Hype
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Ask WoW Insider: An early disappointment?
With all the Wrath news dropping, there's been a ton of hype around the next World of Warcraft expansion. Lots of players are very excited (including yours truly), but Charles S isn't so much. He actually stopped playing the game in March of this past year (before that, he raided as a Warlock), and he is using today's Ask WoW Insider column to ask you, our readers, if anyone else isn't so hot on what they've seen so far:I've been reading your site and the news about the expansion and my question is, is it too early to be disappointed in what I am seeing for this expansion?Unfortunately he doesn't expound much more beyond that, and I'd like to know what else he wants to see from the expansion -- we're going to get Death Knights, siege vehicles, and we're going to get to meet the Lich freakin' King, more than once. I don't know what more a Warcraft fan would want. But maybe you do -- think it's too early for Charles to be disappointed, or should he wait and see if Wrath will bring him back to the game?And if you have a question you want to ask our readers, feel free to send it along to ask@wow.com, and you might see it up here next week for everyone else to answer.Previously on Ask WoW Insider...
Wii Warm Up: End of the line
The hype for any given game generally dies down about a week after release, unless, of course, it's a really big game. The problem is that, unless it's one of those really big games, few people beyond those really excited pick up a game immediately, which means that many games get missed in the whirlwind surrounding the next set of upcoming games.When do you think we should stop showing off media for a particular game -- right around release, or a few weeks after? When do you usually pick up new releases, on average?
Wii Warm Up: The spice of life
Not everyone likes everything, and you can't expect 'em to. Gamers have a wide variety of tastes and play styles, and sometimes that means a few raised eyebrows at the success of a particular game or franchise. Have any recent successes on the Wii surprised you? Is there anything big in the system's catalogue that everyone seems to love -- except you? There are always a few people who just aren't enthused by the generally accepted latest and greatest. So maybe you're mystified by the sales racked up by Carnival Games, or you're just not into Super Mario Galaxy. Tell us all about it.
The Care and Feeding of Warriors: Yikes, don't do that!
The Care and Feeding of Warriors grinds ever onward. This week, Matthew Rossi has picked out one of his 70 warriors who hasn't been getting as much love and has dedicated him to PvP, trying to gear him up for Arena. At the moment, he has a nice mace and not much else. In the process, he's also had to farm up some money for enchants and armor kits, leading to witnessing some interesting behavior. Interesting like the times can get, if you know what we mean.I try and keep my various characters separate financially when they're on the same server, because the temptation to rob all of your alts to pay for your main can be overwhelming at times. I mean, I've done it. Only two of my 70's have their flying mounts because every time it looks like one of the others might make the cash, I get a hankering for a flask or what have you and I raid them. Sad for poor Sarnie pictured over there, in his mix of crafted blues and whatever greens dropped/were quest rewards. In a quest to find some use for him I've decided to take him into the Arena, which has led to increased BG's for the guy. I had enough honor for a couple of pieces of armor for him, but my impulse buying soul grabbed the mace instead.In addition to it making PvP possible (mace stun means that even my crappy 9k health behind can contribute, if I eat some stam food and use commanding shout to get him above 10k health) the mace has made farming cobra scales and signets/marks easier in Shadowmoon. I like farming there because not many people seem to on my server of choice for Alliance, good ol' Norgannon, or maybe I'm just an insomniac.
Wii Warm Up: Greasing the hype train's tracks
Many of you were probably expecting Nintendo to dish out the Super Smash Bros. 64 action on the Virtual Console yesterday. Heck, we were! But, lo and behold, it did not happen.It's not like we need anything to keep us pumped for Super Smash Bros. Brawl. We do have hearts within our chests, beating real-life blood (or a somewhat comparable fluid). We breath air and enjoy feeling alive as much as the next person, so it's only natural that we're excited for this game.How about you all, though? It's not like everyone has a job like ours' where everything Brawl is so embedded in your conscience that the prospect of forgetting about it for one day is a scientific impossibility. Are you busting out Melee to practice up? Are you and friends pouring over guides to bone up on everyone's move sets before seeing how they now have changed in Brawl? Are you ... uh, writing fan fiction?[Note: Please don't tell us you're writing fan fiction.]
