I was at BlizzCon this past weekend and, as promised, I will now attempt to put into to words the madness that was the two days I spent in the Anaheim convention center.
First of all, I completely broke protocol and instead of dressing as a night elf or a blood elf or whatever else girls are supposed to do at World of Warcraft-related events – I dressed like a character from My Little Pony. In fact, my friends and I all did. We have a guild called “Friendship is Magic” so we thought it fitting, though we did get one or two tight-ass BlizzCon fanatics giving us the stink eye. Everyone else loved it.
First and foremost, even though I’m about six days behind on this (hey, I was at BlizzCon) they announced the new WoW expansion — Mists of Pandaria. They’re introducing a new race (Pandaren) and a new class (Monk) as well as a whole new pet battle system that’s essentially a glorified Pokémon element added to Azeroth. The story is such that the Island of Pandaria has been shrouded in mist for some fourteen million years or something, and then due to some sea battle between the Horde and Alliance, we discover it and find the serene, harmonious Pandaren living their happy little lives. Then we fuck it up.
I think it’s cool that instead of there being another big huge boss to defeat (ie. Deathwing, the Lich King) the enemy is war itself. So we’re the bad guys. If you’re playing a Pandaren, you’re fighting the Horde and Alliance; if you’re playing your old toons, then you’re fighting the Panderan. And if we can all look past the obvious Kung Fu Panda similarities (curse you, Jack Black), it all sounds pretty cool.
I got to play the demo twice, first as a Monk (their “roll” feature is awesome!) and then again as a Mage (my personal class of choice). I only got to level 3 the first time but I almost hit level 5 the second time around (probably because I didn’t waste all that time rolling around the village). There’s no release date yet, in standard Blizzard fashion, but I’ll be pumped to play it when it does.
I don’t have most of my other pictures from the convention yet (they were taken on another friend’s camera) so I’ll just wrap up by saying the Foo Fighters concert was awesome, I got to meet most of the members of The Guild (serious fangirl alert) and overall the experience of seeing all those thousands of other gamers in one room with you was an experience I’m happy I shelled out the cash for. I will now leave you with the one other picture I have, which is me in my pony costume on an excessively large mountain thing illuminated with crazy blue light.
I was shown this over the weekend, and I think the message still holds true.
I have to say, I’m actually pretty impressed that they show female gaming/programming representation in the video. But be honest: How many of you don’t even know what a “floppy” is? I feel so old.
AmazonWireless told us they’re giving $15 total in credits towards buying apps, eBooks, and MP3s when you buy a new Android device as part of their “Digital Bonus” for customers.
So if you’re interested in reading/gaming on the go (or while you’re stuck in a boring meeting or class), you can load up your new smartphone with some sweet apps and games.
I have an Android phone (the Samsung Galaxy) and love it. Do you have an Android phone? Let us know your favorite app/game in the comments! (I love 4 Player Reactor myself!)
Being one of the crazies who watched the owls gather all week on J. K. Rowling’s YouTube channel, and stayed up until 4 AM last night waiting for the big announcement — I wish I could tell you what Pottermore is exactly. But I just don’t know.
The official announcement video that was released last night featured JKR herself thanking her fans for sticking with her and explaining the world’s vaguest “online media experience” with a lot of fancy animations involving the pages of a book. This Harry Potter fan proceeded to go to bed confused and a little underwhelmed.
Since waking up this morning, more information has been announced about what Pottermore actually is. According to Harry Potter’s most trusted news site The Leaky Cauldron, Pottermore is “an interactive new Web site and reading experience with more than 18,000 new words from J.K. Rowling”. It’ll be a way to keep Harry relevant in the digital age, giving fans a place to go that includes a rigorous sorting ritual (Man, what if I don’t get Slytherin?) and a chance to re-read the books in a whole new way, with new information sprinkled in (that apparently JKR has been “hoarding” for years). Pottermore will also be the exclusive spot to finally buy digital eBook versions of the Harry Potter series, as well as the audio versions.
Screenshots of the game were released last night, which don’t give too much away, but they’re exciting nonetheless:
So I know you’re asking, “Kristina, when can I start? How do I get excited about something I don’t fully understand?” I know. I’m here for you. Here’s the good news: One million fans are going to get access to a beta on July 31 (which is Harry’s birthday!). The actual full version of the “game” will be open to everyone else in October of this year.
This is all we know, guys. Instead of being frustrated, I’m looking at it this way: Harry Potter fans came together because we spent so much time waiting for books together (can we talk about the great stretch between books 4 and 5?). This is another chance to experience that. So bring on the waiting. This Harry Potter fan is ready to exercise her (im)patience one last time.
In closing, JKR issued a statement this morning saying, “I’ve worked with the most incredible team at TH_NK to make it come alive.” She’s never given me any reason to doubt her before. If she says Pottermore is cool, I believe her.
At Nintendo’s E3 convention, they revealed the Pokédex 3D: a new app that will likely be every Pokémon Trainer’s dream. The idea is that you can look up all the new Pokémon from the most recent Black and White games and view their stats and 3D images right on your 3DS. You get to start with 16 Pokémon and can collect the rest by scanning QR codes or trading with your friends. And it’s free!
The best part is, users will be able to use the 3DS’s Augmented-Reality capabilities to take photos that look like you’re hanging out with your favorite Pokémon. Cool, right? That’s cool.
Well, I know what my Facebook default photo is going to be soon.
The Xperia PLAY is for Verizon, and is available on sale at Amazon Wireless. (Plus, according to my contacts at AW, you’ll get a bonus $10 app store credit if you get the phone through June 4th.)
This is the first Playstation-certified phone, has a slideout Playstation controller, an Android OS (2.3, or Gingerbread), and comes with 2 GB of pre-loaded games. Games include Asphalt 6: Adrenaline, Bruce Lee Dragon Warrior, Crash Bandicoot, Madden NFL 11, The Sims 3, Star Battalion, and TETRIS.
I have an Android right now (the Samsung Galaxy S) and love it. I can’t even imagine having it slide out into a game controller. Freakin sweet.
Will you be getting one of these phones? I’d love to hear a review!
These PSN guys got me thinking… if I can only hack into a large database of names and credit card numbers, I could go shopping FOREVER. Right, guys? RIGHT?
Lucikly, I’ve got my favorite hacking site with me: Hackertyper.net.
So the hacking may not be real, but you’ll feel like you’re saving the world. Seriously. I’m not sure why, but I have gone back to this every day for three days in a row now. And I just giggle like crazy while “hacking”.
