on the site next week, in an ingame costume parade of our own. Should be fun!
Virtually Overlooked: Friday the 13th
Welcome to our weekly feature, Virtually Overlooked, wherein we talk about games that aren't on the Virtual Console yet, but should be. Call it a retro-speculative.Even though Halloween is over, we didn't want to miss the opportunity to devote a Virtually Overlooked column to a thematically appropriate game. LJN's Friday the 13th is scary for many of the same reasons that the movies are -- sudden noises and scares from masked Jason Voorhees -- but it's also scary in a deeper way. Playing Friday the 13th is an exercise in hopelessness.
Best Halloween costume ever: Daddy Daughter BioShock
BioShock is not exactly a family game, but that's not keeping it from bringing families together. Take a look at this father / daughter Halloween costume in the video above. You guessed it, they are dressed as none other than the infamous Big Daddy and Little Sister. We have to compliment this pair on their dedication. Honestly, it's so cute, it almost makes you regret harvesting all those poor little children for their genetic gold. Almost.Try to watch it without cracking a smile. We dare you.
Show and Tell: Mashing it up
Sometimes, you just can't decide which fandom you want to pursue at any given time, especially when we're talking about an occasion like Halloween. There are just too many options! You know you've toyed with ideas like "Its-a me, Sparta Mario," or "Touching Mrs. Tingle." Well, one reader decided to take the mash-up approach to his Halloween costume this year, and he calls the result "Dr. Luigi Myers in Punch-Out!!"We heartily approve, Oscar. Here's hoping you scored not only compliments, but piles of sugar, if that's what you so desired. Or maybe you were just shooting for laughs. That's admirable as well.Got something you want to show off? Crafts, cakes, collections from modest to extreme, t-shirts ... whatever you've got, if it has a little Nintendo flavor, we want to see it. Just take some pictures (or copy your web album links) and send them to showmeit [at] dsfanboy [dot] com. We'll take care of the rest.
Daddy and daughter do BioShock routine
You've got to hand it to the little girl - nay, little sister - shown in this video, who plays her part without showing how traumatized she truly must be after seeing her father dressed up as Big Daddy and knocking on the cabinet door to summon her out.In some strange way, this Halloween footage is quite endearing. Now would you kindly check out the video after the break?
Today's scariest video: IP gone wild
Shhhh. We're scared. Don't make a sound or the bad man will come back. We passed on a few Halloween-themed videos to post, but this is the one that gives us nightmares.See the horror in the first video after the break, and we'll even toss in those other less-scary clips as a bonus afterwards. Our eyes! They burn!
EverQuest Patch: Steamfont revamp; Halloween; and new hot zones.
On October 30, 2007 EverQuest got its annual Halloween patch. Also included were the Steamfont revamp we previously talked about and new Hot Zones. The new Hot Zones (zones where you get extra XP in) are:Level 20 The Castle of MistmooreLevel 25 The Permafrost CavernsLevel 30 Trakanon's TeethLevel 35 The Warsliks WoodsLevel 40 The Dawnshroud PeaksLevel 45 Velketor's LabyrinthLevel 50 The DeepLevel 55 The Temple of DrogaLevel 60 Nobles' CausewayLevel 65 The Halls of HonorI'm excited about the Steamfont revamp for nostalgia reasons -- it's my old newbie grounds so that's where my early experiences were. Before I got out into the cruel, harsh world of hell levels. I've been stuck in my mid-50s for years, and, since Droga pretty requires a group, there's little chance I'll be able to take advantage of the Hot Zones.It's routine, maintenance-level patches like these that really make me long for the patches of EverQuest old. You know, the patches where classes got nerfed, Whineplay lit up with complainers, and Abashi tried to convince us Alchemy was working?Ah, EverQuest, I how I miss what you once were.
