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Rare NES game sells for nearly $100,000, even rarer one appears online
Remember the ratty copy of Nintendo World Championships that popped up on eBay earlier this week? After a fast and furious auction, the ultra-rare cartridge sold for a staggering $99,902. Naturally, such eye-watering figures have prompted two more collectors to sell their prized possessions online. First up, there's a mint-condition grey edition with an intact label, but if you're not fussed about stickers, then there's the even rarer gold edition up for grabs. Considering that only 26 of the 116 cartridges were gold, produced specifically for Nintendo Power prize winners, it's an even rarer find for the 8-bit enthusiast. If you missed out on a chance to bid for the original and want a do-over, then perhaps this is your lucky day. [Image credit: mtnlife, eBay] [Thanks, Danny]
One of the rarest games in the world just landed on eBay
If you'd seen this ratty-looking NES cartridge at a yard sale, you'd be forgiven for not giving it a second glance. If you'd paid a few bucks to take it home, however, then congratulations: you just won the admiration of every gamer in the world. The 1990 Nintendo World Championship toured the US with a custom game that asked players to beat levels from Super Mario Bros., Rad Racer and Tetris in less than seven minutes. Just 116 of these carts were produced, each one going to finalists and competition winners -- making it one of the rarest Nintendo titles ever made. Now, this not-so-gorgeous-looking copy, where some misguided fool decided that scrawling "Mario" in ballpoint was an adequate replacement for the torn label, is available on eBay. The starting price is $5,000, less than half of the $11,500 someone paid for one in 2011, but you'd better hurry up and sell those organs, as the auction's due to finish in less than 48 hours. [Image credit: mursean, eBay ]
Killer Instinct Classic includes two arcade revisions, only available in KI Ultra Edition
The DLC-bundled Ultra Edition of Microsoft's upcoming Killer Instinct reboot for the Xbox One will feature two versions of Rare's 1994 arcade Killer Instinct, Siliconera reports. Producer Torin Retting revealed that Killer Instinct Classic will feature both the original arcade version (v1.4) and the upgraded ROM revision 1.5D, which fixes a number of glitches and infinite combos discovered after the game's initial release. The port will also feature CRT-emulating scanline options, a training mode, and sprite galleries. Retting additionally notes that Killer Instinct Classic will only be included in Killer Instinct's Ultra Edition and boxed Pin Ultimate Edition, and will not be sold separately.
Pokémaniac builds automatic shiny finder for 3DS, deserves all the rare candies
One of the aspects of Nintendo's Pokemon series that keeps players hooked is the occasional appearance of shiny creatures, or ultra-rare Pokemon that have a different color than usual. The odds of running into a shiny wild Pokemon in Pokemon X and Y are reportedly 1 in 8,192 battles, though crafty players have taken to special "chaining" and "chain fishing" tactics to speed up the process of finding one of the rare, elusive beasts. YouTuber dekuNukem took that a step further by creating a mod for the 3DS game that detects and alerts players when a shiny Pokemon has been encountered in Pokemon X and Y during a chain fishing sequence with the game's fishing rod item. The mod connects to the 3DS' button logic to control the console, reading the audio signal for the correct moment to virtually press the A button and initiate the battle. Then, a sensor placed on the system's bottom screen determines the length of time the screen is dark, as a shiny Pokemon has a longer introduction in a battle. If a regular Pokemon appears in battle, the system tells the game to run away and start the cycle over again. The modder says the system took less than 300 lines of code in addition to a little soldering.
Kinect Sports Rivals 'Preseason' free trial coming to Xbox One at launch
To make up for the delay of Kinect Sports Rivals to spring 2014, Microsoft will offer a free trial version of the game when the Xbox One launches on November 22. Called Kinect Sports Rivals Preseason, the trial offers players the game's wave racing mini-game along with monthly challenges until March 2014. Microsoft notes that players will need to download the Preseason trial before November 30 to start earning points to unlock a "Founder" player title as well as a wetsuit and wake racer avatar items. The free trial will launch alongside a Kinect Sports Rivals hub that distributes Preseason's monthly challenges and rewards, which carry over to the full version of the game.
Killer Instinct FightStick for Xbox One is up for preorder
A Killer Instinct-branded version of Mad Catz's forthcoming, Xbox One-flavored Tournament Edition 2 FightStick is up for pre-order on the peripheral manufacturer's official shop. At $200, the extent of the stick's Killer Instinct-ness appears to be its artwork, which can easily be removed and replaced thanks to the TE2's removable bezel. Otherwise, the stick features all of the bells and whistles touted by the prototype we first saw at E3: Sanwa-Denshi parts, multi-setting LED lighting effects, removable cable, easy access to the sticks innards and an onboard screwdriver with swappable heads. The Killer Instinct Tournament Edition 2 FightStick launches alongside the Xbox One on November 22.
