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Rift Lore – Thontic of the Great Sea

Thontic, God of Seas, is one of the many gods that the Guardians of Telara pray to. This particular god is the one that the Guardians pray to whenever the feel that a voyage is going to be unsafe across the ocean.

Thontic is a protector of the sea and is constantly protecting his domain from the forces of Akylios. These Abyssal followers of the false water god are growing ever so more bold in their attacks, and so the Ascended must assists Thontic in the protection of the underwater realm.

Be sure to read the Lore quoted below.

Thontic

God of the Sea

On a ship at sea, a sailor plots his course, a merchant dreams of distant shores, and a scholar charts the stars. Each in their way prays to Thontic, God of the Sea, of trade, and of mystery. When the gods formed Telara from sourcestone at the dawn of days, it was Thontic who shaped the clouds, filled deep places with water, and sparked the thirst for knowledge in mortal minds.

The faceless Abyssal say that Thontic merely imitates Akylios’s genius, but this is a filthy lie. Akylios represents the profane darkness of the crushing deeps, where sanity flees even the design of nature and hideous secrets wait, hidden from the light. Thontic is the deity who guides travelers to safe harbor, who hides teeming life and fantastic revelations beneath the briny tide. While the Abyssal are misers of knowledge, hoarding secrets until their minds burst, Thontic’s priests are patrons of wisdom, answering life’s great questions and revealing their discoveries for the benefit of all.

In mysterious ways

Of all gods of the Vigil, Thontic is the most inscrutable. They say he moves across the land wearing the night as a cloak, his voice just barely softer than the lapping of the waves and the clinking of coins. His ways are not always kind—at his whim one merchant opens new cities for trade, while another is swallowed by the tide. Yet exploration is hollow without risk, and Clerics say those who die at sea have a place at Thontic’s side.

The Guardians pray to Thontic when they embark on long journeys, solve crimes, or study the ways of magic and nature. And in Sanctum, most commerce takes place in Thontic Square, where every exchange pleases the god of the seas.

The Vigil’s cunning

Thontic provides the Vigil with his wisdom, his craft, and a necessary ruthlessness that righteous Thedeor or gentle Mariel-Taun simply could not imagine. Like the trader who must outbid his competitors or the storm that rises without warning, Thontic knows that some events are unavoidable and had best be wisely managed. It is thanks to him that Rogues prowl the night to strike at hidden evils and Cabalists bring their forbidden rites to bear upon the Guardians’ enemies.

Without Thontic, the Guardians would truly be the guileless crusaders of Defiant propaganda. Guided by his canny insight, they are a subtler and more adaptable force than their enemies imagine. Like their god, their methods are a tightly-woven secret for the clever to unravel.

 

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Just Dance 3 New Tracks and Modes announced.

At this years Comic-Con, Ubisoft will be announcing it’s brand new gametypes and tracks for the Kinect title Just Dance 3.

One of the modes being featured in the game is ‘Just Create’ mode, which allows players to choreograph and create their own dance numbers. These dances can then be shared with friends or played locally as though it were an ordianry dance challenge. The other mode is a new four player mode, which will be exclusive to the Kinect, and will allow players to dance together.

The following are the tracks announced in the game –

New Playable Just Dance 3 Tracks include:

  • Apache (Jump On It) – The Sugarhill Gang
  • Baby One More Time – The Girly Team
  • Forget You – Cee Lo Green
  • Night Boat to Cairo – Madness
  • She’s Got Me Dancing – Tommy Sparks
  • Video Killed The Radio Star – The Buggles

Be sure to check out the official site for more info.

Ms Splosion Man DLC Released

Better be careful fellas – it’s “that time of the month” for Ms. Splosion Man. And you have to be especially careful when dealing with a girl made of pure combustible material.

Through what Twisted Pixel are calling TMS, or Title Managed Storage, the developers of Ms. Splosion Man are planning to deliver new monthly challenges, free to owners of the game. The first is available now, up until the 31st July, and sees a joint venture with Destructoid.

Participants are ranked on a leaderboard, with the top three winning a Twisted Pixel/Destructoid prize pack, including a Ms. Splosion Man light-up statue, a Destructoid bobblehead (both pictured below), and t-shirts and posters from both studios. In addition, a random participant will win a Twisted Pixel prize pack.

In other free download news, a new level for the original Splosion Man is also now available. The level will bridge the gap between the two games: players will control Splosion Man through to his capture at the beginning of Ms. Splosion Man.

Aaaand that’s still not everything! In the next month or so, a Ms. Splosion Man-themed pinball table will also be released for Zen Studios’ XBLA title Pinball FX2.

Twisted Pixel have been very busy. It’s a good time to be a fan of their dynamo duo.

  

New Sonic Generations Trailer is a History Lesson…

If you have ever played a Sonic game before, then this clip is for you. In the latest trailer for Sonic Generations, appropriately titled the “20th Anniversary trailer”, we see a quite lengthy history of the series with a small clip of footage taken from all of the main Sonic Games of the past, and yes, Sonic 2006 like it or not made the cut.

At the end of the clip, we are treated to a bit more footage from Sonic Generations as both versions of the blue mascot tear through the Green Hill Zone and City escape. Sega also launched a brand new website for the series in celebration of the 20th Anniversary for Sonic that be visited at www.sonicthehedgehog.com/anniversary. Watch the shiny new trailer below and enjoy the nostalgia blast that follows afterwards.

