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Denon delivers a pair of packed tabletop radios
Denon has launched a pair of tabletop music players with plenty of features, including wireless streaming and the nearly-ubiquitous dock for your iPod. The $500 S-32 can decode MP3, AAC, WAV, FLAC, WMV, and Rhapsody subscriptions, while the $700 S-52 adds a CD player, HD radio tuner, satellite radio support (no mention of which service, although won't that be a moot point soon, anyway?) and a USB port for future expansion. Both players will start rocking your desk in October.
Breakfast Topic: Lore and fantasy comparisons
You've been reading Know Your Lore for a long time now, and since then, you've started checking out the WoWWiki's lore information. You've read the World of Warcraft encyclopedia and history. You've even gone out and bought all the Warcraft novels, comic books and table-top roleplaying games, and previous Warcraft games, just so that you could go through and feast your eyes on more WoW lore.Or... maybe you've just read some of the quest texts every now and then. Everyone's got at least some idea of Warcraft lore just from playing the game, with some sense of what the story is about. Chances are you've also encountered many other fantasy stories of one sort or another, and perhaps started thinking about how WoW is different, or how it is the same. What are some of the similarities and differences you see between the Warcraft lore and the lore of other great fantasy stories? Do you think it's just a cheap ripoff of Lord of the Rings? Or do you think it brings its own unique contribution to the genre of fantasy storytelling and cannot be fairly compared to any other story lore? Perhaps it even draws the most inspiration from a certain religion or philosophy! What do you think?
Off the Grid reviews Diceland
Every other week Scott Jon Siegel contributes Off the Grid, a column on gaming away from the television screen or monitor. Continuing our love-fest with the games of James Ernest (we'll be moving on to other designers soon, I promise), we've come to Diceland, a unique two-player tabletop title that's been the opening game of every PAX Omegathon thus far. So, you know, it must be doing something right.What makes Diceland so unique is its game pieces: large, eight-sided paper dice that the players assemble themselves. In the standard game, players select a team of five dice, each representing a different character. Rather than play cards or position miniatures, the placement of characters is accomplished by literally rolling them onto the table; where they land is where they are. From there, players take turns repositioning dice, rolling new ones, or aiming to take out their opponent's. Points are scored for each defeated enemy die, and first to 50 points wins.
Tabletop gaming con comes to Iraq
We know that those serving in Iraq tend to be big on first-person shooters like Halo and Star Wars: Dark Forces, but what about Army gamers whose tastes run a little more cerebral? For them, Ziggurat Con will provide the opportunity to blow off some steam with a day of good, old-fashioned tabletop role-playing.Described as "the very first D&D convention/game day ever held in a war zone," Ziggurat Con will give soldiers "a place where we can go somewhere far away from the IED's, mortar attacks, and gunfire, without ever leaving the safety of our camp," said Con organizer David Amberson. The Camp Adder/Tallil Airbase Community Activity Center will become a role-playing and anime-watching paradise for nine hours on June 9, with the blessing of the Army's Morale, Welfare and Recreation Department.Many game manufacturers have agreed to donate materials for the gamers, but the scarcity of gaming stores in the greater Iraqi area may force attendees to share dice. It's true what they say ... war is hell.
Colorado researchers edging closer to tabletop X-rays
Although improvements on the typical X-ray are being made quite frequently of late, a team of researchers at the University of Colorado at Boulder is hoping to make a huge leap forward in the way we're forced to handle these traditionally burdensome machines. In an effort to reduce the size required to install and utilize your average X-ray machine, the crew has purportedly developed a new technique to "generate laser-like X-ray beams" that avoid the existing need for such a "monstrous power source." The end goal is, of course, a tabletop device that can handle uber-high resolution imaging at a fraction of the cost and size of current units. It all starts by using "a powerful laser to pluck an electron from an atom of argon and then slam it back into the same atom," which then bypasses the typical problem of X-ray waves "not marching in step" by sending "weak pulses of visible laser light into the gas in the opposite direction of the laser beam generating the X-rays." The feeble beam reportedly "manipulates the electrons plucked from the argon atoms" in order to perfectly intensify the strength of the process by "over a hundred times." Essentially, the researchers have devised a more controlled way to perfect the timing of X-ray blasts, and are utilizing light to focus the process rather than using gobs of energy as it hopes enough undirected beams strike the intended area. Per usual, we've no idea just how close this idea is to becoming ready for the commercial world, but considering all the competition that's currently out there, we don't envision these Buffs wasting any precious time.
