wings
Latest
PAX08: Aion's first U.S. public showing
"Hey, isn't that the game where you have wings and fly around?"This was probably the number one quote heard around the Aion booth at PAX08. NCsoft's Aion: The Tower of Eternity had its first public showing in the States this last weekend at PAX, and the general consensus seemed to be mostly positive. As the opening quote suggests though, many gamers were after that novelty of flight, and we can't help but wonder if that will be enough to carry potential players through the game for the long haul.So we took this opportunity to spend an hour or so with the game, to get a few of those precious first impressions for our readers. Keep in mind that this is only first impressions on a game that isn't finished yet, so take it with a grain of salt.%Gallery-11511%
An eye-opening Aion preview
It's very likely that you've either only heard whisperings of the game Aion or haven't heard anything at all. We honestly couldn't blame you with the huge amount of hype currently gushing out every which-way for Warhammer Online. The human mind, while able to absorb hype like a dry sponge to water can only contain so much of it at a given time. Our hope is that with the release of Warhammer Online just around the bend, you can eek out a little room for NCsoft's upcoming Aion, which was just given a wonderfully entertaining preview over at Eurogamer.The gist of Aion is that it's a game being developed with the best of breed concepts from Eastern and Western MMO developers. User-friendly, PvE and PvP content coming out its nose, highly customizable characters, gorgeous graphics and uh, wings. To be fair, the wings thing is a lot cooler than it sounds when you just say 'wings' like us. You get the idea, however. Currently, Aion is looking at an early 2009 release date.
Aion concept art features ominous Abyss, winged Balaur
We don't spend too much time covering NCsoft's Aion here at Massively -- partly because news is sparse -- but that doesn't mean we're not interested. In fact, we're intrigued by the game's art direction. It has an eerie, fragmented, dream-like vibe that reminds us of the oldschool roleplaying-oriented game Underlight. It also features lots and lots of wings, since all players and many NPCs can fly.NCsoft has released four new works of concept art. Check them out and you'll see what we mean. One of the items -- pictured above -- depicts one of the Balaur. The Balaur are fallen angels responsible for the sundering of the world. The other three items depict the Abyss, the setting for Aion's endgame PvP encounters. Those have a bit of an Outland vibe, what with the shattered earth floating in space and all.
O2 slides HTC S730 onto shelves as XDA Atmos
It would seem that HTC's updated Vox, the HTC S730 Wings, has hit O2 sporting that distinctive XDA style. While the shop doesn't get into detail about which version of the HTC Wings this is -- as a refresher, the Wings100 packs 2100 MHz HSDPA while the Wings200 has 850, 1900, and 2100 -- the O2 Atmos' price is right and listed as starting at $free. Availability is set for now, so if you've been waiting for a new bit of QWERTY Windows Mobile hardware, fill your boots, operators are standing by.[Via CoolSmartPhone]
Driver trouble makes angry mobile owners rush castle HTC with burning torches
We're seeing a serious flow of tips from people upset with supposed performance issues on a good pile of HTC's newest sets. Handsets like the HTC TyTN II, Touch Dual, Touch Cruise, Wings, Titan, Vogue, Libra, and Iris are all apparently affected by underperforming video drivers which in turn slow the device significantly. The list -- and length -- of threads covering this is snow-balling at the well known XDA-Developers forum pages, as is talk of class-action suits. A site has now been set up called HTCClassAction to help people sort through all the buzz and get the nitty gritty details, so hit the read link if you're inspired to learn more. Of course we'll hopefully hear something official from HTC on this in the near term and will be sure to fill you in as we do.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
US cut of the HTC S730 makes the FCC's cut
If you're looking for a multitalented Windows Mobile 6 Standard handset, the follow-on to the nifty S710 Vox from HTC, the S730, is a fine device -- it really is. Only one problem, though: in its current iteration, European 3G is the one and only name of the game. That kinda took us by surprise when we first heard it since HTC's announcement of the S730 promised "worldwide 3G." What they didn't make clear is that the promise would be delivered in the form of two separate models. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the "WING200" -- an homage to the S730's "Wings" codename -- bearing support for US HSDPA on the 850 and 1900MHz bands. No mention of the S730 name is made anywhere in the documentation, but the rear end that we see here clearly resembles the S730's hindquarters, so we're pretty well convinced. Only thing left then is for HTC to start selling this thing, eh?
Around Azeroth: Are two pairs of wings better than one?
