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Become immortalized in the background scenery of Fable 2
Don your Victorian regalia, our fanciful readers, and you may earn your place in the annals of gaming history by appearing in Lionhead's much anticipated RPG, Fable 2. Just throw on that ratty old frock coat and strike your most Quixotic pose in front of a camera being operated by a tight-lipped, non-judgmental friend. Save the resulting blackmail image as a Ye Olde JPEG, send it in to Lionhead's art department, and you could serve as a model for one of the many paintings strewn across the interiors of Albion's exotic homes.It's a neat way to get your mug in what will no doubt be one of this year's blockbuster titles -- though you've only got until next Wednesday to submit your best Pimpernel-esque portrait. We trust you can carve out some time between the big quail hunt and the late night ether frolic to read the rules and regulations before you commit your extravagant visage to film.Still need insipiration? Look no further than the above image of Joystiq's own Justin McElroy. If there's a man who better embodies the unflappable spirit of a colonial gentleman, we have yet to meet him.
Mondolithic proves the art of portraiture isn't dead
How long have you spent working on your character? Months? Years? Wouldn't you like a commemoration of all that time and effort? Mondolithic Studios has just the thing: oil-on-canvas portraits of your favorite avatar. For an undisclosed fee, the artists of Mondolithic will create a unique painting based on a screenshot you send them, or they will drop into your world and work with you to get the best shot possible.While they seem to have a World of Warcraft focus, they will gladly accept commissions for a variety of virtual worlds, including Second Life. For fees and sizes, go check out the website. The perfect gift for someone who has everything![Thanks, Kenn!]
Get Grumpy, Faster and cheaper than Figure Prints!
If you're like me, Greatfather Winter didn't put a golden ticket or an uber laptop in your holiday stocking. And with my luck, I'll probably never win the Figure Prints lottery, either. Sad, but that's the reality of the situation. Enter Grumpycoder with their WoW PaperIdol. While they may not offer a rl figurine, they are the first to provide (that I know of) portrait and full body pictures that auto-update the look of your character as your Armory equipment changes. What this means is you'll be able to not only keep up with every alt you've accumulated over the years, you can now show them off in their current state of progression. No more WoW blogs with outdated character picts and no more forum avatars that look like you just hit level 5. Feel free to proclaim out into the interwebs what lewts you got last night, safe in the knowledge that without lifting a finger, everyone can see exactly how bad they clash with your Beguiler Robes. We'll be giving WoW PaperIdol a test drive after the jump!
Robotic artist does portraits, hoping to get into nudes
A totally ingenious robotics researcher named Sylvain Calinon has created what might be the perfect storm of art and science -- a robot that can recognize and then draw portraits of human subjects. The bot, named HOAP-3, is able to distinguish a human face, take a still frame of that image, and then create a drawing by (robotic) hand based on what it sees. The demonstration is a part of designer Calinon's research into creating robots which can learn through imitation, or in scenarios where they must react to humans. Unfortunately for us fleshpiles, it's only a matter of time before this thing starts doing hilarious caricatures accentuating our worst features. Watch the robot work in the amazing video after the break, and check the read link for a lot more information on the HOAP-3 project. [Via technabob]
Nokia N95 gets iPhone-like screen rotation via rotateMe app
This looks to be a pretty handy app, rotateMe for Symbian OS 3rd edition devices -- a version for UIQ is also available -- lets you quickly switch between portrait and landscape modes on your handset. The neat bit is that by apparently making use of the N95's camera sensor, iPhone-like switching will become possible with the upcoming v2.0 software. Word has it that we can expect the auto switch feature in November but until then you can either run it manually or just watch the vid after the break again and again.[Via All About Symbian]
DS Daily: Multitasking
One of the great things about the DS and other handheld systems is that they don't require the use of the TV. Because of this, we often find our DS time and our TV time combined. Portrait of Ruin is bliss by itself, but if we can watch "Darmok" while playing it, it's even better. We're kind of busy here at the bustling DS Fanboy compound-- we have to pack as much relaxation into our downtime as possible. Occasionally we'll realize that between the DS, the TV, and the laptop, we've got four screens in front of us, and then we get a little scared that we're going to go crazy very quickly.What about you, readers? Do you play while watching TV? Or while doing homework, or participating in chats for online classes? Or is two screens at a time enough?
Castlevanias on sale at Amazon
If you live in the US, you have a DS and you don't have both Castlevania games, today is the day you will fix that problem. Amazon.com has Portrait of Ruin on sale for $20.99, and its predecessor Dawn of Sorrow for $19.99. Buy them together, and you get free shipping.That's two of the best games released in the last few years, for less than a copy of Pimp My Ride for the Xbox 360. It's a pretty excellent deal.[Via NeoGAF]
Castlevania: Poster of Awesome
Okay, so you think you're cool because you got the preorder bonus package with your copy of Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin. Well, you're right. You are cool, and we are jealous.But here's a Portrait of Ruin promotional item that we can all covet together. This poster comes with the soundtrack CD, and features art from Suikoden character designer Fumi Ishikawa that we wish had been used in the game. Oh, and about the actual item this poster is included with-- did we mention that the actual Portrait of Ruin music is amazing? We almost forgot about that part.This poster is only being included with the first shipment of CDs, and, of course, this package is only available in Japan. We grudgingly accept that; our wallets ill need a drain such as a $21 CD.
