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Priests: 2008 the year of change
That year flew by really quick, didn't it? Last year, I remember I was working my way through Tempest Keep (Kael'Thas even). 2008 brought in a complete set of additions and changes for the Priest class across all 3 specs. So, shall we get down to Priest class changes? Ranked in no particular order, we'll go over a few of the changes and the impact they had on the current game.
BigRedKitty: Hunter-loot awards for 2008
Daniel Howell contributes BigRedKitty, a column with strategies, tips and tricks for and about the Hunter class, sprinkled with a healthy dose of completely improper, sometimes libelous, personal commentary. 2008 was the first year of "no Azeroth-raiding". No Molten Core, no Blackwing Lair, just Karazhan and beyond. Then Wrath of the Lich King came and gave us, not necessarily a new universe like Burning Crusade did, but an expanded and enhanced version of that which we all already knew. And the hunter-loot flowed. Say it with a very long O. Flooooowed. By definition, Hunter-loot is just about everything in the game, except maces and plate armor. And sometimes we'll try to ninja that stuff too, just out of ignorance/spite/revenge/insanity. But no matter how you look at it, Zin'rokh the Destroyer of Worlds and Axe of the Gronn Lords aren't in this hunter-loot wheel-house discussion, if you catch what we mean. Please join us in a rundown of the best pieces of honest-to-Elune hunter-loot of 2008. The loot doesn't need to be epic or powerful to make the list, but it does have to have some Significance. What defines Significance? For our purpose, we're going to define it as: How much the gear affected our -- i.e, all hunters' -- lives. For example, very few hunters obtained the legendary bow from Sunwell, but that thing affected us all, didn't it. So let the arguing and scoffing commence; here's the BigRedKitty awards for 2008 Hunter-loot.
Switched On: When hardware startups zagged
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. In 2008, a year in which some of the most-used American political buzzwords were "change" and "maverick", many technology companies bucked conventional wisdom. With rising penetration across a broad range of mainstream consumer technology categories, it has become more difficult than ever to compete in the device space if you're not bringing something different to the party. The year did not start out auspiciously for those going against the grain, as CES 2008 brought news of Warner Brothers' decision to exclusively support Blu-ray as opposed to underdog HD DVD. The move set off a swift collapse of the HD-DVD partnership and Toshiba officially threw in the towel a few months later. Meanwhile, in San Francisco, Steve Jobs used part of what is slated to go down as his final Macworld Expo keynote to announce something that wasn't very surprising -- shifting the focus of Apple TV from a PC-centric content shifter to a broadband video store. But two open-source efforts have stepped in to shake up the home video space – Boxee, which can run on Apple TV hardware, and NeurosLink, the open-source hardware developer's foray into a set-top box optimized for streaming video from the Internet. Neuros currently has a list of bounties posted, offering dollars for developers who can bridge gaps in its software's functionality.
Year in Review: December
It's finally over! Our Year in Review series for 2006 ends with this final December feature. Sony suffers its greatest loss to homebrew, as we all look towards 2007 for more revelations.Sony moving forward with video download serviceThen: "Sony is finally revamping its pledge to bring PSP owners more video content. With the UMD format dead, Sony is looking towards digital distribution."Now: At CES, Sony announced a deal with AOL (parent company of this blog) that will allow Bravia owners to get AOL Video directly from their TVs. Will this deal expand to the PSP?Jump Festa: Final Fantasy on displayThen: "Japan's Jump Festa, where the hotly anticipated Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core and Final Fantasy Tactics: The Lion War are on display."Now: Square made good on their word of providing a playable demo of FFVII. Too bad it was only for Japanese attendees of Jump Festa. Word has it that Crisis Core is easily the best addition to the Compilation of FFVII project so far.PSone games hacked in custom 3.02 firmwareThen: "His latest custom firmware release will allow your PSP to emulate the 3.02 firmware while running homebrew as if you have a very homebrew-friendly 1.50 PSP. Of course, the custom firmware goes even beyond that: it'll strip region encoding off of UMD movie playback, and more importantly, it'll get rid of the DRM protection of the current lineup of downloadable PSone games."Now: Dark_Alex has surpassed Sony in every single way, with 3.03 OE-B. This includes all the functionality of 3.03, and then some.Samsung hints at hard disk-enhanced PSPThen: "The 60GB version of Samsung's 1.8" N-series drives may end up in a future PSP revision."Flog archived for your pleasureThen "Just in time for Christmas, the "All I Want for Xmas" flog has been reuploaded by the Consumerist."See complete year in review.
