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Archive for Jared Kellenberger, News Contributor
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Gnomish Mustard
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Texas
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One of the biggest (if not THE biggest) releases for PC this year is Diablo III. Released on May 15th, analysts predict the game will sell 3 to 4 million units by the end of year. The game takes place after the events of Diablo II, it is first installment in the series in over 10 years, and has been in development since 2001. The game world is set in the familiar realm of Sanctuary, which was saved over 20 years ago by the events in Diablo II.
Unfortunately for Blizzard, delaying the game for additional polish - as well as a significant beta program - did not prevent launch day problems or deter pre-release controversy.
Launch Day Issues
On launch day, servers were unable to handle the capacity of the customers. Soon the internet became full of "Error 37" memes. In fact, at the time of this writing the first item autofilled in Google's search for the word "error" is the number 37. Considering the amount of people trying to get help with all sorts of errors submitted to the popular search engine everyday, having the number one error search in 2 days is pretty significant.
Continuing along the current trend of gaming, Diablo III requires an internet connection even for single player games. Not having enough server capacity to allow a simple login for players to have a solo game has hurt the image of a company that is well known for its commitment to quality games.
Another point of contention for many gamers is the built-in auction system for game items. Learning from what has happened in World of Warcraft and other MMOs, Blizzard decided to institute a trading house for Diablo III. There are two types of trading houses - one that uses gold from the game and another that uses real world money.
In the gold auction house Blizzard will take 15% from the end price of the item. In the real money version of the auction house Blizzard is taking $1 from items like weapons, armor, etc. Further Blizzard will take 15% of all crafting materials sold for real world money. When users withdraw money they earned in the auction house they will be charged another 15%.
Interestingly enough, Blizzard has put an additional restriction on the game to prevent the gold farming found overseas in past games. The gold only auction house is open to anyone, anywhere. The real money auction house is restricted in the form of only being able to sell to players in their home region. This means that someone from China can't sell you anything in Europe or the Americas.
Successful Launch
Despite its initial controversy and launch day problems, Diablo III has been very well received critically, with a respectable 87 metacritic score. The user score is unreliable as many have chosen to take their frusrations about error 37, and others, out on metacritic by giving it a very low score.
It remains to be seen if Diablo III will captivate people in the same way that Diablo II has done. One thing is for certain - the release issues, DRM requirements, and auction house controversies have not been negatively impacted the company financially. Diablo III has broken the record for amount of pre-sales ordered for a game. The Q2 results are right around the corner and many expect Blizzard Activision to have a record profitable quarter.
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Gnomish Mustard
United States
Texas
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XBOX Live iOS App
Microsoft has just released a free, universal Xbox Live iOS app, available here.
I gave this app a quick try and was very impressed. Everything worked smoothly and quickly. In most cases, everything I tried was faster than the dashboard on the 360. I was able to change my avatar, send messages, check achievements, see who is online, and more. It is definitely worth checking out.
Apples to Apples on Xbox live -
In other news - Apples to Apples has been released on Xbox Live. Apparently the word on the street (which I have not been able to confirm) is that this is not available in the United Kingdom, Also unclear is whether there is any reason as to why.
The game does have a trial version that you can download first before deciding if you want to purchase the full game.
This week's XBLA deals mostly feature titles that are relatively unknown as far as I can tell:
Guwange -- 1/2 off at 400 points ($5)
Bangai-O HD: Missile Fury -- 1/2 off at 400 points ($5)
Hard Corps: Uprising (Not listed in the database yet - who wants to enter it?) -- 1/2 off at 600 points ($7.50)
Radiant Silvergun -- 1/2 off at 600 points ($7.50)
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Gnomish Mustard
United States
Texas
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VGG Mod
A quick note for everyone at VGG: We need to step up our game for moderating content submitted by your fellow users. Having a relatively quick submission process encourages more submissions and therefore more interaction on the site. Outside of geekgold for moderating there is a sense of ownership in deciding which content will be allowed on the site.
As of this writing, there are nearly 150 pending images, over 100 videos, 7 article links, and 9 data submissions. In contrast there are just over 50 total items on the board game side of the site pending moderation.
You can moderate content by clicking here to go to geekmod. Guidelines are posted for approval or denial of images so let's get this down to a more reasonable number!
And now for some news...!
Batman Arkham City
According to a tweet from the developer there is some new DLC coming for Batman Arkham City. Details are skim, but the tweet says: "Brand new DLC coming December 20th with all new Batcave. Jokers carnival and the iceberg lounge also available to download then!"
Gears of War 3
Gears of War is also coming out with new DLC in December! For 1200 MS points (unless you purchased the season pass at the 33% discount) this content allows you to play as RAAM, who is a villain in the first Gears of War game.
The official press release states: "RAAM's Shadow" drops players into the events of Sera post-Emergence Day, as Zeta Squad is enlisted to evacuate Ilima City and protect the citizens against a Locust Kryll storm. Taking on the infamous Locust leader from "Gears 1," General RAAM, Zeta is led by Michael Barrick (from "Gears of War" comics fame) and comprised of familiar faces such as Lt. Minh Young Kim ("Gears 1") and Tai Kaliso ("Gears 2"), and also includes a new female comrade, Alicia Valera.
In addition to fighting as a new squad of Gears, players will step into the boots of RAAM himself, and for the first time storm the human stronghold from the perspective of one of the series' most legendary bosses.
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Uncharted 3 has released two images of their "flashback map pack #1" DLC. Details aren't very forthcoming but sharp eyes think the map pack contains Uncharted 2's "The Fort" map and a thawed out version of "The Ice Cave".
For all you DLC junkies out there, Uncharted 3 has a program called the Fortune Hunter's Club. For $24.99 you will be considered pre-paid for all of the upcoming DLC for the game. This totals four map packs and three character skin packs.
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Gnomish Mustard
United States
Texas
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Hello VideoGameGeek fans, time for the first update from Gnomish Mustard, representing all your gaming condiments!
Terraria
Big news out of the Terraria camp: the developer said that a new update is coming that will "completely change the game." Due out December 1st, this looks to be a large expansion to the game.
Check out the teaser video trailer here:
(Skip to 2:46 to check out some cool new opponents)
Battlefield 3
In other news, Battlefield 3 has been banned for sale in Iran. Apparently the single player campaign hit a little too close to home, as there are also some reports that merely playing the game will be met with punishment, be it jail time or fines.
Technically, BF3 is not even for sale in Iran, but pirated copies of PC software are par for the course in that country and having its sale and play completely banned is a sad day for the gamers there. EA responded by saying, "In that Battlefield 3 is not available for purchase in Iran, we can only hope the ban will help prevent pirated copies reaching consumers there."
Those of us not banned from playing Battlefield 3 can look forward to the new DLC, coming sometime in December. The DLC is free for those who pre-ordered the game or have the limited edition version. Otherwise it will be 1200 Microsoft points / $15. This DLC features 10 new weapons, 3 new vehicles, 4 maps, and much more:
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