Loading... A Wii Christmas

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The Pulse

First, you vote with what you view at Ten Ton Hammer, and the result is the Ten Ton Pulse (What is Pulse?).

Here's today's top 5 Pulse results:

World of Warcraft Warhammer Online Age of Conan Atlantica Online Tabula Rasa

Biggest Movers in the Top 20 this month :

Star Trek Online (UP 34 to no. 14) City of Villains (down 8 to no. 18) Runes of Magic (UP 6 to no. 10)

Loading... Daily

Loading... more fun than returning clothes that don't fit.

I certainly hope you had a great Christmas yesterday (or day off, if you prefer), and happy Boxing Day to those of you reading this in Canada or other UK-influenced territories. I'm not really sure if you wish people a happy Boxing Day or if it's just something you just do, like pay the flight master or gripe on the official boards, but have a happy one anyway.

Today's Loading thought has nothing to do with the news, because, well, there isn't any. No news is good news during the holiday week, in my opinion, and we'll have plenty to talk about in January with Darkfall, Fusion Fall, and Chronicles of Spellborn all set to launch in North America. Then we have New York Comic Con in early February (on February 7th we'll be hosting no fewer than six exclusive panels with the likes of Jim Lee, Jack Emmert, Paul Barnett and many more - mark your calendar!) and the year takes off from there.

The singular holiday moment this year came from the 2K Games bug-ridden (yet incredibly fun) novelty masterpiece, Carnival Games. I picked this one up for my parents because when we used to go to the local rinky dink amusement park for company picnics as a kid, she could spend hours in the arcade playing Skee-Ball (or Alley Ball as its called in the game). My parents are still getting used to their Wii - for example, there's still cognitive thought going into where the A-button is when it's asked for - and sometimes they exaggerate their movements a little much. But we all tend to overdo it from time to time, right? This is why Nintendo invented wrist straps.

In any case, somehow in the course of the overhead shooting motion while playing Hoops (to see how many baskets you can make in 30 seconds, I'm sure you've seen it), dad somehow managed to grab the pull chain and turn the ceiling fan on high while simultaneously wrapping the chain around the spoke of a fan blade. After a brief but dramatic struggle, the chain broke close to the fan and we were spared all but a minor chain repair and a lingering burny smell. It was a holiday miracle, just like in the Captain Morgan commercials.

Fan incidents aside, just like WoW made MMORPGs less nerdy and reduced the time required to progress and achieve to a level the mainstream gamer could tolerate, I credit the Wii for giving gamers of all strips a much needed counterpoint to the anti-video games "you'll shoot your eye out" lobby in Washington. While there are many, many craptastic Wii games, quite a few build coordination, balance, and keep gamers suprisingly active, and it all contributes to a surprisingly immersive experience despite the relatively lousy graphics.

Comments, thoughts, questions? Share them in the Loading... forum, or email me directly if you're shy.

Shayalyn's Epic Thread of
the Day

From our Tavern of the Ten Ton Hammer Forum

Games I have Known

We're
just a week away from 2009, and now seems as good a time as any to talk
about games one has known, and games one should try. Kitsunegirl's
thread rambles as she talks about what she wants in an MMO, what she
wants in a single-player game (female characters that aren't fugly),
and the game that's sitting on her dresser uninstalled. What her rather
Seinfeldian post about nothing invoked was a discussion of everything,
from one-size-fits-all lead characters to Neverwinter Nights 2 mods.

There's a little something for everyone in this thread, so stop in and chat about anything from Mass Effect to female forms with wider hips.


=================================

Awesome Quotes from the
Epic Thread:



"Actually, I can see your point about 'one size fits all' protagonists
in single player games, but I suppose it all depends on how integral
that specific character is to the overall story. The Witcher is a good
example, because it follows a much longer line of lore from the novels,
so in that case it makes sense. Then you have a game like Mirror's
Edge, which I thought was brilliant, but I have to wonder if sales
would have been better if you could have selected the gender of your
character - especially since stepping into the shoes of that character
is such an integral aspect of gameplay."



- Sardu

=================================



Do you have a favorite Epic Thread? Let
us know!

8 new MMOG hand-crafted articles today! 164 in December! 3138 in 2008!

New MMOG Articles At Ten Ton Hammer Today

Reviews

EcoBuddies: First Look World of Warcraft: A Year in Review

Just for Fun

Geeked Comic: "Merry Freakin' Christmas" Goob & Begud Comic - "Bad Sense of Direction" The Tale of Santa Gort

Guides

AoC Architect Recipes - Tier 2 WAR Secrets to Ultimate Pwnage - Knight of the Blazing Sun & Bright Wizard

News & Commentary

AoC Border Kingdom Cryer - Holiday Cheer

Hot Content - Or, what I took a fancy to:

World of Warcraft: A Year in Review Appealing to the Gamer - NHN USA's Philip Yun WAR Secrets to Ultimate Pwnage - Knight of the Blazing Sun & Bright Wizard Exclusive Conan Movie Interview with Fredrik Malmberg Ten Ton Turnip Issue #3 - Happy Holidays! Gaming's Struggle for Survival in a Tough Economy Lord of the Rings: The Mines of Moria Review The End of Tabula Rasa Part 2 with NetDevil's Scott Brown A Look at 2008: The Year of PvP Goob & Begud Comic - "Bad Sense of Direction"

Real World News

Will return Monday when Phil returns from boxing!

Thanks for visiting the Ten Ton Hammer network!

-Jeff "Ethec" Woleslagle and the Ten Ton Hammer team