Year in Review: November
Was November the biggest month in PSP news? Probably. Look at these articles, which barely scratch the surface of all the news we provided during the month of the PS3 launch.Does Sony hate OPM? The answer is yesThen: "There's no reason to have a print magazine... especially when the main reason people get the magazine is for the demo discs. The final issue of OPM will be the January 2007 issue."Now: Looks like 1UP & the gang is for sale.New survey reveals exciting TV possibilitiesThen: "They give users two options: streaming using LocationFree player, or by subscribing to a mobile TV service for $10 a month."Now: TV and games make a great mix, as Microsoft insists.Full resolution videos possible on 2.80 firmware!Then: "You can play full resolution videos on the PSP, as long as they're encoded with the highly size-inefficient Motion JPEG codec."Now: For those of you that want a visual treat, this and P-TV are the only viable solutions right now.Watch out for the PSP Blender scamThen: "PSP Blender received numerous complaints, and the site is now listed as a "Phishing or other scams" website."Now: This is still one of our most-viewed articles. Why? These sites are raking in the cash with every misinformed PSP owner they find.Other noteworthy stories:Chotto Shot pictures, videos & impressionsUltimate list of TIFF homebrew gamesPSP for porn, pedophiles and Nazis ... according to FOXWould Sony eliminate PSP features?See entire year in review so far.
Year in Review: October
Don't worry: you don't need a PS3 to download PSone gamesThen: "We have the PSP downloads site now, and you're right; these PS1 games will be available either from the PSP downloads site directly, so you don't need a PS3 to get them."Now: Uhh ... We're hoping Sony will make good on this promise one of these days.Lik-Sang goes out of business, tells their side of the storyThen: "Lik-Sang.com, the popular gaming retailer from Hong Kong, has today announced that it is forced to close down due to multiple legal actions brought against it by Sony Computer Entertainment."Now: This certainly hasn't helped Sony's image among the hardcore gamer crowd. Some have even boycotted PlayStation due to Sony's harsh battle against importers.PSP gains touch screen supportThen: "PSPTouchMe as it's called will not only give you touch screen capabilities, but it'll provide a new, completely customizable XMB that's far more flexible than Sony's official one."Sony to get a marketing makeoverThen: "Sony is finally re-examining their brand, and will try to completely makeover their corporate identity. With the all-important PlayStation 3 about to launch, Sony better get their act together... fast."Now: The PLAY B3YOND campaign for the PLAYSTATION 3 was certainly an interesting (and creepy) one, but sluggish sales of the new console may show that Sony hasn't done a very good job.See entire year in review so far.
Year in Review: September
Remember when Killzone was supposed to have Infrastructure mode? Let's hope Sony doesn't forget. September was an incredible month, especially with an impressive Tokyo Game Show outing.Engadget goes hands-on with the Sony MyloThen: "In the first images we saw of the Mylo, it looked like its design borrowed heavily from the PSP. But seeing the two together, they really don't look similar at all."Now: The Mylo wasn't ever meant to be an extension of the PlayStation brand (like some of you have mistaken). Sony will continue experimenting until they release another handheld addition to the PlayStation brand.Sony says: PSP will become a virtual PS3Then: Sony Computer Entertainment corporate executive Izumi Kawanishi shared some insights today in a report titled "PSP will become a virtual PS3."Now: A more advanced Remote Play function is in the works, and Sony will continue to bridge their two systems.Killzone to feature Infrastructure multiplayer, but not at launchThen: "Infrastructure, which will be made as a downloadble upgrade a few weeks after the game's release on Halloween. In addition to multiplayer, two more maps will be released at that time and a new single player chapter, with four new missions."Now: These bonuses have gone suspiciously missing. We're told that it's still "coming soon."Tetris: the first homebrew for 2.80 PSPsThen: "Wow, it's finally happened. The libtiff exploit that allowed users to downgrade their PSPs has now been used to launch a game application. Although a bit primitive, this piece of homebrew from noobz can be installed and launched very easily."TGS 06: Everything that happenedSee entire year in review so far.
