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New agreement locks in Polish version of AoC
No, not a polished version, although we hope for that too. Poland will be getting a fully localized version of Age of Conan under a new agreement with developer and distributor CD Projekt. The game's text and voice, website, in-game support and communities will be looked after by CD Projekt, with Funcom still overseeing the other parts of the game. Funcom's baby will be in safe hands with CD Projekt, as they have localized countless hit games over the last decade or so, and are also the developer behind the recent critically acclaimed PC RPG The Witcher. The Polish AoC is expected to be released in the second half of this year.
History Channel debuts in Poland and Hungary
Relatively speaking, there's been quite a lot of HD action on the international front of late, and we're pleased to see that History (as it's known these days) will be taking its content to Central Europe. The channel will be debuting in both SD and HD in Poland and Hungary, and while Toya and UPC Polska will offer the standard-def feed in the former nation, Aster City will be delivering both feeds; in Hungary, UPC Hungary will host the SD version while T-Kabel broadcasts both. Best of all, it sounds as if History may cross over into neighboring countries as well in the upcoming months, so keep a close on your EPG if your carrier hasn't jumped in just yet.
Poland's Cyfra+ to pick up Eurosport HD
We already knew that Eurosport HD would be making the rounds in various parts of Europe, but now we've got confirmation that the forthcoming high-def version will also be carried in Poland. Cyfra+ (a Polish digital satellite platform) will begin offering the channel as soon as it goes live on May 25th. The network will join Canal+ Film HD, Canal+ Sport HD and National Geographic HD as the only HD stations available on said carrier, though Eurosport HD will purportedly cost around €1.44 ($2.24) per month to enjoy.[Via Broadband TV News]
Former Polish prime minister opposes online voting, says Internet users are all watching porn
Sure, electronic voting has had its fair share of troubles, but there's no denying that it's the wave of the future -- and we're always intrigued by plans like the one being floated in Poland right now that would allow citizens to vote online from their homes, since that seems like a great way to increase participation. Of course, some people are just never going to get it, and it looks like former Polish prime minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski is the latest Luddite curmudgeon to risk your ire, saying that he's not exactly thrilled with the idea of a "young person sitting in front of a computer, watching video clips and pornography while sipping a bottle of beer and voting when he feels like it." Kaczynski went on to say that as a whole, Internet users are "the easiest group to manipulate, to suggest who to vote for" -- which probably means that in addition to not using a cell phone or having a bank account (true!), he's never actually been on the Internet either. Tell you what, Minister: you come in here and successfully manipulate a Mac vs. PC flamewar, maybe we'll talk. Deal?
SCEE opens new division for Poland
The Sony Computer Entertainment empire continues to grow. Today, SCEE is proud to announce the formation of SCE Polska to capitalize on the growing Polish gaming market. The company will be based in Warsaw and will officially begin operation on April 1st, 2008."Our commitment to the Polish games market is clear', said Marcin Ziobrowski, the General Manager designate of the new Polish subsidiary. "Not only have we today announced the launch of the Polish PLAYSTATION®Store, online store front for PLAYSTATION®3's (PS3™) PLAYSTATION®Network, but we will also be focusing on delivering even more game titles to our Polish consumers in Polish. We already do this with PlayStation®2 and PSP™ (PlayStation®Portable) titles but we will also be localising PS3 titles as well."
Gorgeous Zelda wood carving up for auction
Have you ever woken up and wished that you were in Poland, clutching sheafs of z??oty that you were free to spend on anything you wanted? No? Well, we bet you'll think that tomorrow after you see what's available on this Polish auction site. One fan put a lot of effort into this Twilight Princess woodcarving, and it could be yours, for a mere $50 US, plus a whole lot of shipping. If, that is, you can even convince them to ship to you.Or you can just stare at it and drool a little, which is what we did. Is it ever too late to learn how to do this stuff?[Via Infendo]
Actual details on Sadness?
