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One million heroes fighting crime in Champions Online
Excerpt from a Cryptic Studios staff meeting, Oct. 29, 2009: "Okay, guys, listen up. I know we were all excited about the promotion we were going to run when the one millionth hero was created within Champions Online. You know, we'd take the lucky crimefighter and base a short series of graphic novels on him or her, ultimately culminating in a three-picture deal with Paramount and keeping the hero's creator -- and as a bonus, our game -- in the pop cultural spotlight? Well, we just heard from moderators that the one millionth hero was named ... Boner Dragon." "Boner Dragon?" "Boner Dragon." "I think we should just do a press release instead. A press release which deftly avoids mentioning the hero's name." "That is an excellent idea, Jeffrey."
Team Arenas and Hero Battles not the only thing changed in latest Guild Wars update
Devona without "Charge!"? No more Firestorm for Cynn? Abasi has...wait, what did Abasi have before? Who is that, anyway? Regina said a few days ago that Hero Battles and Team Arenas would be removed from Guild Wars this week and that the Sealed Deck/Codex Arena would be added. It looks like the Live Team took care of that, made a few more PvP tweaks, then turned their attention to heroes and henchmen. Our sometimes-trusty sidekicks got quite the makeover. Nearly 70 henchmen skill bars throughout every campaign plus Eye of the North were rebalanced, and the AI for nearly every class of hero, henchman, and Hard Mode NPC was updated. (The AI on Necros and Dervishes got a pass - apparently they used their skills well enough to be left alone.) The full list of changes can be viewed here. The Underworld got some attention too, fixing bugs, streamlining things, adjusting spawns and adding the ominous statement "Something stirs deep in the Underworld, slowly making its presence known." Hopefully we'll find out more about that something when the Halloween events get into full swing. For now, we're going to find out if removing Healing Touch from Alesia's bar has taught her that she's not a frontliner.
Screen Grabs: Palm Pre isn't helping things be any less miserable on 'Heroes'
Screen Grabs chronicles the uses (and misuses) of real-world gadgets in today's movies and TV. Send in your sightings (with screen grab!) to screengrabs at engadget dt com. Hey -- it's the Palm Pre hanging tough in the morally ambiguous hands of Nathan Petrelli! Does it help him decide who to crush or love when he gets up in the morning? Does it get reception when he flies into the upper atmosphere to change world events so dramatically that half the characters are confused and the other half have disappeared by the time he's back in NYC? What's going on, Nathan? You seem depressed. You want to go with a different carrier, don't you? Got a hankering for the GSM? [Thanks, Dylan]
Ginormous Palm Pre shows new Japanese-only 'Contacts' card in Heroes promo
We'll confess -- only a few Engadget staffers are still hanging tight to see if Heroes will ever become the flagship show that it looked to be in season uno, but there's no denying that the whole crew will be watching the premiere that drops on September 21st. Why? 'Cause evidently there's a ridiculously large, presumably GSM-based Palm Pre making an appearance, and it'll be showing off the newest webOS feature: an updated 'Contacts' card. We could be off base here, but it looks as if the new card will sport psychedelic graphics and Japanese expressions when someone dials in, though we've a tough time believing anyone in real life ever secured one of those mythical '555' numbers.[Via Engadget Spanish]
First seasons go on sale on the PlayStation Store
The US PlayStation Video Store is having its "First Season Summer Sale." From now until September 17th, you'll be able to download episodes from the first season of 30 Rock, Battlestar Galactica, Eureka, Friday Night Lights, Heroes, Psych and The Office for only 99 cents each in SD. (HD episodes are $1.99 each, and will only work on the PS3.)
An early peek at the DC Universe Online storyline
DC Universe Online is a superhero MMO in development at Sony Online Entertainment, but one that we didn't get to see much of at E3 2009. That's not going to be the situation with Comic-Con International which is happening this week in San Diego. The DC Universe Online team will be on hand and will hopefully reveal more about the game. While you won't get to play as Superman, Batman, or Wonder Woman, you will begin the game as a hero who fights alongside such comic book icons. In fact, once you roll a character you'll choose a specialty from among super powers, tech powers, or magic powers. That choice will determine the storyline you begin with, according to info revealed in a Variety article. Sony Online Entertainment gave Chris Morris from Variety's 'The Cut Scene' an exclusive on how players will begin the game.
