So, WoW's new expansion is coming out, probably this summer, with some fairly world-changing additions. Classes are being re-vamped, zones are being completely re-done and changed, and the whole world is going to be different. So, the reason I'm posting about it? There's a few, actually:

1. There's going to be submarines. There's already zeppelins and flying machines and trains and such, but now there will also be submarines to take you to your destinations across continents.

2. Some of the major changes in Cataclysm are going live before the expansion is available. In upcoming patches, Allies will be able to take back Gnomeregan, and Hordies will be able to do some Echo Isles stuff, with trolls and such (not goblins, like I originally thought). These events will likely be available for some time leading up to the expansion, but it's unclear whether or not they'll become some Caverns of Time thing when the world-breaking actually occurs.

3. I really really really want for Blizzard to re-design the player character models before Cataclysm comes out. I would even settle for a redesign when it comes out. It just seems so important now that the whole world is suddenly going to be a higher resolution, and new armor just gets spiffier and spiffier. A man can dream.

We all know that during the year, the different seasons bring tons of new games to the shelves. There are few among us who are lucky enough to be able to afford as many games as they want, but what about everyone else? With so many games coming out, how do we decide which ones we buy and which ones we just pass on? Is pirating an acceptable alternative if you just cant afford it? Most of us have school to go through and probably not the most well paying jobs (I'm a deli clerk).

When I buy a game, I typically choose based on familiarity. I play way too many sequels, but that's how I like it. But even I have to branch out and try new games, always with exciting results. My favorite most recent game which stands alone has to be Demons Souls. When I'm not sobbing into my palm with frustration playing the game, I find myself being extremely satisfied with the gameplay, story and art direction.

How do you decide? Do you pick and choose which you purchase or can you deal with torrenting it online? With so many games coming out this spring/summer like several years past, can you live with skipping a few or do you have to get your hands on as many as possible?

(By Alistair)

So this game, Robot Unicorn Attack, is quite possibly the best Flash game ever. Give it a shot. Make sure your sound is on, high volume for maximum effect.

See if you can beat my highest score of 83854, or my highest single wish score of 38376. There’s some deal of luck involved with getting up that high, just keep your combos going for as long as possible, and get them started as early as possible. We'll have a list of the top scores here as soon as people start submitting them.

As I continue with this site, I grow more and more attached to it. It's awesome. I know it has its problems (which will be fixed eventually), and I haven't even looked at the chat issues yet. That's probably going to be fixed with a change of the theme (which really won't be all that different), and a new plugin (no more of that Facebook-chat, unfortunately).

Anyway, you may have noticed I've posted like 3 whole times in the past few days, and now a 4th, right here! You may have also noticed these posts are relatively small. There's a reason for this!

I'm taking Koholint in a different direction. I don't care about establishing myself as a writer. That shit is boring, anyway. I do care about having a place to discuss cool shit with friends, however. So that's what I'm going for now. I will continue to post fairly often, but I'm going to open up the front page to more people. If you see something in the news (gaming, scifi, movies, TV, or whatever) that looks really cool, you can write a little post about it in the blog section, and I'll probably promote it to the front page (I won't post things that suck). Try to keep your grammar in check, however, for all our sakes. Anyone who does this consistently enough will be made an author, allowing them to post their stuff immediately to the front page (with pictures!). But do try to space out your posts, and keep a discerning eye for stuff that may just be dumb.

So, nothing ostensibly is changing, but I am now going to post more frequently, with fewer words and fewer images, just whenever I see something I'd want my friends to know about. I invite you to do the same, but feel free to... not... do that.

There's probably going to be another post or two today, since there's a lot of news.

Hey, another quick note here. Final Fantasy XIV, the new FF MMORPG put up beta sign-ups a few weeks ago, and now they've apparently chosen the first round of applicants who will be able to play in the closed beta. If you signed up for it, you probably already know whether or not you were chosen for the March 11 round. Apparently, though, they'll be choosing more people as time goes on, so there's still hope for you to get chosen at some point.

Remember, if you love me, take explicit notes on the character progression and subjob system. I won't tell anyone, I swear.

Edit: The buzz around town says people who were accepted into the beta will get their emails tomorrow, and the only people among those are current FFXI players. (Confirmed. - Click on "secret bonus stage")

Hey, just a quick post here to let everyone know I've added a sidebar item that lists upcoming releases of note, which will be updated as details firm up, games are announced, or games come out. If there's anything missing from the list that you want me to keep track of, let me know. What's there now is mostly the stuff that's grabbed my attention long enough to think about.

The current list is in the first reply to this thread.

Feel free to discuss any of these games here, or what other games you may be looking forward to, but if you want to get more in depth with a specific game, feel free to create your own thread for it.

Nintendo’s Media Summit started today with some rather big news. Two of Nintendo’s biggest franchises have 2010 release dates, and what’s more, they’re relatively soon! Super Mario Galaxy 2 will be released on May 23, while Metroid: Other M will arrive on June 27.

These two games were shown for the first time at last year’s E3, highlights of Nintendo’s press conference. Galaxy 2 surprised few, given the success of the first game, but Other M, developed by Team Ninja, is a peculiar surprise. It will mix 2D and 3D gameplay for something that should feel like classic Metroids while still holding onto something from the Prime series. With a speaking Samus Aran, the story also promises to be more involved than we’ve probably ever seen in a Metroid game.

