Got a few copper for a special lady?
There are lots of guys playing World of Warcraft. Lots of lonely guys. That's what we imagine is the thought process behind whoever createdWhores of Warcraft- and posted up a picture of two feisty cosplayers along with a "Coming Soon" message. We're not too impressed by the name, though - we preferWorld of Whorecraft. Wouldn't you just know that it's already taken, too? Rather than sexy imagery, it just barfs up a generic text-only page, with categories created to help the sex-starved gamer get what he needs - such as "World of Warcraft" and "Whore."
We tried to track down info on both sites, but they're both registered through services that block curious eyes from finding out who's in charge. The one piece of info that we were able to uncover is that Whores of Warcraft is hosted bya companythat allows adult content, so the site may be... well, we hesitate to use the word "legit." But real. All too real.
What the hell
In the latest nauseatingly adorablePR stunt that (somehow)results in at least a little good karma for the company in question, EA has decided to take over the town of Madden, Mississippi on August 22 to celebrate the release of Madden NFL 07 on Xbox 360. Every town resident - all 74 of them - gets a free 360 in the bargain, which is the nice bit. If you don't live there, then, well... we're not sure what makes this story interesting. We're just still staring at the email and mouthing "Maddenoliday" silently in disbelief.
DS, a cultural phenomenon?
It is in the words of Tokyo-based journo Tim Rogers, who points out that two DS games have sold over three million copies in Japan, with New Super Mario Bros. on its way to doing so well before the end of the year. Let's not forget that the latest Pokemon game isn't even out yet, which should bring the kiddies into the fray. Today'sThis Week in Japan, over at our sister site Next Generation, is so jam-packed with Pokemon DS info, in fact, that if you have even the faintest interest in the game you had better read it. You'll learn a ton about its online modes, which sound hella cool. Really.
From one extreme to the other
First, Kotakupicks up onMadCatz's retro joystick for the 360, designed to let you play all of those Xbox Live Arcade games in style. In fact,further diggingreveals thatit'll even be bundled with a couponto let you download a handful of them. On the other end of the spectrum, Microsoft has droppedwordthat it may release an "advanced" version of its 360 controller that will allow for more precise control in first and third person shooters. It's nice to see the company catering to its fans, but guys - how about we get a game without high powered automatic weaponry? No, Viva Pinata doesn't count.
Always low prices, never unrated games
People out there really and truly think that violent video games cause violent behavior. Whether they're right or wrong, they tend to have really loud voices. Some claimed victory when Wal-Mart ended preorders for Rockstar's ever-controversial Bully; well, too bad, guys, because that's not why the company yanked that game from its website.Kotaku reportsthat, following discussions over the course of "weeks if not months" Wal-Mart decided to stop offering up games that aren't yet rated by the ESRB for sale. It's as simple as that and it makes a lot of sense. Loudmouths: 0, common sense: 1.
Darkness... rises?
Well over 4,000 Neverwinter Nights modules have been created and freely distributed by avid electronic Dungeon Masters. One of the most anticipated, Darkness over Daggerford, was slated to be the final, biggest and best retail add-on product for the original Neverwinter. But Darkness over Daggerford was cancelled, and all development was thought to have stopped at that point. Turns out that's not the case. Development continued in secret, and today, the 25+ hour Sword Coast adventure is available to players level eight and above, for free. That pic up top is taken from it, in fact. We raise our mugs of grog (or coffee, actually - we're on the clock) to the power of fan service!
Cruise over to theNeverwinter Nights Vaultto get the free module, and if you want to know plenty more about, flip over tothis interviewwith one of its creators.
Warhamming it up
If you're a Warhammer junkie, then we know you've probably already checked out thesecond installment of the Mark of Chaos featurewe put up this week. But if you aren't a fan of the franchise... well, maybe you won't be able to resist too much longer. The Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War RTS is getting the Dark Crusade expansion from Relic; EA is pushing the hulking mass ofWarhammer Online; the aforementioned Warhammer: Mark of Chaos RTS is coming from THQ. The Warhammer realm is getting more quality time from game developers than any other franchise involving grown men pushing small pewter statuettes around that we can think of. We've addedeven more screensforChaos today. Quick tip: hit the 'supersize' button for a high-res original - they make delicious desktop wallpaper.
August 18, 2006