Wii Warm Up: People all over the world, start a hype train
Sometimes, we can't help but spread hype for games we like or are interested in (hey, we're fans first and foremost, too). Now, though, it's your turn. What Wii game, whether it's already out or on the horizon, do you want to gush about? And why? What's so great about it, and why does it deserve people's notice?So, get on your soapboxes; this time, the attention is on you.
Wii Warm Up: Not the usual suspects
Pretty much everybody is pumped for the big titles, and events such as the ongoing Game Developers Convention only further inflate such rabid anticipation. But what of smaller, less hyped games? Which upcoming titles are you looking forward to hearing news about that don't have "Smash," "Kart," "Fantasy," or "Fit" in their names?
Metaplace to stress test its platform
Raph Koster's Metaplace app is getting closer and closer to workable reality every day. This Friday at 5 PM PST, they'll be stress testing their platform by gathering as many people as they can to play one of their puzzle games called Wheelwright. The idea is to see if the underlying technology can sustain a large number of users at the same time.It's exciting to see these baby steps happen and feel that one is part of something potentially huge. And if Raph is prescient, Metaplace will be merely the beginning of a revitalization of what the Web can be, the next step in multi-user, multi-site interactivity. I'm eager to see how it all works out, but can anything live up to this level of hype?[Thanks, Steve!]
Why mainstream media hates the Internet, games, MMOs and you
From the Sexbox and Mass Effect to World of Warcraft, Everquest and even face-to-face Dungeons and Dragons, the mainstream media hates your hobbies. They're turning you into suicidal addicts, mass-murderers, inappropriate touchers, criminals and terrorists, right? Well, seeing that you don't seem to be any of those things, has it occurred to you to wonder just why such FUD keeps turning up over and over. No, it's not Luddism (well, it's mostly not Luddism as it's commonly thought of). For the most part, this is about money.
Hype and backlash cycle "missing the point" with regards to Second Life
Keen followers of Second Life Insider, before we became Massively, will know we have, at various stages charted the reporting of Second Life in the media, as the media follows its own hype and backlash cycle. Now, MediaShift is reporting something we've been saying all along, although in their own way: the media cycle has missed the reality of the situation, virtual world and real world.The whole article is well worth a read, as it contrasts various styles of (real world) reportage on Second Life, from Hamlet Linden as was, to Reuters, to Wired to CNN, and even has Wired's editor saying that both their hype and their over-the-top backlash were mistakes. The conclusion? A not very startling - it's better to, in the current terminology, embed your reporters or use local information than not, and particularly don't only listen to other journalists - but the steps along the way are well worth a read. They might be especially worth a read if you have to defend your engagement in Second Life to people that have only seen the backlash.[Original lead via SLEd list]
DS Daily: Under the radar
When we expect a game to be good, it damn well better be good. We just assume, for example, that a Zelda game is going to be fun before we even play it. Sometimes, however, the best gaming experiences are with a game that doesn't have much hype surrounding it. Then, we pop that beauty into our handhelds and it blows our minds.Have you had experiences like that with any DS games this year? If so, let us know what they were. Perhaps there are other folks out there hoping to discover hidden gems. We know we certainly are.
