Continue reading »]]> Even if you’re a test-tube baby, you still came from a Mother. Your Mother is solely responsible for your existence (as it is the Mother’s place to decide if she wants to carry a baby or not) beyond the initial conception, so be grateful she decided that she wants you!

Do something special for your Mother today. Take her out to dinner, buy her flowers or…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0DeIqJm4vM

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The creator of InstantIdiocy.com, Dustin DuBois, is now offering freelance website and graphic design services via his website @ dustindubois.com/services.

Some of the services on offer…

• Logo Design
• Business Card Design
• WordPress Website Creation
• Search Engine Optimization
• Custom Social Networking Graphics
• Much more!

Make sure to check out his website and see if there’s anything he can do to help you! The D.Zigns portfolio is pretty slim still but you can help it along by contacting D.Zigns for a project. In exchange, you’ll get extremely fair rates and quality work. He’s even willing to barter in some instances!

Non-profits shouldn’t be shy either, D.Zigns will work with just about any budget.

See What’s Available At..

www.dustindubois.com/services

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The Guild Wars 2 Beta Weekend event has been underway for almost 6 hours now and it’s pretty fun so far! Some of the questing is a little dry & tedious but they pop up surveys frequently to ask you what you thought of the last mission, etc. That’s what playing during a Beta is all about, giving feedback – letting the developers know what you think. You (we) paid for the game, you (we) might as well do our best to have some impact on its development!

On to the screenshots. I don’t have any video for you yet as I am playing on an older computer but I was able to bump the graphics back up to take some still shots (I can almost play it with pretty graphics but not quite and Fraps definitely makes a huge impact). So far, I have 3 characters created; a female Human Engineer, a Charr Elementalist and a Norn Necromancer. I don’t have much yet but I will get more posted as the Beta Weekend event progresses.

Click on any of the images for full-size.

More screenshots and some videos on the way! Check back.

Continue reading »]]> Yesterday I finished plugging through the Diablo III Open Beta with a Wizard character and I have some screenshots and videos to show you. I’m working on trying out the other classes but have been unable to connect to the beta servers. I’m not going to do a full review on the game since it’s not the final Retail release but at the end of the post I will have a little something to say.

For now, check out some short game-play videos and screenshots!

• We’ll start with a quick clip of your Character Details window and everything that is tracked for your player character.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKSPaPI905M

• Next, a quick chat with our old buddy, Deckard Cain. Stay a while and listen!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtjtDSw6Yro

• Here is a video of how you acquire the Town Portal spell/ability. No more scrolls!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgQob-ZZzKU

• This is what it looks like when you open your private game up to admittance by the general public.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgwUBGkdeS8

• This video is the “final” battle of the Diablo III open beta, after which it informs you that you have defeated the beta.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79LuSKh7-d8

Here’s a gallery of screenshots that I took during the open beta.

My initial thoughts on Diablo III… it’s not really what I was hoping for. I understand that the final retail release may be better but my main issue is with having to maintain logged in to the Battle.net servers to play a single-player game. I don’t see a problem with just not allowing single-player characters to play in multi-player games, or allowing people the choice of letting single-to-multi-player converted characters onto their game. It seems like we lose a lot of choice in an already underwhelming delivery. As of right now, I won’t be buying this. No offline mode is a deal-breaker. Not to mention the game itself is.. meh.

Continue reading »]]> All you need is a Battle.net account (which is free!) to get in on this weekend’s Open Beta Stress-Test of Diablo III!

The Battle.net blog post states that the Open Beta will run from Friday, April 20 at 12:01 p.m. PDT (that’s 12-noon Pacific Daylight-Savings Time), until Monday, April 23 at 10:00 a.m. PDT. By that clock, I’ve got about 20 minutes before the servers are open!

Click here to download the Diablo III game client.

(after you’ve created a Battle.net account or logged into an existing one)

I’m ready!

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ArenaNet made a twitter announcement giving us the dates for the first Beta Weekend event that pre-purchasers get to participate in!

Are you ready for the Beta Weekend event?

The blog-site KillTenRats.com has a nice article offering some tips for the Guild Wars 2 Beta Weekend event. They describe some things you can probably expect to encounter, parts of the game to make sure you check out and more! Follow the link above to read up.

If you have pre-purchased Guild Wars 2 and completed registration, then you’ve encountered a link to the “Beta Forums“. These forums will only be open during the beta events (they’ll open them a day or two before the event) and outside of the beta there will be no “real” forums until closer to launch, per the Guild Wars 2 Twitter feed. We’ll likely be reminded of the forums when they send out a more official Beta Weekend event announcement but I’ve got it bookmarked anyway.