The TUAW Halloween costume gallery
We asked to see your Apple-themed Halloween costumes, and you delivered. As Mac fans everywhere head off to Halloween parties, it's clear that TUAW readers have created some great outfits. We saw iPods (both classic and Touch), iPhones and more (including this cool pumpkin). We picked a few favorites for the gallery below. Take a look! Thanks to everyone who sent in a photo! %Gallery-9560%
The VC Advantage: Spooky Halloween edition
The internet has made it easy to find cheats for games, but we miss the tips pages from game magazines, when the discovery of a new code could inspire you to go back to an old game. These codes aren't exactly new, but oldness is the essence of the Virtual Console! We're bringing back the classic codes every week on The VC Advantage.Today is the perfect day to look at some of the spookier games on the Virtual Console, and then help you face your fears and take them on. It would certainly have been a good day to talk about Ghosts 'n Goblins games, as well, but ... we already did that. Uh, as part of our Halloween special, here's a link to that old VC Advantage! It's ... uh, back from the dead!Luckily, awkward backlinks aren't the only thing we can present for our Halloween edition of The VC Advantage. There are still some gruesome games we have yet to cover! And that means that it's now totally scary time! Turn out all the lights and stuff! We're making weird "oooooo" spooky noises, but you can't hear it, because we'll have written this hours ago by the time you're reading it, and also we're not in the same room as you!Splatterhouse (TG16)Hard mode: What's scarier than a game in which the main character dies, over and over and over again, forced to relive the same horrific period of a few seconds before he's ripped apart yet again by disgusting, nightmarish monsters? Probably a lot of stuff. Dentistry comes to mind. Loneliness. But what's scarier in the context of video game alterations caused by input of preprogrammed button sequences? Probably still some stuff. To access hard mode, hold Select at the title screen until the word HARD appears. Castlevania (NES)Hard mode: Yes, it's another hard mode, but this one seems pretty notable. We had no idea that Castlevania even had one of these, and we doubt anyone else ever would have were it not for cheat devices and ROM hacking-- because you access Castlevania's hard mode by completing the game, and that is impossible. Of all the games to put a hard mode in. Also we heard that if you finish the hard mode, Koji Igarashi will ride a Medusa head to your house and give you a million dollars. And nobody will ever know if that's true.Kid Chameleon (GEN)Level skip: Kid Chameleon isn't really that scary, but it is about dressing up in costumes. And that is the true meaning of Halloween (also, candy, which is delicious, when eaten.) To skip straight to the last boss, find some blogs above the flag in the Blue Lake Woods level and jump to the last one. Then press down, right, jump, and special.[Codes via GameFAQs]
Last minute Halloween costume idea: Billy Mitchell
If you're still searching your soul (and your closet) for a last-minute Halloween costume idea, then you could probably do a lot worse than dressing up as Billy Mitchell. Or, as Mr. Awesome likes to call him, "Silly Bitchell".If you want to talk cheap gaming costumes, then check out MTV's Multiplayer blog. Looks like all you need access to are a mullet-y wig, facial hair and a patriotic necktie of some sort. Plus you need to have attitude in spades and the ability to drop cheesy lines left and right. You can accessorize with bottles of hot sauce, arcade tokens, and a sneer.Halloween on the cheap. Get a friend to dress up like Steve Wiebe, and you're set.
Halo 3 Infection spreads slower in pairs
It's looking like our plans of group Halo 3 Infection will have to be put on hold for a bit, because there's something spooky going on.According to Luke over at Bungie.net (and our own personal experiences) the Halloween exclusive Infection matchmaking playlist isn't playing nice when you're in a party. More specifically, going into matchmaking alone produces speedy results, but when you party up with a buddy or two then you'll have to wait a while ... a long while. A group of us sat in matchmaking for more than five minutes without getting paired up into a game before we quit and went our separate ways. Team Bungie is looking into the group slowness and we'll be sure to update you once we get an update from Bungie. Going solo produces quick Infection fun, but we're all about group zombie killing ... fix it Bungie, stat!
Happy Halloween from WoW Insider!
There's candy corn on the forums, the Headless Horseman is in the SM graveyard, and everyone's wondering what to wear for a costume this evening, so you guessed it-- it's Halloween again!From all of us at WoW Insider, have a safe and happy Halloween, whether you're trick-or-treating in Azeroth tonight or out and about in the real world. And don't forget-- no matter where you are, be sure to send us pictures. We're looking for some great in-game costumes for our Hallow's End contest, and of course we're always looking for great real world costumes with a Warcraft flavor! If we get enough real-world costumes, we'll put them all together in a gallery later this week, and our in-game costume contest ends Friday-- drop us a .jpg of the in-game costume to wowinsidercontests@gmail.com, and be sure to include your name, email address, street address, and age in there as well. Remember, you've got a chance to win some awesome crafts from Manaprincess.Have a great Halloween this evening, and remember: don't eat too many Tricky Treats, or you'll get an Upset Tummy.
Last-minute costume ideas for hard workers
GamePro Family has posted a collection of game-inspired Halloween costumes, in case you'd like to dress up, but just haven't had the time to make a costume until today. Of course, you'd need to spend pretty much the rest of the day making some of these, but at least you won't have to go to a party as "Off-Duty Police Officer" or "Alien in a You Suit." If you start right now, you still have time to go be a huge nerd in public!Some of the Nintendo-related suggestions include a Rabbid, Phoenix Wright, and (perhaps easiest) Cooking Mama. Unfortunately, the suggestions don't include suggested methods of costume creation. For something like Cooking Mama, it's obvious (apron, bandana, disapproval), but how do you render Paper Mario in clothing? Maybe sandwich yourself between two large foam/posterboard Mario shapes? [Via Game|Life]
