MMMM mmmm! Nothing says rock and roll down south like a bucket of fried chicken! Kentucky Fried Chicken y’all!

KFC and Guitar Hero World Tour. I guess its a play on words - finger licking good chicken and fingers licking chords of the guitar. From now until November 24, 2008, KFC has teamed up with Guitar Hero World Tour and partnered with Dave Barley, a top Guitar Hero player, for a KFC Rocks contest. With the recent launch of the newest Guitar Hero game, the contest allows players and non-players alike a chance to earn some cool prizes like a year’s supply of KFC chicken, fully loaded box meals and $2,500.

But don’t worry, there’s not that much in the box to bust your gut as the commercial advertises. You may want to get two of them for a decent meal, seriously. I’m still hungry after just one box.

If you think you have what it takes to outscore Barley submit photos of your highest score through KFC’s website for a chance to win. If you don’t get a winning ticket on your Guitar Hero collector cup you can still log into their KFC Rocks site for a chance to win the grand prize which includes a 42-inch plasma screen TV, home theater surround sound system and more to create your own game room. No purchase is necessary to enter according to my losing ticket. On the cups themselves though if you save them, are cheat codes for the game. There are five cheat codes total which can be found on different cups featuring characters from the game.

Site [KFC Rocks] Site [Kentucky Fried Chicken] Site [Guitar Hero World Tour]

Full Story » | Written by Lucy Newman for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

For those of you who indulge in the delicacies of fatty snacks that come in a colorful box and an accompanying toy, the recent McDonald’s Happy Meals are promoting Lego Batman: The Videogame and a game code has been stamped on the bottom of each toy.

There are eight toys in the set including four vehicles and four characters. Each game code unlocks playable characters so you don’t have to wait until later in the game to cash in precious (and readily available) Lego pegs for the same character. Since the instructions don’t indicate the codes are only good on certain versions, go ahead and try them on whichever one you got.

I don’t usually do this but, since GoNintendo has already started the sharing, I’ll offer up two more codes (UPDATED: make it four):

• Batmobile - MAC788
• Penguin Sub - BJH782
• Robin - MVY759
• Joker - UTF782

The Lego Batman toys are considered to the the “boy” toys of the month with Madame Alexander Wizard of Oz toys the “girl” toys. If you are lucky enough to get the Happy Meal box, 2 panels picture Lego Batman stuff and two panels picture the mini dolls. On the Batman side, you can punch out the perforated Bat Signal and villain panels to practice your BatNinjaStar tossing skills.

I have only those two toys so far but now I want them all. And not just for the codes. I’m just that much of a geek about kid’s meal toys.

If you have codes, go ahead and post ‘em below for all to enjoy and save the $2+ on each Happy Meal.

Read [GoNintendo] Site [HappyMeal] Also Read [Aeropause]

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According to our traffic reports, you, our valued readers, crave more data on the Halo 3 “Marathon Man” achievement. I will not lie, this warms my heart. It means that there are new players still trickling into the game, a phenomenon I heartily doubted would occur. At the very least, it means that old players who remained firmly entrenched in the multiplayer milieu, that denigrating digital pit of infamy, are at least taking a look at the campaign mode.

So, for your reading pleasure, I hereby confer upon you a series of posts which contain transcripts of these enigmatic forerunner structures taken directly from the game, along with my humble analysis of each. For the locations of these back story tidbits, refer to the excellent post by our very own Phil Madison via our not so very own GamesRadar. Enjoy!

Re: Enemy naval tactics: When engaged, the enemy commits every non-supraluminal craft with no appreciable pattern or strategy beyond making physical contact. Conversely, all supraluminal craft leave on seemingly random trajectories.

I understand the goal of this mission, but time - our least abundant resource - is wasted every time we do a system wide scan for survivors. The time for saving lives has passed. We must accept this if we hope to win the war.

Re: Enemy ground tactics:

All evidence suggests that use of overwhelming force is the very foundation of the enemy’s combat doctrine. And I adamantly refuse to deploy personnel where the enemy has available forces numbering in the billions. With the very real likelihood we are rapidly becoming the last living specimens of our race, all personnel are henceforth confined to stasis until further notice. Even with everyone equipped with [C_12_CS[?]] we would have very little chance of survival, let alone victory.

