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New screens for DDO Unlimited Update 4
Ever since the recent DDO Unlimited "State of the Game" last week the fourth update really can't come soon enough. Lucky for us, Turbine has released some more screens that showcase some new content, which includes lots of fantasy sword swinging and some particularly nasty looking baddies to fight, as well. Now that we think on it, perhaps the images aren't as lucky as we thought, because now we just want patch day to be today. Well, at least April -- the scheduled month for Update 4 -- is just around the corner. And if that's not good enough for you, we'll be demoing the update this Friday during PAX East. So expect to find heaps of new images and information in short order. Until then, please enjoy the new DDO Unlimited update 4 gallery.%Gallery-88911%
A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Return of community news
There's quite a bit to crow about in the City of Heroes community of late. Since the last time we've taken a look at the community, we've had a huge amount of new information about the next expansion, a double XP weekend, and the usual regimen of alien invasions and parallel universes. (July's release of Going Rogue will greatly increase the parallel universe portion.) And if you live on the east coast, you also have the opportunity to meet the Paragon Studios crew without traveling to the other side of the country! Have I mentioned that I live on the east coast? So next week, expect a very weary me to be dishing out a whole bunch of news from PAX East, as I'm going to be following the crew around like a forlorn puppy. But that's then and this is now. Today, we're going to be looking at some of the interesting community threads that have popped up over the last month, from the serious to the amusing.
Microsoft's wicked PAX East schedule
Microsoft has some plans for that little PAX East shindig taking place in Boston this week. Starting Thursday, the publisher will offer several events, followed by a few panels over the weekend that may be of interest to Xbox 360 users. Maybe you'll see some Joystiq folks on Friday morning at the Tweetup. Events: Thursday, March 25 from 5:30 to 6:30PM: Major Nelson will have a pre-PAX 2010 session for area college students at Microsoft NERD in Cambridge, which is easily accessible on the Red Line of the T. No fee, but you'll have to register, due to limited space. Friday, March 26 from 9:30 to 11:30AM: Tweetup, again at Microsoft NERD in Cambridge. Coffee and snacks before PAX starts at 2PM across the river. First 300 people receive "exclusive PAX East item." They'll also have a Surface, and they'll likely have Joystiq folks in attendance, as well. Sessions: Friday, 6:30PM: Traversing the Twitterverse, and Beyond! (Manticore Theatre) Major Nelson, @XboxSupport's McKenzie Eaken and Infinity Ward's Robert Bowling (@fourzerotwo) discuss professional tweeting and gaming. Saturday, 3:00PM: Xbox LIVE Group Therapy.(Wyvern Theatre) Major Nelson records his podcast live for the first time. Saturday, 5:30PM: Podcasting (f)or PR (Naga Theater) Major Nelson discusses podcasting and PR with several big-wigs. Sunday, 11:30AM: Enforcement on Xbox LIVE: Tales from the Din Part 2 (Manticore Theatre). Stephen (@Stepto) Toulouse, head of Xbox LIVE Policy and Enforcement, discusses policing Xbox Live. Yes, it's a terrifying as it sounds. We're looking forward to the Tweetup and Toulouse's presentation. If it's anything like his PAX Seattle presentation, it'll melt your face off.
Boston Indie Showcase participants selected for PAX East
The Penny Arcade Expo is mixing things up a bit for its inaugural east coast occurrence -- the annual showcase of independent games will now focus on local flavors. According to an update on the PAX East site, the Boston Indie Showcase (which attendees can spot on the show floor at Booth 117) will offer six games the chance to be prominently displayed at a major gaming event without "eating into their elusive indie budgets." Here's a list of the games which made the cut, along with links to additional info. Slam Bolt Scrappers - Fire Hose Games AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! - Dejobaan Games Dearth - MIT Gambit Game Lab Waker - MIT Gambit Game Lab Turba - Keith Morgado Miegakure - Marc ten Bosch
PAX East 2010 Omegathon in the hands of fate
True champions of the Omegathon have always had to rely on skill to preserve them. But in the PAX East 2010 edition of the event, the oft-cruel hand of fate will play a much larger role. As revealed today, competitors will be selected (at random!) at the convention and then partnered up (purely by chance!). Once paired, the 32 combatants will be put through the following grueling trials: Round 1: Mario Kart: Double Dash Round 2: Geometry Wars 2 The Semi-Finals: A Rhythm Game The Final Round: A Mystery! The lucky duo that escapes fate's grasp will walk away with tickets, airfare and hotel accommodations for GAMESCOM and $2,500 a piece. But is that prize worth tempting chance's unpredictable wrath? ... Well, yeah, pretty much.
