Culture
1 CommentWorld of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria limited edition mahjong set available for pre-order
By Alexa Ray Corriea on May 06, 2013 05.06.13
Chinese internet company and World of Warcraft regional publisher NetEase is now taking pre-orders for a limited edition World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria-themed mahjong set, the company has revealed. Each set costs 1,288 renminbi ($209) and includes a fully playable mahjong game, complete with tiles, table mats featuring WoW game maps, dividers and chips, all in a thematic wooden carrying case. The board's decals are designed to look like artwork straight out of World of Warcraft, with a color palette reminiscent of that used for structures and environments in Mists of Pandaria. According to a listing on the NetEase page, only 1000 of these mahjong sets will be made available worldwide, although the set only appears to be sold through the Chinese-based company. More photos,...
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11 CommentsWorld of Warcraft players rack up 8.7 million achievements per day, but only one is a Legendary Pet Brawler
By Michael McWhertor on Mar 30, 2013 03.30.13
Since Blizzard Entertainment added achievements to its massively multiplayer online role-playing game World of Warcraft in 2008, players have earned more than 13 billion of the virtual accolades — on average, about 8.7 million a day, said the game's lead content designer Cory Stockton. Stockton spoke about Blizzard's approach to designing and implementing achievements in World of Warcraft and its many expansions at a GDC panel this week, explaining that the virtual rewards are more than just a "badge of honor" for players, they're also a pathway for players to explore new content. They can encourage players to adventure to new zones and revisit dungeons to explore them in different ways. World of Warcraft's achievement design follows a set of rules, Stockton said. They should be...
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21 CommentsMists of Pandaria patch 5.2 is meant to bring back World of Warcraft's roots, says Blizzard
By Samit Sarkar on Mar 13, 2013 03.13.13
World of Warcraft developer Blizzard Entertainment released patch 5.2 for Mists of Pandaria last week, and the update was partly intended to bring back elements from earlier expansions, said lead systems designer Greg Street in an interview with IGN. "We felt like since [2010's World of Warcraft: Cataclysm], we'd lost our way a little bit," said Street. "We had some really epic quests and we've told some great stories, but the second-to-second combat out in the field wasn't as interesting." With patch 5.2, "The Thunder King," Blizzard wanted to "make a lot of cool stuff for players to do out in the world," Street explained. Some of that cool stuff exists on the isolated Isle of Giants. It's a new zone in which flying mounts are disabled, so players have to be wary of the elite...
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6 CommentsWorld of Warcraft patch 5.2 tweaks talents across all classes
By Alexa Ray Corriea on Mar 11, 2013 03.11.13
The latest patch for World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria will fine-tune balance and tweak specific abilities across all classes, according to a series of posts on Battle.net explaining the changes. Unholy Death Knights have had their "quality of life" improved through several spell adjustments that make the battlefield easier to maneuver. Two player-versus-player abilities, Strangulate and Asphyxiate, now have reduced cooldown periods and a handful of other Blood-based attacks have been buffed. Druids have received healing buffs across the board, and the Wild Mushroom item has been redesigned to collect Druids' healing spells and unleash them all at once upon "blooming." Hunters' Marksmanship abilities now do increased damage and have a small boost applied to certain self-healing...
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6 CommentsWorld of Warcraft: Mist of Pandaria's Isle of Thunder update additions detailed
By Alexa Ray Corriea on Mar 04, 2013 03.04.13
World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria will receive new bosses, quests, areas and player goods including new mounts in its next update, The Thunder King, according to details shared on Battle.net. The newly-added Isle of Thunder includes area-specific daily quests and allows players to choose between player-versus-player or player-versus-environment combat participation once they arrive on the island beach. Players can work in teams to unlock the island together or take part in solo Scenarios for different rewards and goods. The update adds new Ritual Stones that can be combined and used to summon bosses designed for battle with five players, as well as new rare spawning bosses that will drop loot as well as the aforementioned stones. These stones can also be found in Rare Chests,...
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14 CommentsEvery World of Warcraft title on sale until Feb. 25
By Megan Farokhmanesh on Feb 11, 2013 02.11.13
Blizzard is selling World of Warcraft and every subsequent expansion for a total of $35 until Feb. 25 in preparation for "the Thunder King's return," according to an announcement made today. The "WoW Battle Chest," which includes the complete World of Warcraft game, Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King expansions, is available for $5. Cataclysm is available for $10, while the most recent expansion, Mists of Pandaria, is selling for $20. All games are available as digital or physical copies. The Thunder King is part of World of Warcraft's 5.2 patch. Players will be able to travel to the Isle of the Thunder King and participate in a new raid called Throne of Thunder, among other additions. The patch is now open for public testing. Blizzard's World of Warcraft sale will come to an...
Gift Guide 2012
7 CommentsPolygon Gift Guide: Special Editions
By Samit Sarkar on Dec 14, 2012 12.14.12
You'd point out the irony of worrying about how a video game looks on a shelf, but you love them too much to tell them how to live their lives or spend their money. And come Christmastime, you figure that you might as well be an enabler, buying them yet another big box o' goodies that they'll somehow find the space for. Because let's face it: Whether they're getting a badass in-game weapon or a real-life replica of it — or both! — you secretly kind of want it yourself, too. Speaking of irony, none of the items listed below are actually known as "special" editions. Instead, their makers describe them as "limited," "collector's" and even "ultimate" packages. Whatever you call them, they're undeniably impressive collections of games and game paraphernalia, and they have something else...
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14 CommentsInside Gaming Awards winners include Halo 4, Fez
By Megan Farokhmanesh on Dec 09, 2012 12.09.12
The 4th annual Machinima Inside Gaming Awards took place yesterday in Hollywood, Calif., with Halo 4, Fez and Mass Effect 3 sweeping the largest number of the 17 available awards, according to a recent press release. The award show streamed live through MachinimaLive.com. 343 Industries's Halo 4 won Game of the Year, Best Competitive Multiplayer and Best Sound Design, while Polytron's puzzle platformer, Fez, landed two awards with Best Original Score and Best Indie Game. Mass Effect 3, BioWare's title, won two awards as well for Best Co-Operative Multiplayer and Best Game Cinematography. Spike Video Game Awards favorites such as Journey and The Walking Dead both scored awards as well. Check out the full list of winners below. Game of the Year: Halo 4 (343 Industries)Best Competitive...
Deals
7 CommentsBlizzard offering Mists of Pandaria physical and digital versions at $20 this week
By Alexa Ray Corriea on Nov 27, 2012 11.27.12
Blizzard is offering the latest World of Warcraft expansion, Mists of Pandaria, at 50 percent off this week, the developer announced on Battle.net. The sale offers Mists of Pandaria for $20, half off the original price of $39.99. The discount applies to both physical boxed and digital versions of the expansion and will end at 2:59 a.m. ET on Friday Nov. 30. Mists of Pandaria lifts the level cap to 90 and introduces the new Monk class, granting players access to three new specializations: windwalkers, mistweavers and brewmasters. Players can also become members of the Pandaren, the world's first neutral race, and explore the new Pandaria region. Last week Blizzard announced that all World of Warcraft expansions as well as the Battle Chest bundle would be discounted at select retailers...
Deals
0 CommentsBest Buy Cyber Monday deals: Nintendo 3DS, Mists of Pandaria, more
By Samit Sarkar on Nov 26, 2012 11.26.12
Best Buy's Cyber Monday deals feature discounts on Nintendo 3DS hardware and software, as well as the Mists of Pandaria expansion to World of Warcraft. The big-box retailer is also offering an online-only deal on select games: buy one, get one 50 percent off. Here are a few highlights out of over 50 items on sale today: $19.99: World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria, Kid Icarus: Uprising, Star Fox 64 3D, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D $23.99: Dance Central 3 $29.99: Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Transformers: Fall of Cybertron (360/PS3) $20 off Nintendo 3DS ($149.99) or 3DS XL ($179.99) buy one, get one 50 percent off over 50 games including Halo 3: ODST, Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City, Red Dead Redemption, Dead Space 2, Fallout: New Vegas, The Beatles: Rock...
