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Enter at Your Own Rift: A case for player housing
Earlier this week we were treated to the news that Trion Worlds is going to offer free character transfers between "select servers" once Update 1.3 hits. Now, how useful this will be is anyone's guess -- as some have noted, this may just be a clever ploy to redistribute the population from high-pop servers to low-pop ones -- but generally it's been met with applause from the community. I remain impressed as a consumer with how fast and aggressive Trion is pumping out content, and the fact that this is a free transfer once per week is really cool considering how most other subscription MMOs charge for a similar "premium" service. Whatever Trion's motive and however it'll play out, I do know this: The company needs to continue to bring the heat to the competition. It's vital that RIFT distinguishes itself from the rest of the pack in some way, whether it be polish, originality, speed, customer service, or innovation. Today I'd like to make a case for what I think should be high up on Trion's development schedule: player housing. We know it's something the devs have discussed, with some very much for and some very much against, but I'm hoping it's gone past the brainstorming phase. Why should we care about what might seem like fluff? How could housing work in RIFT? Tune in after the jump, same Bat-time, same Bat-channel to find out!
Stream Phantom Hourglass' music
It could be months before The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass makes it to America, but you can count on us to bring you everything we find pertaining to the Japanese game -- commercials, video of its first six minutes, and now, its soundtrack. It's as close as you can get to playing the game without actually having to import it! Sort of.The Hylia has ripped over 75 tracks directly from Phantom Hourglass, posting them all for you to listen to. Aren't you glad that you have friends like us to tell you about the awesome going-ons of the internet?
More Phantom Hourglass commercials for Japan, nothing for us
Whether it's shields or mini-sites, we can't seem to stop torturing ourselves with Phantom Hourglass news. We're actually physically pained by the fact that Japan will be receiving the game as early as next week; meanwhile, we're still waiting for a US release date to be announced, wallowing in self-pity with nothing but Destination Software's Chicken Shoot to look forward to. We want to chase chickens into corners, carry them over our heads, or even slash at them with a sword until a flood of poultry pour into our screens to defend their friend -- not shoot at them! We cry fowl at Chicken Shoot!Nintendo's latest commercial for The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass depicts a young girl finding clues, taking notes, and counting Link's steps to unlock one of the game's many secrets. As you'll see past the post break, no chickens were harmed in the making of the video.%Gallery-3279%
Phantom Hourglass site opens with new videos
With less than two weeks to go before The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass' June 23rd release in Japan, Nintendo has launched an official site for the ARPG with several new videos. The clips mimic the commercials that've been advertising the handheld adventure in Japan, showing off Link's new touchscreen movement and controls. We know that you hate to pay long-distance fees for visiting sites outside of the country, so we went ahead and embedded the movies after the post break. Really, there's no need to thank us -- let's just say you owe us one. %Gallery-3279%
The Shields of Zelda
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/The_Shields_of_Zelda'; If you paid close attention to yesterday's Phantom Hourglass commercials, you might've spotted the lobster design (or is it a crayfish?) on Link's shield. What do you think of the new look? Wind Waker fans should recognize the crustacean shape, as it originally showed up on our hero's pajamas in the GameCube game. Link's shield has been as much a staple of the Zelda series as the adventurer's green cap, deflecting octorok attacks and pushing away charging enemies. Over the past two decades, the defensive device's design has evolved much from its original cross emblem to incorporate Triforces, various winged figures, and decorative accents. We've collected over a dozen of the different layouts that we spotted at The Hylia, leaving out mirror shields and other deviations (e.g. Ordon shield), and have lined them up for you to compare and constrast after the post break. Enjoy!
Voice chat in the works for Phantom Hourglass?
Last week's issue of Famitsu hid more in its Japanese text than just the June 23rd release date for The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. Zelda Universe's novice translation of the scanned pages indicates that the title might support online voice chat. Though this feature doesn't seem useful beyond setting up matches and trash-talking with your friends, it's a nice addition to the meager multiplayer mode.With upcoming games like Pokemon Diamond/Pearl and Panel de Pon also planning to use the Nintendo DS' VoIP capabilities, purchasing the uncomfortable-looking, official headset is beginning to make a lot more sense to us. Of all the titles we expected to eventually include voice communication, Phantom Hourglass was definitely not one of them. Update: Having a bit more experience with the Japanese language, The Hylia translated the Famitsu scans in an effort to confirm this news. Much to our dismay, The Hylia found that there is no voice chat support planned for The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass.[Via Digg]
Phantom Hourglass due for June, saves summer
Last year's middle months were starved for high-profile releases -- publishers held back the big guns for the holiday season, and the Nintendo DS relied on Big Brain Academy and third-party GBA games to fill out its summer schedule. The latest issue of Japanese magazine Famitsu reveals that this year could be different with the early release of The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass on June 23rd.After seeing that the only Phantom Hourglass previews available at GDC were of the game's multiplayer mode, we didn't think that Nintendo would have Link's new adventure ready until Christmas. The announced date is for Japan, of course, but we don't expect a significant delay for its North American arrival. The series has always experienced more success in the US, sales-wise. June 23rd happens to fall on a Saturday, which is unusual when you consider that outside of Dragon Quest and hardware debuts, most games in Japan are brought out on Thursdays. Could a Zelda-themed DS Lite also be in the works? We've got our fingers crossed!
The Herbi Smart Hydroponic Garden: Life support for plants
Keeping a plant alive should be simple for responsible adults such as ourselves, but one look at the greenhouse graveyard on our windowsill would suggest otherwise. Luckily, the Herbi Smart Hydroponic Garden knows exactly what your plants are craving, thus eliminating the guess work involved with feeding and watering. The device measures water levels, PH levels and nutrients in the soil of up to six attachable "silos" that can house just about any kind of household plant or herb you can throw at them. You can add supplies (water, fertilizer, etc.) to the device that will automatcially be distrubuted to the plants for up to a month. When something is running low an icon is lit up by a blue LED, letting you know exactly what you need to add in order to keep your plant from turning into compost prematurely. No word on pricing or availability yet, but we're hoping, for the sake of our wilting basil, that it's easier to get a hold of one of these than it was the elusive RFID-enable herbarium from Philips.
