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WRUP: Rad bromance edition
By popular request: be warned, the above video features some very enthusiastic karaoke efforts. It'll make you laugh, it'll make you cry, and it may just hurt your ears. It's a rad bromance weekend and back at WoW.com HQ, it's safe to say that most of us are jealous of the no doubt epic adventures that Fox Van Allen (@foxvanallen), Mat McCurley (@gomatgo), Mike Sacco (@mikesacco) and Rich Maloy (@stoneybaby) are having in NYC this weekend. There would be more of an introduction here, but there's just nothing I can say that will top Mike and Fox's previous adventures in karaoke at PAX East, above. And with introductions (and envy) out of the way, let's go on to see what the rest of the WoW.com team is up to this weekend -- and if you'd like, let us know what you're up to, too.
WRUP: My favorite things edition
Once again it's the weekend, which can mean only one thing -- it's time to catch up on our gaming. Surely you know what it's like: during the week we have work or school or other obligations that may keep us away from our favored pastime. But with the week over, it's time for play. This week in addition to asking the WoW.com team what they're playing this weekend, I've also asked them to include a shot of their character in their favorite set of gear. And, though it's hardly a scientific poll, from the answer I've recieved it seems safe to conclude that the paladin's tier 2 armor set is a crowd favorite. So without further introduction, read on to see what the team is up to this weekend -- or to let us know what you're going to be playing. %Gallery-92138%
WRUP: Too sexy edition
Happy Saturday everyone! Another very fine weekend is upon us and here at Massively HQ we're celebrating with some game time. This week, in addition to asking the staff what they're playing this weekend, we've also asked what their favorite in-game armor set is. Whether we're too sexy for our helms (/groan) or not is an exercise we leave to you, dear readers. But for what we're playing this weekend -- and, better yet, what you're playing this weekend -- read on! %Gallery-92127%
WRUP: Riding into the sunset edition
Another work-week is coming to a close which means it's time to ask our staff (and our readers!) what they're up to this weekend. As usual, Massively's writing staff is all over the map on gaming for the weekend -- striving to steer clear of pattern and predictability by playing a little bit of everything. This week, in addition to talking about what everyone's playing, we also asked what everyone's favorite in-game mount was. And our answers? Well, as you'll see in our gallery, they seem to trend to the post-apocalyptic. %Gallery-91632%
Beautiful retro handset base for the iPhone
It's the weekend, which seems like the perfect time for a groovy retro item like this one. The iRetrofone is a handset base for the iPhone that brings an old-school aesthetic to your new-school touchscreen cell phone. We've seen cool handsets before, but this one goes all the way. Any iPhone can sit firmly in that space where the rotary dial would be, you can pick up a dialer app from the App Store, and then there's room for the dock to get plugged in, and the handset itself plugs into the headphone jack. "But Mike," you may say, "there's no actual value to that. All it does is make the slim and trim iPhone into a bulky mass of resin." And you'd be right. But the shape of that bulky mass of resin happens to bring back some excellent memories for me, of cradling a handset while chatting with friends and family, and hanging the phone back up when it had fallen off the hook, and carrying the base with me while pacing during an important call. While the item on Etsy is now sold out, if it was there, $15 would be a small price to I'd happily pay* to revisit those memories. [via TDW] Update: Whoops, $15 is the shipping -- the handset is $195, which seems much more reasonable for a custom-shaped piece of resin wired and ready to go. That's not such a small price, but the memories are still powerful.