Sharp offers up PN-655RU and PN-655RUP 65-inch portrait mode LCDs
If you make ends meet by checking out digital X-rays each day, or you just suffer from an awkward obsession with watching 16:9 material in a vertical orientation, Sharp is offering up a duo of LCDs specifically for you. Taking its highly-regarded PN-655U and PN-655UP and designing them for portrait mode use, the 65-inch PN-655RU / PN-655RUP displays both feature 1,920 x 1,080 resolution, cold-cathode fluorescent backlight, 170-degree viewing angle, 400 cd/m2 brightness, dual 10-watt speaker terminals, a sleek, all black frame, and weigh in at a whopping 145.5-pounds. Although both displays are designed for the "rugged" hospital wall, the PN-655RUP adds a protective acrylic overlay for an additional layer of protection. Of course, owning a high-end display that looks more like a mirror and less like a TV demands quite a premium, as the PN-655RU will set you back about a Mercedes C230 $29,995, while the PN-655RUP demands an even more shocking $32,995.
Some Portrait of Ruin impressions
Cubed3 has received a full copy of the upcoming Portrait of Ruin for the DS, the next in a seemingly endless line of 2-D portable Castlevania games (Circle of the Moon, Harmony of Dissonance, Aria of Sorrow, Dawn of Sorrow). Is the best? An excerpt below:"...you will come across Brauner's magical paintings. Each of these portraits acts as a warp through to another location, such as a desert, forest and old-fashioned townscape. This works similar to how the system in Super Mario 64 did, and adds an even greater sense of exploration to the already fantastic series. It certainly does help to break up the play and prevent monotony setting in."Some interesting points of the review are the new two-character control system, and the rather short length of the game (8-10 hours). Check out the full review if you're interested in whip-cracking.
PoR import copy reviewed
The folks over at Gamebrink imported a Japanese copy of Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin and ran it through their gauntlet for review. What did they have to say about the game? Well, mostly good things mixed with great things, obviously! We wouldn't suggest reading the review unless you enjoy having things spoiled for you. Commenting on the new two-player combo aspect of the game, Gamebrink details how fighting and puzzle solving have been changed:"The first most obvious thing is that some enemies are pretty much immune to physical attacks and vice-versa so you'll find yourself making use of both characters' unique fighting abilities. Also, once you manage to collect the required scrolls, you can pull off a combo attack known as "Duel Crush" during battles to inflict some greater than average damage. As you explore Castlevania, you'll find areas that are too high to reach so when this happens, most of the time you'll be summoning your partner to give you a little boost up but sometimes, you'll just have to use the "stay" command. "
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin in action
We couldn't be filled with more envy right now as we watch the above video where a human being, a human being who is not one of the DS Fanboy staff, was able to play a build of Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin. This occurred during a supposed Nintendo press event held this month. Highlights of the video include tag-team gameplay, acquisition of beef jerky, and running from Behemos.
Portrait of Ruin drops the touchscreen stuff and hints at Wi-Fi
In having a chat with Koji Igarashi, the man behind the upcoming Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin for everyone's favorite handheld, Game Informer managed to squeeze such deliciously sweet juice from the man as if he were a large citrus fruit. On second thought, that analogy is a bit gross. Forget I ever wrote it.So, onto the things that matter then? Game Informer put the man to work, grilling him as if they were the police who were holding their prime suspect in a double homicide. The first thing they started questioning him on was touchscreen functionality in the new game, something that this blogger felt was an unecessary addition to the gameplay in Dawn of Sorrow. Like any respectable individual, he is able to recognize his own mistakes."My concern was over the Castlevania pure action gameplay, which you actually had to stop and let the user use the stylus to do something. So now that it's approximately two years after the launch of the hardware, I took it easy (laughs)." Later on he commented that "It felt a little uncomfortable after beating a boss to get your stylus out and draw a magic seal. It seems to stop the moment of pure action."Naturally, Game Informer would bring up something about Wi-Fi connectivity, and Igarashi commented that he was thinking about implementing a single unlockable level for some co-op gameplay. He also said that he thinks he's able to implement full co-op into the game, but wants to tackle the challenge of successfully utilizing any co-op this time around before attempting such a huge task.
Portrait of Ruin painted
Today saw a huge update in news for the latest vampire-slaying title from Konami. The game takes place during World War II and features not one protagonist, but two. Jonathan Morris plays the role of the requisite vampire slayer and Charlotte Orlean plays the part of the young girl with a knack for the magical arts. Turns out all the victims of the war, whose spirits have been left to roam the Earth, seek to bring Dracula back to life, being led by a pair of vampiric sisters. What's most interesting is the duo dynamic; both characters are free for use at anytime and can even combine their powers to form team attacks to defeat over 100 different enemy types. Each character will have their own equipment and unlockable abilities. Being developed by Koji Igarashi and the development team behind Dawn of Sorrow, you can bet we'll be keeping a close eye on this one up until its release this Fall.Now, all this sounds well and good, but we really need to see this series come back from the horrific Saturday Morning cartoon art style. I really can't take any more of these androgynous characters that look like they were ripped from an episode of Yugi-Oh. Where are the inspired concepts and Victorian beauty inherent in the franchise's previous stylings such as Symphony of the Night and Super Castlevania IV? Dracula looked so menacing and evil, yet held an awkwardly graceful and beautiful presence that almost made you want him to win. What do you think of the art direction?