Re: Enemy command structure:

We have intercepted several transmissions from compound intelligence whose proximity to the core worlds mark them as key targets. At present we are dissembling these new transmissions. Once we have more [concrete conclusions] I will forward them in their entirety. Suffice it to say, that their contents – the patterns they suggest – are highly disturbing.

Recommendations:

It is my opinion that any system where there is evidence that the enemy has established a physical presence is lost and must be razed. This fleet currently retains the capacity to force premature stellar collapse; I advice that this be established as standard operating procedure for all compromised systems forthwith. We cannot fight this war by half measures if we intend to win.

If you’re playing on one of the first three difficulty settings, the following text will appear:

//Fragment 2/7 [Recorded Verbatim and Interpreted Post-Cataclysm]

L: I’m close to finishing the task. The indexing and the archival processes are as complete as I can hope for. If we wait longer, we risk catastrophe. The thing has already destroyed every colony on my side of the line.

Please. Activate the array.

D: No. Activation is murder. A genocide larger than [this galaxy] has ever known. We are sworn to protect life, not destroy it! That is the Mantle we were given to carry.

L: The Mantle. You still hold to that [fairy tale] after all that has happened? After this thing has consumed a million worlds?

Can’t you see? Belief in the Mantle sealed our doom! Weakened our [protectorates], bred dependence and sloth. Our [so-called Guardianship] has stripped those we would keep safe of any capacity for self-defense.

Were we such noble [Guardians] when we drew our line and abandoned billions to the parasite?

D: The Mantle has not failed! I’ve already razed scores of worlds – sterilized systems, routed and [disintegrated] the parasite! We’re learning its tricks and strategies. We can halt this thing! And we can follow in Their footsteps!

There are no unstoppable forces in this universe. There are no immovable objects. Everything gives if you push hard enough.

L: And what about us, Didact? We’ve been irresistible and immovable for too long.

Maybe it’s our turn to give.

//Fragment Ends.

If you’re playing on Legendary, you get the following cryptic exchange:

MB.05-032.> I must ask you to forgive my vagueness on the matter, but it is a regrettable I find your lack of concern for the situation at hand astonishing. Perhaps you would care to elucidate?

LF.Xx.3273.> are here to spread [comforting news]. To let all the living beings in this galaxy know are not alone in the What in that message could possibly be taken as a source of concern?

MB.05-032.> It seems that I’ll never truly understand my creators. But how that you speak of is one of rejected so violently? I am incapable of reconciling the numerous actions I have witnessed misunderstanding?

LF.Xx.3273.> It has been said secret of peace cannot be imposed. That meaning of peace, so they need to When all living beings look through and the thunder and the surf, when every drop of rain falls on know peace.

MB.05-032.> You have been able to establish a [line of communication] with the enemy? How was it that you were able to overcome   where others have failed? With this [new discovery] we may able to put an end to this pointless conflict. Once I confirm your data I will communicate the information to those inside the [Maginot] sphere.

LF.Xx.3273.> It seems that it turn to apologize; it was never intention to misrepresent have been [in communication] with your creators since stumbled upon each other, but message has [fallen on deaf ears]. am not the recipient of the message, am the origin of the message.

MB.05-032.> I have traveled a very long time to meet you. I had imagined that our [introduction] would be somewhat more violent.

LF.Xx.3273.> That is a choice you must make yourself; to be how your creators go about things. And as long as we are talking about choices could talk about the [barrier] you alluded to earlier? Perhaps there is a way to accomplish your mission without violence? Why put the lives of those on your ships at risk if there is no need?

MB.05-032.> In either circumstance I’m certainly equipped for it, aren’t I? But you’re right; a peaceful solution to this [dilemma] would be preferable.