Meanwhile, Galaxy 2 looks to be a lot more of the “same” we saw in the first game, except this time with Yoshi and new power-ups. And, I’m not complaining. More of the same is exactly what they should do. There's a trailer for Galaxy 2 after the jump.

3 weeks ago or so, my attempts at completing all achievements for Dragon Age: Origins were halted when the Return to Ostagar DLC was first made available, as the accompanying patch rendered my game temporarily unplayable. At first, I was obviously annoyed, but then I decided to reward Bioware for this only recently fixed bug by buying Mass Effect off XBLM. In the weeks that followed, I have discovered a new favorite franchise, having now completed the original game in full twice, only putting off my third play-through in order to pick up Mass Effect 2.

The first Mass Effect was pretty awesome. I don’t often whore myself out to achievements, especially when it comes to difficulty-based things. Yet, somehow the game demands it from me. It remains rewarding on multiple iterations through the story, while posing an increasing challenge with each unlockable difficulty. The story is communicated through strong characters, really strong emotional choices, and a general drive for the hero’s success, as I find is the case with many Bioware games. Yet, unlike games such as Dragon Age and Baldur’s Gate, Mass Effect allows you to step into the shoes of a pre-existing character, our noble Commander Shepard. You guide his actions and speech without defining them, which allows him to surprise you fairly often with his intelligence and wit. Without writing a full review, suffice it to say I’m quite fond of the game. It is definitely one of the best I’ve played. (More after the break)

This morning, the Return to Ostagar DLC for Dragon Age: Origins became available on Xbox Live, after over a week-long delay. The PC version should be available tonight, if it's not already, and the PS3 version is on its way in the near future. Apparently, Bioware doesn't really want you to know when to expect it.

I had some Microsoft points from Christmas, so I decided to plug them into DA:O content. I got Warden's Keep, which was a fun experience that supplies some utility to the game at large. There's new abilities, new items, and a party treasure chest for holding onto things without them taking up inventory. The story felt a bit less like filler than the one in Stone Prisoner with the random boss encounter, but it's worth a purchase just for the sake of having armor that looks cooler than the stock, recolored leather, chain, plate, etc.

Then, I played through Return to Ostagar. It has far fewer "utility" purposes, aside from allowing you to revisit things you potentially missed in your first time through the place. Notably, that includes adding the dog to your party and opening a chest by the mage's tent full of goodies (though nothing important). The story of the DLC has you returning to Ostagar for memorial purposes, as well as securing certain important documents that I have yet to see have an impact on the game at large (though it could, easily). It really is a lot of fluff, with some more chances to level up in a re-dressing of an area you've already been through, plus a small dungeon nearly identical to the one from the Dalish origin story.

To put it simply, the DLC might give you about an hour and a half worth of play time, as well as some new quips from your companions (mostly Alistair), a new gift for Alistair, and a rad set of armor and weaponry (that will just barely continue to be useful at the end of the game). For $5, it's worth it, if you liked the whole game; it adds an extra bit of content to lengthen that somehow enthralling story.

Last month at the Spike VGAs, one of the trailers premiered was for a sequel to the critically acclaimed Batman: Arkham Asylum. The trailer is more of a teaser, actually, and shows off chaos on the streets of Gotham, ending on an beaten Joker, laughing of course. The tag shown as the scene fades is “Arkham has moved.”

In a recent interview with Paul Denning, senior gameplay programmer for the game, he made it clear that the Arkham setting had “run its course.” This is true, considering you explore the entire Arkham island through the course of the first game. He also describes Gotham as a “fantastically realized fictional city” with many places ideal for gameplay and exploration, but says not to expect a Gotham sandbox. Apparently, they don’t believe the game will lend itself easily to an open-world, so they’re avoiding the concept altogether. Without that, however, incorporating the kind of explorative nature that made the first game so immersive will be challenging. Islands lend themselves well to isolation, after all, and you never question the fact that you can’t leave this area.

Back when this site was run in Wordpress, I posted about the Arkham Asylum demo, stating how it had essentially convinced me to buy the game. I didn’t actually manage to get it until Christmas, and have only had the opportunity to play it just these past few days. I completed everything within the game except challenge maps (they’re hard!), in what feels like 20-25 hours. A lot of the time I was laughing maniacally at what I could do in the game. The game is possibly the first stealth-action game to get the genre completely right. MGS is great and all, but stealth is often a chore that can be unforgiving at times. Arkham Asylum takes the concept and introduces this badass combination of Bat-skills and a reasonable safety net that allows you to essentially try anything within the stealth sections of the game. This, plus an extremely satisfying and well-realized combat system makes you feel as badass as you look, taking on groups of 10 men.

In short, the game is badass, and basically everyone should play it. When I think of games of a similar caliber, Half-Life 2 and Metal Gear Solid come to mind. While neither game is much like Arkham Asylum, they each define their own brand of storytelling that complements the gameplay, keeping you wanting more. Any sequel that can achieve a similar compulsion will undoubtedly be a great game. And, given a developer who realizes their own limitations with the content of their game, there’s a lot to hope for.