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DS Fanswag: Penguin United 24x Gaming Pouch
Have a lot of games and nowhere to keep them? Six lucky readers are about to have all their problems solved, as we've got six of the awesome Penguin United cases (currently valued at $14.99) that can hold up to twenty-four DS carts. Also, they've got a penguin on 'em. That's unbeatable.What do you need to do to win? Just leave a comment on this post and let us know how many DS games you have. If you can't fill up the pouch, it won't hurt you (you'll just be shamed), so don't worry! You may enter once per day and the contest will run through Sunday, August 3rd; that night, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern, entries will close, and we'll choose six winners in a random drawing. To enter, you must be 18 or older, and a current legal resident of the United States or Canada (excluding Quebec). Have questions? Check the official rules.%Gallery-25893%
Blizzard's splash screen changes for June 27th: A "Lost" penguin and Death Knight imagery
Good Morning everyone! It is now June 27th, and as expected, Blizzard's splash screen has changed yet again to reveal more of the mystery behind what they may be announcing at the Worldwide Invitational, which begins tomorrow. What exactly they're announcing is still up in the air, but there have been some interesting revelations, especially concerning the mysterious purple monster everyone's been wondering about. The new graphic, named ice5.jpg, doesn't seem to have changed the cracking ice much, but what has changed is the "eyes." There's now very little doubt that they are glowing eyes instead of snow flecks, and to be frank, they do look remarkably like the eyes of Arthas the Lich King from underneath his helmet -- although the ethereal feel of them and the strange ridges being formed in the vapor are also very reminiscent of the Protoss. Whether these ridges indicate Arthas' helmet or the face ridges of a Protoss or a demon might still be up for debate, but this overlay of Arthas on today's splash screen by Zach is very convincing -- the eyes match up pretty much exactly. Hopefully, we'll know for sure who it is tomorrow. In addition, the new rune, located just above the breaking ice, is that of a snowflake, which brings to mind the Frost tree of the Death Knights (even if the frost rune shown on the official Death Knight page doesn't quite match up). Tipster Allen notes that the new rune looks a lot like a Norse Bind-Rune, specifically one known as a compass or the "Helm of awe," which is often used for invulnverability -- perhaps a Lost Vikings reference, or a nod to the Viking-like architecture seen in many screenshots of Northrend? All This new imagery would seem to be a killing blow of sorts for a Diablo 3 announcement, but it is also worth nothing that the new frost rune is in the correct area for the Pentagram theory to continue to apply. In addition, all 5 runes have lit up, so if you weren't able to get a good look at them before, you certainly can now. %Gallery-25975% What's really sort of interesting, though, is what our purple monster friend reveals, which I'll discuss after the break.
Blizzard's splash screen changes for June 26th
The saga of the icy splash screen continues, as the newest splash screen has just gone live on Blizzard's sites under the file name ice4.jpg. This time, the ice has cracked away even further, revealing more of the night sky, and what looks to be a face coalescing from the ice flecks and vapor in the middle of the picture. The identity of the face isn't clear, although Alex thinks it may be a Protoss Archon. We've also received this very intriguing picture from tipster Pact, which shows the face overlaid with a picture of Diablo from the Diablo 2 box. Of course, it's worth noting that it could simply be Arthas' eyes as well, peering out from his helmet. As expected, a new rune has appeared as well, bringing the tally to four. This rune, located to the lower right of the cracking ice, looks like nothing so much as a miniature solar system model -- perhaps related to this model seen during April Fool's? Diablofans.com has suggested it may be a top-down view of an Arcane Sanctum from Warcraft 3 and WoW (You can see one at the Scryer's base in Shadowmoon) as well. As also expected, a new piece of the strange purple monster has appeared as well. It appears to be the hindquarters of the beast. So far, I'm still sticking to my belief that it's some sort of purple penguin. This file was named 16.jpg, which, if we follow the alphabet conversion method we've been using for previous pieces, gives us the letter "P." "Powd" is the best I can get out of that. Does that mean this picture is that of a new mascot named "Powder the penguin"? As usual, you can see all of these graphics in our splash screen speculation gallery, which is constantly being updated with new speculation and analysis as the WWI draws nearer. %Gallery-25975% There's more analysis to come after the break.
