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Mass Effect prequel novel announced
Mass Effect lead writer Drew Karpyshyn has been working overtime, penning two novels that will tie into the Xbox 360 action-RPG trilogy. The first, Mass Effect: Revelation, is described as a prequel novel following Alliance Commander David Anderson as he uncovers a "sinister conspiracy" that spans a galaxy of uncharted worlds. Ooh, nothing like a lil' cliché sci-fi lit to get you in the mood...The Mass Effect novels will be published by Del Rey, an imprint of Random House. Revelation is due in May, followed by the second book Mass Effect: Revolution (TBD).
Hotel Dusk gets European release date
The "interactive novel" Hotel Dusk: Room 215 has been swimming its way around the United States for over a week now, bringing people back to their roots with gritty, film noir style. But, alas, we cannot forget our comrades on the other side of that large, salty blue thing. Europeans, get ready from some pencil-sketch, because Hotel Dusk is dropping on April 13th.The game has created quite a bit of controversy over whether or not its even a "game", per se, but our experiences with it so far have been rock solid. Though we won't be compiling a full review on the game (at least for quite awhile), Hotel Dusk receives a solid recommendation based on dialogue, graphical style, and originality. Americans and Europeans alike, give it a run for your money.
DS Daily: Less action, more talking
As hard as it is for us to admit it, not everyone loves the rebirth of the adventure game that's been brought about by the DS. For some, the action in games like Phoenix Wright and Hotel Dusk just isn't enough. We, however, are pretty obvious fans of the adventure game and find it intriguing when people bring up the idea of true visual/interactive stories that use the DS as a vehicle. Sure, you can read whatever you want on your DS with a little work, but we think it might be keen if people designed more stories that are meant to be experienced on a handheld. What's your stance? Do you prefer games that are a little more involved, or are you as in love with adventure gaming as we are?
New WoW book: Tides of Darkness
Tie-in novels really aren't my thing, so I never read Rise of the Horde, but for those of you that are interested, there's a new Warcraft novel coming out. World of Warcraft: Tides of Darkness is written by Aaron Rosenberg, who wrote, among other things, Starcraft: Queen of Blades. If you couldn't guess by the title, this new book is going to be exploring the events of Warcraft 2, which was my favorite game by far of the three. Blizzplanet has the full story on it; it's going to be released in August 2007, and the author will be making an appearance at New York Comic Con if you want to meet him.Regardless of whether I personally read these novels or not, I do think they're a good thing, in that they delve further into the lore than the games often have a chance to. Lore: it does a body good. What aspect of Blizzard's various universes do you think needs a novel treatment?
WoW Books: Rise of the Horde now available
The latest novel set in the World of Warcraft has been released this week. While I haven't yet seen it in my local bookshop, it does seem to be available from Amazon.com. Rise of the Horde is written by Christie Golden, who wrote (with Don Perrin) Warcraft: Lord of the Clans, as well as a couple of Star Trek: Voyager novels. From Amazon's blurb: Though the young Warchief Thrall ended the demon curse that had plagued his people for generations, the orcs still wrestle with the sins of their bloody past. As the rampaging Horde, they waged a number of devastating wars against their perennial enemy -- the Alliance. Yet the rage and bloodlust that drove the orcs to destroy everything in their path nearly consumed them as well. Long ago, on the idyllic world of Draenor, the noble orc clans lived in relative peace with their enigmatic neighbors, the draenei. But the nefarious agents of the Burning Legion had other plans for both of the unsuspecting races. The demon-lord Kil'jaeden set in motion a dark chain of events that would succeed not only in eradicating the draenei, but forging the orc clans into an single, unstoppable juggernaut of hatred and destruction. I've bought a couple of WoW novels in the past, but I've never really been drawn-in by them, preferring being in the game than to lazing on the couch reading about it. Rise of the Horde seems to be a little more interesting, as it may give some background going into The Burning Crusade. And hey, with a couple of weeks to go, and not a lot to do in-game, now might be a good time for me to give WoW novels a second chance. So, are you going to pick this one up? Have any of you read the past novels, and do you find they add to your enjoyment of the game, or just give you a nice break from staring at the computer screen? 01/16/07 UPDATE! Christie Golden has written in (YAY! THE AUTHOR!) and clears up a few things: Thanks for making people aware of the book! I do have a correctionfor you if I may--I did not write Lord of the Clans "with" DonPerrin. Lord of the Clans (as a novel that is, of course thebackstory and the world is Blizzard's!) is entirely my own creation,I never saw any of the work Don had done on the project before Istarted writing.Also, I'm delighted to report that many things made it from the bookRise of the Horde into the expansion, which is a real thrill for mepersonally and doesn't often happen in the world of media tie-ins.Blizzard is a fantastic company to work with. And yes, I play WoW.:D Thanks for the information, Christie, hopefully we'll see you in the Outlands!
Japanese hardware sales, 20 November - 26 November: Choose-your-own-edition edition
We feel as though we've done you a great disservice. We've been forcing the sales numbers on you in the format we see fit, giving you no say in the matter. Is this not the era of user-generated content and massively open-ended game worlds? Our horrible linear approach to the matter is, quite frankly, embarrassing.How to rectify our horrendous errors? Why, with a classic choose-your-own-edition post! Follow the links you so choose, giving way to an ending entirely your own (except not really). Such innovation is unheard of in the Japanese hardware sales circles, and we're proud to be the first to deliver! Enjoy! (Or, if you'd like to cheat your way to the end, just check after the break.)The Case of the Missing Hardware Sales ChartYou, a wide-eyed yet street-smart rookie on the force, have travelled to Japan in search of a mysterious killer. He's been sabotaging children's grades and decreasing productivity all across your homeland, and your chief has decided that it's gone too far. Armed with your Baretta 9 mm and a standard taser, you step foot into the legendary Akihabara district in Tokyo, Japan.Asking around (in your rather broken, stilted Japanese), you learn that a shady figure has been seen on the corner of Sephiroth and Deku. As you approach the intersection, a shady figure with a loose trenchcoat notices your presence. He turns and tries to discreetly retreat, but as you begin to pursue, he breaks out into a dead sprint! You see a car nearby with its keys still in. What do you do?If you decide to try to track down the villain by foot, click here.If you decide to try and track down the villain in the car, click here.
PSP impressions: Metal Gear Digital Graphic Novel
My timing on snatching up a good 5 minutes with the Metal Gear Digital Graphic Novel was impeccable. Situated directly across the walkway of the Tecmo booth and next to Atlus' wonderful booth, the seat on the white bench called to me with the strength of a siren's song. I didn't think I would be able to hear anything from the unit, yet surprisingly there was little traffic there for the 5 minutes leading up to the Tecmo girls strutting out for their annual thing while I watched the digital comic unfold.As for the artwork and voice work on the E3 build I was privileged enough to spend some time with, they were both very good. The panning was tastefully executed and Ocelot's dialogue, which took up most of what little time I had for the demo, was rich and powerful. Their pistol dual re-enacted from Metal Gear Solid was incredible. Overall the package seemed to be on par with, if not better than, The Silent Hill Experience UMD and has easily made my list of 'must buy' when it releases next month.