Reader Medros of Argent Dawn sends us this shot of, well, a flying paladin. This begs the question -- are two pairs of wings better than one? Does Avenging Wrath also buff one's flight speed? Inquiring minds want to know!Do you have a unique shot of Azeroth or Outland that you'd like to show off to the rest of the world? Tell us about it by e-mailing aroundazeroth@gmail.com! Or perhaps you'd just like to see more of your pics from Around Azeroth. %Gallery-1816%
Revenant Wings 2: Revenant Harder may be coming
We doubt that's going to be the real title, but we never could avoid sequel humor. Apparently, director Motomu Toriyama enjoyed making Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings so much that he'd like to develop a sequel.This is by no means a confirmation or an announcement or any of the other things it'll be labeled on message boards. It's just a casual statement. But a Revenant Wings sequel seems likely, since the sales have been pretty good, and, most importantly, we're talking about Square Enix, who has kind of a thing for sequels.
FFXII gets the preview treatment
Over at 1UP, they got their hands on a few Japanese magazines containing info on the highly-anticipated (by us, anyway) Final Fantasy XII spin-off title Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings. In checking out their preview, we noticed that there is a lot of new information on the game. As such, we're doing the gentlemanly thing and presenting it to you, fine reader, in the most entertaining way possible: with our minds. Why yes, dear reader, in fact right now you are staring at a blank computer screen, it is us who have projected the image of this website into your mind and, might we say, it's awfully cold and vacant up here.Jokes about your intelligence aside, some of the newly-acquired facts on the title include: The game will feature over 50 different summons, with each varying in rank (three total ranks) The third rank summon may only be used once in each map A section of the airship will be used to house in-game achievements, taking the form of monuments The Salamander summon has been changed from a lizard to a wild boar [Thanks, Ibrahim!]
Rumored HTC Sirius, Erato, and Wings get detailed specs and dates
We don't know where the information came from and (as ever) we can't be absolutely certain that it's genuine, but over the last few days a range of specific details on some previously rumored HTC mobiles have turned up in data sheet and picture form over at PDAdb.net. First up is the HTC P6500 Sirius: a quad band, WiFi and EDGE device that runs Windows Mobile 6, has a 400MHz Samsung processor, a 3.5-inch QVGA display, and also comes with 256MB and 64MB of RAM and ROM respectively. Next up is the HTC S420 Erato flip smartphone, which could potentially be the successor to the Star Trek. This 99 gram, 2.4-inch screen flipper should come with the same 400MHz CPU and Windows Mobile 6 operating system as the Sirius, but adds features like UMTS and HSDPA connectivity, an FM radio receiver, SiRF Star III GPS, and a 2 megapixel shooter. Finally there's the touchscreen featured (but stylus lacking) HTC S730 Wings which shares the same CPU, operating system, connectivity, screen, camera, GPS, and storage as the Sirius. In fact, the only difference we can tell between the two is the addition of WiFi, the exclusion of FM, and a different form factor to accommodate a slide-out QWERTY keypad. PDAdb quotes possible release dates for these unannounced and currently rumored devices as August for the Sirius, April for the Erato, and July for the Wings. You can't get a more detailed "rumor" than that.[Via GSMArena]
Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings boxart unveiled
We don't normally display boxart here on DS Fanboy, but we do tend to make exceptions. Revenant Wings dresses to impress with minimalistic flair; its DS predecessor was also rather impressive. A beauty, no?Square-Enix is bombarding the DS with meteor showers of love. Here's a little "DS Bi-Daily" for ya: do you think Square-Enix's support means as much as it once did? By diversifying its game library and stepping into the realms of spin-offs and direct sequels, many feel as though they've watered down the intense quality of software they once provided. Or are we just insane? Still, We await FFXII: RW with open and eager arms.
