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Deeprun Pest Control rocks Kharanos this holiday season
Fresh from the forums, a note of a nice holiday event planned by the players of Deeprun Pest Control on the European Aggramar server. They're planning a costume party, a gift giveaway (for the whole server!) and even invite the Horde to come join the festivities on level 1 alts. Now, I'm an infamous Scrooge... ask anyone who knows me, or even people who don't... and even I think this sounds like fun, so kudos to the folks at DPC for putting it together.Remember, Kharanos, Aggramar EU server, 21:00 hours server time (thats 9 pm for those of us like me who have to stop and count backwards when presented with a logical time system) the festivities begin. I don't know about you, but I'm inspired to blatantly steal this idea and am feverishly working on a plan to convince people on my server to go along with it.
Forum post of the day: A Rogue without a cause
Maximogu of Firetree posed the question "Why bring a Rogue to an 80 heroic?" in the general forums. He claimed that at this point there CC is unnecessary for most tanks that rely on AOE. Most of the trash pulls are handled by AOE classes now, making the Rogue's single target focus obsolete. He argued that Rogues are best suited with Druid tanks that do not handle multiple mobs as well as other tanking classes do.Here are some of the reasons given for bringing a rogue along:Anushka of Kel'Thuzad: There's a lot of nasty things that can be interrupted in most heroics. Though I wouldn't take more than one rogue.Khadros of Frostwolf: To listen to the sound of theirs daggers going schlick schlick schlick.Morgrimm of Korgath: Because one of my friends is a rogue.Owari of Frostwolf: To DPS, of course.Mypetgoat of Bladefist: It's one expendible DPS that won't roll on my gear.Madia of Maelstrom: They need loot and stuff too.
EverQuest II anniversary celebrations much larger than SOE had planned
When are overcrowded servers and multiple crashes a good thing? Probably when you work for SOE and your game's fourth anniversary party has more people in attendance than you'd ever imagined.EverQuest II had its fourth anniversary last month, and the parties were a bit more epic than SOE had imagined, or planned. According to Kiara, SOE's EverQuest II Community Relations Manager, the parties were so large that she was crashed multiple times herself, and the EQ2 devs had to actually come in and create hotfixes for mixed parties on the PvP servers and a way to distribute presents to an entire room at one time. This story by Kiara seems to mostly be a light-hearted look back at how much fun those anniversary parties were, but it also goes to show just how strong the EQ2 community remains four years after the game's launch.
All the World's a Stage: Hallow's End and you
This week on All the World's a Stage, Michael Gray fills in to talk about how you can use Hallow's End specifically for your character. David Bower will be back next week to tackle "So you want to be a Blood Elf."Maybe more than any other Azeroth holiday, Hallow's End celebrates a significant event in the history of our characters. According to the offical community site, Hallow's End is Azeroth's celebration of the Forsaken's break from the Scourge. (Personally, this makes me even more happy that we got the new model for Sylvanas in the recent content patch.)The story of how the Forsaken broke free is certainly significant. But the fact alone that both the Horde and Alliance do celebrate this break is even more meaningful. Let's take a look at some of the impacts it can have for classes and races ... behind the cut.
Joystiq attends the Fallout 3 Launch Party
Joystiq attended the celebrity-filled Fallout 3 launch party last night, and although we were weren't allowed to bring in a camera or a recorder, they didn't have a lock on our eyes and brains. The game-branding was minimal, with a few signs and recycled booth setups doing double duty at the party, but they did have a lot of hands-on stations, staffed by a bevy of scantily clad ladies who ... actually knew the game. Check out the highlights after the break.
The incredibly strange and delightful Fallout 3 launch party
Click me to boost the size. Bethesda is throwing a radiation-hot launch party for Fallout 3 next Saturday in Los Angeles, complete with even more Vault Boy retro graphics. The party features headline music by the Foo Fighters, and it's hosted by Courtney Cox, David Arquette, Odette Yustman, Ben Harper, and it's being co-hosted by the Bethesda / Zenimax board of directors, which includes bigwig producer Jerry Bruckheimer, bigwig CBS president Les Moonves, bigwig MGM president Harry Sloan and and bigwig baseballer Cal Ripken, Jr.That's an odd mix of folks to kick off this post-apocalyptic video game, but given the current state of the economy, maybe everyone is embracing impending disaster and learning to love the bomb. Joystiq will be on-hand to take photos and collect thoughts about Fallout 3. Plus those frolic-inducing spirits sounds pretty damn goon.