The 5th Column returns as City of Heroes Issue 15: Anniversary goes live
It was only a few weeks ago that we wrote about the City of Heroes Issue 15 beta testing, but this latest update to the game, Anniversary, has gone live. Issue 15 brings a host of improvements to City of Heroes particularly in terms of hero and villain character customization. There are 20 new character faces to choose from, two new costume sets, and costume change emotes, which provide flashy transitions between costumes for your characters. Issue 15: Anniversary also marks the return of The 5th Column and The Reichsman, and thus new missions at levels 45-50 -- with Villain Strikeforce and Hero Taskforce arcs, depending upon which side of the law you're on. NCsoft has more info about Issue 15 on their Anniversary overview site, and asks, "What does the opening of the Omega Team Time Capsule hold in store for Paragon City and the Rogue Isles?" The answers, we suspect, should be clear as City of Heroes and City of Villains players explore the new Issue 15 content.
DC Universe Online's "The Next Legend Is You" trailer
The new DC Universe Online trailer that just recently hit the streets is one comprehensive video. In the short one minute and 23 seconds that the trailer runs, we get to see many of the highlights of DCUO, including environmental weaponry and damage, many of the game's iconic characters, a frenetic look at the game's combat, a taste of character customizations, and more!Currently the trailer can be viewed at the main DCUO site, or over at Shacknews in standard and hi-resolution modes. HD resolution, however, is only available to those who have a Shackvideo username and password.Now, if you can excuse us, we're going to go ponder what colors of spandex we're going to choose for when the game comes out.
Heroes star Masi Oka developing MMO-themed movie: The Defenders
Massively multiplayer online games sometimes get a bad rap in mass media, but these games and the experience of playing them are slowly becoming more prevalent in TV and film. In fact, a new family adventure movie called "The Defenders" will focus on MMOs, and the film's concept is from none other than Heroes star Masi Oka, best known for his role as the time-travelling Hiro Nakamura. Oka has some serious geek cred, having worked on fluid effects for Industrial Light and Magic and being a dedicated World of Warcraft player. According to The Hollywood Reporter, The Defenders has been picked up by DreamWorks. THR.com gives a brief synopsis of the plot: "The story centers on a group of mostly teenagers from around the world who are involved in a multiplayer video game, each unaware of who they really are behind the cover of their consoles and avatars. They are forced to come together for a real adventure, becoming inadvertent heroes in the process." In some respects, this film sounds like The Goonies re-imagined for a contemporary audience that identifies with their virtual personas. [Via WoW.com]
Masi Oka developing MMO-related movie
Masi Oka plays the fan-favorite character Hiro on the television show Heroes, but that's not the only role he plays -- we've heard before that he's a big World of Warcraft player as well (which makes sense -- before his star turn on NBC's superhero show, he actually worked at Industrial Light and Magic developing water effects, so he's a geek at heart). And now he's using his MMO experience to create a movie: he's just signed a deal with Dreamworks to create a movie called "The Defenders," a family adventure about a group of teens playing an MMO who have to come together to have some adventures of their own. Both Oka and writer Gary Whitta are fans of WoW, so they're drawing on their experience in the game to put together the project. Oka tells the Hollywood Reporter that "the question came to me: What if you had to live up to the person you created in the virtual world?" He also cites The Goonies as an inspiration for the story, as an adventure that brings back an innocence found in those old Amblin Entertainment films.Sounds interesting. It might be aimed a little young for the average WoW player (even The Goonies, while considered a cult classic nowadays, was really aimed at kids in the '80s), but a film that can take a good look at the comparison between our in-game selves and their real-life counterparts (and have some fun doing it) would definitely be something to see. The project's only just getting underway now, but we'll keep an eye out for it.
