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Digital Storm's revamped gaming laptops boast extra-speedy NVIDIA graphics
If you've been waiting for a gaming laptop that wrings the most performance out of NVIDIA's new GeForce 800M graphics chips, you may want to check out Digital Storm's freshly revamped laptop line. The Javelin, Lance, Krypton and Behemoth all carry fast dedicated video, ranging from the GeForce GTX 860M (in everything but the Behemoth) all the way to dual GTX 880M chips in higher-end Krypton and Behemoth models. Beyond that, you're mostly paying for screen size and frills. The Lance starts things off at $1,196 for a 15.6-inch 1080p screen, a quad-core 2.4GHz Core i7, 8GB of RAM and a 750GB hard drive. Step up to the $1,430 Lance and you'll get both improved cooling and audio alongside minor spec bumps; the $1,478 Krypton adds a 17.3-inch screen, while the $2,289 Behemoth takes a big leap forward in speed with a GTX 880M GPU, 16GB of RAM and a 128GB solid-state primary drive. All of Digital Storm's latest portables are available to order today.
Defy the stars: Mabinogi stages Romeo & Juliet
What's in a name? That which we call a free update by any other name would smell as sweet! Or so a little birdie told us when we got word that Mabinogi is bringing another Shakespearean classic to Nexon's quirky title: Romeo and Juliet. Mabinogi players now have a chance to engage with this romantic tragedy and its two star-crossed lovers. The action takes place at Rath Castle, where players will join the masquerade ball and witness the epic love story that bridged the chasm between two warring families. The addition of Romeo and Juliet to the game's landscape follows the Hamlet update earlier this year. If you're not in the mood for love and fashionable costumes, Mabinogi's latest update invites you to grab a new weapon -- the lance -- and joust with your friends and enemies. You'll look even cooler doing this from a fire horse, a flaming steed that's been added to the game. Or if a life of peace is one you crave, then settle down in one of Mabinogi's Homesteads to grow crops, customize your ranch, and trade with others. You can check out the screenies of the Romeo and Juliet update below, go read the full patch notes on the official site, and watch the trailer after the jump! %Gallery-16711%
How to level up through the Argent Tournament
Banana Shoulders has a really excellent guide to just what the Argent Tournament is all about. I played it for the first time the other night (while we were streaming live from the PTR), and it's a strange little mix of minigame, questing, and rep grind. The Argent Tournament has set up north of Sindragosa's Fall, and there are three basic stages: first, we've got to help them build the place (which will send you to quest in other parts of the world), second, you'll be moving up the ranks from Aspirant in the tournament to Champion, and third, you'll be acting as an Argent Tournament Champion, and picking up Champion's Seals to spend on various rewards and items.The tournament itself involves a minigame of mounted combat -- you can ride around on a mount, lance equipped, that has a few different abilities. There's a ranged attack that will let you break down an opponent's shield, there's a Defend ability that will let you build up your own shield, and then there's a Thrust melee attack that just does damage, and a Charge attack that will do damage as well as break down your opponent's shield. And out of combat, you can fully heal your mount or challenge someone else to a duel. The Aspirant quests teach you all of this, and then the Valiant quests really put your knowledge to the test as you move up through the ranks, fighting NPC mobs as challengers to the title.The Argent Tournament definitely seems like a lot of fun -- as I said way back when, the whole event seems like a one-stop shop for picking up rep and items in Northrend, so I wouldn't be surprised at all if Blizzard plans to add more events and more daily quests on to what we're building up there. Banana Shoulders will be posting part three of their guide soon, and of course you can stay tuned to WoW Insider -- as we get closer to the patch 3.1 release on the live realms, we'll have everything you need to know about the Tournament and then some.
Raid boss simulator for Teron Gorefiend
The European Horde guild "Ferox" has designed a flash-based simulator to help assist with the Teron Gorefiend raid boss fight in the Black Temple. I've never been to the Black Temple myself, but according to Bosskillers, Mr. Gorefiend will debuff a random player every 30 seconds with "Shadow of Death," which basically gives you a 55-second countdown till you die. But your death isn't the end of the battle for you yet, in fact it's just beginning: four "Shadowy Constructs" will spawn around you, and as a ghost you will get special abilities only you can use on these constructs -- other raiders will be helpless against them.The flash game based on this fight does a great job at letting you practice the strategies to success, and it even makes for an interesting puzzle for people who like to figure out how to do things on their own. For those of us who are never likely to actually get to go to the Black Temple, simulations like this help convey a taste of what it's like to be there for real, too, so I hope more and more players develop these sorts of simulations in the future. If you want to figure out the simulator from scratch, go ahead and check it out; otherwise I'll explain the basic tools, and then after the jump I'll explain how to win.The constructs will spawn from the point where you die as the Shadow of Death countdown finishes. From there, they will make their way to the rest of your raid. To win, you have to kill them before they get there. Some of the basic controls are explained in the game itself, but the 5 spells you can cast as a ghost are not clear at first. The first and last abilities, "Spirit Strike" and "Spirit Shield" are useless in the flash simulator, so you can ignore them here. The important abilities you'll be using are the three in the middle, "Spirit Lance," "Spirit Chains," and "Spirit Volley" (which you can use by clicking, or pressing 3, 4, or 5, respectively). Spirit Lance will damage a construct within a certain range and also slow it down, Spirit Chains will freeze nearby constructs in place, and Spirit Volley will do AoE damage to all the constructs around you. Continue reading for the secret cheat codes to give you super-extra-strength and +1000 damage!
Introducing Nike+ Group Goals: donate your miles, run for a cause
Boy, this Nike+ thing just keeps getting cooler and cooler. I just received an email from Nike introducing a new Nike+ Group Goals program through which Nike will donate $1 to a cause for every mile participants run (using the Nike+iPod kit, of course). It appears that causes will rotate periodically, as this month they're featuring three: the Lance Armstrong Foundation and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, as well as Cubs and White Sox charities.This is a stellar idea, and call me what you have to, but I'm genuinely inspired to finish this post and lace up my shoes; this is such a great way to get people even more motivated. I'm excited to see what other charities and groups hop on board with one of the most arguably unique and active iPod accessories to date.
Play GTA this fall... in toy form
Grand Theft Auto in your hands... sounds too good to be true, right? If for some reason, you want to ignore the impending release of Vice City Stories for the PSP, you can pick up these Kubrick toys. The set of five includes Tommy, Lance, Ricardo, Candi and Ken so that you can re-enact your favorite GTA scenes in the palm of your hand. Imagine how cool you'll appear to your co-workers as they see you screaming "It's time for the Lance Vance Dance!" while playing with these figures. They're available for only $35, a real bargain considering how some of my own most-wanted figures cost much, much more.[Via QJ]