New Bomberman screens are, predictably, a blast
While Europe gleefully blasts Bombermen at home and online, we must be content to stare at screenshots and artwork of the game, while we sit by and eagerly await our millionth chance to play Bomberman. Hudson has obligingly sent along new screens and art for us to direct our sighs toward. We wouldn't be surprised to see it here soon, though, now that it's out elsewhere.As excited as we are about the 8-player online play, in our minds the 8-player home play is the real star here. We imagine a hypothetical situation in which we could gather enough Bomberman-friendly people in one place, with enough controllers, to make for an awesome party. Game Night seems like a much more ... possible venue for Bombermannery. %Gallery-18349%[Via press release]
New focus frame, threatmeter, quest sharing in the PTR UI
The PTR for 3.0.2 went up over the weekend, and there were a few fun UI tweaks in the patch notes worth mentioning again here -- stuff that far down in those long, long notes usually gets overlooked in favor of all the class changes above it, so let's throw the spotlight on what the new UI will offer.First of all, as previously mentioned, both the new calendar and pets systems are in the game, along with that spiffy new achievements system. But there's more new stuff -- while focus is already usable on the live realms, Blizzard is implementing "a focus frame key" -- like a shift key that will let you target your focus target just for a spell's cast instead of switching back and forth all the time. And there is now an "aggro warning" in the game -- the first traces of Blizzard's official threatmeter we've known was coming for a while.Sharing quests is easier on the PTR -- you can now share quests with party members at any distance, and even in raids, just by linking the quest into party chat. And one of the biggest small changes in the game will help out raid leaders and healers wanting to avoid the "PvPlague": players will get a timer showing when their PvP flag is set to drop. Small UI changes like this often go unnoticed in the patch notes in favor of the much more discussed class nerfs and buffs, but they go a long way towards making the game a lot more fun to play.
New video of Bomberman: the Not-WiiWare Edition
We were confused for quite a while about the two simultaneously-developed Wii Bomberman games, one for WiiWare and one on a disc. Part of the confusion turned out to be due to the fact that the multiplayer portions of both games were essentially the same, with the retail version adding single-player mode and other extras. Helpfully, this promotional video for Bomberman shows the box and the 5,040 yen ($47) price at the end, which reinforces that this is the retail game and not Bomberman Blast. The video introduces Bomberman's story mode, with adventure sequences (or cutscenes) between Bomberman-style action stages and fights against giant bosses. You can get crystals to power up, and even (apparently) buy equipment for your Bomberman. Then the video shows off the battle mode, which is ... well, Bomberman. As it should be.
Show and Tell: Early but eerie
In the fine tradition of American retailers, we'd like to get started on Halloween a little early this year. We've got pumpkins, costumes, and parties -- all things just ripe for you to undertake yourself once the holiday rolls around. Doing something gaming-related yourself? Make sure you let us know!Also, hey -- if you're looking to get started early on your spooky plans this year, maybe some of these will help get the (ooshy gooshy layers of) brain cranking out some ideas.%Gallery-31461% 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.
New Final Fantasy XI leveling changes detailed, scrutinized
For those of us at Massively that own Final Fantasy XI it's been a little while since we sat down and played the game. This newest version update, however, is causing us to consider a return. Our biggest gripe with Final Fantasy XI was that while grouping was a lot of fun, it was also ridiculously hard to find one. So with that in mind, the three biggest pieces of this update are Level Sync, removal of level restrictions for gear and reduction of the experience curve. Level Sync allows a party leader to bring any higher-level players within the party down to their level. It will essentially allow any low-level players to group with high levels, which is a big win for everyone, unless you really don't want to play lower-level content again -- even with your friends.Square-Enix is making it easier to not only find groups but also to level up into the end-game content, of which there is a ton. Our only worry is whether or not higher level players will really feel like playing in the lowbie zones again, even if it does mean they get to play with friends. Regardless of our worries, this is really a change that should have come a couple years ago, but we're happy to finally see it regardless. We've posted the all-important leveling tweaks after the break.
Funcom announces its Dragon*Con plans
American readers: are you going to Dragon*Con this Labor Day weekend? Funcom (developer of Anarchy Online, Age of Conan, and The Secret World) is! Its specific plans have been laid out at the Age of Conan website.The company will have its own booth, of course, which will be open from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM Friday through Sunday, and from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Monday. More interestingly, though, Funcom will be hosting what it calls the "FunCon Event" in the Sheraton Capital Ballroom on Friday at 10:00 PM. The party will feature music by DJ Tarryk and visitors from the teams of all three Funcom projects.The following day, Funcom will present its two currently-released games -- Anarchy Online at 10:00 AM and Age of Conan at 7:00 PM. Somewhere amidst all these proceedings, fans will have the opportunity to win posters, inflatable swords, t-shirts, lanyards, custom PC cases, and "one special customized Anarchy Online PC." That's cool. It's probably not cool enough to go out of your way to go to Dragon*Con for, but if you're already gonna be there you might as well stop by. Check out Massively's complete Dragon*Con schedule for other events and booths to hit up, too.
NCsoft is throwing a free party in Leipzig, and you're invited!