New Kinect can understand two people talking at once
The new Kinect for Xbox One can pick up two people speaking at once and discern what each one is saying. Kinect Sports Rivals studio Rare sounded off on the sensor's features via a new video, as shown by Microsoft Corporate VP Phil Harrison to the audience at the Eurogamer Expo in London today. "It can not only hear two people speaking at once and understand two people speaking at once," said New Technology Lead Developer Nick Burton, "It can also see if their mouths are moving in a completely dark room. And that allows us to do crazy levels of detail." Included with every Xbox One, this Kinect is certainly a significant upgrade from its predecessor. The new sensor can detect 25 various joints for 6 different people, recognize which player is using which controller, estimate players' heart rates, map faces to 1,400 points, and tell you if you're too fat. Wait, one of those is the Balance Board... we bet the new Kinect can do that too, but we probably shouldn't give it any more ideas.
Timeless Isle toy box
We're Going To Need A Bigger Bag. Yes, Blizzard, we do need a bigger bag. Thank you for pointing out the startlingly obvious. Instead of giving us bigger bags, you decided to compound the problem by giving us new and awesome toys. What am I supposed to delete to make room for my Falling Flame? It certainly won't be my Golden Banana or Rainbow Generator. I guess I'll just make do with only having 3 free bag slots. Before this turns into a rant on bag space, let me get right down to it: Falling Flame is just awesome. It's one of the many new vanity items available on the Timeless Isle.
Xbox One media overflow: Kinect Sports Rivals, Zoo Tycoon and more
Microsoft's Xbox One event was a veritable cornucopia of game reveals and trailers for next-gen releases, but apparently the time allotted wasn't enough to show every single trailer for all of the new games coming to both the Xbox One and Xbox 360. In addition to this trailer for Rare's Kinect Sports Rivals for Xbox One, looks at Starbreeze Studios' new Xbox 360 jam Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, Frontier's Xbox One iteration of Zoo Tycoon and Zoë Mode's Powerstar Golf are also available beyond the veil.
Killer Instinct revealed for Xbox One [Update: trailer!]
Killer Instinct is on the way from Microsoft's Rare studio. The update to the classic arcade/SNES/N64 fighter will be released exclusively on Xbox One. A brief video revealed returning fighters and teased a 2013 release. Coinciding with the new fighter, a new Xbox One Mad Catz Tournament Edition Fightstick will be available. Your Xbox 360 sticks won't work, remember. Update: Double Helix is developing the new Killer Instinct. Weird!%Gallery-191147%
Rare: Xbox One out in November
During a Spike interview about Kinect Sports: Rivals, Rare let slip news of a November release window for the Xbox One console. While this is an obvious window for a new console, Microsoft only officially said "later this year" in its reveal event last month. Retailers have said "holiday 2013." Microsoft will reveal more details about the Xbox One console at its E3 2013 press conference, which will start momentarily. Follow along as Microsoft reveals news on purpose in our liveblog.
The Soapbox: Diablo III's auction house ruined the game
After his departure from the Diablo III development team, Game Director Jay Wilson released a statement that the introduction of an auction house "really hurt the game." While players predicted doom the moment the Real Money Auction House was announced, Jay argued that the gold auction house was equally to blame for the game's fall from grace following its absolutely stellar launch sales. I don't normally agree with what Jay has to say on Diablo III, but in this case he does have a very valid point. Diablo II was consistently popular for over a decade thanks to its immense replayability. At its core, D2 was a game about building new characters and gearing them up by any means necessary. Every enemy in the game was a loot pinata just waiting to be popped, and players farmed endlessly for a few sought-after unique items. You almost never found an item that was ideal for your particular class and build, but you could usually trade for what you needed via trade channels and forums. Blizzard claimed that the auction house was intended just to streamline this process, but when Diablo III launched, it was clear that the entire game had been designed to make the auction house almost necessary for progress. The fault here lies not just with the concept of an auction house but with the game designers. That's right: I'm here to argue not only that Jay Wilson was right about the auction house ruining Diablo III but also that it was his own damn fault.
