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'Beyond Good & Evil 2' is more real than ever before
Today at the Ubisoft E3 press event in Los Angeles, we got a deeper look than before at the space opera prequel, Beyond Good and Evil 2. After a nice long trailer showing the crew of a mothership headed out into the vastness of space. Narrative director for the game Gabrielle Shrager took to the stage with senior producer Guillaume Brunier to show off the latest trailer for this hotly anticipated game, which focused on the main characters for the upcoming title.
Acer claims the Liquid Jade is the world's 'most compact' 5-inch smartphone
As an American site, we tend to ignore devices that have zero chance of making it to the states. That said, we're making an exception for Acer's new Liquid Jade phone. For one thing, it's going to come bundled with Acer's new Liquid Leap smartwatch in select markets (Asia, mostly), and will initially be the only phone that's compatible with it. In addition, though, Acer claims this is the world's "most compact" 5-inch smartphone. And you know we love us a good superlative.
Take a good look at the leading lady of Beyond Good & Evil 2 [update]
Update: Ubisoft claims the art is an early concept of Jade, pre-dating Beyond Good and Evil. Whether or not she'll appear that way in Beyond Good and Evil 2 is unknown, but this tease suggests a return of that old, graceful appearance (which matches leaked screenshots). The article below has been updated to reflect the image's origin. Original: While Beyond Good & Evil 2 remains in the same nebulous development limbo it has called home for the last half-decade, creator Michel Ancel recently offered fans a look at a design for series protagonist, Jade, seemingly as she will appear in the game. Below the break you'll find footage of a recent Q&A session broadcast via YouTube. At the 2:05 mark, Ancel unexpectedly produces a glossy poster offering a very clear look at Jade's conceptual aesthetic. While Jade maintains the laid-back, almost "grunge" style of her debut in the original Beyond Good & Evil, there are definite differences in the character's design. This version of Jade has almost samurai-esque elements, combined with the kind of DIY aesthetic you'd expect from a hero living a hardscrabble life in an unfriendly world. Unfortunately, Ancel offered no information on when we can expect Beyond Good & Evil 2 to reach store shelves, so we'll all go back to waiting patiently - at least until the next tiny nugget of information reminds us all how long we've been waiting for this sequel. [Image: Ubisoft]
Mortal Kombat Vita also includes exclusive klassic kostumes for female ninjas
In addition to the plethora of new klassic kostumes coming to the male ninjas of Earthrealm and Outworld, two costume-deprived female ninjas are also set to receive additional warrior wardrobe options in the Vita version of Mortal Kombat.In addition to her console outfits, Mileena will be fitted with her leotard getup from Mortal Kombat 2. Skarlet, on the other hand, will receive both Mortal Kombat 2 and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 outfits, as well as what appears to be an additional alternative costume. Meanwhile, Kitana and Jade have been decked out in old-school digs for months and therefore do not receive new fashion.
Michel Ancel on Beyond Good & Evil 2: I'm waiting for it as much as you are
Is Beyond Good & Evil 2 still alive? Yes. Will you still be alive when it comes out? Well, that's a question we posed to project lead Michel Ancel, whose attention is currently focused on his vibrant 2D platformer, Rayman: Origins. "Before Rayman we were working on Beyond Good & Evil 2," he said during an E3 meeting. "And the project is still on the tracks. I'd love to come back to it." Ancel describes the game as an ambitious, conceptually amorphous undertaking, still being prototyped and still looking for a home. "It's a question of making all those things able to fit the constraints of the consoles," he said. "But with this kind of game, we can do prototypes on very high-end PCs and we can really try to play in the kind of future-console style hardware. So, it's just a question of saying, 'Okay, do we cut everything and rebuild to these consoles, or do we try to move forward?'" Does that mean the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 are out? "I can't say totally no," Ancel said, "but the questions are still open." The small team crafting Beyond Good and Evil 2 is wary of downscaling its vision, making it essential "to have the game on the best platform, to make [the concepts] fit." And while that happens, for who-knows-how-long, fans can take advantage of the game industry's diversity."The good thing is we are not the only one making games, so they can play a lot of other games," Ancel joked. "The main thing, I would say, is that I'm waiting for that game as much as they are waiting for it. So that's pushing me to finish it."
Mortal Kombat and MK: Annihilation Blu-rays include costume for game
With the launch of Mortal Kombat's current-gen reboot getting closer by the day, Warner Bros. is ramping up promotion by announcing the Blu-ray release of both the Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat: Annihilation movies. The films will be sold individually and packed with various special features, most notably a "free exclusive Jade character costume download" for the PlayStation 3 version of the game, included with both movies. Blu-ray.com details each film's Blu-ray extras, and pins an April 19 launch date on them. And, wouldn't you know it, that's the same day that the game comes out!
One Shots: Mamas don't let your babies grow up to be...
