holy-grail
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Enter at Your Own Rift: Getting a head start
Dateline: Thursday, February 24th, 12:55 p.m. EST. After having rushed home from work (huzzah for a half-day), I was frantically putting the kids to bed for an afternoon nap and patching up my RIFT client. Twitter was abuzz with gamers sitting at the starting gate and revving their mice. It was here. After seven betas, it was here, and we would be the first in the door. 12:59 p.m. EST. Began checking the server status list, trying to will the dull grey names to light up as they signified activity. 1:00 p.m. EST. Scott Hartsman posts a short message on Twitter: "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to RIFT." Right on cue, the servers came up, and what felt like the entire population of Oregon tried to cram into the game all at once. By 1:01 p.m., when I logged in, my chosen server of Faeblight was already full and had 461 people in the queue. I was 462. It would be another 45 minutes until I was able to play the game proper.
MyTown adds product check-ins
Booyah's very popular MyTown app has updated again, this time bringing some more innovation to the "check-in" idea. Instead of just checking in to locations, the app will now "check-in" to various products with the iPhone's camera. So when you use a certain product, you can use the camera to scan a barcode, and presumably, MyTown will recognize it, add it to your check-in history, and then reward points and progress as usual. Of course, this also means that Booyah will get a list of your favorite products and merchandise, which CEO Keith Lee says is "a holy grail for marketers and brands" in the press release. It seems a little unfair to take such valuable information from consumers while simply rewarding them with a few achievement points and virtual stickers, but MyTown definitely has a following, and the app's fans can't seem to get enough of their virtual collecting. The app will eventually include other types of gaming in the service, like scavenger hunt for certain items On the plus side for Booyah, this just means that marketers and brands will be even more interested in supporting the app. We can expect to see even more agreements with real-world businesses from them in the future.
The Game Archaeologist and the Star of the Galaxies: The players (part 2)
Did you hear this wildly overplayed news story about Darth Vader lately? According to a group of French psychiatrists and psychologists who have way too much time on their hands and not enough free press coverage, they broke down Vader's personality and "discovered" that he had borderline personality disorder. Pardon my meme, but O RLY? Sure, the guy killed kids, committed domestic abuse, went on an extreme power trip, betrayed his mentor, tortured one of his kids and tried to kill the other, choked any underling who failed him and struggled with sexual repression -- but thank goodness that we have professionals around to tell us the obvious. Now, if those psychiatrists can turn their attention to George Lucas and his making of Howard the Duck, we'd be making progress. Anyway, continuing from my history retrospective of Star Wars Galaxies and last week's interview with the first batch of SWG vets, the Game Archaeologist now ventures into a subculture long believed to be extinct: post-NGE players who love the game. Join me in welcoming our newest expedition members: Bill "Flynne Cordova" Van Malsen, Alex "Danick Jett" Wiberg, Stephanie "Jao" Koehler and Earth Eternal's Andrew "Titas Lightdust" Sipotz. Never tell them the odds and they'll get you there safe every time.
Travel to Europe in Wonderland Online's new expansion
Would you love to plan a trip to Paris or London this summer but your budget is too tight and you're on the no-fly list? Wonderland Online has the next best thing: a new expansion featuring scenic European locales and historic characters. The upcoming Clash of Champions expansion-slash-content update is unveiling new maps for Paris and London, where players can team up with Joan of Arc, King Arthur and Lancelot for mind-bending new adventures. If that doesn't have you humming "Knights of the Round Table" from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, I don't know what will. Clash of Champions' namesake comes from the expansion's PvP focus across all the servers. They're even launching a new PvP-specific server for those who want to focus on player killing above all else. The update will also introduce two new characters to play for those bored of the current options. The isometric free-to-play title recently celebrated its second anniversary, and is home to a surprisingly large population. If you want to get in on the action in preparation for Wonderland Online's next expansion, head over to the official site and try out the game for free!
Sunday Morning Funnies: The holy grail
Whether your "holy grail" takes the form of your freedom, an end to loneliness, treasure, glorious achievement, or that coveted raid spot, you're sure to find entertainment this morning. Team Speak + Air Traffic Control = Bad from Action Trip. This one is pretty self-explanatory! Saved? from the Adventures of Blanc. You no take candle! from Dark Legacy Comics. Anything with that title you know just has to be awesome. A Deadly Plan from Shakes and Fidget. LFG #136. I have to say that I try each week to bring you a selection from LFG that can stand alone, so that even those who do not follow it dutifully can be entertained, or even motivated to check it out. As such, I'm proud of this entry; it's funny, and very noob-friendly. Ding! supports completionist ways. Sort of. Let's get introduced to Teh Gladiators. If you failed to read the intro, well then you fail. Carrying on for the rest of you, here's the first and second comic. Don't forget to read the commentary beneath! It's worth the extra three seconds of effort (seriously). From The Adventures of Messy Cow comes "Raid Life." Part one. Then, part two. Who recognizes this guy anyway? Intense Matchup from Action Trip. I just couldn't resist! Press through to vote on your favorite!
Lost rarities -- the hard to find gems of console gaming
Developers spend a lot of time and money trying to sell as many copies of their games as possible, but sometimes different reasons cause a game to be produced in extremely limited quantities. A developer may have gone out of business, the publisher pulled the plug early, or the game might have featured topless women on the NES. Whatever the reason, when a game squeaks out the door in low numbers it means one thing to people: highly collectible.Racketboy has compiled a list of the 20 most noteworthy "Holy Grails" of console gaming. These are the most sought games for systems ranging from the Nintendo Virtual Boy, to the Turbo Grafx, to the Atari 5200. The list topper is a Nintendo World Championships: Gold Edition cartridge; only 26 units were produced, and it is valued at over $10,000.Time to start searching those bargain bins, checking eBay, and chewing out mom for throwing away your old games.