Year in Review: August
Remember when this movie was going to be the next big thing? August was an interesting month, especially for PSP news:$149 PSP coming soon? CNN reportsThen: "The analyst expects that Sony will drop the price of the PSP to a mere $149, $50 less than what it is right now."Now: While this would be a smart decision, Sony's still not budging from the $199 mark.Fun = DS, not PSP, says EA execThen: "There's no doubt that EA has historically bet more on PSP. I think we were excited by the technology, but the consumers have proven that actually what they want is fun. We must never forget that what we need to focus on is fun and so EA is putting more effort behind DS games."Now: EA may start supporting Nintendo more in the future, but with titles like Burnout coming in the future, it doesn't seem like Sony fans have to worry.PSP on Snakes on a PlaneNow: The PSP was prominently featured in the film, which failed to make the impact that the blogosphere had predicted.Rumor: PSP redesign coming before March 07Then: "Well, a very believable scan of PlayStation Magazine seem to suggest that Sony's working hard on one, and it's coming very soon: March 2007, two years after the US release of the handheld."Now: If a redesign is coming in three months, we'd know about it by now, wouldn't we? Or will Sony do a surprise launch? Keep an eye on this one.New questionable PSP rumors surfaceNow: It's interesting to note that all of the rumors came true, including the most specific one about the PSP Entertainment Pack. Guess some rumors are spot-on, huh?DevHook reeled in by Sony?Then: "The web host of DevHook has received a cease and desist order."Now: The homebrew scene is stronger than ever. Many sites are careful about the kinds of files they host, although its not uncommon to find other sites providing some very questionable content.See entire year in review.
Year in Review: July
Firmware 2.80 releasedThen: Sony's 2.80 firmware upgrade was probably the most significant one in ages. Featuring video podcasting, better video support (no need for weird file names!), and a few minor adjustments made this release one of the most exciting.Now: The PSP is at version 3.03 currently, and most people aren't enjoying the "new functionality." Why? Most of us don't have PS3s. Hopefully, Sony will get us excited about upgrading again.Rumor: Half-Life 2 on PSP?Then: "The research people of Penn, Shoen, and Berlan Association Inc. are notorious for slipping future releases of games. In fact, they revealed the Xbox 360 version of Half-Life 2 a full three days before Valve admitted to working on it. Considering how Half-Life 2 is branching out to other platforms, is PSP next?"Now: Unlike Oblivion, this title hasn't appeared on anyone's radar. I guess most people thought it a bad idea. Or, most people have already played it.Jaffe's episodic crying adventureThen: "His new adventure will go all Half-Life on us, becoming an episodic adventure. Each "episode" supposedly comes in at a whopping 700MB!"Now: Nope, isn't happening. Why? It sucked.Lumines II to feature "pretty famous artists"Then: "Speaking at the Develop conference in Europe, Tetsuya Mitzuguchi revealed that the PSP-bound Lumines sequel will feature some "pretty famous artists". Who could these artists be? I'll guess that they'll be Japanese."Now: I was wrong. Real headlining artists like the Black Eyed Peas ended up in the game... but gamers didn't care. It bombed pretty badly at retail.UMDs killed at TargetThen: "UMDs are now discontinued in all Target stores, as of last week. Could this be the beginning of the end of yet another one of Sony's proprietary formats?"Now: Yes. UMD is a dead format, only to be found in bargain bins, or online retailers. No one was surprised.Homebrew that gets you out of the homeThen: "In CollecTic, you're charged with doing something that no game has asked you to do before. You must get up and go. Go where, you ask? Wherever there are WiFi hotspots. See, that's the point of the game."Now: Sounds a lot like Metal Gear Solid, doesn't it?See entire year in review so far.
Year in Review: June
Rockstar bringing another game to PSP this yearThen: "Take-Two Interactive revealed that they have an as-yet unannounced title heading to the PSP based on a major brand. What could this game possibly be? Are they planning on bringing Table Tennis to the PSP?"Now: The aforementioned mystery game turned into The Warriors, which slipped into next year.Beware: PSP being used by kids to access pornThen: "Apparently kids are getting together at schools and using their PSPs to access pornography "out of thin air.""Now: FOX isn't done with their hard-hitting investigations.Sony Access machine in actionThen: "One brave consumer decided to go ahead and purchase something from the Sony Access vending machine we reported on recently. In purchasing a pair of 50 dollar headphones, namely these headphones, this fine gentleman has given us a great glimpse into the workings of the robotic vendor without risking our own funds."Now: This is still a bad idea.ASA rules UK PSP ads inoffensiveThen: "Remember that UK ad campaign that caused all that controversy? Well, it turns out the ASA deemed the ads inoffensive."Now: Sony still hasn't mastered the art of advertising without getting consumers angry, confused, or reaching for lawyers.PSP third in sales, yet first in qualityThen: "Anderson also gauged the overall quality of games on each platform, using Game Rankings to compile average scores for each system's games. In this manner, the PSP blew away all other handhelds."Now: Why is there still doubt that the PSP has good games? This is absolutely ridiculous. The PSP still has a fantastic 2007 lineup to look towards.See entire year in review so far.