The game that is ... then isn't ... then is again has been quite secretive for quite some time, which of course provoked our skepticism in the first place. On top of some recent artwork released by developer NIBRIS, we now have some interesting gameplay details. The game will total around twenty hours in length. There will be two playable characters: a thirty-year old woman of Polish-Hungarian descent, and her son. There are eighteen species of monsters; which ones you see will be determined by how you play the game. The game will feature no (i.e. real-time) loading. Voice acting will be a prominent feature. The graphics will contain copious amounts of fog, to match up with that artwork. Last night's Heroes episode was totally awesome. Okay, so that last bulletpoint is just us geeking out. Whatever, we do that. Here's to Sadness (clinks wine glass)!
Mysterious Wii 'Sadness' explained!
Has the mysterious Sadness weighed down your soul, pervading every fold and crevice of your aching heart? Well cheer up, Game Informer brings the first illuminating details of Nibris' dark horror adventure: It's pre-WWI, and you are Maria, a woman desperate to protect her son Alexander after a train derailment lands the two of you in the always-creepy Eastern European countryside. Alex has been blinded in the accident and is starting to act "odd." Your subsequent fate will share eerie similarities to ... Slavic legends!Nibris estimates that Sadness will provide 15 heart-pounding hours of "No Alex! Not that way!" action, in addition to 10 tear-jerking endings. You ready to unleash your inner-mother? We hear Cooking Mama is a great way to stir up those maternal instincts ... try starting there.
Tourist nearly tumbles down Niagara Falls to retrieve mysterious cellphone
We've heard of filing larceny charges in an attempt to retrieve a highly desired cellphone, but risking your life at Niagara Falls? Apparently, a Polish tourist studying English in Lancaster, Pennsylvania wasn't exactly fazed by the treacherous surroundings at Terrapin Point, as he slid to within 50 feet of the falls before finally stopping. Whilst frolicking about on the obviously icy terrain, 29-year old Waldek Kubicki slipped about 200 feet down a rock after "trying to pick up his cellphone," and remained stranded for around 45 minutes until rescuers came and roped him up. Of course, the mystery here is simple: which (potentially unavailable in the US) phone do you think was worth nearly plummeting into an abyss for?
Poland first to get MGM Channel in HD
While we're overjoyed to hear that some of our own are receiving additional HD programming out of the blue, we can't help but extend our congratulations to Poland on locking down yet another HD offering. The country's private television broadcaster, ITI Group, it teaming up with MGM Studios to launch an HD version of the MGM Movie Channel on the nation's "N" direct-to-home satellite television platform. Furthermore, this is MGM's first dedicated channel to be delivered in high definition, and will reportedly cover a smorgasbord of genres and eras while including films like "Raging Bull, Midnight Cowboy, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Coming Home, Network and The Manchurian Candidate." Additionally, Poland's leading commercial television network (TVN) , as well as "third party cable operators" will be able to offer the new channel to those without "N." If all goes as planned, the folks in Poland can be enjoying their very own HD movie channel by the year's end.[Thanks, Arsenal]
HDTV invades Poland...again
It brings a smile to our face when a new city gets HDTV, but when a whole country launches another HDTV service, it warms our hearts in a special way. Poland's private broadcaster, ITI Group, is going to launch another way for its native people to receive glorious HDTV. The service creatively called "N" (most of lost something in the translation) is going to offer subscribers a wide range of programming that must be lacking in Polish HDTV offerings. There are some analysts that are wondering if the country needs another HDTV provider but we say, the more the merrier.
Dell 2407WFP makes another appearance ... in Poland
Dell's globetrotting 2407WFP display has shown up on another international Dell site, this time in Poland. (We first caught the peripatetic peripheral on Dell's Japan site, and the specs -- but no pricing or ordering info -- later showed up in the US.) According to the site, the 24-inch, 1920 x1200 display will go for 4,634 zloties, or about $1,535, including VAT. That's roughly in line with Japan's ¥157,500 (or about $1,400), though what we really want to see is a US price, already. And one that's lower than $1,400, of course.[Thanks, Krzysiek]