PAX East posts panel schedule, secret breakfast not detailed
PAX East organizers have posted the panel schedule for the practically sold-out inaugural edition of the Boston event. The sessions cover the gamut of game culture, including ... well, the gamut of game culture. Development, PR, marketing, journalism, studio culture, machinima, online etiquette -- it's all in there. Faithful followers of Joystiq will likely want to check out Get Ready For Love: The Joystiq Podcast LIVE! at the Manticore Theatre on Saturday at 8:30pm. All your favorite podcast hosts (and several less-liked Joystiq editors) will be in attendance, including the African -- who will ride in on a cheetah (unconfirmed, as of this writing). Then, on Sunday, our very own Editor-in-Chief Chris Grant will participate in the Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Game Journalism panel at 2:30pm and moderate Sequelitis Snake Oil: Quack Medicine for the Video Game Industry around 4pm -- some guy by the name of Ken Levine will also be part of that one. Other guests include Obsidian's Chris Avellone, Harmonix's Dan Teasdale, and Giant Bomb's Jeff Gerstmann. Has your head exploded yet? Just wait ... Not listed on the schedule is the super-secret First Annual Joystiq Blueberry Muffin Tops Breakfast (@JoystiqBBMT), which will occur Saturday morning. Space is limited, so be sure to prepare by checking out "the plan." We're also happy to announce that ... oh, not yet? Okay.
All about Castle Crashers Volleyball on PSN
The bad news: The Behemoth still hasn't nailed down a release date -- or even a release month -- for the PSN version of Castle Crashers (though it's still slated for this year). The good news: PlayStation 3 owners will be treated to some brand new content. Specifically, a recent entry on The Behemoth dev blog revealed that the PSN version of the game will feature a new volleyball mini-game. The mini-game will allow up to eight players (locally or online) to play a game of volleyball using any of a player's unlocked characters. It will feature new serve and spike moves and magic attacks that place one of eight status effects on the ball. The volleyball game will even include its own leaderboards. Again, it's not much to dull the pain of waiting, but at least the PSN is getting something extra in the deal. Also, if it makes you feel any better, The Behemoth will be showing off Castle Crashers and Battleblock Theater at PAX East next month.
Penny Arcade 'hoping' for Episode 3 reveal at PAX East
While it's been some time since we last heard about the third installment in the Steampunkian Penny Arcade Adventures series, a glimmer of hope resides in the coming months with PAX East. A Penny Arcade representative confirmed to Joystiq that, "They [Penny Arcade] are hoping to have something to announce by PAX East. Unfortunately, we won't have anything before then." Presumably, we'll exclaim "oooooh" when we do finally see the game, as Mike "Gabe" Krahulik explained when we last heard from the duo about the game's absence.Jerry "Tycho" Holkins further confirmed the possibility of an appearance for PAA: Episode 3 at PAX East, telling MTV Multiplayer, "Listen very closely to the announcements at PAX!" We're certainly ready to "feel the vigor in all our limbs," as Holkins claimed we would last September, but it's been so long we're not sure we'll remember that city-saving, hobo-beating, purple pantaloon-wearing protagonist of ours ... oh ... well, maybe not.
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 and GTX 470 Fermi cards launching March 26th
It's okay, we understand your confusion, but the news here isn't that NVIDIA uses CoTweet as its Twitter client. What's exciting is that the GeForce GTX 480 and GTX 470 -- the company's first to use the new Fermi architecture -- are just over a month from release. Friday, March 26th, and given that also happens to coincidence with the kickoff date for Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) East 2010 (of which NVIDIA is a major sponsor), we tend to think that's not just some convenient coincidence. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
City of Heroes panel to appear at PAX East
We're just over a month away from PAX East, and those planning to attend have bought their passes and are beginning to think about itineraries. The event schedule hasn't been added to the PAX site yet, but City of Heroes released an exciting piece of news today. They'll be hosting a panel titled Re-Inventing A Super-Heroic MMO,where they'll discuss keeping their game interesting and fresh after all this time, and delve deeper into Going Rogue. For those who want to hang out later, the City of Heroes team is planning a meet and greet Saturday night for fans to visit with the panel members and possibly win some raffle prizes. The location and some other details are still coming, but the date and time are set, so CoH fans can mark their calendars for both the panel and the meet and greet. Check out the full details on the official site, and we'll see you at PAX! [Update: More details have been released on the meet and greet.]
Wil Wheaton to deliver inaugural keynote at PAX East
Before the live Joystiq podcast recording, before the Blueberry Muffin Tops Breakfast, and before ... you know, all the news, the festivities of PAX East have to be kicked off with proper keynote address. Appropriately enough, the first-ever east coast iteration of the con will be introduced by the man who led the opening ceremonies of PAX 2007 -- child star, adult star, writer and world-renowned D&D cognoscenti, Wil Wheaton. If you're curious about what to expect from Wheaton's speech during the almost-sold-out expo, we suggest checking out his speech from three years ago. We imagine it will be in a similar style as that, only ... beardier.