Some more good news about the Beta Weekend event; it won’t be restricted by a Non-Disclosure Agreement, as can be read on the Guild Wars 2 Twitter feed! Get ready to start building your screenshot and video collection! We’ll definitely be sharing some images and videos here, so make sure to check back.

If you really like manipulating the screenshots/videos, making wallpapers, etc – then you should download the Guild Wars 2 Asset Kit. It comes with all sorts of high quality images from logos to character art. There is a high-resolution pack that is 693MB (great for web graphics!) and a lower-resolution pack that is 211MB (great for mobile/small graphics!).

Now you are ready for the first Guild Wars 2 Beta Weekend event! As long as you pre-purchased Guild Wars 2 from ArenaNet (or other authorized source) and entered you’re registration code at https://register.guildwars2.com you’ll be golden and ready to join in the fun!

Keep an eye out at the official ArenaNet blog for the latest updates, straight from the horse’s mouth!

http://www.arena.net/blog

We’ll also be maintaining coverage of the Guild Wars 2 Beta Weekend and do our best to keep you in the loop!

Continue reading »]]> Did you pre-purchase Guild Wars 2? I sure hope so! I got mine first thing this morning when I woke up.

Sure, you still can’t play the game right away but at least this gets the ball rolling! Pre-purchasing Guild Wars 2 from NCSoft gets you in the game faster than you would have (unless you’ve already been doing some Beta play!).

Check it out! You get:

• Access to all Guild Wars 2 Beta Weekend events. If you were anxious to get into the beta testing and haven’t gotten invited, this is your golden ticket!
• Three days of head-start access when the game launch date arrives.
• In-game item: Hero’s Band – This item grants you; +2 Power, +2 Precision, +2 Toughness, +2 Vitality, +2 Condition Damage, +2 Healing and +2% Critical Damage.

Is that worth buying early? Absolutely! You’re not paying any extra for the game! You may as well get in early and see if you can have a say in development via the beta testing. Player feedback is very important to a video game, since it’s the players who will be playing it!

So, head over to the Guild Wars 2 website and Pre-Purchase your digital copy today!

(You’ll just be getting a game key in your e-mail, there’s nothing to download right away)

And remember folks, do not download anything or purchase anything that isn’t coming from GuildWars2.com.

Since pre-purchase has become available, the phishing and scamming attempts have greatly increased. Make sure you buy the game from http://Buy.GuildWars2.com to get the Pre-Purchase benefits!

Steer clear of any website claiming to have a Guild Wars 2 client/game download when the official Guild Wars 2 website does not.

Oh, did you know Felicia Day is going to be doing some voice work for Guild Wars 2?

Continue reading »]]> It’s already the first week of December but you still have enough time to procure some goodies for those gamers & geeks on your gift-list! There are some fantastic game releases this year and we’ll show you some of the ones we think are the coolest!

Check these out…

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations

Stabby stabby…

The latest Ubisoft inhumation tale, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations looks pretty good. While not an addition to the main story line, it definitely succeeds in fulfilling your climbing-around-and-jump-stabbing needs for this year.

Here’s a synopsis:

When a man has won all of his battles and defeated all of his enemies; what is left for him to achieve? Ezio Auditore must leave his life behind in search of answers, in search of the truth. In Assassin’s Creed® Revelations, master assassin Ezio Auditore walks in the footsteps of the legendary mentor Altaïr, on a journey of discovery and revelation. It is a perilous path — one that will take Ezio to Constantinople, the heart of the Ottoman Empire, where a growing army of Templars threatens to destabilize the region.

In addition to the culmination of Ezio’s award-winning story, a refined and expanded online multiplayer experience returns with new and additional modes, maps, and characters, allowing you to test your slaying skills against others from around the world.

This one certainly looks like a solid choice. And, you can get it quicker as a digital download!

Batman: Arkham City

I am the terror that flaps in the night! Or wait.. wrong caped crusader.

Batman is back in the next Arkham installment and this game is sweet. Check it out.

Batman: Arkham City is third-person Action-Adventure game that delivers an authentic Dark Knight experience rooted in an original and engrossing story as well as a combination of melee combat, stealth, investigative and speed-based challenge gameplay. A sequel to 2009′s Batman: Arkham Asylum, Arkham City features the full range of classic enemies seen in the previous game, in addition to Catwoman, who is a playable character and has her own storyline in the new release.

Additional features include: a range of new gadgets, an increased number of possible melee opponents and a range of movement options for Batman that include leaping, sliding, gliding and the grapple hook.

This one should definitely be on the list for any Batman fans. For the PS3 or Xbox 360 gamers, there is a Collector’s Edition that comes with all sorts of neat goodies (Batman statue, art book, early access to in-game bonuses and more!) – definitely a great gift idea.