At the Leipzig Games Convention this year, NCsoft plans on doing more than just showing up and being awesome. They have quite a party planned for any fans of their products, and the best part is it's all free! There will be music with your chance to be a DJ playing the tunes of your choice for 20 minutes, and there will also be karaoke at the first ever NCsoft Fansites Karaoke Battle.The party will be held at Leipzig's Nachtcafe on the 22nd of August at 22:00 local time. In order to get in free, you will need to bring along the party flyer, grab one from the show floor or wear a t-shirt from any NCsoft game. Be sure to read the official announcement for more information.
LOL makes a lot more sense now
This Gamasutra interview with Q? Entertainment's Reo Yonaga is interesting not just for the talk about the history of Tetsuya Mizuguchi's company (and the Sega UGA studio that preceded it), but also for little-known insights about Japanese gaming culture. For example, did you know that there were expansive, gaming bulletin boards populated entirely by women and children? "Because kids are so blunt, for WiFi games that involve rescue missions - you know what I'm talking about - crazy verbal battles break out. "The most interesting bit of the interview has absolutely nothing to do with Q. Yonaga describes the creation of Route-24's Archime-DS, known here as LOL. "I don't know how many months it took them, but the staff created that game by getting together every Saturday like you would for any extracurricular activity."LOL seems a bit less ridiculous as a side project that just ended up getting published than as a product created for a market. A multiplayer-only game with no premade content almost seems anti-commercial. But, as a "product of indie activity initiated by existing industry members," it seems very cool.%Gallery-18526%
E308: Matt Wilson briefs us on the state of The Agency
We had a fantastic chance to talk with Matt Wilson about The Agency during E3. While a great deal of the footage they showed was largely identical to the footage we'd previously seen, many of Matt's insights about the direction they're taking The Agency in were quite illuminating. From PvP to operatives to vehicular combat and the eventual beta, Matt was generous enough with both his time and knowledge, and let us in on lots of great news and background. If you've been hungry for more information on some of the different aspects of this upcoming game, be sure to join us after the break for a great overview on this hot upcoming SOE property.
Post-E3 DS Fanboy/Joystiq reader meetup in photos
First of all, thanks to everyone that managed to make it out to the party! There were a ridiculous amount of attendees, all of whom enjoyed some Call of Duty 4 on the PS3, Super Smash Bros. Brawl on the Wii and copious amounts of Rock Band and Rock Band 2. It was a blast and, unsurprisingly, the massive piles of swag went fairly quick. It was a wonderful experience and it was a pleasure meeting all of you. Hopefully, we can do this again next year!For those of you who couldn't make it out there, check out the gallery below. Within, you'll even find a picture of our very own Mike Sylvester (of Revolutionary fame!). He's a local, so thanks to him, but mostly to all of you, for making it out!%Gallery-28073%
E308: Wii Fanboy bats-on with Mario Super Sluggers
Seeing as how the game has been out in Japan for quite some time now (and releasing here in little over a month), you've probably seen and heard all their is to Mario Super Sluggers. But, we'd be remiss if we didn't do our duty and sit down with the game and enjoy some time at the ballpark.%Gallery-24326%
World of Warcraft en espaol hits retail July 25th
The Latin American-localized version of World of Warcraft, which was first announced in March, will finally reach store shelves on the 25th of this month. Initially, it will be available in México, Argentina, and Chile; no word yet on when other countries will get it too. Both the original game and its expansion, The Burning Crusade, will be on sale, along with 60-day prepaid gametime cards.Spanish language servers will be provided for new Latin America subscribers, but those already playing on the North American servers can download a Latin American Spanish "language pack," and even transfer to the new servers if they want to. Check out the FAQ for more info.Oh, and Blizzard will be hosting a midnight launch party on the 25th at the Blockbuster at Av. Universidad #697 en México, D.F., followed by another event at Plaza Satelite in Estado de México. ¡Diviértase!
Reminder: Joystiq Network meet-up tonight
If you want to chat with the PS3 Fanboys, and punch the X3F guys in the face* -- don't forget that our meet-up is tonight in Santa Monica! We're going to have tons of swag to give away, and if you haven't heard, we're going to have some top-notch video game celebs stop by as well. There's also a huge surprise in store for people who enjoy having fun.Here's the info:When: 6pm - 10pm PT on Thursday, July 17thWhere: Mahalo HQ, 902 Colorado Ave. Santa Monica 90401 (map)The Who: We wish.RSVP: Facebook[Image Source]*Please do not punch in face.
Bethesda feeds fatigued friends with fried fare
After an extremely long day of liveblogging, keynotes, booth appointment, trawling the show floor, writing stories, taking photos, and recording podcasts, an evening of cocktails and parties sounded like an ideal way to unwind. However, we were smacked in the face with a tidal wave called "tired" and we just couldn't keep our eyes open. Next year: portable energy drink IVs.We vacated Activision's fairly swanky reception and party early last night, with our destinations set on "Bethesda." Jetting from downtown Los Angeles to the Sunset Strip in mere minutes, we arrived like rockstars only to leave like geriatric mall-walkers a short hour later. However, we did witness some things we'd like to share. Check 'em out after the break.%Gallery-27851%