Uncut beta version of Conker's Bad Fur Day touted in fan fundraiser
Conker's Bad Fur Day is one of the Nintendo 64's more infamous releases. Originally pitched as a family-friendly adventure in the vein of developer Rare's own Banjo-Kazooie, Conker's direction changed drastically during its development, resulting in an M-rated adventure featuring squirrel hangovers, frequent profanity, and opera-singing turd creatures. Conker tested the limits of Nintendo's publishing guidelines, and while much of the game's salty content made it to store shelves unscathed, some scenes were changed or removed prior to the game's completion. A fan-driven fundraiser seeks to release an uncut beta version of Conker's Bad Fur Day to the public as a downloadable ROM image. The debug footage above, captured by demo cartridge owner Borman, shows an uncut scene in which the Nazi-like Tediz are performing experimental surgery on a live squirrel soldier. Nintendo apparently decided that this little vignette pushed things too far, as the retail version of the cutscene plays out quite a bit differently. Additional differences between Borman's demo and the retail release have been noted, spurring fan demand for a ROM release. Along with the promised ETCS demo build, Borman will also release a second debug version of Conker, along with PAL and NTSC beta versions of Rare's Perfect Dark, once his $2,500 funding goal is met.
Sega Pluto prototype console surfaces: the Saturn / NetLink mishmash that never was
So, first things first. Sega actually shipped some pretty insane gear. A handheld console that used full-size Genesis cartridges? Check. A sophisticated Tamagotchi that our own editor-in-chief developed games for? Yessir. Something called a "32X" that stacked on top of an already sizable home console? Sure, why not? Given the outfit's history, the item you're peering at above doesn't feel all that outlandish. According to one Super Magnetic -- a self-proclaimed ex-employee of Sega -- this is Pluto. As the story goes, Sega was pondering the release of a Saturn variant that included an embedded NetLink device. At the time, online console gaming was in its earliest stages, and someone likely assumed that they could kickstart things by including an Ethernet jack from the get-go. Of course, Pluto never saw the light of day in the consumer world -- thankfully, you can partake in a few more shots of what could've been at the source link below.
Rare veteran George Andreas leaves Microsoft, joins Sony
Former Rare game director George Andreas left Microsoft earlier this month to join Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. Andreas, who'd been with British developer Rare since 1996, is working as Creative Director at SCEE's London headquarters.Andreas was creatively involved with much of Rare's work over the last 16 years, including the likes of GoldenEye, Banjo Kazooie, Perfect Dark Zero, and Viva Piñata. After the company was acquired by Microsoft in 2002, Andreas took on lead roles for Xbox 360 games, such as project leader and game director of launch game Kameo: Elements of Power, and creative director on Kinect Sports.
Five ex-Rare vets form new mobile studio Flippin Pixels
With over 20 years of experience at Rare, a core group of five have formed a new mobile studio today called Flippin Pixels. Not to be confused with those other ex-Rare folks, Flippin Pixels left Microsoft's Rare in stages over the last year, the five joining forces to focus on tablet and smartphone development.Flippin Pixels is comprised of studio director Steve Brand, software director James Ackroyd, art director Steven Hurst, design director Shaun Read and technical director Gary Richards. For a team whose primary expertise involves console development, the shift to mobile will be a challenge. "We have a lot to learn, but what we do bring is years of console experience and high quality execution," Ackroyd told GI.biz."We've only just recently been looking at how to monetise through games," Ackroyd added. "The nature of the mobile market is so fast moving you can't afford to stay on something for months. You need to get it out there while it's still fresh. It's a little bit like buying a lottery ticket but if you've got the quality there hopefully that rises to the top."Flippin Pixels already has multiple projects underway, though studio director Steve Brand says only one concept is actually in development – right now, most ideas are on paper. "We have a concept that's actually partway into development and the rest of our concepts are in paper form and bubbling to the surface. We'll build those out to a bigger business plan and approach publishers with them, that's one of the short-term goals," Brand concluded.
Killer Instinct trademark renewal rejected, what it means
Microsoft's trademark renewal of Killer Instinct has been rejected by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for "likelihood of confusion." As NeoGAF points out, this bit of confusion has to do with the short-lived FOX show Killer Instinct from 1995. Microsoft announced in mid-September it was in the process of renewing the long-languishing intellectual property, but did not specify the purpose.So, what does the rejection mean? We checked with attorney Mark Methenitis who pens Law of the Game."In short, this means ... more or less nothing," Methenitis told us when asked if there was more to the rejection. "It's just an office action; they happen on lots of trademark applications, and is not by any means the final say on the application. It just means that Microsoft has to provide more evidence to overcome their objection to move forward with the application."He continued, "All things considered, I would imagine that Microsoft has a pretty strong position reverting back to the previous Killer Instinct games, which far predate the Fox filing, and moreover, there's no evidence of actual confusion between that show and the game."According to Methenitis, Microsoft has six months to respond. He equated this action to fighting games, saying it's like taking some hits in the first round, but you haven't even come close to losing the bout.