Battlefield 3

For the First-person Shooter fans on your list, there are two big buys you should be looking at. The first one on this list is Battlefield 3, from DICE and EA.

Battlefield 3 leaps ahead of the competition with the power of Frostbite 2, the next installment of DICE’s cutting-edge game engine. This state-of-the-art technology is the foundation on which Battlefield 3 is built, delivering superior visual quality, a grand sense of scale, massive destruction, dynamic audio and incredibly lifelike character animations. As bullets whiz by, walls crumble, and explosions throw you to the ground, the battlefield feels more alive and interactive than ever before.

In Battlefield 3, players step into the role of the elite U.S. Marines where they will experience heart-pounding single player missions and competitive multi-player actions ranging across diverse locations from around the globe including Europe, Middle-East and North America.

If you’re getting this as a gift for someone, you may want to discreetly find out if the intended recipient is a Battlefield fan or a Call of Duty fan – some folks take that seriously .

This one is also available for Digital Download if you want to get it quicker!

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

This is the other big First-person Shooter game for 2011, from Infinity Ward & Activision. Between Modern Warfare 3 and Battlefield 3, you’ve got a couple of great options to “deck the halls with bombshells falling – falalalala…”. If one doesn’t do it for the gun-nut/gamer on your list, there’s nothing wrong with getting both!

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is First-person Shooter rooted in a fictional, but ultra realistic near-future conflict of mostly American forces with those of the Russian Federation around the globe.

The third installment in the Modern Warfare branch of the Call of Duty franchise, Modern Warfare 3 features a heavy focus on multiplayer gameplay which includes innovative new functionality that encourages multiple gameplay combat strategies, a new 2-player co-op option, new play modes, weapons and more. The game also includes a gripping single player campaign that picks up where Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 left off.

Modern Warfare 3 is also available as a Digital Download, so you can get it even faster! And for the console-gamers (Playstation 3 / Xbox 360) on your list there is a “Hardened Edition” of Modern Warfare 3 that comes with all kinds of tangible & digital goodies – including (but not limited to) one year of full membership in the Call of Duty Elite service (which gets you future DLCs, map packs and more!)

(The) Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

The much-anticipated next installation in the Elder Scrolls series, Skyrim is sure to please. Beautiful graphics, the solid Bethesda Role-playing Game style and a great story make this a smart buy for pretty much any gaming fan on your list. Here’s a synopsis;

The next chapter in the highly anticipated Elder Scrolls saga arrives from the makers of the 2006 and 2008 Games of the Year, Bethesda Game Studios. Skyrim reimagines and revolutionizes the open-world fantasy epic, bringing to life a complete virtual world open for you to explore any way you choose.

Story: “The Empire of Tamriel is on the edge. The High King of Skyrim has been murdered. Alliances form as claims to the throne are made. In the midst of this conflict, a far more dangerous, ancient evil is awakened. Dragons, long lost to the passages of the Elder Scrolls, have returned to Tamriel. The future of Skyrim, even the Empire itself, hangs in the balance as they wait for the prophesized Dragonborn to come; a hero born with the power of The Voice, and the only one who can stand amongst the dragons.”

This is a big release for 2011, you should probably just grab this one if you’re not sure what to get . There is also a lovely Collector’s Edition that includes a statue, a Skyrim art book and more! If you have an Elder Scrolls fan on your list, this Collector’s Edition would be perfect!

L.A. Noire: The Complete Edition

L.A. Noire: The Complete Edition bundles the game with all of the DLCs and addon content that has been released to date. This is also the release that brings L.A. Noire to PC gaming!

Amid the postwar boom of Hollywood’s Golden Age, newly minted detective Cole Phelps is thrown headfirst into a city drowning in violence and corruption. Utilizing groundbreaking new technology that captures an actor’s facial performance in astonishing detail, L.A. Noire is a violent crime thriller that blends breathtaking action with true detective work to deliver an unprecedented interactive experience. Interrogate witnesses, search for clues and chase down suspects as you struggle to find the truth in a city where everyone has something to hide.

Against an overarching plot of violence and betrayal, L.A. Noire challenges players to solve a series of self-contained cases as they work their way through the ranks of the LAPD. Each case features a distinct storyline with a beginning, middle and end, and each successfully solved case brings new challenges and leads Cole closer to the true story at the dark heart of the Los Angeles criminal underworld.

L.A. Noire is a very cool game and another solid choice for the gamer on your list. This one is also available for Digital Download!

Minecraft

We recently did a review on a game called Survivalcraft, for the Windows Phone platform, which is a “clone” (though not exactly) of this game; Minecraft.

Minecraft is a game about placing blocks to build anything you can imagine. At night monsters come out, make sure to build a shelter before that happens.