Australia Gets 18+ Rating!

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It’s hasn’t been officially announced, but its looking more than likely that Australia will be getting an R18+ rating for computer and video games by the end of the year! The Australian censorship ministers met today as a part of the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General, coming to an almost unanimous decision to include an R18+ rating for video games in Australia.

The only state who hasn’t agreed yet is New South Whales, who has abstained from the R18+ vote, as NSW Attorney-General Greg Smith wants further amendments to be made. After this announcement, Western Australia and Victoria followed suit and stated they were seeking further amendments to the R18+ guidelines. This had delayed the process of an 18+ rating, because the National Classification Code requires the unanimous agreement between all nine federal, state and territory censorship ministers.

Brendan O’Connor has stated that the Commonwealth is willing to override NSW if they oppose the amendments. If this is to occur, it would mean NSW would become the only state in Australia not selling R18+ computer and video games. Furthermore, the ACT and South Australia plan on going alone and placing an 18+ rating regardless of the other states in the near future. South Australia plans on going a step further and also abolishing the MA 15+ rating in order to make the difference between classifications clearer.

The state of New South Whales is most likely to announce their decision within the next few weeks, and if they agree the R 18+ rating will be approved nation-wide. If not, it seems the country will still go ahead with the rating approval and just have it prohibited in New South Whales. This is an exciting time for Australian gamers everywhere!

Kirby Wii now labeled as “Kirby Returns to Dream Land”..

When “Kirby Wii” was officially announced back at E3, the only thing that missing was an official name. Over at Comic-Con today, that question was officially put to rest as a Nintendo representative told Siliconera that Kirby Wii is now named “Kirby Returns to Dream Land”.

Seeing how this game is taking Kirby back to his platforming, enemy absorbing roots, I can’t think of a more perfect title for the game and just about anything beats out the rather bland “Kirby Wii”. I am now a bit curious if this title will be a successor to Kirby’s Dream Land rather than a follow-up to Kirby 64 (which the game closely resembles). Now all we need is a proper release date and we should be good to go, as Kirby Returns to Dream Land is still labeled for release sometime later this year.

Afro Samurai Live-Action adaptation brought to you by Samuel L. Jackson

Today in Samuel L. Jackson news, Sam has announced that he will be spear-heading a live action adaptation of the Afro Samurai anime series, which he starred in.

Not much is known about the film as of writing besides the strange fact that it is set to be filmed in the Dominican Republic. It is also still unknown whether Samuel L. Jackson will be reprising his titular role from the anime series.

The Afro Samurai anime was released in the USA by Funimation Entertainment and in Australia by Madman Entertainment. As more news of the live-action adaptation comes to light, we will keep you posted. What do you think of this announcement? Leave a comment below letting us know.

Gears of War 3 cans from Mad Catz

 

Gears of War 3 licensed headsets are launching with the game.  Starting September 20, 2011, you can get your mitts with three different GOW 3 accessories.  There is a throat communicator, a headset with stereo and then there is the 7.1 surround sound set.  $30, $100 and $180 are the respective prices for each.

The 7.1 surround set is an updated version of the Tritton AX 720, except it has a new decoder box and an extra two channels of sound. If you want to pre-order these beautiful cans, check this link: http://store.gameshark.com/GW3

So what do you think?  Will you be shelling out a few extra clams to get the peripherals for the exclusive shooter?

Fruit Ninja Free On Android Market

 

Halfbrick studios’ highly addictive smash hit mobile game Fruit Ninja is now available for free on the Android Market. This isn’t a demo or short version of the game either. The full version of the game can be downloaded right now for the low price of absolutely nothing, that’s rights 100% free!

All game modes, challenges and unlocks are included in Fruit Ninja Free along with global leaderboards and social media (Facebook and Twitter) postings for high scores. Fruit Ninja has already made 35 million downloads worldwide and was recently nominated for a 2011 Webby Award in the Handheld Games category. So definitely download this game if you haven’t already (remember it’s FREE).

The Free Android Version of Fruit Ninja can be downloaded here

NBA 2K12 to Feature Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson on 3 Seperate Covers

Last year, NBA 2K11 featured Michael Jordan on the cover and was wildly successful because of it. This year 2K have announced that they plan on making the boxarts for NBA 2K12 just as special with three seperate covers for the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game that will feature Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and a returning Michael Jordan.

2K Also released a statement in celebration of the varied covers today, shedding light on why three is better than one:

“Bringing Michael Jordan to the virtual hardwood last year was a huge success for NBA 2K11, but we didn’t want to stop there,” said Jason Argent, vice president of marketing for 2K Sports. “We’re bringing His Airness back to the NBA 2K franchise again as part of a multi-year extended partnership, along with two other legendary icons – Larry Bird and Magic Johnson – for a special cover athlete collection representing some of the NBA’s greatest heroes.”

If an idea works and sells, there is no harm in pulling a repeat, and that is exactly what 2K Games seem to be doing with NBA 2K12’s artwork, except now with three times the effort. You know there will be some die-hards as well that will have to buy all three, which should make this year’s release even bigger than it’s predecessor. NBA 2K12 will be available October 7, 2011 for the PS3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, PSP, PS2, and PC (yes, PS2 is included). Have a gander at the Larry Bird and Magic Johnson covers below, and let us know which one you are now eyeing in the comments below.