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Video: Windows 7 launch party parody is bleeping genius
So by now you all know about Microsoft's painful, cringe-inducing Windows 7 party idea, and the accompanying goodie packs. What you might not have known is that Redmond also put together a 'Hosting Your Party' instructional video that blends all the worst parts of infomercials and cooking programs into one giant melange of awkward acting. Well, Cabel Sasser -- founder of Mac software maker Panic Inc -- has remixed said video, and the result is nothing short of a triumph. Journey past the break to see what we mean. [Via Mashable]
Officers' Quarters: An exclusive party
Every Monday Scott Andrews contributes Officers' Quarters, a column about the ins and outs of guild leadership.I get a lot of e-mails, many more than I could ever cover in this column. I hear about a lot of drama, drama of all different kinds, for all different reasons. So it always piques my interest when I read an e-mail like the one below, with an entirely new kind of guild drama. This one sounds more suited to a middle school class than a guild, but here it is: secret party drama. Read on for the details!I am a member of a fairly progressed raiding guild. I am a member of the main raid. I am not an officer, but almost all the regular raiders are officers. In many ways the guild is good. Raiding rules and loot are fair. However, it has become clear that the guild is dominated by a clique and that promotions to officer and most raid invites are largely based upon becoming part of the in group. Recently it was announced during raid that we would be taking a week off as many would be out of town. After the week off, during Vent chat, it became clear that the many out of town were all out of town together. That is, the guild officers were invited to an in person party (some traveled to go to it, others didn't but all were invited). I also learned that the officers intentionally tried to keep the party a secret beforehand.
Free Realms hosts Pirate Party and doubles the dubloons, mateys
Yarr, mateys! If ye be not knowin' what tomorrow is, then ye obviously must be a bunch o' scalawags. Fer, ye see, tomorrow is Talk Like a Pirate Day, don'chaknow? In order to celebrate th' day o' piracy properly in Free Realms, ye need to be haulin' yer keel to the Pirate Invasion Party this evenin' in the cove just south of th' Seaside warpstone. Th' pirate booty-shakin' fun will begin today (Friday, Sept. 18) at 4PM Pacific, with th' timber-shiverin' goin' on until 6pm Pacific. There be dancin', trivia, an' other merriment planned at th' party, too, for those brave souls willing to wander near Davey Jones' locker!As if that weren`t enough for ye, this weekend be also th' time when Sony Online Entertainment be offerin' double th' value fer any Station Cash cards ye redeem. So that means if ye pop by an' pick up one o' th' 1000 Station Cash cards fer $10 (which will also net ye a pretty nifty red buccanneer dog hat in th' mix) ye`ll land $20 worth o' Station Cash fer use in Free Realms, EverQuest, or EverQuest II. Pirate fun and double yer dubloons in the Station store? Now that's enough to make any freebootin' privateer dance a jig - without a noose 'round their necks, even.
Video hands-on: Sony's Party-shot dock knows how to par-tay, unlike Paul
Know what's awesome? Parties... and parfaits. But if we had to choose, we'd rather have Sony's Party-shot dock on hand at our next soirèe instead of a delicate ensemble of whipped confectioneries. Just set your Partyshot-enabled Cybershot into Sony's automatically swiveling and panning $150 IPT-DS1 Party-shot dock and relive up to 11-hours of battery powered magic the next morning. Assuming it's still there, of course. See it in action with your 24 hour IFA party people after the break.
Get Windows 7 Ultimate for free... by throwing a party
Dying to throw a party where everyone goes home alone? Microsoft's got you covered. Redmond's looking for Windows 7 fans to throw launch parties from October 22-29, and if you're chosen, you'll get a free "Signature Edition" of Windows 7 Ultimate, free party favors, and a chance to win a PC valued at $750. Sure, you'll have to suck up your pride and invite your friends to a party with a theme like "setting up with ease" or "family friendly fun," but if you're willing to throw a party where everyone is apparently supposed to sit around a laptop and then go out and buy something, well, we're guessing you don't have too much pride to begin with.[Thanks, Kevin]
Pacifist Priest dings 80 on Friday
Reinisch is the pacifist Undead Priest who's aiming to make it to level 80 without killing anything at all (he's the same player as Noor, who we interviewed way back when and followed up with a while ago), and apparently this Friday, he's going to do it. He's inviting everybody out to a party on Friday afternoon, September 4th, at 6pm server over on The Venture Company. He's going to turn in a Dalaran fishing quest to do it, and he's got quick and easy directions posted on how to get to Dalaran as a level 1.Though there might not be as much going on as other big server parties, it's probably worth going just to see him ding level 80 and the level 1 chaos in Dalaran that will ensue, but it's quite an achievement for sure, especially considering that this Priest was actually created before Noor -- he's named after a German priest who stood up to Hitler in the name of peace and was executed for it. It might be nice just to stop by and give the guy a grats as he dings -- pretty impressive to take a goal that most people would say was impossible, and do it in the game not once but twice on two different classes and factions.