No attunement for the new Naxx (and counting your chickens before they hatch)
When Byrthor asks whether folks attuned for the old Naxx will be attuned for it when it returns in Wrath, Drysc answers with what will sound like music to most raiders' ears: there is no attunement planned for the new Naxx. Blizzard learned their lesson in Burning Crusade about wacky attunements, and so while they're likely not gone from the game completely, there will probably be fewer barriers to raiding, especially early on in progression.There is something else about this thread that irks me a bit, however. In the past day, the CMs have been hit with tons of questions about Wrath of the Lich King, and in almost all cases, the answer has been the same: maybe. Why don't they know what's going on? Because all indications are, guys, that Wrath hasn't even been designed yet. Blizzard hasn't determined if Atiesh will show up, or if flying mounts will work, or if we'll each get our own Arthas windup doll, because the expansion is still way into the planning stages. It's fine to be ready for 2.2, or excited about 2.3, or interested in what we might see in the Sunwell. But if you're excited to find out what's in the next expansion, have a seat and take a deep breath, because it's going to be a long, long time before the CMs can even know anything worth not telling us. Ya dig?That said, I can't fault players for being excited about upcoming content, no matter how far off it is. But it does make me wonder about Blizzard's focus. They could just as easily had us playing Zul'Aman or even the Sunwell at BlizzCon-- both of those will show up long before Northrend will. With Wrath so far away, why did they push it so hard at BlizzCon? Why didn't they just announce it, and leave the rest of the hype to something we'll actually see before the Beijing Olympics?
Wii Warm Up: Was it enough?
Prior to "Metroid month" (and perhaps even after), some people were complaining that Nintendo wasn't spending enough time or money hyping and advertising MP3: Corruption. Of course, after that, Nintendo showed up with the videos and commercials -- but was it enough? Do you feel that the latest Metroid received the attention that it deserves? Will it sell well? The title has made a fair showing on Amazon so far, which is not bad, considering that Bioshock's release and Halo 3 preorders are competing for the shooting spotlight. Our thoughts were best summed up in this recent Penny Arcade news post: most of the people muttering about a lack of hype on Metroid not only knew about the game, but whether or not they would buy it. But hey, we're only one opinion in a sea of Nintendo fans. What's yours?
MacHeist giving away Linkinus
Last week I wrote about something brewing over on the MacHeist pages, and this week it looks like the project has come to fruition-- it's called Skunk Works, and in addition to the giveaways they're doing with the MacUpdate promo, they're now giving away software.Yes, signing up on that page is supposed to give you a free copy of Linkinus (up to an including 1.1, not including 1.2, so read the fine print), the IRC client we mentioned earlier this year. The app is also now included in the MacHeist version of the MacUpdate bundle (so if you already bought that, save the free copies for someone else), and MacHeist recommends that even if you get it for free, you go ahead and purchase it anyway (to support the developers). Plus, a purchase will clear you until the next major version, not just 1.1.Like some of you guys, I'm getting a little tired of all the hype around these Mac software bundles, so I've been trying to cut back on this kind of news. Still, free software is hard to pass up. If you've been looking for a substitute for Colloquy, this might be just what you need at a price you can't pass up.
MacUpdate rolls out a bundle-- $50 for 7 apps
MacUpdate has another one of these bundle promotions going on-- is it just me, or is Mac software the only place (besides, say, pyramid schemes), where increasing bundles like this are sold? I don't show up at the grocery store to buy some oranges only to find that they're cheaper because 10,000 people bought them earlier that day.Anyway, the bundle's not too bad, even without the extra promotional stuff. Right now, for $50, you get copies of: SRS iWOW, an iTunes audio enhancement plugin GarageSale, the eBay client Cocktail, the utility that our own Scott McNulty calls "indispensible" ProfCast, for lecture recording Amadeus Pro, for multitrack sound editing Fetch, an FTP client Graphic Converter X, a useful little image editor And then if the promo pans out, you can get more software out of the deal-- if a certain number of people (up to 10k) buy the bundle, then Little Snitch, Intaglio, and TechTool Pro get added to the bundle. With a week to go, they've only sold about 700 (for Little Snitch) today, so there's no guarantee you'll see any of the extra stuff, but the bundle might be worth it just for the apps above.And MacHeist, always ready to jump on the hype train, is trying to add a little extra bonus onto all of this.[ Thanks to everyone who sent this in! ]
MacHeist 2 hype begins with email and forum leaks
Like Mac software? Like stunts designed to promote and sell it? Then guess what, buddy-- you're in luck. It seems MacHeist 2 is just around the corner. Last year's ARG / bargain / Mac software love fest is coming around again, it seems, and while details are slim at the moment, odds are there'll be more very soon.The main site still says nothing, but over on the forums, things are starting to get interesting. First, head honcho Phill Ryu hints at something that might be a "Web 2.0" "Game thingy where you win stuff," and then shared a bunch of little pictoral hints about something called "groupthinkheist."Then, a tipster, who we'll keep anonymous, sent us word that an email had been sent announcing MacHeist 2 and sending everyone to... um... something. I couldn't get it to do anything now (you probably had to type in a code), but previously there was action going on there. That action was accompanied by more forums board talk, but apparently that talk was silenced. And all we're really left with is hype for something we knew was coming anyway.So are you all excited for MacHeist to come around again this year? I only watched from the sidelines last year, and it's really just a way to sell software (and not a very profitable way for devs, either). But it is a creative way, and I have to admit it sounds fun. What do you think?Update: Phill himself tells us this "event" is completely unrelated to MacHeist (so it definitely hasn't started yet), but that MacHeist 2 is coming later this year.Update2: If you're interested, lots more information about what's happening is showing up on this wiki.