How to defeat the saurok rare spawns
When a couple friends of mine in high school would talk about the lizard-people living underground, controlling the world's governments and manipulating our society, something tells me they weren't talking about the saurok. Much like the grummles (a miserable race of gnome-like Sherpas, though some people are quite partial to them), the mogu shaped the saurok through the powers contained within the waters of the Vale of Eternal Blossoms. Their intention was to make the saurok their enforcers, their troops, their battle-worthy servants that would reinforce borders and protect the mogu empire. Instead the saurok grew out of control, so much so that the mogu emperor lead a campaign to rip the souls out of the rebellious reptiles. Now, you may be thinking about that old saying, "my enemy's enemy is my friend," right? Well, unfortunately that's not true all of the time -- in this case we just have two enemies, much like that one Shado-Pan daily. While the saurok don't have the resources or power of the mighty mogu, they are still quite the nuisance. There are a number of saurok champions scattered across Pandaria, all of which share the following abilities: Grappling Hook Much like Rushing Charge, Grappling Hook will prevent you from straying farther than 20 yards away from the target, at least for more than 5 seconds at a time. Vanish The saurok sheds all DoTs and disappears into the shadows. Don't freak out like I did the first time I fought one; it didn't evade, it just took the cowardly rogue's way out. You do have a shot at hitting the saurok before he disappears, so make it count. Smoked Blade If you failed to bring the saurok out of stealth, he will use Smoked Blade which hits for 55% of your health. Vicious Rend A stacking bleed that deals moderate damage, Vicious Rend also functions to provide a sort of soft enrage for the saurok rares -- you need to kill them before the damage from the bleed, in addition to other sources, becomes unmanageable.
How to defeat the mantid rare spawns
The enigmatic, apostrophe-loving mantid remind me a bit of the aliens in the movie District 9 -- bug-like, unpleasant looking creatures that, despite appearing to be foreign and strange, harbor the same kinds of emotions and instincts as humans. And while the mantid don't have large puppy dog eyes to draw our sympathy like the prawns, they do have a rich and complicated history that simultaneously invokes sympathy and uncertainty. The Klaxxi are fighting a war against their own people, attempting to restore sanity to the mantid by dethroning their fear-driven queen, while being regarded as heretics by the remaining dominated legions of their kin -- but can we really trust them? Our alliance with the Klaxxi may simply be a marriage of convenience, and as soon as the empress is dealt with and their house is in order the re-unified mantid may turn their sights back to the pandaren, and us. For now, however, there are a few "evil" mantid champions that need to be dispatched, all of which share the following abilities: Blade Flurry – The bug will wildly jab and prod in a cone in front of itself, dealing massive damage to anyone caught in its swath. Tornado – Summons a tornado that travels in a circular path, triggering Harsh Winds for any players that get too close. Windsong – Buffs the mantid's attack and movement speeds and makes it immune to snares and roots. To squash these bugs, lots of room will be required as you will need to keep clear of any tornadoes that spawn. Ranged classes will find kiting to be near impossible while Windsong is up, meaning that the majority of this fight will have to be conducted within melee range, unless you have a tank chum. Run through the mob when he begins to cast Blade Flurry if you're in melee range, otherwise just get the heck out of there.
How to defeat the pandaren rare spawns
One thing I noticed while leveling was how much of my inventory was being filled with zany flavor items and mountains of random stat food. Between that and the pandaren racial bonus, Epicurean, I formed this preconception that all panda-shaped people loved to eat food and do kooky things, so imagine my surprise when NPCScan informed me that a pandaren rare was within my scanning range just waiting to go toe-to-toe. I like to believe that maybe these particular pandaren are just looking for A Worthy Opponent (see what I did there?), and that I just get so caught up in the exchange of punches and blows that I forget not to kill them. Like the jinyu, and the rest of the rare spawns, the pandaren rares all share the same set of abilities: Spinning Crane Kick - A whirlwind of feet and pain, the 3-second cat for this attack can't be interrupted, but the target can be stunned or crowd-controlled during the animation. Just to be safe, make sure that you don't engage the pandaren in an enclosed area. Chi Burst - The pandaren will only use this ability if you are more than 15 yards away from them, a mechanic surely designed to force you to deal with Spinning Crane Kick in some fashion. And at over 200,000 damage per cast, I would say it's pretty effective. Healing Mists - The one ability you will want to save your interrupt for, Healing Mists heals the pandaren for 30% of their maximum health. Stuns and crowd control should also work if you find your spellbook lacking a reliable interrupt. The main strategy here is to stay close to the target for the most part, only moving away from it during Spinning Crane Kick. Also, interrupting Healing Mists will prevent you from dulling your blades against the bears' furry backside while you race to outpace the healing.
