by Karen Hertzberg on Jan 27, 2010
Loading... is the premier daily
MMOG news, coverage, and
commentary newsletter, only from Ten Ton Hammer.
Remember
drinking
games, those collegiate events where certain cliches uttered
in movies or TV shows meant we had to take a swig or down a shot? Some
events were so predictable they could put you on the floor (or, at the
very least, dancing on the table with a lampshade on your head) in no
time flat. Inspired by an
href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/26/state-of-the-union-drinki_n_436932.html">article
in today's Huffington Post Comedy section, we propose a new MMOG
drinking game all our own in today's Loading... Bottoms Up!
You vote with what you
view at Ten Ton Hammer, and the
result is the Ten Ton Pulse (
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/thepulse/" target="_blank">What
is The Pulse?).
Here
are today's top 5 Pulse results:
Biggest
movers today:
An email alert from The Huffington Post hit my inbox this morning and,
even pre-caffeine and groggy from having stared blankly at the ceiling
for most of the night when I was supposed to be (and would have liked
to have been) sleeping, gave me reason to smile. The subject header was
simple enough:
href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/26/state-of-the-union-drinki_n_436932.html">State
of the Union Drinking Game.
Im not much of a drinker (something to which any Ten Ton Hammer staff
member whos attended an event with me will attest), but I do have fond
memories of my 19 year old self playing The Bob Newhart game (Bob
used in a sentence meant you took a drink, Hi, Bob!" meant you
chugged whatever was left) and various and sundry buzz-word-related
alcohol imbibing challenges.
I realize I just dated myself with the whole Bob Newhart thing. But,
anyhow, onward.
Tonight, President Obama gives his first State of the Union Address to
an American public anxiously awaiting promised change.
href="http://huffingtonpost.com/">The Huffington Post
decided to put a comedic spin on the event. They offered drinking game
suggestions such as downing two shots if Joe Wilson yells something,
three if Joe Biden nods off, laughs inappropriately, or starts talking
before the speech is over, and one if Nancy Pelosi
href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/25/nancy-pelosi-puts-biden-t_n_169982.html">claps
like a seal (fortunately, youre encouraged to STOP
DRINKING FOR THE LOVE OF GOD if Pelosi becomes a
seal.) Its good, clean, intoxicating American fun.
The
Huffington Posts drinking game got me thinking about predictable
events and the dev behavior (like seal-ish clapping, but not) that
affects gamers and the games we play. I figured Id present my
own MMOG Drinking Game, with a little help from John "Boomjack" Hoskins
(former Loading... columnist, now not-so-evil brain-in-a-jar mastermind
behind Ten Ton Hammer), Ten Ton Hammer Executive Editor Ben de la
Durantaye, and Contributing Writer, Stacy "Martuk" Jones.
Please keep in mind that I accept
no responsibility for those who get liquored up and hit on the nearest
mangina or botch the raid (but if you do, get footage for a YouTube
video. One viral video could earn you your 15 minutes of Leroy
Jenkins-esque fame.) And, of course, this is all for comedic affect, so
please don't really drink yourself to oblivion, mkay?
Do you have some of your own MMOG Drinking Game ideas? Share them in
the Loading...
forum.
8 new Ten Ton Hammer
features today! 108 in January! 108
in 2010!
INTERVIEWS
Conquest Agenda - A Global Agenda Q&A with Todd Harris
http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/79985
Conquest,
or AvA play in Global Agenda will have Agencies vying for power around
the world. But how exactly does the system work? Who can contribute?
When are players safe from attack? Find out the answers to all these
questions and more as we speak with Todd Harris, Executive Producer of
Global Agenda. Todd's got all the answers and tells all in this
exclusive Global Agenda interview.
EXCLUSIVE MEDIA
New Star Trek Online Intro Movie
http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/79986
Star
Trek Online is just under a week from launch and Cryptic Studios has
added a new intro movie to the game with one of their final open beta
updates. The new movie is narrated by Star Trek icon Leonard Nimoy, who
reprises his role as Spock to explain some of the back-story of the
game and introduce players to the current story that they will first be
involved in. Nimoy also explains the alternate timeline that Spock was
pulled into after the destruction of Romulus and the current dilemma
facing the Federation in the "prime" reality, where the game takes
place.
EDITORIALS
Top 10 Improvements the Next Great MMO Needs to Have
http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/79964
Everyone
has their ideas of what the next big MMOG needs to include in order to
be a truly great game. In the last couple of years, many companies have
tried to create the new standard, but almost all have failed. What must
game developers do to lift their games out of the cesspool of
mediocrity and into the spa of greatness?
FEATURES & GUIDES
Star Trek Online Beta Journal #6, Enemy At The Gates
http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/79975
Star
Trek Onlines Open Beta heads toward both the finish line and starting
line as it caps the last few days of beta prior to launch. Join in on
our pre-launch jitters as we prep for our first official journey into
the final frontier.
Star Trek Online End of Beta Event Breakdown
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/sto/features/editorials/end_of_beta">http://www.tentonhammer.com/sto/features/editorials/end_of_beta
Star
Trek Online celebrated its final day of beta with a special event full
of adventure, intrigue, and more than a bit of hair pulling. Ten Ton
Hammers Eric Dalmarus Campbell was witness to it all. Join him as he
relives the tales from this event.
Champions Online - Cool Costume Unlocks
http://www.tentonhammer.com/co/guides/coolcostumeunlocks
While
the character creator gives you a ton of choices, there are many
costume pieces you can unlock in Champions Online. Your pals
at Ten Ton
Hammer are here to show you a small sampling.
Runes of Magic - The Druid: Dual Class Guide
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/rom/guides/classes/dualclass_druid_guide">http://www.tentonhammer.com/rom/guides/classes/dualclass_druid_guide
The
Druid is one of the few Hybrids in the Runes of Magic. How do you pick
a second class for the Druid when you basiclly already have a second
class already built in? Join our resident Runes player ZeroMerc as he
takes a look at possibly one of the more difficult
dual classes.
AdventureQuest Worlds: Battle the 3rd Lord of Chaos, Kitsune!
http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/79951
AdventureQuest
Worlds has been building up to an epic showdown over the last few
weeks. Each week Artix Entertainment brought us a new blog detailing
the challenges that faced players of AdventureQuest Worlds on Yokai
Island and this week they return with new details on the long awaited
epic showdown with the Chaos Lord Kitsune.
Today's
Hottest Articles and Guides
Thanks
for visiting the Ten Ton Hammer
network!
- Karen "Shayalyn" Hertzberg and the
Ten Ton Hammer team