Halo figurines molded for WizKids' Clix wargame
Halo is now the latest brand to be miniaturized for WizKids' tabletop 'Clix' wargame system. The HeroClix maker has reached a deal with Bungie and Microsoft to design a collectable miniatures game (CMG) based on the Halo universe, dubbed Halo ActionClix. The first set will include more than 80 figurines, including representations adapted from Halo 3. Figures will be sold in randomized booster packs, while vehicles and a 'Starter Game' will be sold in diorama display format.Halo ActionClix is expected to go on sale in September. Pre-release promotional figures will be featured at San Diego Comic-Con (July 26-29), and at Gen Con Indy (August 16-19).WizKids founder Jordan Weisman and Microsoft share a history of business ventures, likely explaining how the coveted Halo license has landed in WizKids' hands. Weisman, who co-founded FASA Corporation, sold the company's video game division (FASA Interactive) to Microsoft before eventually departing FASA to form WizKids. WizKids has produced CMGs based on MechWarrior, Shadowrun, and Crimson Skies; notable because Microsoft has or will publish video games also based on these IPs. Now we add Halo to that list.[Thanks, Jonah]
Japanese hardware sales, 18 September - 24 September: Dungeons and Dragons edition
The Dark Sage, Lyte, has been travelling 'cross the land, defeating evil monsters wherever they may roam! What's my level? 21, now quiet. You're ruining the mood. *ahem* So, you come across a dark cave. Rumors say this cave holds a treasure of infinite power. Do you wish to enter? Totally. Dude, a Dark Sage wouldn't say ... never mind. Okay, you go in the cave. A trap! Spikes come up from the floor. Roll to evade. Why do you always put traps in caves? I'm the game master, dammit, I can do whatever the hell I want! *ahem* Roll. Ah, a 17! You manage to evade the traps. You venture deeper into the cave. What...what's this? Oh, it's horrifying! It's ... no, but it can't be ... but it is! It's the evil Passion-Sucking Pixie! It attacks! You lose 23,118 HP! Oof! Uh...I cast Magic Missile! The spell did 139,835 damage! The Pixie dies! You gain two experience points!Just two?Dude, you've killed it like a thousand times.- DS Lite: 139,835 4,950 (3.69%) - PS2: 32,673 1,516 (4.43%) - PSP: 23,118 3,877 (14.36%) - GBA SP: 2,145185 (7.94%) - Game Boy Micro: 1,186 58 (4.66%) - Xbox 360: 1,109 181 (19.50%) - Gamecube: 763 133 (21.11%) - DS Phat: 316 162 (33.89%) - GBA: 20 7 (25.93%) - Xbox: 8 1 (14.29%)(Note to readers: the DS Fanboy staff is rather inexperienced with D&D, so we apologize for any inaccuracies. Or if we offended. We love you guys!) [Source: Media Create]
Best Buy gets exclusive Mage Knight promo
Namco Bandai Games has announced an exclusive retail promotion with Best Buy for Mage Knight Apocalypse, which will be available next Tuesday. This limited edition version of the action-RPG includes a redemption coupon for a free Mage Knight dragon figurine from the popular WizKids tabletop game. According to a Namco Bandai spokesperson, the collectible is intended to give gamers "extra incentive to dive into the Mage Knight universe." Hopefully, Apocalypse will live up to its expectations, or we could be seeing lots of little dragons on eBay in the near future.See also: Mage Knight Apocalypse web site goes live Single player RPGs are alive and well
