AICN Games: Monki's Weekly Wrap-Up! Harry Potter, Call of Duty 4 and El Debarge!
Greetings humans, Monki here with a steaming pile of gaming news. MMMmmmm...aroma.
For those of you who have been reading my last few columns, I've been working on a new treehouse and I spent most of today inhaling fumes from the new paint on my walls. To get an idea of kind of what that feels like, please watch the following video at least five times.
Good god I love that. *Inhales paint*
I had a pretty good week, I was out in Santa Monica checking out the Activision Pre-E3 event that I'll be talking about in a few weeks...good stuff there, my "Unlikely Pair-Up" contest just wrapped this past Friday and I've got to dig through the entries on that one and I'm lining up another contest as we speak.
This week I'm heading up to Dallas to check out the Video Games Live! symphony going on and hopefully talking with a few people involved with that for an upcoming column I'm putting together on music and gaming. So far its looking pretty solid. For more info on Video Games Live! check out their site. I've heard nothing but incredible praise, so I'm pretty stoked to see it.
We've got a decent amount to go over, so lets go ahead and jump in.
Press Releases of the Week!
I'm not a huge MMO fan. Never have been. That being said, there are a metric-shit-ton of people who love MMOs. Check this out:
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - June 13, 2007 - Electronic Arts Inc, the world's leading interactive entertainment company, today announced that more than 200,000 players have signed up for the Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning (WAR) closed beta test.
The Warhammer Online Beta Center opened simultaneously in North America and Europe on May 30th, and the 200,000 registration mark was surpassed over the weekend, less than ten days after launch. This makes the beta test of Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning one of the most rapidly growing beta tests in the history of the MMORPG category. The Beta Center is currently open and accepting applications at https://betacenter.eamythic.com/signup.php.
Mark Jacobs, VP and General Manager of EA Mythic said, "We would like to thank the community for their tremendous response to Warhammer Online. The overwhelming worldwide reaction to the beta test has been phenomenal. The team has been working incredibly hard to create a genre-defining experience, and the beta sign-ups certainly validate the direction we're taking the game. Player input and testing will be crucial in our efforts to complete the game, and we look forward to beta participants' help in shaping Warhammer Online."
Based on Games Workshop's epic tabletop fantasy war game, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning features revolutionary Realm vs. Realm (RvR) game play and is scheduled for release on the PC in the first quarter of calendar 2008.
Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning is not yet rated by the ESRB. For more information about the game, please visit www.warhammeronline.com.
200,000 beta players in 10 days? That's like two million a day.
I am a HUGE fan of this whole "multiplayer beta" test fad going around with developers now. Halo 3, Shadowrun...it gives such a better taste of what the game is going to be like and you feel special playing a game before release. At least, I feel special. It's like taking candy from a crying child...it warms my heart.
Speaking of Halo 3 Beta...it ended. It hurts. Now I'm back to Guitar Hero 2 and wanting to shoot myself in the head trying to get back STOP by Jane's Mother-fucking Addiction on the Hard difficulty. I mean seriously! The jump in challenge from "medium" to "hard" is like a punch in the arm from your friend to being kicked in the junk by Chuck Norris.
REDMOND, Wash. - June 13, 2007 - The countdown has begun for the biggest entertainment event of 2007 with the close of Bungie Studios' massively successful "Halo® 3" multiplayer beta. A first for the acclaimed "Halo" franchise, the limited public beta was an overwhelming success, seeing more than 820,000 unique participants and more than 12 million hours of online gameplay in its short test period, equivalent to more than 1,400 years of continuous play by one person.
Now that the beta has closed, consumers worldwide can gear up for the game's release with a variety of new merchandise, including two new Xbox 360 Limited Edition "Halo 3" Wireless Controllers designed by Spawn and McFarlane Toys creator Todd McFarlane, as well as an Xbox 360 Limited Edition "Halo 3" Wireless Headset, which lets gamers talk with friends over Xbox LIVE®. The controllers and headset will be available starting in early September and can be preordered at select retailers today, allowing "Halo" fans everywhere to prepare for the launch of this year's biggest game.