Champions Online's Dr. Silverback profiled
Don't believe everything you've learned from Planet of the Apes movies. Dr. Silverback is easily one of the most intelligent creatures around, and he's very much a gorilla, too. You can read all about him in the latest hero profiles on Champions Online's official website.But what we really love about Dr. Silverback is that he fights not with his strength, but his mind by building powerful gadgets. And because he attended schools of higher learning in England -- where he was also made an official citizen -- he possess an incredibly charming accent to compliment his intellect. This has, of course, made him quite popular with the media and general populace.So what we have here is a "gentleman" of a gorilla with enough brainpower to light up a large metropolis, who builds cool gadgets and helps the Champions solve scientific conundrums. Could you ask for a more interesting leader? Possibly, if you got really lucky, but we'd follow a crazy-smart gorilla's plans any day of the week.
NCsoft announces City of Heroes: Going Rogue expansion
Two worlds collide. Loyalties will change. Where will you stand? This is the question posed to us as NCsoft announces the first major expansion for the City of Heroes franchise since the launch of City of Villains in 2005. Going Rogue will be a new experience for CoH fans introducing the 'mirror universe' of Praetoria and an all-new alignment system that blurs the lines between Heroes and Villains.For the first time ever, Heroes can become Villains, and Villains can become Heroes. This is yet another groundbreaking game mechanic that the Paragon Studios folks have introduced in a recent whirlwind of exciting new features. Look out Champions Online and DC Universe Online; City of Heroes is raising the standard of superhero MMOs.Check out the exciting new teaser trailer right after the jump, and to answer any questions you may have, they've compiled a handy FAQ.
Battlestar Galactica (and other NBC shows) now available on the PlayStation Store
You don't need to read any further. Battlestar Galactica is now available on the PlayStation Store. Each episode will be available in SD and HD, with future episodes arriving on the Store one day after its televised broadcast.Oh, and the video store has also expanded to include other shows and movies from the NBC/Universal line-up, such as The Office, 30 Rock, Heroes, The 40 Year Old Virgin and Milk. SD content can be downloaded to both a PS3 and PSP, while HD content is for the PS3 only.
DC Universe Online video shows open PvP gameplay as a villain
Most of the video footage seen of DC Universe Online to date focuses on the setting's iconic heroes and the role a player can take in assisting them. While taking down the bad guys in a game is fun, sometimes it's good to be bad, as the newest gameplay footage we've seen of DCUO from New York Comic Con shows us.We were pretty excited when we noticed this over at Limited Edition today and it's certainly worth a look if you're into the superhero games genre. The GameTrailers video is a walkthrough of an open PvP area, from the perspective of a psychotic clown with psi-blasts, blazing speed, and freakish strength. Need I say more? Check out the video embed below for a look at DC Universe Online's PvP mixed in with developer commentary on what you're seeing.
Ubisoft drops 'Heroes' game rights
Ubisoft apparently agrees with the geek hive mind that Heroes isn't even worth bothering with anymore because the publisher has returned the game rights to NBC Universal, reports MTV Multiplayer. Ubisoft originally announced a game based on the former hit show last July.It's not exactly clear if the rights were returned due to the show's declining condition, or because Ubisoft was unhappy with the performance of its Lost and CSI based games. There's always a chance another publisher might pick up the rights for the show. Dancing With the Stars got turned into a game, so anything is possible
PvP touched on for DC Universe Online
Studio creative director Chris Cao (aka The Biggest Designer in the Building) has tossed up some initial details on PvP in SOE's upcoming DC Universe Online. It sounds like plans are being drawn up to create a varied and worthwhile system for heroes and villains to duke it out within. We're going to be getting some open world PvP, arena-based PvP and even a system allowing heroes and villains to battle over control of the world itself.Basic PvP will be over stuff like protecting cops, or trying to beat them down in the case of baddies. Arenas are going ot be instanced content where both sides struggle over things like downed alien spacecraft --- mmm, alien technology. Finally, control over the world wasn't delved into very much. All we know is that strategic points in the world play a role in who controls how much of what.Chris ends it with a few notes, stressing things like the availability of PvP servers, opt-in PvP and designated zone. He also touches on SOE wanting to make the experience more skill-based in lieu of purely stat-based. So the better fighter should usually win in DC Unvirse Online.