WRUP: All mounts are equal edition
This week's edition of WRUP takes its name from Basil, who kicked off this week's discussion of everyone's favorite mount with some controversy: Basil Berntsen: I'm not including a pic because all mounts are equal, unless they go faster. C. Christian Moore: Also Frostheim, WHOA. All mounts are equal? I think not. BB: Frostheim? Ouch... Chase Christian: All hunters are the same: their dumb pets pull the boss before everyone is ready, they FD to avoid a repair bill, and when the boss is dead, they roll on any weapon that drops. BB: Small price to pay, imo. I do way more DPS than you sissy dress wearers. BB (five minutes later): Wait, you play a rogue, of course. Well, I still... uh... do more DPS... provide better debuffs... can transfer threat better... I can roll on your leather. CCM: Gah, it's hard keeping track of you hunters, with your ever-changing pets and whatnot. I think there's only one solution to this problem: a level one battle to the death. But the actual participants might disagree with me. While I wait for them to see this post and sort out their problems, why not look in on what the WoW.com staff is playing this weekend? And, if you're feeling brave, join the debate and tell us what your favorite mount in the game is. %Gallery-91600%
WRUP: Our favorite pets edition
I was just sitting down to write an intro for this week's WRUP, but then, oops, I seem to have been distracted by puppies. The puppies above are mine, because, well, I'm writing this post and it's my privilege to show off how gosh-darn adorable the little scamps are. (Of course, they're a couple of years older now -- less cute, and boy can they bark.) For this week's WRUP, we have the usual assortment of weekend plans as well as -- you guessed it -- puppies. Also kittens. And just for variety, a snake. %Gallery-91023%
WRUP: Distracted by kittens edition
The weekend, if we do say so ourselves (and we do) is not only the perfect time for gaming -- as we discuss every week in WRUP -- but also for hanging out with our household pets. Friends and family may nag us over our MMO habit, but our pets will always love us (so long as we remember to feed them). So this week in addition to talking up what we're playing this weekend, we're also sharing our favorite pets. We'll kick-start this adventure with Tateru, who gives us "two animals for the price of one, occupying the backrest of the comfiest chair in the house." And whether you're interested in the Massively crew's activities or not -- come along for the ride and let us know what you're playing this weekend. (Pictures of adorable animals are entirely optional -- but certainly encouraged.)
The Secret World revealing more secrets soon, Funcom confirms Kingsmouth connection
Sources have told us the Kingsmouth website is in truth connected to the enigmatic developer known as Funcom. They've also informed us that this is just the beginning of a new The Secret World initiative from the mysterious developer. In fact, those very same dark forces- er, sources, told us that you can expect to see a significant reveal happen this very weekend. We asked Funcom's Erling Elingson for a comment on these shadowy happenings, "The recent release of the Kingsmouth website is just one of many unique initiatives that will be happening around The Secret World in the next few weeks. Not only are we teaming up with a major site this weekend to give gamers a unique glimpse into the game through new and never-before-seen footage, but there are also other secrets lurking under the surface waiting to be discovered. The ever-growing community surrounding The Secret World did a great job deciphering the clues that led to the discovery of the Kingsmouth website, and they will have plenty more to play around with in the next few weeks!" Success! Our dark lord's ancient powers worked wonders. Wait, we mean uh, our highly charismatic and soothingly baritone voice made them talk, yes. So, you'll want to keep a lookout this weekend TSW fans, and don't stop investigating for clues. If you did, the all-knowing master would be very upset...
The Daily Grind: Do double exp weekends draw you in?
Last weekend, EverQuest II just finished up with a double experience weekend while this weekend we can look forward to Aion hosting one on their servers. Double experience weekends seem to be a new trend in the industry -- a marketing opportunity that gives players a reason to pull out their characters and drop in on the weekend for a good time and some quick levels. So with all of these double experience offers being flung around, we wanted to get your take on these level up weekends. Do they draw you back into playing a game that you're not currently addicted to? Do they get you to play on the weekend when you normally wouldn't touch your computer? Or are they something you ignore completely, only taking advantage of by accident when you happen to log on during one of these special events? Take out your fingers, place them on the keyboard and start typing. When you're done with your thoughts, slap that "submit" button, stand up, and scream "I HAVE AN OPINION!!!!!" like He-Man has the power.
