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Perfect World demoing Neverwinter and RaiderZ at PAX East
If you're heading out to PAX East next week and your dance card is getting full, you may want to save a foxtrot or two for Perfect World Entertainment's booth. The company has announced that it will be showcasing two of its upcoming titles to those lucky few who make it out to Boston. At Perfect World's booth (#736), both Neverwinter and RaiderZ will offer demos so that players can see for themselves whether these are games worth anticipating. As if the early glimpse weren't enough, participants can discover special loot while they play that will transform into real-world prizes. Perfect World will also hold raffles for the chance to win gaming equipment. Senior Vice President and General Manager of Game Publishing Yoon Im sees these two games as the most exciting of Perfect World's future lineup: "We are proud to showcase RaiderZ and Neverwinter at PAX East. Our strong partnerships with developers worldwide have allowed us to expand our diverse portfolio of impressive free-to-play games and strengthen our position as a leader in the business of online games. Both RaiderZ and Neverwinter are looking spectacular and we can't wait to show them off." Massively will be on location at PAX East with an in-depth look at these games! [Source: Perfect World Entertainment press release]
Cheap Ass Gamer holding Child's Play donation drive
Our buds, bros, chums and cohorts over at Cheap Ass Gamer are hosting a pretty clever donation drive for Child's Play 2010 (alongside its annual charity drive, of course) -- for every new follower the bargain-wise site obtains on Twitter, its generous creators will give a quarter to to buy some games for sick kids in hospitals across the country . To take part in the drive, sign in on the promotion's official page, click the link to follow CAG on Twitter, and then (optionally) Tweet the message provided to you to share it with your followers. Not only will CAG donate a quarter for each of your followers who participates, but you'll also move up the leaderboards based on how much cash your endorsement rakes in (UK residents can also participate and will be automatically redirected). And if there's one thing we love, it is earning ranks on leaderboards. By which, of course, we mean "charity!" We love charity so, so much. Way more than we love bolstering our e-peen. Extra charitable folks who want a chance to win a couple thousand dollars in prizes can also enter a raffle the site is holding -- for every $5 you donate via CAG's PayPal to Child's Play, you get one entry for the raffle. Did we mention thousands of dollars in prizes?
More details on the last City of Heroes meetup for the year
Unfortunately, enormous war machines from a parallel Earth will not be in attendance at the City of Heroes meet-and-greet scheduled for this Saturday in California. (Although depending on how much you were hoping to get stomped, this might really be a net positive.) There will, however, be several members of the game's production staff on hand, and the Paragon Studios team has revealed details on just what fans can expect from this final gathering. As is tradition, the staff will be raffling off several prizes, including the recently unveiled wall prints to help decorate your home. There will also be a pair of roundtable discussions with the team regarding powers and costumes, as well as a short presentation by the senior design staff. David "Noble Savage" Nakayama will also be at the event to provide sketches of player characters chosen at random, encouraging players to bring a color screenshot of a character to the event. City of Heroes players in the area are encouraged to attend, as it promises to be a pretty fun chance to meet the team.
AT&T offering a free month of Zune to folks who buy a Windows Phone 7 handset this year (update: 3-month Zune Pass from MS, and free Xbox 360s in Austria!)