Screen Grabs: Nathan Petrelli gets heroic with Samsung Instinct
Screen grabs chronicles the uses (and misuses) of real-world gadgets in today's movies and TV. Send in your sightings (with screen grab!) to screengrabs at engadget dt com. For those who haven't already overloaded their DVR with the plethora of fall dramas, Heroes is looking to be a pretty solid bet. For one Nathan Petrelli, this season's about more than just discovering who he really is. It's about more than just being there for his baby bro. It's about strategically placing the phone that supposedly needs no product placement smack dab into one of NBC's hottest shows. Oh, and is it just us, or is he pretty perturbed about the lack of updates available for this thing too?
The newest Guild Wars companions explained
With the recent news of two new allies joining the fray for Guild Wars, you may be excited about the new game mechanics that both the M.O.X. hero and the Fire Imp helper bring to the game. We may even go so far as to say that these game mechanics could be a glimpse into what's to come with Guild Wars 2 game mechanics. ArenaNet has already said that there will be a 'sidekick' in Guild Wars 2, but is the Fire Imp a precursor to that?Speculations aside, these two new companions have caused a stir lately. First, there are those who inevitably say that M.O.X. is overpowered. There are those who say the Fire Imp is simply a free ticket to the Survivor title. There are those who say that these are both ways for ArenaNet to scrape up some more money for Guild Wars 2 development. Whatever outlandish rumors you believe, they're here and they're changing the way we play the game just a bit. Follow along as we give these two a proper introduction and explain the facts about what they are exactly>>
DCUO ramps up for Comic-Con and additional gameplay details
If you are a casual or even the most dedicated DC Comics aficionado the news surrounding DC Universe Online, a MMOG that brings the iconic property and thousands of beloved super heroes, villains, and settings to virtual life is spine-tingling. If you can't wait to play, Comic-Con is the place to see DCUO in action. Players will encounter a special scenario with super villain Brainiac which will be playable on both the PS3 and PC platforms. This event held in San Diego, California is where the comic world, games, and 125,000 geeks will collide together for four days running through July 24-27th. Unfortunately, the event is sold out, but there's the SOE block-party you can hit up. If you can't attend either, new details surrounding DCUO already started trickling out at E3-2008.Gaming website, Crispy Gamer was able to expose a few additional DCUO details in there top-five DCUO must know list. We've already covered a few things on their list in our own exclusive DCUO coverage. Heroes and Villains don't get along, so don't expect to be paired together in the same guilds. Speaking of guilds, how about being part of the Justice League of America as a reserve member with the chance to rise in rank? Hell yea, and whatever you pick between crime-fighter or criminal, your actions will matter as special DC characters like Batman and the Green Lantern take notice. As for your own super power abilities, you can either use a power set of an already existing DC character or create your own ability combinations. But to use them on other players it'll be consensual or on PvP servers. Also, be sure to check out some new DCUO screen grabs.[Thanks to Massively Tipster, Haggs!]
Sword of the New World expands with Nocturnal Sonata
IGN has a scoop on the new 'Nocturnal Sonata' expansion to Sword of the New World, an MMO also known as Granado Espada in Asia. Sword of the New World is a free-to-play title brought to North America and Europe by the K2 Network. Massively has looked at this game in the past and found it to be a quirky title; IGN describes its setting as 'the European Baroque period if it was designed by a modern anime artist'. Sword of the New World becomes even more surreal given that its old world setting is juxtaposed with a techno soundtrack. Surreal qualities aside, the game has some interesting features, particularly the use of collectible UPCs, or Unique Player Characters. The concept is somewhat comparable to the Heroes in Guild Wars. You control up to three characters at once who are members of your 'family'; certain NPCs for whom you've successfully completed quests offer themselves up to be added to your family as UPCs and called upon to aid you in your adventures. They provide access to special hybrid classes with unique powers to match. There are over 40 such UPCs, and two more are initially being added in the Nocturnal Sonata expansion: Vincent Rio (who inflicts damage with music) and Baek Ho (martial artist extraordinaire). Yet more UPCs are to follow in the coming months, adding new gameplay possibilities to Sword of the New World. The Nocturnal Sonata expansion will be released on June 25, and closely follows the 'The Land of the Dead' expansion released only three months ago.
