Last night, Blizzard opened up the NDA floodgates of a recent press event, where attendees (including our sister site WoW.com) learned of a few more changes the upcoming Cataclysm expansion will visit upon World of Warcraft. The game's big dungeons and raids? Those are changing. The classic zones which were ruined by the titular Cataclysm? Those are getting changed. Even some of the big changes which were announced last year are changing. It's a lot to take in.
We suggest checking out WoW.com's write-up on the new content, such as the Guild Leveling system and the new secondary Archaeology profession. We'd also suggest listening to some appropriate tunes while you do so, but that part's entirely up to you.
E3 2005 wasn’t a huge one for Nintendo. The big deal at the show was a chance to place The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. As you can see from the line above, quite a few people were willing to do that. Perhaps that’s because Nintendo didn’t have much else to show. [...]
#buyersguide
So often, we get asked for advice on what to buy - not games, necessarily, but major purchases. Hardware. This week, Kotaku published its first series of buyers' guides, delivering our whys and why-nots for all major consoles and handhelds. More »
I have no idea what Nintendo’s ‘Face Pilot’ is, nor do I know what Capcom’s ‘Black Tiger’ is all about. Perhaps we’ll learn more of these titles at E3. Thanks to Cypher for the heads up!
Is Best Buy’s official game magazine going to be worth the time of gamers? It does have some good people working on the staff, and the presentation seems nice as well. It’s just hard to tell if consumers that hit up Best Buy will be interested in getting a game magazine. I [...]
#photoshop
Friday we got hold of a schematic, and working off that, developed a mockup of the hotly anticipated Nintendo 3DS. Many Bothan spies died to bring you that information. Now we expect you to make a joke of it. More »
Whether you're bored, cheap or in desperate need of a new on-the-go gaming addiction (perhaps for that long flight out to the west coast for a major electronic entertainment convention?), you'll want to hop on the App Store with all available haste to take advantage of a pretty wicked offer. For this weekend only, the first two installments in the pseudo-episodic iPhone version of Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords have been rolled into one totally free package.
The third (and final) chapter of the game is still selling at its usual retail price of $1.99, but we wouldn't worry too much about that. It's not like you'll be compelled to get that far in the game because it's super, super addictive or anything.
#offtopic
Yesterday I said that - and not for the usual reasons - when Mom told me my card to Dad was not customarily late but spoiler-alert early. More »
Though Joystiq has undergone some substantial design changes recently, we still think it's important for us to remember our roots. We're keep the spirit of the old, blue Joystiq alive in the El Verde-designed logo posted above. That way, when we show our grandkids the fruits of our internet labor, we can point to the Weekly Webcomic Wrapup's branding and say, "well, Darlene, the whole site used to look like that." (Note: If our future children ever name their future children "Darlene," we will disown them.)
Below are our seven favorite gaming-centric webcomics from this past week. Give them a once-over, pick your favorite, and then cast your ballot in the poll posted after the jump!
Project Hatesphere (Penny Arcade) Yeah, It's Kinda Like That (Virtual Shackles) As The Old Saying Goes (Extra Life) Gotta Count 'Em All (Dueling Analogs) A Link to the Music (Nerf Now) Black Hole Sun (Digital Unrest) Socket To Me (Awkward Zombie)
Looks like Epic Mickey is going to be a big deal for Disney at E3. With promo posters lining much of the walls in the convention center, I’d say the game is a lock for the show floor. Hopefully Nintendo will spotlight the title during their presser as well. I guess we’ll [...]
There are some rather big-name Japanese devs heading out to E3 next week. As you can see, most of the devs have taken to Twitter to express their excitement. All the messages above are related to heading to E3, and preparing for the long trip. Of course, one dev had to make [...]
With the advent of the iPhone/iPad, it’s hard to argue anything other than the fact that Apple has created devices with innovative design, near-perfect user interface, and paired it with top-notch marketing and PR campaigns. Apple products have raised the bar for innovative products on every level. But, one of the interesting opportunities that has [...]
You could watch actual World Cup soccer games on TV this weekend, but wouldn't you rather dive into 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa instead? Good thing then that Amazon's offering up a 20 percent discount on the Xbox and Wii versions, making right now the moment to live out your dream of seeing Uruguay finally take the cup.
The latest trailer for Sony Online Entertainment's espionagetastic MMO, The Agency, shows us a side of the world of counterintelligence that we rarely get to see: Action-packed deathmatches. How else did you expect the game's player vs. player element to pan out? Though eight-hour-long rounds of competitive target surveillance might be more thematically appropriate, we don't think they'd be very entertaining after the first few minutes.
Self-described as "bohemian independent developers," The Bearded Ladies are making their debut on the PlayStation Network later this month with Landit Bandit, a "casual-helicopter-adventure game." Players assume the role of Marley, on a quest to go back to The Big City in his incredibly fragile wooden helicopter. "It's Moonlander, in 3D," David Skarin simply summarizes.
In addition to a single player campaign, there's two split screen modes: co-op and a competitive "duel" mode. As with many other PSN games, global leaderboards will rank your performance as well. Landit Bandit is scheduled to release in Europe first: June 23, for 12.99 Euros. North America can expect a July release. Check out a trailer after the break.
#photoshop
Some complained that stamping out license plates for no pay was a menial chore, but there are some prison laborers who still take pride in a job well done. Here are 20 of Kotaku's. More »
#mma
505 Games, fresh from putting out the unlicensed pro football challenger Backbreaker, will bring an unlicensed mixed martial arts title to E3, one that promises action more brutal than the UFC or Strikeforce-branded games. More »
GameVideos recently got its hands on a pair of video demonstrations of Arc System Works and Konami's spiritual Contra successor, Hard Corps: Uprising. One features a single-player run-through of the game's opening level, while the other fills us with the capacity to love again.
#humor
We all know Mario is the not the game character best equipped to clean up in the aftermath of a gargantuan environmental disaster. That would be Phoenix Wright. More »