Satire: Xbox Live prepares for its 'annual' holiday weekend outage [update]
Update: The joke's on us, folks. The source article is, of course, satirical -- something we conveyed rather poorly in the story below. We've seen no signs of Xbox Live so much as flinching this holiday, so far, and it has continued to provide us with a legitimate excuse to ignore that one cousin that nobody seems to know but someone keeps inviting for Christmas lunch. If you can give us your forgiveness for the error, that would be a really fine gift. Can't wait to get home to the family for the holiday this weekend ... and then completely ignore them with a Left 4 Dead 2 marathon on Xbox Live? You're not the only one. Microsoft is bracing itself for a flood of online gameplay this weekend, including players trying catch up on all of the games they were too busy (baking cookies and wrapping presents) to play since November, as well as all the new folks who just unwrapped new games from under the tree. It's become a holiday tradition -- last year two years, the outage lasted for 11 days, from the weekend before Christmas to the end of the year, and spawned not only a free game, but a class action lawsuit to boot. Previously, the problem was compounded by most of the tech staff being offline with their families, but this year, we're sure Microsoft has both servers and staff on notice to solve problems the second a clatter happens to arise. And if not, maybe we'll get another free game. Hopefully one better than Undertow.
Mass Effect price dropped to $10 on Steam this weekend
Were you one of the seven people on the planet who managed to resist Mass Effect's "possible alien nudity" siren call? Prepare for your steely resolve to buckle: The game's only $9.99 this weekend on Steam. Despite any qualms we may have had with the game's completely broken inventory system, or the frequent appearance of three-toed sloth-powered elevators, we find it hard not to suggest dropping a Hammy to add this to your collection. It might even help you decide whether you want to drop six Hammies on the upcoming sequel. Or a Grant and a Hammy, we guess, though that sounds like Denny's menu item. (Great, now we want some Denny's. Thanks for nothing, Valve!)
Breakfast Topic: What we don't know
I found myself without much to do last weekend, so I spent most of my time in Azeroth. My paladin, who's been extremely slow to level lately, went on a burst of XP gathering, and I got him from around 67 up to about 73, finishing up Outland and making some solid gains in Northrend. At 68, I logged out to my level 80 hunter, picked up the Tome of Cold Weather Flight, and passed it back to my pally, so as soon as he stepped on the northern shore, he could take to the skies in his flying machine (yes, he's an engineer, and he's headed for a chopper as soon as I can make it).But then something strange happened (I mentioned this on last week's podcast as well): not one, not two, but three different people sent me tells in the same evening, all of them asking just how I was flying around Northrend at level 68. I feel like we covered the topic pretty well here on WoW.com, and of course Blizzard had the information listed in the official patch notes. But somehow, news of the Tome had flown (sorry) under these players' radar.
iLickit might not be sanitary, but brings new meaning to 'oleophobic'
digg_url = 'http://digg.com/apple/iPhone_game_you_play_with_your_tongue_Video'; If you're the kind of person who complains in the comments whenever we post a useless app, then just move right on from this weekend post (or go check out Paradise Monkeys, it actually looks like a good one). But as weird and pointless as this app may be, we have to give the folks behind this iLickIt game credit -- they really took the multitouch screen to a place it probably shouldn't go. The idea is that you get a plate of food from Grandma, and then you have to lick it clean... by actually licking your iPhone or iPod touch. No thanks. Actually, iLickIt isn't the first app that's asked you to lick something that's been in your pocket (and who knows where) all day long -- there's other ice cream-licking related apps on the store already. But its claim to the very first "iPhone game you play with your tongue" may actually be legit -- it actually times how long it takes you to lick up the food and turns it into a little game. Though we can't really recommend it, it is coming to an App Store near you, so just in case your tongue hasn't had enough to do lately (and yes, I'll just let that one go), there you have it.
UT3 is FTP on STW
Oh, sorry -- do you lack the cryptologic know-how to decipher that headline? Excuse us as we get our Layton on: UT3 is not a shorthand way of saying three urinary tract infections -- rather, it's the acronym commonly used to refer to Unreal Tournament 3. Though the internet-savvy may assume FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol, that doesn't make much sense with the previous piece of the puzzle in place. However, "Free-to-Play" fits quite nicely. STW obviously means "Steam this weekend." If you couldn't figure that out, you should probably go jump off a cliff or something. Every puzzle has an answer -- this time around, the answer is "Unreal Tournament 3 is free-to-play on Steam this weekend," beginning today at 1PM PST. Unfortunately, we've got no Picarats to distribute. As any true gentleman knows, cerebral satisfaction is its own reward.