We already knew AT&T was giving away ilomilo and a free month of U-verse Mobile to folks who buy one of its glorious Windows Phone 7 phones. What else? Well, AT&T is tossing in a free month of Zune Pass for good measure. Now, Microsoft already offers 14 day free trials to the Zune-curious, and there's nothing stopping other carriers or Microsoft itself extending this deal to the rest of the world -- we think the "first one's free" method of addiction generation is particularly great for subscription music. Still, it's nice to know AT&T has such an offer sewn up. Now that the Xbox is getting a native Zune UI at long last, how about a free month of Zune for Xbox Live subscribers as well? Microsoft can afford it. [Thanks, Morgan G.] Update: We just heard that Austrian carrier A1's offering a free Xbox 360 4GB to everyone signing up for or extending a contract for a HTC Trophy on October 21st only, and there'll also be a Xbox 360 raffle for 360 lucky pre-orderers. If you so desire, A1 will also let you sign up for two contracts and take two Xboxes home as well. Our tipster added that the company isn't known for doing giveaways, so it's very likely that it's getting a little help from Microsoft. [Thanks, Ben M.] And speaking of which, another eagle-eyed reader spotted that Microsoft is giving away three-month Zune Passes to those signing up for the WP7 pre-order notification and actually buying a phone. Go get it while it's hot! [Thanks, Bryan]
Aika expands enemy loot list to include NVidia video cards [Updated]
If there are two things that MMO players love, those things would probably be killing enemies and getting prizes. (The third would be cheesecake of either variety.) Aika seems keen to capitalize on this, and the game is running a promotion for players through the 13th of the month allowing those two passions to combine into one. For the duration of the event, every time you kill a monster, you have a chance of winning a brand-new graphics card from NVidia. The system for entry is simple. Any enemy fought within your level range will drop a token, which can produce one of two items. The first is an NVidia box which includes useful in-game items and certainly is nothing to sneeze at. The second is a raffle ticket, which automatically puts you in the drawing for one of the graphics cards, with more tickets meaning a better chance of winning a card. Aika players are also given a special page to track their entries, something that will no doubt become quite frequent as the event marches on. [Update: We've changed up the graphic with the most current one per the folks at gPotato. Note, the event runs through the 13th, not the 18th!]
Silkroad Online celebrates their new Arabic language service with two worldwide events
It's certainly not everyday we hear that a game has been launched in the Arabic language here at Massively, but we guess that today is one of those days! The free to play title Silkroad Online has gone the distance and has translated their game into Arabic. To help celebrate the new translation, the entire international Silkroad community is getting two events with real world prizes. The first event, which is less of an event and more of a raffle, gives you between two and ten contest tickets each time you purchase cash for their item shop. If your contest ticket is pulled, you could win prizes including an 8 gig iPod Nano or a brand new laptop. The second event, which is more of an event, is to level a character from one to 40 before March 2nd. If you successfully make it, you'll get entered into a separate raffle. Prizes here include 10,000 skill points for a character to spend on increasing your skills, Seal of Moon grade weaponry for your characters, or a brand new PSP. For all of the information on these two events, check out the Silkroad main page.
A pink moonkin for the Raid for the Cure raffle
Serthida has posted a set of pictures that serve as a perfect reminder of the Raid for the Cure coming up this weekend: she's finished the pink moonkin plushie that they're going to be giving away in the raffle (with the winner chosen from donations to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation). We've collected them in an easy-to-browse gallery below for your perusing pleasure. As you can see, she says she used the same pattern as the other plush mookin she made, though of course it's all done up in pink fur from this fabric site. "The horns, beak, claws, and feet," she tells us, "are made of fleece, and inside each leg there is a packet of plastic pellets to give it some additional weight." It's all handsewn, as doing it with a machine is apparently tougher with all of that fur flying. And she says that "the eyes are some pearly buttons I found at the craft store. They just looked neat." Neat indeed; while it's weird to see a pink moonkin, the idea definitely works for the cause. Don't forget -- Raid for the Cure is going down this coming weekend, November 14th, on the Kael'thas realm. %Gallery-77905% [via BBB]
Ben Heck's PS3 laptop getting raffled off by Tennessee retailer
Remember how dejected we were when we realized that Ben Heck's recently crafted PS3 Slim laptop would never appear in our quivering, wanting hands? That script just got irrevocably flipped by Franklin, Tennessee-based gaming retailer/event organizer The Score, who is raffling the modded console off to anyone who purchases their goods or employs their party planning prowess from now until mid-December. The full list of rules and regulations for the raffle can be found on The Score's site, but it basically breaks down to "the more you spend, the more chances you have to win." This process is impeded by the fact that the store has no online support, but does allow for over-the-phone shopping. Yes, it's a lot of hassle for a quazi-portable PS3 -- but that extra effort is what really separates the men from the fanboys. [Thanks, Bradley.]