Meet your shiny new 2007 HTCs
If the X7500 "Athena" somehow managed to fail to attract your attention and you found the Vox, Libra, Love, and Cavailer positively forgettable, first verify that you have a pulse (because we really don't think that's normal) then check this out: HTC's 2007 arsenal is shaping up to be a doozy, with several previously-unknown models stepping into the spotlight. First up is the "Kaiser" (pictured top left), a follow-on to the Hermes that adds GPS -- a feature that's becoming increasingly common in high-end Pocket PCs. The "Elf" (top right) and "Panda" (not pictured) are midrange devices; they'll lack 3G radios, but the Panda's claim to fame will be a giant QVGA display that weighs in at well over 3 inches, while the Elf makes a name for itself with a fashion-friendly design and a touchpad in place of the typical d-pad. The "Wings" (bottom left) will ultimately take the torch from the Vox -- yes, the still-unreleased Vox -- by adding 3G, GPS, and a beefier processor. Finally, a new clamshell Smartphone will pick up where the Star Trek left off, rocking a GPS receiver and more wireless radios than its predecessor. If you can't find yourself an '07 HTC to your liking now, well... that's just crazy talk, but we know a Finnish outfit that might like your business.[Via PDA247]
Japan set to implode: Dragon's Quest IX is a DS exclusive
You heard it, folks: at Square-Enix's annual Jump Festa event, they let the bomb drop: the next entry in the venerable Dragon's Quest series, entitled Dragon's Quest IX: Defender of the Stars (another silly "DS" subtitle) will be coming exclusively to everyone's favorite little handheld. This is huge news: this franchise is second only to perhaps Final Fantasy in Japan, and still one of the most respected names in gaming worldwide. Having the title being developed exclusively on a Nintendo system is a clear show of faith from SE (they're also releasing a Final Fantasy XII sequel, Revenant Wings, sometime next year), and hopefully, even more Wii and DS support will follow.Development of the game is being passed over to Level 5 (also working on White Knight Story for the PS3), and it'll feature a four-player co-op mode as well. Of course, there's no definite release date, but the team mentioned that they'd like to have it out sometime in 2007.Let this news wash over your Tuesday, and make it full of glee and joy. Bring on DQIXDS![Thanks to everyone who sent this in, and GoNintendo for the pic!]
New Revenant Wings details uncovered
The Japanese magazine Dengeki recently conducted an interview with some of the development team of Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings. Details on the game have been scarce at best, confirming only that the game features FFXII protagonist Vaan and his sky pirate-y adventures. That's all well and good, but many were concerned about the apparent "prequel" nature of the game. Worry not, stalwart fans! Revenant Wings will be a true sequel, taking place shortly after the events of Final Fantasy XII. In addition to Vaan, the dynamic duo of Fran and Balthier will also be returning, as well as a promised host of new characters. The game will take place on the floating landmass of Puruvama (if it's in the original game, we haven't reached it yet), and apparently, a large portion of locations from the PS2 title will be playable. The battle system has also undergone some changes: combat will feature stylus control and a simplified version of the Gambit system. Also, summoning will be completely overhauled and used in a rather unique way, say the developers. Both screens will be properly utilized, and finally, there are no current plans for Wi-Fi functionality. Though be it ever rare to see from us heaping praise upon a Playstation 2 game, Final Fantasy XII is a veritable masterpiece, and the sequel can't come soon enough.
FFIII creators talk other remakes on DS
During the pandemonium that was the Tokyo Game Show, Games Radar managed to get an interview with two head honchos on the Final Fantasy III project. In speaking with Hiromichi Tanaka, Senior Vice President of Software Development and Tomoya Asano, Producer, it's revealed that due to the already insane success from the game's launch in Japan, Square-Enix is looking to adopt a strategy of just outright remaking classic Final Fantasy titles, as opposed to just porting them as they did with Final Fantasy IV, V, and VI. So with ports to the GBA, remakes hitting the DS, as well as brand-new spin-off games, Square-Enix is staking a mighty large claim on the DS. We couldn't be happier, to tell the truth.
TGS 2006: FFXII Revenant Wings trailer and art
The recently revealed Final Fantasy XII spin-off title Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings has made its presence at the Tokyo Game Show known through glorious video. The trailer is comprised totally of FMV, as is Square's usual standard of practice, yet still manages to get us excited. We loves the RPGS, bring 'em on!Continue past the break to check out the trailer.
The Gryphon parachute system -- only badasses need apply
This picture pretty much speaks for itself, but what you are looking at is the Gryphon parachute system, designed by ESG (Elektroniksystem- und Logistik-GmbH, if you must know) -- though if we had a company named ESG that made this, we might call it the UFO and get all No Wave on it for a sec. Anyhow, wearing the Gryphon, parachutists -- if you really want to call them that -- can apparently fly for up to 40 kilometers (about 25 miles) at rather high speeds before opening their chutes. Not suprisingly, it's aimed primairly at the military market, where it could potentially be used to drop off soldiers far away from their target, allowing them to fly under radar cover. And if you're thinking it can't possibly get any cooler, ESG says they're planning on adding freaking turbo jet drives to the unit, allowing for even greater speeds and lower take-off heights. [Via Uber-Review]