Year in Review: May
Silent Hill: Origins trailer goodnessThen: "This is the fist videogame trailer to actually disturb me. Freaky is an understatement. Anymore information would just spoil it."Now: Silent Hill: Origins is still one of the most anticipated games for the PSP, especially after an impressive Gamer's Day showing. Although there are rumors of development problems, this is still one of the marquee titles of 2007.Sega goes PSP crazyThen: "They are currently developing 117 titles for release between now and March 2007. And the PSP looks to be getting the most love with a whopping 29 titles to its name."Now: That 29 number may seem high, but it appears that Sega got really close... in Japan, at least. Sega made plenty of brain-training clones for the PSP, and the star-gazing GPS-enabled Homestar. However, American gamers will most likely be interested in Sega's upcoming 2007 lineup, which includes the likes of Full Auto and After Burner.Stuff Magazine calls Loco Roco the best PSP game ever!Then: "After a couple of days playing on a near finished version, the Stuff team is unanimous that it's the most addictive, original and playable game we've played yet on the handheld console. It could also help the PSP fight off stiff competition from the DS Lite's recent rash of quality titles."Now: Loco Roco didn't go on to sell too many copies. However, it captured the attention of mainstream media everywhere. After a slew of downloadable demos, a sequel is coming, although sales don't warrant one.Capcom to bring 21 titles to PSPThen: "The company has announced a whopping 21 titles will hit the PSP in the next year. So how about a port of Resident Evil 4?"Now: Most of those 21 titles ended up being variations of the awful Japanese love game, Finder Love, or compilation games. Although Capcom has given PSP owners quite a bit of trash, their efforts with Ultimate Ghosts 'n Goblins should be commended. With Devil May Cry supposedly in the works, expect much bigger things from Capcom next year. As a fanboy, I can't help but dream of a RE4-like game. It really would work well on the PSP.See entire year in review so far.
Year in Review: April
PSOne emulator pics surfaceThen: "My friend who is a designer at sony gave me these pics, he said that this is what the psone emulator for psp will look like. he said that the games will be downloaded by a program shown in the screenshots and will be played under 'game'. I think this is true because he showed them to me from his camera which doesn't show ANY edited images."Now: Video gamers have too many "friends" that supposedly work in the industry. Why do we always fall for it though? Well, this rumor became somewhat true, with the 3.0 firmware making it possible to play PSone games under [GAME]. However, Sony's implementation of PSone emulation has been frustrating for most PSP owners, considering how a PLAYSTATION 3 is required to download games for play. Boo, Sony. Boo.Arstechnica pooh-poohs Portable TVThen: "We liked the idea of getting video downloads for our PSPs when we first heard about Portable TV, but we'd rather Sony streamline their system before they start thinking about giving the US or Europe the same offering."Now: P-TV still hasn't left Japan, and for good reason: there still isn't much content on it. With Connect nearly abandoned by Sony, digital media distribution for the PSP has really failed to take off. However, Sony keeps trying, as seen in their potential partnerships with amazon.com. I hope they succeed this time around.Firmware 2.7 and Loco Roco in actionThen: "The 8-minute or so feature runs through a few of the upgrades included in firmware 2.7 and shows off the Loco Roco demo about halfway."Now: Firmware upgrades these days seem much less exciting, considering the relative lack of new features and new game demos that Sony has been providing. The release of firmware 3.01, 3.02, and 3.03 within weeks of each other make each update seem increasingly more cumbersome and less worthwhile. Give us firmware updates that we really want!Oblivion due on the PSP? Fortify Luck!Then: "Thanks to a leaked release list (shyeah, right), word's gotten out that Bethesda, makers of the fine Elder Scrolls RPG for fans of open-ended exploration, is planning to release a version of their mega-popular Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion title on the PS3 and PSP. A portable version of the hardware-hogging game is targeted for release this November 6, 2006."Now: It certainly didn't make the release date, but this oft-denied game is finally a reality, heading to PSPs next year.See entire year in review so far.