The “easy” through “normal” text appears straightforward enough. This post on Bungie.net describes the dramatis persona involved. It’s interesting that one of the forerunner commanders possesses the title of Didact, which is Latin for “let me tell you why I’m right and you’re wrong,” and it’s also interesting that the Didact is espousing the conservative position of central control. The other conversationalist, who we can assume is the Librarian, is a cynic and votes for what amounts to a galactic reboot—the elimination of all biological matter via the Halo arrays. Obviously, we know that the Didact wins this argument. If it were otherwise, we’d be playing Spore instead of three iterations of Halo.

The second text, available to view only on the difficulty setting of Legendary, is necessarily more opaque. The signs abound and represent not only omissions of words but entire phrases and segments of conversation. According to the post I mentioned earlier, I believe this is a conversation between Medicant Bias and the gravemind. The gravemind’s rhetoric in this exchange sounds a lot like religious proselytizing with all that nature imagery and talk about peace. Of course, it’s hard to tell anything for sure with a fragmented narrative.

Read [Gamertell] Also Read [GamesRadar] Also Read [Bungie]

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Further demonstrating the increasing availability and decreasing price of memory, Target has put out a Speed Racer themed gift card that features a USB 2.0 Flash drive built right in.

The promo gift card features a tiny USB cable (an inch long) that clicks flat into the card and can be ejected using a tiny mechanical switch at the bottom edge. It also has an activity light on the upper right edge of the card.

The internal Flash drive shows 62.8 MB total capacity with 51.6 MB of it filled with Speed Racer movie promotional items:

• A PDF with five coloring pages featuring the Mach 5 and Racer X’s vehicle.
• A PDF coupon for $3 off a Speed Racer Powerburst figure-8 track set and $1 off a Speed racer Powerburst racer (both expire 06/30/2008)
• Two Speed Racer wallpapers in two sizes
• A Racer family movie (in MOV and WMV)
• A special code for the Wii version of Speed Racer: The Videogame (1-2-1-2-B-A - oops, it fell onto my keyboard)

The game code section is a Flash (as in animated) ad for the game with a few screenshots, which you have to watch to get to the code at the end. Here’s a screenshot of the game from the gift card for you to oogle:

Yep, that leaves 11.2 MB on the Flash drivef or you fiddle with, assuming you want to keep the Speed racer stuff. Otherwise, this is a regular ol’ Flash drive that you can rename and fill up with your own files. Like most Target gift cards, you can pick on up at the various gift card racks around the store, though I have the best luck at the greeting card area where they place the bigger gift card end caps. Also, don’t expect too many of these to be put out at one time, so don’t be greedy.

Like previous Target gift cards, you don’t need to buy anything or even put any money on the card to take it home, essentially making this a free mini Flash drive with a Speed Racer skin. Since we certainly do not condone stealing, if your local Target frowns on you simply taking a gift card, please make certain you put at least some money on it.

Speed Racer will be in theaters May 9, 2008, and the game will be in stores May 6, 2008, for the Wii and DS.

Site [Speed Racer: The Videogame] Read [Gamertell] Also Read [Gadgetell]

Full Story » | Written by PJ Hruschak for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

For those of you who have decided to take my advice and download the Japanese arcade game Ikaruga for Xbox Live, here are a few tips that should help you enjoy the game:

The Single Polarity Approach
If you are going for maximum points, you’ll be switching polarity every second or two. You can, instead, play through many sections with only one polarity. This will help minimize accidental deaths and make levels with quickly swarming opponents a little easier. It will also help charge up your more deadly secondary attack much more quickly since killing same polarity opponents releases additional same polarity goo. You will still need to swap polarities to get through many areas, so don’t think you can avoid that B button all day. Trying to play as long as possible with one polarity can also prove a nice challenge for those who finish and can cruise through the game.