The Daily Grind: Your favorite end of beta event?
Beta tests. It seems like no sooner do you turn around these days than you trip over a beta. With so many games coming out in the second half of this year, it also means we get to check out the various end of beta events! Fallen Earth's Apocalypse Parties were lower-key, involving groups like the above pictured mix of folks getting their groove on. The actual end, however, involved getting everyone to join in on a free-for-all PvP fest where the GMs made themselves and a few other people enormous. Champions Online had a huge invasion of Destroids - robotic bad guys - bent on destroying everyone and everything. We can only guess what might be coming with some of the other games set to close down their betas soon. While those are only a couple of examples, we know there have been some truly stupendous end of beta events. From huge scripted events like The Matrix Online's end of beta to smaller, more informal events held with friends, there are great memories to be had. So tell us, dear readers - what was your favorite ever end of beta event?
Fallen Earth to hold Apocalypse Party for end of open beta
The end is nigh, my friends. The end of Fallen Earth open beta, at least. This Saturday, August 29th, the Fallen Earth team will be celebrating the end of their stress testing with an Apocalypse Party from 3pm to 6pm EDT. There will be in-game food, drinks, entertainment and even special tokens that will provide an XP bonus. These tokens, called Beta Clone Psychoactive Shots, will grant a +15% XP bonus per hour. One token can be earned per half hour mark during the event (for a total of 7), and can be carried over to the live servers after launch.Despite this event occurring on Saturday, the open beta won't properly shut its doors until Tuesday, September 1st at midnight EDT. Then we'll all have to wait 15 days (9 days for pre-orders) to see the wasteland again. Have more questions? Check out the Fallen Earth Open Beta FAQ for complete details.
Preparing for BlizzCon: Money -- you're going to need it
BlizzCon approaches! Preparing for BlizzCon is your regular source for tips on how best to prepare for Blizzard's gaming extravaganza.If you have the resources to pick up some extra cash or the space in your budget to save some more over the next couple months, I recommend that you do. The ticket is paid for, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. You already know you need money for lodging and getting there, but here are a few more things for which you are probably going to want to have extra cash in the bank: Food: It really isn't practical to bring your own and in some cases, not allowed by Blizzard. For example, anything in glass, large containers or cans are a no go for the convention. Many hotels consider a tiny box of cereal or a couple slices of toast a "free breakfast", so don't count on them either. The food in the Anaheim Convention Center is convenient but overpriced, as is normal for conventions. In the evenings, most people will be dining at one of the many delicious Downtown Disney eateries, which are great fun and usually pretty expensive. All in all, your food bills will likely be far greater than your normal food budget.
Celebrating a guild anniversary in style
Pink Pigtail Inn has what is probably the most involved guild anniversary I've ever seen. We've seen quite a few anniversaries and events come through Guildwatch, but this one takes the cake: a huge competitive scavenger hunt, complete with out-of-game clues, banned class abilities (so teams could be balanced out), and even self-made quests involving the guild's lore. It's probably rare to find a group of officers that can be this committed to something normally considered "an RP event," but obviously it worked out, because the whole guild really enjoyed it.The context Larisa puts this in, however, is even more interesting. According to the Daedalus Project (a series of surveys of MMO players -- we've mentioned their work before), the majority of players can't celebrate a guild's anniversary anyway, as they haven't been in their guilds for even a year yet. I've never considered it, but it's true: while we are very attached to our guildies when we do find a good guild, we aren't really attached to them for very long, relatively speaking. There are stories of guilds going on for decades, but even those guilds have players coming and going -- if your guild has the same group of people playing together for a few years, you're probably in a smaller group than you think. PPI's example is a great one for any guilds who have been around long enough to celebrate it.
