Original Model of Gordon Freeman

Ingenuity at it's Finest

Those "Snow Days" are gonna be awesome! I'm jealous Moose.

Final Fantasy XIV Online Beta Applications Being Accepted

courtesy of Gamespot

Square Enix surprised many when it announced during the 2009 Electronic Entertainment Expo that it was at work on a new massively multiplayer online role-playing game, Final Fantasy XIV Online. However, what gave cause for those raised eyebrows wasn't so much the online game's existence as it was the game's release date--2010.

Today, Square Enix took one more step toward delivering the game next year, announcing that it has begun accepting beta-test applications for Final Fantasy XIV Online. Those interested in testing the game prior to its full release can now register through the official Final Fantasy XIV Online Web site.

Final Fantasy XIV Online will be set in the realm of Eorzea, a world not seen before in any other installments in the franchise. Like in other MMORPGs, gamers will be able to explore the world after selecting from a variety of races, combat classes, and professional skills. More information on Eorzea's lore and backstory can be found on the game's site.Currently, Square Enix is accepting beta-test applications for the Windows PC edition of the game only. As the game was formally announced at Sony's E3 press conference, Final Fantasy XIV Online has also been confirmed for the PlayStation 3. The publisher expects to have more information on the game's console testing phase in the near future. Square Enix has also indicated that it is "considering" bringing the game to Microsoft's hardware.

Final Fantasy XIII Day One Sales Hit 1 Million in Japan

courtesy of Gamestop

It almost went without saying that Final Fantasy XIII would be a massive success in Japan. Any doubts to that were squelched in April, when Square Enix released a short demo for the game in Japan for the PlayStation 3--the only console that Final Fantasy XIII is available for in the region--and system sales nearly quadrupled on a weekly basis, according to Media Create.

With Final Fantasy XIII officially available on retail shelves in Japan yesterday, the game's selling potential has snapped clearly into focus. Citing internal figures, Square Enix announced today that the Japanese role-playing game has sold more than 1 million units in its first 24 hours. Square Enix noted that the figure does not include units sold as part of hardware bundles, such as the 250GB ceramic-white PS3 with a graphic of protagonist Lightning printed on the top.

Yesterday, Square Enix announced that it had shipped some 1.8 million units to Japanese retailers in advance of the game's launch. The publisher also noted that total worldwide franchise sales stand at 92 million units since the Final Fantasy brand first emerged in 1987. Of its most recent iteration, Square Enix has forecast total sales of 6 million units worldwide.

Final Fantasy XIII will be released for the Xbox 360 and PS3 in North America and Europe on March 9. For more on the game, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.

Star Wars Hiker

First Look: Google Phone - Nexus One

courtesy of engadget

Well here you have it folks, honest-to-goodness pics of the Google Phone... AKA, the Nexus One. As you can see by the photos, the design of the device is largely similar to those we've seen, but the graphic on back is slightly different, and that piece of tape is covering a QR code (how very Google of them). Just like we've heard before, the updated OS features new 3D elements to the app tray, as well as an extended amount of homescreens, though it looks like the lock screen / mute is the same as in Android 2.0.1. Additionally, there's now a new grid icon at the bottom of the homescreen, which when pressed brings up a webOS card-style preview of all homescreen pages -- which raises some interesting possibilities. Apparently there's been a new software update for the device pushed tonight, and sure enough the phone is identified as the Nexus One on the system info page. Quite clearly this device is running on T-Mobile, and is also using WiFi, so there's two other questions you've got answers to. The phone also appears to come loaded up with Google Navigation (a bit of a no-brainer) and the brand-spanking-new Google Goggles. Hardware wise, the Nexus does look incredibly thin and sleek, and while there's not a slew of buttons (those four up front are clearly touch sensitive), there is a dedicated volume rocker along the side. Oh, and note this... no HTC logo anywhere to be found. We'll update the post as / if we get more info, but for now, feast your eyes on the gallery below!

Update: One item of interest. In the packaging there's a quick start guide which points users to a "questions" page at google.com/phone/support. The page is a dead end right now, but it certainly gets an eyebrow raise from us. If there is a real Google Phone in the offing, that seems a likely landing page for support.

Update 2: In case you're interested, here's Android 2.1's boot animation for Nexus One. Eerily familiar, no?

A True Gamers Candle

Modern Warfare 2 Javelin Glitch

Guess I'm late to the party with this one (considering this youtube video was posted Nov 29), but there is a glitch on Modern Warfare 2 that allows you to be a walking bomb. Basically, any time you die, you will blow up and kill several people around you. Shot and killed? BLOW UP! Knifed and killed? BLOW UP! Fall from a Far height and die? BLOW UP! It is a glitch with that uses the Javelin and semtex. Since it is a glitch it is frowned upon, and supposedly if you use it on Xbox Live and are caught - you will be banned for 24 hours. It's supposed to be fixed in the next update.

The explanation on how to perform the glitch starts at the :40 mark. *Video Below*

Videogames possibly coming to Redbox

courtesy of cnet

Redbox has made some major strides in the movie-rental business, offering consumers the opportunity to pick up newly released films from a kiosk around town for just $1 per day. It has even forced Blockbuster to try a similar strategy.

But according to a report, Redbox isn't content to stick with movies.

According to Reuters, Redbox is currently in negotiations with video game developers to offer games in all the company's kiosks. Redbox president Mitch Lowe told the wire service his company is "talking early and often with the content providers of games so that we start out with a much better understanding of what we're doing."

Lowe was referencing Redbox's recent troubles with Warner Bros., Twentieth Century Fox, and NBC Universal, which recently denied Redbox immediate access to their DVDs, saying a $1-per-day fee undervalues their films. Redbox is trying to sell game developers on the idea that its service would benefit both developers and consumers.

That said, Redbox doesn't plan to offer games for just $1. The company has been quietly testing game rentals in Reno, Nev., and Wilmington, N.C., and in those cases, games are priced at $2 per day. It offers games for the Wii, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, and Xbox 360.

For now, Redbox isn't saying which developers it's in talks with. But considering the company currently has more than 20,000 kiosks in more than 17,000 locations nationwide, it might behoove game developers to consider it.

Originally posted at The Digital Home

Meet the World's Top World of Warcraft Player

courtesy of Yahoo Games

That's an unofficial title, though I think it's pretty safe to say that "Little Gray" has played more Warcraft than you. A lot more.

Courtesy of Gamepro comes word of the Taiwanese player's absolutely insane Warcraft accomplishments. In addition to having nabbed every single one of the game's achievements (minus a brand new one that cropped up in the game's latest patch), he's the first player to complete all 986 tasks listed in the game's Armory. Considering that over 11.5 million people play the game worldwide, that's one heck of an honor.

And that's just the tip of this online gaming iceberg. Playing as a Tauren Druid, Little Gray has racked up some staggering numbers: he's completed nearly 6,000 quests at the rate of about 14.5 per day and killed nearly 500,000 enemies while dying only 8,543 times himself.

How? By doling out an awe-inspiring 7,255,538,878 points of damage...but before you label him some sort of mindless brute, know that he at least had the heart to heal 1,377,435,762 points of that back. Unsurprisingly, he's also a bit of a loner, having "waved" at other players only once.

If it's tough to put these massive numbers into a real-world context, consider this: a member of our Yahoo! Games team (who will remain unnamed) once logged an average of six hours a day playing the game over the course of a year -- and never came close to achieving so much with his character.

We could hazard a few guesses, though. At 14.5 quests per day, it would take about 414 days to reach Little Gray's 6,000 quest mark. Speaking conservatively, a veteran Warcarft player can pretty handily knock out three quests in an hour, which would mean about five hours a day for Little Gray.

But that's just for quests. You do a LOT more than that in Warcraft, such as going on raids, engaging in player vs. player combat, and tinkering with your abilities and gear. It wouldn't be even remotely surprising to find out that Little Gray has spent in upwards of ten hours a day playing the game.

Unimpressed with that kind of dedication? Then "WoW" us with tales of your greatest gaming sprees in the comments.