Help cure diabetes, win great Mac software
Developer Jim Whimpey is riding a bike to cure diabetes, and he's asking for your help (and promising a chance at some great Mac software). For every $10 you donate to his upcoming ride in southern Australia, he'll throw your name in a raffle to win one of two big Mac software bundles, both worth almost $190 each and both including Things, MarsEdit, Tweetie, and Wii Transfer. Any one of those apps is worth the donation, not to mention that your money will go to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, one of the biggest organizations around committed to fighting type 1 diabetes.You get a raffle entry for every $10 you donate, so put in $20 and you'll get two entries, and so on. He's asking for all the donations by September 14th, so you've got about two weeks to get over there and put some money in. Great cause and great way to pick up some sweet new apps for your brand new Snow Leopard install to run.
EVE player-run contest rewards 'human trafficking' of mission commodities
Well, it's true, but it's not nearly as bad as whatever you're thinking. I considered toning down that headline, but in terms of EVE Online's game mechanics, essentially you can engage in (or choose to reject) such practices. You see, in EVE Online people can be considered commodities and are used as mission items: marines; exotic dancers; slaves; and perhaps the lowliest of the low -- tourists. In fact, anyone who's been running missions in EVE Online for a while likely has many of these commodities sitting in their hangars unused. EVE player Siri Blue decided to run an unusual contest of sorts, the "People for Stuff" Raffle where players can convert their "people" into a chance of winning prizes. What do EVE players need to do to enter? Siri Blue writes, "In order to participate you contract 1000 people to me (location or type does not matter - homeless, slaves, exotic dancers, tourists, marines - everything is ok.)" For those easily confused, Siri adds, "Cows do not count as people!"
Meet WoW Insider at the Chicago Child's Play benefit
Child's Play, the charity started up by Penny Arcade that hooks up kids in the hospital with videogames to play while there, is holding a benefit event in Chicago early next month on December 9th, and I'm going to be there. It's definitely a worthy charity, and I know there are lots of WoW Insider fans in the Second City (many of whom I was able to meet at our Wrath launch meetup), so if you're a fan of videogames, helping sick kids, and want to come out and talk some WoW with me, tickets are available right now.There's a raffle going on as well (I'm angling to get some World of Warcraft-related gear in the pot), and there'll also be a Mortal Kombat vs. DC tournament going on thanks to Chicago's own Midway Games (and I heard there was a Rock Band event, though that may have since fallen through -- we'll see). And oh yeah, since the event is taking place at Plan B, there'll be drinking. It's $10 admission, or you can give $50 for admission and an open bar, though you have to be over 21 for both. I'll let you guess which ticket I bought (hint: the one with the booze).Should be a lot of fun -- if you're in Chicago and weren't able to make it to our launch party, see if your calendar's clear for this event. And if you're not in Chicago, Child's Play has lots of events going on around the country, and obviously they're happy to take donations anyway. Hopefully we'll see lots of WoW Insider readers at the event next month -- when else do you get to drink, play games, and help kids all at the same time?
UK entices young to get tested for STDs with Wii raffle
There really isn't a better way to get young folks to get tested than a free Wii, if we may say so. Unless you handed them a wad of cash, a home-cooked meala and a 24K gold limousine driven by Mr. Peanut, there really isn't a more effective way to get the young's attention. Maybe if Hannah Montana sponsored the thing, we guess ... Anyway, we're getting off the subject here. In the Northumberland and Tyne and Wear areas, the NHS Chlamydia Screening Programme will allow folks to get tested for STDs. Of those that get tested between the ages of 15 and 24, they'll be entered into a raffle to win a Wii, which was donated by South Tyneside Youth Support Service.Really, it shouldn't have to come down to this to get youngsters in and caring about their health and that of those around them. Be responsible, folks.