Minecraft is a great game for anybody who likes playing games like Tetris or enjoys building with LEGOs. It also adds a nice survival touch to block-play. This one is worth checking out for sure.

Check these games out to give the gamers on your list something they’re sure to enjoy!

(Just click the titles)

Continue reading »]]> Today, I am reviewing Survivalcraft, a Minecraft clone on the Windows Phone platform (the first one and darn good!).

Since I’m reviewing a game for the Windows Phone, I thought it fitting to write the review from my Windows Phone (Samsung Focus). I’ve been holding back by review until the first update for the game was released as it brought (among other things) the ability to take in-game screenshots. Woohoo! I have a screenshot app on my phone (Sideloaded, thanks to the ChevronWP7 unlocker) but it doesn’t currently support screenshots in games or videos. So I wanted to wait until I had good visuals before completing the game review.

Note: I have never played the original Minecraft, this review will not be a comparison.

A ship maroons you on the shores of an infinite block world.

As the game starts, you see a ship sailing away – leaving you stranded on the beach. You’re on your own now!

How rude! Hmph! ... Hey.. hey wait! Come back!

….

What is the only reasonable response to such treatment in an infinite block world?

First, since I have the screenshot, we wait a little longer – staring forlornly after the ship. But you know you can’t stand there forever, the sun will set eventually on your little (large) strip of sand and you’re not going to want to be exposed when night falls (even though there’s no creatures yet).

You need shelter.

How do you find shelter in an infinite block world?

Start digging! You’ve got a long way to go before you have a respectable dwelling but there’s no reason to stop there. Go exploring, spelunking, base-jumping (sorry, no parachutes), build an underground lake or fall into an underground lake from very far above after removing the block directly beneath your feet!

Woops!

WELCOME TO SURVIVALCRAFT!

Developed for the Windows Phone platform by kaalus, Survivalcraft seems much more fulfilling than your average mobile game. You can build yourself a monstrous, sprawling castle that wraps around whole mountains or a giant, glass, floating tower. Or, you can go the route I’m working on right now which is; urban development. You can catch a glimpse of my in-progress highway system (the straight roadway) in the photo above. I have two roads that blaze straight lines in from the beach that you start on that are connected far inland. Everywhere inside those roadways is now undergoing urban development, which means it’s all going to be leveled like when you use the leveling tool in Sim City. Flat. Then, a city!

That’s gonna take a while but everything will go much quicker and more smoothly since the Alpha 1.1 version was released. There are a whole slough of new features, which you can read about HERE (on the developer’s blog). So if you had looked at it before and it wasn’t quite up to your standards, I really think it’s worth another look, because..

..damn this game is addicting.

Crafting, building, destroying, falling, climbing.. maybe a little sleeping. I’m having a lot of fun with this game and there aren’t even any creatures to threaten your safety… yet! They’re certainly on the way. I was pretty skeptical about the movement-controls and how well this would all work but I’m really having a blast (I hope my girlfriend isn’t getting jealous). The developer is listening to the community to help determine the direction of this game and he’s doing a great job of implementing the features that the users really want.

Great job bringing this lovely blockiness to Windows Phone kaalus! Thanks to the original Minecraft developers for giving kaalus a (seemingly, as I haven’t played it) great beast to start with!

It’s time to go ruin some block world habitats and scenery for my urban development. You should visit the Survivalcraft links below. I definitely recommend buying this game at the lower price before it gets too hot – and it is definitely heating up.

• Developer kaalus’ blog site: http://kaalus.wordpress.com
• Get Survivalcraft for Windows Phone: http://tinyurl.com/SurvivalcraftWP7
• Survivalcraft Community Forum: http://survivalcraft.lefora.com (what? “InstantIdiocy” is a Moderator an Administrator there?!)
• Facebook page for Survivalcraft for Windows Phone: http://facebook.com/Survivalcraft.WP7
• Web-based IRC chat for Survivalcraft: http://tinyurl.com/SurvivalcraftChat
• Survivalcraft Wiki Page: http://survivalcraftwp7.wikispaces.com – [unofficial]
• Le wiki français: http://survivalcraft.wikispaces.com – French-language Wiki - [unofficial]

-Posted from WordPress for Windows Phone.

Continue reading »]]> Or, Happy Thanksgiving!

I’m posting tonight since I’ll probably be pretty busy tomorrow. I suppose Devasin could post (since I didn’t invite him over for our dinner) but I’m pretty sure Jews don’t celebrate Thanksgiving.

..heh.

Anyway, have a good Turkeyday from InstantIdiocy and don’t forget to get your game on!

Be thankful if you have a working game system because my gaming desktop computer has died, RIP. No ETA on replacement.

–

Also: New game review on the way from HeadIdiot; Survivalcraft: a Minecraft clone for Windows Phone 7. Coming soon!