Year in Review: March
One year after the PSP's successful US launch, people want a redesigned PSP. Check out the highlights from March of this year.May I have the envelope please?Then: "The mission is simple: redesign the PSP to improve upon its industrial design, its usability or its functionality (or all of the above)."Now: Even now people are clamoring for a redesigned PSP. Why? I think it's still one of the sexiest designs around (although it's admittedly big).Sony spills it; PSP to get camera, GPS, VoIPThen: "The short but substantial list of add-ons for the PSP includes a camera and a GPS receiver. Along with a microphone, other notable points for the camera are that it will include a PSP version of EyeToy and will also feature video chat, which essentially turns the PSP into a mobile Voice over IP gadget."Now: The camera and GPS accessory have hit Japan, with no clear US release in sight. However, where is EyeToy? Where is VoIP support? These seem to have simply disappeared.Ready at Dawn readies a challenge for PSP devsThen: "I don't want to play sub-par games just because I'm on a handheld."Now: Ready at Dawn produced the incredible Daxter, a drop-dead gorgeous game with no load times and great gameplay. If only every PSP game were as well-made as this one. Great job, guys!EyeToy ... WRU???!See entire year in review so far.
Year in Review: February
February may be the shortest month of the year, but that doesn't mean there wasn't any big PSP news. Check out the highlights:Sony-branded PSP to TV adaptor coming soon?Then: "In the middle of a report on the waning sales of UMDs in Variety magazine was a brief mention that Sony is currently shopping around the concept of putting out their own PSP to TV adapter. Explicity said as a way for Sony to "boost the format", the ability for people to easily watch UMDs on their TV sets could break the curse on the relatively weak sales numbers of UMDs by giving people a stronger reason to plunk down their cash for the more portable, if less feature-filled, version of their wanted movies and videos."Now: Looks like this never happened. I'd still love a way to play my movie and game UMDs on a bigger screen when I'm at home. Could the PS3 ever provide the link that I'm looking for? Probably not.Homebrew Halo for PSPThen: "Well an innovative gamer from DCEmu has decided to try his hand at modding one of the entries named Iris to make a Halo installment. By adding models, textures and maps, he's done up a decent third-person shooter reminiscent to the Xbox game."New demo service launches in JapanThen: "Christened PlayStation.Spot, the service provides downloadable content like demos and other software via hotspots around 150 locations. It takes advantage of the "gameshare" function to get the content to your PSP without having to tap into a memory stick."Now: The service is supposed to be running in the US now. Has anyone actually seen a kiosk, though?Homebrew community Flashes PSP usersThen: "For whatever games are lacking from developers, surely this great feature will open the doors for some amazing work to follow. We know Sony is going to have a field day with this."Now: Homebrew developers seem to get things done faster than Sony. The official 2.70 update introduced Flash support, three months after the homebrew solution.See entire year in review so far.
Year in Review: January
As the year starts to reach its end, I decided to look through the archives of PSP Fanboy and find the most noteworthy stories of the year. Here are selections from January, a month so far away that it's hard to remember all the broken promises Sony has failed to deliver on with the PSP.Sony Re-Connects PSPThen: "A new and, of course, improved version of Connect is headed our way this March, promising gobs upon gobs of juicy multimedia goodness for the PSP. "The Connect service will enable you to download hundreds of videos, games, and TV shows as well as films and other content. You'll even be able to browse from a wide selection of books."Now: March has long passed, and the Connect site features none of the enhancements promised by Sony. Has Sony simply given up on competing with iTunes? Seems like the answer is yes.Sony to ship 20M PSPs in 2006Then: "A representative from Samsung today revealed that Sony plans to ship 20 million PSP units in 2006."Now: Sony was aiming for the stars. Even the unstoppable DS won't get close to the 20 million mark this year. A rough estimate would place the number of PSPs sold this year nearer to 5 million than 20 million.Sony officially delays Gran Turismo 4Then: "Gran Turismo will not make its 2005 release target. *Gasp!* The new date is 2006. When in 2006? That's for Sony to know and you to find out."Now: Well, it's coming out? Sometime? Maybe? The drama behind GT4 is too much for this beleaguered fan.1UP says PSP to outsell DS in 2006Then: "The fact that the PSP is about to open up a tallboy can of whup-ass on the DS. 36% of respondents plan to buy a PSP while 28% will opt for a DS."Now: We know things are different now, but it shouldn't be hard to remember that the PSP had much more momentum than the DS earlier this year. How has Sony lost it? Can they ever get it back?It's fascinating to look back over the course of the year, and see our beloved handheld lose the momentum it started with. As we progress, we'll take a look at the mistakes that Sony might've made, and things to look forward to in the upcoming year.