"The participation in the 'Halo 3' beta was staggering," said Shane Kim, corporate vice president of Microsoft Game Studios. "Witnessing such a great reaction to a small portion of the game has been inspiring. It's a testament to the fervor and anticipation that surrounds 'Halo 3.' We're confident that on Sept. 25 Halo 3 will drive an unprecedented wave of new gamers to the Xbox 360 platform and Xbox LIVE."
The "Halo 3" beta, an early look at parts of the multiplayer gameplay of "Halo 3," debuted to Xbox 360 owners worldwide via Xbox LIVE on May 16. The more than 820,000 users who played the beta resulted in more than 350 terabytes of data downloaded from Xbox LIVE, equivalent to more than 82 million digital music downloads from the Internet.* Also telling was the players' response to an exciting new saved-film feature, which provided them with the unprecedented ability to record their games and share them over Xbox LIVE with friends for the first time on Xbox 360. The feature, which was unveiled in the beta, saw more than 580,000 saved films created by users, representing more than 2.7 terabytes of data. Because of the tremendous participation in the beta, Bungie now has an exhaustive amount of data that will be used to improve the overall game experience.
Fans looking to immerse themselves in the "Halo" universe before the game's epic launch this September will be able to dive into "Halo" through a variety of new merchandise and accessories:
Xbox 360 Limited Edition "Halo 3" Wireless Controllers. Two new Xbox 360 Limited Edition Halo 3 Wireless Controllers will be available starting Sept. 18 and can be preordered today at select retailers. Designed with original artwork by legendary Spawn artist Todd McFarlane, they will be available in either the Covenant Brute or Master Chief themes. Each controller will be packaged with a limited edition "Halo 3" collectible figurine created by McFarlane Toys will sell for an estimated retail price $59.99 (U.S.).
Xbox 360 Limited Edition "Halo 3" Wireless Headset. For the "Halo 3" enthusiast who enjoys wireless mobility while playing with friends on Xbox LIVE, the Xbox 360 Limited Edition Halo 3 Wireless Headset will sport the Spartan green and gold and provide high-quality voice connections over Xbox LIVE for an estimated retail price of $59.99 (U.S.). Available in early September, this accessory can be preordered today at select retailers.
"Halo: Contact Harvest." "Halo" fans can look forward to the latest book in the "Halo" saga, "Halo: Contact Harvest," published by Tor Books and due Oct. 2, 2007. Written by Joseph Staten, the Bungie Studios cinematic and writing lead for the first two "Halo" games, the newest piece of fiction precedes the current New York Times' best-selling book series, telling the tale of the first encounters between UNSC forces and the alien Covenant race that threatens to destroy all humanity. The trade paperback will cost $12.95 (U.S.).
Marvel Comic miniseries. Bungie Studios has teamed up with Marvel Comics to release the monthly miniseries "Halo: Uprising." The four-issue miniseries, featuring original storylines and artwork from the Eisner Award-winning team of superscribe Brian Michael Bendis and artist extraordinaire Alex Maleev, will launch with issue one on July 25, 2007 and cost $3.99 (U.S.) per issue.
Zune-Halo 3 edition. Encased in collectible packaging, the Zune-Halo 3 edition digital media player comes preloaded with artwork, trailers and music from all three "Halo" games, as well as an exclusive new episode of "Red vs. Blue" from the fan-adored machinima creator Rooster Teeth Productions LLC. The Zune-Halo 3 edition will be available exclusively at GameStop starting June 15 for an estimated retail price of $249 (U.S.).
Quint sent me a link for those Halo 3 controllers over at Spawn.com. Kinda cool...but at the same time...don't your hands cover up the majority of the artwork? Wouldn't that be like me designing a seat cushion with my face on it? Wait, I know plenty of people who would buy a seat cushion with my face on it...I think I'm on to something here.
Pretty Images of the Week!
We've got a crapload of images/video to get through this week so I'll jump right on in.
Manhunt 2. This game looks freaking wild. Seriously cool stuff on their website. Anyway, I've got some concept art from the game to show you kids. Personally I dig all the behind the scenes stuff in video games cause you so rarely get to see that stuff.