The Spreading Taint plans pride parade on Proudmoore
The Spreading Taint, a GLBT guild that we've featured here on the site before, is hosting an in-game event next Saturday, their fifth annual Pride Celebration. Just like real-life Pride events, they're planning quite the spectacle, from floats of all kinds (I'm curious to see the ">8< Spider Pride" float, featuring spider pets aplenty, both Hunter and vanity), a crafting fair in Booty Bay, and contests like a Naked Dueling event and a modeling competition. They've even got "a professional" shooting footage of everything, so you might be able to see yourself in the official video as well.As we talked about in our 15 Minutes interview with them, these folks are very social and a lot of fun -- while their roots are in the GLBT community, they're interested in including people from all backgrounds, and obviously this event is open to everyone who wants to have a good time in-game (though they are strictly disallowing PvP -- if you want to fight, go elsewhere). The event kicks off next Saturday, June 20th, at noon server time over on Proudmoore. The parade itself starts at Camp Taurajo in the Barrens, but we're sure no matter where you are on the server, you'll probably hear about them -- just follow the wackiness.NOTE: All hateful comments will get deleted and repeat offenders will be banned. You don't have to agree, but you can disagree respectfully without personal attacks or insults.
BlizzCon badges are back
Danielle "Shyka" Brown is back again, and making custom art badges of your character to put in your BlizzCon lanyard. We covered her last year before the convention, and so if you're headed to BlizzCon and want to put a little custom memento of what your character looks like, now's the time to order them. She's starting a little earlier, so they're a bit cheaper, only $30 per badge, but any orders after June 16th will go up to $40 because presumably she'll be in crunch time. The good news is that since the last set of BlizzCon ticket sales are on May 30th, you should know for sure by then whether you're going or not.And as you can see from the pictures at left, the quality of her work is pretty darn good -- there's a whole collection of her work from last year over on the blog, and it would be neat to have any of those hanging from your neck at BlizzCon.If past years are any indication, Blizzard will definitely put your character's name somewhere on your ID badge for the convention (and they've also asked for your faction affiliation and/or class in the past, so those may make an appearance as well). But this is something a little extra, especially if you're planning to meet up with in-game friends or guildies (or attend the sure-to-be-awesome WoW Insider bash, which we'll be having on Thursday night yet again), to identify yourself on the convention floor.
Vicarious Visions introduces DSiWare party game Mixed Messages
It just occurred to us how perfect the multiplayer-only LOL would have been on DSiWare. As a 500 Nintendo Point download, four players could download the quirky application whenever they had five minutes to spare, and enjoy it immediately, for the cost of just one copy of Agetec's retail game. We just realized this because Vicarious Visions' Mixed Messages is pretty much just that.Well, it's a bit more directed and gamelike than LOL, but very similar nonetheless. Mixed Messages is a take on "telephone," in which players alternately type sentences and draw pictures based on them. One player writes a sentence, then another draws it, and then the next player writes a sentence based on that picture, and so on. The game saves sessions for the enjoyment of all afterward.VV has been playing with this idea for two years, but the program was too small for retail and required too much rewriteable memory for the DS. DSiWare to the rescue! Mixed Messages is slated for the DSiWare "launch window," which is basically anytime now!
Sleeper Cartel hosts Spring Break 2009 in Sholazar Basin on Saturday
Our good friends in Sleeper Cartel over on Perenolde are having yet another server party -- Spring Break 2009 is taking place not in Cabo, but Sholazar Basin! As with all of these player-run events, it certainly sounds like fun: they're planning to have free food and drinks, tournaments, and games and contests of all kinds (last time around, they had trivia contests and scavenger hunts). They're even setting up a "Gnomes Gone Wild" event -- level 1 gnomes are going to be trying to sneak into the party, and it'll be partygoers' responsibility to keep them out.The party starts this Saturday, March 21st, at 7pm server at the River's Heart in Sholazar Basin (you could probably make it there with a DK, or they'll have people summoning as necessary, as long as you send them an ingame mail first). As they say, Kel'Thuzad and Malygos will be there next week -- this Saturday, head over to Perenolde and celebrate Spring Break with the Sleepers.