Fan-created documentary about BlizzCon: An event for fans
Reader Encifer sent us a link to this excellent fan-directed documentary short about BlizzCon. Just a few days ago, I kind of panned the LA Times for treating BlizzCon as such an alien thing, but this video kind of takes a different look at the same event -- instead of coming at it from an outsider perspective and treating it as if it's something 20,000 crazy people do over a weekend, it's much more about how exciting it is to be a part of an event this big. I don't know, maybe the difference is just something I see, but this fan documentary, I think, does a really great job of showing just why BlizzCon is so great, while the LA Times piece, in my view, kind of dismissed its subjects even as it was portraying them.At any rate, Chris Nguyen did a terrific job on this -- he says that he created the short film to prepare for a few doc film classes he's going to be taking, as well as challenge his doc-making skills, and it seems like he did just that. He interviewed two of his former guildies, as well as the winner of this year's costume contest, as you can see in the video. And he says the whole thing was shot over the two days at BlizzCon and then took about eight more days to edit. Definitely a fun little film to watch, and if you've never been to BlizzCon before, it'll give you a nice look at just what it's like to show up in a hall with thousands of people who play the same games that you do every day.
Ice-T repairs a Mac, his way
I don't think this is anything I would have ever asked to see, personally, but now that it's here, I can't look away. Above, you can click through to see a NSFW (language) video of the star of stage and screen, Ice-T, doing some "repairs" on a broken PowerBook -- the kinds of "repairs" you can only do with a clawhammer. As he says in the video, "if any of you people out there really have a love affair with Macs, this'll be hard to watch." In Apple's defense, that Mac gives him quite a bit of trouble... until he really starts swinging the hammer.Ah, the Internet. Where else can you watch B-list celebrities destroy expensive electronic equipment? Everybody have a great weekend!
Thorim, remixed, in the mountains
Here's a great way to start off the weekend for sure. lockexenocide on WoW LJ points out this remix of Thorim's "In the mountains" speech, and I like it a lot. It's part of a speech Thorim gives when you first pull him, thrown in with some phat beats and cuts. Unfortunately, LJ doesn't know who put it together, but even stranger, a search reveals a another Thorim remix in the Youtube video above.I'm surprised there aren't more remixes of Blizzard's music and/or audio -- these sound really good, and it'd be fun to hear someone like The Maiden of Virtue ("Cast out your corrupt thoughts!") or Noth ("Rise, my soldiers! Rise and fight once more!") get this treatment. There's probably a whole bunch of cool ways aspiring DJs could cut up and remix some of Blizzard's audio.Update: Here's a cool Yogg Saron mix from Thebum in our comments.
Get your keys for the third Aion beta weekend, before they're gone
It's going to be another weekend of angels flying around the world, except this weekend you're going to get to choose which side you want to support! Yes, that's right, it's the third weekend for the Aion beta test.This weekend's testing focus will be on both the Elyos and Asmodian sides and testers will be able to progress all the way up to level 20. No more getting capped at 10 just after you grab your wings! The test's doors open tomorrow, July 2nd, at 12 PM PT / 3 PM ET.If you haven't gotten your key for the beta yet, run on over to Fileplanet and grab one! Sadly, at the time of this post, there are no more keys left for standard users, but Fileplanet subscribers still have the opportunity to grab an entrance into the beta. Oh, one more thing -- these keys are for North American users only.
Gears of War 2 gets double XP and TU4 this weekend
To celebrate Independance Day, the folks at Epic Games are going to liberate (see what we did there?) Gears of War 2 from some of its nastier afflictions, through another title update. The latest update should drop sometime before this weekend, and will bring some changes to Horde mode. We'll be sure to let you know when the update is ready.On top of that, it's also going to be another Gears-themed weekend, as Epic has turned on the XP firehose. During ranked matches on the public playlist, everyone will receive double the XP, and the winning team will also walk away with an additional 500 XP (plus, you know, their lives). Epic has also added some of its own brand of fireworks to Horde mode as an homage to our own firework-shooting, independence-celebrating festivities planned for this holiday weekend. In every wave of the Horde, there will be added Tickers, and on every 10th wave of every Horde match, there will be only Tickers. The festivities start on Friday morning, and will run until Monday, July 6. [Thanks, Alan!]