There's been a lot of super buzz about Champions Online today as people discuss the end-of-beta event. For some folks, beta has been a great experience, further cementing their decision to buy the game. For others, well, things were not so good: lag, crashes, problems downloading and more. Mind you, that's generally pretty typical for an open stress-test type beta. Problems aside, we're starting to get some One Shots in from Champions players, so today, we treat you to one of the first ones! This came to us from Jade, who writes in: While playing the Champions Online beta starting zone I found this video screen on the side of a building. Picture dictionary meet your newest entry, irony.Are you spending some time in Champions Online? We'd love a screenshot. Just send it to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name and a quick description. Feel free to add a note, but it's not required. We'll post it here and give you the credit. Couldn't be easier unless we did the gaming for you, which wouldn't be nearly as much fun for you.%Gallery-9798%
HTC Touch 3G earns its FCC wings
HTC's "Jade," as the Touch 3G is known internally, has just earned FCC approval -- that's the good news. Unfortunately, the only approval it's going to see in the FCC's jurisdiction is of the 2G sort, because the blasted thing only features WCDMA on the 900 and 2100MHz bands. Those lucky enough to enjoy the handset at full speed will be the lucky beneficiaries of 7.2Mbs HSDPA, while North Americans have the luxury of poking along at a theoretical max of 200kbps or so (and we can just forget about chatting and browsing at the same time). But hey, at least we'll have the FCC off our backs when we're doing it.
EVE Community Spotlight: Jade Constantine
Jade Constantine is a veteran player of EVE Online, long known for having a forceful personality and a flair for writing. As the CEO of Jericho Fraction and the head of The Star Fraction alliance, Jade has become a pioneer in EVE roleplay, upholding ideologies of freedom that run counter to some of the very systems that define the game. Along the way, Jade has made some enemies, but clearly some allies as well, having garnered the most votes in the Council of Stellar Management (CSM) election. As Chairman of the CSM, Jade Constantine is a magnet for controversy, but as an elected delegate, is also in a unique position to deal directly with CCP Games and potentially change EVE. Massively recently spoke with Jade on the state of roleplaying in EVE Online, the challenges that the CSM faces, and what it's like to be under the magnifying glass.
RF Online server rollback combats cheaters and 500% inflation
RF Online in the Philippines recently had serious issues with dupe hacks, prompting an unannounced rollback of the servers. PlayNoEvil writes that the operator of RF Online for the Philippines, Level Up Games, discovered a dupe exploit and tried to purge it from the servers as well as those who used it. However due to time constraints with unraveling the intricacies of the exploit, the company decided to roll back the game to a point before the exploit was used. Level Up Games issued a statement on the problem: Based on DB evidence, numbers as well as feedback from the community, the GMs, the Vanguards and also from our field agents, there was an oversupply of in-game currency and gold - as high as 500 %. GMTristan of RF Online Philippines clarified the situation further on his blog:
Where to find Beyond Good & Evil
We realize that with yesterday's announcement of "Beyond Good & Evil 2," some folks may have tragically missed out on the first entry in the series. We've put together a quick list of places where those not familiar to the series can get the game and meet up with Jade, Pey'j and -- our favorite personal assistant -- Segundo. Steam (PC) -- $10 GameTap (PC) -- $1 for the first month, $10 after that. GameFly (Xbox, PS2 and Gamecube) -- Various rental plan prices, but currently copies are subject to availability. GameStop -- Currently, we can only find the somewhat dodgy PS2 version available online for $8. Check your local shop and you may get very lucky. Those who find a GameCube version can rely on the Wii's backwards compatibility to play the game, and PS3 owners can pop in the PS2 game if their systems support BC. The Xbox 360 currently does not offer backwards compatibility for the Xbox version of BG&E. We're sure there are more corners of the internet to find Jade & Co., but it appears that $10 is what you're likely to pay.
UK: Watch Jade and her Assassin's demo at HMV
In celebration of the London Games Festival and Ubisoft's self proclaimed greatness, Assassin's Creed producer (and a person who takes pride in her appearance) Jade Raymond will be demoing the game live, on stage, at HMV.Saturday, October 27th at London's HMV, Jade will be stopping by to demo the latest Assassin's Creed build, be gawked at by groups of hormonal males and will have to constantly wipe the drool off her shoes. The event is open to the general public and will include two Jade presentations, one at 3:00PM and the other at 4:30PM, a Q&A session and an autograph signing too. So, if you're in the London area, be sure to head on over to Oxford Street, stand in line at HMV this Saturday, and get a glimpse of Jade Assassin's Creed. It shall be "good times".
Jade is Latina, Asian, Black ... who knows?
Earlier this week, a story by Jason Ellis traveled around the intertubes listing 11 black video game stars. The list was tragic, highlighting that black leading characters, especially original intellectual properties, are few and far between. However, the topic of most debate had to do with the appearance of Jade, from Beyond Good and Evil, on the list. Jade was black?It was the immediate thing we wondered about on our staff. Latina, Asian and "just tan," were terms we came up with. The crew over at Wired apparently had a similar issue. Writing up a column on racially ambiguous characters. Chris Kohler says, "The reaction to Ellis' piece would suggest that Michel Ancel and his team got it perfect with Jade. Because only a few people are suggesting that Jade 'looks' black or 'seems' Asian. They say with conviction that she is black, is Asian, is 'clearly' Latina. Everyone is right, and no one is right."Half-Life is also master of the racially ambiguous. Alyx Vance could be a mix of anything, her look is truly exotic. Then there is always the question of Gordon Freeman. Not the most stereotypically "white" name, you never actually see him, and other than the box art -- we'd never know. Was making Freeman white, or showing him at all, a last minute marketing decision? It's a fun experiment to take Freeman and just change the pigment of his skin, it's amazing how well it works. The main point is when things are ambiguous, we see what we want to see. Personally, we don't care what race Jade is, we just want to see that girl in a sequel!