B Button Boogie
If you are especially good at holding down a button (without chronic thumb stress) and resisting the urge to tap unless necessary, then use the Polarity switching button (the B button) to fire. Normally the A Button is for firing and the B Button is for swapping polarity, but if you lift and re-press B, it will continue to fire. The trick will be to switch at the right moment without mistakes, otherwise you’ll be the wrong polarity in the middle of a barrage of bullets. This will be the technique the pros use to really rack up the pointage,

Communication is Key
When playing online, plug in your headset and turn it on. I usually don’t bother with my headset for most games (yeah, I’m that guy - don’t be a hater) but, with Ikaruga, communication can help you both stay in the right polarity. It’s also especially helpful when one of you forgets the polarity of the upcoming opponent. Also, many swarms and bosses alternate between polarities for attacks, so one can charge up their secondary attack with the same polarity while the other lays in with the opposing polarity attacks. Bosses also often lay out two or more drones that will overlap the attack with small doses of opposing polarity fire, just to keep you on your toes.

Charge!
If you really dig the fierce secondary attack, then you may want to sit and suck up same polarity projectiles for a while. Opponents will retreat after a while (without penalty), so you can decide whether you want to (or need to) max out your polarity intake or take them out as they retreat for a few extra points. A skilled player can usually do both.

It’s Swithin’ Time
Get very used to the dead time between your polarity switching since you cannot fire when in mid-switch (which is unfortunate). Also, switching right after killing a same polarity opponent can put you on top of wrong polarity fire. Get used to either switching a little earlier to resisting the urge to kill that nasty until after you make the switch.

Product Page [Ikaruga] Read [Gamertell]

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If you are not dialing in to a local BBS (Bulletin Board System), you have no idea what you are missing.  BBSes can be a video game aficionado’s delight with plenty of information being traded to help you get through that particularly nasty level or flick that joystick the right way at the arcade. (And you can often download some choice Playboy calendar pages in ASCII. That’ll get your dot matrix printer totally hot).

Here are few suggestions for first-time BBS users:

• Find local numbers. This will be a difficult step since most numbers are not listed in the phone book. Your best chance is to go to your local computer store or ask a technology-savvy friend at the arcade. You may even need to check the bulletin boards (as in peg boards) a the local tech school for a list. Remember, if you are calling a long distance number, you will be charged fees by Ma Bell. We’re still looking for a decent list of 800-number BBSes, but there aren’t very many (yet). Once you get into a local BBS, chances are pretty good it will have a list of other local BBSes for you to call. While there are hundreds across the USA, there are likely a few dozen in the nearest city and maybe even a couple in your area code.
• Keep your phone tightly coupled in the modem. Any noise leaking into the phone can slow down your signal. If you are lucky enough to afford one of those fancy Hayes Smartmodems, then you obviously don’t need to worry about that. Tell your little sister not to pick up for a while, either, since that will pretty much break your connection to the BBS.
• Dial the right number. The angry voice on the other end will indicate you got it wrong. Beeps and other weird noises usually mean you got it right.
• Check your settings. Even if you dial in, if your parity or echo is wrong you’ll get kicked off and you’ll have to try again. It can take many tries before you get it right.
• Check your baud. You might have the latest lightning-fast 1200 baud modem but if the BBS won’t yet support it, you might need to continue using your 300 baud modem. Sometimes you can find a list of BBSes and the appropriate baud for each.
• Be patient. It can take many, many tries before you get logged into the BBS. Also, the line(s) connecting to the BBS might be busy. Once you are connected…
• Get to know your SysOp (System Operator aka God). That will be the person who can help you the most and will kick you out if you leave too many mean electronic mail messages. Often they will post an electronic message with rules for the site as well as key commands. You’ll often see that when you are first connected to the BBS.
• Learn the bulletin board’s commands. These can be very different between bulletin boards.
• Dial in early in the morning. Many BBSes still use only one phone line so get in early so you can read and let your computer download that massive 10K ASCII file all morning. (Believe me, staring at that screen of dots is not much fun). There is often a time limit for how long you can stay connected, especially for BBSes with only one or two lines.
• Be polite to your fellow BBSers. Those electronic mail messages you leave for your friends can be read by everyone (especially the SYSOP), so keep it fairly clean. The SysOp is also keeping a computer file (also referred to as a log) of all keystrokes to the BBS and he can block your phone number from being able to dial in.
• Offer as much as you use. If you are only taking from a BBS and not contributing any useful information, you may anger the other people who dial in. Besides, it’s just the polite thing to do.

