Special World Of Warcraft Statue Heading To Long-Time Subscribers

For some who have been subscribed to World of Warcraft since the beginning, Blizzard is sending out a very special gift.

According to the report from the MMO-Champion message boards, the statue is being sent to WoW players who created their account within two months of the game's launch 10 years ago. It's likley that if you haven't already received a statue, you may not have been eligible.

You can check out images of the statue below care of Smitti on Battle.net. It's a recreation of a statue that has a home in Blizzard's offices. On the bottom of the statue, there is a message to players:

The Orc statue is a constant presence in our life at Blizzard Entertainment. It’s where we meet to talk, to eat, to celebrate. As we celebrate ten years of World of Warcraft, we present this token of appreciation to you, stalwart adventurer. Thank you for being a constant presence in our lives as we adventure together.

[Source: MMO Champion, Battle.net, via GameSpot]

 

Our Take
Free stuff is always cool, and Blizzard is certainly indebted to its fans – especially the ones who have been playing World of Warcraft consistently for a decade.

Reader Discussion: Which Zelda Should Be Remade Next?

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D hasn't released quite yet, but it's never too early to start thinking about the future.

To be clear, we are absolutely getting ahead of ourselves. Next month we get to replay Majora's Mask on 3DS, and pending any delays, we should have a brand-new core Zelda on Wii U before the end of the year. Also, it's only been a little over a year since the release of Wind Waker HD and Link Between Worlds. We're not hurting for new Zelda titles, nor are we hurting for worthwhile excuses to replay old ones.

All of that being said, I still think we should share which Zelda we would like to see be remade next. Personally, I would love an HD version of Twilight Princess. Ignoring the nostalgia I have for the Nintendo 64 Zeldas (which is very strong) Twilight Princess is probably my favorite Zelda. I would love to have the game in HD on a Wii U GamePad with a few updated textures here and there, and the option to play with motion controls or the standard controls that were afforded to the GameCube version.

What about you? Would you like to see Link to the Past or Minish Cap in 3D? Or maybe a Wii U port of Skyward Sword? What Zelda would like to see receive a remake? Or do you just want Nintendo to hurry up and release an HD collection bundling the Super Mario Galaxies?

Trailer Roundup for January 12, 2015

Today's trailer roundup covers a lot of platforms, though most of the games are or will be on multiple platforms.

AGRAV

iOS | $TBA | Q2 2015

This game will ask the player to guide a ship indirectly, by creating black holes to pull it this way and that.

Anoxemia

Windows, Mac, Linux | $TBA | January 16 | Demo (Web Unity)

From the developer: "Anoxemia is a slow-paced exploration horror-adventure game. It takes place under the sea shortly after Dr. Bailey's submarine crashes, leaving him stranded on the ocean floor. It's a big, dark world out there, and the mystery of why your sub crashed isn't going to solve itself."

Blue-Collar Astronaut

Windows, Mac, Linux, Wii U | $TBA | Fall 2015 | Greenlight | Demo (Unity Web)

This physics game is inspired by Lunar Lander, but adds a dash of social commentary. After getting out of driving school, players will have tons of debt to pay off.

GRAV

Windows | reg. $19.99 | Early access

Not to be confused with AGRAV, above, GRAV is a survival sandbox in space. With all the co-op dance parties one could want, it seems. It's currently 30% off for its early access release.

Gunbrick

iOS, Android | $2.99 | Available now

A puzzle platformer in which the player controls a rolling cube with a shield on one side and a gun on the other. The gun can be used to propel oneself into the air and the trailer shows some movement along walls and ceilings.

The Mims Beginning

Windows, Mac, Linux | reg. $19.99 | Early Access on January 14

Though not the most exciting of trailers, this one shows off a god game which reminds me of Black & White (but with no giant pet creature). It'll be 15% for its early access launch week.

Poi

Windows, Mac, Linux | $TBA | Release TBA

Poi is to be "a 3D open-world adventure platformer inspired by Super Mario 64, Super Monkey Ball, and Shadow of the Colossus." There's very little information available about the game yet, but it looks like they have some cool platforming segments already implemented.

Socioball

iOS | $2.99 | January 15

This is to be a puzzle game in which the player must fill in missing tiles in a grid to get the ball from one place to another. It will have a level editor and social sharing capabilities.

SYM

Windows, Mac, OUYA | $2.99 | Available now | Greenlight

An artsy platformer. From the developer: "Sym tells the story of Josh, a boy affected by social anxiety disorder, as he tries to navigate and reconcile a maze of two equally dangerous worlds; his perception of the outside, and the emotions of his inner self. "

World of Warcraft ten year subscribers are getting a fancy statue

Believe it or not, there are players who have maintained a World of Warcraft subscription for ten consecutive years. While many of us dip in and out of the game when new expansions arrive, it takes a tonne of dedication–and a huge love for the game–to stick around for that long.

So it makes sense that Blizzard would reward those players, and reward them they have: the studio announced last week that physical gifts are being shipped to all eligible players who "created a World of Warcraft account within 60 days of the game launching in the NA or EU regions, and maintained their subscription or game time for all ten years."

They didn't specify what the gift would be, but according to Battle.net user Smitti it's a rather stunning statue, which you can see below. 

For everyone else, here's an hour long documentary on World of Warcraft, released last year to celebrate the game's decade milestone.

Technocrat and Wadjet Eye Games announce Technobabylon

Seasoned indie adventurers should have already played through the first, freeware and rather excellent cyberpunk Technobabylon adventures, though now both they and everyone else looking for some top quality point-and-clickable science fiction should prepare for the ultimate release of Technobabylon; sometime this Spring.

This new Technobabylon, an impressive audio-visual update of the original that will finally see the story reach its conclusion, features full voice-acting and tons of additions that have already earned it a place in my important adventures to look out for list. And, yes, I do have such a list. And big, clever, dystopian cyberpunk adventures by two of the best adventure devs always make it look all the more exciting.

But, I digress. To introduce you to the setting (and show off its beauty) Technocrat and Wadjet Eye Games have prepared an excellent this rather extensive teaser:

Freeware Pick: Get your competitive typing on with Typefighters

Typing games come in many shapes and sizes. There are comical murder mysteries and rail shooter typing games, to name a couple of examples. But Typefighters does something I haven't seen before: it takes typing and makes it a weapon in head-to-head combat.

Typefighters has eight game modes, each very well suited to use as a typing game. Stream mode, seen in the animated gif above, asks players to try to be the first to type as many words as possible out of a stream of words scrolling in from one side within a given time limit. Other modes include: Lines, a 5x5 grid of words with the goal of getting five spaces in a row even though your opponent can steal spaces; Tug, in which a line has a single word attached at any time and typing the word faster than your opponent gets the line pushed in their direction; and Projectiles, in which typing a word sends it flying towards the opponent and the match is a battle of creating new projectiles and destryoing the ones coming your way.

There is a single player mode with a customizable bot, but it's really not as fun as playing against a friend. Matches can be played via local network or the internet, though there's no matchmaking. You need to manually input the host's IP address. The game's color scheme is customizable, though, which will help colorblind folk. As an extra fun detail, the menus can be navigated almost exclusively by typing (and the one place I found where that wasn't true is just a spot where two words start with C and the first word in the list captures the keyboard input every time).

Typefighters is free and available for Windows, Mac, and Linux from its web site.

[Typefighters]

Freeware Pick: Beneath Floes (Bravemule)

She dwells beneath the ice. She's the fish woman, the stealer of children, the qalupalik. People have been telling dark stories about her for ages and now it's your turn to craft your own tale of the Inuit horror, via the fully scored, atmospherically illustrated and quite frankly brilliant Twine Beneath Floes.

It's a text-based game that expertly plays around with the ways tales and stories get distorted and changed as time passes, but also a properly spooky and atmospheric offering that is not afraid of violent descriptions and disturbing ideas.

Oh, and it's available as a downloadable file too over at itch.io.