From Slashdot.org: Zonk writes with news of a collaboration between Massively and GamerDNA to analyze the state of MMO player bases for 2008. Sifting through the data brought out several interesting trends. For example, Age of Conan took a substantial hit when Warhammer arrived on the scene, but none of the other major MMOs were significantly affected. Also, it seems Lord of the Rings: Online got a big shot in the arm from its Mines of Moria expansion — even moreso than World of Warcraft from Wrath of the Lich King, relatively speaking. The article also asserts the following about the recently-canceled Tabula Rasa: “… until the cancellation announcement in November, numbers were trending in the right direction, however slightly. Players were growing more interested in the sci fi MMO shooter, and logins were on the rise. If its development had not been so long, so expensive, and so vastly overhyped and mismarketed, this title could have been left alone to find its legs and found some small measure of success in a long tail environment akin to the Sony Station Pass.” A Look At the Growth of MMOs In 2008
Month: December 2008
From Cinematical: What do you do when your geek base demands a prequel to one of their biggest fantasy trilogies, and that it be done right? You hire Guillermo bleepin’ del Toro to get around to it, as soon as he’s done with eighteen other projects. Two things are sure: he’ll find a place for Doug Jones, which is always welcome, and the thing can’t help but end less times than Return of the King did.
SARA STEWART writes: You have to wonder where Viggo Mortensen finds the time to act. In between gigs like the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy and David Cronenberg’s movies (most recently “Eastern Promises”), the 50-year-old star is also a photographer, poet, musician, painter, publisher, activist and avid traveler. He’s fluent in Spanish, Danish, French and possibly Elvish. When we caught up with him, though, he kindly stuck to English, and to the projects at hand: first, “Good,” opening Wednesday, about a German professor who, through his passivity, unwittingly ends up a high-ranking member of the Nazi party. Early next year comes “The Road,” the adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s novel about a father and son traveling in post-apocalyptic America. Q&A with Viggo Mortensen
Tedster88 let us in on this MSN article about some of the most individual inns on the planet. This one is located in Manila, the Philippines. From MSN: Anyone who says they don’t fancy a jar or two in this one is a complete liar … Hobbit House (1212 MH del Pilar) is staffed entirely by midgets. Just in case your conscience is twanging at that idea, don’t fret – this is not some kind of exploitative venture. Hobbit House was set up by the little people themselves to give them work, and it’s proved incredibly popular. As well as being a (still) somewhat smoky drinking den, regular live music performances see it packed out. World’s strangest bars