Street Fighter art exhibition hits California this April
We love art of all kinds, and we're glad to report that Gallery Nucleus and I am 8-bit are teaming up to present a Street Fighter art exhibition in Alhambra, California from April 25 - May 11. There you'll be able to check out some contributions from Udon, the wonderful folks behind SSFIITHDR, and enjoy some of the festivities going down outside of looking at art. These activities include: Cosplay contest (show up in cosplay, get 15% off store purchases, excluding already discounted goods) Street Fighter IV tournament hosted by EVO (first place wins a cool $500) Raffle (free ticket for first 100 guests, $1 each after that) Free refreshments Music by Ronikus Sounds like a good time. We had fun at our last Capcom party, so we're guessing this one will also be a hoot. Will you make it?
This afternoon, party like it's 1234567890 Unix time
Number aficionados, you probably already know what happens today. As of 6:31:30PM ET this afternoon it will officially be 1234567890 Unix time, which started at zero and has been counting seconds since the stroke of midnight on January 1, 1970, not counting leap seconds. We suggest you put on your best watch or other geek chic and enjoy that one fateful second of sequential bliss -- as the story goes, 1234567891, party over, oops, out of time. In case you've got other plans and can't celebrate the milestone, we'll see you December 22, 2282 at 3:13:30PM ET for the merriment of 9876543210. [Via Wired]
Burnout: Ultimate Box dated, exclusive to PC in North America
Click to embiggen. Players who missed the offramp to Paradise City can take the next exit early next month. Electronic Arts announced that the "Ultimate Box" edition of Burnout Paradise will ship in North America on February 5 as a PC exclusive, while players in Europe will be able to pick up the compilation on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC on February 6. As previously revealed, the box will bundle together all of the game's previously released DLC, from patches to two-wheeled mayhem, in one easy-to-crash package. Also included will be a pass-the-pad multiplayer mode, promising dozens of "quick-fire, turn-based challenges" for up to eight players. This mode will also be released to console drivers as a premium (read: not free) "Party" pack, adding new Achievements and Trophies to the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions when the DLC rolls out in both North America and Europe on February 5.Both Amazon and GameStop list the PC bundle for $40, though no official pricing for the DLC nor "Ultimate Box" edition have yet been announced. Gallery: Burnout Paradise Party
Wii Warm Up: Holiday fun
Since everyone else seems to like the Wii, too, it stands to reason that at least a few of you out there probably had some Wii-themed multiplayer moments over the holiday season. We want to hear about your all-gamer matches as well as those moments when grandma asked if she could get in on that "video bowling." Bonus points* to anyone who happens to have family video hanging around on YouTube.*Bonus points are only redeemable in our hearts.
Why you should be playing Final Fantasy XI: Level sync
"Why you should be playing ..." is a free form column from Massively.com intended to inform you about our favorite parts of our favorite games. We want you to know why we play what we do!This should be a story that any MMO player is intimately acquainted with. You've just picked up an awesome new MMO and have been flying through the levels. It's gripping you and you really want to share it with your friends. Then you realize the fatal problem that occurs with most MMOs -- you're too high level and you don't want to wait for your friends to catch up.With Final Fantasy XI, this was the brutal nature of the game. Being one or two levels away from your party resulted in decreased exp for everyone involved. Being three levels or more meant the party just didn't work at all and experience was ruined for everyone. It was unbearably hard to get parties, because everyone had to be within 2 levels of one another. With the recent advent of level sync, however, those days are long gone.
Show and Tell: The more the merrier
Not long ago, reader Josh sent us pictures of a "DS beach party" -- that is, a group of friends partying at the beach, and playing DS together during downtime. That's relaxation we can get behind. But not only were the pictures great to see (thanks, Josh!), but it got us thinking about other group DS experiences. The handheld is so well-suited to group play, just as with the Wii, that we figured there were plenty of examples from the greater gaming community, and that's what we're sharing with you today in our gamer spotlight. Take the guided tour here, or jump right into our gallery of group sessions, if you prefer.%Gallery-40284% Show and Tell is all about fan stuff, so long as it's Nintendo-related. We love to see your collections, your crafts, your frosted creations, your t-shirts and swag of all sorts.Just snap a few pictures, tell us what's up, and send it all to showmeit [at] dsfanboy [dot] com. We'll take care of the rest. Not a handy type, but found something neat? Send us a link instead.