For those who are a bit more malicious, many BBSes do have back doors. I’ll save that for a future article.

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Read [Art of Hacking] Also Read [BBS List] Also Read [SalonAl] Site [IMG2TXT]

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Five teens arrested and charged for the virtual theft of furniture from various residence in Habbo Hotel, a popular virtual networking hang out website for youngsters.

Many people reading this article may not see why Amsterdam police officers and creators of Habbo Hotel are taking this problem way too seriously. The crime committed is that the teen and the virtual furniture and items are paid for with real world money. The arrest of one of the online thief makes this the first ever online law enforcement action.

The thief, a Dutch 17-year-old who has yet to be named, is accused of computer fraud and stealing more than £2,800 (approximately $1,400 in US dollars) of furniture and other from the virtual homes of other members on Habbo Hotel and moving them into their own virtual rooms. The 17-year-old is not alone in this virtual criminal activity, having received help from four 15-year-olds who were traced and called by the Web site’s owners and taken for questioning by the Dutch police.

“We are trying to bring charges of theft. It is a little difficult and new. There has not yet been a judgment in a case like this,” said a spokesman. “The furniture may not be physical objects but because it represents a certain value we think theft is involved.”

Habbo Hotel, which was launched seven years ago by Finnish Internet company Sulake, claims the website has 80 million registered users in 31 countries. The site allows users to create their own characters and decorate their personal hotel rooms using credits which they pay for with real money.

Officials from Sulake believe that the six teens have gained access to other members rooms by tricking the members into giving up their personal login and password information.

“The accused lured victims into handing over their Habbo passwords by creating fake Habbo websites,” explained a Sulake representative. “In Habbo, as in many other virtual worlds, scamming for other people’s personal information such as user names has been problematic for quite a while. We have had much of this scamming going on in many countries but this is the first case where the police have taken legal action.”

This case has already raised concerns over internet security and teenagers having the ability to spend money online.

“We got involved because of an increasing number of sites which are pretending to be Habbo,” the Sulake representative added. “People might then try and log in and get their details stolen.”

Because the trickery wasn’t big enough to warrant full attention by Sulake, users are asked by Sulake to protect themselves by never giving out their passwords, beware of phishing scams and for added security type in the URL by hand to access their accounts instead of using the auto-login function on their PC.

Read [Reuters] Also Read [The Telegraph] Site [Habbo Hotel]

Full Story » | Written by Lucy Newman for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

So, you’ve beaten Halo 3 on Legendary, you’re a headshot honcho, pink mist sprayer, laser master, and your online medal chest looks like that of a war hero and you’ve even found all 13 skulls But you still only have 960 out of 1000 possible achievement points. You just can’t find that last terminal to unlock the coup de grace, the illusive Marathon Man achievement.

The achievement is a thinly veiled way of Bungie giving props to its past. Terminals such as these were used in the FPS, Marathon, developed during the early days of Bungie and were used to reveal plot before the days of voice overs. And in Halo 3, they are intentionally difficult to locate, but once all seven are found a forty-point achievement is unlocked.

If you are finding this one tough to unlock then the folks at GamesRadar have discovered the secret. In order to unlock the Marathon Man achievement in Halo 3 you have to find, activate, and read through seven terminals scattered throughout the single-player campaign.

GamesRadar doesn’t just hint at where the terminals are located or give vague descriptions. They essentially lead you by the hand to each one by offering a video that clearly shows where each is located and the best way to get there.

All seven terminals are thoroughly discussed and like some all knowing being who decided to throw us an extra bone, they also reveal an eight terminal. This terminal isn’t necessary for unlocking the achievement but offers another cut scene of Cortona, Master Chief’s holographic sidekick, which alludes to a topic covered in Ghosts of Onyx. For all you none Halo nerds, Ghosts of Onyx is one of the series of book written by Eric Nylund focused on the Halo universe.

Yeah, almost ashamed I knew that one. Anyway, the article is definitely worth the read. But remember, if you are a purist then stay away. It’ll ruin your cheat-free rep.

Read [GamesRadar] Game Site [Marathon]

Full Story » | Written by Madison, Phil for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »