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Monster Rancher DS and some guy in a puffy suit
We may love Monster Rancher like ice cream, but we totally draw the line at donning a huge, unwieldy Mocchi suit. In other words, we don't envy this guy's (gal's?) job one bit, but we still love the idea of a Monster Rancher event. Especially since attendees learned an interesting tidbit of information -- when the shop that hosted the event's name was spoken into the DS, the sounds produced a special monster. Considering preorder copies also come with a unique monster, Tecmo is starting gamers out right with the franchise's latest version. We'll have to give the phrase GAMES Maya a go when we pick up the localized version ... just in case. The event also featured quality time with the Mocchi-suited mascot and a quiz about the Monster Rancher series, as well as a chance to try out the new monster creation features. Sounds like a good time was had by all! For those of you lucky enough to be around a Japanese download station, you can snag a Monster Rancher demo right now, as well.
Monster Rancher DS Japanese box art
It's no secret around here that we love Monster Rancher, but the latest version headed to the DS has us a little wary, and the box art isn't making anything better. Is it just us, or does it seem like this image is striving for more of a Pokémon style? With the shift to RPG, we can't say we're surprised by that.The classic Playstation games (hailed by us many as the best in the franchise) were focused on the monsters themselves, and that focus was reflected in the box art. Here, the focus seems to be equally on the childlike trainers and the monsters both ... and that, combined with the cartoony style shown here, is what makes us begin to doubt the potential for awesome in this game. When the series moved to the Playstation 2 and took on a cel-shaded design, the games suffered both graphically and content-wise. This box doesn't give us much hope that we'll see the series returning to its (incredible) roots.But we're still willing to wait and see, with fingers crossed and fervent hopes.
Orc & Troll "monsters" oh my!
Many people have crafted cool WoW-themed items for their friends and families. We've seen cool WoW cakes, nifty paper non-combat pets, We've even seen different takes on people's characters. Recently, I was gifted with a "monster doll" of my own character -- the Troll Rogue on the right. She now sits above my monitor, protecting my desk from any bad guys who decide to raid it. (Sadly, my dear little monster Rogue is not terribly effective at staving off the dreaded Housecattus Napimus though.) In the interest of sharing some of the neat things dreamed up by the WoW community that are out there, I sat down with the artist, Nicole, to find out more about these WoW 'monster' dolls!
Ubisoft on Ubiports: 'We made mistakes'
Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot, speaking to Spiegel magazine, candidly (yet indirectly) revealed that he believed that some of his company's Wii releases were less than perfect. No, not Red Steel. Guillemot was referring to the spate of ports that Ubisoft released to fill out their lineup.Regarding the hasty ports (games such as Prince of Persia: Rival Swords, Far Cry: Vengeance, and Monster 4x4 World Circuit), Guillemot said that "We made mistakes." Ubisoft admitting to overporting? Between this and weird releases like My Word Coach, Ubi seems like a whole new company!
Monster's iFreePlay cordless headphones for 2G Shuffle
Monster Cable has been known to dabble in the world of iPod accessories before, and while it's easy to give the company notorious for over marketing its flashy cabling knocks on just about anything, the iFreePlay contraption doesn't look half bad. The cordless wraparound headphones don't deviate too far from similar alternatives, but rather than communicating with your DAP via Bluetooth or RF, you can snap your 2G Shuffle right into the left earpiece and run along. The collapsible headphones weigh just 1.6-ounces, and while you do sacrifice some style for utility here, we've most certainly seen worse. So for runners looking to ditch that awful iSoundCap and avoid getting tangled all the while, Monster's iFreePlay apparatus can be picked up now for $49.95. Click through for a few more angles.
Monster's Wii cables selling at horrifying prices
We had heard about Monster Cable's plans to sell Wii component cables several weeks ago, but we held off on announcing the product until its inevitable boutique pricing was revealed. Amazon now has the item available for sale, listing the 10' cables at $59.99. That's double what Nintendo charges for its official component cable and six times the cost of other third-party solutions.Now that component cables for the Wii are in good supply, are prices like that justifiable? We understand that Monster is aiming for the high-end market, but how different can its product be from what others are selling for much cheaper? Does the quality actually match the pricing?
Rune looks like a lady
With only a few weeks left before the North American release of Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon (5/1), developer Neverland Co. has announced a sequel to its farming sim and RPG hybrid. The latest issue of Famitsu has screenshots for the follow-up, and they show a remarkable amount of improvement to the original's graphics. It's still too early to call the redhead protagonist's gender, but our money's on the character being a guy. You can never tell these days, what with all the effeminate farmhands running around. Let us know what you think -- is he one of the dudes? Or is she the princess of Cootie Town? Check past the jump for the Rune Factory 2 magazine scans and a full profile shot of the androgynous hero.
Kochalka not too cool for Miis
We hear a lot about mainstream coverage of the Wii, but what about non-mainstream coverage? The Mii Channel is so much fun that even indie cartoonist James Kochalka wants in on the "HEY LOOK AT MY MIIS" fun, posting a series of Mii creations to his diary comic American Elf .His Mii creations veer toward the monsterish, which we enjoy. So many people limit their Mii designs to themselves, their grandparents, and celebrities. Unless these Miis are meant to represent Kochalka's family, in which case we're very, very sorry.We also love how the Mii Channel has resurrected the practice of sharing photographs of TV screens. It makes us nostalgic for magazine high-score columns.
Monster Rancher DS has a surprising developer
We've been keeping a close eye on Monster Rancher DS (or, to use the more exciting! Japanese name, Kaite, Shabette, Hajimeyou! Monster Farm DS). Now we have more reason to be excited, we think. Who has Tecmo "farmed" (heh, heh) the development of this title out to?Cing, for some reason! Cing, who is responsible for Trace Memory and Hotel Dusk, both of which were fairly well-received and high-profile. We aren't sure how their adventure-game development skills will transfer into monster-training, but we're optimistic. Cing at least knows a lot about making good use of DS features. What do you think about the news? Is there another DS-centric developer you'd rather see on the Ranch?
DS Daily: Cartridge rancher
Yesterday we mentioned that Monster Rancher was going to be ranchin' up some monsters on the DS. One of the most notable features of the new version is that it uses GBA games to generate monsters, in the same way that previous Monster Ranchers used CDs, or the Barcode Battler used dog food labels, or Treasure Gaust uses magnetic fields. There have been a few games that give GBA bonuses, like Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, which rewarded Aria of Sorrow owners with an extra item, but this is different. To some extent, your success in Rancher is contingent on your GBA game ownership.How does that strike you? Is it cool to be rewarded for having access to a nice GBA collection, or do you feel like you're being punished for not buying enough cartridges? Or has this news got you out searching for cheapo cartridges?
Monster Rancher DS sneaks past the Ninja Gaiden hype
With the whole gaming press freaking out about the new Ninja Gaiden game, another Tecmo franchise announcement has gone virtually ignored. And, like Ninja Gaiden, it uses the DS's unique features in surprising and possibly inappropriate ways.Monster Rancher DS goes back to the Playstation-era art style of Ranchers 1 and 2. Like other games in the series, it makes use of data on other media to generate creatures. However, instead of random CDs like in the previous version, this one makes use of the GBA slot. Shapes drawn with the stylus also figure into the gameplay in ... some way.We've rounded up some screens after the break. Get it-- "rounded up" because it's a "ranch" game, and... we're sorry.
Elemental Monster: new card battler from Hudson
Card-battling games seem like a natural for the DS-- the second screen is especially well-suited for managing cards while the game is in play. But we haven't gotten that many card games-- in fact, SNK vs. Capcom Card Fighters DS is the only one we can think of, and that one's not even out yet.Hudson's Elemental Monster is a turn-based card-battling game that uses some pretty great 2D sprites. Between battles, the game has an RPG-style story mode, which also uses a lot of hand-drawn 2D. We're actually surprised to see a DS game coming out that has this much non-polygonal art (some backgrounds are 3D, but that's fine!) How about a US release, Hudson?
Ubisale at Toys R Us
There have been a lot of sales to report lately! If you picked up a Wii at Toys R Us yesterday, you now have an opportunity to get some relatively good games for a decent price, from now until the 10th.Toys R Us is offering three Ubisoft-published Wii games for the price of two. Your choices are GT Pro Series, Open Season, Rayman: Raving Rabbids, Red Steel, and Monster 4x4: World Circuit. This offer is valid online, but we aren't sure about its status in TRU stores. If there are three games in that list you're interested in, or two games you're interested in and one you think you could get a decent price for on eBay, then you are in luck![Via QJ.net]
Monster's Einstein Home Control System walkthrough
After meeting up with B. Gates here at CES again our next goal was outfitting the official Engadget offices like his famously automated home. To that end, we checked in with Monster Cable and its Einstein Home Control System, previously sighted at CEDIA, in more fleshed out form. This completely customizable setup, based on what Monster claims is a totally open API that should allow other manufacturers to easily create compatible devices, promises to deliver whatever media you desire to any room in the house. Pictured above is the Nucleus, the all in one DVD player, VOIP phone and remotely accessed control center of the Einstein system. Pricing depends on what components are installed, but should come in under other similar setups, Check out the galleries for a closer look at the rest of the components. Monster's Einstein Control Center Walkthrough
Monster unveils Lifeware Media Center PCs / extenders
While there's been a plethora of new kit flowing from CES, media center extenders has certainly not stolen the limelight. Oddly enough, one of the first to announce such a device comes from the cabling company we all love to hate, as it introduces its forthcoming lineup of media center PCs and extenders. Additionally, Monster has partnered with Exceptional Innovation to bring Lifeware automation software onto their HTPCs, dubbing the customized package "Experience Lifeware." While details are all but nil on each, Monster said that the new lineup would fall in its newly-unveiled "Monster Life" brand, which seeks to create media-centric PCs for "distributing media around the home." Notably, the extenders could actually be integrated into PowerCenters, which are those unsightly devices that reportedly protect anything connected from a small nuclear disaster (or similar), potentially meaning that you'll be forced to purchase 18 additional AC outlets that you have absolutely no use for to take advantage of Monster's media center extender. Per usual, no word on pricing or availability just yet aside from knowing that the "package will be available through select (read: Best Buy) retailers," but history tells us that those who admire a good dollar-to-utility ratio will probably pass on this one.
Monster flat screen PowerMount
Say what you will about their cables but this is a sweet innovation in flat screen mounts. Monster as Incorporated their Clean Power surge protectors into a flat screen mount. So this way your flat screen is protected against surges, spikes and ground loop hums while it is hanging on the wall without anything extra. The two power plugs are located at the bottom of the mount, with coax grounding receptacles at the top so installation should be a breeze. We really don't see this as a cable management venture as the six foot power cable that comes with flat screens is going to have to go someplace within the small confines of the mount and we don't see the arm holding all of it. Someone really liked it though as it was an honoree for the 2007 Innovations in the Video Accessories Category at this years CES. The mount is available now with a MSRP sticker of $249.99. More pics after the jump.
PC MicroWorks's Vega super notebook tops out at over $7,000
Although it's a re-brand of another 20.1-inch laptop design, and it certainly isn't the first dual core, SLI capable notebook in the world, the step up in specifications that the new Vega laptop brings to the -- hopefully fortified -- table is quite impressive. When it's maxed-out, the Vega packs a dual core AMD Turion X2 processor, 20.1-inch 1,680 x 1,050 display, 4GB of DDR2 RAM, 600GB of storage, a dual layer Blu-Ray burner, and dual nVIDIA GeForce GO 7950GTX graphics cards running in SLI mode. Tack on options like EV-DO, GPS, and a TV tuner and you're looking at a desktop replacement to rule all others: until the Vega Mk.2 comes out, that is. The only drag, as always, is the price. For the above configuration you'll have to pay $7,175, or commit yourself and your family to a life of crime. We have a feeling your spouse won't be OK with that, so you'd better mark this one down on your "to do: if I win the lottery" list.[Via Yahoo]
Monster Cable fires 120 employees, still overcharges for accessories
Wouldn't it figure -- the company synonymous for charging absurd amounts of coinage for products that are debatably no better than the copper-laced counterparts available en masse for much less is cutting 120 jobs, only to replace them with outsourced labor. While we fully understand the "business demands of the 21st century," as Mr. Lee so aptly implied, there's something to be said when you're suckering folks into buying cranking out $100 HDMI cables and $70 iPod controllers, yet can't afford to hook your loyal employees up with anything more than "four weeks severance" and a dash of "counseling." What's notable about all this is that prior to this recent batch of layoffs, excessed employees received "four weeks pay plus one additional week of pay per year of service." Furthermore, many employees say the job searching assistance is "worthless," as they really have no desirable skills besides the one's learned at Monster. 'Tis a shame to see the folks let go, but we're fairly certain the firm's (supposed) cash drought isn't due to a lack in markup.[Via CEPro]
Engadget HD Review: Monster Central Control System AVL 300
Monster, same company that brings you those high-priced but still high-quality cables, has taken one of the best remotes Harmony offers and made it their own. We didn't think this was possible but, sure 'nough, they did. It's hard to say if their incarnation is a 100% improvement on the already amazing Harmony 890 but multiple system control and a slick lighting system are welcomed additions. The remote does carry the standard Monster sticker price but you know what, it just might be worth it. Read on for the full review.
CNET violates Mac Pro warranty, installs eight cores in Mac Pro
Over at CNET labs, they've done gone and stuck a couple of new Intel quad-core Xeon 5355 processors into an Apple Mac Pro and ran copious benchmarks on their new baby. Surprisingly enough, a single 3.0 GHz quad core kicked the bejesus out of the 2.66 GHz oct cores in some of the tasks. Follow the link to see lots and lots of bar graphs. And yes, that is 8 cores hard at work in the CPU monitor. How long will we have to wait until we can pick up this configuration from Apple, instead of having to hack our way to more cores?