Wii Warm Up: Will it last?
It's the thing that just won't go away -- the idea that the Wii is overhyped, and that any day now, demand is going to simply disappear. The Wii will die. The gaming industry will crumble. The flood will come. Puppies and kittens everywhere will go unhugged. Please share in a moment of collective yawn with us, because we've heard it all before.But that doesn't mean we can't discuss it. Do you think the Wii has staying power? As soon as the console gets over the first-year hump (we saw it with the early DS lineup, after all), will this even be an issue?
DS Daily: Overrated
Everybody always has at least one particular hyped game that they tend to think is a little overrated, and the discussions of various titles in this vein often become rather heated ... so we figured it was the best thing for a grumbly Monday morning! What DS game gets way too much attention, to your mind? This blogger tends to point that finger at Metroid Prime Hunters, though there are probably dozens of people who gasp at any disparaging words aimed at the FPS. There may even be people who -- the horror! -- think that our beloved Phoenix Wright may be overrated. Say it ain't so! Or rather, tell us all about it in the comments.
Second Life backlash gains momentum
Second Life had a backlash coming. The overhyped virtual reality world with amazing public relations and highbrow academic love is now the focus of an increasing number of reports calling foul to their claim of 2.3 million residents. American Public Radio's Marketplace says it's actually more like 250,000.Clay Shirky, a reporter for Fortune says, "So these aren't terrible numbers, but it's certainly a much more modest success than we've been led to believe by the business stories saying 'there are millions of people using Second Life and it's growing by leaps and bounds.'"Linden Labs refused to comment on the Marketplace piece, which is par for the course at this point. Expect more stories like this in the near future because it's been a long time coming. Although it is good to see Linden Labs beginning to release some actual data to help diminish the backlash.See also: Second Life millionaire pummeled with penises
Analyzing the press' Second Life obsession
For the past few years, journalists in both the gaming and mainstream press (Joystiq included) have been enamored with Second Life, covering every minor new "first" in the quickly growing virtual world as more evidence that it is destined to become the first true metaverse. Valleywag contributor Clay Shirkey has taken a good look at this press hype and determined that Second Life is a phenomenon "built on sand."Shirkey's major argument is that Second Life's impressive registered user numbers are inflated by a "Try Me" effect where people sign up, tinker around, and then leave in relatively short order. While there are over 1.9 million registered Second Life accounts, Shirkey estimates that there are less than 10,000 or so active users walking the game's servers at any one time. That's not nothing, but as Shirkey puts it, "in a billion-person internet, that population is also a rounding error."Shirkey points to other failed metaverse experiments like MUDs and VRML that were once touted as the holy grail of virtual spaces only to quickly fade to obscurity. He doesn't quite make the same prediction for Second Life's eventual fate, but he makes a good case for the virtual world becoming more of an social niche than an Internet revolution.Maybe we're all just focused on the wrong virtual world -- after all, World of Warcraft just recently passed seven million registered users.[Via Boing Boing]