Penguin 24X cases: Back in black (and blue)
When we first featured Penguin United's Game Card Collection Pouch a year ago, the online accessory retailer sold out of its stock quick and didn't expect that there was enough demand to warrant another larger print run. Since then, however, on the strength of the case's buzz and positive reviews, Penguin has not only printed several additional runs, but the company even released a special edition cart wallet for its supporters at the Cheap Ass Gamer community. Penguin's newest editions, black and blue, look like the best versions of the case yet!Available for $10.99 (plus s/h), the pouches hold up to 24 Nintendo DS carts in its transparent pages. They also include Penguin United's chubby mascot on the cover, a lovable feature that no other case can claim.%Gallery-25893%[Via CAG]
Defendin' de Penguin would be easier with a gun
Everyone was quick to point out that the Wiimote might just do a reasonable job taking over from a mouse in real-time strategy games. Ditch those PCs if you must, but this latest announcement won't satisfy the hardcore C&C and Starcraft junkies.Defendin' de Penguin is an RTS geared towards gamers twelve and under. The hero is Little Blue, and you move his tiny penguin hide all over the icy landscape to go fishing and upgrade "towers." Exactly what these towers are remains to be seen, but we know you have to defend them from hungry invaders. Okay, so it won't be the deepest RTS ever made, but it might just fill a gap in the Wii library ... right?[Via NeoGAF]
Definitely penguin pets!
Who doesn't love penguins? Well, definitely not us over here at WoW Insider. During one Insider show, we clamored for penguins to be the special pet to be included in the Wrath of the Lich King Collector's Edition. We know they haven't even announced a Collector's Edition yet, but since they've released one for most of their games -- they did it for both World of Warcraft and The Burning Crusade -- there's a good chance they'll be announcing one soon.At any rate, fans of birds in tuxedos should rejoice. Tipster Josh led us to a collation of images (um, caveat clickor, as they say in Latin) that were apparently data-mined from the Wrath of the Lich King Alpha client. In it, we saw some blue dragonkin presumably from the Nexus using the same models with slightly different armor (ho-hum); some Undead versions of the Nerubians (Stratholme, anyone?) and the oversized Vrykul (interesting...); first looks at the Alliance and Horde siege machines (I want TOYS!); and -- you guessed it -- penguin pets (wahoo!). We have no idea how players will be able to get them, or even if they're obtainable as pets, but the spark of hope for pet lovers everywhere remains aflicker!
First Impressions: Albatross 18
Have you been pining away for a great golf MMO? We have, too! Look, even if you haven't, let's just go along with this, okay? Albatross 18 is an engaging, colorful, whimsical game that doesn't disappoint. When one considers golf, there really isn't too much to it -- hit the ball into the hole, rinse, repeat. The beauty of its simplicity is that a developer can go crazy with that concept and add all sorts of madness to it, and it can only improve the game.And that's exactly what's going on with Albatross 18: beautiful environments, useful power-ups, crazy caddies, mascots, costumes -- this game is hilarious. Will you like it? Let's find out. As always, we remind you that this is not meant to be a full review of everything in the game; these are the first impressions we got after spending an hour or so playing. Excelsior!%Gallery-21821%
March of the Penguin United case
We've featured these Penguin United cases twice before now, but they seemed to sell out shortly afterwards both times, so we're putting them up here for you again. Just to refresh your memory, the charmingly branded pouch has four transparent vinyl pages that can store up to 24 Nintendo DS carts, much more than your usual game storage solutions. Plus, its cuteness level is OVER NINE THOUSAND!Gear of Game has the cases listed at $10.99 each -- you'll want to pick them up quick before they run out of stock again. Put on a fancy tux and waddle past the break for more photos of the Penguin United game card collection pouch. See also: Pants, revisited
Penguin-branded cases waddle back into stock
When we first featured Penguin United's game card collection pouch two months ago, we really believed it to be the best solution for keeping your games in order at an affordable price. Unfortunately, the 24-cart case went out of stock shortly afterwards, swimming just out of reach from interested customers.Penguin United has brought back the gray case with its adorable logo, boasting improved materials and craftsmanship for both its exterior and vinyl pages inside. The San Francisco company even added optional CAG marks to show Cheap Ass Gamer its appreciation for the site's help with selling the product. You'll find the game card collection pouch listed for $10.99, but that can be cut down to $9.67 with the following 12%-off coupon code: cagexclusive.[Via CAG]
Jenga CONFIRMED
We recently reported that Atari would show a Jenga game at E3. We wondered if it was going to be just Jenga or some kind of expanded game based on the concept of Jenga. It's just Jenga.What does the Wii bring to the table (so to speak) that the original game doesn't have? Well, the ability to play Jenga on top of a castle, or in front of a lighthouse, or in someone's living room-- and the ability to do so as an icon of a snowman.Where Wii Jenga fails and real Jenga exceeds, however, is in the graphics. The original Jenga's wood texture looks absolutely lifelike, while the texture is quite blurry and unrealistic on the Wii.