You can click on the images to get a larger view too.
The following is a picture of Quint and I's cameo in the game.
That'll make such a lovely Christmas card.
Up next are a few screens from the upcoming Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix game. I've got screens from all three systems and a trailer. They'll go in this order, Wii, 360, PS3 and all of them are clickable for the larger image. Enjoy!
I personally think Harry Potter for the Wii sounds like a cool idea...I just wonder if the families that hate Wizards and Warlocks due to their Satanist nature will let their children play the game. Or do they think that the Wii is the devil? Crazy remote control video-magic-tool-of-the-devil!!
Last, but not least are some screens from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. I'm not supposed to say anything yet about the game, so I won't. I'll just say these are IN-GAME screens. The first two are console screens and the second two are from the PC version. Also, they be clickable. So be clickin'.
July 11th. You'll get my report. For now enjoy your new wallpaper. Special thanks to my buddy the "Doom Lord" who helped me with some graphic stuff this week.
Earlier this week I flew out to California and while I was in the airport I had a bit of an amazing moment.
I was sitting at the terminal waiting for my plane to begin boarding and playing my DS Lite with a copy of Puzzle Quest stuffed inside. As I'm sitting there a mother and her two daughters plop down next to me and start jabbering away about god knows what. One daughter didn't want to stand still so her mom sent her off on an errand to get them some drinks for the plane.
Then the strangest thing happened. The mother asked me what I was playing.
What? Really? Someone showing interest in a video game? Let alone a mother of at least two children?
I peeked up from behind my pearly white screens and look over. The mom and the younger daughter are both very interested in what is going on over on my DS. The little girl had a look of "whoa, an adult with a Nintendo!" on her face.
At the time I engaged them in some conversation about Puzzle Quest and how it was a fun game and perfect for a handheld and blah blah blah. The mom asked me to help her with her Blackberry to disable wireless for the plane and soon enough we were separated as we took our seats.
I didn't really think about the whole incident a lot when I was sitting there, but looking back now I honestly believe that I encountered something important. If I was 8 or 9 and I bumped into a 20-something stranger at an airport while I was with my father and he was holding on a GameBoy I probably would have freaked out too.
Old people play video games too?
The only time I ever caught a glimpse of an older person playing a game was at the local arcade and those guys were just as quick to try to pawn off a bag of pot on you as they are to beat your ass at MK2.
It's weird being on that 'other side' of gaming. In situations like that I feel responsible to really represent my passion. I love gaming and I love seeing people that are getting into it. If by talking with these two at an airport for any brief moment made the mother more comfortable with her child playing a game, then I feel I've done something extraordinary. Do you have a nephew or niece that is old enough to start playing some Super Mario? Try getting them set up in front of a Wii. How old were you when you started gaming? I think I was 4 when my dad first pulled up a chair to the Ikari Warriors machine at Skaggs up in North Austin. Ikari Warriors led to Toobin' and then to Narc when I then stumbled onto Street Fighter 2 and then I never looked back.
Play some Lego Star Wars with your kid brother or sister, remember, when our generation takes over all those old bastards in the government trying to get rid of video games will all be gone, and then life will be grand.
Enjoy gaming kids. It's not the devil, I promise.
The Final Minute with Monki!
Whew, that was a big one. I hope you kids like the images and trailers and El Debarge videos. I go out of my way to find those for you.
Keep your eyes peeled this week for more AICN Games stuff, I've got a review on deck and one almost ready to come from some of the other Games writers and I've got another contest coming soon to launch. I just gotta figure out what the hell to do on it. It involves music, that's all I'm going to give you.
Okay, to wrap up I have a two-step process for you. Step 1: Watch this video.
Kinda funny right? This makes it funnier. Step 2: Watch THIS video.
It's funny because it's true. This guy won $27,000 over the previous two days, so don't rag on him for blowing his shot on money. That dude has balls.
I wonder what happens if you say Wink Martindale's name backwards. Hmmmm...
That does it for me kids, I've got a long week of painting, music listening, half-ass BNAT's and El Debarge watching. Until next time, back up the tree I go.