Penny Arcade crew kicking off new book tour February 23
Between the thrice-weekly comic, the quad-monthly PATV episodes and the bi-yearly conventions, we find ourselves pretty saturated in Penny Arcade's artistic outings. Still, there are a few places in our lives where we could use some more of Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins' irreverent brand of jest -- like, for instance, our coffee table. That gap will soon be filled by the duo's new book, The Splendid Magic of Penny Arcade: The 11½ Anniversary Edition -- a tome which covers the history of the comic, the Penny Arcade Expo and the annual Child's Play charity. The book is due out February 23 -- at which point its creators will kick off a national book tour. Check past the jump to see if they're making a stop in your town!
Announcing the First Annual Joystiq Blueberry Muffin Tops Breakfast at PAX East
Little did Team Penny Arcade know that by hosting PAX on our native East Coast, they'd be opening their event up to all kinds of Joystiq shennanigans. We'd like to announce the first today: The First Annual Joystiq Blueberry Muffin Tops Breakfast, brought to you by your fine friends at Malt-O-Meal. No, this is not a joke. If you're a PAX East attendee, then Saturday, March 27, for the low low price of free, you can join your friends from Joystiq as we collectively enjoy the planet's finest cereal: Blueberry Muffin Tops. The only catch? You're going to have to have one of 600 bracelets that will be distributed at the show. If you want details on how you can get one, you can find them after the jump. You're also gonna want to head to the event's Facebook page and follow it on Twitter: @JoystiqBBMT. If you think that's great (and it is, make no mistake) wait until you see what else we have planned ...
PAX East: Concerts, exhibitors announced
PAX East has finally announced its concerts and exhibitor line-up -- not that people seemed to need a reason to show up in droves. Musical performances include PAX favorites like Jonathan Coulton, Anamanaguchi and MC Frontalot. Major publishers attending the show include EA, Ubisoft, Microsoft and Nintendo. Local studios Harmonix and Turbine will be there, along with indie darlings The Behemoth and Twisted Pixel Games. The show will sell out shortly, so if you're planning on attending, now (like, right now) is the time to get registered. PAX East is shaping up to be a surprise break-out show, with several video game publishers recognizing the potential. The announced list of musical acts and exhibitors can be found after the break.
PSA: PAX East warns it'll sell out, get badges now
In very clear and certain terms, the PAX East site states: "FACT. We will sell out of badges for PAX East Coast 2010." What this means is that there will, oh wait, they get all caps-locky about this one too: "There will be NO BADGES AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR." For those who plan to attend and don't want to be left out in the cold (literally, it's freakin' March 26-28 in Boston), get registered now! Update: Robert Khoo, Penny Arcade, Inc. President of Operations and Business Development: "Sorry guys - no marketing ploy here. We were able to make the announcement about the sellout because our daily rate of tickets sales alone, with no announcement, would have sold our allotment of badges. What we're trying to prevent here are people coming up to the door and being disappointed that they can't get in. We tried to prevent this with PAX 2009 as well, and still some people flew in from out of town without getting badges beforehand."
PSA: PAX East early bird special ends tomorrow, need more 'enforcers'
Attention East Coasters: The chaps at Penny Arcade have miscalculated the size and scale of the first-annual PAX East event and have announced a need for more volunteers -- aka "Enforcers." While the name would suggest selected individuals would be granted the ability to bust skulls with full immunity, "Enforcers" are tasked with helping the event run as smoothly as possible (while wearing the same shirt for three days). Also, for those interested in attending the event -- and let's face it, you are -- early registration ends on December 31, 2009. So, if you're keen on saving money and know that a Boston trip in March 2010 is in your future, make sure to get your paperwork in before the clock strikes midnight.
PAX East open for panel, speaker submissions
The team behind the Penny Arcade Expo's journey to Boston has announced an open call for panel and speaker submissions that will run until January 11, 2010. In order to qualify for an open panel or speaker slot, submissions need to both entertain and inform. "We're looking for the kind of presentations that invoke intense reactions and discussion in the community," said Penny Arcade's Robert Khoo. Have a crazy or interesting idea of something you'd like to see at PAX East? Submit it. With plans to fill the event with up to 90 hours of content, there's plenty of room for submissions (provided they don't stink). PAX East is setting up shop in Boston, Massachusetts, from March 26 to 28, 2010. Make sure to register if you plan to join the party.
PAX 2009 sells out... er, is sold out
If you hadn't already registered for this week's Penny Arcade Expo and were hoping to snag a pass at the door, you don't want to read this tweet. If you did, you'd see the dreadful words: "It's official! PAX 2009 is completely sold out!" Oh, sorry about that -- awkward.So yes, it's official -- the PAX website has even updated with the news. We spoke with show organizers who assured us that they'd "love to let more people in," but that the venue itself has reached capacity based on the number of passes sold. (They're expecting roughly 75,000 attendees, up from last year's 58,500.)Looks like it's time to register for PAX East and start pricing airfare to Boston. Or, y'know, you could always borrow a friend's pass. We're sure they won't mind; heck, you shouldn't even ask.