Wowhead turns 2
Everyone's favorite -- well, mine at least -- World of Warcraft database, Wowhead, celebrates its second anniversary this June 26. The database, which originally started as a talent calculator that is reputed to have inspired how the official site's own talent calculators look, was launched in June 2006. Since its inception, Wowhead has steadily grown its features, from small things such as patch annotations and embedded tooltips to big and fancy things like stat weightings and 3D models and characters. To celebrate, they're holding a contest and a raffle, giving away cool gaming goodies from X-Keys every Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays to the main prizes of a top-of-the-line video card, a 24-inch flatscreen LCD monitor, and a custom-built gaming PC. Head on over to wowhead, register (if you haven't already), and give them some Happy Birthday loving. The promotion runs for two weeks starting today, but before you get all excited with the prizes, be sure to see if you're eligible. If, for instance, you're from Asia like me, the best you can do is have some cake and ice cream to celebrate on their behalf.
WoWInterface to raffle off WoW programming books
Ever wanted to make your mark in the WoW community? Want to see your handiwork featured in our Reader UI of the Week? Or maybe you've always dreamed of an frameset with a Hello Kitty theme?Well, WoWInterface's new raffle might just give you that chance. WoWInterface is an addon download site, brought to you by the parent company that runs Allakhazam, Thottbot, and Wowhead. They announced yesterday in their forums that every Sunday for the next five weeks they'll be raffling off two copies of World of Warcraft Programming: A Guide and Reference for Creating WoW Addons. And, no, it's not some dusty old tome they are trying to unload because Mom wants them to clean up their rooms. The book was published May 5, 2008, less than a month ago. It normally lists for $39.99, so this is a great way to get started on your new addon-writing career and save some money at the same time. Or just get something for free and make some stuff.The best part is, even though the book's authors are addon pros James Whitehead II, Matthew Orlando and Bryan McLemore, this book is written in such a way that you need no programming knowledge to get started writing your own WoW addons. To enter the raffle, all you need to do is register for a WoW Interface account and make sure your real email address is on your account. They'll be pulling the winners from the list of members. For more details, see the raffle rules.Good luck and write some good addons for us to review!
Square Enix to help gamers get sloshed
Wine no Hajimekata DS (Beginner's Wine DS) was released in Japan last November, yet Square Enix hasn't finished promoting the title just yet. Those who purchased the unique wine guide also gained entrance to the "Square Enix Members" club, and are now eligible to enter a raffle in which 100 bottles of (fairly inexpensive) Casillero del Diablo Cabernet Sauvignon are up for grabs.It's not the first time that Square Enix has given away wine as a tie-in -- the limited edition version of Wine no Hajimekata DS contained a bottle of Dourthe No. 1 Bourdeaux -- but it's still a nice touch![Via Go Nintendo]
Students disfigure Wii, raffle it off for charity
Students at Marshall University are giving away a one-of-a-kind Wii with a raffle to raise money for the less fortunate. The personalized console is outfitted in what looks like Talismoon's Green Tanto replacement shell, wearing the West Virginia college's logo and colors.We can't knock their charitable efforts, as they're donating all proceeds from the raffle to United Way, but the system likely looked a lot nicer before it was tampered with. Hopefully, that logo is just an easily-peeled-off sticker. Either way, whomever wins the Wii will be sore to hear that its warranty was voided with this customization.Local station WSAZ covered the giveaway, and the forced banter between the two news anchors really shouldn't be missed! Tune in past the break for more riveting exchanges like this one:"Get it? Get it? Wii are Marshall?"I get it.""Okay."
Apple Store FlatIron Crossing Grand Opening report
I have emerged victorious from my first ever Apple Store grand opening, and I have to say: it was pretty cool. There was one heck of a line that ran far outside the closest mall entrance, and it was really cool to see people from all walks of life, including Dan Lurie from The Apple Blog and Jeff Gamet from The Mac Observer. My friend and I arrived around 8:15 am, and we were about 20th in line, though it picked up momentum shortly thereafter.I've posted a photo set from the event to our TUAW Flickr account, so check those out if you want more proof of how crazy Apple fans can get for a Saturday morning grand opening. One minor complaint: I wish Apple would stop using "geek black" on their event shirts like the ones they handed out today. Aside from that, it was fun to get my Mac-geek on for the day, even if I couldn't afford to actually buy anything.