Flightless game card collection pouch
Available with both red and gray accents, Penguin United's game card collection pouch holds up to 24 of your DS carts in its clear vinyl pages. We're usually too picky about the designs of our accessories to ever use antything so blatantly branded, but like global warming, the Penguin logo on the wallet's cover managed to melt our glacial hearts.Though the pouches are already a bargain, listed at $9.99, UncleBob from CAG clued us into a 12%-off coupon code for you to enter -- 'thankyoufrompenguin' -- that drops the price down to $8.80. March past the post break for more photos of the card case and our flippered friend.
Forum post of the day: Penguins as the next playable race!
You heard me right. Penguins. And, really, how could you possibly resist rolling a penguin if you had the option? They're adorable and always so smartly dressed. Forum poster Eldrick gives us a rundown of why penguins would work in the World of Warcraft... Classified as "Humanoid"?: They stand on two feet, which is more than the Naga can do. Wear gear?: They manage fine with tuxedos; chainmail isn't much more of a stretch from there. Wield Weapons?: Okay, no thumbs could be trouble. Ride the flying creatures: I've seen Moonkin do it. Pretty much the same build. Lore: Penguins have played a prominant role as generic critters since Warcraft 3. Several WC:3 and WC:3 TFT Easter Eggs involve Penguins, including a Penguin King which offers Arthas tribute (signs of a highly organized Monarchy), as well as a mysterious clockerwerk penguin figurine which the Centaur worship in the Rexxar campaign. It is possible that the figurine was crafted by intelligent penguins and ended up washing onto Kalimdor's shores. Location: Northrend is remote enough that an entire civilization of sentient Penguins could still be hidden away from the other races. Eldrick has really thought this thing through. All that's left is for Blizzard to figure out is racial abilities (+10 frost resistance is a given) and class options (penguin hunter ftw!).
Surf's Up had better use the Wiimote as a surfboard
We just wanted to get that in there nice and early, because it's important. You can infer from the rather pointed headline that a game based on the upcoming CG kids' movie Surf's Up has been announced for the Wii.Ubisoft will be bringing the videogame version of Sony Pictures' Surf's Up to pretty much every system we can think of, which is pretty much standard operating procedure. The game will feature voice acting from many of the movie's stars, including Shia LeBoeuf, Jeff Bridges, and Jethro from the Beverly Hillbillies movie. There are two reasons that we think Surf's Up could turn out okay: first, it's being developed by Ubisoft Montreal, who are responsible for the Prince of Persia series; and second, surfing seems like a natural for the Wiimote. At least, we hope it's good, because we're certain lots of kids are going to want it.[Via NeoGAF]
Wii runs Linux? [update 1]
Ah, Linux. Your nerdy appeal has won many a gamer. For the uninitiated, Linux is an open-source operating system that is vastly scalable and customizable for various platforms and applications, and as such, is perfect for homebrew development. One of the first tasks of any "console cracking" team is to get a version of Linux running on the box, as it opens up a myriad of possibilities. Certainly, the Wii would be a prime target, but .... Nintendo may have already beat them to it. According to a rumor from Ars Technica, Nintendo is actually using a modified version of Linux as its primary operating system on the Wii. Though some security measures will certainly be in place, it probably won't be long before some clever haX0r figures out a way around the protocols in place. Exciting news for the homebrew community, to be certain. We recommend checking out the entire article; it's a good read.[Thanks, Probot!][Update 1: Just about as soon as this article went live, Ars Technica posted that the rumors were in fact untrue. Oh well ....]
Save penguins, fight aliens & change fonts in new 2.80 homebrew
We've been reporting on new homebrew on a nearly daily basis ever since the libtiff exploit was discovered. There are two more games to report about today. First is Penguin Scramble, which has you saving penguins Al Gore style. As with all of these TIFF games, it should be fairly simple to play. Another addition to the ever-growing collection of TIFF games is Space Invaders. This classic arcade game has you fighting off an incoming alien invasion, and as an episode of Futurama has shown us: the skills you learn from this game can be life-saving. Finally, we have an application to present to you: Font Hack Installer, which lets you change the fonts used on the XMB screen [screenshot]. While not revolutionary, it's nice to see more inventive ideas coming for users with 2.80 firmware. As always, save the appropriate files to your PSP's PHOTO folder to launch these applications. See also:TetrisPongSnake [Thanks steve!]
